Grodin Tierce reported first.
The adjutant gave a brief historical summary, generously sprinkled with intelligence data regarding our opponent.
I was familiar with the report in advance, unlike the attending Pellaeon, Shohashi, Doria, and I-Gor.
At present, these are all the officers honored with the ranks of senior command of the Dominion's regular fleet.
If one does not delve into chronological thickets, the Corporate Sector is located just a few remote sectors from the northeastern borders of the Dominion's metropolis.
Historically, the Corporate Sector was created to resolve disagreements between the legislators of the Galactic Republic and the heads of many of the galaxy's largest corporations.
The Corporate Sector is located in the Outer Rim, in the far-from-the-galactic-center part of the Tingel Arm, bordering the Aparo and Vil sectors.
In addition, the corporates are located at the end point of the Hydian Way, which allows reaching virtually any point in the galaxy in short order, using the already blazed for thousands of years one of the key hyperspace highways.
Scouts managed to obtain the most up-to-date data on the sector's astrogation, which differed markedly from the data we had based on the library on Obroa-skai.
In fact, the Corporate Sector includes thousands of inhabited systems, as well as over a hundred thousand uninhabited systems.
Is that a lot?
Honestly, virtually any sector in the known part of the galaxy includes a similar number of systems and planets.
But the difference is that in the known part of the galaxy they are mapped and studied, while the corporates resolutely keep their secrets.
The sectors controlled by the Dominion are also superficially studied, so it is not surprising that upon detailed study of astrogation we will discover another couple or three thousand planets.
But this is not a general rule—after all, this is the galactic outskirts, where the gravitational forces of the Deep Core are the least strong.
Unlike those same arms, in which, essentially, the greatest density of planets is concentrated.
That is why for most sentients only four-odd dozen planets are known within this part of the galaxy.
Judging by the fact that nowhere in open sources or even in the archives of Imperial Intelligence is even a close number mentioned, the corporates know how to keep secrets much better than the Imperials themselves.
Which means that inside the sector one can not just hide anything, but make it so that no one finds out about it at all.... Unless the sector's rulers themselves want to.
And they clearly will not want to.
The scale of the upcoming campaign was beginning to take on massive proportions, which was not envisaged initially.
Now I understand why many regimes in the galaxy wanted to subjugate the Corporate Sector for themselves, and only a few succeeded.
And came the understanding of why even Palpatine decided not to tangle with the locals, and they, in turn, preferred not to conflict with the corporate government and imposed tribute in exchange for old military equipment.
It is also noteworthy that in the Corporate Sector, even after Palpatine's death, construction of a palace for him was underway.
Due to communication problems—as paradoxical as it may sound, but the repeaters in this part of the galaxy are quite outdated, and therefore unreliable—the construction continued for some time after the actual completion of the Battle of Endor.
Which indicates an obvious weakness in the corporates' communications with the rest of the galaxy.
Note the thought.
This is a very useful observation, because the "Holonet" repeaters in the galaxy are the fastest and most accurate way to coordinate armies, fleets, and transport ships, not to mention civilian communications and so on.
At present, the Dominion has no direct borders with territory controlled by the corporates.
Our northeastern border—the Korva sector—adjoins the Bosf and Happih sectors, and those already to Aparo.
In the north, there are also formations, but they are in the exclusive zone of corporate influence, and therefore for me they represent precisely one target, not several.
The Corporate Sector and its nearest neighbors—the Aparo and Vil sectors.
The southern border of the Corporate Sector is the Vil sector.
Sector Vil.
One can penetrate into the Corporate Sector via two main space routes.
This is the already mentioned Hydian Way—sequentially flying through the Happih and Aparo sectors.
Or, at the southern borders of the Happih sector, on the planet Listehol, set off along the Listehol Run to the planet Zygerria, crossing the Vil sector and making a stop in the Chorlian sector, from where via the route known as the Shalithin Tunnels one could reach, bypassing a number of border systems, straight to Etti IV.
Through the northern territories one could also reach the "innards of the sector," but this path is dangerous.
Primarily because corporate testing ranges are located there, and therefore the most advanced defense systems.
Secondly, but no less importantly, such a journey is dangerous because it passes in immediate proximity to the gravitational anomaly surrounding the galaxy.
And a failed hyperdrive is essentially certain death for anyone caught in such captivity.
Because there are no chances of reaching the destination at subluminal speed.
At least not for the next few hundred years.
It is also curious that despite the capture of border sectors to the Corporate ones a couple of years after the Battle of Endor, and another year later—the galaxy region itself by warlord Zsinj, the Happih, Aparo (and the Catarl subsector within it), Vim sectors—all of them at present are managed by Imperial moffs themselves.
But they prefer to obey the corporates.
As does the former Moff Harsh from the Bosf sector, who intends to regain what he lost.
"In other words, we have a powerful production, economically stable sector possessing its own satellite sectors with considerable armed forces," Doria summarized Tierce's presentation. "Not to mention their fleet teeming with Victory-class Star Destroyers, as well as the armies of both the corporates themselves and the 'Zann Consortium' fighters. Including the latter's fleet, about whose quantitative or qualitative composition we know nothing."
"One might think you didn't know this before this report," Pellaeon grimaced.
"This is nothing more than a summary," Doria stated coldly, throwing me a quick glance. "In no way did I intend to offend or hurt anyone."
Pellaeon intended to respond as well, but apparently remembered my instructions regarding the conflict with Doria, which I suggested half a year ago to resolve with a simple gentlemanly blaster shootout, and decided to stick to his opinion.
"I beg your pardon," he said hastily. "Emotions."
"Apologies accepted, Vice Admiral," I replied. "Henceforth, I ask each of those present to keep themselves in hand. We are not cadets at the Imperial military Academy to waste precious time in this manner. Let us proceed to the details of our plan."
The senior fleet officers silently exchanged glances.
"At present, the Bosf sector has fallen out of the corporates' sphere of influence, but they are striving to regain control," Pellaeon said. "They naturally do not need the planets or the local population, but they clearly will not refuse the rich deposits of useful minerals."
"Given the territories they already control and the resources extracted from them, one can assume they are used for the corporate armed forces," Rear Admiral I-Gor stated.... "Including," Tierce confirmed. "However, droid spies detected dense traffic of freighters both along the Hydian Way and through the Shalithin Shafts. The freighters are full of ore, and according to the bills of lading, this is raw material directly for creating armor—for both ground forces and starships."
"Was it possible to establish exactly where the ore is supplied?" Erik Shohashi asked, making notes on his deck.
"Intelligence managed to track some of the truck convoys," Grodin did not embellish reality. "Undoubtedly, there is a number of commercial enterprises in neutral systems where the Corporate Sector sells its resources. We have formed two flows of freighters. The one going along the Hydian Way is of no particular interest—it is simple goods sold just as in the past. The second route is transportation along regional routes of the galactic eastern outskirts. All recipients of this category of cargo without exception are concentrated in the east of the galaxy, predominantly in Hutt Space. We are unable to track the further fate of the supplies at present—deep infiltration into Hutt spheres is required."
Grodin fell silent, not voicing the obvious.
Criminal overlords do not like it when noses are poked into their affairs.
If deals with metal sales have nothing to do with the "Zann Consortium," then such actions against Hutt companies could provoke a full response from their side.
This is essentially making enemies out of thin air.
On the other hand, during the formation of the Dominion, we have more than once stepped on Hutt interests. True, they were not the most influential, and their attempts to harm my plans ended soon after they transferred advances to mercenaries: the Noghri cut out both the clients and the performers.
But large metal supplies are no joke.
These could be operations of leading Hutts with weight.
Every Hutt is by nature quite the schemer.
And the stronger his gang, the weightier he intends to make it.
Some Hutts have entire mercenary fleets on payroll, and it may well happen that one of them needed resources for repairing old or producing new starships.
Attacking supplies of an influential Hutt will inevitably stir up their leadership, and the hunt for the culprits will be joined by all those same mentioned mercenary fleets.
Thus, ill-considered actions will put us in the position of a war on two, or even four, fronts.
Here, one does not even need to think about winning.
Such wars never lead to anything good.
One can squeeze all the juices out of oneself and even the most advanced industry, supplying the front with more and more equipment, but when you are hit from all sides—it hurts.
And deadly.
Therefore, exhaustive measures must be taken to understand who the ore is supplied to and for what purposes.
Because I have a draft of confrontation with the Corporate Sector anyway.
It just needs to be adjusted to current realities.
Or perhaps radically revised.
That is why I do not intend to voice it to anyone, even senior officers, fully.
Only those elements that they will need to perform separately from the main forces.
Operation "Crimson Dawn" was reviewed, edited, and modified more than once so that the final version became what it was implemented a few weeks ago.
"Purification by fire" is also just a draft, but over time it will grow all the necessary elements.
It is only necessary to learn as much as possible about the opponents.
"Let us proceed to our current goals," I said. "Major Tierce, report to us on Moff Harsh from the Bosf sector and his ally, Seth Kabul. The Bosf sector is our priority target at present."
Not because everything there is easy and simple.
But because there are already reconnoitered rich deposits there, and a significant part of the sector's population are experienced miners.
Upon execution of the plan, we will get not just an enterprise that is currently reviving after sabotage, but also an excellent staff of employees.
Part of which can always be lured to other developments in the Dominion, especially since the Defense Fleet regularly provides headquarters with data on found asteroid belts, dead planets and moons rich in minerals and other useful fossils.
"If you'll allow, sir, I would like to supplement the information on 'Kabul Industries,'" the former guardsman said.
"Proceed."... "As I already indicated in the report, 'Kabul Industries' is a formerly prosperous mining company owned by the Kabul family from the planet Otunia in the Bosf sector. The company's founder, Mr. Lorne Kabul, back in the days of the Old Republic, managed to conclude a lucrative contract with the Coruscant authorities. In exchange for guaranteed purchases of metals and other products from his mines, the Republic sent convicts to the Bosf sector who had not been noted for serious crimes. Lorne Kabul used them as hired workers, and given the working conditions in the mines, he had the opportunity to reduce the sentence due to the high hazard of the work. This move worked, and in a short time he assembled a huge staff of employees. The enterprise extended these contracts, including with the Empire, but they began sending outright thugs there as well. Output decreased, and according to the Imperial archive, Coruscant decided to take the mines under direct control, dissatisfied with the enterprise management's loyal attitude toward subordinates."
"And at that moment, Moff Harsh appears in the sector?" Rear Admiral I-Gor clarified.
"Yes, sir," Tierce confirmed. "This man underwent cadre training at the military academy with the highest marks. In addition, his instructors also noted in him a penchant for politics, instilled by his mentor outside the Academy—one of the members of the Imperial Senate."
The guardsman paused, giving the gathered time to digest the information.
"Senators do not favor just anyone," Doria said, his face changing.
"I agree," Shohashi said. "He is clearly a senatorial protégé, and therefore his assignment to a region with rich mineral deposits is hardly a merit as such. It is protection."
"A corrupt scheme," Pellaeon grimaced. "I never liked this military-civilian activity of moffs."
"The fleet and army never treated moffs as equals," I-Gor agreed. "With rare exceptions, of course. But the collapse of the Empire and the multitude of warlords from former moffs, as well as their sad results, directly prove the harmfulness of such a combination of positions."
The attending officers, except for the indifferent Tierce, nodded in agreement.
The movements were more like reflexes than deliberate approvals.
The slightly glazed gazes indicate that each of them is now somewhere in their own memories.
No wonder—almost every Star Destroyer commander, and even just fleet officer, has his own (and sometimes more than one) story of negative interaction with an Imperial moff.
Note the thought—the senior officers of the regular fleet are cautiously but purposefully indicating that the military component should be removed from the moffs' powers.
A good attitude—it is necessary to monitor the situation further to understand how correct such a division would be.
At present, under conditions of tension, arranging cardinal changes is fraught with confusion and bureaucratic delays.
We do not need that.
But the problem exists—not every moff is capable of adequately commanding armed forces.
"Continue, Major," I ordered.
"With the support of his senatorial patron, Harsh quickly rose through the command hierarchy. At a fairly young age, he received the rank of captain and took command of an Imperial-II class Star Destroyer named 'Cauldron.'"
"Did this happen before or after the start of the mass refit of 'ones' into 'twos'?" Shohashi asked an unexpected question.
"Before," Tierse replied.
Doria drummed his fingers on the table.
"This means his lobbyist was hardly from the rank-and-file senators," Pellaeon voiced the general thought. "'Cauldron' is one of the first 'twos' in the Imperial Starfleet. They were given to the most distinguished and close officers as a sign of their exclusivity."
Gilad himself, then just a simple officer on the Star Destroyer "Chimaera," was bypassed by such "mercy."
The "Chimaera" went through the path from "one" to "two" on general grounds.
And at present, it even includes quite a few elements from the "Three" modernization program.
"At the beginning of the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Harsh was sent to the planet Chabosh, where he headed the fleet under orbital blockade conditions after the Imperial governor of the planet was overthrown by rebels," Tierce continued. "Harsh personally led a company of stormtroopers in the final assault on the rebels' planetary citadel, protected by powerful deflector shields. During the attack, which was crowned with success, Harsh was seriously wounded but survived. He quickly earned a series of promotions compared to many other senior officers, and a year after his victory on Chabosh, Emperor Palpatine personally bestowed upon him the title of Moff of the Bosf sector."
The gathered were silent.
Each of them mentally convinced himself of what real power the patron of Harsh possessed.
From commander of a destroyer, albeit one, straight to the position of moff... It is a dizzying success that evokes envy in friends and a desire to inflict plenty of dirty tricks in rivals.
"On Palpatine's orders, Harsh conducted an orbital bombardment of the planet Bosf to destroy the Force-sensitive sentients living on it," the new portion of the story painted the moff's personality in new tones. The most unflattering ones. "Harsh blockaded the planet and slaughtered millions. Some time after the Emperor's death, Moff Harsh, now an independent warlord, desired to put 'Kabul Industries' under his control, disagreed on this point with the company owner. After which he approached the latter's brother, Seth Kabul. With his help, he planned and carried out a terrorist act that took the life of the corporation's owner. It was believed that his daughter, the enterprise's executive director, also perished, and Seth Kabul entered into inheritance. Shortly thereafter, it turned out that this was not the case. The murdered man's daughter, Arista Kabul, along with her comrades, arranged mine explosions and put them out of commission for many years. At present, Seth Kabul, nearly bankrupt, received a large sum of money from unknown benefactors, which he directed toward restoring major mines. Based on the nomenclature of extracted goods, components for building combat spacecraft are being mined."
"What forces do Seth Kabul and Moff Harsh have at their disposal?" Rear Admiral I-Gor asked.
"Within the sector—a Star Destroyer 'Cauldron,' which escorts ore convoys to the borders of Bosf, after which it hands over the cargo to Corporate Sector ships, whose squadron blocks movement beyond the sector by any ships except their own," Grodin reported. "According to the latest data, a legion of stormtroopers with heavy equipment support landed on Otunia, guarding the operating mines. The local population's desire to engage in labor activity interests no one."
"In other words, a banal robbery of a sector bordering ours is taking place," Doria summarized.
"Harsh sends miner detachments to more and more new deposits," Pellaeon reported, tearing his gaze from his personal screen.
"The former moff is ramping up extraction volumes," I agreed. "And supplying more and more metal to the Corporate Sector. Which clearly indicates demand for this metal within the sector."
"Based on intelligence data, somewhere inside is Tyber Zann's fleet, and they clearly need resources," Doria suggested.
"But at the same time, they supply it to Hutt Space," Shohashi clarified.
"If this is mobilization of resources for building a fleet or droid army, then the reason for export is unclear," I-Gor pondered.
Interesting, has anyone of them paid attention to what I said about the "Zann Consortium" at the council of all linear ship and formation commanders?
"Rotana," Pellaeon said, surveying those present. "They are transporting the ore not to the Hutts, but to Rotana."
"Then why not directly?" Doria wondered. "An illogical act—to build a fleet in secret, but at the same time use Hutts as a front."
"Given that according to intelligence, Tyber Zann long conflicted with the Hutts," I-Gor supported.
"Not with the Hutts," I objected. "With Jabba the Hutt."
"Who is currently dead," Shohashi picked up. "In other words, Zann's direct enemy is dead, and with the rest he could have secretly concluded an agreement on protecting his ships. Sending cargo ships on a detour requires a large escort fleet. Zann does not want to reveal himself before time, therefore he cannot use his own fleet for freighter escort. The design of his starships is quite recognizable. Therefore, if at least one pirate group that attacked a cargo convoy survives, rumors of the 'Consortium's' actions in this part of the galaxy will spread, and this will attract attention from the New Republic, which has military bases nearby. Similar questions will arise if the Corporate Sector fleet, which never ventured beyond its zone of influence, escorts freighters. This is literally a direct indication of the value of what is carried in the holds."
"Which means collective attack by pirate bands for a fat piece," I-Gor agreed.
"And convoys traveling under Hutt protection near their Space are attacked only by madmen," Pellaeon said. "But again, this is nothing more than a hypothesis that we cannot confirm or refute."
As if no one guesses that, having received data on cargo movement from the Corporate Sector to the Hutts, I will not send reconnaissance there to figure out what is happening.
The council is being held primarily to understand the level of abilities of my senior officers, in fact—the flagmen of squadrons—to preemptive analysis of intelligence information.... "Purification by fire" in particular assumes long-term operation of squadrons autonomously from the entire fleet.
And, in my opinion, as a person rises in ranks, he should increase his level of operational art and ability to foresee the consequences of his actions several steps ahead.
"If we take into account how many warships we saw guarding the 'Zann Consortium' planets attacked—Hypori, Salukemai, Shola, part of which were destroyed, then one can also assume that they do not have enough of their own warships to ensure base security and escort ore convoys," Shohashi said.
"Or they are under construction and need protection at their basing sites," Pellaeon noted. "Judging by how much Imperial weaponry they took from the warehouses of Sullust and Sluis Van, clearly what is planned is the construction of an entire fleet. After the attack on the 'Consortium' planets, Tyber Zann could have switched to defense and thereby try to draw us under a Hutt strike, calculating that it is precisely the Dominion behind the attack on the New Republic's supply lines."
"Cutting logistical chains is almost a textbook tactic," Doria reminded. "Without hard evidence of the Dominion using captured starships, accusing us of anything is absolutely foolish."
"Wrong," I said.
The gathered officers looked at me with interest.
"The New Republic was forced to seek evidence of our involvement to justify their actions to the population that chose life under democracy and illusory security," I stated. "The 'Zann Consortium,' masquerading as 'Black Sun,' has no such problems as justifying their suspicions and fawning before the population. A criminal has no need to justify his criminal actions."
The gathered officers nodded their heads in unison, agreeing.
"Continue, Major," I requested. "Report on the Corporate Sector's allied sectors. The gentlemen officers should know as much as possible about their future targets…"
***
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