Rion System, Rion Hegemony
It was 6:00 AM on Rion, and the beautiful crimson and pink rays of the sun raised over the capital city of Orikan, light shining off the metallic skyscrapers and buildings of the city, spreading out as far as the eye could see, air speeder traffic beginning to pick up as night shift works headed home and the day shift began to head out to start their day. Far above, faintly in the sky, those with sharp enough sight or were high up enough, they could see the imposing shapes of the Venator-class Star Destroyers floating in orbit above the planet, part of the large Hegemony military that had been built over the years to ensure order.
Order.
A simple enough concept, spoken about in university courses, the idea of everything having its place in a well-oiled machine that kept itself going through the aid of its separate but united parts. Even chaos had a role in this system, a limited, but important role. All else was pruned away or convinced to join through some method of coercion. It was this very concept that stood at the center of the Rion Hegemony, formed over seventy years ago after a destructive conflict. The Kessel sector, which the Hegemony called home, had long been the source of independent thought and criminal activity that came with lax organization. The Outer Rim was where the new colonization pushes and those running from governments and more restrictive systems in their view came to seek shelter and build their own lives. That was respectable, but it bred weakness for those who sought to make a living off the pain of others and using them to amass wealth. Kessel, the source of glitterstim for the galaxy, a potent mental drug that could enhance mental abilities, rumored to allow telepathy, was the main draw, for the crime lords who sought to get rich off of addiction.
For countless decades, the sector was run by criminals vying for power, coming to a head when Sargasso the Silent conquered the sector with ruthless efficiency, playing the other crime lords off of each other and securing a criminal empire for himself. But such a corrupt system cannot last long without a strong will behind it, and once he passed it on to his son, a much gentler man, it was bound to fall apart. And fall apart it did, resulting in the three way conflict that has no name, for the slaughter was mindless, constant and consumed the sector until, he had come to power, gathering up the disaffected and the brave, and brought the war to an end, and creating the Hegemony to ensure the crime lords never rose to power again and order would reign once more.
That man was Director Lucius Pendrahan, former criminal captain of the crime lord Hawk Leandar, now ruler for over seven decades. And that man was currently gazing out of the massive windows on the third floor of the Imperial Estate, letting the suns rejuvenating rays wash over him, as he always did every morning for the past decade. He had been only a young man when he started this grand experiment, and now he was a rather old man. His hair was still lush and full, but stark white as a bed sheet, with a well-groomed mustache on his face, his skin tanned but wrinkled from stress and age. His body was still firm with maintenance and exercise, muscles remaining to show he was a healthy man for his age. A completely white uniform, with military bars and honors covered his body, with his gloves and hat remaining on his desk, an import from the Core Worlds, a dark brown wood that remained glossy without requiring finish. Deep blue eyes gazed out at the rising sun until it finished its rise into the sky, majestically beginning its ascent into the sky.
He refused to move from his spot, even as his doors hissed open. His voice, deep and rough with age and hard living, spoke calmly.
“Zev.”
A nervous man wearing a gray uniform with a small insignia on both shoulders and black gloves and boots walked in, his green eyes jerking every so often as they scanned the lush room. A veritable garden took over much of the space, benefiting from the sky lighting the Director had installed, while expensive furniture were positioned about for maximum comfort, and a veritable wall of electronics served to show his work station. A hand brushed a lock of brown hair out of his face as he replied, retaining a firm hold on a stack of holopads.
“Director Pendrahan. I have come to deliver news. The Advisory Council and the War Department Heads are waiting for you.”
Pendrahan finally shifted, turning slighty, a hand grasping out for the hard wood cane on the desk, and began to make his way over the other man, a slight limp in his step explaining his choice of accessory. “So, they've finally finished it then.”
Zev nodded, his confidence returning as he was distracted by his task of informing. “Yes sir. The scientists and engineers you tasked to fixing the Holonet connections damaged so long ago have finished the repairs and the software is booting up as we speak. They are only waiting for your order to begin.”
The older man chuckled, reaching over to don his hat and gloves. “So formal. Very well, lead the way Mr. Corsh. We shouldn't keep the galaxy waiting, should we?”
The young man briskly walked out, followed by the Director, the door swishing quietly shut behind them.
*********************
SHADE Facility, underground Orikan
“It was amazing how much you can hide in plain sight.” Lucius mused internally.
The Internal Affairs, the branch of the government and military assigned to handle intelligence gathering, black ops and supporting the military operations, was the largest organization in the Hegemony after the Navy, for it also handled the police work of the populace. Social engineering, suppression of seditious and traitorous ideas, the constant bleeding of the criminal world, all in addition to the regular amount of espionage and sabotage work the Hegemony could set them to work on. They were a mark of pride for Lucius, for he had known any nation he established would need a firm hand beyond the executive to keep it from flying apart. Not to mention, the self-imposed isolation would have caused major deficiencies in their abilities to defend and anticipate attacks had he not kept agents out in the greater galaxy to keep an eye on things.
This facility, called SHADE, was the their headquarters, kept hidden underground to prevent any sensors from detecting them, as well as avoiding the needless risk of a public building. Information, currency, favors, and pain were traded in this halls, for the betterment of the Hegemony. And it was here a top secret meeting to advance the nation's foreign policy was to be held. It was all so formal and serious, but for Pendrahan, it was a little melodramatic. But as Director of the nation, as well as Internal Affairs, he did need to throw them a bone now and again. After all, it was from the IA he had gained his personal aide Zev Corsh. He had demanded the best they could offer and the man was able to deliver in spades, though he was still a little nervous around him outside of work obligations. The Director took the time to smile and nod at the many black garbed agents running around, many of whom could only offer a quick smile or curt nod before returning to their work. No offense was meant, and he knew it; running a nation was tiring work, as he had found. His attention was drawn when Zev stopped at a set of doors, with two elite stormtroopers, wearing black armor of the IA, standing guard and a keypad on the side.
“Halt. Identify yourself.” The clipped voice of the soldier came through the helmet, quiet, intense, and precise.
Zev wordlessly handed over the datapad containing their information. The soldier scanned it, while the other quietly kept his eye on them, though his helmet had not moved the whole time. When satisfied with the identification, the soldier waved them through and Zev put his hand on the pad, followed by holding his eye up to it and speaking the code word. Lucius followed suit and the machine cross-referenced their information with the database and quickly confirmed they were who they said they were and the doors hissed open, the stormtrooper reassuming his guard position. Inside was a very spartan room, functional but without any of the normal niceties, with a gray steel semi-circular table, where a mix of humans and aliens were seated, the core of the Hegemony government and the most powerful political and military people in the sector. There were the four ministers of the Advisory Council, the Minister of War, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Economic Affairs. Next to them, was the Grand Admiral of the Navy, Jayda Selkayim a Human Female from Rion, wearing the pristine white uniform similar to the Director but with half of the rank and medals the older man wore, the High Marshal of the Army, Saba Raine, a Male Barbel wearing the black uniform with grey pauldrons of the Army, his bars on his shoulders showing his rank and the Sub-Director of Internal Affairs, Kolir Dza'tey, a Male Bothan, the one who actually ran the IA in the Director's stead but still reported to him on all projects, with a black suit with silver trim that was the hallmark of all Internal Affairs agents.
The Director took his seat at the head of the table with Zeb quietly standing by his side. Setting his cane against the table, Pendrahan clasped his hands together and gazed at the others of the table. They all had stood and clasped a fist to their chest and bowed, the salute to the Director. He waved a hand and spoke.
“That's enough of that. Ladies and gentlemen, where are we at with the Holonet?”
The blonde-haired Admiral held up a dataslate and plugged into the central machine on the table, and a wealth of data and charts began to be displayed holographically. She waved a hand at it and began to talk.
“The Holonet connections were old and had suffered severe damage during the Founding War, due to Sargasso the Silent's efforts to cut this region off from the greater galaxy during his campaign. We repaired what we could, but it was only a few connections that will need to be updated once we have fully reintegrated it into the galactic network. The rest we have been building with upgraded designs and materials, allowing faster information flow and recall. Siarlyn Industries has just finished providing the last of the connectors and we have finished as of last week the final trial runs and stress tests of the system. We are only awaiting your word to begin connection and the dispatching of the pre-prepared message packets.”
Lucius closed his eyes and sighed. “That's good news. It has been somewhat difficult to keep the budget changes quiet for the past three years it has taken to get to this point.” He opened his eyes and looked at the High Marshal. “Raine, you have something you wish to add?” All eyes turned to the Barabel, whose eyelids flickered for a second, a sign Lucius had come to see as a sign of anxious and nervousness for him. In his rough voice, Raine began speaking Basic, rough but understood.
“I do not wish to appear to be going against your wishes, but are you certain this is a wise idea? The Outer Rim has always been the playthings of galactic governments and many would probably see the Hegemony as a threat, considering our long silence, if they haven't been watching us as we have been watching them. With the reports we've been hearing about the state of the galaxy as it is now, I wonder if it is wise to show ourselves now, if ever. Our people are safe and prosperous, we are even doing the galaxy a favor of suppressing the criminal element in this sector. Is this truly wise?”
The tension in the room climbed a degree as the Ministers stared horrified at the High Marshal, for few would ever dare to so directly contradict the Director. However, Lucius could see on Selkayim's face sympathy with the Barabel's point and even the Sub-Director's fur ruffled as if a breeze washed over it. The old man sighed and leaned forward.
“Saba. We have both been at this for a very long time. We understand the risks of warfare, of the politicking and struggles of interstate warfare. I do understand you and what you are trying to say. We have only managed to establish our brand of Order, Security and Peace for only the past seven decades. Our people are prosperous and happy, with our nation able to withstand any of the tremors that affect the greater galaxy through our isolation. But times are changing. We have to look beyond our borders and establish contacts. If we are unable to contain the criminal threat with our own strength or something comes from beyond the rim that could threaten the whole galaxy, we need to be able to warn them and get aid for ourselves. Our brand of life can be spread to the galaxy, but first we must take the risk of opening ourselves up to them.
Besides, it would be better to do it on our terms than on theirs. If the Thrashian Empire, this Starways Congress or the united organization of the Galactic Conclave come calling, especially with hostile intent, we will lose much of our diplomatic power than if we do this now. It is a risk, old friend, but one we must take for the long term security of our people.”
Saba bowed his head, conceding the poiint and respecting the Director's decision. Lucius smile faded and a focused but grim one found itself on his face as he turned his gaze to the Bothan. “Kolir. I have heard much of what we have recently discovered going on in the galaxy, and there is a lot that has disturbed me. What more information do you have on this?”
The brown and white furred Bothan leaned forward, pressing a key which shifted the holographic display to one of the galaxy, with regions colored in with a legend explaining what each one was. The major powers of the Thrashian, Huntaerian and other empires appeared on screen, with a greater bubble representing the Galactic Conclave. “We have been watching the galaxy as you have ordered ever since the Founding. Much of it had remained the same, inter-governmental bickering, displays of power, and the day to day life. However, that has changed as a few days ago, an unknown force assaulted Bastion, killing the Arch-Regent of the Thrashian capitol, devastated their naval and ground forces, and evidently escaped with little issue.”
The room went still, with the Ministers showing looks of horror and shock, while Raine and Selkayim snapped their heads up to the screen as statistics of the battle and what little clips of what happened they had managed to scrounge up of the fighting was put on display. Kolir continued on.
“They have not stopped their campaign, with an assault on Coruscant itself, the home of the Galactic Conclave. Creatures of unknown origin arrived, able to use armor and weapons of twisted make and engaged the Jedi and soldiers of the Conclave and the other delegations there, along with arriving with a naval force as well. The fighting has resulted in many delegations being slaughtered, as well as many civilians on the planet, especially after the International Fleet arrived and razed the section the invaders had taken to the crust of the planet. The Conclave has been shaken to its core, as we have confirmed information that has seen the Conclave is dissolving. The Thrashian Empire is upset at the actions of the International Fleet, and many nations have refused to come back to the Conclave with their delegations slaughtered. Another side is forming under the Imperial Colonies, the Huntaerian Empire and the Colonial Republic of Earth. And we have rumors of a third faction in the wings, not sure who is orchestrating it, but there is a lot of traffic and VIP's being flown between systems. The galaxy is in chaos, Mr. Director, and if I may be so bold as to say, it is a buyer's market for us.”
Lucius's eyes gleamed as he leaned back, a small smile on his face. “Do go on, Sub-Director Dza'tey, I do not want to cut your momentum short.” The Bothan grinned and stood up, placing his hands on the table.
“It is as simple as this, Ministers, Grand Admiral, High Marshal. We are a strong, independent state that has a strong economic and industrial base, a relatively large military for our size and a unity that few states in the Outer Rim can match. If any of these states want influence in the Outer Rim, they will have a good start if they come to us. But we are just coming out of isolation, and we can play the part of not knowing much of the greater galaxy. We can have all three sides, if the third does form, working against each other to give us exactly what we want in exchange for our allegiance, our production facilities, military, or even just our support. We can play neutral, for a time, and make them work for us. We can-”
Kolir was cut off as he heard the door opened and an Agent rushed in, holding a holopad, his face strained. Lucius and the other members stood up, the Director getting the sense it was not good news that was coming in. His theory was confirmed when Kolir took the holopad, scrolled through its contents, and his fur went completely flat in shock. A curt chop of his hand dismissed the agent who fled the room and placed his head in his hands as he sat down roughly in his chair. One of the Ministers began to shout, but the Sub-Director held up a hand to stall him as Kolir collected himself. Finally, with his fur under control once more and his voice even, he dropped the bomb on the collected group.
“Director, Ministers, my military comrades, we have just run out of time. Saba, I understand your viewpoints on our isolation, but our hand is now forced.” He plugged in the holopad and the galaxy map focused on the Outer Rim.
“As of 0800 hours yesterday, the Thrashian Empire has taken every single sector and system west of Vinsoth, east of Esfandia, and north of Ord Mantell. They have conducted a military blitz that has seen them conquer the entire northern tip of the Outer Rim.”
The map updated with the Thrashian color as the other members of the room grimly stared at the screen, the Director's face completely grim for the first time.
“We are out of time and soon to be completely bottled up, my friends.” Pendrahan's voice was soft and dangerous as he stared at the map the whole time. “If we do not move now, we lose what little advantage this adventure will give us. We will need allies to counter this recent move, or if we must, drag a deal out of the Thrashians to ensure we do not end up staring their military right across the line of our border. We cannot fight them militarily, so we must use our economic and political abilities for this. Grand Admiral, send the message out on the Holonet and have our navy on high alert, but do it quietly, no need to upset the populace. High Marshal, do the same with your forces. Sub-Director, I want every agent you have to spare out there, getting me information on these unknown invaders, as well as the movements and declarations of the major powers. I want all the information I can get if we are to do this.”
They all stood and saluted, before moving quickly out of the room, as the Director turned to the four Ministers. “Now, we need to come up with a program to ready the Hegemony for conflict.”
“But you just said-”
“I know what I said, Jace. But if the Thrashian's do not like our choice of ally, or these invaders come for us in response, I want us to be ready to give them the fight of their lives.”
*********************
On the Galactic Holonet
As of noon, the Holonet would suddenly be hit by a flurry of messages, pre-prepared sensor packets that were sent out as the connections in the Hegemony were turned on once more. Information began to flow both ways, though the Hegemonic side was monitored and filtered carefully, with the knowledge and location of the Rion Hegemony being displayed to the greater galaxy with enough information for their diplomatic and political circles to chew on and consider who send and how to deal with them and with a simple message.
Those who wish to gain friends in the Outer Rim were to come to Rion, with their representatives, and ties with the greater galaxy could be reestablished.
Those who could see in between the lines and/or understood the game could see the message hidden underneath that.
”Let the games begin.”
