Several months had passed since IG-105's discovery, and it had set the planet's new metal rulers ablaze with curiosity. Numerous orders for additional production runs of battle droids had the surface factories churning out new troops. The civilian population had its skilled industrial workers pressed into service on building the dockyards needed.

The fleet had been ravaged from combat with the Imperial Navy, with only eight Munifiecents and the two Lucrehulk remaining, but HK-217 had taken steps to reverse the dwindling of their void craft.

Already new squadrons of Vulture droids had been created and stationed within the original orbital station, while a dry dock sufficient to construct many of the minor craft of the Confederate Navy was nearing completion, the current order was for three Hardcell transport to use as scouting vessels fitted with survey equipment and potent sensors, small groups of droids were to accompany the vessel as a defensive force against any hostiles they might encounter.

HK-217 had, at a significantly lower priority, ordered the construction a single W-165 turbo laser cannon to bolster the ruined defense laser battery that the Imperials had built. The much smaller J-1s had been produced at a low rate production as many of their cannons were to be stockpiled for future use on board a planned run of several Providence class destroyers and dreadnoughts.

Against Imperial fleets the destroyer was not a worthy capital ship and instead was going to be repurposed as a leader for Munificent squadrons or to form swift packs of vessels to hunt commerce while the dreadnought series would be armed to fight alongside the more potent battleships and fend off the massive light cruisers of the Imperial Navy.

Commander Fredrick, had taken to governance but had insisted on rearming the fleets to capacity and new raw materials were pouring in from the rich asteroid belt. Unfortunately the larger vessels that Fredrick dreamed of were beyond their shipyard's capabilities which were largely limited to surface construction of small craft such as special mining and towing craft along with the original bulk hauler version of a C-9979 in order to transport the raw material to feed the new war effort.

Vulture droid production on the other hand had been tremendous and had allowed the total replenishment of the fighter wings of the battleships and had even allowed for new independent squadrons to be formed.

B-7782 on the other hand was having to put thousands of battle droids into storage as the factories churned them out in countless hordes. However HK-217 wondered how long this expansion would last. It had been several months since the conclusion of organized resistance and while a few hold outs existed they were crushed wherever they showed themselves. The B2 in particular was a potent counter insurgency tool when paired with HMP gunships.

Few of the rebels still remained and the population as a whole was cowed into submission, and then quickly made busy in various industries that were growing rapidly. Old factories that had been idle were being filled and the planet as a whole was being energized with a new sort of life. HK-217 didn't know exactly what had made the people so pilant to Fredrick's will but whatever technique was being employed was effective.

It wouldn't be long until the newer shipyards would be able to produce the Recusant class light destroyers to augment their more potent counterparts the Munificent frigates. They would be needed for any new offensives launched by the Confederate Navy.

Battleships were beyond their capacity and the proposed Lucrehulk Dreadnought in order to counter the rumored "Imperial Battleships" was even farther off given several of the experimental weapons that had been chosen for it's primary weapon system. Subjugators were also planned as direct counterparts to the Lunar Class cruiser of the Imperium alongside projected varient classses.

The skies above Kursk 3 were abuzz with efforts to maximize their resources. The schedule was being maintained and soon all would be in order for the first expansion attempt, with the Hardcell transport traveling out and establishing mining outposts in nearby barren systems in order to bring in a steady supply of material, it had been a common Confederate ploy during the Clone War, establishing an entirely automated base to supply their droids with raw materials, as the Republic rarely struck uninhabited systems.

Their ability to construct Munificents upon the surface was a major boon, and the preparations for a new core ship for a Lucrehulk battleship was in the works.

"Sir, a message from Commander Fredrick has arrived." a subservient tactical droid said.

A hologram of Commander Fredrick, in his battle plate appeared before HK-217. Flanking him were a pair of Magnaguards. His armor had been once again remodelled with the repair work done to it. His armor had been recolored, pure white and a pair of red stripes slashed down his armor, his personal guard had also been colored in a similar scheme.

The limbs of his armor had been reinforced and enlarged, disintegrators had replaced the blasters of his right arm and several projectors had been added to his left, similar to the ends of an electro staff. The red glare of his eye lense cast an odd glow, HK-217 mused that no one would be remiss to mistake him for some sort ruler droid.

"Reports from IG-105 have been confirmed, beyond any shadow of doubt, the outermost planetary body was the host to some sort of communications center. It was identified by former Imperial personnel as such. We have no records of it being attacked besides our own invasion but single survivor was found in the depths of the outpost. The woman was mad, claimed she witnessed what she could only describe as Daemons and giants."

The droid studied his commander, wondering if the woman had been exposed to some sort of nerve agent to produce such hallucinations.

"Clearly she either saw robotic constructs designed with terror tactics in mind or mistook some sort of alien species for figures in her faith. Texts presented to me confirm that the dominant religion upon this planet does believe in daemons that exist and will tempt them from the light of the Savior Emperor."

HK-217 paused to consider, running over the countless calculations that this would create.

"Is it at all possible that they are referring to some sort of rival power? The presence of multiple fleets that include vessels the Republic would have designated Star Dreadnoughts as a standard Cruiser points to the fact that either the naval strategies employed by this power is substantially different from standard practices or their opponent is formidable enough to require numerous vessels of star dreadnought power or greater."

"Hence why you've received the majority of our processed materials, our logistics are straining to keep up with the demands set by the need to create the new foundries and shipyards we need to rebuild the Confederate Navy."

"I project that within a month we will begin construction of the first new Munificent class frigate. If our resources continue to grow and develop at their present rate we will be able to rebuild to our prior strength within the course of a year, just with other vessels in place of the Lucrehulk."

A droid looked up from the its console, and the tactical droid in charge of security turned towards HK-217.

"Sir, a ship has arrived in system, it is heavily damaged and we are drawing target locks on it with our vessels."

HK-217 turned his updated hardware making soft purring noises. His droid brain had been upgraded and transferred into the shell of a Super Tactical Droid, as a mark of his ascendency as Admiral of the Confederate Navy.

"Commander Fredrick, an enemy vessel have arrived in system, I will be bringing my fleet into an intercept course."

The communication channel was cut from Fredrick's end and he turned towards the shape on the holoscreen.

"Hail Captain Roidic, have her bring her battleship into formation with the Star Hammer, and have our frigates form into a net to catch our enemy."

Droids executed his command and the fleet maneuvered to intercept this new enemy. It would a be substantial amount of time before they reached the enemy, as it had appeared on the far edge of the system.

"Sir we've detected crippling damage to this vessel and it doesn't appear to be stopping, reactor output appears to spiking and it could go critical."

No sooner had the B1 droid finished its readout than a massive purple flash lit the holoscreen and the ship disappeared, its FTL drive leaving behind a purple tinted cloud of some sort of gas before fading.

The confederate fleet paused as the droids reacted to this sudden change.

The battleships flared their immense engines, halting their advance.

"Pull up a image of that craft, it could be a Imperial vessel."

An image of the vessel appeared, it was moderately sized by Confederate standards but had been smaller than the Cobra destroyers employed by the Imperial fleet. The image showed it did not deviate from standard imperial designs by any great detail, simply in size.

However battle damage had heavily marred the side of the vessel and against the massive interstellar phenomena that cast a strange pall over the system, as if a scar had been rent across the stars themselves, it seemed as if strange symbols had been carved into the ship itself.

"Send a transmission to all garrisons, be on alert for an incursion. Send word to B7782 that enemy intrusions are to be expected and that ground troops are to be readied for war."

The navy returned to its anchor points over the planet where they would remain for a new mustering.

Hardcell transports had been dispatched across the system and numerous returns were being made. Huge chunks from destroyed warships were being dragged into a massive foundry that was being built to be forge into new warships.

IG-105 paid a visit to the Star Hammer, his body had been repainted in the white and red of Fredrick's personal guard and enforcers. He had arrived to witness the launch of the newest vessels in the Confederate Navy, a Munificent frigate.

The vessel slipped from the dockyard and its engine ignited, a powerful drive that sent it rising to join the other vessels in the fleet.

Nearby the skeleton of a new Resculant Light Destroyer was being laid down. Even as a new keel was being maneuvered into the dock, a whole new level was being added to the dockyard to enable even more rapid construction.

These new developments were being celebrated as while battle droids could be expended like blaster shots, starships were a substantial investment and their grievous losses would have resulted in a retreat order being given in any normal campaign.

Commander Fredrick watched from the former governor's palace as the Hive went about its daily business, except that B1 droids and other more potent constructs now could be seen across the city.

He had difficulty moving outside of the armor he was now encased in, as if every single injury and mechanical replacement made him less a man and more a droid. To the people of Kursk he was one, or at least that had been the impression he had.

Massive efforts were being made to turn Kursk into a planet worthy of being the Confederate capital, only this time, they would win the war. Fredrick has suspected why he had been given the Star Hammer prototype. While technically it was a clone war refit Lucrehulk, it had been enlarged to hold the sheer quantity of equipment required to build droid factories and the tools need to extract and refine materials to where any schematic in the confederate inventory could've been built.

He had conscripted the numerous industrial workers of this planet to help build and reinforce the existing infrastructure. He had been giving speeches and attempting to adjust the populace to their new identity as Confederate citizens as opposed to Imperial subjects.

It had been astonishing difficult. Their simple faith in the Emperor was shocking in its sincerity and several had attempted to assassinate him. Unfortunately for the perpetrators, droids don't lose a draw against a man when they're on guard.

He smiled inside the shell that now felt more like skin than his actual body did. One of his Magnaguards approached and interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, the former governor, Zhukov has provided important intelligence, it appears that there is a network of vassal worlds in service to a far greater authority, we struck at and now occupy one of the least defended worlds in this sub sector."

Fredrick took this information in stride, it was nothing new to him.

"Do you have anything new to report?"

"Governor Zhukov revealed that it is likely within the next few years that an alien threat will likely strike, hence the installation of the defense laser battery and the presence of defense monitors in system. In addition, we have shown the image of the craft to several high level defectors to our cause and they say that the symbols on it are of what they refer to as a Chaos Warband, The Fallen Sons. It has been ravaging the entire sector for over a decade now and is responsible for the strength of the naval deployment against us, as both task forces were set to arrive as one and crush us but their FTL travel apparently delayed them substantially."

Fredrick was taken aback by this news. The efforts he had put into creating the needed infrastructure to support and develop their navy had cost precious time and for all he knew warships could be on their way even now to wrest control of Kursk from him and wipe out the rather small naval force that protected it.

"Once the fleet has exceeded its strength upon our arrival in this system, I will personally lead a task force to prevent any incursions into our space."

The Magnaguard bowed its head and turned away from Fredrick. His personal guard which included a dedicated battalion of super battle droids, were all bone white, with a pair of red stripes down their front.

The various weapons programs that Fredrick has authorized had grown, droids fitted with chemical weapons, reverse engineered imperial ones and some of the more exotic separatist weapons were being brought into full scale production.

Fredrick made preparations to tour the original and primary droid foundry, it had grown substantially since it had first been deposited and the constant production stream had refreshed the Droid Army, millions of battle droids of all types had swelled the ranks of Fredrick's army, and many of the existing factories that had produced Imperial weapons had been repurposed for the construction of yet more droids. It was an critical piece of the war effort and he knew that many of the workers there would appreciate his presence, as he had given orders to raise the living standards of any installation he visited during his stay there.

His departure was swift and his shuttle brought him to the primary outlet of the factory, a massive opening flanked by several smaller ones for the myriad droid constructions that emerged from the massive industrial center. It was abuzz with activity, as the industrial strength of the Confederacy that had given them such a strong advantage during the Clone War began anew here.

Fredrick knew that even now thousands of new droids had been placed into massive reserve racks aboard the ships in orbit and countless others stood sentinel upon the planet's surface. A new B3 Ultra Battle Droid came out of a cavernous opening, leading a new platoon of its smaller B2 and B1 predecessors.

Columns of AATs moved from the tank factories towards their storage areas. Many of them would be destined for destruction in far off battlefields but Fredrick knew that his army had swelled far past the force that had ground down Kursk's defenders. Excavations into the rock of the planet showed the massive silos where Hardcell transports would be built to be launched into orbit to project the power of the Confederacy across the subsector.

HK-217 would had promised that the production schedule would be kept and his new Dreadnought design promised to be more potent than even a Subjugator class heavy cruiser.

A man approached him, his uniform identifying him as one of the overseers of production here, accompanied by his staff. A pair of unadorned Super Battle Droids accompanied them.

"Lord, we are proceeding according the schedule and we are more than reaching the demands set by your latest order."

"Excellent, I will be inspecting the B3 line today."

They took Fredrick into the gargantuan factory, and the constant thrum of machinery was deafening. He could see thousands of partially constructed droid bodies hanging on racks where parts were installed and the assembly line kept on clicking forward.

The B3 assembly line was considerably slower, and Fredrick watched as a massive armor plate was fitted into place over the delicate inner workings of the droid. These were potent war machines each one less of a battle droid than it was a tank droid like a Persuader tank.

Fredrick examined the stages of production, and watched as the newest Ultra Battle Droid took its first step off the rack. They were complex and expensive machines, each one a formidable asset upon the battlefield. But not why Fredrick was there.

He dismissed the majority of the receiving party, except for a handful of key people.

"Bring me to the D-100 program."

They took Fredrick deep into the bowels of the foundry, and a large blast door unlocked. Three different droid were held in racks. Each one different, in order to fulfill the role that prior generations of the Assault Droid program had failed too. In particular the Sisters of Battle had spurred this development being vastly more potent than any of the other enemies that the droids had faced during the Clone War.

The first droid was a hulking monster, built along the lines of a Super Battle droid or a D-60 assault droid. Its large red photoreceptor gleamed in the light cast by the electrics above. Its armor was thick durasteel and one of its arms was grossly enlarged, sporting a grapple droid like claw. The other was of a normal size compared with the rest of the droid's body.

Fredrick continued walking and passed by the next one, this droid clearly influenced by the design of a magnaguard. It was significantly more solidly built, the armor plates thicker and covering more of the droid's body. It was a natural progression of the IG-100 design.

The next design was similar enough to the first except that in that was more standard to normal droid designs. Its armored shoulders contained two large bulges that held shield generators and large bronzium grate extended down its back that would flare upwards with the shield. It had a pair of barrels protruding from one of its arms, one noticeably larger than the other and its other arm terminated in a large metal cylinder studded with small protrusions.

Fredrick turned to the design teams.

"Activate the droids, run them through a live fire trial against imperial weaponry."

Fredrick observed, against lasguns all the models shown simply shrugged off the fire and continued to engage the various B1 droids that had been equipped with them. Heavy bolter fire exploded harmlessly on the shield of the third design, its advance slowed but not stopped, purple bolts firing from its disintegrator cannon. The other designs fared less well with the first design being ripped to pieces mass reactive shells piercing its armor and internal detonations tearing it to pieces. The IG design faired better, its balance and agility combined allowed it to give the gunners as little time as possible to aim, various dazzling projectiles obscuring its form while its photoreceptors pick out targets. Durability tests followed, the phrik out layers of design 3 and its shield generators making it substantially more durable.

"Impressive, I want the third proposal standardized as the D-100 Assault droid but keep the IG design noted, it could be a useful upgrade program for the IG-100 series of droid."

Fredrick and his entourage satisfied with the development of the droids, left the installation, it would be several months before production of the new droids would rise to general deployment levels.

It would solve the problems that plagued the droids during urban warfare against the increasingly well armed enemy infantry. Additionally these potent new shock troops would safeguard the battleships and cruisers of the Confederate navy.

Fredrick would let his strength grow and it was building up at a rapid pace. New Hardcell transports could be seen lifting off and in orbit the massive docks were building up their strength. Soon Providence class destroyers would be laid down and they would have a proper armada.