AN: Hello, dear readers, and welcome to this new seperate of this fic. Honestly, I hadn't planned on writing the second part initially and was going to concentrate on other fics. Nevertheless, I felt tired and the need to write about something else and take a break from the written ones.
Regardless of this, and also the fact that it is rather a recreational project, I sincerely hope that you will like the chapter. I tried to put a lot of interesting content here. If someone wants to take over the idea and write a similar fic, I encourage you to do so and I will not mind. All I'm hoping for is not copying my original characters' names.
I encourage you to leave a review.
New Territories, Dantooine System
Imperial II-class Star Destroyer "Hope of Empire"
To say that Commander Galak Stahl was confused upon hearing these few words is like committing one of the greatest understatements that only an organic being can imagine. The highest-ranking Imperial officer on the destroyer Hope of Empire was at this point completely paralyzed and unable to say anything, not even a single word.
Oh my! I probably dropped something bigger and more powerful on his unprepared mind than a fifteen kilotons of TNT bomb. The Inquisitor had no doubts that at this very moment his immediate subordinate was doing everything to assimilate the information he had just heard. On the other hand, the officer tried to maintain any semblance of discipline and self-control at the same time, which ultimately turned out not to be effective at all. This is perhaps one of those moments when the famous imperial discipline fails and panic comes in its place.
"EMPEROR…!" Commander half groaned and the other half screamed. It was actually a fairly squeaky mix of both, but was perfectly understandable under the circumstances. "... He is no longer with us?"
Even now, he did not dare to voice the simple fact that the ruler of the Galactic Empire was now dead. The Inquisitor thought mockingly, but after a short while he mentally chided himself for mocking a subordinate on whom his fate depended. After all, it is something completely understandable. In both Canon and Legends, the empire - essentially the Emperor himself and his servants - built and then expanded the cult of unit around Palpatine. It is perfectly natural that the death of a ruler is definitely something that will not even pass the mind of most loyal to the Emperor and imperial ideals. Something like this did not even penetrate the mind of many with an individual. In Legends, the Empire, due to the lack of any rules of succession, was torn between warlords or fell into the hands of imperial loyalists. In fact, what comes to my mind at this point is Year of the Four Emperors, after Naro's death, but raised to the power of the ego. Meanwhile, at Canon, the situation was very similar to that, but nonetheless the forces 'loyal' to the government on Coruscant were much better organized and were much better at dealing with the New Republic. After all, on top of all this, there is also the Emperor's contingency plan, which is to destroy everything according to the principle that if he does not rule, no one will. Regardless of this, however, at this point, he should ensure himself control over quite a large space, which, however, would not be difficult to defend.
However, before the Inquisitor could continue his thoughts, he was snapped out almost immediately by a grunt from the Commander. This man has undoubtedly managed to overcome all emotions, and the iron discipline typical of imperial officers has returned. In addition, Galak's tone made it clear that he expected an answer to the question he had just asked, but that eluded the Inquisitor.
"Sorry, Commander, but I must ask you to repeat the question." The intelligence member immediately took a posture that clearly indicated that he had taken his full attention to the naval officer standing in front of him.
"Why should I trust you with this information, Inquisitor?" Commander Galak Stahl repeated the question emphatically, then narrowed his eyes, his gaze almost piercing the soul of a member of Imperial Intelligence. "How do I know this is not some attempt to defect and start a civil war in the Empire? Besides, how were you able to come into possession of such knowledge? "
The Inquisitor had to keep himself from snorting, and knowing full well that it would be a sign of weakness, decided to adopt a tactic of enforcing respect. The intelligence member's eyebrows rose menacingly, and his gaze was even more determined than ever before. Very soon, Commander Stahl, he no longer seemed so eager to undermine his supervisor's words.
"Because it would be utter suicide on my part and exposing myself to the powers that rule almost the entire known galaxy, Commander." The Inquisitor answered. It was a calm voice, even a bit moody, quite haughty, but above all completely firm and making it clear that any sign of opposition would not be tolerated. "I may be a brave and sometimes cruel man, but I am by no means crazy, you can trust me completely on this matter. As for the knowledge of it, I sensed the death of our Emperor in Force. The incident caused a huge disruption that almost made me pass out a few minutes ago. "
The naval officer seemed a bit confused when the power issue was mentioned. "Forgive me, Inquisitor, but all this Force sounds at least bizarre to me, and I don't really believe in that explanation of your knowledge."
It is hardly surprising that officers or others in the Empire and beyond view the Force as merely superstitions and fairy tales for children. Ultimately, it's hard to believe what you can't see. Not to mention the fact that the Jedi Order - which had Force-Sensitive humans - was almost completely destroyed a few decades ago. Meanwhile, the Shiths have basically completely evaporated from the consciousness of the inhabitants of the galaxy. Regardless, however, I have to react somehow and have no intention of strangling my subordinate. The Inquisitor briefly considered showing him how wrong he was. So he stretched his hand and fingers forward to strengthen the connection with the power, then lifted the officer up, almost to the ceiling, much to his surprise. It may not be the best way to do lessons, but it happened, and I have no intention of backing down from it.
"What's that supposed to mean, Sir?" The officer asked, and for a brief moment, dangling all limbs earnestly in a doomed attempt to strike any balance. "What is this show of strength for?"
Mainly so that I could convey something to you and try to use my power at the same time. That was the main reason for his actions, and he wasn't even in the least disappointed. Thanks to the memories of the former owner of this body, the Inquisitor was able to successfully get up, and with little trouble, largely due to doing it for the first time, to successfully use the Fore. This feeling is amazing. It is as if the energy surrounding me and the Commander separating us is literally sagging against my will. It's hard to put the feeling into words, but it's greater than anything else I've experienced so far. Regardless, however, I have to answer a question.
"Commander, this display of force is intended to underpin my explanation." The Inquisitor explained, without changing the tone of his voice and the way he spoke. "But first, let me ask you a question. Tell me, Commander, what exactly is the Force for you? "
Galak blinked several times in surprise, clearly not expecting such an answer. After all, the naval officer managed to return to a relative level of discipline and answer the question he had just asked. "The Force is - at least in my opinion - nothing more and no less than a set of telekinetic abilities like picking up objects or influencing the bodies of other organic beings and more, sir."
"Wrong." The Inquisitor replied shortly, utterly disappointed in the simplicity of an answer on the part of an officer who had not the faintest idea of the subject being raised. "The Force is not primarily a skill set, but an energy field that surrounds everything that exists. This field surrounds everything and everyone and basically binds them together. Individuals who are Force-sensitive are given the ability to manipulate these energies, with their help to influence other beings or objects, or even the environment itself. Power can primarily be drawn and used, but by no means is it just a matter of killing or displacing, using only willpower. "
Commander Stahl appeared not to be entirely convinced despite these detailed explanations. There was even the slightest doubt that the man's skepticism had its direct source in the lack of Force-sensitive. Regardless, the Inquisitor had no intention of continuing what had become utterly pointless at that moment. With that in mind, he slowly pulled the navy officer back down to the ground, then completely ceased any effect on his body.
"You don't have to believe my explanation, Commander." He stated, as firmly as before, looking straight into the eyes of the officer under his subordinate. "We can wait for the Emperor's death to be announced, and it won't leave us with much of a chance. However, there is an alternative that allows us to use this to our advantage. "
Though the Inquisitor considered a rather violent reaction to such words, what finally happened surprised him completely.
The Imperial officer - almost immediately after hearing the last words - pulled a blaster pistol from a leather belt clipped holster, then immediately aimed it at the intelligence member.
Although the Inquisitor apparently retained all his composure, haughtiness, and composure, he was actually on the verge of complete panic under his skin. For here, his whole life was in the hands of a clearly furious officer who, apparently, would never even have thought of betraying the Empire.
I am not going to die so soon after arriving in this universe! Despite the pretty good - basically masterly - hiding panic under the present facade, the Inquisitor couldn't help but ask a question. "Where does this hostility come from, Commander?"
"Because of your betrayal." Galak snarled in response, a pure expression of hatred present both in his eyes and in a tightly clenched jaw. "We are officers and members of the Galactic Empire, it is our responsibility to obey the central authority on Coruscant! We have no right to be so private and use the Empire for our benefit and careers. "
The Inquisitor only sighed at this display of extremely fervent idealism on the part of a naval officer. Such a display of disregard only aroused even greater anger in the Commander's heart, but before anything much more concrete and bloody could happen, an intelligence member decided to take the initiative and prevent unnecessary bloodshed.
"Commander, if you are loyal to our Empire and its ideals, then there are two of us at the moment." The Inquisitor replied, with utterly stoic calm and with utterly convincing confidence. It was so intense that the person who had taken the place of the old self present in this body was completely taken aback. "I have been loyal to our Emperor as long as the man was dead. But now, largely due to a lack of succession, our Galactic Empire will plunge into chaos. "
This answer, however, seemed not to satisfy the man whose devotion to the Empire could safely be called fanaticism, expected rather from COMPNOR members and officials. "The empire remained and remains strong and united. It will remain so, especially now, when the moment of crisis has come and there is a real threat to everyone involved in the existence of this wonderful state. "
The Inquisitor decided to adopt a different tactic, in the face of the overt fanaticism and inability to accept the new reality by the Commander. In response to this idealistic tirade, the intelligence member looked down at the floor and closed his eyes. Ultimately, he looked hopeless and defeated.
"Unfortunately, I must disappoint you, Commander, but that will not happen." He replied softly, almost sounding like he was saying everything with a heartache. "Since you are unaware of the politics on Coruscant, I will provide you with an explanation that will, however, completely question everything you have believed so far."
"Speak immediately!" Galak growled, ready to pull the trigger of his blaster at any moment and as a sign of any false movement from the Inquisitor. "You better hurry up. Admittedly, the fleet is headed for your designated sector and we have quite a bit of time to talk, but that doesn't mean in the slightest that I can't end your life. "
"Then you need to know one thing, that in the power structures of our Empire, there are various factions, parties that often compete with each other. Basically, it is extremely characteristic of all state organisms or power structures in general that exist in known history. " The Inquisitor had no intention of prolonging unnecessarily, and he got to the point as quickly as possible. "In the case of our Empire, the only one who held all these interests together and stood above them was our Emperor. It is thanks to him that our Empire was able to remain coherent for many years and ensure that there was no civil war. But now that the person who was the glue of our Empire is gone, there is literally nothing left to stop all these factions and their members from trying to seize power and take the empty throne. "
"Impossible." The Commander replied, but his body began to shake, which was probably due to shock. "The empire is a coherent whole, thanks to imperial ideals, not to the individual. We are one that is ready to face the rebel threat. You must be wrong. "
"Sometimes I'm wrong…" The Inquisitor admitted, though it wasn't laced with reluctance, but instead with a much drier statement and statement of obvious fact. At this point, the interviewee looked straight into the eyes of his interlocutor with great intensity that found fertile ground in the form of a great shock. "... But not in this particular case, Commander. As a third-generation Inquisitor, I was present on Coruscant quite often, and had the dubious pleasure of dealing with the politics of this state. I have no doubts that when the Emperor's death becomes a fact, all these people will rush into a fierce struggle for power. I won't even mention the local governors and military commanders who will undoubtedly start creating their own micro-empires. "
"It is impossible." Stammered the defeated navy officer, and a blaster pistol slipped from his hand, then fell to the ground with a considerable and accompanying flap. But what best spoke of his altered mental state was clearly his voice, which made it clear that the Commander no longer believed his own words. "The empire will unite in the face of a common threat and we will face the rebels in a fight that will end in our final victory."
"Commander, you don't believe what you say." The Inquisitor replied affirmatively, in the same haughty and authoritative manner as he had a few moments ago. It was clear that at this point, an intelligence member, I was going to try to convince the officer to be right. However, just in case, he also decided to use a mind trick, but a slightly weaker version. After all, now was the best time for it, for Commander Stahl was in a distinct shock, and his mind thereby was definitely weakened and made vulnerable to manipulation. Especially with the Fore. "Regardless, however, the fact is that with the death of our illustrious Emperor, an era has an end. This end opens up new opportunities and the key to a future that may turn out to be better. It will basically be a fierce race for power, and whose vision will win. Commander, it's up to you to leave the past behind and move on into the future. Or will you decide to stay stuck in the past and let its mistakes be an end to you? "
After these words, the Inquisitor extended an open hand to him. It was a clear and simple way for an officer to identify himself. Commander Stahl shifted his gaze for a long moment, once to the open hand and once to the determined eyes of an intelligence member. It has become clear that this man is going through an internal crisis and is hesitating at this point before making any meaningful decision. However, the Inquisitor's use of the Force finally had the desired result when Galak took the open hand of an intelligence member and thus chose the future.
"If I am to defend the imperial ideal and be able to live it fully, I will move into the future with you as my master and commander." Said the Commander, who now seemed to be much more determined and as disciplined as he was before the interview took place. For a moment, his jaw shook, probably still due to the strong emotions caused by the fact that in an instant his old life had just ended. Only when he had mastered his emotions did he dare to speak to his new master. "If I may ask, sir, why did you actually order us to go to the Braxant system?"
"Because there is the administrative management center of the New Territories and Grand Moff Ardus Octavian Tagge itself." The Inquisitor replied without thinking, then revealed his intentions regarding this imperial official. "He is in charge of this region of the galaxy and he is responsible for the local Moffs, Admirals and the director of the local ISB cell. Thanks to this, we will win regions ranging from the Bastion itself, all the way to the D'Astan sector, along with local garrisons and shipyards. Thanks to this, we will be able to expand and strengthen our own strength. "
The most important thing in this particular case is to be as convincing as possible. It was obvious that the plan was not something carefully thought out, but rather the product of a quick improvisation in the Inquisitor's mind. If memory serves me correctly, the local Moffs are soon to meet with their immediate supervisor and report to him on their sector management progress for the last quarter, in the most general sense. Additionally, Lucian Pryce, the director of the local ISB cell, is to be present at the conference.
Basically, the ISB underwent quite a bit of reform, following the destruction of DS-1 and the defeat of the Empire on Lothal. Once, all agents were forced to report to headquarters on Coruscant, which proved insufficient to confront the resistance cells that eventually evolved into the Rebel Alliance. After a quick and careful reform, the ISB was somewhat decentralized and divided into local cells with their own Directors. However, they were all directly accountable to and accountable to the Central Director who was based at ISB headquarters on Coruscant and worked with the Emperor himself.
As for the local Grand Moff, the Inquisitor has worked many times in the past with Governor Tagge, and it was a healthy, fully professional relationship based on mutual respect. As a third-generation Inquisitor, the former owner of the body, he had been sent to the New Territories many times, hence close cooperation. In fact, the Second Brother, as the third generation Inquisitor, was strictly assigned to this region of the galaxy and even had the Hope of Empire at his disposal as his personal flagship.
Third-generation inquisitor, what exactly is that supposed to mean? The Second Brother considered this for a moment, but the memories of the previous owner gave him a proper answer, which surprised him very much. Oh dear! It seems Palpatine planned to destroy the First and Second Generation Inquisitors from the start. Basically, the first generation are those who were captured the fastest and were incorporated right after Order 66 into the structures of the newly formed formation. Those of the second generation were captured in later years and were also ex-Jedi. However, in both cases, they would eventually be eliminated. It looks as if Palpatine is trying to wipe out all Jedi and all their remnants. The third generation Inquisitors, on the other hand, were intended to be prepared for their role from an early age and to be ideal special agents for intelligence. They also had far more powers and privileges than the first Inquisitors. The best example of this was the ability to have your own ship, or to use entire fleets for use. I know I'm not the only one of my kind, but at the same time, I have no memories or knowledge of other Inquisitors operating in the rest of the galaxy.
"I understand now, sir." The commander and his words effectively pulled the young Inquisitor out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality, as a result of which he focused completely on what was happening here and now. "New Territories is a fairly small but quite rich region, which additionally has several shipyards large enough to even produce star destroyers for us if we need to."
Suddenly restored to reality and from a distant realm of his own thoughts, the Inquisitor was able to register these words with considerable difficulty. It was then that he had an idea about some changes in the doctrine of the fleet that would likely be under his command. "Yes. But regardless of the shipyards capable of producing Imperial-class star destroyers, I intend to reduce their share of our fleets. "
Such a statement was met with an almost immediate reaction from a longtime and combat-experienced naval officer. A man who has been accustomed to powerful ships throughout his career will naturally oppose changes in the doctrine, which for him is something safe and default.
"Why?" He asked, clearly confused on his face. "The massive use of these powerful starships gives us overwhelming firepower. It's an asset that ..."
"Which is completely useless to us." The Inquisitor cut in firmly, tired of hearing the merits of a doctrine that had failed many times in this war. Definitely more than the Navy could afford. "Attempting to use only powerful capital ships as the main force against the rebels has had literally no positive results. Not when fighters, they are created and produced with mass quantity in mind, not high quality."
"I do not agree with this assessment, but I suspect that there will be a good time to talk about it." The defeated officer sighed, apparently also unwilling to continue the conversation. "Do you have any new orders for me?"
I should demand an oath of allegiance from him at this point, and then from all officers in the fleet. Logical and pragmatic thoughts effectively preceded any action before the Second Brother made up his mind to do anything. "Actually, I have a few more orders. First, upon arriving at one of the systems on the way to the Bastion, notify the captains of all the ships in the fleet that I wish to meet them as soon as possible."
"Immediately, Lord Inquisitor." The commander nodded obediently and without delay. However, he did not leave immediately on hearing the order and waited for more. "Is that all, my lord?"
"No, not yet." The Second Brother replied, then resolved not to waste any time. "I demand an oath of allegiance from you unconditionally and with immediate effect."
The use of power is weird to say the least, and it's not exactly what I was initially expecting. The Inquisitor's thoughts were directly related to the fact that he had used the Force once more, and it was a mind trick once more. At first, he was convinced that using the Force would require a great deal of concentration. To his surprise, however, it was quite different, and the very memories of the owner of this body made it clear that this was not what the use of force techniques was about. To use the Force, you need to be focused and confident enough to be able to identify the intentions behind the use. With mind trick, it is important to determine what to do or accept the target of the mental attack. Also, learning to use the Force's techniques is not nearly as complicated as I initially thought. It all comes down to the specific intention of instilling in the minds of the victims the attitude desired by the aggressor, and then training this until it becomes only easier with time. My guess is that in the case of dark side of the Force techniques, it requires the use of additional emotions, such as anger or passion. In any case, the memories seem to suggest exactly that. Past memories of this body also seem to suggest that learning any technique - whether light or dark side of the Force - must be driven by a user-friendly result. Regardless, it's time to take a look at the effects.
Thanks to the Inquisitor's previous experience and great skill in manipulating the minds - inherited and acquired by the owner - the effects did not have to wait long, because great skills came to a relatively weak and completely unadapted mind in repelling this type of mental attacks.
Commander Stahl dropped to one knee almost immediately and she bowed her head in a gesture of total surrender and submission to the new master's will. "I, Commander Galak Stahl, solemnly vow my completely unconditional oath of allegiance to the Lord Inquisitor ..."
Seeing the problem and uncertainty as to the nomenclature, the Inquisitor came forward with quick help. "Lord Inquisitor Lanz."
"Lord Inquisitor Lanz." The Commander repeated, completely subordinate and receptive to the will of his new supreme superior. Then he got up and stood at attention. "Do you have any more orders, my lord?"
"That's all for now, you can go." Replied the Lord Inquisitor, after a brief moment of reflection. "The only thing I ask of you is not to inform anyone of the death of our beloved Emperor. Such news could cause unnecessary confusion in the ranks of our fleet and personnel. Needless to say, in this extremely delicate situation, such confusion must be avoided. "
"Yes, my lord." The officer saluted, then swiftly swung backward as quickly and with the greatest dignity as possible, and a moment later, the automatic and movable door leading inside the Inquisitor's personal quarters swung open. Moments later, only one organic being remained inside.
"Great ..." Lord Inquisitor Lanz muttered under his breath, then collapsed onto a nearby bed and had to close his eyes for a moment due to exhaustion. "Getting into these roles and putting on the mask of someone I never was, giving orders to my subordinates and generally doing something that I haven't had anything to do with until recently is really tiring. For the sake of the Force, or whatever runs this circus, I've never had any real experience with command, leadership or politics. "
I had only a very modest and really little experience with tactics and strategy, but only under controlled simulation conditions. He thought, completely overwhelmed by the situation at hand. While Lanz had accepted his current position, that didn't mean that he was able to go - mentally at least - into a new skin without first settling it down in his head. I'm not even going to ask how exactly beings beyond my understanding were able to transport me into this new body. I just hope they are not significantly close to something in Cthulhu Mythos… What am I even thinking about? I should focus entirely on my present position.
At this point, the Lord Inquisitor plunged his mind into the sea of memories of the former owner of this body. I wonder if this is really the former owner? Or maybe our selves and personalities have actually merged into one, as a result of the interference of higher forces, and now I am not even able to see the difference between my past self. Regardless, however, it was the Second Brother, as the third generation Inquisitor, who was remarkably - at least compared to the Inquisitors of previous generations - powerful. In addition to the fleet, he also had at his disposal quite a sizeable bank account, worth many tens of billions of credits. This, coupled with all knowledge, makes it clear that the Emperor had a very clear intention of making the Inquisitors - right after Darth Vader himself - powerful enforcers of his will who could react quickly to Rebel threats. I will use these provisions and powers to my advantage in this fight for the legacy of our beloved Emperor. If I hurry, I can even gain access to the Emperor's secret sanctuaries and claim quite interesting treasuries of knowledge for myself. But now, I must reach the Bastion as soon as possible, the Grand Moff Palace, and then convince or force the Imperial officials present there to accept my sovereignty. What I need to do next is quickly reorganize all fleets and start producing more smaller vessels at the New Territories yards. The Empire had a centrally planned economy, and the management of each region left many Moffs quite a bit of autonomy in their decisions and in choosing production priorities. At least now I know why individual warlords were able to form their factions so easily, both in Canon and Legends.
At this point, the Lord Inquisitor decided to get out of bed, then immediately grabbed the datapad in both hands and began going through the diagrams of individual fighters, cruisers, gunboats, destroyers or dreadnoughts. However, what was quite a big obstacle for him was the lack of skills in the field of engineering and any form of design. Only once and once did I take a look at the Panzerkampfwagen IV diagram and that's all I had to do with it. Fortunately, I know some technical details about some machines, thanks to my quite long visits to Wookieepedia, so I can decide to reject machines that I most definitely do not want in my own fleet. I'll start with fighters and smaller units in general.
Moments later, the screen scrolled and his eyes quickly appeared standard TIE Fighter. The cost of producing one unit is only 60,000 credits and it offered incredible speed, combined with fast production times. After all, a few flaws have discredited this starfighter in the eyes of Lanz, completely.
Lack of shields, relatively low firepower, and further evidence that the empire - despite possessing large and incredibly expensive dreadnoughts - placed more emphasis on the overwhelming firepower of the main units at the expense of the smaller ones. I have no intention of having any manifestation of this anti-genius of engineering in my own fleets.
The Inquisitor, began scrolling further and omitted a few other fighter designs that were more of another TIE Fighter variant than something new. Soon, his eyesight was chained by the sight of another TIE line, which, however, unlike previous models, had four pointed solar panels.
TIE / IN interceptor. If I remember correctly, an extremely fast model, equipped with a life support system, four laser cannons on its wingtips, and all this for a cost of 120,000 credits. Quite cheap and fast model, perfect for the role of the main fighter. If only any shielding system was added to that, it would be the perfect machine, at least in my opinion. The lack of a hyperdrive is not even the slightest disadvantage in this particular case.
For the next few minutes, the Lord Inquisitor flipped through the models and specifications of the machines. Again, thanks to inheriting the memories of the former owner of the body, he had no trouble reading standard language effectively. So he browsed through the machines and understandable specifications, details, without even the slightest problem. He quickly rejected the TIE Advanced or the TIE Avenger due to the high cost of both machines. However, he looked favorably upon the TIE / d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter. The main reason for this was the relatively low price of 300,000 credits for a new machine compared to the TIE Avenger.
A great and not introduced on a larger scale, a project initiated by Grand Admiral Thrawn. At least in Cannon, in Legend it was Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin. As for the fighter itself, however, it is a multi-Role Starfighter, equipped with wingtip L-s9.3 laser cannons, chin-mounted L-s9.3 laser cannons, warhead launchers, concussion missiles, proton torpedoes, tractor beam projector. Not to mention the hyperdrive system, shield system and a decent sensor system. An elite and expensive machine, for elite pilots. Although I have doubts - supported by historical evidence - as to the rationality of concentrating too much force in one unit, I cannot deny at the same time many advantages of such a machine. The first and most important of all is the ability to effectively protect experienced pilots. Given the colossal losses suffered by the empire in flight crews, this issue will be absolutely crucial if we are to ever gain an advantage over rebels or other warlords. Undoubtedly, it will be an extremely expensive, but at the same time extremely profitable investment if used properly.
Looking through the next diagrams and designs - most of which were completely new to Lanz - the young man finally came across something that interested him extremely. It looked like trying to connect the X-wing - no matter which model exactly - with the TIE Interceptor, the best proof of which were the wings, which together seemed to form the letter X.
TIE / HU Hunter multi-role starfighter. Equipped with two ion cannons, two laser cannons, medium laser cannons, proton torpedo launcher, twenty torpedoes, hyperdrive, shield system, navigation system, and the cost of the new model is approximately 210,000 credits. If it were to support TIE Interceptors, or even TIE Defenders. However, having another small and extremely expensive unit doesn't make much sense. The most sensible thing to do would be to deprive the hyperdrive model and assign it to support the TIE Interceptors squadrons and complement their offensive capabilities. Additionally, the Interceptors themselves should receive a cover system to better protect the pilots and increase the efficiency of the squadrons.
Lanz pondered for a few more seconds and pondered the matter. In fact, from the very beginning of taking power over the New Territories, he intended to start securing the space under his control right away. And in the event of external aggression, he was going to use mobile defense, along with aggressive counterattacks after weakening the enemy and focusing on defending key worlds with powerful industries, shipyards and starfighters factories. Without it, it would be impossible to build new ships to replace those destroyed in battle.
Regardless of all this, however, and of all this responsibility, the Lord Inquisitor decided to walk around the ship, having carefully and carefully concealed an extremely valuable datapad. If he had a good understanding and orientation, it should ultimately take less than a standard day to get to the Braxant sector. So there was still quite a while before he would reach the destination of this first space journey. From what he remembered, at his disposal - apart from the entire legion of stormtroopers - a whole company of death troopers was put in place.
Fascinatingly, from the memories of the previous owner and my own knowledge, I know that originally, this elite was destined to protect only the most important officials and officers of the empire. However, and as I did not know, as the Galactic Civil War progressed and escalated, the demand for these elite soldiers began to grow. Each of the Inquisitors could count on at least one company, about 110 men. It's all about getting the best resources possible and drastically increasing the likelihood of success for members of the Inquisition. I am curious to see what these soldiers look like.
The Lord Inquisitor had no problems with reaching the quarters of the elite unit. On the way, however, he moved along perfectly sterile corridors, and all the encountered crew members or stormtroopers immediately saluted him and left the road. Apparently no one had even the slightest intention of exposing themselves to the wrath of someone so high up in the imperial intelligence structure who, in addition, didn't even need a weapon to kill an opposing delinquent.
Although the destroyer's corridors and the necessity to leave the levels on the T-shaped turret took a few minutes, navigating and navigating the ship itself was quite simple and not very problematic, despite the enormously large size of destroyers of this class. Especially since Lanz himself was moving quite fast. So in the end it took the Inquisitor less than ten minutes to reach the quarters of the death troopers.
At one point, however, in the sterile corridors, a communique was soon heard, no doubt made by the Commander himself. "Attention! We are going into hyperspace, prepare for any jerk that this may cause! "
Moments later, Lanz felt a slight tug, but it wasn't strong enough to even bring him closer to being knocked down. While it might have been normal for everyone aboard the destroyer, it also made the Lord Inquisitor's stomach twist a little. It was not caused by any reflexes, but by sheer delight and the feeling that he had just experienced something almost magical. I come from a world where something like this was either physically impossible, or a civilization where I had the dubious pleasure of living just hadn't gotten to that level of sophistication yet, and they found it impossible to travel at lightspeed or faster.
As soon as they stepped in, before the automatic door fully opened, everyone in the main and quite extensive one either stood up or stood at attention and saluted, or stood at attention and saluted from military bunks. Some of them wore the characteristic black armor and helmets, while others were either helmetless, or even wore only a tight-fitting black uniform.
Lanz responded with the same and no less precise salute. "Where is your Captain, soldiers?" He asked, in that same haughty and somewhat sullen voice that seemed to work far better than any threat.
Immediately, out of the dozens present here, one of those closest to the door stepped forward. He was wearing a black and ominous helmet, but the voice suppression - or rather coding - function was turned off at that moment, so Lanz had no problem understanding his words.
"My Lord, Captain Yang went to the training rooms about half an hour ago, along with all the other officers." The soldier reported obediently, his voice only slightly modified and only electronically distorted enough to effectively mask his true identity. "They said something about hand-to-hand combat training."
"I see." Lanz nodded, then thanked the death trooper and immediately headed for the training room. The Force told him that the officer he was looking for would be present in Training Room 6. So the Inquisitor had just gone there and wasted no time. While he didn't have to rush anywhere and could afford to be stress-free, time was still a valuable asset that could not be wasted.
This may be a great opportunity to test my new body and the resulting physical abilities.
Eventually, he made it to the appropriate training room and was immediately greeted by the enormously large size of this room, which could probably accommodate several hundred adult men. It was hard to pin down exactly how many, but many certainly many. In addition to this, there was a view of four different training rings and four officers from the death troopers division. They all looked remarkably similar, muscular, tall, bald middle-aged men who wore the black tight uniform that was the standard form of clothing for all humanoid stormtroopers.
There were five people in total, but due to the lack of any markings or visible identifiers, it was completely impossible to recognize any of them. Nevertheless, all of them, when they saw the arrival of their superior, immediately gave up their previous activities. Two of the five practiced hand-to-hand combat together, while the other three either exercised with weights or watched the fight in progress.
All five stood in a tight line in front of the Inquisitor. Then they all saluted as one. Lanz replied the same.
"Enough of these gymnastic exercises." He announced jokingly, and all five of the officers chuckled at what was also taken as an instruction to stop that rigid military posture. "Which of you is Captain Yang?"
It must be honestly admitted that the recognition of any of them was extremely difficult and possible only in the eyes, and even that, in some cases, could turn out to be completely insufficient. The reason for this state of affairs was to deprive all five - like the rest of the death troopers - of any characteristic points or features on the face. They were all very similar to each other, without eyebrows and with almost identical facial features. It was clear that this was not a coincidence, but rather a deliberate and deliberate act, supported by plastic surgery, to prevent any of them from being recognized, by anyone who would be able to knock down any of the soldiers, the helmet.
After a while, however, from among the gathered people standing in a row, he stepped out first from the right. As similar to everyone else as they are to him.
"It's me, my lord." He stated without any sign of fear, awkwardness or hesitation. "Captain Yang, or just DT-0239, report on command."
Lanz decided, out of sheer curiosity, to try to look into his emotions, so he reached out very quickly in the Force to him, with the intention of finding out something about what this man was feeling. His intentions, and his attempt, met an answer that satisfied him. The Inquisitor sensed that the man in front of him felt not even the slightest sign of stress or nervousness at that moment. Instead, he seemed to be calm, as if he were already used to talking to his superiors or people of more power and status than himself.
On the other hand, all this serene facade could be due to genetic or medical enhancements that also affected this man's mind. Although I do not have any evidence or knowledge of it, I cannot rule out such an option.
Pleased with the answer, the Lord Inquisitor decided to answer. "Relax, Captain, it's not a matter of orders or of having to issue them. In fact, I originally planned to talk to you about the status of the ward. "
The captain frowned and seemed somewhat surprised by such intentions of his immediate superior. "Has anything happened that might make our loyalty or willingness to undergo the operation questionable, my lord?"
But Lanz - and to the great relief of all the officers in the death trooper division - shook his head in denial. "Really, the time has just come for big changes, and I need to be sure of your willingness to obey my orders and your absolute loyalty."
The captain looked at the other officers, who just nodded their heads without any sign of hesitation or, in general, any emotion. The company commanding officer then addressed the Lord Inquisitor directly. "I, and all my people, ruthlessly pledge our loyalty to the Imperial Inquisitor, the Second Brother."
Although the Captain's voice was completely non-committal, Lanz did not detect even the slightest sign of a lie or of hostile intent, as was the case with the other officers. They all seemed to show no sign of disobedience to the Lord Inquisitor. Lanz was most satisfied and completely satisfied with this.
"Excellent, I am glad to accept your unconditional oaths of allegiance." Lord Inquisitor replied, then decided to move on to another reason for his presence here. "Now, would you like to help me in one of the things for which I have come to this place."
Captain Yang smiled very quickly, for it was no problem for him to figure out the Lord's Inquisitor's intention. "If it is to be a training aid, my companions and I are more than willing to support your efforts, my lord."
At his words, the other death trooper officers also smiled and nodded to confirm that they fully agreed with their commanding officer. Lord Lanz also returned the smile, which was warm enough to arouse positive emotions in them, which were additionally fueled by the Force.
"Your guess is correct, Captain." Lanz replied, but after a while his smirk faded a little. "I would like to practice hand-to-hand combat with you, using melee weapons. I haven't had a good fight of this type lately and I'm afraid my skills may have deteriorated significantly. As an Imperial Inquisitor, I cannot afford to lose my form. "
Well, that's not exactly a lie. Indeed, the Second Brother did not have many Jedi knights to track before I entered this body, so much of his missions were to track down Imperial traitors, hunt down corrupt Moffs, and fight against rising rebels. While the former owner of the body had quite a number of undoubtedly interesting missions, in fact, he did not have many opportunities to engage in an equal fight with the use of melee weapons. A little sparring would undoubtedly be useful for improving slightly stiff and rusty skills.
"If it is your will, my Lord." The captain, along with the other officers, bowed respectfully. After that, Yang invited the Lord Inquisitor with a gesture to take off some of his robes and choose the weapons he would like to train.
For his part, the Captain immediately chose two short titanium sticks, and then took his place to one of the sides of the ring closest to them.
As for Lanz, he didn't waste a moment, he immediately walked over to a nearby hanger on which he had left his armor and tunic, his uniform. It should also be noted that the uniform he was wearing was identical to those used by Stormtroopers Corp. The only difference was that the cut was modified to fit perfectly with the armor he was wearing and to create an impression that the two sets did not match.
Regardless of this, the Lord Inquisitor did it quite quickly, because the armor had a lock that was easy to release. The only thing Lanz wore at that moment was a scarlet shirt with the Imperial coat of arms engraved on the chest. The Lord Inquisitor, however, did not pay much attention to it and hurried to choose his weapon for this sparring as quickly as possible.
If I remember correctly, the Second Brother has mastered - like almost all self-respecting warriors - a Form I mastery. Considering that this is basically a staple for anyone wielding a lightsaber, this is absolutely not surprising. Apart from that, and to my great surprise, the Second Brother also mastered Form III to perfection. Soresu is an extremely defensive form that focuses on quick and short movements close to the body. Moreover, shortly before my arrival in this body, Second Brother was trying to master From IV, along with the Sokan technique. If I remember correctly, Sokan put emphasis on quick attacks at the opponent's weak spots, and on using the battlefield around to his advantage.
Lanz shook his head to clear his mind, then decided on a single long stick made of titanium. At the same time, however, he was not at all afraid of failure in the event of a sparring. He remembered that all training devices were equipped with a shock field, which effectively prevented the training weapon itself from inflicting any serious injuries.
As for the sparring rings themselves, unlike what Lanz knew from his old world, these here did not contain barriers. Instead, what meant the boundaries of the ring were red laser beams, three on each of the four walls of the arena. However, these beams did not cause any injuries, but only signaled that a man had left the area of ring.
The Lord Inquisitor stood in the far corner of the ring, facing the Captain himself, who at that moment took a fighting stance and tense his muscles. It was not the least that this man is well trained and clearly experienced in fighting with the use of white weapons. Exactly as was required of the members of this elite division.
Lanz looked at him and began to analyze his opponent, which lasted for a few seconds, but it was worth it. The Lord Inquisitor quickly concluded that his opponent was using something remarkably similar to Form V, which primarily emphasized aggression, using pure physical advantage. In this respect, Captain Yang had a distinct advantage over Lanz, for while the Inquisitor was more athletic and slimmer, the Captain had - at least at first glance - an extremely impressive physique.
I doubt my opponent has any idea whatsoever about lightsaber combat. Rather, it gives the impression that he has accidentally developed a form of combat based solely on physical superiority. At least this is what his current attitude seems to indicate. However, I cannot determine if his fighting style will be close to Shien or Djem So. After these thoughts, Lanz glanced at his titanium stick. For a moment he considered which form he should choose properly, and eventually came to a rather logical conclusion. Shii-Cho, Form I, as something basic and without refinement or power support, should still be more than enough to win this training after all. Emphasis on direct attacks while maintaining a calm and methodical approach to combat.
Eventually, Lanz gripped the titanium stick a little tighter and more firmly, then assumed the posture preferred by the body's previous owner. With her hand slung behind her back and clenched into a fist. It was kind of instinctive, and it was another skill that the Second Brother passed on to the new owner of the body. Nevertheless, rules had to be established before sparring could begin, as they both were well aware of. The one who spoke first was Captain of the Death Troopers.
"I propose that this duel go ahead without using the Force, as it would give you a very big advantage and wouldn't allow any meaningful training, my lord." Yang stated, and the others present merely nodded to show that they fully agreed with his position. "No choking using the Force, or throwing your opponent's body over."
"Very well." Lanz replied imperturbably, then added something to these conditions. "The fight will be divided into five rounds, and the winner will be determined by knocking down the opponent or pushing him out of the ring. Additionally, I will minimize my use of the Force to only slightly assist my acrobatics, but only in situations where I will be leaning against the wall. "
"It's acceptable." The captain nodded, and apparently he had no trouble with this little facilitation. At the same time, however, it showed that he believed in his own abilities. "But don't count on me getting the upper hand so easily, my lord."
Lanz raised his right eyebrow up and looked straight into the eyes of the sparring partner. "You seem to be extremely confident in your abilities, which I believe are undoubtedly impressive."
"They are, we Lord." The captain replied, proudly, completely confident, and without even a moment's hesitation, which was quite rare and only confirmed that the man was extremely skilled in this field of combat and was well aware of his abilities. "Once, when I was just starting my service with the death trooper division and was sent on one of the missions to the Outer Rims, I got into hand-to-hand combat with some of the Wookiees who were part of a local rebellion cell. We fought together for a few minutes and it was an extremely fierce duel. My opponent even managed to knock my helmet off my head and almost beat me. However, he completely did not expect that he would decide to attack quickly and rapidly reduce the distance that separated us. "
"What happened?" Lanz asked, and his curiosity about the man's past only grew.
"I plunged the blade quite tense into his knee, probably pierced his bones, because the furry must have bent down quite significantly and stopped moving. Then I came quickly from behind and strangled him, that's all. " The captain explained it exactly as it was, so Lanz didn't sense the lies from him. Nevertheless, the amount of detail and a slight talk about the moment of life threatening seemed disturbing to him, but he decided not to mention the topic.
"I understand, but enough of these stories from the past, it's time to fight, Captain." The Lord Inquisitor said, then swung from his right side, but only in the air, and hadn't attacked his sparring partner, at least yet.
"I can't agree more, my Lord." The death trooper replied, an excited smile on his face, and corrected his posture.
Both opponents could not have been much more different in their attitudes. Lanz seemed to be - despite assuming a rather rigid and rather sophisticated form, elegant and ready to defend precisely against enemy attacks. Meanwhile, Captain Yang put total emphasis on strength and use of his muscles, without the slightest hint of refinement or grace. Basically, while apparently Lanz had the upper hand - thanks to the Force and a more sophisticated fighting style - it would be quite an abuse to say something like that. The reason was simple. Sheer physical strength, even if devoid of the sophistication or finesse of seasoned swordsmen, could prove to be a tremendously great threat, the main reason being chaotic.
"Let's get started!" And with that roar, which sounded almost like some form of a battle cry, Captain Yang started toward the Lord Inquisitor. It didn't take long until he approached him and made an unusually strong attack from behind his back.
For his part, Lanz deftly dodged a rather crude attack aimed at his shoulders by quickly jumping to the side. Then he attempted to counterattack with a simple and precise thrust. In fact, the Lord Inquisitor felt extremely strange and contradictory at that moment. On the one hand, he was sincerely and completely satisfied with his physical fitness. However, on the other hand, never before has his body been so fit or capable of such precision. As a result, while his attack was undoubtedly precise, it was also relatively slow and easy to counter.
Captain Yang realized quite quickly what the Lord Inquisitor's intentions were, so he quickly crossed the two titanium sticks in front of his chest. This action ultimately resulted in an effective blocking of the opponent's attack and gave the death trooper the opportunity to launch an extremely strong and surprisingly quick counterattack, while pushing the opponent to the edge of the arena.
For about ten seconds, Lanz simultaneously blocked the persistence of his opponent's attacks, but at the same time, on the other hand, he was forced to constantly surrender his field and retreat backwards. Eventually, however, he decided to parry one of the next attacks and this time, it was an attempted side strike. Lanz neatly blocked this attempted attack, but his opponent wasted no time and continued his advance very quickly.
This time, however, Yang decided to make a strong attack from above, which, however, was met with a skillful and sophisticated pairing by the Inquisitor.
Seeing that trying to use the basic form was useless at this point, Lanz skillfully switched to using Form III. Thus, his movements became short and extremely close to the body, but that was not the key to this form. The key was to focus completely on your defense and wait for your opponent to get frustrated and start making mistakes that will only become more frequent as the fight goes on. At the same time, the user of this mold - mainly thanks to the economical and balanced movements - was able to save a lot of energy and effort.
For the next minute, Lanz used just this form of defense, and the results were satisfactory. Yang tried to make a powerful attack from above, and Lanz successfully strayed, jumped back, or steamed both titanium blades quickly and neatly. Yang tried to make a concentrated and powerful attack to either side, and Lanz successfully blocked all attempts. Yang tried to thrust while attacking with the second stick from the side, and Lanz deftly blocked and parried both attacks. Yang tried to pin his sparring partner in the corner, and Lanz skillfully performed acrobatics that crossed the Captain's plans. Although the Lord Inquisitor successfully prevented any attempted attack from the enemy, it did not change the fact that he himself did not perform any aggressive maneuvers and, as Soresu was destined, remained on the defensive. This stance, as planned, began to cause more and more frustration in his opponent, whose movements became even more clumsy, wild and coarse. It was clear from the Captain himself that he was getting more and more tired and angry.
It's time to find out how talented I am in the Sokan technique. Lanz then attacked and, with great grace, rolled between the opponent's widely spaced legs, then made a quick side-strike straight into the back of the death trooper. Then, he made a series of quick blows, several to the arms, hands and some even to the legs of the opponent, who a moment later almost fell to the ground, but with great difficulty, was able to stay on his feet on his own, then turned towards Lord Inquisitor.
"Pretty good, my Lord." He praised his supervisor with a strangely satisfied smile on his lips. It was as if only a show of the opponent's skills was only honey on his heart, which gave him mental strength. "You are a gifted swordsman who can easily wage a sustained battle. All only to unexpectedly launch a counterattack in the form of a series of blows, supported by acrobatics at the same time. "
Lanz decided to smile at him rather mockingly, but not defiantly, then decided to ask a mocking question. "Would you like to give up so early? Now, when we haven't even finished our first sparring round yet? "
The captain laughed back at the Lord Inquisitor's suggestion. It was clear that this could almost be classified as a friendly banter between people training together. The other and junior officers around chuckled as well.
"No way." Captain Yang replied, and despite obvious fatigue and sweat running down his body, he quickly took up his fighting stance again. This time, however, he decided to put emphasis on strong defense. "I cannot surrender, and the ferocity of this battle should be for me, above all, an incentive to fight even harder, until I run out of strength."
"That's the spirit!" Lanz said loudly, his smile only widening at the sight of the enthusiasm, before the Lord Inquisitor assumed a slightly tense pose that made it clear that the roles were about to turn around. "Well, I should probably go on the offensive, shouldn't I?"
However, Lanz did not wait for an answer, which was a deliberate measure on his part. He pushed his body forward quickly, and Yang struggled to block the impending and extremely precise thrust. Eventually, the Captain blocked the thrust by crossing the sticks into a cross shape. Thanks to this, the approaching, short, tatanite stick was successfully blocked. Moments later, Yang pushed his opponent's training stick away and tried to counter-strike from two different sides.
Lanz, however, managed to foresee this move and it was enough to put his own training weapon forward to block both incoming attacks that followed.
At the same time, both opponents realized that they were close enough to each other to be able to launch an attack using the lower limbs. Although they both saw the opportunity at the same moment, the death trooper was the one who managed to execute this attack first and kicked the Inquisitor in the knee.
Lanz struggled to suppress a grunt of pain as he was forced to give way to his opponent once more and take a few steps back. Thus, he came dangerously close to the edge of the ring. However, thanks to the support of the Force, he was able to effectively strengthen his body and regained full fitness very quickly, after which he himself launched a series of concentrated but distracted attacks. Although most of the offensive was blocked by the enemy, several attacks hit the target. Specifically, in the arms, hands and knee. Consequently, Yang was forced to release one of the two sticks.
Although the location of the Captain of the Death Troopers Company might have seemed a bit embarrassing at the moment, it was not. Although Yang was forced to throw off one of the sticks, he simply adjusted and grabbed the remaining training stick with both hands. Thereby, he definitely strengthened his own pressure on the hand. After a while, however, he jumped to attack and charged his opponent. At the same time, he tried to make a powerful swing from behind his back, and most likely end the fight, which was preceded by a jump into the air.
Lanz saw through these fairly simple tactics without difficulty and immediately decided to respond to this attack with an offensive as well. The Lord Inquisitor moved forward, then made a forward roll, which made him successfully avoid a strong attack from the Captain, who hit the ground with a no small thud with a titanium stick.
Lanz wasted no time for the opponent to react and swiftly executed a spinning blow that hit the opponent's back. Consequently, Yang tried to bite back by a similar attack on the sparring partner's head. At the same time, however, Lanz saw the impending attack and did everything in his power to counter it. So the Inquisitor struck another punch, right at the opponent's titanium stick, and the result was completely unexpected for both of them.
The training sticks simply broke as a result of trying to carry out the attack on the one hand and stop it on the other, as a result of which they were both forced to reject them. However, this was not the end of their fight yet. For none of them had the slightest intention of letting go of that moment.
Captain Yang immediately lunged at the Lord Inquisitor after discarding his broken training weapon, then without even the slightest hesitation, trapped him in his hands and threw him with a thud to the ground.
Lanz felt a pain in his back that was quickly denied thanks to the Force's strengthening of his body. So he rose very quickly, or rather jumped, and was on his feet again, then his hands clenched into fists and the Lord Inquisitor assumed a fighting stance.
This, however, turned out to be only an incentive for the Captain, who attacked immediately, with his fist aimed directly at the sparring partner's cheek. However, Lanz managed to successfully block the blow without much effort, then launched a counterattack, which ended in hitting the opponent right in the chest. However, this blow did not even make the slightest impression on the sparring partner, who responded with a powerful blow to the stomach.
Lanz fell on his back and was almost near the edge of the ring. Despite the injuries and obvious fatigue, however, he managed to get up from the ground again, and then launched an attack, but differently than before. A series of quick and precise blows hit the opponent's fists and legs, and at various points in his limbs. Yang responded by trying to hit his sparring partner right in the chest.
However, Lanz easily noticed and guessed the intentions of his opponent, and then began to perform dodges, which with time turned into an amazing dance, which to outsiders seemed like a perfectly arranged symphony. A symphony which culminated in another series of attacks that seemed to end this intense sparring round this time. Exactly so, but not in the way Lanz expected.
Captain Yang, took the first few blows, but remembering the Lord Inquisitor's previous moves, he saw the advancing fist. The death trooper effortlessly grasped that fist, then twisted his sparring partner's arm in such a way as not to break it, then pulled the Lord Inquisitor towards him and caught him with an iron grip. It wasn't long before Yang, thanks to his overwhelming strength, easily threw his opponent out of the ring, which rolled several meters before he fell onto his back and it took him a few moments to get up after such an intense fight and its painful finale.
I was expecting a different result when I felt like sparring. Lanz thought, and a sardonic smile formed on his lips, perfectly adequate to his sore condition. Lord Inquisitor, he expected a rather easy victory, but instead, he learned a very valuable lesson. Even with my lightsaber championship, even with all my experience so far, I am still at risk of failure. I must be careful and fight confidently if I am going to stay in the living world. While the imperial structure doesn't include as many dark side of the Force users as in Legends, I'm still more than sure that there are other third-generation Inquisitors who will either join the power struggle and be forced to fight them, or acknowledge my actions for betraying the Emperor himself, and they will want to get rid of me too. There will also be quite a number of Moffs and other commanders who will want to get rid of me to get what I get. However, if they don't have some kind of secret weapon, they won't be too much of a problem for me, I guess.
After a brief moment of rest, Lanz tried to get up from the floor, but was making progress with great difficulty. Still feeling pain and aching bones made it impossible for him to get up from the ground and stand on his own feet. All this despite the fact that the Lord Inquisitor did not have any fractures on his body or other serious injuries, and one and quick bath in a bacta tank should help to get rid of the bruises. First, however, he had to get there, and that was not possible at that moment. However, after a few seconds, he received unexpected help from the Captain, who held out an open hand in his direction, with the obvious intention of helping.
"My Lord, it is foolish to try to get up yourself when you can ask someone else for help." He announced, with a small and rather mischievous smile on his lips. "But whether you accept my help or not, it was definitely a good fight. More to say, it's been a long time since I had any sparring that would require such a commitment from me, or even a hand-to-hand fight. " After these words, he looked at the other company officers, who still seemed significantly intimidated by the incredible performance of these two. "Although I highly value my comrades, none of them has given me such demanding and advanced sparring so far."
"I'm glad that I could help improve the skills of one of my subordinates." Lanz replied somewhat playfully, then accepted the help offered, and shortly thereafter was on his feet and stood on his own. "I also feel that I have never been so emotional in my whole life as I am now."
It was a lie, but only half of it. The Second Brother underwent intense and often fatal training. It was during this training that the future Inquisitor learned lightsaber fighting, pilotage, some obsessions in engineering, technology, and electronics. It was there that the Second Brother was transformed into what he was today. Or rather, what he was just a few dozen minutes ago. Lanz, meanwhile, in his previous life, made little physical effort, even during his school days. Usually what in his life could be considered any physical exertion, at most, were either very infrequent walks, or intense finger strokes on the keyboard or intense mouse clicking. However, it was and it will not come back, and I have no intention of letting this athletic and beautiful body degrade and lose its beauty, with all its physical qualities. First, no participation in games other than board games and considered entertainment for the upper classes. Second, exercise regularly whenever circumstances permit to stay fit. Not to mention, I'd like to test again the exact list of strategies and tactics that have been used in this galaxy. Although I had studied history and tactics to some extent in my previous life, and had been familiar to some extent with some aspects of politics, I am still far from being a master of conspiracies and intrigue.
Lanz pondered all this for so long that some of the people here began to look at him with a certain and considerable dose of curiosity. Especially when his head was tilted up and his eyes seemed to be staring at the ceiling, all with a distant gaze.
"My Lord." The Captain's voice snapped the Lord Inquisitor out of this thoughtful state, and made Lanz pay attention to the officer. "You seemed to be absent for a moment, Excellency. Can we know the reason for this?"
They seem to be loyal and quite intelligent people, that's for sure. However, where does their loyalty really lie? As well, they can only pretend to be their… no. They can't, if it were otherwise, I would have received impulses from the Force almost immediately. I think I can trust them in this particular case. However…
Lanz decided to stop this stream of thoughts and his attention focused entirely on the five officers. The Lord Inquisitor, he remembered quite well the lineup of officers that made up the company commanders of the Stormtroopers Corp, and the death troopers had the same hierarchy. Captain, commander of the entire formation, reporting directly to the commander of the stormtrooper battalion. In the case of death troopers, he was accountable to whatever commanding officer or other type of superior to whom the company was assigned, and in this particular case the Lord Inquisitor himself. Under Captain, Senior Lieutenant, deputy commanding officer and commander's garbage accident, he was to take command of the formation. Next were Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant and Junior Lieutenant. These three commanded the platoons assigned to them and in the event of the death of the Captain and the Senior Lieutenant, the highest ranking, i.e. the Lieutenant first, was to take over the command of the formation. There were also Ensigns, but they were non-commissioned officers and their role was either to help command or to take over the command of a platoon in the event of the death of the commanding officer.
"There is something that has been troubling my heart for over several dozen minutes." Lanz replied, in a rather enigmatic way that was at the same time emphasized by a somewhat thoughtful tone of voice. Such mystery only interested the officers present here. "But I will not reveal a word of these concerns until I am absolutely sure that I can count on your ..."
Lord Inquisitor didn't even have to finish, for all the officers, as one, knelt on one knee and in a show of total obedience. Meanwhile, Lanz did not sense even a hint of insincerity or deception on their part. Perfect, at least I don't have to worry about treason or deception on their part. Well ... when I think about it now, I can't help but say that these five are real soldiers, loyal to their superior and ready to obey most of the orders that will be issued to them.
"Rise." Lanz instructed them quietly, then decided to forgive himself any theatricality or mystery, and instead went straight to the point. "The Emperor is dead."
Although it was like a bomb on their mind to the four lieutenants of the death troopers company, the Captain and Company Commander did not seem to be too concerned about it. One physical response to hearing this information was to raise an eyebrow. Besides, however, he didn't seem particularly concerned about the information he received.
"Is that so?" He asked a bit mockingly what caught everyone's attention, but for different reasons. The other officers were shocked that their commander showed no signs of concern at the Emperor's death. Lanz, meanwhile, was simply curious about such an attitude, although he showed nothing of himself and only the eyes turned to the Captain were proof that the Lord Inquisitor was interested in it.
"Indeed, Captain." Lanz replied, but now he had become deadly serious. "Without the Emperor, our Empire will soon be plunged into total chaos. Moffs, Admirals, and all the other military leaders will start to throw themselves at each other's throats. Perhaps not immediately, but the one who should in theory take power after the death of the Emperor, Mass Amed, has no authority among the military and enjoys no respect among the administration, navy, military, ISB, or intelligence. "
All those present looked at each other, and on the one hand their glances expressed obvious terror at the prospect of the situation in which they found themselves. At the same time, however, and in the occasion of horror, their eyes also expressed the understanding for which the Lord Inquisitor hesitated to divulge such information to them. Yet again, Yang seemed unfazed by it. It was almost as if he had expected it all.
"Captain." Lanz turned to him, and the other four snapped out of their thoughts. "You seem not to be surprised by the news of the Emperor's death. That said, I guess you rather expected this turn of events. "
Captain Yang before answering, cast a quick glance at his subordinates, who were clearly surprised by such a statement, which, however, did not seem so far from the truth.
"Is it that obvious?" The captain asked in response, and explained everything after receiving a nod from the Lord Inquisitor. "Such a turn of events was entirely inevitable for me, at least in the face of the sheer arrogance of the battle plans that, as a high-ranking officer, I was able to familiarize myself with. Additionally, the doctrine that concentrates great firepower in just one structure is extremely flawed, and it was only a matter of time before something finally went wrong. "
"A careful observation." Lanz noticed and decided to ask a few more things. "For an officer in a death troopers, you seem to be rather familiar with the subject of space combat, Captain."
"One of my old friends is in command of one of the star destroyers in your fleet, my lord." Yang replied, and knowing the Inquisitor would be glad to see the officer, decided to forestall any questions. "This is Captain Paul vi Obtain, my Lord. He was one of the top graduates of the imperial academy on Carida. However, his talent was not appreciated by either the senior ranks or the medium-gifted direct superiors. Fortunately, however, Paul was able to become the commander of one of the star destroyers, thanks to several key successes in pacifying the rebels. "
"Sounds like an interesting man, Captain." The Inquisitor replied, and a thought flashed through his mind. "How do you think this man would prove successful in a higher and responsible position?"
"I have no doubt that my old acquaintance would do a role that would require a lot more responsibility from him, my lord." Although the Captain answered the question, he wanted to be sure of one point, so he decided to ask another question. "What exactly are you planning, my lord? Build your own little empire and become the next warlord, of whom there will be quite a few in the galaxy soon? "
"Actually, I'm already a warlord." He replied without thinking. Although it was risky, yet thanks to the use of power, he did not sense even the slightest hint of hostile intent or rebellion. That's why he chose to be completely honest with the officers here and give them some seeds of his long-term plans. "Only Commander Stahl knows about it, but soon everyone will find out. I intend, at least for the moment, to take command of the New Territories, declare myself Lord Inquisitor, and consolidate my position. "
While the announcement might have been bold, the officers, including the Captain himself, were genuinely interested. It was as if the revelation about the Emperor's death did not even matter at the moment, and they were consumed by their curiosity about the plans, their commander.
"Let me put it straight and I am convinced that I can trust all of you." Lanz stated, with the intention of going to the bottom of his first plans. "I intend to go to the surface of the Bastion as soon as possible, straight to the Grand Moff Tagge Palace, with the intention of persuading him to swear allegiance to me. I am going to demand the same oath from all the remaining and high-ranking imperial officers present there. Everything has been calculated to take power over local garrisons, sectors, fleets, logistics and fortifications as quickly as possible. I want to protect myself economically and territorially, and be ready for a possible attack from outside or the emergence of significant rebel groups who will undoubtedly take advantage of the chaos created by the loss of central leadership. "
Though speaking so openly and in a space where anyone could overhear, Lanz was calm. For he sensed no sign of a man who could even potentially be interested in this conversation. Consequently, Lord Inquisitor could allow himself to be completely honest and had no intention of hiding anything from them. I perfectly remember the figure of a masked and extremely charismatic rebel from an almost legendary anime, who made a mistake in not trusting his subordinates from the organization he created. As young as I may be, I have no intention of being a fool to learn from my mistakes. Instead, I prefer to learn from others.
"Ambitious, that's for sure." Captain Yang stated. "However, how exactly are you going to achieve this? If what you say is true and I have no reason to disbelieve what you say, then it will be a time when no one can be trusted. "
Although the question and the thesis put forward later were true, and someone without a plan would stutter, Lanz was not one of those people who panicked in the face of unfavorable circumstances. In fact, the Lord Inquisitor worked under pressure even better than under ordinary circumstances. Additionally, he already had some idea of who should occupy the most important position on his general staff, in advisory positions, in key logistics departments, or in command functions for individual fleets in this region of the galaxy.
"Rely on people who are trustworthy." Lanz replied with calm and complete conviction in his voice. "I'll put it bluntly, unlike most potential warlords or those imperial officials who try to usurp the Empire's throne, I don't care about affiliation, background or political connection. What matters to me is their efficiency and competence. In the face of a crisis. and prospects for collapse, political considerations and social position do not matter. If we lose, we will all die, and with us everything we stand for and for which we are prepared to die. The imperial ideal that we have enforced for years and for which we have bleeded will also be destroyed by the rebels. "
"When faced with something like this, it is worth doing whatever is necessary. Even if it may be unpleasant and require changes in the approach to waging war or politics. " Captain Yang replied, and he spoke it doubtlessly as a veteran of dozens of battlefields. "I have seen many comrades who have died for the imperial ideal without a shadow of fear and endured whatever pain life has offered them. However, I have also seen many proud officers or military men literally pissing at the sacrifices of soldiers whose bodies they only saw as stairs to the pinnacle of their careers. To be honest, when I was placed under your command, my lord, I expected something similar, perhaps out of habit. Regardless, however, I know that you are, in fact, a man willing to do anything to defend the imperial ideal and the essence of our Empire. For that, I'm ready to do literally anything on your behalf, my Lord. "
The other officers nodded, showing that they were of the same opinion as the commander.
"Thank you for your trust, I will do my best not to disappoint." Lanz replied politely, glad he didn't have to use The Force on them and manipulate their minds. He was about to leave to go to the medical wing, but after taking the first step, he felt a great deal of pain in a large part of his body that prevented him from making any effective movements. "Shit, I think I need to ask you guys for help getting to the infirmary."
Captain Yang looked at the other officers with a questioning expression on his face, who replied with no less surprise and uncertainty as to how they should have reacted. After a while, however, all five began to laugh, and the Lord Inquisitor felt confused.
"What happened?" He asked, not understanding why exactly, his request was met with so much amusement on their part. Nevertheless, he felt in the Force that the reason for it was trivial.
"My Lord ..." The Captain began, but only when he was able to control his own emotions. "The reason for our laughter is simple but quite ridiculous to you. We just thought you knew that each of the training rooms had a supply of plasters, bandages and bacta tanks. We also thought that your earlier intention to go to the medical wing was just a joke. "
Once again, a wave of heartfelt laughter swept through the officers, and the Lord Inquisitor felt a little embarrassed and blushed with shame at his own ignorance. After all, he was able to quickly find a fairly plausible excuse for this state of affairs that was also true.
"Forgive me for this kind of ignorance, I just used to practice with training droids and never got so badly broken." He had said the truth because it was, or at least that was what he remembered from his memories. "I am also afraid that I am forced to ask you for help with my wounds."
"Don't worry, we'll do the best we can. Ultimately, every soldier or stormtrooper is trained in the use and use of Battas. " Captain Yang assured him, and the other officers nodded in agreement.
"I depend on your experience, gentlemen officers," Lanz replied, half jokingly.
As it quickly turned out, bacta was a real boon of this universe and a panacea for many wounds or injuries that, in the Lord's Inquisitor's old world, could result in several days' mobility problems. Any bruises or places where Lanz felt pain were covered with bandages or bandages with blue fluid and after about an hour, the young man felt like a newborn.
For a few hours after the end of training, Lanz finally decided to consider the political and military direction he should follow. To this end, he remembered the known history of mankind from the old world.
Ultimately, each state, system or idea degenerated over the years and after reaching the moment of the highest stage of civilization development. Simply put, there is no right choice, because everyone leads to failure sooner or later. I can only choose the lesser evil. However, someone once said that democracy is the best and worst system at the same time, because on the one hand it does not allow any real changes and on the other hand it does not allow any real changes either. In other words, two or more political camps are teasing each other and the country is stagnant and mired in internal conflicts. A model example of democracy from my era. However, the democracies of the first world did not collapse due to a good economic and technological model. If it were not for this, the people themselves would have overthrown democracies and would have introduced dictatorships. However, is a totalitarian dictatorship or absolute monarchy so different from a democracy? After these thoughts, Lanz huffed with sheer disgust. Churchill was a fool to say of democracy that it was both the worst and the best systems available. In fact, a pure republican or chancellor's democracy is absolutely the worst possible regime, because it means the unrestrained rule of the mob. Both the mob on the street and the high-ranking political parasites who suck everything out of society. Not to mention the fact that democracy always creates the most divisions, mainly in the constant struggle for power, all for the appearance of decision-making or having an impact on reality. In contrast, absolute monarchies and totalitarian dictatorships can bring about extremely fruitful and often needed changes, if only implemented by the right people. The Greek tyrannies of the antiquity are the best example of this. On the other hand, the wrong people in the wrong positions can lead to irreversible changes if they have unlimited power.
Before his thoughts and considerations could come to any conclusion, however. Lanz just felt a slight tug, and a moment later came the announcement about exiting hyperspace near the Dubrillion planet.
While this is the end of my first FTL journey, it is only the beginning of my long journey.
AB: And this is where I decided to end, and I find it for the best. As for the form in the case of the sequel, the whole thing will be divided into episodes, and this will be divided into smaller parts, so that I don't have to publish too much, and that you don't have to torment your eyes and minds.
For the rest, I've made a lot of references to Legends. However, when it comes to adding to the plot considerations about the philosophy or the plot, I was inspired by the ova and the novella "Legend of the Galactic Heroses", namely the old version, from the previous century.
Moreover, I have allowed myself to put a lot of my own thoughts on contemporary times and political systems in general. You don't have to like it or agree with how I have presented modern times to us, but I consider it to be the best possible description of it that would be as truthful as possible.
Feel free to leave a review and give me your opinion on this matters and fic as a whole.