Chapter 1 - First Contact

= place: Genova-class frigate, Tokyo; 2201 year, 43 BBY =

The first contact with an alien civilization wasn't something that old Captain Pressly had not expected. He has served on this frigate for 45 years and has commanded it from 2178. Now, he is 72 years old, and has 3 children and 6 grandchildren, he was to lead the first contact. The frigate itself was almost his age and knew several anti-piracy actions, rescue operations, and an almost infinite number of patrols.

After exiting the edge of the system, they started scanning. In the system itself, they found 8 planets, including one capable of supporting life orbiting one star. They started an approach to a planet that did not look like it had a larger population, so it was most likely a colony. This could be easily seen from the lack of a large number of artificial satellites and an extensive city system. Initial scans indicated that the colony could contain some 100 thousand to 200 thousand intelligent living creatures. The automatic translator was prepared, and Presly himself had to prepare himself vaguely to descend to the surface of a new planet and begin negotiating with another species. Unless they were human as well, which was not impossible. It would have been very easy then, as they have the recordings of the wrecks found, which made it possible to create a relatively simple translator.

"Sir, they're calling us." - said the communications officer.

"Connect" - Pressly said.

"To an unknown ship, this is Wilari spaceport control, from the planet Gar, please, identify yourself." - the traffic controller or his equivalent said.

"This is the starship Tokyo from the Terran Federation, we are on an exploratory mission. We want to start talks with your government." - Presly said.

There was silence for a moment. After a few minutes, the controller spoke again - "We will send you the data on the location of the port and we will send an envoy to the place."

Just seconds later, they had received a package with information about the landing site's position and vector of approach, so as not to collide with any other ship that might have been there. In a few minutes, they were at the landing field, where the waiting group could be seen. There were a few humans there, but also a few other species he didn't recognize. In the center of the group was probably a leader who looked like a human, except for the blue skin and two sticking out of the head, Pressly didn't know what it was, tails? Maybe some nervous organs? It could wait for later, anyway. He only took the escorts of the two Marines and headed for the meeting.

"Hello dear." - the person in the middle of the group said. Pressly could now tell that he was rather very old. Although he only had evidence of this in the form of a cane and the tone of an elderly person. But before he could think about it any further, the person, apparently a man, continued - "I am Vutlucac, governor of this modest colony. Judging by your reaction, you haven't seen my species before."

"I'm Captain Adam Pressly and you're right, I haven't seen your species before." - Presly said.

"That was easy to predict." - Vutlucac said - "Maybe we'll get to the vehicles. They will take us to the government building, where we will start negotiations."

"Agree." - Pressly said, and he and their guards headed for the vehicles.

Along the way, Pressly assessed the condition of the city and its inhabitants. There were many different races here, including humans. The buildings themselves, however, were not particularly new, or at least well-kept. It was the same with people in the streets. Even the government building he had seen from a distance didn't look particularly well-kept. There were instances of neglect everywhere, and in many places, he saw people openly walking around with weapons. Although getting approval for weapons in the Terran Federation wasn't particularly difficult, no one was so open with them. Overall, not a very impressive picture. Perhaps the government was neglecting this colony? Or was the corruption rate very high? Some catastrophe? Economic crisis? Interplanetary war? He hadn't seen any defense stations or even larger satellites, so maybe some pirates had raided? Too many possibilities. He'll have to ask about it later. Although when you look so closely, even the guards didn't look too sophisticated. Their armor showed signs of damage from some energy or plasma weapons. Their weapons were in a similar condition, but at least appeared to be well-maintained.

As he continued to think about what that might mean, the vehicles stopped in front of the governor's office. Up close, the office also did not look particularly impressive, it was simply larger than the rest of the buildings. It was no better in the building. Once upon a time, there may have been some paintings or works of art, but now there was nothing. They quickly led us to a room that was most likely his office.

"I would like to ask the guards to stay outside." - Vutlucac said - "Of course, the same will be true of my guards. I'd like to talk to you in private."

Pressly didn't like it, but he also saw a hint of something in Vutlucac's eyes? Was it hope or desperation or hope? He really didn't know what this was supposed to be, but it was rather serious. Pressly agreed, and they both entered the room quickly. Vutlucac quickly said - "I'll be honest with you. We need help or this colony will face terrible consequences."

It wasn't what Presly expected when he got in here, but he tried to keep his poker face on and quickly started to drill down on the subject - "What's wrong?"

"Surely you have seen the city and all its citizens. We don't have much to do, and the planet itself won't be sustained by itself either. We've detected that we'll be hit by an exceptionally powerful storm within a week." - Vutlucac said. Pressly noticed from the space, that the planet itself has had several major storms, but has yet to see the problem. Luckily for him, Vutlucac continued - "Our crops are extremely sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and pressure, and these are our main source of income. To protect them, the first colonists purchased a shield generator to prevent such phenomena from damaging them. But we don't have the plasma to power it. The stock ran out a few days ago. We have already sent 3 ships to pick up the supply, but none have returned. They were officially destroyed by pirates."

Pressly caught the tone with which he was speaking 'officially' and quickly asked - "But don't you think so?"

"Just 2 months earlier, I had received a message from the Trade Federation that they wanted exclusive rights to export our crops. I didn't agree, due to the conditions and not very good opinion about them. We may not be rich, but what they proposed bordered on slavery. Shortly thereafter, plasma stores exploded and 14 people were killed and 25 more injured. We had very little plasma left, but we had 2 weeks of supply to the generator. Our planet is full of storms - wait for a second, because I didn't say what we were growing. It is a plant known as Mediryln. This planet has the right soil for growing it, which is extremely rare. But back to the point, this planet is full of thunderstorms, so as I mentioned, the supplies are over. If we fail to sell our crops this year, I'm afraid we won't have other everyday utensils for that. Smaller problems with clothes and other technological trivia, but the real problem is the lack of drinking water. This is the reason why Mediryln can grow here, precisely because of the special composition of the groundwater."

"You don't have any filters?" - Presly asked.

"We once bought it, but they didn't help."

"And you don't have any cash reserves?"

"It depleted, to buy Bacta last year." - Vutlucac said, but after seeing Pressly's face he decided to explain it further - "Bacta is a medical agent. A year ago, the crisis erupted and prices skyrocketed as Core Worlds began buying up its supplies on a massive scale. The Stark Commercial Combine, a group of pirates, smugglers, and the like, stole supplies and sold them for less than the market price. But it was dissolved after the Battle of Qotile. That's why we have nothing left."

"And the government won't help you?"

"The Stupid Republic listens only to the big ones on Coruscant and Core Words, maybe even the Mid-Rim ones, but all the rest are left to their fate. Jedi and Judical Forces will occasionally come in and take out a few pirates, but there aren't enough of them. The real strength in the Outer Rim, or where we are, are corporations. But as I said, it borders on slavery."

"And the army?" - Presly asked. Okay, maybe the Terran Federation had cut its armed forces a lot, but it still had enough to patrol all the colonies and send a flotilla or two to take out a pirate.

"The republic has no such. Defense against pirates belongs to independent systems, worlds and sectors. As long as the rich are coping well, we must rely on equipment from before the Russan Reformation nearly a thousand years ago, or on armed civilian ships."

It was such a hopeless situation Presly couldn't believe it. No armed forces. Corporations have more power in these regions than the government. No wonder the situation is so hopeless for this colony. Pressly's probably last question - "Couldn't you have brought it directly to the government?"

"The Senate has been working too long. And even if we did get there, the Trade Federation would use its influence and take over enough senators to vote against us. Their senator speaks, the rest listen."

It took Presly a moment to process it. The corporation was in the government, while the colony didn't. There was only one thing on his lips.

"How the hell could a corporation get seats in the government!?" - he almost shouted the last sentence.

"I don't know. Not only that, they allow them to create their own defense forces. Their military strength must be one of the greatest in this galaxy."

It was such a hopeless situation Presly understood why this governor had approached someone he had met about an hour ago. There was only one thing left for him.

"I cannot make this decision myself, but I will submit it to our government. We have communication buoys in the neighboring system, so we should get a response before nightfall in the city"

"Thank you." - Vutlucac said.

After the conversation was over, they both left the room and were greeted by guards who seemed nervous.

"Sir." - one of the Marines said - "We've detected a ship in orbit. A large ship. Over 800 meters and armed to the teeth with some cannons."

"It's a Trade Federation vessel." - one of the colony guards said.

"Did they send a message why are they here?" - Vutlucac asked.

"They just arrived and sent nothing. Nor do I react to our communication attempts." - the guard said.

"Notify the ship's crew to go to the yellow alert. I don't know what they're up to, but it's not really a good thing." - Presly said, turning to the Marine - "Do you have any defense options?"

"We have about a dozen Aurek-class fighters and a few ships that have some laser cannons, but nothing powerful enough to fight this ship." - Vutlucac said.

"We have communications from a Trade Federation vessel." - the guard said.

"Attention, the inhabitants of the planet Gar. You have no plasma to power the generator, and in less than a week, your crops will be hit by a storm that will rob you of all your income for next year. We gave your governor the opportunity to buy the right amount in exchange for signing a deal, but he has not yet done so. That's why our leadership decided to be a little more... direct. If the governor does not sign this contract in one rotation of this planet, we will back out of any contract altogether and you will have to deal without your income. " - and the signal broke off.

"Was it just me or did that sound like a threat?" - the marine asked.

"Because he is threatening us." - one of the rangers said - "It is literally a choice between being a slave to them, or to manage on our own, with no money. And we have to bring drinking water to the planet to survive."

"We will try to convince our government." - Presly said - "Apparently we have a time limit and a short one."

"I just hope you will make it." - the governor said, and the two groups said goodbye.

= place: Terra =

After departing from the planet, Tokyo made its way to the system as quickly as possible, where a task force with an ambassador was waiting. There he quickly contacted the president and began sharing everything he had learned. The president wasted no time and called an emergency meeting of the senate to outline the situation.

"As you can see, this is a humanitarian crisis. According to the information obtained, we are the only ones who can do something about it. I know the first contact was only made a few hours ago and we don't have official diplomatic channels yet, but I think it would be unforgivable in this case to throw away the hands of those in need." - the president finished.

"But do we have any possibility to help them?" - said one of the senators - "They need not only a one-time supply of plasma, which I don't know if we have at all but also protection against pirates. Wouldn't it be a great risk to send ships there? And even if we start sending them plasma, won't they become dependent on our help?"

"Maybe instead of sending plasma, we should get a trade deal." - another senator said, -"It's the colony government, after all. It certainly won't feel good to patronize them. We don't have these plants, Mediryln. In return for a constant supply, we could transport it and supply plasma."

"Note that the biggest problem with this colony is the lack of easy access to drinking water." - another senator said - "We don't know if sending them a regular water purifier shouldn't do the trick."

"The biggest problem you all avoid is that it is a colony of independent government." - another senator said - "We can't just go in there, do what we want and get out."

"Actually, we can." - said another senator - "According to the information provided, the country there does not have an army or a navy. Their one form of defense against attackers is the defense of separate planets, sectors, and the Jedi and Judicial Forces. In addition, there, corporations have seats in the senate and can do what they want. And this Galactic Republic is more like the old United Nations than an actual government. We can introduce ourselves as soon as we're done talking to this colony and there won't be any problems with that."

"We also got some information about their technology." - another senator said - "For the most part, this is exactly the same as that fleet of wrecks we found 50 years ago. Just more advanced. Something like the transition from desktop computers to laptops."

"So we shouldn't share our FTL technology." - the next senator said - "While the FTL is much slower, it is also much more versatile."

The Worm drives allowed one jump every 30 minutes, and the maximum range is 10 light-years, although the latest tests show that it can be extended to 15 light-years. However, it still needs testing. This allows Terran ships to safely travel 480 light years a day, which is more than enough for the entire territory of the Terran Federation, but still too slow to reach the other planets in the galaxy in a reasonable time. Therefore, it was planned to connect a Hyperdrive and operate them in conjunction with Worm-drives. All systems are now linked by hyperspace pathways that can be used, and currently most civilian ships, in addition to Worm-drives, also have Hyperdrive classes 8 through 5, while warships are class 4.

"It won't even work for them." - said another senator - "We mostly use symphonic energy, while the rest of the galaxy hasn't even heard of it."

"I think we should help them after all." - said another senator - "Not because it is profitable, but because it is our ideals of peace, equality, and freedom. We have to stick to them not only when it is easy, but also when it is difficult. We have possibilities to help, we shouldn't delay. Many tragedies have happened in our history because people waved. Fast and decisive action is needed here. We may have known them for only a few hours, but we should at least ensure the survival of their crops so that they can continue their trade on their own. They may even become an important trading partner in the future."

"I think we can vote now." - said the president - "Unless someone else has something else to say."

Everyone fell silent. After a few seconds, the president decided it was over and the senate started voting. They voted to send emergency supplies and send a group of ships for the plasma.

= place: Naboo =

A group of ships, consisting of one Berlin-class cruiser and 4 Delta-class corvettes, flew into the Naboo system and quickly entered into negotiations with local officials. Fortunately, Naboo had huge plasma supplies and they strike a bargain. However, the biggest problem was the lack of a form of money exchange. But in the end, they decided to pay in the form of plasma transportation to a few other places. The Naboo officials wanted to reduce the influence that the Trade Federation had on their economy by finding new partners. Although this transport was one-off, it caught the attention of the 3 largest Terran transport companies: Personal Interstellar Delivery, which served the most ships, but mostly smaller ones, sending mainly personal goods to other locations. Commercial Terran Transport, shipping large shipments with a large fleet of large transporters. The last one was Exclusive Supply Transport, which specialized in transporting rare and unique goods. All of these companies began hammering separate agreements with Naboo, using their ship to transport plasma to many other planets in the Outer Rim, at a much lower cost than the Trade Federation.

= place: Gar =

The delivery arrived a few days before the storm came and saved the crops. Again, many representatives of the Terran companies entered into talks and began distributing these new plants to many previous customers and to the Terran Federation itself. Mediryln was a very good spice for many dishes and was quickly used in many restaurants across the Terran Federation, if only because of its novelty. The companies themselves also began expanding into the Outer Rim and quickly started gaining many customers there. Several smaller companies also began to emerge and compete in these new regions, Armored Delivery being the most famous of them. While still smaller than the other big three, her ships carry far more weapons and armor than the other transports. The biggest piece of information was how one of the company's transporters repulsed the attack of 3 pirate ships on their own, without damage to id. Terran Federation began to gain more and more customers.

= place: Coruscant =

The arrival of the Terran Federation to the Republic took place with great fanfare. As the Republic began neglecting exploration for over 200 years, the last first contact was over 100 years ago. The delegations started a conversation and the Terrans were even offered a place in the Republic, but they declined, saying that they didn't yet understand how the politics work here and that they still had a lot to learn. Although an unusual move, it happened many times in history. Therefore, instead, a consulate was established where Terran culture, history, art, and so on were exhibited. Terrans have no senate seat, but they can watch him. They also began some interaction with the Jedi. Their arrival, however, shook the policy of the sector and many corporations, as literally overnight, a new rival emerged with many companies that began to gain more and more support. After all, such huge losses must have forced the Trade Federation to make a move. But what this move would be, was yet to be seen.