TFSFM, Chapter 7: Weapons (Patreon)

First Month, 972 ARR (28 BBY)

Anakin

After years of training and ceaseless tests to prove his worth, Anakin’s Master had finally deemed him ready to make his own lightsaber.

Anakin absolutely couldn’t wait to get started. Lightsaber training had always been one of his favorite parts of his Sith training and he had daydreamed for years on what designs and materials he would use for his lightsabers, maximizing all his mechanical expertise to make the best lightsabers possible for the lightsaber forms and fighting styles he intended to master and utilize.

But before anything else, he needed his crystals.

There were many types of crystal that could serve as a lightsaber’s focusing crystals of course. Adegan, Dantari, kyber, less conventional minerals such as Corusca gems, krayt dragon pearls, Kunda stones, or even glass. There were also crystals that would produce lightsabers with unique and almost gimmick-like properties such as lava or Ghostfire crystals.

However, there was only ever really one option for Anakin’s lightsaber. Traditional Sith synth crystals, colored and hued red as was their wont. Unlike the natural crystals often preferred by the Jedi, these synthetic crystals were created with the dark side of the Force, allowing them to be free of any impurities and structured in the most optimal form possible. And when energized by a powerful Sith Lord, they could even ‘break’ the blades of inferior Jedi sabers.

Practicality and pride fused perfectly in this matter. He could not call himself a true Sith if he did not use such crystals. And he would have to make them himself.

At first Sidious had offered to simply provide the crystals that he would utilize in his lightsaber, as he had done for Tyranus, but Anakin had immediately rejected that idea. Every true Sith should make their own crystals in his mind, as a test of their abilities and to cement their bond with their crystals.

If you created something, you would intuitively know every in and out about it and when that thing was as important as the core of your weapon, it was an advantage Anakin refused to give up. And perhaps even more importantly, he felt in his heart that the difficult challenge of creating the crystal was a necessary milestone for his journey as a Sith.

Maul had done it. Tyranus had not. And Anakin intended to prove that he, Vader, was superior to them both, that he was Sidious’ only true successor.

The legacy of the Sith would be his and no one else’s, he swore to himself, and it all began right here in the little things others might not think mattered but Anakin knew they did.

To be a Sith was to walk with death, to constantly challenge oneself, to struggle and strife. Peace was a lie, and anyone who chose the easy way out instead of enduring the pain, of mastering it and drawing power from it, they were a coward unworthy of being a true Sith in his mind.

He would always respect Tyranus for his teachings, but Anakin would not change his mind about this. He would never consider him a true Sith, only a tool that Sidious was using until his purpose expired, and when that time came, he would not hesitate to put him down and eliminate the rival to his rightful title.

Just as he would not hesitate to put down Sidious in turn as soon as he had mastered all that he had to teach him and grown strong enough to overcome and supplant the most powerful Sith Lord the galaxy had ever seen.

Anakin redoubled his efforts, turning back to his task with the purest concentration imaginable. It was almost like meditating in a way, he thought, as he felt the dark side flow through him.

Not even Maul had gone so far as to design and build the molecular furnace from scratch, with Sidious providing that tool for him, but in his efforts to prove himself his superior, Anakin had done so. Utilizing whatever scrap pieces he could scrounge from his workshop and the best parts the Chancellor’s money and connections could buy.

Once he had been certain his furnace was perfect, Anakin had set himself to his task.

For four whole days he had remained beside the compression furnace, not even stopping to eat or sleep. He had fueled himself entirely from the dark side, drawing strength and vitality from it even as he fed the pain of his burning skin, the rage of his exhaustion, his wrath against the universe itself for all it had taken from him, and his hatred for Sidious and all the rest into the growing minerals, letting the darkness flow through him with intense focus as he shaped and pressured the carbon atoms into the most optimal forms he could, arranging them for maximum structural integrity, power focus, and a deep crimson hue.

It was a tedious, laborious, and painstaking process. Several times he had feared he had made a mistake and would have to start again, but the dark side had not let him down this time. Not once he had chained it to his will and whim. Finally, when the Coruscanti sun rose on the fifth day, Anakin knew that his task was at last ended.

He switched off furnace, letting himself breathe clear air for the first time in days as he felt his body finally sigh and relax in relief as the unbearable heat dissipated.

Reverently, he removed the fruit of his efforts from within the furnace, caring not one bit how hot they burned as the crystals settled onto his palm.

Six radiant crystals glowed in his hand. Flawless, unblemished, perfect, and completely bonded to his will. He could feel them resonating within the Force, as they soaked in the dark side itself, in his darkness.

Too excited to even sleep or eat, Anakin immediately took the crystals to his workshop, assembling all the pieces he wanted. Taking great inspiration from the fine lightsabers his own Master wielded, Anakin had prepared an aurodium emitter shroud and sleek phrik and electrum alloy hilt that would create a sleek and indestructible device that would fit perfectly into the palm of his hand.

As he knelt and meditated before the workbench, Anakin pictured the device in his mind, the lightsaber hilt he could feel in the grip of his hand as the pieces floated and slotted into place.

First, the diatium power cell, then all the other pieces and electrical components he had in mind. Anakin wanted his lightsaber to be capable of being used anywhere, even in the vacuum of space or the depths of the deepest ocean. Lastly, he slotted in three focusing crystals, arranging them the way he knew intuitively would create the strongest blade while also allowing him to make his lightsaber dual-phase, letting him adjust its length and width at the flick of a button.

Any Jedi or other foe that found themself on the end of his blade would be in for a nasty surprise one day, that was for sure, Anakin thought with a smirk as he ignited his lightsaber blade at last, admiring the deep blood-red color.

It was the color of rage, of blood, and it was beautiful. It was almost soothing to watch the way it rippled in the dim lighting of his workshop. As he swung the blade around experimentally, feeling how it fitted perfectly in his hand like an extension of his own arm, Anakin used the Force to prepare an exact copy of his first lightsaber, slotting the remaining three red focusing crystals into the second lightsaber before summoning it to his left hand and igniting it, swirling both sabers in an awe-inspiring Jar’Kai finish similar to those he had seen Sidious unleash.

Then he placed both his hilts together, twisting them until they interlocked perfectly into a seamless saberstaff before twirling the joint weapon in his hands like the holos he had seen of his predecessor Maul.

With a roar, Anakin surged forward, unleashing a devastating Juyo flurry on the opponent in his mind’s eye before splitting the saber staff into the twin sabers for a Jar’Kai kata and then switching one off to clip to his belt as he gripped the remaining saber with both hands for a powerful Djem So finish.

Anakin had been serious when he had sworn to master everything there was to learn about lightsaber combat. And the design of his sabers matched that ambition perfectly, allowing him to switch between forms, styles, and even types of lightsaber weapons with ease and respond to any situation, and any foe.

Finally, satisfied with both of his Sith sabers, Anakin absentmindedly prepared an identical third dual-phase phrik hilt before slotting in three cyan Adegan crystals Sidious’ agents had sourced for him.

As he was being publicly trained by Count Dooku, Sidious had instructed him to also prepare a lightsaber with a much more neutral color, for use in situations where his true crimson sabers would not be appropriate until the Grand Plan had reached its climax.

Anakin prepared the saber with the same attention to detail he had his Sith sabers but he couldn’t help but find the natural blue crystals were just disappointingly inferior to the red synth crystals he had just worked so hard to create.

Alas, as long as the Jedi Order was still alive and well, he could not openly wield his Sith sabers and he longed for the days that he could.

The beep on his holocomm shook Anakin from his thoughts and he set all three of his sabers down on the table to respond, wondering who the kriff could be calling him at this hour.

Padmé’s holographic form shimmered into view on the comm and any complaints Anakin may have had withered away immediately.

“Padmé, hi. What are you doing calling me so early?” Anakin asked.

“What are you doing not answering my calls for so long? I even called Palpatine and he just told me it was some Force training thing he didn’t really understand!” Padmé said, sounding concerned and upset.

“I’m sorry. It took longer than I was expecting. But my Master finally deemed me ready to make my own lightsaber and I was just so busy with all the meditation and other preparation needed the past few days that I just completely lost track of time. I promise I’ll try and make sure to let you know in advance in the future,” Anakin said.

The easiest way to lie was with the truth and while he wished that he could tell Padmé the full truth, the time was not nearly ripe for that. If it ever would be.

Hearing his explanation, Padmé’s expression softened. “That does sound like you.”

“Really?” Anakin asked, curiously, feeling a little sheepish. He really didn’t understand how Padmé always managed to fluster him like this.

“Oh yeah,” Padmé replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she teased him. “There’s been quite a few times I’ve called you and you picked up late or not at all because you’re completely absorbed in your enthusiastic upgrades of C-3PO or your manufacturing of your PROXY lightsaber training droid or whatever project you’ve gotten yourself hooked on.”

“Sometimes when you’re in that flow state, you just can’t let it go, you know?” Anakin said, trying to defend himself.

“I do actually,” Padmé admitted. “And what do you have going on now that your latest flow state is done? Going to get another degree?”

“Close, but not quite. My friend is graduating from ISE and I’ll be attending her graduation in a few days.”

There was something unreadable on Padmé’s expression. “Your friend… Lira right?”

“That’s the one. Lira Blissex. She’s the daughter of Walex Blissex, one of the best engineers and starship designers at Kuat Drive Yards. She’s a right genius honestly, both of them are really, and it’s a useful connection to have.

“If you like, I can put in a good word for you with them and Kuat. You’re trying to expand Naboo’s military right?”

Padmé nodded. “I am. We’ve gotten a lot done already but there’s still so much to do and everything is just so expensive. Naboo is rich for the Mid Rim but we have nothing on the wealthiest Core Worlds like Alderaan, Chandrila, Coruscant, or Alsakan. Every little bit helps. I would really appreciate any deal you could get us.”

“I’ll try my best then,” Anakin said, always eager to help Padmé. She was one of the few people he was still willing to help without any ulterior motives or obvious gains for himself.

As he continued cleaning up his workshop, Anakin soon realized that Padmé hadn’t spoken for quite some time.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Nothing. It’s just… it’s hard to believe sometimes that you’re only fourteen. I mean, you’ve already gotten your mechanical and computer engineering degree, haven’t you? And you’re well on track for Force knows how many more. You’re the Chancellor’s adopted son, an honors student at Coruscant University AND the ISE and you’re also training with the Force on the side. It’s truly amazing, Ani. You are amazing.”

Anakin did his best not to blush as he scrounged for the best way he could to fire back. “And what about you huh? Weren’t you one of the youngest queens ever elected in Naboo’s history? And ever since you’ve led your people through crisis after crisis and come out the other end. Naboo is stronger than ever, and it’s all because of you, Padmé.”

That seemed to reach her as she tried to deny it. “I didn’t do enough. The Bombardment –“

“Was not your fault, Padmé,” Anakin said firmly. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I pulled the trigger; I destroyed the Droid Control ship. I made Gunray panic.”

“No Ani, that was always the plan. You couldn’t have known or predicted that Gunray would react that way. If anyone’s at fault, it was me, for failing to capture him in time.”

“And that couldn’t have been your fault either, Padmé!” Anakin said frustratedly, stunning Padmé a bit as he calmed down and leashed his anger. There was no reason to get mad at Padmé, she hadn’t done anything.

She’d never done anything wrong. Padmé was all he had left of his old life; of the person he’d once been before everything. Before his mother had died, before the Sith. And as much as he wanted to see it as weakness and purge everything about the weak little boy he had been, to set aside Anakin Skywalker and just be Darth Vader, he couldn’t.

Not to Padmé.

“It seems we are at an impasse. Could we just compromise and say neither of us are at fault and all the blame lies at the feet of that miserable wretch, Gunray?” Anakin offered and to his relief Padmé took it.

She snarled with some vehemence at the thought of him. “I’ll take that. Few things made me happier than the day I saw his filthy head removed from his shoulders.”

Anakin smiled. “Agreed. The only good Neimoidian is a dead Neimoidian,” he ‘joked’ darkly and Padmé laughed.

“I thought that saying was about the Hutts?” she asked.

Anakin shrugged. “There’s a lot of species or really just lifeforms in general that it could apply to. One day though, I’ll make sure there’s none of them left in this galaxy.”

The weight of his words hung in the air and somehow both of them knew that the promise wasn’t empty and they knew that the other knew it too. Distantly, Anakin’s thoughts drifted back to the promise Padmé and he had made the first time they had seen each other after his mother’s death and he could tell that her thoughts lingered there as well.

“No matter what it takes,” she said and he said it back to her, reaffirming their oath.

“No matter what it takes.”

They just stayed there for a while, letting their renewed promise sink into the silence as they both stared at each other wordlessly before Padmé was called by something off-holo and turned back to him with an awkward, apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. I have to go. Panaka is early for our meeting… as usual. I’ll see you around, Ani.”

Anakin nodded. “Yeah… see you around,” he replied as the call ended.

If he was in a better mood, he might have spent hours overthinking and processing what every little word and expression of Padmé’s could have meant, if there was even the slightest way she might feel the same way for him despite him being fourteen and her nineteen but right now Anakin was just way too tired for that.

The dark side had sustained him long enough but now as the adrenaline and excitement of finally having his own lightsabers dissipated away, he could feel just how much his body hungered for sleep, sustenance, and a shower. Anakin decided to give it what it wanted before it collapsed on him.

_____________________________

A few days later, Anakin wore the new blue ‘disguise’ lightsaber on his belt as he attended his friend Lira’s graduation ceremony at ISE.

Lira was almost in tears as she received her certificate and scroll from the headmaster and Anakin couldn’t help but feel proud of his friend’s achievement. He was certain that she would go on to do great things.

If part of him couldn’t stop thinking of how useful those things would be for the Grand Plan and his future empire then that was simply the Sith in him doing some nice multitasking.

He walked over to congratulate her in person after the ceremony had concluded but as he did so, he realized that an older man was already hugging Lira and he jolted where he stood at how similar they looked.

“Anakin! You came!” Lira said happily once she broke from her hug with her father and noticed him.

“Of course I did, Lira. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied with a smile.

Lira’s father offered his hand to him. “You must be Anakin. Lira has told me a lot about you. Walex Blissex.”

Anakin took his hand. “Anakin Skywalker. I’m glad to hear Lira’s putting in such a good word for me with her famous father.”

That made Walex chuckle. “No. I’m just a starship designer. Not everyone can be as famous as your father.”

“Perhaps, but in your own way you have more than contributed to the galaxy Mr. Blissex. Your work for Kuat is inspiring and really impressive. I’m a big fan.”

“Oh you’re flattering me,” Walex chuckled but Anakin could tell he was honestly quite happy to have his work recognized.

Everything Anakin had picked up from Lira indicated that while her father was a big believer in democracy and keeping to the limits of the Ruusan Reformations, he was genuinely proud and happy about his work with Kuat. He wondered if that pride would hold when the Clone Wars finally began and Kuat shifted full gear into producing warships.

How far would he go, Anakin wondered. Would his pride and patriotism as a Republic citizen keep him loyal enough to design warships for the cause? Or would his morals and principles make him drop out of it? It was something Anakin found himself curious about but whatever the outcome, he knew that Lira and the designs she had in mind, the designs she was already perfecting with his help, would surely stick around and help the ‘Republic’ on its way to victory.

“So what’s next for you, Lira?” Anakin asked.

Lira shared a brief look with her father before responding.

“Kuat. They’ve extended me an offer to join my father’s design team and I’ve accepted.”

“Congratulations,” Anakin said and he was a little surprised with himself about how truthful he was being. “You deserve it. I’m sure you’ll do great. Very much look forward to the day when your designs become ubiquitous throughout the galaxy.”

“Yes, I’m sure the co-designer credit and royalties will be very enjoyable too,” Lira teased.

“Guilty as charged. But I’m sure not every design of yours will have my name beside yours. You’re a more than capable designer in your own right and I wish you well in all your future endeavors. It’s going to be a lonely few years in ISE without you now,” Anakin said honestly.

“Well, Anakin, once you graduate, just give me a call and I can put a good word in for you with the board at Kuat. I’ve seen some of your work through Lira and trust me, they’d be more than happy to have you,” Walex said.

“Thank you, Mr. Blissex. I’m not sure starship engineering is what I have in mind for my full-time job at present but I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. And if nothing else, the mutual connection would certainly be beneficial for us both.

“Actually, if you don’t mind my asking, I wanted to ask if Kuat would have any interest in a contract with Naboo? I’m friends with their Queen, you see, and I promised to bring it up if I had the chance.”

Walex looked intrigued. “The Chancellor’s homeworld eh? I’m sure we can work something out. Just pass along Lira’s or my own contact details to your friend and we can see what we can design for Naboo.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Blissex. I look forward to working with you. And take care of yourself, Lira. Make sure you don’t forget to eat whenever you’re working,” Anakin said genially, teasing his old friend.

“I could say the same to you, Anakin,” she shot back, punching his arm. “Don’t be a stranger. Keep in touch, and if I’m ever back on Coruscant or you swing by Kuat, I expect us to get lunch together or something, understood?”

Anakin smiled. “Understood.”

They continued chatting for a while after that, both about business and pleasure, yet inevitably, the time came for the Blissexes to leave and when they did, Anakin was left feeling hollow.

It wasn’t the way of the Sith to feel this way. Sith were supposed to see all other things as assets, as tools to be used to further their own power and growth. Yet Anakin couldn’t deny the part of himself that did see Lira as a true friend. She was also a rising star designer and starship engineer, immeasurably useful to his ambitions and the future military buildup of the Republic and the Empire that would replace it.

Perhaps it was fortunate that those two things were not mutually contradictory. Something told Anakin that Lira and her designs would have a very great role to play indeed in the wars to come.

_____________________________

Padmé

Padmé couldn’t help but find herself feeling annoyed at the interruption to her call with Anakin. It was exceedingly rare these days that she found time to just be herself. Just be Padmé, not the Queen of Naboo.

That was something she hadn’t had since her family had died in the Bombardment. Not even with her handmaidens who were otherwise her closest friends and companions. The fact that she was their Queen and they her sworn body doubles and guards always lingered over their interactions.

She didn’t feel any of that with Anakin though. Anakin had met her thinking that she was just a pretty fourteen-year-old girl and even after realizing she was a queen, he still treated her as such. If he placed her on a pedestal, it was because he had a crush on her not because he saw her as a queen.

It was honestly pretty cute how obvious his crush on her was sometimes. Padmé couldn’t say she reciprocated it (how could she, Anakin was fourteen), but it was flattering. It was just so simple and human, so normal. And that was something that was very rare for both of them right now.

Reluctantly, as Panaka kept knocking on the door, Padmé sighed and let her ever loyal general into the room. Once she had managed to activate the old clause in the constitution and install herself as a hereditary queen, she had needed someone she could trust to serve as the Lord High Marshal of the new military she was creating and Minister of War in her government.

That man had been none other than Panaka of course, and with his nephew, Gregar Typho available and qualified to replace him as the captain of her royal guard, Panaka had eagerly accepted the position Padmé had offered him.

They had been incredibly busy over the past few years, working together to uplift and expand the Royal Naboo Security Forces into a proper military, pushing against the very limits of the Ruusan Reformations and stretching the spirit of the law if not its letter. Having similarly suffered from the Bombardment, the Gungans had agreed to formally ally and join with them to create this joint military, sharing their technology and resources in exchange for Padmé giving Boss Nass and the other Gungan elders important positions in her government and special political autonomy and economic concessions, all of which she had been willing to grant after long negotiations.

They may not be human, but they were of Naboo, and they had a mutual shared goal to protect their homeworld from ever being at an outsider’s mercy again.

To appease the Gungans’ sensibilities, the new army branch was formally the Royal Naboo Grand Army and incorporated all the older infantry-type security and police forces into a proper army with corresponding training and doctrine. It also recruited heavily from the Gungans and utilized a great deal of their technology, making it the spiritual successor of the Gungan Grand Army that had been destroyed during the Bombardment.

Padmé and the Gungan elders both had the goal of making the army the most fearsome in the Mid-Rim and they had agreed on implementing universal conscription for both their peoples, for men and women alike, to create a large pool of reservists that would be able to serve in any of their military branches.

Apart from the Grand Army, they had also created the Royal Naboo Submarine Corps to patrol Naboo’s vast oceans, integrating Gungan and Naboo technology to create submersible vehicles and weaponry. This branch was mostly dominated by the Gungans (which only made sense) while the army was split roughly 60-40 in the Gungans’ favor.

Padmé’s main pride in the military however, was the third and most important branch, the Royal Naboo Navy which happened to be primarily dominated by the human population of Naboo as the Gungans weren’t really fond of space. With the human and Gungan populations finally at peace after millennia of tension, their Grand Army and Submarine Corps, while important, were not nearly as crucial for the defense of their people as their navy was.

The blockade, the invasion, and the Bombardment had all come from the sky, from space, and if their navy was strong enough, they could ensure that it never, ever happened again.

The Royal Naboo Space Fighter Corps had been integrated directly as a sub-branch of the Navy and greatly expanded with large numbers of N-1 starfighters produced and plans underway to source and develop new fighters. Meanwhile the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps was hard at work to create and outfit larger military vessels in traditional Naboo aesthetics and chromium finishes.

There would no longer be even a single unarmed Naboo ship, Padme thought with a fearsome determination, remembering how much difficulty she had escaping the Trade Federation’s blockade due to the lack of weapons on her royal yacht. This decree applied even to their merchant marine and privately owned ships which were lightly armed for self-defense even in peacetime and designed for dual-use capabilities and conversion to military use in wartime.

They were also making full use of the fact that one of their own was the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, leveraging Palpatine’s connections and favors to secure lucrative and advantageous contracts with various manufacturers and arms dealers across the galaxy for weapons, tanks, and other vehicles and equipment for all branches of their military.

Padmé was particularly pleased with the advantageous contracts they had secured with the Corellian Engineering Corporation and other ship manufacturers which had given their fleet a real backbone with acquisitions of capable armed vessels such as Dreadnaughts (retrofitted by their engineers to increase hyperdrive and sublight speeds while reducing crew requirements), Carracks, CR90 corvettes, refitted and militarized Charger c70 Consulars, Gozantis, Gamma assault transports, and even Golan space defense platforms that would protect their planet from another orbital bombardment or blockade.

They had already put this new military might to great use, crushing pirates, slavers and other foes in the Chommell sector with ease. Their military now patrolled the entire sector, leveraging their power to secure basing rights and other economic concessions from the weaker worlds they protected.

Naboo had always been the most economically and politically dominant planet in the sector, with the Senator almost always hailing from their world and most of the dependencies looking towards them for leadership if not being their outright colonies, but Padmé knew that wasn’t enough. For Naboo and the rest of the sparsely populated Chommell sector to stand strong, they had to be united. And if that smug prick, Janus Greejatus and his homeworld of Chommell Minor didn’t get in line, then maybe they would have to be made to.

Throughout all of this, Padmé couldn’t help but find herself even more grateful to Palpatine than she already was at times like this. While he hadn’t been able to do more against the Trade Federation after Gunray had been executed, he had been able to secure enormous concessions and reparations from them for Naboo that had gone a long way to rebuilding their economy and funding their military buildup.

One of those key concessions had been the return of Naboo’s rights over its plasma and full ownership of all the refineries and other equipment the Trade Federation had helped them build, allowing Naboo to extract, refine, and sell its own plasma at its own rates to whoever it pleased, completely independently. This gave them enormous pricing power where previously the Trade Federation had made most of the profits from their planet’s resources, going a tremendously long way to helping their homeworld rebuild from the devastating bombardment and continue its industrial and military growth.

It was depressing to think of sometimes, but Naboo’s economy was arguably stronger now than it had been before the invasion. Padmé hated to think of it that way, that they could move on so easily with a little economic prosperity and some grand, flowery memorials to honor their dead, but it was the way the galaxy worked and they had no choice but to keep moving or else everyone that had died would have died for nothing.

Everything they did, they did in their memory, to ensure that what happened to them never happened again.

Panaka was in complete agreement with her sentiments. He was extremely dedicated and eager, always bothering her with endless meetings to give updates and request more funds. It was important work of course, something that was deeply important to Padmé, but she just wished he wouldn’t constantly come early for the meetings and cut into her personal down time. Shaking off her minor annoyance, Padmé steeled herself to hear Panaka’s report.

“Marshal Panaka, a pleasure as always. What news to report for our military?”

“Well, Your Majesty. The new N-1T fighters have passed all the tests beyond our engineer’s wildest expectations. They estimate an overall performance increase of at least 50% across the board for minimal price increase, a phenomenal result. I have already given orders to stop production of the old N-1s and to refit and upgrade our existing fleet into the new model, if that is to your approval?”

“It is, Marshal. That is incredibly good news. Though we should make sure we diversify our starfighter fleet. Has Incom replied to our offer yet?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Panaka replied with a smile. “They are open to exploring the possibility of the joint-venture and factory on Naboo with our own engineering corps. They have also agreed to sell us the Z-95 Headhunter model with the hyperdrive and weapons upgrades we requested as part of the baseline.”

Padmé was pleased. “That is excellent news. I am proud of our N-1s and now the new N-1Ts of course, but the Z-95 is far more cost effective to produce on scale and provide our fleet with the sheer numbers needed to patrol the entire sector. The Chancellor has also put me into contact with Raith Sienar and his company and they have offered us a design that I think would be most beneficial for our fleet. What do you think?” she said, offering Panaka the proposal she had been sent by Sienar Fleet Systems detailing the schematics of the GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat.

“It looks good to me, Your Majesty, though I will need more time to look through it in detail. I’ll have our engineers look through it as well,” Panaka replied.

“Of course. Do get back to me on that,” Padmé said with a nod. “And what of the H-6 Bomber? Has Nubia replied?”

Padmé still couldn’t believe that her predecessor had passed up on such a powerful warship design and she found herself once again cursing the foolish, pacifistic culture of her people that had hampered their defense and led directly to the Bombardment. If they had had the H-6 bombers in their fleet, maybe, just maybe, they could have destroyed the Trade Federation battleships instead of watching them bombard their homeworld with impunity.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Panaka said with a grin. “Nubia was thrilled to hear that we were interested in the design again. They agreed to sell us all intellectual and production rights to the design, as per their original offer, in exchange for a steep price increase. With your permission, we will proceed accordingly.”

“Of course. It is of the utmost importance that we have local centralized production of such an important ship for our arsenal. Our own arms industry must have full production capabilities and control,” Padmé replied.

“Chancellor Palpatine has also been of extreme help in this case. Republic agents were able to pick up the pirate who stole the original prototype, the Havoc, from Nubia, and in exchange for a pardon since he did help in some way against the Trade Federation blockade, he agreed to hand over the ship. He’s made quite a lot of useful modifications and our engineers are already planning on seeing how they can integrate those upgrades into the baseline design from Nubia for a full production model for our use.” Panaka’s smile was pure joy, no doubt imagining enemy ships reduced to rubble by a fleet of powerful bombers.

Padmé couldn’t help but smile with him. “The Naboo H-6 Havoc has a nice ring to it. The ship would complement the N-1T nicely I think, and together with the Skipray and the Headhunter, our starfighter fleet will be complete.”

“It will become the finest space fighter corps in the Chommell Sector, Your Majesty,” Panaka promised.

“I hope so, Marshal. Yet I’ve been hearing whispers that many are opposed to our plans for the space fighter corps and the rest of our military. Do you think they are a threat to our people’s defense?”

Panaka’s smile faded. “I have been hearing much the same. Mostly concentrated around Governor Bibble. Intelligence has reported that he and others in his circle have been murmuring amongst themselves that you are becoming a tyrant, concentrating absolute power in yourself and ignoring the constitutution. They say that our military is a breach from our people’s traditions and culture, that you will use it to oppress instead of protect our people.

“So far your policies remain most popular, but I fear Governor Bibble and his associates may eventually be able to muster enough opposition to slow down our military expansion.”

“I see,” Padmé responded morosely.

Governor Bibble had once been her rival in the election to succeed Veruna but he had eventually become a staunch supporter of hers and he had conducted himself greatly during the occupation, earning great respect from the people for ‘holding the fort’ so to speak while Padmé had been offworld seeking aid from Coruscant.

Yet it was that very respect that made him so much of a threat to her. Bibble’s disagreements with her had only grown since the Bombardment as the man was very much one of the traditional old guard of Naboo, deeply traditional, conservative, and entrenched in their outdated, foolish culture of pacifism and peace.

Padmé had allowed him to remain Governor of Naboo out of respect for his service but he had been vocally opposed to many of her policies and now he was on the brink of whispering treason? She couldn’t allow it to stand any longer.

“We will have to remove him then, Panaka,” Padmé finally said, making her decision. “I want you to draw up plans for his arrest.”

That took Panaka by surprise. “On what charges?”

“We’ll come up with something. And we’ll make the story stick with the holonews too,” Padmé said resolutely and Panaka eventually nodded.

Nothing would stand between her and protecting Naboo. Not even if it meant throwing an old ally and mentor to the wolves.

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Author’s Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I was really looking forward to showing more of Padmé slide into militaristic authoritarianism lol. She is really prepping herself to be Galactic Empress XD.

Please let me know your thoughts, suggestions, and questions in the comments below or over on Discord!