STS. LOG-010. (Patreon)

LOG-010.The room remained quiet, and I idly noticed that most of the local bridge crew were watching us even as I held Kalani's gaze steadily, deliberately avoiding my usual fidgeting and maintaining an air of indifference.I'd been hoping to avoid something like this, though I had prepared a few arguments in advance despite that.Didn't mean it was gonna be easy though. Droids like Kalani were anything but complacent, especially when it came to notions of authority.Which meant I had to rely on logical reasoning. Fun.A memory of our lesser generation one tactical droids consistently betraying their organic commanders sprung to mind, even as I folded my hands behind my back."You have a higher level of experience, certainly." I began, keeping my tone decidedly level.Not very hard to do, thankfully. My voice remained at a menacing drawl by default."But with the Industrious Profit and the remnants of my fleet still operational, I determine that I should hold the higher position of command. The theatre of war we are now in is one that demands flexibility, a quality your current status lacks. You were marooned here, where as I remain entirely mobile. Your speciality is found in planetside tactics and strategies, while I am specialised for voidborne conflict.Kalani's photoreceptors didn't blink, the silence between us thick with unspoken calculation, both of our droid brains parsing the numbers. Even if mine were mostly dedicated to convincing my counterpart to fall in line."So you would suggest," He started, deep voice almost clipped in its robotic precision, "That the fleet, your fleet, holds primary operational control?"I nodded."Precisely."Then, I gestured to the worn consoles of the bridge around us."You've no doubt realised, general, that your resources here are limited, especially without direct access to off world supplies. Command structures, therefore, need to reflect the potential of each unit."It was quite possibly my best argument, and one I intended to use to the fullest."Right now, my fleet is likely one of the few intact Confederate detachments that haven't been deactivated or are actively trapped in conflict as we speak, let alone one capable of launching and sustaining operations outside the Empire's overall detection network."Shifting slightly, I let my hand gently clap against my chest plate."It is thus safe to assume that we will be conducting some measure of guerilla warfare in the coming days. A fleet of starships is far more mobile than an army, on a galactic scale. Its chosen commander should reflect that fact."Kalani's servos whirred softly as he shifted his stance to mirror mine, presumably processing my words. I waited, idly pondering whether placing my hand slightly closer to my blaster would be a prudent course of action."...Your fleet is indeed valuable, from that perspective."The concession felt vaguely begrudging, but it was a concession nonetheless."And it may warrant temporary or even permanent elevation under current circumstances. However, I wish to retain tactical authority over ground operations and direct defense capabilities for Agamar and other worlds under our influence, until you establish an alternative base or means to procure assets.""Agreed." Was I a little too quick in saying yes? Maybe. But this was honestly even better than any vague desire I'd been hoping for, if I was being honest with myself.Having someone to handle the ground pounder shit for me? Yes please."Your rank remains intact as ground commander for this sector. But until we're able to coordinate with other Confederate elements, I am assuming acting authority on any joint operations beyond this system."A pause followed as Kalani's photoreceptors flickered with what might have passed for reluctant acceptance."...Understood." The words felt a little clipped, but it was definitely tinged with something closer to cooperation now. I didn't wait after that, already gesturing to the waiting shuttle outside the bridge's primary viewport."Excellent. I'll have additional vessels coordinate the transport of your forces to Silent Guardian once you're prepared, if that is agreeable?"Kalani's only response was to begin ordering the bridge crew to scrub his ship's databanks and begin assembling for a general withdrawal.---In the end, it had been a short trip back to the transport, my own commandos looking a little more prim and proper compared to their local (dusty) counterparts, with the four new droids acting as Kalani's personal escorts nonetheless slotting into the existing squad cleanly enough.As the ramp closed, the general took his place across from me, settling against the ship's cold metal seating as our respective guards each shuffled into their own positions. From there, the B1 pilot initiated a brief check before the Sheathipede finally shuddered into motion, lifting us up and off of Agamar's dusty plains.After just a few seconds, my counterpart turned to me, his crimson optics a sharp presence against the dim interior lighting of the shuttle."Before our eventual marooning, I was dispatched to maintain orbit upon this world and granted coordinates to various fallback positions in the event of new orders from Count Dooku. While I initially attempted to establish communications with the forces I knew of after my vessel's interception, the Republic's interference has undoubtedly forced many into stasis or deeper concealment. This is likely still occurring beneath the authority of the Empire."His tone remained as inflectionless as ever, yet there was a distinctive, almost deliberate quality to his words, as though every syllable were being meticulously chosen.Part of me pondered that for a few seconds, before I finally caught on to the fact that the general was trying to convince me of something...like an advisor. Hm. Maybe he was more accepting of our new dynamic than I'd thought? Very convenient, if so."Fallback positions, then. Are these locations Confederate designated, or merely isolated outposts resting outside the military's records?""Both." Kalani answered promptly. "Upon the Republic's initial push, High Command distributed orders for key strategic and tactical units to secure regions far from central hyperspace lanes. Many of these locations likely contain valuable equipment, dormant droid reserves, or other resources yet undiscovered by Imperial forces."A flicker of interest activated within my subroutines."And you believe they may still be operational. Possibly even untouched?"Kalani shifted in place as the shuttle arced upward, likely breaching the clouds at this point."The probability remains above zero, considering the Empire's limited reach during the war's initial phases. By my calculations, their sweep for Confederate strongholds most likely is of finite scope, targeting primarily major networks and planets that will present the most open opposition."I nodded, a few subroutines cross referencing the information with available data on Imperial deployment patterns secured from the outpost's files. Not much, but certainly better than nothing."...Then we'll need to prioritise these sites." I decided. "My fleet is prepared to deploy across multiple systems if necessary, though doing so would most certainly spread us to individual ships per installation at best, unless we can somehow procure additional units. If we can secure and reactivate these outposts, we'll have access to much needed reinforcements, but relocating them will likely prove a challenge."Kalani's servos whirred softly as he considered the statement, casting his photoreceptors toward the floor of the shuttle as we ascended through the thick, turbulent atmosphere.I remained still, letting the issue settle in as my processor devoted additional resources to parse through dozens of plans, configurations, and risk assessments.Again, the benefits of being an ST-series. I could think fast. Which meant it wasn't very long before I got an idea. A rather specific one at that, as part of me thought back to a particularly old set of scenes from back when I'd been an innocent meatbag watching a screen, rather than a war machine bumbling my way through the galaxy.Did it translate to reality all that well? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.But there were records of similar situations recorded in some of my drives. Real events, if said drives were to be believed. And if the Republic could do it..."We could…capture an Imperial vessel. Perhaps even multiple, if we were careful about it. A star destroyer could carry countless droids, even with a vast majority of them being used to actually crew it."Kalani's head jerked slightly in my direction, no doubt in response to the statement. The lights of his optics dimmed for a fraction of a second before blazing with the sharp gleam of what I somehow recognised to be immediate scepticism."That is illogical."The statement was flat, and I couldn't help but lean back into my seat slightly as I prepared for a debate."Such a maneuver would entail astronomical risk. Their ships are already designed to be heavily manned, and the Empire has likely retrofitted all Republic era vessels with increased defenses and newly updated automated systems. A small force of droids with limited naval resources would be catastrophically outmatched."I held my ground, letting the silence stretch before finally responding in defence of my admittedly somewhat crackpot idea."Reasonable as your points are, they are based on assumptions of standard tactics, ones we aren't obligated to follow in our current circumstances. Right now, Kalani, our greatest tactical error would be to overlook opportunity for the sake of rigid reasoning and traditional strategy. We both know you have likely accessed the success records of commando droids infiltrating Republic facilities. The same could be done for ship breaking facilities."The droid shifted again, presumably unconvinced."Fleet Commander, it would be a foolhardy use of what few resources we possess. Our current forces are hardly sufficient for any form of prolonged engagement, let alone an assault on a capital ship."He paused, head tilting."Though lesser vessels, if caught on their own, could be vulnerable. Yet even this would pose a significant risk."The shuttle jolted, likely passing through into Silent Guardian's hangar by now, even as I pressed onwards, now leaning forward, just a little."But we don't need to engage an entire fleet in the traditional sense. What we need is an isolated vessel, likely a Republic model that has yet to be fully integrated into the Empire's standard operations. There is bound to be countless of them undergoing refits on a variety of worlds."Alongside Separatist vessels, maybe. Though I'd eat my blaster (I wouldn't, I didn't have a mouth any more) if those weren't under stricter guard. Probably."A Venator, specifically, would serve our purposes exceedingly well, its class is large enough to hold any hidden droid legions we could reactivate, mobile enough to carry our operations across multiple systems, and, perhaps most importantly, it was designed for both fleet and troop deployment. The only vessel better suited would be a Lucrehulk."Unsaid was the fact that having control of a Venator would be cool as fuck. The aesthetic alone would go so damn hard..."The operational likelihood of successfully capturing an isolated star destroyer remains unfeasibly low. Even if we locate such a ship, it will possess redundant defenses and crew enough to repel our approach long before we achieve access to critical systems. These are known factors."Ignorant of my thoughts, Kalani tilted his head in the other direction this time, linger objections dictating his thoughts."That's exactly why it's our best option." I countered. "We know these ships, general. We have their early schematics from previous engagements, system configurations, even documented vulnerabilities, details we won't have with any new vessels or technologies the Empire will be deploying."The ramp began to open up, the commando droids filing out ahead of us. I continued even as I moved to follow them, gesturing my fellow super tactical along with me."Capturing one requires minimal damage to systems and a carefully calculated surprise assault, one that our BX droids and special units are precisely equipped to execute. We don't need to overpower it in the traditional sense. We need only to catch one off guard, preferably mid refit. Storming a fully crewed vessel may prove untenable, but we wouldn't be storming a fully crewed vessel."Kalani's servos whirred again, almost as if in some mimicry of frustration, but he remained silent as I continued, noting his slight boost in speed in an effort to keep up alongside me as we wandered past a host of B1's moving to clean off the shuttle, other droids running around to work on whatever they were assigned to do."Our current ships are excellent for reconnaissance and small engagements." I was noting the obvious now, gesturing as if to encompass the fleet in position around us, unseen as it was. But it was needed in order to reinforce my point."But without a carrier, we're forced to commit each Munificent's limited space and risk losing entire sections worth of droids if even one were to be destroyed. Not to mention the transports relying on them for protection. They are all fragile vessels. Armed or not." It was the simple, blunt truth, and yet I still hoped Silent Guardian didn't take it too badly. If she was listening in at all, anyway."We're mobile, but only barely capable of sustaining ourselves for extended operations. A Venator, or similar, would give us a centralised command hub and storage for our newly recovered forces, at least until they can be employed elsewhere. Additionally, it would be both mobile and resilient against Imperial interception, provided we maintain a solid projection of escorts."Kalani's photoreceptors flickered, the data compiling in his mind as he absorbed each point."The Venator's documented capacity and modular bays would solve the issue of troop transport on an interstellar scale. And it...would likely serve as a reliable command center, if we must remain mobile." He admitted. "However, that does not mitigate the inherent risks. And without sufficient intelligence on the exact model's current disposition, our venture remains pure speculation at best."We'd passed into the bridge by this point, several of the droids within acting out a double take as they noted that there was now apparently two of me, before slowly returning to their duties, I leaned up against the holomap, glancing at the plethora of destinations in front of me."In that you are correct, but that will likely change as we proceed forward. For now, I only ask that you keep it in mind while we pursue these fallback points of yours."The general considered that for a moment, before slowly nodding."Very well. It is a potential variable I will include in my long term calculations, though I do not see such a thing occurring outside of extraordinary circumstances."As the weathered droid began to ping the local systems around us, rousing the ship into accepting several coordinates from the ST-series, I idly considered whether Bracca could be considered extraordinary or not.