Kapitel 55: Skull and Bones (III)
At this stage, I had no intention of disclosing the true purpose behind our search for Captain Hoffner to Bravo-2. Trust in him was not yet fully established.
However, I trusted the various mercenaries who had arrived on Tangren with their newly acquired ships even less. For the Imperials, the concept of honor might still hold some meaning, but mercenaries and pirates would betray an agreement at the first sight of a sufficient sum—one that outweighs whatever I could offer them.
There was also a substantial risk of betrayal by Imperial Intelligence operatives. I had no solid reason to place my faith in them, so I decided that others would handle the capture of Captain Hoffner. Sergius and his men would be tasked with a secondary mission. Informing him about the search for the culprit behind the attack on the Ubiqtorate base was a calculated move, designed to compel him to contact his command and provide a report on the broader situation. We'll see if it works or if this individual still refuses to betray me.
From an outside perspective, these actions might seem like foolish games, fraught with the risk of failure.
But we are at war—risk is an inherent part of that. Moreover, in this particular case, I had a contingency plan.
One as reliable as a Swiss watch.
As before, I sat in my cabin aboard the Chimera, studying a holographic map of the galaxy. The map, besides delineating territorial divisions among states, displayed tiny points marking the locations of our deployed starships. This was a customized version of the standard data visualization system, created exclusively for me. No one else had access to this information. The computer performed calculations based on factors such as distance, the presence or absence of major and regional hyperspace routes, and other variables.
At that moment, one of these points was moving along a dotted line toward the planet New Cove.
No state in the galaxy, not even the Galactic Empire at its zenith, possessed the technology to completely close its borders. There simply weren't enough ships and equipment to maintain an operational presence in the vast emptiness of space, devoid of planets and stars, to ensure the impenetrability of borders. Therefore, standard tactics relied on patrolling hyperspace routes and establishing fortified worlds—fortress planets—from which fleet ships could respond at a moment's notice.
The only currently effective method of preventing an enemy ship from traversing one's territory is the use of Interdictor cruisers. These vessels, with their gravitational field generators, can create artificial gravity wells in areas where none existed before.
In this galaxy, hyperspace travel technology is heavily influenced by gravitational fields. Ships cannot enter hyperspace, breaking the light barrier, within a planet's gravity well, nor can they continue their journey within its influence. The navigation computers' safeguards would trigger, preventing the ship from colliding with solid objects. This is a somewhat controversial aspect, suggesting that a starship traveling at superluminal speed remains vulnerable to kinetic impact in this galaxy. An intriguing point. My understanding of astrophysics in my native universe is too superficial to judge the logic or absurdity of this phenomenon. The occurrence is so critically rare that I'll have to accept it as fact for now. Later, I'll delve into this area of science in this galaxy far, far away. It's one of the topics I study in my spare time.
Hyperspace routes in this galaxy are akin to the highways in the world I know. There are only five key routes in the galaxy—the Perlemian Trade Route, the Corellian Run, the Corellian Trade Spine, the Rimma Trade Route, and the Hydian Way. As their names suggest, these routes were primarily established for trade in the early days of the galaxy's formation. Their use for troop movements became common much later, when various territories in the galaxy began to bristle with weapons. However, these are just the main routes—there are thousands more secondary and regional routes. Some are completely unknown to most of the galaxy's population.
Using hyperspace routes allows one to traverse the galaxy much faster than traveling directly from planet to planet. The most fitting comparison would be driving on a highway versus taking a country road. This creates an interesting paradox: if the distance between two planets is a thousand light-years "as the crow flies," it might take a week to cover (depending on the type of hyperdrive). However, using a hyperspace route that takes a roundabout path, covering five to six times the distance, you could reach your destination in just a couple of days. A comparison that came to mind was traveling between two towns along a road that circumnavigates a forest versus cutting straight through the forest.
One way or another, navigation computers and hyperdrives significantly expedite travel across the galaxy. The higher the hyperdrive's class, the faster the ship moves in hyperspace. Most starships in the galaxy are equipped with both a primary hyperdrive—on the Chimera, for example, it's a Class Two—and a secondary one of much lower quality, which significantly extends travel time when used.
Why not simply equip ships with "normal" class hyperdrives? The answer lies in the staggering cost. A significant portion of a battleship's price tag is due to the hyperdrive. The larger the ship that needs to be moved, the larger the hyperdrive installation must be. Thus, there's a linear relationship between a starship's size and its hyperdrive. If the projection scale is correct, then the hyperdrive on the Chimera is roughly the size of a nine-story building—and that's just the installation itself, not including the accompanying systems. It goes without saying that no freighter could accommodate such a hyperdrive—it would be much smaller. But then, the freighter itself might be hundreds of times smaller than an Imperial Star Destroyer.
If I understand correctly, traveling between planets also involves having precise departure coordinates—the starting point—and arrival coordinates—the destination. The better the hyperdrive, the more intermediate coordinates it can calculate. Yes, that's accurate. Another comparison with highways—traveling from Vladivostok to Moscow, you'll either pass through some towns and cities along the way or, if bypasses are available, speed past them. A Class Two hyperdrive is only inferior to a Class One in terms of speed, but otherwise functions in much the same way. It's significantly cheaper, and maintenance is somewhat easier. Considering that the Empire, after its transformation from the Galactic Republic, assumed it wouldn't need to engage in a "race" with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the "economists" in the Imperial Senate decided it was more cost-effective to install Class Two hyperdrives on battleships—cheaper, but essentially just as effective.
This is the core strategy of the Imperials in the military-industrial sector—cheaper, but in greater numbers. The New Republic, however, does the opposite, but I've already touched on that.
Depending on the size, make, and class of a hyperdrive, it can calculate a route between the starting and ending points, incorporating "intermediate coordinates." The better the hyperdrive, the fewer of these coordinates you'll need to adjust, without having to enter real space to correct the course. During the Clone Wars, the hyperdrives on the Republic's fighter ships had a threshold of ten coordinates. Modern X-wings of the New Republic and other contemporary spacecraft use much more advanced hyperdrives, allowing pilots to make far longer jumps. The range of these jumps is directly tied to the size of the fuel tank.
Another interesting point is that a ship in the midst of a hyperspace jump can halt the jump at any moment, whether in known or uncharted space. The latter is particularly dangerous—outside of established hyperspace routes, the risk is so high that there might not even be any traces left of those "experimenters." Luckily for me, the region of space where the ship I needed was located had already been mapped.
As I gazed once more at the dotted line representing the Crusader's movement, I sighed and shifted my focus slightly "north," where another similar trajectory was visible.
The decision was inconsistent, somewhat desperate, and out of character for Thrawn himself. But it was necessary.
Activating the holoprojector, I sent a call to the second ship, which was en route to the planet Pantolomin.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn," the commander of the Nemesis greeted me with a slight nod.
"Captain Von Schneider," I returned the courtesy, as was customary in the Imperial Navy. "There's been a change of plans. You are to exit hyperspace at the earliest opportunity and set course for the planet Pantolomin in the Dolomar sector."
"A resort planet, sir?" the Nemesis's commander confirmed.
"Correct," I affirmed. "At the underwater casino 'Coral Vanda,' there's a man I need. His name is Captain Hoffner. He was involved in the attack on the Ubiqtorate base on Tangren. I need him alive. Special instructions—no one must know you're there specifically for Hoffner. Our primary adversary is an information broker. If he discovers the true purpose of our raid, he might realize we intend to deprive the rebels of a valuable source of intelligence. Through Hoffner. This could lead to dire consequences."
"Understood, sir," the Nemesis commander assured me. "Shall I inform Mrs. Jade of this?"
A good question. Involving her would be a perfect test of her loyalty. At the same time, if Hoffner were to let slip that he knows the location of the Katana Fleet, Jade might act impulsively. It's a shame that complete transparency with anyone is impossible. We must operate in the dark until our interests fully align. Should I take the risk?
"Yes," I decided. "Send her and a few Elite Stormtroopers aboard the Coral Vanda to locate and apprehend the target. Once you receive confirmation from them, stage the operation as a routine raid and robbery. I'm sure there are plenty of credits aboard the Coral Vanda that could prove useful to us."
Judging by the tightness of Von Schneider's expression, the idea of participating in a raid as a common thief did not sit well with him.
"I understand the order, sir," he said, his tone measured. "Shall I proceed?"
"Carry on," I instructed, ending the holoprojector transmission.
The die was cast.
"Grand Admiral, sir," Captain Pellaeon's voice crackled over the comlink. "The incoming ships have been inspected by our teams and pose no threat to us. They are ready to dock with the external components of the orbital repair shipyard for a thorough inspection and necessary repairs. The mercenary ships remain outside our gun range, adhering to the filtering protocol, until we confirm they pose no threat."
"Excellent, captain," I acknowledged. "Arrange for this. Also, inform Messrs. Ferrier and Vain that I will meet with them in an hour."
"Yes, sir," Pellaeon replied.
"Captain," I added, recalling the data from Captain I-Gor's report. All right, Gilad, if you haven't noticed this yourself, I'll point it out for you. "Three civilian freighters have arrived. But we invited only two guests. Who's the third?"
"Just a moment, sir," Pellaeon responded, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Our cryptographers are verifying its identification data. They're undoubtedly forged; we're cross-referencing engine signatures in the database... Ah! We've got a match! 'Rampant Ewok.' Pirate ship. The captain is someone named Tyberos. Wanted for crimes across seventy sectors of the New Republic."
"Any communication from this ship?" I inquired.
"No, sir," Pellaeon replied, followed by the sound of quiet cursing—nothing drastic, just some muttered oaths. "Apologies, sir. They've realized we've identified them. They're transmitting a message: 'Arrived to work for the Empire.' Signed, Captain Tyberos. Shall we destroy the ship?"
"No, captain," I sighed. "Invite them to a meeting at the Moff's residence on Tangren. No escorts, no weapons. Have the Moff arrange surveillance on their ships. Also, have a shuttle prepared for me. By the time of the meeting, I want a full dossier on this potential recruit."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein