Chương 13: Shards of former greatness (II)
"Have you installed beacons?" I asked the Noghri as we left the bridge of the Chimera.
"Yes, sir," Rukh said, walking slightly behind me.
"How many?"
"Eighteen," the Noghri replied.
"And they didn't notice you?" I was surprised.
"No," Rukh answered.
Eighteen beacons designed to track objects even across light-years. All of them are now installed on the product, prefabricated modules, and ships of Talon Karrde. Let's see where this leads.
But the very fact that Karrde's people did not notice the Noghri installing tracking devices speaks of two mutually exclusive things.
Either the professionalism of the Noghri is so perfect, or we have been allowed to believe that it is so.
In any case, there will be some reaction.
It's not a fact that it will be possible to establish the location of Karrde's lairs and warehouses, but at least it's worth trying.
Now, I was faced with a completely different task: to master the secrets of Emperor Palpatine's treasury, hidden in the depths of Mount Tantiss on the planet Weyland.
Data about this world is available in one of Thrawn's code cylinders, and, admittedly, there is a lot of information there. Including notes from the Grand Admiral himself.
So, the planet is located in the star system of the same name, in a region known as the Outer Rim, in the Ojoster sector. On the tactical grid, according to Imperial archives and navigation databases, the planet's coordinates lead to the region of the galaxy in "square" N-7.
However, the planet itself is unknown to galactic society—for the most part. Some high-ranking Imperials knew or guessed that somewhere there was a planet on which the Emperor's secret warehouse was located. But no one was able to specifically connect their assumptions specifically with Weyland. Or didn't try.
Except Thrawn. He received information about the true purpose of the planet about a year ago, putting together such small pieces of information that no one would even think of it. Over the course of a year, such a huge amount of information was processed that it is impossible to even imagine...
So what do we have?
The planet was first discovered and colonized in the period before the Mandalorian Wars—just over four thousand years ago. The Old Republic used Weyland as the location of a field hospital, and information about this, coupled with the fact that Weyland was not shown on galactic maps, became the first clue for the Grand Admiral.
Information about the supply of military equipment for the colonists is the second clue. Thrawn assumed that there was some form of life on the planet that was aggressive towards people. Data on the movement of goods, ammunition, and weapons was recorded until a certain period, and then, as if the planet had been forgotten. Long before the planet was discovered by Palpatine during his role as Supreme Chancellor of the Old Republic.
He secretly ordered the restoration of an abandoned fortress on the planet. But he was in no hurry to include it in any registers. Which led to one single thought—the future Emperor planned to use the planet for his own purposes.
Why does a person like the Emperor need a secret planet? That's right—for everything your heart desires. Starting from experiments with the Force, ending with a personal hospital.
But the final answers that brought the pieces of data together became one single fact.
Three years before the Battle of Yavin, the Empire built a research station and security network hub on Weyland. Which was hacked by rebels who were able to use this trick to gain access to the testing grounds of the Incom corporation. This is how the Alliance got the notorious "X-wings"...
Thrawn paid special attention to the fact that security network post employees were prohibited from leaving the base location. Naturally, the few officers and soldiers who were on the outskirts did not give a damn about the opinion of their distant superiors, so the rebels were able to take advantage of their negligence for their own purposes.
When everything became clear, they were naturally punished, but for some reason not the most severe. The soldiers were scattered among various garrisons, the officers were demoted, but they could have been executed. As their commander, who was suspected of trading state secrets. Imperial intelligence agents managed to prove that the commandant was dishonest, and therefore everything that happened was by no means an accident. The sentence was carried out.
Thrawn noticed that the agent's report contained information about the station and security service center personnel. Finding those who survived was not difficult. How to find out that Mount Tantiss exists on the planet, which is equipped with the latest technology—at least external security systems. And at the same time, there is not a single stormtrooper on the planet. But there is a Guardian—someone who controls the Force. The employees of the center did not know his identity, as they tried not to hang around so close to the mountain.
Suspicious, isn't it? Especially considering the fact that no, no, but the planet was visited by... the Emperor himself.
Not to mention the fact that in the high society of the Empire there were persistent rumors about the involvement of one of Palpatine's assistants in what happened on the planet Cartao and the destruction of an advanced industrial facility, which, by order of the then Galactic Republic, was supposed to create cloning cylinders...
The Grand Admiral knew his immediate superior, the Emperor, well enough to understand that such rumors simply do not circulate. And therefore, something or someone is behind them.
One way or another, these small touches were enough for Thrawn to understand that there was definitely something interesting on Weyland. Guardians who control the Force are not simply sent to ordinary planets...
And to talk with someone who could be either a Sith or a fallen Jedi, with whom Thrawn already had experience, the Chiss needed a huge trump card. And the Ysalamiri, blocking the Force, became them.
The Jedi and Sith rely on this invisible energy for almost everything. Their whole essence is tied to interaction with the Force. By depriving them of contact with her, the dialogue can be conducted from a position of strength, and not appear as a beggar.
Thrawn did not know for certain what secrets he might have discovered on Weyland. And he did not reject the assumption that there might not have been any secrets there—after five and a half years after the death of the Emperor, a lot could have happened. Including, other forces could visit the planet and seize its wealth for their own interests.
However, only those who do nothing make no mistakes.
Therefore, Thrawn could afford to spend several days and even years preparing for his visit to Weyland—because if successful, he could become the owner of truly rare and interesting things. After all, any technical or other achievement can always be used for your own benefit. Or to the detriment of someone else.
From books on the Expanded Universe, I knew that it was from Mount Tantiss that Thrawn would take his treasures. And he knew how he managed it. Just as I knew that all the Grand Admiral's works would go to waste if they were not adjusted taking into account after-knowledge.
And that's what scares me the most. What to do when the "goodies" run out or the story from one single act goes completely differently from what is known in the trilogy? Need a backup plan. And a very, very good one.
There are several days ahead, which will be enough for me to properly study the imperial military documents, at least roughly familiarizing myself with what exactly is at my disposal.
And perhaps we should start with what the Imperial Remnant actually represents now.
But, tomorrow. Today I am in the mood to comprehend the intricacies of the military art of the imperial fleet. Well, let's start giving lectures to the cadets...
"The main task of the commander of any warship is maximum efficiency in fulfilling the tasks assigned to him..."
Well, this will be interesting.
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