章節 77: Joys, sorrows (III)
It's difficult to acknowledge, but even the sharp analytical mind of a Chiss isn't infallible. Mistakes, it seems, are an unavoidable part of any intellect, no matter how advanced. Yet, is it really fair to blame a machine when the error originates from the user who mishandled the calculations and planning? Most likely, the answer is no.
How could I have overlooked such seemingly insignificant details?
The Santhe family! Owners of the manufacturing assets created by the Sienar family! Of course, I should have gone to them first to secure the small aircraft I needed—rather than wasting time with Krennel!
Alright, calm down.
Let's analyze the situation properly.
The TIE series, originally designed by a man named Raith Sienar, flourished under the New Order. His reputation soared until the Emperor's fall during the Battle of Endor. For a time, business was booming—Sienar sold military light aircraft (MLA) to the Empire, offering an ideal balance between cost and performance. Given that the Empire never had a shortage of recruits, there was no need to commission expensive fighters or extravagant vehicles. They needed economical, practical models that could be easily mass-produced. Casualties among Imperial personnel were not a concern—new recruits could always be trained, and for far less expense.
Once again, I turned to the archives that remained on Tangrene, still available even after the Ubiqtorate's retreat. These records were hardly classified anymore, but they held valuable information.
One such detail was the death of Raith Sienar, which occurred three years after the Battle of Yavin—a year before Palpatine's demise. The file mentioned that Sienar's killers were never caught, though there were rumors that someone within Sienar's own company may have been involved in his assassination.
Clearly, the internal politics of the Sienar Corporation were far from simple.
After Sienar's death, with no heirs to inherit his legacy, control of the company passed to the Santhe family, co-owners of the corporation. At present, Valles Santhe holds power—a woman reportedly not very striking in appearance (if you trust the hearsay), but she is certainly driven by ambition. Following the Emperor's death, she declared her planet, Lianna, independent from the Empire's control, yet she also refrained from joining the New Republic. Efforts to diplomatically or otherwise bring Lianna's industry under control had failed miserably. After a series of major scandals, Mrs. Santhe resolved that her best option was to trade with both sides of the ongoing conflict.
This decision enraged the Imperial Ruling Council, but there was no record of any serious action to bring Lianna back under Imperial control. It's likely that the Empire had suffered too many setbacks to pursue it. This might explain why large-scale production of TIE-class vehicles had dwindled. Those who still possessed such assets held onto them tightly.
And given this, there's a strong likelihood that the Santhe family can offer equipment far superior to what Krennel could provide. I'm not dismissing the possibility that Prince Admiral Krennel could meet my needs for military hardware—just not right now.
But I need the opposite: immediacy.
I've already reviewed the data on Lando Calrissian's Nomad project and the scouting mission it involved. I wasn't overly familiar with this form of mining, but even a blind man could see the implications in Mr. Rederick's report—the foundation of this mobile enterprise was a heavily modified Dreadnought-class cruiser, with some of its spaces converted into hangars.
This means that, with the right resources and facilities, the ships of the Katana fleet could potentially be outfitted with their own fighter wings. Probably not a large complement—maybe a squadron, perhaps two. Still, the scale of the ship leaves some doubt—it's too compact for much more.
Even so, simple mathematics make the numbers scream. Let's assume the fleet consists of 200 Dreadnoughts, and let's hypothesize that each ship will carry just one squadron of TIE fighters. A squadron typically consists of twelve fighters. Multiply that out—2,400 fighters in total. Now, factor in the price Krennel set for each fighter—70,000 credits. That brings the total to 168 million credits. And that doesn't even account for spare parts, consumables, or the cost of maintenance.
A third of my current funds would be swallowed up just acquiring the fighters from the Ciutric Hegemony. Considering the inevitable losses in battle, that number will only climb. On top of that, there are the planetary squadrons on Tangrene to consider, an air wing arriving at the orbital station soon, escort frigates that need fighter complements, and the star destroyers and cruisers, all of which will also need replenishment.
Is 500 million credits enough? Not by a long shot. Even if I could safely allocate 200 million toward equipping my ships and a small reserve, I'd still need to pour resources into repairing and upgrading the Dreadnoughts, acquiring spare parts, fueling the fleet, and arming the ships with naval artillery. Let's not forget about the cloaking device project, either.
Clearly, a trip to Lianna is in order. If I can negotiate a deal at the factory price of 65,000 credits per fighter, I could supply the Dreadnoughts' air wings for just 156 million credits—a savings of 12 million. With that difference, I could buy a small fleet of light ships, maybe some CR90 corvettes.
But first, I need a precise understanding of what stock and production capacity the Ciutric Hegemony still has. If memory serves, after Thrawn's defeat, Krennel's troubles began. His downfall was severe—he died, his fleet was destroyed, and the worlds of the Hegemony eventually joined the New Republic. The New Republic, acting on a fabricated tip, took control of everything left untouched after the hostilities. It's certainly an intriguing chain of events. I should add this to my list of contingencies and examine it from all possible angles.
So, the plan is taking shape. Once the fleet is combat-ready, we'll move into the active phase of the operation. Fortunately, I have a significant number of ships already battle-ready and well-suited to the mission at hand.
The Chimaera, Stormhawk, Death's Head, and Bellicose. Another four ships will either return from repair or rejoin the fleet soon. The Judicator will need extensive repairs and modernization after its ordeal on Nklonn. Then there are two Interdictor-class destroyers, with a third en route. I also have a medium Strike-class cruiser, three spare CR90 Corellian corvettes, and five more awaiting their Star Destroyers. I even have a DP20-class frigate and two Tartan-class patrol cruisers. All in all, it's a powerful task force, enough to deal a serious blow to a well-matched enemy. And with C'baoth onboard, showing a keen interest in our activities, there's potential for even greater success.
Will this be enough to complete the short-term objective? Or am I being overly cautious? Perhaps Booster Terrik's retaliation won't be as severe as anticipated. We can bolster the fleet by recruiting existing privateers, ensuring no witnesses are left behind. Neither Terrik nor his associate Talon Karrde officially align themselves with the New Republic, so their fate will hardly be questioned.
On the other hand, perhaps there's a more creative solution—one that doesn't involve killing Karrde but rather discrediting him. If I play my cards right, I could ruin his reputation, spreading word of his failure quickly enough.
But where should we stage this operation?
Hold that thought.
Am I being too optimistic? I'm already allocating resources to the Katana fleet as if Captain Hoffner had delivered its coordinates. I'm predicting Terrik's reaction, even though there's no word yet from Ferrier. Could it be that "Sniff" didn't find the idea of vengeance against Terrik and Karrde appealing and simply fled?
Well, that's easy enough to check—with one personal call over the holo-communicator.
But before that, I need to reach out to Mount Tantiss.
There's a very delicate request I need to make—one on which more than just a single life hangs in the balance.
Someone's death depends on it.
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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