— Atom —
Anyone who tried to call Raxus Orbital a 'mere' space station was willfully blind and stupid. While orbital rings might be fully enclosed and placed in the void like a space station, that was where the similarities ended.
For one, the ring of Raxus Orbital was still connected to the world below by massive, impossible space elevators, the Hives of Raxus Prime below reaching up to supply the Hives of Raxus Orbital above everything they could possibly need. For another, the ring was so incomprehensibly massive that any free-standing space station in the galaxy fell well short of the space it had available.
Raxus Prime had a radius of 4,665 kilometers and a circumference of 29,311 kilometers. Raxus Orbital added another 100 kilometers to that first dimension, 4,765, and thus, another 628 kilometers to the second dimension, 29,939. Of course, all of that circumference was limited to a single band around the world below, only a mile wide and three-quarters of a mile thick at its widest and thickest — where the Hives of the ring were mounted.
Much of the rest of the ring could narrow down drastically from that maximum, with the structures dedicated to the ring's ship-building industry becoming rather skeletal. But then, in those areas, one had to add the shipyards and vacuum docks to the equation.
No one, as I understood it, actually lived amongst those shipyards and vacuum docks. They just worked there, with the three Hives across the ring providing the actual living space. At the sparsest points in the ring, only one feature was required, providing the hollow spine to the whole monstrous installation. A series of hyper-train lines ran through the spinal center of the ring along its whole circumference. Everything else the ring had was built off those lines and their logistical importance.
At the Hives stationed along the ring, things changed dramatically. Each of the Hives (Zenith, Off-Nadir, and True Horizon) took up a single percent of the ring's circumference, and they used that space to the best of their ability. There, metal flesh filled out the base skeletal structure. Spires rose above and descended below. Everything was built around the space elevators attached to each Hive. But it was built ahead and behind, above and below, not horizontally, for there simply wasn't enough width to truly take advantage of the space.
The spires of Hive Zenith, our target and the 'capital' of the ring, rose as the uneven steps of giants. We could see them through a false skylight projected onto the ceiling of the corridor we walked through. Lights ran up and down the spires and across bridges and connectors between them, each connected in at least one way, and often more. Holographic ads were added to the mix of lights shining from the Hive.
Internally, the space we now walked through was much like any other space station. It bore the artificial feeling of surfaces cleaned and dirtied and cleaned all over again for hundreds of years. The kind of feeling that never quite reached 'clean' again after the space was opened and populated. Along with the recycled air and life support systems, void installations like this one always managed to seem more artificial than even the millennia-old cityscape and urban hell of Free Nar Shaddaa.
All that said, Raxus Orbital was much better off than the other void installation I'd spent significant time on, Rorak 5. There was no feeling of chains hanging heavy over this ring as there had been on Rorak 5. And beyond that, Raxus Orbital was kept looking clean, if not fully feeling it.
The main Welcome Corridors of the ring were even white and sleek and futuristic-chic, almost corpo-feeling with how much work must've gone into maintaining them and the first impressions they gave the ring's visitors. It was all a show, of course, but Raxus Orbital executed it well, keeping the grimy, necessary moving parts and spaces of the ring out of sight.
Honestly, the Hive reminded me of Night City, bright and flashy up front while hiding the nitty and gritty. The spires were a megabuilding each, perhaps more, and the comparison was even complete with the constant bombardment of neon ads and corpo bullshit you'd find on the surface of Night City. The difference here would lie beneath the initial corpo front that Raxus Orbital put up.
Once past that, I imagined Raxus Orbital would become much like Night City's undercity, except… perhaps more. Even Night City had a sky to look up to. Here, there was nothing to look up to but the void, no space but what you personally carved out for yourself, much like in the undercity.
Knowing Night City and its undercity, I knew the world we were walking into on this orbital ring wouldn't be a peaceful or friendly one. Being enclosed like this — trapped, even, to a degree — tended to breed a… certain type of living. And all we could do was march straight through all of that livin'…
The port we'd docked and disembarked at sat at the edge of Hive Zenith. Nearly half of Raxus Orbital's population, with all their pseudo-undercity livin', awaited us ahead. The ring's form — a single, unbroken, enclosed line around the whole world below — would make this gig unique, to say the least. Anything we did here would go through, never around.
I shared my thoughts with the crew, and immediately got an understanding nod from Quinlan, "We'll have somewhat more limited space to work with here than usual. I only hope it's not… too claustrophobic…"
"It's not all that different from Night City," V said with a shrug. "I'm sure we'll feel right at home here in no time."
"Could always do without the corpo bullshit, though," Becca sniped at V.
V rolled her eyes in good humor, "Again, not that different from Night City. Only real difference is that the ads here are boring as hell."
"Nah, that's not what I'm talking about," Becca dismissed. "I mean the bullshit, neh? All this frontin', fakin' shit. Night City's corpo shit is at least real, no front. No fraggin' shot the entire ring and Hive looks like… this."
She waved a hand at the corridor we were walking down. The white surrounding us was seamless and sleek. An almost offensively friendly voice read off welcoming announcements over hidden speakers. The recycled air here was crisper than it had any right to be, and I'd bet the life support systems in the rest of the ring suffered for that preference.
"We'll be getting into the real ring soon enough," I grunted. "Sticking to the purely corpo areas won't get us far, after all."
Padme cocked her head curiously, "I… don't think I understand…? Why don't you consider this the 'real' ring, Atom?"
"This shit is for the customers, not the people who live and work here," I answered. "As Becks said, it's all a front."
As if to demonstrate my point, we passed a gaggle of tourists, gawking and gabbling over the product displays and advertising screens and ordering terminals that lined the 'Welcome in!' corridor. This portion of the ring would be the first any visitors saw, and so, it was completely dedicated to selling the many, many ships Raxus Orbital produced.
"At the very least, it's not all one corp," Sasha pointed out.
"That's a good thing, right?" Ani asked.
Isla nodded, "Monopolies are the ideal for any corp, Miss Skywalker. That there isn't one here shows that Raxus Orbital isn't dominated by any one corp, and instead, is operating under its own and its government's power."
"And… that helps us?" Ani followed up with another question.
Isla shrugged, doing wonderful things to her prodigious bosom, "It's not actually that relevant to our gig here, but it's still good info to confirm. If Raxus Orbital and its yards operate as a free market, there's a good chance that either the Gonks and/or Arasaka could aim to loan a portion of their facilities for ourselves. Shipyards like these could be a great boon for the Gonks, and even for Arasaka, to a degree."
"Thoughts and plans for later," I grunted. "We're focused on the gig for now."
We continued through the almost eerily perfect Welcome Corridor. Customers from all across the galaxy came here to purchase the fruits of Raxus Orbital's yards — thousands of ships produced by the day, of just about every size, shape, and model. Here, the economic tourists — the customers — didn't stand out much. In the rest of the ring, the rest of the Hive, I'd bet stand out like a Hutt on Free Nar Shaddaa.
"There isn't nearly as much chaos here as we were expecting," Padme said.
"Again, that's 'cause we aren't in the real ring yet," I reminded her. "All this? It's… curated. We're walking through a showroom, meant to sell, not actually be inhabited. These aren't ring natives. So why would they go celebrating something that doesn't concern them?"
"I… realize that," Padme slowly nodded. "Just… I wasn't expecting so much… business as usual…?"
"The most monumental changes can occur with business as usual running in the background," Fay shared some of her wisdom. "The truth there is in the phrase: 'business… as usual'. It runs as it always does, for that is all it can do, while the true movers and shakers lean on it as a pillar of stability. To change the galaxy, it's best to have a stable platform to enact that change from. In that, Yan has chosen his setting well."
"How do we get into the 'real ring', then?" Ani asked.
"Easy~!" Becca chimed. "Just find a place to turn off the beaten corpo path!"
"Not easy," I shot back. "The corps and other higher-ups want to keep us in this curated, profitable paradise. 'Course, we've got no intention of sticking to this… fake shit. We've got more important shit to do."
"Thankfully," Quinlan mused. "This curated section of the ring isn't actually as separate as it's made to seem. Much of it seems automated, but it can't all be so. All we have to do is find the crack they've left for their employees and sentient personnel."
I reached into the Force to find just that. Nova was quicker, still, her voice coming as a whisper over our isolated personal comms, "… There, Father."
Through our connection — from Force-Net to pure 'ganic Force — she highlighted a piece of the ring map she'd secured. It lay ahead of us — as all things in this straight-line internal layout would — down the Welcome Corridor. At the end, the public space turned into private spaces for higher-paying and more important customers. Those customers would be seen to by actual sentients, and through them, we'd find our way into the real ring.
"You heard my girl," I said. "Let's make ourselves important enough to attract the right sort of attention and get some 'proper service' here."
"Just watch me work, baby~…" Sasha purred, taking my words as an invitation.
She took the lead, all swaying hips, and radiated importance to her aura. Immediately, I could sense attention from just outside the Welcome Corridor falling on her. The security systems here must've been designed to look out for potentially important customers just as much as they were designed for actual security. And knowing Sasha, she'd quickhack tagged herself and our crew as just that: important.
"What's with all of this gomi and fodder, dear?" Sasha said to me, announcing more than she was asking. "I wouldn't have you caught dead in some straight-off-the-line model. Who does a cyber-lady need to speak to here for a proper commission?"
I felt a minor scramble in the Force at her words, from the same direction as the attention suddenly directed at her. Several parties raced to get to her first. A mere minute later, corpo salesmen appeared. I saw them do so from hidden doors in the Welcome Corridor, but to any regular customer, they would've seemed to come from nowhere, just as they were needed. It was a neat bit of theater.
"Howdy, ma'am," One of the 'suddenly appearing' salesmen greeted with a frontier spacer's smile and a polite tip of his honest-to-Gonk space cowboy hat. "In the market for something special and reliable? Ah tell ya, Ah tell ya, ya won't go wrong with CEC."
"Don't start, space cowboy," One of his competitors growled — this salesman decked out in what looked like ceremonial Mando armor. "These are proper warriors; anyone with eyes can see that much. They'll need ships that can keep up with 'em. MandalMotors has you covered there, Miss."
The last, a Nemodian woman (maybe…?) gasped as if offended, "Oh, no, no, no! These are obviously discerning customers of class and style. I guarantee, my lady, that the Trade Federation can take on any commission. Unlike these small-timers, we have the resources to design your dream starship from the ground up! Please, let us speak."
"Now, this is more like it," Sasha declared, purposefully smug. "Proper service. I have 15 million credits to spend on a gift for my hubby here, and won't accept spending a creddie less. It's up to each of you to wow us."
I could see that the mention of credits had each of the salesmen drooling, and any potential suspicions falling far from their minds. They just about started fighting as they led us to one of the private salesrooms that Nova had identified. There, unfortunately for them, they found out that they wouldn't be getting much of a sales commission after all.
Upon entering the private room, Sasha whipped out her blaster pistol, set to stun, and dropped the Nemodian saleswoman. I took the Mando salesman, expecting a bit more of a fight. That armor must've been purely for show, though, 'cause he dropped without a struggle as I laid a heavy, pacifying blanket of Force over his mind. Fay took the CEC cowboy, who surprisingly came the closest to reacting in time. But subtle and gentle, Fay laid him down for a temporary rest all the same.
"Nice acting, choom," Becca sent a chuckle Sasha's way.
Sasha cocked her head back, "Acting? Nah, practicing. Atom still needs a starship of his own, after all. If we weren't on a gig, I would've heard 'em out."
I rolled my eyes fondly, "We can go starship shopping another time. C'mon, through here."
Following me, the crew exited the private room through the employee entrance at the back. We quickly made our way through the backrooms and halls of the ring's curated Welcome space and exited from there into a transportation hub. We came to stand at the edge of the ring's hollow spine.
Already, we could see that the curation of space dropped off sharply here. Aesthetic form gave way to tried and tested function. It looked like any other train station that could be found across the galaxy, certainly not kept pristine against the daily use it saw.
The edge of the platform was a sealed airlock, with windows beside it overlooking the 400-meter vacuum tube that circled the whole ring and allowed the hovertrains that called it home to reach hypersonic speeds. One of said hovertrains sped past as we approached the windows, no sign of its passing but a flashing blur. Another hovertrain came by not long after, this one slowing to stop at the station on its way into Hive Zenith and letting us board.
Immediately, on board the hovertrain, we found a small slice of the chaos we were expecting. It could've been mistaken for a dedicated party train, and these were just the ring natives who were commuting.
"Today's the day! Today's the kriffin' day!" One commuter cheered.
"About time we stuck it to the Core nice and proper!"
"Sounds like a good excuse to drink!"
"Everything's a good excuse to drink for you, Yohnny!"
"Still, he's not wrong! Which one of you union fucks is holding?"
"Ha, holding? I've been nice and tipsy since the rumors started!"
"Well, we know Pastric won't share. That jet juice is for his drunk ass alone."
"For an occasion like this, I might be convinced to share a flask or two."
"Pass 'em around, pass 'em around! We've got new fortunes to celebrate! A new era for Raxus and the Rim!"
"My boy and his momma told me they're already throwing it up in the spire. Our folks are just waitin' for us to get home and join the party!"
"I've got a cousin who's got a friend who's got a partner who works in Central Spire. Says the announcement will start any minute now and the higher-ups are already partying, too!"
"Can't this train move any faster?!"
"Someone get the conductor droid to step on it! We're missing the real festivities!"
That last was saying something when the train car was already poppin' off. It had nothing on a proper Night City or Free Nar Shaddaa party, of course, but for the rest of the 'civilized' galaxy, these commuters were turning up as best they could.
These were the workers of the ring, the lifeblood who kept the shipyards pumping. They were hard-working men and women who partied even harder. Somehow, even on a moving hovertrain, they didn't lack for libations to keep the good cheer flowing. Personal stashes were opened to their comrades — from jet to jawa juice, the alcohol being passed around was impossible to avoid.
Stuck in the train car with the pre-game, we couldn't avoid it, either, though the crew collectively declined when it was offered. The attention that came once the commuters pegged us for outsiders was harder to decline.
"Howdy, partner!" One partying commuter — a perpetually grinning human man — came up to sling an arm around my shoulder. A pointed look dissuaded him from that, but didn't ruin his good mood. "You and yours come to support the movement?"
"Something like that," I nodded. "Congrats, and all. Not every day you get to join a party like this."
"Damn straight!" The man laughed. "Hopefully, it'll become more common in the coming days! Raxus is only the beginning, ya know? Can't help but wonder how many other systems the Count got to sign on with him."
"Plenty, I'm sure," Padme said with a slight grimace. "I expect this announcement to… completely change the galaxy in short order."
"That's the spirit, girl!" The man cheered, not noticing her grimace or hesitation. "It's a long time coming, but necessary. Can't tell ya how much of our paychecks are taken by Core Worlders we'll never see! A disgrace; that's what it is! We build and build, and all they do is take and take!"
"Yes…" Padme sighed. "I'm beginning to see that…"
"We've gotta look out for us and ours," Another commuter joined the conversation — the jet juice chugging Weequay who seemed to be known as 'Pastric'. "The Count's doing just that. I'm pouring one out in his name!"
"Yeah, pouring one 'out' straight into your gaping maw, Leatherface!" Someone jeered a friendly slur.
"It's the thought that counts, ain't it?" Pastric shot back with a grin.
"Gotta say," Becca matched his grin. "Your ring really knows how to party. Nothing like Night City, 'course, but you're doing your best."
"Night City!" A Zabrak woman, seeming less drunk and more fanatical than the rest, exclaimed. "Cousins, then! We've heard all about your Free Nar Shaddaa, haven't we, boys? You lot must know the call of righteous rebellion! The only difference is our distant overlords! You've got the Hutts, my condolences, and we've got the Republic, the Core Worlders…"
"Not anymore for us, and not much longer for you," Sasha commiserated.
"The Count's announcement can't come quick enough!" The Zabrak woman said fiercely. "Now, that's the kind of man we need leading us right now! He's classy and noble, but still a Rimmer by birth; he's not afraid to stand up for us little people, no matter what it might cost him!"
"Is Raxus ready for the reality that the Republic, unfortunately, won't accept this lying down?" Fay asked, curious and diplomatic.
The Zabrak woman nodded firmly, "Nothing to it but to fight for what we deserve. We won't be oppressed and ignored for a day longer. If the Core Worlders come to drag us back into the stagnant corruption, they'll find only resistance. Raxus stands as an example that the Rim won't take the Republic's shit lying down anymore."
"Then," Fay said, sad but understanding. "I can only wish you the best of luck on your path to independence."
"We'll make sure those Core World bastards have their work cut out for 'em!" The Zabrak woman grinned viciously. "Our cause is righteous, and our dreams are just! I'm signing up with the Count's Navy as soon as recruitment goes public!"
For us Gonks, the mood here was infectious and familiar; like Fay, I could only wish them the best of luck in their coming independence. In a way, the Zabrak woman was right. Dooku's movement and the Gonk movement were almost cousins. Not on the same scale or for the same reasons, but we could look at each other and understand what was being strived for: Freedom, be it from Hutt chains or Republic neglect.
For Padme and the Jedi, the mood here brought a sense of reluctant acceptance. They believed in the Republic; they truly did, for all its flaws. The people partying here should've been their countrymen, but in reality, life in the Rim was almost as distant from life in the Core as life in Hutt Space was.
The people we were sharing a train car with were the real people of the Rim — the little people, working and living as best they could. They were what the Core-focused Republic had ignored for so long. And that had left them with a shared disbelief in the Republic and Core. They'd been preyed upon and exploited by the Core for as long as their worlds had been populated. This was the long-overdue result, and it was being celebrated.
Seeing that firsthand couldn't have been easy for Padme or Ani. Fay, Aayla, and Quinlan were more experienced with the realities of the wider galaxy and could realize that something like this was inevitable.
But Padme and Ani were being confronted with the Rim's disbelief in the Republic and it's Core-focused institutions for, perhaps not the first time, but the most real time. They were seeing the eve of secession for themselves, and I don't think either of them was ready for how popular the concept was.
The party continued around us with laughter and cheers, every chance taken to celebrate. I'd win good money on a bet that this day would go down in history for Raxus Orbital. We didn't join in fully, but we didn't try to kill the mood, either. Not that it was likely we could. The general mood of celebration, vindication, and hope in the Force was unstoppable, damn-near physical, and spread all throughout the ring.
Thankfully, the hovertrains still ran on schedule, and we eventually made it to our stop at the base of Hive Zenith's Central Spire. There, I nudged Padme out of her almost-fugue, trying to get her moving again. She'd gone quiet, concerned, and thoughtful as she watched the party celebrating the upcoming independence from her Republic unfold.
"You okay?" I asked.
"No…" Padme sighed. "No, I'm really not. It's just… has the Republic really failed these people so badly…?"
"You know the answer to that question, Padme," I said as gently as I could.
"… I do," She softly admitted. "And if I didn't, I'd be seeing it now. Is… Is it all worthless? Hopeless? Is the Republic already dead and festering as it tries to go on?"
"You're the only one who can decide that for yourself," I said. "Is it? Is your dream of all the Republic should be dead? Or is there some Spite left in you that can say 'fuck that', strap the fuck in, and work to make it what it should be?"
Padme jumped a bit at my second question, stunned for a moment, before breaking into genuine giggles, "… Surprisingly, Atom, you knew just what to say."
"Don't get used to it," I shot back with a smirk. "The last thing I want is for high, mighty, and gorgeous senators to start coming to me for advice."
Padme blushed slightly, but at the same time, a hesitant sort of determination came over her, "Then… what about, not a senator, but a… peer on the galactic stage?"
My brow furrowed, not quite picking up what she was putting down, "A peer?"
"Well," Padme glanced away; I could sense a new conviction forming in her heart and mind. "If I were going to 'strap the fuck in', by chance… the best place to do so would be at the top… would it not?"
"… Damn," I blinked as understanding struck me. "Yeah. Yeah, it would. Long fraggin' road ahead of you — if that were your plan, 'course… but I'd vote for you."
Padme glanced back at me, smiling brightly, the conviction within firm but patient, "Purely hypothetical, of course, but I'll take your vote of confidence to heart. We must always start with one… neh~?"
I snorted at that, "Neh, heh. C'mon, we've still got a gig to see through before any hypotheticals can be given further thought."
As we got up to join the rest of the crew disembarking from the train, Padme whispered softly, her gratitude almost going unheard, "… Thank you, Atom. I truly did need that."
I didn't reply; didn't have to. I just turned my mind from 'hypotheticals' back to the gig at hand. The station of Central Spire was just as hectic as the train we'd just left, but we carved out a tiny slice of peace within the chaos for ourselves.
"I wish to try something before we begin our search," Fay said. "It can only help our efforts."
"Shoot," I agreed with a nod.
With that permission, I sensed Fay reach out through the Force. Immediately, her reach was noticed by three separate Force presences above us. From Obi-Wan, I could sense relief. From Asajj, I could sense curiosity and excitement. And from Dooku, I could sense a sort of harried exasperation and apology. Fay, being the one actually reaching out, got the most from the brief Force communication.
"Obi-Wan is safe…" Fay reported with a slight smirk. "And relieved to see that Ani brought backup with her. Young Asajj is rather excited to sense us here, especially you, it seems, Atom."
"Joy," I deadpanned. "A Sith being excited to see you is always a good thing."
"Indeed," Fay chuckled, continuing. "And Yan, while he welcomes us, imparts a sense that he is currently a touch too busy to meet us in person. I believe he'll send young Asajj to come find us, but even for her, this will be a difficult environment to navigate."
"Plan's still the same, then," I nodded. "We'll go to them, and if we're lucky, we'll only have to go halfway through this chaos on our own."
"Weapons free?" Becca asked eagerly.
"As a threat to clear the way, maybe," I rolled my eyes. "Don't go shooting up the party, though. Getting through the crowds will be slow, but I don't think they'll be actually hosti-…"
An explosion interrupted me, shaking the station from above. Half of the party around us didn't even notice. The other half did, though, and started ducking for cover.
V smirked at my instant comeuppance for tempting fate, "You were saying~?"
I sighed, "I was saying… Helps clear the way a bit, at least. Looks like it's weapons free after all, Becks. Can't ruin the party much more if it's already being ruined."
"Yee-fraggin'-haw, chooms~!" Becca whooped. "They shit on this shit first, so let's ruin the party poopin' for some party poopers!"
Isla nose screwed up as she smelled what Becca was putting down, "… Terrible. Just terrible, Miss Becca."
"… It seems to be a cell of Republic Loyalists, Father," Nova reported a moment later. We'd already begun to move upward from the station into the rest of Central Spire. "They are using terror attacks to express their… displeasure with the upcoming announcement."
Even if they were Republic Loyalists, Ani scowled at the news, "Oh, that just isn't right."
"Don't think it'll end 'right' for 'em, either," V chuckled. "Not with the mood going around right now."
"I already have access to their internal communications, if you should require it, Father," Nova added.
"Start a file on them," I immediately decided. "Share it with Padme and Dooku. Same detes for both of 'em. They'll have much more use for it than us."
"… Acknowledged and done, Father."
I could feel Nova starting her work as the crew stormed up a level onto the true base of Central Spire. In minutes, this cell wouldn't have a secret left to their names. And that was if they survived me and my crew going through them on our way up.
Up a stairway from the station, we entered the spire proper. It was massive and seemed about as 'open air' as you could get on an orbital installation. It was as if the spire's outer walls weren't there. It took up the full kilometer-maximum-width of the ring, and stretched a few more lengthwise for good measure. And above, it just rose and rose and rose.
The base of the spire stood as a vertical garden and park, free-floating terraces rising in tiers up some 20 stories. Greens and blues and reds decorated the ring's color palette here; rare, living, natural colors in this artificial world. The air was crisp and fresh. There were even water features, from misting fountains to artificial waterfalls, falling from the floating terraces.
Here, at the base of Central Spire, the orbital ring felt alive with artfully designed luxury and perfection. But compared to the curated corpo front of the Welcome Corridor, this all felt real in its perfection and luxury: both alive and lived in.
Central Spire was a small-scale, self-contained city unto itself, only content with the very best the ring had to offer. The space was open, even past the living space at the base. An empty pillar rose the whole way through the spire's core, stretching some two kilometers that let everything here breathe. High, high above, surrounding the empty pillar, whole buildings hung upside down from the spire's upper levels.
I'd compared the spires of Hive Zenith to megabuildings earlier. That comparison fell short for Central Spire. Megabuildings were built to pack as many people into them as possible. They were brutal, efficient, and uncaring of comfort or dignity. Central Spire was almost the exact opposite. Comfort, dignity, and luxury were the names of the game here. Efficiency was a second thought, if that. And brutality didn't even enter the equation.
I imagined the gardens and parks here at the base were open to the 'right sort' of public — the rich, the connected, the movers, and the shakers. 'Cause while they didn't escape the partying mood of the station, the festivities here seemed to be more subdued and classy. Or at least, they were. Now, the classy get-togethers had been ruined by petulant terrorism.
The highest of the ring's high were scrambling, either ducking for cover or outright fleeing. Security forces were trying to scramble back as best they could, surprisingly organized as they did so. But it was still a reaction. Death and destruction were already filling the luxurious space here at the spire's base.
A free-floating terrace began to list and slowly fall. Exotic flora burned. Screams of panic and pain filled the air. Automatic blasterfire punctuated the screams, silencing some and intensifying the rest.
A second explosion rocked the space, the fireball blooming from the base of another free-floating terrace. A third followed, from a rocket fired from cover into a group of mustering ring security forces.
Still, it quickly became apparent that the Republic Loyalists wouldn't get the pleasure of results from their opportunistic, desperate terror attacks. Even as the fighting began, holo-screens appeared all around the open-air base of the spire. Dooku's visage flickered to life on each of them. He was seen all across the ring and heard all the same as he began his galaxy-shaking announcement.
"Hello. I am Yan Dooku, Count of Serenno and Former Jedi Master. I have lived a long, never-boring life, seeing much that the galaxy has to offer. I come before you all today to make a statement. An announcement. And hopefully, to change the galaxy for the better.
"In this life I've lived, I've seen the Core and the Rim as they are bound by the Republic. In this life, I've seen the true depths of that state's stagnating hell. In this life, I've seen the neglect and discrimination that come from those stagnating depths. In this life, I've seen just how much the Republic has failed the people it is supposed to support and protect…"
I listened with half of my attention, and used the rest to pinpoint the terrorists. They weren't hard to find, likely thinking the time for subtlety had long passed. Only their desperate hissy fit remained. And in the good mood of the ring, that petulant desperation made them stand out like red flags.
Force sensing the same, Ani, Aayla, and Quinlan had already lit their lightsabers. Working in impressive sync, they Force leaped into action. A sub-cell of the Republic Loyalists was facing off against the ring's security forces when the three of them arrived in Force. The dozen of them, Humans and Near-Humans, were locked in a vicious firefight, spraying blaster bolts into the security squads in front of them.
The working, protecting men and women of the ring fell one by one, unable to coordinate an effective response to the sudden terror attack. The terrorists had secured themselves a defensive position, commandeering a party site to turn celebration into devastation. They looked prepared to die to the last in their desperation.
A deadly toll was already being reaped from their foes, exchanging dozens of ring security for every one of their own that fell. They knew they weren't up against soldiers, just police, just lawmen who were never expected to hang with this level of violence. And they were preying upon their foes as a result.
The terrorists weren't, however, prepared for fraggin' Jedi. Ani, Aayla, and Quinlan joined the fight with swingin' lightsabers and deflected blaster bolts. Aayla landed in front of the security forces and immediately went on the defensive. Her 'saber was a blue blur, returning dozens upon dozens of blaster bolts to their senders with lethal effects.
Ani and Quinlan landed amongst the terrorists, already slicing and dicing. Blue and green, their 'sabers quickly began carving the sub-cell down to nothing. Limbs flew. Flesh burned. Even as Jedi, mercy wasn't on their minds.
"F-For the Republic-!" One of the terrorists cried, more a desperate waving of the flag and declaration of loyalty than a war cry.
"Bantha shit-!" I didn't hear the rest of Ani's reply to that claim of loyalty, but it couldn't have been accepting. Not when the desperate man was the next to fall to Ani's plasma blade.
Another sub-cell of the Republic Loyalists had taken up position on one of the free-floating garden terraces. They used their elevated position to fire into the fleeing crowds, turning the mood in the air from a celebration into a slaughter. Civvies fell by the dozen, unable to fight back.
Immediately, Fay was covering the fleeing crowds from further fire. She seemed to teleport right into the line of fire (wouldn't put it past her…), and the expression on her face, glaring up at the sub-cell, was… viciously disapproving. Their blaster bolts began to splash harmlessly against an invisible shield of Force, and Fay still had the presence of mind to turn a portion of her attention to healing the bodies around her.
Nova also seemed to take particular offense at the targeted civilian casualties of that sub-cell. I could feel her anger at the futile cruelty on display. In an instant, she snatched up control of the terrace's repulsorlift systems and began bucking the whole thing like an angry rancor. The terrorists fell, some flatlining on impact. The ones that didn't met Sasha, happily taking the chance to prove herself 'Best Step-Mommy~!' by securing Nova's flatlines for her.
A third sub-cell spread out across space at the base of the spire, hunting for targets of opportunity. V and Isla quickly came to hunt them in turn. They worked in perfect unity, Isla pulling attention onto her professional self and V ghosting up behind the targets while they were distracted.
Two to the chest, one to the head, Isla drilled precise shots wherever her blaster rifle turned. Corpo chrome reactions meant the terrorists didn't even get a chance to shoot back. The ones that almost did got a knife severing their spines for their efforts. V was a shimmer in the chaos, all silenced slugthrower shots and lethal vibroblades and slicing, dicing monowire.
That left one more sub-cell for me, Becca, and, surprisingly, Padme. Our targets had been 'smart' enough to try and take hostages. They didn't think themselves so smart when I started Force-choking out terrorists and scattering the rest in a panic. Necks snapped under my Forceful grip, brutal and efficient. Fear was quick to spread, especially after Becca leaped at the opening I'd made.
For someone so small, she made an effective tank, marching straight forward, her scattergun cycling without pause. I was prepared to cover her reckless charge, but Becca only seemed open to counterattack. In reality, she was prioritizing the targets about to fire back at her with uncanny precision, as if she had some battle precognition running. Pure combat instinct kept her untouched.
"C'mon, ya gotta be quicker than that, FODDER!" Becca taunted.
"This isn't how it was supposed to be-ee-eee~URGK!" One of the FODDER sobbed before being shredded by Becca's scattershot.
Padme, once again surprising me, rushed straight into the thick of it once the terrorists started scattering, covering the hostages with a dinky-looking blaster pistol that still hit like… well, a plasma-shooting blaster.
"How dare you?!" Padme asked through the action, the question rhetorical and incensed. "This is NOT the way to peace!"
Even as she interrogated the terrorists, she was doing her very best to fill them with plasma. She'd taken Bail's philosophy on pacifism to heart, it seemed: peace was only an option if you were strong enough to enforce it. The blatant terrorism, hostages, and civilian casualties likely didn't help her opinion of the so-called 'Republic Loyalists'. They'd chosen the worst possible way to fuck around in Padme's book, and now, they were finding out that, noble and idealistic as she was, she could still ride when she needed to.
These 'Loyalists' must've thought themselves righteous, the only ones on the ring willing to stand up to treason and sedition, no matter the cost. But the cost did matter, as did the methods. In reality, they were cowards resorting to terror attacks against people who weren't ready and couldn't fight back. They were the type of shitheads to crash a party with bombs and blasters.
Now, they were reaping what they sowed; terror turned back on them. Against Gonks, Jedi, and one pissed off pacifist, they never stood a chance. We went through them like flimsy.
Through it all, over the chaos of terrorism executed and denied, Dooku's announcement continued to play, "The Republic doesn't care. They don't care to care, even."
He stood straight with conviction and determination on every projected screen. Behind him, the audience could see a new flag. It depicted unity, with equalateral trapezoids coming together to form a hexagon.
Each of the trapezoids was a pillar, but not the focus. That focus came to be in the flag's negative space; shining stars represented the systems that would join Dooku's movement. The whole thing was cast in white and dark blue, like the night sky at its darkest before a new dawn. As Dooku spoke, brilliant, hopeful pink crept up to take over the bottom of the flag, cementing the new dawn he aimed to bring about.
He continued, "They are perfectly content in their Core, thinking only of themselves. They would not change the way things are if they could. And so, the duty of change falls on us. It falls on us who dream of better ways, who dream of being seen and not ignored, who dream of a galaxy where we can thrive, not wallow in neglect and exploitation.
"My greatest regret in life is staying with the Republic for as long as I did. It is that misplaced and never repaid loyalty. It is believing, despite the reality I could plainly see. But no more. A man, a system, a galaxy can only take so much before something different must be done.
"Today, I intend to do something different. I intend for this day to be spoken of forevermore. I intend to stand for me and mine, for you and yours, for all who can no longer endure being trodden upon by distant, neglectful oppressors. Today, I intend to leave the Republic; I intend to leave a corrupt and broken system as is my paradoxical, philosophical duty as a soon-former citizen of that very same system."
"The concept of government does not exist to serve itself or its worst actors," Dooku explained and justified. "It is a contract, and it goes both ways. If the contract is not being upheld by both sides, it is only just and righteous that those bound by it break from it and look to something that would serve their needs more effectively.
"Our needs are no lesser than those of the Core, yet we of the Rim can only give, and those of the Core only take. Large portions of all we have disappear into the insatiable maws of Core Worlds. And for our part in that contract, we receive… nothing, or a mere step above nothing. The Core lingers, languishes, in their false peace, their ignorance, while the Rim is left to struggle for the barest scraps they cast off in a hostile galaxy. We, my fellows on the Rim, have been failed by the Republic."
I saw Padme's expression wilt, even through the action, as she heard Dooku's arguments. I think she knew there was no going back now. Dooku was no philosophical slouch. He was firmly establishing the moral grounding and well-thought-out reasoning for his secession and founding of a new state.
Padme almost certainly could've argued with it… but the point would be mute at this point. Even if she disagreed, Dooku's methods and motivations were valid and would resonate with many. The fire he was starting here already had all the fuel it needed to burn. All he did was take that burning torch into his own hands.
Dooku declared his intentions for the whole galaxy to hear, "But no longer. My movement will be named 'treason' by those distant Core Worlders so content with their dominance. But we, my fellows, can see the truth. There can be no 'treason' against a state that has failed us so grievously. There can be no sedition or secession. Only just and righteous independence; only looking out for ourselves for once, to hell with the corruption, stagnation, and neglect.
"I come before you all today with a dream, a plan, and a conviction. I take the first step — I lead — so that you may follow. I stand defiant — looking toward our future, not the Core's — so that you may stand with me. And I am proud to say that I don't stand alone.
"Accords of Independence have been signed into effect by both myself and by bold leaders I am proud to call peers. Our systems are declaring their separation from the ever-distant Republic and its sole focus on the Core.
"Already, we number in the dozens — soon to be hundreds. Already, we are united in our pursuit of something different, something to serve our needs first. Already, we stand as the United Confederation of Independent Systems."
And there it was. Shit had been signed. A state handle had been decided on. There was no turning around from here. Dooku was leading and not looking back. He had the support he needed and the conviction to act with it. As soon as he said the name, the Republic split. Two major states now existed in the galaxy: the Republic and the UCIS. Only time would tell which would last longer.
"By the signing of their leaders and representatives, we claim Serenno, Raxus, Onderon, Christophsis, Sluis Van, Geonosis, Null, Agamar, Sullust, Muunilinst, and more. The UCIS, of course, welcomes votes and referendums to confirm each world's joining of our newly founded state. We are not the Republic. The people of the Rim will have a say in their governance.
"As well, in addition to the founding systems of our new state, several galactic megacorporations have sought to join the UCIS. They do so for selfish, profit-driven reasons, of course, but I've allowed it… with conditions. Their massive organizations — pivotal, some might correctly say, to the decline of the Republic we've left — will not be granted the same degenerating free rein over our UCIS.
"I have already begun the process of nationalizing these megacorporations. They will serve the UCIS, not the opposite. From its founding here, the focus of our state will always be on its constituent systems. The UCIS does not exist to serve institutions; its institutions exist to serve us. We have not traded distant Republic oppressors for more present corporate oppressors; I swear to you, here and now, that citizens will always come before corporations."
Dooku wasn't pulling any punches with the corpos, I noted. That said good things about his leadership and the future endurance of his movement. It would've been easy to let the megacorps control his UCIS. But if he had, his movement would've suffered for it; corruption in its very foundation. Fortunately, Dooku wasn't the type to take shit easy, especially now that he was playin' for keeps. No one could say the Sith didn't have a solid fraggin' spine about him.
"The UCIS breathes its first breaths here, in the Raxus system. Be proud, all who call this bold, leading system home. Your daring will be repaid, for I intend to make Raxus the capital of the UCIS," Dooku said.
"However, the days to come won't be easy for our fledgling state. The Republic will attempt to press the weight of its rule back upon us. Unjustly so, but injustice won't much matter when they see us as an existential threat to their stagnant empire. We will be fighting for the survival of our newly declared independence."
"I would not ask anyone to do so if I wasn't willing to do so myself." Dooku's determined stare seemed to pierce into everyone watching his announcement. "I was a Jedi once. Now, I turn the Force to upholding all I have built here, all we will build to come. Something new, something different, something revolutionary… needs you. How many will answer the UCIS's call…?"
The question was left to linger, and immediately, I could feel the mood from the rest of the ring rise to meet it in the Force. The people of Raxus Orbital would all but leap to answer Dooku's call to arms and defend their newfound independence. Then, however, Dooku stopped on screen for a different reason. He double-tapped a comm-piece in his ear and listened…
At that point, far below him, we'd successfully dealt with the terrorists and turned our attention fully onto Dooku's announcement. Padme took it in with worry on her face and thoughts likely racing through her mind. Ani stared at one screen with a fierce frown and a sense of wariness for the future in the Force. Aayla and Quinlan seemed more thoughtful about the whole thing than personally invested. Fay, while healing the casualties of the 'Loyalist' terror attack, radiated a heavy feeling of regretful acceptance.
My Gonks and I were even less invested than Aayla and Quinlan. All of this would affect us, after all, but it'd be distant. We had our own war to worry about, and the inevitable war between Dooku's UCIS and the Republic wasn't any of our business unless we were dragged into it. The whole galaxy would be thrown into chaos, sure… but we were from Night City. Chaos and conflict were just life to us.
Still, I was slightly curious about what had interrupted Dooku's momentous announcement, "… Nova?"
"On it, Father," Nova replied without me having to clarify, sensing my curiosity. "Just a moment."
In that moment, a familiar Force presence joined us in the aftermath of the terror attack. Dooku's Apprentice dropped straight in front of me from one of the buildings hanging stories above. The Force caught Asajj like the drop was only 10 feet instead of a few hundred.
"Hello again, Atom~…" She rose from her landing with a smirk and a purr, "Always a pleasure to watch you work, even if it was against mere insects. Tell me, what brings you here… at such an interesting time, in such… interesting company?"
"Yo," I greeted her with single words as I watched Nova work through our Father-Daughter Force-Net connection. "Gig. Rescue."
"Ah, my Jedi step-nephew, then," Asajj nodded.
"Step-nephew?" I focused on her with a raised brow at that.
She shrugged back, "Master insists on claiming Obi-Wan as his Grand-Padawan. And since I'm his current Apprentice, Obi-Wan and I are 'related by legacy' in Master's eyes. Only, since Obi-Wan is part of Master's Jedi legacy, and I'm part of his Sith legacy, the 'step' is necessary."
I snorted, "Cute."
"Strange," Asajj corrected. "Especially to see Master so… sentimental. Regardless, I assume you're here to secure my step-nephew's release?"
I nodded, "Ani wanted to charge in 'saber's blazing, but I thought we'd just ask first."
"Shame," Asajj grinned. "That sounds like it could've been quite a bit of fun~…"
"But if not," She shrugged, continuing. "Well, you can have him. We've had our fun and Master says I can't break him; keeping him any longer wouldn't be worth the time it'll take from our busy schedules."
I chuckled and called out, "Hear that, Ani? Good news; we've secured your Master an easy parole."
"… Master is too worth the time to keep captive," Ani grumbled. "And it would've been better news if they didn't take him captive in the first place…"
"At the very least," Padme sighed, coming over. "Not all civility has been lost in the face of all to come…"
"Not between those of us Master counts as his legacy, at least," Asajj lightly agreed.
"War, however, is never civil. It cannot be, no matter how we try to lie to ourselves," Fay said as she joined us.
"Nope~!" Becca almost cheerfully chimed. "War's murder!"
"Nothing civil about it," V agreed, appearing from her chrome cloak. "Kinda the opposite by definition, innit?"
Fay sighed sadly, "As much as I wish it wasn't so, it is. The galaxy will be shifting drastically from here, and those shifts will come via death, chaos, and suffering. Some may call that price 'worth' paying, but I believe the very word can never apply to war.
"There is no 'worth' in war; only survival, adaptation, and change. The best we can do is strive to come out the other side, in whatever state that may be. Only then can we rebuild. Only then can 'worth' come back into the equation."
Her words of wisdom applied to Dooku's movement here, and whatever the Republic's response would be… but I could tell they were directed at me as well. Not in a judgmental or scathing way; just as a reminder for me that while fighting might be unavoidable, it was what we did afterward that actually mattered.
I nodded in acknowledgement to Fay and committed her wisdom to mind as best I could. I really was lucky to have someone like her keeping me in check. Maybe it was about time I did something nice for her and made sure she knew how thankful I was for her presence…
"… Father," Nova got my attention again. "… We will need to call in Grandpapa Smasher."
Those words shot an indescribable feeling of dread through me. Before I could ask why, though, Dooku resumed his announcement. His words were grave and heavy; his expression was regretful but ready. And there was an undeniable sense of furious conviction about him, a willingness to fight against all odds for what he was building here.
"My fellow countrymen, I regret to inform you that the Republic is even more tyrannical and overreaching than I anticipated. Our independence has just been declared… and our new capital system of Raxus is already being invaded by a Republic task force sent to bring us to heel. Like dogs.
"This task force must've been set in motion before our independence was even spoken and heard. Now, they bring a fleet and army to our celebrating doorstep. They seek to put us down before we have the chance to live and surpass them. They have deemed us undeserving of the independence we now grasp."
Readiness alarms began to blare across the ring. In the Force, a tide of defensive determination rose. The whole Raxus system surged to meet Dooku's call to arms. I could only scowl. Me and mine were about to be caught right in the middle of first blood.
"The UCIS will defend itself from this breach of our newfound sovereignty," Dooku declared. "Prepare yourself. Fight, if you will. Survive to another day, if you cannot. As of this moment, we are at war with the Republic. May the Force be with us all."