Star Wars: Heir to the Sith (Part 2)

Chapter 02: "The Syreal Shipyard is bigger than our sector, Captain Pina."

"I have to say I am not happy, Captain Pina, not at all happy, with the Reaver's demands upon my station."

Captain Duscan was a short man with a taller ego who seemed to Captain Pina to revel in his role as commander of the Syreal space yard. It was, Pina sensed, a sense of self importance that had only grown in the last twenty four hours in the uncertainty that now surrounded the Empire.

"You demand far too much!" Duscan disclaimed. "Consumables for eight months! New TIE fighters! A new delivery of proton torpedoes and hyperdrive super coolants! And a request for all veteran pilots, fighters and troops to be transferred to your command with immediate effect!" The short man blustered. "If every Star Destroyer in our sector came into my dock and insisted I provision them with such supplies then I would fast run out. And with the HoloNet in such disarray I can hardly call for new provisions can I?"

Pina didn't deign to reply, instead simply following in his footsteps. Janus marched behind, taking her cue from him. She hadn't yet said a word save in greeting as they had left their shuttle.

"Do you understand me, Pina?" Duscan barked with an artificial loudness that seemed intended to define his superiority. "I have been more than civil in my dealings with you since your arrival yesterday. But your commander's requirements have simply grown beyond what is reasonable. At the end of the day, I have an entire sector to look after. If I provide you with your all your demands, what happens if an emergency breaks out in the Viscount Quarter, or a rebel incursion threatens the Helmforth system? Or even attempts to strike at us here - at the sector's greatest ship yard and capital planet? Or, for that matter, what happens if the sector systems start to declare independence? Have you thought of that, and all the problems that would bring? We might see a return to local warfare - it's not an exaggerated threat. You would realise that if you had ever met the despotic King Ilak and his despicable children. In the Separatist conflict they tried to take most of this sector for themselves. It wouldn't take much to rekindle that ambition."

"I am aware of King Ilak and the history of his planet," Pina said. "Dark stories they may be but–"

"Stories?" Duscan snorted. "Moff Barum has visited Lave a few times. On the return from his final trip he vowed he would never go back. So let me put it this way: the stories fall short of the reality about that particular Elder House."

He marched to a viewport that overlooked the planet below. Two great landmasses faced each other over a strait that was filled with numerous islands. Eons ago they were probably connected, but over time too distant for any conscious life form to perceive they had parted. Below, Pina saw that the planet was falling into darkness. Artificial lights were appearing like pinpricks on black paper, concentrated around vast cities housing millions.

"I'm sorry Pina," Duscan said. "My resources are too few, and your demands too many. I will do what I can, but you must know they cannot all be met. Do I make myself clear?"

"May I ask how many Star Destroyers are currently in the sector?" Pina said softly. "I believe the Reaver was one of three, and those other two were both transient commands. Mine is the only one designated to this sector: One ship for more than a hundred thousand systems. The fact that the two other Star Destroyers haven't arrived here signals the possibility that they might have departed for other sectors. The Reaver could be the only loyal Destroyer in the sector."

"The Syreal Shipyard is bigger than our sector, Captain Pina," Duscan said. "We are the biggest shipyard amongst the next hundred adjacent sectors that we know of. You do understand the responsibility that . . . that imbues on my position?"

Pina was forced to give a begrudging nod. Duscan's face softened slightly.

"You are a young man, Pina," he lectured. "How old are you? Thirty-five?"