In Command (#1 Post-Order 66 Series)

In Command - Part 12

"In order to produce the amount of durasteel and other resources we need from this planet, we will have to create new jobs on the order of millions. We shall have to bring in labor from other planets in order to accomplish this, and once complete, the Lothal of the future will be very different from the planet we know today. We shall establish production facilities across the planet that will be able to not only produce the materials we need for construction from Lothal's resources, but will also be responsible for construction of various components of this new superweapon." He began listing figures of resources needed, and Senna shuddered. Rex turned to look at her, and she pulled one earphone off to speak with him.

"Rex, the volumes he's talking about...the planet will never recover. They're talking about rendering Lothal completely uninhabitable with the amount of resources they'll be taking from the planet and the amount of waste products that will be coming out of those plants. They're going to completely obliterate the ecosystem here."

Rex's blood ran cold. "Surely they can't do that."

She looked into his eyes, chewing her lip. "It's like you said. They'll keep pushing until the terrible things they do are normalized, and with a military to force compliance, what choice will the people of Lothal have?"

He couldn't argue with her there. The statement of his denial was more one of hopeful ignorance rather than his actual belief, and Rex knew it. The Empire was about to ramp up its military might, and it would be at the expense of any planet or people that was deemed useful to the cause. "I need to report this to Senator Organa along with our planned meeting today. I'll be right back."

She nodded absently as he stood and grabbed his holopad. Slipping the earphone back over her ear, she listened as the admiral continued.

"...but not all of the resources we need can be taken from Lothal alone. My proposal includes the largest interplanetary mining operation the galaxy has ever known. We shall have to coordinate operations in such a way that all of the resources we could possibly need will be available in a timely fashion and at our disposal for this weapon's construction. One of the largest contributing planets outside of Lothal will be the ice world of Ilum."

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Rex had opted to take his call with Bail Organa in the refresher so that Senna could listen to the conference uninterrupted. He held the hologram in his hand while the Senator's solemn figure illuminated the small space.

"Your plan sounds risky, Captain. I trust you and Senna, but I worry that Commander Fisk may behave like a caged animal when he feels trapped. Please be cautious and keep me apprised of the outcome."

"Copy that, Senator. We should have another update for you later this evening if everything goes well."

"May the Force be with you."

Rex clicked off the call and was placing it back in his hip pouch when he heard the sound of ceramic shattering from the room outside. Grabbing his blaster from its holster on his hip, he bolted through the door.

Senna was still sitting in her chair, but her entire body was shaking. The cup of caf he'd handed her earlier was now in pieces on the floor. Quickly, he reholstered his weapon and moved to kneel at her side. Her entire body was trembling and she was staring at the floor, the headphones resting around her neck.

"Senna, what is it? What happened?" he asked, his tone urgent.

Slowly, she raised her eyes to look at him, and there he saw an anger and sadness in her that was far different from the grief he'd witnessed before. "Rex, they're...they're going to harvest the kyber crystals from Ilum. All of them," she said, her voice shaking. "They're going to destroy the planet."

"Why? What good does that much kyber do?" He furrowed his brows, trying to understand. The only use he'd known of was in a Jedi's lightsaber, and considering the fact that the Empire had waged a campaign to murder all of the Jedi, Rex found himself confused, particularly since Senna so clearly had some idea of the significance.

"Kyber crystal is able to store and amplify energy. That's its use in a lightsaber, it channels the energy into the blade. This principle could be applied to any weapon if you think about it. To harvest the entire planet's worth...I can't even imagine what kind of weapon they're building. And to desecrate the entire planet...so much will be lost." He realized that she was grieving, but it was different this time; Senna was grieving the loss of the Jedi holy site and the kyber tradition that had lived on in the Jedi order. She was losing one more piece of the faith and traditions that had defined most of her life, and while he'd never understood all of the various ways that the Jedi observed and used the Force, he understood loss.

He placed his hands on her knees and made sure he was looking directly into her eyes. "We will stop this, Senna. We must."

She nodded, but in that moment, he could tell her hope was beginning to fray, and he was not sure how to begin to repair it.