Private Iron Harvest

[Marlon Sularen]

I R O N_H A R V E S T

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

The Galactic Alliance. A Faction that once stood as one of the galaxy's dominant superpowers that had shaped it's geopolitical landscape in the aftermath of the simultaneous collapse of nearly a dozen galactic governments a few decades ago. It had withstood numerous challenges that had risen up against them, from the Sith Empire, Brotherhood of the Maw, New Imperial Order, Mandalorian Enclave and the Dark Empire each time emerging victorious while their foes fell apart and collapsed in turn. As a result of such longevity and stability, many had expected the Alliance to emerge victorious against Darth Solipsis when he resurfaced along with a fanatic cohort of Imperials at his beck and call.

However due to the cowardice of some of it's most prominent leaders and corporate suppliers who abandoned the Alliance as soon as the Deep Core fell under the control of the Galactic Empire, and the incompetence of it's remaining leadership all it took was a pair of defeats at Coruscant and Arkania and a pyrrhic victory at Atrisia to seal the Alliance's fate as they quickly fell apart and disintegrated into the face of an enemy that the galaxy had once thought to be contained after the destruction of their superweapon. Their collapse would leave a massive power vacuum in the Core Worlds, while creating a massive shift in the galactic balance of power never seen before in decades.

To Sularen this represented both a problem and an opportunity for the Imperial Confederation. On one hand you had the fact that the Galactic Empire was now in a good position to directly strike the Imperial Confederation with few adversaries in the Core Worlds while on the other hand this gave the Confederation the chance to bolster it's strength with former Alliance personnel who might be disillusioned with the failures of the Alliance while remaining strongly opposed to the Galactic Empire.

As such in order to take full advantage of the situation, the Supreme Commander would summon one of his most trusted and most capable subordinates within the Imperial Navy to his office within the Imperial Center for Military Operations on Cholganna to discuss what step could be taken to ensure that the Confederation could fully benefit from this situation and advance their agenda while simultaneously undermining it's strategic adversaries. This subordinate had already presented many ideas that had a lot of merit but had been dismissed given the myriad of issues the Confederation currently faced.

But now more then ever Sularen would need his unique set of talents and as such the Supreme Commander would patiently await the arrival of Fleet Admiral Vorin Zonill in his office eager to meet with him and set in stone an initiative that would ensure the further growth of the Confederation for the foreseeable future.

Tags | Ronhar Tane ​

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES
OPERATION: IRON HARVEST

Fleet Admiral Vorin Zonill was sure that this was going to be the end.

After all, his last naval showing had gone rather...poorly, in his humble opinion. Granted, his fleet had been instrumental in breaking the Galactic Empire's battle line during the naval engagement over Atrisia, enabling the Imperial Confederation to close the gap and destroy the Third Death Star once and for all, but at the same time his subsequent hyperspace retreat surely looked suspicious at best and perhaps downright treasonous at worst. How could he have known that the vessel he was commanding at the time had a hidden retreat function installed, firing once the ship received a set amount of damage? Not only that, but he had sustained a serious head injury during the fighting, the effects of which he was still feeling several weeks after the fact.

Obviously, when he had received the official summons from the Supreme Commander, he had immediately assumed the worst. He had spent the time leading up to the meeting preparing to plead his case, and he had brought a pair of Chrome Guardians with him as insurance, though he sincerely doubted they would be enough to save him from any trouble. Still, refusing a direct order from the Supreme Commander was unthinkable, and Zonill could only bring so many guards with him without appearing paranoid or worse, plotting to attack the Supreme Commander.

And so Zonill had answered the summons like a good little soldier, setting out toward Cholganna to meet with the Supreme Commander face to face. Luckily for him, he had much to distract himself with as his ship made its way through hyperspace.

Firstly, was, quite frankly, the Bantha in the room: the collapse of the Galactic Alliance after the Empire's failed assault on their fortress world of Atrisia. Zonill had been shocked when he heard the news, though not necessarily surprised. After all, their whole government was predicated on a flawed concept, which apparently also affected their military, since in the following weeks world after world either fell to the Empire's onslaught or decided to abandon the Alliance en masse.

Seriously, only the Galactic Alliance could somehow snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

But now they were gone, and so was their influence in the Galactic Core. The next couple of months were going to be a bloodbath as the other major factions raced to claim as many worlds for themselves as they could. Zonill hoped that wouldn't apply to the Confederation...assuming he lived long enough to see from himself!

The other thing on his mind was the state of his flagship, the MIN Collateral Star. Ever since it had received that unknown attack during the Battle of Brosi, it had been laid up in drydock, as the Imperial Remnant figured out the best to both repair the ship and upgrade it for future engagements. The teething reliability issues that had affected the ship previously had only gotten worse, and it had been determined that the armaments carried aboard the ship were insufficient for a vessel of her size. It had been decided to contact the N&Z Umbrella Corporation about refitting the vessel, but progress was rather slow going considering how old and large she was. Still, sooner or later, she would be operational once again. Zonill couldn't wait for that time to come. All he had to do was survive this meeting!

Eventually, his said made planetfall, and Zonill walked into the meeting room with the Supreme Commander. His Chrome Guardians entered the room first and went on either side of Zonill as he walked in himself. He gave a crisp military salute to the Supreme Commander before addressing him:

"A pleasure to meet with you, Supreme Commander Marlon Sularen . What can I do for you?", he asked with just the slightest hint of trepidation. Regardless of what the Supreme Commander might say, Zonill was already formulating an exit plan.

Just in case...

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

I R O N_H A R V E S T

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

"Thank you for arriving on such short notice, Admiral Zonill. Please take a seat." Sularen responded in his usual calm demeanor, gesturing for Zonill to take a seat right in front of him. The Maphoreem Admiral had served him faithfully throughout the past few months although even then Sularen still felt that his potential was being limited especially given how his proposals were often overlooked due to other important circumstances. Fortunately this would be the perfect opportunity to correct this mistake and atleast make the Admiral feel valued within the Imperial Navy after all this neglect.

"I summoned you here because i wish to discuss two things with you." the Supreme Commander continued. "First would be to address the neglect that i've placed on your projects, specifically the Anti-Sith Weaponry the Mahporeem Remnant and your recent proposals for Imperial-funded expiditions into the more sparsely populated areas of the galaxy." he proclaimed. "The Second would be a specific task that i had in mind that i think you would be best suited for, although i'd like to address the first topic before we can go over the second one that i have in mind." he further added.

"Oh, and i heard that you were injured at Atrisia. I'm surprised that you didn't take a leave of absence to recover from your injuries, although i have no complaints on your dedication to our cause. How are you holding?"

Tags | Ronhar Tane ​

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES
OPERATION: IRON HARVEST

Zonill could scarcely believe the words he was hearing from Marlon Sularen 's mouth.

He had expected a lot of things: to be chewed out for his impromptu retreat from Atrisia, to be admonished for his potentially reckless naval tactics, even to be arrested by Confederation authorities for the decision that he had made during the latest naval engagement. What he hadn't expected was a genuine statement of support from the Supreme Commander. Zonill unconsciously rubbed his head again, which by this point had essentially healed up from the injury that he had received. Still, it was nice to see the Supreme Commander taking an interest in the well being of his subordinates.

"Quite fine, Supreme Commander", Zonill responded confidently. "I can assure you that I have fully recovered from the injuries I sustained in the line of duty. Nonetheless, you concern for my wellbeing is greatly appreciated", Zonill noted. Now that he was fairly sure he would be walking out of here under his own power, Zonill felt far more at ease, and was ready to engage in dialogue with the Supreme Commander.

"In regards to your first query", Zonill began, "the Mahporeem Imperial Remnant has continued its development of small arms and weaponry designed to combat Force Users. Since the last naval conference, we have placed into production three new small arms capable of combating lightsaber wielding opponents: the AAF-8 Scattergun, the GHE 85x2 and the EGR-16. We hope these armaments will continue to provide the Confederation with the advantage that it needs against the Sith and other Force Users, and we remain dedicated to the cause of further developing these types of weapons. I have my technicians looking into the feasibility of scaling these designs up for use against Sithspawn and other similarly sized creatures, as the only dedicated anti-Sithspawn piece of technology we currently have is the All Terrain Acid Cannon, though we are also testing the usefulness of the HNDA-Mk III/T against those kinds of threats."

"As far as expeditions are concerned", Zonill continued, "it should be noted that much of the galaxy remains unexplored and uncharted. Now that the Alliance has collapsed in spectacular fashion, we should redouble our efforts to reach out to these regions of the galaxy while the majority of the other major factions are distracted with trying to lay claim to the Core. I can't recommend we get involved in that particular bloodbath, not at least at our current strength. As such, I would instead recommend we begin our outreach efforts in the Ash Worlds, which are of course located right next to Mahporeem. There are a number of planets there that would certainly benefit from Imperial oversight, and logistically speaking it would be relatively easy to maintain a supply chain to and from the region. Other potential expedition locations include the Shadola Sector, the Kessel Sector and the Ferra Sector. Before we consider exploring the Unknown Regions proper on the other side of the galaxy, it would be prudent for us to solve the local Sith threat", Ronhar concluded as he awaited to see the Supreme Commander's response. He was especially curious to see what his query was going to be about...

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

I R O N_H A R V E S T

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

Sularen listened as Admiral Zonill explained in detail Mahporeem's ongoing development of Anti-Force User technology and his ideas considering Imperial space exploration. He had heard it many times before given the countless times the Admiral had tried to push his ideas forwards. Still they were interesting ideas that had a great degree of merit especially when dealing with the growing threat of the Sith and further consolidating the Confederation's presence across the galaxy.

While Sularen had his own plans for the Admiral through Project : Iron Harvest, he still felt the need to first address his proposals and see how best the Confederation could implement them to ensure it's advancement. Thus once the Admiral had finished speaking, Sularen would offer his response although first addressing the issue of Mahporeem's Anti-Force User technology. "I do remember the field demonstrations you performed during the Conference." Sularen responded. "I will say i do appreciate the effort Mahporeem had taken to even the odds against the Sith threat, especially after our defeat at Brosi." he added.

"In the matter of developing further anti-force user technology, i do think i have something that might catch your interest regarding Sithspawn countermeasures." the Supreme Commander continued, taking out a datapad and sliding it towards the Admiral across his desk. "Shortly before our attack on Brosi, the Dweomilis Advisory Foundation, an Imperial military think tank aligned with the Confederation designed a specialized biological virus known as the Necrotic Scourge Mist designed to counter reanimated corpses manipulated by the Sith." he began. "We have access to the virus of-course, although we have no means of effectively deploying it on the battlefield through specialized munitions. However I'm sure Mahporeem would be interested in developing such munitions which will enable us to effectively counter the hordes of the undead the Sith throw at us."

Then Sularen provided the Admiral with yet another datapad "Another Sithspawn countermeasure that could come in handy for your anti-force user technology program is the Sithspawn Revitalization Projector, produced by the Trade Federation. It has some flaws of-course such as limited range and high-energy consumption not to mention that it's effectiveness against Sithspawn might vary. However if Mahporeem can reverse-engineer that technology, strap it onto some vehicles and low-altitude starships and increase it's effectiveness then it would significantly diminish the threat posed by Sithspawn to our brave Stormtroopers."

"In short, these two peices of technology may be the answer to any shortcomings regarding the development of Anti-Sithspawn weaponry and i'm oepn to providing Mahporeem with the resources necessary to see that such technologies are developed in short order."

Tags | Ronhar Tane ​

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES
OPERATION: IRON HARVEST

"I do remember the field demonstrations you performed during the Conference. I will say I do appreciate the effort Mahporeem had taken to even the odds against the Sith threat, especially after our defeat at Brosi. In the matter of developing further anti-force user technology, I do think I have something that might catch your interest regarding Sithspawn countermeasures."

At this point, the Supreme Commander slid a datapad over to Zonill, who picked up it and began to read it. Contained within it were two items of particular interest to Admiral Zonill. The first item was a biological agent labeled Necrotic Scourge Mist, a type of manufactured virus that was designed to specifically target the undead abominations that the Sith were oh so found of using. From what Zonill could tell, the virus only affected deceased tissue, and have absolutely no effect on living beings. As to how much Zonill believed this, he was personally not entirely convinced that this so called "Scourge Mist" was completely harmless against non-Sithspawn beings. If he was going to use this virus in the fight against the Sith and their Sithspawn, he would have to conduct a thorough review of the substance himself.

More pressing, however, was the apparent lack of delivery methods for this virus, though Zonill immediately thought of an idea for the deployment of such a substance.

"The Merzoidian people of Mahporeem have developed a number of different products to help them salvage what little farmland they can from their much ruined planet. One of these products is a piece of technology called a Merzoidian Agricultural Droid, which has been designed to spray all manners of chemicals and pesticides on the few remaining crops that can be grown on the planet. It might be possible to upscale this technology and adapt to spray the virus in large quantities, though airborne and spaceborne munitions would also probably be quite effective", Zonill mused aloud as he continued reading the information on the datapad.

The other item was something called a Sithspawn Revitalization Projector, which seemed to quite literally reverse the Sithspawn process when fired at certain creatures. It was certainly an intriguing concept, albeit one with a variety of downsides, such as low range and and energy consumption. Still, it certainly showed promise, and the Supreme Commander was absolutely correct: reverse engineering the weapon would hopefully prove rather simple, and if the Imperial Remnant could upscale it for vehicular and starship use, it might just put the balance of power back in the hands of the Confederation.

"These are certainly quite interesting Supreme Commander. I will have my men take a look at seeing what can be done to increase the effectiveness and potency of these weapons. Of course, extensive testing will need to be done before we can put these weapons into general service, especially considering that our own troops will likely be operating in close vicinity to these weapons. It is not that I am particularly attached to the fate of our troopers, as noble as their fight against the Sith may be, but we cannot be sacrificing our men all willy nilly, if you understand what I'm saying. We simply do not have the resources necessary to throw away units of troopers, and I'm sure we can use every man, woman, and alien we can get in the fight. Nonetheless, I will do what I can to adapt these weapons to our needs."

"That being said, Supreme Commander, you mentioned you have a specific task for me?", Zonill asked curiously.

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen