Rellik sat through the projection in silence. Only the dim hum of the storm filled the space between them, faintly audible even through the bunker's walls. The glow from Adrikobe's map painted shifting blues and reds across the Diarch's face. When the businessman finished, Rellik exhaled slowly, somewhere between a sigh and a quiet, amused scoff.
"Untapped," he repeated, as if tasting the word. His voice was low but edged, the warmth of the earlier conversation giving way to something colder.
"That would be a curious way to describe what we have built."
He leaned forward, golden eyes gleaming in the light of the holomap.
"I can assure you my friend... that the Diarchy stands on a strong economic base in no small part to my vision. Muunilinst and Mygeeto each rival Coruscant's productivity and economic wealth, and both lie under Diarchal command. The IGBC's ledgers no longer belong to the Muuns they belong to us. Muunilinst mints our currency and the credit chit. We govern our economic bureau so they can never become vulnerable unless we ourselves are vunerable. Beyond that we still mint the credit itself with the Muuns giving us not only a national currency but a galactic one. They are lenders to the galaxy at large, where we pick and choose our deals and have our own reserves so If there is a recession it would be due to my faulty lending practice or internal usury. Of which if the later ever occurred I would make a public display of torture to that person. So far, we seem to do well. Mygeeto refines Nova, adegan, and artesian crystals that fuel our reactors and feed our war machine. These are not idle worlds, they are furnaces that never cool. - as for Scipio itself, well. You would be smart to not attempt to fully control the IGBC. Or else you make a very powerful enemy instead of an ally."
The map light caught the faint heat shimmer from his cloak as he began to gesture across the hologram, his tone steady and absolute.
"Bescane is a scarred but heavy industry world, a crucible where DIASTEC's atmospheric converters and alloy mills burn day and night. It produces bonded materials, ion fuel, and the mid-level technologies that build everything from our walkers to our homes. Including a Naval Dockyard ran by N&Z producing at the same rate as those on Kuat. Yaga Minor serves as the Diarchy's naval heart though, a supercenter for engineering, drydocks, and starship assembly. Jaemus under the leadership of Antipater has a third dockyard. Beyond those themselves,
Laphisto
of the Lilaste order has put orbital stations over all important worlds of the Diarchy. These also have naval shipyards and secure our logistics. Oben's deep-core mines draw platinum, gold, and silver from veins older than the Republic itself. Taspir III contributes basic manufacturing for varying amounts of commercial goods."
He shifted the projection, pulling up new lines that connected distant worlds.
"Dantooine and Kynachi feed the Diarchy's belly. Dantooine's farmlands and botanical labs provide food, sap, and exotic fauna; Kynachi refines and packages it into military-grade rations that sustain our fleets. Bastion, our capital, is not only the seat of our government but a production engine in its own right. military supply, armorcraft, and shipwright from the Sloan naval academy."
Rellik's tone never rose, but each word carried weight.
"DIASTEC -the Diarchal Strategic Technologies and Engineering Consortium - oversees it all. I run it personally. It is not a simple company. It is the spine of our logistics network, the nervous system of our civilization. It ensures that a mining world on the edge of the nebula can trade its metal for food grown an entire system away; that no Diarchy citizen starves while our ships cut through the stars. We do not merely harvest resources, we move them. Efficiently. Constantly. Without pause. The galaxy has not seen this scale of logistics coordination since the height of the Core Worlds' golden age. In the Diarchy we promise ALL citizens a good quality of life. That means constant import and export from worlds that have excess to worlds in need."
He let that hang, then fixed Adrikobe with a steady look.
"So when you say our economy is disconnected, I must correct you. It is not."
He paused again, this time allowing the faintest smile.
"You are a clever man, Adrikobe. Ambitious. But to ask to be the Diarchy's financial advisor would place you in conflict with one of our oldest allies.
Tertius C. Nargath
of the N&Z was there when our foundations were laid. His investments built Bescane's industrial fund, his connections carved our place within the IGBC, and his insight into galactic markets has served us without falter. To displace him would be unwise and unnecessary."
"But ambition is not a flaw, I simply believe you value your sector with pride. I admire that. I would just not doubt a Major power that intends to rival the entire galaxy to be... uncoordinated. It would be good for you to spend more time in Diarchy space." Rellik continued, his voice softening, though not kindly.
"You are right about one thing. The Alliance is collapsing. The Empire grows endlessly. The Mandalorians stockpile and posture, thinking themselves ready to test our borders. In such times, a man with your instincts can still prove useful. I simply wonder if your overstating of our direness is due to your own inability to protect your space. As you said, the Empire is at your door and the Mandalorians would certainly want the deepdocks and ordnance Ord Mantell provides. Then the surrounding worlds could be a boon to us or them, such as the durasteel mining of Erebos"
He turned the hologram toward the image of Echoy'la, and the faint shimmer of heat from his cloak traced the edges of the table.
"Protection. Alignment. Subtlety. These are currencies I value. You can be a shady man in a galaxy at war, I appreciate it." He leaned back slightly, eyes bright in the dim light.
"You wish to speak of Echoy'la? Of a rallying cry? Then speak it plainly. Show me what spark you believe can ignite a war and perhaps we can come to a truly worthwhile deal. One that shares protection, information, and recourses of our planets... Along with the bond of shared wrongdoings."
Diarch Reign
Adrikobe Kellrule