Dorthea was not terribly fond of the fact that someone was talking about an entirely different shipyard when they were literally
inside of a galaxy-class industrial fortress at this time. Her eyes bored right into
Contispex XX Bernardus‘s head but she kept quiet. She had to focus.
Thankfully,
Dalton Chamas
seemes to build a case before she would need to say anything. He outlined some facts regarding the general nature of Mon cals and their relationship with imperial regimes. The case made was actually pretty solid.
Impressive for a security goon. Might have to throw some work his way in the future…
Consequently, the mercenary’s words made her wonder why
Contispex XX Bernardus had even suggested Mon Calamari in the first place. He was clearly
very imperial, and it was extremely unlikely that he had any investments in that sector. His logic in proposing a closer capital was decent, but there had been a literal
million other options to choose from. Aside from, perhaps, a desire to subjugate anti-imperial cultures, the only thing that
Contispex XX Bernardus suggestion seemed to be capable of suggesting was circumventing Damascus Station.
But before Dorthea could point that out in her signature outrage,
Mig Gred
spoke up about his concerns about imperial…
empires, as Dorthea’s mental language skills seemed to elude her at this time. She didn’t let herself stress too hard about his concerns though. He was here to do business, and he wouldn’t have come all this way just to sling poodoo around. He was likely just testing the landscape before putting anything of substance on the table. She smiled at his question, but said nothing, patiently curious about what he might try to strike a deal for in the next phase of negotiations. She also remembered that she might try to establish an exclusive supply contract with him, leveraging her massive beskar reserves if the opportunity arrived. But she would wait until he exhibited better comfort or showed an opening.
Then,
Marlon Sularen
began to make his responses, taking control of the room. He addressed everyone carefully, but the point that concerned her most was his suggestion that Damascus Station could move to a different location.
To that, Dorthea inhaled through her teeth before replying,
“yeah, it’s not a… terrible idea, but that is much, much easier said than done. When you all were coming in, you might have noticed that Damascus Station is in between the two worlds Hammer and Anvil? There are… many reasons for this.
“Now, you’re not wrong, we do have a hyperdrive, but that is strictly for emergencies. The structure is not build for excursions, and damages would need to be repaired at the end of the journey. It’s highly mitigated with modifications, but those take time. So if we’re serious about moving the station, allocating resources and relocating people in certain sections of the ship will take time.
“There’s also the matter of finding a suitable replacement for our current real estate. You see, we don’t actually have a dedicated central power plant. Our power grid leverages energy from the constantly alternating magnetic field between Hammer and Anvil. This power source is what drives our production facilities. We have smaller reactors throughout the station, but those are to keep the lights on in an emergency. The use of the natural alternating currents is what allows us to drive our costs down, reducing our demand for fuel.
“There are also other, smaller considerations that would need to be taken into account. Like the fact that Damascus has enjoyed a luxurious proximity to the natural ores and minerals that exist on Anvil and the profitable gases inside of Hammer. While we attempt to decrease overhead costs by shortening the transit distances of manufacturing goods, our costs for transporting raw materials to the station will increase. Perhaps not proportionally, but it is a consideration. In order to retain our competitive pricing, arrangements for the economical acquisition of raw materials will also need to be considered.
“So, we have two options. One, we can arrange for safe, long distance trade routes. For this option, we would need to arrange for contracts with shipping companies. Then, we need to find adequate protection services that know how to move goods through jurisdictional centres in a cost effective manner.” Dorthea shot a quick, deliberate look at
Mig Gred
, as she knew that he was well acquainted with the old concord territory. Hopefully he would be keen on the opportunity, if this option was chosen. She then continued,
“In this scenario, Damascus Station would likely take on the role of being a satellite colony for the Final Dawn.”
“Or two, we can endeavour to find suitably sufficient real estate to replace Hammer and Anvil. For this option, we must find a system that meets three criteria,” she held up a finger,
“one, the system must absolutely have a powerful, alternating magnetic field of some kind to supply power for the production facilities. Two, it must have close proximity to a world with ample reserves of ores, minerals, and industrial gasses. And of course, three, it must be close to the Final Dawn’s projected territory.”
She then closed her fist, and set her hand back in the table before continuing,
“so, like Contispex XX Bernardus, I think that the location of the next capital of the Final Dawn should be disclosed before we settle anything further.”
She had a couple suggestions, but she would wait to see what everyone said about the situation regarding Damascus Station first.
Then a thought occurred to her. She leaned over to
Gabriel Creed
and whispered,
“Call my protocol droid over here. I think I’ll need him.