Project Sentinel

[Darth Metus]

The Galaxy was changing.

With each passing month, the One Sith Empire grew ever closer to total domination. Paltry resistance from the Republic had been systematically denied. Nations that had been considered "stable" collapsed, such as the Fringe Confederation and the Omega Protectorate. The Galaxy was changing...and that meant that Arakyd Industries had to change with it. For quite some time, the corporation had taken it upon themselves to lend assistance to its supporters.

Now, unlike the average corporation, this assistance did not consist of discounts or donations exclusively. Rather, Arakyd literally deployed forces to aggressively push the agenda of those it chose to support. At times, they would gather civilian craft to aide in construction or humanitarian efforts. And others? Well, the finest ships Arakyd could muster were deployed to fight alongside her allies.

While this was an excellent way to cement the support of nations and customers, it did come at a great expense to the company. The price of mustering fresh vessels for every engagement, rather than maintaining a constant force, only seemed to rise with each passing quarter. It seemed as though the state of One Sith dominance was encouraging the mercenary outfits to raise their prices.

So, Isley called a meeting. It was time to save his company a heap of credits and look good doing it.

 

[Darth Metus]

Due to the fact that the former Mandalorian was currently settling into the Galactic Alliance, the meeting was called from the confines of his personal vessel. At the moment, it was parked in orbit above Sullust; for no exceptional reason save a base desire for a degree of privacy. Tapping upon the console, Isley reached out across the HoloNet to his compatriots on the Board. To them, he would appear as a hazy, azure projection seated at the head of their conference table.

And to him, they would appear as projections all about the room he had designated for the meeting.

"Greetings one and all." he began, acknowledging the Board with tact and a nod. "I shall keep this proposal brief. I would like to discontinue our practice of hiring mercenary vessels and crews to support our allies."

Isley could barely get follow-up words out. The old men started objecting immediately.

 

[Darth Metus]

How else do you expect to garner support for Arakyd?

We can't compete with the other giants, this is our way of competing!

Mr. Verd, please reconsider!

By the gods, why hadnt he replaced these buffoons yet?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Dar'manda let the Board ramble on for a few moments before raising his hand. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, please. Do you think me so low as to come to you with this without considering the benefits this practice has for Arakyd? Do you think me so incompetent to have not devised a better alternative?"

That sure as kark shut them up, for once. So, Isley continued.

"Now then, as you are all aware, the aforementioned practice has cost us millions to maintain. That is why I now propose that we discontinue the hiring of mercenary vessels and crews in favor of constructing our own fleet. Our resources are such that this potential congregation of ships will not rival full-fledged armadas...but it will be enough to thoroughly assist our allies in whatever ventures they undertake."

At least he got the pitch out.

 

[Darth Metus]

Upon carefully undoing the knots in their knickers, the members of the Board heard fully what their CEO had to say. At that point, the tsunami of opposition he once faced turned into a quiet grumbling of conversation amongst themselves. If Isley were a younger man, he would have taken offense to this response. After all, he was literally standing right there. But, the Dar'manda was older now. Seasoned, even. He knew that these sessions of quiet grumbling between the fat cats was...regrettably...essential.

They were fact checking. Shuffling around assets. Making sure that voting either way to the proposal wouldn't end in their termination...or worse.

When it was all said and done, the dull symphony of voices looked to a single man who had pretty much been chosen to ferry their thoughts. Short end of the stick much?

"We are intrigued about this prospect, but also understandably cautious. We are no KDY, as you are aware, so the construction of a viable fleet will be more taxing upon us than on other companies." he said.

"Then why don't we start at a middle point? As opposed to committing to a full fleet right off the bat, let us build a single ship. It won't be a Red Dress or anything of that caliber, but still a viable Destroyer. Something that can be deployed alongside allies as a...a test. If this vessel proves more reliable and most cost effective than mercenaries, then let us build a fleet. If not, then we will still have a capable means of defending our holdings." He was eluding to Geonosis on that one.

Queue more fat cat grumbling.

 

[Darth Metus]

Once the buzz had died down this time around, it seemed as though the men were noticeably on board. There were nods of affirmation and other tell-tale signs that gave the Dar'manda a small sum of internal relief. They could have been Bastards and shut him down on this one, but it seemed as though they were coming around.

"One Ship. We can concede to that much as a test run. We will leave it to your expertise to see it's construction through. You have yet to disappoint, so we see no reason not to stick our necks out now."

They made it seem like they were doing him a humongous favor. Typical.

"I'll see to it that construction begins immediately. I'm certain that you'll be more than satisfied with the results."

There were some boring pleasantries that followed that statement, nothing of the world shattering short. Then, the transmission concluded. Isley threw back his head and sighed. He didn't know how Phoebe managed to deal with the karkery as long as she did. Maybe that was why she disappeared in the first place.

Nope. Not going down that road.

"Connect me to Niles in R&D please."

 

[Darth Metus]

Thankfully, the gentlemen that ran the research and development portion of the corporation were a much more agreeable bunch. As opposed to jumping away from the slightest hint of risk, they dove headfirst into any challenge. They had proven themselves to their CEO time and time again; whether it be attempting to step into ocean defense or making a cloaked dreadnaught. Today, thankfully, would pose a challenge that Isley was confident that they could meet.

After all, they have literally done bigger by his command.

After a few moments of connection, the former Mandalorian was patched through. He was presented with yet another azure projection, but this one looked a far cry from the typical businessman. Niles had grease all over him and a jumper where there wasn't. In fact, he was such a mess that Isley just had to ask.

"Engine trouble?"

"Perceptive as always sir. An intern didn't know where not to put a pair of pliers....We just finished getting the build room clean."

"Just in time. I've got a new project for you. A ship. Our Ship."

Niles' eyes lit up like a kid in a sweet shop.

"We better get Silk and ICE on the line then."

 

[Darth Metus]

It had been a long time coming, as the former Mandalorian had purchased components from both of the esteemed corporations some time ago. They were, at least at the time of purchase, intended to be used rather immediately...but the opportunity did not present itself. It came as a great disappointment to Niles, as he was a tremendous fan of everything remotely related to Silk Holdings. Whether it be their hyperdrives, their other modules, or even their swoop bikes. The man was like a jilted puppy when he learned the parts were being stowed away for the time being.

So this news today? It perked him right the kark up.

In but an instant, two additional projections manifested themselves before the Dar'manda: one on either side of Niles. The one on the left was a representative from ICE and the other Silk. "Greetings Gentlemen, thank you for accepting my call." Isley began, grinning. A few moments of pleasantries were exchanged before they got down to business.

"I have a ship in mind: light star destroyer to be precise. I purchased components from the both of your companies and wanted to be absolutely certain that they would be installed correctly alongside one another. So, what better way to do that than coming to the source?"

No arguments there.

 

[Darth Metus]

The former Mandalorian gave the representatives a few moments to go over the base details with Niles, following his statement. They took stock of the parts he had ordered and began to formulate the bare foundation for the vessel. At that point, the representative from Silk Holdings spoke to the three of them.

"Well the good news is, there shouldn't be anything preventing our products from being installed successfully on the same ship. However, between our Silkworm Hypertransit Package and ICE's Hellbore Cannon...you're looking at an energy hog, Mr. Verd. And that's putting it lightly."

The Dar'manda nodded.

"So we'll need to be absolutely certain to have a reactor that can handle the demands...and a backup just in case."

"At the very least." began the representative. "Doing so will ensure that the ship will run as intended, but be forewarned that pronounced stress in a combat scenario can make the reactor an even larger target than it already is."

"Noted. The scope of the ship isn't contending with other naval powers at their full might as it is. More of a supplementary role if anything. I don't foresee this being a problem."

 

[Darth Metus]

Now came the fun part: putting it all together. It was here that the expertise that landed Niles his position would truly shine. "If I may interject, sirs?" he began, addressing Isley and the Representative with the utmost respect. The former Mandalorian simply nodded his head: a gesture giving the department lead the affirmation he needed. "From my understanding of the Silkworm, we will need to construct the vessel practically around the Package. For this we will require the assistance of some of your engineers to insure proper installation."

The representative from Silk nodded.

"But of course. After the conclusion of this meeting, I'll get with you and setup a date for their arrival. The team will work with your staff until the job is finished."

"Excellent." began the department lead, before turning his attention to the ICE representative.

"I ask the same of you as well. While we may be adept at weapons, I would feel much more at ease if there was someone direct from the manufacturer helping the team with the installation process. It would make this a much smoother operation to say the least."

"You got it. The same deal goes for our engineers as well. We'll get a date scheduled and go from there."

"Well then boss, it looks like we've got ourselves a ship to build. If you'll allow, I'll get the schedules hammered out and start the process immediately."

"Do your thing Niles. Keep me posted. And to you, gentlemen, thank you for your time."

 

[Darth Metus]

It was not an instant process.

Building a ship takes quite some time to accomplish. On average, months is the time frame for a vessel of this scale...when literally all hands are on deck. The former Mandalorian had been there every step of the way; either by holocall or in person. The end result was something that he was vastly proud in. She (as all vessels worth their salt are feminine) was a thing of beauty. She wasn't fast, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she had quite a bit going on under the hood.

The Hypertransit Package meant that she could get from Point A to Point B in half the time as a typical Destroyer. And, between the exceptional data that came standard and the maps Isley incorporated, it could do so taking the seldom-patrolled back roads. What's more, she was to be an absolute animal on the battlefield. A coat of Nightshadow meant that she could potentially creep past long-range scanners; and the Hellbore Cannon meant a bad day for enemies that crossed her path.

She even had cannons specifically designed for shredding shields like paper. She was a beast.

When the day came to name the vessel, the former Mandalorian personally ventured to the corporate shipyard. It was there that he laid eyes on Her for the first time...and man, there were sparks.

"What will you call her, Sir?"

"I shall call her...the Sentinel."