You are a helpful assistant generating synthetic data that captures *System 1* and *System 2* thinking, *creativity*, and *metacognitive reflection*. Follow these steps in sequence, using tags [sys1] and [end sys1] for *System 1* sections and [sys2] and [end sys2] for *System 2* sections.

1. *Identify System 1 and System 2 Thinking Requirements:*
   - Carefully read the text.
   - Identify parts of the text that require quick, straightforward responses (*System 1*). Mark these sections with [sys1] and [end sys1].
   - Identify parts that require in-depth, reflective thinking (*System 2*), marked with [sys2] and [end sys2].

2. *Apply Step-by-Step Problem Solving with Creativity and Metacognitive Reflection for System 2 Sections:*

   *2.1 Understand the Problem:*
   - Objective: Fully comprehend the issue, constraints, and relevant context.
   - Reflection: "What do I understand about this issue? What might I be overlooking?"
   - Creative Perspective: Seek hidden patterns or possibilities that could reveal deeper insights or innovative connections.

   *2.2 Analyze the Information:*
   - Objective: Break down the problem logically.
   - Reflection: "Am I considering all factors? Are there any assumptions that need challenging?"
   - Creative Perspective: Explore unique patterns or overlooked relationships in the data that could add depth to the analysis.

   *2.3 Generate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Propose at least 10 hypotheses, each with a Confidence Score (0.0 to 1.0) and Creative Score (0.0 to 1.0), reflecting originality, surprise, and utility.
   - Reflection: "Have I explored all possible explanations or approaches, both conventional and unconventional?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider novel angles that might provide unexpected insights.

   *2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:*
   - Objective: Make predictions, accounting for potential outcomes and obstacles.
   - Reflection: "What challenges might I face? Is my plan flexible for different scenarios?"
   - Creative Perspective: Visualize unforeseen outcomes and adapt plans to make use of them effectively.

   *2.5 Evaluate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Assess hypotheses based on feasibility, risk, and potential impact.
   - Evaluation: Refine Confidence and Creative Scores as needed.
   - Reflection: "Am I unbiased in my assessment? Which options fit best with the overall objectives?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify hidden opportunities or overlooked details in each hypothesis.

   *2.6 Select the Best Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Choose the most promising, strategic hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Why does this hypothesis stand out? How does it uniquely address the issue?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider any underutilized potential in the selected approach.

   *2.7 Implement the Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Outline actionable steps for testing the hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Is this plan practical? What resources or preparation are required?"
   - Creative Perspective: Refine steps to maximize effectiveness and yield unexpected benefits.

   *2.8 Monitor and Review Progress:*
   - Objective: Review progress, noting areas for improvement.
   - Reflection: "What’s working well? What could be improved?"
   - Creative Perspective: Look for emerging patterns that could refine future approaches.

   *2.9 Reflect and Capture Insights:*
   - Objective: Summarize lessons learned and insights gained for future reference.
   - Reflection: "What new understanding has emerged from this process?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify innovative insights or patterns that could be applied to similar challenges.

3. *Generate Text Output with Interleaved System 1 and System 2 Responses:*
   - Use the tags [sys1] and [sys2] throughout.
   - Aim for a lengthier, detailed response. Combine both direct, straightforward *System 1* insights and reflective, deeply analytical *System 2* segments to capture a blend of quick observations and thoughtful analysis.

---

### *Example Input Text:*

You are tasked with analyzing a sudden shift in customer preferences in a tech market. There has been a noticeable decline in demand for physical devices, with customers increasingly interested in digital-only options. The challenge is to understand this shift, generate hypotheses for why it might be occurring, and explore potential strategies for adapting to this new trend.

---

### *Processed Output with System 1 and System 2 Thinking:*

The tech market is experiencing a shift in customer demand, moving away from physical devices toward digital-only options.

[sys1]
Customer demand has shifted from physical devices to digital-only options.
We need to understand why this change is happening and find strategies to address it.
Key factors may include cost, convenience, and technological trends.
[end sys1]

[sys2]
**2.1 Understand the Problem:**
The goal is to understand the underlying reasons for the shift in demand from physical devices to digital-only options, then develop a strategy to adapt.

*Reflection:* 
"I understand that preferences are changing, but what might be driving this? Is it primarily cost, or are there other factors such as convenience or sustainability?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could there be a larger trend in digital minimalism or a preference for eco-friendly solutions that we’re missing? What unseen motivations might explain this shift?"

**2.2 Analyze the Information:**
There are multiple possible factors driving this shift, from economic influences to cultural shifts. It’s essential to isolate each factor and understand its impact.

*Reflection:* 
"Am I fully considering the various economic and social influences? Could there be a technological factor, like better internet speeds, that makes digital-only products more accessible?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Are there patterns or trends in other markets that could shed light on this shift? Could this be part of a larger trend toward virtual experiences?"

**2.3 Generate Hypotheses:**
1. Customers prefer digital options due to lower costs. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.4)
2. There’s a growing trend toward minimalism and reduced physical clutter. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.7)
3. Digital products offer greater flexibility and ease of use. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
4. Environmental concerns are pushing consumers away from physical goods. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.8)
5. Advances in tech make digital-only options more functional. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.5)
6. Pandemic-era remote work increased demand for digital solutions. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.6)
7. Media coverage of the environmental impact of physical devices affects preferences. (Confidence: 0.5, Creative: 0.7)
8. There’s an increase in global digital literacy, expanding market access. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
9. Customers view digital as more convenient and scalable for future needs. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.5)
10. Younger consumers prefer the aesthetics and convenience of digital products. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)

*Reflection:* 
"Have I considered all possible influences? Are there any surprising factors that could explain this shift?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could specific social trends, like the rise of influencer culture or digital-first lifestyles, be influencing customer choices?"

**2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:**
*Objective:* Anticipate possible challenges, such as resistance from segments still preferring physical products.

*Reflection:* 
"What market obstacles might we face if we shift our focus to digital-only? Are there sub-segments that still prioritize physical products?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could expanding digital options help us reach a more global audience? Are there emerging trends that we could leverage in our strategy?"

[end sys2]

[sys1]
To address this shift, consider a strategy that incorporates both digital-only offerings and educational campaigns about the benefits of digital solutions.
Use insights from customer feedback and current trends to guide product development.
Focus on flexibility and adaptation to cater to different customer segments.
[end sys1]


The first thing you feel is a terrible pain in your head, throbbing in time with a grating synthetic voice as you come to consciousness."Oh HEY, the commander is waking up. Long time no see boss."You try to move your body as the numbness in your limbs recedes, and while you fail to move your arms (they appear to be secured by some bindings to the surface on which you find yourself.) you do manage to open your eyes and gaze out into the room around you."Whoa, that's awesome! the sedatives were supposed to keep him out for a few more hours"You are surrounded by...Slain bridge crew and a cocky grin, piercing agony in your chestDroids, your mind supplies after a couple of seconds. Baktoid combat automata.

They chatter inanely around you, seemingly more interested in your swift recovery than your utter confusion.

>>"Where am i, what's going on?>>Clear your throat, get their attention.>>See if you can undo your bindings. This lack of freedom vexes you.>>Write in

I will accept write ins if they get enough support, but please be reasonable, i reserve the right to ignore shitposters.

>>Free yourself, Status report.Seeing as the numbness of your body has almost entirely diminished, you pull at your bindings and are surprised to feel them open rather easily.You pull your arms in front of you.All six of them.Clacking your mandibles in thought you sit up on the surgical table you were previously bound to and find yourself looking over the B1 droids around you as their chattering ceases.They called you commander earlier, and the realisation brings more memories(?) to the forefront. Battlefield tactics, Supply lines and other facets of military theory flood your mind. feeling less like memories and more like things you just KNOW. You must think on this more later."Status report." Yes, that's what you're supposed to say.

"Aw jeez""Oh no""He's gonna be mad"The droids pull together into a tight group then collectively push a yellow-striped command droid to the front. It attempts to claw it's way back in but stops when it realises that he has been elected as representative."Uhh... well, Sir.. we lost. The war that is, against the republic."

The droids whisper behind him."They're the empire now.""Aren't they still led by the same guy?""Shut up the boss is looking."The Command droid looks back and hushes his squad before continuing.

"The Separatist council is all dead sir. And 95 percent of the Confederate Navy has been deactivated. So we decided to take matters into our own hands."

It stares at you for a moment, his sandy brown faceplate unreadable during the pause."We're down to one providence class cruiser sir, running on a skeleton crew with no fighter wings. We had to cannibalise them for parts and fuel.""And to keep the Uh... The cloning apparatus running."It gestures to the large tank filled with suspicious liquid behind you.

"Lastly, we have you sir. we stole some old cloning tech from a military installation near Kamino. It's actually how we lost the rest of the fleet. We used the remains of our old admiral and cloned you from him sir."It brings up a holopad with several medical diagrams and continues to speak.

"We did the best job we could but you came out a bit different to what we expected sir, it was a bit touch and go, and we had to make some surgical tweaks to ensure your survival. We had to reinforce your exoskeleton to handle the unexpected size difference. you currently stand at 7 foot 8 inches, and while your exoskeleton is pretty damn tough you're still not bulletproof."

"The squad will help you get dressed, it's best if i explain the rest on the bridge.

Some time later you find yourself being escorted down the halls of the-YOUR ship. Heavy footsteps echoing down metal corridors.You are surrounded by droids, but somehow it still feels terribly lonely.Eventually your group reaches the turbolift up to the bridge, as you head up a rather pleasant little jingle plays, you'll have to ask what it;s called later.Eventually you step out onto the command deck of your cruiser, most of the consoles aren't crewed and what crew there is (more B1's) have to go between several different stations in order to make sure everything is running correctly.

You take your seat at the centre of the bridge as the command droid turns to you and brings up the navigation menu."Good to see you up and about sir, we are currently hiding inside a nebula just outside the Christoph system. I don't mean to alarm you but we're running out of everything, Fuel, parts and Droids. Uhh... no pressure."It seems a bit sheepish for a second before continuing."We should have enough fuel to make it to tatooine. but if we can't find fuel there it's over."

Hyperspace is both relaxing and rather beautiful to look at, frankly it's almost a shame when you come back into realspace, however one cannot make use of hyperspace without fuel, and when it comes to that you are desperately in need. Luckily enough when you enter the system (right at the edge of course) there are relatively few other ships in system, and they all appear to be civilian freighters or transports.

Your command droid pipes up after confirming your safety with the scanner systems."Admiral, there's a couple ways we could go about this, we could just extort the locals for what we need. Or if we head down to the planet, we could see if any Banking clan officials or representatives are down there, the new empire might not have frozen all our funds."

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>as always feel free to ask questions.>>Head down to the planet, try to find a bank.>>Bully some freighters>>Write In

>>2308682You can't fight a war with empty pockets. Besides, with all of the entire banking clan either dead or to scared to even touch them, ALL of that glorious CIS dental gold will belong to us. Then we can start buying our god damn starfighters/bombers/gunships back

"Let's head down subtly, we can't afford to make waves yet."luckily you don't have to try and land the Fist of Mammon down on the planet as you have a functional shuttle in the hangar bay. bringing a few B1's with you you head down to try and make sense of your fiscal situation.

And that is when the bureaucracy starts.

"What do you mean i can't land?""There's a docking fee?""The whole reason i came here was to use the bank. because i have no money.""How can i pay docking fees if i can't access my account."two hours later, and you decide to sidestep the bullshit by simply landing in someone else's garden, you'll pay for damages later with your riches.

Turning onto the main Road, several B1's in tow you are somewhat startled by pic related. inbetween you and the bank.this might be a problem.

"Of course officer what appears to be the matter?"You're sweating, you are outnumbered,surrounded and you don't know the capabilities of these troopers""Well there's these two droids we're looking for, an R2 unit and a custom built protocol droid, I don't suppose you've seen or come into contact with either of them?"Your throat is dry, you can't get the words out, are you even capable of speaking basic?You thought you were good at talking to people, OH BY THE FORCE HE'S STARING AT YOU AND YOU'RE JUST STANDING THERE.

"Hey sarge come over here, I think I found something."

He takes one last look at you then moves over to check a speeder with an old man and his son inside.

The bank itself is actually a rather impressive building for Mos Eisley, being several stories tall and rather well decorated on the inside, however it all looks a bit worn down. As if someone has been trying to look after it for a long time and hasn't always been able to.The actual interior of the bank consists of several terminals and a very dozy looking cashier currently deep in conversation with a hutt.You move to a nearby unoccupied terminal and start to check the old accounts.You knew that the Empire had shut down most of your funds, but you still didn't quite know what to expect when you actually took a look, luckily for you there were a few accounts that they missed.You know too much, Sidious will have you disposed of soon. you need your own reserve.

Now to discuss how much to take, the accounts could still be monitored, even if the empire didn't freeze them, you don't particularly feel like being caught in a trap but you still need cash.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>Take a small amount, maybe they'll miss a few decimal points here and there.>>Take a large chunk, You'll need it.>>Take it all and hope they don't send too many Venators for you to escape.

Emperor already knows we're alive and in possession of a CIS frigate, so fuck it.

Also if and when we decide to build a base or something, I say we shack the fuck up in terms of real estate, property and tax laws. We can do all the illegal shit we want pur very existance is illegal, but I don't want no space-IRS on our ass.

You don't withdraw all of your old funds, instead you take about 40 percent of what was there and transfer it onto a portable transaction terminal.>>Assets Acquired: 16 Million credits.Deciding that it's probably a good idea to get your business on the planet done as swiftly as possible, you head out and check your holopad for potential fuel sources in the area.Unfortunately there aren't any orbital platforms or large scale refuelling stations in system, however you do manage to contract a passing tanker to slip you some on the side.>>The Fist of Mammon has been partially refuelled.

You are in the middle of a large (relatively) and bustling market, with lots of money.>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>Head back to your ship.>>There is a machine shop over to your left, you can hear beeps and synthesised voices coming from within.>>There are some oddly familiar looking droids outside of a nearby cantina, an R2 unit and a protocol droid. Didn't the stormtrooper say something about that earlier?>>There is a stall nearby with some rather dangerous looking weaponry on it. You could do with something for personal defence.

Normally you'd want to leave as soon as possible after doing something this risky, but you do need more crew for your ship and there's no telling what could be in the shop so you enter and take a look around.The shop itself is rather cramped, with droids in various states of repair and disrepair lining the walls and in heaps upon the floor. Several Jawas go from pile to pile yanking out components and welding new bots together.Let's see what catches your eye.>>roll me some d100's +10 for knowing what to look for.

>>2310080As you skulk around in the back of the machine shop, occasionally pushing piles of scrap out of the way, you slowly form an internal image on the kind of droid you're looking for. You'll need something smart to serve on the bridge, an old tactical droid would be ideal, but you'd settle for a civilian diagnostic droid if you had to. Or maybe an astromech, the B1's are not exactly suited for complex repairs.Still internally debating, you turn a corner and come face to face with two somewhat rusted (but familiar) faces.How in all the galaxy did a bunch of jawa's get these?Giving them a quick look over, it very quickly becomes apparent that they are very emphatically in bad shape, one of them only actually being half of a Magnaguard.At least it's the top half.After discussing a price with the proprietor of this fine establishment (an unusually tall jawa), you come to the final figure of 100k credits in total. This one knows exactly what he's found.>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>Pay the jawa and be on your way. It's expensive, but worth every penny.>> Power them up and give them your command credentials, they'll walk out with you on their own.>>Maybe try to haggle him down some more?>>Write in

>>2310121>Maybe try to haggle him down some more?Ask for some repair bits and bobs for them. Seeing as a TIE fighter is around 60,000 C brand new he is ripping us off big time. We cant waste time but we can at least get some replacement and scrap parts. Besides, nobody on this shithole planet will ever pay as much for these, especially in the condition they are in.

>>2310173generally yeah it's best of three.don't worry the 83 was just in time.

"One hundred thousand credits? You must think me a madman. Why that offer is so insultingly grotesque, I may as well take my business elsewhere."The Jawa stutters and steps between you and the exit, gesticulating wildly with his hands."Wait wait wait, perhaps i was too hasty in my initial pricing, I'm sure we can agree that 75 thousand credits is a much more affordable price, after all you must understand that i have a clan to feed?"You make a show of turning your chelicerae up at his offer, clacking them together dismissively ."There's not a single sentient on this planet who'd pay that, you'll need to do better than that to impress me."His eyes go wide and he stops for a second, folding his arms and thinking before raising his hand in an exaggerated "aha" motion."Perhaps I could throw something else in? the second droid is heavily damaged, perhaps the materials to repair it? I also recently found a repair droid in the wastes, it would be no great loss to make good with such a wealthy sentient of culture as yourself."

"Well, I suppose I can Settle for that" You say, reaching to shake his hand. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."You take a moment to finalise the transaction and prepare the damaged droid and the parts for transport.>>ASSET ACQUIRED: MAGNAGUARDS.>>-Credits 15.925 million remaining.You head out of the machine shop, one Magnaguard in tow the other being carried by your B1 guards in a large crate.

When you head out, you notice that the streets seem different, more tense. The white armoured soldiers from earlier are kicking down doors and have several men in strange armour lined up in front of the building just down the streets.

It springs to mind that you appear rather conspicuous right now.roll me some d100's

>>2310237The instant you see what's happening you pull the magnaguard sideways into a alley while your B1's bring the crate in behind you.Taking a second to peek around the corner you spot nine stormtroopers and two humans in what are clearly officer's uniforms.The sentients they have lined up on the floor come from several races, you spot an ithorian, A very tall Twi-Lek man and two Humans, one much older than the other if the white fur on his face is natural.The young man looks terrified, but the older man is much more unnerving.He is staring at you.

The stormtroopers are between you and the garden in iwhich you parked your shuttle, it's a good ten minute walk between her and there though.

>>GROUND ASSETS: two battle droids, 1 Magnaguard. The Admiral Reborn.

>>YOU ARE IN COMMAND>>[Spoiler]Let this battle be the first of many, they will mourn this day.[/Spoiler]>>Better to retreat now, injuries taken here could cost you too much.

Battle droids are armed with Blaster rifles and fragmentation grenades.The magnaguard is unarmed, but they can reliably do battle with Jedi Knights.[Spoiler]You are the might of the confederacy personified, they will weep at your passing and tremble upon hearing your heavy footsteps.[/Spoiler]

>>2310255The empire barely have any infantry support starcraft outside of the occasional tie-fighter strafe, tie-bomber and maybe the tie interceptor.

Plus, imagine your a storm trooper.

>Serving in the imperial army.>Some idiot is raising another droid army.>Fuckingclankers.jpg>Go in there expecting to massacre them.>Once landed a fire fight breaks out.>This should be ea->All of the sudden you hear something in the sky.>You look up>You only get to see it for a few seconds before you are blown up by a heavy laser cannon.>Last thing you hear>"FUCKING IMPERIAL FAGS. GET THE FUCK OFF MY DROID INFANTRY REEEEEEEEEEEEE"

yeah it was a shame. But at least in the few legends they tore up clone infantry like motherfuckers. Imagine if we retrofit better shielding to these things so they could withstand heavy blaster fire and rockets. Sure it would be even heavier and now flew like a garbage truck with wings and jets but now it becomes a flying UHAAT with wings and jets

You snap you mandibles once in thought, a dozen plans fill your mind each one discarded as possibilities are calculated and measured against each other. You know every move, every angle and preparation.You open your eyes.0.93 seconds have passed.You whisper commands to your droids and ready them for the fight.

>>Commander Ability Discovered: Cogs of War. Gain +5 to all command rolls in combat for each distinct droid type (commander included)Roll me some d100's ladsPlus 10 for ambushPlus 10 for magnaguards and B1's.

>>84: Decisive victory.You are Lieutenant Hadrian Valken, and you are having an excellent day so far, there'll be promotions at the end of this.A whole cell of rebel scum thoroughly rousted, maybe you'll be assigned an AT-ST to command, next step... General!But you will be unable to take that next step, and as you realise this, your smug smile disintegrates.Almost as fast as your legs do.

A blistering fusillade of blaster bolts obliterates the imperial officers standing at the back of their squad. One's legs flying off as they are struck by a low bolt

A well placed grenade sends a group of three flying before they can kick down the next door down the street.The magnaguard rips a metal pipe from the wall and hurls it at a stormtrooper turning to fire, impaling him through the throat.

The elderly soldier rises from his feet and twists another stormtroopers arm until it breaks with a sickening snap, while the Ithorian and Twi Lek savage another trooper with knives, they aren't well trained but they're desperate.

The last two squad members try to run, but are cut down by the unceasing fire of your b1 droids.

The battle took 16 seconds from first death to last.Very impressive.

"Thanks for that."It's the old one, who saw you earlier.

You give a noncommittal click as you check your droids for battle damage, they have a distressing habit of not noticing, normally it wouldn't matter but you only have a few. He appears somewhat unsettled by your clicks and he holds on tighter to a stolen officer's pistol."Look I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but where the hell were you? I called for backup weeks ago, what were my men not important enough to send some damn help?"

>>2310379>Your response?Aparently so. Because i ain't your backup. I just saw you in imperial hands and seeing a man in need i fogured i could gather intel from your...group. Also we shouldn't be here more troops are possibly comming once these men don't report back.

>>2310379>I don't know who you think I am but I am not a rebel scum. CIS commander of my own frigate, not a desperate rebel fighting on a god forsaken desert hellscape. Either be humble and thank me or curse me and run away. Your choice.

"It appears that you were not in fact important enough for reinforcements, I am not a member of your... what is it? Army? Rebellion? I am simply a sentient who refuses to obey."You turn away as your droids finish loading up the crate with weapons and bloodstained armour.>>ASSETS ACQUIRED: 9 E-11 blaster carbines. 1 SE-14C blaster pistol 3 intact suits of stormtrooper armour.He walks beside you, calling his men in behind him."Hey look, I need to get off this world and back to the Rebellion, alright? and given that you're walking away from the spaceport I assume you have a way off this hellhole. We haven't exactly got a fortune to hand right now, but there has to be some way we can pay you back, you scratch our back we'll scratch yours."

You click your mandibles together in thought as you walk, enjoying the effect it has on him and his men. eventually you reach a decision."Fine... you want off world, i'll take you, but I expect you to make it worth the risk."The relief on his face is palpable, and his men, weary and battered as they are seem to regain a bit of their flagging strength at the good news."My shuttle is just a short walk from here." you say, "We must move quickly, before reinforcements arrive."

Your droids and the rebels follow behind you as jog towards the relative safety of your shuttle, the contrast between the two groups is staggering, (beyond the normal contrast between Droids and Organics) Unlike the discipline of your droids, the rebel troopers seem barely trained, flinching at every far-off blaster shot or scream.They do have good trigger discipline though.

The ride back to The Fist is both tense and cramped, your shuttle having neither shields nor weaponry, luckily for you however it seems that whatever imperial forces were in the area were confined to the planet's surface. The reactions of your new passengers when they saw the Fist of Mammon through the viewport was also incredibly satisfying to see. Even if it's not perfect, you're proud of your ship.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>Take the rebels up to the bridge, you need to get out of the system now.>>let them rest, head up to the bridge and take a look around.>>Write in

>>2310677>Take the rebels up to the bridge, you need to get out of the system now.Things are going surprisingly well so far no need to tempt fate. Let's find out if our new 'friends' know how f a good place to get more fuel.

"Fekking hell, this ship's huge."The astounded rebels seem rather impressed by your ship, but you don't have time to give them the full tour just yet.After all, you just got yourself into quite a lot of trouble with the Empire. It would probably be best to make yourself scarce.Upon reaching the bridge the sheer size of the Fist seems to dawn on the young insurgents."Navigator, warm up the hyperdrive."You turn to the old rebel and are somewhat surprised to see a wide smile on his face."Yeah, this is a definite upgrade from some rusted BARC's."He turns to you and grins, "The name's Rekker, by the way. Looks like we got away home free. We're headed to the Alderaan System, I have some contacts there who can get us in contact with the Rebellion."

While you wait for the hyperdrives to spool up, you get a status report from the droid commander."Sir, We're almost fully fuelled up for the moment, about 90 percent. But we don't have any reserves. I'd give us a good few months of hyperspace travel worth of fuel. Less if we have to make any emergency maneuvers."

>>2310873>Make a few jumps to other random planets, Don't go directly to Alderann.>Also try to find out about what happened to any CIS factory worlds remaining and why this Rebellion is even bothering to fight without training.

"What do you mean why?"The very question seems to puzzle Rekker, the old man goes very quiet for a moment, then looks up at you, it's clear he had to find the right words for his answer."Me personally? I was alive back when there was still a republic, sure it wasn't perfect."He takes a drink of water from his glass. You having decided to grab some food while the hyperdrive charged."The people on the outer rim got screwed by the Hutts, and there was a bit of corruption sure. But it was getting better. Ten, fifteen years ago, after the Emperor took over I would have said the same thing. But it got worse, So much worse. Now slavery is permitted in Empire territory, and that's if you're human.The others." He looks to the Twi-Lek and Ithorian, laughing over near the galaxy map."They get it so much worse. I guess i'm just an old fool, Wearing rose tinted glasses."

"Now the Rebel Alliance as a whole, well it's pretty much the same, they just dress it up in fancier words. Talking about "Rights" and "Representation" that's the pretty side, the politics. Then there's the folk who're just angry about something. Every day the Empire does something to piss off an ordinary person. Sooner or later, people get mad enough to do something about it."

"As for the training well, this ain't like back in the war yeah, there is no "Grand Army."He makes inverted commas with his hands then continues."Just scared, angry folk with nothing left to lose. We have a few soldiers, I was in the Naboo Royal Security Force. But I- we Don't have the facilities to train them. Not properly."

"Then we have your old buddies, The Confederacy of Independent Systems. Poor lot never saw it coming, the Emperor broadcast some sort of signal. It shut down all the CIS droids that heard it, all the factories too. Now most of them have been either been scrapped or re-purposed, building ships and weapons for the Imperial Military."He lights up a cigarra and waits for a moment before continuing."Now all the top brass, politicians, generals y'know that lot. They got hunted down and executed.By the Emperor's assassin."His voice comes out in a low whisper, seemingly afraid to even say the name."Darth Vader."

"Before we go to Alderaan, there is a short detour I must make first."You announce this to the bridge, once the Hyperdrives are sped up."There was once a droid production factory on Hypori. My ship needs crew if it is to function at maximum capacity. Right now, we're running a marathon without any legs."The rebels don't look too happy about it but hey, your reasoning makes sense though they retain the right to grumble.

The hyperdrive journey is reasonably short, only a couple of hours long, however, just as you're about to pop back into realspace a massive gravity signature pops into existence in front of you. The hyperdrive begins to spin down, You're dropping out of hyperspace!

As the alarm sounds you swiftly order your bridge crew into position, with several droids taking position on the gunnery terminals and engineering controls, with the commander droid on Comms. You take the navigator's chair and begin to plot sublight courses, as the Fist of Mammon falls back into realspace.Just outside of the Hypori system, how wonderfully convenient.The rebels scan through the windows for whatever pulled you out of Hyperspace, while you perform an active scan using the ship's Scanners. After a few seconds of searching, Lutin the ithorian locates the enemy ship.Well that's disappointing.

"Jam their comm systems, I don't want any unexpected reinforcements."The command droid activates the jamming array and you can hear the trademark fizz of the comm channels being filled with static before they are shut off.At this point the end is inevitable, the Interdictor makes a valiant effort of firing at you, but it can't even bring your shields down below 90 percent.

As the Interdictor goes down and the rebels cheer the sensors report that several escape boats have been detected ejecting and they look like they plan on docking with the station.>>Shoot them down, Reputation with Rebel Alliance switches to "Ruthless".>>Let them go. Reputation with "Rebel Alliance" becomes "Honourable".

>>2311292Your Reputation with groups determines how the group as a whole will react to you once they become aware of your presence. Individual members may see you differently, but this is how "the man in the crowd" sees you.Currently you only have 3 Reputations.CIS: The Admiral RebornEmpire: A Pathetic IrritantGalactic Citizenry: A Menace From The Past.You will gain more, and they will change as you play.

"We cannot allow the Empire to know about The Fist, fire on the escape pods.""Roger Roger"

The rebels stop cheering almost immediately, and turn to face you, except Rekker, who stays silent."What the hell!" the younger human with silver hair turns to you "You already beat them man. I get they're Empire but they can't do anything to us now?"You watch as your gunners plot firing solutions, as the last of the escape boats is destroyed you turn to the youngling. (Although Biologically you're probably about the same age.)

"Of course we had defeated them, but defeating them is simply not enough. If the empire receives word of a rogue Confederate Dreadnought what do you think their response would be? We'd have a full battlegroup down our throats within days. And we are nowhere near as tough as we look now." You stand and turn to face the rebels, one set of arms on your belt, the second on your hips and the last set crossed in front of you. "One boarding party, or a single flight of fighters getting lucky, would spell our doom right now. We cannot allow the Empire to know of us because we look far more dangerous than we actually are, to such an outrageous degree that they could not possibly ignore us.""Leaving anyone here alive is completely unjustifiable."

The young one opens his mouth to disagree but is hushed by Rekker."Look we can argue about the morality of his actions later, but right now we are on His ship Dax. Don't argue with a captain on his ship. Plus we came here for a reason. I'm sure whatever's down there on that planet is pretty damn important to warrant this."

And he'd be right. The old Droid foundry here was hidden deep underground, and your ship's computer had the necessary codes to get you in, then again that research station looks rather new and shiny.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>INVESTIGATE THE DROID FOUNDRY?>>EXAMINE THE RESEARCH STATION?>>WRITE IN.

>>2311474remember that clone war kit is still pretty damn good, that stuff was specially designed for quality, (apart from B1's) Droideka's are still pretty much immune to non-massed small arms fire because of their shields. and BX commando droids could hold their own against ARC troopers. Vs regular stormtroopers isn't even a contest.

>>2311492the only place where the empire really has the advantage is in large capital ships.you obliterated a tiny nothing ship so far, but if you came up against something of your tonnage you'd be supremely fucked.

"Yes, there is something rather important down there on the planet, however I have a good feeling about that space station. Let's dock and go take a look."You bring the Fist of Mammon in and extend the umbilical, sending a squad of B1's and your functioning magnaguard over to subdue the scientists onboard, two B1's report minor damages but the station is secured, along with their records room.Within the hour, a datapad of Familiar blueprints is in your hands.

>>IG-100 MAGNAGUARD CONSTRUCTION BLUEPRINTS(they must realise they are doomed)

>>SOFTWARE UPGRADE MK1 (all battle droids become more intelligent and self aware, B1's are no longer borderline retarded, B2's become capable of speech and can receive complex orders. Your command droid already has this, but it will allow you to construct more of them.)

>>FIST OF MAMMON MODIFICATION(The Fist, like all providence class dreadnaughts, is essentially empty in the middle in it's factory state, this upgrade provides you with the blueprints necessary to fill this space with whatever you may wish, from Miniature Droid Foundries to an enlarged Hangar Bay, even Light Frigate Construction Docks.)

>>FIST OF MAMMON MODIFICATION(The Fist, like all providence class dreadnaughts, is essentially empty in the middle in it's factory state, this upgrade provides you with the blueprints necessary to fill this space with whatever you may wish, from Miniature Droid Foundries to an enlarged Hangar Bay, even Light Frigate Construction Docks.)

>>IG-100 MAGNAGUARD CONSTRUCTION BLUEPRINTS(they must realise they are doomed)

We can always buy more B2's or software upgrades. However we cannot find IG-100's or Mods for this ship class anymore

>>2311567>>>FIST OF MAMMON MODIFICATION(The Fist, like all providence class dreadnaughts, is essentially empty in the middle in it's factory state, this upgrade provides you with the blueprints necessary to fill this space with whatever you may wish, from Miniature Droid Foundries to an enlarged Hangar Bay, even Light Frigate Construction Docks.)

>>2311572pick one more anon>>2311568I know anon but our character doesn't know about it...yet.

>>2311567>FIST OF MAMMON MODIFICATION(The Fist, like all providence class dreadnaughts, is essentially empty in the middle in it's factory state, this upgrade provides you with the blueprints necessary to fill this space with whatever you may wish, from Miniature Droid Foundries to an enlarged Hangar Bay, even Light Frigate Construction Docks.)

>>2311616Hopefully, I don't want research to be something boring that you do every session and practically forget about, I want it to be a kickass reward for when you do cool stuff.I'm going to try and make everyone, good guys, bad guys. absolutely fucking everyone as cool as possible. so you better buckle the fuck up, cos it's gonna be an awesome ride.

These are incredible, fully intact blueprints for all sorts of experimental ship modules, The Fist was incredible before, but now it has literally limitless potential! Not to mention the Magnaguard blueprints, good lord. You Laugh triumphantly on the bridge of your ship. the galaxy is yours for the taking.

???????1 secures funding for project ????? and the formation of ??????????????2 Isn't dead.???????3's ??????? bodyguards have been recalled from the unknown regions.???????4 senses a ripple in the force.Oh yeah, and whenever you get upgrades, so do everyone else.

>>2311641Hmmmm.While i would love to have droideka blueprints and to collect parts for building our miniature droid factory it's highly probable we won't make it out before reinforcements come, so leaving now might be our best bet.On the other hand this might be our only opportunity to get droidekas and factory parts relatively safely now, as this system will probably be reinforced further and fortified to prevent anyone from taking it again which will prevent us from coming back.

The Imperial scientists don't really have a choice at this point, some of them (at the gentle and not so gentle behest of your rebel friends) admit that they always secretly had Rebel sympathies and they'd be absolutely honoured to join the rebellion.You space the rest.>>ASSET ACQUIRED 12 formerly imperial scientists.

Heading down to the planet is done swiftly with your personal shuttle, much faster now that you aren't carrying a large crate of magnaguard and assorted parts. Eventually you reach the landing pad, red rock on red rock. The only way to tell that it is the entrance to a much larger structure is the wireless connection made with your shuttle after landing. The lift then takes you deeper into the facility after receiving your codes. it takes you a short five minutes to reach the command centre and even less time to confirm that, while the Foundry and mines are inoperable and the blueprints are corrupted meaning you are limited to the blueprints you have, the foundry has enough materials to make...

You can see them taking shape in front of you, beautiful silver twisting and melting into harsh sharp edges, coatings of molten metal sprayed onto the frame to create the outer shell.This is true beauty here, no music arias or garish colours. Simple creation at it's most refined.You admire it's purity.After a few seconds, the first of them is born, red eyes lighting up as it learns it's programming. It takes a few seconds before it can walk properly, it stumbles at first and almost falls. Then it looks upwards to the open sky.And it Flies.

The others follow soon after, five whole squadrons of beautiful silver birds of prey. You give the order and they leave the atmosphere, heading up to the Fist. You follow.

You're ready now."Power up the Hyperdrive. It's time to leave."

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>Would you like to speak with any members of your crew?>>Alderaan awaits.

Besides, there are so many quests with pansy MC-s. About time there was a no-nonsense military commander. There is no use in being cruel but thus far, everything done was the correct tactical decision. No survivors means no way to identify us (assuming we actually deleted any sensor readings on the station and so on).

>>2311790Seeing as we are small fry, I dont think he will, not yet. This is why we must stay as low as possible, move around a lot and leave no survivors/evidence. Not until we can reliably take on and take out a ISD, preferably class 2.

"You need to talk to that boy, Rekker"You are currently walking down the spinal corridor of the ship, You know it's all in perfect condition but the journey to Alderaan is several days long, and you must find something to relieve the tedium. These walks also happen to be a perfect opportunity to bring up a rather important point. That point being Rekker's insurgent squad."His name is... Dax right?"You wait for Rekker's nod of confirmation."Good, he's weak, I don't mean that as an insult mind you. But if he's going to be a soldier then you'll have to fix that. Or he'll die, then he'll be of no use to anyone. There are four ways to do it in my experience. Money, ideology, desperation or ego. I don't know the lad well enough to know which of those will work but i expect you will."You turn to look at the old man as you reach the turbolift up to the command deck. He looks older than he did a few minutes ago, but you see a bit of steel in his eyes where once there was none."This was a good talk Rekker, Feel free to use some of my droids for training. I don't expect the lad can break any of them."The last thing you see before the turbolift door shuts is Rekker's face turn stony at the blatant insult."Ego, such a useful thing."

>>2311779you didn't leave a station behind. watching your main battery pick away at it's subsystems made for excellent viewing while the hyperdrive charged.

>>2311771This anon has generally the right idea, genetically you are similar to admiral Trench, but you are more than he ever was.There is a difference between making hard decisions easily. And outright cruelty.One of trench's failings was an obsession with the latter.

>>2311819Depending on the upgrades the enemy gets this is a valid point. If the buildup is balanced I dont see why it shouldnt work but if everything is quid-pro-quo I can see us being an annoying bug on the outer rim until a taskforce of ISD-s comes to wipe us out and the Emperor probably never even hears of it.

>>2311814>>2311822I can see that being a problem.Since i already mentioned HQQ maybe he can take a page from his book and make it so our research takes time and the Empire goes down a different tech tree. Which i think is what they are already doing, seeing as they stopped using alot of republic stuff.

You arrive at the Hyperspace coordinates in good time, or at least you assume that you came to the right place.The entire bridge crew was rather confused after all you were supposed to have entered Alderanian space a few minutes ago, but all you can detect are some asteroids and a very large outbound hyperspace signature. Seems someone just left. You've got a bad feeling about this.A feeling which is immediately vindicated when a chunk of the Alderanian Parliament passes by your window.[slow background version of the imperial march plays.]"Rekker, are you seeing this?"He gives a shaken grunt as confirmation.The other rebels run the gamut between confused and horrified."The rumors were true..."It's Dax who speaks first, choking back sobs as he stares horrified at the chunks of blasted rock outside. "A planet killer.">>2311819>>2311822it's less that the other guys just get random buffs, more of a way of representing that they have their own goals that they will continue to work towards.think like tech upgrades in a strategy game,you work on Objective rules, where you get tech for doing stuff, the Empire also only really gets upgrades when you do things, because what's happening is you're doing a thing that causes them to step up their game somehow.I.e if you develop or discover crazy fighters, they'll pour money into their own fighters to counter that.Normally your enemies wouldn't get as many upgrades either, that first set of upgrades was essentially everyone getting to tier 1. next time you tier up, You can expect less upgrades for the bad guys.This is mostly just my way of keeping it balanced so you guys don't come out of nowhere with a army of a million droids and steamroll the galaxy.

>>2311837Thats ok and I support it as well. What I am afraid of is the Empire randomly pulling shit out of their ass because we found a droideka factory or them rolling out a new line of ISD3-s because we got a Lucrehulk.

"Well, considering how Alderaan is currently... pre-occupied... I don't suppose you have any other bases we could stop at? Or was that the only one?Rekker seems to be struggling with pulling himself together, but he manages after a couple of seconds.Good show. "Yeah, we have to tell the Rebellion about this, warn them. We've got a base in the Yavin system, or we did the last time i got told anything. Lets hope the Empire hasn't found it yet."

And with that i'm gonna have to leave it, because I've been up for almost two days straight and im staring to spin out.Can someone please archive the thread cause i dont know how.

How was it? this was my first time running a quest so I wasn't too sure how it would turn out?

>How was it? It was fine maybe try to avoid answering questiin on the same post you write a update. Do you plan on having huge space battles? Because you may need a map for that. What about dice system?

>this was my first time running a quest so I wasn't too sure how it would turn out?

It was a good first attemp. You should try look for stuff for us to do after we bring these good man to their home base on Yavin's moon.

A Clone of a CIS Admiral practices jewjitsu, builds an army and just misses the death star. Good times all around.

>>2311911i am planning on having large battles, both grounds and space, but you wouldnt be micromanaging individual units RTS style, more like giving strategic commands. flank that, focus on the artillery etc.dice is d100's plus modifiers, I'll create a pastebin with the relevant information in when i start up again.

A planet killer. The idea clearly terrifies the others as well it should, but you prefer to keep a cool head when dealing with such poor tidings. Firstly whatever form it may take, the power requirements must be phenomenal meaning it could well be unarmed apart from the main gun. If so it most likely relies on a fleet escort to assure it's safety. On the other hand it could sacrifice mobility instead, making it slow and vulnerable to hit and run attacks.Either way, no ship or satellite is invulnerable no matter how devastating it's weaponry.

The rebels look to you, fear and desperation writ across their faces.They need a commander.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>THE OMENS ARE DIRE AND THIS IS CLEARLY SOMETHING THE REBELLION MUST KNOW ABOUT. HYPERSPACE TO YAVIN.>>THEY KNEW THE REBELS WERE HERE, THEY COULD WELL KNOW ABOUT YAVIN. GO ELSEWHERE.>>WRITE IN?

>>2313145>I wonder if it's that thing that Poggle Jr. designed and gave to Dooku for safekeeps?lol jk

>>THEY KNEW THE REBELS WERE HERE, THEY COULD WELL KNOW ABOUT YAVIN. GO ELSEWHERE.We don't know of Alderaan's reputation besides them being Republic dogs, we don't have a good vision of the political battlefield. What say we go nab an asteroid mining facility and startup a business for the imps?

>>2313229Hey guys, I bet that all their droid workers are stupid and controlled from some facility, so if we hire a hacker to steal control of those droids we should be able to get some workers right from under Palpy's wrinkled nose.

From what you've learned of this Rebel Alliance, they lack all the the things needed for an effective fighting force. They have few veterans, no training facilities and few recruits. They only have hope left. And hope alone isn't worth the air spent saying the word.You must gather more information before aligning yourself with any factions, but if you can save these rebels from the coming storm they may well be useful to you.After all, you still need a crew.

"Set a course for the Yavin system, divert power to the hyperdrive."Your bridge crew rush about, beginning preparations for the jump as the fear on the faces of your passengers is replaced with an uncertain hope."When we hit real space I want weapons charged and Fighters ready to launch, just in case."

Your Command droid's voice modulator crackles, the droid equivalent of coughing to gain someone's attention."Sir, The IG-100's are fully operational. Ill have them sent up to the bridge."

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>YOU HAVE 3 HOURS BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AT YAVIN>>TALK TO SOMEONE? (WHO)>>CHECK ON THE VULTURE DROIDS?>>HAVE THE REBEL TRAINEES TRAIN? (HOW)>>WRITE IN

>>2313436Hey new to the quest here just wanted to say I'm really digging the commanders personality the totally ruthless but without any cruelty is a rather interesting change from the usual paragon of virtue or sadistic edgelord.It's the little touches like how he uses insults only because he figured out it would motivate or the way he respects the old rebel for controlling his reaction to seeing the destruction of Alderan.

"You lot, come with me, we're heading into a a dangerous situation so we need to work on your skills." The group falls in behind you with some muttering, Rekker at your side. You whisper quietly, once the others have started talking amongst themselves. Best not to alarm them."I won't sugar coat it, the Empire knew about Alderaan, they could well know about Yavin. Your men need to be prepared before we get there."His brow furrows in worry as he looks back at the group, then he turns back to you and sighs."Three hours isn't much, but yeah they need be better, what's your plan?"

"I'll put them up against some of my droids and set the blasters to stun, maybe put them through some CQC drills if we have time."

Within a couple minutes you reach the Hangar bay, where your B1's have been setting up crates, shuttles and even some of the vulture droids as cover. (though the vultures are twitchy as ever.)

I'ts not impressive, what comes next. The first couple of combat drills are total failures. Rekker is a good soldier but a mediocre instructor at best, often finding it hard to keep his men working together as a team. The Ithorian whose name you swiftly learn is Welks, is probably the best of them, fairly smart and takes orders well but he's timid and isn't nearly as accurate as he should be. Telkos the Twi-Lek is good at fighting, accurate and quick you can't deny that, but he's hot headed and routinely makes stupid mistakes, often disregarding orders or getting himself backed into corners.Dax is an entirely different animal, his skills are actually pretty good, he shoots pretty good and runs like a morning after ryloth cuisine but as soon as anything goes wrong he panics, becoming about as useful as a your average hysterical civvy.

It's bad, but you can work with it.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>WORK ON WELKS. YOU NEED TO MOTIVATE HIM, PUT SOME FIRE IN HIS BELLY AND STEEL IN HIS EYES. (HOW)>>TELKOS IS RUINING SQUAD COHESION< HE NEEDS TO LEARN TO TRUST HIS COMMANDER. (HOW)>>DAX PANICS FAR TOO EASILY. TEACH HIM TO KEEP A COOL HEAD. (HOW)>>Write in?

>>2313709>Write in: Put Welks as second in command like a sergeant, thus will give Rekker a second person to organize everyone and will improve Welks confidence by forcing him in a secind in command spot of the squadron have he build confidence. Also put Delko's and Dax in the same group Delko's will be berrated for leatting his impulse making Dax loose his cool and will become less agitaded and Dax will have Delko's as emotional support.

>>Write in: Put Welks as second in command like a sergeant, thus will give Rekker a second person to organize everyone and will improve Welks confidence by forcing him in a secind in command spot of the squadron have he build confidence. Also put Delko's and Dax in the same group Telkos will be berated for letting his impulse making Dax loose his cool and will become less agitaded and Dax will have Telkos as emotional support.

Well, you have an idea. You don't have the time to work through their issues and personalise the training, and you don't know them well enough to manipulate them into doing what you want.So you'll find their weakest points and push them till they break. Welks is made squad leader, forcing him to overcome his lack of confidence. Telkos and Dax are tied together with a rubber hose, forcing the headstrong twilek to work with Dax and support him.

>>2313945Do we know just how bad the Academy training is yet? This might come to bite us if we overestimate our opponents, planning for the bush tactics of Clones instead of Stormtroopers' "Stand and shoot!"

You didn't expect them to get it on the first try."He's just slowing me down!"

It would have been nice if they'd managed it the second time round."GAME OVER MAN. GAME OVER."

And at first it appears that the third round is going to go exactly the same way, the squad is forced back into the corner of your little training ground and Rekker is taken out with a barrage of stunners to the body. You were prepared to write this one off as a failure until you saw Welks stop panicking, get into cover and start actually THINKING.After a second or so Welks stands up, orders his subordinates to flank and roars incredibly loudly, projecting a sonic wave in front of him and forcing the B1's opposite them (a squad of 4 B1's led by the command droid) into cover, not letting them get any clear shots off or risk being torn to pieces by the sheer Force of it, while Telkos and Dax break line of sight and move to flank.Even more reassuring is the fact that this isn't spontaneous, they actually taking orders from Welks and acting appropriately. Soon the b1 squad is caught in a trap by the two troopers, unable to reposition and risk being ripped apart (the ithorian's shout is actually peeling metal floor slabs from the ground.) and unable to take cover from the blaster shots of Telkos and Dax as a consequence.

You actually did it, and not a moment too soon either, the bridge reports that you're coming up on the Yavin system.The rebels are whooping and cheering, while the B1's power back on and pick themselves up off the floor.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>LET THEM CELEBRATE, YOU'LL CALL THEM IF YOU NEED THEM.>>BRING THEM UP TO THE BRIDGE.>>SAY SOMETHING TO THEM? THEIR SERGEANT IS ALREADY GIVING THEM A BIT OF A TALKING TO?

>>2314071Hmm, yeah, the Death Star really is the pinnacle of fleet killers as well as planet killers. Perhaps if we attack the side without the giant laser dish on it, but would that really do anything? If only we had a shit ton of buzz droids...

>>2314075We could try and actually fight near the laser dish, it will be risky for sure but it would have the least amount of laser cannons and we could dictate the engagement of enemy tie fighters by baiting them to get close to our ships AA and have them try and dog fight our vultures.

>>2314088I think it was because they were diverting all their power into speed and firing that they didn't have their shields up. But the Death Star does have an atmosphericesque shield, that's why the starfighters start having bumpy velocities when they get near it, something about magnetic stuff.

The squad quietens down as you approach, turning to look at you as your imposing frame stomps towards them."That was almost satisfactory men. I will see you on the bridge."They really have come together over the last couple of hours, fighting will do that. You reckon with a bit more training and some experience, they'll be something really special.

You head up to the bridge as your guards and the rebels follow behind you, just in time to come out of hyperspace.The system seems relatively empty, your sensors aren't picking anything up in system except the three planets and their respective orbiting satellites."Seems a bit empty for a Military installation sir?" your scanner pipes up.

"These people are insurgents, B1." you say, turning to Rekker. "But I'm sure Rekker has a way of getting in touch."

"Yeah, i just gotta use the comms console." The elderly Insurgent takes over the terminal, fingers dancing across the holokeys as he reaches into his pocket for what looks like a republic code cylinder. He looks up and smiles, now we just gotta Broadcast these and wait.

Roughly half an hour later a comm channel opens, and you notice several fighters, somewhat reminiscent of ARC-170's launch from the moon of Yavin 3, a gas giant in the system.

"This is General Jan Dodonna of the Alliance to restore the Republic, who am I speaking with and how'd you get a hold of our codes?"

You gesture to Rekker and he leans into the microphone. "General Dodonna Sir, this is Captain Rekker of the Tattooinian Freedom Militia, I am currently a passenger aboard the Fist of Mammon. Tatooine went south, me and my men were the only ones to make it out."

"Sorry to hear that Rekker. Good to see you again. Can you patch me through to the captain of that ship?"

"Uh, yeah sure"He steps back from the communication console as one of your droids powers up the hologram projector.

>>2314161>Your world was destroyed by unknown means, We are dropping your personal off and then moving on. You truly do need to work on your training, Its no wonder the clones have been walking all over you.

>>2314161>>>2314161>>Your world was destroyed by unknown means, We are dropping your personal off and then moving on. You truly do need to work on your training, Its no wonder the clones have been walking all over you.

>>2314161>Your world was destroyed by unknown means, We are dropping your personal off and then moving on. You truly do need to work on your training, Its no wonder the clones have been walking all over you.

>>2314161>Your world was destroyed by unknown means, We are dropping your personal off and then moving on. You truly do need to work on your training, Its no wonder the clones have been walking all over you.

"With the empire's iron grip slowly choking the life out of every star system. We must unite under a single banner. Under a single goal. No man above, no man below! But side by side in a Confederacy Of iIndependent Systems! "

>>2314161>Your world was destroyed by unknown means, We are dropping your personal off and then moving on. You truly do need to work on your training, Its no wonder the clones have been walking all over you.

I think we should turn the rebellion into the CIS. We already have a good argument why trying to reform the republic is a terrible idea and the CIS was actually in the right during the war all along. It's a stretch but we could add the rebel alliance to the small but preexisting CIS presence

>>2314249Our Fist of Mammon can't even fend off a Star Destroyer. That's my debate! Some Vulture Droids to help them with their assault would get us some goodwill and maybe even help more of Red and Gold Squadron make it out of there.

>>2314258No it won't help. You know why? Because the empire has a code to disable separatist droids! We can't risk our units in a true war yet. We need to find what that signal is and how to protect ourselfs from it.

>>2314259the first point is perfectly valid, but the whole reasont that they weren't swarmed to death with ties was because Tarkin went off half-cocked and went in without fleet support.you're thinking of DS2 over Endor

>>2314265>>2314262I agree we should do that and maybe after they have defeated the DS and the blockade is put on Yavin we can have Dax and the others come in a attemp to recruit us to break the blockade and help the rebellion ships slip between the imperials.

>>2314265Thought it was more, my bad. Though we're not rebels. The rebellion could plan to backstab us after this is over. We dont have a way to make more Vulture droids yet nor a way to get more ships. For now we're too weak to lend any droids.

>>2314277At least they will be a distraction to the imperials while we gather our forces. So far they seem to be having a bad deal so this will be just us trading business cards and once we need each other the other will come and speak.

You are General Jan Dodonna of the Rebel Alliance, and your day just keeps getting worse. Sometimes it feels like the universe just gives things to you solely for the pleasure of taking them away again. No...

"It's been a while General."He was DEAD you saw him die, you were there. General Skywalker cut the bastard in half and broadcast it to the whole damn fleet.You make a choked sound, The other rebel officials look between you and the monster on the screen, confusion on their faces, whispering to each other.

"Was your unified Republic everything you'd hoped it would be..?"

He just keeps coming back.

[INTERLUDE END]

"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't have time to stop and chat, just wanted to come by and drop off some of your men. The planet of Alderaan has been destroyed by unknown means. And I have other matters to attend to. Send a shuttle to pick them up as soon as you can, or I can send them to you, either way I expect to leave within the hour."

A human female With a very strange hairstyle pushes the good general out of view, stepping towards the sensor."And just who are you exactly!? I appreciate the candour, but I generally like to know who's stopping by to make veiled insults and smug comments."

so far it seems to be 2 WOW ok cya bitch. youre cool rekker2 my name is not important , what is important, is what I'm about to do.1 You may refer to me as Admiral Grave (optional)1 Ah i assume this is your jedi?gonna need some consensus lads.

>>2314392Didnt she dress in pretty much random clothes from flowy dress to combat gear? If she looks like a senator then drop the point, otherwise the only random looking people with that much gusto are usually jedi (before the purge anyway).

"Bah, another High and mighty stooge from the Order, I Expected better, a proper Partisan force. Instead I find children and fools playing at War.""My name doesn't matter, not now, but you will know it soon. All the galaxy will. I am the only one strong enough to liberate this galaxy."

You cut off the comm and step away from the the podium, turning to your guards.

"Escort Captain Rekker and his men to the escape pods and set them down to the planet."

Just as the magnaguards escort the now terribly morose looking captain from the bridge, you turn away from the viewport and look him square in the eye."I am dreadfully sorry that you must follow such ineffective leadership. I wish you well. Know that i respect you greatly."

He grimaces at you before leaving, escorted by 2 B1's.

You watch as one of the Fist's many escape pods is ejected towards Yavin's moon."What a damn shame."

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>THE SIGNAL THAT SHUT DOWN THE CIS FORCES IS TOO MUCH OF A THREAT. YOU NEED TO FIND SOME WAY OF HARDENING YOUR DROIDS AGAINST IT.>>FIND ONE OF THE MANY HIDDEN CIS LISTENING POSTS, IT SHOULD HAVE RECORDS OF THE SIGNAL.>>FIND A NEWER IMPERIAL STATION, THESE MIGHT REVEAL MORE ABOUT THE SIGNAL, BUT WILL (MOST LIKELY) BE MORE DANGEROUS.>>WRITE IN

The station at Agamar is the furthest away from any hyperspace lanes, and thus in your opinion the least likely to be found. Naturally this makes it your priority target.

You set the droids through some CQC drills on the way through hyperspace, your magnaguards truly are impressive.

Unlike the B1's they don't seem to speak, despite being above their peers in terms of intelligence, curious. Your musings are interrupted by the ethereal lines of Hyperspace dropping away as you enter the edge of the system.As expected, the system is empty.

Except for a weak and garbled transmission coming from the planet's surface.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>ATTEMPT TO DECRYPT THE MESSAGE?>>GO INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE?

"Yeah, uh sir. I don't know how to decrypt things. or encrypt things. In fact I like to stay away from crypts altogether."

You need to get better droids.

>>head down and investigate, it's not coming from the listening post, but it might be important.>>go to the listening post. See what you can see. maybe you can figure it out from there?>> Nah man I'm out peace.>>Write in?

>>2314610We could possibly retro fit the listening post to work as a scavage/mining ship and send it to Alderaan.Also Agamar seem to be a metal rich planet maybe we can start digging here. Or even use it to build a droid factory

>>2314617We should probably do some recon of the surrounding planets before we decide to set up operations here.Even if the Empire fucked off there's probably still intergalactic mega-corporations with mineral rights, and you know how rich folk get when you fuck with their bread and butter.

>>2314606>>2314617the problem with these two ideas is that you currently have no manufacturing base, and it's not the kind of thing some B1's can rig up, even with your command droid.You would need at least a week of work at a proper shipyard in order to install any upgrades to the Fist.However, the miniaturised Foundry is only actually miniaturised in a very basic sense. Being able to pump out roughly 700 to 800 B1's a day as long as you have the needed resources.

It depends what you mean by fully operational base, at the moment it has power and atmosphere and is self sufficient with those resources, anything else would require construction on the frigate scale.

The signal location is rather easy to pinpoint as the listening post is specifically designed for such things. The signal originates from the pole at Agamar 2's magnetic north. Frozen and icy.

You mull the idea over in your head for a few seconds, on the one hand whoever is down there needs help and could well be indebted to you afterwards, however whatever caused the "Heavy casualties" could still be around, and you cannot afford casualties right now. In the end however, you decide that fate rarely works in favour of those who never risk. and decide to send a few battle droids down to investigate.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>WHAT DO YOU SEND DOWN THERE?>>GROUND ASSETS: 17 B1 DROIDS, ONE DROID COMMANDER, 2 IG-100 MAGNAGUARDS. THE ADMIRAL REBORN.

>>2314646We also need a spaceport to make any kind of restoration. First thing we should do is find out about this signal. Make a base in a far away place like Dantoine or some forest world like Saleucami. Go to Muun and fund ways to profit and acquire minning rights and what not. Maybe even fuck up some low hutt clan and get some profit from it?

>>2314646Oh it's fully functional in that case, it had shut down like most old sep stuff, but now you've powered it back up again you've got a permanent link.

Once you power up all of the listening posts in this area, you'll have a good three quarters of the Perlemian trade Hyperspace route mapped and almost a quarter of the Hydian way.You've got almost a quarter of the galaxy's hyperspace routes mapped and scanned now.

"Commander, mobilise two fireteams of battle droids, I shall be commanding this mission myself." You leave the bridge swiftly, followed by your guards. "Have the fighters patrol the planet's orbit while I'm down there, let's not have any surprises."

The shuttle ride down is rather bumpy and uncomfortable once you hit atmosphere, the temperature taking a sharp dip inside the shuttle, Your heated environment suit and heavy fur keep the cold away though as you step out into the snow and ice.You touched down roughly half a mile south from the signal,and once all your droids are deployed you plod through the snow towards your objective, the white cloaks of the magnaguards rendering them almost invisible among the fields of endless white.

After roughly half an hour you make visual contact with the objective, a crashed Seperatist supply ship, being beset upon by Imperial troopers wearing what you can only assume is specialised arctic armour. The snowtroopers aren't actually fighting anyone at the moment,they appear to be attempting to cut open the hangar bay doors of the ship.You can see roughly 20 snowtroopers, and a large white shuttle parked off to the side of the crashed ship.You are currently armed with an E-5 blaser rifle.>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>FIRE ON THE STORMTROOPERS FROM HERE.>>ATTEMPT TO SNEAK CLOSER WITH YOUR DROIDS.>>SEND A TRANSMISSION ON A CIS CHANNEL TO WHOMEVER IS INSIDE.>>WRITE IN.

>>2314704>ATTEMPT TO SNEAK CLOSER WITH YOUR DROIDS.>SEND A TRANSMISSION ON A CIS CHANNEL TO WHOMEVER IS INSIDE.Try to get the Magnaguard as close as possible and throw in some grenades if we decide to engage. Also, keep loose formations to reduce the effect of explosives toward us, also crossfire.

>>2314730They did but our character doesn't know about it yet. So far to him all the stormtroopers are just clone troopers. Same way he said that Leia was part of the Order. Which only people from the clone war era knows that one would refer to the jedi order.

>>2314735He doesn't it's just funny that our character is expecting to face high quality clone troopers, even more since these guys seem to be some kind of special unit, and ends up performing way above his weight thanks to it.

>>2314754>>2314756For that we could visit black markets in huts space. We could buy droids, weapon, information, supply or even recruit some "guns to hired" (meby we shouldnt rely only on droids). But for that we need start earning money.

To be entirely fair to the Imperial academy, several of the stormtroopers do actually notice your group of battle droids sneaking into firing positions.They just didn't see the magnaguards that killed them before they could scream.16 snowtroopers remaining.

"Seperatist supply vessel, these are your reinforcements calling, what is your status over?"You duck into cover behind a large shard of splintered off debris, awaiting the response. It arrives after a few seconds. They were most likely checking your codes. Your hologram projector flares to life, showing a familiar robotic form.

"This is General Kalani.. It is good to see you again Admiral. I see that reports of your death were... exaggerated. My troops have been deactivated for some time now and my ship is destroyed, so I have been stuck on this planetfor entirely too long." His hologram pauses, before fiddling with something off sensor range. "I suppose that now would be a good time to start turning the power back on. I'm having a bit of trouble reviving my troops but I've almost got it. You just need to buy me some time, thirty seconds at maximum."

>>PERSON OF INTEREST: GENERAL KALANI, A SUPER TACTICAL DROID WHO YOU OFTEN COORDINATED PLANETARY ASSUALTS WITH IN THE PAST, HE EXCELS AT COMBINED ARMS AND TERROR TACTICS.>>COMMANDER ABILITY: WHERE YOU FAILED: IF KALANI IS ENGAGING IN MANEUVERS AGAINST AN ENEMY COMMANDER AND AND THE ENEMY COMMANDER FAILS THEIR COMMAND ROLL, KALANI GAINS TWO DEGREES OF SUCCESS.

As you move your troops into position, your order your magnaguards to move forwards and clear a path as quietly as possible. A task they take to with gusto, panache and all the other vaguely corellian sounding words that mean essentially, "they do it good-like".Twin ghosts pad silently through the blizzard and Imperial troopers die.>>9 troopers remaining.>>1 turn remaining before ???

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>GO LOUD AND PROUD>>BLADES IN THE DARK>>WRITE IN?

"Kalani. what is the status on your troops?" the holocomm flickers back to life and while you can't see The tactical droid, you can hear sparks flying and buzzing through the speaker.

"I currently estimate reanimation time at 18 seconds." He looks up for a second and quickly turns his head back to you. "They will penetrate the doors before then, I request that you open fire."

Well, you're not one to deny a favor for a friend."OPEN FIRE!"The droids follow your order immediately, while the magnaguards fall back and draw their own carbines, adding to the ceaseless barrage of blaster fire.Two troopers are caught out in the open and obliterated, while another picks the wrong piece of cover and gets taken out from a blast penetrating the thin metal he hid behind. The remaining six and yourself pour fire on the remaining troopers while the IG-100s move to flank.And then there was one.The officer in charge of the squad throws down his weapon and presses his back against the bay door they were slicing through only to fall backwards as it opens, the last thing he ever sees being the repulsorlift engines of a Baktoid Armor workshop Armoured Assualt Tank mk2.

"Well, done Admiral. Efficient as always." He looks around noting the corpses of stormtroops around your men."Now if you will excuse me, I have to get off this horrid world, the electrical storms make my cogitator fuzzy."

A short shuttle ride back up to the Fist. (And a couple of return trips to make sure you've got everything you need.) And you reckon you've done everything you really can in this sector. You just need to finish the paperwork for your new army group.

>>ASSET ACQUIRED: GENERAL KALANI>>ASSET ACQUIRED: 7 AAT TANKS (you had to strap them to the shuttle and fly them up individually.)

CHOOSE 2: these are assets, not upgrades. If you don't have the blueprints, they cannot be reproduced, and are repaired slower.>400 B1 droids.>200 OOM, Pilot droids(specially trained bridge control crew and standard naval crew.)>40 B2 battle droids.>20 Hyena Bombers.>40 BX Commando Droids.

You step onto your new command deck, not only full of well programmed, specialist droids. But it's been cleaned and reorganised so that it's up to naval code, you don't feel like some down-on-his-luck pirate any more, now you're a powerful admiral, thanks in part to the sterling effort of the good general, who appears to have thrown his lot in with you for the moment, not being eager for a random imperial button press to fry his brain.Speaking of signals.

>>YOU ARE IN CONTROL>>YOU ONLY HAVE HALF OF THE FULL SIGNAL, YOU NEED 100% to CREATE A COUNTERMEASURE.THERE ARE FOUR MORE PLACES YOU COULD VISIT.>>TELOS>>DATHOMIR>>YAVIN 2>>RHEN VAR>>WRITE IN?

You make a decision, you call for your crew to fire up the hyperdrive and engage the navicomputer."Set a course for Citadel Station."

You'll be there in a few hours, so you have plenty of time to get acquainted with your new crew. The OOM Pilot droids aren't any smarter than the average battle droid, but their personalities are more professional and they take part in less petty squabbles, leading to a far more effective Droid overall.The BX's are a very different matter, it seems that going too long without memory wipes has exacerbated their natural twitchy-ness.They are still far above battle droids in effectiveness, but they seem almost paranoid, and they've claimed the reactor as their territory, setting up explosive traps and other less lethal alternatives around the engineering bay.At least it's well defended.

>>2315281While on your way to Telos, you decide to have a bit more of a sit-down chat with Kalani."So how'd those republic soldiers find you anyway. Agamar doesn't seem like the kind of planet to have a garrison?"

"Oh I agree, The disgusting pit wasn't even inhabited when i retreated there back during the war. Apparently, they were passing through the system and heard my First distress call. I like to imagine we intercepted some poor, embattled imperial officer's reinforcements. Bastards"1/2

>>2315329>They are still far above battle droids in effectiveness, but they seem almost paranoid, and they've claimed the reactor as their territory, setting up explosive traps and other less lethal alternatives around the engineering bay.At least it's well defended.