Grand Admiral

Nine years, six months, and seven days after the Battle of Yavin...

Or forty-fourth year, six months, and seven days after the Great Resynchronization.

— Yaga Minor Control Tower greets us, — the first mate reported. Von Schneider merely nodded in acknowledgment. Looking at the abundance of defense stations and starships of the local defense forces, he assumed that they could be greeted with a volley of proton torpedoes. — They're transmitting the approach vector...

The Captain glanced at the red-haired adjutant girl standing next to him. Lieutenant Jade silently watched as streams of cargo ships left the shipyards of Yaga Minor. She did so with such attention, as if memorizing and evaluating each one of them, constantly checking the scanner data with the visual representation of the ships. What was it that interested her in these freighters? No, it was as if she was deliberately searching for something in these Action V-type freighters. And what could be so interesting about them?

— Captain Schneider, — she said, suddenly looking at the commander of the Nemesis. — Check the databases for an Action V-type ship, following vector four — seven — three.

"Why bother with small details?" Schneider thought. — "Why don't we just scan all the freighters here?"

— Yes, ma'am, — the captain considered it unwise to argue with this woman, who was obviously more than just an adjutant for the Grand Admiral (an ordinary smuggler wouldn't be immediately promoted to Grand Admiral's adjutant, and wouldn't be given an officer's rank alongside the position of the Supreme Commander's adjutant!). She was surely an agent of Imperial Intelligence. And the fact that a whole Star Destroyer was sent after her to Myrkr, and even provided as her own "taxi", was also an important factor. This woman was valuable and carried out the Grand Admiral's orders. Most likely, she was a high-ranking agent who had previously infiltrated the organization of a smuggler and information broker known as…

— The ship with that engine signature is listed in Talon Karrde's organization, — said the first mate, who was already working on the order. — Identified as Sky Path.

— So Finn Torv is at the helm, — said Mara Jade, continuing to watch as the ship did not even attempt to change course, passing a couple of kilometers to the right of the Imperial Star Destroyer. — Curious...

"I hope you have enough common sense not to order an attack on this seventy-five-thousand-metric-ton smuggler's bucket in the territory of the Pentastar Alignment," Schneider thought. Otherwise, there could be an... unpleasant incident. Which would untie the hands of the local Imperials to strike at the Nemesis. After all, if this ship was engaged in legal deliveries, then aggressive actions against it could provoke retaliatory measures from the local garrison. And the fact that this was a smuggler... Surely the locals knew about it. They knew perfectly well. And they certainly wouldn't allow anyone to interfere with their supplier ship's free escape from here.

Sky Path, an Action V-type transport ship.

— Ignore the ship, — Lieutenant Jade said. — Report to the Chimaera about the detection of Karrde's ships on Yaga Minor.

— With all due respect, it was just one starship, — Captain Schneider reminded her.

— Karrde never makes deliveries with a single ship to a place where he does not intend to organize, or has not already organized, a distribution network, — said the red-haired Grand Admiral's assistant, giving the ship's commander a cold look. — The Grand Admiral should know about this fact in advance.

There was no need to explain the reason for the last statement.

If Karrde's organization were just ordinary smugglers operating in the territory of the Imperial Remnant, that would be one thing. Not very presentable, but such was the time, it couldn't be helped.

But if you were to think for a minute about the fact that Talon Karrde and his organization were information brokers who supposedly maintained neutrality, but in fact, provided services to both sides of the conflict for their own benefit, the situation took on a completely different light.

Karrde joined Booster Terrik in attacking the Grand Admiral's ambush in the Rugosa system. He took measures to damage Imperial warships. And yet, his ship turns up at the main shipyards of one of the Imperial Remnants, which pursues a deliberately neutral policy toward both the Grand Admiral and the New Republic. Just before the Supreme Commander's envoy arrived here...

A coincidence? No, it didn't even come close to resembling one.

— Send a dispatch to the Grand Admiral, — ordered the Nemesis commander, glancing at the watch officers. — Strictly follow the course transmitted to us. Yellow alert level. Crew to not leave the starship. Keep all scanners operational, track the telemetry of all ships moving around the Nemesis while docked.

Captain Von Schneider wasn't afraid of a provocation against the Imperial Star Destroyer in the territory of the Imperial Remnant. But he wasn't going to keep the crew in a relaxed state in the space of a conditional enemy either.

— Prepare a shuttle for me, — ordered the Supreme Commander's adjutant, heading towards the bridge exit.

The Nemesis commander responded with a silent nod, meeting the gaze of his first mate.

***

If there was a place in this galaxy more depressing than Tatooine, it would have to be searched for. Very, very hard.

Torin, distancing himself from the holoprojector that was projecting a three-dimensional copy of the target in front of him, stretched his neck. A typical Tatooine building.

If you looked at it from above, everything seemed rather ordinary: a square yard carved into the rock, buildings surrounding this central area. And a tall, ten-meter turret, towering over the entire dwelling of Lord Darklighter. But this was only at first glance.

Anyone who had lived on Tatooine for a long time and had the misfortune to acquire their own home here knew perfectly well that in reality most of the rooms or even separate "buildings" were located below the sand level, in the thickness of the rock. Yes, that was the case. If anyone thought that the whole planet consisted of sand and dust from the surface to the core, they were sorely mistaken. There were rocks here too. Many rocks. And the sand here was at most a couple of dozen, maybe hundreds of meters deep. No more than that.

But for the most part, the latter was observed in uninhabited deserts, but local farmers did not settle on the sand at all. They preferred to dig into the ground, where the thickness of sand and stone above their heads provided natural coolness. The entrance to the Darklighter estate was located next to a small landing pad, where several vehicles were already parked. You only had to go through a small arch and you were already in the Darklighter territory, where the abundance of white would blind you on any hot Tatooine day. And unfortunately, there were no other kind here. That is why the operation was taking place at night.

— Well, — Torin said. — Lord Darklighter, you are to blame for what is happening. I honestly wanted to buy your goods. You should have sold them.

After saying these words, he turned off the holographic projector and went outside the ship.

The ship they used for the mission was located in a sand and dust-covered camp of the local population – aboriginals known as the "sand people." They are better known as Tusken Raiders. They are called the native inhabitants of Tatooine, along with the Jawas...

And Torin was not interested in the history of this world beyond that.

He has work to do.

Tusken Raiders (aka Sand People).

Glancing at the ship covered in camouflage netting, he looked at his fighters, wrapping their equipment in dirty rags, making them look like Tuskens. Similar, of course, from a distance. But anyone who saw them up close wouldn't live long.

Jawas (and their sandcrawler, where would they be without it).

Nearby, shifting from one foot to the other, stood banthas – pack animals used by the Sand People. Huge, fur-covered animals that Tuskens used for rapid movement across the vast expanses of the Tatooine desert.

Banthas.

Torin didn't know much about animal husbandry, but he suspected that the dense fur of banthas somehow helped with thermoregulation in the Tatooine heat. If you want to live in such an inhospitable world, you adapt. It was no coincidence that the Sand People, Jawas, and local townspeople on Tatooine liked to wrap themselves in heavy clothes so as not to burn under the merciless rays of the two local stars – Tatoo-1 and Tatoo-2.

— Squad Aurek, — he looked at the first group that was to enter the battle. All of them were trained stormtroopers of the Assault Corps, sent to support him from the base on Lainuri. In the past, he would have easily gotten by with just the Imperial Intelligence special forces, but... they didn't have that many trained special forces groups anymore. In order to carry out this mission, he had to leave some of his people on New Cove — to guard the Corellian rebel and set up a trap. And he himself had to work in this heat. It was good that at least half of the squad came with him. — One minute to readiness. We are moving out on speeder bikes.

The stormtroopers, who looked very human without their armor but without any sign of emotion, obediently put on the imitation Tusken helmets and went to their transport. The first part of the operation was a swift attack. Which was not very compatible with the long projectile rifles that hung on the backs of the Aurek Squad fighters.

— Squad Besh, — this included two people from his team on New Cove, who would lead the covering squad. And two detachments of stormtroopers would take care of them. — You're moving out after us. I remind you that the banthas must follow one another.

— We won't be able to follow in a single line, like trained sand raider animals, — one of his subordinates noted. — These are domesticated banthas, not the ones trained by the Sand People.

— It doesn't matter, — Torin said. — Your task is to make a false trail towards the desert. As soon as we load everything we need onto the ship, — he nodded towards the freighter, where the pilots were currently working, — we will pick you up at the designated point. Don't forget to set traps so that the locals think that the Tusken Raiders are responsible for as long as possible. Understood?

— Yes, boss, — the subordinate saluted.

Torin, grabbing his own projectile weapon, followed to his own vehicle.

After this mission, there will be another. And after that – another one. And all in order to create the impression of numerous groups of saboteurs to the enemy with limited forces. Ugh... When this series of missions is over, it will be necessary to talk to Himron about starting to form our own special forces. Fleet special forces from among the marines — a great foundation for this. Their own clones were, of course, good, but... I still didn't want to just carry out missions as part of mixed groups. Intelligence should have its own special forces for sabotage and reconnaissance missions. Let the fleet stamp clones as much as it wants – if they take a thousand or two stormtroopers from them, they wouldn't even notice. And after training in the Imperial Intelligence program, these selected fighters would become a great help in the activities of Imperial agents.

The speeder bike started without the slightest delay – after all, Imperial quality was evident. And although this transport looked like a wreck from the Clone Wars, in reality what was hidden under the hull was much more advanced.

One by one, the fighters of Aurek squad climbed onto their speeder bikes in the cargo bay of the freighter. It would take them to their destination, landing them a few kilometers from the Darklighter estate. From there they would reach the target on speeder bikes, dropping them a hundred meters away. And then they would move on foot.

When the transport took off, Torin, still sitting on the speeder bike, closed his eyes, running the plan through his head. Over and over again, action after action. This mantra calmed his nerves...

— Approaching the point! — he heard the pilot's voice in his headset. — Descending.

So ten minutes of flight have already passed. Now their transport would descend near a mountain split in two, hiding from detection in its mass. And they would move out towards the target...

The cargo hatch opened silently, and ten speeder bikes gently landed on the sand. The engines silently increased the speed of the vehicles – and at that moment, Torin decided that he would definitely take absolutely all the property that remained from the Imperial Intelligence safehouse on Tatooine. Even the stinky Jawa rags that the residency had painstakingly acquired in the past in one way or another to ensure the conspiracy of their agents who would be working on this planet.

The rapid dash ended half an hour later, when the illumination of the fence of the Darklighter estate became visible. Torin, noticing the huge pile of sand he had spotted last time, blown by the wind one hundred and three meters from the main entrance to the estate, gave a short click on the microphone to order the transition to the next part of the plan.

As soon as they got rid of the speeder bikes, Torin looked around. The blackness of the Tatooine night was not interrupted by the slightest sound. That was why they went here on modified vehicles, and did not disembark directly from the ship. The entire Darklighter family had already seen the latter when Torin visited the estate as a buyer that morning. Naturally, the owner of this dwelling did not sell them anything, intending to sell off the old goods from the Clone Wars. But the scout droids scattered around the perimeter beforehand had confirmed Inek's assumption – buzz droids were here. And a large amount of small arms of the Empire. Someone would have called it robbery, but no, the Empire was only taking what belonged to it. And was covering its tracks so as not to get caught.

With quiet, barely audible clicks, the weapons were switched to battle mode. Torin with short commands directed the fighters around the estate, beyond the security line of the dwelling, which was equipped as if they were storing thermonuclear warheads. But they certainly were not storing them – the scout droids had checked that.

Inek himself lay down with his rifle on the crest of a dune, at the foot of which their speeder bikes were located. He looked into the eyepiece of the rifle's optical sight.

— Two on the turret, — he said, looking at a pair of guards who were cheerfully playing cards. Guards... — One at the gate. Two on the perimeter.

A total of five. Their equipment was good — with sensors that could detect movement at a distance of a kilometer. Very convenient for those who could become the target of an attack by real Tuskens.

Meaningless against Imperial Intelligence, using materials that conceal the heat of bodies and equipment.

— Confirm readiness, — he ordered. Clicks sounded in his headset. Exactly nine. — We are starting.

With his first shot, Torin destroyed the generator, located at the base of the turret, which powered the entire energy protection of the settlement's perimeter. The incendiary cartridge tore the generator apart, and the resulting detonation scattered the fragments of the turret in all directions, putting an end to the lives of the two guards. The third — the guard of the main gate — looked around to see what had happened and immediately fell down with a hole in the back of his head, smashed by the traditional weapon of the Tuskens — a gaderffii.

A weapon that the Sand People could make from any metal junk found on their wanderings... Who knew it was really as deadly as they say.

The last two guards fell, killed in the same way. The stormtroopers, disguised as Tusken Raiders, switched to firearms, targeting and destroying those who were trying to escape from the inner rooms.

Torin didn't have any particular respect for those he was taking lives from. To him, they were just targets. A professional shouldn't feel anything for their target.

The recorded cries of the Tuskens (insurance in case someone survived the cleanup) roared through the comlinks, the projectile weapons loudly thumped, striking down the defenders of the estate.

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Inek sent bullets into the targets time after time, mercilessly killing everyone who tried to resist. Several times he noticed that the targets were trying to call someone using comlinks. And this caused a smirk every time he pulled the trigger – a "jammer" was working on one of the speeder bikes and all the frequencies except the one on which the Imperials themselves were communicating remained deaf to the pleas of Lord Huff Darklighter's employees.

Gaderffii.

The moment of the attack was chosen perfectly — today was a holiday in the family, and all women, children, teenagers, and other non-combatants had gone to the nearby town since dawn. Fighters from another squad were watching over them. There would be no random victims here — only semi-criminal elements that Lord Darklighter had hired as security. But the head of the family didn't make it — he was distracted by negotiations with Torin; the agent had wisely changed his face with synthflesh.

With a dry click, the rifle notified that the ammunition in the magazine had run out. Quietly swearing, Torin took another one from his pocket, changed it, and continued shooting.

It was carried out not only accurately, but also indiscriminately. No one should have any doubt that if the Tuskens were involved, then not the best of them.

He caught a rather interesting person in the eyepiece of his scope.

Moving the barrel of his weapon to the side, he fired, tearing Lord Darklighter's knee to pieces. The man, who was engaged in trading weapons with pirates, smugglers, and other scum when he was not occupied with his love for his family, collapsed on the sand, screaming hysterically in pain. A second bullet entered his mouth and exited through the back of his head, tearing out a decent chunk of the latter.

By the end of the twenty minutes that had passed since the start of the operation, the "Tusken Raiders" proceeded to clear the estate. Torin, catching his breath, contacted the ship. However, the freighter, flying at very low altitudes, could be heard in the silence of the Tatooine night anyway. But no one could hear it, except the Imperials themselves — Lord Darklighter's estate was located far from other buildings.

After waiting for the pilots to choose a landing site, he ordered one of them to move the speeders into the cargo bay. After checking the map and making sure that four fighters were busy securing the perimeter, he joined the others in clearing the premises.

There was less and less time left — in a couple of hours there would be a dust storm here, which would not only cover up all traces of what had happened, but also properly dust this estate.

Whoever tried to investigate what happened here would need a lot of work. Especially if he still found the chain of bantha tracks, as if starting from nowhere on the downwind side of the sand dunes. But anyone could establish the direction and understand that the banthas came from the side of the estate.

Sometimes an enemy needs to be given a chance to feel smart and find some clues on his own. Otherwise, even the dumbest local marshal will realize that he is being led by the nose. This was the reason Torin left a piece of a gaderffii near the corpse of the guard at the gate of the estate – the locals would need to start looking for a "Tusken trail" from somewhere.

***

In fact, that's what had to be proven.

The "GeNod" cloning program has flaws. And significant ones at that.

So, in short, about the main thing.

These clones are different from the same cloning program that was developed on the planet Kamino. Creatures created using "GeNod" did not know that they were clones. The programming that was used during their creation was so cunning that clones of this type did not question their similarity even when they looked at or interacted with other clones of the same template. That is, the creators of the program did everything so...intriguingly that all that remains is to applaud such a pragmatic approach to the situation.

As Major Grodin Tierce has already reported, these clones were programmed in such a way that they had individual names, invented biographies, and very detailed memories of their fictional lives, with such details that no one even questioned the fact that their past might be fake.

Frankly...impressive. Now I understand how groundbreaking this cloning method can be. After all, in fact, if you simplify everything, you can endlessly copy the same personality, but at the same time, none of them will ever consider themselves a clone. Of course, the method of producing memories is very expensive — the computer does it based on the generation of a database of memories, which are entered into it when copying the memory of genetic donors. That is, the more donors, the higher and more complete the saturation of the clones' memory is. Fantastic...

Another important part of the clones' programming was what Grodin Tierce had so motivated me with — the clones' memories were given certain... I don't even know how to say it... it would probably be more correct to call them "program codes" that prevented the clones of the "GeNod" program from betraying the Empire, committing any action against it, condemning the activities of the Galactic Empire or its representatives, or simply leaving it, going AWOL and deciding not to return. That is, in fact, "GeNod" created... "meat droids." The latter phrase was an offensive nickname that the separatists (and not only they) had come up with for the Kaminoan clones during the Clone Wars.

Frankly... I'm shocked. Just like that, so easily...

But the longer I read about the "GeNod" program, about the advantages that its creators and scientists who worked with it described, the more I realized that such a breakthrough method for creating copies of intelligent beings simply could not but contain a critical error, due to which the Galactic Empire did not use it everywhere.

Imagine how big the army and fleet would be if, along with ordinary intelligent beings, the Empire continued to create "GeNod" clones? Imagine for a moment that you could clone several billion people and use their memories to create other clones, with which you could fill every base in every sector... And if you consider the fact that the "GeNod" program was largely independent of the cloning process itself, that is, it is essentially a direction of programming the mind, then it becomes... a little scary. After all, Palpatine and Vader could easily clone all the traitors, "reflash" their brains and political will, impose whatever they wanted, and not even be afraid of betrayal. In twenty years, using Spaarti cloning cylinders or the power of Kamino, it would have been possible to completely reshape the entire galaxy, turning it into a galaxy of clones...

I must admit, at this stage of reasoning I became so sad... After all, anyone who surrounds me could be the result of the "GeNod" experiment. Only a limited number of people within the fleet know about my plans to reshape the Empire. And when this becomes a widely known fact... what then? Wait for not only Rukh, but every other sailor to take up arms against me?

After all, according to the program data, such clones in the Stormtrooper Corps accounted for almost forty percent. True, the time period in which this correction was made is not specified, but... forty percent! That's billions, if not tens of billions of clones! How many of them are loyal to the Emperor, as before — after all, it is his name that appears in the programming data. That is, in fact, it can be said that I am most likely sitting on a powder keg...

Not to mention the fact that another forty percent of the Stormtrooper Corps fighters were... Spaarti clones... And only twenty percent were Kaminoan. That makes one hundred percent...

After reading this data, I allowed myself a slight, strained smile.

The Stormtrooper Corps consisted of clones only in the first years after the Clone Wars. Subsequently, due to the aging of the clones and their high cost, they were replaced by ordinary stormtroopers trained from ordinary people... And over time, the clones remained only under the auspices of Darth Vader... in the 501st Legion!

The very same legion that Grodin Tierce is currently planning to form again and has even brought some of the former "Vader's Fist" fighters to my ship! Not to mention thousands of "GeNod" clones raised by Colonel Selid!

Now I was almost certain that Grodin Tierce was a time bomb.

I didn't believe in his betrayal of the Emperor's ideals right away and decided that time would put everything in its place. I allowed him to lead the legion of soldiers stationed on the Chimaera. And in addition to all this, he became a template for cloning...

Okay, good. Let's capture the thought.

Why did it happen this way? Should I be afraid of betrayal?

Honestly, I can't recall multiple cases in which the Imperial Guards deviated from the "track" and served against Palpatine. In the events known to me, the original Grodin Tierce did not betray Thrawn. But the original Thrawn also acted solely in the interests of the Empire and Palpatine. I, however, do not. And unfortunately, they know about this. Not many, but they know.

We proceed from the position that Tierce was part of the stormtroopers in order to observe my actions and inform his masters about my movements. Okay. So, they are aware of everything that has happened recently — they must certainly be aware of it. And they were very unhappy that I am gaining not only military, but also political weight. After all, what do they expect from Thrawn? That he will fight, carry the flag forward and not think about what is happening in the political arena. And after his death, the Imperials, inspired by the sacred sacrifice, if my memory serves me correctly, went on the offensive and captured Coruscant. Thrawn actually destroyed the New Republic and only the betrayal of the Noghri prevented him from completing what he had started. But at the same time, he defeated the rebels' armed forces, which facilitated the campaign of the Reborn Emperor.

That's the problem.

I relied too much on my knowledge of the future and started forming political alliances (even though they are just trying to use me in them), which attracted attention to myself...

So what...?

So, Grodin Tierce was sent to me. Let's assume that this is the case. Another question arises — by whom?

There aren't that many options.

The Ubiquitorate – it's as difficult for these guys to defect as it is to wrap a foot cloth around your leg. That is, at first it seems alien and incomprehensible, but you see how others do it a couple of times — and that's it, you can do it yourself. And the more often you repeat it, the better it gets.

Ardus Kaine.

The Ubiqtorate now works for him. Or, at least, is in cahoots with him. Consequently, they can act in tandem. Kaine is one of the candidates for the post of Emperor. And in general, thanks to the prosperity of his Pentastar Alignment, he could have taken this post long ago, having bribed those who needed to be, and defeated those who needed to be. But he is not interested in it. Why? Because he is probably connected to Palpatine – if not personally, then through agents for sure. The Pentastar Alignment is a staging ground for the Reborn Emperor's campaign.

The Imperial Governing Council. The same cesspool as any government body. Regardless of the form of government. All politicians are equally good. And the fact that there is discord and confusion in the New Republic does not in any way honor the Imperial space – here too, "a dagger is hidden behind every smile." They could have been making mischief just to know for sure that I would keep the word Thrawn gave and not get involved in politics.

The clone Ysanne Isard and the Ciutric Hegemony. Highly doubtful. If I remember the book Isard's Revenge correctly, the heterochromic woman created a clone precisely in order to use Krennel and the prisoners of war from the Lusankya for her operation against the New Republic and capture her own flagship, lost in the Battle of Tyferra.

Where there is a clone, the original is nearby. Isard had Imperial Guards with her and Tierce could easily be one of those whom Palpatine himself had assigned to protect the heterochromic woman. It is foolish to think that the former director of Imperial Intelligence works in only one direction. She was planning to capture her Star Destroyer in order to present it to Palpatine. So, she at least knows that he is resurrected. At the most, she is his eyes and ears in the galaxy, while the Emperor is sitting it out and gathering strength on Byss.

Well, and Palpatine himself... If you think about it, excluding all his attempts to capture the Skywalkers and his exploration of the Dark Side, this man is an unsurpassed multi-move master who can make life difficult in an instant. And he has a lot of resources — I am sure that besides Isard he also has his own agents. And in addition to Jade, there are other Hands, old or new. If I am correct in my point of view that Thrawn should serve exclusively to weaken the military machine of the New Republic, then my movements aimed at creating a political union are forcing the teacher

Imagining for a moment that my assumptions are correct and the "Mount Tantiss" facility was specifically left behind so that it could be discovered at the right time and used to destroy the New Republic. It was left not only with Spaarti cylinders, but also with the "GeNod" program. Who would refuse to create an army of devoted clones that would carry out any order? No Imperial military leader would do this. So, it's a trap. Especially since the loyalty written in the "GeNod" programming is focused exclusively on Palpatine. Is it possible to bypass it and insert your own name there? Good question. We need a specialist who understands this. Otherwise, it's better to forget about the program. Especially since its side effect... is alarming.

Fortunately, or not, I still found vulnerabilities in the "GeNod" program.

Ironically, their ignorance of the fact that they are all clones was also the biggest drawback of this cloning method. "GeNod" clones sometimes went crazy. It seems that the part of the programming that was responsible for ignoring the understanding of the cloning process is imperfect. Because the clones killed each other, in fits of rage and horror, they considered them impostors.

One more time.

The "GeNod" program prescribed that clones have an awareness of themselves as separate individuals. At the same time, they did not know that they were clones. And they did not realize this fact when they looked at other clones. But at the same time, periodically, such clones killed each other, considering those who had the same face to be enemies or enemy agents using the same face.

How can this be, if the clones are programmed not to realize the fact that...

I had to reread the information again. And again. And again.

In general, I did not find any details of this incident. Simply, at some point in time, the clones began to realize that they were looking at their own face. And since they do not know that they are clones, they consider those with the same appearance to be enemies who are masquerading as them.

Well, with such gifts, you don't need enemies.

The program is really worthwhile. Especially if you consider the fact that its part — the very one that was responsible for absolute loyalty — was used in the training program for human stormtroopers. No, they were not programmed like "GeNod" clones. They were simply instilled with these basic truths during routine training: absolute loyalty, obedience to the commander, self-sacrifice for the sake of carrying out an order... I am not a great expert in neurolinguistic programming, but it seems that the stormtroopers were processed in some verbal or nonverbal way, achieving perfect obedience. Yes, some of them rebelled and betrayed – but this is just a statistical error. It is possible that Kyle Katarn could not be processed properly, due to his connection with the Force, for example. Or for some other reasons.

It is possible that Isanne Isard used this method of processing her prisoners on the Lusankya — after all, those intelligent beings who ended up there did not carry out her orders for kind words. And the only one who could resist the processing... Corran Horn. A descendant of a Jedi.

One way or another, "GeNod" really has potential. But at the same time, it is necessary to solve the problem of changing the name of the one to whom they should obey in the programming, and also somehow bypass the problems with their "witch hunt". Maybe we should give them an understanding that they are still clones?

I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. If the "GeNod" program were simple programming of a computer or technology, where it is necessary to correct lines of code, that would be one thing. But the program only provides for the introduction of information about biography and combat training in the form of digital code. But loyalty, obedience, and other games with the psyche – this is already happening at the level of psychological processing, which is carried out with the help of special equipment. For handling which there are no specialists. There simply aren't any. After all, cloning is officially prohibited in the Empire. And the rare specialists who do exist are Kaminoans, Arkanians, Hoffs, and a number of other races, from whom, apparently, the Imperials obtained the data for this cloning program.

For example, after looking at the list of individuals who worked with the "GeNod" program, I was quite surprised.

All Republican and Imperial scientists in the files either had a code designation or were simply not mentioned. But the founder of the program...

Sometimes it seems that you know how far Palpatine can go in his search for his own greatness, and then, stumbling upon a new piece of information, all that remains is to catch your jaw and realize that your past life probably did not know such scoundrels.

The author of most of the "GeNod" program, which began even before the Clone Wars, was... Zeta Magnus.

Who is this? Oh, a very interesting "character" who does not have a drop of sympathy. A machine of destruction.

Information about him is available in Imperial archives, largely based on Republican and private databases, including Jedi reports. And after reading them, you don't know what to grab — your head or your heart. Because shock alternates with a heart attack.

So. To begin with, this monster is an experiment of such a race as the Arkanians. The latter are generally masters in the field of genetics. And there is a high probability that it is one of their scientists that I will have to hire in order to deal with cloning programs.

Zeta Magnus was assembled from the DNA of various creatures, most of which I have not even heard of. He was used as a stable source of his own DNA to create other clones just like him. He fought against some enemies of the Arkanians, and very successfully. After the end of the conflict, known as the Revolution, he was supposed to be killed, but something went wrong. The mutant escaped, killed and... ate his creators in order to satisfy his thirst for violence and stimulate his mental activity. Hmm... You want to become smarter – eat the brains of your enemy? I don't like this "guy".

And at this point, I really started to dislike the "GeNod" program. And all genetic experiments in this galaxy in general. Apparently, they are only capable of creating monsters. And it's getting unsettling.

According to Republican reports, Magnus studied the languages of his victims and was fond of playing rare musical instruments. And at the same time, he was a genius in all areas of his interest. Well... with such a resume, he should clearly be taking home the Nobel Peace Prize.

There is information that he explored the Unknown Regions, and I really do not like this information. If I remember correctly, that is where various races that caused trouble for the Chiss, as well as the Republic itself, are located. And it seems that it is there that the Yuuzhan Vong scouts have been hiding for the last millennia... How likely is it that the inquisitive mind of a mutant did not discover all these enemies of the civilizations of the known galaxy and did not use their developments to improve his immeasurable ego and abilities in destruction?

Absolutely zero. Coincidence is not about the Star Wars universe. I have already learned the lesson — nothing ever happens by chance here. Whoever seeks will always find. And I had no doubt that the Arkanian genetic mutant was looking for more knowledge in the field of bioengineering. Not at all.

The Jedi reports indicated that Zeta Magnus may have been associated with Darth Sidious, the alter ego of the man who would later call himself Emperor Palpatine. Given that I have clear evidence of the fact that this creature is involved in the cloning programs that Palpatine used, the probability turns into a fact. And into the certainty that Zeta Magnus is involved in much of what happened in this galaxy — either by himself or while in the service of Palpatine.

The details of the interaction between Palpatine and Zeta Magnus are unknown – the Jedi traditionally failed to learn what they were not told, and when Palpatine came to power, it is logical that he did not allow the investigation to continue. The main reason is that Zeta Magnus allegedly died. Died, someone connected to a cloning program? That's not even funny. The Jedi concluded that Magnus was dead only on the basis of reports from Anakin Skywalker, who would later become Darth Vader, and his mentor — Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is also not alive at the moment. It is no longer possible to interrogate them about the circumstances of the death of the Arkanian mutant. And therefore... With a high degree of probability, Zeta Magnus survived. And it was his clone that was killed by the Jedi.

Let's fix this idea and proceed from the fact that the real mutant geneticist is still alive at the moment. And consequently, the list of his crimes: the organization of the infection of planets in the Core Worlds with rock mites, the creation and spread of the "blue virus", work on the cybernetization of General Grievous... Mace Windu also tried to capture Zeta Magnus on the planet Dantooine, where he was engaged in... something.

In other words, neither the Republican intelligence nor the Jedi Order received any direct facts of Zeta Magnus's involvement in terrorist acts in the known part of the galaxy. Only suspicions, assumptions, circumstantial evidence...

Even the creation and spread of the "swarm virus", which killed the crew of the Katana-class Dreadnought heavy cruiser and caused the disappearance of the Dark Force – is attributed to Zeta Magnus's atrocities, not to mention a number of "smaller" crimes, such as a series of murders on the planet Anaxes. Yes, right on the planet that is the birthplace of the Republic's military machine... After all, that is where military thought developed. And so easily a huge mutant came and killed intelligent beings there. And after that, he disappeared calmly. He should be a target for all Republican and Jedi investigators?!

And at the same time, his name appears as the founder of the Republican and Imperial cloning program... Apparently, scientists who were just as unburdened by morality as the Arkanian genetic mutant himself worked in the "GeNod" program after Magnus. On the other hand, who else should be involved in such a program, a moralist-ideologue? No, clearly a supporter of Palpatine. And something tells me that "white and fluffy" intelligent beings were not close to the Emperor.

There is a little more information about Zeta Magnus from the Clone Wars period.

He invaded the planet Marat V in the Marat system and subjugated the local inhabitants of the S'kytri race. When the Jedi Order learned of his involvement in the events on Marat V, the Jedi High Council sent Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawans Halagad Ventor and Anakin Skywalker to apprehend the bioterrorist and hand him over to justice. But it's not that simple. The Jedi predictably fell into an ambush, their ship was destroyed, the Jedi and several soldiers landed on the surface, entered into diplomatic relations with the local opposition, while Magnus had at his disposal aboriginal radicals who were not averse to "fighting".

After that, Magnus made an appeal to the entire galaxy, calling on the Jedi to withdraw their soldiers, otherwise threatening to spray a plague in the Republic worlds. A curious fact... According to Obi-Wan Kenobi's reports, they learned about Zeta Magnus's true identity only at the end of the operation, and during it they believed that they were dealing with some Sith follower named Saturn Garu. At the same time, Kenobi noted that there was a Sith named Garu. And until the very end, he was sure that he and the padawans were fighting directly against the Sith, assuming that Saturn Garu was the very Sith Lord that Count Dooku had warned him about on the planet Geonosis at the very beginning of the Clone Wars.

The report further indicated that the clone commandos who followed the Jedi to the planet turned out to be... traitors and slaves of the geneticist himself (I don't even want to imagine how it became possible — to infiltrate the clone army, where everyone had seen each other since the moment of creation, with three "fake" clones). But that's where it gets interesting...

According to Kenobi, Magnus boasted that he could scan the brains of the Jedi and transfer their knowledge to the clones, who, according to the Jedi himself, were already ready. He made a special note of the fact that Magnus was able to raise them in just a few... HOURS!

That is, Zeta Magnus was so skilled in genetics and cloning that he could not only create clones that infiltrated the clone army and did not arouse suspicion, but he could also raise Jedi clones in just an impossible time! This is despite the fact that until now I considered the Spaarti program itself to be the most productive in this matter, but even it needed ten standard months without Ysalamiri. What kind of knowledge did Zeta Magnus use then?! Were the Jedi clones stable? Did they suffer from "cloning madness"?

But if you abstract away, you need to understand that Zeta Magnus most likely stopped working with Darth Sidious before this moment. I am sure that this report – about the creation of clones in a few hours – was brought to Palpatine himself. I am sure that he would have jumped out of his mantle to have such a support. I judge by myself, because if I had such a technology — I would give a couple of Star Destroyers for it for sure. The problem with the lack of crew members could be solved in about a month. And at the same time, I have no doubt that Zeta Magnus did not create clones that did not obey him unconditionally — after all, by that time he had already developed "GeNod".

And here is another confirmation of the fact that Zeta Magnus did not die – after his "murder" on Marat V, the Republic still experienced a biological attack – the plague promised by Zeta Magnus was released. Of course, if we make an allowance for the fact that this mutant is extremely intelligent and managed to hedge against his death, like a "retaliatory strike". But who in their right mind, having access to cloning technology, would not take such a chance – to put a clone in his place, and to go into the shadows while they consider you dead? After all, even I...

Okay, now let's take a break from what's going on.

I pulled a hologram of Zeta Magnus from the archive.

Zeta Magnus.

The mutant clearly adored wearing Onderonian armor – the style was very distinctive. And Onderon has been mentioned more than once in the history of the Sith in the past... Darth Bane, Freedon Nadd, the struggle of Mitra Surik against the Sith Triumvirate — and this is only what I myself know about. But I am sure that there is even more that I don't know.

So, does Zeta Magnus threaten my plans? No, I don't think so. I am more than sure that the mutant retreated to the Unknown Regions after the death of his clone and is now holed up somewhere there. Search for him? For what? Because he is a criminal and a bioterrorist? No, thanks. I'm not worried about his criminal activity. He hasn't done anything bad to me. At the moment, of course. Cooperate with him? Yes, I think such a specialist could solve the problems with cloning. But then a number of questions arise.

The first, and most important, is — can his work be trusted? I don't know what Palpatine promised him for his work, I don't know if they settled up, and I don't know if the mutant is offended by his former employer. What are the guarantees that, having gained access to Imperial cloning capacities, Zeta Magnus (if he is still alive and available for communication) will not present some surprise? Honestly, I don't have that confidence. As well as the fact that he will not arrive in the form of a clone, and therefore, threats to his life are fruitless. I already have the mad C'baoth. And it is possible to outwit him only because he is defective. But Zeta Magnus lived for decades and there were no signs of mental problems. Therefore, he is stable and knows how to think several steps ahead. The real Thrawn may have been able to outwit him, but I am not him. No matter how hard I try to prove it.

The second question — the question of payment, even fades under the weight of the first. I have money, but I am sure that this intelligent being does not accept Imperial credits as often as he eats those he considers his enemy. I wonder if he had a desire to "devour" Darth Sidious. As far as I know the old intriguer, he did not like to work with anyone as an equal, always holding a stone behind his back, so that he could use it at the right moment. If so, then the Arkanian genetic mutant clearly has a huge grudge against the Empire and its servants.

So, Zeta Magnus is not an option for analyzing the situation with "GeNod". We need less...extravagant allies. Those who can be bought for money or won over their loyalty in another way. For example, by getting rid of the oppression of a criminal organization...

But this is all that concerns the situation with the "GeNod" program. I have already banned its use at the "Mount Tantiss" facility. General Covell confirmed this fact through official channels, and Lieutenant Colonel Astarion's operatives – through unofficial ones. So, you can "breathe out" for now.

Now we move on to more pressing problems, such as Grodin Tierce.

At the moment, he is flying to "say hello" to former Grand Admiral Octavian Grant. And thereby clean up the traces leading to me. At the same time, turning them in the other direction.

I ask myself the question again — can I trust this person? Or is everything he said a lie, which is only introduced so that I can play my role at the right moment? Or am I just having paranoia?

One way or another, I need to do something with the major and his clones — both "GeNod" and those who were in the 501st legion in the past. Maybe I am still overreacting and what is happening is only a figment of my imagination, but still... I am sure that in this case the coincidences are not accidental.

Someone from those I think about has clearly decided to give me a beatdown. Now, tomorrow, or in a month, but they will make their move. And I am sure that it will be aimed solely at forcing me to leave politics and switch only to military operations. Okay, let's capture the thought — in the eyes of my enemies, I should only fight and weaken the New Republic. Honestly, I would be glad, since the weakening of Coruscant's forces and the subsequent attack of the Imperials and the Reborn Emperor Palpatine corresponds to my plan.

The problem is that I don't even suspect who exactly is trying to act against me yet. Capture Tierce and start torturing him? Not even funny. He is an Imperial Guard and clearly knows how to endure such methods of interrogation. Otherwise, Palpatine would have a greater vulnerability in his personal guard. After all, there is so much hidden in their memory that any enemy of the Emperor would not be against it....

Stop. Let's capture the thought.

Tierce' memory. He became part of the cloning program. Consequently, his memory was scanned and processed. The "GeNod" files indicate that the original memories are always preserved. In the Spaarti technology, they are generally not subject to change. The first program inside Mount Tantiss is not relevant at all. Consequently, if Tierce' genotype has already entered the cloning cylinders, then I will get not one, but twenty thousand potential traitors at once!

Well no, that won't happen.

Glancing at my schedule, I noticed with relief — Tierce will enter cloning only after two batches. After all, he is the source for stormtroopers and guards, but not for naval specialists, from whom the crew for one of the captured Star Destroyers must be formed by the end of this month.

Having prepared a dispatch for General Covell, I sent it through an encrypted channel. So, we have suspended the cloning of Tierce. Let them create crews for starships for now. We have technicians, but we don't have enough crews...

Astarion's subordinates received an order to view the Major's memory. If he does not have the ability to forget some moments of his life or someone has not specifically erased his memory, then the counterintelligence will quickly find out whether he is guilty of treason or not. And then we will decide what to do with him...

Although, are there so many options? As it turns out — yes, quite a few. At least three. Moreover, if you think about it, it is not so important whether he is a traitor in his essence or not. At least for two of the three options. And on the other hand, the third one can be used with any of the intelligent beings under my command. But this should happen when my popularity reaches its peak among my subordinates, so that the necessary reaction occurs.

In the meantime...

Hmm... Dantooine. The planet that Princess Leia indicated in the fourth episode of Star Wars as the location of the rebel base.

And if I remember correctly, there was once a Jedi Temple there... And Zeta Magnus was also active there, creating the "GeNod" project. And Mace Windu was hunting him there... And this planet is not so far from the Pentastar Alignment...

It seems that it is time to give Mara Jade another assignment.

Oh! Speak of the devil.

— Grand Admiral, — the girl bowed respectfully, slightly directing her body towards me. — I have arrived at Yaga Minor. It has been discovered that Talon Karrde is conducting his business here – one of his ships has been identified. Should I start an investigation?

More and more curious...

And why did I think that anything would be easy anywhere? However, wasn't that what I was counting on? Approximately this, although I thought that we would not be able to discover the place of his interests so quickly. But isn't Karrde's "business" related to his desire to move his meeting with Leia Organa-Solo?

— This information must be verified before meeting with the shipbuilder, — I said. — If the appearance of Karrde's henchmen here is random, then there is no point in placing the work on Project Asteroid on Yaga Minor. At least not in the planned volume. Investigate, but not to the detriment of the meeting with the shipbuilder. He is a priority.

After all, I need a modernization specialist. I really need one. Not to reproach Mr. Reyes, of course.

— I understand, Grand Admiral, — the girl said. — The audience is scheduled for tomorrow. I am sure that in a day I will be able to find out how deeply Karrde has penetrated the Imperial Remnant.

It seems like this is personal for her.

— Just not to the detriment of the main task, — I reminded her. At first, I wanted to give her an order to advance to Dantooine and one more thing... And then I realized that I was not so sure of the success of her mission to investigate Karrde's activities. — After this task is completed, you will have other work that cannot be postponed.

— I understand, Grand Admiral, — the girl nodded briefly and disconnected.

Yes... business....

— Grand Admiral, sir, — Captain Pellaeon's voice came from the comlink. — A report from Captain Schneider of the Nemesis. They report that a ship belonging to Talon Karrde was discovered on Yaga Minor.

— Is that so? — I tried to feign slight surprise in my voice. No one needs to know that Jade is reporting to me separately from official communication channels. — Forward me all the available information.

— Will be done, Grand Admiral, — the commander of the Chimaera replied, disconnecting.