Captain Sansa



Sansa glanced up in surprise at Hilter's suggestion over Captain Marlicos. His eyes narrowed, "I would not be so hasty to give up your Corporate Security or have the Empire control them. It leaves you no wall between your company and the Empire and, honestly, makes nationalization very tempting. If you have your own Corporate Security in place, you have that distance and easily retain your identity."

Sansa shrugged, "But, if you wish the Empire to control Marlicos and his group, I suppose that can be arranged. I don't understand your logic behind it, though. The Empire is talking about defense and security on a planetary scale. The KDY's, the planetary shields maintained and run by the Empire. These are military weapons. Your corporate security, however, protects your company's interest.

The Empire also is not saying you cannot sell on the open market. All they are saying is that as your largest customer, they demand and expect preferential treatment with the terms stated above. Keep the Empire's orders filled and your quality consistent, and you can sell to whomever you like.

Of course, if you sell to the Empire enemies, I would expect a certain amount of discretion.." Sansa smiled.


Then he leaned forward. "You do have the power to tell me no. You can tell me to go to hell. But I would have been remiss if I didn't inform you of the very real consequences of those actions. And as for Kaine, yes, in this instance he does get what he wants. But his planning is on a different level than most. You have to know him to understand. He likes to control both sides of the board in that, no matter what you say to me: yes or no, he wins."


Sansa then settled back in contemplation of Hilter's questions. "An Imperial Line Captain walks a fine line between promoting the interests of their superiors and looking after the interests of their crew and government. It is a largely thankless job but it does lend itself to some good things in life.

As for what I would do?"

Sansa grinned quietly, "I would stop funding the GLF. At the very least, stop funding from my very real lucrative company and fund them from a very unreal front company."

Then Sansa's grin turned to curiousity, "Permit me a question of my own: What do you want out of life, Afdol Hilter? Why did you build this company? What is it you are after?"

"In relation to Captain Marlicos, I merely assumed that the Empire would not allow my company to retain his services. If I can, then I most certainly will."

He pressed his hands together and looked at Sansa.

"If founded this company, Captain, because I was told by an acquaintance that I would never survive a corporate environment. That situation was set-up after I had first won the Intergalactic Dejarik Hologames Tournament- which I entered because a childhood friend said I wouldn't make it past the first round.

I am an intensly competitive person, and so far, I have turned out to be a highly sucessful person. Granted I put a lot of energy and effort into everything I do, and so far that's been enough."

He grinned.

"Since we are abandoning all pretenses... "

Hilter paused, as if considering whether or not to continue on his train of thought.

"Though it was not my original motive for founding Agro, one component that drove me to build this company was to provide funding for Brutus Nogoth's organization. Money I could use..."

He stopped and looked at Sansa a curosity in his eyes at the Imperial's response.

"Captain. May I return to what you said earlier about being an Imperial Line Captain? You said being a Line Captain is a thankless job. What if I told you I could facilitate your rise much more quickly than the conventional method?"

Hilter looked to Sansa to see his response.

Captain Sansa



The Line Captain grinned at Hilter's rather presumptuous comment. "Mr. Hilter, the Empire does not concern itself with what security a company seeks to impliment for itself. Only the grander, larger scale, planet-wide affecting actions does it take notice of. Your Captain Marlicos is yours."


As he listend to the CEO's story of the founding of his company, an inward smile formed at the all to common circumstance, "Tell someone they can't do a thing and they'll fight like hell to prove you wrong."


Then came the meat of Hilter's responses.


"Though it was not my original motive for founding Agro, one component that drove me to build this company was to provide funding for Brutus Nogoth's organization. Money I could use..."


It was not so much the confirming revelation that Hilter's company was a source of funding for GLF but rather, that such funding was the reason for Agro's inception!

That the success or failure of the company in the agricultural industry mattered little to Afdol Hilter as long as GLF interests were taken care of.

That his voice trailed off.. 'Money I could use...' left a greater implication unspoken.



Kaine was right!


Brutus Nogoth was only the front man. The 'face' of the terrorist organization.

But the implications of Hilter's comments put the CEO as one of the higher architects of the organization.


Then the CEO threw something else out there.

What if I told you I could facilitate your rise much more quickly than the conventional method?"

Sansa's eyes narrowed slightly but his curiosity had been sparked. "Rise to what? And how would my rise be facilitated more quickly than say, conventional methods?"


The conversation had definitely taken a very interesting turn.

Inwardly, Hilter relased the ball of tension that had been building in the recesses of his stomach. Sansa could have stormed right out of the office, and Hilter would have had to take drastic, and very risky action. The fact that the Imperial Captain remained seated and was receptive, at least at first thought, to Hilter's sugestion was reassuring. As he prepared to utter his next statment, he realized he had reached a point of no return. There was nowhere to go but forward.

"No officer in the Imperial Navy aspires as his final goal to be a mere Line Captain. It's obvious that you have the ability to rise through the ranks- that it will happen is a given. But your route is going to be long and ponderous. To my knowledge there is no Moff Sansa lording over his own chunk of territory. The GC is crushed; and if the Black Dragons cause problems then it will be up to Bhindi Drayson's job to deal with them."

Hilter waited to see if Sansa would correct him, then continued.

"You will be promoted. You might even become a squadron commander- an impressive acomplishment. Maybe you are talented enough to become an XO or a Vice Admiral. Even so, that will be the culimination of your career, in the twilight of your mental capacities and age. You will be sucessful- but no student in history class will remember the name 'Sansa.' You will simply be one of the thousands of commanders in the largest most powerful space navy in history."

He paused to let that sink in.

"You might be content with that, but I doubt it. However, unless you have an an obscure uncle I've never heard of their is but one way to rise quickly to a high station. To be a possible choice for Admiral, or Moff, or governor of some planet that has more than 10 vistors a year. You need a victory; a decisive, stunning victory. But in the current state your chances are slim. Plus, at your current rank, someone above you is likley to gobble up all the credit no mater how uninvolved they were in the ordeal. Short of a miracle, your option is the long path to sucess."

Hilter's head turned, then slowly came back to a lock with Sansa's.

"That is, unless you allow me to intervene."

Captain Sansa



The Imperial Line Captains breath caught. "Just what did you have in mind?" he cautiously ventured.

"I can arrange a situation; I can create the oppurtunity of your lifetime. The chance to win a decisive victory against the most insidious threat to the Empire since Tilric Bell. Your fast track to a promotion- a golden opportunity."

Hilter looked intently at Sansa.

"A chance to prove to the Imperial High Command how effective you can be.

What do you say, Captain?"

Captain Sansa


Sansa kept a grin hidden. "What I mean't was, how do you propose to accomplish this?"

He sat back.


"Because knowing that would help me determine if the results can be as you are selling or not."

Hilter smiled.

"Well, Captain, that really depends on what you think you can handle. I can arrange just about anything.

For example: A large force of GLF irregulars is currently based on Iridonia, dispersed among the zabrak refugee camps in the habitable parts of the planet. They will be moving off Iridonia soon- to be dispersed on nearby Mid-Rim Protectorate Worlds. If they are dispersed, they will cause an amazing amount of havoc for Admiral Kracken, and they will be very hard to completely wipe out, causing a protracted problem.

You have once chance- attack the gathering transports over Irodnia. The window for attack is miniscule, and the transports will be protected by a fighter screen, but sucess will mean eliminating out some 7,000 irregulars."

He paused to let Sansa ponder his proposal.

"Well?"

Captain Sansa


The Imperial Line Captain sat back contemplating the new information spread before him. In a sense, the mission was now over. The Empire would come and control things on a planetary scale leaving Agro to tend to it's own corporate needs. The Empire would become one of the largest buyers (at premium prices) of a product that could feed billions. Especially the growing armies of Kaine and the Empire. Ortho Gutt and his fellow Captain, Yatta would remain to oversee the Empire's governing of the world and be the liason between Agro and the New Order. A plush job that removes a rather uninspiring captain from active duties of conquest while still making use of his small abilities of contribution.

So the question then becomes, at least to the man named Sansa, is: What happens to me.


This 'opportunity' being offered, if successful, would promote the Line Captain's name in certain circles. And while the rank may not come exactly as Hilter was promoting, there is no doubt that it would come.


"Transports at Irodnia.." he whispered to himself while lost in thought. If the remnants of GLF were being readied to disperse, then truly Hilter was right. He would have to act now!

But therein lay the problem.

His eyes narrowed at the CEO. What guarantee was there that the 7,000 people on the transports were GLF?

Whoever heard of a terrorist organization grouping 7,000 members together in one place? Imperial Propaganda aside, he knew that the movement was not stupid.

So the question is: What is the setup?


And protected by a fighter screen?

Obviously, this movement is being funded by not only an agricultural business but a manufacturer of military hardware.

But which?


He did not voice these concerns, however. He looked the CEO in the eye and merely asked, "You've been very verbal about the personal benefits to me but, tell me, what is in it for you, Mr. Hilter, if this thing is done?"

Sansa's skepticism was evident, though that was hardly suprising to Hilter. The set-up did seem amazingly unrealistic. Hilter had taken it on as one of the most ambitious GLF projects ever, barring none of the major attacks conducted during the early Upheaval operations. The plan was to cause the large set of uprisings and disturbances across what was considered the least stable of the Imperial holdings, and push Kracken's fiefdom into complete chaos. Equipped with heavy weapons, and even a few medium and heavy vehicles, the insurgents were supposed to be able to fight a protracted guerilla war against anything the Imperials would throw at them. The ships were also packed with hundreds of "liberated" blaster rifles and light explosives to arm any portion of the populace that could be persuaded to join the insurgency.

The logistics involved had been insane. It had taken a massive effor to secure the thirty necessary Gallofree Medium transports that were going to be used to transport all the rebels and set them up with false transponders and cargo listings. Hilter had strained the resources of the GLF and involved several major Union front companies to pull it all together. The coordination had been laid out to a tee, so that the marshalling period would last for about five standard hours and then be done. The chance of any major authority popping up in that tiny window, especially over the ravaged world of Iridonia (which had been ruthlessly bombarded in an earlier GLF attack) during that miniscule time window was astronomically low.

Yet Hilter was prepared to give it all away.

Months of planning, millions of credits..... kaput.

There were several reason involved in the decision.

Hilter was already concocting the propaganda he could spew out in retaliation for the Empire's unprovoked attack on... traders? innocent civillians? refugees? The long term benefits of that message would help recoup the personel and monies lost in the short term.

Also, a good number of the insurgents were those of questionable loyalty to the GLF, and another large portion were former Exchange operatives whose loyalties had been to the late Director Koorer. In the coming life and death situations that would have been kept in line by there own survial needs and the large number of fanatics who had been planted among the insurgents.

Still, even when considered together (the chance to seed in the galactic populace's mind the evils of the Empire and the ability to neutarlize the only internal threat to both the GLF and the Union itself, turning traitors into martyrs) the two factors did not outweigh the oppurtunity to do serious damage to the Empire.

However, there was one final determining factor.

No matter how sucessful the operation was in destabilizing the Mid Rim Protectorate- even freeing a planet or two from Imperial rule- it could not compare to the possibility of what Sansa could provide.

Hilter Afdol was playing the game for the long run.

Just like in his days of being a dejarik galactic champion, he was peering into the future and moving peices that he though might have bearing sometime down the line at a crucial moment.

Often times those move had sacrificed a short term advantage.

Many times, the moves had been risky propositions.

But more often then not, when Hilter Afdol chose to make a bet, he reap the rewards at the end of the game.



"Well, I will gain a few short term advantages from this being done, but I am more concerned with the future."

He stood up behing his desk.

"Captain there will come a time, someday in the future, when the state of the galaxy will be very different from it is today. That is not a conjecture, but a statement of fact. Change is coming. I can't tell you when that day will be but I know it will happen. And when it does, I think, Captain, that those who have positioned themselves most... effectively... will be in a position where they will be able to seriously affect the final change in such a way that is both good for them and the rest of the galaxy."

He produced a datapad from a drawer in his desk and stepped around the side of the furniture.

"If you want to do this, you'll find all the neccessary details on this datapad."

Hilter started to extend his arm to relinquish the device to Sansa but stopped.

"You of course, still have the option to say no. If you do chose that, I completely understand."

He extended his arm and the datapad toward the Imperial.