23 Kuat
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Sorry for the late update Guys.
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April 8, 4 BBY
In Orbit MANDALORE
"We have grown too fast William, we have crushed the criminal elements that once plagued this sector with Shadow Command, we have brought about stability and peace to this civil war wrecked planet , but I..., we can't be everywhere at once," Garoche voiced, as he and William stood at a Transparisteel window looking out at Mandal Motors dockyard as worker droids tug and flit about the yards as ships begin to take shape amongst the massive arms that holds their framed skeletal outline in place .
"I agree brother, I had known the damage done by the Excision as well as the Siege was high; but not this much. All slips for ships larger than 400m, gone. Either towed away by the vaunted Republic to suppress the Mandalorians or wrecked in the fighting against the Shadow Collective at the end of the Clone Wars." William and Garoche lapsed into silence as they started to contemplate; but were suddenly interrupted as the door started to chime .
"Enter" says Garoche, as two persons now entered through the once closed durasteel doors, an older man wearing Mandalorian formal wear and a woman wearing workers overalls.
William and Garoche turn't to greet their new comers. "Ah, Garoche you remember Terrec Awaud of House Viszla I'm sure, he has done well as the CEO of MandalMotors. Care to introduce your guest?" said William .
"Of course Admiral , this is Gwilla Rook of House Kast. She is the Head of Operations for our primary dockyard here on Mandalore. I believe you have a report for us?", the elder man asked, getting a nod from the lady.
Gwilla pulls a datapad from one of her many pockets and enters some commands at which the various windows in the room polarize and darken as a hologram begins to take shape at the center of the table.
Graphs and charts appearing center stage with various ship icons hovering around the edges and a depiction of the dockyard at the top.
"Since the arrival of Moff Garoche our efforts to repair the slipways have faced no issues. Where previously we had seen obstructions and delays in procuring heavy machineries; and thus we were unable to build here in the sector; but please be rest assured, for as we speak Installments are underway for the last generator required for the dockyards to operate at full capacity."
As she speaks the dockyard diagram lights up, showing the various hubs and dock arms shift from red to green.
"With the licenses Moff Garoche have procured from Kuat Drive Yards and Sienar Fleet Systems, we are able to produce any of their designs that are 400 meters and shorter that you require. Local demand has spiked and we have received multiple orders for cargo vessels, system patrol craft, and fighters from civilians and nearby planetary governments. People still remember the quality of MandalMotor's products!" Gwilla exclaims proudly.
William stares intently at the hologram. "What do your projections show for future growth? The tenth fleet is already over extended as it is and we have no choice but to expand Shadow Command especially if we are to maintain the peace and stability we have brought to the sectors ." Gwilla pauses and glances at Terrec, who turns to William.
"We have already begun an expansion of the yards here at Mandalore as well as some of our factories on the surface, and we plan on breaking ground on Concordia for new starfighter and component factories in the next quarter. Our bigger problem is staffing, we need more people to work the yards and while Mandalorians are perhaps not as martial as they once were, working in starship construction is still not seen as prestigious.As much as MandalMotors would like to cater to your needs exclusively, we have always focused on the high build quality of our craft over the speed of construction. I am sure you have noticed that the maintenance of your vessels has been much more infrequent using our parts instead of those imported from elsewhere. I will be honest, without being affiliated with Kuat Drive Yards or Corellian Engineering Corporation, we are concerned about becoming too large and inviting a hostile takeover from an outside party. MandalMotors has enjoyed being an independent shipyard for half a millenia and survived the Excision as well as KDY gobbling up Rendili and Rothana via Imperial Mandate at the end of the Clone Wars. We do not have the prestige that CEC has and so have only survived this long by being too small to bother any major corporations. The Board and I agree that maintaining the current quota of 40% of our larger slips for Shadow Command and the Tenth Fleet repair, refit, and construction remains the prudent course." While Terrec looked calm at his pronouncement, Gwilla was starting to look nervous. For Garoche was staring intently at Terrec with a scowl.
"I assume that you were not so idiotic to just say no and not provide a solution? Ineed those ships, if I am to continue to expand and provide safety and security , not only to your planets; but to the many other systems and sectors . You won't be seeing any growth if I can't get the ships to keep the Rebels and other criminal organizations away."
Terrec hits the controls on the holoprojector and the image changes to a galactic map focused on the Outer Rim near Mandalore; several systems are highlighted. William stands up and begins to walk around the table, staring at the projection. "Yaga Minor, Ord Trasi, Raxus… Considering your recent proclamation, I doubt MandalMotors is planning on refurbishing or buying out these older shipyards. The Tarkin family may be rich, but not so rich as to get into the business of shipyards! Some already view us as overreaching Outer Rim bumpkins and this would not help matters. Kuat? Or CEC I take it?" William muses.
"CEC is not viable. While they would be happy for the opportunity, KDY would definitely disagree as would some members of the Imperial Navy. There is still bad blood from the Clone Wars" Garoche interjects. Terrec nods his head as the two brothers talk, "Your thoughts echo ours, while KDY has multiple holdings in the Outer Rim on the other side of the galaxy, they do not have much in our region of space. The Kuati are more than wealthy and greedy enough to desire an expansion here. I'm more than confident Moff Tarkin could convince them to refurbish one of the shipyards left over from the Clone Wars or the Ruusan Reformation. We will of course be able to ramp up component production much faster than starships so we can still supply these new ships with parts, but leave the actual starship construction to KDY." William turns to Garoche with a faint yet dark smile on his face, "well sir , it looks like you have a trip to Kuat"
4 BBY
In Orbit over Kuat
Even after 25,000 years of habitation, Kuat is still a pristine jewel of a planet. Circled by the massive star dock ring that makes it so unique, the surface has maintained its status as a paradise as the majority of heavy industry and mining has lived in orbit or off-planet. "Moff Garoche Tarkin , we have vacated the spacelane and Kuati Control has assigned us a holding pattern above the planet" a lieutenant calls out. "Very Well . Have they given a docking bay on the ring for us to transit over?"
"No sir, they have instead provided a flight plan directly to Kuati City on the surface." Garoche exits now heading for the docking bay, his 'old trusty death troopers' in tow as always. 'Other than requesting a meeting, I didn't tell them anything about why I was here. They clearly know something is up and must've smelt money in the air. Descended from merchant houses indeed. Last time I was here as an Admiral, I still had to wait a week on the ring before gaining clearance to land at the city, and like all other non-Kuati, I have never been anywhere else on the surface of Kuat.'
KUAT Kuat City
After a leisurely shuttle ride to the surface and a night at the Royal Kuat, a prestigious hotel in the city, Garoche finally meets with the CEO and Board of Kuat Drive Yards on the surface headquarters. Kuat of Kuat sat at the head of the table while five members of The Ten, sat on each side of him, seven women and three men. Amidst their inquisitive gazes Garoche immediately plugs a datastick into the table and begins his presentation. Holograms of the Outer Rim spring to life, highlighting areas where Shadow Command and the Tenth fleet is active as well as piracy and crime statistics.
"Esteemed Executives, thank you for seeing me on such … short notice. As you are undoubtedly aware, I have been made the Moff of the Mandalore Sector, a sector which I oversaw for five years and still counting of course . With the aid of My tenth Fleet and Special task force Shadow Command, I have made massive strides in restoring order and stability to the region, and for the first time in centuries. The Republic in all of its corruption and ineptitude was never able to provide the safety and stability that I have brought to the systems." As Garoche pauses, one of the women with a weary expression on her face taps the table and begins to speak.
"We are also pleased to meet with you Moff Tarkin , and I am sure you have done a many great things with your Task force and Fleet especially against the piratic elements, but what concern does KDY have with this...? If you are looking for ships, go beg the Imperial Navy Command, we are not in charge of ship assignments. House Depon does not see why we were brought together for this" As she finishes, Kuat of Kuat looks to the woman.
"I'm sure Moff Garoche has an excellent reason to bring this to us Executive Talis, please continue Moff." "As I was saying . What I offer your corporation is further expansion, while KDY has holdings in the Outer Rim on the other side of the galaxy, there are no large shipbuilding centers near Mandalore's Sector. The core is becoming overpopulated and stagnant; but out there in the outer and mid rim lies thousands of rural and untouched worlds, all rich in numerous untapped resources. As you can see from the map, there are multiple decommissioned or smaller shipyards left over from the Clone Wars or Ruusan Reformation. With KDY's backing these could be revitalized quickly. As the data shows here , with the aid of both my task force and fleet the region has improved exponentially, trade and intersystem travel has increased; but .... MandalMotors cannot keep up with local demand for ships of all types and sizes, and I personallyneed a location that can handle my Star Destroyers easily for refit and repair. If you were to accept my proposal, not only will your wealths increase extranomically ; but so will the prestige of Kuat Drive Yards. Thousands if not millions of civilian and military ships would be needed for the proper development and advancement of a planet , much less a sector, and the countless ones like it. You're looking at billions of revenue annually. What I propose is not only for the well being of yourselves and the empire; but the well being of the galaxy entirely," Moff Garoche finished.
After Garoche finished his presentation, there were several questions from various board members before the room went silent. Kuat of Kuat speaks up, "Again. Thank you for meeting with us Moff Tarkin, would you mind stepping out onto the balcony while we discuss the matter amongst ourselves?" Garoche nods and steps out of the room onto the balcony, closing the door behind him as he takes in the view of Kuati City and the pristine lands surrounding it. Meanwhile inside the board room,
The Ten and Kuat of Kuat begin to discuss the proposal. Overreach, some say. KDY has enough on its plate with the new flight of Star Destroyers just started for the Imperial Navy. Unnecessary, say others. KDY has enough shipbuilding capacity at the current time, and already has facilities in the Outer Rim. Opportunity, says many. A friendly Moff is always good to have in one's pocket, especially one related to Grand Moff Tarkin. His brother William is a rising star as well, some whisper. Danger, others say. Shadow Command has done well in the region, but what if the Navy moves them somewhere else? Grand Moff Tarkin may want them closer to home, and he is not the highest authority in the realm; Darth Vader or the Emperor might want them somewhere else. Kuat of Kuat raises his hand and the room quiets, "We have all benefited under the rule of the Empire, let there be no mistake. However. We have always treasured our independence and the Imperial Navy has continually encroached on the Ring, seizing more of the berths for their own usage. Perhaps by diversifying our holdings we can entice the Navy to shift their attention elsewhere?" Silence surrounds the table as Kuat of Kuat looks at each member of The Ten.
"Please call Moff Garoche back inside" he said to one of the aids who stood to the side. __ Garoche reenters and stands in front of the board members. Kuat of Kuat knocks the table "In regards to the request of Moff Garoche Tarkin to open a shipyard in the Outer Rim near Mandalore Sector to serve local interests and support Imperial Navy patrols, how does the Board vote?" One by one, each hand is raised as each member votes. It is unanimous, all ten families and CEO of Kuat Drive Yards have approved of the plan. "The vote is called, the ayes have it. We approve of the proposal for an Outer Rim expansion of Kuat Drive Yards. We will be in contact when we have determined where we will begin the expansion. We wish you good luck in your plans Moff Garoche, Long Live the Empire."
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