The city is vaguely cross-shaped, with a middle area and four squat arms stretching out north, south, west and east. Your view from up here shows rthat the shield generator is in the northern area, with the starport in the south. The Government area appears to be in the middle.
Ok, Melkor is off to make contact with Tarkin, and it is whilst he is doing this that there is some activity on the Deviator.
Three ships just exited hyperspace in the system and are heading towards the planet, in yuor area of responsibility, Trebeis.
Good point, Melkor.
Sorry about my lack of presence recently. It should be picking up again.
Lyle gathers the team at the ship for some planning. I think it's probable that the rebels will attempt to contact the Senate mission, so if we can get into a position to watch communications between them it would be best. I don't think they'll be being too subtle about it.
Trebeis, I think we've already found the location of the shield generators.
You probably should be able to do scans of them.
Meeting back at the ships sounds good.
"There are Rebels here, we should find them and keep an eye on them. If we can get proof of their presence, then we can justify being here ourselves. Depending on what brand of scum they've brought along, I might be able to recognize one or two." Rylis says. "We also need to work on getting that shield down...and get to Drakkon."
"Flag the inbound ships, inform them that this is restricted space, and that if they do not submit to a boarding, or do not turn back- They will be forced to turn back." Trebeis ordered the CO.
"And send a message to Nidar. Inform him of the situation, and the actions taken as they occur. Request that he advises."
Tarkin- who has been on the Outer Rim for some time now, both fulfilling his Governorship and overseeing some big construction project- has a few words for Melkor, which he sends by recorded message.
"Until the Planetary Governors are given direct command over the systems they represent, you have to remember that all authority in the Galaxy comes from the Imperial Senate. Under the emergency laws the old Republican Senate voted itself during the Clone Wars, that authority is near infinte, so there is nothing political that it cannot do. The Emperor himself derives his authority from ebign in charge of that Senate, and those same emergency powers allow him to make actions without a vote, and veto any actions if necessary. This is why the Emperor has total power, but every time he has to invoke that power, support for the Imperial system slips. If the Emperor thought it was practical to rule by force alone, he would never have convinced the Senate it was a good idea to form the Empire in the first place- he would have just forced the issue. That day will come, one day, but until then he expects people like you to get past the problems that the authority of the Senate causes.
"Every Senator is dangerous- each time one turns against the Imperial authorities, another planet becomes discontent, and if a majority of planets ever turned against the Emperor, where exactly would his power be coming from?
"A Senator like Andran, then, is very very dangerous indeed. Remember this, Esgabath- there are dozens of star systems that will simply vote any way Andran says, and hundreds more that are strongly influenced by him. Going against Andran is such a difficult and dangerous enterpriusr that it is far less damaging to the Emperor to either compromise or offer up a scapegoat if things go wrong. This is how Andran has blocked appointments to Senatorial committes that even the Emperor has sponsored.
"Andran is clever, He doesn't make waves if he doesn't need to. He is a career poltiician and he only fights battles he thinks he can win. He doesn't call for the removal of the Emperor, nor oppose every Imperial decision on something as flimsy as principle. His is a world of law and procedure, which he uses to very good effect if he can find the opportunity. And in this case, the opportunity is very strong; the Imperial Senate has effectively got total control over Lanzar. Why? Because the Osokans know that if they kick out the Senate, then it will be the Imperial Army that comes next. So the Senate, acting with the authority of the Emperor, rules there for now, and that authority is vested in Andran.
"Like I say, Andran is no fool. He'll work on bluff and guile and law, but if you can fight him on his own terms and win then he will concede defeat and move on. In amy ways, that makes him more dangerous, because a Senator who will blatantly start acting in illegal ways we can quickly... 'deal' with. Not so Andran, but it means there is a point where he will negotiate concessions and quit. He has a difficult task, trying to keep a world like Lanzar on the straight and level. You have to unravel whatever protective shield he has put up. For all his confidence he is giving you, the negotiations are clearly not over yet, or the Senators would be gone already. You aren't facing a closed door here.
"As for the others... well. They are Senators, after all. Find out what they want and give it to them if you can. Your power and influence in that area is huge, and the Emperor will forgive you almost anyhting if you get away with it. Remember that maxim- it is the Golden Rule of the Empire. Fail and you are doomed. Bring trouble to the Emperor and you are doomed. But bring victory and get away with it, and the Emperor will never care how you did it.
"Just as a final word on that maxim- it's how Nidar has gotten where he is today. There's always been someone else to blame, and he gets away with every risk he takes. The Emperor likes that. Make sure you don't end up in his firing line.
"Tarkin out."
You are just finished listening to that, Melkor, when Nidar informs you that Captain Trebeis has just hailed to say he is going to forcibly stop some incoming vessels.
Perhaps we on the surface could see them when they arrive, if you're letting them through?
"Well, taking down that shield generator seems damn near impossible," Lyle says, "So we can focus on either finding the rebels, or getting to Drakkon. I personally think we should try and get to the rebels - if we find them liasing with the senators, we have a very good reason to call them off the planet entirely."
Well, they can always kidnap one of them and force a confession, though I know it would be difficult.
I am taking Coil into my vessel( I assume Commodore, Jerek and two non-player generals don`t want to accompany me) and we leave for Lanzar, wasting no time.
"So General, you apparently wish to see the planetary defences for yourself?" - Melkor asks as he considers Tarkin`s advice.