Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 130, Section 131 - Starting Work

The king returned to his throne, as if freed from some invisible constraint, and the atmosphere in the courtroom instantly became lively.

The murmurs turned into a noisy conversation, and the crowd began to disperse in the central open space, forming small circles.

At the same time, servants filed in through the side door, carrying gleaming silver trays with bottles and glasses of spirits, reflecting the light of the chandeliers.

In any case, Sanjay Rush was far superior to Ramses Dendup in managing the atmosphere of the court.

Raine began to struggle through the crowded throng, repeatedly saying "excuse me" and "sorry," deliberately avoiding the richly dressed nobles with obvious intentions, wanting only to slip to the edge of the hall where there were fewer people as soon as possible, and preferably become invisible before the celebration ended.

Throughout the journey, he politely but firmly declined numerous attempts to arrange a marriage, as well as so-called "good intentions" that promised to "rapidly promote" a nobleman's second son in the army.

“Bontri”.

A deep, familiar voice came from behind.

Almost reflexively, Ryan turned around, heels together, and gave a crisp military salute to the source of the voice: "Sir!"

General Tandin stood not far away, accompanied by a tall young woman with neat short black hair.

“Lieutenant Slen,” the general gestured with his thumb toward the woman, “she will be your adjutant.”

This decision was made way too fast...it's like it was planned all along.

Renn muttered to himself.

"This was all part of your plan, wasn't it?" Raine lowered his salute, crossed his arms, and looked at General Tandin.

"After all that you did?" The general's mustache twitched slightly, as if he were smiling, but also feeling helpless. "These are the most basic precautions. I'll handle the removal of the robots in the city. As for the rebels... Major General, your task is to ensure they don't cause trouble during the summit. Whether you can completely wipe them out is another matter, but at least minimize the impact."

“Understood, General…this is my primary task.” Renn nodded in agreement.

"Lieutenant Slen, he's in your hands now." General Tandin, as always, was concise and to the point. After giving this instruction, he turned and strode away, leaving the young woman behind.

Ryan scrutinized the new adjutant.

She looked very young, probably just turned 18, with a touch of childishness on her face, but she stood straight, with sharp eyes, exuding the competence of a soldier.

"What are your instructions, sir?" Lieutenant Slen asked in a clear, energetic voice.

Instead of answering immediately, Ryan gently took her elbow and led her to a nearby spacious balcony that led outdoors, away from the nobility who were listening intently.

Standing on the balcony, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Izzi's magnificent cityscape, and on a clear day, you can even see the vast highlands to the south.

Unfortunately, the sky wasn't clear today; instead, it was shrouded in a depressing gray haze, stained by the exhaust fumes from countless interstellar spaceships.

“Please tell me your full name.” Ryan turned to face her, his tone serious.

“Kavia Slen, sir,” she replied immediately, standing even straighter.

“Okay, Kavia,” Ryan said, quickening his pace, “do you know where Jalen Military Base is?”

“It’s on the western side of the continent, sir,” Kavia replied confidently.

“Very good. Now, immediately send an order to Jaren’s base, instructing them to send their fastest riders, with Lupin Beast riders as a priority, to contact the Beast Rider Clan in the Southern Wilderness as quickly as possible,” Rein gave the order. “Then, instruct their base to immediately begin preparations to receive six hundred prisoners of war, and to… how many combat robots are there in the city right now?”

Lieutenant Slen's expression turned unusually serious due to the urgency and scale of the mission. She quickly calculated in her mind: "Two... roughly three standard legions, sir? A total of about twelve thousand combat units, plus about three hundred heavy armored units." "Have Jalen Base make all the necessary arrangements to receive so many additional troops," Rein continued without hesitation. "Oh, and make sure they understand that these six hundred prisoners of war are only the first batch... right now, several thousand more are being escorted over."

Despite the chilly mountain breeze on the balcony, fine beads of sweat appeared on Kavia Slen's forehead as she quickly scribbled on a handheld data tablet: "Sir, the capacity of the Jalen base may not be enough... We may need to temporarily requisition nearby military bases or even civilian facilities."

"If necessary, we can requisition monasteries, warehouses, or even a dozen or so abandoned fortresses..."

Almost instinctively, they both shrank their necks at the same time. Another huge, ferocious-looking 'Scrivor Beast' roared past, almost skimming the balcony railing, accompanied by a sharp screech and a strong gust of air.

Renn took a deep breath and continued, "But the first priority is, immediately! Right now! Send those riders out! Deal with this first!"

"Yes, sir! Riders first!" Slen tapped rapidly on the data panel, recording information while looking up at Renn with a hint of confusion on his face. "Sir, do you really think the rebels would contact the beast rider clans? Isn't that... a bit of an oversimplification?"

“Someone witnessed the rebels using Lupins,” Raine said with unwavering certainty. “This means they definitely have experienced beast tamers in their ranks. Not to mention, convincing those beast masters to join them wouldn’t be difficult… Tell me, Kavia, do you enjoy seeing combat robots patrolling the streets of Izzi?”

Lieutenant Slen hesitated noticeably, his lips pressed together, and after a long silence he said, "No, sir, nobody likes it. Many people say... it makes us look like we've been invaded."

This statement is a bit extreme, but it does reflect the xenophobic and isolationist mentality inherent in the people of Ondron.

“That’s still the opinion of the people living in Izzz City,” Rein snorted, his gaze sweeping across the gray city below. “Think about it, what do you think of the beast lords who have lived in the wilderness for generations, isolated from the world? First, the robots ‘occupied’ the city, what will they worry about next?”

"They'll worry that the robots will invade their wilderness territory next!" Lieutenant Slen immediately realized, his face changing. "I understand, sir! I'll get right on it! May I leave now?"

Her voice was filled with urgency.

“Go ahead, keep communications open.” Renn nodded.

Watching Lieutenant Slen disappear into the crowd of people in the palace like a gust of wind, Renn leaned heavily against the cold stone railing.

Next, he needed to get Vander to contact the beast rider clans in the west to make sure they didn't mistakenly believe that a machine army of tens of thousands was marching toward their territory... but to do that, he had to get in touch with Vander first.

The problem is that he had no idea about Vander's mailing address...

We should have brought Hal with us.

Renn sighed softly.

Behind them, the laughter and melodious music from the palace continued to struggle against the howling mountain winds.

The king said work wouldn't start until tomorrow... He figured that probably didn't include himself.

The thought of calling down a passing Lu Ping beast rider flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Shouting in such strong winds not only makes your voice unable to carry, but it also makes others think you're a fool.

Wait... Mishar!

Mishar should know Van der's mailing address, right?
Moreover, she was holding his communicator, which was directly linked to his personal data tablet.

Ryan quickly took out his tablet from his waist and held it tightly, as if afraid it would be blown away by a strong gust of wind.

It's time to get to work.

Once he catches these rebel leaders, he'll make them pay an "unforgettable" price for causing him to work overtime.

(End of this chapter)