Chapter 31: Conspiracy

30. Conspiracy

Outer Rim of the Milky Way, Mordel Sector, Endo System.

Mars Ferracci gazed through the spacious viewport of the mothership at the beautiful dawn planet outside, lost in thought.

Currently, she and three other companions who had gone ahead to the dawn planet to prepare cargo were stationed in the mothership's dormitory. The living conditions were excellent, and they had no worries about food or drink. Compared to the days they spent in the slums of Corellia, this place was practically paradise.

However, their freedom was restricted. Especially after those three bounty hunters had arrived with ill intent and caused heavy losses, Qi Jian had tightened the supervision over them.

Now, two grim-faced marines were constantly on guard at the entrance of their dormitory.

Comparing their physiques, Ferracci believed that even with four of them, they would absolutely be no match for the marines.

At that moment, one of her companions named Kenny leaned in and whispered in Ferracci's ear, "Boss, did you know about that attack by the bounty hunters earlier?"

"I know. Why?" Ferracci asked back, frowning.

"You were all in the dorms back then and couldn't see the battlefield. I happened to be on the other side of the ship teaching a few people Galactic Standard, and I saw the whole fight," Kenny said.

"Three bounty hunters came to rob us, caused heavy losses, but were eventually shot down. I know that. There are even engineering ships recovering the wreckage of their vessels right now," Ferracci replied.

"No, that's not the point. Do you know why a mere three bounty hunters could cause such devastating damage?" Kenny lowered his voice. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"What?"

"This mothership is massive, and we all thought the defense forces here would be incredible, but they aren't. Their fighters are basically products from a primitive planet! Those three bounty hunters were flying two G-9s and one GX-1—all old, modified ships—and they swatted their fighters like they were flies!"

"Is that true?" This time, it was Ferracci's turn to be shocked. When she first saw the mothership, she had been so intimidated that she hadn't even considered resistance. She never imagined such an outcome.

"Isn't it? Those three old ships actually shot down over thirty fighters! This 'Fourth Group' is completely helpless; they could only keep churning out new fighters to fill the gaps. In the end, it took the visiting Jedi to finally take them out!" Kenny's eyes shone as if he had discovered a gold mine.

Ferracci's expression turned serious. "What are you planning?"

"Their defense is negligible, but this mothership and the colonies below are bottomless money bags! Listen to me, I know a few people in the underworld who have dealings with the 'Black Sun.' They have an old Hammer-class cruiser. It's a bit run-down, but it would have no problem crushing the Fourth Group's defenses!" Kenny said.

"A cruiser? I thought the Hammer-class was a corvette?" Ferracci asked.

"No, this is a model left over from the Sith Wars before the year 1,200—the 315-meter kind. Not the 116-meter corvette model developed later by the Lundili Interstellar Engineering Corporation. They bought this ship on the black market as a near-scrap vessel at a low price, then did several modifications and refits. It's incredibly powerful now! His ship is the largest around Tatooine."

Ferracci frowned. "But we have no way to send the message out right now."

"That's where you come in, Boss. Look, we're hostages right now, but isn't Boss Qunto out running with them? When he gets back, talk to him about sending the word out. Once that friend of mine arrives and takes over this mothership, just imagine the life we'll lead!"

"Taking over this mothership is your friend's business. What does it have to do with us?"

"It's different. Once we've made a deal, we take a twenty-eighty split. We take twenty, they take eighty—they'll definitely do it. Besides, a mothership this big needs people to manage and operate it, right? We'd be the first batch! By then, forget a few thousand credits; we'll be able to drop hundreds of thousands of credits at the casinos in Canton Bay whenever we want, hahahaha!!" Kenny couldn't stop laughing, but he quickly caught himself and looked around cautiously.

"So, Boss, are we doing this or not?" he asked again.

Ferracci said nothing, but her gaze gradually turned cold.

...

Tang Xiao and Munt returned to the mothership. Although the trip could be described as hanging by a thread, they had ultimately emerged unscathed.

For Munt, it was a massive windfall. Not only had he earned 100,000 Republic Credits, but more importantly, they had brought back a YV-865 Oro-class freighter!

This freighter was 52.3 meters long and 16.44 meters high, featuring a trapezoidal hull with a pair of sturdy wings located at the bottom and engines mounted at the wingtips, with a wingspan of 42.33 meters.

Although it was an outdated ship, the Oro-class was still used in many places due to its large payload capacity and reliable performance. A brand-new Oro-class freighter had a market price of 240,000 Republic Credits!

This kind of business was exactly to Munt's liking. Wasn't he traveling all over the galaxy just to enjoy moments like this?

For Tang Xiao, however, the situation was far more complicated. He had responded to the dream and traveled to the planet Tatooine. He had thought it was a resonance between himself and the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, but it turned out to be the Dark Lord, Darth Plagueis! And ever since he encountered Darth Plagueis, his dreams had never appeared again...

The situation was truly very complex...

Looking on the bright side, Tang Xiao's gaze fell upon the hangar platform. Aside from Munt's YT-1000 light freighter, the Fourth Civilization now possessed a second spacecraft capable of hyperspace travel, which greatly facilitated their activities.

However, they soon received news that was infuriating...

"What did you say?! We were attacked by bounty hunters!?!?" Upon hearing the news, Tang Xiao, who had just sat down to rest, jumped up abruptly.

Qi Jian and Clement stood side-by-side in front of Tang Xiao, bowing their heads with heavy expressions. "Yes. Three bounty hunter ships suddenly arrived in the Endo System and launched a surprise attack on us."

"What are the losses?" Tang Xiao's face was grim, and his voice began to deepen.

Qi Jian took a deep breath. "We first deployed four squadrons, 48 fighters, to intercept, followed by 20 more fighters and reconnaissance craft. Among them, 31 Blade-class fighters and 3 Arrow-class reconnaissance craft were destroyed, and 34 pilots were killed. Additionally, four small transport ships at the collection station were destroyed, with 8 pilots dead."

Tang Xiao's lips moved, but he couldn't find the words.

"Administrator, our fighters are truly no match for their ships... the gap is too large." Qi Jian clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. "Only now do I realize your foresight, Administrator. Indeed, even if we had been equipped with Blade Mark II fighters, the result would not have been much different. Only by getting the Ghost fighters into service as soon as possible can we stand a chance in battle."

"Mainframe, show me the combat video," Tang Xiao commanded.

【Understood, Administrator.】

[Easter Egg Attachment 1: YV-865 Oro-class Freighter]