The morning after the Festival of Lights, Padmé and Jar Jar prepared to see Governor Kote and his entourage off, and the belated Palpatine finally bid farewell to Governor Kote.
"Goodbye, my friends from Naboo," Governor Kote said, greeting his new friends from Naboo as he departed.
"Have a safe journey, Governor Kote," Palpatine waved, also noticing Padmé and Jar Jar.
"Goodbye, Sister Padmé, I'll miss you!" Anakin was still thinking of Padmé even as he was about to leave.
"I'll miss you too, Anni!" Padmé also waved goodbye.
Jar Jar gave everyone a big hug, and Governor Kote comforted him, saying they would meet again in the future.
The Honker Squad, piloting a kuat-class, continued to escort them back to Vadir. Once back on Vadir, Governor Kote recalled Nute Gunray, the Neimoidian villain who wanted him dead.
So, he prepared to extort some credits to pay off debts, then sent a communication to Governor Gunray.
At this moment, Governor Gunray, who was cautiously on Cato Neimoidia, was startled. After all, he had provoked the boss behind the Death Watch, who was very famous throughout the Outer Rim, and the owner of Free Mandalore. He was even a Mandalorian with very strong The Force. Perhaps if it were only one condition, he wouldn't be very scared, but all of them combined made it very serious. He was even the mastermind of an assassination!
Previously, he had asked the strongest bounty hunter, Jango Fett, whose reply was, "If you want to kill Governor Kote, that's impossible. If you want to protect your life, hmm... I'll try my best to protect you before he kills me."
"Isn't that completely helpless?!" Gunray roared.
"Yes, so if he wants to kill you, it's as simple as can be. If you want to live, just pay up," Jango Fett said, then hung up the communication.
Gunray was already a bit desperate. Did he still need to give Governor Kote money? He worked himself to the bone all year just to earn tens of billions of credits, and now, he had already spent almost two billion credits on the Mandalorians!
At this point, Gunray had been undergoing nearly ten days of mental torture, fearing that Governor Kote would kill him the next second, so he was cautious every day. Even Dourde, who had been redeemed, didn't know what his Governor had done to be like this every day. It couldn't be that he had provoked the Mandalorians, could it? Hahahahaha.
So, when Gunray received Governor Kote's communication, he finally felt relieved. After all, there was still room for negotiation; he wouldn't be silently killed. Living in fear was too terrifying.
"Long time no see, Governor Gunray. How have you been recently? I'm truly sorry I couldn't go to Jabiim to discuss business with you last time. After all, we had a traitor like Almec appear within Mandalore that I needed to deal with," Governor Kote first said to Gunray.
"Hahahaha, I'm so happy to see that you are safe and sound, Governor Kote. After all, it's entirely thanks to your protection that our merchant ships won't be robbed by the Death Watch!" Gunray said with a smile, thinking to himself, 'Why aren't you dead yet!'
"But I heard that Almec seemed to have been instigated by someone to do these things," Governor Kote hinted to Governor Gunray.
"Ah, it must have been pirates who wanted to murder you, the savior of the Outer Rim, since you wiped them all out!" Gunray quickly said, insisting it was definitely pirates.
"I thought so too, but how come I heard it had something to do with you, Governor Gunray?" Governor Kote said with a smile.
Gunray quickly waved his hand, "That's a complete slander! Have you forgotten that I'm also planning a new cooperation with you?"
"I suppose so, after all, we are very good partners. So, Governor, how many credits do you think are appropriate for the new contract?" Governor Kote looked at the villainous Gunray.
"Hmm... five hundred million?" Gunray asked cautiously.
"Tsk tsk tsk, five hundred million, huh?" Governor Kote crossed his legs and said.
"No, no, no, one billion!" Gunray quickly corrected himself.
"One billion?" Governor Kote stretched and yawned.
"Honestly, how could I say such a small amount? I must be a bit muddled. What do you think is a good number?" Gunray slapped his head, pretending to be confused.
"Hmm, I'll say a number: three billion!" Governor Kote slammed the table.
Gunray was startled, but three billion was deadly for this stingy old man. However, thinking of his own life, he gritted his teeth and accepted, "Yes, yes, yes, I was just about to say three billion."
"Hahahahaha, how about five billion?" Governor Kote burst out laughing at Gunray's expression.
Looking at the erratic Governor Kote, Gunray could only endure again and again, "Alright!"
Governor Kote waved his hand, "Just kidding, three billion credits will be enough. But the remaining two billion should be sent to Vadir in the form of various Materials for building ships. Let Captain Dooku come; I heard he's been released."
Gunray had just relaxed upon hearing the first sentence, but then his heart sank again with the next.
"Yes, I'll do whatever you say, Governor Kote. I will send Dourde."
"Don't worry, for now, the pirates in the Outer Rim won't be robbing your Trade Federation ships. These fifty billion you're giving are well worth it," Governor Kote said to Gunray with a smile.
"Of course, Governor Kote, your words are absolutely correct." Although he said this, Gunray already hated him to death. Besides you guys, who else could rob so fiercely?
"Then let's sign the contract," Governor Kote had already prepared the contract. All that teasing of Gunray was just for fun, after all, a big rich man who could produce money at any time was hard to find, hahahahaha!
After Gunray signed, he felt weak, then ended the communication and grieved silently by himself, after all, he was a big money-grubber!
Governor Kote was almost grinning from ear to ear. Fifty billion so easily! Come and assassinate me again, please, Governor Gunray!
Looking at the credits deposited in his bank account, Governor Kote first gave ten thousand credits as a blood money payment to the families of the soldiers killed by Maul.
Then, with a grand gesture, he declared that warships must be built vigorously. Before 32 BBY, there must be at least thirty behemoth-class battlecruisers, eight minotaur-class, and two gorgon-class!
Omen, who was currently responsible for the entire military aspect, was ecstatic upon hearing this, while Murto wilted. After all, the thirty billion credits just received first needed to repay the twenty-five billion for the Clones, and the Materials for building ships would arrive in two days.
Governor Kote noticed Murto's low spirits. "I know, Fourth Uncle, aren't people living quite well now? Besides, isn't there still five hundred million left?"
"But that will still go towards building more ships, and various secret projects of yours, great nephew. In the end, it would be good if two hundred million were left."
"Two hundred million, that's enough to buy several unmanned satellites. Isn't that enough for us?" Governor Kote asked.
Murto calculated, "It's enough, but I want to build more public facilities. And now everything on Vadir is funded by the government, and our current income only comes from farming and the Security Company. The people themselves don't have higher means of earning money." These were Murto's worries.
Governor Kote thought about Naboo and compared it. Indeed, Vadir was a bit militaristic and poor right now.
"Then leave three hundred million for you, Fourth Uncle, and you can show your skills!"
"Yes, Governor Kote!" Murto stood up and shouted loudly.
(Perhaps everyone doesn't like the recent plot very much, it might be a problem with my design, so I apologize, I'm sorry!)
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