**CIS Interlude part 5**
**Castle Serenno – Separatist Council Chamber**
The grand holographic table flickered with the faces of the Confederacy's most powerful leaders. Shu Mai, Presidente of the Commerce Guild, sat at the head of her delegation's side of the table, her Gossam features composed into a mask of cool calculation. Yet inside, frustration and a rare thread of fear coiled in her stomach like spoiled merchandise.
"Is it true?" she asked sharply, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "The Cadinth Run and the entire Allied Tion sector have fallen to General Dagon's forces? Our fleets there were wiped out in mere days?"
The holographic figures shifted uneasily. Nute Gunray's Neimoidian eyes darted sideways. San Hill of the InterGalactic Banking Clan stroked his chin with long fingers. Passel Argente of the Corporate Alliance looked particularly sour.
"Yes," Passel Argente finally admitted. "In only three days. A decent record even for Dagon. We all remember how he took Boz Pity and Muunilinst in eight hours, Saleucami and Metalorn in twenty-four. The fact remains — he now has a direct route into the Corporate Sector. I recommend we pull back some forces from Mygeeto and Felucia before he cuts our supply lines entirely."
"Are you mad?" San Hill snapped, his voice rising. "Count Dooku warned us the Republic is preparing two major offensives against our key worlds, and you want to weaken our defenses?"
Passel Argente slammed a fist on his table. "Felucia has over three thousand ships prepared in surrounding territories! Not to mention Dooku's promised new Subjugator-class vessels. We cannot afford to lose the Hydian Way corridor!"
"Enough," Shu Mai interrupted, her tone icy. She leaned forward, multifaceted eyes gleaming. "We are businessmen and industrialists, not blind warriors. Dagon Marek — or Starkiller, as his troops call him — has become a plague. He moves faster than any Jedi we have faced. If he secures the Hydian Way, our outer rim operations will collapse within weeks."
Nute Gunray sneered. "At least the Corporate Alliance should handle its own worlds. You failed to take Kamino, after all."
Before Argente could retort, the chamber doors hissed open. Count Dooku strode in, his cape billowing, radiating dark authority. The holograms straightened instinctively.
"My friends," Dooku began smoothly, though his eyes were cold. "My Master has foreseen this development. While General Dagon's speed is… impressive, it is not insurmountable."
He activated a new holoprojection. Three massive vessels materialized above the table.
"Three new Subjugator-class heavy cruisers of the advanced Malice variant," Dooku announced. "Devastation, Revenge, and Unconquerable Will. They are yours, Shu Mai, to bolster the Commerce Guild's defenses."
The specifications scrolled beside each ship:
**Subjugator-class Heavy Cruiser (Malice Variant)**
**Length:** 5,645 meters
**Maximum atmospheric speed:** 1,050 kilometers per hour
**Engine unit(s):** 19 sublight engines
**Hyperdrive rating:** Class 2 (Class 12 backup)
**Armament:**
- 500 dual turbolasers
- 90 twin heavy turbolaser battery turrets
- 90 twin medium turbolaser battery turrets
- 200 twin light turbolaser battery turrets
- 500 flak guns
- 50 ion cannons
- 400 point-defense twin light laser cannon turrets
- 10 proton torpedo launchers (5 torpedoes each)
- 2 heavy tractor beam emitters
**Complement:** 200+ droid starfighters, 58 Hyena-class Droid Fighters/Bombers, 244 Vulture-class starfighters, Droch-class boarding ships, landing craft, ground combat vehicles, shuttles.
**Crew:** 23,350 officers, droids, and enlisted personnel.
"Additionally," Dooku continued, "fifty Huppla-class Cruisers — 780-meter escort warships armed with 44 heavy bulk cruiser turbolasers, 20 point-defense cannons, and 25 heavy laser cannons — will accompany them."
Finally, four more massive projections appeared.
"And four new Geonosian Dreadnaught Pennance-class vessels, a personal gift from Archduke Poggle the Lesser."
**Geonosian Dreadnaught Pennance-class**
**Length:** 4,235 meters
**Armament:**
- 500 Twin medium turbolaser batteries
- 142 Assault laser cannons
- 75 Point-defense laser cannons
- 80 Heavy turbolaser batteries
**Fighter complement:** None (relies on escorts)
**Hyperdrive rating:** Class 2
"These were designed as pure offensive tools," Dooku explained. "They lack dedicated anti-fighter weaponry and focus on capital ship annihilation. Use them with proper escorts."
Shu Mai's eyes gleamed with greed as she studied the specifications. These ships represented immense power — and immense profit if the Guild could reverse-engineer them later.
Dooku's gaze hardened. "I warn you all: should you fail, you will find no sanctuary. General Dagon grows stronger with every victory. Do not underestimate him again."
The transmission ended. The chamber fell silent for a long moment.
Shu Mai leaned back, a cold smile forming on her lips. "We will crush him. With these ships, the Hydian Way will remain ours. And when the Republic falls… the real profits will begin."