**Interlude new blood **
**Scene 1**
**Coruscant Orbit**
**Invincible-class Dreadnought – Guardian**
Jan Dodonna stood on the bridge of the aging *Guardian*, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out at the ceaseless traffic of Coruscant's orbital lanes. New assignments, they had said. He and three other veteran commanders were soon to be reassigned.
He thought of the upcoming campaigns — the major pushes to capture key Separatist worlds. Several high admirals and generals, including the promising young Arkani, had already been chosen for frontline commands. Dodonna, however, had been kept in reserve.
Mainly because his ship was old.
The *Guardian* was a solid vessel, but it was outdated compared to the new generation of warships. He had seen the reports and the holofeeds — the famed Resurgent-class and Allegiance-class battlecruisers serving under General Dagon Marek. Those ships were devastatingly effective. At Eriadu, Admiral Tarkin (who had once served under Dagon) had reportedly defeated General Grievous and destroyed over seventy Separatist vessels, forcing the droid general into a humiliating retreat.
"If only I could have a chance like that," Dodonna murmured to himself.
He wasn't jealous — not exactly. But he was a soldier who wanted to fight. The *Guardian* still had teeth, even if they were old ones. He just needed the opportunity to prove it.
**Scene 2**
**Lianna Orbit – Sienar-Jaemus Shipyards**
Raith Sienar stood in the observation gallery with Fleet Admiral Kinaun, watching five massive Mon Calamari cruisers slowly maneuver into the shipyard docks.
"So the price of the MC80A Home One Type Star Cruisers is 112 million credits each," the Mon Calamari representative, Admiral Raddus, confirmed via hologram. "We are selling you five for 345 million credits total, plus several hundred tons of doonium from your shipyards to us. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct," Raith replied smoothly. "And these are the exact vessels you used for deep-space cargo handling and exploration? Built underwater as per the specifications?"
"Yes," Raddus said, sounding slightly puzzled. "But I still don't understand why you requested these older models. They are ten years old, you know. Arming them will cost you a fortune."
"Arm them?" Raith smiled. "No. We are repurposing them as supply ships and fleet repair vessels, as requested by General Dagon Marek. And as you know, the Republic won't always provide us with what we need."
Raddus studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Very well. The deal is done."
The hologram faded. Raith and Kinaun watched as the Mon Calamari shuttle departed and the five cruisers settled into their berths.
"You think he bought it?" Raith asked quietly.
"The Mon Cala understand the limits of their old ships," Kinaun replied. "While General Dagon sees the truth. An engineer on Mon Cala might not even realize how Dagon is thinking."
Raith nodded. "In any case, Dagon said to study and dissect the ships. Reformat them into warships. He stated that the natural pressure of underwater construction on Mon Cala and their deep-space operations through plasma storms mean their shielding is basically on par with kyber-powered shields. We need to study them thoroughly and soon."
The two men stood in silence for a moment, watching the massive Mon Calamari cruisers being towed into the shipyard's specialized bays. What the Mon Calamari saw as aging exploration vessels, Dagon saw as raw potential — hulls with exceptional structural integrity and shielding that could be transformed into something far deadlier.
Another quiet step in General Dagon Marek's long-term plan.