**Interlude: Geonosis**
**Scene 1**
**Ha'k-Ihk-class Cruiser – Command Bridge**
**Aubrey Win POV**
She who, just recently—just a year ago—was Aubrey Win, a Jedi, a Padawan, one of the most promising healers in the Jedi Order, was seated majestically in the captain's chair of a brand-new Ha'k-Ihk-class cruiser. Two hundred of which had recently rolled off the Geonosian shipyards. To the left and right of the cruiser, against the dark green backdrop of Habon, E'yu-Akh-class frigates stood frozen in formation. Yes, compared to the other warships currently plowing the expanses of the galaxy, both the former and the latter looked somewhat pale. The cruiser was seven hundred meters long, the frigate two hundred; the former had only a dozen heavy turbolasers and the latter two dozen light ones; thin armor, which was more reliable than a deflector shield. Half a dozen fighters on a cruiser and a squadron on a frigate... However, this was the first, timid step.
A step leading to the greatness of her kingdom for Karina. A step bringing her victory closer.
Turning her head slightly, Aubrey spotted an object far ahead, hidden behind one of the gas giant's moons, located within its asteroid belt. The closer they got, the larger the object grew, rivaling the moon itself in size. Finally, a motionless metal ring emerged clearly against the backdrop of stars...
When she learned exactly what connected Poggle to Dooku and Sidious, and what it had led to... She had never been so furious. Poggle the Younger, cowering at the foot of the throne, babbled that Count Dooku had supplied his hive with the basic designs and that the Geonosians had merely perfected them. As far as Poggle knew, the Separatists had no such project in development, but Aubrey refused to believe him. She still remembered that Dooku's forces, in alliance with various Confederacy-friendly corporations, had unearthed an ancient war machine on Raxus and were attempting to deploy it. The Force alone knew what would have happened had the Jedi not destroyed that abomination.
Now it turns out that this wasn't the only project. Perhaps the entire saga was just a sham designed to distract the Republic from its main focus.
From a battle station of unprecedented size and monstrous combat power... More precisely, a mobile battle station capable of penetrating any planetary shield and razing half a continent to dust.
After cooling down a bit, Aubrey weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, if anyone found out what she was planning, she'd be done for. However, this station could become a powerful asset to Geonosis's military might, and help her exact revenge on all those who had betrayed her. Ultimately, she decided not only to resume work on the project, but also to significantly accelerate it...
**Scene 2**
At her signal, the Chief Engineer perked up, shook his wings, and, looking at the ring, began to chatter monotonously:
"Work is progressing ahead of schedule. The final section of the equatorial block's skeleton is complete. One hundred and twenty kilometers from pole to pole is an incredible achievement in itself; what you see here is the result of countless hours of construction work performed by droids," the engineer explained. "Most of them were designed by us long ago; only a few complexes are controlled by intelligent operators in our orbital command posts. Now, after receiving five hundred million modified workers, the pace of construction has increased by six hundred and forty percent."
Aubrey closed her eyes for a second.
Indeed, before the Geonosians were drawn into this Separatist scam, the planet's main export were construction droids of various specialties. It was these droids that began laying the station's first panels. However, droids were expensive and in short supply. Using sentients was unfeasible. First, at least a million were needed — which would have undermined the project's secrecy. The disappearance of so many specialists would not have gone unnoticed. Furthermore, supplying so many workers with everything they needed... No, that was unrealistic. Even slaves in such large numbers were unattainable. And the Geonosians... Creating spacesuits for them was too costly.
Now, however, using Sith alchemy and her knowledge, she had managed to create workers fit for outer space. Yes, they were dead and controlled by worms, but they could perform the simplest operations... At first, there were problems with the worms themselves: they didn't tolerate low temperatures well. It took several weeks to breed the new species.
The chief engineer, obeying her gesture, continued his report.
"Resource extraction and processing are in full swing. Habon, along with its twenty-one moons and asteroid rings, supplies us with metals and organic materials for living workers, including water. The necessary asteroids are delivered to the site using tugs and tractor beams from across the belt, and in some cases, from the asteroid belts of other planets in our solar system. After the ore is mined, it is transported to foundries in synchronous orbit to produce durasteel and other construction metals. By utilizing parts of droid factories damaged during the Battle of Geonosis, we were able to launch the foundries shortly after asteroid mining began. However, to more optimally distribute the work, we need another forty million workers and seven hundred transporters."
"I'll have them ready in a week," Aubrey said, waving her hand. "How's the overall project recovery going?"
"If we don't take into account most of the content, then..."
"More specifically."
"We're ready to begin construction of eight meridian sections and two latitude sections, as well as the main command center, reactor, and main weapon. This will allow the station to be used for its intended purpose, but without the hull and other defensive systems, it will be virtually defenseless."
"Focus on the main parts."
"The reactor and power structures will be completed in seven months. However, there's a hitch. The supply of focusing crystals..."
"I'll take care of it. You just need to specify the necessary parameters."
Among the knowledge she gleaned from the holocrons were calculations for constructing specialized furnaces suitable for creating artificial crystals. This was how the Sith crafted their blades. She had already tested a small furnace, creating an elegant blade for herself; now the task was far more ambitious — but she was simply confident of success.
"It will be done," the engineer chirped and quietly left.
Aubrey looked back at the gigantic "construction site." The panorama of the asteroid belt filled with construction ships of all types — miners, transports, cargo ships, tugs — flying back and forth like a swarm of nest-building Vespids, was awe-inspiring. And the few cruisers hovering around the ring seemed barely distinguishable against its backdrop. But... It was here that they had managed to hide such a huge facility, find the necessary resources, and keep everything secret.
As she moved her hand to her nether regions and pulled out a worm — a gift from Karina to keep her loyalty — Aubrey smiled coldly.
And while the Republic is immersed in the fight against the Confederacy, it will gain the necessary strength. And then nothing will stop it.