**Chapter 716: Interlude – Wings of Sienar**
**Lianna Base – Advanced Research Center**
The dim glow of multiple holoscreens cast long shadows across the cluttered office. Wright Sienar slumped forward in his chair, face planted on a stack of schematics, snoring lightly. Autumn had settled over Krallov's latitude, bringing a chill that seeped through the durasteel walls and into his bones.
"Mister Sienar… Mister Sienar!"
Wright jerked awake with a groan, his back protesting violently. Every muscle felt locked in place after another all-night session at the desk. Tarly Hudson, the production complex's chief technologist, stood beside him, shaking his shoulder with barely contained excitement.
"Sir, the 'Zhuki's' have finished their work. The first prototypes are assembled and ready for equipment installation!"
The fog of sleep vanished instantly. Wright rubbed his eyes, grabbed the worn work jacket thrown over a nearby chair, and shrugged it on as he moved. "So why didn't you tell me earlier? Well, let's go."
The two men strode briskly through the connecting corridors toward the assembly shops of the Advanced Research Center. This facility, jointly operated by Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems and their new partners, hummed with activity even at this early hour. Representatives from Haor Chell Engineering—five thousand insectoid engineers of the Xi Char race—worked alongside human technicians in a symphony of clicking mandibles and precise tool whirs.
When his son Raith had first mentioned sending "old acquaintances from his youth," Wright had immediately thought of the Xi Char. Their genius in starship design was legendary. Yet it had seemed impossible at first—their company, Haor Chell, had been deeply tied to the Confederacy. Then a transport had arrived carrying the entire delegation, led by Aaron Duo Chell of the Chell branch. As it turned out, Haor Chell no longer served the Separatists. The company now belonged to Dagon Marek and operated secretly from Brentaal Four, where it churned out Gozanti corvettes and upgraded vessels for the Republic under the Dragon's banner.
"What a clever son of a bitch," Wright had muttered with genuine admiration the day they arrived. Dagon Marek continued to exceed every expectation. The man was no ordinary Jedi. He was reshaping the galaxy's industrial landscape in real time.
Entering the main workshop, Wright witnessed the controlled chaos he had come to expect. The Xi Char swarmed over the assembly lines like a living wave. From a distance they almost resembled humans in their focused intensity, but up close their six limbs moved with blinding speed and surgical precision. They had taken the two dozen prototypes painstakingly built by Sienar's teams over months and were systematically tearing them apart—ripping out LED arrays, dismantling reactor housings, discarding substandard components with disapproving clicks.
Hudson winced visibly. "They're calling it 'fixing everything you screwed up.'"
Aaron Duo Chell approached, his chitinous exoskeleton gleaming under the overhead lights. "There is much work to be done," the senior Xi Char engineer declared in clipped Basic. "Your initial designs had promise, but the execution… defective larva from an immature egg, as we say."
Wright didn't take offense. He had long admired the Xi Char, even if he had "expropriated" a few ideas in his younger days—nearly costing him his life in the process. His relationship with this particular branch remained solid, and their genius was undeniable.
The work had divided cleanly: Sienar's teams handled weapons systems, solar ionization reactors, ion engines, and the critical hyperdrives. Haor Chell managed structure, materials, and integration. With weapons and reactors needing only minor adjustments per Xi Char recommendations, the primary bottleneck had become the hyperdrives.
The requirement was brutal: shrink small-craft hyperdrives by at least half, ideally a third, while keeping costs reasonable. Standard Class IV, III, and even II engines fell short. Class 1.5 units were too bulky and expensive.
Wright stepped closer to Aaron. "Well? What will you surprise me with today?"
The Xi Char gestured toward the slipways with a mandible click. "We have finalized three primary hull variants. The latest has two subtypes. Final selection depends on customer specifications and performance priorities. Full assessment requires complete component installation."
Wright examined the gray-steel frameworks. "You kept our original airframe for the first model?"
"Yes. Most practical and symmetrical. Positive impact on overall stability. However, cooling panels required modification—different shape needed for optimal thermal dispersion."
"What's the difference between them?" Wright asked, watching as the nearest prototype's panels folded smoothly toward the fuselage, halving its height in seconds. The transformation was elegant, reminiscent of the Scarab and Vulture droids the Xi Char had famously designed.
"Primarily wing laser cannon placement and the rotation mechanism for folding. Panel frames differ slightly to accommodate stress loads."
Hudson leaned in. "And the two subtypes of the third hull?"
"The first mirrors the second hull—length seven point two meters, but increased width. The second subtype is significantly longer—nearly fourteen meters—while maintaining the same width as the second model."
Wright nodded, rubbing his hands together. "How soon can we complete the work?"
"That depends on hyperdrive progress," Aaron replied. "More compact drives free volume for enhanced systems. Failure to miniaturize means sacrifice elsewhere."
"I'll issue orders immediately," Wright said. "Now, let's take a closer look. Test them out, so to speak."
---
For the next three days, Wright Sienar practically lived in the hangars. He ate ration bars between adjustments, slept in short shifts on a makeshift cot, and personally oversaw every critical integration point. The Xi Char worked with tireless precision, while Sienar engineers—pushed hard by both Wright and the insectoids—delivered incremental breakthroughs on hyperdrive compaction.
Only a priority message from Lyra Blissex finally pulled him away. She requested his immediate presence at the orbital shipyards for a meeting on Project Victor.
---
**Orbital Shipyards – Project Victor Assembly Platform**
Wright arrived at the massive orbital complex still smelling faintly of lubricant and scorched wiring. In the executive briefing office, Lyra Blissex waited alongside a team of senior engineers. To Wright's surprise, Narro Sante—the head of the Sienar corporation himself—sat at the head of the table.
"Here comes the prodigal son!" Narro chuckled, waving expansively. "Still messing around with your ionics down there?"
"Why are you here?" Wright crossed his arms, though a grin tugged at his mouth.
"Oh, don't get me wrong," the old man replied with dramatic flair. "I simply came to see how my family is getting on. Do you need anything?"
"We're all fine," Wright said, glancing at Lyra. "Aren't we?"
Lyra offered a practiced, slightly strained smile. "Yes. We've finalized the power consumption configuration. Parameters align with several previous reactor designs. Weapons integration proved the easiest component. The rest of the systems are proceeding on schedule."
One of the engineers—Gren Bratano—checked his datapad. "At current pace, we will complete final drawings within one month and begin laying the first production batch—one hundred units."
Wright felt a surge of satisfaction. The long nights, the Xi Char overhaul, the relentless optimization—it was all converging.
Thus was born the **Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing**, also known as the Xg-1 Starwing or Assault Gunboat.
The 10-meter-long craft utilized a sleek tri-wing configuration inspired by the Lambda-class shuttle, another Sienar-Jaemus design. A fixed dorsal wing provided primary stability, flanked by a pair of lateral folding wings that folded upward during landing. Two additional folding wings protruded diagonally from the side engine pods at a reflexive angle, granting the Xg-1 far superior maneuverability compared to its shuttle predecessor. In flight configuration, the wings formed a flattened five-point star—hence the "Star Wing" designation.
Its armament was formidable for its size: two chin-mounted laser cannons, two ion cannons positioned above the cockpit, and a pair of general-purpose warhead launchers. The Star Wing could also mount the advanced tractor beam projector originally developed for the TIE Avenger and later Imperial fighters.
Standard payload included sixteen concussion missiles (eight per launcher). Mission variants allowed twelve proton torpedoes, eight heavy rockets, or four heavy space bombs. Select models could carry ion torpedoes.
Unlike most small craft of its era, the Xg-1's larger frame accommodated a compact hyperdrive and deflector shields, making it a true hyperspace-capable assault platform capable of independent operations far from fleet support.
Wright leaned back in his chair as the final holographic schematics rotated above the table. This was only the beginning. With Dagon Marek's backing, Sienar-Jaemus would deliver entire wings of these deadly gunboats to the Republic's cause—perfect for disrupting CIS supply lines, escorting heavier vessels, and giving the Dragon's fleets the technological edge they needed before *Spear of Light* ignited.
Somewhere out in the Deep Core, his son Raith was likely smiling at the thought. The Sienar legacy had found its strongest ally yet.