#tigellinus

[nerocoin]

FINISHED THE LINEUP i can die now. ok not really now i have a comic to make

PLEASE click and zoom in! this canvas is almost 6000 px long the quality is awful from afar

separates and my rambling under the cut

i started this in late march while also making a different oc lineup and worked on and off on this one for 3 months. good lord. the artstyle is simplified to how i will most likely be drawing them in the comic so i dont go insane from the details. as long as it doesnt change again like it did here. my bestie said everyone here looks like theyre drawn by a different person IDK WHAT HAPPENED curse of my artstyle.

also info for new people here [hi] everyone here is my version of historical figures aside from felix he is a full on original character. its an alternative timeline where britannicus lives and both he and nero are co-emperors

[ra-horakhty-art]

Happy birthday to me. The best present would be rebloging my arts!

[oscarwetnwilde]

James Wilby + Historical Portrayals: .2nd Lt. Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon (Regeneration) .King George VI (Bertie & Elizabeth) .George Boscawen, 3rd Viscount Falmouth (Poldark) .Bruce Ismay (Titanic) .Ofonius Tigellinus (Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire: Nero) .Edward Russell Thomas (De-Lovely) .John Denby Wheater (The Great Train Robbery) .Brendan Bracken (Churchill's Secret) .Lord Howard Staunton (The Chess Game/La Partie d'echecs) .Herbert Spencer (George Eliot: A Scandalous Life) .Leofric, Earl of Mercia (Lady Godiva) .Judge Carl Aarvold (The Duke) .Charles Lightoller (Words Of The Titanic) .Helmuth James von Moltke (Witness Against Hitler) .Lord Louis Mountbatten (The Last Days of The Raj)

[emperornero]

my dealer : got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called “quo vadis” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

me: yeah whatever. i dont feel shit.

5 minutes later: i think the christians are evil and plotting against me

my arbiter elegantiarum petronius pacing around the room; i hope tigellinus kills himself

[saphronethaleph]

Extra Extra

“It’s like one of those logic puzzles,” Lando said, looking down at a Dejarik table that had been turned off an hour ago. “We know most of the ingredients we need, right?”

“We know most of the ingredients of one way to do it,” Leia amended. “Though I can’t use the Boussh disguise for both of them. I’d have enough trouble using it on one of them, though I think Jabba would be a bit easier to fool.”

“Relatively speaking,” the Socorran replied. “What do you think, Chewie? Jabba’s not kept on top of a crime ridden world like that for decades by being gullible.”

“That may be true, but he’s arrogant,” Chewbacca replied. “And, unlike with Luke, we at least know where Han is.”

“I get the point,” Lando admitted. “Problem is, none of us three are from Tatooine. Luke is, but… like I said, logic puzzle. The easiest way to rescue Han is to already have Luke – and the easiest way to rescue Luke is to already have Han.”

“Rescuing Luke, we could at least call on the resources of the Rebellion,” Leia offered. “Being able to actually kill Darth Vader would be an enormous blow to the Empire.”

Lando chuckled. “Yeah, sure, but – I hate to admit it, but Han’s better with the old girl than I ever was. If we were okay with Luke’s death, then an insane plan like attacking Darth Vader’s Super Star Destroyer would be a bit easier to stomach… if you want to get him out, Han’s touch with the Falcon can only help.”

Leia sighed.

“I have the feeling that doing Han is going to be easier,” she said. “I’ve got a few contacts I can call upon… and if we do manage to get Rebellion resources involved, then Jabba’s palace is a much softer target.”

“We’re going around in circles,” Chewbacca declared. “We need more information. Even knowing where Darth Vader was would help, because that way we’d be able to make better plans.”

He frowned. “Jabba’s strength comes from being a big fish in a small pond. But getting Han out means being inside the defences – and if he realizes what’s going on, he can use Han’s safety as a hostage.”

Lando nodded along.

“I actually wonder if we shouldn’t hope that Luke can rescue himself,” he said. “Or – if we are going to try and rescue Luke, we should abandon the idea of doing it with the Falcon directly. The YT-1300 might be common, but any light freighter of that class is going to stand out.”

Chewbacca looked curious.

“That sounds like you have a plan,” he said. “Care to share?”

“I most certainly do,” Lando answered. “That giant ship has to get supplies, right? Giant standard containers. I wonder how many old style battle droids we could fit in a giant container alongside the Falcon to provide a distraction – then jump out from inside the ship once we’ve retrieved Luke.”

“Now there’s a crazy idea,” Leia said, but she was looking contemplative. “That might work. Audacity can win the day when lesser plans simply don’t have a chance to-”

“Mistress Leia!” C-3P0 interrupted, hurrying down from the cockpit. “Mistress Leia! There’s something very strange on the holonews!”

Lando, Chewbacca and Leia exchanged curious glances, then Lando hit a switch and turned on a holoprojector.

“I didn’t know that was there,” the wookiee admitted, then they all stopped and stared at the news.

“Admiral Piett, this is most irregular!” Grand Admiral Tigellinus declared. “Your authority does not run to the Imperial Center Oversector – explain yourself at once!”

“My authority derives from Vader,” Piett replied, evenly, facing the viewscreen showing Tigellinus’s face.

The Grand Admiral was apparently not on board his capital ship, and the other displays around the Executor bridge were showing that the Empire’s Central Fleet was both out of position and unprepared for combat.

In the second part, at least, Piett fully knew how they felt.

“Vader’s authority also does not run here,” Tigellinus retorted. “Power down your weapons and shields immediately.”

“That request is out of order, Grand Admiral,” Piett replied. “I am under no obligation to stand down.”

Someone began speaking to Tigellinus, their voice a little too quiet for Piett to hear through the connection, and the Grand Admiral turned a rather entertaining shade.

“Admiral, you are violating my direct orders,” the Grand Admiral declared. “One of the ships of your fleet is making a full power burn for the surface of Imperial Center! They must stand down immediately or they will be destroyed!”

Piett’s gaze flicked to the displays, and it took all of a lifetime’s military politicking to avoid reacting visibly.

Tigellinus was very much telling the truth. One of the Star Destroyers of Battle Group Executor was burning for the surface at full power, and scattered fire from the defensive platforms was already striking home on it.

It wasn’t responding, though, and Piett had a sinking feeling that he was starting to understand what was going on.

It wasn’t that he necessarily disagreed with the idea of a coup d’etat, or at least that was what he would certainly say if Vader had asked him about the subject. Partly because denying Darth Vader was a good way of getting choked to death over a video call, but also partly because… something had changed in Vader in the last few months.

Since Bespin.

But he would very much have appreciated being told any of the details more than five minutes before the Executor had left hyperspace.

“The destroyer may have engine problems,” he said, instead. “It was undergoing refit and was mostly evacuated for that very reason.”

“That is not an engine problem!” the Grand Admiral snapped. “You are relieved of command and placed under arrest!”

Piett made a gesture, and the viewscreen deactivated.

“I suspect that conversation was going nowhere productive,” he said. “All batteries ready. I want a full ion cannon salvo on the first capital vessel of the Central Fleet to fire on our wayward destroyer.”

He folded his hands behind his back, and tried to seem like he knew what was going on.

Palpatine was not ready for the situation he had just found himself in.

In principle, assassination was always a risk for someone like him, and he had many means of protection.

He had a ferociously competent security service. He had his guards, armed and trained to a degree of furious perfection that was then hidden under ceremonial outfits. He had the mighty apparatus of Imperial power, grown for twenty-five years. He was the most powerful single individual in the galaxy, with the might of a thousand years of Sith learning and alchemy buttressing his own powerful hatred.

He also had flashbacks to the last time he had been utterly out of control of the situation, which was when he had been on board a crashing Confederacy capital ship.

And now there was a durasteel triangle sixteen hundred metres long, crashing down out of the Coruscant sky. Even as he watched it collided with the Imperial Palace shields, and the shields lost, collapsing with a CRAAACK like the sky splitting open, and the Emperor summoned the Force to himself – ready to do whatever it took to survive.

Whatever it took.

Then he noticed the bright red letters painted on the front of the Star Destroyer. Every single character a hundred and twenty metres high, spelling out a name.

AMIDALA.

Palpatine’s eye twitched, then the nose of the Star Destroyer made contact, and the next ten seconds was an incredible cacophony of rending metal and collapsing supports and energy as several reactors ruptured.

When the debris finally stopped and the smoke began to clear, the entire room was on a fifteen degree slant. The transparisteel windows had exploded inwards, and a horizontal rain of giant shrapnel had killed every one of the guards and functionaries in the room.

There were several fires going on, and it rather looked as though most of the palace complex was in the middle of collapsing.

Then two curved TIE/Advanced wings landed with a crash on the floor to his right, coming in through a hole in the roof, and Palpatine’s gaze snapped in that direction. He drew his lightsaber with a single quick motion, concealing it in his sleeve for now, and he saw two figures step off the pieces of curved metal.

One was entirely familiar. Darth Vader, his apprentice. His slave… but it was immediately clear that Vader was his slave no more.

Just from his posture, if it hadn’t also been apparent from the events of the last few minutes.

Vader was reminding him unpleasantly of Anakin, on the days when Palpatine had touched the wrong nerve.

But the other could only be Luke Skywalker. He looked different, now, to any time Palpatine had seen him before. Older, maybe. More touched by pain and loss, perhaps – but mawkishly certain of his convictions.

Like a teenaged queen he remembered. Or the same woman, as a twenty-something senator who had ruined far too many of his plans without even realizing whose plans they were.

“Ah, young Skywalker,” Palpatine said. “I see your father has brought you here to die.”

Vader ignited his lightsaber, and Luke drew his own as well – activating it with a flash of blue light.

It was Anakin’s old one, from Mustafar, and Palpatine could feel that the Force liked that.

He hated that, and that hate gave him strength.

Strength he was unpleasantly sure he was going to need.

For a moment, the Emperor dismissed Vader. He knew Vader, knew his weaknesses and his strengths.

A moment was all he could spare, but he needed to understand the younger Skywalker. The boy’s lightsaber was held in a form that looked almost like Soresu, or almost like Niman, but there was a touch of Djem So there as well.

Except that the weapon in Luke’s left hand was a blaster, with the flowing chrome lines of one from Palpatine’s own home world.

Luke glanced at Vader for a moment, then settled himself.

“I call for a vote of no confidence in Emperor Palpatine’s leadership,” the boy said, and Palpatine’s eye twitched violently.

Then everything was a blur of blue and red, of crackling lightning and the high pitched whine of a blaster.

“You know,” the Emperor said, most of a week later, as the latest bureaucrats left in a state of some confusion. “I expected that you’d be the one actually in charge, Father.”

Vader shook his head, implacably.

“I will upend the galaxy for you, my son,” he said. “Be your strong right arm. Your enforcer. Your teacher. I will place you on the throne of all eternity. But I will not do datawork.”

Luke smiled slightly.

“It’s not dramatic enough, is it?” he asked. “I looked up that quote, you know.”

Vader was silent for a long moment.

“It felt… appropriate,” he said.

“I’m sure it did, father,” Luke replied. “Now… I need to try writing my next letter to Mon Mothma. Somehow I am going to convince her to help me turn the position of Emperor into one with constitutional limitations.”

Anakin looked across at his son.

“I believe you might just do that,” he said.

“I must say, I didn’t expect this,” Obi-Wan mused, materializing in front of the throne.

“What didn’t you expect?” Luke asked.

“Well, take your pick,” Obi-Wan replied. “But if there’s one thing… it’s how you killed Palpatine. It seems that the Banite legacy of the Sith earths itself into the killer, meaning that the killer becomes the new leader of the Sith… a vessel for Palpatine, in other words.”

Vader gave Luke a concerned look.

“And?” Luke asked. “I don’t think I’m a vessel for Palpatine.”

“The connection requires a Khyber crystal,” Obi-Wan clarified. “And now I need to face that the galaxy was saved because you killed Palpatine with a blaster, of all things.”

Anakin started laughing, then coughing, then laughing again.

“Father?” Luke asked, concerned.

“Who’s uncivilized now, Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, holding on to the side of the throne so he wouldn’t collapse.

[ancientcharm]

Nero: The end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (Part II)

'Nero finds his mother dead' by Antonio Rizzi, 19th century.

The first period of Nero's reign (54-59) would stand out, according to Emperor Trajan (96-117) for being the "best and most just government of the entire imperial era." According to historical sources, in those years the young emperor had a respectful relationship with the Senate, a young lover who was a Mima (actress in Latin) was indifferent to his wife Octavia, and was dedicated to art.

After the withdrawal and death of Agrippina in the year 59, having distanced himself from Seneca and Burrus, Nero began to make his own decisions.

The first big mess during his reign (and a big doubt )

Statue of emperor Nero in Anzio, Italy, by Claudio Valenti. Photo: Helen Cook.

Nero needed heirs but could not or did not want have them with his wife with whom he perhaps would never have consummated the marriage. Seneca had advised him not to divorce Octavia since she was very loved and respected in society. But in 61-62 Seneca was already retired, and the new Prefect of praetorian and closer to Nero was Tigellinus, who according historians was not a good advisor.

Tacitus accounts that Tigellinus, sent by Poppaea tried to get Octavia's maidservants to confess an alleged adultery thus Nero would have a reason to condemn her to death. The servants denied adultery, and a slave woman while being tortured spat in Tigellinus face saying: "My mistress' privy parts are cleaner than your mouth." Despite this, young empress was accused of adultery.

This situation caused a revolt in Rome in favor of Octavia. "Immediately the people went up to the Capitol and cry out to the gods, and carried images of Octavia on their shoulders, covered them with flowers and placed them in the Forum; They filled the palace with their multitude and clamor " -Tacitus.

According Tacitus, Poppaea, concerned about Octavia's influence on the people, convinced Nero that he should exile Octavia to the island Pandataria. According Suetonius in June 9 of 62 Octavia died in exile at 22 years old; Some men cut her wrists and then took her to a hot bath, in a kind of "suicide ritual", and twelve days later, Nero and Poppaea married.

I realized something I hadn't noticed before:

No historian, including Suetonius, knows the date of death of any of the exile women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty or how they died. Obviously they can't know because they died in exile. Octavia is the only exile in Roman history of whom we know (or believe we know rather) the date of her death and the way in which she died.

And the most interesting thing is that her date of death is the same as Nero's. The date came from Suetonius, and is also Suetonius who wrote that "Nero met his death on the anniversary of the murder of Octavia".

In the same year

Also in 62, according to Tacitus, Nero ordered the execution of Gaius Rubellius Plautus, a Stoic philosopher, senator and political rival of Nero, and son of the granddaughter of the emperor Tiberius. Rumours that Plautus was preparing a rebellion with the group The Stoic Opposition led to his execution. Years later, after the conspiracy of the year 65, Plautus' widow and all his children committed suicide together; they were the last descendants of the Emperor Tiberius. This was the prelude to the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Tacitus states that the death of this family caused great commotion in Rome.

Part III

[joannerenaud]

The Lady Serena review

I think, quite possibly, this was the first ever historical romance I’d ever read. Little did I know that it was written by Virginia Coffman— yes, THE Virginia Coffman, Gothic novelist extraordinaire, who was to become one of my favorite authors. In the late 1970s, under the pseudonym of Jeanne Duval, she wrote two historical novels set in ancient Rome, specifically against the reign of the Emperor Nero. I was so obsessed with this book, I read it over and over and over again. Years passed, and I lent it to a friend, who was much less enthused about it than I was. Then I read other negative reviews, and I began to think this book wasn’t so hot, and I was viewing it through rose-colored Nostalgia Goggles. Had the suck fairy come for Lady Serena?

Anyway, at last I decided to sit down and reread it. The back copy sells it as a lurid bodice-ripper about a Vestal Virgin, Serena, who has a forbidden romance with Tigellinus, Nero’s dark and sinister prefect of police. It definitely has bodice-ripper elements, but compared to many romances of the time, like The Flame and the Flower or The Wolf and the Dove, it is a masterpiece of subtlety and nuance.

Serena, a proud, practical aristocrat who’s taken vows as one of Vesta’s sacred priestesses, is increasingly tempted by Tigellinus’s masculine charms as she finds herself pulled into palace intrigue— specifically, she is called to tend to a sickly Emperor Claudius, who dies shortly after, from a surfeit of poisoned mushrooms or… possibly something else? Soon, she’s caught up in a shadowy conspiracy and a power struggle between the impulsive, lovable but erratic young emperor Nero, and his competent and frightening mother Agrippina. The depiction of these historical characters is so good, so assured and so accurate, and so free of the usual nonsense from Suetonius, it’s as if Coffman had actually met them. It’s impressive work.

The first half of the book has this languid, beautifully written atmospheric slow burn going on, which is very typical of Coffman— but the ending is exciting and cinematic, complete with battles at sea, riots, chariot chases and a gripping palace showdown. As for Tigellinus, the hero— he’s fine. He felt a bit undercharacterized— I felt that he and Serena needed a few more scenes together, but given how abysmally low the standards of romance heroes from the 1970s were, I didn’t mind him. The sex scenes are pretty short and not especially detailed, but that also seems pretty typical for the time. I did not especially buy the romance at first, but I felt much more convinced by the end, after the couple had been on the run together (which is always one of my favorite tropes).

As for Serena, at first I found her underwhelming, but I grew to like her a lot. She’s pretty naive at first, but over the course of the book she proves herself to be tough, clever, observant and in some respects, ruthless— she fends off two attempted rapists, and towards the end she coolly rescues herself from a particularly sticky situation in a way that had me pumping my fist into the air. I found her arc satisfying. She does have a lot of internal conflict, about betraying her religious vows for a relationship with a man; but she still loves and reveres Vesta. How can she reconcile these two parts of herself? The senior vestal priestess, Lady Maxima, plays a key part too: it’s great to see an older woman play a major part in a historical romance, and I loved seeing how her and Serena’s relationship developed. I thought it ended in a rewarding place— and I don’t want to spoil too much more! But yes, this aspect is definitely something I could not have appreciated as much as when I was a teenager.

The Lady Serena is also interesting in that it walks a fine line between historical-novel-with-romantic-elements and historical romance proper, which I liked. There’s a lot of Gothic elements too— misty temples, flickering torches, ominous villas and cabals of sinister senators abound— which I found to be a treat. This approach is so unusual for this setting. Also, the fact that the author is really affectionate towards Rome as a place and a culture really stands out, and the research is mostly well done.

As for the downsides, the writing is lovely, but there are some repetitive bits that could have been trimmed. Some of the plotting also can feel a bit redundant. For example, there’s two attacks (one on Serena, and another on Tigellinus) by two separate guys who lost all their money betting on some sports event and who became deranged as a result. Once is fine, I guess… but twice? Really? There’s also a few typical Roman tropes that came from old movies that have since been debunked, like galley slaves (not a thing until the early modern era), or people using chariots to travel from one place to another (they were only for races and ceremonial use, not for ordinary use). There’s also all the borked nomenclature, but that’s so typical of 90% of ancient Roman romance out there, that my eyes skim over it at this point.

Anyway, even with all that said, I love this book, and I recommend it! It’s an engrossing Gothic epic set in the ancient world with a cool and competent FMC, a respectable hero, a vibrant supporting cast of characters, and some incredible action. Sadly, there’s no ebook of this available, but paper copies abound, and the curious can find it on archive.org.

[officialpenisenvy]

did i ever tell you guys about the incredibly bizarre boy in my high school who used to go around pretending he was the roman emperor nero and calling his guy best friend/goon/minion tigellinus

[kwebtv]

Quo Vadis? - RAI 1 - February 24, 1985 - March 24, 1985

Period Drama (6 episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Klaus Maria Brandauer as Nero

Frederic Forrest as Petronius

Cristina Raines as Poppaea

Barbara De Rossi as Eunice

Francesco Quinn as Marcus Vinicius

Max von Sydow as The Apostle Peter

Marie-Theres Relin as Licya

Gabriele Ferzetti as Piso

Ángela Molina as Acte

Massimo Girotti as Aulus Plauzius

Françoise Fabian as Pomponia

Philippe Leroy as Paul of Tarsus

Leopoldo Trieste as Chilo

Olga Karlatos as Epicaris

Marko Nikolic as Tigellinus

Georges Wilson as Pedanius

Marisa Solinas as Polybia

Annie Belle as Myriam

Valerija Brkljač as Epafrodito

Radomir Kovačević as Ursus

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Was anyone going to tell me that at least one edition of L'incoronazione di Poppea (namely the 1656 edition), instead of just having Nero/Lucan gay sex scene that we are used to, splits Lucan's lines between Lucan, Petronius, and Tigellinus? So like, a foursome.

[Direct link to libretto.]

[adz]

Tacitus said of Petronius' death that "...he did not fling away life with precipitate haste, but having made an incision in his veins and then, according to his humour, bound them up, he again opened them, while he conversed with his friends, not in a serious strain or on topics that might win for him the glory of courage. And he listened to them as they repeated, not thoughts on the immortality of the soul or on the theories of philosophers, but light poetry and playful verses. To some of his slaves he gave liberal presents, a flogging to others. He dined, indulged himself in sleep, that death, though forced on him, might have a natural appearance. Even in his will he did not, as did many in their last moments, flatter Nero or Tigellinus or any other of the men in power. On the contrary, he described fully the prince's shameful excesses, with the names of his male and female companions and their novelties in debauchery, and sent the account under seal to Nero. Then he broke his signet-ring, that it might not be subsequently available for imperilling others."

Though many come close, I cannot off the top of my head recall a funnier suicide

[nerocoin]

warm up for tonight . good evening

[ra-horakhty-art]

Gaius Sofonius Tigellinus

Tigellinus was a prefect of praetorian guard during Nero's reign. Most likely he was introduced by Agrippina the younger because he was her lover. (When Caligula was the emperor, he expelled Tigellinus. Then Sofonius returned in Rome under emperor Claudius) He sold horses and that was the the reason he was close with Nero. Young man liked chariot racing, so horses united them.

In 62 Tigellinus became a prefect of guard instead of Afranius Burrus ( Nero's teacher who died because of illness. )

When Nero was absent, Tigellinus ruled Rome instead of him. Anyway, people hated him. When Nero killed himself and a senator Galba became the emperor, people wanted to get Tigellinus head.

He died in 69, when Otho overthrowed Galba. New governor ordered him to die.

[oscarwetnwilde]

James Wilby's 2000's roles: Part two.

Chicklit (2016): Geoffrey The Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Season 4, Episode 4: (2011): Henry The Sense of an Ending: (2017): David Ford Inspector Lewis: Expiation (2004): Hugh Mallory Silent Witness: Nowhere Fast, part one (2006): Matt Gibb Jump Together: (2001): Nathan Little Devil: (2007): Adrian Bishop Father Brown: The Cat Of Castigatus (2018): Sefton Scott Foyle's War: They Fought In The Fields (2004): Major Cornwall Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006): Ofonius Tigellinus

[emperornero]

SOMEONE MADE PETRONIUS TIGELLINUS AND NERO CUSTOM PLAYMOBIL TOYS im going to cry over this

source

[saphronethaleph]

Optimize your main batteries

Tigellinus folded his hands behind his back.

“All right, summarize the situation for me,” he said. “We’re nearly there, now tell me who we’re fighting.”

“Information is sparse, Grand Admiral,” his intelligence wonk said, apologetically. “According to the data burst we got from our informant, the shipyards on Cheres IV have been abnormally active for the last six months.”

“...and this concerns us?” the Grand Admiral asked.

“It does, Sir,” the intelligence officer replied… whatever his name was. Hernas, perhaps?

“While Cheres IV is primarily known as a freighter yard, they were involved in warship construction during the Clone Wars, and none of their manufacturing systems have been replaced. They have the smelters able to handle high powered weapons and the volume to produce capital ships.”

“A capital ship yard that we didn’t monitor?” Tignellius asked. “Who is supposed to be in charge of this Oversector, anyway? This is a clear and direct failure by someone. Make a note.”

“Yes, Admiral,” an aide said, tapping away at a datapad.

“As for this yard, hmm…” Tignellius frowned. “Why wasn’t it being monitored?”

“Every shipyard in the Empire could produce capital ships,” the intelligence officer pointed out. “Cheres IV is somewhat higher capacity than others, but it’s shown no hint of involvement until now. What actually raised my concern is not so much the report of high activity but that it’s dissonant with the other, pre-existing reports which were being sent by the management. Somebody is lying to us.”

He flicked to a new page. “According to our best estimates, the maximum possible construction volume they could have completed roughly amounts to a single Star Destroyer of the Imperial class, plus escorting cruisers in proportion. Rebel assets that could have been deployed to defend the yards might amount to as many as two of their capital ships, their Star Destroyer equivalents. Again, escorts in proportion.”

Tigellinus frowned, then nodded.

“It’s fortunate we have ten Star Destroyers in the core of our fleet, isn’t it?” he asked. “Still, we’d best not be too hasty… order to the fleet, all ships are to deploy their full complement of fighters as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. They are to form a screen; if the enemy launches a fighter strike, send out a combined interception force anchored on the Carracks to blunt it. I won’t take losses against a clearly inferior foe. We’ll offer them one chance to surrender to preserve the docks, then I’ll destroy whatever is there with turbolasers. Stormtroopers will convince the Cheresi board of directors of their folly.”

The ops personnel copied that down, converting it into orders, and Tigellinus looked up at the main viewscreen.

Not long now. And he’d show the rebel scum what the might of the Empire could do.

Starlines formed, then condensed into stars, and Tigellinus looked at the tactical display.

The whole formation was neat and ordered around his flagship, Praetor, and he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.

“Report,” he snapped. “Get me targets!”

“Scanning now, Admiral!” someone called back. “Dropping the images on the plot!”

Markers appeared, and Tigellinus frowned – then relaxed.

A dozen fighters were out on a clear combat patrol, and even as he watched they reacted to his presence. There’d be more launching soon, but he could only see four of the Rebel light carriers – not enough to be a serious threat, not against the hundreds of TIEs his own force was sending into space, obedient to his orders and shaking out into combat formation.

But, more importantly, there were only two enemy heavy capital ships – not three. Both were consistent with Mon Cal designs, the damp aliens, though there were more light ships than he’d have expected.

“Have the Rebels really been building light ships here?” he asked, out loud. “Or have they been sending off what they build as soon as it’s complete… status on the Denier?”

“Interdiction cone coming online in sixty,” someone told him.

That, at least, was acceptable. He might lose the enemy cruisers, but the Mon Cal ships would be trapped before they could jump out and that was worth the entire trip.

“Admiral,” the intelligence officer said, appearing at his side. “I’ve been running the data streams, and there’s something wrong about the enemy combatants.”

“Then tell me what it is, Hernas,” Tigellinus said, shaking his head with a sigh. “Don’t play riddles with me. What are we facing?”

More fighters were appearing on the screen, and half his attention was on the body language of the two forces… would the Rebels try and launch a strike on Denier, hiding behind the body of his fleet? Run now with everything that could jump? Or try desperately to save the two Mon Cal Star Cruisers, opening themselves up to complete destruction?

“The cruisers don’t match anything that we recognize, but there’s at least a hundred of them,” Hernas said. “All built to the same design. And the Mon Cal cruisers have a different profile, it’s distorted along the dorsal and ventral lines.”

The big ships in question were neither turning to run nor turning to close the range, Tigellinus noted – or, at least, not by much. Instead they’d turned to fly left-to-right along his formation’s front. And the lighter cruisers were forming up into a clearly planned formation, with the Rebel fighters behind them on patrol.

What was going on?

“We’re in range of the cruisers, sir,” an ops officer said. “The Mon Cal ships are behind the enemy cruiser line, still.”

“Open fire on the cruisers,” Tigellinus replied. “Order the right wing to be ready to pursue those Star Cruisers – along with Denier. I want those prizes.”

“Yes, sir,” the ops officer replied, and the heavy turbolasers either side of his flagship’s main bridge turned, elevated – then fired. Nine other Star Destroyers fired in unison, spitting nearly a hundred and sixty coherent bolts of light out at the enemy cruiser line.

And about five hundred came back.

First Action, in the formation to the left of Praetor, staggered visibly as her shields took an intense hammer blow. Three of the enemy cruisers had taken multiple hits, one of them exploding as it was flattened in a single blow, but they were small targets and First Action was a massive target… one which had just taken so much concentrated energy that the shield systems were unable to fully contain it.

“What the kriff was that?” Tigellinus demanded.

“The cruisers!” Hernas warned. “Sir – they’re built around capital ship turrets!”

Turrets.

Turrets.

The produce of the damn shipyards hadn’t been sent away at all. It was right here. The heavy turbolaser turrets of an Imperial-class were a tiny fraction of the total volume, and the metal it took to build a single Star Destroyer could build hundreds of heavy turrets instead of the eight actually fitted to ships like his flagship.

First Action got hit by a second hammerblow of energy, crackling before a series of internal explosions began, and a moment later a priority alert came in from Interrex on the right wing of the formation.

The two Mon Cal Star Cruisers had been heavily refitted, Tigellinus realized in a sudden flash of insight. Their dorsal and ventral lines were nothing but turrets, with at least six times the heavy gun complement of a Star Destroyer – each – and that was if they hadn’t had heavy turrets added to the port and starboard sides, as well.

The Star Cruisers had his fleet outgunned. The enemy light cruisers, separately, had his fleet outgunned.

“Get us out of here!” he snapped. “Tell Denier to shut down her gravity well projectors!”

“They’ve only just come up, sir!” Hernas pointed out. “It’s going to take several minutes to-”

The entire ship rocked, as Rebel heavy turret fire marched down the formation, and Tignellius regretted his life choices.

Briefly.