Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 42 - Carly Trilm
The private room was designed like a medium-sized KTV room, with carefully adjusted lighting that was soft yet dim overall, creating a private atmosphere.

A long, dark synthetic leather sofa that surrounds the wall encloses a large, rectangular alloy table in the center, occupying most of the space.

Just as Renn remembered, one of the walls had a huge viewing window with an excellent view overlooking the busy dock below and the starry sea in the distance, interwoven with the lights of spaceships.

Corellia's lightweight sculptures, suspended from the ceiling by invisible threads, resemble ethereal, floating flames when illuminated by concealed spotlights.

These expensive decorations alone are enough to illustrate how much money a seemingly unassuming tavern like "Under the Dome" can make in the money-burning world of "The Wheel."

Ryan's gaze was immediately drawn to the woman who was slumped over the table, holding a glass of golden liquor in both hands.

Carly Trilm.

Her short, silver-gray hair shimmered in the warm light of the private room, with a few strands falling loosely across her forehead, as if wisps of smoke were rising from her head.

“You really are… eye-catching,” Carly murmured as Ryan sat down. “There’s a line between overly cautious and careless, and somehow you walk a tightrope between the two.”

Carly looked up, blinking her half-closed eyes with difficulty, as if she needed time to focus.

A scar, gleaming with a blood-red sheen, stretched diagonally from above her right eyebrow to her cheek.

Without making a sound, Ryan gently nudged Hal with his foot, causing it to crawl under the table.

“I think this shows that I know how to prioritize.” Ryan casually shrugged and leaned back into the sofa.

“Obviously.” Carly made a nasal sound that was hard to decipher, her gaze falling on Ryan’s epaulets. “Now… he’s a brigadier general, huh?”

Her fingers unconsciously slid along the side of the wine glass.

Rein suppressed the urge to smile. "Looks like I climbed a little faster than you."

“You’re fighting in the South,” Carly retorted immediately, her tone filled with undisguised envy and a hint of resentment. “The North… it’s as quiet as a tomb. Without fighting, how can you get a chance to get promoted…”

She tilted her head back sharply, downed the rest of the wine in her glass in one gulp, slammed the glass down heavily on the hard table with a crisp sound, and then let out a long breath.

In some ways, Carly is right.

The calm on the Peremian route was precisely why General Tann was able to move the entire First Fleet south without any worries.

With her and General Tony's endorsement, the memorandum sent to Base Lacus, which described the South's "great achievements," became the perfect bait to lure ambitious people.

Both senior generals "confirmed" that they would definitely achieve great military exploits in the south and be promoted.

Raine was certain that if the Clem Fleet hadn't been kept as an independent unit by Dooku and pinned down at Salvara Fortress, Carly would have applied to be transferred to the southern front without hesitation.

"Didn't Dooku arrange any...other opportunities for you?" Renn leaned back slightly, observing her reaction.

Carly pursed her thin lips and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking: "...Well, in some ways, to be practical, you should sell your shares in the Tech Consortium. I heard from a reliable source that Watt Temple was captured in Lylos."

“Damn it,” Ryan tapped the table lightly with his knuckles. “Once the Republic officially announces this news, the Technology Alliance’s stock price will definitely plummet. I’m thinking… maybe we can reinvest the funds back into the Retail Alliance?”

"Do you know any inside information?" A shrewd glint flashed in Carly's eyes, and her previous drunkenness seemed to have subsided somewhat.

“General Lossom has just captured Christophersis,” Ryan stated calmly. “You may soon see the Retail Consortium announce the production of crystal products.”

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, this isn't inside information. It's just... a strategic adjustment based on available information. Well... it is inside information, but that's how the Confederate military-industrial complex operates. They brought it on themselves."

Carly nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought. "Christopher Sith... that's a big bargaining chip. Were you on the battlefield? You still haven't told me how you got promoted... who were you assigned to command?" "Trunky," Ryan answered succinctly, "and then General Tann."

“That Qis man.” Carly immediately realized, her eyes becoming focused.

“As for why I was promoted… well,” Ryan gave a faint, meaningful smile, “that’s the real reason I came to you, Carly. I need your help.”

The commander of the Clem fleet froze instantly, a clear expression of vigilance mixed with the pain of "I knew it wouldn't be good" flashing across his face.

But she still gestured to Ryan with her eyes to continue, while unbuttoning the neckline of her dress.

“We’re heading toward defeat in this war, you know that, don’t you?” Raine looked her straight in the eye, his tone blunt and almost cruel. “I need your help to put Tann in the position of Supreme Commander.”

Carly clicked her tongue and said, "No."

"..."

Renn paused in surprise.

She said "no" with absolute certainty.

There was no room for negotiation; it meant she not only refused to help, but didn't even want to listen.

Such a decisive rejection was completely out of character for Ryan's understanding of Carly.

In his memory, she was someone who would weigh all the pros and cons and squeeze every last drop of information out of her before making a decision.

This reaction can only mean one thing.

She felt terrified.

They were so terrified that they thought simply listening to what Ryan was about to say could bring unpredictable dangers.

Renn narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice even further: "Dooku... there are already other candidates?"

Carly Trilm is a native Sereno.

She was one of Count Dooku's most trusted confidantes and capable assistants, a fact that was almost an open secret among the Confederate high command.

This is why she was entrusted with the important task of guarding Salvara, a key fortress connecting the inner and outer rings.

Carly pondered Raine's question carefully, leaning slightly forward and placing her hands crossed on the table. "The Second Fleet is in the south, commanded by Tann, and the Third Fleet is in the north, commanded by Admiral Coles. Why do you think the First Fleet still doesn't have a nominal commander?"

“Because the First Fleet is stationed at the Lax Foundry,” Raine replied matter-of-factly. “Whoever takes this position will have too much power, directly controlling the Confederation’s largest warship production center and a main fleet, so there is a lot of opposition from the higher-ups.”

Carly slowly shook her head. "That sounds like something a front-line officer would say, but... it's just a smokescreen put out by Dooku. Only someone unfamiliar with the inner circle's operations would believe it. How could such an important position, which is related to half of the Confederacy's military strength, have been vacant for so long?"

She paused for a moment, then continued, “Trunky, Tony, even… Dua Ningo, wherever he is now, he’s qualified. The real reason is that Dooku is leaving the First Fleet to someone; he’s the source of that ‘dissent’ you’re talking about, and the only one who can shut all the dissenters up.”

Griffiths.

The name struck Renne like a bolt of lightning.

(End of this chapter)