After his visit to Kuat Engineering, where after tough negotiations he ended up recruiting Blissex—who had been made an offer he couldn't refuse. He would be given a research and development center to improve the ships his faction already owned, as well as to create new ones for various functions. The only downside was that Blissex had an active contract with Kuat for another five years, but this could be reduced to three if Blissex participated in a major project, paid a bond, or provided Kuat with a functional ship design as compensation. The option they agreed upon was the first: Maximus would provide him with a ship design and its main features in exchange for Blissex finding a legal loophole in the contract.
After finishing negotiations, Max continued his journey to Naboo, where he was received by the queen's escort—the new royal guard known as the Silver Lilies—and the new queen of Naboo, Seryna Vailore. At first, Maximus wasn't sure if this was the same queen who succeeded Padmé after her abdication, but after a bit of digging—thanks to trade relations between both parties—he discovered that this was in fact not the candidate expected to follow Padmé, who was supposed to be Jamillia.
Upon disembarking from his ship, Max was guided through Theed Palace until he reached Queen Seryna's office. She was seated in her traditional attire, surrounded by handmaidens and a couple of Silver Lilies.
"It is a pleasure to see you, Queen Seryna. I must say, your palace security has increased significantly since my last visit—which I don't mind at all. Nor the dealings we've had between us during this time. The purpose of my visit is this: I've come to offer you what we call law enforcement material in our territory. I'm aware that since our last contract, Naboo's armed forces have grown to the level of a regular army, similar to that of a small planet, thanks to a large number of volunteers. And this, of course, must have raised many concerns. In that case, I have the solution to your problem. I recommend holding regular training cycles and retiring those deemed unfit for service. Additionally, you should maintain an elite force within the army responsible for crowd control, riot suppression, and in the event of an invasion, they should be capable of forming an armed resistance in a short time. Of course, this is all speculative, and that's why, if you need police-grade equipment, we'd be more than capable of supplying it—alongside animals trained for this kind of environment, such as dogs or horses."
"It's good to hear that you're always willing to help my people, and as you said, we are currently experiencing exactly the kind of issue you've mentioned. My predecessors never faced a situation like mine, and after the invasion of Naboo, it became clear we could no longer go without a proper defense force—at least for ground operations. This planet has always been known for and supported by the pacifist faction, but following recent events, the more reactionary side of the population made its decision and voted for me, the new queen. That's why I don't want to lose the trust my people placed in me after such an unforgettable time as the invasion. Your idea has many facets to explore, but it's true that a specialized force to manage public safety wouldn't be poorly received by the populace.
By the way, what kind of equipment would you be providing?"
"All kinds and types—from basic instruction to counterterrorism. As for the equipment itself, it would depend on your needs and the quantities you require. Currently, we have several types of merchandise in stock that would interest you."
After saying this, he pulled a holoprojector from the inside pocket of his trench coat. Upon pressing the bottom button, all the items in stock appeared before the queen, along with videos of their usage and features.
"I'll leave this device here so you can review what we have. If anything interests you, please let us know as always."
Without further words and with the conversation concluded, Maximus was escorted back to the palace gates, where his escort awaited him. This escort was armed with Browning 1955 pistols, concealed in their clothing. The six-man team swiftly escorted him to the safehouse in the city of Theed—a property acquired as a goodwill gift for aiding in the planet's recovery. Upon arriving at the outer fence of the property, four armed guards were posted, also with pistols, and one inside the security booth managing the gate was armed with a Remington 870.
After getting out of the vehicle and being guided into the house, Max was received by his secretary—another slave he had saved during a military operation. Her name was Priska, a white-skinned Twi'lek.
"Welcome, my lord. Everything has been arranged according to your specifications. The materials are being prepared for delivery as we speak."
"Perfect. In that case, have the ships prepared and the goods brought in. By the way, what's the situation in Portus Stellaris? I received reports that the workers were going on strike and that loading and unloading operations had slowed down."
"That's correct. At this time, the National Police have already dealt with the agitators and arrested the primary instigators of the movement. Operations will resume over the course of today and tomorrow."
"Good to hear. Give the order that I won't be receiving visitors for the rest of today and tomorrow. And just in case, reinforce security around the perimeter."
With that, I retired to my room. Once inside, I locked everything and activated the system to ask just one question:
I died in the early 21st century—so what technologies will I unlock if I keep moving forward past the date of my death?