Chapter 73: Tactical Evolution

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all of it's Intellectual Properties is owned by George Lucas and Walt Disney, This fictional work and all of it's original characters are however mine.

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Jake's P.O.V. :

I wasn’t expecting to feel lighter after that funeral, but somehow, I did.

Not in the literal sense, obviously. The station’s gravity plating hadn’t suddenly malfunctioned and thrown me into a microgravity tumble—though that would’ve been a hell of a way to start the day. No, what I meant was the atmosphere. The whole place felt... less heavy. The kind of weight that lingered when something just felt wrong had eased up, and my mind was clear enough that I was having eureka moments left and right.

And that meant one thing: it was time for some upgrades.

Ever since we took control of this station, I’d been keeping an eye on the security droids. The Sentinels. They were decent—nothing spectacular, just standard lightweight security models built to patrol and respond to threats. No fancy weapons, no heavy armor, no advanced tactics. They got the job done, but they weren’t mine.

Now, I’d already gone down the specialization route with my own combat droids—the Nick and Skew units. The Nick droids? Built for maneuverability, sleek and agile with speed mods that let them dance around targets. The Skew droids? Built like tanks—thicker armor, reinforced joints, all the durability I could pack into their frames.

But for the Sentinel droids…?

I'm going to need something different.

I could follow the Nick droid upgrade path—enhancing their speed, making them faster and more responsive in combat. But I had a better idea.

Instead of just making them better individual fighters, what if I made them excel in teamwork?

I was torn between two approaches. One of the choice is by a Networked-Type Teamwork – A hive-mind-esque setup where every Sentinel droid was linked, sharing data in real-time. One droid spots a target? All of them know about it instantly. One calculates the best attack angle? The others adjust their positioning automatically. Coordinated movements, synchronized attacks—an entire squad moving like a single unit. it's Efficient, very deadly, and precise.

The second choice I could go with is a Soldier-and-Commander Type Teamwork – Instead of all droids being equal, this setup would have command units directing standard units. A squad leader for every four or five Sentinels, relaying orders, adapting tactics, and adjusting on the fly. It would mimic military squad structures rather than a full hive-mind. More adaptable, less predictable, but dependent on the commanders staying functional.

Both had their pros and cons.

The networked-type meant flawless coordination but could run into problems if something disrupted their link. The soldier-commander setup was more flexible, but it meant relying on the leader units to not get picked off early in a fight.

I needed input.

I glanced over at Arlos, who was still sticking around after helping with some post-funeral tasks. “You good heading off with the others? I got some thinking to do first.”

He gave a sharp nod. “Sure, sir. I’ll catch up with them, call me when you need my help.”

That left me free to go find the rest of the crew.

I already had a good idea of where they’d be.

Mira, Rina, and Shmi were by the crew quarters and mess hall, most likely already making plans to redecorate. If there was one thing I’d learned about women, it was that if they saw a place that looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years and it's going to be theirs, they’d immediately start brainstorming ways to change that.

Meanwhile, Kado, Davik, Tarek, and with Anakin tagging along were off touring the station. Probably getting a feel for the layout, maybe even checking for anything we’d overlooked.

I wasn’t about to ask the guys for advice on droid programming for now—they’d either let me handle it or throw in a joke about “just making them shoot better.” The girls however, might give me a different perspective, and that’s exactly what I needed to begin.

So, with my mind still buzzing over upgrade ideas, I made my way toward the mess hall, ready to see what insights they could give me.

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The mess hall? Empty.

Crew quarters? Also empty.

I could've just called them on the commlinks, but I wasn’t in any rush. Besides, walking around gave me time to let my thoughts churn.

Eventually, I found them in the food storage adjacent to the kitchens near the mess hall. Given that the station had been abandoned for Force-knows-how-long, anything that had been in there was obviously long past spoiled, but the mess had already been cleaned up. Now, with the storage room completely empty, the three of them were deep in discussion, brainstorming what kind of foodstuffs we should stock up on.

I greeted them with a casual, “We should throw in some snacks, for when we’re busy and need something to munch on.”

Mira, Rina, and Shmi all looked up from their discussion and greeted me in return.

Shmi smirked. “And what kind of snacks are we talking about?”

“Anything that makes a good crunch,” I answered without hesitation.

They chuckled at that, but I wasn’t just here to push my snack agenda—I had a tactical dilemma I needed their input on.

Rina was the first to ask, “What kind of opinion do you need?”

“I’m working on upgrades for the Sentinel droids,” I started, leaning against a supply crate as I laid out the two choices.

First, I explained the "networked-type" upgrade—where every droid would be linked in real time, pooling their battlefield awareness. One droid spots a target? They all know immediately. One calculates an optimal attack pattern? The entire unit adjusts on the fly. The advantages were obvious: faster reactions, increased accuracy, flexible tactics, and synchronized movement.

But it wasn’t without flaws. If something disrupted the network, the whole system would collapse. The droids would still function, but their coordination—their biggest strength—would vanish, leaving them inflexible and vulnerable to being outmaneuvered. And another issue? The system’s effectiveness was directly tied to how many droids were connected. Lose enough units, and the advantage started to diminish.

Then, I moved on to the second option: the "Soldier and Commander" model.

Instead of linking all the droids in a single network, I’d designate commander units to lead squads of Sentinels. These commanders would have superior processors, preloaded with tactics and strategies similar to what I’d given the Nick and Skew droids. Essentially, they’d be leadership-focused units in my Combat Worker series of custom droids.

But this setup had its own drawback—the destruction of the commander would cripple the squad’s flexibility. They’d still fight better than most open-market battle droids, but they’d eventually be outsmarted without adaptive leadership.

The three of them took their time absorbing the details. Then, Shmi spoke up.

“Why not combine the two?”

I blinked. The thought had occurred to me while I was explaining, but hearing someone else say it made me actually consider it.

“Now that you mention it…” I muttered, rubbing my chin.

If I took the best parts of both systems, I could create a networked group of commanders—units that weren’t just giving orders but were also linked to each other, keeping the network redundant and adaptable. They’d be similar to the Nick and Skew droids in terms of processing power, tactical adaptability, and redundancy systems, ensuring that losing one wouldn’t cripple the whole force.

Then, I’d have the soldier-type Sentinel droids connected within their own sub-networks, separate from the primary command network. Each squad would still receive direct orders from their designated commander, but they’d also be linked together to maintain a lesser form of tactical coordination.

That way If a commander was eliminated, the soldier units wouldn’t just turn into static turrets—they’d still have basic battlefield awareness from their sub-network and could continue fighting with some level of coordination. Or If the network was disrupted, the commanders could still issue orders manually, ensuring the droids wouldn’t become completely useless.

A redundant, flexible combat AI structure.

I grinned. “Yeah. That could work.”

Mira gave an approving nod. “It keeps both adaptability and coordination without making them completely dependent on one system.”

Rina smirked. “And it makes them a pain to disable. Sounds solid.”

Shmi simply chuckled. “Looks like you just needed to talk it through.”

I gave them an exaggerated bow. “Appreciate the help.”

They laughed at my theatrics, but I did mean it. Sometimes, the best way to refine an idea was just to say it out loud and let someone else poke at it.

As I turned to leave, I called over my shoulder, “And don’t forget—crunchy snacks.”

Rina shook her head with an amused sigh. “Yeah, yeah, we got it.”

With that settled, I made my way back to the station’s engineering complex, pulling out my commlink on the way.

“Arlos, you don’t need to rush back,” I said. “Enjoy the tour with the others first, then swing by engineering when you’re done.”

A simple confirmation came through, and I clipped my commlink back onto my belt.

Time to get to work.

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Back in the engineering bay, I took in the sight of the Sentinel security droids, all docked and offline. Their durasteel plating gleamed under the station’s dim lighting, a reminder that despite their outdated framework, they were still in good condition—functional, but far from optimal.

From my last count, we had one hundred Sentinels in total.

Now, for a station this size, I reckoned that thirty to fifty security droids would be enough. If they patrolled in pairs, thirty would do the job—but that would mean no backup in case of emergencies, and no spare units if some needed maintenance.

If I went with fifty, I could set up three-to-four-man patrol groups, giving them more coverage and firepower, but the same problem remained—losing a few would start cutting into the defenses pretty fast.

Having one hundred droids is a generous number for a research station. Too many for standard patrols—but perfect for a modular squad system.

Laying Out the Squad Structure

I mulled over the numbers as I crossed the bay, hands tucked into my tool belt. If I broke them into five-man squads, each led by a commander unit with four soldier units, I could maximize both tactical flexibility and redundancy.

With this setup each commander unit would oversee their four soldiers, giving the squad direction in combat and making them more than just roaming turrets. 

The soldier units would be linked into a sub-network, keeping them aware of each other’s status even if they lost contact with the wider command network. 

The commanders themselves would be linked to each other, allowing for coordination between squads without needing a single, fragile central AI running the whole show.

Testing the System

Of course, I wasn't about to implement this on all one hundred droids at once. No, first, I needed a test run.

I picked out ten Sentinels from the lineup and powered them up. Their photoreceptors flickered to life, shifting from standby blue to a neutral operational white.

"Alright, boys," I muttered, cracking my knuckles. "Time to see if you can work together without tripping over yourselves."

I began coding the Soldier and Commander program, assigning two units as commanders and the remaining eight as soldiers. The network link program between commanders was next, ensuring they could share battlefield data while still operating independently. Then, I implemented the sub-network for the soldiers, keeping them connected in smaller tactical groups.

If this worked, it would prove that I could scale the system up for the full hundred-droid force.

As the last lines of code compiled, I stepped back and powered down the terminal.

"Alright," I said, exhaling slowly. "Let's see if this actually works."