From the Chief-of-State of the New Republic, Mon Mothma, and the Minister of War, Shea Hublin
To Garm Bel Iblis
Oi, dipshit! Pull your head out of your fucking ass and join up with us before you get your sorry face ground into dust by the Empire!
You have fought long and hard, Garm, but this is not a fight that even you can win alone. If you truly wish to see the Empire torn down and the Republic restored, to see Corellia freed from the tyrants that lord over it, we would ask, nay, implore you to join with us and take up an official position within the Starfleet so that we might work together towards such a vision.
The mood around the Peregrine's Nest was one of palpable tension, and no one quite knew what would come next. The men could feel it, and that in turn fed into the general mood of the staff and the higher ups that had to run the Movement. Then again it was only fair, as it all generated with one man.
There were two reasons for his bad mood. The first had been the rebuff at Denon, a military defeat that had not been crushing, yet had come about as a direct result of his tactics. It was clear that he had gotten ambitious and overextended, a mistake that he would not make again. It seemed that pushing for the Core was a bit beyond his means right now. He'd just have to focus on building up his fleet.
The other reason was the message that sat on a pad next to him, troubling his thoughts as he reflected on it. He didn't know what had caused the New Republic to send a message like this to him out of the blue. Probably the General informing the Republic that he was out here after the last time they had met and raided together. It seemed like the most realistic explanation.
His mood did not deter Irenez though as she moved to stand near his desk. "So what are you thinking General?"
"I'm thinking about the Republic," he explained as he glanced over at the message. "For how worried they are about me, we've been handling ourselves fairly well here. I suppose we've been lucky that the Empire hasn't felt the need to launch a concerted effort to root us out, but even without it we've been growing in the number of recruits and ships we have constantly."
Irenez shook her head, fully understanding where his thinking was going. She'd been around him long enough to come up with that much. "It's not enough. We can't gather the strength to penetrate the Core, much less retake Corellia, without setting ourselves up as an alternative to the New Republic. People aren't going to sign up for that when they could join the New Republic, as long as it's successful."
That was waved off by Garm, though she knew that the thought had occurred to him. Yet it didn't seem like he would give in quite that easily. Not that she had expected he would. "We can manage," he reassured her. "We always have before. And there's still plenty of time for the New Republic to prove me right."
A frown appeared as she continued to combat his stubbornness. "You can see the message right there. They clearly want you back. Won't it be easier to stop what happened to the Old Republic from inside the system rather than outside it?"
The tension in the air grew tighter, and she could tell that her words were starting to have an effect. "I've already seen how well that works when Palpatine was rising. If they're determined then nothing will stand in their way."
"These are different circumstances. No one is going to allow another Palpatine to take over so easily."
That earned a grunt from Garm, one born of experience. "They might not recognize what's happening until it's too late. Then we'll be back where we started, with a new Empire."
Irenez shook her head, continuing to pound home her points before he ended the conversation. "She herself said that she would resign at the end of her term. That's not something she can go back on so easily. The New Republic has planned to prevent a new Palpatine. Who knows, when her term is up you could become Chief of State yourself."
While an amusing thought, Garm had no interest in being elected to such a high position, at least for the moment. No, right now his concern was his Movement, and the future of it. "We have no idea if those institutions created by the New Republic will be effective in restraining a leader. It hasn't been long enough."
"We may never get this opportunity again, and if you refuse the Movement is going to dissipate. Do you want to agree now, or sit around and wait for a future that may never come?"
There was a moment of silence, two, three. The gears turned and clicked, thinking over possibilities, beliefs, wishes, desires. No, he didn't trust Mon Mothma, still didn't believe her pure intentions, but what Irenez had said struck a chord in him somewhere. It would be easier inside the New Republic, and going it alone was proving increasingly untenable as all sides managed to consolidate their forces. And being stuck waiting around and doing nothing for years while the galaxy moved on without him was something that he couldn't stomach.
"Fine. But I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' later if it doesn't work out," Garm said at last. He might not like it, but he was willing to agree.
Irenez nodded. "I'll let them know." With that she turned and left, leaving Bel Iblis to his thoughts.
To: New Republic @Sidheach
From: Garm Bel Iblis' Movement
After careful thought and deliberation, I accept your offer to return to the employment of the New Republic.
This doesn't mean i have to like you though
