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Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage

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Chapter 156
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    • I turned around fully to study all three of the Mandalorians, mentally noting that their weapons were holstered or hanging from straps. Whatever the reason, the leader was approaching us as close to unarmed as he was probably voluntarily willing to ever get. Not wanting to be rude, I stepped forward and held out my hand.

    "Deacon Roy, leader of the Skyforged Vanguard," I greeted.

    After a moment, the Mandolorian reached out and clasped my arms in a warrior's handshake, gripping it tightly. As he did, I got a good look at his symbol, which looked like some sort of closing claw.

    "Corvak Syr, Leader of Clan Syr," He responded, his voice partially modulated by his helmet. "Or at least what remains."

    "Well, Corvak Syr, what can the Skyforged Vanguard do for you?" I asked, stepping aside to allow them to enter further.

    "I came to meet the new guys," He explained with a shrug, stepping into our private booth, both of his compatriots standing by the doorway. "By the sounds of it, we will be working around each other a lot."

    "It would seem so," I responded with a nod. "Lord Grakkus seems determined to have his way, so who am I to deny him?"

    "He's got a reputation of getting what he wants," Corvak admitted, turning to look out of the large window along the far wall. "With little care for those who get in his way."

    "Unsurprising, you don't get to be what he is without crushing people beneath your heel," I pointed out, shaking my head. "Though I suppose this does answer one of my own questions. Whether or not your clan works with Grakkus frequently."

    "We… have a mutual understanding with the Hutt," He explained, the pause heavy with some sort of meaning that I couldn't understand, though it was far from pleasant. "We have been working as his personal bodyguards in preparation for meeting you."

    "Is that right? I supposed I should be flattered that he felt we would require such well-known fighters to defend against," I responded. "Though we have no intent of causing unnecessary harm."

    "Good. I can only hope working under Lord Grakkus remains as profitable as possible for both of us," He responded, his helmet turning to look over everyone before settling on me. "You are building quite the reputation for yourself, and I will admit, your armor is quite impressive."

    "Our armorer is a smart kid. He works hard to keep us all protected," I responded. "Perhaps one day I could introduce you."

    That got a reaction, his head tilting slightly as he studied me closely. Communicating through two layers of armor was difficult, but luckily, his confusion came through well enough.

    "You would welcome us into your home?"

    "I would welcome any true ally to my home," I assured him. "The only question would be if that applies to you. And given the situation at hand… I don't see why we couldn't be allies."

    For a long moment, Corvak stared in my direction as if trying to chew through my words. Eventually, he nodded, seeming to come to some kind of conclusion.

    "Well, this has been enlightening, but I believe I've taken enough of your time," He said, giving me another nod before moving towards the door. "Lord Grakkus would not be pleased if he learned I was disturbing his guests."

    "Of course, thank you for stopping by."

    He nodded and left, his people following after him. He was barely out of sight when Tatnia put her hand on my shoulder, approaching me from behind.

    "That was a warning."

    "I could tell," I responded with a frown. "Any clearer, and he would have been shaking me, telling me to run."

    The first warning was rather obvious. The only reason Grakkus would get his hands on a protection detail like this, specifically for us, was if he expected trouble. So either A, he was looking to ambush us, or he was expecting us to try and rob him. While the latter was very possible, there would be no reason for Corvak to warn us. The talk about Grakkus getting what he wants, even at the detriment of others, that Corvak was sure we would be working around each other, and finally that any work we did do was as profitable as possible…

    He was telling us we would be fighting, and that while he hoped neither side would take losses, but he had no choice. Because Grakkus always got what he wanted.

    "Why would he do that?" Tatnia asked. "Warning us puts his people at risk. It gives us a chance to prepare!"

    "Because he is hoping we will run, that we will try and escape before we have to fight," I explained, shaking my head. "He said it himself, we are the new guys on the block, and while our armor is impressive…"

    "They are Mandalorians," She finished. "He doesn't want to have to butcher us."

    I nodded in agreement before pulling away and finding a spot to sit down. All of us made casual conversation, first waiting for the bloody show to begin, then politely watching. Thankfully, Grakkus wasn't throwing sacrifices into the pit to be eviscerated by beasts or warriors but rather hiring actual fighters to put on real shows. It was bloody, brutal, and disturbing, but according to the information we had access to from the screens placed around the booth, the fighters were being paid well.

    At least those that survived were.

    We passed the time by placing small bets through the services provided by the arena, mostly just playing the casual, unconcerned viewer. The better we played the role Grakkus expected us to, the less likely he was to go the extra mile when he finally betrayed us. And now that we knew for sure it was going to happen, it was actually surprisingly easier to relax. Before, we had no idea what we were waiting for, no idea when we should push, and no idea when we started our plan. Now we knew we were headed down to the vault eventually, and judging by the rising anticipation that Ahsoka could feel, it would happen then.

    When the final bout of gladiatorial violence was over, which ended up being a fight between a small group of warriors and a large monstrosity I actually didn't recognize but made Vaz shudder when it was announced, the show came to an end. One of the Mandalorians came to get us, and we stepped out of our booth to find Grakkus and his guards waiting.

    "And now that we have eaten and enjoyed some entertainment, it is time to get to business!" Grakkus said, his cybernetic legs clicking as he moved. "Come, I will show you the vault, and then we will talk."

    Grakkus and his Mandalorian guards led us back into the large, Hutt-sized turbolift. Once the door was closed, Grakkus leaned into the control panel and seemed to activate some sort of scanner and security system. The entire turbolift shuddered and began to descend.

    "I have been collecting Jedi artifacts for many years," Grakkus explained after a long moment of silence. "Before the rise of the Empire, my main competitor was the Jedi Order itself. When Emperor Palpatine wiped out the Order, my greatest competitor became the Empire's propaganda and intelligence agency, who would stop at nothing to destroy any artifacts they could get their hands on. It's a tragedy, but with every artifact they destroy, my collection goes up in value."

    Grakkus laughed at that statement, seemingly happy that his collection was worth so much now, even though owning it would absolutely lead to the Empire kicking down the front door.

    The turbolift descended for another few seconds, once again in silence, before we could eventually feel it slow to a stop. After a moment, the door opened, and Grakkus walked out, leading the way through a long corridor. There were obvious defenses, including a pair of half-domed shapes built into the wall I was relatively certain were turrets. The hallway split a few times, making me think that this elevator was not the only way down but rather Grakkus's personal transportation,

    "For quite some time, I lamented the destruction of the Jedi Order," He admitted, once again activating a security panel, this one taking several steps before the massive vault door opened. "They were a nuisance at the best of times, and an infuriating waste of money at the worst, but with the Jedi wiped out, I was forced to give up a particular dream. My dream of securing what I would consider the final, finishing pieces of my collection."

    We followed the muscular Hutt into the vault, and I could feel the rising tension. The vault interior was vast, the size of at least a full football field. It was filled with statues, artifacts, large sarcophagi, and countless other ancient artifacts. I could see rows upon rows of lightsabers, all stored carefully on shelves and inside protective cases. Just like in the comic, I could even see an Aethersprite sitting in one corner.

    I could also see our hovercarts, now empty of our delivery, sitting just inside the vault entrance. The pair of Mandalorians that had been assigned as an escort were waiting for us as well, but our labor droids were nowhere to be seen.

    As we followed the Hutt in, he stopped beside a large, tarp-covered item. It was two or three feet taller than I was and about twice as wide as my full wing span.

    "For so long, I thought to myself I would never be able to finish my collection, and then you, Deacon Roy, and you, Ahsoka Tano, walk into my vault as if to fulfill my dream."

    My stomach flipped when he said Ahsoka's name. He had been on to it since the beginning. Maybe he didn't know that our clients didn't exist, but he certainly knew Ahsoka's past. It didn't exactly change the plan, but it was disturbing, to say the least. The muscular Hutt laughed uproariously as he read our shift in demeanor.

    "Did you think I wouldn't know?" He asked with a chuckle, his legs clicking as he stood there, reaching out to grab the tarp. "The Rebellion rubs elbows with smugglers every day. Did you really think a Jedi leaving the Rebellion wouldn't reach my ears? Oh, how I love naive fools. They are so easy to trick. And now I can complete my collection!"

    He yanked the tarp back, revealing two large pods with see-through fronts. I could clearly see inside, where there were straps and braces clearly designed to hold someone down. At first glance, it was some sort of stasis chamber, a guess confirmed a moment later.

    "Two live Jedi, a male and female, carefully sealed and stored in perfect stasis!" Grakkus shouted, the greed flaring in his eyes as his legs clicked and twitched.

    For a long moment, the vault was as silent as the grave. The tarp that Grakkus had pulled fluttered to the ground, and we all stared at what he had revealed.

    "Holy shit," I finally said. "You actually think you can force us into those?"

    "Do you really not understand your position?" Grakkus asked, gesturing around us. "Do you expect me to believe you would choose death?"

    I looked around the room at the Mandalorians who had been "secretly" herding us together. While some of them were armed with the same weapons, others were armed with obvious slugthrowers, while others wielded what I was pretty sure were nonlethal net launchers.

    "Right… Okay, so let's pretend I consider them a threat," I said, focusing on Grakkus. "You are aware that I am not, in fact, a Jedi, correct?"

    "You have been seen doing incredible things beyond the realm of normal beings," He responded, laughing with his deep, gravel-filled voice. "Do you really still pretend to not be a Jedi? Certainly, you are unique, but I have been told that the Force works in mysterious ways."

    "Jesus Christ, whatever you say, Spider-Hutt. Corvak!" I shouted, turning to face the Mandalorian leader, who was steadily holding his blaster carbine, focused on me. "What does he have on you? Blackmail? Slave implants?"

    "Our families," He responded with a heavy voice. "He has our families."

    "...would killing him endanger them?" I asked. "Any sort of dead man's switch or last resort mutually assured destruction?"

    "If his heart stops, they all die."

    "Hmm… that does make this more complicated…"

    "ENOUGH! You will surrender or I will begin executing your crew members!" Grakkus shouted, pointing at me with a big, meaty fist. "I'll kill every single one of them, then stuff you in these stasis tubes for the next thousand years!"

    "Wait, hold on," I said, holding up my hand. "Let me just get all of this straight. You knew that we had Ahsoka Tano on our team, so when we came to you selling Jedi relics, you used it as a way to get us here so you could add us to your collection."

    "Corvak, shoot the tall one!" Grakkus ordered, growling at my complete lack of reverence or fear.

    The Mandalorian leader, probably trying to make it quick and painless, spun slightly to aim at his new target. He quickly fired his carbine, the sights set directly on Nal's head. The bolt of yellow plasma snapped across the gap, hit Nal's helmet, and ricocheted off, flying across the vault until it impacted a three-meter-tall statue, taking a double fist-sized chunk out of it. Nal barely even flinched, his head rocking back slightly from the impact.

    "And you never once considered for a moment that maybe we were working a plan on you?" I asked, not even skipping a beat since I knew Nal would be fine. "I got news for you, Lord Grakkus. We came here voluntarily because you've been hoarding things that don't belong to you. Our clients never existed, and we are here for your holocrons. Tatnia, set them off and tell Calima it's go time."

    "Sure thing, Boss."

    Now, the plan had always been to infiltrate the base and use Racer as a way to take control of the palace or at least shut down its security system. The problem was that we couldn't just bring him in with us. At best, Grakkus would have been suspicious of a random droid, and at worst, he would surmise what Racer was for.

    The massive Hutt would, however, allow a quartet of large labor droids inside to make moving his new artifacts easier. Labor droids were cheap and everywhere, constantly hitting the same spot that janitorial services fell under. This meant people usually ignored them, even when they didn't belong somewhere.

    These particular labor droids were programmed to make their deliveries before heading out on their own. They were instructed to find something important within the palace as they made their way back to the landing platform. They were then instructed to blend in and sit tight.

    For a good while, they had been waiting, stuffed to the absolute brim with high explosives, all set to make a distraction big enough to let Racer and fifteen commando droids sneak inside the palace.

    Moments after I gave the command, even with how deep we were, we could all feel the explosions go off, sending a slight tremor through the vault.

    And then the fun started.


    Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. If you are interested in those benefits or just want to support my attempt to become a full-time writer, stop by and show your support. Every dollar helps!
     
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    • Honesty even if tano was alone these would be overwhelming odds for her with out a trained force user if your own you need to heavily out number a Jedi to beat them. One dead hutt coming up soon and one mando clan joining up.
     
    Chapter 157
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    • Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. You could get up to eight chapters early from this story, the same for another, and four for the third. Board Members even get to vote on story beats, ship names, interludes, names, and more!

    If you are interested in those benefits or just want to support my attempt to become a full-time writer, stop by and show your support. Every dollar helps!


    A pause hung over the vault as the tremors slowly finished, the statues and artifacts around us settling, dust flowing down off of them. For a moment, the vault was silent until Grakkus roared with rage when he realized that his crafty little plan had been overrun by ours. He immediately focused on me, either because I was the closest or because I was the one talking and humiliating him. He shouted in Huttese, charging at me full tilt, his cybernetic legs carrying him way faster than any Hutt had any right to move.


    As he charged, I quickly cast a new spell, Paralyze. The green spell impacted Hutt's chest, but he barely even stuttered, breaking through the spell and continuing to charge. Either he was too big, or the spell had an upper limit of strength, constitution, or willpower.

    Behind me, the fight exploded into a barrage of blaster fire and violence. Ahsoka ignited her sabers, dancing through a barrage of bullets, the vast majority of them splattering over her armor as she melted them with her deep magenta blades. Two of the Mandalorians armed with net throwers lined up their shots and fired, but Ahsoka confidently gestured at them, grabbing them with the Force and throwing them back at the Mandalorians, who fell to the ground, now caught in their own weapon.

    Nal, who I would need to apologize to for letting him take the opening shot, had already slammed into another guard, knocking them off their feet. He rather cleanly stuck his blaster pistol up under their shoulder and fired, the blue glow of a pair of stun blasts making the Mandolaring shake before going down slump.

    I jumped and rolled to the side, avoiding Grakkus's opening monstrous blow, his massive meaty fist actually cracking the tiles of the vault floor as he missed. He whirled around to target me again, his eyes full of deep anger.

    "I'm going to enjoy stuffing your broken body into that stasis chamber," he shouted. "You-"

    Rather than let him monologue, I raised my left hand and cast a Lightning Bolt while simultaneously using my right hand to summon an Archer Construct. It really drained my mana, but our biggest threat right now was the numbers disadvantage, and the construct would help with that. After a quick mental command to the construct to not go for any lethal shots, I focused on Grakkus. I couldn't help but watch, open-mouthed, as my Lighting Bolt blew several cybernetic legs off of Grakkus's slug torso. I had been aiming at his chest, but his surprising and disturbing athleticism let him jump and roll out of the way.

    As I circled around the Hutt, trying to think of the best way to take him down nonlethally, the muscular crime lord rolled to his feet with a shout of anger and pain. With my magic still regenerating, I pulled out my pistol, firing stun blasts that the large Hutt seemed to shake off with worry ease.

    As I tried to figure out my next move, I caught a glimpse of the battle going on not far from mine. I watched as Julus took down his own target, ignoring as dozens of blaster rounds and bullets bounced off his armor. For every shot he fired, three more hit him, but so far, our armor was holding steady.

    "I'm going to enjoy making your life a living hell, Jedi!" Grakkus shouted, grabbing a nearby statue, one I recognized as something we had just delivered, and hurled it at me.

    The large stone artifact flew across the distance with impressive accuracy, very nearly slamming into me. I was just barely able to get a Superior Ward up as I dodged to the left, the impressive magical shield deflecting the torso-sized statue, which exploded into smaller chunks in the process. The impact rattled my arm, but I ignored it, dropping the ward and pushing out a double-handed barrage of Spark, mostly to distract the enraged Hutt.

    The lightning danced over the large Hutt's body, leaving black seared marks on his chest and arm. He roared in pain but seemed to have no issues pushing through it, charging, and almost leaping forward to grab my arm. Without my armor, I was sure he could have broken my forearm with his grip strength. Luckily, between Pola knowing what he was doing and the inherit sturdiness of beskar, even the monstrously strong Hutt couldn't flex the plating.

    Seeing an opportunity, I conjured a sword, and with a spin and flick, I cut off his arm just above the elbow. The crimelord screamed in pain and shock, stumbling back as his hand slapped down to the ground. As he struggled, purple blood splattered against me, the floor, and the various artifacts around me. The Hutt was losing blood at a prodigious rate. Already, he looked pale, so even as he recoiled in pain and horror, further covering the room in blood, I cast Heal Middling Trauma on him. The bleeding quickly stopped, the healing spell doing its job.

    "Wha-"

    Before he could comment, I charged up another spell, a bright green blast of energy catching the large, off-guard hutt in the chest. Immediately, he froze, his body glowing a soft green as the Paralyze spell locked him up completely. Either his shock had thrown him off enough for the spell to work, or losing his hand had. I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, though.

    I quickly slashed through the remaining cybernetics on his already partially disabled side. When the short-lived disabling spell wore off, I jumped back just in time to dodge the swipe of the Hutt's tail. I listened, nonplussed, as he cursed me out in what I again assumed was Huttese before eventually switching back to Basic.

    "You can't kill me, and I won't call them off!" He shouted, ineffectually trying to crawl away from me, clutching his stump. "When the Mandalorians finish with the rest of your team, you're next!"

    "... you clearly haven't been paying attention," I pointed out, gesturing to the rest of the fight.

    More than half of the Mandalorians were on the ground, wounded, stunned, or otherwise unable to continue fighting. Ahsoka was providing cover with her lightsabers while Nal and Tatnia laid down covering fire to keep the remaining guards from running. As we watched, one Mandalorian tried to improve their position with a boost of their rocket pack, only for Vaz to jump up onto a crate of some kind and then jump again to grab the Mandalorian by the chest plate. The Shistavanen weathered a barrage of blaster fire but still dragged the Mandalorian down from the air, slamming them down into the ground.

    It was clear that between our superior armor and the many enchantment objects my crew had on them, the Mandalorians were outclassed. We were stronger, faster, and tougher. Their only advantage was training and experience, but even there, we weren't exactly slouches.

    While I didn't know exactly what he was saying, the Huttese flowing from Grakkus's mouth was filled with disbelief. As we watched, Tatnia picked up one of the Mandalorians' own net weapons and fired it at Corvak, the leader going down heavily, struggling uselessly against the confinement.

    Seeing that his guards were falling quickly, Grakkus tried one more time to escape, ignoring his still intact cybernetics, instead just trying to slither away like most Hutts did. I rolled my eyes and hit him with another Paralyze, the Hutt once again locking up with a slight green glow. Taking the opportunity, I quickly jumped up onto his back, managing to stay steady as I put my hands on the back of his head.

    Simultaneously, I cast two separate spells. With my left, I cast Sparks, feeding the sparking electricity into the Hutt's skull. With the other, I cast Healing Hands, healing the physical I was doing to the Hutt as I did it. It didn't wipe away the mental damage I was putting him through, though, cooking his brain as he lay there frozen.

    Eventually, he broke through the paralysis spell, flailing and twitching as he tried to throw me off, his mouth open in a wide, silent scream. But after a few more seconds, that stopped as well, the massive hut slumping over. I continued my brutal but effective brain-wiping technique for another twenty seconds until my mana ran out. By then, smoke was coming off from his eyes, which made me glad they were currently shut.

    "Okay! Grakkus is down!" I called out. "You can stop fighting!"

    It took a minute for Corvak to understand what I meant, but when he did, he quickly called the few Mandalorians still standing to stop. I made my way to him, making sure to visually inspect all of my crew as I did. As far as I could tell, none of them were seriously injured, though Nal was favoring his shoulder, so I quickly healed him as I passed.

    "Did you kill him?" Corvak asked desperately once I rolled him over. "Is he dead!?"

    "No, I just fried his brain," I explained, using a conjured dagger to cut him free of the net. "Take a look for yourself."

    He quickly stood and rushed to the large, brain-dead Hutt. Apparently, the best way to test if a Hutt was alive was by putting your hand in its mouth and pulling out its tongue. Whether he was looking for something or feeling for a pulse, I did not envy him. He did seem satisfied with what he found, however, since he quickly returned.

    "He is alive," He confirmed, the slowly recovering Mandalorians letting out various sounds and words of relief.

    "I'm sorry to cut off your mini celebration, but our window of freedom is closing quickly," I explained, getting the clan leader's attention. "We need to get going, now."

    "We? We cannot leave until we find our people," He explained, turning back to me. "I know they were here in the palace, but I don't know where!"

    "That's the easy part. With the right stuff, I can find them no matter where they are," I assured him. "Even if we don't have what I need, then our slicer can scan the palace. In the meantime…"

    Ahsoka, seeing that the fight was finished, was already going through the treasure. One repulsor cart was already carrying two open crates, in which Ahsoka was putting holocrons and lightsabers. As we watched, Julus was already going to Grakkus to grab his necklace. I gestured for Nal and Vaz to assist while Tatnia approached from behind me.

    "We should split up and work together," I explained. "Too big of a group running through the palace is going to attract a lot of attention. I suggest that Tatnia, myself, and another member of my team, along with you and a few of your team, go looking for your missing people. The rest should help Ahsoka. When she is done gathering everything important, they can make their way to the ship and keep our escape clear. How many of your people are here?"

    "Twenty-four," He responded. "Including children."

    "We can handle that, but first, we need to find them and get them out."

    For a while, I thought he would refuse my offer, but after a few tense seconds, he nodded.

    "We already owe you for not killing us outright, as you clearly could," he said, though his admission sounded pained. "We will work together."

    "Fantastic. Pick your people while I get everyone healed up and ready to go. We are waiting for word from our slicer, and then we move."

    While Grakkus had been our primary concern, there was no doubt an excessive amount of threats littered throughout the palace. Even just the turrets out in the hall, which both my team and Corvak's had studiously avoided, would be a threat, considering how large they were. We were tough in our beskar armor but not invincible.

    I quickly went around and healed anyone who was injured, mostly Mandalorians. A quick zap of Sparks to the Mandalorian that Nal stunned, followed by some healing, quickly got them on their feet, though I was pretty sure I was not their favorite at the moment. We were making good progress on loading up the repulsor carts when the lights dimmed slightly, then booted back up to full power. Not a second later, my comms flicked on.

    "VIP Racer successfully guided to target," The voice of Boxi, a deeper version of the infamous B1 voice, reported. "VIP reports security has been infiltrated. Awaiting further orders."

    "Good job, Boxi, keep guarding Racer," I ordered. "Confirm that Racer is watching us and will be covering our movements."

    "Roger Roger," Boxi confirmed, pausing a beat before continuing. "VIP Racer confirms overwatch."

    I finished healing everyone, getting the last Mandalorian on their feet before waving Corvak over.

    "Okay, our slicer is in position and watching over us," I explained, speaking up so everyone could hear. "Tatnia, Julus, you're with me. Nal, Vaz, stick with Ahsoka and help her load up. Once all her carts are full, move out. Corvak, who is staying and who is going?"

    The Mandalorian leader made a quick few hand gestures, and three of his men rushed forward, standing by his side. I nodded and tapped my helmet, contacting Boxi.

    "Boxi, let Racer know we are splitting into two groups," I explained, speaking clearly and plainly to the droid. "One is remaining behind in the vault to continue the mission, while the other is splitting off to stage a rescue mission. Be aware that we have new allies, including a group of Mandalorians traveling with us. "

    "...Change in mission parameters confirmed," Boxi responded after a moment. "VIP Racer confirms their understanding. Is further aid required?"

    "Not yet, but stay alert," I said before nodding to Corvak. "Let's move out."

    "Wait! How are we going to find them?" The Mandalorian leader pressed. "There is no way we can search this entire Palace top to bottom before someone comes looking for Grakkus."

    "Does anyone have any pictures or video of the people Grakkus took prisoner?" I asked, my question catching them off guard. "Datapad or physical, it doesn't matter."

    "A… picture? How-"

    In rapid succession, I cast Sparks, threw a fireball across the vault, conjured my sword, slammed it into a crate, and finished by conjuring my familiar and the mage construct.

    "I am not a Jedi, I am a fucking wizard! If I say I can find your people with nothing but a picture and my mysterious ways, you best fucking believe I can do it!" I said, starting to get frustrated. "Now, is someone going to show me something, or do we have to waste more time?"

    For a moment, nobody moved. Then, slowly, one of the armored warriors who had rushed to Corvak's side reached into a pouch and pulled out a small datapad. It was less a full data pad and more of just a viewing screen for photos, as far as I could tell. It flicked on, showing off the image of a woman and a child, both of them smiling and waving. I looked at it for a long moment before casting the path version of Clairvoyance. When the spell latched on, I couldn't help but smile.

    "I have them, it's time to move!"
     
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    • As a cautionary tale, in the comics Emissaries to Malastare, Part 5 and Part 6, it can be seen that Gargonn the Hutt had lost half of his head and was still functional and thriving. Jedi Master Mace Windu speculated that Gargonn's head would heal within one hundred years, and mentioned that the brain of a Hutt is made out of several neuronal ganglions spread throughout it's body.
    After the Mandalorian civilians are rescued, it would be wise to make sure Grakkus end up dead, or he'll go snitching to the Empire out of spite.
     
    Chapter 158
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    • Thankfully, when I gave the order to move, it seemed that the Mandalorians were still stunned by my overwhelming display of magic, so rather than argue that there was no way I could possibly know where we were going, Corvak just nodded and followed after Tatnia, Julus and myself.

    Before exiting the vault, we carefully peeked out into the hall, checking cautiously that the two large turrets that were built into the hallway walls weren't about to cook us through our armor. After two short peeks, it was clear that Racer had, in fact, disabled the security outside the vault.

    "It's clear, let's go!" I called out, leading the way through the hall with the Clairvoyance spell already cast.

    We turned off the main hall almost immediately, ignoring the large, Hutt-sized elevator at the end of it, walking through what was clearly designed as staff access. It was easy to figure out, as the second this new hallway was out of view from the main one, the Jedi Temple-esque decorations vanished. Instead, the halls were dull, mostly made from duracrete with smoothed floors. Hell, there were even fewer lights lining the walls. It was a clear and obvious way to save money.

    "Jeeze, what a cheapskate," Julus said muttered, looking around the roughly made hall. "It's like walking in one of the slum buildings back home..."

    "You have no idea," Corvak said, almost too quiet to hear. "It gets worse around the base."

    We continued to follow the Clairvoyance spell through rough staff sections of the palace as much as possible, only occasionally pushing through more official, thoroughly decorated, and Hutt-accessible areas. Eventually, we finally arrived at a small turbolift, and we all piled in. It was a tight fit, but we managed. It took a bit of riding up and down to figure out what floor we were supposed to get off on, but eventually, we figured it out.

    "What… magic is leading you to them?" Corvak asked as we jogged down another hall. "I don't doubt you're doing something, but…"

    "Relax, I get it. It's difficult to just switch on belief like that," snapping my fingers for emphasis as I took cover behind a corner and peeked around, motioning everyone forward when I saw it was clear. "I was mostly just trying to push everyone past the scoffing and eye-rolling phase so we could get a move on. As for what sort of magic, it's a spell used to locate things. It taps into a sort of underlayer that is affected by knowledge and understanding. As long as I can point it to the right target, it can lead me to it. Assuming it exists or it's possible."

    He seemed to chew on that for a while, my short and sweet description obviously catching him a bit off-center. Luckily, he was smart enough to put that aside and focus on the task at hand since not long after that, we jogged head first into our first problem. A ragtag group of mercenaries, guards, or other criminals hired by Grakkus. Whether they were actually trying to do their jobs or were now running rampant through the palace, it didn't matter since the second they spotted us, they opened fire.

    "Dammit, we don't have time for this," I cursed. "Skyforged, push forward! Corvak, use us as cover!"

    Barely waiting to see him nod in agreement, I stepped around the corner, casting Superior Ward with one hand and conjuring my own extra armor with the other. I held out the Superior Ward for Julus and Tatnia while I relied on my conjured armor to protect me from anything unexpected. Together, we moved down the hall, blocking blaster bolts ranging from civilian pistols to much larger rifles. By the time we collectively managed to drop the last guard into a smoking heap, all my magical protections had failed, and our armor was a lot hotter than I felt comfortable with.

    I could see a harsh warning blinking on my helmet readout, warning me that I was pushing my armor too far and that if I didn't let it cool, systems would start to fail. As it was, it would probably need to be reforged. I was tempted to try and think of a way to cool us off with Frostbite, without breaking anything from the rapid cooldown, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk. The temperature would drop slowly on its own.

    With the rampaging guards dealt with, we pushed deeper, bypassing damage from our explosive droids and avoiding another large group of guards before finally reaching a large, sealed-off door. Julus attempted to open it with the control panel but didn't get very far. Luckily, we had another way in.

    "Boxi?" I called out through my comms. "Is everything alright? We could use some help with this door."

    "VIP Racer is focusing on guiding the primary group to the ship, slicing through the central elevator security system," Boxi responded. "VIP advises patience."

    Resisting the urge to snap back as the sass, I instead turned back to Corvak.

    "Hang tight. Racer is guiding the other team out and into position," I explained, the leader letting out what I assumed was a curse in Mando'a, but nodded a moment later.

    We moved into better positions, getting ready to hold the door against another wave of guards if we needed to. Rather than station at the door itself, we split up and moved to each end of the hallway so we could use the corners as cover. After four minutes had passed, I could feel the tension reaching a breaking point when Boxi finally responded.

    "VIP Racer is breaching the door controls."

    "Here we go, doors opening!" I called out down the hall, all of us rushing back to the door. I could almost feel his anxiety and nervousness, the overwhelming need to know that his people were safe.

    The door opened slowly, revealing a significantly large singular room. It could have easily passed for a large stable. In fact, at some point, it might have actually been one. Now, however, it served as a prison, with rows of beds along one side, an open bathroom system along the other, and around twenty-five people. All of them stood as the door began to open, caught off guard by the sudden activity.

    It was easy to see that the occupants looked rough, from dirty and nervous kids to grim and tired-looking adults. All of the adults were quick to pull the children behind them, and three women carrying babies pulled even further back behind the group.

    Despite their unfortunate circumstances, even before they realized that something was different, none of them looked scared. Determined and anxious, yes, but not scared. These were clearly hardy, trained people. When Corvak was finally revealed, words of relief spread through the crowd, and one woman, carrying a baby of no more than a year old, quickly stepped forward.

    Corvak met her halfway, pulling off his helmet and dropping it to the ground, embracing the woman tightly before kissing the child's forehead. The armored Mandalorians that accompanied him were right on his heels, hugging children and partners alike. After a moment, I popped the seals on my helmet, nodding for Tatnia and Julus to guard the doors.

    Corvak turned, his partner turning as well, focusing on me with a tight smile. His partner's expression seemed a bit more grateful but was similarly guarded. I got my first good look at his face, realizing that he was younger than I assumed, maybe just a few years older than me. He looked to be about thirty-five, maybe forty, with dirty blonde hair that was cut short. He had a scar along the right side of his face and dark brown, almost hazel eyes.

    "Thank you, Deacon," He said, extending his hand. "Thank you for your help…"

    "What else are friends for?" I said with a smirk, shaking his covered limb. "We can't stop just quite yet, though. We still need to get everyone off the planet. I know Grakkus had a fail-safe, but will it activate if they leave?"

    "No, he threatened to flood the room with poison upon his death," The woman holding onto Corvak said, looking down periodically at the baby bundled in her arms. As she spoke, she gestured to a nearby grate. "None of us have had anything implanted."

    "Well, as horrifying as the idea is, it means we don't have to worry about cutting anything out," I said, nodding as Corvak and his partner winced. "For now, we need to move. The longer we hang around, the more likely it is we get pinned by encroaching forces."

    Corvak nodded, and he quickly got everyone together, organizing his people to follow us out. He assigned two of his trained Mandalorians to watch the back of the group, while he stayed up in front with us. Soon, we had left the prison room behind, with my Clairvoyance spell locked onto the Talos Chariot.

    Moving through the palace with a trail of civilians was considerably more nerve-wracking than just jogging through with us. Granted, the older civilians had at least basic combat training, and after we wiped out a small contingent of patrolling guards, most of them were even armed, but it was still nerve-wracking. This was especially true when we ran into a sized turbolift, one that was too small to fit everyone in all at once. Instead, we were forced to go in chunks, splitting the group five times and making my blood pressure skyrocket.

    Eventually, we were close enough to the landing platform that I informed Boxi to escort Racer back to the ship. We ran into the commando droids and the astromech as we went further, and after I convinced everyone that the droids were under our command, we finally arrived at the massive landing platform.

    When we first arrived at the palace, the landing platform had been more or less pristine, clean, and orderly. Now, it looked like a warzone. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of corpses littered the opening, all of them Grakkus's guards. There were craters, ruined ships along the side, and collapsed pillars along the hallway and out into the platform. Luckily, Ahsoka must have felt us coming, as when we stuck our heads out, they didn't shoot at us.

    We quickly crossed the battlefield to the ship. Tatnia and Julus immediately started guiding the civilians inside through the boarding ramp while I made a beeline for Ahsoka. She was standing by a barricade made up of a ruined speeder that I did not recognize. It was wrecked and had clearly been shot down, presumably by the Chariot.

    "How is everything?" I asked, looking around at the destruction they had wrought. "Did anything even get close?"

    "There was a pair of starfighters that buzzed us a few times," She said, shaking her head. "We got them on the third pass with the Chariot's weapons."

    "Okay, well, unless something is wrong, then we are good to go," I said, my deep disgust for this planet leaking into my voice. "I want to get the fuck off this planet."

    "Yeah, let's go."

    As we made our way to the boarding ramp, I looked over at her. I could see that she was holding something in her hand. When I realized what it was, I frowned.

    "Did you get it done?" I asked, holding out my hand.

    "...No. I couldn't, but Vaz did," she explained, looking away and passing me a simple-looking detonator. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

    "You don't have to apologize," I assured her, patting her shoulder as both of us stopped by the boarding ramp. "He was defenseless. Plenty of people would agree with you."

    She looked at me through her helmet, and after a moment, she nodded before taking the lead up the stairs and into the ship.

    As quick as we could, with everyone and everything piled into the Chariot, Calima was given the order to take off. The civilians and Mandalorians were down in the cargo hold, watching us with suspicion as we stepped up through the boarding area. I ignored the looks, as I couldn't really blame them for being suspicious, not after what they had been through.

    Still, I could give them something.

    "Corvak," I called out as I pushed through the people. Once I was close enough, I handed him the detonator. "This is for you."

    "What is it?" He asked, taking it from me carefully.

    "It's connected to a bomb that's currently wrapped around Grakkus's neck," I explained, turning back and leaving him behind. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

    I left the cargo hold, with most of my team staying down with the newcomers. As Tatnia and I rushed to the bridge, I could hear a loud chant of what was probably victory in Mando'a, and I couldn't help but smirk as I jogged up the stairs to the second deck. We arrived at the bridge just in time for something to impact the ship, rocking us as we came to a stop.

    "What's the situation?" I called out as Tatnia sat down in the co-pilot's seat, and I kicked one of the gunner droids out of theirs.

    "A squadron of mixed fighters and a small modified gunship of some kind just took off from somewhere else in the palace," Calima explained. "Must be some sort of protocol in place because the second we took off, they came hunting for us."

    "Some sort of blanket security?" Tatnia guessed. "Anyone leaves without my permission, kill them?"

    "Probably more of a vengeance thing," I pointed out. "Doesn't matter. Call in the Loyal Hound and deploy the teardrops. Tell them to cover us as best they can."

    The starfighters were a mismatch of different models and modifications, though all of them looked to be of good quality. They broke up into different groups, catching up to us quickly while the gunship lagged behind.

    Before we could deploy the teardrops, the starfighters made several attack runs on us. They came from all angles, making it difficult to keep track of them and even harder to accurately predict them. We managed to take down one of them, the starfighter exploding into a ball of fire before. Still, the ship rocked and bounced as they peppered our shields with laser fire, no doubt weakening it.

    Finally, all of the teardrops deployed, and together, they tore after the starfighters, chasing them down. They even managed to take down a few of them, but not without heavy casualties.

    They did their job however, as while they were engaging the starfighters, they couldn't come after us. This gave the Talos Chariot the opportunity to burn atmo and cut through the lower atmosphere as fast as we could. The ship rumbled and bounced through the turbulence as we climbed higher and higher.

    Unfortunately, while we were avoiding the starfighters, the gunship had time to catch up, angling to intercept and hammering our shields as it did.

    "Seventy-five percent and dropping!" Tatnia warned as I swiveled my gun to hammer against the gunship. "Seventy, Sixty-eight…"

    We weathered the barrage as best we could, hitting fifty percent as we left the atmosphere. We were starting to take damage from feedback energy, with warning sounds going off throughout the ship. Calima pushed the ship to its max, even lowering energy to the weapons to boost the thrusters.

    Finally, our savior arrived, the Loyal Hound dropped out of hyperspace nearby. We angled to intercept the larger ship, which shifted to do the same. When they entered the appropriate range, the combat ship opened up on our pursuers, slamming turbolaser blasts into their shields as our cruiser put itself in between us and the gunship. It forced us to slow down, but the Loyal Hound was already driving off the gunship with its superior weapons power, the starfighters retreating with it.

    "Calima, link up with the Hound and make a jump somewhere clear," I said, standing up and letting out a long breath. "We might be out of the frying pan, but we've got more than thirty Mandalorians in our cargo hold, ready to start an even bigger fire if we don't handle them right."


    Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. If you are interested in those benefits or just want to support my attempt to become a full-time writer, stop by and show your support. Every dollar helps!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • guy who can make beskar? Ya those mandos aren't going anywhere lol. They will want some of that sweet sweet gear.

    For some reason I'm heavily reminded of Battletech mercenaries company's who have there none combatants held hostage to force them to fight. The hutt would have eventually killed them all.

    Well the little jedi order being formed just got a whole lot more dangerous because those holacrons are old, and probably has knowledge more from the Old republic era. Remember when yoda stoped force lighting with his hand? Ya that wasn't something he came up with its old knowledge that for some reason the council restricted to only them self's even in the middle of a bloody war.

    So hopfully we see this group breaking out the force heal, speed, concealment, and a whole bunch of other force powers that would have been fucking helpful in a war. and a bloody way to hide there force signature. But no lock up everything because it could be "dangerous" and now the Sith Lord has had access to it for a decade. Good job idiots.
     
    Chapter 159
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    • Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. You could get up to eight chapters early from this story, the same for another, and four for the third. Board Members even get to vote on story beats, ship names, interludes, names, and more!

    If you are interested in those benefits or just want to support my attempt to become a full-time writer, stop by and show your support. Every dollar helps!


    I left the bridge at a fast walk. I wasn't afraid that Corvak would suddenly try to take over the ship, especially since my crew was still armored and their civilians were stuck like rats in a cage if shit suddenly went down. Obviously, my team wouldn't target them, but there was only so careful you could be when fighting for your life. Despite not being worried, I wasn't exactly looking to tempt fate, so I moved quickly.

    Before I headed down to the cargo bay, I made three stops. First, I quickly stepped out of my armor and into my Skyforged uniform, taking time to strap my pistol to my hip. I felt comfortable talking to them without my armor, both because I was pretty sure they wouldn't try anything, and because Corvak had taken off his helmet in front of me.

    That meant that this particular group of Mandalorians weren't devout followers of The Way. Or was it The Creed? Either way, it was a good thing because, beyond that concept and those names, I knew fuck all about the Disney version of the Mandolorians. Of course, that only mattered if the parallels continued. For all I knew, this was some sort of obscure mix between Legends and Disney canon. Though, that didn't matter much either because what I knew about Mandalorians from the Legends canon was about four thousand years out of date.

    Basically, I was flying blind, save what was common knowledge and what I picked up from various Legend sources.

    When I finished changing, I made my way to the enchanting room. The enchanting table and materials were back where they were supposed to be, having returned them after transferring back from the Starcaller to the Chariot for the final leg of this mission. There, I grabbed a small ingot of electrum. I had set it aside to make into some jewelry, with the intention of testing if the material of the item being enchanted affected the power of enchantment at all. I hadn't quite had the time to do that experiment, and now I was glad I hadn't. Slipping the bar into my pocket, I made my way to the lounge.

    There, stored inside the internal cavity of the couch, was the emergency medical droid. On most ships, at least the ones that had them, the medical droid was activated, scanning for injuries and being on hand to help. On the Chariot, with me around, it was often redundant, so it was kept in an easy-to-access storage container, namely the couch. I activated the droid and grabbed the medical supply box it would need to treat anyone before finally heading back down to the cargo bay.

    I nodded to my team, who were doing their best to guard the stairs to the second level without actually looking threatening. Everyone was feeling a lot of stress, even after having escaped relatively unharmed. Thankfully, the Mandalorians seemed content to talk amongst themselves. They looked happy to finally have escaped Grakkus, but the tension of being at someone else's mercy was still heavy in the air.

    "Corvak," I called out, getting the leader's attention. "If anyone needs healing for any injuries, I'm happy to help. For anyone who might not trust my abilities, I have a medical droid here as well."

    Hearing me call out, Corvak pushed through the crowd, which quickly spread to let him through. He paused to look at me, studying my uniform before nodding in approval.

    "Thank you. We appreciate all of the aid you have given Clan Syr."

    "You tried to warn us away from a trap, despite what it might cost your Clan," I pointed out. "That alone would earn you our help. Beyond that, the Skyforged believes that finding allies is something that must be an active goal, not a passive one. For now, though, we should focus on making sure your people are fed and healthy. What comes next can wait for now."

    He nodded and turned to his people. After a brief explanation and demonstration of my abilities, we began to work our way through the crowd. In total, there were thirty-six Mandalorians in my cargo bay. Twelve fighters, six children of various ages, two babies, and sixteen adults of mixed genders. Almost all of the adults had light injuries of some kind, mostly just bruises, while a few were more heavily wounded. At first, several of them refused my healing magic, but after demonstrating it on myself and healing everyone else, most of them eventually agreed. The medical droid scanned everyone, just in case.

    When everyone was healed and or treated, Tatnia and Ahsoka started handing out food to everyone. Nal, myself, and several of the Mandalorians moved and shifted crates around to let everyone sit and enjoy their food, something they hadn't been able to do for quite some time. By now, the twelve Mandalorian fighters had removed their helmets and were talking with the civilians.

    Once everyone was set, I grabbed some food for myself and sat down near Corvak and his partner. His people were remaining a respectful distance from their leader, which was perfect for my purposes. After a moment, Corvak gestured to his wife with a smile on his face.

    "Deacon, this is my love, my beautiful wife Noori, and my heart, my daughter Vina."

    "It's nice to meet you both, I'm glad we were able to get you away from Grakkus and Nar Shaddaa," I said with a shiver. "It's a terrible place for a child."

    "We agree on that," Noori said with a soft smile. "I am very glad to hear your droid declare her healthy."

    "Speaking of your droids…" Corvak started. "You have an unusual amount of CIS droids on board, and unless I'm mistaken, this ship started as a separatist vessel."

    "You're right, on both accounts," I admitted. "The Talos Chariot was our first ship, but since then, we have had a few successful raids of old CIS bases. As for the droids, we've found that as long as you use them properly, they can be useful."

    "You would hide behind droids?" He asked, his tone less accusatory and more curious.

    "No, we use them to fill the gaps," I explained, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at his macho "real warriors" schtick. "For example, we couldn't afford to split the group when challenging Grakkus, so we left it to the droids."

    "They were effective, at least," He admitted. "But why not just expand your group?"

    "Because they are also useful for suicide missions," I explained. "Having disposable troops on hand, ready to throw away distractions or other tasks, has proven incredibly useful. It opens up a lot of opportunities."

    "That... does actually sound useful," he admitted with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Still, I dislike the indirectness. It feels dishonorable."

    "Are you really insinuating that someone like Grakkus deserves a fair fight?" I asked, shaking my head. "Honorable combat has its place against honorable foes, not against bastards like him."

    Technically, I didn't quite agree with his statement, but the way I put it was better than what I actually thought. The entire concept of strategy was about tricking your opponent before he tricked you. As long as you stick to basically decency, then all was fair in love and war.

    He reluctantly nodded in agreement, however, falling silent while he considered my words. I smiled as Noori played with her child, the small infant burbling at the attention. No matter what happened, even if someday we met as enemies again, I would not regret saving them now. Eventually, after we had finished eating, Corvak spoke again.

    "Deacon, your armor. What is it made of?" He asked quietly so that no one around us could hear.

    I resisted the urge to let out a long breath. Corvak may have asked the question, but it sounded as if he dreaded the answer, and I could imagine why. In his mind, if I said beskar, he would consider himself honor-bound to demand it be returned to his people. And considering the worth of beskar, and just how much we were wearing, that would be like demanding we hand over a couple of good-sized warships.

    "I am glad you asked that question quietly, Corvak," I admitted with a frown, leaning back slightly. "I hope that by this point, we've earned the right to at least explain ourselves?"

    "Then it is beskar?" He asked, before letting out a long string of Mando'a expletives. When he stopped, he looked back at me, locking his eyes on mine. "Yes, you've earned the right to explain, though I would likely be shamed by other clan leaders for letting you."

    "Gather your people then, I can only do this once," I explained, getting an odd look in response.

    Rather than ask questions, he simply nodded and stood, walking away to gather the rest of his clan. It took a few minutes, but eventually, everyone was gathered again. My crew hung back, and I shared a look with Tatnia, who nodded in understanding. This was where things could get very messy very quickly. When everyone was gathered, I walked to the center, which naturally formed an open semi-circle around me.

    "Corvak, does anyone here have the ability to recognize metals?" I asked, the man already having pushed to the interior of the space.

    "...Our armorer does," He said, looking over at an older man, who nodded and stepped forward.

    Silently, I pulled out the small bar of electrum and handed it to the armorer before turning to address the rest of the crowd.

    "As some of you have witnessed, and no doubt shared, the armor that the Skyforged Vanguard wears is impressive," I said, getting a lot of stern looks in response. Clearly, people already suspected the truth. "As I'm no doubt you're already thinking, yes, we are wearing beskar armor. In fact, I am wearing it now."

    Immediately, the crowd began to talk over me. There weren't too many people, and I could have shouted over them if I wanted to, but instead, I gave a look at Corvak. The words would mean more coming from him.

    "Be quiet!" He shouted, silence returning to the cargo hold. "Deacon and his people saved this clan from working for a bastard of a Hutt. The slug held our people hostage, and the Skyforged broke us free despite us trying to kill them moments before. He has at least earned the right to explain himself!"

    "Thank you," I said, nodding to him before looking back through the crowd. "The truth is that while my people do wear beskar, it is not Mandalorian beskar."

    "Beskar has only ever been found on Mandalore and its moon," The armorer said with a frown. "No traces of it have ever been found anywhere else in the galaxy, and people have been looking for it for thousands and thousands of years."

    "I never said we found more. I only said that the beskar we have is not Mandalorian beskar," I responded, turning to face the man holding my electrum ingot. "Armorer, what is that metal?"

    "It is electrum," He responded, handing it back as I held out my hand. "Pure to as far as I can tell."

    "Indeed, it is electrum," I agreed with a nod. "Now, who here has the purest sample of beskar? Does anyone have something approaching pure beskar, in armor or otherwise?"

    For a while, the crowd was silent, until one of the fighters stepped forward. I recognized his armor as the one that Nal had tackled to the ground and stunned. Now that his helmet was off, I could see he was younger than I expected. In fact, most of the fighters were younger than I expected. I could feel there was a story there, but for now, I needed to focus on the task at hand. When the slightly younger Mandalorian soldier reached the inner circle, he nodded.

    "I have a tab of pure beskar. It's a necklace, handed down to me by my father," He explained, reaching around his neck to pull out a small circle of metal with some symbols stamped into it. "He received it from his father, and him from his, going back several generations."

    "Impressive," I said with a smile. "Lay it over your armor, I only need to touch it with my finger."

    He frowned, but a glance as Corvak saw him doing as I said, laying it over his chest plate, the chain having just enough slack to do so. I reached out and put my finger on the simple amulet, before looking around the crowd. I raise the bar of electrum in my hand so that everyone could see it, pinched between my fingers.

    "You have all seen my healing abilities firsthand, and some of you have seen my magic in combat. But magic is capable of much more than throwing fire and healing wounds," I explained, before casting Transmute. "Watch as I exert my will over reality."

    My hands glowed, and I could feel my magic slowly converting the electrum bar into beskar, the crowd was silent. Finally, after nearly a minute of watching the wide-eyed audience stare, the process was complete. I patted the soldier on the shoulder, before turning and passing the ingot of newly transmuted beskar. I make sure never to really cover it completely so that none of them could accuse me of any sleight of hand tricks. When I place the ingot in the armorer's hand, he looks at it for a second as if he couldn't believe it before finally starting to identify it.

    For a good minute, he examined the ingot, even taking out a small tool and attempting to etch it. After he was done, he looked up at Corvak, his eyes still wide.

    "Sir…it's beskar. Pure as you could hope for."

    Whispers of disbelief ripple over the crowd as Corvak approached us, taking the ingot from the armorer's hand. He turned it over in his own before passing it back to me.

    "You can convert electrum into beskar?"

    "I can convert any pure metal into any other pure metal," I corrected, triggering a whole new wave of whispers to float around. "I use precious metals to make beskar because the conversion rate is too low to be worth it otherwise."

    "How does it work?" He asked. "Are there any limitations? Is it permanent? Can-"

    "Woah, woah, slow down. First, I want you to keep this," I said, handing him the ingot of beskar. "Consider it a gift. Second, we have plenty of time to answer all of your questions. Soon, we can sit down and discuss this and more. For now, I just wanted to prove we did not steal our beskar from your people."

    For a long while, he stared at me, trying to see past what I had done or maybe what I was thinking. Eventually, he nodded in agreement.

    "After witnessing it myself, as long as you are not tricking me, I agree. You are not stealing from my people," He agreed, sounding slightly lost and unsure. "But I cannot drop this topic until I know everything. This has the potential to change everything!"

    "...Fine, then follow me up to the ship's common area, where we can discuss this in more detail," I agreed, gesturing back towards the stairs to the second level. "We have more to discuss than just beskar, anyway."
     
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    • I just had a horrible thought, imagine making a slightly large helmet out of platinum or electrum then transmuting it to beskar while someone is wearing the helmet. Thats one horrible way to execute someone.
     
    Also way too expensive. A Blaster Bolt would do the job faster and quicker, in addition to not leaving the one doing the transmutation absolutely exhausted.
     
    Dude should really stop describing what he's making as beskar. Just use the "It's only champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of france. Otherwise it's sparkling lightsaber-proof iron" reasoning.

    Call it synthetic/imitation beskar, to be clear.
     
    Is the mandos are smart they will join up and co-opt everything, in the end as long as the besker stays in the clans they don't care.

    But also aren't the clans kind of broken at this point since the empire invaded and took there wonder metal?
     
    Chapter 160
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    • Unsurprisingly, Corvak had a lot of questions to ask about how my Transmute spell worked. He turned the beskar ingot over in his hands again and again while we talked, as if it would eventually return to electrum if he stared hard enough. I understood his trepidation in accepting the new status quo that I was introducing. This was a significant shift, a change in how the world worked that was hard to digest.
    I answered his questions as best I could, trying to satisfy hois curiosity and keep him from freaking out at the same time. I even explained where I got my first beskar sample from, with the promise of returning that amount, plus interest, once we got our hands on more precious metals. I would have argued against it or at least downplayed the contribution, but I still remembered the old promise I made to Pola to assuage his guilt for essentially graverobbing ancient Mandolorians.

    "I have to admit… a small part of me hates it," Corvak admitted when I finally satisfied his curiosity, the clan leader leaning back from the conference table in the lounge. "Beskar has always been ours, has always been tied to our people. To hear that you are simply turning gold, platinum, and electrum into it with nothing but your…magic? It pulls on my honor, as if I should stop you."

    "But you won't," I responded simply.

    "Of course not," He said, shaking his head. "This is… it's not our responsibility to police what everyone else is doing. My honor demands that I do my best to keep or return Mandalorian beskar to its rightful Mandalorian owners, but… Since what you are using isn't Mandalorian beskar, then I have no reason to take it back."

    I let out a long sigh of relief at the admission, sagging back in my chair.

    "That is great news, Corvak," I said truthfully. "I was worried that… well, I was worried."

    He nodded in understanding. A fight between his people and mine would not have been fun, especially since we were stuck on the Chariot, in deep space, until we decided where we were jumping out to. Having an all-out battle between us would have likely caused some major issues. Neither of us wanted to handle that, just like neither of us wanted to admit my team would win.

    "You realize, however, that other clans or coverts may not agree with my logic," He pointed out. "Once word spreads, which it will, you are going to have other Mandalorians looking for you.

    "It has been pointed out," I acknowledged, leaning back heavily in my chair. "It's why I have a proposal for you. I asked a Mandalorian friend for what she thought was the best way to keep from being attacked or targeted. She seemed to think the best way was for me to create a covert or hire a clan to work for me. She believed bringing Mandalorians on board would convince others to leave me alone, or at least change how they approached us."

    "It… would most likely help," he admitted, reading between the lines pretty quickly. "You would hire us to work with the Skyforged?"

    "I could," I admitted with a nod. "But honestly… I dislike the idea of having a separate group working within mine for very long. It seems to me to be an excellent way to start creating unwelcome power groups and dynamics. I have a different idea. Instead of hiring you, what if you joined us?"

    "Is there a difference?" He asked. "Beyond the simple definition?"

    "Yes. I don't want you to work for us, I want you to join us. Merge Clan Syr with the Skyforged," I explained. "We have resources, ships, and connections with the Rebellion. Right now, our main priority is growth, but we plan to take the fight to the Empire whenever we can, giving you a chance to pay them back for what they did to your people."

    "You want me to dissolve my clan?" He asked, his tone sharp, clearly not liking my idea so far.

    "Not dissolve it, but step it back," I explained, raising a hand to hold back his annoyance at my suggestion. "Your clan is family, so pull it back to that level. Rather than the clan being an entity around mercenary work, drag it back to being just your family."

    "Why in the name of Mandalore would I do that?" He asked, his rising anger pushed aside by confusion.

    "Because your people are dying," I responded. "Every time you fight, every time you take a job, you put your people at risk. It may be slow, but I'm willing to bet you've already lost an unfortunate number of people. As good as you are, as good as anyone is, it's inevitable. The difference between you and everyone else is that Mandalorians are finite and rare. Every loss brings your group closer to falling apart."

    "So rather than a slow death, we should give up and disband?"

    "Not disband, evolve," I countered. "Your daughter, all of the children of your clan, they have never set foot on Mandalore, have they?"

    Silently, he shook his head, seemingly pained to do so. It seemed like I had stumbled into a sore subject, something he regretted immensely.

    "Even if you somehow manage to survive, by taking foundlings, training the next generation, slowly replacing those you lose, in five, ten, fifteen years, will any of your warriors have ever set foot on Mandalore? Even if the Rebellion pulls off the miracle they are trying to conjure and the Empire is defeated, what sort of life could you give your children, your people, by returning to Mandalore?"

    I stopped, standing from the table and heading over to the bar area. I grabbed a bottle of brandy, made from something fruity I didn't recognize. I grabbed a pair of glasses and returned to my seat, pouring a few fingers of the amber liquid for each of us, before handing the Mandalorian his. I took a small sip of the sweet alcoholic drink, letting the warmth spread through my stomach.

    For a moment, I let the silence hang in the room, looking idly at the sealed door to the bridge, where Calima and Racer were likely running calculations for the jump back home. After a long moment, I looked back at Corvak, who was staring at his glass.

    "I could never understand the suffering that the Mandalorian people have had to deal with," I admitted. "Perhaps the only people who can these days are the Wookies or the Alderaanians. But as horrific as the Night of a Thousand Tears was, you cannot let it trap you and your people from evolving and changing. I'm not asking you to give up being Mandalorian. I'm asking you to be a part of something new. To look forward to the next stage for your people and consider that holding onto the past may be dooming you to a long, painful, and ultimately fruitless existence."

    "And joining a mercenary group would somehow be better?" the leader asked, his gaze sharp as he looked back at me. "That is nothing new to us, it is hardly a change."

    "No, my friend, something much bigger," I assured him. "I have access to a planet that doesn't exist on Imperial records. A lush, green world that is both beautiful and primal. We have plans to start a town there and grow into something new. Something you and any Mandalorian willing to join can be a part of."

    Now, he looked at least vaguely interested. Human-habitable worlds were actually relatively rare in the grand scheme of things, and finding one that was not only green and alive, but uninhabited and unclaimed was like finding a needle in a haystack. Hearing that the Imperials had no idea it existed was like finding out the needle was made of Aurodium.

    "You plan on settling a planet?" he asked. "What for?"

    "To eventually act as our base of operations and a safe location for the families of the people we hire," I explained. "Currently, our home is a Clone Wars-era space station in deep space, but eventually, I'm hoping to move that in orbit around the planet."

    "...Just how big are you planning on making your mercenary group?" He asked, before adding. "and how big is your group now?"

    "Member-wise, we have around a hundred and fifty souls. We have this ship, a C70 retrofit, an IPV, a CR70 with the C20 retrofit, and a L-2783 Recovery Vessel to act as our carrier," I responded. "Plus two flights of V-wings and a couple of freighters. All of that plus the FireStar II station I mentioned earlier."

    Each progressive ship I mentioned made his eyes go wider and wider until I mentioned the station. He had clearly underestimated the scale of the Skyforged Vanguard, which made me wonder what sort of intelligence Grakkus had access to, because it clearly wasn't that detailed.

    "That is… a lot," He admitted. "We have been working for a while to buy ourselves a clanship to house our people in, but Grakkus wasn't paying us. I suppose I should be thankful he didn't demand we empty our accounts."

    "We... have had some good luck," I admitted with a smirk. "Keep in mind, all of those ships were stolen, some from the Imps and some from pirates. It's all about knowing who to take from."

    "So you are dedicated to fighting the Imperials? You aren't afraid of the repercussions?"

    "The repercussions are going to hit us whether we stand and fight or we don't," I responded, shaking my head. "Palpatine is an insane Sith Lord who needs to be put down. My hope is that we can build ourselves up to the point that we can play a big role in doing just that. Big enough that we can influence what happens next."

    For a long moment, he stared at me, trying to analyze my statement. After a while, his face cleared, having clearly worked something out.

    "You're… betting on the Rebellion to win so you can enjoy the reward when they succeed?" Corvak asked, sounding a bit impressed. "I suppose it's better than just being a bleeding heart."

    "To be fair, we do also believe that the Empire is a blight," I pointed out. "Palpatine is a rabid dog who needs to be put down."

    "How do you fund a mercenary crew while also fighting the Empire?"

    "In part by taking down pirate bounties, but also… The Skyforged had shown we have a particular talent in asset seizure," I explained. "We pick a bounty or a mission, complete the mission, and basically loot our target to the rivets. We keep whatever is useful, be it ships or supplies, and sell the rest to the Rebellion for a good-sized discount. They get ships, and we make money off of old pirate starfighters and freighters without having to worry about Imperial law. Even better, I don't have to worry about finding a buyer I trust, or the ships I sell ending up in the hands of the Hutts."

    "That… what sort of profits do you pull in?"

    "It varies, but the last mission my teams took, while we were busy working the early stages of this mission, brought in a few hundred thousand credits, plus a couple of Y-wing bombers and a used freighter," I responded, taking another sip of my drink. "A chunk of that is divided between anyone who saw combat, then the rest is set aside to pay for supplies and pay noncombatants."

    As I answered his questions, I could see the clan leader was shocked by what I was describing. He coughed and leaned back, shaking his head.

    "If I hadn't witnessed your plan to take down Grakkus, I would have attributed your success to your armor and luck," He admitted. "But clearly know what you're doing. Your success is, honestly, shockingly fast."

    "Yeah… Tatnia, my second in command, has to remind me sometimes that other people don't work at our speed," I responded with a smirk.

    He chuckled, leaning back in his chair and sipping his brandy. For a moment, he looked down into the glass, watching the liquid slide back and forth.

    "I won't pretend that I don't fear for my people's future," He admitted after nearly a minute had passed. "That none of our children have stepped on Mandalore is something that weighs heavily on me. But how could I ask my people to simply adjust their way of life? To give up on our past and join you?"

    "First, change will come with time," I assured him. "By working beside us and integrating into jobs, as well as our base and eventually the hidden planet, it will happen over time. As long as your people don't purposely avoid meeting and befriending our people, it's almost inevitable."

    "Be that as it may… I don't think I can say it would go over very well," He pointed out. "Even if I could convince them, I'm not entirely certain myself."

    I let out a long breath and frowned, not exactly liking where this was going. He was clearly beginning to lean harder into not joining us, and pushing him would likely just annoy him. So, instead of trying to speech-check my way into Clan Syr joining us, I decided to settle on a middle ground.

    "How about this? Your people need time to recover, and a safe place to do it in," I pointed out. "And I'm willing to bet you could do with some credits as well. So, I'll offer you a job. Come work for us for a few missions, see how we do business, how nice it is to have proper resources at your disposal, and earn some credits while you do. Meanwhile, your people can enjoy some peaceful recovery time."

    "What sort of work?"

    "Honestly, whatever comes up in the next few weeks," I answered with a shrug. "Might be some basic bounty hunting or pirating raids. Or we might try and steal another nice ship, either for us or for the Rebellion. Depends on what is available and what we can figure out."

    "And our pay would reflect the mission?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I won't walk my people into danger for short credits."

    "Tell you what. Stay with us as our guests for now, and when we find something, we can negotiate the actual price," I suggested with a shrug. "Not trying to scam or trick you, Corvak. Just want to show you how we operate."

    For a long moment, the Mandalorian focused on me, his eyes analyzing my face and expression. Finally, after what felt like several minutes, he nodded.

    "Very well, we will accept your hospitality," He said with a nod. "But do not think you have bought us. We will work with and even for you, but we are not slaves."

    "Of course not," I said with a nod, standing up and offering my hand across the table. "I look forward to working with you."

    He stood and reached out, shaking my hand with a tight grip. When we both released each other's hands, I raised my glass in a toast.

    "A toast, then. To finding friends in the strangest of places," I said, the Mandalorian snorting and laughing at my joke, before tapping his glass against mine.

    Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. If you are interested in those benefits or just want to support my attempt to become a full-time writer, stop by and show your support. Every dollar helps!
     
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    • Hello everyone! So yes, as the title says, I am forced to cancel today's post due to Covid. I attempted to push through and make it happen, covering the gaps with my backlog, but it just wasn't enough. While I definitely got a milder strain, writing with brain fog and fatigue has been a nightmare. Everything takes twice as long, minimum, meaning delays that cut into free time and backlog. I've been struggling for a few days now, and rather than continue that struggle into the weekend, I've decided to cancel today's post to make up the difference.

    On top of that, due to how my writing schedule works, my next chapter of Brink and Back might also be unusually short, under 4000 words, but if that happens I will explain in that post as well. The normal posting schedule, other than that, should continue on Monday.

    Thank you for your patience and have a nice weekend!

    (I will replace this with the next chapter)
     
    All good, hope you recover soon! I always look forward to your chapters, they're so good and pushing yourself through sickness can't ever be good!
     
    Shit, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Covid sucks big ones. I had it when it first came out and I was pretty miserable.
     
    Chapter 161
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    • After we shared our toast and finished our drinks, Corvak and I returned down to the first deck. By then, his people had spread out a little, with my crew setting up some of the cots and sleeping pads we had. There wasn't enough for everyone, but Corvak assured me they would make do.

    Once everything was set up and people had started to unclench after the rapid retreat from Grakkus's palace, I found myself once again sitting down with Corvak, this time on a few crates in the hold. We were joined by Ahsoka, Tatnia, as well as his wife, and a few of his soldiers. When I had explained what the Skyforged was and what I was hoping it would become, I had skipped over the fact that I was working with more Jedi than just Ahsoka. This was in partly because I wanted to get a feel for Corvak and his clan. Now that I felt I could at least marginally trust them, I decided to remedy that, starting with formally introducing the Ahsoka.

    "This is Ahsoka Tano," I explained, gesturing to the woman. "She was a Padawan during the Clone Wars but was wrongfully accused of betraying the Republic. She survived Order sixty-six and is now part of the Skyforged."

    The Mandalorians warily shook hands with Ahsoka, returning to their seats on crates and on the side of their cots.

    "So, to be clear, I wasn't hiding this per se. You saw her lightsabers, after all, blocking blaster bolts and everything else when you attacked us," I pointed out, getting a series of reluctant nods. "I also want to let you know that the hidden planet I mentioned… Which I am now unilaterally calling Nirn since we have put off naming it long enough, we found a stranded group of about Jedi. They are part of the group living on the planet."

    "You seem to know enough about our people. Surely you know how poorly we get along?" Corvak asked, sounding concerned. "We have clashed many times in our history."

    "I am very aware. What happened to the True Mandalorians was a tragedy, and Death Watch is a stain for tricking the Jedi into wiping them out," I said, shaking my head. "But I can assure you, I only call these people Jedi because they have yet to name themselves something new."

    "I'm afraid I don't follow," Corvak responded after a moment, looking confused. "Have they started a new faction?"

    "Well, they spent the last twenty years surviving on an island, besieged by monsters the size of a large speeder, with claws sharp and dense enough to score beskar. Oh, and they did so without lightsabers," I explained, pausing as they muttered at the mention of beskar being damaged. "When we found them, they were wearing clothes made from their leather. The leader, a Jedi Knight Amescoll, had taken a wife, and several children had been born while they were stranded. They are far from the Republic Jedi you knew."

    "That… they do sound different, I will admit," He responded, processing what I said. "Was it the isolation that changed them?"

    "More like the isolation revealed the truth," Ahsoka responded, catching Corvak's attention. "It is... Hard to explain to someone who doesn't feel the Force, but the Jedi feared the dark side, and because of that, they cut themselves off from what made them sentient, living beings. We were raised to think that attachments were dangerous, as losing someone close could pull us down. Cutting ourselves off from that and other aspects… it affected us more than we knew."

    "And you have changed?"

    "I am beginning to," Ahsoka admitted. "I am unlearning years of training, training I leaned heavily on when I embarked on my voluntary exile. It is hard to let go of something that… fundamental to me. I do realize how wrong it was to disconnect from the emotions of the people, however. I am trying to be better."

    "... Well, considering that is the first time I have ever heard of a Jedi admitting they were wrong, I would have to say you're doing well," He said, shaking his head, before looking back at me. "As long as your Jedi aren't sanctimonious and don't harass us, we won't have any issues."

    "I don't think it will be a problem, but I will make sure of it anyway."

    "Thank you. Are there any other bombshells you'd wish to drop on us?" he asked with a smirk, which transformed into an eye roll when I winced. "Seriously? What is it?"

    "We also employ around thirty to forty clone troopers," I answered.

    The reaction to my statement was shockingly stronger than how they had reacted to the news of Jedi. A few of Corvak's men cursed in Mando'a, and the clan leader himself scowled, shaking his head in a fair amount of disgust.

    "The abominations? Why would you allow them into their ranks?" He asked. "Their loyalty to the Empire is absolute!"

    "It is, until you remove their biological control chip, freeing them from the complete, perfect mind control that Palpatine used to enforce his orders," I responded, shaking my head. "After you do that, they regain their free will, and they are capable of defecting just like any other being. On top of that, these particular clones were found frozen in carbonite at the station where we live. They are loyal to the Republic, and they see the Empire as the regime that destroyed it."

    "A biological slave chip?" He asked, sounding skeptical. "You expect me to believe that an entire Clone Army had this chip and nobody knew?"

    "Well, considering you would have to root around in their brains to find it. Despite that, some people did find out. Hell, the Jedi even knew about them. They just didn't know what they would did," I responded, answering his questions as best as I could. "The chip itself was passed off as an aggression inhibitor to make the clones less aggressive than their template."

    "And what, it forced them to obey?"

    "That's exactly what it did, by making it impossible for them to ignore orders. I don't know the exact mechanics, but I suspect that if there are any clones still in service, they are continuing to unquestionably follow orders from their superiors."

    "Do you have any proof?" He asked. "The clones occupied our planet many years after the Siege of Mandalore. Our resentment runs deep, but proof that they were being controlled… It would help disperse the blame."

    "The Rebellion is the one that helped us remove the chips from the clones that joined us," I explained. "I can probably get you some scans, maybe even a copy of the surgery. But I witnessed them myself."

    Corvak slowly nodded, though he didn't exactly look thrilled about the concept of working with clones. He directed his attention at Ahsoka after a moment.

    "And I assume this chip is why you are comfortable working with them?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "It is. I led many clones into battle, and I trusted them with my life," She said with a shrug. "When Order Sixty-Six was given, it wasn't them anymore. I do not blame them for what they did and… I wish I could have saved them."

    "And you stand by your actions at the Siege of Mandalore?" He asked, Ahsoka's eyes going wide. "Don't be so surprised, do you really think Mandalorians wouldn't recognize you?"

    "I have grown quite a bit since then," She pointed out, letting out a long breath. "The Siege was a complicated mess. Maul was looking to get revenge on Obi-wan Kenobi and kill Anakin Skywalker, but they were called back to Coruscant. We had no idea it was a trap, we were there to remove Maul. He would have used your people as pawns, thrown their lives away, and killed who knows how many innocent people. So, to answer your question, I do not regret my actions, though I wish it could have gone a lot smoother."

    For a moment, Corvak stared at Ahsoka, attempting to intimidate or stare her down. When she looked back unflinchingly, he smiled.

    "Good. Not many Mandalorians disagree with the siege itself, at least no more than any war," He admitted. "Rebelling against the Mandalore is expected. It's how they were tested. If nobody rebelled, how would a new Mandalore ever win the Darksaber? It was the occupation that occurred afterward that angered us."

    I listened to the exchange with interest. This was a chunk of lore that I did not know much about, so it was fascinating to learn. I knew of the Darksaber and how the Mandalore was supposed to earn it through battle, but I did not know much about the Siege of Mandalore itself.

    "The Darksaber was the weapon of the Mandalore… What happened to the Mandalore's Mask?"

    "The Darksaber wasn't the weapon of the mandalore, it was how new mandalores were chosen. Whoever wielded the weapon was the current Mandalore until someone killed them and took it," He explained. "As for the mask… I'm surprised you know that story."

    "The story of how Revan took the mask away when he killed the Mandalore, denying the succession of power, scattering the clans?" I asked. "And how Canderous Ordo found the mask and reunited the clans? As far as I know, that isn't a story. It's true."

    "What? I find that… My father used to tell me that story when I was young," Corvak admitted, leaning back in his chair, looking a little lost. "How certain are you that it is true? And how do you know?"

    "Well, considering I know Revan existed, then I'm willing to bet that the rest of the info I know about him is at least partially correct," I explained. "According to what I know, Revan did take the mask, but later, he also helped Ordo find it again. They were allies, and Revan charged Ordo with gathering the Mandalorians as a last line of defense against a new threat."

    "How could you possibly know that?"

    "That's something he does," Ahsoka explained, shaking her head as she gave me an annoyed look. "He knows things, things he shouldn't or even sometimes couldn't. As far as I know, he hasn't told anyone how he does it."

    Ahsoka looked to Tatnia, who just shook her head to confirm I hadn't explained where my knowledge came from. I couldn't help but chuckle, getting a stern look from both of the women.

    "I just assume it's his magic at this point," my second-in-command admitted with a shrug. "As far as I know, he hasn't been wrong yet."

    "Really?" Corvak asked, looking back at me as if he wasn't sure he should buy into what he was being told. "Anyway to prove that?"

    "Not to you, unfortunately, not at the moment," I said with a frown. "Not unless you don't know who currently holds the Darksaber."

    "Moff Gideon claimed it, last I heard," Corvak responded, shaking his head. "It hardly matters, since it no longer holds the weight it did, not until another Mandalorian holds it and attempts to… use it as a gathering point. It's not the same anymore."

    "Perhaps… that is for the best," I responded, quickly holding up my hand to hold off any rising ire. "What happened to Mandalore was abominable. But for centuries, the greatest threat to Mandalorian lives was Mandalorians."

    "Do not look down on my people," Corvak said. "War and violence are in our blood. That we fight amongst ourselves is only natural."

    "Or maybe using an object to mark the right of succession created massive instabilities in your people," I responded, shaking my head. "With the Darksaber no longer in Mandalorian hands, you have the chance to start something new, something better."

    "With you as our leader?" Corvak asked, his tone biting.

    "Of the Skyforged? Yeah, of course," I said, giving him a strange look before what he meant clicked. "Wait, you mean like the people of Nirn? Of everyone? Hell no! You think I want to be in charge any more than I am?"

    Now Corvak looked confused, clearly not expecting a flat-out refusal like that. He looked to Tatnia and Ahsoka, the latter of whom smiled while the former rolled her eyes.

    "Look, I'm in charge of the Skyforged because when the first core group got together, they put me in charge," I explained, shaking my head. "So far, no one has challenged me because, somehow, I have a particular talent for making things happen."

    I explained, finding myself feeling defensive. I may have tapped a nerve with my comment, but I had been nothing but honest and helpful to these people. It irked me to be questioned like that.

    "And my people? I may pay them, but they follow me because they like me being in charge. I'm not some Imperial or Republic big shot who was given command for brown-nosing or winning the yearly "who can kill the most orphans" contest," I said, leaning forward on the crate I had claimed as my seat. "I can't order my people to commit war crimes and expect them to do anything other than stun me and take me to the nearest medic. At the end of the day, I'm just some guy with fancy, flashy powers and a complete disrespect for a few of this galaxy's major power blocs."

    "Then why are you so determined to get us to join?" He asked. "Many people have sought to control Mandalorians, to use us as tools."

    "I want you to join because of her, you dope!" I said, pointing towards Vira, who burbled and reached out for my finger. "Because you are soldiers without a nation, citizens without a world, and a people without a home. I want to help because when I look at all of you, I see beaten, crushed, burned survivors who have somehow remained unbroken, and all I can think is, 'Goddamn, I want them on my side!' But most importantly, when you were at your lowest, and when your family was on the line, you had the basic common decency to look me in the eye and try to warn me that I was walking into a trap. And that Common decency? It's a lot more rare than you might think."

    He looked me in the eye, absorbing my words and trying to puzzle out just how much of it was the truth. Whatever he saw, he must have liked it because, after a full minute, he reached out, his hand open.

    "I am still not sure about your proposal. You are asking for a lot from us to leave behind so much," He admitted with a frown. "But I apologize for reverting to old traumas. You have proven yourself to be an ally and a friend. I shouldn't have assumed the worst."

    After a moment, I reached out and shook his hand once before pulling my hand back.

    "Apology accepted," I said. "I have no interest in ruling anyone, and while it's true that I want you to join because I know how effective you will be, I also just want to help. All you have to do is let me."


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    • Chapter 162
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    • Hey everyone, just a reminder that I have a Patreon! Being a supporter has a lot of benefits, like early chapters and access to my original content. You could get up to eight chapters early from this story, the same for another, and four for the third. Board Members even get to vote on story beats, ship names, interludes, names, and more!

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    After clearing up some of my... left-out information, the Mandalorians seemed to pull together, almost huddling up in the cargo hold. After their ordeal with Grakkus, I wasn't surprised that they needed some time to gather up and talk. Sensing that they wanted some space, I excused myself and my team, heading back to the second deck. Even as I left, I could see that a few of them had heard my little rant, and while I hadn't intended it, I found myself getting a few more considering looks.

    Unsurprisingly, leaving anyone alone on my ship who wasn't fully committed to us didn't quite fit right with me, even if I may vaguely trust them, so I ordered Racer to monitor the ship's internal sensors for anything out of the ordinary. I didn't think they would make any trouble, but underestimating a bunch of Mandalorians seemed like a good way to get myself in trouble.

    The return trip to Omega Station was over quickly, which was good because, with so many people on board, we were quickly burning through our supplies. If it had been necessary, I would have just landed somewhere to buy more, but it was nice to not have to. When we finally did arrive, the Chariot landed in one of our smaller, private hangers, while the Loyal Hound landed in another. Our other, larger hangers were taken up by our other ships, a small fleet, all docked into our home. Or temporary home, now that I had all but firmly committed Nirn to being our real home.

    When we stepped out of our ship, we were immediately greeted by Miru, our quartermaster, his second, Sheora, Felia, Claron, Captain Pella Irsee, Lieutenant Rider, and his second in command. It was an interesting reunion, especially when the Mandalorians descended from the interior of the ship.

    "Really?" Miru asked, looking at me and shaking her head. "You can't keep anything simple, can you?"

    I scowled teasingly at her before pinching her cheek and introducing her and everyone else to Corvak and his people. I was a bit nervous about introducing Rider and the quartermaster, a clone named Finder, of all things, but it seemed like my explanation of their enslavement got through to the Mandalorians. It wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, but it was much better than the open hostility and disgust I saw on the trip here.

    No one got called an abomination to their face, which I saw as a good sign. I could only hope that the cold bruskness of their first meeting would get better in time. If it came down to it and they were unable to work together smoothly, I would pick the clones over the Mandaloroains in a heartbeat, but I was hoping that wouldn't be necessary.

    Once everyone was introduced, Vaz and Nal guided the Mandalorians to our quest quarters. I promised to meet with Corvak soon to discuss hiring his team for our next mission, whatever that end up being. After that, Tatnia and I were immediately dragged into a meeting, with Ahsoka agreeing to keep an eye on Felia and Claron. Apparently, a few things had built up while we were gone.

    First up were Captain Irsee and Lieutenant Rider, whose people had worked together to find a new target. A pirate group made up of a squadron of assorted starfighters, a small gunship, and a freighter were hitting small settlements, demanding ransoms and goods in exchange for not burning the settlements to the ground.

    "Sir, I believe that we should be able to force them to surrender," Captain Irsee said confidently. "By ambushing them in a gravity well, they won't be able to jump away to safety. This particular band of criminals has proven to play it safe when it can rather than engage in hostilities. I can't imagine they would fight against overwhelming odds. If they do, the bounty on them is still sizable by itself."

    "Okay, but correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't that assume you can catch them in the act?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing that?"

    Rider and Pella shared a look, the latter giving Rider a nod and a gesture to take the lead.

    "The ground team and a few of the Captain's crew were working together to find a new target. One of the crew lamented that this group would be a perfect target if we could predict them," Lieutenant Rider explained. "One of my men noticed that they were only attacking settlements that produced certain agricultural products. We reached out to a few of them, and it turns out that all of the targets were hit a day or two after they sold their latest harvest."

    "They are hitting them when they know they have money to spare," I guessed, both the Lieutenant and Captain nodding in agreement.

    "A bit more digging and some help from the slicer droids Miru made, and we realized that they were all selling to the same company," Rider explained. "We believe they must be taking cues from someone inside."

    "So I assume your plan is to find a nearby world that is finishing its harvest and sells to that company?" I asked, getting double words of confirmation. "Fantastic find, well done. Make sure that the group responsible for this gets a reward, some credits, or maybe a few special requests from the quartermaster on the house. I want to encourage this sort of planning and thinking as much as possible. The greatest strength a group like ours has is the ability to stay flexible and think outside the box."

    "Very well, sir," Captain Irsee confirmed with a nod. "Do we have permission to engage our plan?"

    "Yes. Take the Whale Shark, the Nautilus, and the Intervention. Will that be enough?"

    "I believe so, sir."

    "Good, and again, well done. Pass on my happiness to your crew and teams," I said with a smile before turning to Sheora, who had winced when I assigned three of our ships to this new mission. "Something wrong?"

    "Well, Boss, I'm here as official liaison to the Rebellion," She explained. "I was given confirmation that our first shipment of precious metals is waiting for you in one of the Rebel hangers."

    "Here on the station?" I asked, Sheora confirming with a nod. "How much?"

    "About thirty-five pounds to compensate for the loss in mass from transmuting," She explained.

    "Right, twenty pounds, five of which is ours," I said, recalling our deal. "Have it sent to Pola's workshop, and I'll convert it sometime today or tomorrow. Any news on a location we might be able to hit?"

    "According to what General Draven has told me, we are narrowing the options down," She said. "I'm supposed to do my best to keep you around the station so that if an opportunity involving those options turns up, we can react accordingly."

    "Yeah, that's not happening," I said, shaking my head. "I can't just twiddle my thumbs and wait for something to show up. Tell Draven the best he is gonna get is that I'll stay within a three or four days travel from Alpha Base."

    She nodded and leaned back in her chair, not exactly looking happy at what she had to report but accepting her fate nonetheless.

    "How are Felia and Claron doing?" I asked, the liaison perking up at the mention of her adopted kids.

    "They are doing well. Felia has been doing a lot of the exercises that Ahsoka taught her, and Claron seems to be picking up on her need for independence," She responded with a smile. "He's picked up a few hobbies, like drawing. I'm a bit worried about how they will react when I explain they need proper schooling, but what can you do?"

    "I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well," I said with a genuine smile before turning to the youngest of the group. "Miru, what's up?"

    "The Y-wings and freighter we snagged from the last bounty hunt are well on their way to being fixed up and ready for service," She reported happily. "Quartermaster Rider is hoping to get the freighter added to his complement of shipping starships."

    "I was already going to suggest that," I admitted, nodding towards the clone tasked with keeping us supplied. "Do you have pilots?"

    "I've been interviewing people from the families of people already working for us," He explained. "Between labor droids and other equipment, anyone with flying experience can do the job, so we have gotten a few interested people.

    "That's good. I feel like we already have a small recruitment drive on the horizon, so everyone should keep that in mind," I warned before looking at Captain Irsee and Lieutenant Rider. "What about the Y-wings? Do we have anyone who can pilot them?"

    "Any of the clone pilots should be capable," Rider responded. "There was a lot of cross-training for different starfighters."

    "Good, that means we can have a few heavy options should we need to destroy a large target," I said with a smile. "Assuming we can stock their heavy weapons. Do we have enough room to store them on the Whale?"

    "Plenty," Captain Irsee said confidently. "Even with all of the starfighters and the LAAT/I, only about two-thirds of the ship's hold is taken."

    I frowned, clicking and drumming my fingers on the table as I considered my options. The Whale Shark was acquired primarily to be a carrier, but it was also doing wonders for grabbing worthwhile equipment on our raids. I didn't want to get caught with our pants down when we had a golden opportunity to grab something impressive because we overfilled the carrier.

    "Miru, could you take a look at the V-wings and Y-wings for me, as well as the interior of the Shark?" I asked, a slight frown on my face. "Try and see if you can't find a way to store them as space efficiently as possible, even if you have to get weird. The Whale Shark has paid dividends already by letting us grab more equipment, so a way to push everything into a corner when the mission is over and we need more room would come in handy, big time."

    "Sure thing, Boss," She agreed with a thumbs up. "At the very least, we can find the best way to land them to keep things optimal."

    "Thank you. Keep me posted if you figure out something interesting,"

    She nodded again, and I turned to focus on the quartermaster, who was talking softly to his second. When he spotted I was looking at him, he stopped and smiled.

    "I've got good news, Sir. Your request for construction equipment was filled, and cheaply too. My helper here recalled you being close to the leader of Itander. The city of Solinda just finished going through a rather large growth phase, and a quick call revealed they have a large surplus of construction droids and equipment. For a hundred thousand credits, President Rabben is willing to sell us a fourth of his stock. It is a frankly ridiculous good deal, Sir."

    "Seriously? Alright, buy it from him and start bringing it here," I said with a nod. "We can inspect it and start moving it to Nirn when we figure out what exactly the Jedi want and what we want. And make sure to ask if there is anything he needs that we might be able to provide. Weapons, equipment he can't buy legally, anything like that. Rabben has been good to us, and I want to pay him back as best we can.

    "Of course, sir," Finder agreed with a nod, his assistant taking notes beside him. "We-"

    "What's Nirn?" Miru asked, cutting off the quartermaster.

    "No one was coming up with a name for the hidden planet we found, so I picked one myself," I said with a shrug. "If anyone else has a better idea, I'm open to suggestions. Finder?"

    "Well, our first batch of temporary structures is ready to go as well, sir," The clone continued after I prompted him. "Enough easily deployable space for thirty people, more if people are willing to share. Should we continue looking for more?"

    "Yes, at least another thirty," I confirmed with a nod. "After that, keep your ears open for any bulk sales or opportunities for a bargain. I want to start moving people to Nirn soon, the station is starting to be overcrowded, and I'm done pussy footing around with colonization. In fact, I plan to head to Nirn after a day of recovery to talk to Amescoll about future plans."

    "We can load up the Chariot and the Loyal Hound, but I'm not sure you'll be able to land the Hound where you described," the quartermaster said with a frown.

    "Amescoll seemed to be attached to the idea of moving the Padawans and others to wherever we decided to settle," I assured him. "So it's most likely we won't be settling there anyway. Tatnia?"

    "Yes, Boss?"

    "I want you to start spreading the word to the families we have here that we will be opening up the opportunity to move to a new planet," I explained. "It's going to be rough at first, but this is an opportunity to get in at the ground floor. People who help, really help, are looking to play a big role in the future. And yes, we will compensate people who are working, both in benefits and credits."

    "Alright, I'll get to work on that."

    "Good. Now I have some news, Miru, Quartermaster Finder? During our last mission, we ended up using the teardrops for their intended purpose, as a disposable smokescreen to keep starfighters off of the Chariot as we escaped," I explained. "We didn't have time to pick any of them up before we jumped."

    "So we need to make more?" Miru asked.

    "We could contact General Syndulla and trade for more tre-fighters," Finder suggested.

    "She won't give up that many, and not without charging us too much," I said, shaking my head. "Especially for something that might just be sacrificed and thrown away. No, I want you both to look into alternative options. We need something cheap, practical, and disposable. I'm willing to pay a bit more if they are genuinely effective, but don't lose sight of the fact that they are disposable."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Can do, Boss!"

    "Fantastic. That is all I had, does anyone have anything else to add?" I asked, looking around to make sure no one had anything else to say. "Great. I'll have my comms on me if that changes. Thank you everyone for all your hard work."

    I stood, and the meeting was adjourned. I made sure to shake hands with everyone but Miru, who I wrapped in another firm hug. As we were filtered out of the room we had settled in, the both of us made our way back to the living quarters.

    "How are you, Miru?" I asked as we made our way through the now busy halls. People would wave, acknowledging both of us as we walked. The young pink Twi'lek preened under the greetings, especially the ones calling her Ma'am, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

    "I'm great! Boss, this is all a dream come true! I have my own team, people working with me, a massive budget, and I get to build and design and all sorts of stuff!" She said excitedly. "Working the c20 upgrade into the Nautilus, on top of all the upgrades I wanted was a blast. Best of all, I get to offload the boring stuff to Repair Lead Fakkiv, and she just takes care of it!"

    "Well, I'm glad you're learning to delegate," I admitted. "I was worried you were going to overwork yourself."

    "Nope!" She said, popping her p. "I'm happy and working an appropriate amount."

    "That's good… C'mon, let's go get something to eat before I go back to my room and pass out for a while."

    She nodded, and we made our way to the kitchens, only a slight deviation from our original direction.
     
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