Robert Meta
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Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 198
🕑 Added 2025-01-20 16:44:20 +0000 UTCAfter jumping at shadows and running from people who apparently weren't really chasing us, K'Kruhk and I spent some time calming everyone down and organizing everyone. To their credit, the younger Force-sensitives took directions well, moving and shifting our cargo around to create plenty of room for beds. We even set up a significant amount of crates and other stuff to act as chairs. It wasn't exactly a five-star resort, but it would do for an emergency evacuation.
Technically, if we were really in trouble, with damage or some other issue, I could have called in the Whale Shark or even Boxi's Fury to pick us up and take us into their hangar bay. However, I didn't want to get into the habit of calling the Fury at the drop of a hat since I really wanted to cement it as a forward operating base and part of the defensive force around Nirn. As for the Whale Shark, it was undergoing heavy maintenance and upgrades, as were a lot of our ships. Miru was spending a good few million credits making all our ships the best versions of themselves that we could afford.
Once everything was organized and set, and after explaining that no, I wouldn't be sharing Nirn's coordinates, as the fewer people that knew them, the safer we were, it was time to settle in for the trip. It wasn't too long, thankfully, the journey passing through two major trade lanes,l meaning we made good time. I tried to spend most of it enchanting, but unfortunately, I realized something not long after we settled in.
I still hadn't explained magic to this group.
Now, normally that wouldn't be a massive problem, but as we were all crammed into a relatively small ship, I didn't want to stir up anything. I would tell them after we landed, with Yoda and Amescoll there to calm them down and assure them that, yes, I was not using the Force. I even warned Julus, Calima, and Nal about it, so that they didn't mention it by accident. However, all this meant that I didn't have an excuse to sit in the enchanting room for the entire trip, trying to get ahead of the ever-increasing size of the Skyforged Vanguard.
In the end, I split my time between meeting and chatting with our guests and enchanting. The days passed quickly, thankfully, and before long, we dropped out of hyperspace above the surface of Nirn. As we did, I was sitting on the first floor, sharing lunch with one of the Jedi Masters who had found their way to the hidden temple when the ship shuddered out of hyperspace. Suddenly, the hold went quiet, and everyone, even the youngest child, looked off into the distance, as if they could see through the hull of the ship.
"I can feel it…" The Jedi I had been talking with said. "You were right, Deacon. This planet… is teaming with life… Alive with the Force. I have never felt anything like it."
"Well… never say I don't deliver, I suppose," I said, looking around at everyone as they slowly broke out of the spell that Nirn had cast on them. Whispers and muttering spread through the deck, people excitedly talking about getting down to the planet.
I excused myself and headed up to the bridge, only to find that several people stuffed inside, peering out of the viewport to see the planet. I rolled my eyes and told them the sooner they left the pilot to their job, the sooner we could land. They sheepishly headed back down to the first deck, leaving Master K'Kruhk standing there, politely standing to the side.
"Calima, getting any messages?" I asked. "We free to land?"
"Just a bunch of greetings from the fleet… and now we are free to land," She said with a nod. "Starting our decent."
As we pulled through, making our way down to the planet, we passed by all three of our groups, most of our fleet in orbit around Nirn. It was an impressive sight, seeing the entire fleet surrounding the Lucrehulk and the Dreadnought.
As we slowly made our way down to the surface, I sent a message warning Amescoll that we were almost there, while K'Kruhk left to calm and guide the rest of his group. When we finally landed, the group inside was eager to disembark, and frankly, I didn't blame them, as the Chariot had never seemed so small after three days of being filled with so many people.
My crew and I were the last to descend from the ship, walking down the forward boarding ramp. We were greeted by the beginnings of a celebration, the two groups of jJedi meeting in a moment filled with laughter, cheers, and not a small amount of tears. From what I could see, there weren't many among the younger generation that knew each other beyond just passing association, but the simple fact that they were all Jedi, young, old, trained, or just barely starting, was more than enough for them to greet each other as old friends.
Unsurprisingly, the meeting celebration quickly turned into a feast, as I noticed they tended to do. I already foresaw some interesting shenanigans when the population started to rise, and we couldn't just shut everything down for a party.
As usual, the Mandalorians were eager to use the excuse to go hunting for big game, rushing out to stalk food for dinner. This time, a dozen or so other people went out as well to gather wild fruits and vegetables.
While the party was nice, and it was good to see Amescoll's group explaining how everything worked, I couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy without Ahsoka around. Toasting Amescoll as Yoda promoted him to Jedi Master, for at least as long as that role meant anything, was nice, but I was still out of it. I ended up retreating early to the Chariot, using the hyperspace to send a message to her. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't on board the Starcaller to receive it, but she would get it the next time she was. I ended up sleeping on the Chariot, as I didn't feel like making my way back through the crowds to my home.
The following day started with a meeting between Amescoll, Yoda, K'Kruhk, several other Jedi or Force-sensitives, as well as Tatnia and myself. By the time we had all piled into the Amescoll's dining room, I was once again sorely missing Ahsoka, this time for the stability she represented between the Skyforged Vanguard and the rest of the once Jedi and Padawans. I wasn't expecting trouble, but it was nice having her there just in case.
"It's good to see none of you were too affected by the celebration," I said with a smile, getting a chuckle or smile from a few of the attendees. "At this point, I think the Jedi or Force-sensitive portion of our population is large enough that some things need to be addressed. For instance, I believe you should select a councilor of sorts. This doesn't have to be the leader, spiritual or otherwise, of the group, just someone I can talk to, spread the word, and be informed of issues or anything else."
"Discussed something similar, we have. Suggested a new Jedi council, some did. A mistake, we decided, a new council would be," Yoda explained. "Jedi Master Amescoll, our councilor is. You, our leader, will be."
"Amescoll is a good- wait, what?" I said, my mind screeching to a halt. "You want me to lead you? But I'm not even one of you?!"
"And yet you have done more for the Jedi than anyone has in many years, even those among our ranks," Amescoll pointed out. "My padawans already agreed to join the Vanguard, so for us, this is a formality."
"To be clear, this is not without limits," K'Kruhk pointed out. "We will follow you, but not blindly."
"Good, I have no use for blind underlings. I want allies and friends," I confirmed, mind still reeling a bit. "I… If this is what you want, then I will accept. I will lead the Jedi faction here on Nirn… under two conditions. First, the day-to-day needs to be handled in-house. I have too much on my plate to settle daily issues. Second, this is only until the Empire is defeated, or at least defeated to a degree in which large portions of the galaxy are free. Once that happens, I expect you to create a new council or something else."
"Agreed."
"Very well."
Both Amescoll and K'Kruhk said, while Yoda simply nodded.
"Well, if that's the case, we need to talk about what we are doing with the vault treasure we brought back with us."
At the mention of the treasure, I could see visibly who really trusted me and who was still on the fence. Both Yoda and Amescoll simply nodded, as did most of the older padawans. The newer additions, as well as K'Kruhk, tensed slightly as if waiting for me to prove them right.
"I made a deal with the Vualt, and I intend to honor it, but we cannot pass up the precious metals and other valuables, so I propose an alternative," I explained, leaning back in my chair. "I suggest we delicately modify the Vault's programming. We remove the fanatical desire to keep everything and shift his focus toward preserving the things he is tasked with protecting. With a soft touch, we could task him with curating and protecting the Jedi museum or memorial we have floated several times while also taking the unrelated general valuables and putting them to better, namely as funding."
"Best option we have, that may be," Yoda said.
"Good. On top of that, there is obviously some work to be done in terms of preserving the more delicate things, like the books and paintings. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about that process, so we need to find someone who does," I said. "Hopefully, that person will know a way to scan them so that everyone can read them without risking the originals. I'm willing to bet we could find an archeologist or specialist who would be happy to do that for simple pay and the chance to research what we have found. We will have to be careful about security, but that's a bridge we can cross later."
"I'm concerned about the Holocrons," Amescoll admitted, and I nodded in agreement. "I know we are working hard to find a new path, a mix of old and new, that is more stable and less detrimental, but I feel like letting Jedi Lords teach our Padawans and younglings might be a mistake."
"I'll be honest, I don't know much about that era," I admitted with a frown. "But I agree. The Holocrons should be reviewed in depth before they are spread among the students, and the students should never use one alone. Let the holocrons teach two or three at once. That increases how many can learn at once, and will hopefully mitigate any… unsavory influences."
We discussed some of the teaching methods, including the public meditation spaces and setting up classes with the Jedi Masters teaching. I made a mental note to find out if we needed to start doing classes for younger kids, those not among the Force-sensitive. Eventually, when we finished talking about teaching the younger generation, the conversation switched back over to what we had found in the vault.
"The treasures we can store easily, probably on the Fury since we can more easily control the temperature, humidity, and other factors. It's probably where we should put the books as well," I pointed out, scratching my chin as I thought it out. "As for the treasures that aren't related to Jedi, I would just assume that we sell them after modifying the Vault intelligence. They have no value to your people, we have no reason to gather paintings, statues, and other things, so we may as well sell them and use the credits to fund Jedi training."
"There is a substantial amount of precious metals as well," Amescoll pointed out. "Both in ingot and coin form. They would go a long way in outfitting newcomers in beskar uniforms and armor."
"It would, and it will go a long way to keeping everyone kitted out. It's complicated, however. Your people are all members of the Skyforged, so they automatically get at least the uniform, and they also get their own armor if they are fighting on the ground," I said, more or less just stating the obvious. But if our newcomers don't want to join, then… I don't know if they get their own armor or uniforms. Even if they supply the base metal. I cannot just be handing out beskar, in armor form or not."
K'Kruhk looked a bit confused, trying to figure out when beskar had become part of the conversation. He opened his mouth, but Amescoll spoke up before he could ask for clarification.
"Hmmm, that is tough, especially because it will make the difference between those of us who are part of your group and those who are not," The recently promoted Jedi stated. "Your beskar uniforms are expensive and represent our group. There is no reason to distribute it or the armor to people who will not be joining, as they won't be fighting."
"Anyone who wishes to join can. I will not order anyone to, even if I am technically the leader," I said, shaking my head. "Those that joined will be armed and armored to fit their role. That's not to say that people who don't volunteer won't be working. Every adult, even Jedi, will have to work in some way to help grow this city."
"Hold on, please. Where are you getting this beskar?" K'Kruhk asked, still confused. "I know that the Skyforged Vanguard has Mandalorian members, but they guard their metal closely. I cannot imagine that has changed with their planet being decimated."
I opened my mouth to say something, wincing as I realized that I still hadn't explained magic to K'Kruhk. Before I could say anything, Amescoll began to explain.
"It is one of Deacon's many abilities," He explained with a casual shrug. "It is truly interesting to watch, using his magic to shift one material into something totally different."
"Magic? Surely you are joking, Master Amescoll?" K'Kruhk asked, skepticism clear on his face. "There is only the Force, and it is clear Deacon, not to belittle him, has a very low connection."
Both Amescoll and Yoda turned to look at me, eyebrows raised. I couldn't help but sag a little, feeling tired.
"We… didn't get quite that far," I admitted, running my hand through my hair. "My magic never came up."
K'Kruhk began to protest again, but I shut him up by conjuring a dagger.
"K'Kruhk, I have something that I can only call magic…"
For a while, the meeting devolved into me showing off my magic, slowly convincing the newcomers that it was definitely not the Force. When I felt like I was successful, we took a break for lunch before reconvening the meeting afterward, which continued for another few hours after that.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only meeting I would gather.
As our crew worked on upgrades, our membership was due to swell again, final expansions to the fleet were made, and we had gathered another group of Jedi survivors, I felt it was time for the Skyforged to truly rest and consolidate our growth. I gathered every major player in our mercenary crew, from our captains and the leaders of the expansion teams working on Nirn, to the leaders of the ground teams and everything in between. I even got the recently reprogramed B4-88, the super tactical droid from the bridge of Boxi's Fury, to join us. I then gathered the massive groups several times over the next week or so.
These massive all-hands meetings would be used to discuss the future of our group, plan upgrades, raise issues for discussion, and discuss ideas to benefit our strength. Then, during our downtime, we planned on implementing those ideas and upgrades, working on solving the raised problems, and working together to increase our effectiveness. It would take time and effort, but I could hardly wait to get to work.
Comments
Noob
Tftc
sings_with_toads
Agreed. Security leaks are the #1 issue here; lots more people = dramatically more chances to get exposed to the Empire. Badass as the Vanguard are, all it takes is one spy sending out the location of Nirn to wash that all down the drain, Vader-style
HYP3R
Will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge
Heinz
You mentioned a timeskip, jusg wondering, how long is your civil war period? Cause Canon cut it down a lot
Ray
a few chapters but all out of order and none are chap 1 thru 10
Michael Rojas
written anything yet?
Fortunis
I sense a time skip incoming. It'll be interesting to see where they are after a year or two. Setting up schools that cater to both normal and force sensitive kids would be fun. Same curriculum except for things like PE where the force kids learn control and the regular kids play stuff like dodge ball 😆
david potts
found a typo "jJedi" lol
Ray
his magic system needs upgrading/expansion its to rigid for the coming stages of the story that's why what im writing (si/star wars starting in rebels/bad batch era) is using inspired invener as a base with tech knowledge and anime abilities both in it
Avidyetboredreader
TFTC
Avidyetboredreader
I said, more or less just stating the obvious. ? " ? But if our newcomers don't want to join, then… I don't know if they get their own armor or uniforms. Even if they supply the base metal. I cannot just be handing out beskar, in armor form or not."
Avidyetboredreader
With a soft touch, we could task him with curating and protecting the Jedi museum or memorial we have floated several times while also taking the unrelated general valuables and putting them to better, namely as funding." ---- to better "use" ?
Avidyetboredreader
I ended up retreating early to the Chariot, using the hyperspace to send a message to her. --- Hypercom?
Feliprins
The issue with number ballooning too much is that you will have to take more tasks and jobs to upkeep it all, and those represent the danger of information leaks and implanting agents inside the Skyforged... Also makes it easier to track down to Nirn, also will MC have to spend a significant amount of his time enchanting, vetting and organizing things? Where does he get time to be a leader and plan things carefully all while still have Jedi Adventures all the time, that's not even considering that he will have to go and grab kaiber crystals everytime he runs out due to avoiding information leaks, dude is absolutely overworked.
PeaceMaker03
Tyfc
JKarrde
Deacon, this is what you get for being too good at your job, you are in charge of everything now. Please have a couple Padawans call his Master Roy, and him twitch and have to explain that he isn't a couple times
Duke of Coffee
Yep, best regroup, gather and consolidate your forces to plan the future and the next steps.
