Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage

When the Rebel Alliance abandoned their base on Yavin IV, it meant that for quite some time, several months at least, the meetings and discussions of the top members of the Rebel Alliance had been relegated to sporadically few secure holomeetings, messages over secure subnet systems and even via courier. Sometimes, when time and security permitted, two or three members would meet and discuss pertinent news and topics. By and large, however, the most significant leaders of the Alliance functioned with very little in the way of communication.

With the establishment of Alpha Base, those leaders now had a secure place where they could all meet, though such gatherings were still rare. The drawback of using a rebel cell system to keep each other's movement as a whole secure was that removing a leader of that cell, even temporarily, could have the entire segment screeching to a halt. Still, these rare meetings were important.

At the moment, around three dozen people stood around a central circular table deep in the heart of Alpha Base. The table was carved from stone and decorated with intricate engravings that included words and phrases in Pak Pak. The room itself had once been opulently adorned with paintings and sculptures. Now, with the art and riches stripped down and sold, it was much more utilitarian. Originally, it was built as a secure meeting room, serving the Separatists and Nemodians as they discussed matters of profit and greed. Now, it served the Rebellion as a place to discuss their struggle to overthrow tyranny.

Around the table sat Chief of State Mon Mothma, with Princess Leia by her side, the experienced politician having taken the young royal hero under her wing. She was still a force to be reckoned with despite her young age, but Mon Mothma still had much to teach her.

Beside them was General Syndulla, followed by Mon Calamari Admiral Akbar, Clone Wars veteran General Dodonna, Head of Intelligence Draven, Minister of Finance Viscount Tardi, as well as General Rieekan, who was in charge of the Rebel forces at Alpha Base. Several commanders, other generals, and other influential members of the Rebel Alliance stood around the table as well.

"The Omega Station droid facility is quickly becoming an incredible asset," General Dodonna insisted, tapping the table in front of him. "Not only are they making good progress on the salvage of droids at the facility, but the clearing of space for droid production is proceeding ahead of schedule. By this time next year we may not need to purchase our droids from others, simply a portion of the parts for us to assemble."

Unsurprisingly, ever since the impressive use of droid assets in the rescue of the remaining Rebel forces from Yavin IV, their further use had been heavily discussed. Despite having fought tooth and nail against them during the Clone Wars, General Dodonna was their lead proponent, with General Syndulla backing him up.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Minister Tardi said, reaching up to stroke his gray mustache. "While overhauling the already existing systems was both cost-effective and worth the credits, we have yet to see consistent proof there is any need for us to produce our own."

General Dodonna opened his mouth to disagree, but Chief Mon Mothma half up her hand.

"We have already dedicated considerable resources to Omega Station and the droid salvage facility," She said. "It would be prudent to be patient and see if upgrading the facility further is necessary. Draven, how goes the analysis of the CIS core?"

"The team I assigned has made decent progress, but they reiterate that progress will be slow, even with the added resources we allotted," He explained. "An… error by previous parties has partially put the core in high-security mode, meaning they must be careful, or the rest of the information would be deleted."

"I suggest we invest other resources into uncovering more forgotten CIS equipment," General Rieekan said. "I could list several battles that resulted in ships that are useless, but might hold hundreds, if not thousands, of droids."

"I find the idea of the naval droids to be particularly interesting," Admiral Ackbar said in his iconic, blubbery speech. "While I would hesitate to replace a large number of positions, replacing even five percent of the crew on the Home One would free two hundred and fifty souls to staff other ships. With negligible difference in combat efficiency."

"We might want to ask some of the clone officers who have joined us," General Syndulla suggested. "They dedicated their lives to fighting them. Chances are they have at least a few ideas of where to find more."

"Perhaps we should be focusing on that method," Draven suggested. "By finding a different source of droids, we could cut those damned Skyforged out of the deal."

"Draven, the Skyforged have proven to be trustworthy allies," General Syndulla stated with a slight scowel. "As… Strange as Deacon Roy's abilities might be, the Skyforged have been more than amicable, especially after the debacle with Loc."

"How have they proven that they are trustworthy?" Draven asked with a frown. "They refuse to join and charge money at every step."

"Not everyone is willing to dedicate their all to the cause. While we should praise those who do, vilifying those who don't will only leave our pool stagnant and empty," Admiral Akbar stated, shaking his head. "The reports I have read stated they have been more than fair with their rates and sales. Was that report false?"

"No, all the numbers reported were correct," General Syndulla confirmed. "The only time they weren't generous towards us was after discovering Private Loc's subterfuge. Thankfully, Deacon seemed happy to let the issue go with that."

"I'm also concerned with their connection to the Empire," Draven admitted, shaking his head as he changed tactics. "They have gained too much in so little time. It reeks of Imperial support behind the scenes!"

"Have your contacts reported anything about them?" General Rieekan asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"No, they have not," He reluctantly admitted. "But you know as well as I do that our list of reliable information gatherers is small, especially deep in Imperial Intelligence."

"While I understand why their meteoric rise is suspicious, neither Luke Skywalker nor Ahsoka Tano have detected any hints of betrayal or nefarious intentions," Princess Leia pointed out. "In fact, with Ahsoka having officially joined the group, surely that means we can trust them?"

"That is another issue!" Draven said, somehow ignoring the real point of the hypothetical question. "The group has already poached one of our assets, how-"

"Ahsoka Tano never had a firm part of the Rebellion to begin with," General Syndulla pointed out. "Her function as the Fulcrum was integral to the early days, but now her role is much less solidified. And even if that weren't true, she is still an individual, not 'our asset.'"

"Neither is Luke Skywalker," Princess Leia added, a rising steel in her voice, cutting off Draven's response. "Besides, Luke believes in the Rebellion, and he will never leave. Having met Deacon Roy and a handful of his crew myself, I feel confident saying he truly believes in the cause. He simply also recognizes his responsibility to his people."

"I… Of course, I apologize. That was not the best way to word that," He admitted, backpedaling to save face. "But that doesn't change the fact that Skyforged has been making moves on both of our Force-sensitive members. Just look how quick Skywalker was to commandeer Rebel forces to run a risky operation. Several ships from Blue Squadron received heavy damage, and Rogue Squadron took a week to get back into fighting shape, drawing their downtime out extensively. The Rebel Alliance cannot afford to throw away resources like that."

"Need I remind you that the mission was to save one of your Agents," General Syndulla pointed out. "As well as two innocent children."

"Need I remind you that I proposed a similar rescue mission and was shot down?" He reminded, now sounding frustrated. "Even with Ahsoka's plea, any mission to rescue Agent Sheora and her charges was declared too costly. And yet, because Skywalker is friendly with the Skyforged, it's alright that he and Princess Leia commandeered Alliance assets and went anyway?"

The silence that followed was much heavier, the truth of his words provided weight despite his aggressiveness.

"While not incorrect, you are missing several points," Mon Mothma pointed out calmly. "However, I do see where your complaints are coming from. What point, exactly, are you trying to make, General Draven?"

"That we should be wary of the Skyforged," He said simply, leaning back in his chair. "There are too many unknowns for me to feel comfortable with how close they are to our systems. Not to mention that if they turned against us, who knows what kind of damage they could do!"

"We will take that under advisement," Mon Mothma said after a long moment. "I agree that trusting them completely would be folly, but I will not treat an ally poorly just because they might be dangerous. If we did so, half of our cells would have fallen to infighting."

Draven, who looked like he was being forced to swallow a particularly sour drop, nodded reluctantly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. After a moment of staring him down, Mon Mothma nodded and turned to Leia.

"I believe you had something you wanted to share with the group?" She asked, gesturing for her to speak. "Specifically about our new allies?"

"I do. It is an offer made directly to me by Deacon Roy," she stated, ignoring Draven's eye roll and scowl. "As we have discussed, the armor that the Skyforged commando team is equipped with is of substantial quality and durability. We know from witness reports from the clearing of Omega Station that the armor is capable of handling sustained blaster fire."

She paused and looked around the room, noting that several people were nodding in agreement. News of blaster-proof armor spread quickly, as did the commando's effectiveness.

"I now know more information about the armor, as well as their uniforms. According to Deacon, not only are their uniforms capable of handling several blaster bolts, but the commando armor is also capable of enduring a handful of bolts from an E-web Heavy Blaster."

That got several people around the table to gasp, as well as doubtful looks from Draven, General Dodonna and General Rieekan.

"That seems rather unlikely, Princess," General Rieekan said in a polite tone. "E-webs are powerful weapon systems. Concentrated fire from a pair could take down a starfighter's shield, given enough time."

"Of that, I am aware, as were my companions, which was how Han Solo was able to identify the material they were using. Beskar."

That got an energetic response, with several people dropping their jaws. While not everyone could identify it by sight, most people at least knew the name of the metal and its legendary durability. Most also knew where it came from and who currently had control over it.

"I suppose I shouldn't have bothered arguing at all," Draven said with a smirk. "Princess has proven my suspicions. The only people with a supply of beskar that large is the Empire!"

"And you think they would just pass it out? Especially to undercover operatives? To show off and brag about?" General Dodanna asked, shaking his head. "The Skyforged having access to beskar is shocking, but it does not tie them directly to the Empire."

"Are they not worried about Mandalorians?" Admiral Ackbar asked. "Surely they would dislike their use of a metal they consider their own?"

"Deacon is not worried, and considering he claims to have made the beskar himself, they wouldn't have any claim over it anyway," The royal princess explained, speaking through the whispers. "He understands they might come after him anyway, but he claims to be working on that."

"Made beskar? How?" Viscount Tardi asked, his eyes wide. "How could that be possible?"

"Magic, I would assume," General Syndulla answered. "I have seen some of his abilities, as have several dozen Rebel soldiers. There are quite a few survivors of Yavin IV who would have died without his magic."

"I don't disagree that his powers are strange and impressive," General Dodanna asked, his brow wrinked in confusion. "But to produce beskar? How could that be possible?"

"Perhaps we could allow Princess Leia to continue?" Mon Mothma suggested. "I believe she stated she had an offer to pass on."

"Indeed. Judging from Deacons' statement, the creation of Beskar requires large amounts of precious metals," She explained. "He assured us that his crew was incapable of affording so much normally, so they were forced to steal it from Kuat Drives. His offer was to create an amount of beskar for the Rebellion's own use if we would help him locate, plan, and potentially assist another robbery to fuel the creation process. Though, please keep in mind he did not flat out state it was necessary. In fact, he insisted that the method of creation would remain a secret for now."

"A source of beskar… made from precious metals…" Viscount Tardi said, trailing off as he considered the implication. "Could you imagine just how effective our commandos would be with beskar armor?"

The group was silent for a moment, most people imagining a group of rebel commandos clad in beskar, assaulting Imperial positions with ease. The idea was enticing enough that several people were already nodding.

"Were there any other details he shared?" Mon Motham asked. "How much he needed, what types of metals, in what purity?"

"No, he just made the offer," She explained, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I don't honestly believe he needs our help. I believe he was simply giving us the opportunity to… get in on the action."

"Hmm… In that case, it is important that we discuss this offer in greater detail," Mon Mothma stated with a nod. "He is scheduled to be on-site in two days. I want to set up a meeting with him."

"I'm sure he would be amicable to that," Princess Leia responded.

"Good. In the meantime… General Draven?" She said, the Head of Intelligence meeting her eyes. "Begin looking for potential Imperial targets or groups that directly support the Empire. Nothing too in-depth, but enough to form a basic report. Will that be a problem?"

"No, I will get my people on it," He responded, his face tied in knots. "I will have something done soon."

"Good. Now, with that settled, I want to discuss the potential increase of our assets in our secondary fleets. Admiral Akbar?"

The Mon Calamari admiral nodded and began to discuss a new topic.