Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 363 (Patreon)

While I had been talking to Han, everyone else had found places to sit inside the living room and settled in. Winter and Leia had taken one of our couches, while Luke was sitting on the base of the stairs to the second floor, seemingly perfectly content. Tatnia had dragged a stool from the kitchen and perched on it, scanning the room, while Ahsoka had taken the second couch, saving the space next to her for me. She had also gone into our cooling unit and grabbed a few drinks, handing out cold, crisp cans of the same coconut-and-chocolate-esque brew we had started getting oh so long ago.

At this point we were shipping in pallets of the stuff, as the people of Vercopa loved it as much as y crew did. Our brew masters were trying desperately to crack a drink that was similar so we could make it ourselves.

Once I had claimed my seat, cracked my can open, and taken a sip, I set it on the table and gestured to Leia.

"You have the floor, Princess," I commented. "Unless you need an announcement speech."

"Deacon, I know you don't appreciate politics, but-"

"I get it, it needs to be official," I said with an encouraging smile. "I appreciate you pulling back enough for this, so we can discuss the idea beforehand."

"Well, it also keeps us from looking bad, in case we missed something," Luke pointed out, raising his hands when Leia looked at him. "Not that we would, but we can't afford the chance."

"Unfortunately, he is not wrong," Leia admitted after finishing her glare. "We have already made too many blunders, some larger than others, when it comes to you and your group, Deacon. Both our forces and the Outer Rim love you, so if we were to alienate you again…"

"I would be forced to pull back, and that wouldn't go over well," I finished.

"Yes, it's not the only reason we have for wanting this, but it is a large consequence if we can't make it work." 

"I appreciate your honesty," I said with a nod. "So, what is your solution?" 

"When the Rebel Alliance was first formed, it was done so under the original charter. All parties involved at the very beginning signed this agreement, which was both a declaration of intent and an internal accord," Leia explained. "Among many things, it put one person in the ultimate leadership position, giving them full command of all forces and resources of the Rebellion. Nearly two dozen groups signed the original charter, though not all at the same time, and they have served as the core of our group for some time."

I furrowed my brow, wondering where she was going with her explanation. I could tell by her tone she was unhappy with her own statement, but that did not sound like something I would be interested in signing. We weren't joining the Rebellion, and I wasn't giving up control of my people, the people who trusted me to lead and defend them.

"Since then, quite a few groups have joined the Rebellion, and a few have left," Leia explained. "We have gained new allies, found new friends, and now, we are restructuring the leadership system from the ground up."

She paused for a moment, letting go of some building tension before continuing. It seemed she had been gathering steam, pushing into a full political speech, but pulled back since this was not that kind of setting.

"We have decided that it is time to redo the Alliance charter, so that we may better include those who have joined us since its original creation, as well as state the reorganization of our structure," Leia explained, letting out a long breath. "We also want the charter to contain a section that officially includes allies, what they have given us, what they pledge, and what we have pledged in return. We would very much like to include the Skyforge Vanguard in that section, alongside the likes of the Incom Corporation, the Mon Calamari people, Golan Arm, Lothal, Chandrila, and several other groups and major benefactors. These are groups who have supported on a variety of levels, but cannot directly join for a myriad of reasons."

As she listed the people my group would be included with, my eyes widened. These were huge names in supporting the Rebel Alliance. Reforging the connections through official commitment would be a big deal, and while it was good to reforge and reinforce connections, it was also a huge statement to put us in the same group as the various supporters she mentioned.

Essentially, if we were included in these pages of the charter alongside the other groups, they would have to treat us with respect, because failing to do so would reflect incredibly poorly. It did already, but by putting us in the same group as Incom and Mon Cal, devaluing our connection would devalue all of them by simple association.

If you had a bunch of people you called friends, and then treated one of them poorly, it was a pretty bad look. If you gave a small group of your friends a name, started a club and offered exclusive benefits, then treated one of them poorly, it set a terrible precedent for how little you cared about the people in your "exclusive" club.

"...Have you reached out to Garm Bel Iblis about this?" I asked, mostly to buy myself time to think. "He and Mon Mothma didn't get along, but since you are solving some of the major issues he really didn't like, he might be willing to rejoin. Or at least work with you guys again."

That caught all three of the present Rebels off guard, and Leia shared a look with Winter, who shook her head subtly.

"We can look into it," the white-haired woman confirmed. "I'm sure we can find a way to reach out to him. Having him back in the fold would make working with Corellian factions significantly easier." 

"And Chandrila, their support is still good?" 

"Yes, in fact, they had a few words of appreciation for what you said during that dark meeting. You turned what could have been a massive political hit into something more akin to a sad loss," She explained. "With you confirming you respected her sacrifice, she is being seen as a wounded war hero, broken by pressure, not a traitor who fell victim to her cowardice and paranoia." 

"Good," I said simply with a nod, holding back any comments about how I really felt. "Would there be requirements built into these articles of alliance? A price of admission?"

"Not by default," Leia responded. "I envision first a page of identification of aid, what the group has done for us, what we do together, and a general open yet inclusive oath for both sides. After that, the following pages would be filled with the finer details of our mutual commitment, our mutual agreements and pledges to each other."

"And those would be considered binding?"

"To both sides, yes," Leia confirmed with a serious nod. "I know =our words mean very little, but this is not an attempt to wrap you in with more concessions, but a way for us to declare that you are a respected and treasured ally, and that the Rebel Alliance considers you an integral part of our fight against the Empire."

"And tomorrow we will be discussing…What, exactly?"

"Together we will create your inclusion into the new charter, your Pages of Collaboration," Leia explained. "We will spend time putting your pages together, and when it is done, I will be leaving to visit Mon Cal and Lothal to create their version."

"And after that?" Ahsoka asked from beside me.

"Once everything is prepared and the various groups have been met with, we would like to have a grand meeting, where the remainder of the charter is built from the ashes of the old."

"And we would have input?" Tatnia asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Despite not joining directly?" 

"You could speak your thoughts, voice concerns, and address us directly," She responded. "We would of course listen to our allies wherever possible, but the final shape of the charter is up to me, our ministers, and the various leaders and groups of the Rebellion. Once it is written, and you are satisfied with what we create, then you would step forward and add your Pages of Collaboration to the charter as a whole."

"So if I disagree strongly enough…"

"Then you could withhold adding your Pages to the charter," Leia completed with a nod. "And we could either address your concerns, negotiate your pledge, or decide that the charter will stand, even without your inclusion."

Again, I was shocked. She was giving groups outside the Rebellion a direct flag to throw, should they put together something they didn't like. Sure it was colored as a way to protect ourselves from agreeing to something we didn't like, but it was really a way for us to directly influence what came next. The Rebellion wouldn't survive if Mon Cal pulled out, and it was getting to the point that they would struggle to transition if we did. Giving us the ability to not join if we didn't like what they made like that, it would force them to change. They would have to flex under our demands, or they would risk losing us.

She was likely banking on the fact that our belief in the cause would keep us from demanding unreasonable changes, which was ballsy, though far from stupid. Anyone who had thrown in with the Rebellion had done so praying they would win, because if they didn't, they were next on the chopping block. The Empire would not just forgive Incom if the Rebellion failed, nor would they simply forget about us.

We needed them to win.

It was brilliant, a multi-threaded seesaw that took what we all wanted and used it to guide the entire group at once to a common goal, rather than fighting for what each one wanted. She was managing to use the carrot and the stick at the same time, for several groups, all at once. 

"I think… that unless my advisors and other members spot any large issues I haven't, that the Skyforged Vanguard would be interested in signing something like that," I said. "Assuming, of course, that the deal is mutually beneficial. That our Pages of Collaboration are fair and follow what we both need."

"I believe that the primary negotiations for what your pages contain can happen tomorrow, in our closed sessions," Leia pointed out. "I do not mind informing you of our plan, but going much further would not be fair to the other groups we are presenting this to, nor my ministers and advisors."

"Agreed, having more eyes on both sides will make the final product all the more stable," I responded with a nod. "Which means... that the business portion of the night is finally done." 

I leaned back with an exaggerated huff, sagging like I had run a marathon twice with no sleep in between. I mumbled about hating politics, and most of the group chuckled, with Luke nodding in agreement.

"I suppose you're right, which means I can finally say congratulations to both of you," Leia said with a smile. "Have you chosen a date yet?"

We spent a good chunk of the night talking, first about the proposal, then about more random things. While she was clearly less drained by politics than I was, it was also clear that Leia was happy to sit around and talk about things that weren't political. Considering the master stroke she had just dropped into our lap, I had to imagine she had been working hard, especially since she was also trying to rebuild a whole proto-government at the same time. Both Luke and Winter seemed to appreciate her getting a chance to undo her hair, metaphorically, since her actual hair was still very much up in her iconic bun. 

Eventually it started to get late, and the Rebels had to leave, mostly because we had a busy few days of negotiation and debating ahead of us. Even if we agree on the general idea, the finer points of our agreement, what we will pledge, what benefits we would want, and the same points from their side, would likely take some time to hammer out. 

After they had left, I compiled a short description of what we had been told, before sending it out to a few people, including a few Jedi Masters, a few of the ground team leaders, and a few captains. Then, after staying up to answer a few of their questions as best I could, Tatnia left, and Ahsoka and I headed to bed.

The following morning, we got up early, and Ahsoka and I shared breakfast before heading straight to the diplomatic compound. One of the larger sealed rooms inside the complex was a meeting room, which was where our negotiations would take place. It was designed with a central meeting table, with room for ten people on each side, though it could be expanded. Then, on either side of the room were rising rows of chairs, where the people ot actively debating or negotiating could sit and stay involved.

We were the first ones to arrive, with my people trickling in slowly over time. I may have pulled a slight underhanded move and told my people to show up about an hour earlier than the Rebels were, so that when they did finally arrive, all together as a show of force or the political equivalent, we were all already there waiting for them.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes before the meeting was "scheduled," Leia and her entourage walked in, followed by the ministers and advisors. It was subtle, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it, but I just managed to catch her reaction as she walked in, her eyes darting around before landing on me. 

"Welcome, please, take your seats," I said, gesturing to the empty array of chairs, a barely contained smirk on my face. "If you would like some water or another beverage, raise your hand after you are seated, and the attendants will be by."

"Thank you, Admiral Deacon, your hospitality is fantastic."

"Of course, our friends deserve only the best we can provide."

Leia led her people in and took a seat opposite me, at the center of the table. Eventually, when everyone was seated, she sent me a look, and I gave her a subtle nod. After a moment of silence, she stood and looked around at the people assembled on my side of the room.

"Thank you, Skyforged Vanguard and people of Nirn, for inviting us here to these talks," she said, fully invested in her royal princess persona, her smile glittering and personable. "We have come looking to discuss the future of our two groups, to settle issues once and for all, and to pave the way for a better tomorrow. "