Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage

Between our delivery being offloaded, our meetings about the structure of the city, and our conversations with Amescoll about the future of the planet, our trip to Nirn was almost complete. By the afternoon of the second day, all we were really waiting for was for the Mandalorians to return from their hunting trip. They had thankfully stayed in contact, letting us know that they were unharmed and even enjoying themselves.

It was late afternoon, early evening when they finally returned, the sounds of their speeder bikes audible long before they got back to the mesa. When they arrived, landing beside the central cluster of temporary buildings, they happily unloaded three large kills. First was a pair of avian creatures as big as a medium-sized pig, with black, white, and red plumage, as well as dangerous-looking talons and beaks. The third and final kill was a more mammalian-looking creature, as large as a good-sized buck, with four legs, blue and white fur, and an interesting head plate that Amescoll guessed was for making a loud trumpeting noise.

"There's no way to be sure without seeing it happen in person, but we have been hearing distant noises that I think would fit that creature well," He explained, examining the creature as it hung from its feet. "Perhaps when the carcass is cleaned, we could wash the skull and see if we can replicate the sound."

Not only did the Mandalorians hunt for meat, but they also spent some time scavenging for edible plants. Apparently, food consumption scanners were considered basic equipment for Mandalorians, which meant they returned with three crates of strange, exotic-looking fruit, leafy plants, and even a few hearty-looking roots.

Amescoll, who explained that he had learned a lot more than just how to fight from his clone comrades during the Clone Wars, worked with Corvak and another Mandalorian warrior to clean and butcher the animals.

"I have to say, that protective shield seems a lot more important now," Amescoll admitted, carefully washing meat from one of the large birds. "This animal could easily lift up one of the younglings, and between his talons and his beak, I would say he would be a threat to anyone not armed."

With such a bounty of food, it only seemed fitting that we held a banquet of sorts. The Mandalorians slow-cooked all three animals over a large fire pit, seasoning them by drizzling over a spice and liquid mix they made from supplies from the Talos Chariot. The rest of the harvest food was laid out on the table, either cleaned and cooked or just cleaned for consumption raw. So far, save for the initial tasting by the Mandalorians, we had all held back from tasting anything so we could all learn together.

When the sun set, we gathered two tables around a large fire and dug into the prepared food. Despite having lived on the planet for nearly twenty years, almost everything on the table was as new to the stranded Jedi as it was to everyone else. They recognized a few leafy greens, but beyond that, everyone was learning of the planet's tastes together. I quickly discovered that the large bird tasted like a heavier, denser wild turkey, its meat cooking almost like a cross between beef and poultry. The large, blue, deer-like creature actually tasted more like pork than venison, which made me wonder if it could be cured by making bacon.

As for some of the foraged plant life, most of them were hard to describe, though there was one root that ended up cooking into an almost banana-like mush and a gourd that hung from a tree that did one hell of a sweet potato impression. My favorite of all was a double fist-sized purple fruit, pulled from the heart of a flower, that tasted like the most perfect, ripe cherry you could imagine, but with as much edible flesh as a large grapefruit.

As we continued to eat, I couldn't help but smile as the groups started to intermingle. Crovak stayed near Amsecoll, Ahsoka, and myself while everyone else moved around over time. I don't know if Corvak and Amescoll told their people to do so or if it just happened naturally, but by the time we had finished eating, the groups were a lot less defined, with Mandalorians standing with Padawans, talking about the planet, what they had eaten,l and their experiences hunting.

At this point, I was expecting a request to head to the ancient Jedi island at any moment so that the Mandalorians could experience hunting one of the ocean dwellers themselves.

Corvak was enamored with the planet, something he only admitted when we had been talking for a while. He admitted that his clan had been stuck living on city worlds or on ships for a very long time, and before that, in his youth, he lived on Mandalore, which was barren save for the domed cities. He had never experienced such a primal, living planet, one where he was welcomed. He reluctantly admitted that something about it had felt… right.

At some point, Julus had ducked into the Chariot for a moment, only to return with a large container of alcoholic beverages. In fact, it was the same coconut, chocolate Guinness drink that Rabben had introduced us to. I knew that Julus and Nal liked to keep stores of it around, but I had no idea that they had so much.

I had half expected Amescoll and most of the Padawans to decline the drink, but to my happy surprise, they accepted the gift, cracking open the can. Before anyone could drink, Amescoll stood, holding his own drink up. It didn't take long for everyone to quiet down, recognizing that he wished to say something.

"While we may share a different history, and our futures may or may not diverge, I believe I speak for everyone that, for this moment, it is wonderful to share a drink among friends," He said with a smile, looking around the group. "Earlier today, Deacon asked us to name this town, which will someday become a city. A symbol of hope for the future of the Jedi, a start of something new for the Skyforged, the beginning of the end for the Empire, and a new beginning for any ally who may join us."

Amescoll looked over to Corvak, nodding his head and tilting his glass to the Clan leader. Corvak, who had been smiling and joking with us moments before, returned the gesture.

"We debated many names, eventually settling on something that we hoped would show how dedicated we are to change, to achieving that dream," He said with a smile. "With the permission of our new friends, we would like to call the mesa and the city Vercopa'Yaim."

For a moment, I was lost, wondering what language he was referencing. I looked to Ahsoka, who looked equally confused, before looking at Tatnia, who was sitting at a different table. As I looked, I caught sight of the Mandalorian armorer, who was now standing. A look at Corvak showed that he was also standing. All six of the Mandalorians were standing, in fact.

"You would name it in Mando'a?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"With your permission, yes," Amescoll responded with a solemn nod.

"...Very well. Vercopa'Yaim, A dream of home, the Skyforged capital city," He responded with a nod. "Thank you."

"To Vercopa'Yaim!" I shouted as I stood, raised my glass, and put my hand on Corvak's shoulder.

Shouts and cheers echoed out from the small crowd, calling out the new city's name before taking a long sip of their drink. After a second cheer, we all sat down, though Corvack seemed to want to know more.

"Why?" He asked, quiet enough to keep the question private. "Why name it in Mando'a?"

"Corvack… out of respect to you and your people, I have instructed all of mine to keep our abilities to ourselves," Knight Amescoll explained. "I know they make your people uncomfortable, so it was only right we hold ourselves back. But there is only so much we can do when your emotions are singing into the Force."

Amescoll looked over us and, after a moment, leaned back in his chair. He looked happy, and I couldn't blame him. He was settling into a sort of elder advisor position that seemed to satisfy his need to help his people without actually being in charge of anything important. I was honestly fine with that, as the man had seen his people through twenty years of struggle. He had done his job, and you could tell by how relaxed he was that he was enjoying the large weight being pulled off of his shoulders.

"Even as we tried to mind our own business, we could feel you and your people's joy and excitement clearly, even while you were out hunting," He revealed, giving the Mandalorian an understanding look. "We can feel your longing as well, every time you stare out into the horizon. A home, a real, gloriously alive world, for your people to prosper and grow on. This planet calls to you much in the same way it does to us."

Corvak went through a series of emotions as Amescoll talked, first scowling slightly at the mention of their Jedi abilities, before switching to denial, which broke down more and more, until finally it cracked away completely. The Mandalorian leader sighed, leaning back heavily in his seat and letting out a long breath.

"I… can't deny any of that," He admitted, looking up at the sky, Nirn's single pink moon hanging above us. "This planet… You are right, it does call to us. Your choice of name is appropriate, as it does feel like a dream of home, like a dream of what Mandalore would have looked felt like, before the Empire, and before my people wiped it barren."

For a long moment, we were silent, drinking and eating, watching the fire as our people talked. Eventually, Corvak spoke again.

"I need to talk to my people, and I still want to participate in your next mission," He explained, fixing me with a look. "But I will admit your offer is getting more and more tempting, Deacon. A world to call home... A world to settle, and grow, and hunt, and live, not just survive... It is more hope than most Mandalorians have ever felt in their entire lives."

I gave Amescoll a look, the older man giving me a small smile in return, along with a subtle nod. I had to bite back a chuckle. To think a Jedi would make just as much, if not more progress convincing a group of Mandalorians to join us than I could.

Everyone spent the rest of the night enjoying and celebrating the mesa's new name. By the end of the night, people had already started shortening it to Yiam, which Corvak explained just meant "home," so it was kind of fitting. When it was time to finally back up, we quickly cleared the tables and mess we had made, put out the fires, and went out separate ways to sleep the rest of the night away.

I couldn't help but break out into a big, dumb, goofy grin when Ahsoka followed me to my room, a blush on her face as I showed her security the code and invited her inside.

The next morning, it did not take very long for us to prepare for our return trip to Omega Station. Corvak shared all of the data they had gathered while out hunting, including the locations for several of the more popular fruits we had enjoyed during the impromptu feast. While most of the work was being done by Labour droids, Julus and I snuck out in the Arrow, using their data to grab a handful more of the large, grapefruit-sized cherries, which Julus had enjoyed as well.

When we were finally ready to leave, I shook hands with Amescoll and a few of the Padawans, discussing some of their plans. Over the next few days, while more people and supplies were being dropped off, some of them would hitch a ride to Omega Station, where they planned on meeting and integrating better into what was slowly going to become the military arm of… whatever it was we were trying to do here. Create a bastion for people so that we could better fight the Empire or something along that line.

Corvak and Amescoll also shook hands, as did a few of his Mandalorians with the Padawans. It was exciting to see the two groups come together and move on, looking towards a brighter future. I couldn't wait to show Sabine what was going on, assuming that things went well and Clan Syr ended up joining us.

We would have to wait until Sabine and Ezra returned from whatever it was they were doing, assuming they did. While Ahsoka and I both encouraged them to stop by, with no pressure to join or not, it was ultimately up to them. As far as I was concerned, Ezra had already served his time and gone above his duty. He held no responsibility to help with the rest of the Rebellion.

The trip back to Omega Station was not as long as the trip to Nirn had been, since we weren't making a secondary disguising jump this time. Still, it was over twenty-four hours, which meant we had some time to kill. Rather than bum around and just relax, Ahsoka and I spent a good chunk of our time sparring with Corvak and his warriors.

Corvak was hesitant at first, but I challenged Ahsoka to fight as best as she could without using the Force, a daunting concept for someone like her. Still, she accepted the challenge, as did Corvak and his men. We sparred with and without weapons, using metal piping to stand in for actual weapons.

In the end, after a few hours, I got Tatnia and Julus involved as well since hand-to-hand combat was absolutely the Skyforged Vanguard's weakest point. While most of our people could put up a good show in a fist fight, against trained professionals like the Mandalorians, they could barely keep up. The only reason that Tatnia and Julus could barely manage to keep up at all was, at this point, they were significantly enhanced by enchanted items, a fact I pointed out to each of them once the sparing was over.

I also realized I had a significant weakness, in that my fist fighting was barely passable as actually fighting. The entities that dropped me in this universe had given me sword knowledge, but my fist-fighting was all me, something that was very obvious. I wasn't defenseless, of course, since conjuring a pair of daggers was easy, and it immediately connected with my bade skills.

I made a mental note to get everyone at least some training, perhaps by buying some combat training droids, to at least get people instructed in knife fights and fisticuffs.

When we finally arrived at Omega Station, all of us had barely stepped out of the Chariot and into the hangar, when Sheora rushed in to greet us. She was excited, and after catching her breath, she revealed that General Draven had selected a target for a heist.