Together, Malua and I told our story. Malua focused on the journey of the padawans and Knight Amescoll on Nirn, including the arrival of the ocean dwellers, while I gave a brief intro to the origin of the Skyforged. I also gave a general explanation of what's been going on in the wider galaxy since they were stranded here. Most of our audience, especially the younger members, were captivated, obviously starved for news from the wider galaxy, though they did seem to know some of what was going on.

Apparently, the local natives, a species called the Yunu, and some of the more recent people who came and joined the hidden group had filtered some information to them. They knew of the death of Alderaan, for example, but did not know of the Death Star, as that was far from public knowledge.

When we were finally finished saying our piece, Malua brought out a holoprojector, a small device that fit in the palm of her hand. As she held it up, it showed the message recorded by Master Yoda. It was a general greeting, followed by a short explanation of his own survival, and assurances that the location I was going to describe, Nirn, was truly safe. He assured the audience that Malua and I could be trusted and even included an image of me to confirm I was who I said I was. I made a note to keep the recording very safe, as someone with basic editing skills could turn it into an easy way to trick any other hiding Jedi.

Then Malua made that thought moot, as when the recording was finished, and she had played it a second time, she dropped it to the floor of the gathering space and crushed it with her heel. I nodded in agreement. It was a useful way to get random hiding Jedi to trust us, but it was also too risky to leave floating around.

"This is all great news," K'Kruhk said, standing to come and shake my arm in a warrior's greeting, doing the same to Malua. "To know that Grand Master Yoda has survived, that the order is rebuilding…"

"We aren't quite sure of that yet, sir," Malua pointed out, having found her confidence as she told her group's story. "Time has revealed quite a few of the Order's shortcomings. We intend to learn and evolve, to adapt and grow. Master Yoda agrees with us, that the time for change has come. We aren't sure if what we create would be considered a Jedi Order."

That seemed to catch the older Jedi off guard, a frown appearing on his alien face.

"Change? What sort of change?" He seemed to tighten up considerably, as if fearing we were about to propose joining the dark side.

"Nothing so drastic as you might be thinking," I assured him, raising my hands in a calming gesture.

"We fear that our isolationism, our chains to Republic politics, our focus on the greater picture, and our belief that our emotions were meant to be crushed and thrown aside led to our downfall," Malua explained. "We are still in the very early stages of imagining what comes next. Truly, I don't believe we will be able to decide and rebuild anything until the Emperor is defeated, but that is simply my own opinion."

K'Kruhk seemed to unclench, seeming to understand what the younger Force-sensitive was saying.

"I see. It is true, the time since the Purge has meant plenty of time for introspection," the Whiphid admitted, shaking his large head. "I often wonder what we could have done differently."

"Unfortunately, there wasn't much to be done by the time you realized something was wrong," I assured him, shaking my head. "The Sith were deep in their preferred battlefield, that of stealth, manipulation, and corruption. The Jedi order was already struggling under thousands of years of isolation and compounded cascading problems by that point. It was as if you had challenged a Mon Calamarian to a swimming contest, and kept your robes on."

The older humanoid male seemed to consider my words, nodding slightly as he did. He also seemed to focus his full attention on me again, though he kept his mind to himself.

"What is your purpose in this?" the Jedi Master finally asked. "Master Yoda trusts you, but why are you here? Why help the Jedi?"

"Beyond the fact that I can, and it's the right thing to do?" I asked, continuing when he gestured. "While I may not have lived it, I do know that the Jedi have been working with a bad deal for a long time. I also know that having a working Order of some sort, someplace to train, guide, and help the next generation of Force-sensitives is imperative to the fate of the galaxy. This galaxy needs the Jedi in some form, whether it's to give it hope, to fight oppression, or to show everyone that there is good in the galaxy. I'm hoping that with a few nudges in the right direction, I can help the surviving Jedi get back on their feet, as well as provide a solid foundation for whatever order or sect rises up from the ashes."

As I talk, I look around, seeing the people who had gathered around the room. Many people were nodding, listening to my words. What K'Kruhk asked next snapped my attention back to him, catching me off guard.

"And we would do this under your rule?"

"Rule? Hell no! I don't want to rule anything," I assured him, shaking my head. "I run the Skyforged because my people put me in charge. I don't hold anything over them, I can't threaten or order people to do things they don't want to. If I told my people to do something morally reprehensible, the only thing I could expect to happen is to catch a stunbolt to the back, and a quick trip to the medbay to see why I suddenly went crazy. Not to mention the fact that only the people who join the Skyforged would be under my command."

"You aren't demanding we join?" He asked, surprise coloring his deep, vibrato voice. "The planet you own is not under your rule?"

"Again, I don't rule anything," I repeated. "I lead because my people want me to lead. Plus, we are in the stage where quick, rapid decisions are key to success. We would fall apart if we had a board of councilors or anything like that. As for joining, I have no desire to force anyone to do anything. I would like your help because, let's be honest, every Jedi we have on our side is a valuable fighter who can change the tide."

"You mentioned a Rebellion? What if we wish to join them?"

"I could have you at one of their major military bases after three three-day Hyperspace jump," I said with a shrug. "I would say having you working with them would be the second best result I could imagine. I will warn you, not only will they treat you as the Republic did and scatter you around to where you are the most 'useful,' but on top of that, the main goal of the Rebellion is to reinstitute the Senate as it was before, followed by demilitarization, back to the same levels as before."

Just as it had with Amescoll, that got a strong reaction.

"They… wish to return to the status quo? No search for improvements or learning from their mistakes?" He asked, sounding baffled. "But the Clone Wars… They learned nothing?"

The Whiphid Jedi Master sat heavily into one of the chairs in the partially ruined meeting hall, rubbing his long face.

"They learned what they wanted to learn," I responded with a shrug. "They saw Grandpa Palpy standing up, betraying the Republic, and somehow came to the conclusion that he was the only problem. Mostly because anything else would disturb their power. The truth is that, even if Palpy hadn't betrayed the Order and the Separatists were defeated cleanly, it would have only been a temporary patch at best. The Outer Rim was and still is struggling in a lot of ways, and they are tired of being jerked around by a core government that doesn't actually help. There would be another rebellion in just a few years. This time, however, without a Sith Lord to sabotage the Separatists from becoming too effective, they might actually win."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"I…"

For a moment, the Jedi around us seemed a bit stunned by my words, their minds following after what I said. In truth, I had gotten a little of topic, but what I had stated was important enough that I would repeat it at every chance I could get. Maybe, if I got lucky, someone would actually hear me.

"My apologies, your questions landed on a topic I am quite passionate about," I explained. "It's one of the primary reasons I refused to simply just join the Rebellion myself."

"Your passion is understandable," The Jedi Master assured me. "We spent quite some time in the Outer Rim during the Clone Wars. It is not hard to see that the Republic is far from the shining beacon it portrays itself as."

"I can imagine you did."

For a moment, I let the silence hang, letting them all think about what they had witnessed and felt during the war. Even those who had only been younglings would have felt the uncertainty that filled the galaxy during that time. Before the silence began to grow too long, I continued.

"Either way, this is not a decision that needs to be made immediately. Think it over, talk to the people you lead and see what they think. In the meantime, we should celebrate!" I said with a smile, spreading my hands wide. "More Jedi have survived, and you are not alone! Even if you wish to stay here, we can at least hook you up with some basic creature comforts, as well as a way to communicate with your peers on Nirn."

For a moment, the Whiphid leader stayed silent, before eventually standing and nodding, accepting the thought to put it to the side for now.

"Very well! Let us enjoy the news and share our company," He agreed. "Please enjoy our hospitality."

There was a cheer, and several of the people sitting around listening to our discussion quickly stood up, coming down to talk to us directly, asking questions about the Skyforged, about Nirn, and about what else was going on in the galaxy.

Over the next hour or so, a feast was set up, with handmade tables placed around outside the inhibited temple ruins. While the food was cooked and the tables were set up, we got a tour of the land and buildings, getting a look at how they were living. There were quite a few similarities between the group stranded on Nirn, but it was clear that this group did have it easier. Not only did they have significantly more room to expand, but they also had room for small farms to grow food, game to hunt, and a forest to forage from. On the other hand, Malua's group had been forced to live in a large hangar bay for several years, the massive temple island too dangerous to live in or even spend that long in with the ocean dwellers on the prowl.

Thankfully, we did have plenty to contribute to the meal, providing several drinks, including enough of the chocolate coconut stouts that had become a mainstay for my team. We also handed out sweats and pre-packaged desserts, though I would need to apologize to Miru since most of them were technically hers.

When we sat down to eat, I spent most of our time describing the adventures the Skyforged had gone on. While I regaled them with stories, retelling our heists on Imperial worlds and Pirate raids, I got a chance to look over the general population. In total, there were fourteen adults, not that much younger than myself. Most of them seemed to be survivors of the Soaring Hawkbat clan, but there did seem to be a few others who had made their way here afterward, looking for shelter.

On top of K'Kruhk, there were also two older Jedi, neither of whom I recognized, both of whom had clearly taken similar roles as the older male, as teachers and guardians.

Then, of course, were the children, eight in total, ranging from a newborn still swaddled up against their mother's chest, to a preteen human who watched all three of us with wide, wonder-filled eyes. It was clear that some of the younglings had grown up and had children, a good sign when it came to convincing them that a lighter, less restrictive touch was the way to go for the future of the Order.

Both Calima and Nal joined us for the meal as well, since I had long since made the call that even if we couldn't convince them their best bet was to leave with us, they weren't going to do us any harm.

Eventually, the feast was over, and we went our separate ways for the night, my team returning to the Chariot to sleep. It was quiet, though I had the night crew of droids on high alert, running near constant scans. I was beginning to get nervous at how simple this whole mission had been so far. I would be happy to have my Jedi Adventure™ theory disproved, but my gut told me that's just not how it worked. Something was bound to happen, it was just a matter of when.

When we woke up the next morning, we descended from the ship and began helping the locals with their morning chores. Getting water from a nearby river, preparing a simple breakfast, starting fires, and cleaning up from the night before. It was about noon when I finally sat down with K'Kruhk again, along with several others. We gathered around a small seating area outside, the remnants of a meditation space alongside the ruins of the ancient Jedi Temple. We talked for a while, and I did my best to convince them this wasn't some sort of entrapment or trick. In all honesty, it was beginning to get annoying, talking in circles, trying to convince them we weren't going to do them any harm, that we just wanted to help.

"Please understand, this is not the military. We are a mercenary group with plans to challenge the Empire as best we can. We aren't going to chase you down for going AWOL because you get tired of us and want to leave," I assured them. "Hell, until recently, the closest thing I had to an official title was 'Boss.'"

"My issue is not if we can trust you not to abuse our trust," K'Kruhk assured me. "I am concerned about joining an organization-"

"K'Kruhk. This is nonsense, and you are beginning to seem like a stubborn fool," One of the older Jedi said, cutting into the Whiphid's words. "Both Yoda and the Force say we can trust them. Why not reveal the truth?"

K'Kruhk turned slightly to look at the older human Jedi harshly before turning to look back at us. He studied us for a long moment before eventually nodding, almost reluctantly.

"Very well, it is only fair that we are honest with our comrades," He said, standing from his chair. "Rather than insist we do not trust you or that we will not leave with you by our own choice, we will show you why we cannot leave."

The large Whiphid made his way out of the outdoor space, gesturing for us to follow. I gave a lot to the Jedi who had spoken up for us, and he simply nodded. I shook my head and followed after the Jedi Master, with Malua and Julus right behind us.

K'Kruhk led us down, deeper into the ruins, which got more stable and clean the deeper we went. Eventually, the Master stopped alongside a clear, blank wall, seemingly at random. He put his hand against the wall and, with a wave of the Force, accessed something on the other side. With a soft grinding, the door slowly slid to the side, revealing an even cleaner hallway on the other side. Wordlessly, he stepped inside, walking down the hall before slowly beginning to descend a staircase.

"Are you coming?" he called back, prompting me to grumble and follow after him.

"Hold your horses," shaking my head and pulling out my comms. "I can only tolerate so much spooky Jedi shenanigans."

I sent a message to Calima and Nal about what was going on, confirming we might lose contact and the general situation. When I was satisfied, I clipped my comms unit to my belt and nodded to the large Jedi Master.

"Alright, big guy. Show me what you've got in your basement."