It didn't take long to get the Mandalorians settled in the various rooms of the . We had more than enough, especially since we had just recently gotten all of the families and non-ship stationed people down to Vercopa, living in real apartments and homes.

  Once everyone was comfortable and situated in a room, food was distributed, four days' worth for each person. I decided on that amount deliberately, despite the fact that the trip to the abandoned mining colony would only take two and a half days. The extra food would help them get their feet under them as they set up their temporary new home. It did eat into our emergency supplies that we kept on the ship, but it was an investment in Clan Galti's future.

  After the first day, everything had pretty much settled in. The Mandalorians were taking the rapid shifting as you would expect a stoic, warrior people to, with cool indifference, as if this was just another busy Tuesday. With nothing else to really focus on, we did an in-depth inspection of the Guardian-class ship we had captured, which had landed in the hangar bay.

  It was a small ship at only forty-two meters long, but a power distribution scan revealed that its shields and weapons complement were surprisingly robust. While there was a noticeable lack of room due to the upscaled power in its weapons and shields, there was room for battle droids, meaning it would make a decent addition to 4th Group as a BX strike force transport. I hadn't really intended for them to have a BX ground team, but with the amount that we had collected so far, there was also no reason not to, especially since we were basically handed the perfect ship for them.

  It would need some repairs, but the engineer crew that had come with us for the inspection was certain it wouldn't take too long to get up and running. Once it was, 4th Group would only need one or two more ships until we could consider it complete. I was tempted to add the Arquitens to the group and call it finished right now, but I wasn't certain we would be keeping that ship. It was the complete, updated Imperial model, meaning it needed a ludicrously large crew to function, and while we could mitigate that with modification and droids, at the end of the day Miru informed me that it would still require close to around a hundred people, compared to the which only needed about thirty real people.

  That was a lot, especially at a time when we were already looking at several extreme expansions. Between our growing hardware production, farming groups, the crew needed to staff the Venator, and our planned fuel production teams, we were already looking at around three hundred new people, with probably another hundred fifty extra for their families. Yes, that number would be spread out over the next month or two, but it was still a huge number. Throwing in another hundred, or even seventy-five, to staff the Arquitens was really starting to really push the envelope.

  Not to mention, I was now going to be courting Clan Galti, trying to convince them to join up in the same way that Clan Syr did. I had a feeling that would be a long-term investment, but it was still around a hundred and twenty people that I wanted to join us.

  Besides, it was really time we started pushing to stack up the Rebellion's debt to us. So far, it was about five million, which was chump change compared to what I wanted it to eventually be.

  Investigating the Guardian also gave us a bit of insight into what was going on, and why the Clan Galti covert was attacked, specifically why it was attacked with dark troopers in tow.

  Apparently, the powers that be were unhappy that groups wearing beskar armor were having so much success in stealing their ships and running through their resources. Their response, seemingly without much higher influence, was a large internal push for the Empire to develop its one heavily armored troops. In response, the dark trooper project, which at this point was in its early stages, was co-opted, money and resources were dumped into it, and the Empire's substantial beskar reserves, all stolen from the Mandalorians, were tapped into.

  The raid on Clan Galti was a proof of concept mission, that not only could the dark troopers steamroll regular troops, but with their enhancements and powered armor, they could also crush those armored in beskar.

  I could only hope that the fact that they were stomped flat would be enough to discourage future use, but I somehow doubted that would be the case. I made a note to figure out a beskar defeating weapon, and to find out if it was feasible for us to carry them.

  When I learned of their origin and why they attacked, I made my way to Vi Galti with a copy of the data. I found her and a few of her people meeting in a lounge area, still wearing their armor, their helmets close by. When I handed her the data and explained what we had found, she didn't seem awfully shocked.

  "I find it more surprising that they have waited this long to put our beskar to use," She admitted with a frown. "They stole so much from us, and they tear further into our planet looking for more. Why would they not use it? The only part that angers me is that they saw my people as soft enough targets that they would be a passable test, not a true challenge."

  "You were caught off guard and overwhelmed with numbers, something we would all struggle to face," I pointed out. "Not to mention that their discounting of you and your people is a good thing. It will only make your revenge more devastating."

  "True, I will enjoy making them pay for the deaths," Vi chuckled, nodding agreement. "I like the way you think."

  "The Skyforged Vanguard would love to lend our resources to such a mission," I offered with a smile and a nod. "As I'm sure Corvak has told you, we have a special way of making missions worthwhile. After all, the only thing better than ruining something for an enemy is taking it for yourself."

  "...True, though he specifically said that was your talent, one he was trying to learn," She responded, looking at me for a moment before nodding once. "I will consider your offer. Now, what is it you sought me out for?"

  "I wanted to talk to you about the dark troopers, specifically the bodies you grabbed on the way out," I said, raising my hand to pause any shouts or anger. "The beskar, as it was stolen from your people, is of course yours. Beyond the original sample that we used to generate our own, we have not used an ounce of Mandalorian beskar, and I have long since paid that back, with interest. Even Clan Syr has kept their traditional armors separate."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "If it is not the beskar, then what is it you want?" she asked, the beginnings of a scowl already fading.

  "I want the armor itself," I explained. "More specifically, the powered frame that the beskar armor was attached to. I was hoping to have my people tear it apart and study it. Not only might it reveal a weakness, but there may be something we could incorporate into our own armors."

  "You would change your armor so quickly?"

  "Not without proper testing first," I assured her. "Our armor, sure it's special, but it's a work uniform. It doesn't represent anything or connect us to our history. If I thought it would better protect my people, I would melt it all down and remake it from the ground up. We actually did that not too long ago, when Syr's Armorer shared a few more efficient alloy recipes with us. It let us take two suits and turn them into three."

  "It is… surprising to hear he would share that," She admitted with a frown. "It's not something I would expect. Not something many would share with outsiders."

  "Well, perhaps it's because they aren't outsiders," I suggested. "We named our first city Vercopa'Yaim as a way to show we were welcoming them to a potential new home. Now they are as much one of my people as any other who has joined. They live on Nirn, enjoying a planet that is alive and vibrant, making lives for themselves, whether it is fighting as a ground team under Corvak, working on making homes for people, or teaching the next generation their traditions."

  "And what must they give up to become one of your people?" one of the other Mandalorians asked, Vi nodding and gesturing to him, clearly looking for the answer.

  "All I asked is that they let their Mandalorian traditions be just that, traditions, not a code that defines their way of life," I explained. "I pointed out that ruling by violence, living by it, is something that has left your people broken. Yes, it was the Empire that horrifically massacred what was left of your people, but by that point, you were already a shell of your glory from of constant wars and infighting."

  I could feel the agitation rising in the group as I talked, though no one said anything in the way of denial.

  "Mandalorians make poor pacifists," she commented with a disbelieving shake of her head. "Satine Kryze tried to do that before, and it almost tore us apart. Did tear us apart, depending on who you ask."

  "...what part of me strikes you as pacifistic?" I asked, my face colored by confusion. "Was it the way I killed dozens of stormtroopers and five dark troopers with magic, or the way I commanded the death of nearly sixty-five thousand Imperials in order to save you and your people?"

  "That… That is fair enough," She admitted, chuckling for a moment. "Then, tell me. What exactly are you saying?'

  "I'm saying that your people have locked themselves into a cycle of violence and beskar-banded traditions," I responded, before changing tactics. "Let's say you managed to gather all of your people together under one banner. You retake Mandalore, claim the Darksaber, and wear Mandalore's Mask. Hell, let's say you even manage to appease those who follow The Way, bringing them under your banner. How long do you think it would last? Would you even get to live out your life before someone staged a coup to steal the mask and the saber? No doubt with your people's luck, they would be split, resulting in one side claiming the mask while another claims the saber, tearing you apart once again. Or perhaps your children kill each other to claim the items from your deathbed, your body barely cooled. Maybe the Empire would return to level your world once again because your people can't stop stirring up trouble?"

  I watched her reaction to each statement. I was happy to see her distaste when I mentioned her being the leader, as well as her disgust at the events I described. When she said nothing to refute my statements, I continued.

  "Your people are incredible to have survived the unending train of misfortune that the universe seems to drop at your feet. Your traditions have allowed you to endure what many would be incapable of," I commented, Vi Galti's eyes meeting mine again. "But there is a fine line between tradition and stagnation, and I fear you and your people have not realized what you have drifted into."

  For a long moment, she stared at me, her eyes sharp enough that I wondered if I should have worn my armor. Eventually, she spoke, her eyes narrowing.

  "You speak as if you know us," She commented. "As if you know my people."

  "You haven't gotten to know me quite yet, but I have a reputation for knowing things I shouldn't," I explained with a shrug. "In a way, I do know your people. I've heard the words of as he talked to Revan, seen your people used by the Sith Empire, then allied with them despite their lies and manipulation. Your people have been broken and battered, but somehow still survive. It would be inspiring if most of the time you didn't either start the conflicts yourself, or willingly join the losing side."

  Her eyes widened as I explained what I knew, whether from shock or disbelief, I couldn't tell. I could also see a flash of anger at the mention of her people's track record, so I bit my tongue to keep from continuing.

  "Those are some wide claims," she said, leaning against the back of her chair. "Any way to back them up?"

  "Maybe, I would honestly have to think about it," I responded with a shrug. "My abilities are hardly a science. Unless you know a great secret, one that I also happen to know, it would be hard to prove."

  "No, I can't say I know anything like that. Though that does remind me. I've witnessed your abilities a few times now, but not your purported ability to change valuable metals into beskar," she pointed out. "You claimed you could prove you were capable of creating beskar, could you do so now?"

  "I thought you might ask for that," I said with a smile, reaching into my pockets, pulling out two small ingots of metal, one beskar and the other platinum.

  After showing them off for a moment, I slid them both across the table so she could confirm what they were. Vi picked up the ingots, looking at them both before holding them up over her shoulder. An older man, who had been sitting back from the main group, quickly stood and approached. He took the ingots and looked at each carefully, before tapping them twice against the shoulder plate of a warrior sitting next to him. After that, he nodded and handed them back.

  "Platinum and beskar, pure enough," He said simply, now watching with interest.

  "Platinum, you claimed that was a close match for beskar in terms of value," Galti asked, sliding both ingots back to me.

  "I said it was the cleanest to transmute, with minimal loss in mass," I explained, picking up both the ingots, being careful not to obscure them from their vision. "Watch carefully, I only have one ingot with me."

  As I had done a thousand times before, I cast the Transmute spell, carefully turning the platinum ingot into beskar. Between my experience with the spell, my other magical improvements, and the close equivalency, barely any mass was lost between the conversions. When I was done, I slid them both across the table, everyone following the two ingots with their eyes.

  The older man picked them up without prompting, and after repeating his test, nearly dropped both the ingots back on the table. Instead, he placed them down with shaky hands, turning back to his seat and tearing through a bag I hadn't noticed before. After a moment or two, he pulled out some sort of scanner device, quickly running it over both ingots once, twice, three times before he finally stopped.

  "Both beskar," he said, barely able to believe it himself. "Solid beskar."

  As one, everyone's attention swung back to me, and I couldn't help but smirk.

  "As I said before, my magic is sometimes limited, but what it can do is powerful and useful," I said with a smirk, leaning back in my chair. "Any questions?"