The trip to Krownest was pretty quiet. The only real event was a small funeral for the three marines that the Constantinople had lost during the battle on the surface of Atollon. A Turian and two Humans. Since their bodies could not be recovered in the heat of battle, Jordan simply held a brief speech in front of the memorial wall, a peculiarity of Federation's ships. Specifically, the frigate had one right there on Deck 3, it was a slab of metal, a little higher than two meters and three meters large. At the center there was the emblem of the Systems Alliance, which resembled an 'A' with three stars under the arch.
The names of the fallen were put one by one into small stripes on the two racks on the sides of the central pillar.
Jaral took the funeral particularly at heart. Those men, after all, fought under her command, and while she didn't take the losses of her subordinates as bad as she did when she joined Phoenix Fleet, she still valued their lives, both as a person and as a Jedi.
Tristan, Sabine and their warriors also payed their respects, as to them, those who died fighting deserved great honors.
After that, the crew went back to their lives. They cheered their comrades one last time with a small drink, then got back to work.
The three Jedi simply sat in the mess hall and talked with Sabine and Tristan. Jaral wanted to talk about the strategic situation of the civil war on Mandalore, but everybody simply shut her down, telling that she had done enough for the day and that she needed to relax.
"Seriously, Jari. I understand that now you are the Grand Marshall," Sabine told her by jokingly stress the word 'Grand', which just so happened to be the same word in Thrawn's rank. "but for today, calm down and rest, because tonight you will all taste some Mandalorian hospitality."
Kanan chuckled. "I hope it doesn't involve pointing blasters at my Padawans again." he said based on what the siblings told him about their previous adventure on Krownest.
"I'm sorry for what happened." Tristan apologized. "But, at the time, we considered you our enemies."
"We understand, Tristan, but thanks for saying that." Ezra said gently.
They were sitting by siblings: the Bridgers on one side of the table, the Wrens on the other and Kanan was sitting at the head.
"We'll make it up by throwing you a nice banquet." Tristan added with a friendly smile. "You should invite your father and the rest of the crew."
"Do you even have room for a hundred people more?" Jaral asked with a quip.
"You only saw the throne room," Sabine reassured. "but the stronghold has some underground levels, one of which has a big room for these occasions."
"You sure having three Jedi in a mandalorian festivity won't cause any trouble?" Kanan asked.
"Ezra and Jaral gave us Sabine again." Tristan said. "Don't worry, Master Jedi, neither me or Mother will let anybody insult them. Though, I must warn you that these kind of parties tend to get...rowdy."
"Should we expect a giant brawl to break out at any moment?" Ezra quipped.
"A giant brawl? No." Sabine said. "However, some of the warriors might be tempted to test their mettle against some Jedi. Especially you, Ezra, since...you know...everybody knows you as my partner." she concluded with an embarrassed smirk.
"Starting with me." Tristan intervened but with a more neutral tone, and everyone at the table looked at him.
"Uh, did I do something?" Ezra asked timidly.
"Nothing personal, Bridger. It's just that Sabine has filled our heads with your tall tales..." he interrupted to parry a punch that Sabine tried to land on his side to shut him. "...that now I have to see if they are true."
"Aw," Jaral said with a malicious grin. "did you miss him so much?"
"No..." Sabine said, turning in the other direction.
"The fact that I destroyed an Interdictor doesn't count?" Ezra quipped.
"I admit that you definitely can handle your own, but in that case you had us to help you. Besides, thanks to you, Sabine has been restored to the line of succession, and as a potential candidate to be the head of Clan Wren, we have to be sure that her suitor respects some parameters."
Ezra chuckled nervously. "That doesn't mean that I have to confront the Countess as well, right? Because I have a feeling that she could eat me alive, if she wanted."
Tristan laughed in amusement. "Oh, she could. But luckily, for you, her position as a Countess doesn't allow her to be directly involved in such a test. She will only be the judge."
"Oh, thank the Force." Ezra sighed.
"You'll do great, Ezra." Sabine encouraged him. "Besides, you already impressed my mother very positively the first time you met her."
Ezra rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess that's a start." he said with a lopsided grin.
"Indeed," Tristan replied. "your speech has left an impression. We didn't expect an outsider, a Jedi at that, to have such a fire. True, it might have been driven only by your love for Sabine, but still, impressive."
Their jolly time was briefly halted when Jordan came to them.
"Jari, Hera would like to talk with you."
"Right away." she promptly said, rising from the bench and following her father into the elevator.
Using the little private space, Jordan decided to start the conversation he wanted to have with his daughter.
"How do you feel?" he asked a bit worried.
Jaral already knew what he was referring to. Be it the Force or because she thought she knew her father, Jaral sighed and talked sincerely.
"In all honesty? I don't know how to feel. I repeat to myself that everything will be good and that I can take on this challenge but..."
She couldn't find the words before the door opened and they stepped into Deck 2.
"You will do great, Starlight." Jordan said affectionately. "None of us should have gotten out of Atollon, but you still managed to do it."
They stopped in a corner behind the conference room to talk.
"We still lost half of the fleet and a lot of your Marines. And Thrawn will keep threaten the entire Rebellion until I find a way to stop him." Jaral said while going to lean against the wall. She didn't sound discouraged, but she recognized that the Rebellion had just put a titanic quest on her shoulders, one she didn't feel ready to take on, yet.
"Look," Jordan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Thrawn is a fully grown adult, presumably he has decades of experience as a military strategist, and yet, you managed to save half of our forces when we should've been completely destroyed, and you're still 19-years-old.
"Bloody hell, even Thrawn was complimenting you down on Atollon, if that is not a sign of your talent, I really have no idea what it is.
"And if you ever need to vent it out, always remember that there is your entire family loving you and supporting you." Jordan concluded.
Jaral detached from the wall, turned around and hugged Jordan with a vigor she rarely manifested with him. The man returned the gesture fondly
"I'm so happy you're here with me, Dad." the girl said with the voice muffled on her father's shoulder.
"And I'm happy to be finally a part of your life. I can't tell you how difficult it was to stay away from you and Ezra for so long." Jordan whispered with a hint of pain in his voice.
Jaral renewed the hug. "I think I can imagine it. But that's the past. Let's focus on the future."
"Right."
After squeezing one last time, they separated, smiling fondly. Jordan brushed a hand on his daughter's cheek.
"I'm so proud of you." he murmured with a a smile that definitely confirmed those words.
Jaral smirked, enjoying the affection of her parent for a few more seconds before deciding that it was time to get back to work.
They stepped into the strategic room, where Undir and his officers were waiting. They both saluted her briefly and then let her start the call with Hera.
The Twi'lek appeared around the table as a hologram.
"Grand Marshall Jaral." Hera said with a joking face.
Jaral shook her head and just accepted it.
"Did you reach Rebel Command, yet?" she asked.
"Yes, no more than an hour ago. Darvos sends his regards, he went straight to work to make sure our comms are secure."
Jaral chuckled. "Our men are truly diligent, aren't they?" she said, referring to her husband, yes, but also to Kanan in the case of Hera.
The Twi'lek laughed briefly. "Maybe too much...so, apparently, Mothma has spoken with all the other heads of the Rebellion and they agreed to approve your position as Marshall, so...congratulations, again."
"I'm only hoping that I don't mess things up." Jaral commented.
"You will do great, dear, just have faith in yourself.
"Besides, can you imagine if our military operations were to be decided by a group of politicians every single time? How bad could you ever do?" she said that, intending as a pun.
Jaral tilted her head while smiling. "I guess you're right." then returned serious. "However, that also means that I should start by creating the hierarchy. Isn't that right, Colonel Undir?" she asked to the Salarian on her left.
"I agree." the officer answered. "As of now, the Rebellion is a little more than a confederation loosely tied and with their forces scattered among various commanders. You have to centralize your military power, and quickly."
"Thanks, Colonel. With that said...congratulations, Hera. You're my first General."
"Now wait just a minute..." Hera said after shaking her head.
"Don't even try to turn it down. You're a good tactician, you are our best pilot and, most importantly, you are a born leader. You are always able to get the best out of your underlings. I know that by experience."
Hera simply threw her hands in the air. "Whatever, you're the boss, I'll follow your instincts."
"Great. Now, tell Mon Mothma to contact Admiral Raddus, I want him and his officers in command of our Navy, and have her send me the list of all the military leaders of the Alliance with a complete track record for each and every one of them." said Jaral as her mind descended again into her strategic frenzy.
---------------------------------
While Jaral already got back at work, despite the advise of her little siblings, Ezra and the Wrens spent the rest of the trip, which took a bit more than an hour, talking. Ezra and Kanan were being informed on how the banquet would be structured and they talked about accommodations.
Ezra said that he could easily sleep on his Gauntlet, that Chopper was still flying beside the Constantinople, but Sabine insisted that there would be no problem if he stayed with her in her personal room at the stronghold. In fact, if he didn't do it, someone might think that their relationship wasn't strong enough.
As for Jaral, Tristan said that they would prepare a guest room for her. It was also a matter of prestige: the young woman had just been promoted to supreme leader of the Rebellion, a military leader of high rank. For a mandalorian clan, such a person deserved great respect, and if the Countess didn't give her proper lodgings, it would be quite shameful for the entire clan.
Kanan was offered a private room as well, but he insisted that he stayed on the Gauntlet, where he had all the ship for himself and so he could guard it. Besides, someone had to keep an eye on Chopper.
The banquet, as well, had its composition based on rank. Basically, because the crew of the Constantinople was quite big, there would have been a total of three tables in the shape of a 'U'. The Wren clan on one side, the Alliance personnel on the other.
Of course, the Countess and her family would have had the central table, overlooking the other two. Kanan would have had to sit with the rest of the crew, but for the siblings it was different. Again, since Jaral was now somehow comparable to a "Mand'alor of the Rebels", she was expected to sit on the left to the Countess (the right was to be empty, as it was reserved for the Count, who was still hostage of the Empire), which Ezra thought it was perfect, as it would allow the two women to familiarize more and they would most likely start to discuss the strategy to win the civil war.
As for Ezra, again, since Sabine had already "claimed" him as her partner in front of the entire clan, he was expected to sit next to her, to show everybody that their relationship was not a passing romance, something that Mandalorians usually frowned upon.
This discussion was long enough to keep the four occupied until they finally reached Krownest. Right next the frozen lake in front of the stronghold, there was another open space that could fit the Constantinople, while the Gauntlet was allowed to land on a landing pad right outside the fortress.
The firsts to go into the fortress were Tristan and Sabine, escorting the three Bridgers and also the highest officers aboard the frigate, all of them wearing their armors, except for Raya.
Ursa was however at the door, waiting eagerly for her kids. They and the three warriors that had followed them were greeted by the Countess, who complimented their victory, then the guests were escorted to the throne room.
"Captain Bridger, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ursa said when presenting herself with Jordan and shaking his hand.
"Likewise, Countess. I hope we can help your people to finally break free from the Empire."
"I appreciate the spirit, Captain. And once we do, I guess it will be time for our families to get even closer." she added, smirking toward Ezra and Sabine, the latter was giving the former a small tour of the mansion.
Jordan chuckled. "Ezra has clearly stated that it won't happen until we rescue your husband, first."
Ursa shook her head amused. "The kid has an insane amount of idealism, but I guess this is another proof of his sentiments for my daughter."
"Well, me and my Marines are ready to assist in any way possible to free Mandalore."
"Thank you, Captain. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to supervise the preparations for tonight's feast." she turned on her left, where Tristan was standing. "Tristan, please show our guests around, since your sister seems to be...distracted."
"Right away, mother." the son replied obediently.
The banquet was scheduled five hours later. That gave the special guests plenty of time to be settled: Jaral was brought into the guest room, which was, by far, the most luxurious thing she had ever seen. While it wasn't lavish (the mandalorians were still a warrior culture and they preferred to show off their prowess rather than their affluence), the furniture was definitely on a whole other level than what Jaral had been grown used to, after years on the street and with Phoenix Fleet. The bed was large enough that she could spread over it like a starfish and still have some room left.
Meanwhile, Ezra was given a complete tour of the stronghold from Sabine, but the girl decided to keep her personal room a surprise until after the feast.
Finally, the hour came. The entire crew of the Constantinople was invited, only Sparky, the Geth, remained on board to keep watch together with Jinx, while the ramp to the ship was guarded by some of the clan's warriors.
Since the room was underground, there were no windows, but only some holo-projectors that streamed images from the sensors outside of the building.
Once everyone was sit down, Ursa stood up and lifted a cup filled with some lightly alcoholic beverage that had been served, and that the scanners of the scientists of the Constantinople had passed as drinkable for all of the species.
"Members of Clan Wren," she started. "today we celebrate the triumphal return of some of our brethren, including Fenn Rau, my daughter Sabine and my son Tristan. To honor the debt our clan owes to the Bridger siblings, for freeing us from the grip of the Saxon traitors, they assisted the Rebellion against our common enemy and successfully destroyed an Imperial cruiser. May all of your names be remembered!"
The warriors at the Wren table cheered briefly.
"And, we are also honored to have the soldiers of the Milky Way, who have just come out alive in a battle against far superior imperial forces. As they are fellow warriors, I expect all of you to treat them with all the respect reserved for honored Guests."
A positive mumble came from the warriors.
"Very well, then. A toast to all of us. May our enemies tremble when we will take them on together."
Everyone raised their cup. The Mandalorians cheered, some of the Marines did as well. Karg screamed a 'Korbal!', which meant something on the lines of 'victory or death' in Urdnot dialect.
The banquet was overall a nice occasion. As expected, Jaral and Ursa started to discuss strategy, Ezra and Sabine spent some time catching up on funny episodes that happened while they were separated, but they also had to suffer the curious gazes of the Wren warriors. Some didn't care much that the two were practically engaged, already, but others clearly didn't look very pleased that the possible next head of their clan was set on marrying a Jedi.
At the Alliance's table, Jordan was also enjoying the dinner. Next to him sat Mira, who, differently from most of the people in the hall, wore a formal dress along with Raya and the two human diplomats of the Constantinople. The unique species of the Milky Way sparked a lot of curiosity among the Mandalorians.
And, as Sabine and Tristan foretold, the more the alcohol flowed into everybody's mouth, the rowdier the feast became.
Eventually, a small brawl ensued when Karg declared himself eager for a duel.
Given his massive stature, the male warriors were much happy to oblige, since taking him down bare-handed was no easy feat.
They only managed to do that when, after the Krogan beaten down 14 warriors one-by-one, they had to go five-on-one.
On the bright side, with everybody looking at the Krogan, nobody dared to challenge Ezra. Still, the young man was sure that, the following morning, Tristan was going to hold on his promise.
For the moment, though, the feast ended without any major incident. Instead, the mandalorians and the Marines seemed to have grown a certain amount of respect for each other, a bond that was going to be fortified even more on the field of battle.
When the Countess finally declared the dinner over, the Marines stood up and left the room to get back on the Constantinople while Jaral was escorted to her room and her door guarded by four warriors.
Sabine easily slipped away from the hall, taking Ezra with her.
"Are you absolutely positive that no one will complain about this?" he whispered as they walked as fast as they could toward what was the private wing of the ruling family.
"Come on, Ezra, where is your sense of adventure?" she teased him.
"Oh, trust me, I am all set to make up for the time we were apart." he said mischievously. "But I still have to put the greater good in front of my emotions."
Sabine chuckled. "Don't worry, cyar'ika, everybody on this planet already knows about us. And it is I who is inviting you into the private wing, so it's all good."
With the last doubts put to rest, Ezra let his girl lead him through the stronghold, entering the private wing and, finally, her room.
Sabine's room was definitely another thing entirely. It was quite big, with a bed that could easily accommodate the two of them, a desk, some other amenities and, of course, canvases with various paintings on them, but there were also paintings on the wall.
Specifically, the biggest graffito was a representation as realistic as she could of the Ghost crew. On the back row stood Zeb, Kanan and Hera was a bit more on the side of the group, like the leading figure she was.
On the front row stood the girls and Ezra right in the middle, with Chopper and Raze in front of Sabine and Jaral respectively.
The girls were smiling confidently to the observer and had their arms leaning against Ezra's shoulders, Sabine with her right arm, and Jaral with her left arm, which was also an excuse to represent her omni-tool and a small projection of Jinx.
While everybody else was smiling in some way, Ezra clearly took the center of the scene. He was tall, strong, his armor shining and his helmet underarm. The face was stoic and confident, almost like the one of a hero...
"Wow," the young man teased Sabine. "you really did miss me."
Sabine couldn't deny the evidence, so she just shook her head and chuckled. "I already told you that, so don't let your head get too big, Bridger."
With that said, they went and sat on the edge of the bed. Though they were still smiling, Sabine could see something in Ezra. There was a shadow of remorse and sadness in his eyes, and she could easily guess what that was.
"Ezra, how do you feel?" she asked with a more serious tone.
Ezra took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Honestly, I don't know." he whispered. "We lost so much today, and I am here celebrating like nothing happened."
"This is a war, Ezra. We won't be able to get out of it without losses." she said.
"I know, but...we lost our base, almost the entire fleet and all those people...can we even recover?"
"We will. A single defeat is never decisive, that's something we Mandalorians learn right from the start. If at the end of the battle there is even one survivor, then there is always the chance to rebuild." Sabine reassured him.
Ezra sighed. "I guess so."
Now, Sabine nudged her elbow against his. "Besides, now Jaral is in charge. Don't you have faith in your perfect big sister?" she said with a joke, teasing Ezra about all the times he had boasted the qualities of his sibling.
The young man chuckled. "You're right. I'm sure she's already coming up with a plan to overthrow the Empire in less than a week." he exaggerated.
---------------------------
Entering the room and letting her jacket slip onto the chair of the desk, Jaral went to sit on the edge of the bed and removed her boots as well. She hadn't noticed how much that unofficial uniform was getting heavy. Everything that had happened on Atollon just a few hours before rushed back to her mind to remind her what a disaster had been.
First of all, despite all her caution, despite all her care to make sure that the allied forces didn't leave a single trace behind them after any attack, Thrawn and Iulius still found the base like it was nothing.
Then, the Grand Admiral had created the perfect trap, using two Interdictor cruisers to prevent any rebel ship from leaving the system. If it wasn't for Konstantine's stupidity and Ezra coming back to save the day, the Empire would have wiped out or captured everybody on the planet.
Finally, the rebel ships were no match for the imperial ones. It took Sato's sacrifice along with the carrier to destroy one Interdictor, the second had been destroyed by Ezra and his strike team on the hull, and the only light cruiser she had managed to destroy required the use of the starfighters and the death of Rake.
In her mind, the battle had been nothing less than a complete defeat...and yet, the Rebel Alliance had decided to put her in charge of everything.
'Seriously, what the hell were they thinking?' she thought angrily to herself as she hid her face between her hands, using the fingers to massage her forehead.
Could she really do this? If all those big brains of Rebel Command said so, there must have been some kind of truth, right?
She noticed that fear was taking hold of her, which wasn't good. She sat on the ground in a meditative pose, she found her center and exhaled. Searching for comfort in the Force, she found out its Will: this was the path she was supposed to walk.
She couldn't see where it would lead her, and perhaps it was better like this, as she wasn't sure to be in the right mood to receive some bad omens, as well.
If that was the will of the Force, then she would follow it. After all, as Colonel Undir pointed out, the Rebel Alliance needed a centralized military if they wanted to have any chance to win against the Empire. The divisions among the politicians would only lead to inactivity against an enemy against which speed and rapid decisions had to be taken.
But in order to take the right decisions, Jaral knew that she needed information, reliable intel to adapt the operations she had in mind.
Right now, the rebel network on Lothal had gone into hiding, considering that the fleet couldn't assist those agents anymore, and the Alliance still needed to fortify other networks around the galaxy.
However, she thought, there was someone who could give her the necessary intel. A person that already had agents infiltrated inside the Imperial war-machine, and had her own reasons to avoid the Empire.
Jaral lightened up her omni-tool and started the call.
A few seconds later, the hologram of Nimbus, aka the former Seventh Sister, appeared in front of her.
"Jaral, glad to see you're still alive." the Mirialan said with a certain relief.
"You had any doubts?" Jaral quipped.
"Honestly, I didn't know what to think. Reports about the battle on Atollon are coming into the Imperial network, but they are pretty vague. Granted, when they are like this, it means that some officer is trying to minimize his failure, but still..."
"I'm fine. But we have been driven out of Lothal entirely. Right now I'm on Krownest to help the Mandalorians with their own uprising while our fleet reorganizes. Oh, and apparently, they want me to lead the entire show."
"What do you mean?"
"Rebel Command has decided that I am to be the Grand Marshall. Right now, I'm in charge of all rebel operations and our overall strategy."
The Mirialan at first looked with barred eyes, but she quickly came around to that notion and chuckled instead.
"Congratulations, then."
"Thanks. I'm not sure how this will go, but I guess I will just have to do my best."
"So, I suppose you're calling me because you also need my help?"
"Hm, that's half truth. I want to discuss the possibility of you and your organization giving us a little more attention."
"If you're trying to recruit me, you already know my answer."
"Yes, though I didn't mean to recruit you with some speech, but with a good amount of credits."
"Go on." Nimbus said, suddenly interested.
"I know that you need money to run your operation, and to make sure bigger cartels won't swallow you up. The Rebellion might lack in armaments, but our coffers are always filled. So maybe we could hire you indefinitely...maybe with a little bit of discount?" she concluded with a grin.
Nimbus chuckled. "I see you're already a pragmatist. Very well, just because it's you, I will offer the Rebel Alliance my services at 20% less the price I would usually charge."
"Perfect. Though this will last only if you keep up your relative morality in getting info. If you start to torture or kill people en masse, it would be harder to convince the politicians to keep our ties."
"Don't worry, without the Dark Side, such things aren't that fun anymore. Besides, killing and torturing your rivals tends to draw attentions, and I don't want that."
"Marvelous. I'll put you in contact with Rebel Command once we can establish a safe channel." Jaral concluded.
"See you soon, partner." Nimbus quipped before closing the transmission.
That was a start. Jaral smiled to herself, now feeling a bit more confident in the possibility of victory.
There was still the problem represented by Thrawn, but after he failed to capture them, she figured that he would be at the very least recalled to Coruscant, meaning that the Rebellion might have had some room to regroup and organize its next move.
With her mind much more at ease, the young woman lied on the bed, slipped under the blanket and quickly fell asleep.