When we finally returned to the interior of Alpha Base, we were not led back to the dining hall, but rather to the similarly designed . Just like the dining hall, some of my team had been in this room before for the CIS negotiations, but even to those of us who had already seen it, it was still an impressive room. The outer wall was well-lit with windows that looked like they led outside, which, considering how far underground we were, must have been an illusion. The plants that grew around the room gave it a lively, fresh feel without seeming wild or untamed. It was one heck of a statement room, which was most likely why it existed on a CIS planet to begin with.

  While there was an array of light finger foods on a table separate from the central circle of chairs, it was clear that this was a meeting meant for discussion and negotiation, not eating. As we sat, so did the Rebels, the same group as before, though Luke, Wedge, and Hobbie were noticeably missing.

  Once we were all seated, Mon Mothma was the first to stand, nodding to me before looking toward each of my crew with her calm, almost expressionless face.

  "Before we begin, I would like to once again apologize for yesterday. Our intent was never to rush or pressure you in any way," She assured us. "We were caught off guard by your rapid proposal, which unexpectedly drew us into the discussion. Our intent was always to explain the situation, give you time to talk to your group and discuss your options, before finally meeting here for deliberation. To that effect, we are willing to restart negotiations completely, since the previous suggestions were made spur of the moment."

  I stared back at Mon Mothma, more than a little surprised by what she was suggesting. It was true I had made the intelligence proposal while under pressure, but offering to let me take back the deal was shocking, considering it was worth fifteen percent off their purchases from now on. It was a move I hadn't expected, and if it was actually done magnanimously, I couldn't help but respect it.

  "Thank you, Mon Mothma, I appreciate the apology and the allowances," I responded, though I remained seated. "That said, we stand by our agreed upon fifteen percent discount, in exchange for complete access to the Rebellion intelligence network."

  "I am pleased to hear that," she responded with a nod, sitting back in her chair. "Now that we have discussed yesterday, let us move on to new ideas."

  "Very well. My people and I spent quite a lot of time discussing the issue, and we have come up with a multilayered solution," I responded, leaning forward with a smile. "On top of the agreed upon fifteen percent, we offer another thirty in exchange for Nirn to be considered a political member of the Rebellion."

  "You… wish to join?" Admiral Ackbar asked, sounding confused, glancing at Mon Mothma. "I was under the impression that the Skyforged valued its independence and income too much to join us directly."

  "That is true," I agreed with a nod. "But that is not what I asked. I asked for our home planet, to join the political theater of the Rebellion, much like I am sure Mon Cal participates."

  While discussing and brainstorming the previous night, we realized that, by asking for Nirn to gain representation rather than the Skyforged, we could protect ourselves from being dragged into the Rebellion directly, while gaining the benefits of having our ambassadors or representatives working with and discussing policies with the other politicians.

  "You are correct, we do have several representatives from planets or groups that unofficially support the Rebellion," Mon Mothma agreed. "But I fail to see why the Skyforged, or Nirn for that matter, would wish to join that group."

  "Well, we would be investing quite a bit of money, in the form of a substantial discount, Mon Mothma," I responded, frowning as if I was genuinely concerned. "Surely it's understandable that we would want to see that our investment, both present and future, is worth wild."

  "And the influence of these representatives would be enforced by the continued existence of our discount," Ackbar stated rather bluntly. "An unexpected but potent maneuver, Admiral Deacon."

  "Thank you, Admiral Ackbar," I said, nodding slightly to the living legend. "We hope to use this chance to establish ourselves alongside the Rebellion. The Skyforged Vanguard and Nirn are tying its future to the future of the Rebellion."

  "We are honored with your faith, and we would be equally as honored to accept Nirn as a closer member of the Rebellion," Mon Mothma said with a smile. "Should we expect you to join us as an ambassador?"

  "No, I'm not sure that would go well," I admitted easily. "We will send our ambassadors here once they have been selected."

  "Very well, I look forward to meeting them," the Chandrila politician said with a smile. "I'm sure either Princess Leia or I will happily make time to introduce them to their new peers."

  "Thank you," I said with a nod and a smile. "Shall we continue?"

  "Of course, by all means," Princess Leia responded.

  "For the remaining five to fifteen percent, depending on the total cost of the sale, we want the split of ownership for future collaborative missions to be sixty and forty percent, rather than an even fifty-fifty. This would include future CIS raids."

  "Interesting," Admiral Ackbar responded simply, his whiskers bouncing as he leaned forward. "Are you not afraid we would simply not engage in any more collaborative missions?"

  "No, because not only would you be foolish not to assist us in striking at the Imperial targets we uncover, but forty percent of stolen Imperial equipment is still forty percent, even if we get more." I pointed out, the admiral nodding in agreement. "I am confident that my people can find targets that you will find interesting even with the uneven allocation of recovered assets. Especially with access to your intelligence network. This is what I meant when we could profit together, even if you get a slightly smaller cut."

  Mon Mothma's expression stayed calm while Admiral Ackbar, General Syndulla, and General Rieekan seemed to understand my statement a bit more.

  "I would like to make a clear statement, however, as we have reached the end of the first layer of our demands," I said, giving each of the Rebel Leaders an unmistakable look before resting on Mon Mothma. "We are not comfortable with lowering our prices below sixty percent, no matter the cost. We are, of course, open to further negotiations on specific trades and other offers to further lower the amount of credits each trade costs, but I cannot lower it beyond that. My people rely on us to make a profit, and without that, I cannot pay my people, grow my colony, maintain my fleet, or grow my forces."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I understand, and we thank you for your generosity," Mon Mothma said with a smile. "However, I do find myself curious as to what this second layer you mentioned is."

  "Fair enough. I simply wanted to make certain the limits of this deal were discussed," I explained with a nod, leaning back in my chair. "As my people were discussing the ramifications of giving such a steep discount to our greatest customers, it became obvious that this could not be just simple charity."

  I paused, primarily for dramatic effect, but also to take a sip of coffee, which Ahsoka had kindly gotten for me as we initially sat down.

  "This is an investment in the future of this galaxy, a bet that someday the Rebellion will defeat the Empire," I continued. "All of this will irrevocably connect us to your war, despite the fact that our forces do not fall under your umbrella, which makes us an even bigger target than we already are."

  "And what does all of that mean, exactly?" Princess Leia asked, her eyes narrowed.

  "It means that if we are taking such a massive risk on an investment, it is only fair we see returns when the venture succeeds," I explained, tapping my finger lightly on the table. "If the Rebellion fails, we will likely fall with you. But if you succeed, if our investment pays off, then should we not be rewarded?"

  "Reward? For fighting against the Empire?" General Rieekan asked, his face stuck between a frown and a scowl. "None of our people would be so lucky."

  "No, rewards for sacrificing our bottom line to give you a better chance so that you can I explained, giving the General a stern look. "And don't pretend that each of you doesn't stand to be heavily rewarded if the Rebellion succeeds. It may not be you fight, but I doubt any of you will suddenly slink away to live as a hard-working farmer, just because the Empire is gone. No, each of you will be standing as honored members of a new republic, with more power than ever."

  "While I acknowledge you would be making sacrifices, sacrifices we are asking you to make on our behalf, what sort of reward are you looking for?" Mon Mothma asked. "There is much we cannot just give away."

  "Nothing complicated. We are cutting our prices, so we simply ask you to reimburse us for the difference," I explained with a shrug. "We would keep track of how much money we are cutting off each ship, and at a certain point, set in a contract between the Skyforged and whatever comes next, signed by you and as many Rebel leaders as you can get, you would be obligated to pay that back."

  "We have been negotiating for a discount," General Syndulla pointed out. "Not an IOU."

  "You said yourselves, you absolutely hate the fact that you were once again asking me to make an exception and take on an unfair deal," I pointed out, leaning forward, my elbows on the table as I steepled my fingers. "Well, here is how we avoid that. Reimbursing us once the war is over would mean this deal is no longer begging for a discount but an amicable deal between partners."

  Mon Mothma was silent, and while she remained calm, I could see her internally chewing on my words, trying to find a way to deny my statement, despite it being entirely true. Rather than give her a chance to respond, I continued after just a short pause.

  "On top of that, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that, while we have been negotiating for the percentages, nothing of what we asked for is costing you anything," I pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Your intelligence network already existed. With our deal, you are simply sharing the information you would have already gathered. Your internal political system already exists as well. We are simply asking to be a part of it. And finally, the ten percent shift in the split of recovered assets is all about hypothetical earnings that, without our help, you would have never gotten access to anyway. You wouldn't be an extra ten percent of anything, you would be forty."

  "You mentioned that our contract would trigger at 'a certain point,'" Princess Leia asked. "Do you have something in mind?"

  "That is something we can decide together," I assured her. "My people suggested that we set the date to a certain time after the establishment of an official government, plus the death of Emperor Palpatine, to keep it from triggering too early. This is meant to be a process of reimbursement once the war is over, not a way to screw over the Rebellion. That said, I am open to negotiating for other points in time."

  "Debating the finer points of when the contract would trigger would be rather pointless, we haven't agreed to anything," General Rieekan pointed out.

  "That is true," I accepted, before looking around expectantly.

  "While I do not disagree with the idea, I worry about how quickly the number will increase," Mon Mothma responded, after silently considering everything for a long moment. "If you consistently bring in new ships, equipment, and supplies, it won't take long until that number becomes quite significant."

  "If it does, it's only because we are supplying greater quantities of what you need to increase the size of the Rebellion," I pointed out. "But, if it concerns you, we could add a more significant time delay to let things stabilize sufficiently. Six months? Eight? We are also open to a slight reduction in credits, as opposed to a complete one-to-one exchange."

  For a long moment, Mon Mothma looked straight at me, as if trying to study my intent through my eyes. Finally, after a good few seconds, she glanced at Admiral Ackbar, who gave her a subtle nod. Letting out a long breath, she finally nodded.

  "With the right numbers and assurances… This is something we could agree to," Mon Mothma finally said.

  "Fantastic. Let's start by deciding the numbers connected to the credits," I suggested. "If we can't agree on those numbers, the rest are rather pointless."

  That began a negotiation process that took another two hours. We pushed back and forth, altered numbers, and adjusted percentages over and over, working out a deal that would be acceptable to both parties. I pretended to be annoyed when they asked for a few things, eventually dickering for this or that. Little did they know that simply agreeing to the premise was almost enough for me to get what I wanted. I planned on putting them deep in our debt, delivering ships and supplies as fast as they could accept them. The Rebellion would thrive, and our influence on its policies would rise with every credit they owed us.

  In the end, we agreed that the Rebellion would owe us ninety percent of every credit we discounted for them. They would also owe a yearly interest rate of two percent the contract is triggered and twelve percent per year As I suggested, the contract wouldn't activate until both the creation or reactivation of a government succeeding or competing with the Empire, and the death of Emperor Palpatine. After both of those qualifiers had been met, they had six months to pay before the first full twelve percent interest was due. After that, it would be a full year. This was actually something they argued forto separate the before and after interest rates. While this guaranteed the twelve percent would be due in exactly six months, it also prevented the possibility of the first twelve percent coming due too quickly, without giving them a chance to pay it off.

  They could technically choose to delay payment as much as they wanted, but they would incur the interest rate to do so, which was fine by me. I was happy to maintain the power the debt would give us for as long as possible.

  In all honesty, the entire concept was a win-win for us. If the Rebellion held on to the debt, I got to shave it down over time for favors and influence. If they paid it all off at once, I got to explosively expand the Skyforged by throwing the whole investment right back into it.

  In the end, we shook hands on the final agreement before having a contract written up. When it was done, everyone signed it, leaving space for several other members of the Rebellion. Both Mon Mothma and Princess Leia smiled happily, imagining that they had brought another group to the table with what was essentially a simple trade agreement.

  Within two hours of signing the agreement, my team and I had all piled back onto the Despite having a short break during our travel time, we were more than ready to finally get back home and decompress. Once we were on board our ship, it didn't take long for Calima to pull off the landing pad with our final destination set to Nirn.