Summary: Once the Jedi Order was a strong embodiment of the Republic's very nature, now it is an order with dwindling numbers scattered across the galaxy. In the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War, dark forces converge once again and it will be up to an outcast, Kaelan Nalto, to bring stability to a shattered galaxy. But with mixed feelings towards both groups, which faction will claim victory?
I'm trying my hand in this era for a change, let me know what you think.
Chapter I: Command Decision
Against the blackness of outer space, on the fringes of the known galaxy, two forces were locked in a savage confrontation. Green and blue fire lanced from the weapon systems of starships, impacting into shields and armour plating as the combatants unleashed devastating broadsides and frontal assaults with heavy turbolaser and laser cannon batteries. Previously stable crescent and line formations were starting to break and one side found themselves on the defensive.
"Stay the course!" The barked command resounded throughout the bridge of the Hammerhead class cruiser Devastator, a nearby console emitting a shower of sparks as the power grid on the bulbous craft took a direct hit. Despite the beating the ship was taking, Jedi Knight Kaelan Nalto stood firm in his effort to push the aggressors back. "Siphon whatever excess energy is still available and route it to the forward turbolaser capacitors!"
"But General," Lieutenant Mala protested from her console at the front of the bridge, pausing as the capital ship rocked from another series of hits, "The thermal build-up could disable the forward armament!"
"I'm aware of the risks Lieutenant," Kaelan responded sharply, "But we came here to trap the Mandalorians, not the other way around. Do it!"
"Aye sir," The Republic officer conceded, her fingers dancing across her display board. "Diverting power from secondary systems and charging capacitors. I'll need a minute to bypass the damaged power conduits, stand by."
His hazel eyes flicked toward the transparisteel glass of the bridge viewport, the sight of four Kyramud-class Mandalorian warships advancing in a single line greeted the Republic General's vision. The capital class ships of the Mandalorian fleet, Kyramud class vessels were heavily armoured ships, with armour plating so thick it almost functioned like a second shield generator. The craft's shape resembled a serpent coiled back, reflecting the personality of its builders, a species always preparing to strike. The group confronting the Jedi's task force had broken off from the main battle site on the edge of Malachor V's gravity field, their turbolasers trading fire with the Devastator and its two Foray-class blockade runner escorts, pressing their attack on the Republic's flanks.
Kaelan scowled, a hand moving through his closely shaven brown hair, his own battlegroup's systems had been damaged before the battle had even started, a result from the fierce fighting on Dxun. Unfortunately, damaged systems were not an isolated problem. Recent engagements at Taris and Duro had left the rest of the fleet in the same predicament. With little to no intervals in-between battles, repairs had to be conducted manually, without use of a dry dock. Even the most skilled technicians could only do so much in so small a time span, leaving ships with their scars, from impaired reactors to weakened hull integrity.
"General?" Shaking his head to dispel his thoughts, the Jedi General turned to regard the one who'd spoken. Bao-Dur, a Zabrak engineer and personal friend of his, with the rank insignia of Lieutenant, regarded him with a look of worry. "We'll have to push the Mandalorians back to Malachor V if this is going to work."
Kaelan shot a small-smile to his friend, "Never fear Bao-Dur. I already have a plan." The Republic General turned to the COM officer, his hand gripping the edge of a tactical board to keep himself steady while more enemy fire impacted into the cruiser's already weakened shields. "Signal the Vanguard, tell Captain Lomax to divert on course two-zero-zero mark five-one, parabolic trajectory."
"Yes sir," The COM operator said in acknowledgement, relaying the message to the battlegroup's sister Hammerhead.
"General," Mala called from her station, "Power routing is complete. Capacitors are now operating at 130 percent of maximum. Thermal build-up is rising, I estimate five minutes until it exceeds maximum tolerance."
"Understood Lieutenant," The Jedi set his eyes narrowing at the Mandalorian ships in front, "Target the life support systems of the closest Kyramud." He waited until the tactical officer reported a lock, "Fire at will!"
Heavy bolts erupted from the newly enhanced forward batteries on the Devastator, impacting into the bottom fore of the targeted Mandalorian cruiser. Its shields flared a bright blue at the impact, but with more bolts following the first volley, the protective screen only lasted for a few more seconds until it extinguished entirely, leaving the remaining fire to shred through the enemy cruiser. Armour plating quickly gave way under the onslaught, leaving the discharging munitions to breach the hull itself.
With the cruiser's protection stripped away, the amplified energy blasts continued to riddle the cruiser. Piece by piece, the hull started to fail on the enemy ship, venting gas the only outward sign of the severe damage it had taken. Kyramud cruisers were designed to take a punishment, but the concentrated fire from the Hammerhead warship was dealing out a bombardment that put the protective specifications to shame. Another burst of fire from the Devastator disabled the cruiser's stabilizers, sending the thoroughly damaged ship in a downward spiral, away from the skirmish still raging above it.
A slight smile adorned Kaelan's expression at the sight of the disabled cruiser; small whoops erupted from the bridge crew as their own gaze fell on the disabled Mandalorian vessel. The feelings of elation were short lived however; the remaining three ships switched their attention to the Devastator. But while worry tinged through the officers and crewman at their stations, their Jedi commander only smiled wider.
"New course," Kaelan barked, pausing as the capital ship shook from retaliatory strikes, "Come about to three-zero mark one-two-six."
"Uh sir," The navigation officer stated uncertainly, glancing back at his superior, "That course will take us—"
"In-between the two lead Kyramuds," The Jedi finished. "I know. You have your orders Ensign."
"Aye sir," The naval officer's fingers swept across his display board, inputting the numbers he'd been given. "Course laid in."
"Full ahead."
The Devastator shot forward, its previous half speed rising to full power, sending the capital ship accelerating toward the Mandalorian line. Their opponents seemed to hesitate at the action, answering fire lessened as the enemy gunners tried to make sense of such a manoeuvre. Though their hesitation was brief, it gave the Hammerhead-class vessel enough time to swerve to its new line of attack. Forward batteries on both sides opened fire, green and blue met in a cataclysmic swirl, the energy blast impacts flared against shielding and armour plating alike.
"Target the shields of the two cruisers," Kaelan called while he continued to calmly observe the enemy ships in front of him, "Weaken them as much as possible. Inform our Foray escort to concentrate on the third vessel."
Answering acknowledgements from both the tactical and COM officer answered the General's order, the former relaying the orders to the ship's gunner coordinators while the latter sent a transmission to the two Foray ships in the rear. A few moments passed before the forward turbolasers began to fire on the ventral section of the closest Kyramud, a section that housed the ship's shield generator. While the equipment itself was buried beneath layers of armour plating, short bursts of fire ensured that every bolt was as close to the target as possible, leaving the energy blasts to peel apart the durasteel coverings.
"Sir, capacitors are approaching the red line," Mala frantically called to her Jedi leader. "Thermal build-up will reach critical levels in thirty seconds."
"Time to coordinates?" Kaelan asked, not bothering to do anything about the capacitors yet.
"At present speed, ten seconds sir." The navigation officer responded after a quick glance at his display.
As the Devastator moved closer to the Kyramud fleet, the Hammerhead cruiser was slowly passing out of the firing arc of the Mandalorian battlegroup's forward batteries. The enemy seemed to realize it as well; thrusters on the battleships were used to get the vessels to turn into an attack position. A small grin found its way onto the Jedi's face, as the opposing ships began to rotate, though too late.
Four more bursts of fire resounded from the forward batteries on both sides before the fire ceased, the Mandalorian's from a bad angle and the Devastator because of its capacitors. "Mala, shut down the capacitors and initialize emergency coolant procedures." The Jedi's voice echoed throughout the bridge, his tone portraying an urgency that was reflected in the performance of those who received his commands. "Port and starboard gunners standby for broadside assault." The Jedi waited until the tactical officer reported they were in range, "All cannons, fire!"
The five dual rapid-fire laser cannons on each side of the Hammerhead class warship unleashed their payload not long after. Green bolts impacted into the sides of the wounded Mandalorian warships, tearing away the armour that still remained. While not as powerful as the forward turbolasers, the high rate of fire with the smaller laser cannons came close to making up for it. Even so, Kaelan knew he wouldn't be able to defeat a single Kyramud class battleship with such a tactic, let alone two.
But that was never his plan.
While the two Foray-class ships held the attention of the third Kyramud and the Devastator distracted the remaining two, the Vanguard was left to continue its course towards the rear of the enemy line. Its forward turbolasers quickly came to bear on the Mandalorian warship under attack by the Foray-class vessels. The first volleys of fire tore through the battleship's rear deflectors; the Mandalorians had routed power to their forward shields, leaving their flank severely weakened. Heavy energy blasts burned through the battleship's armour plating, destroying the many systems that lied beneath. Thoroughly disabled and unable to fight, the Kyramud battleship drifted in space, all of its systems down from a combination of enemy fire and power failures. The Mandalorians onboard recognized the fate that awaited them. Rather than slowly asphyxiate, however, they activated the self-destruct, as honour demanded. The reactor overload split the vessel in half while a blue shockwave exploded outward toward its Republic attackers.
The Vanguard and the two Foray ships had already moved to the next target however. Years of experience had left them with a thorough understanding of the Mandalorian code so they showed no restraint, no mercy. Such feelings had led to the needless deaths of a great many Republic soldiers early in the war, leaving the Republic to recognize that they would need to adopt the Mandalorian's principles in order to defeat them. Captain Lomax was one such officer who fully believed in such a doctrine, as did his crew. The Vanguard's commander watched through narrowed eyes while the Hammerhead and Foray class vessels dealt out a combined bombardment on the second to last Kyramud's starboard flank.
Hammered from both the port and starboard sides, the shields quickly failed on the Mandalorian capital ship, leaving the durasteel armour to boil away as Republic energy blasts shredded the battleship's flanks. The capital ship's reactor was inadvertently hit during the violent exchange of turbolaser and laser cannon blasts, triggering an explosion that tore the craft's hull apart. The once formidable battleship was reduced to nothing more than large pieces of debris.
While Captain Lomax and his group were far enough away to avoid being affected by the ship's explosion, the Devastator was not so fortunate. The Hammerhead's shields flared a bright blue, the protective screen shielding the vessel from both the explosion and the debris that impacted into its side. Though the shields held, the craft still shook from the jarring force of the impacts. Jedi Nalto gripped a tactical display as he hauled himself back to his feet, Bao-Dur and some of the other crewman doing the same. "Damage report!"
"Port shields are down to ten percent," Mala reported as she ran a diagnostic on ship systems, "Power conduits B3 to C6 are offline. That puts our total energy levels at forty percent of optimum sir."
Kaelan grimaced at the Lieutenant's report. With power levels so low, there would barley be enough power to sustain critical systems, making it a stretch to sustain the Hammerhead's combat functionality. "Understood Lieutenant, dispatch repair teams to deck two and ask for volunteers to repair the power conduits."
Mala sent back her acknowledgement while Kaelan looked to the last enemy ship. Outside the viewports on the right side of the bridge, the sight of green flashes could be seen impacting into the Kyramud's hull. While the bow of the Devastator was clear of the Mandalorian ship's port turbolasers, Kaelan could still see blue bolts targeting the stern of his ship. The Jedi stretched out with the Force, probing the hull of the enemy vessel. A slight grin framed the Jedi's features and he moved towards the forward stations, his brown cloak billowing as he moved. "Excuse me Ensign," The Jedi spoke in a light tone, his form hovering over the Devastator's tactical officer.
Months of serving under the General let the junior officer know that his superior wouldn't request or order anything without reason, so he moved aside without a word. The Jedi inputted a string of new spatial coordinates into the terminal, the tactical officer raising his eyebrows at the pinpoint accuracy the coordinates gave. He shrugged off his musings as quickly as they came, however, and sat back at his station once the General was done.
"You may commence firing Ensign," Kaelan spoke with a bit of amusement, the officer's surprise having not been lost to the Force Sensitive.
"Aye sir," The Ensign stated as he relayed the coordinates to the starboard gunner coordinator along with a standing fire at will command.
The order to fire was given by the coordinator as soon as his gunners confirmed a lock. The laser cannons on the Hammerhead's side had rotated to face their new line of attack and were now discharging towards the centre of the Mandalorian battleship instead of the stern. Firing the laser cannons as rapidly as their design would allow, the gunners were able to ensure that the ensuring payload made short work of their target.
Kaelan gazed at the last Kyramud, not having to wait long before seeing the results of his work firsthand. The coordinates he'd entered into the tactical officer's station pointed to a precise location on the hull, a small gap in the centre of the vessel where the armour plating had been completely stripped, exposing the battleship's fire control centre. The rapid firing laser cannons impacted into the bare hull of the enemy ship, obliterating the targeting sensors on the Mandalorian capital ship. Attempted answering fire came in the form of blue bolts firing on seemingly randomized vectors, the gunners now unable to direct the craft's weapon systems, turning the once powerful weaponry into little more than a light show.
Even with disabled targeting systems, however, the Mandalorians weren't ones to surrender.
The Kyramud turned towards its aggressor and moved with as much speed as it could muster, its heading pointing it towards the bow of the Devastator. "The view on our starboard side seems to be obstructed," Kaelan spoke to the tactical officer with a grin, his eyes locked on the incoming enemy warship. "Kindly remove it from my sight Ensign."
"With pleasure sir."
The Devastator's starboard batteries swerved to target the bow of the Mandalorian battleship, green laser blasts impacted against the remaining armour on the ship. Captain Lomax had ordered both the Vanguard and the two Foray-class ships closer as soon as the second last Kyramud had been destroyed, putting the battlegroup into attack range by the time the Devastator resumed firing. The combined firepower of the small task force turned the already battered enemy ship into a derelict in less than a minute.
With the immediate threat to the battlegroup eliminated, Kaelan switched his attention to the battle itself. His eyes moved back to the central viewport, the distant flashes of both enemy and friendly fire setting him on edge. The Jedi's eyes fell on the tactical display board showing updated holographic feed of the current battle raging above Malachor V. Far from a fan of the 'leading from the rear' policy, Kaelan strongly believed a commander either led from the front, or not at all. For a man of such practise, the Jedi found the current methods more than a little distasteful. If his current orders to remain at a certain distance from Malachor, with a select section of the fleet, hadn't come from Revan himself, Kaelan wouldn't have hesitated to disobey. As it was, he simply continued leading the Second Line, a collection of ships responsible for providing support fire and reinforcing weak points in the primary line.
A scan of the tactical board showed a weakness still apparent in the lead formation's right flank. The line that was supposed to be straight was now curved at a downward angle, turning the previous line formation in one of half-circle proportion. If such a weakness continued, the section would collapse, giving the enemy amble opportunity to sweep around and attack the primary line's rear flank. The Mandalorians were aware of this too, more ships were converging on the weak point in the Republic line.
"Bring the ship about," Kaelan called while he still gazed at the tactical map, a gentle touch with his finger in a specific section displayed a string of numbers. "Target coordinates two-three-six mark seven-one."
"Two-three-six mark seven-one," The navigation officer repeated, "Aye sir."
The Devastator turned to move along its new vector, a heading toward the heart of the conflict. Mandalorian ships were steadily advancing, it was their last stand above Malachor, and they knew it. Thousands of ships traded fire with each other, the entire number of forces on both sides gathered in a single sector of the galaxy. Squadrons of fighters engaged in fierce dogfights, each side attempting to keep the other away from their ships. Boarding craft were the primary target of frigates, laser batteries locked onto the bulky vessels. Discharging blasts tore through the armour plating in seconds, vaporizing both the craft and the occupants within. Capital ships fired their weapon systems as fast as their specifications would allow. The sheer number of turbolaser blasts created flashes bright enough that, were other ships passing through, they would've mistaken it for a nebula disuprtion.
Despite the damage the Republic fleet had taken, they were still standing firm, but an officer of Kaelan's years knew that even the most disciplined of soldiers could be pushed back, as the Republic Navy slowly was. "What's the status of the forward battery capacitors?" Kaelan's query was directed toward Lieutenant Mala.
"The coolant process needs another four minutes sir."
The Jedi nodded in understanding, with the forward batteries offline, a frontal assault was out of the question. "Looks like we'll need to resort to more…unconventional methods," Kaelan spoke to himself, a smirk stretching across his lips as a plan formed in his mind. Though there was one factor he needed to consider, "Bao-Dur, what's the estimated range of the weapon?"
The Republic General specifically avoided naming the super-weapon placed on Malachor V's surface. While the majority in the fleet knew that a trap had been set for the Mandalorians, only a select handful were privy to the exact nature of the trap. Bao-Dur, having created the weapon, was one such person. The Zabrak engineer moved to stand beside his general, gauging the projected radius of the device's detonation. Several seconds later a repulsor arm traced a large radius around the current battle zone, stopping just five kilometres short of the Devastator's new trajectory. "That's as good a guess as I can give you General."
Kaelan nodded in response, though he spared his friend a sideways glance. "How's the arm?"
The Zabrak's gaze unconsciously switched to his right arm. Rather than see an appendage of flesh and blood however, his eyes were met with the sight of a metal hand connected to his right elbow through the means of a shimmering blue repulsor field. Installing the Mass Shadow Generator on Malachor's surface had meant sending in a strike team ahead of the fleet. On orders from General Revan, Kaelan and Bao-dur had moved planetside to install the weapon at the target sight. No resistance was expected as the world was a taboo in the Mandalorian culture. The slaves the Mandalorians had acquired in their conquests, however, had been stationed in their stead.
Fierce skirmishes had dragged on, and by the time the group reached the target site the original platoon had become little more than a squad in number. After setting up the weapon, the squad retreated back to their extraction point. On the last push to the objective, they were ambushed one last time. Bao-Dur and Kaelan met their foes head on and had been making amble progress until Bao-Dur found himself separated from his friend. A Mandalorian trained slave had charged the Zabrak with a vibroblade, catching the blaster equipped engineer off guard and striking with enough force to sever his arm. Though the General had been able to carry Bao-Dur out to see the rest of his troops to safety, he still felt responsible for his friend losing his arm.
Bao-Dur knew as much and he looked away from his repulsor arm and to his commander and friend. "It's fine General, no worries." A grin stretched across his face, "Besides, now I'll always have something to modify."
Kaelan only offered as slight smile in response.
"General," The navigation officer reported, "We're approaching the target coordinates."
"Very good Lieutenant," The Jedi responded while he redirected his attention to the tactical board. The closest Mandalorian ships hammering away at their weakened flank were just a kilometre away. "Order Captain Lomax to hold here with the Foray ships and prepare to bombard spatial coordinates eight-five-five mark six-three-two."
"Sir, there are no enemy ships in that sector!" The Devastator's tactical operator called in confusion, briefly glancing at the Jedi leader over his shoulder.
"Not yet Ensign," Kaelan admonished sharply, continuing before any more comments could be voiced. "Move along course two-six-two mark one-four-four."
Knowing their Jedi General had a taste for unorthodox tactics in the heat of battle, no more comments were voiced as the officers carried out their instructions. The Devastator moved along a new course, one that would take the warship alongside the Mandalorian ships making another push on the right flank. "Diver power to port shields and capacitors," The Jedi waited for Mala's confirmation before continuing, "Target the closest assault ship and fire at will."
With the power levels on the Devastator so low, the most the port shields and capacitors could be charged to was just five percent over maximum. While the increase would help, it would be insufficient for the Devastator to inflict anything more than minor damage on the Mandalorian vessels. Something the warriors were quick to notice, two warships had already broken off their attack and were baring down on the lone Hammerhead cruiser in their midst.
The Mandalorian ships moved closer to their mark, their heavy batteries firing an array of both turbolasers and concussion missiles. The missiles were a relatively new weapon designed after the Great Hyperspace War. Answering to a direct call from the many naval officers for heavier firepower, the missiles were fitted with a high concentration of energy stored in several packs located throughout the casing. On impact the payload riddled a target's defences and while they were primarily opted for use against shields, they were just as effective against armour plating as well, causing more damage than a single turbolaser bolt. The ordnance was generally reserved for the more heavily armed classes of capital ships or, in the case of the Mandalorians, the majority of their fleet.
"Target those missiles!" The General's warning was answered instantly, the Hammerhead's laser cannons rotated to fire at the incoming threat. Two-thirds of the explosive ordnance were eliminated by the rapid firing lasers, leaving the missiles that connected with their target to only make the cruiser's shields flicker for a brief moment, a flickering that intensified for several seconds from the follow-up turbolaser blasts. "Lock onto their forward cannons," Kaelan spoke as soon as the last missile had impacted into his ship, "Unleash upon them!"
The final roaring statement from their ship's commander raised the despairing spirits of those around him, giving them a determination to continue forward they so desperately needed. The Devastator's laser cannons targeted the incoming enemy ships once again, attempting to counter the threat of turbolasers. While every energy blast scored a hit against the bows of two Mandalorian assault ships, it was clear that even with the laser cannon capacitors enhanced, the Devastator still lacked the firepower necessary to bring down the shields. The hammerhead's tactical officer confirmed as much, reporting that the lead enemy's shields had only lost five percent of their strength.
"Sir," The COM officer asked, his voice tinging with apprehension upon hearing the tactical officer's report, "Shall I give the Vanguard the order?"
"Not yet," The Jedi Knight answered in defiance, "I did not take this ship as my flagship without reason. Bring their shields down by another ten percent; show the Mandalorians why my ship is named the Devastator!"
Answering fire continued from the lone Republic cruiser, earning them a strong respect from their Mandalorian foes as they returned the favour. The heavier bolts of the Mandalorian ships impacted into the sleek side of the Hammerhead class vessel, wreaking havoc on its already damaged protective screen. '
"General, our shields are taking a beating; they're down to twenty percent!"
The Jedi's eyes narrowed at Mala's report, even with the shields down, he wasn't about to withdraw. "Take all deflectors offline and recharge the generator, that will bring them back to full power."
His calm command to leave the ship defenceless in the middle of a firefight did not go unchallenged. Several crewmen snapped their heads to their leader with wide eyes, though Mala was the first to put the fear in words. "Sir, a full recharging cycle takes fifty seconds, we'll be vulnerable!"
"Twenty percent shielding won't do us much could for long," Kaelan explained quickly, "Better to have some power remaining for recharge then none. Get our bow pointed at them, standby to transfer all available power to the capacitors!"
"Aye sir," Mala replied as she hurried to carry out her orders.
Several seconds passed by while she prepared to take the shields down and route power to the forward turbolaser capacitors. The navigation officer used that time to angle the ship to its new line of attack, by the time Mala reported that she was ready to drop the shields, the Hammerhead was already facing its enemies. The Jedi General paused to let the cruiser's protective screen absorb one last volley before giving the order, "Drop shields!" His slowly shouted command warranted no argument from the others, even though many of them were extremely apprehensive as Mala keyed in a simple command.
The shields on the Republic warship extinguished, the recharging cycle in the shield generator activating in order to recharge the emitters. What energy wasn't being used to power critical systems was siphoned to the forward capacitors, until the energy levels were at a hundred percent. As soon as the forward batteries had power, the Devastator's gunners opened fire. The Mandalorian battleships followed suit, sending bolt after bolt toward their foe. Green and blue bolts each found their specific target. But while Mandalorian shields absorbed the turbolasers aimed at them, the Devastator no longer had such a luxury. Answering commands from the navigation officer, the cruiser's emergency thrusters fired to move away from the incoming energy blasts. Still, a capital ship was only manoeuvrable to a certain extent, and the navigation officer only succeeded in evading a handful of the bolts before the rest found their mark.
The ship shook with a force unlike anything the crew had experienced yet, those who had been standing found themselves down on the floor and even those were seated at their stations were forced to hold on as the bolts tore through the warship's armour, armour exceedingly close to the bridge itself. Kaelan was the first to pull himself back to his feet, quickly extending a hand to assist Bao-Dur.
"Armour plating is down to forty percent sir, The tactical officer reported after running a quick diagnostic on the cruiser. "We'll be able to survive one more volley, but beyond that…" The junior officer trailed off, unwilling to consider what would happen if two enemy ships assaulted an unprotected Hammerhead class ship.
Despite the under current of rage coursing through the Republic General at the Mandalorians, he was still aware of the extreme danger that accompanied his original order. "Contact the Vanguard," Kaelan said as he turned to face the COM officer, "Tell Captain Lomax he may commence firing." The Jedi turned back to the forward viewport once the officer sent his acknowledgement. "Recharge cycle?"
"Twenty seconds," Mala reported, forcibly tearing her eyes away from the viewport to look at her console.
Out of ideas, the Jedi Knight could only watch as the Devastator continued to trade fire with the enemy assault ships. Each hit against the Hammerhead cruiser forced the bridge crew to hold on, both to their will to stay and fight and to whatever console was available to keep themselves from falling over. The Mandalorian guns were slowly peeling away the last protective layer on the Republic warship, each bolt bringing the vessel closer to a hull breach. All Kaelan could do was encourage those under his command to stand firm and look to their stations, a command that, to the Jedi's slight surprise, seemed to be obeyed.
Mala reported that the armour plating was starting to buckle, still, Kaelan stood impassively, his gaze never wavering from the enemy. Just as the Mandalorian ships were about to fire again, a flurry of bolts tore through their starboard side. The bridge crew on the Devastator emitted a combination of relieved sighs and cheers as they watched one of the assault ships turn to face its attacker even while a continuous stream of green fire hounded the warship. The remaining vessel's crew seemed unsure whether to continue firing on the enemy cruiser in its midst or assist its sister ship and fire on the distant Republic group. Kaelan didn't wait to see what their choice would be, "Target their reactor, all batteries fire!"
Both the command and execution were done in quick succession, the forward tubrolasers on the Devastator opened fire once more. The discharging heavy bolts covering a single spot on the assault ship, in an effort to both bring the shields down faster and target the reactor of the enemy ship. The sudden barrage forced the Mandalorians to make a decision and answering fire quickly followed the Devastator's bombardment. A grimace shot through all of those present on the bridge of the Hammerhead vessel with the sight of the all too familiar blue bolts moving toward their ship. The shields were still offline and Kaelan was quite sure that his flagship's forward armour wouldn't be able to survive another volley. "Mala," He spoke firmly, his voice and posture both portraying a calmness that did not reflect how he was feeing inside. "Recharging status?"
"Seven seconds," The system analyst responded, her voice sounding shaky.
The feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her turn her head to look at the source. A slight smile from her Jedi General met her gaze and she found herself turning back to her station, feeling a steely resolve unmatched from anything she had ever felt before. Her hand hovered over the cruiser's activation, waiting for three more seconds before hitting a single button her console. The shields of the Hammerhead cruiser pulsed back to life instantly, the protective screen reinitializing just in time to absorb the blue bolts that would otherwise have impacted dangerously close to the bridge.
With the cruiser's shields back online and their attackers numbers now thinned, the Republic flagship, even moderately damaged, proved to be too much for the Mandalorian assault ship. It didn't take long for the Hammerhead's turbolaser batteries to shred through already weakened shielding and armour plating. The reactor was hit soon after and the heavily armed vessel shattered in a brilliant flash of blue, its once sturdy hull reduced to various fragments drifting in space. Captain Lomax and the two Foray-class ships had rejoined Kaelan by then, having dealt with the other assault ship just before the Devastator.
Kaelan moved back to the tactical board, pleased to note that the other Republic ships were inspired by his performance and were now pushing forward with a vigour that pressed the design specifications of their respective ships to the limit. The General ordered his task force to reform at the head of the Second Line, while his gaze switched back to the holographic representation of the fire storm raging above Malachor V. With the right flank secure, the Primary Line was free to continue its assault, but the Jedi knew all that he had really done was bought them time. Even though they outnumbered the Mandalorians, their ships were weak and they didn't have enough numbers to compensate for such a short coming. Despite the deep resolve imbedded into the minds of every Republic soldier, the tide of battle was turning in the favour of their enemies.
The General's hazel irises scanned the board at every angle, looking for a gap n the Mandalorian's lines or another discernible weakness he could send his battlegroup to exploit. Even with a strategic and tactical mind eclipsed only by Malak and Revan, Kaelan could find no such solution. He strongly doubted if even Revan could find such a solution. Still, even in the brink of chaos, there was always a way. The Republic General realized there was no viable alternative, steeling himself for what needed to be done. He turned to Bao-Dur standing not two metres from his right. The eyes of the two friends met, with Kaelan glancing at him for the longest amount of time he had ever spared anyone in his life, his command to proceed emitted in the form of a single nod. The Zabrak engineer nodded in response and moved to one of the communication consoles. The opening of a broadband COM signal and the inputting of a single string of encrypted code was all it took to bring a close to the Mandalorian Wars.
Kaelan moved back to stand at the front of the bridge after watching Bao-Dur move off, he had to see the results of his command, to not do so felt like a disgrace to those that had been sentenced to death. Standing perfectly still, the Jedi watched as a bright flash erupted from Malachor, its gravitational pull magnifying to a percentage never before seen in stellar history. All of the ships within Bao-Dur's projected range, all of the warships that composed the Primary Line and the vast majority of their Mandalorian aggressors were pulled in along with it. Ship after ship either collided with the planet's surface or had its hull sheared from the singular strength of the gravitational pull.
The Jedi, once standing stone still, fell to his knees, the sound of thousands of screams echoing through the Force.
TTTT
With a great start, Kaelan Nalto jerked awake, a previously holstered blaster pistol now gripped strongly in his right hand. Wide brown eyes surveyed the immediate surroundings, the sound of his heavy breathing the only thing he could hear. Taking deep breaths to entice some form of calm in his racing mind, Kaelan holstered his pistol when he realized it was a just another nightmare. He removed himself from the warmth of a therma blanket, his form now exposed to the cool morning air he had started to grow accustomed to in the southern hemisphere of Eriadu. Letting out another deep breath, the Jedi tried to calm his fraying nerves. Thinking of Malachor only served to unnerve him. It wasn't so much the battle itself as it was the last two minutes of it, the sight of all the those ships plummeting into the planetoid and the screams…
Growling in anger, Kaelan shrugged off his useless musings, what was done was done, now he had to concentrate on the future. Since his subsequent exile from the Jedi Order following his appearance at Coruscant after Malachor, such a belief was all the more important. He didn't want to think about those things anymore, all he wanted to do now was keep himself occupied. And to keep moving, Kaelan thought as he gazed out at the seemingly limitless stretch of grassy plains, hills, and rock faces before him, always moving. The Exile had lost track of the planets he'd visited, he never stayed in any one place for more than three weeks. Past that time, Kaelan began to feel familiar with his surroundings and so his usually alert mind would reminisce on past events he never wanted to think about.
The former Jedi didn't just stay and admire the local attractions on visited planets, however. He lent his skills to local governments and contractors, working as either an explorer, scout, or surveyor. His current assignment outside Eriadu City, the planetary capital, called for the latter. The local government was interested in expanding their resource operations and they had several sites marked out, three of which had been assigned to Kaelan. He was now moving to the last site and there was only a distance of a few kilometres left to cover and, knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, Kaelan felt it best he head out now, the sooner he moved along the better.
The ex-Jedi turned his gaze away from distant landscapes and toward his immediate surroundings. He had constructed a small camp site just before he had retired and it consisted of only an air-mattress and therma blanket, a small fire –whose flames had decreased over the night and had been replaced by dying embers- , a swoop, and his own personal gear. The swoop was a repulsorlift vehicle so named for the repulsors positioned in the bottom of the vehicle that enabled its fast method of propulsion, by allowing it to hover above the ground. Kaelan's particular model featured a streamlined design, with elongated stabilizers on the front and rear that looked like giant blades. The vehicle had been provided to him by his employer and Kaelan was grateful for not having to rent one himself, though he had been forewarned that he would have to pay for it if he damaged it in any way.
Kaelan's personal gear had changed dramatically since his time as a Jedi and Republic General. The former Jedi had learned quickly that he needed something more than a simple tunic if he wanted to adapt to his new lifestyle. The purchase of dark gray cortosis woven armour that covered him from shoulders to toe had provided the means for such adaptation. Still, Kaelan's initial appearance had unnerved him, as he resembled something of a mercenary. To compensate for this, he had commissioned a hooded cloak to be custom fitted around his armour. The lower half of the cloak's fabric had been designed so that single, thick strips of cloth ran down his flanks. Not only did it allow Kaelan to blend in more, but it also allowed him to conceal his dual pistols and vibroblade, which were holstered around his waist and leg respectively.
Sheathing his vibroblade, which he'd left at the side of his make-shift bed while he slept, Kaelan put the sleeping gear in his rucksack and mounted his swoop. A quick pre-check of the systems ensured that they were still functioning at optimal parameters. The former Jedi started the repulsor-lift vehicle's engine and sped away.
The last site was at a cave imbedded in the rock faces just shy of a small range of hills. Eriadu's resource locaters had detected the presence of neutronium, a valuable ore that was utilized as a primary construction material throughout the galaxy. Now it was Kaelan's job to procure several samples in various areas around the site to determine the concentration of the resource. If the area yielded a high concentration, the local government would deem it worthwhile to establish a mining operation.
It took just over an hour for the Exile to make his way to the planetary coordinates provided, his holographic map indicator pointed him to a spot ten metres away from the mouth of the cave. Nestled between hills within a rocky slope, the cave's wide arch entrance looked to be about one and a half metres across and two in height. Making sure his swoop was secure, Kaelan deactivated the repulsor-lift vehicle's engine and headed toward the subterranean entrance. Stepping within the dark depths of Eriadu, Kaelan withdrew an optical enhancer from his armour's utility belt and placed it over his eyes. The thin visor gave the wearer the ability to see further into the infared spectrum, enabling clear sight where one would otherwise be shrouded in darkness. A few years ago, Kaelan would've simply used the Force to aid his vision, but the energy field that coursed through all living things no longer responded to him. Losing his ability to harness the Force had been an extreme eye-opener. Without the enhancement to all of his senses, his abilities had reverted back to what they truly were. Kaelan had been forced to work at specific areas to reacquire at least some of what he'd lost. After years of practise, he felt he had been as successful as he would get in such a regard.
Pushing away his reminiscing on the Force, the former General moved deeper into the cave, the visor illuminating the various geological formations and passages within. Stopping just after moving ten metres, Kaelan glanced at the holo-emitter installed on his left gauntlet, a device which functioned as a transceiver, general display, and a map. The holographic feed was currently showing four target areas scattered at distances of twenty metres. The ex-Jedi had inputted the distances as per the standard surveying method of determining resource concentration in any given area. Seeing that he was close enough to the site, Kaelan set his rucksack down and withdrew the mineral survey device from inside, another gift from his employer. Little more than a long cylindrical tube, the survey device was used to measure the concentration of any substance placed inside. Scanners were used to measure such concentration and so they had to be calibrated to limit the search for the specific mineral being surveyed. It wasn't a foolproof process however, as its accuracy rating was rated at eighty-five percent.
Breaking away a few samples of rock, the veteran officer placed the samples within the sampler. A soft beep from the survey device signalled that the process was complete, the device's display revealing nearby concentrations of neutronium to be between twenty-five and thirty percent. Kaelan recorded the range to the device's memory and moved on to the next location, immersing himself further within the dark and damp cavern. A light splash resounded within the cave as he stepped in a small stream, a noise quickly followed by what resembled a soft screech. The Exile ceased his movements and listened intently, but a soft drip and the sound of running water were the only things he could hear. A quick scan yielded the same results, nothing out of the ordinary. Passing it off as his imagination, he started forward once again.
At the second site, Kaelan repeated the process, recording a concentration only slightly higher than the first, standing at forty percent. Clipping the survey device to his belt, the Exile prepared to take another step when another screech could be heard. His movements tensed and his hands instantly moved to his holstered pistols, there was no mistaking such a noise this time. Enhanced optical feed showed no other life forms in the vicinity, however, until he realized that he had been neglecting to look in one direction. Switching his gaze to the cavern's ceiling, the former Jedi's eyes fixated on a truly horrific sight. Seven-legged insect creatures clung to the tops of the rock formations, short eyestalks protruded from armoured heads, with razor sharp pincers making light clicking noises that Kaelan had mistaken earlier for the echo of his own footsteps. Spikes jutting out from their legs and carapaces completed their appearance.
The creature above looked at him, its red irises seeming to lock onto him before dropping down for a kill. Years of dexterity honed by training and maximized by experience ensured that Kaelan's dual blasters were unholstered and discharging before the beast was anywhere near striking distance. His Vericon D5-A2 disruptor pistols were among the finest handheld weapons available. With an increased energy output per charge, larger power packs were needed to compensate. This made the weapons heavier, but the advantages of being able to easily shred through armour, flesh, and droids were unmatched. The technology was illegal in the Republic, but Kaelan's travels had let him see that black market operators always had a shipment in stock, whether they were within Republic jurisdiction or not. Still, he had initially stuck with the standard blasters, but after encountering creatures that had been able to shrug off several concentrated bolts, and mercenaries who were so desperate for work that they would kill for any type of contract, the need for greater firepower had become apparent. With the necessity of survival eclipsing his morals, the outcast had obtained a pair of some of the finest pistols in the galaxy.
It was an action he had never been more proud of as he watched the erupting red bolts tear through the creature's carapace in the blink of an eye, killing the beast with only a pair of shots. Kaelan still had ample time to sidestep out of the corpse's way. No sooner had the life-less form created a resounding splash in the cavern stream than a multitude of screeches rocked the cave. The former Jedi's eyes instantly shot to the ceiling, his pupils growing wide as sections of the ceiling moved. Closer inspection revealed that the things Kaelan had mistakenly identified as rock formations were actually areas where the unknown insects clung to the top of the cave, their black coloured carapaces allowing them to blend in seamlessly within the dark cavern.
The former General watched as blood red irises fixated on him, sharp pincers clicking rapidly as the creatures detached from the ceiling and advanced toward the infiltrator in their territory. Discharging disruptor pistols kept the creatures at bay, their defences proving incapable of standing against bolts capable of breaking their molecular bonds. Creature after creature fell against the Exile's onslaught, but his actions seemed to have awoken the cavern's entire complement of insects. One of his pistols was rampantly firing straight ahead of him while the other was discharging against those approaching from the passageway to his left. Red flashes illuminated the once dark cave, highlighting the point of impact for the dual blaster wielder. The creatures hit by the energy blasts died without a sound while the others only screeched in what the former General assumed to be defiance.
Despite his best efforts, there were simply too many insects for him to hold off. One evaded his line of sight and leapt toward his back, its pincers striking his leg. The Exile's armour was more than enough to protect against such an attack, however. Still, he realized that it was only a matter of time before he was completely engaged in melee combat. Quickly putting a bolt into his attacker's head, Kaelan holstered his right pistol and drew his vibroblade. Swinging the blade at the closest cluster of charging creatures while simultaneously squeezing off bursts of fire from his left pistol required a skill of double-tasking that the former General knew all too well. Red energy blasts riddled through creatures while a metallic vibroblade pierced through the insect's armour and flesh with ease, turning the once silver coloured blade to one of a dark crimson. The defiant screeches were drowned out by frantic wails as more and more of the beasts met the power and finesse of Kaelan's vibroblade strikes.
Still, the creatures kept coming. Driven by basic instinct, their only mandate was to kill the trespasser in their midst. It was a protectiveness of home that overrided everything, even the concept of self-preservation. Wave after wave charged the former Jedi, having to resort to climbing over a wall of their own kin's life-less bodies as more and more of the creatures were struck by disruptor blasts and sharpened metal alloy. Kaelan was constantly in motion, firing his pistol in quick bursts, slashing and stabbing with his blade, and twisting to avoid striking pincers.
He was concentrating solely on the areas straight ahead and to the left of him, a focus that made him fail to notice two of the insects manoeuvre toward his rear flank. The veteran would later wonder whether the creatures had acted with a degree of intelligence or if it was merely to move around the pile of bodies forming around him. At the time, however, he was left startled by the sensation of a pair of pincers striking both of his legs. His sudden tenseness to his previously fliud attack movements presented an opportunity another insect was quick to capitalize on.
Kaelan grimaced as another set of pincers gripped his armoured right forearm. Though the creatures were only half a metre in length, their wide pincers were long enough to wrap around his limps, where the sharpened mandibles were squeezing against his metal alloy armour in an attempt to break the protective attire. The energy resistant plating was more than enough to protect against animal attacks. All it took was series of quick slashes with his blade and his former attackers were nothing but corpses, the rest of the swarm sharing the same fate not too long after.
Thirty minutes later, with his surveys complete and his assignment finished, a tired outcast moved back to Eriadu City. Although it had taken ten hours to move between the second and third resource sites, it took only two until Kaelan stopped his swoop outside the government complex of the planetary capital. Having been colonized only a year prior to the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, the level of progress the colonists had made in just eight years was amazing. First settled by a string of wealthy families across the inner rim who saw potential in the planet after early explorations had discovered a vast supply of ore deposits, they had attracted mining corporations and potential settlers with the declaration of Eriadu being 'the hidden gem of the Outer Rim.'
The former settlement was now the size of a small city, a single spaceport was usually a constant bustle of activity, with freighters and passenger transports constantly dropping off both supplies and people, whether they be miners, explorers, or prospective citizens. Kaelan stopped at the top of the staircase of the government complex, elevated above the surroundings buildings, a frown in his expression. The spaceport seemed to have drawn the entire city outside it, something about their distant forms told the outcast that the people were doing more than just waiting to enter. Curious as to what was going on, but deciding to save his questions for later, he moved inside the building to find his government contact.
A small rotunda was the first thing of any significance within the complex, government officials moved towards the various adjoining hallways. Since the planet had been settled by wealthy families, the main government body of Eriadu was a council with each representative of one of the wealthy groups holding a seat. From previous exploits, the Exile knew that their meeting room was on a linear trajectory from the entrance hall. While he didn't directly interact with any of the councillors, his employer was one of the many spokesmen for the council. Kaelan found her standing outside the threshold between the council meeting hallway and the rotunda. He greeted her on his approach, "Hey Gela!"
The woman in question snapped her head around to face the person addressing her. She ended the conversation she'd been having with one of her assistants when she recognized the man striding towards her. "Kaelan," She spoke with a friendly smile, "How'd you make out?"
He responded by handing over the mineral survey device, "First site's concentration is negligible," The former General recited from what he remembered of his two day trip. "The second area contains a reasonable amount, but the third site has a high percentage all around the area."
"Excellent work Kaelan," Gela said after verifying everything he'd told her. "I'll recommend to the council to establish mining operations in the second and third locations." She paused when she got a better lock at him and noticed the bloodstains adoring his armour; Gela looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Problems?"
The veteran shrugged, "Not unless you count an attack by a swarm of seven-legged insects."
"Those would be Septoids," Gela explained with a sympathetic wince, "Contact reports have been growing among our explorers, they're nasty little critters."
Kaelan only nodded in response, "I don't suppose my payment is ready." He'd asked Gela to have his fee of two thousand credits ready by the time he returned. The former Jedi hated the fact that he sounded like a mercenary at the moment, but he was feeling anxious. It was a sensation he always felt after staying too long on a planet, and one he'd only ignored once.
Fortunately, his employer withdrew two credit chips from a small pouch on her belt and handed them to him. "It is all there, the two thousand promised plus an extra thousand. Call it hazard pay," She hastily continued when Kaelan looked as though he were going to refuse.
"I don't suppose I'll be able to get off-planet," The outcast asked as his thoughts returned to Eriadu City's spaceport. "There's a lot of people outside the port."
Gela's normally friendly expression turned to an angry scowl, "We had to close it down yesterday; a freighter was sabotaged while it was off-loading supplies. No-one was hurt but we've had to close the docking area to all ships until we can upgrade security measures and catch whoever is responsible. A few dock workers reported seeing a white-robed figure moving away from the freighter just before it was destroyed but that's all we have to go on."
"So there's no way off-planet?"
The government official regarded the armed surveyor before her intently for a moment, his tone having portrayed a barley suppressed apprehension. "Not at the spaceport no," Gela continued slowly, "But the council sent a message to the Republic to request their assistance in dealing with the situation. They dispatched the cruiser Harbinger to assist us, they'll be able to get the docking area up and running and they've expressed an invitation to transport some explorers and merchants on their ship. I can ask them to extend that offer to you as well if you wish."
At Kaelan's eager nod, Gela smiled, "I'll pass the message along. The Harbinger should be arriving within a couple of days." With that she offered a departing farewell and moved toward the council chamber.
True to Gela's estimation, the Hammerhead class cruiser arrived in orbit two days later. Docking on the spaceport, a complement of Republic soldiers quickly restored order to a city whose tensions had been mounting to the point where talk of rioting was not uncommon. Security enhancements were made by the ship's technicians in the docking area at a speed so quickly that Kaelan and the other passengers found themselves boarding the Republic warship in a matter of hours. The former General found a strong sense of nostalgia as he stepped onto the cruiser. He pushed it aside, however, and continued forward.
The ship's Captain had glanced at him for far longer than the others and Kaelan felt a twinge of worry that he might recognize him. His voice didn't register any such familiarity as he ordered the ship's protocol droid show him to his quarters. As the Exile's armoured boots clacked against the deck plating, he couldn't help but feel that he was up for more than he'd bargained for.
I've always thought about what the Exile would have done out in the Outer Rim during the Jedi Civil War. I think his profession choices would be limited, a Jedi definitely isn't likely to become a bounty hunter or assassin, for obvious reasons. Smuggling would seem to be the next logical choice, but even then, I wouldn't believe so. Smugglers, just like other mercenaries, are drawn to profit, and of coure the most lucrative exchanges involve illegal transactions.
So this was my answer to such a dilemna, a mercenary with a work ethic and government ties. Does that mean this character is destined for a light-sided alignment, perhaps. Then again, perhaps not.