Chapter Nine: Desperate Preparations
Revan had spent the last few days doing repair work.
Several automated turrets had been fixed. Others had been taken down at Malak's suggestion to be dismantled. Mira's dad had come up with the idea to try to mass-produce the turrets. So much of their world had been on trying to recreate the same weaponry for other villages.
Apparently, not all villages had power. So soon, they ended up building all kinds of things to shore up defenses. Chances were anyone trying to take a Cathar village would be in a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, he had some time to talk with Meetra. She'd died her long hair up above her head and looked very pretty in her robes. Had she used some kind of makeup? "So Onderon is digging in?"
"Yes, it and the worlds under it are all building fortifications like crazy," said Meetra. "Iziz was heavily fortified when I arrived, now security is even tighter. There is also this Zabrak engineer, Bao-Dur. He's installing orbital shield generators to deflect orbital bombardment.
"Apparently, he made them for Telos."
"We've met," said Revan. "Bao-Dur is good, very good. If he's down there, you have a real expert.
"So what happened after Aedal left?" His mind turned to the Dark Mandalorian, and he wondered what he was doing now.
"I don't know, I wasn't invited to the meeting," said Meetra, sounding bitter. "What I do know is that the entire palace is on high alert. Everyone is running around looking for bombs, or sabotage, or something. And they can't find anything at all.
"And that's just making them look harder.
"Aedal can't have gone to all the trouble of breaking in here just to talk to the Queen. There's got to be something."
"Well, maybe there is," said Revan. "So what other plans are there?"
Meetra blinked. "What?"
"What other plans are in place to deal with the Mandalorians?" said Revan. "What are they going to do if the static defenses fail? How are they going to relieve the siege?"
"I told you, I haven't really been invited to any of the meetings," said Meetra. "Master Kavar is teaching me, but I'm not his Padawan."
"Well, what do you know?" asked Revan.
"I... well, I haven't seen anything about relieving sieges," said Meetra. "From the way the Queen talks, though, it seems like her plan is to just dig in. Let the Mandalorians throw themselves at her defenses and smash them until they give up.
"Thing is, a lot of people are uneasy. I could sense they were pretty confident, but then word spread about Aedal's break-in. Now people are talking like there might be Mandalorian infiltrators around any corner.
"What I don't get is why there aren't any.
"Aedal wasted a really good opportunity here; he could have crippled the defenses."
"Who says he wasted it?" asked Revan, thinking about what he would do in that situation. "This might be some kind of psychological warfare."
"What, you mean he wants everyone talking and grasping at straws so they're afraid?" asked Meetra. "That's not going to do him any good. Everyone is working way harder at security now."
"Maybe not," said Revan. "Anyway, I've seen people use that kind of tactic. It won't work, not against a force as dangerous and mobile as the Mandalorians."
"What makes you say that?" asked Meetra.
"Well, Queen Talia's plan is to defend strongpoints. That means the Mandalorians have a free hand," said Revan. "They can choose to do whatever they want; they pick the time and place of the battle. That's a pretty big advantage.
"And well... passive strategies don't work."
"The Jedi Code teaches us the virtues of patience and remaining still," said Meetra.
Revan sighed, not wanting to have this conversation again. "Look, Meetra, I'm not at Onderon right now. I can't see their defenses. But Aedal already pierced them once, and you said he was confident he could do it again."
"They're already sealing the breaches. I doubt Aedal will be able to do it again," said Meetra. "He only got in by a passage in the undercity. Though nobody knows how he found his way in. There are rumors of supporters for the Mandalorians among the people of Onderon.
"Some are blaming the Anti-Naddists. But that can't be it."
"Why not?" asked Revan, curious. He'd read all about Onderon during the lessons on Ulic Qul'droma and Noma Sunrider.
"Anti-Naddists are opposing the Sith," said Meetra. "Revan. Aedal is Sith and wants to visit Nadd's tomb."
"Well, yes, but the Anti-Naddists aren't an anti-Sith organization," said Revan. "At least from my stories. From what I read, they were formed as an opposition party to Freedon Nadd and his descendants. Talia is one of Freedon Nadd's descendants.
"Just because she's not a Sith doesn't make her not related by blood to Freedon Nadd.
"It's not impossible that some of the 'good guys' became 'bad guys.' All it would take is the Republic recognizing Talia's bloodline. They're probably loyal to some other noble family they think has the right to rule. Nadd didn't wipe them all out, or we'd never have taken Onderon."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," said Meetra with a shrug. "The point is, Aedal isn't getting in here unnoticed again."
Why did she keep harping on that fact? Was she insecure? "Sure, but will he have to?"
"What do you mean?" asked Meetra.
"Well, you're acting like Onderon has twelve different worlds," said Revan. "So that means Aedal has to fight twelve battles. But that doesn't add up.
"What if Aedal has rebel factions looking to him as a liberator? Like the anti-Naddists. What after he conquers three worlds, the rest surrender? Hell, what if he flat out bypasses the Onderonian Empire and goes straight for the capital."
Meetra frowned. "I don't think he could do that, though, Revan. Onderon outside of Iziz is a death world; everywhere you go, things are trying to kill you. And the moons of Onderon are just as bad from what I've read.
"You'd have a lot of trouble landing an army there. Even if you landed, you'd get swarmed by the bomas and... other things."
"But people can survive there, can't they?" asked Revan.
"Well yeah, I mean the Beastriders were originally exiled by Freedon Nadd," said Meetra. "They managed to form a society and tame the beasts. There's peace between them and Onderon now, but-"
"So, people can survive there?" said Revan, pressing the point.
"Yes," said Meetra.
"What about Mandalorians?" asked Revan. "What if a heavily armed strike force of Mandalorians covertly landed in the wilds. Maybe one specifically trained on death worlds similar to Onderon. Could they survive there and go undetected?"
"I guess, but the Beast Riders would hunt them down for sure," said Meetra.
"What about the moons of Onderon? Do the Beast Riders live there?" asked Revan.
"Well, I..." Meetra paused. "I don't think so. No."
"So, what if Aedal uses one of them as a home base?" asked Revan. "Could he do that?"
"Well, we're on alert, so we'll probably see his ships," said Meetra.
"Meetra," said Revan, feeling frustrated. "why do you keep explaining away potential problems instead of confronting them? Of course, landing on the Moons of Onderon in secret would be difficult.
"But Aedal is a fighting a war, and Mandalorians like taking huge risks. You have to realize that your opponent is a thinking sentient, not a droid. He can change his strategies; he can do things that aren't smart. Sometimes doing those things can end in disaster, but other times they can give him a major edge."
"Well, how do you think he could do it?" asked Meetra, a bit annoyed.
"What if his ships have already arrived?" said Revan. "He infiltrated the palace, didn't he? There must have been some kind of scouting operation or contacts before that. And if Aedal wants the tomb of Freedon Nadd, he's probably been planning an invasion for some time.
"Aedal might already have a base on those moons, and no one would even know."
Meetra nodded. "Alright, I'll talk to Master Kavar."
"You do that," said Revan. "I've got to talk to Master Kreia and Malak about this."
"Be safe," said Meetra.
Revan laughed. "Oh, don't worry, we're all doomed anyway."
And he walked out the door.
Revan found Malak waiting for him and wished they hadn't had such limited time. Malak had seemed a lot calmer since arriving on Cathar, actually.
"Revan?" asked Malak.
"...We've got to go out and fight the Mandalorians," said Revan simply. "We've got to confront them or give up the ghost. Let's go to King Jagthar; he needs to know about this."
Getting a meeting with King Jagthar was remarkably easy. Generally, he was available to speak with anyone who needed it. And he made it a high priority to listen to the Jedi whenever they asked. It helped that Jedi tended to be the absolute center of attention wherever they went.
Of course, what Revan suggested surprised even Jagthar. "You would have us send out our fleet to war?"
"Yes, why not?" asked Revan. "If we go out and confront the Mandalorians now, we could probably kill many of them before they come after us. So far, everyone has been waiting around, solidifying defenses. There are no plans for victory; they're just hoping to weather the storm.
"That means the Mandalorians have complete freedom of movement. They can strike anywhere they want. The way things are going now, we'll end up getting picked off one by one."
Kreia considered this. "My Padawan speaks truthfully, King Jagthar.
Your fleet is large, but there is only so much a military can learn from hunting pirates. Doing battle with Mandalorian fleets could harden them further for the coming battle. And it may injure the Mandalorians by a large degree."
"But we cannot send out our entire fleet," said Jagthar. "My scouts have already detected the vessels of Demagol. He has gone to Nar Shadda, and I believe he may be gathering allies."
"You don't have to send out your whole fleet," said Revan. "Just send half of it. Then when they return, send out the other half."
"The Mandalorians have some experience in space combat," said Jagthar. "If such a battle went poorly, our defense would be that much weaker."
"It is fortunate, then, that you have Jedi here," said Kreia. "I will locate a fleet and lead you to them. Once there, I will use my Battle Meditation to remove them."
Jagthar still seemed reluctant. "Visas, you perceive much. What do you see?"
Visas was always on hand as his advisor. Looking up, the Miraluka faced Revan. "I see...
"Many battles and a great victory. But I also see that victory casting many shadows and drawing your enemies to you sooner. Once you engage the Mandalorians, they shall not put aside their vendetta again.
"If we remain here and strengthen your defenses, you will have more time."
"If we remain here, we're going to do nothing," said Revan. "We'll only stave off the inevitable Mandalorian invasion. And when it comes a time when it is most convenient for them. If we take the fight to them, we may at least cause enough problems to screw up their time table. That'll make the rest of the war much easier.
"We'll do more damage this way, and we might win."
"Also, what about morale?" asked Malak. "Your people are scared, expecting the end times to come soon. If you win a few minor victories, it could make them more confident. That could add up to greater ones anyway. That might be enough to force them to draw off troops from other planets.
"Every victory against the Mandalorians will allow other systems more time to mobilize. If we stall long enough, they could come to our aid. But Revan is right. If everyone just sits around and prepares to weather the storm, everyone will be destroyed one by one. Someone has to act first, and the sooner, the better."
Kreia nodded. "It seems, King Jagthar, that you have but two choices. To go forth and confront the enemy on your own terms, or strengthen yourself, let them attack you on theirs.
"The choice is yours."
Jagthar frowned. "...There are more practical considerations.
"We have a limited supply of fuel. We might fight a few engagements, but it would leave us without any means of using the fleet."
"Well, where are the Mandalorians getting their fuel?" asked Revan. "With all the fleets they have, there must be a source somewhere.
"If we could knock that out or siphon off some of it for ourselves, this war might end right there."
Jagthar nodded. "...Such a thing is possible.
"I will send out some of my scouts warriors to try to track it down."
"That may not be necessary," said Malak. "I doubt the Mandalorians are very good at keeping secrets. If we can capture the crew of a Mandalorian vessel, we could get the information from them. It may even be in their manifests."
"But what of our own fuel situation?" asked Jagthar.
"The Republic may be of some help here," said Kreia. "I shall contact the Jedi Council and see if they may provide such fuel. The Republic is wary of war with the Mandalorians, but that may work to our advantage here."
"Very well then," said Jagthar. "Do so, and then prepare to ship out on these raids. We have enough stockpiled to make a few strikes, at least. Will your padawans go with you?"
"I'd prefer to remain here, Master Kreia," said Malak. "We've been trying to get some of the weaponry properly set up. There are all kinds of things in need of repair. And there may be more for us to do."
"And we just got a shipment of battle droids I have to do a diagnostic on," said Revan. "We also need to install a lot of turrets and generators."
Kreia nodded. "Very well.
"You may remain. Though I expect the Mandalorians may easily bypass such restrictions. Orbital bombardment could overcome the planetary shield here."
"I do not believe they will," said Jagthar. "Mandalorians lust for battle more than anything else. If they believe we can provide them a worthy challenge, they will seek to engage us.
"And we have a planetary shield, though I fear it may be out of date."
"Then let us prove ourselves worthy before they arrive," said Malak.
Malak and Revan left the briefing room and looked at one another. The plan was going through, just as Revan had hoped. But there was a sense of doom here, and Revan hated it. They had seriously improved things. The minefields had been properly set up, and they were moving on to other villages.
Then again, there were other provinces on Cathar. And other continents, for that matter.
So perhaps they weren't making as much of a difference as he'd hoped.
"Well, this is going to get problematic," said Revan. "Let me find Mira."
This wasn't going to end well.