Chapter Twelve: Regrouping
Meetra had expected to hear an explosion. She and Master Kavar raced away from the Mandalorian compound. Nothing was forthcoming, however, and Kavar led them on. He seemed to be moving without looking at his compass. Several times he changed directions completely.
"Why would he just let us go like that?" asked Meetra.
"Aedal described his reasons fairly well," mused Kavar. "However, I believe he may think that we came with the main fleet. It is also possible that he is hoping to shake our will in a similar manner to Onderon. Sith often make use of terror as a weapon, though Aedal seems to have a more restrained variety.
"We should be far enough away now." Then he drew out his comlink and opened up communication. "Aklus, come in Aklus! Do you read me?"
Silence.
"Master Kavar, what happened?" asked Aklus. "We heard the news of a failed assault on the Mandalorians. Our channels indicated the invasion was going poorly. General Vaklu ordered us to maintain our position and wait for you before he took off."
"I'm pleased to hear that," said Kavar. "The good news is that we have won several victories. The Mandalorians have lost most of their Basilisk War Droids. That means any invasion plan is crippled. Their defense grid has also been shattered. However, a much larger fleet is on its way even now.
"Recommend to him that he take appropriate precautions.
"Can you communicate with General Vaklu."
"No sir, this moon... there's all kinds of interference," said Aklus. "Signals get screwed up only a little ways away. Our long-range scanners can hardly pick up anything unless they know what to look for.
"The Mandalorians picked a good spot.
"Have we lost?"
"I wouldn't know," said Kavar. "I wasn't there for the main battle. However, sense that there are Onderonian survivors who never made it off the moon. I'm going to try and gather them.
"Is your position secure?"
"Yes sir, everything has been quiet," said Aklus, though he didn't sound at peace. "Almost too quiet. It's like something has drawn off all the most dangerous animals away from us."
"That may well be the case," said Kavar. "What are your scans showing you?"
"Well, I..." Aklus paused. "We detected something with our scanners. It was something huge, actually. Built of very heavy materials. It would have to be to survive in here."
Kavar nodded. "Very well. Keep an eye on it and tell me if anything strange happens from the direction. Don't go there; however, I have a feeling we'd be better off not walking on those grounds. I'll try to meet up with you once I've located any survivors. For now, I want you to keep scanning for any Mandalorian activity here.
"By the way, I'm sending you some coordinates. Could you scan and see if you're picking up any transmissions down there."
Silence for a moment.
"I could, sir, but... won't that draw the Mandalorians to us," said Aklus. "If they catch us..."
"I just want to confirm something," said Kavar.
"Yes, sir, but..." Aklus paused. "Why do you think it's important?"
"I... have a hunch," said Kavar. "Kavar out." He looked to Meetra, and there was a rattling sound somewhere in the distance. A huge bug swooped in with a stinger poised, but Meetra drew her lightsaber and cut it in half.
"Meetra, let's go," said Kavar, changing direction again.
"Why this way?" asked Meetra. "Why do we keep changing paths?"
"To throw anyone Aedal sent to follow us off our trail," said Kavar. "The Dark Places of the universe have a way of calling out to those who are vulnerable. It's possible that Aedal is hoping we'll stumble across the Tomb of Freedon Nadd."
"What is the likelihood of that happening?" asked Meetra. "I mean, Aedal, who has no idea where it is, would have had to establish his base within walking distance of it. And then we'd have to just happen to arrive within walking distance of Aedal's base.
"No one has settled this moon in ages, if ever. The likelihood of all those coincidences lining up is-"
"Whatever the Force," said Kavar.
"Right, right," said Meetra. "But why would the Force want us to run into Exar Kun's tomb? And if it does want us to go there, shouldn't we be obeying it?"
"Freedon Nadd's Tomb, Meetra," said Kavar. "Exar Kun was inspired by the evil spirit of Freedon Nadd."
"Whatever," said Meetra. "It isn't like there's any difference between. They had exactly the same plan and exactly the same resources. Both of them were evil for no adequately explained reason, and both got killed by Exar Kun.
"There's nothing interesting about either of them. Take away the Dark Side, and they'd be total losers."
Kavar laughed. "I have to admit, you have a... unique perspective. I could cite a great many differences, but in broad strokes, you are actually correct. The Dark Side promises individuality and freedom, but those who use it end up with the opposite. The Dark Side gradually erodes the virtues that made the person unique. All the bonds and friendships that defined them fall away. Any goals they might have had are supplanted by selfish lust for power.
"Anyone can fall to the Dark Side. But if they survive long enough, they all converge to the Sith singularity. Or so I like to call it."
"Sith singularity?" asked Meetra.
"The hypothetical point at which every Sith, if they survive and learn the Dark Side teachings long enough, become the same person. I've always envisioned him as a warped, cruel old man who enjoys watching others suffer. An individual who hasn't controlled his emotions so much as hollowed them out.
"A consummate liar who wears many different faces but belongs to none of them. An individual with immense personal power but no drive to use it to achieve anything. Intelligence and charisma, but utilized solely to make others die for his own entertainment.
"Whose sole joy lies only in the degradation of others.
"The light, Meetra, is the opposite of that. People who serve the Light become more themselves as part of it than they were as individuals. It's difficult to explain, but after I gave up my self will, I had more free will. Not less."
"Aedal seems pretty unique," said Meetra.
"Aedal isn't really a practitioner of the Dark Side," said Kavar. "Yes, he's an evil man. But at the end of the day, he has chosen his nation over his own power. He's not really a Sith.
"A Sith Lord would never have such an affable rapport with his men."
"But Aedal was trained as a Sith," said Meetra. "How do you know he's not just a different kind."
"Aedal took the surface level ideology of the Sith and actually bought into it," said Kavar. "I think he genuinely believes in that mantra about strength through passion. But you have to understand, a true Sith doesn't actually buy into it.
"To them, it's nothing more than useful propaganda for dismantling a person's moral code. But no Sith Lord ever really believes it. They don't even believe in power for its own sake. If they did, they would have been far more dangerous. Cooperation is necessary for power. All they care about is their individual power to make others miserable.
"In the ends, a Sith is a supremely selfish parasite. They use the Dark Side to gain a temporary high and succumb deeper and deeper. And eventually, the Dark Side abandons them."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Meetra.
"Haven't you noticed that every Sith in history does his best work before he crosses the line? The Dark Side allows them to gain victories through atrocity. But only until they are completely twisted. Then, the Dark Side raises up a less twisted champion and uses it to destroy them.
"The Dark Side is just a machine. And once it's finished with someone, all that is left is the ruins of who you were.
"Aedal isn't dangerous because he's a True Sith. He's dangerous because he's opted to exist purely in the lighter shades of black. He saw the trap which the Dark Side was setting. And he opted to turn the tables by destroying his own order. Once done, he found an organization where his talents would earn him respect. But it was also where he did not have to revel in the dark side.
"I believe the Force is nothing more than a weapon to him.
"Something to be utilized for his own ends on occasion, but to be discarded when no longer useful."
"So, Aedal is treating the Dark Side like it treats him," guessed Meetra.
"Well," said Kavar, "I think he hates it a lot less than it probably hates him. But yes."
"So what will happen to him?" asked Meetra.
"There are such things as Gray Jedi," said Kavar. "Members of our order who became disillusioned with us and left. Some follow the Force in their own ways; others simply dwell in exile. Nomi Sunrider and her companions, I fear, may be among them.
"The Council's policy has been to keep the door open for their return and not bother them.
"I've never heard of a Gray Sith, however. Usually, they either turn back to the Light, burn out, or are killed. It is possible that Aedal could be returned to the Light; that would be preferable. But if that doesn't happen..."
"Yes?" asked Meetra.
"He might simply... fade," said Kavar. "The Dark Side degrades the physical forms of those who use it too much. Aedal may gradually suffer the same fate. But without the spiritual degradation that comes from indulging...
"Perhaps he might become a ghost.
"Freedon Nadd became such a being and was able to engineer the beginnings of the Exar Kun wars. He was powerful enough in his own right to be a physical threat to Jedi. Such a thing never happened with any of the modern Sith. Even the very powerful ones.
"We had assumed it was some lost art of Sith magic. But it may be that Aedal has happened upon that lost art. Though this is pure speculation."
"...Master Kavar, you didn't answer my question before," said Meetra. "Why avoid the Tomb of Freedon Nadd? What's so dangerous?"
"Exar Kun began his fall to the Dark Side there," said Kavar. "And all the records we have on it indicate it is a nexus of powerful Dark Side energies. I'd rather you not go there, and I can't leave you alone.
"Besides, Queen Talia doesn't want anyone to know about it. I'd rather be courteous to my host. Now come on, we're nearing an important moment."
They moved through the jungles and soon were hit with the stench of death. They saw a beaten and blasted ship with carbon scorch marks all over it coming through the trees. It was surrounded by sandbags and gun emplacements, manned by men. And all around were hundreds upon hundreds of dead animals. There were huge cats, boma beasts and cannoks.
"Stop right there! I'm not afraid to use this blaster if I have to!" said a man as they approached, trailing a gun on them.
"Hold your fire, soldier. I'm a friend," said Kavar quickly.
They peered at them as they approached. Meetra sensed fear from them and a lot of it. Many were on the verge of total panic, and she reaches out to calm them with her mind. "You... you're that Jedi who led us down here! This is all your fault!"
"Given our present situation, I'd say who we should blame is irrelevant," said Kavar. "Are these all the survivors you know of?"
"No, we were... we were in contact with a number of different groups," said the man. Meetra's calming attempts were working. "Some ways to the east. But the cannoks ate our communicator, and we lost the frequency.
"Those things... they eat anything. Even people."
"What about your ships?" asked Kavar.
"The Mandalorians destroyed our ships," said the man. "They blew them sky-high; they came like ghosts out of the jungle. We heard one position after another go down screaming.
"We've been trying to salvage the wreckage to get working transport together. But there's nothing for it. We just don't have the materials."
"Then we'll have to find them," said Kavar. "Our first priority is to link up with any remaining survivors.
"Meetra and I will deal with them.
"I want you to do an inventory of your ship and find out exactly what you need to get it spaceworthy. Meetra, give him your communicator, I know you haven't gotten any use out of it, but I need to be able to talk to them."
Meetra drew out her communicator and offered it to the man who took it. She hoped she'd get it back after all this was over.
"Keep me posted on this," said Kavar. "Meetra, let's go."
On they went, through the jungles with Kavar letting the Force guide them. As they walked, Meetra saw a pile of burning carcasses. They were human bodies.
And then Kavar's communicator chimed. Drawing it out, he opened a channel. "Master Kavar, we've picked something up."
"What is it?" asked Kavar.
"The Mandalorians have been sending a series of coded messages off-world," said the man. "We're working on breaking them, but it could take some time."
"I didn't know you had a codebreaker," said Kavar.
"Sergeant Tobin worked as a government slicer before he became a soldier," said Aklus. "His job was breaking into computer systems, so we knew their weaknesses. And General Vaklu wanted us to have all the necessary equipment.
"Including slicing tech."
"Then they haven't shut down communications?" asked Kavar, frowning.
"No, there are lots of them going on even now," said Aklus. "We tried to get a read on where they are headed. One of the signals is going out to somewhere near the Cathar system. Others went to Basilisk, and one went as far as Ordo.
"What do you think they're doing?"
Kavar paused. "...I believe that the Mandalorians are on the back foot.
"They did not expect us to strike here so soon as we did. Aedal is having to adjust his plans. We've done far more damage to the Mandalorian strategy than we had thought. Keep up the good work. Kavar out."
"But Master Kavar, what about that entire battle strategy he made?" asked Meetra.
"It's possible it was pure showmanship," said Kavar. "Aedal often makes sophisticated plans, only to throw them away. It's a form of mental exercise for him; he did it when we were training under Nomi Sunrider.
"Also, I think he enjoys doing it with an audience."
"Well then, why would he let us live?" asked Meetra.
"Perhaps he is hoping one of us will turn to the Dark Side," mused Kavar. "Or, perhaps he is at least partially on the level. The Mandalorians may very well want to fight a worthy opponent. And they may believe that letting me live will get the Jedi to join the war against them."
"Will it?" asked Meetra.
"Well, there is more than one way to fight a war, Meetra," said Kavar. "Going toe to toe with a formidable enemy is merely one way. And when the Jedi do it, we tend to fall to the Dark Side. I believe that the Jedi should take a hands-off approach and simply inspire local resistance. At the same time, we can shut down the black market systems that are supporting the Mandalorians.
"Mandalorians are subpar administrators; it's why they delegate so much to outside factions. Once we remove those outside factions, they should collapse.
"Come on, we've got to move."
They soon came across the next set of survivors. These had an equally wrecked ship but in a different way. Large sections of it had been gnawed on by cannoks. There were also a lot more dead and wounded.
"Medic!" cried someone.
Kavar rushed forward. "Step back, I'm a Jedi. I'll deal with this.
"Meetra, watch the perimeter. See if you can calm them down."
Meetra reached out with her will to try and reassure them that everything would be alright. As she did, she felt the pain, the agony of the wounded in need of treatment. She took their pain into herself, let it flow over her and away. And as she did, she made them focus on the task at hand.
"Where did you come from?" asked a dark-skinned man in an officer's white cape and brown tunic.
"We've just returned from destroying the Mandalorian defense grid," said Kavar. "Your attack was a valuable distraction to that end. We've also located several pockets of survivors other than you. If we can link up with the rest of them, we should be able to get back to Onderon.
"We've already found valuable information that could win us this war."
"You mean..." said the officer, hope dawning. "It wasn't a defeat."
"Well, calling this a victory might be in bad taste," said Kavar. "Call it a winning stalemate. Do you have communication?"
"Yes, we've been trying to reestablish contact with the others," said the officer. "We must have killed thousands of these animals, but they just kept coming. And then... the Mandalorians, they came like ghosts. We didn't even see them work.
"One of looked up, and our position over that way had been wiped out. There was nothing but corpses. Others set explosives on positions that were getting hit hard. Then they let the cannoks overrun them."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Kavar. "But you did all you could. Is that ship working?"
"If it was, we'd have used it," said the officer. "We managed to save some of the crew, though."
"Excellent," said Kavar. "I want you to figure out what elements of your ship remain intact and what it needs to make it spaceworthy."
"Master Kavar, I've got that list of required components you need," said a man over the communication.
"Good, we've just made contact with your friends," said Kavar. "Give me the information, and we can start planning an exit from this world.
"It could take a while, but as long as we can avoid any direct confrontations, we should be fine. Come on, Meetra, we've got men to save."
As they moved beyond, Meetra felt a change in Dxun. It was like a thousand tiny signals that had been despairing were flaring to life. Even so, she looked to Kavar. "Master Kavar, why do you keep acting like this was a victory?"
"It was what they needed to hear," said Kavar. "And things aren't really as bad as they could be anyway. We gained valuable information on the Mandalorians. We've also destroyed most of their fighters, not to mention weakened their defenses.
"Granted, we came off far worse for the exchange in terms of manpower. But we have plenty more manpower to spare, so it's not a game ender. And, if we can get these troops back to Onderon, we'll blunt the damage done. Also, with the experience gained on Dxun, Onderon will be stage a more effective assault later.
"So it was a victory, from a certain point of view."
Meetra reached out and sensed the deaths around her. Now that she had opened her mind to them, she sensed them—corpses lining the forests of Dxun, endless corpses. Agony was in the air as wounded men were treated. And she and Kavar could only help so many of them at once.
"I guess when your definition is flexible enough," said Meetra. "Anything can be a victory?"
Soon, they passed what had once been a holdout. The cannoks were feasting on corpses. They looked up to see them and opted to go back to eating the dead. Corpses were an easier target. Kavar drew his lightsaber and surged forward to slice through each of them one by one.
In an instant, it was done.
"Meetra, we'll see if we can chase off any of the beasts that are at these holdouts," said Kavar. "The materials here could be quite useful. I don't sense any immediate danger for the other surviving groups.
"We'll preserve what we can on the way."
It made sense. To save anyone, they'd need equipment to repair the ships. But Meetra didn't like focusing on materials over men. But then, she had to trust in the wisdom of the Jedi Council.