Chapter Seven – Mandalorians
After leaving Florrum, the three friends boarded their ship and headed to another planet on their list. Some of the people they spoke to on Florrum suggested what would likely be good places to go to get better information so they planned to follow up on that.
Since they were going to be in space for a bit, Harry decided to get in some training. He was working with one of the small flying orbs that could emit a small zap of electricity if it managed to hit you. Jesop was observing while Alek was playing pilot in the cockpit.
Harry was working on some of the spells he had developed when he put a little more into the space distortion spell than normal. The orb was small and he misjudged the space he limited it to making it too small. This caused the orb to be crushed when it didn't have enough space to inhabit.
"Harry, try not to destroy our stuff," Jesop admonished.
"Sorry, that was an accident. I guess I limited the space too much."
"Interesting. I wonder what would happen if you did that to a person?"
"It would most likely kill them."
"Kind of what I thought. You are a very dangerous man, Harry."
"I'll try to be more careful."
"That's not what I meant. It's fine but don't forget to use tools like that if it becomes necessary. Just use your better judgement."
Harry nodded in acceptance and cast a repair spell on the crushed orb. It repaired instantly and began working again.
"Well, that's impressive Harry. You can destroy it and repair it back to new? I guess I shouldn't be concerned if you break something then."
"Magic can be very useful Jesop. Not just to destroy but to make things better."
"I suppose the same can be said for the Force. Although we often use it in a destructive manner, there are constructive ways it can be used too."
Harry continued with his training and even got some help a little later from Jesop when they sparred for a while working on the physical aspect of their powers. They of course had to be careful while on the ship but they were quite accustomed to controlling themselves while training. That was the whole point after all, to gain better control while improving your skill.
While Harry sat down in the middle of the floor to meditate after his sparring match with Jesop, Jesop went and cleaned up before spelling Alek so he could take a break. When Alek found Harry, he saw right away that he was meditating and was careful not to disturb him. Sitting down a few feet away from Harry, but facing him, Alek decided he could use some meditation too.
After about an hour Alek opened his eyes and saw that Harry was still meditating. He wondered what could possibly be taking so long. After watching Harry for a few minutes, he could not resist the temptation. Ever since the three friends had been travelling together they often pranked each other when given a chance. It all started with Harry pranking Jesop and Alek first but it didn't take long for them to catch on and start pranking back. Now it was every man for himself with an occasional two on one situation.
Watching Harry for another minute Alek decided to send a slight Force push toward him to see if it would knock him over. Raising his hand, he carefully sent out the push but just as he saw it reaching Harry, his push bounced off an invisible shield that only appeared briefly when it was struck.
He saw a smile suddenly spread across Harry's face and his eyes opened reflecting the merriment in his mood.
"You have an invisible shield, Harry?"
"Do you really think I'm going to leave myself open in front of you guys?"
"What's the matter, Harry? You don't trust me?" Alek asked with a grin.
"Not in the least!" Harry said slowly with a smile.
"That's too bad" Alek replied as he leaped for Harry starting a new sparring session.
oOo
The three friends ended up travelling to several places to investigate the reasons for the attacks and to find out how much damage had been done. They ran into quite a few of the Republic military who were stationed on some of those planets either preparing for battle or recovering from it. Of course, with each cantina they visited Harry found himself on several occasions faced with more backworlders, usually after too much to drink, wanting to fight.
Harry was never intimidated by anyone and it showed clearly from the way he carried himself. This never helped him to avoid these conflicts. Most bullies just expect people to cower in front of them. Harry was never accommodating in that regard.
After a while, Harry just started shortening the encounters by quickly accepting the challenge and promising he would fight with only one finger, just to make it fair. They of course were insulted to be taken so lightly but, nevertheless, found themselves waking up after a few hours having no clue what hit them.
This happened often enough that Jesop and Alek had started betting each other every time they entered another cantina. The bets varied from whether or not it would happen to how long it would take before someone had to be taught a lesson. Harry, of course, wasn't allowed to bet with them.
Harry's fighting aside, the three friends continued to be shocked as they uncovered more of what the Mandalorians had been doing. What they found was not pretty. The Mandalorians left nothing but death and destruction in their wake wherever they attacked. Many people were suffering because of it.
The more they saw the more they were concerned about how far the Mandalorians were willing to go. It looked like they were determined to reach complete domination. Reports back to the Jedi Council about the plight of the people suffering from the attacks by the Mandalorians and Jesop's pleas to put a stop to the slaughter, were met with constant indecision by the Council.
Jesop, Alek, and Harry were deeply concerned about the Council's lack of action. No matter how much they emphasized the dire situation and the cruelty of the Mandalorians, the Jedi Council still refused to act.
Their investigation was so thorough that they were closer than they realized to the action when the small village they were visiting was attacked. It was one of only a few times the Mandalorians lost a battle in their conquests. The three friends proved to be too much for the attacking Force of twenty-five Mandalorian warriors.
In addition, since the attackers preferred death to surrender, they were obliged. Harry suffered a cut on his arm when one Mandalorian managed to get too close but that was the only injury for the friends. Only Harry's quickness during the skirmish saved his arm and the medic was able to repair the damage quickly with Harry doing the rest to bring himself back to peak health.
It was after that encounter with the Mandalorians, that the three friends were called back to Coruscant to stand before the Jedi Council and give a full report. Yet, even after Jesop and Alek were so vocal about the need for action to end the conflict, the Council still remained undecided. Some older masters felt there was something dark and sinister behind the Mandalorians actions and felt it would be wise to meditate on the Force for answers before making any decision on the matter.
This just frustrated the three friends even more. Why had these Jedi Masters not been meditating already since this information had been known long before they returned in person. They were eyewitnesses to the cruelty and destruction the Mandalorians inflicted on all those innocent people and their appeared to be no indication that they were going to stop. Except for the one village they protected, apparently the Mandalorians met little resistance.
Without providing help to the Galactic Republic to fight for these people, the Mandalorians would just keep slaughtering them and continue their conquest across the eastern edge of the galaxy. Harry was not a Jedi and could not fully understand the use of the Force in decision-making, but he did agree with his friends about the need for action. Too many people had suffered already and the Mandalorians will only stop if someone stops them.
The Republic Forces were doing their best, but were only managing to slow the Mandalorians a little. The attacks had already brought about the near extinction of the Cathar species and it was not until the Mandalorians reached worlds close to Taris that the Republic's Forces were being mobilized. However, the Mandalorians had been slowly conquering unaligned worlds for several years prior to the Republic getting involved.
Records indicated that this wasn't the first time the Mandalorians and the Galactic Republic had fought. Throughout history, they frequently clashed but after the Great Sith War, there was a time of prosperity and no conflict for both sanctions.
Mandalore the Ultimate who had been gathering troops for years to create the most powerful army in the galaxy, calling the new warriors Neo-Crusaders, led the Mandalorians. In order to accomplish this he knew they had to conquer the Galactic Republic and its Jedi protectors. His first attack was the planet Althir III. The battle lasted five days before the Althiri managed to hold off the Mandalorians.
It wasn't until Canderous Ordo attacked the Althiri from two different directions that the stalemate was broken. Even though the Althiri fleet was ten times larger than the Mandalorians, Ordo was still victorious. He was given his own clan, named after him, following that conquest.
Three years later when the Mandalorians attacked Cathar and wiped out 90% of the population the Republic suddenly took notice and began preparing for war. However, it took several years and the Republic was not fully mobilized until the Mandalorians attacked Taris. Fortunately, the Republic Navy managed to block their attempts to capture Taris beginning an eight-month period of no victories for the Mandalorians.
Several heroes of the battles became known during that period, including Lieutenant Carth Onassi, but apparently, Mandalore was only testing the Republic's defenses and not using all of his Forces. After that period, Mandalore unleashed his full might and devastated the Republic Forces invading the Republic using three separate corridors.
They called this the Onslaught.
After all this information was brought to light, the Jedi Council ended up forbidding any Jedi to get involved with the conflict.
Jesop and Alek were not happy, neither was Harry for that matter.
oOo
Harry took the opportunity while they were still back at Coruscant to go see Joban and his friends at the restaurant. Joban was very happy to see him and insisted on cooking Harry a big meal in celebration. They had a good time and some of the regulars were happy to see Harry too.
He ended up doing some jobs for his old customers and earning some extra credits, which he used to buy another droid, and then just added the rest of the credits to his already large pile. This time he bought an astromech droid that was good for repairs and other odd jobs. They were able to stick to the hull of the ship and roll around making repairs to the outside of it even while in space. They could also be good in a battle if properly armed. The little droid was painted a light yellow and white and his name was QEC4. Everyone called him QE for short.
Harry would go back and check on his friends at the temple on occasion but not much was going on for a couple of months. When they finally were given another mission, they notified Harry to join them.
This time Harry brought both of his droids, OP3C and QEC4, with him. The Jedi were not allowed their own personal droids but since Harry wasn't a Jedi, he felt no need to have to follow that rule. Besides, droids were very useful, especially on a ship. One day Harry hoped to purchase his own. Having droids already gave him a leg up once he reached his goal.
For now they were allowed to travel in Jedi provided ships. Most of the time if the ship was large enough an astromech droid was assigned to accompany the ship for any needed maintenance. If the mission for the Jedi was more as an ambassador and the language was unknown to the Jedi then a protocol droid, like OP3C, was sent with the Jedi for language support and to help with negotiations.
Harry was always on the lookout for a small ship he could purchase, which was about all he wanted to spend even though he could afford more. He wanted his droids with him just in case he found one. He knew they would be of great help too if they were ever needed on a mission.
The mission they were sent on had nothing to do with the Mandalorian invasion and this upset Jesop and Alek even more that the Jedi Council would not do anything about the Mandalorians. Harry was afraid that the tension building up between the Jedi Council and many of the Jedi who were of the same opinion as Jesop and Alek, would come to a head sooner rather than later.
He thought perhaps that the reason Jesop and Alek tended to be sent on more missions than the other Jedi had more to do with the tension building than how good they actually were. The fact that they were constantly being sent to areas away from the Mandalorian conflict also spoke volumes since there were missions to be sent on in the middle of the Mandalorian conflict.
This avoidance of taking on the Mandalorians lasted for about another year before the fever pitch reached high enough among Jesop's supporters that something had to be done before the Mandalorians reached Coruscant. The Republic was losing.
Jesop finally stood before the Jedi Council with Alek by his side and informed them that he was going to go fight the Mandalorians and there were many of the Jedi Knights who wanted to go with him. The time for inaction was well past. Forbidding any Jedi to join the conflict would be met with defiance, he informed them. The Jedi Council did not take the news well and there was a big argument among the Jedi present that day.
The older Jedi on the council warned that there was a terrible darkness behind the attacks that they could not identify. They cautioned taking action. Jesop informed them that the Jedi's job was to protect the innocent and face darkness no matter its form. Waiting to identify the darkness before taking action did not save any lives, he countered.
Many of the Jedi agreed with him and followed Jesop, Alek, and Harry into battle. As the accepted leader, Jesop became known as the Revanchist which is a war term meaning to retaliate or reverse losses. His followers became known as the Revanchists.
On Cathar, the full Jedi Council gave one last plea to the Revanchists not to fight against the Mandalorians. They warned that Master Vandar Tokare saw a vision that brought great destruction to the galaxy through war and felt that engaging the Mandalorians would cause this. However, during the discussion Jesop discovered a Mandalorian mask underfoot.
When he picked up the mask, suddenly all the Jedi present were enveloped in a shared Force vision of the past. Harry was wondering what was going on since he couldn't see the vision. It was explained to Harry, after it was over, that they witnessed Cassus Fett herd the Cathar into the ocean and slaughter them. The woman whose mask Jesop found protested the genocide.
After witnessing this disgusting act, Jesop, the Revanchist, donned the mask and shortened his name to Revan, making it simpler. He vowed to wear it until all the Mandalorians were brought to justice. Due to the vision, the Jedi Council reluctantly sanctioned the Revanchists' war with the Mandalorians; although they still felt Revan was being too hasty.
Revan eventually came up with the idea of the Jedi working with the Republic in what was called 'Mercy Corps.' This was formerly used in the Sith War where the Jedi served alongside the Republic Military as healers, allegedly. By this time, Alek had also changed his name to Malak. Harry, however, remained just Harry.
The Jedi Council approved the idea and the Revanchists officially became the Mercy Corps. The Council placed Revan directly in charge of the Mercy Corps then he and Malak were appointed as Generals. They served with Captain Telettoh of the Hammerhead-class cruiser Testament. Since Harry was not a Jedi, he held no special rank and simply fought beside them. This of course did not mean he was not well respected.
Many came to know of his amazing power very quickly. Revan, Malak, and Harry were often separated since they were the strongest fighters. Putting them in different groups helped to win more battles. The group Harry went with usually finished first then helped the others.
They met the Mandalorians head on after joining with the Republic to help push them back. By the time the Jedi joined the battle, the Mandalorian Wars had been going on for about thirteen years. However, Revan proved to be a tactical genius and the Jedi, along with Revan and Malak's skill, not to mention Harry's unique abilities, turned the tide quickly.
oOo
Harry and his special team of twenty troops were waiting in a small canyon on some planet he had forgotten the name of already, hidden from the Mandalorians. They were waiting to ambush them. That was the plan anyway until three extremely large rancor attacked them from behind.
It was Harry's first time to see a rancor up close and personal. Before he could figure out what to do to help, they had already killed half of his troops. He discovered that rancors were immune to magic. Even his time manipulation only slowed them down a little. This was not good. There was very little room to move around in the canyon and these three rancors took up a lot of space.
"Escape Captain. You can get away and live with your ability to teleport. Please leave," said his second in command desperately.
"No, Stripper. I'm not done yet," answered Harry. "I'm not leaving you guys to die like this."
Their only respite from the beasts was when they paused to eat one of the troops. They used that time to figure out how to stop them. His troops were using their blasters against the brutes but they just shrugged them off.
Harry used his lightning and fire on them, which got their attention quickly. While it didn't stop them, it definitely hurt judging by the roars they emitted when he tagged them with it, especially in the face. Realizing that physical attacks would be the only thing that works on them, Harry decided to use his magic to drop large boulders on the beasts.
He concentrated and lifted a boulder that was a good thirty feet across, raising it high above one of the rancors; about fifteen feet above its head, then let it go. The large boulder crashed into the head of the rancor and down it went, its head crushed when it was caught between the boulder and the hard floor of the canyon. Quickly Harry lifted the boulder again while his men kept the other two distracted. Luckily, they weren't intelligent enough creatures to figure out the tactic used against them. Soon enough all three were dead and Harry's team was down to four troops.
Of course, the Mandalorians showed up about that time.
"Wait here and rest," Harry told them. "I'll be back with you in a few minutes."
"But Captain…there's at least two hundred Mandalorians out there," warned one of his men.
"I know. Wait here. That's an order."
"Yes, Captain," they all answered.
Harry started to leave then turned back.
"Rest for five minutes then collect the bodies of your comrades that are still left and go warm up the ship. When I get back we are leaving this hell-hole."
"Yes sir," all four answered.
Stripper was not one of them Harry noticed. He then recalled Stripper sacrificing himself for another trooper during the fighting who ended up dying anyway before it was over. Stripper had received his nickname after stripping completely naked when he was doused in what he thought at the time was a poisonous substance. Everyone in the group saw his strip down and it was a little funny when it turned out to be nothing dangerous at all but the name stuck. He didn't have a nickname before that. Killed and eaten by a rancor was certainly a cruel way to die.
Harry turned back toward the mouth of the canyon and then disappeared on the spot. His remaining troops were still amazed at how he did that. However, they did as they were commanded and rested for five minutes, all the while keeping a look out for additional rancors. They gathered their dead after that and returned to their ship to wait on their captain.
Harry reappeared on a cliff above the area the Mandalorians were passing through. He could see the caravan down below him. They thought they were smart by coming in the back way over ground rather than by ship but their plans were found out and that's why Harry's team was there to intercept them. The Mandalorians had started trying different ways to get around the main Forces of the republic. They weren't counting on a small twenty-person team lead by a time mage.
And they certainly weren't expecting for that one mage to face them on his own. Harry was not happy though. He had grown close to his team members. They were a very efficient strike team, small enough to go unnoticed and deadly enough to succeed. Of course, the main reason for their success was due to their captain. He was a force to be reckoned with. The Mandalorians were just about to find out too.
Harry knew that the reason they were on this planet in the first place and why they were waiting in that cursed canyon was due to these guys – the Mandalorians. Why did they want to take over everything and everyone? It was time they paid for their crimes. Harry lifted his hands out in front of him and cast a strong space distortion spell. Previously, he only got it to work on single objects or people but he was angry and went for the whole caravan with transports and Mandalorians all at once.
Suddenly screaming could be heard and the sounds of twisted metal filled the air as all the transports and Mandalorians were forced to occupy a very small amount of space. When Harry was done, you could only see a ball of metal and bodies all squished together. Next, he sent a huge and powerful fireball to incinerate the ball. He watched as it began burning up.
Suddenly, he sat down hard on the cliff. He was drained and needed to recover. Harry sat down for five minutes before standing back up and making his way on foot back to his team…or what was left of it. He knew he had used too much magic so he went back on foot even though he was dead tired. He had to make one small teleport jump to get back to the canyon floor but he remained awake somehow and continued on. When he got near his ship, he stumbled and fell.
The next thing he knew he was waking up in the sickbay with a medical droid hovering over him.
"MT I'm fine. It's just a case of magical exhaustion. I over did it a bit. I should be fine after some rest."
"Captain, welcome back. You appear to be okay other than extreme exhaustion. I will take your word for the reason as I have no other diagnosis to provide."
"Thank you, MT. Now, please call my team for a report or at least as many that can come here to talk with me."
"Yes, right away, Captain."
MT sent word to the crew and after a minute three members of the team showed up in the sickbay.
"Captain, good to see you alive," one of them offered.
"You too, Spook. It was a tough day today. We lost too many of our friends but they fought bravely."
The three nodded sadly.
"Anything to report while I was gone and while I was out?"
"Nothing, sir. We did as you commanded and when done we waited for you to arrive," reported Cleaver. "After you showed up we put you on board and left the planet."
"By the way, Clutch has pilot duty," added Spook.
"Where are we headed?"
"Awaiting your orders, sir," replied Digger.
"Set us for Home Base."
"Yes, Captain. May we ask, sir, what you did to the Mandalorians?" asked Spook. "We saw what was left of them as we flew over."
"Simple, I killed them…and used a bit too much of my magic when I did. I am in need of rest to recover."
"Then take all the time you need Captain," replied Clutch over the intercom. "I will point us toward base right now. We can handle things while you rest up. You've done more than your fair share so take it easy for a while. It'll be a few days before we arrive anyway."
"I'm glad you were listening Clutch as I need to appoint you as my new second in command. Any of you guys have a problem with that?" Harry asked the three standing in front of him.
"No, Captain," they all answered.
"We already knew who had the job out of the four of us left, Captain," explained Spook.
"Good. I'm glad we are all on the same page."
"I will not let you down, Captain," swore Clutch.
"I know. Stripper didn't and neither will you. Now everyone clear out so I can get some more sleep."
"Yes, Captain!" they all replied together.