Chapter 4: The Path of Blood
Four years later
It had nearly been four years since the Revanchists had joined the Mandalorian Wars. Since then, General Skywalker or now commonly known as the Revanchist, had been given direct command over a third of the Republic fleet. His influence continued to spread throughout the fleet. Many of the soldiers began to put their faith in him as he ferociously began a Republic counteroffensive that rocked the Mandalorians to their very core. So far the Republic had paid a heavy price for their victories but many could see that an inevitably dreadful conflict was ahead that would end the war for one side or the other. Hope had begun to rise within many spirits as the Mandalorians were pushed back farther toward the Outer Rim.
Now aboard Admiral Pallaeon's flagship, the Bloodfin, General Skywalker looked out at the planet before them. Taris. It had been taken years ago during the first Mandalorian assault but now the Republic had come to take it back. In his hand was a datapad of the latest intelligence reports regarding the Mandalorian strength on Taris. The battle had begun a few days ago though Ben had decided to stay aboard the ship and gave command over to Valin. Ben had directed the space battle and won with an undeniable victory. Now he would join the fray down on the surface.
He turned to see Pallaeon waiting for him to speak. "I will be heading to the surface soon, Admiral. How long will it take for the men to be ready?"
Pallaeon stroked his mustache with his finger before answering, "They will be ready by the time you get to the hangar."
Ben looked on Pallaeon with a sense of irony. Here was a man that had saved his life many times already as well as many others yet he had been an Imperial, a man who had killed innocent people in the name of the Emperor. Meanwhile his father was a Jedi Master dedicated to helping the weak yet he would not intercede in this war. How ironic he said to himself. "Thank you Admiral. If General Khai reports in I want to be notified immediately." He saw Pallaeon nod and Ben started his trek to the hangar.
The Upper City hadn't been badly damaged from his perch on the landing pad but Ben knew that a fight had taken place here. There were many scorch marks along the streets as he and his squad made their way to the Lower City. When they got to the Republic controlled elevator, the squad guarding the entrance saluted him before the leader spoke, "General, the Mandalorians are deeply entrenched down there and they have been operating raids now and then, sometimes near the elevator exit. General Horn has been able to get some of the swoop gangs to help our troops but the Mandalorians are just too strong. Also they have attempted to stay away from the Under City. Some of the locals have said there are creatures down there that feed on people. Whether this has any merit is anyone's guess but be cautious."
Ben returned the salute and responded firmly, "Thank you. I will heed your warnings." Having said this, he and his men entered the lift that would take them to the battle. From what he had heard over the past few days Valin was doing well but all that had been achieved was a stalemate. Now Ben had come personally to end this battle. Over the years he had learned much about different cultures and societies as well as many new battle techniques. The Force flowed through him stronger than it ever had before and he was beginning to believe that the Jedi Council had been wrong in more things than just the war. His faith in them had been severely shaken. Since he left Coruscant he hadn't so much as seen a holo of his family. Their conflicting views of the war had not gone unnoticed. The Senate had even gotten involved. Many Senators had started to lend their support to him though it seemed unlikely that they had only one reason to do so. Politics was just a big game for power. Still Ben wondered how many politicians actually did support him.
The elevator brought them to the Lower City in a matter of moments. The door slid open to reveal a devastated cityscape in the lower levels of the planet-wide city. Walls had been utterly demolished, buildings collapsed, and bodies were strewn all over the streets. Heavy fighting had taken place here but according the soldiers guarding the elevator the fighting had moved on, but raids were still common. Ben unhooked the lightsaber from his belt ready for action at any moment. They continued on until they heard blaster shots echoing down the corridor. Ben lit his saber and turned the corner with Force induced speed. When he reached the other side, he saw a group of about two dozen people of varying species in chains being guarded along the street heading toward a narrow corridor by ten human men and five Mandalorians. So far the Mandalorians hadn't seen him.
"Here is the payment. Have the next shipment ready for us by tomorrow," the lead Mandalorian said to one of the humans.
"If you are so satisfied with our work perhaps you could give us a larger payment," the man said with greed in his eyes.
The Mandalorian stopped in his tracks and in one swift motion grabbed the man's throat and held him in the air. "You are fortunate that we even have a use for you deranged slavers," he said before throwing the man down, "We pay you to give us slaves and it will remain that way and another thing-Wait." He turned around to see Ben standing there with his saber raised waiting to strike. "It's Skywalker. Blast him!"
Ben rushed forward and rolled as the first shots flew over his head. He came up and in a fluid motion struck out at the first man taking his head clean off. The Republic soldiers rounded the corner and began to supply counter fire on the vulnerable humans. Seeing their strategy, Ben leaped toward the Mandalorians who were starting to brandish their vibroblades. Letting his emotions fuel him, he charged at the nearest Mandalorian locking blades with him before turning his momentum into a spin around his adversary and swept his lightsaber clean through his torso. He turned to block a strike aimed at his neck and countered by moving around the Mandalorian to strike at another, wedging himself in between them. One Mandalorian had already been shot down and Ben would make sure to deal with the others quickly. He saw the Republic soldiers dispatching the humans and a few were already engaged with the third Mandalorian so he again went on the offensive. He kicked out with his leg connecting with the Mandalore's gut on his right side while turning effortlessly to parry the other Mandalorian and unleashed a counterstrike leaving the Mandalorian without a head. He swung around to see the Mandalorian he had kicked struggling to get up. Ben didn't give him the chance. He threw his lightsaber at his neck decapitating him.
Ben was too overcome with adrenaline to even consider giving the Mandalorian a chance to fight. He turned around to look at the scene before him. The last Mandalorian had fallen as well as all of the humans save one who was cowering for his life while the soldiers trained their weapons on him. He looked over at the far wall and noticed that three of the slaves had been killed in the firefight. They were all huddled in a corner when he came over to them. He checked on their wounds before motioning for the medical officer to inspect them. He came to a Twi'lek girl who could only be around ten years old looking straight at him. He crouched down and retrieved a cloth to wipe the blood that had been splattered on the girl's face. "Hello there my young friend. Don't be afraid," he said quietly after calming down.
The Twi'lek girl nodded and spoke with a half-frightened, half-mature voice, "Sure thing. Um . . Thanks for saving us."
Ben was thankful that at times like these he wore his mask. He could feel so much pain from many of these slaves but this girl was different. "How long have they been holding you?" he asked calmly.
"Not long they just recently caught me. I was separated from my friend and that's how they got me but a lot of people here have been slaves for years!" the girl nearly shouted.
Ben tried to calm her down before asking his next question, "Do you know where the slave trade is located?
"No. They always kept us in a tiny, dark cell. That guy might know where it is though," she said as she pointed at the prisoner they had.
Ben was relieved to hear that he may have a lead to destroy this despicable organization before they took any more lives. "We will be taking you to the Hidden Bek base that is currently serving as the Republic base. There you will be given treatment and then you will be free to go." Ben saw her face light up at the mention of the Hidden Bek base. Perhaps her friend is there he thought.
He quickly unlocked her chains and left to converse with the squad leader, "Captain, inform HQ to send a squad out here to escort us to the base and inform them that we have a prisoner."
When they had entered the Republic base Valin was instantly there to greet him. Valin received some new scars since the invasion began. "Ben, it's good to see that some of us still living. This assault has cost us dearly but their sacrifice will not be in vain."
Over the years of constant warfare, Valin had grown to be all business. He rarely exerted his easy going nature anymore unless they were in private. The same had happened to many of the Revanchists. They had been hardened by the acts of horror committed by the Mandalorians. Ben himself had his priorities shift from saving as many lives as possible to winning the war before they ran out of soldiers. Both the Mandalorians and the Republic were reeling from the losses in battle but Ben was going to keep up the assault. If he could corner them on a world then the war may truly end.
"Yes it has been costly but we must finish this fight. Victory is the only option. We have personally seen that they will not surrender. Now there is the matter of the slave trade. I have a prisoner here who was selling slaves to the Mandalorians. They were also saying that there was to be another shipment of them tomorrow." Ben could see Valin's face contort in shock. There was so much wrong with this world. Ben doubted that the Senator of Taris even cared at all about the people of his planet. That only made him angrier. Did no one care about the suffering that was taking place? Ben composed himself before asking Valin, "Would you care to join me for the interrogation?"
Valin did not hesitate as he answered, "I would love to."
They walked together until they reached a small storage room and Ben locked the door behind them. He walked over to the force cage that the snickering man was being held in. This man held an aura of pure greed. He remembered that the man had nearly got himself killed by asking the Mandalorians for a higher price for the slaves. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. He neared the man and shut down the force field containing him. The man looked at him curiously as he did this. Good. The more curiosity the better. "I will not harm you if you answer my questions. Do you understand?" he said with hint of loathing in his voice.
The man stared at him with a sneer on his face as he replied, "I don't believe a word you said. You will kill me anyway."
Ben decided to ask his questions without any delay, "What do the Mandalorians want with all these slaves? Where is your base? I want answers!" Ben let his voice rise. This man seemed to have many different personalities. He would have to think of another method.
"Forget it Jedi," he spat out, "I don't know anything that you want. Even if I did you'd never get anything out of me!"
Valin's patience was wearing thin already, "You would take innocent individuals and sell them into slavery and of all things sell them to the Mandalorians! You are insane. Tell us what we want to know now!"
The man had cocky smile o his face when he answered, "It's just good business. But no you can't get anything out of me. I don't care if you are the most famous Jedi in the galaxy right now you've got nothing on me!"
His boasting set off Ben's anger and in a shocking move he reached out with his hand and gripped the man's throat with the Force while simultaneously lifting him off his feet and out of the chamber. He started to place a gentle squeeze on his throat, constricting it. The man began gasping for breath but managed to whisper hoarsely, "You don't scare me . . Jedi . . If you kill me . You gain nothing."
Ben was far from angry at this man, he hated him for what he had done to those poor people. He would make sure he was given a deserving punishment. He thought of his father at that moment. Would he approve of his actions? The Jedi Code forbade this kind of punishment for anyone but he was doing this to save the weak wasn't he? Dad doesn't understand what is happening here. He would do the same thing I am wouldn't he? I mean it's only the right thing for them to pay for their actions. Ben knew that he had to do this or this man may end up on the loose again. He would not let that happen.
He applied more pressure to his victim's throat. All the while Valin was looking on in wonder trying to decide what to do. He had known the Jedi Code and lived by it his entire life. Over the years he had begun to reason that if they were doing this to protect the weak then this man deserved what Ben was doing to him. If this man had to die for his evil then so be it.
The man started to clawing at his throat. He was desperate to claw away the invisible hand that was choking him. He was able to barely wheeze out, "Not . . . happening."
"If you won't tell me then I will drag it out of your mind," Ben stated. Then he let the Force flow through him and he attacked the man's mind. He began to see into it, all the memories that this man had, all the things he had been through. He broke down barrier after barrier and he forced him to feel as much pain as possible. The man cried out in anguish. Ben left his mind knowing he was ready to talk. He also slackened his hold on him allowing him to speak.
"Alright, I'll talk, I'll talk! The Mandalorians are buying them for use in the battle. They'd use them as a distraction to go out in front while they picked you off or something. I don't know much more! The slave trade is located in a large complex underneath the cantina. Just please don't kill me!"
Valin still wasn't satisfied with his answer. Things still didn't add up. For one how were the Mandalorians transporting these slaves to their territory. He knew this man wanted to keep his trade in tact. He hadn't told them everything. "How do they transport the slaves to Mandalorian territory?"
The man had changed from confidence to fear rather quickly as he was now cowering in the air before them. "I don't know!"
Ben then peered inside his mind again ever so subtly so as not to alert him of his presence. The barriers shielding the man's mind had been completely broken down by his earlier assault and now he could see everything clearly. He could see a route from the Under City sewers going up to the Mandalorian battle lines. "Liar!" Ben shouted at him. His anger had been fired up yet again but now he had had enough. This man would tell them about the slave trade but apparently he was more afraid the Mandalorians than him. Ben was about to change that.
Ben intensified his grip on the slaver's throat again causing him to yelp and gasp in pain. When he had gained enough strength to speak, he said, "You said you wouldn't harm me."
Ben knew the Jedi wouldn't approve but then he went back and thought on Callista's teachings. She had taught him that it was his choice what path to follow and how to use the Force whether light or dark. His father may not understand but he did. He would do what was necessary to win even if that meant that he had to sacrifice one for the good of all. He choked the slaver harder and harder then, after sharing a look with Valin who had come to terms that this man had to pay for his wrongs, he whispered in a deathly hollow voice, "You forfeited that offer by keeping your silence." Then he clenched his outstretched fist harder squeezing the life out of him until he heard a loud crack. Then he let the slaver fall to the ground dead with a broken neck. He couldn't take his eyes off of the corpse lying before him. He had just killed the slaver in cold blood. He brought his eyes up to look at Valin who had a hard look on his face. Ben could see that Valin was struggling with Ben's decision to kill him. He looked at Ben's face with much sorrow but a lot of anger as well and said, "I know that he was an inhumane slaver and he deserved death but . . . was it right?"
Ben closed the distance between them and placed his hand on Valin's shoulder. If not for his oath he would have taken off his mask. Now it was times like these when he wished he could take it off and show true human sympathy but he could not. "Valin, there are times when we must make choices that will define us. I did not do this because I wanted to. I did it because it needed to be done. If this man were to escape he could enslave countless other lives and there suffering would be on our heads because we did nothing. The Republic doesn't need men like this," he said gesturing to the slaver's corpse, "They need men that are strong and will do what is necessary."
"I . . You're right. I just need some time. But on the other hand did you find what you were looking for?" Valin asked weakly. Ben knew he would be alright. He would have to adjust but Valin would be strong again as he always was.
Ben was glad he changed the topic because he didn't want to dwell on it either. "Yes, I found out that there is a passageway in the Under City sewers leading to the Mandalorian base. Now we can use that to our advantage. We will divide our forces,one will head out to the battle lines while the other will enter the sewers in the Under City to attack from behind. Soon the liberation of Taris will be over and we will be one step closer to ending this war."
The Under City of Taris was dark place with no light. The sun didn't even reach this place and seeing it for himself, Ben couldn't imagine who would live here. On the report he had received from Republic Intelligence the inhabitants of the planet were separated by class. But no one ever mentioned anything about the state of the Under City. The place looked like a graveyard. Due to the time he wouldn't associate with any of the people but he could see they were living in poverty. Their clothes were nothing but rags and their homes weren't much better but still he moved on. Ben had personally assigned Jaq Rand to his team as a scout. He had sent him ahead while his men geared up. He noticed that Rand had suddenly appeared out of thin air by his side as they neared the gate. "Apparently Intelligence was dead wrong about this place," he said unpleasantly.
"What do you mean ?" Ben asked him suspiciously.
Rand hesitated before replying, "It appears that the Under City is where all the outcasts are sent. They are the criminals or those who are not wanted anywhere else. Some of these people have been here all their lives as well as their forefathers. I guess the senator has been hiding quite a bit from us General."
Ben stopped in his tracks and took one last look around. Seeing all of these unfortunate people suffering brought a cold rage into his heart. Was the Republic truly this corrupt? Did senators even care about the people they represented?Did they even know? All these questions kept piling up in his head. Another question was did the Jedi Council know? He shook his head clear of these useless thoughts. He had a battle to win and the fewer distractions the better. He once more began walking after seeing that his troops had stopped their march as well he continued his conversation with Jaq as quietly as possible. "what have you heard about these stories telling of cannibalistic creatures?"
Jaq rarely displayed his fear without disguising it behind sarcasm but here Ben could see his friend was, if only slightly, afraid. "The outcasts say that beyond these gates there are such creatures called rakghouls. They are a mutation that effects many species. There is no cure to it. It may only be matter of time after you're infected that you transform into one of those mindless monsters."
Ben approached the gate where a certain man was standing there watching them. From the look in his eyes the man must have been saying silent prayers for them. "Open the gate," Ben ordered.
The gatekeeper looked at him sorrowfully when he answered, "If you go beyond this gate you must know that if any of you are infected you will not be able to return."
"We don't plan on returning. Now open the gate."
The gatekeeper did as ordered and soon the Republic forces were off on their quest. There were skeletons littering the landscape as far as the eye could see. They continued on and now they were completely out of sight from civilization. Then they found a group of Mandalorian bodies lying by a support beam. Ben brought his troops to a halt and bent his knee to inspect the corpse. He turned the body over and found there to be blood pooled underneath it. A fresh kill. Ben saw a few items on the deceased Mandalorian's belt. He picked up a few items then came across a datapad. Before he could inspect it his senses flashed him a warning clear as day. They were not alone. Without anyone seeing, he stashed the datapad in his utility belt and stood up to address his men. "We are not alone. Men, prepare to defend yourselves!"
After he had finished speaking, hordes of demonic creatures that could only be the rakghouls swarmed them. Ben ignited his lightsaber and slashed through a rakghoul that had lunged at him he looked around and saw the soldiers begin to pepper them with blasterfire while others drew their vibroblades. He noticed that many soldiers were going down and he upped the tempo of his attacks. He had to have a decent sized force to fight the Mandalorians. He pounced on a rakghoul that had begun to feed on a fallen soldier and hacked it to pieces. Then he leaped in the air to avoid one pouncing on his back and turned it into a roll. As he came up he swatted one away while kicking another then sliced through it. By this time the soldiers had gotten their fighting spirit back and were dropping rakghouls like flies. In a matter of moments there were only a few left that were cornered between them and a building. As one they charged forward at the Republic soldiers but before they reached their mark, Ben called the Force to him and pushed them as hard as he could into the building, completely crushing them.
Ben turned around to see soldiers gathering around the wounded. Because of the gatekeeper's warning, no one dared get within an arms length of them for fear of their infection. Ben went through the crowd and came to the infected men. He studied them closely seeing how long they had. "There is no cure?" Ben asked to no one in particular though it was meant for Jaq.
Jaq, being a rather brave man or a fool, sidled up beside him as he responded, "No." He paused and looked back at the others before turning to Ben again, "What do we do Sir?" Jaq was at a loss for what else to say to his superior.
Ben could hear the infected men calling out to him for help. Some saying they had families or others begging for their lives but he knew that there was no cure for it so he would do what was necessary. He walked over to one and he could see he was beginning to transform. Quickly he turned to the soldiers on their feet and said with as much power as he could, "Would it be right to let these men suffer an even greater agony than they are in now. It would be a far greater evil if we let them become such vile creatures. We must do what must be done." Then he turned to one man who had heard the whole speech he had given and started grovelling at Ben's feet. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten." His hand ignited his lightsaber once more and he plunged it into the man's gut and he crumpled to the ground. Ben nodded and soldiers used whatever weapons they had and killed their infected brethren, some being relatives and friends.
Ben silently watched with an emotion that surprised him. He did not feel sorrow or grief nor mourning but rather an irrational anger at those who were not strong enough to defend themselves. He was furious, because of those men he now had fewer than before for his assault to wipe out the Mandalorians. Now he had to completely rethink his battle strategy. He had an idea but it was risky he had to admit but in the end it would be worth it. He would just let Admiral Pallaeon write out condolences.
A few hours after they had successfully navigated the sewers, while facing off with more rakghouls, they had come up behind enemy lines and wee now waiting for Valin to move into position. The plan was truly quite simple. The Mandalorians had purchased slaves to join their ranks and anyone who didn't join willingly were to be put at the front of the army as decoys. So Ben had concocted a plan to rescue them while winning the battle altogether. Ben had lost many soldiers to get here and he knew that he would lose countless more but if they won the fight it would be worth it. From his dwindling troops a small task force would be split into two teams. One would make a distraction near the middle of the enemy ranks while the other would run out to rescue the slaves. This would all take place while Ben and his troops attacked from the rear while Valin would take on the front. Valin's front line troops were to equip energy shields though they both knew it would only take a certain amount of hits until the shield gave out. A risky and definitely costly plan but it would work. He knew at least that much.
He reached for his comlink as it began to chime indicating an incoming transmission, "General Skywalker here."
"General Horn to General Skywalker, we are in position. Repeat we are in position."
"Good, begin the assault. We will be standing by. Skywalker out."
Ben tucked the comlink back in it's pouch on his utility belt. The battle was about to begin. He made a hand signal to a group of soldiers who were a few feet away from him. Jaq Rand had argued with him insistently to join one of the squads. At first Ben was against it because he knew that not many soldiers ,if any at all from either team, would make it out but in the end he relented. He didn't want to lose Jaq. There was still something about him that nagged Ben but he would have to let him go if he didn't make it. He saw Jaq nod to him and wheel around around and soundlessly ran off with his group of ten men went to their position while the other group that had almost no chance of survival ventured off to make a distraction.
The way Ben had planned it, all the Jedi they had on Taris were with Valin. Now he wished he had at least one with him. The Mandalorians were gunning for the Jedi as their main targets so he had reasoned that it would be better if Valin had them. He waited patiently for the something to happen. Against his better judgment he had allowed the squad to use whatever methods they wished to complete their task. He felt it first through the Force then his eyes caught sight of the huge blast erupting from the Mandalorian ranks. He could see mass chaos was ensuing. He could not allow them to reorganize. He ignited his lightsaber and raised it high for all of his troops to see. At his signal, as one the Republic soldiers stood and charged at the enemy forces.
The battlefield had been chosen in an extremely open area. Ben had had to hide his men a few hundred meters from the Mandalorian encampment so now all they had to do was get close enough to fight. Ben had posted his best snipers in the highest buildings he could see and now they were going to work. The Mandalorians that noticed them approaching were quickly shot down before they had a chance to reveal their location. Ben could feel the adrenaline of the upcoming battle raging within him. He fought internally against thinking about his father too much but now he had an eerie sense of awe. Is this what you felt like, Dad? Did you feel the excitement of battle? He had to toss those thoughts away. No, Luke Skywalker would never feel that way or at least never admit to it. He cleared his mind of all these thoughts and focused on the Mandalorians who had finally taken notice of him. He had crossed over two hundred meters and now he was staring a Mandalorian in the face.
He used the Force to enhance his leap that covered the last few meters and struck out with his saber connecting with the blade of the Mandalorian. All at once the sounds of battle came to him as the two forces collided. Explosions erupted from everywhere causing his ears to ring. Soldier after soldier ran up to the Mandalorian ranks blasting their way through. They had achieved the element of surprise. Ben brought his attention back to the here and now. He disengaged with his opponent and swiftly blocked his mid level strike and countered, effectively slicing clean through his arm. One by one he continued to drive through the Mandalorians. His blade was a blur to all that saw him, his body in constant motion as fought, swinging his lightsaber right and left, high and low. He delivered a quick kick to one and brought his saber up to cut down another. The Force was intensely flowing through him. Nothing would stand in his way.
Valin had watched the entire episode and now it was his time to join in the fun. At first he thought the plan was suicidal but in the end it was the best option they had to root out the Mandalorians otherwise they could be here for months trying to breach their defenses. He looked over to one of Ben's more trusted generals, a human woman by the name of Brisha Syo. Valin had always thought there was something odd about her. A similar feeling that Ben had about Jaq Rand. Nevertheless she had proven herself time and again. "Begin artillery fire. Order the assault," he ordered. The woman nodded her head and went to fulfill his orders.
Jaq could see the plan was unfolding perfectly. At the sight of General Horn's men giving them artillery support, he waved his squad forward. He ran as fast as he could but it wasn't enough. The Mandalorians had spotted them. He and his men got down to the spot where the slaves were being held. He took out his leveled his blaster and quickly shot off a few volleys of return fire as he dodged the oncoming shots. His shots hit their mark and he made his way to the slaves. Some of them began to cut the slaves loose while the rest of them covered them with blasterfire.
The main army was quickly approaching and so was the Mandalorians Jaq didn't know what to do they were completely surrounded. If they could get back to their lines they would be safe but the trouble was getting there. If they didn't have any cover they would be blown to bits. A personal friend of his, Captain Lorn Menssk, had been apart of the suicide squad that was responsible for them even being here. He would know what to do. He shot off another volley at some oncoming Mandalorians. They would have to run for it.
All of a sudden as they were about to be overrun, a Mandalorian speeder appeared overhead a shot off rockets toward the Mandalorians. They were instantly incinerated by the blasts. The speeder flew overhead and zoomed down to reveal that it was none other than Captain Menssk. "Jaq, get those slaves out of here now. I'll distract them!" he shouted down at them.
Without another word, he flew higher in the air and began to pound the Neo-Crusaders with everything he had. That was all Jaq needed. He and the others quickly got up and ran for the rapidly nearing Republic lines. There were barely any blaster shots headed in their direction and as they were allowed to pass through the ranks, Jaq looked back to see the speeder be blasted out of the sky and crash in a titanic explosion. Thank you old friend he thought sadly.
The battle had been ended after three hours of nonstop warfare. Ben looked around the devastation that had taken place here. There had been more lives lost here than on any other world before it during this war. He had personally seen the sacrifices that so many had given during this fight. He was glad that Jaq had survived but he knew that not a single one of the other squad made it out alive. As he walked among the dead he saw many familiar faces and some he didn't. Over time he had come to hate the Mandalorians like he had never hated anyone or anything before. And now it was amplified to heights no Jedi would ever approve of. He kept walking until Valin came up to him. "Ben we have Mandalorian survivors."
Ben stance turned rigid as he turned to look at Valin, "Where?"
Valin nodded for him to follow and they walked in silence until they reached them. Ten Mandalorians had survived but Ben could clearly see that they still had plenty of fight left in them. He had learned his lesson before and he knew what he had to do. He walked up to them and saw Jaq as one of the many soldiers that were watching them. Ben could clearly see that the only thing keeping Jaq from killing them were Valin's orders. He looked down at the butchers then back up to everyone that had gathered around them. "Listen to me. If even a single Mandalorian lives without surrendering they will only return to their blood lust. Many of you remember what has happened over the years. Now I trust you will know what to do," he said and then he turned on his heel and started walking away.
However a soldier stopped him as he said, "Sir what of the survivors?"
Over his shoulder Ben responded, "What survivors." That was all Jaq needed to hear before he broke one Mandalorian's neck.
Author Note
This chapter was a little rushed and I may edit it if it isn't satisfactory. Please review and keep reading. Thanks.