"Other fallen Jedi, not content to serve their comrades, struck out on their own, spreading the darkness. One such was Freedon Nadd. Nadd roamed the uncharted systems until he found a world he could dominate through the dark side. The planet was called…Onderon" ― From the holocron of Vodo-Siosk Baas

Sith Gothic

Part 11

To say I was annoyed would be bit of an understatement. I had ordered a course set for Korriban, only now we were at Onderon. I didn't need to ask to know that Kreia was somehow behind this.

She had been dead set against me going to Korriban, although I didn't know why, and I had no doubt that she'd manipulated Atton so that she could once again get her own way.

When the time came I would enjoy killing the old witch, but that time wasn't now. I had to let events play out, to make sure history stayed on track, at least as much as possible. Besides Kreia was still of use to me, and as the old saying went 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'.

"Well, this is it, Onderon" I heard Rand say as I looked at the planet out of the cockpit view ports "And it looks like there's a long line to get into the Iziz Starport".

Somehow I didn't think we'd be taking the direct route.

"Caution would be wise" Kreia was currently saying "Onderon has an association with the Sith and the dark side".

Onderon had a long history, most of it unpleasant. A colony ship brought the first humans to Onderon sometime between 5200 and 4600 BBY. Owing to the brutal fauna of the world, the earliest encampments were hastily expanded into what would become the only city on the planet, Iziz.

The early Onderonians were described as having been peaceful before the arrival of the beasts of Dxun, but they soon learned to hunt and kill the animals. Eventually, most of the planet's inhabitants took refuge in Iziz and the city expanded as the centre of Onderon's civilization. Technology progressed, and the city's population grew to number in the millions. It also spanned thousands of square miles. Great walls and other defences kept the savage wilderness at bay.

In 4400 BBY, Freedon Nadd conquered the planet and established a dark side theocracy. His cultists were known as Naddists. Naddist tyrants included Warb Null and King Ommin. The Naddists sent Iziz's criminal element (opponents of the Naddists) out into the wilderness without any protection from the animals, expecting them to perish. However, these outcasts soon learned to survive and even defend themselves, and eventually formed a second civilization, the Beast Riders. Relations between the two groups were hostile, and they remained at war with each other for many years. The Beast Wars lasted until 4000 BBY, with the final battles serving as the opening salvos of the Great Sith War.

In 4002 BBY, Onderon first made contact with the Galactic Republic. The Republic asked the Jedi to watch over the world. Jedi Master Arca Jeth was selected as Watchman, and he assigned his Padawans Ulic Qel-Droma, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta to the planet as a test.

The Beast Wars finally ended with the death of Naddist Queen Amanoa. Amanoa's daughter Galia married Oron Kira, the leader of the outcasts, known as the Beastprince.

In 3998 BBY, two years after the First Battle of Onderon, the Freedon Nadd Uprising occurred. The Naddists tried to overthrow Queen Galia, but were foiled by the Jedi and the Republic. Ommin and Sith disciple Warb Null were slain, but so was Jedi Kith Kark.

Also Onderon was the site of two battles during the Mandalorian Wars. Onderon, very interestingly, went almost entirely unaffected by the Jedi Civil War. It was almost as if Revan did not want to attack it.

Further more it was the only world in the Republic still capable of seeding ecosystems into other dead worlds.

Of note, Onderon's wildlife was some of the most aggressive in the known galaxy, particularly its winged drexl creatures flown by the Beast Lords there.

"Something feels wrong here," said Kreia. "A great disturbance in orbit… and again on the planet below"

While I didn't sense anything, however I didn't need to. I knew what was wrong.

"I guess this blockade is a symptom of larger problems on Onderon" Atton commented.

"If they decide to do a cargo search, we're going to be in trouble," Mira warned.

Hearing that surprised me as we didn't have anything illegal on board. No drugs, or weapons larger than a blaster rifle, sure the lightsabres might raise a few eyebrows, but they could be hidden. I could only assume that the bounty hunter had brought something naughty on board my ship. At some point I'd have words with her about that.

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Atton. "I'm receiving a message from someone called Colonel Tobin. Patching it through"

The voice was dripping with contempt.

"The Ebon Hawk. I was told to expect your arrival. I don't know what your business on Onderon is, but it ends here".

Given that we'd changed the ship's IFF while back on Nar Shaddaa the Onderon military shouldn't know the true name of my space craft, however since they did that meant I'd been betrayed. Someone on board had warned the Onderon military, and had told them the true identity of my ship. Most likely Kreia, or it could be that Visas was in contact with her master. Colonel Tobin's boss was after all allied with the Sith.

This was when sensors told us about a squadron of fighters that had broken formation and were now heading this way. They quickly moved into an attack formation, and opened fire.

"Red Alert!" I shouted over the ships internal comm system

I realised then that the term 'Red Alert' might not mean anything in this galaxy as this was Star Wars not Star Trek, but it hardly mattered as the alarms going off would tell people that bad things were happening.

The good news was that the Ebon Hawk was fast and manoeuvrable, and Atton was using that in an attempt to avoid our pursuers.

"I'm having a hard time shaking them!" Rand loudly informed

Skillfully he slipped the Ebon Hawk between a bulk freighter and what I guessed to be a passenger liner, which prevented the Onderon military's larger ships from getting a clean shot at us. Alas it didn't help much with the fighters which were nimble enough to keep up.

"They know this ship; if we set down on Onderon, they'll be all over us" Atton warned.

I knew where this was all going, but I found myself with no time to discuss it with people, as even more fighters were coming after us, and the Onderon destroyers were moving, no doubt trying find a good line of fire.

Thanks to Atton's amazing flying we currently only had four fighters on our tail. And soon it was only two as someone on board had gotten into their heads to man the ship's turrets.

The remaining pair opened fire with some sort of torpedoes, but missed, striking a cargo ship of some kind, which opened up with its own weapons. This soon started a massive space battle as everyone started shooting at everyone else. Clearly the tension that had been building up due to the blockade had reached a critical level, and now the people in control of the ships in orbit of Onderon had started to vent some of the pressure they'd been under.

Atton kept flying, weaving between other ships in order to stay clear of the destroyers. Alas we still had fighters on our tail and they seemed hellbent in blasting us into atoms.

"There's another squadron coming from Onderon," Atton said. "I can't keep us in one piece much longer. Sorry to spoil your fun, but we've got to land now. I'm going to put us down on that jungle moon".

Well no surprises there.

(Line Break)

"Atton, can you handle the repairs?" I asked "With T3 helping".

He nodded.

"It will be some time" Rand informed "I'm shutting down all unnecessary systems until we make repairs. It'll keep us from being a target. Even so, that Colonel Tobin may send people after us".

Oh I was sure he would.

"I'm not too sure where we are" Rand was now saying "But I did pick up the remains of an old outpost near here. Maybe that's why there's all these clearings around, maybe they were once settlements".

Given the chance I would have corrected him on that, however someone beat me to it.

"There were no settlements here," said Kreia, while walking into the cockpit. "Those clearings are what remains of outpost, or even crash sites".

No one other than the Mandos would be crazy enough to settle on this moon.

"Crash sites?" Atton asked.

"This is Dxun, where the Mandalorians began their crusade against the Republic," Kreia replied. "The remains of whatever outposts you detected here are military ones. We should be careful".

"This is where the Mandalorian Wars started?" Atton asked in surprise "This doesn't look much like a battlefield."

Despite being temperate and habitable, the jungles of Dxun were not a friendly place. Due to its constant rains and humid climate, mechanical devices did not last long and required continuous maintenance. Moreover, the jungles were inhabited by many dangerous predators such as bomas, cannoks, drexls, maalraas, skreevs, and zakkegs.

Though considered a moon of Onderon, Dxun and Onderon were almost sister planets. They were so close to one another that it was only a short shuttle ride between them, and sometimes they even shared a bit of the same atmosphere. Every year, during Dxun's summer season, the atmospheres of Onderon and Dxun would connect. This was what had allowed the vicious Drexls, which had been tamed by the Beastriders, to settle on Onderon.

In 3963 BBY, the Mandalorian Wars expanded into a galaxy-wide conflict when the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders began their invasion of the Republic. From their headquarters on Dxun, Mandalore's forces attacked and took nearby Onderon in mere hours.

Years later, after the Jedi Revan and Malak had entered the war and pushed the Mandalorian forces back to their original Dxun staging-grounds, a far more bloody battle was fought here on this moon.

The Republic attempted to capture the Mandalorian headquarters on Dxun. Republic forces managed to defeat the Mandalorians, but the victory came at a heavy cost. The Mandalorian outposts were entrenched and well defended by hidden mines, traps, anti-air turrets, as well as the ferocious inhabitants of the jungle.

During the bloody battle, the Republic lost ten soldiers for every Mandalorian killed. The Jedi Exile, who was in command of the battle, was forced to sacrifice dozens of her soldiers, sending them on a suicidal charge to disable the minefield that was the last obstacle keeping them away from the Mandalorian fortress.

"There may be a means to get to Onderon by another route. The Force has guided us here for a reason. We should explore our surroundings" Kreia advised "That nearby outpost would be as good a place as any to begin".

Well time to go and reunite with Canderous.

"Atton, you take charge of fixing the ship" I ordered "G0-T0, and T3 will stay here and help you with repairs".

This moon was no place for droids, but I'd take HK with me, I'd need someone to help me shoot the wildlife.

"What happened to that guy we were suppose to give a lift to?" I wondered.

He wasn't here, and I didn't recall ever seeing him on the landing pad, guess he must have been busy.

(Line Break)

"Statement: Master, I detect an extreme number of life signs. My sensors are overwhelmed and I cannot pick out individual targets" HK informed me.

I'd once stalked the forest floor of Kashyyyk, and this world felt a lot like this, only it was warmer and wetter here. Here it was kill or be killed, natural selection in action, and the moon was strong in the dark side. I liked it.

"It's the Dxun jungle" Mira said "It's been twelve years, but it feels just like it did when I left."

The bounty hunter then turned to me.

"I don't have to tell you how deadly the jungle is. There are plenty of dangerous animals here. You've got cannoks, boma, and we might even run into a zakkeg if we're real unlucky".

Visas had nothing to say, she'd barely paid me any attention since we'd had sex, and something was bothering the Handmaiden. As for Kreia, no doubt she would follow us.

We soon set off into the jungle, Mira leading the way, and she found us a path to follow. Mira explained that it was a game trail. Game trails are paths or trails created and used by the fauna that pass through or live in an area. Lots of game trails have been maintained by generations of animals.

If this was a game trail that meant some larger predators might well be waiting in ambush. Which turned out to be the case, thankfully the Force was with me and the beast met its demise due to the blade of my lightsabre.

"What is this creature" the Handmaiden enquired.

We were all taking a moment to inspect my kill.

"The Mandalorians call them maalraas," Mira told us.

Maalraas or Nighthunters were a non-sentient species of predatory creatures somewhat cat like. Nighthunters hunted in packs, using their long claws and powerful fanged jaws to disable their victims.

I knew about them because they could the Force to cloak themselves, making themselves nearly indistinguishable from the darkest shadows; only the most powerful of Jedi or Sith could hope to sense one before it attacked.

As if that wasn't bad enough their hides and bones were heavily resistant to lightsabers as well as intense heat, but luckily for us resistant isn't the same thing as immune.

"They're pack hunters" Mira warned.

While trying to sense if their was any further danger I felt that Visas was becoming anxious.

"Where did it come from?" Visas wondered.

"Calm yourself, blind one!" Kreia urged "You depend too much on the Force".

To be fair it was through the Force that she perceived the world. So these maarlaas might as well be invisible to her, and they were almost invisible to rest of us. Thankfully I had some experience with predators and knew how to handle them as such we defeated the rest of the pack.

"I've got some news," Atton said over the comm "The space battle is still going on, and the Hawk's sensors just picked up a contact heading to the moon. I can't tell what it is without active sensors, but it's broadcasting a distress signal, and it looks like it'll come down between you and the outpost. Could be somebody in trouble, or it could be Colonel Tobin, setting a trap".

Either way I'd deal with it.

"Thanks, Atton" I replied, before turning to the group "Let's go check it out.

I didn't need to see her face to tell that Kreia disapproved.

"It is a foolish risk to take. Even if it is not an Onderonian trap, that ship is broadcasting its position. It will draw others, including those who pursue us"

This I gave some thought.

"Yes, but they're between us and the outpost" I pointed out "It would be a really bad idea to try going around them, we could get lost in the jungle".

That was the last thing I wanted, there could be anything out there in the jungle. Dinosaurs, Yautja, feral cannibal tribes, or even things I couldn't imagine.

"You must led us" Kreia said.

Oh so I was in charge for once.

(Line Break)

I saw at least three dozen heavily armed Duros stood guard around the ship, these were not good odds.

One Duros stepped forward, and spoke to us.

"You have led us on a very fine chase, human. The battle above was your doing, yes? Our ship is quite damaged now" he said.

Mira spoke before I could

"Well, if it isn't the Zhug brothers" she said "The bounty's long since called off, you know".

Somehow I doubted they cared.

"We're not here for the credits" the alien informed "I am Dezanti Zhug, head of the family. You killed many of my brothers on Nar Shaddaa. For this you will die".

Dezanti levelled his rifle and fired. I deflected the bolt precisely, sending it into the Duro's arm. The Zhug boss howled in pain and fell. The others Zhugs began shooting. Sadly for them, they were no match for three sith, a bounty hunter, a warrior woman, and an assassin droid.

(Line Break)

It wasn't long after dealing the Duros crooks that we ran into the Mandos. Without warning the air shimmered and a dozen or so Mandalorians appeared all around us weapons all aimed and ready to fire.

This was actually worrying as these Mandos were not like the alien criminals we'd just taken down, the Mandos knew how to fight Force Users, and they had us surrounded. If it came down to a fight they'd gun us down in mere seconds.

Rather than open up with their blasters, a Mando in red armour, the squad leader I assumed, walked forward and lowered his rifle; the others followed suit.

"We have orders to escort you to our camp, our leader wishes to speak with you" we were informed.

I couldn't resit.

"Take us to your leader" I said.

I'd always wanted to say that.