Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Mandalorian Wars
Chapter 3

"This way," Avner whispered to the soldiers.

The four soldiers slipped into the cover of the ruins of a building. Avner peeked around a wall. Just beyond he could see a group of mandalorians. A few stood guard, watching for an attack while the others searched through the building behind them.

"There's a group ahead, we'll have to go around," Avner told the soldiers. He kept his force sight on the mandalorians while he spoke with the soldiers.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Lieutenant Carvan asked.

"No," Avner admitted, "but if we stay here there's a greater chance we'll end up back in a cell or dead." Avner glanced at the mandalorians. "Our best chance is to find the rebellion and join it." If there was one, that was.

At this Lieutenant Carvan snorted again. "A rebellion? The only reason the republic was here is because this is a supply world for Taris."

Avner sighed. "I'm well aware of that. Why the Republic was or was not here doesn't matter right now. There will be a rebellion because it's in people's nature to fight for their homes."

"I'm getting real sick of your attitude, kid," Carvan snarled his eyes flashing in anger.

Another sigh escaped Avner, strands of black hair fell into his eyes by a soft breeze. "You can be sick of me if you want, you can hate me if you want. All that matters is getting to a somewhat safe zone."

"Then what? You'll abandon us here with the slime of this world!" Carvan shouted.

Avner glanced at the mandalorians. The nearest one was looking in their direction, his blue armor dulled by the smoke and his gun held loosely. For how much longer the blaster would be, Avner didn't know.

"Calm down," Avner hissed in a low voice. "If you keep shouting—"

"You'll what?" Carvan demanded.

"Lieutenant," the woman whispered, "the Master Jedi's right. There's a mandalorian—"

"Silence." Carvan shot her a glare. "This is my command and, Jedi or not, you're sure as hell not taking it from me."

"I'm not," Avner protested.

Carvan's lips curled in a snarl. Metal and stone dug into Avner's back when Carvan slammed him into a wall. "Like hell you're not," growled Carvan. "You might've gotten us out from those mandies today; you haven't seen real combat, kid. You've no right to act so high and mighty!"

"Lieutenant," the woman tried to intervene.

"Stay out of this, Susan!" snapped the lieutenant.

A fist came at Avner. He didn't even bother dodging. Pain shot through his jaw. He was released seconds before a knee struck his stomach. Staggering, Avner gasped when the lieutenant took hold of his hair.

"You're nothing more than a child. Hell, you're not even a full on Jedi, are you?!"

"Does beating me really make you feel better about this situation?" Avner asked, looking into Carvan's flashing eyes. The metallic flavor of blood filled Avner's mouth as he looked calmly up at the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant," Susan whispered, backing up.

Avner looked away from Carvan to see several mandalorians had spotted them. Just what they needed: mandalorians to join this little fight of theirs. The mandalorians surrounded the small group. Avner pushed away from Carvan and took hold of his lightsaber.

This wasn't good. There were only five of them and around twenty mandalorians. If Avner had been alone… but he wasn't, there were soldiers here he couldn't be reckless. But if he didn't act – damn it! This really wasn't good.

A complete idiot, that was what Carvan was for fighting over such a stupid matter. Avner's eyes darted from one mandalorian to the next. His knuckles turned white, his grip tight around his lightsaber. There, his eyes locked on the mandalorian dressed in red armor. That one was the leader.

Before Avner could move several grenades were launched from above. Avner leapt before the small group and threw up a hug wave of the force, shielding the soldiers from the blast.

The mandalorians who remained upright started to fire above. This was it. This was who Avner had been looking for. The rebellion. Avner watched as the rebels jumped down and took on the mandalorians. Avner was about to help when several more rebels raced over to over to Avner.

"This way, quickly," the leader told Avner.

Avner hesitated. He straightened a little. Right then he wanted to help the people fighting. Then again he knew if he might be a liability on the field of battle. He wasn't Alek.

"Lead on," Avner said with a slight bow of his head. He sheathed his lightsaber. This was for the best.

xxx

This – this couldn't be happening. Alek stared at the reports coming in. His hand shook. Of all the worlds to be conquered, why'd it have to be Tarnith? The world Avner had been assigned to.

Alek knew Avner was far from weak. He was the strongest Jedi in the whole of the order even if none of the master would admit it. Not to mention the fact Avner was a master in his own rights. Hell, Avner should've been a master. It was just because Avner refused to take the trials that he was still a knight.

In the end, even this knowledge made Alek on edge. His best friend might be in the middle of a warzone. And the fact was Alek wouldn't know for certain if Avner had made it out until he arrived at the temple in a few hours.

What would happen if Avner hadn't gotten out in time? Avner went out of his way to help people more often then naught. Over all the years Alek had known Avner, he knew Avner disliked seeing people suffer. It was in Avner's nature to help. Then there was something about Avner that seemed to make civilians feel safe when he was there. At first meeting Avner could get just about anyone to follow him. Over time, people might break from it but most of the time he earned trust of those around him quickly and could hold onto that trust with ease.

Alek sighed. He really shouldn't be worried about Avner. His friend knew how to take care of himself. The fact remained, most of Alek's life, Avner had been there with him. They'd joined the Jedi Order around the same time and had stayed together since the day they first met.

"It feels unreal," Alek muttered to himself, watching the buildings of Coruscant flying by the window.

Avner on a world, trapped, while a war the Republic wasn't involved in raged around him. And, in the meantime, Alek was here on Coruscant, safe. If anyone should've been trapped there it was Alek. Vandar should've sent Alek on that mission not Avner.

There was still a thin thread of hope. A small chance Avner had gotten off the world before the mandalorians had clamed it. But what if he was there? What if – what if…?

xxx

Carvan whistled beside Avner. "Quite the base you've got here."

Avner looked around. It was a good set up, but, coming for him, that wasn't saying much. Avner knew nothing about war and what people needed beyond the basics. He looked around. There were several supply crates which seemed to contain food and other rations. Then there were even more crates and racks holding blasters, grenades and more.

The main room was large and contained most of the supplies. It wasn't the first place Avner would've chosen to hold the supplies. There were a few people and droids around the crates, sorting through them.

Avner followed the group into the next room. This space was larger and, yet, far more cramped. People were crowded into this room. The sound of coughing mixed with sobs and a soft mummer of conversation. Only two medics moved through the room a droid at their side.

"Avner!"

Looking away from the people, Avner's eyes fell over the prime minister.

"You're safe." The man stopped before Avner and clapped a hand on Avner's shoulder. "When you didn't return, I thought – well, it doesn't matter now. You're here and that's what counts."

"You certainly got this going fast," Avner stated, with a glance at the room.

"Well, when I learned the mandalorians were near to our world I had the military set up the rebellion in case we were targeted. Turns out I was right."

Right? If the man had been smart he'd have had gotten as many people out as he possibly could before the mandalorians had even made a move on the world. Granted, he really wasn't one to talk there. War and battle were foreign to Avner. Sure he'd fought in skirmishes before, but most Jedi could claim as much. He wasn't a soldier.

"Avner, I need a word with you as does my head of security."

Avner glanced at the prime minister. "Of course." He looked back at the people there. Every last one of them was trapped here just like Avner was. In the end the only way out was to fight. But, could he? Avner had done a lot in his twenty-eight years of life. He'd never killed. The Jedi had taught to take a life was always the last resort.

"I should be there as well," Carvan said, moving up so he was face to face with the prim minister.

"Who are you?" the prime minister looked at the lieutenant in confusion.

"Lieutenant Carvan of the Republic navy," Carvan seemed to be biting back the urge to growl.

"Ah, so you were one of the republic soldiers left behind. I see no harm in it after one of the medics has looked you over." The prime minister gestured for Avner to follow him.

Avner glanced at the lieutenant before doing so. "How many did you get off world?" he felt compelled to ask this.

"Not many. Most people who had forewarning didn't want to leave. Tarnith is their homes. It's mine as well. Most people here would defend it to the last man standing."

That just sounded like suicide. Though, Avner shouldn't have been one to judge. He knew the planet had found him on and it was recorded as his homeworld now, but the fact remained no one, not even Avner, knew where he'd been born. Also the fact was he'd been to and stayed in so many different places over the years the fact these people would commit suicide to stay here was just a stupid one.

"What can I do to help?" Avner asked.

The two of them entered a small room with a small conference table in it. "Before that," – the prime minister took a seat – "you should know the Jedi Order had called for you to return the day you left the city."

"That—"

"What?!" Lieutenant Carvan had chosen just then to enter. "So he," – he jabbed his finger at Avner – "gets to leave this world while the rest of us are trapped here."

Both of the prime minister's eyebrows rose. He looked at Carvan green eyes wide with a look between shock and confusion.

"That's not what he said, Lieutenant," Avner stated. "I'm just as stuck here as you are. And I've no intention of leaving even if I could. It goes against my teachings to leave these people to suffer."

Carvan just stared at Avner. He opened his mouth, closed, and repeated, at a loss for worlds.

"Back to my original question: what can I do to help?"

"You know how to heal through the force, right?"

"Yeah." Avner didn't much like where this was going. Oh, he knew how to heal, Master Arren Kae had driven it into him, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

"I'd like you to work with the medics."

"I can help in other ways as well," Avner offered, a pit forming in his stomach.

"Right now, what would help the most is you staying out of the battlefield to help the wounded and sick. You're master helped us greatly when you were last here with healing. Also, if you could help with repairing some of the droids, that'd be appreciated as well."

"Of course," Avner muttered, bowing to the three of them.

"You're dismissed, Knight Avner," the prime minister turned so as not to include Avner in the small group.

Avner hesitated. He should really stay here and see if he could help in other ways. A glare from Carven made Avner sigh. Well, it seemed he wasn't welcome here anymore. Pressing the matter of helping more would only cause more harm than good at this point anyway.

Hours slipped by as Avner moved from person to person. He tried his best o ease their pain, drawing on what little knowledge of healing he had. Sure Master Arren Kae had been his first master, but he never paid much attention to the healing aspects of the Force.

When Avner had healed as many people as he could, he took the droids to an upper floor and sat in a blown out window. The cool night whispered around him, pulling at his dark hair. His work was silent and enjoyable. It was just nice to be away from others.