Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Mandalorian Wars
Chapter 13

The light layer of armor Avner wore in place of his robes felt almost too heavy to him. Though, he did admit that if it came to battle the added protection would be most welcome. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. After all he was only here to gather information. Then he'd be heading back towards Suurja and those he'd left there.

Avner entered the cantina and took a seat at one of the tables. He kept his eye out for anyone who might be working for the mandalorians. Even if they weren't directly on this planet, there was something here that made it clear they were nearby. All Avner had to do was discover where they were on Dxun and if they were on Dxun at all. To do this he would need to be recruited or seen as a recruit for the mandalorian clan here. This was assuming there was one here.

After several long moments of sipping a drink and watching the entrance, two people entered. At first glance they were common thugs, mercenaries, but there was away they walked and held themselves which reminded Avner of the mandalorians he'd fought and seen on Tarnith.

"We're not going to find any damned recruits here," hissed the shorter of the two men. The two of them took the table before Avner's. "None on Onderon would last three seconds as one of us."

"He ordered all groups to be on the lookout for recruits," the taller retorted. "We need to get at least one recruit to not look bad when the order to attack comes in."

This peeked Avner's interest at once. Attack, on Onderon? That was if they were from the group that had been trapped here since the Great Sith War. Even if they weren't, it was still disturbing hearing them speaking about recruiting. They were mandalorian, there was no denying this. This meant that Avner needed to uncover what they were really up to. The only way to do this was to be recruited which held its own risks.

Leaning further back in his seat, Avner kept one watchful eye on the two mandalorains. He held his drink loosely as if he were going to continue drinking it, but all his attention was trained on the two before him.

"How long do you think it will be until the order comes in?" asked the shorter one.

"Can't be long now, can it?" grunted the taller.

"Don't know, but I'm itching for a good fight."

Avner placed the drink down along with several credits. They were going to just sit there and the one piece of information he'd really needed it didn't seem they knew. Standing, Avner glanced around. A small fight would draw the attention of the mandalorians. A shiver raced down his spin at the thought. It was for the greater good. There is no emotion; there is peace. Avner steeled himself before he started forward.

He bumped into a tall twi'lek who'd been staggering a little on his way to get another drink. "Watch it!" the twi'lek shoved him back.

Avner staggered, falling into the mandalorians' table. "You watch it!" he snapped back, leaping back to his feet. He swung a punch at the twi'lek. The blow struck the twi'lek hard on the side of his face.

He staggered, snarling as his hand short towards a blaster pistol.

Avner was faster, pulling out a blaster and pointing it at the twi'lek. "I wouldn't," he stated. Damn that was the wrong thing to say. "Not unless you want this to turn into a full on fire fight!" Still the wrong thing, but it was hard to think in the mindset of mandalorian. Their people were just so different from the Jedi.

The twi'lek glanced at Avner's blaster then let his hand lower. "Whatever, just watch where you're going next time," he growled before continuing on his way.

Avner lowered the blaster before placing it back into the holster. At least it hadn't actually come to a full on fight. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone just get the attention of the mandalorians.

"You there."

Avner whipped around to see the two mandalorians were looking at him with some interest. "What?" Avner asked. "Don't tell me you want to fight too?" his hand rested on the blaster pistol.

"Hold up, kid," stated the taller of the two with a smile. "We're interested in something else." He moved over to Avner whispered, "How would like to be part of the force that's going to take down the Galactic Republic?"

"Depends on what forces you mean," Avner replied in just as low a voice.

"Come with us and we'll show you." With that he released Avner's shoulder and started towards the entrance. His companion followed close behind.

Avner hesitated before he followed as well. Hopefully following through with this idea provided what was needed in order to get the High Council to see the threat a war with the mandalorians posed. If it didn't… if all this did was make matters worse, Avner didn't know what he'd do.

The night was cool and a soft breeze blew through the streets of Onderon's capital Iziz. "What forces did you mean?" Avner asked, hurrying to keep pace with the long, sure strides of the two mandalorians.

"Mandalore's," stated the shorter with a board grin. "What about it? You interested, kid?"

"Err," Avner hesitated before he nodded. "Sure, I've nothing going on anyway." Besides he really needed to learn how many were here and how soon they were going to attack the planet.

"You're going to have to prove your loyalty first, kid."

Wonderful! That was last thing Avner needed to hear. He wasn't going to attack any Republic soldiers and forget about the civilians. That was a line he'd never cross. No matter how dire the situation got, no matter the stakes, he would never sacrifice a life. It did nothing to help the Republic and would only harm it in the long run.

"Why do the mandalorians even need recruits from outside the clans?" he asked. It would help him understand some of what was going on here at the very least.

"Where you've been since the last war, kid?" the taller of the two cocked a questioning eyebrow at Avner.

"Umm, well, I know the Republic was hit very hard. I guess it never occurred to me that the mandalorians were hit hard as well. So you're looking to have an army that is far more massive than the Republic's then?"

"We already have that," bragged the smaller one, buffing out his large chest. "We're just making damn certain the Republic will be completely crushed when the invasion occurs."

A shiver raced through Avner. Ice felt as if it was forming in the pit of his stomach. "What's this test you had in mind?" he asked, forcing the words to be as even as possible. He'd known the mandalorians had more forces but never thought that they'd already outnumber the Republic military.

"How do you feel about killing Republic dogs?" sneered the shorter of the two.

Avner forced himself to keep walking. Oh, hell, this wasn't good. "Fine," he stated, hiding all emotion behind a careful façade. There is no emotion; there is peace, he repeated the opening phrase of the code over and over. The soothing words calmed his racing heart and made it so he could focus more clearly on the situation at hand.

"Get down," the taller one hissed and pulled Avner into cover. "You see those two out there," he pointed around the wall.

Avner peered around the bend and spotted two soldiers staggering towards the bridge and the palace. He nodded.

"They're Republic soldiers and should be drunk enough even an idiot like yourself could kill them. Face them like a warrior and prove yourself worthy to join us!" He shoved Avner out from behind the over.

Avner stumbled several paces before he regained his balance. He took a deep breath of the cool night air and straightened. Here went everything. He raced towards the two soldiers as quietly and quickly as he could without the force. He leapt on the first, tackling him to the ground. The force flowed through him. The soldier's eyes rolled as he fell into a trance.

"What the—?" The second soldier whipped out his blaster. "What the hell? Who-who are you?!"

Avner rolled to avoid the blaster fire. Leaping back to his feet, his eyes locked on the soldier. He jumped him, wrapping his arm around the soldier's neck without hurting him. Their momentum sent them to ground where the soldier started to struggle.

"Calm down," Avner whispered. "I'm going to put you into a trance like your friend, you'll wake in a few."

"Let me go!" gasped the soldier, too freaked to listen to a word Avner had just said.

"Sleep," Avner whispered, using the force once more. The man's struggles lessened as the influence of the force took hold of him. "Sleep," Avner repeated. The soldier went limp in Avner's hold.

Panting, Avner pushed the soldier off of him and stood. He'd wake them when the mandalorians left. If not they'd wake in about thirty minutes.

"Well done!" exclaimed the taller of the two, walking over to Avner. "You might just have what it takes to be a mandalorian after all."

"Gather your things and meet us in an hour, here," the shorter of the two told Avner and handed him a data-pad. "Don't be late."

"I won't be," Avner said with a bow of his head.

The two of them moved off. Avner waited until they were out of sight before he knelt down and revived the two soldiers.

"Wha—" the second one he'd placed into the trance touched his head. "What happened?"

"I'm really sorry about that," Avner said, "but it was necessary in order to learn what the mandalorians are planning."

"Like I should believe the man who just attacked us!" he snarled, glaring at Avner from where he sat.

"Who are you?" asked the first one, eyeing Avner.

"I'm one of the Jedi following the crusader," Avner told them. "Our master sent me here to look into a vision some of us were having about mandalorian activity on Onderon and Dxun."

"You're one of the crusaders?"

"Yes, see?" Avner pulled out his lightsaber and showed it to them.

"Humph."

Avner leapt to his feet at the sound. He caught sight of the two mandalorians standing there. They must have reappeared while all of Avner's attention had been on the soldiers.

"Figured something was up. A recruit just falling into our hands so soon didn't seem likely. Time to die, Jedi dog!" Their blasters were out in a second.

xxx

"What do you mean the last group's not come back?" Alek asked Darious, eyes wide. "The fighting ended hours ago. Both sides have pulled out, what could've happened to them?"

"I don't know," Darious confessed. "But they're not back and no one can contact them."

Alek sighed and collapsed in one of the seats on the transport. What was he to do? This was the second group to go missing. The first had gone missing during a similar scouting mission in that same region. Alek had sent out this group to find them. What was he to do?

Gah! If only Avner were here. There was no doubt in Alek's mind that his friend would have some brilliant plan on how to solve this situation.

"Should I contact Avner?" Darious asked as if he'd read Alek's thoughts.

"No," Alek stated, "Avner will have his hands full with what he's doing." He stood. "I'll take Ferroh and several others with me to learn what's happened to both those groups."

"What if you don't return?" Darious demanded.

"Then contact Avner," Alek instructed, "and don't send anyone after us. Avner will know what to do and appoint someone else to lead." He moved towards the door.

"All right, but I still don't like it," Darious stated. "And Avner did tell us to keep comm. silence… just be careful, Alek."

"I will be."

Both of Darious' eyebrows rose at this.

"I will be, Darious. You're worse than Avner!" With those words Alek exited the transport. "Ferroh!" he called to the cathar Jedi.

Ferroh broke off what he'd been saying to a fellow Jedi and raced over to Alek. "Yeah?"

"Gather a few others; we're going to scout the area for the missing groups."

"Got it, Squint!" he raced off to get a few others.

Alek followed gathering a few more that he thought might be able to help with this task. By the time he met up with Ferroh they had a good ten Jedi for this mission. "Let's move," he told them before heading out.

The group moved silently through the city. After the last battle nothing was left but a smoking ruin. Alek led them through the wreckage, keeping his senses on alert for the groups that had gone missing and more.

"Spread out, we need to find the others and we can't do that clumped up like this."

"You got it, Squint," Ferroh said and gestured to a few others. The group spread out a bit.

Alek moved further into the wreckage. They were close to where the groups had gone missing. Alek mounted a hill and dropped to ground as he sensed movement.

"Squint," it was Ferroh, "you need to see this," the cather told him in a hushed voice.

Alek nodded and moved up to where the other Jedi was laying on his stomach. He peered over the rise. At once his eyes widened at the sight which greeted him. Well over a hundred ships were spread out below them, hidden by the rise from any who would've come this way.

"Didn't master see this?" Ferroh whispered, "In the vision which led us here?"

"Yes," Alek confirmed, remember what Avner had said about seeing ships hidden on Suurja. But this was far more than even Avner would've thought possible or been able to see. If Avner knew, would he go through with part of a plan Alek had seen him making from time to time? Would he still wait to see the council's reaction? If the council knew, what would they do?

"We need to tell the others," Ferroh started. He moved for his comm. link.

"That won't happen," stated a voice behind them.

Alek turned and rolled only just avoiding blaster fire. Damn, he really shouldn't have dropped his guard like that. He tumbled down the hill until he managed to get his footing and leapt back up, drawing his lightsaber in a fluid motion.

"You're completely surrounded!" shouted a mandalorain who stood atop one of the many roofs.

The others were spread out, some with their lightsabers out and others grappling hand to hand with several mandalorians. Alek twisted his blade before he charged the closest mandalorian.

Blaster fire echoed around him. Several bolts bounce off his blade. He dodged a few more. Sparks flew into the air as his lightsaber sliced through the blaster a mandalorian held. He leapt to one side only just dodging being tackled by another.

Nearby he could see the others struggling to hold their ground against more mandalorians. They were completely overwhelmed. His grip tightened on his lightsaber.

A jab of pain in his right arm warned Alek he might have twisted it when he'd dodged.

Several more mandalorians came at him. A vibro blade clashed against his 'saber. Alek lashed out at the mandalorians with force. Two of them skidded back. He leapt and dodged, blocked and attacked to no avail. More and more appeared to take the place of those he'd taken down.

Panting, Alek backed up, eyes flickering from enemy to enemy. He wasn't about to lose to this group. What had all his training been for if not to win in this battle?!

All around the others were being disarmed and subdued. There was no way Alek would abandon his fellow Jedi, but he couldn't just back down either it went against all he'd been trained to do.

The roar of a jetpack filled the air. Pain shot through Alek as a mandalorian tackled him full force. They fell to the ground. His lightsaber was thrown from his grip and rolled away. He kicked the mandalorian, fighting to get him off. They rolled. Alek managed to get on top, punching the mandalorian. Only the sting of the armor against his fist came as a result.

"It's over, Jedi!"

Alek stopped in the attack to see a mandalorian pointing his blaster at Alek's head. It really was over. Alek stood and backed away from the mandalorian he'd been attacking. The mandalorian got to his feet and stuck Alek hard in the shoulder. Alek gasped and shot a glare at the mandalorian but didn't otherwise react.

"I had it under control, Commander Rohlan!" snapped the mandalorian who'd stuck Alek.

"Get this group rounded up and taken to flashpoint," Rohlan ordered. He turned his masked gaze on the mandalorian who'd snapped at him. "Now, we don't want to keep Demagol waiting for this latest patch."

"Tch." The mandalorian turned to Alek and hit him the back with blaster. "Move it, Jedi."

Alek staggered, but didn't resist. His entire body was aching from the fight and there was no way he could get out of this situation without being killed or abandoning the others. So much for keeping his promise to Avner… if he'd been here, this would never have happened.

Alek and the others were placed into one of the many ships, their arms and legs bound so they couldn't put up anymore of a fight.

"Where do you think they're going to take us?" Ferroh asked after a time.

"Does it matter?" asked another in the group. "Wherever they're taking us, we're dead!"

"We all knew the risks going to the front would have," Alek stated. "You're a Jedi, there is no death."

"There is only the force," the others all finished.

Though, Alek did admit that was little comfort to him. He wanted to say something more to calm them down, but couldn't think of anything. The rest of the trip passed in complete silence. When they arrived, Alek and the others were forced into space suits and out onto a small, almost dead looking planet… Flashpoint. The station and world had been captured before the first battle of Suurja. Alek remember Avner mentioning it to him sometime ago.

Alek was thrown to the floor within a large room. He was back on his feet in an instant only to be struck down by a blaster once more. He gasped as he struggled against the mandalorians taking the suit off of him. He was then thrown again into another room. Blood trickled from his mouth from the last strike.

"Squint!" several people shouted as he struck the ground. The mandalorians had retreated to stand near the doors.

"What are you doing here?" the leader of the last scouting party Alek had sent out asked. He kneeling by Alek.

"We came in search of you," Alek stated. "Guess we got more than we thought."

"Yeah. Did you see the ship?"

Alek nodded. "Not that that will do anyone any good now." His looked around the space. There were several missing from the groups that had been sent out. All of them were Jedi who he knew had only just passed their trials or had been older.

"We couldn't get a message back before we were captured," Ferroh explained. "Why are they gathering all of us here anyway?"

"For," – the other winced – "experiments. Apparently Mandalore wants to know all he can about Jedi and our abilities."

Alek felt sick at the thought.

"Ah, fresh arrivals," a cold voice made Alek look up. A mandalorian stood at the far side of the room. His helmet was covered in blood and armor of a different design from all the others around him. He was thinner and of a lighter build than those guarding the doors. "You'll make fine additions to my studies. I've so many theories about Jedi and their abilities after all."

"That's Demagol," Alek was informed, "Mandalore's lead scientist."