Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Mandalorian Wars
Chapter 17
Alek waited until the group stopped to refuel on another planet before he switched to Avner's shuttle. No one on the shuttle complained about it and it allowed for the healers to really focus on those in the group who needed the attention. Alek felt much better after Darious had healed him and seen to most of the wounds. Now Alek needed to speak with Avner, alone if he could manage it. The problem with this was the fact the group kept growing. Both of the shuttles were now full and that was saying something.
A few hours after take off Alek moved to the cockpit. "I'll switch with you," he told the co-pilot.
The Jedi hesitated with a glance at Avner who was currently piloting. "Go ahead," Avner told the Jedi.
He nodded and stood. "All right, thanks, Master," he said with a short bow to Avner before moving into the main part of the shuttle. The door closed behind him.
Alek took the seat.
"You should've stayed with the healers, Alek," Avner started.
"I needed to know something." Alek took a deep breath. "What happened? Before you headed for Dxun you weren't certain you were going to go all the way, but what you said back on Coruscant, it sounded like you have a plan now to enter the war without the council's backing."
"I do," Avner confessed, but he didn't elaborate on this.
"What about the council?" Alek pressed. A part of him needed to know what had happened to change Avner's mind. Another part of him didn't want to know because it meant they might end up defying the council completely. Then there was a part of him, a small part that he wished to burry away, that longed to enter the fighting there and then.
Avner let out a long, low breath. "I don't know. The Republic wouldn't let us lend official aid without the Council's approval. Then there is the fact that the chances of the masters actually approving Jedi aid in the war is less than one percent at this point."
"But with Taris now under siege," Alek started but stopped and frowned.
"If they'd wanted our aid, the Republic would've asked the Council for it by now. If the Council thought Jedi were needed then we wouldn't be going behind their backs to head for Cathar."
Avner's grip on the control's tightened and Alek could sense his friend's doubts. "It would take something far worse than the mandalorian base on Dxun to sway them to enter the war. Perhaps Cathar holds the answer. Perhaps it only holds our down fall."
"But if the answers there aren't enough?" Alek asked.
"Then I do have a plan for the group to enter the war," Avner stated. "The Mercy Corps."
"The what?" Alek had a vague memory of hearing about this group, but he couldn't recall where or anything about them.
"It doesn't matter just yet." There was a short pause before Avner continued to speak, "Have you felt that the council seems to be more interested in protecting the Republic against a threat that is currently nonexistent?"
At this Alek laughed. "Since this all began," he stated in reply. "It's one of the reasons I know Zanye's innocent, other than the fact he helped us off of Flashpoint."
"But it's more than that," Avner was speaking in hushed tones as if he thought the others would be able to hear him. "It's more than just the idea of the Sith returning. They fear losing what little they've regained in a war against the mandalorians. Thus they shy away from the possibility that Mandalore has more than enough forces to stop the Republic."
Alek frowned. "It does seem like the Republic's been on a losing streak as of late," he admitted.
"More will be lost soon enough. Taris is only the start of it. The war is going to spread and as it does more are going to die. I'm not even certain our group will be able to do much to help even if the plan works."
"Avner, you're plans always work."
"It's not that I'm worried about," Avner continued.
In all the years Alek had known Avner, he'd rarely seen his friend doubting anything. The Order had been a large part of what Avner had never doubted. Over the past two years both of them had started to see that the Council was blind to the truth. It was becoming more apparent by the day. But what was it that Avner had seen in them now? Alek knew the masters feared the return of the Sith, but he'd never thought that it could be as bad as what Lucien's group feared.
"Even if we do enter this war without the council's full backing, it still means we won't be able to do much. The Republic will never like having renegade Jedi as those who aid them. Then there are the repercussions of those who actually follow us into the war. Everyone could end up being banished or facing other repercussions. I don't mind being banished, but that is my personal choice. What of all of the others here?"
"I would follow you no matter the risk," Alek told his oldest friend. "The Republic still needs the Jedi no matter what they think or the council says."
"I know and thank you, Alek."
The conversation was cut off as the shuttle exited hyperspace moments before the other one did. The sight that greeted Alek was of the lush planet Cathar. But, even from space, he could feel something off, almost wrong about the planet. Normally there would've been high traffic to and from the planet. There wasn't a sign of another ship in the area.
"I guess the rumors are true," Alek said as he stared at the planet. He didn't turn to Avner as he asked, "Even if something remained down there, wouldn't looters have gotten it by now?"
"Depends on what it is," Avner replied. His attention was on the controls. "Head for the planet," Avner instructed the other ship, "we'll talk more once planet side."
x – x – x
Avner exited the shuttle and looked around at the city they'd landed in. No one had contacted them as they'd approached the planet and thus the group had to land in one of the landing zones without permission. Though, Avner hadn't expected anyone to be here outside of looters. The planet seemed to stir around him with some secret that was just waiting to be uncovered.
The others were gathering around as Avner looked at the city. He turned to them. "We're going to search the planet city-by-city. We need to see if anyone's left and discover what happened here." His voice easily carried to those at the back of their group. "Split up into groups and keep on alert."
Avner moved off with a small group into one of the buildings. There wasn't much left here, well much that was of value. All of the consoles were still intact which was a good thing considering what they were looking for.
"I hope looters haven't taken everything we need," Alek muttered before he moved off to search another part of the building.
Soon Avner was alone in the building. His hood was down as he shifted through the information on the console before him. Most of the information there had nothing to do with what Avner and the others were looking for. Most of it was related to crime or food and other such day-to-day reports. Then one day about ten years ago, everything cut off. It was as if the people had just vanished into the air.
Whatever had happened wasn't recorded in this city's records. Avner wasn't really shocked about this. If the mandalorians had attacked it might have been too sudden for records like this to be updated with that.
"Master," Avner sensed Alek enter the room alone. His oldest friend glanced around the room before he continued, "The others have checked the city. There's no one else here and no signs of what happened to them."
"There's nothing in the records either," Avner confessed and closed his eyes. "I know something here is going to point to the mandalorians, I can feel it."
"But there's nothing left to see," Alek pointed out. "If the mandies were involved then they completely erased all evidence that they were here."
"Perhaps not all of it." Avner rested his hand on his chin. He stared unseeing at the console before him. "There might be more hidden from our gaze, buried deep below us," Avner whispered this more to himself than to Alek.
Then again he could be wrong about that as well. Perhaps whatever it was he felt they would find here wasn't meant to be found just yet. The force worked in mysterious ways. The clue they sought might come to them when they least expected it to. Avner shoved that thought away. Until proven otherwise he had to hold to the idea that what they were looking for could be found.
Avner turned to Alek as he pulled back up his hood. "There's nothing in this city," he said as he started passed Alek. "We'll regroup and speak to Ferroh to see which city might be the best to really search."
"Are we going to try all of them?" Alek asked.
"No." That was all Avner could say before he caught sight of the cathar Jedi working just outside of the building.
Ferroh stopped what he was doing when he saw Avner and Alek approaching. "Master." He bowed his head to Avner.
"I should've asked this before we landed, but what cities here were the most populated?" Avner asked instead of greeting Ferroh.
"We could try the capitol and the cities surrounding it," Ferroh replied with a small frown.
"We'll head to a few of the cities around the capitol first then," Avner stated. "Help gather the others so we can move out."
"Yes, Master." Ferroh straightened a little.
The cathar Jedi fell in behind Avner as they moved away from the building. He would move off soon enough, but—
Sheer blinding agony shot through Avner. Screams of pain shouted out through the force and rang around him. Avner gasped, clutching his chest as the pain increased. It felt as if fire was licking at his flesh. The lives of millions of people shrieked in fear and agony as their lives were ripped away from them.
"Master—!"
"I feel it!" Avner gasped. "I feel it!" More cries started to blot out all else. Avner was shaking with the pain countless people were in. His vision showed him the world burning, people screaming around him as fire rained down from the sky.
Time held no meaning. It could've been seconds or hours all he knew was the pain began to ebb away. The fire that ripped at flesh vanished, leaving Avner feeling sick and weak.
He blinked. The dirt path below him swam before his eyes. He blinked again and again, trying to remain on his feet. A cold sweat trickled down his face. The world seemed almost surreal to him. He managed to straighten. Alek stood beside him, his skin pale. Avner turned his gaze to the others. Some had collapsed while others were shaking. All of them looked as he felt right then.
There is no emotion; there is peace. Avner started to repeat the code in his mind, trying to center and ground himself in it. He took a deep, trembling breath.
"What was that?" Alek voiced the question and made the others turn to them.
"War," the word came to Avner as he turned his gaze towards the sky. But it was so much more than war. Something had happened and he needed to know what it was. "Alek, Arren, Darious!" Avner called for the core group as he strode towards one of the shuttles.
The group entered the shuttle. Avner started to try and get a transmission to the Republic.
"What are you doing?" Darious asked as he sat down in one of the seats.
"Trying to find out what happened," Avner stated.
"We know what happened," Arren said in grim tones. "Countless lives screamed through the force before they died."
"That's not what I meant, Arren," Avner continued working on the transmission. There must have been hundreds of calls flooding the Republic right then. Most of them would've been from the Jedi spread out across the galaxy. That much death would've been felt by every Jedi, even the younglings would've felt the pain. The thought made Avner's stomach churn a little.
At last the transmission went through. "More Jedi?" the officer asked in way of greeting to them. "I suppose you lot are also calling in about the incident on Serroco."
"What happened?" Avner asked, keeping his voice even.
"From what was reported moments before all you Jedi started flooding the channels, Serroco was bombed by the Mandies."
"Bombed?" Darious straightened. "Why would they do that?"
"I don't know, Master Jedi. But the damage would've been extensive." There was a short pause. "Look, I've more calls to answer. If you want more call back much later." The transmission ended with that.
Silence fell over them. Avner stared straight ahead, gaze unfocused in his shock. He'd heard of Sith doing such things before during past wars, but he'd never thought that the mandalorians would do this! Why destroy the planet? Surely they would've wanted to get as much material out of it as they could, right? If not, then what had Mandalore been thinking.
In that moment, Avner realized just how little he really knew about the mandalorians and their culture. He didn't know their language or anything beyond the clan and nomadic ways of their people. He knew they were trained since they were children and that Mandalore led all of the clans. But he knew nothing more than this. That was common information most people had on them. What had just happened proved that Avner needed to know more about the mandalorians as a people, the way they thought. Why they did what they did. And their language.
The silence was broken by Alek collapsing into one of the seats. His head was in his hand as he stared at the floor. "An entire planet?" he whispered the question. The next words rose in volume, "Those monsters, how can they justify bombing and entire planet?! To destroy all those lives just like that."
"I don't know," Avner started in hushed tones. His hand balled into a fist on the panel. "But I'm going to find out."
"Avner," Darious was on feet at once. "Find out? How? Why?"
"Think about it," – Avner straightened – "we know nothing about the mandalorians. They've spent years preparing for this invasion. They know how the Republic thinks, what the admirals will do and how they'll react to each move."
All of them were looking at Avner now.
"Beyond what is common knowledge, we know nothing about the mandalorians. They even went as far as to take Jedi and experiment on them to test our limits and try to replicate our abilities. Why? Because of the last war. Because Jedi were in it and helped the Republic defeat the mandalorians and the Sith.
"We know nothing about them. Compared to what Mandalore has done, we're ignorant children grasping at invisible strings. In the months to come, the Republic will be hard pressed to gain a single victory. Why? Because they know us. And they're not scared to use what they know from the previous war against the Republic. Or what they've learned from countless soldiers and Jedi."
"Avner," Darious started to protest.
"He's right," Arreen cut off Darious. "Ignorance is going to be the down fall of the Republic and the Jedi alike."
Avner nodded to her. "I'm not asking for anyone else to try and learn more about them," he continued. "It's my choice to do so. The first step in defeating them will be a basic knowledge of how a mandalorian thinks. And I know that is dangerous in and of itself."
There was a pause. "Just be careful," Alek said at last. He looked Avner in the eye. "Mandalorians are nothing like us. Given what's happened today, I'd say they're closer to the Sith than anything else in the galaxy." Fire seemed to burn in Alek's blue eyes.
"I know," Avner confessed in hushed tones. "But I have to try."
Silence fell over the group once more. It was broken by Darious. "What are we going to do here now? Won't what happened at Serroco prove to the council that our aid is needed?"
It would help but still, given all the council had said to him before they'd left Coruscant, Avner doubted they would want to act. "No. I doubt they're going to change their minds even over this latest… battle," the word was forced out. To call it a real battle would've been a lie. "We'll inform the others what happened and continue our search here." He turned ready to go out to tell the others what had happened. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Avner," – it was Darious – "how are you going to learn about them? I doubt they'd just hand over the information."
"The language and culture should be in databanks. The way they think in battle will be recorded in the battles with the Republic," Avner stated.
"But some of that information isn't going to be handed over to you," Darious pointed out.
"I realize that."
"Avner," Darious protested again.
"I will do whatever is necessary to help protect the Republic and its people. That is what all Jedi are taught to do and believe from the time we're younglings to the day we join the force. And I will continue to hold to that belief even if the council forgets it. My own fate doesn't matter. Only the fate of the Republic does."
Darious didn't let go of his shoulder.
"I understand if after this you want to go back to the Order, Darious. I understand that what I am going to do is legal and don't expect everyone to agree with me."
"I'm not going back." Darious' hand slid from Avner's shoulder. "I'll stay and see this through to the bitter end."
Avner didn't turn to him. "You've my thanks, old friend." Avner left the shuttle to inform the others of what had happened on Serroco.