Onderon

[Delta73]

Delta fell into line with the others, his two E-11s out and prepared to blast anything that wasn't a corpse. He followed Arlan, keeping close to his back, yet keeping his eyes on the rear of the makeshift party, just in case a assassin or something thought sneaking up on a bunch of Jedi and a few others a good idea. Delta stepped into the turbolift with his new found allies, he gazed about the ship as it shuddered and groaned. The masses of shivering and bouncing corpses freaked him out a bit. Luckily, he had put his helmet back on, but the smell still lingered in his oxygen system. Gross.....

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads-Gop Flif was at peace with the world. Everything was right. Everything was peaceful.

 

Until he heard a yell.

 

It jolted him out of his trance of insanity, and put him into a state of alarm when he realized he was the only living being still in the room. A faint realization of the thoughts that he had just experienced crossed his mind, but he had not time for such thoughts now, he was alone in what appeared to be the scariest place in the galaxy.

 

Ads started off for where it sounded like the others had gone. It wasn't too long before a bloodcurdling scream came echoing through the halls. Ads sprinted for the source of the scream, drawing his DL-44 as he did so, ready to fire. Ads rounded a final corner in time to see a turbolift door close.

 

"HEY!"

 

But it was too late. With the turbolift doors shut there was no way they could hear him. Ads stared down at the dead Twi'lek woman lying on the floor outside the turbolift. Panting, Ads raised his blaster and shot it in the face in anger.

 

He was alone...

 

Again.

 

As the sense of loneliness stirred up in him, Ads started desperately looking around him to see if there was anyone at all.

 

There was.

 

His eyes barely spotted Vesper Stubernic at the end of a corridor.

 

"Hey, you there."

 

Vesper didn't seem to hear him.

 

"Hey! HEY! You there...you there!"

 

Finally, the man seemed to notice.

[Nhagathul]

The ship rattled and hummed as it breached subspace and entered lightspeed towards Nhagathul.

 

Is it time yet? Because we need to talk. To talk about you.

 

It's not time yet, all they see is corpses. Give them time. They might not even be able to hear you yet.

 

They're going to need to face the truth eventually.

 

All in good time, all in good time.

[Oculus]

Luna found it a little odd that the woman offered a handshake only to quickly remove it, a slight feeling of uneasiness settling among the group as the ship began to rumble and awaken from it's hollow slumber. She 'gazed' around a bit, her white blind eyes barely visible beneath the blackened veil of shadow that returned upon her face as she placed her cloak back upon her raven haired head. The unliving had begun to move, lifeless forms shifting beneath their feet as if all were being called to into place.

 

"I do not know about the current happenings outside in the Galaxy..." Luna began to speak, a voice within her mind bringing slight distraction to her thoughts as the unsettling feeling grew stronger. "But there is indeed a presence aboard this ship.... Something unnatural.... Something helli..."

 

Before she could finish speaking, the others reacted. A bit hasty for Luna, but by instinct. As an ex Alliance soldier, Luna knew all too well that instinct was the reason most survived even the roughest of battles. Quickly, Luna followed suit, her hand now grasping tightly the blastsword she had grown so fondly of. But unlike the others, Luna's advancements were more of a stroll rather than a frenzy, her mind carefully observing her surroundings as she trekked forward. The unholy Trinity's attack at Gala had taught her that much.

 

As the other's approached the turbolift, Luna quickened her pace. So much so, that as she grew near the others, Armiena's surprising scream caused Luna to lose composure and soon found her own form laying upon the floor, her footing lost due to a puddle of blood laying within her path.

 

"Damn it!" Luna exclaimed, her own cursing exploding out into the open air before she realized what it was she had spoken. Rising, Luna attempted to dust herself off only to realize it was to no avail. She would wear the color red for quite awhile. "Where is a refresher when you need one."

 

To Luna, the dead twilek was just another body among the masses. A regretful experience and innocent life lost, but another corpse none the less. Such was a soldier's conscience. So it was understandable when she merely walked by it without a second glance, not because her heart was cold and dead. She would pray for it's afterlife, but it was all she could do. Muttering a silent prayer for the twilek's lost spirit, she stepped through the door and onto the lift with the others, her cold white gaze peering out into nothing but the Force. With her weapon at the ready, she awaited Armiena's next move.

 

But silently, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but hear the voice from earlier speaking over and over. It was the same one that called her here.

 

"It's time. It's time to go home."

[Rahalin Toral II]

Rahalin was leaving the planet, this time though, it was not of his own choosing. Instead, he was completely sedated and enclosed within a stasis field that kept his conscious and subconscious mind from doing anything overt.

 

Too bad for the crew of the shuttle detailed to take him to the temple at Gala that that did not stop a series of unexplained incidents that had them muttering about the maintenance crew being fired en-masse.

 

While the flight crew was dealing with just getting to Gala, Rahalin was dealing with being submerged in what doctor's would tell him was an impossibility.

 

He felt immense, as if he was a part of the very fabric of the universe. Power, sweet, intoxicating and incredibly dangerous was his to command. Planets were mere toys, super-massive black holes merely small pebbles requiring the smallest movement of his fingers to move.

 

People were small, silvery beings. They glowed like stars among the darkness, each one connected by something wonderful, something beautiful. Somehow he knew that it was both the source of his sudden power and yet was present everywhere and that there were others like him who could sense the connection and the power.

 

Discipline broke him from those thoughts, grounding him and making him wary of such power and the abuse of it. His parents had had such power, and used it to ruin innocents.

 

Just as he was assuming this dream was his to command, it shattered, leaving him empty, cold and utterly alone. He was trapped in gray shell, completely cut off from everything.

[Vihk]

Vihk took a sigh of relief as the Mandalorian mass managed to safely gather within the city. He was an engineer first and a warrior second, with the brace of battle's crimson siege burning at his heart. He knew as much as his fellow troops did, that they would enjoy conquering the city in their name, but it was not within their capabilities as of late. Their forces were large yes, but easily squelched should any one faction choose. The pride and number of the Mandalorian people would have to be re-established before they could invoke even slight war like intentions upon the galaxy. The remnants of their faction were small and if they showed any spikes in activity their forces were likely to be washed out...

 

In the days to come the Clan leader awaited further instruction from Mandalore as he paced about the capitol putting even the royal advisers on edge. Mandalorians were something to be feared, of that he knew, but he had established that there would be no fighting unless rebellious actions would have it. He quelled small riots within the city and as time went on began to merge the monarchist city of Iziz with influences of the militant Mandalorian people.

 

This drew quite the controversy however; the thought of a Military rule or even Mandalorian minds holding substantial root in authority began to brew a large group of protesters together. Their forces were great as they marched against the capitol, pushing past many Mandalorians in the process and no one could really stop them. The tempest that rose from their hallowed cries echoed across the palace as their feet brought them closer, but one foul act would bring their entire protest to its knees.

 

A rapid shot from the crowd reached a Mandalorian's beskar'gam pushing the recruit to the ground, but not in incapacitation, in stoicism. Threats were engaged and more shots fired. The Mandalorians were pushed until their minds could not stand much more and without warning, the Mandalorians retaliated in a storm of red and green and from there, peace could not be restored. Vihk tried to stop the pending war, but his efforts weren't enough to halt the burning march of his people and instead he joined their struggle to win over Iziz.

 

Due to the resistance and the absence of Mandalore, Vihk held the fort and led the troops to what would hopefully be victory. The Battle for Iziz had begun...

 

Vihk suited up quickly and made for the palace chambers in hopes of getting to the queen before anyone else did. The guards proved difficult, but he moved through their fire as if their shots meant nothing, taking time to aim and blast their heads straight off. His armor was heating up due to concentrated blaster fire and bolts grazed parts of his body, but the injuries meant nothing as his goal came clear into view.

 

A sharp inhale drew the Mandalorian's arm down onto another guard's shoulder, forcing him to the ground with a sound pop and crack. The grandiose rhythmic motion of death seemed out of reach for someone so old, but Vihk enjoyed it. It was a dance he knew well and the sounds of cracking and sloshing were motivation. He enjoyed the game, the hunt, the thrill of it all as his hands forced another's head all the way around. His heart swelled as memories flooded his through his system and as he furthered his rapid beating pace toward the queen, more guards berated him with harsh burns. Vihk responded back in kind, the harmonics of his bolts matching those of his assailants, until everyone aside from him and the queen were standing.

 

"Your Majesty, I think it is time for us to leave." said Vihk as he closed the distance between her and wrestled the woman into rope. It was an idea, to keep the monarch of the city in captivity for the duration of the war so at any time she could be sacrificed for the detriment of morale. However, the battle was far from over and for now, Vihk shoved the queen into a closet and jammed it closed until further notice.

 

It was his job to lead the men and so, with yet another passionate sprint, he charged out to the burning city of Iziz and sought to begin work on dismantling the defenses. His bloody visage shone from the flames and carnage, and as he flew down the palace stairs, Vihk noticed his second, looking over a group of 30 troops.

 

"Commander Jakob, what's the status?" said Vihk breathlessly...

 

"Well sir, we are just about ready to storm the defense towers and once they are dismantled we have only to flood the city streets until all civilian rioting is quelled. I take it you handled the queen sir?" said the second commanding officer from attention.

 

"Yes, for now the Queen shall not be ordering more troops or bolstering defenses because I have personally sought her silence. However the defensive layout of this city needs to be destroyed if we are to gain any hold here." said Vihk as his wounds became more apparent, coursing through him and pushing him to a knee...

 

"Sir are you ok?" said Jakob in mild concern as he made no motion to help.

 

Vihk shrugged off the brunt of the trauma, but he was limping and could not get to the defenses as quickly. "I'm fine, go finish what you started and I'll handle myself..."

Jakob nodded quickly and took his squad of 30 Mandalorians to the nearest defense tower.

[Vladimir Faust]

Amid the chaos of Iziz, a few souls endured the violence, merely watching and recording. The violence is remarkable in that the Sith remaint, concerned with their own secrecy, took no pains to instigate this violence and were content to merely watch. Now that the very people warned of rose up on their own accord, the remaining Sith followers sprung into action in a variety of ways...

 

Dr. Van Isel of Iziz University, Adept of Luciferian, holed up in his office at the university and merely recorded what was to come, keeping his findings both secure and under a special cipher to prevent their detection in case a crackdown resulted in them being seized. Back ups were made of his most recent findings and transmitted out. He kept a pistol on hand in case the violence came his way, but intended to keep up his research. Once the violence ended, he would continue his research outside the city once more and try to interview the city's new dominators- after all, they might still be valuable allies.

 

A certain countess, near the palace as the fighting broke out, marshalled her retainers onto her estate and holed up as well, charitably taking in survivors as well as reports of the violence and the Mandalorian's take over. A few more comms are discretely sent off world through holonet channels, showing the bloodshed in a selective fashion.

 

Orders from the main Temple's chief acolytes underground were clear- do not instigate, do not provoke, do not take part in the fighting- merely watch, record, and report the violence. If items could be anonymously leaked onto Holonet and a single message gotten off to Gala- then so be it- and the cards would have to fall as they would.

[Onderin Starlisk]

A single New Republic Nebulon-B frigate, the Ino, appeared out of hyperspace over Onderon and quickly made its way towards geosynchronous orbit over the capital of Iziz. It wasn't here to cause damage and destruction, but instead to investigate the claims of a distressed Onderonian noble woman who in the past hadn't always been quite noble.

 

Still, when it scanned the surface, it did indeed find that her claims were substantiated--much of Iziz was in flames. It was certainly attacked.

 

Captain Erasmus B. Dragon paced the bridge. "Open a comm to the surface, all channels. I want everyone to hear this message," he said. When the comm was open, he spoke clearly.

 

"Iziz, this is Captain Dragon of the New Republic frigate Ino, responding to a distress call from an Onderonian noble. I demand that your conquerors respond and explain this mess. I would also like to remind Mandalore of our agreement, and that Iziz was only Mandalorian probationally. Thusly, I'd like to remind you that a Mandalorian attack on the city is an act of war. Respond, please."

[Vihk]

Vihk seemed to recover from his wounds slowly as he found a slight respite to bandage. His arms were thoroughly battered and his right leg was bleeding severely. They had been at this condition ever since he took on 30 or so guards from the palace. It was a small price to pay for his victory and Vihk regretted nothing at all. No signs of pain showed on Vihk's face as he reached for pieces of cloth to pressurize his wounds, but his face tinged a little when he applied bacta patches in harsh slaps. These were quick fixes and could not be replaced with longer treatment. After all, he had not intended to be out longer than a few minutes. He kept plying about his skull the mantra that a warrior is determined by their capability to push forward and with that his drive was enough to put him to death. One cannot simply quit the field of battle and leave; that is not a way in which to fight. In fact, Vihk was on the field of battle as he patched. He had to fend off a few civilians as he lifted pieces of his armor to get to the legs and arms inside, but with the assistance of several other Mandalorians for cover, he managed to quickly sedate his disability and move forward.

 

The commanding Mandalorian in Mandalore's absence was relieved at how easy it was to initiate the assault, but figured it had to do with their habitation of the city weeks prior to the attack. The plan was not what it had turned out to be, but Vihk had a sneaking suspicion it would've turned about like this in the end either way. The strong opposition to Mandalorian existence in the galaxy was amazing, but on Onderon it was nearly deafening, and such opposition had existed for thousands of years. Hatred of difference and opposition is at the root of human nature, so when it is in such humans or humanoids that rebelling is the action to take, they will usually carry no indignities within their harsh actions. Battle is pure and carries no implications for one or the other; to meet one on the field of battle is to meet one on a level of your own even if they may have an advantage over you.

 

It seemed to Vihk that trying to live peaceably with Iziz would've been a nightmare to endure and to invoke on both populations. Plus politics was not a strong suit of the Mandalorians, they believed in another sort. If the Iziz citizens are competent enough to retake their city then they are competent enough to live in it.

 

That did not mean that the battle was a cake walk though. Guerrilla forces within the streets were starting to emerge from the back alleys and managing to pick off a few Mandalorians here and there. Although their original body count stood at about 5000 strong, the civilian populace of Iziz was about 50, 000 strong or more. Their odds were calculable, but irrelevant. Vihk and his troops fought down the plaza stretch regardless, not giving a flying Durni crap otherwise.

 

Meanwhile, Jakob was well underway dismantling his second defense tower. It again was not easy for the commander to overtake the mass of people and get to the top of a tower, but any Mandalorians lost were soon replaced as he started on his way to the next one. As for the people holed up within their homes, there were no raiding parties set to do anything about them, because the battle was on the field not in houses.

 

Throughout the violence, blood spraying onto Vihk's visor, a loud booming voice was heard crackling as the comm signal in the city dimmed.

 

It was a loud and boisterous announcement by the Republic who were no more welcome than the Empire in the midst of this frenzy. Vihk was not of the temper to break concentration and just explain himself; the large figure stood panting as he violently forced another Iziz citizen to the ground. Sweat gripped his features and his wounds, although sedated were tingling underneath his beskar'gam. Vihk looked and felt exhausted but had to press on. So, although he sought no more interaction with the rebel sycophants, Vihk took up his Comm in one hand a standard blaster pistol in the other, trying to get hold of the ship floating above their heads.

 

"This is Commander Vihk Ahzinger of the Mandalorians. If you truly wish to speak with us you will bring your admiral to the palace in less than a week or Iziz is ours... Gedet'ye" and although it hurt him to halt the battle at such a time he let off with one line "He will not be harmed unless he invokes harm on us, you have my word" Vihk finished with a disgruntled heave as he continued shooting more assailants actively shooting at him or his men.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Captain Dragon rolled his eyes. Who did this barve think he was to make demands like that? Did he really think he had a hand in all of this? It astounded Dragon to see how much of the galaxy seemed completely disrespectful of galactic government. Surely this Mandalorian knew enough about war to realize that without a fleet his entire clan was subject to orbital bombardment at a simple order! Why would he take that risk if he could possibly avoid it? Dragon spoke into the comm.

 

"You are in no position to make demands, Mandalorian. Explain your actions here to me, right now, or I will leave and come back with a fleet that will eradicate your forces. Surely you realize that even the Mandalorians cannot stand against the New Republic's focused might!"

 

He used condescending language because he hoped it would get through to this man. For a while there, he had ignored the rumors about Mandalorians being ignorant barbarians that only cared about battle. He had always personally thought that they were much more intelligent, extremely competent warriors. But this man was taking drastic steps to proving him wrong and the stereotype correct. Stereotypes have to start somehow, I guess. I had thought this one had started in propaganda.

[Vihk]

Angered, Vihk stopped fighting and told others to as well. Steam broiled behind his armored mask and as further civilians came running at them, the Mandalorians simply stunned them, letting them fall at their feet. The fuel lighting the Mandalorian fire was not only their heritage of prideful warriors, but also the vengeful prejudice invoked upon them by the city of Iziz. Even now, as Vihk looked down the street, he could see more Mandalorians killing civilians in one or two hits while the civilians mauled them to pieces. The citizens of Iziz were given quick and merciful deaths while they only allowed for drawn out pain. Now this may have been only one instance, but Vihk saw the men at that rally and Vihk knew who shot first.

 

The Mandalorians were no doubt enjoying the action and excitement, but the truth was far more veiled than anyone was lead to believe. Vihk kicked the skull of an Iziz citizen as he thought about their cruelty. This was a defense strategy and one Vihk did not intend to surrender, because if he did there was no telling what would happen to his clan. The thought of losing brothers and sisters surged through his veins, pumping his blood to a degree higher than normal and although it wasn't visible from beyond his armor, the commander was turning a shade of bright scarlet. He wrenched off his helmet in sheer confidence, knowing that he would be safe from enemy fire.

 

"Alright... You wanna TALK? TALK GOR'RAMIT!!" The Mandalorians that stood around their commander stepped away a little, but regained their stance and looked at their leader.

 

"Do you want to tell me why prejudice leads others to do horrible things mr hoity toity rebel? DO you want to regale me on anything that has any relevance to the situation right now? DO you want to tell me I am a blood thirsty murdering PSYCOPATH? Di'kutla! Or do you want to see the truth... If you will not follow a simple request from a leading officer in this assault then I have no more to say to you. It was Onderin that made this deal with our now absent Mandalore and it is Onderin that should come bear what he has wrought." Vihk took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but something about the situation only pained him further. He could feel the blood surfacing on his leg, hugging the bacta patch in a swell of searing pain, but he swallowed it and tried to cool off before finishing his call. "Also... To put a bit of rain on your proverbial parade, if you bombard our people, you destroy not only the city of Iziz, but the people inside it and there is no guarantee that you will reach us all. So... What you're looking at is a massive hostage situation. By definition this would be a ground battle of which I have around 5000 Mando's who are very experienced in Urban combat." Vihk sighed a little to the side as he saw yet another wave of crazed citizens approaching and finished "You will also have the blood of the queen in particular on your hands if my request is not respected"

 

With that, Vihk braced for the next wave and placed his helmet back on.

[Onderin Starlisk]

OOC: First RP post of 2010!

 

IC:

Captain Dragon cut the comm, a long sigh escaping through his mouth. He looked around the bridge and met the eyes of the fine officers looking back at him. A finer crew he had never had. Now they were waiting for him to give the order and seal the situation that they were all starting to realize was inevitable. They were all hoping it wasn't the case, but there was no way around it.

 

The captain drew one more breath and looked at his first officer. He would offer Mandalore no response. "The New Republic does not negotiate with terrorists," he said. "Signal the fleet. All hands to battlestations. I want a sensor sweep of the surface--not all the Mandalorians are sitting in Iziz right now and I want to know where their base is."

 

The bridge crew seemed to collectively shake their heads and turn to their stations. The Republic was now officially in a state of war with the Mandalorians for the first time in over seven hundred years.

[Vihk]

Vihk heard the last few words emanating throughout the city and grunted beneath his helmet. If the Republican dogs want to die, its their choice.

 

Vihk didn't care one way or the other. He brought 5,000 men to bear in this crisis as well as the women and children, because they were far from helpless. The "innocents" as you might say, of the Mandalorian clan, were holed up in the residence areas of the palace while anyone willing to take arms against the citizens moved to do so. So, while Vihk may have thought it a trial to take back Iziz, they were all determined to claim a foothold and provide a sustainable base for their families.

 

The Mandalorian base in the woods was evacuated and anyone searching for answers there would be hard pressed to find them.

 

As for the battle itself; Jakob just took his second to last defensive tower and was working on the last, putting the controls in Mandalorian hands just in case the Republic fleet did decide to close. The streets had been cleared for the most part, but there were a great deal of people hiding and there were still small regiments of citizens scattered throughout the town.

 

So, pushing forward, Vihk moved with great speed to press the conquest, so when the Republic's move came, they'd be ready.

In quick succession a series of events pushed the Mandalorians into ready combat movement on ground troops should the Republic be so determined to assault them in their new home.

 

First, the streets were cleaned of all the rabid citizens and thoroughly swept of any spare weaponry. With eyes all over the city word reached Vihk quickly of their positions and their level of readiness, so without further delay, Vihk ordered the men to place explosive charges at key points within the city to haphazardly set up building blockades to route the republic.

 

Then, as the Mandalorian explosive teams began their charge back to camp, a series of three men teams took the extra parts, heavy weapons, and guns with them to construct mobile firing platforms at various points in the city.

 

The front line which, was established at the head road to the palace was segmented, but kept as close to the palace as possible so that a bombing run would not be attempted without severe damage to the palace itself; even now their lines were not out in full force due to prepping about the city. However, Vihk ordered for a different first line of weaponry and for them not to assemble themselves on the front lines until Republic forces were indeed being dropped. So, the Mandalorians for the time were holed up in the main room of the palace, just behind the doors, so their march would not be long.

 

Other movements happened about the city and any Mandalorians left out at the time of Republic assault were ordered to enter buildings, kill the occupants and hole up inside.

[Vihk]

It seemed to Vihk that their battle plan was secure, but for some reason the fleet drifted as if inactive. The commanding Mandalorian took sight amplification to check his theories, and whether or not the Rebels were getting confirmation from higher ups or something, they were not moving. So, taking advantage of the stagnancy, Vihk ordered a full assault and then quick evacuation.

 

Hundreds of Mandalorians flooded into houses, previously locked, slaughtering the inhabitants and taking the children without remorse; Their brood was to be of a different lot than these. The Mandalorians' gauntlets passed in cold blood, pushing the vitals of Iziz from its very core in a very ritualistic manner. They killed alien and human alike, whether they encountered resistance or not. the mass of innocence slaughter was not something necessarily practiced, but it was more to get under skin than to actually prove fruitful within a warfare setting. Blood flew across the ground and screams filled the streets. A reign of terror filled the city of Iziz with chaos pulling the strings. The only vague semblance of organization was placed with the children and spare troops as they shambled in long, but fast moving lines toward empty, cavernous cargo ships.

 

Once all of the people in Iziz were slaughtered, Vihk lit the nearest building and set the whole thing to crimson and gold. Destruction, in its purest form, stood before him as he watched its havoc reap the remains of Onderon's once great capitol.

 

Then, with the last of his "goodbyes", Vihk saluted to the planet in a sense of ironic respect and took off away from it's charring corpse.

 

To avoid rapid discovery, Vihk issued an order that all the cargo ships were to take different routes and several hyperspace jumps, but arrive in Mandalore at as close to perfect time as they could. The Mandalorians could afford no time wasters in this whole debacle.

 

[Vladimir Faust]

The slaughter completed, a handful of people remained.

 

The main Sith base, literally underground and hidden survived intact. With the leaving of the Mandos, some semblance of normality might be able to happen- assuming one could ignore the deaths of anywhere from 90 to 99% of Iziz's populace.

 

The erstwhile countess, surrounded by her protectors, died fighting, her protectors passing with some satisfaction, they took down a couple Mandos in the battle, but were slaughtered to the last. Her blaster burned body held a look of incredulousness, as if unwilling to believe she could die. A soul survivor from her estate, hidden in a basement storeroom during the raid, loyal to the Order, gave a quiet report back. Her value did not end with death and she could be made a martyr.

 

Amid the charred ashes of Iziz University in one of the buildings still standing and untouched by fire, Dr. Van Isel, almost delirious from bloodloss, sat on the floor of his office, looking at the charred scars on his right arm. When... if... he walked again, he would need extensive treatment, cybernetics, or a cane to deal with the injuries to his leg. He stares across his office, trying to ignore the the blaster marks on the walls and behind his desk. Several books and papers were burned, though the bulk of his work was backed up or locked in an untouched wall safe.

 

A single Mandalorian commando lay slumped, dead near the door, the disk from a Sith lanvarok buried in his throat. When Isel's blaster failed to penetrate the Mando's armor, and the scuffled turned into a melee, he grabbed the artifact off a shelf and fired desperately at near point blank range. Isel's studies and collections saved his life as the disk struck home. Applying a tourniquet torn from his shirt to his cut up leg and elevates it. He would need to get medical attention soon, though he noted with distasteful irony, as one of the very few survivors he would likely get some priority treatment.

 

"Bloody Mandalorians," he spits, his mark hitting the corpse.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

((Forgive the double post))

[Sgt. Slaughter]

From Gala to Onderon was not a short journey, but due to unexpected events, General Slaughter was kept busy through most of it.

 

"The last place that I wanted you to be at was here. And why didn't you tell me that you were going to enlist?"

 

"Because I knew that we would be having the very same conversation that we are now, and the results would have been exactly the same. I made up my mind a long time ago; I completed my tour with the Foundation; I completed my training, and they just don't have anything more to offer me. You know the Republic's policy about this--they try to station families together if they can." Bruce let out a groan of dismay; he knew the reasoning behind that and had agreed with it. "Besides, it looks like you've done well--a General, so quickly?"

 

"It's not..." Slaughter gritted his teeth. No, that wasn't completely true. "It's not just that I don't want to see you in harm's way." Corell fixed him in a violet stare--that chauvanistic tendency was so common, but it was understandable. Her husband paced along the brief walls of his quarters””on a warship, even on a MC90 cruiser, even a General's quarters had to be sparse. "When I'm with my men... I'm not the same man that I am with you. I'm”¦ I'm”””œ Bruce was struggling for words when an harsh buzz cut him off””the Nemesis was about to pull out of hyperspace.

 

”œI just don't think you're going like what you see. I”¦”

[Vladimir Faust]

Dr. Isel, drawing himself over towards his window in a rather slow process to keep his leg elevated and stem further bloodloss, sees several ships pass over, noting with a satisfied grunt that the Republic finally showed up.

 

"Big damn bloody heroes," he murmurs with a shake of his head. Reaching his desk, he sends out a general S.O.S. on a comm in the top drawer. Finding the situation ideal, he pulls himself into his office seat and plants his legs- wounded and not on his desk. He would have to wait, but he might as well be comfortable. Ever cautious, he keeps his blaster by his hip and loosely trained on the door. He was prepared for the first Mandalorian, now dead, that attacked him, but he did not fancing trying to take on another.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Valkyrie-class transports began to swoop down towards Iziz, hovering over the city's abandoned streets at extremely low altitude to search for any signs of survivors before landing at their designated landing points. Disgorging squads of infantry to search the ruined buildings more thoroughly, they were soon followed by shuttles carrying engineers and other noncombat personnel to set up field hospitals and issue emergency first aid.

 

To their horror, the vast majority of the city's inhabitants had been summarily massacred””few of the dead appeared to have been able to put up a fight””and many of the survivors were suffering from vibroblade or blaster wounds, whose treatment all but required immediate bacta therapy. This mission would place a huge strain on the fleet's medical resources unless calls for civilian aid were answered. Within minutes the scale of this operation was realized and orders came from command to conserve bacta to treat only the survivors that required it””a doctrine that General Slaughter refused to slacken, even after a platoon of boots found that the city's hospitals had not been looted.

 

The emergency signal sent out at the university was high on the Third Fleet's list of priorities and was swiftly responded to by one of the many medical teams descending towards Iziz, its shuttle landing directly in the courtyard of the Archaeology building. It dispatched a number of medical personnel and an armed escort, a few of them entering into it. Like in the rest of the city, the vast majority of its denizens had been massacred, but a few survivors had been found.

 

Among these was Dr. Van Isel. Aside from the armored boots steadily pounding their way towards his office, the first thing he saw was the blunt muzzle of an AC-15 blaster rifle poking around the edge of his office door; it dipped, aiming towards the body of the Mandalorian, then scanned the rest of the room”¦ and fixed on the academic.

 

”œMedics to room”¦ AS three point five six one. We've got a live one. Sir, put down the blaster. We're here to help.”

[Aira Cadan]

Having been told that General Slaughter's battlegroup was still in the Galan system and then finding out that he had already taken it and left annoyed me. I had always had faith in the efficiency of the Republic's communications, but obviously something had gone wrong. I took a deep breath. It wasn't a long jump to Onderon from Gala; I had just hoped not to spend it in the cockpit of a fighter.

 

When I finally came out of hyperspace, I immediately took note of the situation. There were Republic troop ships moving down to the planet's surface and returning, and I could see fires and smoke obscuring the surface of the planet. But more than that; I could feel the recent anguish the planet had been through.

 

I sighed. We were too late to prevent this from happening. But I supposed the least we could do was to stay and help as much as we could.

 

I hailed the Nemesis and informed them that I was assigned to General Slaughter. I was given clearance after providing the correct codes and landed in the main hanger. It was with relief that I climbed out and headed to the bridge. Making sure my uniform was clean and tidy, I approached the General and saluted.

 

"Captain Aira Cadan, officer and Jedi Knight, reporting for duty, General. How can I be of assistance?"

[Vladimir Faust]

Isel hesitates for a moment, taking careful stock of his rescuers, then lowers his blaster. "Nervous times," he half apologizes with an ironic laugh, "though I'm afraid you're a bit late." He tried not to sound bitter, but even with Isel's association with Sith such as Faust, one is still hardly prepared or expectant to be on the receiving side of such a massacre. Another irony struck him, causing his face to pull into a visible grimmace. He served, even pledged his soul to one who dealt in attacks like this with an even hand. Was his survival here irony? Perhaps even a portent to take a hard look as his association with the Sith?

 

Dismissing them with his immediate concerns, Isel leans back in his seat, his bandaged leg resting on his desk. "You'll have to forgive me," he apologizes, in part for his harsh words earlier, "I'm not able to stand. My leg got cut up and after elevating it, moving it... any movement, feels atrocious." He blinks, seeing spots in front of his eyes. "I'm one piece... just some severe bloodloss I think."

[Sgt. Slaughter]

((I'll get to you ASAP Robbie, but I'm having writer's block on that part.))

 

”œYou can begin by not saluting when we're in the field. Colonel, you're in charge until I get back.”

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded at various times as the general filled me in on the situation. Things were pretty much as I had predicted. The Mandalorians had gotten mad and taken it out on Iziz. But I hadn't heard that they had wanted Onderin.

 

"Who is this Ahzinger? When I was here last negotiating the peace with the Admiral, we spoke with Jereel Ordo, who was Mandalore. Has there been a coup? Obviously, this new Mandalorian isn't interested in peace with the Republic." The last was said mostly to myself. I wondered how things could change so rapidly. But then, I mused, that was the nature of politics.

 

But Slaughter had risen and I followed him. "Well, sir, I am a Republic officer, so I am willing to serve in that capacity if you would like me too. However, I am also a Jedi. I can do whatever you need done. For now, I do have some training as a healer, so if you would like me to help in one of

the medical bays here or down on the planet, I would be able to be of assistance in the humanitarian efforts. However, I will do whatever you wish for me to do. I am completely at your disposal, General. I'm sure you have a better grasp of what is going on here than I do."

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Without a second of hesitation, the muzzle of that efficient-looking rifle snapped from the edge of the door, replaced by a pair of soldiers. The first of them reached for Dr. Isel's blaster, unloaded and engaged its safety catch; the second, wearing a corporal's insignia on the breastplate of his armor, approached the academic and took off his helmet before speaking.

 

”œYou won't have to move. We've got medics on the way and they're setting up an aid station as we speak.”

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded and rose at the dismissal. I stopped by the medbay to pick up some extra supplies, and changed into my regular fatigues. As I headed to the hanger, though, my mind wasn't focused on where I was goingo or what I was doing. I was mad. The entire way down, my mind lingered on what the general had said about the Empire cutting off the bacta supply. It was just inhumane. The thought that they would stoop so low made me want to lash out, and I had to take serious steps to calm myself. I knew going down to a battlefield distracted and angry would not be good, but it was hard to tear my mind off of the Empire's latest atrocity. I couldn't believe they had that kind of nerve...

 

Once on the shuttle to the surface, however, I focused. If there was a shortage of bacta, then there were going to be a lot of people we couldn't help. I had to prepare myself. It was going to be hard enough for the regular medics, and while I knew that my Force training was going to be useful, I certainly didn't relish the upcoming experience.

 

When the shuttle doors opened, the anguish and pain cried out to me, assaulting every sense. I closed my eyes and gathered myself, then headed towards the heart to the recently set up field hospital. I knew I'd be the most useful helping those that needed the precious bacta, as well as those that not even the medical gel could treat completely.

 

I came across a young woman whose file said she had massive internal hemmoraging. I laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," I said. "It'll be alright."

 

Drawing on the Force, I reached down deep and exerted the energies outward through my palms...

[Vladimir Faust]

Isel gives a faint smile. "I've had experience. Searching the jungles are a bit dangerous, even before the Mandos came in." Despite the blase face, Isel put on in describing the tourniquet, it doesn't stop him from giving a pain filled scream and swearing as he's moved onto the stretcher.

 

Letting himself sink into unconsciousness, he takes notice of his rescuers name. Oddly it didn't ring too much of a bell with Isel or the implaneted memories inside him. His last thought was a spark of anger- undirected, but generalized at his injuries, the loss of his research, and the wider galaxy.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

”œSir, two hyperspace contacts: a Venator- and a Victory-class Star Destroyer.”

[Aira Cadan]

I forced myself to take a break around midday, Onderon time. I was quickly growing exhausted, and I needed to keep my energy up if I was going to be of any use. I sat down in outside the main medical station and broke open some rations. It was hard to just sit there while I heard and felt the anguish of the wounded, but I couldn't help anyone if I was dead on my feet.

 

I also took the moment to meditate. It was like refreshing my connection with the Force; while it made the terror and pain of the natives clearer, it also gave me some amount of comfort to feel it's soothing power and presence.

 

Suddenly, I felt an influx of presences drawing near to the planet. Standing and shading my eyes, I looked up and saw the telltale gleams of more landing craft. As they drew nearer to the surface, I was pleased to see the insignia of the Survivor's Foundation. They will be able to do a lot more good here than we can.

 

Newly invigorated, I turned and headed back into the medical camp. Until we recieved the order to pull out, I had more work to do. I continued through the camp, healing those I could, and doing what I could for those whose injuries were too much for my skills.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

As the airspace above Iziz suddenly cleared, Aira Cadan received a message from the Nemesis, which rested above Onderon in a geosynchronous orbit.

 

”œCadan, recall to Nemesis. General Slaughter needs to speak to you.”

[Aira Cadan]

A voice chirped over my earpiece as I finished healing a child with several broken ribs. I listened, then put my hand to my ear to activate the comlink. "Acknowledged, Nemesis. On my way."

 

I wished there was more I could do here, but I was exhausted and knew that the Survivor's Foundation had things well in hand. I made my way to the pickup area and boarded the landing shuttle with the other medics from the fleet. It was a silent ride back to the flagship; everyone was tired and sobered by the suffering we had seen.

 

Once we had docked, I hurried to my quarters to quickly change out of my blood-stained clothing and wash the gore off my face and hands, then made my way up to the bridge. General Slaughter was in the midst of the various personnelle, and I approached him immediately. "You wanted to see me, General?"