Onderin Starlisk

<> As the Flash Taxso moved cautiously into the asteroid field, following very closely well-studied vectors that allowed for the safe passage of a capital ship through the otherwise dangerous rocks (after all, this was a shipyard and thus allowed the passage of ships to and from the structure by the informed party), it found itself arrayed against a marginal defense. The Empire was apparently extremely good at hacking these computers and issuing override commands to various system defenses, and testament to that fact was that some defenses did indeed attack the flagship. Still, due to the extensive counter-hacking of the shipyard personnel which didn't have to deal with the strains of invasive hacking and could instead skip right to the core system commands and actively scramble defense codes, there was very little the Empire could accomplish. A few turrets fired, a few warheads were launched, but a mixture of point-defense systems and good flying minimized the effects of the scattered attack. Besides, the Flash Taxso was hardly your average MC90a, as impressive as those Star Cruisers were. This vessel was the best ship in the Republic fleet, even tougher to destroy as a Super-class Star Destroyer, though not quite as well-armed. With scores of redundant shield arrays and ample weapons blisters, it moved through the field with no more trouble than it would have were the Empire not here at all. The landing craft ahead of it had even less trouble, since they were able to move with more speed to reach the station. Once they did so, they swept the hangar bays with cannon fire, wiping out any Imperial troops unfortunate enough to have been ordered to make a stand there--orders which could not be reversed due to a lack of communications. Troops disgorged from the craft. Communications were still down, but the Admiral's Battle Meditation was the strongest it had ever been. Onderin could hear the thoughts of those under his command and thus coordinate them based on their experiences. It was true that he could not read the minds of the droids the Empire was employing, but he was an experienced strategist that had fought pitched battles against the last half-dozen Emperors, and he was certainly experienced enough to correlate what he could feel in the Force concerning troop movements and resistance into generating likely courses of Imperial action--courses of action that were limited by their lack of communication. The Empire may have planned things out, but they were bound together only by timeframe, and Onderin's Battle Meditation was far from a variable that could be factored into plans made on some distant world and programmed into the by definition improvisationally limited minds of droids. Even the New Republic slicers were aided by the powerful Force technique the Admiral had perfected over many years of campaigns against Imperial forces. They were able to anticipate Imperial slicing techniques and algorithms, think with supernatural agility in identifying Imperial priorities, and counteract attempts to hack these priorities before they truly began to penetrate. Furthermore, they were able to use computer security systems to isolate the terminals the Imperials were using to slice and worked on shutting these terminals down. Then the communications came up, and everyone noticed in the first few seconds. Aboard the Flash Taxso, Onderin instantly knew that it was time for a big push. With comms enabled to work alongside his Battle Meditation, all this reinforced by the influx of troopers from the secured hangars, the Empire's pitiful ten squads, however well-armed and armored, had to give. Outnumbered several-to-one and assaulted by the Republic's finest troops armed with weapons and tactics specifically suited to bring them down, they were subjected to an incredible assault coordinated by the Force. Grenades and blaster bolts rained in on the command center and the power core as troops rushed towards objectives from across the shipyards. The Imperial droid commander--DNTD-0111--was caught in the barrage in the command center like the rest of his troops. It would take something amazing to keep him on his feet as the ordinance arrayed against him took its toll. Furthermore, troops dispatched to the terminals where Imperial slicers worked were arriving rapidly at their destinations, prepared to eliminate slicers with a few well-placed blaster bolts and end that threat. By the time the jammer came back on and the slicers somehow managed to penetrate New Republic counter-hacking and shut down many of the station's systems, it was already over. <>

A flicker of pseudomotion signalled the arrival of a huge Star Cruiser of Mon Calamari design from out of system. It could potentially have been some time before a response could have been formulated, but as it had happened, this ship had already been prepped to leave for a different, nearby system. This allowed the kind of rapid response that was exactly what the shipyards needed right now. This ship was the Flash Taxso, the flagship of the New Republic fleet, commanded by Admiral Onderin Starlisk, the weary man that had the weight of too much war on his shoulders but the quiet confidence that came from experience that he would be able to resolve this situation. The intel had been a bit spotty, but he understood that it was because of comm jamming aboard the shipyards. He had to assume in that case that he was looking at a worst-case scenario. The comm flood that always accompanied dropping out of hyperspace in a warzone came and Onderin got a few more snippets of information about what was going on before the blink code had been disabled. Something about just a few squads of dangerous Imperial troops and some extremely talented hackers. The Admiral reflected on the fact that perhaps the systems hadn't been fully converted to New Republic standards in the short time since the Augury had taken Bilbringi for them, making them potentially suspect to Imperial hacking efforts. It was no matter--Republic slicers knew that information as well as the Imperials did. "Take us in. Send the boarding parties, and make sure they have infra-red capabilities and rebreathers," he instructed. Unfortunately, moving the cruiser through the asteroid belt was difficult, but boarding craft could do it much faster. "And... captain, you're in charge if I'm unable to give orders." Onderin Starlisk sat down in his Admiral's chair but pulled his feet up so he was sitting cross-legged. Then he submersed himself in the Force. Oftentimes, he preferred to lead these battles with direct orders and sheer good tactics. But this situation was a bit different. Here, the Republic would have a huge advantage if not for the limiting factor of communication. But Onderin had a way to turn confusion and a lack of coordination into perfect synchronization, something the Empire would certainly lack. Admiral Starlisk was using Battle Meditation. ------ Meanwhile, orbital and external station defenses were getting strange signals on their targeting boards. "Sir, we have an enemy ship entering the system close in," an officer reported. More Imperials... the commander thought. "What do we have?" The reporting officer was silent for a moment as he listened to his comm. "It's not an Imperial design. Uh, it's the Flash Taxso." "Stand down," the commander said. "It's our backup. Try to figure out what's wrong with the targeting computers." ------ Aboard the station, Elias Antilles was just thinking things were getting to be manageable when the lights went out. "Slicers." He said the word like it was an obscenity. "Let's get counter-slicing." He had no way to communicate the idea to the rest of the station, but it was pretty obvious what had happened. All across the station, Republic officers were getting the same idea. New Republic intelligence teams and slicer droids got immediately to work counter-hacking. And as agile as the Empire was in giving themselves this advantage, the New Republic was even more agile in wresting it back, if only to equal the playing field. "I want landlines and lights back up," Elias ordered. "And tell me what else is going on." One of the slicers reported immediately. "They're screwing with environmental controls because they've got environmental protection." "Get it back to normal," Elias answered. "Working on it." "Landlines are back. We're getting estimates on how many slicers we have working. We outnumber what the Imperials brought at least two to one. And, sir... it's a bit strange, but I feel like we're not getting in each other's way. Like almost supernaturally." "Good," Antilles said. The Empire had brought far too few for an operation of this magnitude. "Sir, scanners show the Flash Taxso inbound." Yes, far too few. Antilles approached a landline terminal, wondering if what his officer had described a moment before had something to do with the Admiral's presence--he had often heard reports about strange things happening when Starlisk was around. At any rate, his career had begun well before the formation of the New Republic, back in the days of the Rebel Alliance. Sometimes he missed those days with the simple, time-tested tactics it took to erode a superior but unimaginative force like the Empire. Now, he was almost glad to find himself on familiar ground. "Time for hit-and-run, boys." As the lights came back on, Republic forces changed tactics. They couldn't hold extended battles with the tough novatroopers, so instead they began to spring ambushes, lob devastating salvos of concussion grenades, then fade back before sustaining serious casualties. What made the technique especially effective was the onset of unusually acute coordination between the attack parties. When one got into a tight spot, there was always another squad there to cover their retreat, lobbing grenades of their own. Between the effects of Battle Mediation, their superior numbers, and the effectiveness of the grenades, it was only a matter of time before the Imperial attack failed. ((Onderin is indirectly commanding the battle now. If he's a legal candidate for Geki's ruling, it's him. Otherwise, it's Elias Antilles.))

Finally, several minutes after the Imperial attack began, a tall man with tousled hair who had clearly just gotten up staggered into one of the command points. He was Elias Antilles, the Captain in charge of the defense of the Bilbringi shipyards in situations just like this. His uniform wasn't buttoned all the way up and it bore wrinkles, but despite his unkempt appearance, everyone immediately knew that this man was the salvation of the rapidly deteriorating situation that was occuring at this time. In short, the man was brilliant. Strolling into the center of the room, Elias' eyes found exactly the people they needed to and his orders came unusually rapidly for such a recently-awoken man. "Tap into the landlines," he said. "Jamming devices won't keep us from using those. The Empire could eavesdrop if they figure out what we're doing, but it's worth the risk." ((OOC Note: This is the same tactic Lando Calrissian used in ESB during the Empire's takeover of Cloud City... only without the loudspeakers.)) The strategy was simple from here on out, but nonetheless effective. With landline communications up, Republic squads could report their sightings of Imperial troops. This meant that command was finally able to get some intel on just what exactly was attacking--apparently not stormtroopers at all, but heavily armored nova troopers. It also let Captain Antilles track Imperial movements. Unfortunately, the news wasn't very good; evidently, the Empire had made a move to take the command center and power core, and they were faring pretty well. But the Empire had two huge disadvantages that Elias would be sure to exploit. First, the communications battle was now at least temporarily lopsided in the Republic's favor. Second, and probably more important... the Republic had far more than what looked like about ten squads of invading troops. The Bilbringi shipyards were a huge installation, and now that communications were possible, Elias could focus the troops on mission critical points--the command center and the power core. He immediately sent orders for squads to converge on those locations--close to ten squads each. Also, since he had information on what they were facing, he gave more specific orders--orders condoning the heavy use of explosives. Novatroopers were tough to bring down with blasterfire, but concussion grenades and thermal detonators were extremely effective. He left specific instructions for only concussion grenades to be used in delicate areas like the power core, but he didn't mind if a few hallways got banged up if it meant repelling this invasion. Still, we could use even more men... Elias thought. Then he spoke. "Time to get a message to the outside, boys," he said. "How, sir? The jamming's still in place!" He gave a cocky grin. "Mon Calamari blink code. Signal the orbital defenses to get a call out to the nearest fleet. And have them locate that kriffing jammer." "Yes, sir!" Mon Calamari blink code was learned by almost every communications officer in the New Republic. It was simple--by using a series of blinks from any number of station external lights, a message could be conveyed. The officer on communications immediately set to work getting the message out--the only trick was that someone in the orbital defenses had to notice and get the whole message. The message was therefore made short -- G-E-T-H-E-L-P. And it took almost no time at all for someone to get the message, since even the orbital platforms had noticed the comm jamming with the station. Immediately ships were sent for. It would be a few minutes before they arrived, but when they did, the Imperial forces aboard the station would be inevitably overwhelmed. Additionally, the stations among the asteroids had finally determined the bounds of the jamming field and had projected a location for the jammer, and using the same blink-code, they transmitted that information back to the station. Captain Elias Antilles nodded satisfactorally. "That's called getting the job done. Put a couple of squads on that." The Empire had made good on their element of surprise and their efficient military discipline, but smart tactics, the ability to communicate, and an extreme advantage of numbers meant it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

In some ways, the Imperial attack on the Bilbringi shipyards was a thing of genius. They had managed to get aboard the station, which probably had something to do with the recent crime activity going on around here, and they had gotten aboard with enough weapons to carry out the attack they had intended. They hadn't needed a fleet to make their attack, so the operation was relatively inexpensive and had great opportunity for gain. However, in other ways, it was practically doomed from the start. The first thing that apparently slipped their commander's mind was the fact that jamming didn't sound like a communications problem due to asteroids. Usually when communications went out, signals were abruptly lost and silence reigned until they were restored. Jamming, however, created a loud, obnoxious statis hiss coming out of commlinks and other communications devices that made it absolutely clear what was at work. New Republic forces aboard the shipyards knew exactly what was happening as soon as it began--the Empire was attacking Bilbringi. The second thing the Empire probably could have thought about a bit more was the fact that jamming blocked not only New Republic channels, but also their own. It was difficult to carry out an organized multi-squad infiltration when the squads couldn't communicate. The Republic forces might have been left in the dark, but so were the Imperials, so it was much harder for them to work together. Since Bilbringi had so many problems with communications to begin with, there was a procedure already in place for what should happen if a problem occured during a military crisis. Jamming certainly fulfilled both conditions for the procedure to be implemented. Squads of troops made their ways quickly and efficiently toward designated command points, and civilians everywhere rushed toward safe areas and other bits of shelter to get out of the way of the inevitable firefights that were to come. It was an important military concept as old as time--when both sides had a significant penalty, the defenders had the advantage. Now groups of soldiers were being organized through verbal instruction. They couldn't communicate with the other groups except by runners, so they had two structures in place to help them--first, they had their assigned sectors of the shipyards they were charged with defending, so they knew they wouldn't miss anything, and second, they had speeder bikes that could make their way swiftly through the wide and empty hallways of the shipyard, allowing for at least some form of coordination between defense groups. Minutes after communications were cut, well-armed squads of well-trained defense troops made their ways out into the hallways, ready to make a stand for what they believed in--the freedom of the Bilbringi citizens from Imperial rule and the contribution of this world's shipyard to the bigger war effort to remove the Empire's tyranny for good. Meanwhile, officers sitting at hangar control boards collectively shut down the barriers separating the hangars from outer space. Since the civilians working in the hangars had evacuated them as soon as the jamming started, they didn't have to worry about friendly casualties. They noted that the incoming troops weren't stormtroopers and had large suits which likely allowed them to exist in vacuum for some time, but the rapid decompression of the hangars scattered them for perhaps a click outside the station, and swept out with them were their E-webs and other equipment. Good luck getting back in time to make a difference, one of the officers thought, now joining the others to train his blaster on the door in case some troops came after them.

--Incoming comm for Aira Cadan on a New Republic encryption-- "Aira, this is Onderin. Some things are going to be happening soon in the New Republic, and if you're available, I'd like you to be a part of this. If you're busy with Jedi business, that's okay, too, but the New Republic could use your help right now. "If you choose to accept, I promoting you to Captain. I hope to see you soon. Onderin out." --End comm--

OOC: Filler post. Requesting mod ruling. IC: Some guy in the Bilbringi shipyards saw the telltale glint of white armor down the hallway and made a run for it. Imperial stormtroopers, he thought with a chill.

At first the thefts were barely noticed. Bilbringi's installation was huge, one of the biggest shipyards in the galaxy. There were any number of things that could displace a part or two, and frankly, the management hadn't been losing enough money to start a full-scale investigation just to make it stop. However, once some of the more expensive things started to disappear, it became clear that there was some sort of crime ring thriving out of the shipyards. A methodical investigation began as workers were checked and double-checked to make sure they were legitimate Bilbringi or New Republic personnel. OOC: Leave or step back down to lower-profile thefts and things will turn out fine for everyone.

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.

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.

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."

((This is dangerously close to alias-stacking, I know, but Kirlocca contacted Onderin IC to request this post, so I'd be ridiculous not to oblige.)) Just when the battle was starting to look grim for the Augury forces arrayed against the Empire's defenses, which were most certainly wearing down, the scene changed dramatically. A weakened Star Destroyer and two Corvettes may have been an appropriate challenge for three Nebulon-B escort frigates and their superior force of starfighters, but war was a series of give-and-takes. The New Republic didn't give up on their allies when they asked for aid. A fresh MC90a Star Cruiser appeared out of hyperspace almost right on top of the station, at the same coordinates at which the Augury force had initially appeared. This one had full New Republic markings and from its hangar bay it was launching a whole new wave of fighters which dwarfed what was out there now. Star Cruisers were tremendously tough capital ships and their turbolasers were coordinated in arrays that allowed them to deliver massive broadsides. Having dropped right in the middle of the battle, it was immediately able to deliver just such an attack to the Imperial Star Destroyer that had been fighting a long and wearying battle against the frigates. Alongside and beneath it were squadrons of E-wings which had an impressive payload of proton torpedoes. Without Imperial fighters yet being in place to repel their attack, waves of these torpedoes joined the turbolaser barrage. The Star Destroyer didn't stand a chance against this surprise attack from a fresh ship. << Killshot Requested >> ((The Augury gets command of this vessel from here on out, since there isn't a PC attached to it. Even if that just means Fett will post its actions.))

Unfortunately for Menthu, the incident created just the kind of disturbance that drew quite a bit of attention. CorSec and New Republic forces were immediately on the scene, and although the charred area left little traces of its former inhabitant, they knew something was going on. Something that either involved a bomb or a Sith Lord... or a Sith Lord with a bomb. Security tightened in vital areas and at the New Republic base, and the extra attention would make it all but impossible for one man to cause much damage. And in a galaxy full of threats of the power of Sith, defenses had been forced to evolve to an efficiency never before seen, especially at a location that had suffered a terrorist attack so recently in the past.

"The threat was... handled," Onderin said. "Mandalore and I destroyed the attacker--no one got hurt. Well, except maybe for you. Mandalore and I then sat down and worked out a plan. I've given Onderon to the Mandalorians at least for a probationary period, to see how they set up their government. I don't want to revoke the offer, but I have to act for the people." He reached out in the Force and tried to ease Aira's pain. "You know some Force healing," he said. "You can use it on yourself, too. You're becoming a well-rounded Jedi, Aira. In fact, there's not much more I can teach you. "Let's go back to Gala. You should be ready to go by then." So saying, the Admiral stood and headed back to the cockpit, then gently lifted the shuttle off and blasted out of the Iziz hangar, sweeping past the nearby Dxun and soon entering hyperspace towards the Republic military headquarters base.

Onderin returned Mandalore's salute, glad to have an accord. It showed the Mandalorian leader's true desire for peace that he would apologize for his threat and show a desire to meet the proffered terms with the sort of government of which the Republic would approve. Of course, only time would tell what would come of this, but if Onderin could help an ally into reclaiming a world that really belonged to them and give them a foothold in the galaxy that they could use against their shared enemies, it was a successful day. There were always the people to think about, but the terms should keep most of them satisfied. Now as Mandalore continued with his business and started talking to Luna, the meeting was officially concluded. The Jedi Master turned to his still-sleeping padawan and carefully levitated her with the Force, then began to carry her out to the hangar where he had landed the shuttle on arrival. Once aboard, he set her down on one of the bunks and sat on one across from her, then touched her mind with the Force. Time to wake up, Aira.

Onderin pondered the terms of Mandalore's proposal carefully, as well as the words of the noblewoman who had interjected herself into the negotiations almost helpfully as a voice for the Onderonian public. She was still a bit subvertive and probably considerably more biased than most of the world's public, but it was helpful for Onderin to hear another voice--no decision of this significance should be made off one man's concerns. One of the biggest issues now, of course, was that Mandalore made a threat, and that wasn't really a good move. Suddenly it made him sound like a terrorist making demands to take over a whole world, and that didn't strike a good vibe in Onderin at all. The Republic did not negotiate with terrorists, and Onderin would not allow Mandalore to browbeat him into any decision. Still, it would cost a lot of lives to fight the Mandalorians here, and the Republic would have effectively bought themselves an enemy when what they needed was to make a concerted effort to destroy the Empire for good. The Admiral was here to save lives, not spend them. This was an enemy he didn't need. Mandalore's terms furthermore sounded reasonable, and he doubted that many Onderonians would care enough about the change to get up in arms about it, especially since they would still be represented, even if that representative didn't have any actual legislative power. It helped in Onderin's view that Mandalore was a Jedi Knight, and while that didn't guarantee he would hold values above the good of the Mandalorian presence here or in the galaxy, it at least meant there would be at least some sort of moral compass he would be using to make his decisions. "Before I give you my decision, I would like to make it clear that you, Mandalore, are in no position to be taking Onderon from the Republic if I were to refuse your offer," he said. "I don't respond well to threats, and your lack of a fleet means that in a field of war you wouldn't even be capable of standing up to the Republic. "I am willing to overlook your threat, however, and face the real issue. I'm not interested in making enemies, but allies are hard to come by, even when concessions have to be made to ensure that they become such," the Admiral continued. "Your offer to set up an embassy should quell most of the discontent a change of power could cause, but I believe that only you prove to the people that the change does not restrict their freedom will further conflict be averted." The Jedi Master paused, summoning the words to deliver his decision. "I accept your terms in a probationary sense. Through the embassy the Republic will be watching what goes on here. If the government you set up is insufficient to meet the needs and allow the freedoms the Onderonian people require after several months in the new regime, I may rescind my decision," he said. "But I'm certainly willing to give this a try, and I believe that our factions can coexist in peace--even in alliance. "Do we have an accord?" he asked finally. The proposal was a little wishy-washy, but it should satisfy all parties present. At least, Onderin hoped so, because this would be all over the holonet in a couple hours.

OOC: Uh, creative ruling, KR. IC: Onderin allowed himself to relax as the droid exploded down the chute and Aira crumpled to the ground. He deactivated his lightsaber and crossed the distance to his apprentice in a few long strides, then scooped her up and carried her back to the table where he and Mandalore had been sitting. She was only stunned, he quickly surmised, so while it would be strange to just have her lay around here, there was hardly any reason to take her to a local hospital or somesuch, especially if the droid turned out not to be their only opponent. Still, the event had apparently turned Onderin's calm crowd into a cheery one that was bringing them drinks, so it at least appeared that the tension was gone, as was the danger. He looked at Hartel--or, he supposed, Ordo--and nodded his appreciation. "Thanks for the help, Mandalore," he said. "Hopefully we can finish these talks in relative peace." Once the Mandalorian had sat down again, Onderin continued. "Like the Onderonian woman said, there are a few points of concern about your terms," he said. "I need to know what the Republic giving you this world would entail as its government would concern. The Republic upholds freedom and democracy, and I don't know enough about the Mandalorians to know how this will figure into your plans. Also, I'd like more details on what the Republic is gaining out of this--what kind of force would we be able to summon and how often?"

((I agree with Robbie's sentiment. I'd appreciate it, HK, if you wouldn't make several posts between mine, especially since you're posting actions towards which Onderin would respond immediately. This is a story more than a contest.)) Onderin grimaced at the woman's unexpected response. It wasn't that his mind trick hadn't worked, but stumbling into an incoming droid had seemed to break the proverbial spell and things got worse from there. Of course, while she was talking Onderin got a good look at the droid before it was swallowed by the crowd. Now, he was a military man and was familiar with many war droids, and while he didn't know this particular design, he identified several things in a glance that made it ominously clear that this was a droid built for war, not serving drinks. Perhaps this droid has something to do with our unknown assailant, if there is indeed one, the Admiral thought. When the crowd bumrushed the door, swallowing up the droid in the chaos, Onderin turned to face them and stood up, then reached deeper into the Force. Over the years, he had become quite adept at the ancient technique called Battle Meditation. It had served him from time to time in great space battles for galactic supremacy to help coordinate and inspire his forces or doom his opponents with opposite modifications to demeanor. The idea, at any rate, was that he could easily reach into the minds of entire groups of people and inspire certain emotions such as mental alacrity or uncertainty. This time he infused the crowd with calm, and it was easy. Affecting thousands of trained military minds was taxing, but calming a couple dozen cantina types was a simple trick. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and even as the chaos died, he felt a pang of danger and then Aira's presence collapse. He hadn't had time to react because of the concentration needed for even this simple version of not-so-Battle Meditation, but instantly after that his lightsaber was in his hand, its verdant green blade blazing. It was almost eerie the way the crowd didn't react at all, perfectly calmed by Onderin's mental stimulus. The Jedi Master turned his full attention on the droid who he realized was the one to assail Aira and felt Mandalore do the same. For an assassin droid, he's not very smart, Onderin thought--did the machine realize it was challenging two Jedi, one a Master and one a Mandalorian? Without moving Onderin implemented his long years of telekinetic training and attempted to rip the droid's arm away from his apprentice and toss the whole machine across the room. It was a controlled move done by an in-control Jedi, timed as close to Mandalore's own attack as was possible. It wouldn't likely damage the droid, but he needed to get his padawan out of there.... < ((This is sort of a killshot assist with Mandalore and sort of separate. I'll let the mods sort it out, but the point is to free Aira, not to disable HK-52.))

Ah... John Hartel. Yes, Onderin recognized this man and affirmed his status as a Jedi Knight--at least, a one-time Jedi Knight. That put some ease on the negotiations, for Onderin could put to rest some of his natural mistrust of the Mandalorians by knowing that their leader was a Jedi that had lingering loyalties to the Republic and its allies. In fact, such a militant faction being predisposed against Onderin's enemies could turn out to be a boon. He listened to Mandalore spell out simple terms that, Onderin decided, would need some details before he accepted to anything. There were certain concerns he had about turning a galactic government over a militant faction, and he wasn't sure exactly what the terms would entail when it came to summoning the Mandalorians in battle. Of course, gaining such renowned and powerful allies would be worth most costs Onderin could imagine, especially if turning them down could result in them becoming renowed and powerful enemies. Before he could bring up these concerns, however, an Onderonian noblewoman burst past the bouncer and vocalized the Admiral's concerns rather harshly and with clear bias. He was surprised and somewhat annoyed by the interjection, despite the fact that her concerns mirrored his own. He was more annoyed by the seeming fact that the whole city knew what was going on here. The Jedi Master glanced at the noblewoman and, keeping his voice perfectly calm, summoned the Force. "Thank you for your concerns. Your point has been made and now you want to go home," he said. As he did so, he reached into her mind and reinforced the words, convincing her of their truth. Unless she was extremely strong-minded, Onderin's mind trick should be ample to turn her back the way she had come. Just for good measure, he included her assistant in the mind trick, just in case he decided to cause trouble of his own.

Onderin was a little bit surprised how active Luna was being in this. She was jumping to conclusions that were mired in improbability and taking the kind of action that could come across completely incorrectly if she was wrong, and it indeed seemed likely that she was. On the off-chance that she was right, of course, some good could come from it. But how much, really? The Jedi Master finally spoke. "I'm not convinced that Van Isel was Sith," he said. "He certainly wasn't tainted by the dark side. It seems unlikely he's going to end up back at the cantina, but if he does, you might be on to something. Perhaps you should keep an eye out for him instead of intruding on him and suggesting that he sit in on the talks. "Frankly, I would like these to be as private as possible. That goes for your allies, too," he continued. "I appreciate what you're doing, but I don't feel like I need an escort, especially since I'll be in a room with Mandalore and I'm hardly helpless myself. "Thank you for the ride and feel free to investigate, but I'm comfortable completing my mission on my own." So saying, Onderin nodded at Aira to hand Luna Van Isel's card, then headed into the cantina, picked Mandalore out in the Force as the bright beacon of a Jedi Knight, and headed to the back and the well-decorated room in which the Mandalorian sat. When he entered, he bowed slightly then sat across from Mandalore and gestured for Aira to sit beside him. "Greetings, Mandalore. With all the commotion out of the way, I'm looking forward to making arrangements to bring our factions together in peace."

Struggling with the whole situation intellectually, Onderin used the Force to calm himself and sort through what was going on, knowing that it would guide him to the right course of action. He had been in a position of responsibility for many years now, and if there was anything he had learned from the experience, it was that the guidance of the Force was flawless, if only he listened closely enough. The first thing he had to deal with was the arrival of Mandalore. He was a little surprised that the man had tracked them down--at least until he found Mandalore in the Force and learned something very interesting. Mandalore was not only Force-sensitive, but he was a trained Jedi Knight. Onderin's eyebrow flickered up at this discovery, and he realized that Mandalore's presence felt vaguely familiar. It was possible that this was a Jedi Onderin had met once, or at least been in the presence of at some point, though he couldn't quite place who it was exactly. Onderin acknowledged Mandalore and then heard Van Isel's offer to take them back to the cantina. Intellectually, Onderin felt like the man had saved their lives and could therefore be trusted, but there was still something that felt wrong about it. He felt like the suspicion he was dealing with was from the Force, but it could just as easily be feeding off Onderin's recent paranoia concerning Vladimir Faust. Van Isel was probably trustworthy despite the fact that he had been doing something discrete back in the cantina. Onderin was about to accept the man's offer when Luna took him aside and shared her feelings on the matter as well. The Admiral immediately flip-flopped his position, knowing now that another Force-sensitive was experiencing something similar to his own feelings about Van Isel. Unfortunately, Luna wasn't really a known quantity either. He had known her for a short time a while back, but she had come a long way since then. Maybe her Mandalorian battlearmor was putting Onderin just a little bit on edge, making him feel like she wasn't as clearly an ally as she wanted him to think. Or maybe there was nothing at all, and she was the only one in this situation he could clearly trust other than Aira. This was reinforced considerably by her offer of her ship, but this was mirrored by Van Isel's heroic offer of his speeder to escape the crashing shuttle. Or maybe Van Isel really is just a professor and Luna really is an old friend that nearly became my padawan, he thought. Not everyone has to have an alterior motive to help me. It was decision time. Onderin wanted security in his meeting with this Jedi Mandalore, and Van Isel's subtle act in the cantina was enough that Onderin didn't want to encourage him to be there. Luna, however, had a way of getting him back to the cantina without Van Isel, was a better-known quantity in that she wasn't a complete stranger, and was in Mandalorian armor which meant she would probably be handy to have around if this mysterious assailant tried something else during the meeting. If there was an assailant at all and this wasn't just a random crash. Onderin shook his head. "Thank you very much for your help, Professor, but I have to agree with Miss Armegedon here," he said. "We'll take it from here." Next he addressed Luna. "Thanks for your offer as well. I think in the spirit of expedience I'll accept it." Finally he turned to his padawan. "I guess it's time to go, Aira." He stood up and got out of the speeder, looking expectantly at Luna so she could let him into her ship. No doubt she had security on board.

Onderin's look was grim. His very presence was causing problems for Iziz, unless this was simply a coincidence, which was probably unlikely. "I spend most of my time at headquarters," he said. "We are attacked frequently by terrorists, Sith, and Imperials, but we're very efficient at dealing with these threats from a long way off. I guess the answer is yes." But what really could he do about it? He couldn't stay locked up behind layers of military defenses at all times because half the galaxy wanted him dead. Well, he amended, perhaps not half the galaxy but at least one very important enemy--Vladimir Faust. Somehow, Onderin wouldn't be surprised if Faust was behind this somehow--it smacked of his style except that it didn't really have any chance of succeeding. Unless the point wasn't really to kill him. Again Onderin looked at Van Isel, a bit of suspicion hidden deep within him. Was he really getting paranoid?

Onderin's danger sense triggered in his mind just before the alarm sirens went off, and he was on his feet in less than a second. What the kriff... he thought as he moved out into the street with Van Isel, who seemed to have a speeder nearby. It was convenient, since Onderin and Aira had walked from the hangar to get here and would be hard-pressed to get out in time on foot. For the moment, Onderin swallowed his misgivings as Van Isel offered them a ride. It really was the best way out and the fact that the professor had offered to pick them up instead of making a dash for it could very well mean that the Jedi Master's perception of the man was skewed. There was still the matter of the deception to sort out, but Onderin was willing to put that aside for the moment. Without even pausing he left into the speeder and Aira with him. Luna also jumped in and gave Isel the coordinates of her ship, outside the city and a safe distance from the likely explosion. "Do it," he agreed, and the speeder shot off in the right direction. They would be well out of range before the ship hit, if the ship hit. Iziz had advanced anti-air weaponry that could be used to prevent such accidents, and, like any city, it had other defenses to prevent such collisions, such as tractor beams. Otherwise huge accidents like this would happen all the time.

Onderin listened to the conversation but let his padawan take over for a minute, since she was the one being addressed. There was something in the back of his mind, perhaps some bidding of the Force, but he was having trouble listening to it in this crowded, distracting bar. He felt that it had something to do with the professor, and he turned his gaze on Van Isel and focused on him to try to get a better feeling. He noticed the man doing something discreetly under the table and, with a touch of the Force, felt the signs of a man doing something he didn't want to be noticed. Onderin's brow creased in a slight frown as he tried to puzzle out what the professor would have done, but it occured to him that the man didn't have to be what he claimed to be, or could be something else on top. Onderin's own presence here was likely to stir up more than locals with idle curiosity as to the arrival of such a man as he. At any rate, it became clear that there was more to Isel than he let on, and Aira wouldn't be joining him today. Onderin took his gaze from the professor and returned it to Luna, who he realized was addressing him. He caught the tail of the statement about her brother dying with the destruction of Tatooine. He blinked at her, trying to bring himself out of his musings before he responded. "Are you aware that everyone who died during the destruction of the planets the Arach'tar destroyed are alive again?" he asked. "My parents died on Corellia, but after the war, when Corellia returned, by some miracle of the Force they were alive again. They didn't even remember the planet's destruction. Is is possible that your brother lives again as well?"

Hm, Onderin thought as the professor introduced himself. At first he thought it strange that he had drawn this man's attention and the man had immediately recognized him, but he quickly realized that it was probably to be expected, given his role in the galaxy. He hadn't really thought about how spending so much time at the headquarters on Gala had separated him from the public. There, he would never have to deal with interruptions of this kind, but that didn't mean that his face wasn't one of the more recognizable in known space. A little more surprising was that the man recognized Aira as his padawan instead of his aide or somesuch other person that would be accompanying him, but Onderin didn't moniter the media closely enough to know how much Aira had appeared on the holonet. But it served to remind him under how much scrutiny his actions were on a daily basis. He listened to the man speak about what he was studying, and the Admiral figured it was a pretty popular subject on a planet with such Sith-related origins. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Freedon Nadd was entombed on Dxun, not far above their heads. But when the man asked for his business here and time for an interview, Onderin frowned internally. Externally he kept his face straight and mild--he wished to have a good public reputation even when he had to brush someone off like this. "I'm afraid my business is official," he said at last. "I'm waiting for someone to arrive right now. When he does so, it is imperative that I get right down to business, so it's unlikely that I have time for an interview right now." Then a vaguely familiar presence brushed the back of the Jedi Master's mind. He subconsciously turned to see a Mandalorian enter the cantina and order a glass of ale before moving toward him. He--no, it was a woman beneath that armor--turned a chair to face him, not joining the table at which he and Aira were sitting. At first Onderin thought she was a part of the Mandalorian delegation for the peace talks, but the way she kept her distance suggested otherwise. When she spoke his title, he cocked an eyebrow as a piece slid into place and he realized who she was. "Miss Armegedon," he said, his surprise not masked but definitely sounding pleasant. "It's been some time. You're... Mandalorian." Last time the two had met, she had most certainly not been Mandalorian, but very nearly his padawan learner.

A New Republic Lambda-class shuttle appeared from hyperspace over the world of Onderon. Aboard was Admiral Onderin Starlisk, also a Jedi Master and with his padawan, Aira Cadan. They were here at the request of Mandalore to discuss the future of Mandalorian interactions with the Republic in a talk that could well determine the future of much of the conflict in the galaxy. Onderin piloted the shuttle down towards Onderon's primary spaceport, navigating carefully around Dxun, the planet's close-orbiting moon. It was almost unique in that it hung so close that there was actually shared atmosphere between the world and its satellite, and both were capable of sustaining life. That was a fact that had played prominently into Onderon's history. Bringing the shuttle down to the surface, the Jedi Master disembarked with Aira in tow, heading for the spaceport cantina. It was hardly the kind of place where Onderin commonly held peace talks, but it seemed fitting for a talk with Mandalorians, given their cultural identity as he understood it. He kept his senses stretched out in the Force, searching for anything amiss and hoping his natural distrust of Mandos wouldn't affect his judgment in dealing with them. The Mandalorian Wars were hard to forget, though. Finally the pair of Jedi entered the cantina. Onderin looked around and didn't see any Mandalorians yet, so he found a seat and motioned for Aira to sit across from him. "Maybe they were expecting an RSVP," he said with a shrug.