Onderon

[Darex Trevelian]

Once they were onboard, Darex led Makaryk to the lounge area. There were snacks and drinks set out, and Darex encouraged the man to help himself. He then quickly introduced everyone. "Dr. Makaryk, this is Jedi Master Skye Organa, and my fiancee Darla Sar." He motioned to the twins. "And these are my children, Alana and Jax. Sorry things are a bit of a mess."

 

It was the twins bedtime anyway. Darla rose to put them down, and Skye volunteered to help, leaving the two men alone ((OOC: Hope you guys don't mind)). Darex hoped they'd hurry back. He'd welcome their input if they wanted to give it.

 

"Thank you for coming," he began, "especially after your long shift. I won't waste any more of your time; I'm sure you'd rather be asleep."

 

He took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "When I was in the hospital today, I couldn't help but notice that you have a strong affinity to the Force. I believe you are unconsciously tapping into it as you work, which is why you can perform delicate surgeries that no other living doctor can.

 

"Most people have a subtle connection with the Force, but you have enough potential to be considered for Jedi training. I know it's a big decision; getting Jedi training would mean leaving the hospital." He leaned forward a bit, and an earnest glint shone in his eye. "But you could do a lot of good. You could help the people of the galaxy. And you wouldn't have to give up healing. With training, you could be one of the best healers in the galaxy."

 

His brow wrinkled a bit. "I don't want to sound like a merchant hawking his goods. It's your decision, and there is no pressure if you decide it's not something you want to pursue. But consider it."

 

He fell silent then. He loved when he got the opportunity to reveal to someone their potential. His mind flashed back to when he had done this last; Aerec hadn't taken it well that his brother was not strong enough for training. But eventually, the boy had followed his heart, and had turned out to be a great Jedi. His path had been a rough one, forged solid by hardship. Darex only hoped that if Adrian chose the same road, fate would be a little easier on him.

[Adrian Makaryk]

(OOC: sorry, been a busy week...)

 

Adrian's eyes listlessly wandered over the refreshments. Chewing would have required too much energy from the exhausted surgeon, but swallowing might be doable. It had to be. Even after emptying his canteen into his mouth, the surgeon's throat remained parched. His voice remained weak.

 

He took a glass of juice and gulped it down, slouching a bit as he sat down. He barely noticed the mess for which the Jedi apologized, much less the other people.

 

Dr. Makaryk tried to pay attention, but short of some adrenaline rush from treating patients, the Jedi's words drifted through his ears. His brain only processed snippets of what the Jedi had to say. Indeed, Adrian would rather be sleeping, but the continued effects of the stimulants he relied upon for work kept him propped in a zombie-like state of semi-awareness.

 

Abruptly, his posture straightened as the Jedi attempted to sell his services or somesuch.

 

"That would be unethical."

 

The surgeon's words left no doubt or room for error. They came as if the surgeon had only just awoken--and stood in judgement. Yet, Adrian had no idea why the words had come so quickly, or why he had said them. He attempted to backtrack; he strained to evaluate why he had just said what he just said.

 

The reasoning behind his snap decision struck him a moment later.

 

"You act as if it is my decision to make. It is not. You would leave my patients voiceless. If I leave, I will not be replaced, and I will not leave an entire planet without medical care for my own personal training."

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex nodded. "Your concern and dedication are admirable, but there is no need. I have seen how desperate this situation is with my own eyes. As Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, you have my solemn promise that I will send Jedi healers in your place. I have several Jedi in mind, one being my own former apprentice Seraphim. I will assign them to Onderon regardless of your decision, but perhaps the knowledge that they will be able to take your place will ease your mind."

 

He leaned forward. "This needs to be a personal decision, and I will do whatever I can to make you free to make it."

 

He tried to size up this man. Clearly he was dedicated and had high morals that he would not waver from. But was he even interested in this proposal? Darex couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was the man's exhaustion, but he seemed unenthusiastic. It was a far cry from some people's responses when told that they could learn the ways of the Force. But then, perhaps Makaryk had seen enough of the galaxy to be weary of it.

 

Regardless, Darex wasn't there to twist his arm. If Makaryk said yes, then fine, but if he felt his path was leading him to stay on Onderon, then that too would be fine. And it wasn't as if him staying here meant he could learn nothing of the Force. The Jedi that Darex would assign here would at least be able to teach him the fundamentals so that he could make better use of his gift in surgery.

[Adrian Makaryk]

"No, you have not."

 

Truly, the Jedi had not seen how desperate the situation was within his own eyes. Not at all. The Jedi had come during an uncharacteristically quiet time, when the hospital had very few patients, only one that required urgent treatment. The Jedi had spared himself from the mass-casualty event that had occurred some hours after he had left--and such events were just a bit more typical than the Jedi deigned to observe.

 

Adrian cast a glazed glare upon the Jedi Master, a look that mixed exhaustion with judgment. The Jedi had presumed much with his statement, I have seen how desperate this situation is with my own eyes..., yet had barely scratched the surface of Adrian's responsibilities. At least the man now seemed to keep an eye towards replacing that which he would take...if only he knew of the depths to fill.

 

Was ignorance this deep really characteristic of Jedi? Should Adrian try to correct it? Would it be futile?

"You came during a lull. You saw little. We were not busy. When a bomb goes off in the market and we have thirty critical patients who cannot even get to us, and the number of staff we can call can be counted on one hand, when we have to decide who lives, who gets left to die in the space of a second or two--then, and only then, will you know our desperation."

Regardless of the Jedi's ignorance, Adrian at least credited him with trying to replace the vacuum the surgeon's departure would leave. But this Trevelian character had little idea of what needed replacing. There was good reason why medical personnel fled Onderon--the need for their services became so brutal after the war it drove the surviving doctors off planet--thus feeding a vicious cycle.

 

"I must return to work in nineteen and a half hours, Master Jedi." Adrian's voice sounded cold and unwelcoming, though it combined exhaustion with cynicism the Jedi could actually find a viable replacement more than anything else. "Earlier if I am called back. There will be no rest for at least forty-eight hours, possibly up to sixty-seven...which leaves only between five and twenty-four hours' rest before the next shift."

 

Bah, all just numbers. Would it really sink in just what any Jedi replacements were in for?

 

"Forty-eight hour shift, minimum. Assuming everything goes well. This is hard. Judge my endurance as you will. But you left after only three."

 

That, Dr. Makaryk had remembered, and well. To be fair, the boy under treatment no longer needed chemotherapy at that moment, but still the Jedi had left well before the conclusion of a shift...while there remained other patients, other injuries. Perhaps they'd been stabilized, but still. The Jedi had no kriffing idea.

 

"My shift will be filled. By whom, I do not know. But it will be filled before I consider leaving--and whoever would volunteer to replace me deserves to be able to give informed consent."

[Darex Trevelian]

The doctor's tone was bitter but decided. Darex didn't appreciate being made to look ignorant, but he pushed his feelings aside almost before they registered to himself. "Very well," he said, rising. "Regardless, the Jedi will arrive in a week or two. You can train them however you wish; they will be under your supervision."

 

He walked towards the boarding ramp. "Don't make the mistake of thinking that Jedi are unused to long hours. Besides, with more healers, you might be able to divide the shifts up into shorter blocks."

 

He paused and turned to face Adrian at the top of the ramp. "One more thing. Beware your bitterness, for it leads to the Dark Side. You have strong Force potential and little training, coupled with an exhausting, often frustrating job. That will make you a target for the Dark, and I don't think either of us want to see it overtake you."

 

Perhaps the man would shake off Darex's warning as vague superstitious nonsense, but he knew he had had to offer it just the same. There were many things that the Jedi had seen in Adrian's attitude that were warning signs to him. He only hoped that the doctor would heed his warning and remember the high morals that brought him into the medical field in the first place.

 

"If you ever find yourself in a position where you change your mind, here is my comm code," he finished, handing the man a strip of flimsy before activating the controls that lowered the ramp. "Get some rest, and may the Force be with you, Doctor."

[SithAcolyte]

Darla hoped that Darex would be able to find the droid that they so desperately needed. Was it bad that she longed for the nanny droid so badly? She was beginning to think that she really wasn't cut out to be a mother. Luckily she had Skye and Darex with her.

 

Each day that went by she thought that maybe sthings would get better, she would suddenly come out of her depression and be filled with the joy of motherhood. Instead each day she felt more and more exhausted. Darla hadn't experienced any more dreams about the Sith. But the dream that she had had was enough to haunt her.

 

While Darex was gone she voice some of her fears to Skye and as always Skye helped to calm her friend and put her at ease. If it wasn't for Skye Darla really didn't know how she would cope.

 

When Darex arrived empty handed Darla was upset. She hadn't realised that Onderon was such a poor world. A nanny droid was hardly an expensive piece of tech. It was just her luck that they would land on the one world where they couldn't buy the one thing that they wanted. At this rate Darla would have to build her own nanny droid. 

 

Darex explained how he had found a Force sensitive doctor and invited him to the ship to offer him training. Darla was a little annoyed, she just wanted them to be on their way, not waiting around. But that was Darex's way, he had found this man and believed that the Force had led him to him. It took a  long time before the doctor arrived, but they waited.

 

During the time Darla  had slept and awoken and spent several hours with Darex. It was good to get to spend some time with him when he wasn't be called away on business. However the reason that they were waiting in the first place was because of his Jedi business. During that time the two of them didn't speak of Galactic affairs and it was nice to pretend that they were just a normal couple. Just new parents getting used to the trials of caring for two small children.

 

After what seemed like a whole day Darex got up to go outside and search for the doctor.  It was past the time that he was supposed to arrive. A short time later Darex returned with the doctor and introduced him to Darla and Skye.

 

Darla nodded to the man, unable to shake his hand since she was holding Alana. He looked terrible, like a chem-head ho hadn't slept in days. If he was a top doctor on Onderon that the planet was in a much worse state than Darla would have thought.

 

After putting the children to sleep, no easy task, Darla heeaded back to the lounge where Darex and the doctor were talking. The doctors words seemed quite heated, he was obviously a passionate man. He wanted to stay and care for his patients, Darla could understand that.

 

Once he had left Darla entered the room.

 

"I know that you think that this man has potential, but if he's all that this hospital has why would you drag him away from it? Also, do you really need to take on another apprentice? Don't you think our hands are full enough with the twins?" 

 

She couldn't keep the frustration form her voice.

 

Darla could understand where Darex was coming from, but the whole situation was just a reminder of how differently the two of them saw the Galaxy at times.

[Darex Trevelian]

Knowing that the man would let himself out, and trusting that he would make whatever decision the Force had in mind for him, Darex headed back into the lounge to find Darla waiting for him. When she spoke, she was clearly frustrated.

 

He approached her and held up his hands, palms facing her. "Hey, I'm not forcing his hand. He makes very good points. I can't fault him for not wanted to leave his hospital. It shows a great amount of character that he wants to stay, despite how clearly overworked he is." He put his hands down. "I just wanted him to be aware of his potential. Maybe in the future, he will be free to pursue Force training. If so, the Order would welcome him. But he has to come to that decision on his own."

 

He didn't know why she was jumping on him about this. He thought he had made it clear to Makaryk that there was no pressure from the Jedi, but that they were an option that he could keep in mind.

 

He crossed his arms. "I have no intention of taking a new apprentice, unless that is what the Force wills of me. But it wouldn't be as bad as you make it sound. On the contrary, it would be a good reason for me to stay close to the Vigilence and not have to take trips out to other Temples. And besides, an apprentice would only be a help to both of us. I know Aerec would not have minded helping with the twins," he added.

 

He realized his tone had become a bit defensive, and he uncrossed his arms and moved over to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. But I don't know what you expect from me. I know it bothers you when I get involved in Jedi business, but that is what I am. I am a Jedi, and the grandmaster to boot." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know I don't have a normal 9-to-5 job, and that my duties often dictate where we go or cut into our time together. And I'm sorry for that."

 

He paused. "I'll try to do better. I've just never had boundaries in my life like this. I'm used to being available at any time of the day for anything. But I see that I'm going to have to make those boundaries. Maybe I can do everything I can to ensure that we have some scheduled time together?"

 

He wanted to make this work, and he hoped that she could see that. He was willing to try to reorganize his life to do so. Maybe he could just turn off his commlink at times. The galaxy usually didn't fall apart in a matter of hours.

 

He also made a mental note to do some studying. He wasn't the first Jedi in the history of the galaxy to have a family; far from it in fact. He would spend some time researching how the Jedi of old had balanced family and work.

[SithAcolyte]

When Darex started to take the defensive Darla realised that she had pretty much sprung out of nowhere and gone in for the attack. She just so frustrated.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you. I was really counting on that nanny droid. At least we would have been able to get a normal night's sleep, I'm exhausted. When one of them doesn't need feeding the other one does. Some nights I feel like I'm really not cut out for this. I feel like I don't have what it takes"

 

She sighed and rested her own hand upon Darex's hand that was resting on her shoulder.

 

"Truce?" She offered.

 

With that she pulled him in for an embrace.

 

"I guess that you're right, having another person around to help out wouldn't hurt, also having a Doctor around is a good thing. I just couldn't help but feel like that man was upset when you suggested he leave. I know that you think that the Force guided you to him... That worries me a little. I know the For e exists, I can feel it. But I don't think that we should let it guide us. I think we should make our own choices regardless of the Force. I guess it's different for me after living so long without it or barely touching it. Sometimes I just wish that you could see things my way. "

 

They were so different at times... He was a Jedi through and through. And what was she? Darla didn't even know anymore...

 

"Sometimes I wish we could just raise the kids on some peaceful planet and not have to think about the Force ever again. But I low that's impossible... Trouble always seems to find us."

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex kissed the crown of her head as she pulled him close and offered a truce. "Don't worry about it."

 

Her final statement elicited a dry chuckle from him. "That's definitely true. We seem to be magnets for it, even when we aren't trying." Mon Calamari stuck out in his mind in particular. All they had wanted was to visit the Knowledge Banks and get Aerec a lightsaber crystal. And yet so much had come out of that.

 

In reality, her view on not following the will of the Force sounded so completely foreign that for a moment, he was taken aback. How would one know what to do without the Force guiding them? How would they know what was the right thing? He had never really understood how the majority of the galaxy's population could function on a daily basis without that certainty, that knowledge that their actions had a greater purpose and were in service of a higher cause.

 

He shrugged. "I don't know what to say. I've never really understood what life would be like without the certainty that the Force is guiding my actions." He left it at that. It did little use to try to imagine it; it was like trying to imagine that the planets weren't in motion, or that water wasn't wet.

 

"Anyway, I'll get you that droid if it's the last thing I do," he said in a slightly joking tone. "I didn't realize this planet was so poor. We'll find one easily enough somewhere else. And hopefully I won't get sidetracked this time."

[Adrian Makaryk]

Adrian Makaryk spent several seconds staring down in disbelief at that piece of flimsiplast Darex had just handed him. A comm frequency, and nothing more. Just how did the Jedi expect Adrian to actually use that information? The Jedi's ignorance seemed to continue unabated--and to add insult to perceived injury, the Jedi furthermore chastised Adrian for some perceived bitterness, oblivious to the blind ignorance that had spawned it in the first place.

 

Adrian did have a comlink. He had to, for his job. However, it was a cheap one, short-range only, and it would need a signal repeater to transmit anything off-planet like the Jedi expected him to do. There existed two such repeaters within Iziz, one controlled by Mandalorians, which he would not be able to use at all, and one controlled by the local smuggling cartel, which would charge a "nominal fee" of about ten credits for its use. A newer, better comlink, assuming one could even be found for sale on this impoverished planet, would probably cost even a bit more. To an offworlder, ten credits to send that transmission would be a nominal amount. To an Onderon native, ten credits may as well have been several hundred. It would literally cost Adrian a third of his monthly rent payment to do what the Jedi expected of him, money that Adrian simply did not have after the hospital had missed payroll the month before and he had had to replace medical supplies out of his own personal funds. He had already exhausted his meager savings.

 

He said nothing. The Jedi had not listened before; Adrian found no reason to expect him to listen now. The exhausted man simply turned around and left, impossible expectation heaped upon him by the Jedi and/or his ignorance. Perhaps this Darex would have found himself more aware of his surroundings had the meeting occurred in Adrian's bare, single-room apartment? For that matter, would the Jedi ever accept responsibility for the ignorance he had displayed?

 

At the moment, the answer appeared to be no. Once bitten for making the correction, Adrian would not dare open his mouth again. He stumbled out of the spaceport, his exhausted mind straining to figure out where he might find the credits for this Jedi's little errand. His stomach growled a reminder about that unsatisfying, rushed shoveling of the protein bar on the way here, urging Adrian on to the cantina on his way home before bed.

 

That was it. The one place Adrian could cut back--on food. He certainly had no desire to watch his well-toned, 235-pound body cannibalize itself, but he saw no other way to pay for the Jedi's demand other than adopting an austerity diet. After working a fifty-two hour shift, the six-and-a-half-foot surgeon would go to bed nearly hungry, having consumed only a single protein bar with water. He would eat a breakfast largely of same from his stockpile upon awakening.

 

The Jedi had no idea the surgeon faced a choice between eating or ever seeing him again. After the Jedi had disregarded everything the surgeon had said about the environment around them, the surgeon had deemed pointing out that logistical difficulty an exercise in futility, and had decided not to bother. Better just to go to sleep (on the floor) and be done with it.

[Skye Organa]

((OOC: Sorry I haven't posted in ages... told Hallie why over IM))

 

While ever there was war there would always be suffering and the people of Onderon were certainly doing that. There was so much pain and suffering on this world and too few medical personnel too she'd warrant. A quick message to the hospital told her the state of affairs and had Skye soon in her surgery deep in the development of a vaccine to combat radiation sickness when her comm. alerted her to a message, one that was delivered to her by her hover droid Flitter as well. Looking up at the chrono on the wall, the Master Healer was surprised to note just how much time had passed. That always happened to her when she was so focused on her task. At least she had come up with a broad spectrum vaccine that could be mass produced in a replicator. It wasn't a cure all fix, but it would go a long way to helping some of these people.

 

The message shifted her concerns to another crisis. Skye had an urgent request to head to Medical Frigate Alpha Lemma Delta 2217 to diagnose a contagious disease riddled patient that had been put in isolation. This case had been flagged as a priority one and she could not ignore it. The co-ordinates were within the message. Flitter informed her that I-Nine was inputting the co-ordinates and that as soon as Darex had returned they would lift off.

 

Nodding her head towards her droid, Skye headed over to check the databanks for the contents of medical equipment that she could send to the hospital here on Onderon. She had a well equipped mobile surgery on Serenity and kept spares of items that had come in handy within her travels. Many was the time that she had gone to a planet that had been lacking in equipment so now she carried spares. "Ah... here it is" ... she murmured to herself as she found what she had been looking for. "Flitter, could you go to the hold and get the replicator and make up a package for the hospital of stores they might be low on. I can restock when we get to the Frigate. I'll have this vaccine ready to go as well." The droid made a series of beeps and whistles before floating away to do her bidding. Skye carefully picked up the vial containing the vaccine that she had just finished creating and placed it in the replicator, telling it to reproduce 50 vials to start with. The hospital staff could set the replicator she was sending them up to create more.

 

Once she had done this Skye headed towards the comm. room to send off a request of her own for medical personal to come to Onderon to assist in their crisis. She had contacts and there were some that owed her favours, it was time to collect on them. With the messages all sent out she headed to the living area of her ship where she felt Darla and Darex to be.

 

"Anyway, I'll get you that droid if it's the last thing I do," he said in a slightly joking tone. "I didn't realize this planet was so poor. We'll find one easily enough somewhere else. And hopefully I won't get sidetracked this time."

 

"Hi Darla, Darex. It's good your back. Sorry but we're going to be side tracked again. I've had an urgent call that requires us to go to Medical Frigate Alpha Lemma Delta 2217 before we can head to the EV. I've a patient there that I have to diagnose." Skye looked from one to the other, "I'm sure I-Nine wouldn't mind helping you until you get your nanny droid, after all, he has had experience in babysitting duties." Skye gave a wink as her eyes twinkled. "You might be able to pick up a droid on the Frigate. Anyhow, I-Nine was preparing the ship for take off and inputting the co-ordinates to which we're to meet up at. Since you're here I'll go take the controls."

 

Skye made one more stop before heading to the cockpit and that was to make sure that Flitter had everything packed and ready to go. The vaccine was in special containers marked Fragile and urgent along with the other supplies for the hospital. There was a supply of bacta packs and kolto as well as other much needed general supplies. [i'm too tired and still not thinking to clear to think of everything that might be needed] These were all bundled onto a pallet and organised to be delivered to the hospital immediately. With that sent off she made her way to the cockpit to take the controls from I-Nine. After a quick run through to double check Serenity lifted off and headed towards space once more...

[Darex Trevelian]

Not that many days after the Jedi had left Onderon, another group of them arrived.

 

The team were the promised Jedi healers, led by the Jedi Knight Seraphim, one of Darex's own former padawans who had also trained under the legendary Jedi Healer Skye Organa. With him were three other Jedi Knights, all of whom were eager to help out the ailing world.

 

They made their way to the hospital, ready to do what they could to get Iziz's medical system back on it's feet.

[Adrian Makaryk]

The Jedi, initially at least, left Adrian to stumble to his bare home. Something as simple as a pillow would have been a luxury to the impoverished surgeon, but he did not have one, so he used his arms. Too exhausted was he to think of anything about what the Jedi had told him--or even to brace himself for the austerity that he knew would be necessary to free up scarce resources to re-establish communications with this Darex. That the Jedi intended to send supplies and personnel to free him to make his choice escaped him in his exhaustion.

 

When Adrian finally awoke, his stomach growled, already reminding him he hadn't eaten anything more than a protein bar before going to bed. His stomach demanded dinner--or breakfast, as the case may be. But without much in the way of facilities to store or prepare food, the surgeon had little more than more protein bars on hand, and he could not go out and spend credits that he didn't really have to fill his belly. He needed those credits for something else, namely re-establishing contact with that Jedi who had so flippantly expected him to have resources that he clearly didn't. He didn't yet realize the Jedi would send more of themselves, and even after the Jedi arrived, the surgeon wouldn't dare ask them for access to their own commlinks. Offworld communications were scarce here, and the surgeon could no more ask for free bandwidth than he could ask a mother to give him a meal that meant her child would have to do without.

 

He shoved a single protein bar down his throat, and filled his stomach with water. Adrian would have to go into the jungle to forage for fruit today, to supplement his austerity diet. No, he would not truly have a day of "rest;" the Jedi had shifted his attention to procuring and freeing resources in any legal and ethical manner possible to use that commlink frequency. He needed to eat, but due to the demands of the Jedi, he had not a single credit to spare for food, so he would have to forage...

 

About two and a half days later

 

Dr. Makaryk's next shift had nearly ended. His stomach growled to remind him of that fact--he had built up a six-thousand kilocalorie daily metabolism; yet now he had crashed his daily intake to around twelve hundred. The protein bar he had stashed in his pocket for the end of his shift would not be enough. Yet it had to be, or the opportunity of Jedi training would remain forever closed to him on account of his poverty, on account of his inability to afford the transmission to Darex. It would probably remain closed anyway, if he wanted to ensure that the people of Onderon had at least minimal access to healthcare. He thought he had maybe heard something about the Jedi sending some personnel to free him to make that decision, but now, how could he be sure?

 

So, it figured the Jedi detachment arrived at the end of his shift, when an already-starved surgeon would have to expend more energy to stay awake that much longer, to inventory the new arrivals, complete with their crate o' desperately-needed supplies. The Jedi were supposedly healers, but Dr. Makaryk still needed to train them in...certain procedures. The word "triage" was far harsher here, where even with the influx of Jedi, there still only existed one doctor for about every two and a half thousand population, than it would be on a more civilized planet. Nonetheless, their arrival did, in theory, free Dr. Makaryk to make his decision. He would leave the healthcare system, or what existed of one on Onderon, in better condition than he had found it when he made his initial refusal to leave. Assuming the Jedi intended to stay, anyway.

 

As for the supplies, Dr. Makaryk inventoried nearly every supply imaginable short of capital equipment (which the hospital pretty much also didn't have) such as bacta tanks, incubators, respirators. All of that, the hospital had lost in the war, but replacing those losses would require a full freighter loaded down with tens, if not hundreds, of millions of credits' worth of equipment. No one could reasonably hold the Jedi to replacing that; if the Jedi tried to render that scale of aid on every planet scarred by war, they'd quickly bankrupt themselves. Even Adrian recognized that. But bacta, kolto, medicines, bandages, surgical implements, bloodwork equipment, even replacement lights...all there. The pallet even included emergency food rations, to treat cases of malnutrition. Adrian's survival instincts deeply urged him to take just a little packet, for one emergency ration could be split up to keep him satiated for days. But intellectually, he knew he was in no danger of dying from malnourishment, that his body could survive a couple weeks of food deprivation. His own condition was not pleasant, but it did not justify appropriating resources away from someone genuinely suffering from non-deliberate malnutrition in the future.

 

Dr. Makaryk, of course, knew not if this was only a one-time supply drop. Having no idea whether the Jedi intended to replenish such supplies in the future as they were used up, he directed the supplies be conserved for the truly life-threatening cases that would necessitate their use. There existed little point to wasting precious and scarce bacta to induce a bone fracture to heal faster, for example. The head surgeon had no clue whether the supplies needed to last a month, a year, or a decade.

 

As Dr. Makaryk evaluated the Jedi newcomers, he could not discern whether they'd be able to stay awake a full forty-eight hours. However, they could be expected to last at least sixteen. It wasn't quite enough for Adrian to have a full day of rest, but at least the surgeon could get some sleep while the newcomers relieved him...

 

Approximately two weeks later

 

It had never occurred to Adrian to ask one of the wealthier Jedi to send the transmission for him, not even after the Jedi asked him why he seemed to be losing weight so quickly. The loss of about ten kilos in two weeks--approximately half of it muscle as Adrian did not have a lot of bodyfat that his body could burn for sustenance--was quite evident. To the perceptive eyes of Jedi (who seemed more attentive to detail than Darex), Adrian seemed to get a little thinner by the day, and his stomach certainly seemed to rumble a bit louder.

 

Yet, the time of forced austerity had, from Adrian's point of view, served a purpose. It had allowed the lead surgeon to acclimate the Jedi to the long and grueling hours that would be necessary to sustain the hospital's normal operations while he was absent for training. Now, after two weeks of not spending a credit on food, after eating nothing but protein bars he had already had on hand and fruit foraged from the jungle, he had finally freed up enough scarce credits to send his transmission to Darex, informing him of his decision.

 

He had to pay by the word.

 

Therefore, the transmission sent to the given frequency was short, not conveying nearly what Adrian wanted to convey--but it would be difficult to miss in person, should Darex choose to come. If Darex chose to leave him here--well, then Adrian would be stuck. It had been quite difficult enough for him to save enough to send a few words off planet, let alone a fare to get offworld.

 

Adrian typed out his transmission, to the tune of two credits a word. The cartel operating the signal repeater certainly had no qualms about price gouging desperate people without the resources to buy a decent commlink.

 

Ready. Lack transportation; you must come.

 

Adrian hit the SEND button. Regardless of whether Darex chose to retrieve him, at least he could stop starving himself the next pay period..

[Brina Thalin]

A few days after Dr. Makaryk had sent his message, a Link transport shuttle arrived. The pilot, following instructions from Jedi Grandmaster Trevelian, showed up at the hospital in Iziz, asking for Dr. Makaryk and saying that he was here to provide the doctor transport to the Jedi at his leisure.

 

The pilot would get paid either way, so it didn't matter to him if his layover on Onderon was short or long.

[Adrian Makaryk]

For several days, Adrian Makaryk found himself left to wonder whether or not the Jedi actually intended to come claim him, or even whether Darex had received his message at all.

 

Darex never came. Instead, a nondescript pilot appeared in the hospital lobby about halfway through one of the surgeon's infamously long shifts, looking for him. Dr. Makaryk of course had no clue who the newcomer was, for he had expected Darex. The notion that the Jedi could expend the resources to pay someone to stand in for Darex and wait out the Jedi hopeful's shift remained completely foreign to Adrian's mind. The surgeon was well-off simply because he had running water and a single functional electrical outlet in his abode. He had no idea people literally actually got paid to do the waiting for other people.

 

However, regardless of the face of the person who arrived to pick him up, Dr. Makaryk had prepared for this eventuality. He had had plenty of time to train his replacements in the local environment--certain poisons and pathogens unique to the area for example, not to mention acclimating them to returning to the long hours of a residency shift at best. The others at the hospital had been made aware that the new arrivals were allegedly there to free Dr. Makaryk for Jedi training.

 

That day was come.

 

At the conclusion of Dr. Makaryk's shift, the triage nurse, who had been made aware of the pilot's presence and purpose, identified such pilot to the surgeon. Adrian looked down at the pilot, not saying a word, not really knowing what to expect. He had nothing to pack; his few personal possessions fit easily inside a worn rucksack that he carried with him to work. Now, as the man's stomach growled, he looked away to reach around and extract one of his last remaining protein bars therefrom.

 

The man had never been off-planet before; he had never even seen Iziz from altitude, nor had he ever wandered more than about fifty kilometers away. Truth be told, Adrian Makaryk had no idea where he was going. But after nearly three weeks of nothing but water, protein bars, and what fruit he could forage from the jungles during his scarce time off, he hoped it involved food.

 

(OOC: Where to, Lehon?)

[Onderin Starlisk]

When Onderin's E-wing popped out of hyperspace, he immediately glanced to the right of his cockpit and saw Dxun looming over the planet below, so close that their atmospheres touched for a few months per year and the moon's infamous flying beasts could cross between worlds. It was exactly the same as from his vision, though from a different perspective, and he took a deep breath. He didn't know what danger was portended by what the Force had shown him, but he knew that such visions were never without purpose. The Force had brought him here for a reason.

 

And he would rely on it to guide him the rest of the way. A planet was a big place, and since Dxun orbited Onderon, he couldn't tell from its position during his vision which part of the planet he sought, particularly since what the Force showed him could have taken place in the past or indeed might not have yet come to pass. He stretched out with his feelings, pushing his sphere of awareness out well beyond the limit most Jedi had. When using the technique of Battle Meditation, Onderin had been required to get a complete sense of an entire battle which could be spread out across a system. The sensation was at first overwhelming to the point where he could accomplish nothing but marvel at the complexity of the networks of human thought and emotion, but slowly he had mastered being able to untangle the strands and create a map that made sense in his own mind. It was rather like a mosaic of beads which didn't make sense when one beheld it from inches away, yet when they stood back, they saw what the artist had intended to depict.

 

Now Onderin used that talent to attempt to root out where the disturbance was. And he did feel something, but it was... diffuse. There was no particular location around which the tremors were focused, but rather just a general, subtle stress. He frowned and directed his starfighter down toward Iziz. Surely an abandoned town would, as long as its emptiness was known, at least generate a news report he could hunt down. Once he had at least a town name, the investigation could proceed. Onderon would recognize the Jedi Order and make sure he had the access to get where he needed, but CoreSec had no foothold out here.

 

From that perspective, the Jedi Master imagined he could use a little backup. Anything that could empty a town was more than a match for a single Jedi. He let R7 land the ship while he sent out a comm to someone he hoped would be as intrigued by the case as he was....

[Darex Trevelian]

A few hours later, another E-Wing carrying a Jedi Master landed in Iziz. Darex had replied to Onderin's comm letting him know his ETA, and as a result, his fellow Jedi was there to meet him. "Master Starlisk," Darex greeted him with a bow once he had climbed to the ground. "It's good to see you again."

 

He and Starlisk had had quite a few adventures together. Darex knew he could count on Starlisk's steady head, military experience, and solid Jedi ideals. He looked forward to working with the Corellian again. "Fill me in," he said. "Your comm was vague. What is it that brought you to Onderon?"

 

Iziz had changed since the last time Darex had been here. It hadn't even been that long ago that he was here and had run across the Force-sensitive doctor with an attitude. He knew the man had made it to Lehon, and he hoped that his training was going well. Iziz seemed to be doing so.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin returned Darex's bow in greeting. "Unfortunately, my comm was vague because so was my vision," he answered. "But indeed, how could we call ourselves Jedi if we failed to answer the Force's bidding just because it didn't give any clear direction?" Following the Force was about faith and trust. Especially as a man with a military background, sometimes Onderin liked to believe that he could plan everything, that he could know what the Force wanted him to do at all times or that he could operate autonomously and still accomplish its will. One of the most important things about being a Jedi, though, was putting everything aside for a moment and just going somewhere without asking any questions, trusting everything to work out in the end.

 

There were definitely times when he had done it even during his military years, such as wandering the lower levels of Coruscant and trusting the Force to lead him to a homeless boy named Sabian Devanus who was even then under attack by merciless thugs. That boy was now the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance. But only now that he had put his commission aside and given himself fully to the Jedi could he fully embrace this practice--going where the Force bade him was now his full-time profession.

 

"In my vision," he continued, "I was in a town. I noticed it was on Onderon because of the moon overhead. The town was deserted, and there were signs of a fight but no bodies. I found an unusual footprint, but know little more. Since I've arrived, I've checked in with the local authorities; they said initially that there have been no reported disturbances yet, so I asked them to check in with various cities across the planet. They have an emergency network for such things, and the calls are in progress."

 

It wasn't like there was some kind of automated check-in process like the military used for its installations. Those locations were used to coming under attack and it wasn't uncommon for communications jamming to keep them from sending out a distress signal. But these were just civilian cities in a time of peace on a backwater world. Onderin hadn't heard of any ongoing Beast Wars that would put them on alert, and those wars were out-of-season--the moon wouldn't be close enough for beasts to cross over for a few more weeks.

 

He stretched out with his feelings again, felt that same general unease. There was something familiar beneath it all, like some dark presence he'd felt before. "Can you feel it, Darex? Whatever this threat is, I've faced it before, but I cannot place it..."

[Darex Trevelian]

Onderin's first statement reminded Darex how much he liked the man. He really understood what it was to be a Jedi. Darex was glad that he had resigned from the military with the creation of the Galactic Alliance, for it had allowed Onderin the chance to focus on the Force and what it was telling him.

 

But his brow wrinkled as Onderin explained the vision. "That is curious. Often what the Force shows us is the truth from a certain point of view. It's possible that what you saw is representative of something else. It's also possible that you saw the future. Regardless, it's good that you decided to come and investigate." When Onderin mentioned the vague darkness he was sensing, Darex nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean. It feels less familiar to me and more like...a smell that brings back a memory that you thought you had forgotten and that you just can't place. It reminds me of..." he shook his head. "I don't know." It was a foreboding feeling, but general and not yet specific. What that portended, Darex didn't know, but he was glad he had decided to come.

 

"While we wait for the official response, we should check with some of the locals. Maybe someone has discovered something they haven't yet reported."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin nodded. "It'll be slow work, but--" he was interrupted by his commlink. He flashed Darex a brief smile before answering. "Starlisk." He listened for a few moments, then thanked the man on the other end and shut the device off. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned back to Darex. "Three towns within close proximity to each other didn't respond to the emergency call test. The government is deciding to keep it quiet until they can investigate what's going on so that they don't start a general panic."

 

Thankfully, he thought, they had seen fit to tell him about this. Onderon may have somewhat soured toward the Republic after Onderin himself had made the wartime decision to barter it temporarily over to the Mandalorians in order to secure them as allies, but it seemed that they had either not known his role in the decision or had decided not to hold it against him given that he had just brought to light what could amount to a serious problem. "They're going to mobilize a police force to check it out, and they said we're welcome to come along."

 

It would be useful to have more people on hand, even if cops had a peculiar way of doing things that sometimes eschewed efficiency for bureaucracy. Something about what he was feeling in the Force made Onderin apprehensive about what they were going to find, and even with the Force as his ally it made him feel vulnerable. Like launching an attack against a fleet with only a squadron of E-wings--it didn't matter how well he could fly, it just wasn't a fight.

 

"I say we take them up on their offer. I'm certain they could use our help, especially if the disturbance tends out to be something along the lines of the Sith." He didn't think it was Sith, though. If possible, it was even more sinister.

[Darex Trevelian]

The Force's timing, once again, coincided with the two Masters' conversation. As the government official reported, Darex stretched out with the Force again, almost trying to taste it and see what this sensation it carried was reminiscent of. When Onderin hung up, his report was grave, if expected. It gave the Jedi no pleasure to hear it. There was always the hope that the Force had meant the vision not literally and that the inhabitants of the town might still be alive. The fact that they had failed to check in made that hope stretch a bit thin.

 

Darex nodded. "We should go with them. Whatever this is, I fear it is more serious than the government is willing to admit at this point, or we wouldn't have felt the Force drawing us here."

 

The two Jedi hurried through the streets of Iziz until they met up with the police force that had been assigned. The trio of towns were a 45-minute shuttle hop away, about a quarter of the way around the planet from the capital city. The Jedi climbed aboard the transports with the cops and headed off. During the ride, Darex went over in his mind what they knew about the situation. There wasn't much. They were going into an unknown situation, with a mysterious disappearance of significant size and a strange unidentifiable footprint as their only clues. Darex knew that the Force was working here, and that it would not allow something to happen that wasn't in it's will for both himself and Onderin, not to mention the cops, but he couldn't help but get a sudden, inexplicable, very bad feeling about this.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin had never liked riding toward an unknown threat. Over his long career he had constantly been running toward danger, throwing himself at the enemies of the Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Galactic Alliance and Jedi Order. Once a battle had been joined, he found himself calmed, at peace, donig everything in his power to make sure that his side came out on top. Although battle was chaotic, he felt like he had some measure of control over things, and that he was qualified to lead his forces and there wasn't anyone that could have done it better. But riding into battle was the worst thing, not knowing what was going to be on the other side or if he would even walk away with his life.

 

This was no better, so he took his mind off the threat. He looked at Darex. "I trust Darla is well?" he asked the Grand Master. "As well as your... children?" He hadn't forgotten all that had been said in the presence of Julio Wartide. It hadn't really been outright confirmed that Darex and Darla had become parents, but it had been heavily implied by both sides. At the time, Onderin hadn't really thought it was his business. But now, with so few Jedi Masters left and this one following him into battle, he didn't think they could really afford to have many secrets between them.

 

It was difficult to think about the fact that Darex could now be facing a threat he and Onderin couldn't beat. For Onderin, death would hold little sting. He had lived a long life and seen the end of the war. He had accomplished more than he had ever hoped to in his youth, and he would depart gladly if it should come. But now Darex had children, a very good reason to fight as hard as he could to stay alive. Onderin had brought him into this, and so he felt responsible for the outcome, even if Darex was a Jedi Master quite capable of taking care of himself.

[Darex Trevelian]

The morale aboard the shuttle was predictably low and the atmosphere tense yet determined. Darex glanced over at his fellow Jedi. Onderin had much more experience in situations like this. While Darex had been on his share of missions, in most cases, he had known at least a little what to expect. If the Sith were involved, there would be Sith. If it was pirates, it was pirates. If underworld criminals, then the type of ruffians they could scrounge up. But this was different. They didn't know who was responsible for what was happening here. And while the cops involved might have the hope that it was all a false alarm, the two Jedi knew better. They would have to be prepared for anything.

 

A normal person going into a situation like that would be understandably nervous. But a Jedi accepted that he lived a life frought with danger. Indeed, he was a buffer between danger and those it wanted to hurt. Besides, the Force was his ally, and that was no insubstantial thing. Darex knew perfectly well that if he and Onderin remained centered, the Force would give them wisdom. Not only that, but what happened here today would be the will of the Force. For Darex, that was worth everything. There was no higher or better calling than to follow the Force's will.

 

He had to admit that it stung a bit more now, though. The cost was much higher than it had been when he was younger. It was still a price he was willing to pay, but thinking of Darla and the twins made him more eager to see things go down positively. That, he supposed, was what it meant for a Jedi to have an attachment, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Just because he was willing to sacrifice himself if that was what the Force demanded didn't mean he wanted to.

 

Not the least because Darla would never forgive him if he died.

 

Onderin's thoughts seemed to be along the same lines as his own, for the other Jedi suddenly asked after her and the twins. Darex nodded. "They are all doing well," he replied. "The twins just celebrated their first birthday a few months ago." He fished a holo of them out of a pocket in his robes and showed it to Onderin. Jax and Alana were at that stage of being frighteningly cute. When the holo had been taken, they were playing, hamming it up in front of the camera. After a moment, he replaced the holo.

 

There was an announcement from the pilot just then, informing the passengers that they were coming in for a landing. The cops checked their weapons, and Darex met Onderin's eyes. "May the Force be with us."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. "It always is," he said, then popped the speeder door and stepped out into the town of New Suthre ahead of the security volunteers that had come along for the mission, putting himself into combat mode. He completely shut himself off from his nerves, his biases and his suspicions and became a neutral being who would gather information and react as was appropriate.

 

Still, he took a step back immediately when he recognized his surroundings upon exiting. He recognized the buildings from his vision, and when he looked up at the sky to check the location of Dxun, everything fit perfectly. But something very significant was different. There was a growing crowd of people looking curiously at the armed formation of police speeders that had just set down in the middle of their town. Onderin blinked. Everyone was still here. He turned to the officer that had come out of the speeder behind him. "I don't understand," he said. "How can everyone be here?"

 

He stretched out with the Force and confirmed that the people he was seeing were no illusion. He stood for a moment in confusion. Whatever his vision had been trying to show him, either it hadn't been meant to be taken literally... or it hadn't happened yet. Onderin suddenly pulled his commlink off his belt and thumbed it on. Only static answered him.

 

He turned to Darex. "Communications jamming as a precursor to invasion. Everyone's still here because the attack hasn't happened yet."

[Darex Trevelian]

Despite the fact that Darex had told himself he was prepared for anything, the sight of a perfectly normal town with living Onderonian inhabitants was the last thing he was expecting. The sight came as a huge relief. It meant that there was still a chance to prevent what had happened in Onderin's vision. It meant that maybe the Force had brought them here to not only contain whatever was happening, but to prevent it from happening in the first place.

 

He released his emotion into the Force and focused on the facts. Onderin's grim pronouncement was not wholly unexpected, but it did make Darex pause. Up until now, the villagers could have been the victims of everything from a disease to slavers. But an invasion? That was something on a much different level. If whoever it was was smart enough and well-equipped enough to put a broad-band jamming into place, that meant that these were some sort of professionals, not just average rabble.

 

"We have to evacuate immediately," the Grandmaster said. He turned to the growing crowd. "Everyone! We need to evacuate. There is a serious and imminent threat to your city. If you have a ship or speeder, use it. Get to Iziz." He put the weight of the Force behind his words. He knew not everyone would heed his warning, and that even if they did, it was possible that the attackers could get here before many could be evacuated, but he was sure as kriff going to try. He turned to the security that had accompanied them. "Half of you, assist with the evacuation. The other half, report to Master Starlisk for your assignment." He would have told them right away to form a perimeter around the main housing district, but he knew that Onderin had much more experience in situations like this, and was willing to follow the other Jedi's lead.

 

He himself began to move through the growing crowd, projecting calm urgency as he did so, encouraging them to not worry about their possessions and just get out of the city. There was some resistance, as he expected, but overall, the sudden appearance of two Jedi Masters and a handful of security personnel convinced most that something was indeed happening and if they were smart they would cooperate. Onderonians were no strangers to war, and they had contingency plans in place for situations like this.

 

After a moment of consideration, Darex also loaded a group of people into the transport they had come in. They'd keep one back in case things went south; Darex wasn't about to risk the security volunteers' lives needlessly. They might need to make a quick getaway. But the rest could be used for civilian evacuation.

 

As he was helping an elderly man into the transport, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Excuse me, Master Jedi."

 

He turned and saw a small group of about a dozen Onderonians, mostly young men, armed with weapons. "We would like to help. If we need to defend our homes, then we will."

 

"We don't know what kind of forces we may be facing," Darex warned.

 

"We don't care. We can help."

 

Darex nodded. "Report to Master Starlisk then."

 

Once the transport was full, he surveyed the town. The evacuation was proceeding, but he knew it would take longer than they probably had to complete it. He walked back over towards Onderin, reaching out with the Force in an attempt to judge how much time they had left. He got no specific answer, but knew that it wasn't going to be long now before they knew the identity of these aggressors.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin projected himself into the minds of the quickly panicking populace, wishing for the disciplined minds of soldiers instead of the rabble he'd been given. Tapping into an ability very much like Battle Meditation that he could use without giving it his full attention, he tried to calm all of them that he could in order to make their retreat more effective. The town wasn't enormous, but there was no doubt going to be some heavy traffic if people heeded the warnings.

 

The Jedi Master now quickly had to orchestrate some kind of defense, and the problem was that he still didn't know what was coming. Was it pirates? Thieves? Slavers? If it was slavers, forming a huge line of undefended civilians was like putting everything on a silver platter for them, and they would be better off laying low in their houses. If their possessions were the targets, however, the opposite was true. But Onderin's vision had shown him an empty town, and so he wasn't going to take any risks--they were going to empty it on their own terms.

 

That didn't mean that the civilians weren't the targets, though. "Back in the transports," he ordered the cops that had come with them. "Get at least one outside the comm jamming and call for backup. The rest of you fly cover for the retreating civilians. Get out there and organize them, direct them to head toward the nearest major city. Do whatever you need to do to protect them. Get everyone you can out of the town. Use loudspeakers or kriffing blasterfire if you need to."

 

He turned to the group of armed civilians that were looking for a fight. He was tempted to send them on escort duty as well, but he could feel their determination in the Force. They were here to protect their homes. On one hand he wanted to curse their stubbornness even before bumping up against it, but on the other hand, he wasn't certain how he and Darex were going to pull off what they needed to do. He sized up their group with a critical glance. "You're staying here with me. Wait here until we determine where the attack is coming from, then as a group we will confront it. Stay close to me, and when I give you a target, I need all of you to focus fire on it. No questions asked. If you do, we might just make it through this."

 

Onderin's voice was dead serious. Several of the volunteers swallowed when they realized what they were getting themselves into, but they traded looks and no one decided to make a run for it. "Understood, Admiral," one of them said.

 

Then he started to feel it, on the edge of his sphere of influence, perhaps still miles off. The threat was coming. Slow but inevitable. He squinted his eyes, looking off into the distance, trying to spot what was still too far off to make out. Suddenly he felt what was best described as a presence, a gaze pass over him, then settle upon him. Ikera? he thought. Then he froze as the implications hit him. He'd placed what the enemy was. "Arach'tar."

[Darex Trevelian]

Onderin's sudden pronouncement shot a ice cold spear of dread into the grandmaster's heart. "Are you sure?" The words were reflexive. Now that Onderin had put a name with the enemy, Darex could feel that he was right. For a moment, he wished he hadn't come. Darla would never forgive him for putting himself into this kind of danger. What had started as a vague threat was now a very serious, very deadly issue with galactic ramifications. The Arach'tar had come close to conquering the galaxy about ten years ago, and it had only been at great cost that they had been driven back and defeated. If they were allowed to succeed here on Onderon, the whole galaxy would suffer as a result.

 

But he was a Jedi Master, and he was here for a reason. He released his emotions into the Force. They couldn't be allowed to cloud his judgement. Right now, they had to do everything they could to stop this Arach'tar resurgence. To that end, he knew Onderin would be of much more use than he. It had been during the time that the Force had called him away from the galaxy that the Arach'tar had ravaged it. He was inexperienced when it came to dealing with the living machines. He knew about them, for Darex, always the lover of history, had studied recent history with just as much diligence as ancient history. But in terms of real, battlefield experience, he was as raw as a green recruit.

 

Well, perhaps not that raw. He was, after all, a Jedi Master with years of experience and four apprentices under his belt. He took a deep breath and released his anxiety. "We must prepare." He saw the pale faces of the Onderonians who had stayed to help fight, and turned to Onderin. He had many questions--how had the Arach'tar been rebuilding without anyone noticing? Why were they attacking Onderon now? And, most pressing in his mind, what did Onderin's vision of a vacant town mean in terms of the Arach'tar's strategy and motivations here? But he voiced none of those now. Right now, they had to deal with the facts that the Arach'tar were attacking and that they were woefully unprepared for a threat of this magnitude.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin's first thought was, We can't stay here. We need to get out. The Arach'tar were a foe beyond any of them, and they needed to run or die. But then his military sensibilities kicked in and he checked his assumptions. If there was going to be another invasion, it wasn't going to start with a few towns on Onderon--it would have been a huge fleet assault in the outer rim that likely would result in the destruction of an entire world. This wasn't an invasion, and the previous one had been over for quite some time with no evidence that there were still hostilities.

 

No, more than likely these were just a few survivors, ones who hadn't been able to withdraw after Centerpoint. Maybe their ship had been damaged during one of the many battles that had been fought. Maybe they had waited so long to start moving again because there were so few of them, and there was no Arach'tar army on the doorstep right now.

 

Onderin looked around to get his bearings, focusing on the Arach'tar presence. The Force was with them, it seemed--they were approaching from the opposite direction of the evacuating civilians, so the bulk of the town itself would cover their retreat. He looked at Darex and the civilians that were going to be the closest thing he had to troops. "We might be in for a hell of a fight," he said, "but it's going to be worth it. We're going to barricade ourselves on the outskirts of the town as close to the invaders as possible. We can provide the illusion that the town is going to stand and fight instead of flee, which will keep the attackers focused on us.

 

"But first, we need to know what we're up against. You," he pointed to one of the volunteers who had macrobinoculars around his neck. "You're recon. The enemy is approaching from that direction." He pointed again toward the distant army. "Get to the top of the tallest building in town and examine the approaching force, then come back down and report to me. Go!"

 

Once the young man took off, the former Admiral turned to everyone else. "The rest of us, we're going to start setting up some barricades. The more defensible we are, the better. With any luck, the Onderonian Army is being mustered already--we don't need to destroy the attacking force, only hold out and keep them focused on our position until help arrives. The barricades can be anything sturdy--I recommend landspeeders since they're easy to get into place. Dismissed!"

 

The volunteers started running in various directions to get what they needed. "Darex," he said, addressing the other Jedi Master, "you might want to find a blaster. We should be able to take down Arach'tar with our lightsabers, but don't try to take more than two at a time. Darla would kill me if I make it back but you don't."

 

Then the Corellian Jedi started heading toward the outskirts where the Arach'tar were going to attack. On the way, he commed his R7 unit. "I'm going to need a favor..."

[Darex Trevelian]

As soon as the threat had been labeled, Onderin had slipped back into Admiral mode and started issuing orders like he was back on the bridge of his flagship. Darex was sure he was bound to get frustrated with the Onderonians; after all, he was used to working with highly trained elite soldiers and officers. Therefore, he was determined to keep an eye on his fellow Jedi, as a reminder of their duty and position.

 

In the meantime, they would do as Jedi always did, and protect the people of this town from those who wanted their lives. He grabbed a spare blaster and two stun grenades that someone had brought from the small armory shop in the village. While fighting one-on-one duels were some Jedi's fortes, his was fighting large groups. While he had never before faced the Arach'tar, he trusted the Force.

 

He was helping finish one of the barricades when the young man Onderin had sent off on recon came running back. "M--Master S--Starlisk," he gasped. "I--saw it all. Large group, coming from the southeast. About half a dozen Arach'tar, on foot except for two on swoop bikes. But--but there are thirty or forty others. They looked human."

 

Darex's heart sank. Either the Arach'tar were using human shields, or they had come up with a way to control those they captured. Suddenly Onderin's vision of no bodies in the town was making much more sense. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he knew in his heart that was what had happened. "That's going to make this much more difficult," Darex said. "We can't risk the lives of the humans, not if there is a chance that they can be released from Arach'tar control." He flipped the switch on his blaster to stun. "If we use mostly stun bolts until we get through the front lines, we should be able to incapacitate them enough that they'll be out of the fight." There was no way he was going to mow down lines of civilians.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin was silent for a moment at the news. The Arach'tar, being unable to reproduce, had begun to build an army from the Onderonians themselves. He wasn't sure what they had done to their captives, but it reeked of the same military efficiency that they had always displayed. Something like only having a few of them would never stop them from conquering Onderon and waging war on the galaxy. Perhaps the time between the invasion and now was simply the amount of time they needed to develop the technology to enslave human civilians and turn them into minions to fuel their war machine.

 

Darex immediately started talking about using stun weapons to mitigate casualties. From a purely Jedi standpoint, if there was even a chance of saving these people, the attempt had to be made. Unfortunately, the Jedi standpoint was rarely effective in a field of war.

 

"No," Onderin said. "We cannot risk using stun fire which may not be effective. The Arach'tar will not be slowed down by it, and if I know them at all, those people are already dead. We actually have a chance of beating them here and now, and should we fail, the entire galaxy could be plunged into yet another war--one that it's not prepared to win since the Galactic Alliance disbanded the fleet." He had always thought that was a bad idea, but so far there had been no chance to prove him right. Now, he would do everything he could to make sure that chance didn't come.

 

"We need to do everything we can to win this battle, and pulling our punches will do us no favors." He kept his eyes on Darex as he said this, wondering if the other Master would challenge him on it.