Chapter 28
Orbiting above the planet of Alderaan was a lone Mandalorian space shuttle. The ship itself was neither big nor small. At best, it could probably hold up to twenty-five passengers given that the ship wasn’t holding any cargo. But cargo wasn’t the issue here.
Moments ago, this ship had barely escaped the clutches of the combined forces of the Republic and Alderaanian military. Their stronghold, which had been built solely for the Mandalorian military, was quickly overwhelmed. Possibly destroyed. Though many fought valiantly to protect the base, they weren’t a match against such large numbers.
With no other choice, the commanding officers stationed there ordered a full retreat.
One such officer was Commander Korn Dryll, who led a strike team to fight back against the Republic armies so that others might get away. Though he had some success, some didn’t survive, and the others who were lucky enough to escape received grievous wounds. As for the commander himself, he too was fortunate to escape, along with his protégée nephew, Khal Dryll, who had miraculously survived the conflict with minor injuries.
Khal, who was alone in the ship’s cockpit, frowned as he prepped the ship’s navi-computer for hyperspace. The ship he piloted above Alderaan was the last to remain as many had already left for the outer rim. As for the Mandalorians onboard, many of them were hurt. However, the Republic forces were not to blame for these soldiers’ injuries.
Moments before their stronghold was invaded, a Jedi strike team had infiltrated the base. Based on key witnesses, the Jedi intended to free the equines they’ve captured back on Coruscant. Though the Jedi’s forces were small in number, they managed to outwit and overpower the Mandalorians stationed at the stronghold. In the end, the Jedi won. The captives were rescued and very likely taken back to Republic space.
The young man bit his lip. This defeat was the worst he’d ever experienced. Hundreds of his brothers and sisters died today in the battlefield. It was an honorable way to go by Mandalorian standards, as most prefer to perish fighting rather than to die by doing nothing. Though the same could not be said about the ones who’ve died at the hands of a Jedi
Khal gritted his teeth. In a fit of anger, he slammed his fists onto his kneecaps. It hurt like crazy, but the pain was enough to soothe him down. Still, he was angry. Angry at his nemesis for the actions she had done.
He was there at the prison cells when Jedi Heartstrings and her friends were held up. Upon learning about their whereabouts, the squad captain he was with had planned on pulling an ambush on the Jedi. They would use a large force to distract the equine while Khal and three others sneak up behind their companions using stealth field generators and kill them.
Many agreed with the plan. Even Khal himself had taken a liking to it. However, what he and the others didn’t expect is that the Jedi had also planned an ambush. Upon entering the prison cells, Jedi Heartstrings had dropped a dozen or so grenades on top of the main force. Though the squad had tried to get out of the way, it was too late. The fiery explosion caught all of his allies, killing them instantly.
“Damn, Jedi,” Khal spat as he recalled the horrific screams he heard today. Among the men that were killed, he knew quite a few of them. Some he even considered as companions.
The Jedi had killed them. Humiliated them. And to make matters worse, it was a Padawan who had beaten them. Not some Jedi Knight or Master, but a Jedi Padawan. A rookie just like him.
It infuriated him, knowing that a little Jedi Padawan was able to beat his squad not once, but twice! First on Coruscant, and now on their own base in Alderaan! Something needed to be done about this and fast! If the Mandalorian forces can’t stand up to one Jedi, then their armies would falter and die the moment the entire Jedi Order joined in on the fight.
Something needed to be done, but what could he do? Despite his warnings, his squad didn’t take the threat of the Jedi seriously. Do the rest of the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders think like his squad too? If so, how was he—a lone soldier—going to reform an entire army?
“Khal?”
Khal Dryll spun his chair around and saw a Mandalorian soldier standing at the cockpit’s entrance. He knew this soldier. It was the female assassin he rescued from Jedi Heartstrings. Unlike many, she survived both encounters with both the Jedi and the Republic. “Yeah, what do you want?” he asked the assassin.
“It’s your uncle, Khal. He says he wants to talk to you,” she answered.
“Can’t he wait? I’m just about to take this shuttle to hyperspace!”
The female assassin scowled. “Don’t you dare act high and mighty, Khal. Just because you were right about the Jedi, doesn’t mean you are our superior here!” she barked.
Khal winced. “Y-you’re right. I’m sorry about that. I’ll go and see what my uncle wants.” He stood up from the captain’s chair and walked past the female assassin. “Since you are here, do you mind taking this ship to hyperspace for me? I don’t want to risk staying here any longer. Not when the Republic is on guard.”
“I know how to pilot a ship, Khal,” said the assassin bluntly as she sat down in the captain’s chair. “The Commander is waiting for you at main hold. Don’t keep him waiting.”
Khal nodded his head as he left the cockpit and wandered into the main corridor. The main hold was just a short walk away from where he was. However, getting there was a problem.
From the main corridor, he could hear the moaning and groaning of his squad. Though many of them were alive, many still had an array of grievous injuries ranging from slash wounds from a lightsaber strike to the amputation of their arm or leg. The shuttle itself had a medical bay, but it wasn’t big enough to hold this many wounded. As a result, the main corridor and ship’s bunk beds were used as a substitute.
“This is disgraceful,” Khal said to himself as he walked past several injured Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. He clenched his fists even tighter as the moaning grew louder, but carried through regardless.
Upon reaching his destination, Khal quickly composed himself just before entering the main hold. As angry as he was, he didn’t want to look unprofessional. Especially in front of his commanding officer. Taking a step forward, the doors to the main hold opened, revealing his uncle and a few non-injured Mandalorians standing in front of a large computer.
“Ah, Khal. I’m glad you are here,” greeted Commander Korn, who strangely didn’t even bother to look at his nephew. “Come, we have much to talk about.”
“About what, Commander?” Khal asked. His uncle didn’t respond. Rather, he simply walked away from the computer, revealing a holographic image of a person.
Looking at the hologram, the protégé let out a loud gasp. This wasn’t just some random superior he was looking at. It was the leader of the Mandalorians himself: Mandalore the Ultimate1.
Despite the initial shock, Khal immediately fell to his knees and bowed before his great leader. “My lord! Forgive me, I didn’t know you had contacted us!” he said as he found himself struggling to maintain his composure. “Truly it is an honor to be in your presence.”
“At ease, young one. I am not here for pleasantries,” replied Mandalore. His cold demeanor made Khal shiver a bit. “I’m here for answers, boy. Tell me, what happened on Alderaan?”
Khal went stiff. At first, he was hesitant to answer Mandalore due to fears that his supreme leader might lash out at him. But he knew he couldn’t show fear. Not in front of the man he admired. And especially not in front of his own uncle.
Standing upright, Khal went on to explain what happened on Alderaan. From the Jedi strike team, to the combined Republic and Alderaanian assault on their base. While he did this, Mandalore the Ultimate said nothing and only replied after Khal had finished talking.
“I see. So, this Jedi Heartstrings and her master were the reasons why our base fell,” said Mandalore.
“Yes, sir. My guess is that it was those two who notified the Republic of our stronghold,” Khal replied. “As for how they found out, I suppose they must’ve looted a datapad from a fallen Mandalorian when we snuck into Coruscant.”
“Looting corpses? I didn’t know Jedi stooped to that level.”
“They don’t. It was probably Jedi Heartstring’s companions who did the act.”
“I see. Well, it matters not. If a mere animal is able to defeat those soldiers, then they are not worthy to serve under me. Their deaths only proved their weakness.”
Khal bit his lip. Hearing Mandalore insult his own squad like that felt somewhat insulting to say the least. Sure, he had a point, but it still wounded him to hear the leader he admired disregard his own soldiers. What’s more is that he considered Jedi Heartstrings to be a mere animal, not an actual Jedi. Was he underestimating her like underestimating her like the others?
“With all due respect, my lord, I think it best that we all move on from the deaths of my men and focus on what’s ahead,” said Commander Korn. “Now, what do you say about my nephew’s suggestion? Do you approve of it?”
Khal blinked. “Uncle? What are you talking about?”
“Ah, yes, the plan to invade this little planet on the Unknown Regions,” replied Mandalore the Ultimate. “I admit, it’s a bold plan. Having to go to an undiscovered planet and use it as a shortcut to reach Coruscant.”
“It was my nephew’s idea in the first place, my lord,” Korn explained. “When we stole these coordinates from the Exchange, he suggested that we invade shortly after we returned from Alderaan.”
Khal’s jaw slacked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Mandalore the Ultimate himself was considering his plans? Kriff, what kind of galaxy was he living in?
“Yes, it was good that you informed me right away, Commander Korn. With this, we can surely acclaim victory against the Republic quickly.” Mandalore clenched his right hand and raised it high. “I approve of the invasion of this planet.”
Khal was rendered speechless. Finally, after years of wanting recognition from his superiors, he had finally achieved it today. “S-sir!” he blurted out, finally overcoming his stupor. “I request that Clan Dryll lead this assault on this planet!”
Commander Korn facepalmed.
“Ah, so eager to prove yourself aren’t you, Khal,” replied Mandalore in a somewhat menacing tone. “Very well. I agree to this plan. But I must warn you, young man. Do not let your vendetta over this Jedi Heartstrings get in the way of the mission. I expect you to remain focused, understand.”
Khal’s jaw slacked once again as his valiant leader burst into a fit of laughter. “What’s with that reaction, soldier? Surprised that I gave you and your clan permission to lead the strike? Or perhaps it's because you’ve taken a great interest in this Jedi.”
Khal gritted his teeth. “Sir, with all due respect, underestimating this Jedi is a foolish idea. She managed to defeat and outsmart most of my squad for kriff sake!” he shouted back, causing the Mandalorians in the room—including his uncle—to stare at him in shock. “Her meddling, along with my squad’s incompetence, is the reason we lost today! Not the Republic’s armies!”
Anger flared around the young protégé as he lowered his head in shame. He had spoken up against his superior in retaliation. A disrespectful thing to do, but it had to be said. After what had happened, nobody should be underestimating the Jedi anymore. If he wanted to make a point, then he’d better do it now.
Raising his head, Khal expected to be lashed out by Mandalore. To his surprise, however, he was greeted with laughter. “Defending your enemy, Khal? Hah! I never would’ve expected that from you,” Mandalore said, tauntingly. “But as humorous as this is, you do have a point. This defeat was only made possible because we underestimated the enemy.”
Khal grinned. Finally, someone had listened to him. And it wasn’t just Mandalore himself. Scanning the room, he could see the other soldiers nodding in approval. Even his uncle seemed like he agreed with him.
“What do you suppose, sir?” asked Commander Korn.
“We can only do what we must, Commander. For now, I order your squad to regroup to our main naval force. From there, we’ll see what we can do about this uncharted planet.”
“How long will it take for us to prepare, Mandalore?”
“I would assume five days at least. That is if you can make it back our main force in time. Any further delays would prolong our plans.”
“Then we shall return to your side as soon as we can, my lord.”
“Excellent. Then I shall muster up as many ships as I can. By the time you come back, your forces shall be ready.”
“Thank you, Mandalore,” said Commander Korn as he and all the other soldiers present bowed before their leader. As they looked up, the holographic image of their leader vanished. Turning to his soldiers, the commander began to bark orders at them. “You heard our leader, everyone. Use this time wisely to get some rest. If you can help our medics mend some of our wounded, then that’s great too. As for you Khal, I want you to… Khal?”
Despite his uncle calling out to him, Khal ignored his commanding officer and left the main hold. And as the hold doors slammed shut, his lips formed into a smile. He had gotten what he had long desired, and soon, he would lead his own invasion force.
He smirked. The planet they planned on invading; there was no denying it. It is Jedi Heartstrings home planet. If he were to invade, it would only be a matter of time before she came to her people’s rescue. Upon realizing this, his smile grew wider. Soon, he and his nemesis will face off again. And when that day comes, he’ll prove to everyone that he is the superior warrior.
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If you find any grammatical errors, please let me know in the comments.
Welp. Gotta say I wasn't expecting the Mandalorians to go invade...what are we calling the planet Equestria is on in this story? Usually I see "Equis" or something like that but I don't remember if Lyra's home planet has been named. Also...I don't really understand that plan. How will occupying a previously undiscovered planet in the Unknown Regions give them an avenue to attack Coruscant?
10353529
Never liked Equis. Thought it was stupid. So, I came up with my own instead. Lyra's home planet is named, Alicris.
If the Mandalorians want to invade Coruscant, then invading Alicris would be a big deal. The planet itself is in the unknown regions, yes, but it's closer to the inner rim worlds. If they charge Coruscant directly, they'd be met with fierce resistance from the Republic Military and would lose a lot of troops. In Legends lore, Mandalore the Ultimate didn't want to confront the Republic head on right away, so he instead invaded outer rim worlds for decades to build and unite the Mandalorians. Eventually, he starts targeting planets in the mid-rim like Ord Mantell and Serenno to test the Republic's strength, followed by a full invasion. He would've won if it weren't for the Jedi's interference.
But with Alicris captured, he might forward his invasion plans early due to the planet being relatively close to the inner rim worlds. What's more, the Republic doesn't know about the planet's whereabouts. At least not yet. He's hoping that he'd invade soon so that they can conquer Alicris and use hit and run tactics on the Republic. Should've probably explained in on this chapter, but I'll elaborate on it more later.
Well, this certainly points out why I hated these Mandalorians of the past. But, these ones are blasting arrogant.
I shan't say more so I don't accidentally reveal Spoilers.
New chapter delayed. Please see my current blog for more details.
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/912979/august-2020-release-schedule
I think that your fundamental problem is that you aren't having the soldiers act as soldiers. No soldier would say, "Your uncle wants to see you," when said uncle is the freaking commanding officer! Referring to a superior like that is a quick way to end up on punishment detail! Even if the commanding officer is your father, you say "Yes, Sir" and "No, Sir" while on duty. The only time you would refer to him as father would be in private, when you BOTH are off duty! Which means at home, not on a ship in enemy territory! That goes double for a relative like an uncle!
I know this is a little late, but considering this is Equestria we're talking about they are going to learn the hard way that they have an alicorn that can move the friggin' sun.