Chapter 30 — Fallen Order — No Passion but Serenity
Part 1
Oma
The vanguard force jolted back into real space within 0.5 metres of the beacon the scouts had left high above the orbital plane.
In the hangars three dozen semi-sentient droid fighters unleashed pent up aggression as they burst into the void rode by hardened warriors determined to redeem themselves after an embarrassing loss to the so called ‘Black Witch’ and her Chiss allies.
Beside the vast
Mythosaur Class Cruiser, freshly painted with an Eye of Aversion to appease both Meeda and Tern’s superstitions about the Black Witches and Wizards, came three more ships – Vengeance Class Frigates, a design in use since the time of the Neo Crusaders, updated with more advanced mass drivers and cloaking shrouds.
But this was not a time for subtlety. As the capital ships formed a defensive line and the Basilisks advanced they were joined by the second wave of ships.
The Ubese traffic controllers of the Maar-Uba Clan – one of the few clans not involved in any active dispute over territory on their wasteland of a world and thus trusted to administer such things – were perplexed by the arrival – there was nothing here worth taking, all the best warriors and ships the Ubese had were out in the galaxy earning credits to send back home – only the signifiers and messages sent from the second wave of capital ships set the usually placid clan into a blinding rage.
“Citizens of Uba, this is Sentinel Oma of the Jedi Order – the Clan Toush Uba has launched a direct and unprovoked assault on the Jedi Order over Myrkr, surrender the Clan War Chief known as Goush, his ally the Traitor Valens or provide details on where they might be apprehended immediately and no harm will come to you.”
Anathema! Anathema had the gall to show their face in the Uba system itself!
Few things could unite clans that fought over the few scraps of semi arable land on Uba IV – but Anathema!
There was no question of betraying one of their own to the Anathema, only how to resist them.
They had little in the way of defences, a few mangy old platforms for the Mercenary Clans to dock and deliver the goods they brought to the surface – simple things they needed, solar panels, wind turbines, water purifiers…food…all the things Uba IV could not provide because the Anathema had allowed it to be desolated millennia ago.
Baas Maar-Uba hit the worn comm button – didn’t work…
Tried again…and again before the static crackled to reply.
“Frell you Anathema Bitch! Come with all the Mando’a you can find and we will still rend off your limbs and shell in your mouth!”
“I will consider that a threat against my person…” Oma smiled on the
Mythosaur’s bridge flanked by Temple Guards determined to be redeemed of their failure on the Night of Madness by bringing Valens back – not necessarily in one piece.
Their presence cowed the Mandolorians into compliance when the credits they were being paid did not.
“Meeda Ordo – I want orbital supremacy in 30 minutes”
<<<<>>>>
Meeda
The Ubese had no unified defence fleet – only a battered old cruiser, a few corvettes and few dozen fighters belonging to Clan Hsan-Uba who were currently in system.
Against the
Mythosaur, Vengeance Class Frigates and Jedi Corvettes it was nothing. Yet still they would fight on – the Ubese were proud warriors much like the Mando’a…and from a broken world…
Just like Ordo…Shaking it off she issued quick orders to surround and disable the ships, the official Jedi line was they wanted no casualties – intending to ‘arrest’ Goush of Toush-Uba…but one look at Oma’s face…Meeda knew that look –
wore that look more often than not – this was a woman out for blood.
And it was Meeda’s job to deliver it.
“Flights
Blood and
Shadow hard port come round from behind and usher them in, Blade and Reaver move head on.”
She flicked a glance to tactical as
Blade and
Reaver flights each comprised four Jehavey’ir assault ships formed up – this time they had the full force of Clan Ordo to call on not just the quarter they had taken to the deep core.
It was an interminable problem with mercenary work – take all your forces to each job and you’ll make no money as the consumables costs exceeds the pittance you get – take too few and you risk not having enough to succeed - as they had against the Black Witch of the Deep Core – and you lose money anyway.
Fortunately this time the Jedi credits had cleared and she could afford to move in force at a small profit.
“
Reaver has eyes, Ion cannons charged, first run, 3 launch concussion to break those shields.”
Jehavey'ir were the apex of their fighting ships – mobile with 5 engines and armed to the teeth with five medium double turbolasers, three heavy ion cannons and six super-heavy concussion missile launchers. But they were damn expensive to run with huge power costs and tendency to go through resistors like Yon skulled mead and they only had twelve of them anyway.
The Ubese ships scattered to try and break her fighters into smaller skirmishes where her numbers wouldn’t count, but Meeda wasn’t having it.
“Stay on course don’t let them drag you off, plenty of glory to be had later”
The Ubese cruiser was position to offer its board side t their advance, it was hopelessly outnumbered and the Orbital dock it was beside looked unarmed. That was the other problem with mercenary work – while you’re out raiding and fighting no one’s protecting home.
Not that there is much left on Ordo to protect after what the Republic’s Mandolorian Excision did to usA spray of concussion missiles launched from
Reaver as
Blood and
Shadow swept in straight toward the bow of the cruiser. It’s slow but strong turbo laser couldn’t hit the fast moving Basilisks, the fighters instead rounded on them – the Ubese were not incompetent they were simply so heavily outnumbered and outgunned they could only slow their defeat not prevent it.
As the first concussion missiles struck against the shields of the cruiser the Basilisks broke into groups of four in diamond formations and used their superior manoeuvrability to round on the Starchasers and Viper fighters that pumped glowing green bolts against the mucky brown of Uba IV curve of atmosphere bleeding into the black of space behind them.
“Cruisers shields are down, Jehavey'ir opening fire with Ion cannons.” Arctic blue shots tore between the few skirmishes of fighters that had broken out, slamming with electrical arcs into the cruisers drive plating and ventral cannons.
“Tell the Sentinel they can begin their approach…” Meeda ordered mechanically as she watched the Ubese fighter burst apart in yellow flares of man and metal – just another job – nothing to get excited about.
<<<<>>>>
Oma
There was no emotion there was peace. No Passion but serenity.
Lies the Jedi told themselves in the face of visceral reality.
As orange white melta-charges seared a hole into the Ubese cruiser Oma flicked out her sabre, a heavier build than most at nearly 6KG, kept neatly polished despite frequent use. It’s Guardian blue lit odd shadows as the breaching circles heat neared completion.
Yet there was some truth in the Jedi’s philosophy. As the plug of superheated metal slopped forward she was perfectly calm. A flick of her wrist slammed the hole inward as she leapt forward.
The traps were as expected – the section the Mandalorian Boarding vessel had breached had been vented, a few mines and hastily wrought auto cannons she dismissed with thoughts as the Mandalorians formed up behind her guard of Sentinels.
With utter calm she ran the length of the corridor toward the bulkhead behind which she felt the Ubese preparing to intercept.
With precision and polish she rammed her sabre into the door – glacial blue tinged with yellow as she began to cut, twisting the blade amplifier with her mind to increase the speed.
There was no emotion on her side – but there was fear on the other.
Fear was the Jedi’s greatest tool. When you are outnumbered literally millions to one the fear of your godlike powers is all that keeps the populace from pure chaos.
The Council and Senate might pretend it was the reputation and ‘respect’ for Jedi that enabled them to get results – but it was fear of the coercive power of the State as represented by the Jedi.
Fear was the only universal that could be relied upon to keep all the disparate races and cultures in check. The problem with Valens and the Ubese attack was it indicated there was someone out there who did
not fear the Jedi – and worse were
feared by the Jedi - and if that belief was allowed to spread Chaos would reign.
So she sliced through the brown steel armoured Ubese, tossing grenades back as she advanced, blaster bolts easily deflecting off her strong Makashi guard, getting in melee range she used her height and strength to overwhelm and physically crush one helmeted head – she had learned the value of displays of gratuitous violence in cowing an enemy force form Jarys on Myrkr.
There was no passion in her movement’s only serenity. She and her Sentinel’s were the thin line between civilization and chaos – that line could not waver with trepidation, no break under contradictory dogma it needed to stand firm and resolved.
Through each corridor, each attempt to stymie her progress she pushed on hard as durasteel, implacable as ceramite – slamming bodies telekinetically into walls, slicing open locked doors to incapacitate cowering flight crew, ramming her sabre up and through bodies of those who refused to surrender.
In mere minutes she had reached the bridge, the Mando’s used strip explosives to rip the doors open. Inside it was completely dark, even the blast shields down on the viewports to deny even the ruddy glow of Uba’s sun entry.
But she could sense the presence of 23 Ubese lying in wait for her, weapons bared, teeth gritted to fell and Anathema and place her head on a trophy rack.
Passion that was their undoing, serenity in battle was a key advantage the Jedi possessed – some Jedi at least – to fight with neither fear for death nor anxiety at failing it became a ballet of precision, a routine to be perfected – the goal of protecting the Republic so broad and vast as to mean no individual death mattered, no single systems loss stirred passions more than another’s.
With this clarity of purpose Oma stepped in lighting the bridge with her guardian blue blade as they came.
For her size she was fast – she had not always been so – but had taken special effort to add to speed to her imposing stature – enough to avoid the blazing electro nets and shurkiens – enough to deflect blaster bolts from three different directions at once whilst still tearing rows of command consoles from the decking to expose the hidden Ubese to her telekinetic strikes.
“Surrender!” One of her Sentinels yelled behind her, yellow blade mingling the light to green in the dark – the Ubese must be using thermal vision – Oma needed only the force to see
They blazed hotter than any heat imager would pick up – fiery red silhouettes dancing around her as the Mando’s picked them off as they sought new cover as the Sentinels tore the hard points down.
It was a pointless offer – Ubese warriors would never surrender to Jedi and frankly Oma did not want them to – with each limb she sliced, each body she dragged onto her blade she restored a little of the Jedi’s lost reputation.
Finally the throbbing yellow of control came toward her, the captain entering the fray as the room once black as pitch was now a flickering disco of red bolts, blue and yellow blades and white lit energy blades.
Blocking a torrent of fire she deftly avoided the blade aimed at her back – the tingle of danger sense almost poetically in the place the Captain had intended to strike.
Coming around she met the Power-Spear full on, her blade crackling against the cortosis laced shaft as the Captain tried to use the two metre spear to keep her at a distance. Somewhere behind her a Mando fell to a frenzied assault with two vibro blades – the Ubese warrior’s assault quickly beheaded by her rear guards orange blade.
The Captain thrust and poked looking to get in at her legs as she moved through the tumult – only 12 of his men remained along the far side of the cruisers extended and cluttered bridge, snapping shots.
Oma smelt the rage sloughing off him, to have Anathema on his ship…oh but he had a plan…
Strafing into a thrust she grabbed the spear blade under her arm – the white energy slicing into her armour but not breaching the under layers, with a tug she pulled back wrong footing the Capitan as she struck down hard slicing the tip off.
In a clean motion she moved from the slash into a forward slice to sever his closest hand. The other quickly reached for something on his belt.
“DIE!” his thumb pressed down but touched only the air not the detonator.
Such passion…such foolish bravado – he should have blown the ship as soon as they boarded instead of trying to fight them off.
Perhaps it could be justified as dragging more of her men deeper inside, but surely he knew Jedi would be wise to such an obvious trick – but passion, fury clouded the judgement.
One large step as wide as three for a shorter Jedi hand her in his face and backhanding the helmet to distend in his face beneath.
“You are under arrest.” She added calmly.
<<<<>>>>
Meeda
“Contacts on our Six boss,” Yon said frantically as the alerts began to sound.
Meeda kept her cool, she had expected this,
“How many?”
“Two cruisers dropping out at 184 degrees, frigate at 273, estimated time to range 40 seconds.”
“Signal
Ordo Endures, Defence Pattern Grek”
Her second destroyer had been held a 5 minute jump away at a LaGrange point between Uba and a nearby satellite less star high above the orbital plane to come in behind the inevitable Ubese counter attack.
The bridge was soon alive with the quick typing and curt informative conversations to put the plan into effect. Mandalorians were not often known for their naval capabilities, considered too impulsive and aggressive to maintain much discipline. It was the last assumption many had made – aggression had its place but blind rage - never, the Mando’a channelled their marital prowess they were not swept up in it.
In moments shields were diverted to defend against the incoming attack, her frigates repositioned to wedge between the
Mythosaur and the Cruisers while the nearby fighters came back in even as the second wave prepared for launch.
The bulky brown Cruisers pushed ahead, their outdated scanners unable to detect the Vengeance class frigates in front of the
Mythosaur they thought they were trapping the ship between them and their frigate while her other forces were boarding closer to the planet.
The first long range turbolaser lobs of green plasma struck the outer shields in sparky impotence at such a distance.
“Vengeance Awaiting orders…” Yon added
All she had to do was give the order and they’d de-cloak, send the Cruisers running,
Ordo Endures would drop behind and finish them off while they were still trying to swap shield facings…
“Station is secure, orbital control established,” the boarding force signalled across the tactical comm,
“Meeda Ordo, we have secured our objectives, finish off those cruisers,” Oma voxed across moments later – Jedi paid well but Meeda trusted no one, she would keep a separate chain of communication to her own forces, it might only provide intelligence a few seconds in advance of the Jedi, but a few seconds was all it took.
She waited and said nothing for another twenty seconds as
Orbo Endures dropped out behind the Cruisers. Meeda could only imagine the panic on those ships now, ‘Anathema’ in system and trapped between two Mandalorian Destroyers.
“We’re not de-cloaking the Frigates?” Yon inquired irritating her to be questioned – he would never second guess Tern like that.
“They’ve got enough to worry about without adding promethium to the inferno – panicking captains do dumb things, let’s keep this as harmonious as possible, I don’t wanna ruin the
Mythosaurs new paint job if we don’t need to - hail them,”
Her comms officer obeyed immediately and seconds later her vid screen was filled with the spittle blaring mouth of the Ubese Captain. Meeda also quickly turned to the Mando on the auxillary comms board and drew her finger across her throat to cut the link to the Jedi.
“This is
Mythosaur sanctioned by the Republic Senate to enact a punitive blockade of Uba IV in search of so called dangerous fugitives,”
“Anathema Whore we will…” the mouth spat before she interrupted, either their camera was as busted as their sensors or it was a weird way of intimidating foes. The first option she felt sad for the Ubese, the second just embarrassed.
“Cut me up like a nerf steak, whatever look you can either power down your shields and get brought in by my Mando’s or fight back and give the Jedi an excuse to come back round and board you – your choice,”
The gigantic mouth image pursed for a moment as Meeda hoped cooler heads would prevail. The image vanished suddenly.
“Touch that comm and you get chucked in the generator Yon…” Meeda warned never looking away from the view screen.
A few tense seconds later the half face reappeared, deflated at the edges.
“Fine Mando’a…better you than the Anathema…but better the Anathema than the Abyss of Ages…”
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