The Mandalorian Uprising

Part II

As the dust settled from the passing of the landspeeder, Obi-Wan Kenobi raised his hands to cover his eyes from the glare of the twin suns. He was covered with a fine dusting of red, hot sand that threatened to choke the breath right from his lungs. He couldn't help but wonder what the landspeeder was doing here. Nothing good could come of it, he decided.

Since his self imposed exile on Tatooine, nothing good ever came of anything, it seemed. His life was one trial after another. Dodging attempts to locate him by Darth Vader consumed his being. However, living in the Outer Rim Territories, away from the political strife of the Republic, did have its high points. He just couldn't think of them right now. Besides, how else could he watch over young Skywalker? The boy must not fall into the hands of Emperor Palpatine. This had to be avoided at all costs. Obi-Wan would die before he would allow this to happen.

Later, after the finding no threat to himself or the Lars moisture farm, the Jedi Master returned to his small but tidy adobe cabin. It is a reflection of the great man's simple, easygoing nature. Nothing extravagant, just a few simple keepsakes of his former life as one of the galaxies greatest peacekeepers. He enters his bedroom and opens a small chest, full of his most cherished possessions, and retrieves a small, battered holoblock. He activates the holgraph and an image jumps to life in front of him. The last communique with his second Padawan Learner, the Ryn, J'Bar

"Master, I bring grave tidings. I have learned from my clanmates that the Clones are massing in the Mid - Rim, bound for Coruscant, and the core. What must I do? Shall I address the Council?"

Obi-Wan stared at the holo projection of the creature in front of him, said to be the only one of his species Force sensitive. His short, athletic body is covered in grey fur, his prehensile tail short thick and powerful. Obi-Wan chuckles softly to himself while looking at the creature, remembering the training he had given J'Bar. He had an interesting fighting style, to say the least, as many clones had found out.

Those random thoughts eventually came around to J'Bar's last days. Instead of having him return to Coruscant, Obi-Wan had asked him to gather more intelligence on the Mandalorian forces gathering in the Mid - Rim. Quick to obey, J'Bar had hopped aboard the first ship headed in the general direction. Although he was a highly skilled Padawan, his piloting abilities were also legendary - but for all the wrong reasons! He had crashed his Nubian 446 on every attempt to fly it, and finally had given it up and sold it to a scrap dealer for parts, out of credits to fix it again.

J'Bar entered the hold of the Correllian YT 1300, the Millenium Falcon, looking for a place to get a little rest, but was stopped by the captain, Lando Calrissian."Where do you think you are going, " the extravagantly caped dark-skinned human asked. " Did I give you permission to enter the hold?"

"I am sorry sir, I was just looking for a place to rest during the flight. I haven't slept in six days, and even for a Ryn that is a long time" J'Bar responds. " If I could rest for an hour or so I would be far more amiable in the days to come."

Lando gave the creature the once over, realizing that his load of spice would still be safe even if the sentient knew what it was, of which he was doubtful."Go on, then. But don't touch anything. I carry many valuables down there and wouldn't want any to go missing, hmmm?"

" Fear not, good sir. I won't touch anything. As you can see, I have no orifaces for the hiding of valuables upon my person," the Ryn was quick to respond."and I shall leave my bag with you."

With a look of disgust, Lando points in the direction of the lower hold, turns and strides purposely in the other direction, towards the bridge, leaving the bag on the deck. He hoped putting up with this alien would be worth the 5000 credits he charged for the extra stop.

After about an hour, there is a knock on the cabin door. The smuggler rolls his eyes, knowing it could only be his annoying passenger, "what is it, can't you see I'm busy?'

"Well actually no, sir. I haven't yet mastered the ability to see through opaque objects. Perhaps if you opened the door I would be able..."

"It's a figure of speech you moron! Come in and keep quiet." Lando replies growling out every word." Sit down over there in that seat and don't touch anything."

"Yes, sir!" and the Ryn with a heaviness of step belying his true abilities, set down in the chair, sitting heavily on his tail. A constant problem he has been dealing with his entire life, with most of the engineers in the galaxy designing seats for humans.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Calrissian, the hyperspace jump to the Mid - Rim was about to come to an end. He had put up with the endless banter, and with a curl of his nose, the smell of the alien for three days. He couldn't wait to be rid of his passenger vowing that when he arrived back in Corellia, his beloved Falcon would get a complete fumigation. That is, if he survived the lingering odour for a few more days. He shook his head once more in disgust. "Hang on J'Bar, we're dropping from lightspeed." and with those words the starlines coalesced into shimmering points of light.

After receiving clearance to land on the planet, Lando brought the ship into her berth in the space dock, a perfect landing.

The Ryn waits at the hatch, all of his personal effects in the small bag hanging loosely at his side. He is impressed by the smooth landing. He would have certainly ploughed through the hangar, had he been piloting. Thankfully, that wasn't a requirement to becoming a Jedi. Obi-Wan, his master, believed that J'Bar would learn to pilot when his Force abilities increased. He surely hoped so. It was kind of embarrassing.

Finally the hatch hissed open. He strode down the ramp into the hangar of the space port, every sense on red alert. He had a bad feeling about this. He just couldn't figure out what it was that suddenly put him on edge. Continuing down hesitantly, J'Bar loosened the clasp on his travel bag and reached for the comforting grip of his newly constructed lightsaber. He had practiced often with his master, using the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn's saber. He liked it so much that he constructed his in the exact style. Except for one noticeable difference....

Just then a shout from the shadows brought the Padawan up short. "Raise your hands mister!" came a synthesized voice out of the darkness. He turned slowly in the direction of the voice and found himself face to face with a small, armour clad platoon of clones, five in number.

"Don't make me say it again! Hands up!" The appararent leader barked. He had his blaster levelled at J'Bar's chest, fingering the trigger nervously. "What sort of a being are you? I don't have your species catalogued in my database." J'Bar could sense the clone staring at the information scrolling across the screen of his visor.

" I am a Ryn. I mean you no harm, sir" J'Bar replied, his hands straight up in the air. He reached out with the Force, trying to sense if any were clones of C'Baoth. He hoped not. After hearing of the climatic battle his Master had with a young one, he did not wish for that type of encounter. He could not sense the evil that Obi-Wan described, and decided they were merely normal Mandalorians, battle ready as always.

The leader of the group stepped forward, cable-cuffs falling from a pocket on his forearm. Suddenly the silence was broken with the hiss of a lightsaber igniting! Before they knew what was happening, with a blood curdling cry, J'Bar attacked, the lightsaber swinging from the end of his short tail! With a quick somersault, the acrobatic Ryn landed behind the leader, and with one sweep of his tail, severed the Warrior captain in two!Quickly turning his back to the remaining four, who stood by not moving, dumbfounded by the change of events, deftly cut them all in two as well! J'Bar looked around, searching for more assailants. When he could find no more, he shut down his lightsaber and transferred the weapon to his hands. He had to get out of here, knowing full well that the platoon of soldiers would be missed.

The Padawan continued out of the hangar quickly, alert for any signs of danger. He gets outside into the grey, overcast day, before feeling any more sense of danger. This time, however, the feeling is very different. The sense of absolute blackness fills him head to toe with dread! It is one of the C'Baoth clones! Perhaps even the evil one himself! His day couldn't get any worse. He takes his bag off his shoulder, reaching inside before putting it down.

J'Bar, after retrieving the item from his bag, clips it onto the side of his head. It is his Padawan braid! Since he couldn't grow one, his Master had cut some of his own hair and braided it for him, presenting it to him as a gift.

Suddenly with an evil, hoarse laugh, two figures appear out of the gloom, ahead of him. And he thought his day couldn't get any worse! Accepting the inevitable, J'Bar ignites his weapon, preparing for the biggest test of his abilities he has ever endured.

Advancing slowly, the young Padawan makes his way toward the two figures. One is in full armour, the other clad in a black cape. J'Bar realizes then that this being in front of him is the Master and at his side the apprentice. With a cold feeling in his heart, J'Bar knows that he is doomed. But he will not disappoint his Master and will not give up. He will not leave here alive, but is determined to bring at least one of these evil Sith with him.With that resolution, the young Ryn closes with the two Sith.

The armour-clad apprentice, reaching down to his toolbelt, fingers a button and the handle of a lightsaber appears. " Let me handle this sorry excuse for a warrior, Master! I need a bit of exercise for when we attack the Jedi Council on Coruscant." With those words the mass produced lightsaber hisses to life and the Mandalorian attacks!

Bringing his own weapon to bear quickly, the Padawan engages the other in combat as ancient as the galaxy. With a violence unknown to him, J'Bar swings the saber in a huge arcing blow. His adversary easily parries the blow, sending a shower of sparks raining down to the ground, lighting up the dull day. The clone warrior quickly retaliates, jabbing towards J'Bar's brisket. In the nick of time, the Ryn knocks the blade away and shoves the butt of his weapon into the other's throat. The armour absorbs most of the energy, but the momentum knocks him back a few feet. J'Bar presses the attack knowing this may well be the only chance he has, having been underestimated from the beginning. He knows the apprentice won't make that mistake again, and the watching Master is certainly cataloguing every nuance of the battle taking place before him. J'Bar thrusts again, but this time the warrior backs out of the way.

Suddenly, with an evil hiss, the Master floats down to the ground behind his apprentice and enters the fray. His lightsaber's blade is black as the darkest night. J'Bar doesn't have time to wonder at how such a thing is accomplished - He is fighting for his life and the honour of his ancient Order. Knowing his Master is at his side, the apprentice laughs again, sensing that the end is near. In the middle of a loud guffaw, J'Bar fingers another switch on his hilt and suddenly his blade doubles in length! Surprised and caught flatfooted, the apprentice feels the heat melting through his alloy armour as the tip of J'Bar's lightsaber pierces through. J'Bar wastes no time and thrusts deeper, completely through his adversary's abdomen. He lifts the blade, and with a strength that even surprises himself, lifts the clone apprentice completely off the ground and flings him in the direction of his Master.

The Master looks down at his fallen apprentice, who groans and tries to regain his feet. With one quick slash, the Master beheads his learner. Then, staring directly into J'Bar's eyes, he circles warily. "You have been well trained, young Padawan. Still, your fate, as well as that of your Order is sealed. You cannot defeat us. We have an infinite number of warriors to send at you." With those words, the black Sith Lord engages the Padawan. J'Bar brings the saber back to its original setting, which is much more suited to this close hand-to-hand combat. He knows he doesn't have that option left open to him, the Dark Lord will be watching for it.

With lightsabers clashing, brightening up the dull day with a surreal, deadly spray of colour, the two combatants fight tooth-and-nail for what seems an eternity, with neither giving any ground. The older Sith Lord finally reaches out with the Force and throws the youg Ryn off his feet. "I am tiring of this sport" he growls. "Prepare to meet your fate now, young Padawan." and the black robed Sith strikes, but the Ryn twisting gracefully, wraps his tail around the ankle of his foe, and sends him flying into the dirt. Amazed, and with newfound respect, the Sith Lord recovers quickly and slashes out, catching the Ryn across his thigh, severing one leg. The Ryn drops his tail to the ground for balance, staying upright. He realizes the gesture is futile. He has lost. Dropping to the ground, still using his tail for balance he kneels, deactivating the lightsaber. Dropping his head, he enters a trance. The Sith Master strides up nonchalantly.

"You are brave, Young Padawan. A tribute to your Order. We shall not conquer as easily as the Emperor Palpatine foresees, if you all fight like this." And with a mighty thrust, the black blade slices through J'Bar's brisket. No sooner than this is done, the body fades away, leaving nothing but the lightsaber in its wake. J'Bar has left the realm of the common sentient, having achieved true enlightenment!

Putting the holocube away, Obi-Wan wanders into the kitchen wondering if he will go the same way and will meet his Padawan again.............

Cast of Characters

Obi-Wan Kenobi -Human Jedi Master
J'Bar (me!) - Ryn Padawan Learner
Lando Calrissian - Human Smuggler and pilot
Apprentice - Mandalorian Darth C'Baoth clone
Master - Mandalorian Darth C'Baoth clone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer

All images and graphics and assorted fan art are © The Staff of the Expanded Universe. They are not to be used without permission unless otherwise stated., in which case credit will be given where credit is do. Remember people we worked hard to bring this stuff out to you , so at least acknowledge where it came from!

Thanks to the greatest Jedi of all time, the mighty George Lucas and his vision for bringing us this epic tale. Again all items belonging to George Lucas and all of his associates are© of his companies, and I take no reponsibility for their use. Enjoy!!!