[FLASHBACK] The Battle of Zaddja [1]

[Kiro]

+Zaddja+

A wind-blasted, barren, planet in the remote Trilon sector. Less than one million inhabitants. Surrounded by an asteroid shroud. Strategically, it was as important as a field of bantha droppings. So why was the planet surrounded by a fleet of Mandalorian warships? The answer was simple. The civil war. Zaddja was a stronghold of the Loyalist faction of the Mandalorians, and the surrounding ships were Separatists. And why hadn't the Separatist ships opened fire and destroyed their enemies from orbit? Because the Loyalist base down on the planet was protected by potent shield generators.

Thus, the Separatists had but one choice. To invade. The orbiting fleet disgorged landers and drop-ships beyond counting. Due to the flat, arid, and barren landscape of Zaddja, the Separatist war leaders' chosen tactics had been an armoured assault, with light infantry support. Each lander carried several Mk. III Canderous Tanks, or lone All-Terrain Assault Walkers. Nestled between the heavy tanks and walkers, were the odd Arc-transports for those warriors whom did not have the privilege of fighting within an armoured shell.

The Loyalist defenders weren't as fortunate in their range of wargear and equipment. The outpost was not equipped with heavy armour, tanks, or walkers. Their vehicles were limited to speeder bikes, swoops, and the odd combat speeder, yet hardly enough for the bulk of their forces. But the Loyalists possessed local knowledge, and knew the terrain intimately. Their hope would lie in tactics and strategies, and in overwhelming the smaller, but far more heavily armed, Separatist force.

The scene was set. The two sides were preparing. The battle of Zaddja was about to begin. The victor would be the side whom could best counter the tactics of the other. Neither would back down. Whatever could be said of Loyalist or Separatist, they were both Mandalorian.​

 

[Apollyon]

Nervousness with a tinge of fear coursed through Cato's body, while Cato had seen death on Felucia and undergone the harshest trainings with his foster father Cabur, he had never been in battle before, he had never killed a man. Cato gripped his Firestorm repeater tightly, his knuckles whitened under his armor, he let out a long, shakey sigh in an attempt to calm himself. Cato shut his eyes, instantly his mind replaces his surrounding with that of his fallen Aliit, they smiled at him, several slapping him of the shoulder or back. Cato met eyes with all of them, this was to be his first battle, the time to prove himself as a warrior, he would not fail them!

Cato's eyes snapped open under his helmet, his voice carried a raspy whisper as he sang the old Mandalorian war song, Vode An, a song Mandalorians had sung for generations before greeting battle and death. Cato felt the nervousness and fear vanish from his body as he continued to mutter the old song, a beeping was heard from inside the transport, they were landing. Cato stood to his feet, he relaxed his grip on his blaster rifle a bit, and exhaled in anticipation as he awaited the blast door to unseal and hell to break loose.