Running log #002:

Us Mandalorians hadn't been in a real fight with the Republic recently. In fact, they virtually gave us most of the Outer Rim. So it wasn't entirely expected when we came for Taris. Of course, we'd had word of the attacks on the Jedi Enclave there, and that gave us a bit of a morale boost, knowing that the "Force" wouldn't be there to help our enemies. And, due to the fact that the Republic Fleet was too busy getting shot elsewhere, there wasn't quite so much resistance as we'd hoped (a large opposition makes for a fun battle).

But enough about the build-up. Onto what I was actually doing there.

For this siege, I'd been posted to Basilisk & Front Line Assault. Now for those of you who read my previous log, you know how I was at that, and for those of you who didn't, well, go read it.

I can still remember exactly what I was feeling when I sat in my Basilisk in the hanger of the dreadnought that held not only myself but Canderous Ordo, and his walking cannon friend Gorse Bendak. We were together because we were the best of our rank. The fact that I always had to be sitting with those two idiots was yet another reason why I had to be so much better than them.

Now, if my intense hatred for those utreekovs doesn't get me sidetracked again, I'll talk about the fight.

When the order came to rain hell down on the Republic, I was already breathing adrenaline. Well, I thought I was until I felt the hanger bay doors open. Then I felt what it was truly like to experience battle frenzy. I unhooked my Basilisk from the hanger, fired up the engines and plummeted down to the surface of Taris. I felt as though that was what I was born to do, as if there was nothing in the Galaxy that could compare to the euphoria of falling down to a planet, shooting at everything you see. Of course, there were missiles and starfighters trying to destroy me. That's just one of those things you have to compensate for when you're a soldier. But when you're in control of one of these machines, going through the atmosphere of a planet with barely anything between you & certain death, things like avoiding projectiles becomes reflex. Along with blasting Republic structures.

Before I realised my altitude (or lack thereof), I was on the ground. Well, in a crater. The only thing that told me "you're not in the sky anymore" is the jolt of me touching down. That impact is one of the greatest things ever. After doing so many training drills, it felt wonderful to actually do it for real.

After locking my systems down, so no one could steal it, I got out my rifle, opened up the cockpit and left the Basilisk in its hole in the ground, ready to join the other front-liners in a charge on the Rebublic lines. Turned out I was the first one to arrive. I guess Bendak & Canderous were too busy on the guns to actually carry out the mission. So I figured: "they're gonna be a while, I'm the best here at the moment, why don't I do it myself?" That I did. I led a one-man charge against the enemy, or tried to. The first person I found was a Jedi Knight, one of the ones who had survived the attacks on the Enclave. So I adopted a more subtle approach, but then realised they could probably sense me anyway, so I lobbed a grenade at him. Simple yet effective. Just as I watched the fierfek die, the rest of the front-liners arrived. Then we stormed the enemy. I'd like to tell you exactly what happened during the assault, but all I felt was a rush of emotions. Namely anger, excitement and hatred for the people who killed all the Jedi and robbed me of a longer fight.

After we took care of the main Republic forces, I returned to consciousness. We had the various resistance groups to deal with. Mainly the Tarisian Resistance, and its various constituent parties, some stronger than others. I think the Home Guard was the best of them. Still nothing compared to the Republic Navy. The swoop gangs were pathetic, those fights were just boring. It didn't take long to establish ourselves though.

In the end, it was a double victory: we controlled Taris, and we also got to finish what we started at Cathar. Did I not mention that? Oh, well, there were a number of refugees from when we nearly destroyed the species. To be honest, I think the genocide was a bit unfair. Never thought you'd hear that, did you?

END OF LOG #002

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