Battle of Onderon (Onderon Civil War)


The Onderon Civil War reached its conclusion with a decisive battle occurring in 3951 BBY. This conflict unfolded on the planet of Onderon and its associated moon, Dxun. It stands as a significant event marking the tail end of the First Jedi Purge. This final battle not only brought the Civil War to a close but also set in motion the events leading to the purge's termination. It served as the impetus, provoking the Sith into revealing their presence, ultimately leading to their destruction at the hands of Meetra Surik, the Jedi Exile.

Prelude

Throughout the duration of the civil war, Jedi Master Kavar, who was serving as an advisor to Queen Talia, believed that victory was attainable through their own efforts. This belief stemmed from the fact that the majority of Onderon's military forces remained loyal to the Queen, rather than her cousin, General Vaklu. However, the Jedi Master came to the realization that the true conflict transcended the familial dispute between the leaders of Onderon's royal family. Instead, the real battle was between the Galactic Republic, which was fighting to maintain Onderon as a member world, and Vaklu's clandestine allies. Kavar sought to expose these hidden allies, but they were unexpectedly revealed to be the Sith—a formidable force that the Onderonians were ill-equipped to confront.

Consequently, Kavar made the decision to summon another Jedi, Meetra Surik, who had recently visited Iziz and interacted with him. The Exile, having just completed her search for the remaining Jedi Masters, viewed this summons as an opportunity to bring together the three remaining Masters—Kavar, Vrook Lamar, and Zez-Kai Ell—and once again answered the call to war.

The battle

The Ebon Hawk, the Exile's vessel, made its landing within the jungles of Dxun, Onderon's primary moon, positioning itself near the Mandalorian encampment led by Mandalore the Preserver. It was there that she discovered the Sith had established a base in close proximity to the Mandalorian camp, situated near the ancient tomb of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd. Recognizing the limitations of confronting the Sith alone, particularly with Kavar and Talia in urgent need of assistance in Iziz, the Exile delegated three of her companions to support the Mandalorians in their fight against the Sith. Subsequently, she embarked towards Iziz aboard a Basilisk war droid, modified to accommodate three individuals, accompanied by Kreia and one additional companion.

Vaklu's elite guards battling it out with the Jedi Exile during the Second Battle of Onderon (the Exile's appearance and lightsaber is customizable).

The Exile's companions successfully executed their assigned task. They neutralized the Sith forces guarding the entrance to the tomb and, upon entering, disrupted a ritual being conducted by four Sith Masters in the vicinity of Freedon Nadd's sarcophagus. After the tomb's master attempted to sway them to embrace the dark side, Meetra's allies retaliated, eliminating the Sith one by one, and seizing Freedon Nadd's short lightsaber from within his sarcophagus.

Concurrently, as the Basilisk touched down in the war-torn merchant district of Iziz, Vaklu's patrolling troops scattered in disarray, correctly surmising that the Mandalorians had aligned themselves with Talia. Aided by Captain Bostuco and his loyalist soldiers, the Exile launched an assault through Vaklu's defensive lines on the Sky Ramp, a lengthy bridge connecting the merchant quarter to the royal palace. Despite facing seemingly insurmountable odds, Vaklu's troops, the Sith, and the beasts proved to be no match for the combined might of two powerful Force users. Ultimately, after transforming the Sky Ramp into a scene of carnage, simultaneously relieving a beleaguered Royalist force stationed in a pillbox and neutralizing Vakluist aircraft in the vicinity, thereby securing aerial dominance for the Royalists, she fought her way to the palace.

Vaklu fights Talia in the throne room.

Upon entering the palace, the Exile encountered Vaklu and Colonel Tobin in the midst of attempting to breach a force field—the final obstacle separating them from the throne room—using a drexl beast. Adding to the complexity of the situation, Tobin sealed the exit, while Kiph, a Twi'lek computer slicer employed by Vaklu, activated traps aimed at the Exile and prevented Captain Kadron of the royalists from reopening the door.

Eventually, the Exile located Kiph and prevented him from manipulating the security system. Kadron successfully reopened the door, and the Exile reached it just as the drexl managed to penetrate the force field. However, the beast turned on Tobin, whom the Exile left for dead, though he ultimately survived with severe injuries. Vaklu's soldiers surged into the throne room just as the Exile eliminated the beast.

Inside the throne room, Vaklu was engaged in a duel with Talia. At a crucial juncture in the battle, Master Kavar arrived, fighting his way into the throne room. Vaklu's soldiers were swiftly dealt with by Kavar and the Exile. Vaklu himself sustained severe injuries at the hands of the Exile.

Aftermath

Talia issued an order for her cousin's immediate execution. Despite Vaklu's desperate pleas, he was executed by a Royalist firing squad.

With the civil war concluded, the Sith threat remained a looming presence. Kreia devised a strategy to confront the Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus, whom she knew to be Vaklu and Tobin's secret benefactor. Kreia deceived Tobin, informing him that the Jedi were concealed within Atris' academy on Telos IV. This deception ultimately paved the way for the even more dramatic Battle of Telos IV.

Subsequently, Kavar departed from Onderon, seeking to reunite with two other Jedi Masters on Dantooine. The Exile boarded a shuttle, returning to Dxun. There, she received congratulations from G0-T0 for her role in stabilizing the political climate on the planet, before departing aboard the Ebon Hawk.

Behind the scenes

Gameplay alternatives in Iziz

Alternatively, the player has the option to attempt to convince the queen that executing Vaklu would only transform him into a martyr. Instead, she should focus on rebuilding her planet and regaining the support of her people. If successful, Talia will declare that Vaklu be imprisoned and await a proper trial. The player can also align with Kreia's perspective, acknowledging that Vaklu poses too great a threat to be left alive, and personally issue the order to soldiers to execute him. Choosing the dark side path leads to an alternate ending where the Exile sides with Vaklu against Talia. After reaching the throne room, the Exile eventually kills Kavar. The Exile then has the choice to either personally kill Talia or allow Vaklu's soldiers to carry out the act. Vaklu expresses his gratitude to the Exile for their actions, assuring them that Onderon will serve as a safe haven should they ever need a place to hide.

If the player possessed proficiency in Battle meditation, they could harness its power to bolster the allies of whichever faction they chose to support, rather than directly engaging enemy soldiers in combat.

Gameplay alternatives on Dxun

The Adept is a character within the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. While the canon choice remains ambiguous, the Exile has the option to assign the task to one of the aforementioned characters, even if they had not yet undergone training in the Force at the time preceding the mission. In any case, they would discover their Force-sensitivity through the Sith Master during the final confrontation. Male players receive Brianna instead of Mical, and can choose her for this mission. However, with the release of Star Wars Miniatures: Knights of the Old Republic, Brianna's allegiance to the Exile has become canon, even if the Exile is a woman.

Appearances

Unkown
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