Interference" is a concise narrative penned by John Jackson Miller. Its initial debut occurred on Star Wars Hyperspace on September 29, 2008.
Subsequently, on October 1, 2012, it was republished via Suvudu, a website owned by the publishing company Random House.
After infiltrating the Mandalorian's Neo Helmet Z-band frequency, the self-proclaimed Captain Goodvalor initiates broadcasts from a vessel named the Serroco, targeting the Mandalorian army's helmets, specifically those stationed on Taris. His objective is to dissuade them from participating in the conflict against the Republic within the Mandalorian military. In response, the Mandalorian leader Koblus Sornell transmits messages urging the Mandalorian soldiers to disregard Goodvalor's broadcasts while keeping their Z-bands active. Sornell, along with most soldiers, finds the messages highly irritating. However, some Mandalorian soldiers disconnect their Z-bands, leading to accidents due to the Z-band's role as the primary communication method within the army, as Sornell mentions in her broadcasts.
Throughout the narrative, Captain Goodvalor conveys to the listening Mandalorians that Republic soldiers enjoy significantly better living conditions. He asserts that the Mandalorian forces have no chance of victory and that Mandalore is solely pursuing selfish gains, risking the lives of his soldiers in the process. Goodvalor emphasizes that the planet Zongorlu, a target for Mandalorian invasion, is a desolate wasteland with a substantial Republic force awaiting them in orbit. However, upon arrival, the Mandalorian forces discover only abandoned ships in orbit. Sornell acknowledges in one of her broadcasts that there were a couple of old ships floating in orbit.
Upon invading Zongorlu, the Mandalorian forces encounter no enemy armies, only harmless creatures on the planet's surface. After tracing a signal, they locate the broadcast station, which appears to be the origin point of Captain Goodvalor's broadcasts. They even discover tracks leading to an area where a small ship had recently departed.
In the end, it initially appears that Goodvalor has made a fool of himself. However, he has successfully enticed some Mandalorian forces to abandon Mandalore and its military. Goodvalor claims to have been recalled to Coruscant along with his fleet, explaining his absence on Zongorlu as a result of negotiating a deal with the council to allow Mandalorian soldiers to peacefully join the Republic. Sornell, however, remains skeptical and puzzled by Goodvalor's actions, unable to comprehend why he and his forces would choose not to fight.