The anxious anticipation that had settled over the Incisor's pod room would have been palpable even to one untrained in the Force. Soldiers idly checked their weapons for what must have been the hundredth time, while bleary-eyed mechanics ran final tests and calibrations on the hastily repurposed escape pods. Even some of his fellow Jedi seemed to be perturbed, but it was to be expected. Many of them were still Padawans or had recently passed their Trials and those that had more experience came from branches of the Order that normally did not see a lot of conflict.

For his part, Aadras was calm and collected, keeping a firm rein on his emotions. He had also been afraid at first, when he initially joined the Revanchists. Afraid of what was to come and afraid of how the Order would respond, but that had quickly passed. Next came anger, a dangerous emotion, but one he been unable to suppress for a long, long time. And indeed, how could anyone, after having witnessed the slaughter on Cathar? All the Jedi in attendance had seen the same vision of blood and death, showing the Mandalorians mercilessly massacring an entire people. 

It was an emotion he had wrestled with before, on his journeys through the Outer-Rim. Aadras was keenly aware of just how unfair the Galaxy was, but he had never been faced with a tragedy of such proportions before. What truly irked him, however, was the arrogance these Mandalorians displayed. Even before the war began in earnest Aadras had crossed paths with some of their kind in the far reaches of the Republic and they always held themselves as warriors. They spoke of traditions and honour, but in truth they were petty thugs, the only thing separating them from the pirates he had battled for years were their superior resources and equipment. 

The Mandalorians targeted weakly-defended worlds that had no real army or fleet to call upon. They preyed on civilians, simple settlers and farmers, who barely managed to eke out a living in the best of times. When they struck against the Republic directly, it was on outlying worlds with undermanned garrisons, easy pickings for the likes of them. And, after all that, they dared to call themselves “warriors”? A true warrior did not turn their strength against those weaker than them, all the martial traditions and philosophies Aadras had studied acknowledged that.  

In a way, Aadras had more respect for the lowlife marauders plaguing the Outer-Rim. At least they were honest about what they did; they accepted who they were, instead of glorifying their atrocities. Still, everything was fleeting, even such strong emotions and over the last few weeks he had finally come to terms with the Mandalorians’ hypocrisy, convincing himself that they were simply victims of their pride, as were so many other peoples and cultures. 

Now all that was left was a steely determination, a cool fire he felt burning within him. There was no longer any loathing or anger, his mind was clear, as was his course. For the good of the Republic and the Jedi Order itself the Mandalorians had to be driven back. The Council might be blind to the fact, but those like Aadras had seen that this was the simple truth of it.
 
"30 minutes to drop. Prepare to board drop pods on the red light mark..."

He looked toward their designated pod, where his Padawan, Grozbecca, was likewise making his final preparations. The Wookiee had been given a chance to return to Alaris Prime, but would have none of it. He had quite firmly expressed his desire to join his brash Master and the other Revanchists in their stand against the Mandalorians. Needless to say, Aadras was proud of his Padawan’s bravery and determination. 

He walked up to Grozbecca, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. Despite his teenage years, the Wookiee towered over his Master and pretty much everyone else in the room. Aadras smiled, which was a rare occurrence, as he said: 

“Remember your training, my Padawan, and trust in the Force - it will guide you.” 

He stuck his head inside the pod to get a better sense of just how small it was. It was indeed very cramped, especially when he considered that he had to share it with his large, furry companion. Still, they’d been through a lot worse together and the uncomfortable descent toward the planet’s surface would only last for a couple of minutes at most. The hard part would come afterwards. 

“Once we’re planetside,” Aadras continued, turning towards Grozbecca, “I want you to stay close to me. If we get separated, follow the others and obey the orders of the Republic officers. They may not be Jedi, but many of them have been fighting since before you knew what a training saber was. Understood?” 

After receiving an affirming growl, Aadras glanced back to the room. The message received over the comms had spurred everyone into action. There was no longer any room for timidity or hesitation, the time to act had come.