Drawth Rebellion

"I felt their intentions, Master. This is not what they want, even if they are criminals."

- Zakar'i

The Drawth Rebellion took place on the planet of Seenen Drawth at the outbreak of the Clone Wars. The battle was fought between the inhabitants of the world known as Drawthens and the 434th Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Prelude
The world of Seenen Drawth was home to many galactic criminals by the time of the Clone Wars. At the start of the war, a being known as The Entity used this to it's advantage and gained power by corrupting the minds of the people. Many of the inhabitants were highly skilled bounty hunters and criminals, making any attempt to squash the rebellion dangerous and time consuming. Nevertheless, with rumors of a dark side presence rising on the planet, the Galactic Republic sent Jedi General Pablo-Jill and the 434th Legion to settle the matter.

Arrival of the Republic
The 434th Legion arrived on Seenen Drawth to find that stationed republic troopers had been victims of several terrorist attacks. To find the origins of these attacks, Jedi General Pablo-Jill deployed two squads to search the cities and nearby villages for any information they could find.

As Jill and his squad of clone troopers investigated the major cities, he noticed the inhabitants anger towards their presence there. The people would scream as they marched by, telling them to leave the planet and throwing miscellaneous objects at them. Jill knew that something was out of place, considering the small republic presence on a world that is filled with criminals and bounty hunters, who are free to do as they wish as long as they stay out of the public eye.

The second squad was led by Jill's apprentice Zakar'i, alongside Clone Commander Sig. Their job was to investigate the small villages and towns outside of the major cities. Unlike the major cities where the public was loud and angry, the villages were quiet, with eyes peering out the windows as the troopers walked by. During one of their investigations of a village, the soldiers were ambushed by the villagers, leaving two troopers dead and several injured.

After settling the incident, the clones arrested the attackers who were unable to escape, and held them for interrogation. They all had criminal records, but seemed to have no memory of the village ambush. When asked about the incident, Zakar'i told his master he could sense that starting a fight was not their true intent, and that there was something more to the situation. Sig agreed, pointing out that these people came here as criminals to hide from the law, not to commit more crimes.

After consulting with several villagers about the situation, a Rodian woman joked about about how it was probably The Entity's doing, which prompted Zakar'i to ask more questions. The woman told him it was just a myth, told often by the survivors of Leeto's Gang. Sensing he was on to something, the young Jedi went in search of these alleged gang members.

Finding the Fugitives
Zakari's search led him and the clones to a remote location far north of the major cities. As he approached the area, he made note of the quality of the residence; far more advanced in technology and structure than just about anything else on the planet. There was no answer at the bunker door, and he wasn't expecting one. These were wanted men, and didn't expect them to just open their doors if the Republic came knocking.

Knowing someone was inside, Zakar'i gave one last chance to open the door before the troopers forced their way in. The door then opened, allowing the troopers to enter the bunker. Unbeknown to the troopers, a trap was set for them. As they entered, a Ray Shield was activated, trapping them inside with no way to escape. Once he was sure they had been trapped, the bunk owners, fugitives known as Khalmirrin and Drant Gyger, stepped out of hiding. Zakar'i told the men that they were only there for information, not to capture them. Khalmirrin, who was rather skeptical, asked what they could possibly want from criminals living in the middle of nowhere. Commander Sig explained the situation to him, about the village encounter and the story told by the Rodian woman. Khalmirrin became visibly uncomfortable, and told the men there was nothing they could tell them about the subject. Sensing he was lying, Zakar'i told the man if he didn't tell him what he knew, they would arrest him. Gyger explained that if they gave the troopers any information, the pair would no longer be safe here. After promising to pardon them for their crimes if they helped out, the two agreed, but demanded protection from what was to come.

The Battle of Seenen Drawth
General Jill arrived shortly afterwards to hear what the criminals knew. Khalmirrin started out by saying the two of them wanted no part in this, and that after he told them what he knew, they would leave. He began to tell the troopers about a dark presence surrounding this world, and a being that was secretly manipulating it all. Before he could finish his story, group of Drawthens opened fire outside. The troopers were pinned down inside the bunker, and the attackers began to surround it, preventing any escape. Khalmirrin ran over to a panel on the wall and activated an emergency switch. The windows locked down, auto turrets were activated, and a group of assassin droids were dropped from the ceiling. They provided the cover the troopers needed in order to escape the bunker and begin to fight back.

During the battle, the Jedi felt a strange presence nearby. Turning around, Zakar'i spotted two dark figures standing atop an arch overlooking the battlefield. It was The Entity and its new fallen apprentice Bri-Nah, two Dark Jedi who were behind the entire rebellion. The two Jedi charged the figures, demanding their surrender. The Dark Jedi refused, and proceeded to engage them in a lightsaber duel while the battle ensured below.

Several sniper nests emerged from above the battlefield, carrying Gyger and Khalmirrin's assassin droids inside. The snipers began to pick off the Drawthens one by one as the 434th Legion advanced against the enemy forces. The Drawthen people had numbers, but were outmatched by the advanced tactics of the troopers. As the battle dragged on, the Drawthens slowly began to retreat across the cold plains.

Above the battle, Zakar'i was engaged in a lightsaber duel with Bri-Nah. He had met her before, and was able to recognize her during the fight. Bri-Nah was older than he was, but unlike him, she did not specialize in lightsaber combat. Zakar'i clearly had the dueling advantage, but Bri-Nah's more advanced force abilities kept her competing with him.

Pablo-Jill and The Entity were also engaged in a duel nearby. It quickly became clear that the two of them favored their use of the force over swordplay. Attempting to subdue The Entity, Jill began tossing loose rocks and stones in its direction. It was highly skilled in its use of the force, and fought back with torrents of force lightning. Jill was caught off guard and fell off the arch, but managed to catch himself before hitting the ground. While the Jedi Master was recovering, The Entity turned its attention to the apprentice. Raising its arms, it blasted Zakar'i with lightning while he was distracted by Bri-Nah. The blast sent the young Jedi into a nearby rock formation, knocking him out cold.

Down below, Commander Sig gave the all clear to his men. The Drawthen forces had been defeated and driven out of the area. Sig noticed the two Jedi were in trouble, and opened fire on Bri-Nah and The Entity. The pair escaped, leaving the 434th Legion to question their involvement.

Leaving the Planet
Pablo-Jill contacted the Jedi Council and informed them about the situation on Seenen Drawth. The Council discussed the events, and came to the conclusion that diverting more resources to the planet was unnecessary. Zakar'i argued against this, explaining that if the 434th Legion left the world, it would fall under complete control of The Entity. Grand Master Yoda told the young Jedi that the war against the Separatists was far more important, and continuing to send forces to Seenen Drawth would be a waste of resources. The planet had no strategic importance in the war, and troopers were far more useful combating the Separatist Droid Army.

Aftermath
The Drawth Rebellion left several hundred Drawthens dead and at least a few dozen clone troopers. Most of the clones that died were killed before the arrival of the 434th Legion, where they were stationed on the planet and suffered casualties during the many terrorist attacks. About a dozen of the clones were killed during the major battle with the Drawthen forces. Most of the Drawthens died during that same battle, and the rest were killed during smaller engagements with the 434th Legion in their villages.

With the departure of the 434th Legion, The Entity was able to expand its rule freely over the planet, influencing the minds of millions of criminals and bounty hunters as well as the Drawthen people. Letting it gain power would come back to haunt the Galactic Republic in the years that followed.

Behind the scenes
This was the first big event in the series of stories titled "Clone Wars: Dark Rebellion" by RZ2321.