Saga Of Jedi and Mandalorians: A Sidious Letter

Inspired by C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters":

Lord Tyranus,

The death of Durge is unfortunate, but it will ultimately serve our larger goals. The Gen'dai's rapid-healing abilities made him all but invincible, giving the Separatists an unfair advantage. More importantly, this proves that even as a Knight, Anakin Skywalker will kill rather than capture enemy leaders if properly motivated. We can use this to our advantage in later attempts to pull him closer to the Dark Side.

I will also use this opportunity to put the Mandalorians at your disposal, as none of our other commanders share Durge's single-minded hatred for these mercenaries. Since the death of Jango Fett, the Republic has been able to use the very Mandalorian mercenaries Fett recruited to fight against your droid armies and to train their clone troops. We must keep the Jedi and Mandalorians at odds with one another, for the two groups have far too much in common. If they ever learned from one another, their combined forces would present a significant threat, rather than the useful tools they are at present. Fortunately, their differences will draw them into conflict, as they have many times in the past.

As you well know, Jedi focus on the good of all, including those they never met. They "forbid" attachment. In short, they attempt to serve what they perceive to be the greater good and not the individual. The Mandalorians, on the other hand, are focused on their group at the expense of everyone else. Individuals are what matter to them, their families and comrades in arms.

It is for this reason that the Mandalorians will serve your Separatists as willingly as they will my Republic. The Mandalorians have nothing to gain from this conflict save credits which they use for the continued security of their family. The other thing Mandalorians fight for is simply fighting itself. We can provide plenty of opportunities for both on each side in this war. By contrast, the Jedi are warriors in service to their pitiful vision of the Force; while Mandalorians are simply warriors. Unlike the Jedi, Mandalorians need not be drawn to the Dark Side to serve you; they will follow the credits and their Mandalore...and I have control of Mandalore.

As individuals, both the Jedi and the Mandalorians are extremely selfless. They will die for and doing what they believe in. Selfishness is preferable to the Sith on an individual level, of course. This is how we will draw Skywalker and others like him to our side. But we will be able to manipulate the short-sightedness of both the Mandalorians and the Jedi in this war. The selflessness of a Jedi will lead him to sacrifice troops in favor of a victory that will benefit the greatest number of beings. The Mandalorian-trained troops and their instructors will see that same Jedi as being indifferent to their fates as individuals. This will breed resentment and hostility.

Inevitably, some of the positive aspects of the Mandalorians, such as a strong group identity and devotion to leaders, will be adopted by the Jedi. Fortunately for us, it seems that young, impressionable Jedi will also readily embrace the negative aspects of the Mandalorian culture. Some time ago two Jedi operating with a Republic commando team here on Coruscant condoned the elimination--the assassination, the outright murder--of several of your informants, simply to gain the respect of a Mandalorian sergeant and his commandos. This willingness to abandon principle in favor of devotion and inclusiveness may lead them to join the ranks of the Dark Side in the future.

Those who will not serve us must be eliminated, of course. I have already arranged for the ultimate decimation of the Jedi; any who survive can be either turned or hunted down at our leisure. But first, we will let the Jedi take care of the Mandalorians in the field. As you know, it is next to impossible to eliminate every Mandalorian warrior?every son, daughter, spouse, and noncombatant is a potential soldier. Since we still do not posses the power t

 

Well done Tallon Card.

I'd love to see Sidious' letters on a variety of different aspects in the war.