Skirmish at Ord Mantell

The Skirmish at Ord Mantell was a major battle in 31 ABY, during the Imperial-Republic War, between members of the Order of the Imperial Knights and the New Jedi Order.

A small group of Jedi led by Kyle Katarn had retrieved a information cache concealed in the junkyards of Ord Mantell containing the coordinates of the Jedi refuge known as the Hidden Temple. As they were to be extracted, the Republic shuttle was shot down and more than a hundred Imperial Knights led by Captain Ridley of the Imperial Knight Company descended upon them with the intention of capturing the information at any cost. Several days of protracted guerrilla warfare between the two sides followed until a rescue unit led by Kyp Durron arrived to extract the exhausted Jedi survivors and the data, albeit with heavy casualties.

Behind the scenes
The author visualized the sheer awesomeness of a large number of force-users battling in a vast junkyard, jumping from towering wreckage and throwing shrapnel and debris at each other with the Force. He was also inspired by the concept art for The Force Unleashed depicting the Secret Apprentice blasting apart pillars with the Force. Finally, the battle saw the deaths of many of the Jedi who die in the real Star Wars expanded universe during the Yuuzhan Vong War, giving the author a plausible explanation for not including them in his fanon articles and stories.