Blockade of the Hydian Way

"It was perhaps one of the darkest moments of the war."

- Grand Master Satele Shan

The Blockade of the Hydian Way was an offensive action against the Galactic Republic by the Mandalorian warrior clans in the final decade of the Great Galactic War. The blockade was orchestrated by the Sith Empire's Ministry of Intelligence, which had spent years investing in the resurrection of the then-disbanded Mandalorian clans. The Empire's efforts culminated with the rise of Mandalore the Lesser, who was little more than a puppet for the Sith government. Disaffected Mandalorians from across the galaxy rallied to the man regardless and acquiesced to Imperial demands for support in their decades-long war against the Republic. After a series of skirmishes between Mandalorians and Jedi, the warriors launched their primary operation in 3,661 BBY. That year, Mandalorian cruisers seized control of the Hydian Way, a vital trade and supply route used by the Republic to move goods and resources from the Outer Rim Territories to civilian population centers in the Core Worlds, as well as military materiel bound for battlefronts in the across the galaxy.

The blockade was incredibly successful and choked commerce in the Republic's private sector and prevented military wares from reaching battlefields along the Hydian Way. The Core Worlds were thrown into an economic crisis, and the Republic's Galactic Senate was deadlocked on a proper course of action. After much deliberation, the High Council of the Jedi Order consented to give aid by dispatching squadrons of Jedi pilots to confront the Mandalorian warships. Despite their strategies and Force talents, the Jedi fighter squadrons were handily defeated in an operation that was widely seen as a resounding failure. News of the Jedi defeat caused widespread panic and rioting on the Republic's capital world of Coruscant, where impoverished peoples in the lower levels of the planet-spanning Galactic City were beginning to suffer from starvation as a result of the supply crisis.

The blockade continued for a year until 3,660 BBY, when the Mirialan smuggler Hylo Visz recognized it as an opportunity for profit. Together with a band of her fellow smugglers, Visz arranged for a fleet of freighters to be loaded with much-needed goods from the Outer Rim Territories. The smugglers piloted the cargo haulers towards the blockade, and while the Mandalorians were distracted by the apparently defenseless shipping vessels, Visz and her allied attacked with a fleet of smuggling vessels. Their ambush was soon joined by Republic reinforcements that helped to overwhelm the Mandalorian cruisers. The blockade was ultimately broken in the engagement, and Hylo Visz was able to bring her goods to Coruscant, where she was greeted as a hero. Despite the victory, the Republic was irreparably inundated following the blockade and continued to suffer heavy losses throughout the war as a result.

The Sith in reflection
After conducting an overwhelmingly successful campaign for dominance over the Outer Rim Territories early in the Great Galactic War, the Sith Empire failed spectacularly in their attempt to take the Mid Rim world of Bothawui in 3,671 BBY. The massacre of nearly 50,000 Imperial Army units at Bothawui and the embarrassing defeat of the Sith in the Battle of Alderaan in 3,667 BBY forced the Imperials to re-evaluate their warpath and re-examine the strategies that had served them well up until that point. The Sith Emperor himself was humbled by the tenacity of the Galactic Republic's defenders, as he had hoped that after the Empire's return to the galaxy, his victory in the Great War would be achieved in short order. Much to his chagrin, the war was well into its third decade with no immediate resolution in sight, even in light of consecutive Imperial victories prior to Alderaan and Bothawui.

Until this point in the war, the Emperor had widely ignored the need for allies, and instead blazed a path of conquest across the galaxy with Sith and Imperial forces alone. This independence was the primary point of reform that Imperial tacticians focused on when they began to rework their strategies in 3,667 BBY. In that year, representatives of the Imperial Diplomatic Service began to actively solicit crime lords, criminal syndicates, assassins, and bounty hunters for assistance in their war. Along with the Hutt Cartel, these groups had been debating whether to support the Republic or the Empire since the start of the war, and active courting by Imperial diplomats did little to alter their indecisive demeanor.



The Mandalorians enter the war
"The whispers of Imperial Agents became cheers in the arena. The ancient title of ultimate warrior-king was thrust upon the young gladiator. His infamy grew, and when he called, the Mandalorians rallied to their new master."

- Gnost-Dural, on the rise of the new Mandalore

During this time, the Imperial Diplomatic Service also tried to convince individual mercenaries of the disbanded Mandalorian warrior tradition to serve the Sith. Although the Mandalorians of the era were disparate and divided, many of their peoples still maintained a long-standing resentment of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order in light of their brutal treatment at the end of the Mandalorian Wars three centuries prior&mdash;a characteristic that made them ideal tools of the Sith. Although several Mandalorians, including the bounty hunter Shae Vizla, signed on to serve alongside regular Imperial forces, the vast majority of the warriors rejected the Sith offer, opting instead to remain independent nomads. Although Vizla and her compatriots served faithfully, the Imperials still sought to stack the deck in their favor by gaining the allegiance of all Mandalore's warriors.

The duty of bringing the resistant Mandalorians into the Sith fold eventually fell to the Empire's Ministry of Intelligence&mdash;a highly effective and well-trained espionage agency staffed entirely by non-Force-sensitive Imperials. Imperial Agents focused their efforts on one individual: a young Mandalorian who had taken a career as a gladiator in the arenas of the Outer Rim world of Geonosis. The operatives used their power and influence to rig the gladiator's bouts, either by buying off his opponents or by drugging them. Simultaneously, they began to spread rumors around kennels and cantinas that the new champion was poised to become the next Mandalore&mdash;the legendary title of the warrior-king that led the Mandalorian people. Despite there not having been a Mandalore for many decades, the agent's whispers spread quickly, becoming chants in the arena crowds. In doing so, the Imperials ensured that the young man owed his rise to them, and that he would therefore be little more than a puppet for Sith interests.

In 3,664 BBY, shortly before he would have been forced to retire from arena combat, the gladiator resigned on his own accord. It was then that he formally accepted the title of Mandalore and summoned his people to Geonosis to reconstitute the Mandalorian armies. Heeding their ancient traditions, Mandalorians from across the galaxy flocked to the Outer Rim and jumped at the opportunity to fight as one against their worthy long-time adversaries: the Jedi and the Republic.

The blockade
"The blockade choked the primary trade route for providing Republic military support to the Outer Rim and the main hyperlane for bringing raw goods from the Colonies to the Core Worlds."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural

Devastating the Republic
"Long-standing hold-outs in the Outer Rim began folding to the Empire and critical supplies vanished from the Core Worlds almost overnight."

- Gnost-Dural

At the behest of the Empire with whom they were now allied, the Mandalorians flooded the Hydian Way with cruisers and support ships in 3,661 BBY. The Hydian Way was an essential trade and supply route for the Republic, and the Mandalorian vessels prevented any goods or military wares from moving along it. Battlefronts in the Outer Rim Territories thus went uncontested, and long-standing Republic worlds quickly fell to the Empire. The Republic's bastion in the Core Worlds suffered heavily as well, as raw goods were unable to be imported from the Colonies. What goods were available disappeared rapidly, worsening the Republic's already considerable state of economic depression.

The Republic's Galactic Senate repeatedly petitioned the Jedi Order for assistance; however, the Order was hesitant to abandon the fight in the Outer Rim to engage the Mandalorians on the Hydian Way. The Jedi eventually acquiesced to the Senate's overtures and planned an assault on the Mandalorian fleet. Jedi pilots flew Aurek-class tactical strikefighters into battle against the cruisers but were totally annihilated without hindering the blockade whatsoever. The conditions in the Core Worlds continued to worsen as the blockade persisted. The supply crisis left Coruscant with a severe food shortage while prices skyrocketed. Famine and starvation swept the capital's lower levels, leading to riots across the city-planet. Desperate, the Senate began to debate whether or not to simply surrender to the Sith Empire.

Broken by smugglers
"Distracted by suspicious freighters, the Mandalorians never knew what hit them. A motley fleet of small starships dropped out of hyperspace and opened fire. A massive space battle ensued. The smugglers' light freighters ran rings around the Mandalorian cruisers&mdash;even so, Hylo Visz and her band were outmatched. Fortunately, Republic Strategic Information Systems was tipped off and starfighters were scrambled from nearby systems. With their assistance, the Mandalorians were quickly overcome."

- Gnost-Dural

Into this climate stepped Hylo Visz, a Mirialan smuggler looking to profit from the galactic crisis. Recognizing that the Republic would pay any price for much-needed goods, Visz and her band of criminals conspired to break the blockade and deliver a convoy of freighters filled with supplies to Coruscant. The smugglers gathered cargo from across the Outer Rim and loaded it onto massive freighters before sending the vessels directly toward the blockade.

The freighters halted within a single parsec of the picketed cruisers, distracting the Mandalorians, who had become suspicious of the vessels' intentions. This distraction served as cover for Visz and her allies, who dropped out of hyperspace and assailed the Mandalorian ships. Using small and maneuverable freighters and smuggling vessels, Visz's band was widely successful in their attack. However, despite the element of surprise and the advantage of speed, the smugglers were still outgunned by the Mandalorians. This changed when Republic Strategic Information Systems was informed of the battle and scrambled starfighters, shuttles, and Thranta-class Republic Corvettes from nearby systems to reinforce Visz's forces. The Mandalorians were routed by the combined forces, finally releasing the Hydian Way from the grip of the blockade.

Aftermath
"A closer look, however, suggests the Sacking of Coruscant was not the crowning moment of the Empire's campaign, but rather a risky maneuver undertaken after all other efforts had failed. The Sith only considered turning to such measures after their efforts were undermined by an unlikely Republic ally&mdash;the criminal smuggling contingent that broke the Mandalorian blockade."

- Gnost-Dural

Hylo Visz landed on Coruscant with the freighters and was greeted as a hero. For her efforts, she earned incredible wealth and a medal ceremony that she neglected to attend. With the blockade broken, the Republic was able to continue the war with the Sith Empire, albeit in a diminished capacity. In response to the blockade's failure, the Emperor sought to bring a quick end to the war. This led to more desperate and risky Imperial tactics, such as a ruse on Alderaan and the Sacking of Coruscant that brought an end to the war.

The defeated Mandalorians scattered once more, with some pursuing solo careers, while others remained alongside their new Mandalore to seek new challenges. Despite their failure on the Hydian Way, the Mandalorians and Sith maintained their alliance well into the Cold War which followed Coruscant's fall, even after the death of the Mandalore. Following the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant and the end of the Great Galactic War, Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural made a series of holorecords that documented the Blockade of the Hydian Way, as well as the individuals and events surrounding it.

Mandalore the Lesser
As a young gladiator on the Outer Rim world of Geonosis, this man was targeted by Imperial Intelligence agents to be the pawn that would pull the Mandalorian people into the Sith fold. After claiming the ancient title of Mandalore, this man rallied his forces to overwhelm the Hydian Way and strangle the Republic into submission. While his warriors were eager to engage the Jedi in battle, the Mandalore simply yielded to the will of his Imperial puppet masters. Only after a year of crisis for the Republic was the Mandalorians' blockade eventually defeated. The Mandalore continued to lead the Mandalorians after the blockade, but he was eventually killed and replaced by one of his followers. Nevertheless, the alliance that had been forged between the Mandalorians and the Sith Empire survived into the Cold War.

Hylo Visz
An opportunistic female Mirialan smuggler, Hylo Visz was looking for a quick profit. Hoping to capitalize on the Republic's state of crisis, she organized and led a motley crew of fellow criminals in an attempt to ambush the Mandalorians and break their blockade. Despite fighting for the Republic, Visz was only interested in the financial compensation that she would receive for her efforts. She did not involve the Republic military or government in her plan; however, she and her comrades were on the verge of failure before the intervention of the Republic Navy. Having succeeded where the Jedi had failed, Visz was revered as a hero by the people of Coruscant in the wake of the defeat of the blockade, but she abandoned them and all of their thanks after being paid. Visz's actions saved the Republic but also ultimately provoked the Empire to seek a swift conclusion to the war.

Behind the scenes
The Blockade of the Hydian Way was created as part of the Great Galactic War, which makes up the background story for LucasArts' and BioWare's massively multiplayer online video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The events and individuals surrounding the Hydian Way were elaborated upon in the second, third, and fourth installments of the Galactic Timeline, an in-universe account of the history of the galaxy prior to the Treaty of Coruscant. The timelines are narrated by actor Lance Henriksen as Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, and are available on the Holonet feature on the Star Wars: The Old Republic official website.

It was originally established that the Hydian Way was charted around 3,000 BBY; however, this was later retconned to have taken place around 3,700 BBY so that the route could be used in The Old Republic.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
 * Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken
 * Timeline 3: The Return of the Mandalorians
 * Timeline 4: The Empire Changes Strategy
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic