Interference

"Interference" is a short story written by John Jackson Miller. It was originally published on Star Wars Hyperspace on September 29, 2008.

On October 1, 2012, it was republished on the Del Rey website.

Plot
After hacking into the Mandalorian's Neo Helmet Z-band, self proclaimed Captain Goodvalor begins to broadcast messages from a ship called the Serroco directly into the Mandalorian armies helmets, partcularily the forces on Taris, in an attempt to disassauge them from fighting in the Mandalorian army and against the Republic. The Mandalorian leader Koblus Sornell broadcasts messages in response to Goodvalor's urging the Mandalorian soldiers to ignore the broadcast's but to keep their Z-band's on as most soldiers including Sornell find the messages highly irritating, however some Mandalorian soldiers do disconnect them and because Z-band is the main form of communication between the army, accidents occur as stated in Sornell's broadcasts. Throughout the story Captain Goodvalor informs the Mandalorians listening that the Republic soldiers live in much better conditions than they do, and that Mandalorian forces don't stand a chance. He also claims that Mando'lore is only fighting for selfish gain and risking the necks of his soldiers to do so. Throughout the course of the short story Goodvalor makes it clear that the planet Zongorlu, a planet Mandalorian invaders are preparing to invade, is a desolate place and that a great amount of Republic forces are waiting in orbit. However, when Mandalorian forces arrive they find abandoned ships in orbit as Sornell says "There were a couple of abandoned ships floating around in orbit - Mando'lore the Indomitable might have seen them when he went past a generation ago, from the looks of them." Upon invasion of Zongorlu, the Mandalorian forces find no armies and only non threatening creatures on the surface. After tracking a signal they find the broadcast station where, from the look of it, had been the station the Captain Goodvalor broadcasted from; even tracing tracks to an area where a small ship had recently left. "All the time this so-called "Captain" was talking about his big ship, he's been sitting in a little room you couldn't fit a basilisk in, gnawing on dried dreeka fish and running his mouth!" - Koblus Sornell upon discovering the transmission location of Captain Goodvalor. By the end, it seemed that Goodvalor had made of fool of himself, but rather, had managed to tempt some Mandalorian forces to forsake Mando'lore and his armies. Goodvalor claimed to have been re-called to Coruscant along with all his forces explaining his absence on Zongorlu. Sornell, however, didn't believe this and was confused at Goodvalors actions. Not understanding why he and his forces didn't want to fight. "I don't understand them. And I don't think they understand us.