DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately don't own Star Wars.

Chapter 1: Lurking Assassin

He was in a dream. He heard a voice calling his name:

"Master Geran! Help me! Help me! Master!"

Jedi Master Geran Skirata woke up with a start. He was being shaken by his young Padawan, Sitk Zawn.

Sitk looked at Master Geran quizzically. "Are you all right, Master? You look like you've had a nightmare. Have you been doing deathsticks or something? I knew you had some sort of secret or something!"

Geran looked at him oddly, and replied, "Why would you even think that I go near those condensed sticks of early death? Anyways, I'm fine Sitk, what's the matter?"

Sitk replied, "Well, the council is having a meeting or something, and we're supposed to attend or something."

Geran nodded, and pulled on his robes. He looked around his austere room in the newly renovated Jedi Chambers. It was sparsely decorated, reflecting Geran's rather spartan nature. He saw his Padawan sitting on a chair in front of him. The jokester Nautiloid Padawan was a tough Padawan to work with at times because of his tendency to take things not very seriously. But, he was improving. He also used the Force to open a special locked box that contained his lightsaber. It was shaped like a rod made of metal covered in red grips, which reached up to the emitter, which was shaped like four claws bending inward. It was also decorated with a Mandalorian symbol, the Mythosaur head. Geran was highly proud of being one of the only Mandalorian Jedi, and his battle armor was even made of Mandalorian Iron, impenetrable to even lightsabers, known as Beskar in Mando'a, language of the Mandalorians. The armor was even designed like traditional Mandalorian armor. Attaching his lightsaber to his belt, and after putting on his battle armor, then pulling on his cloak, he nodded to his Padawan for them to go.

Arriving at the council room, Geran and Sitk bowed respectfully to the Grand Master, Anakin Skywalker. Though it was now 200 years since the former Anakin Skywalker had lived, the two looked startling alike. The proud Skywalker blood still flowed through his vein, and the family was as strong with the force as ever. Geran and Sitk proceeded to bow to the other Council Members, and turned back to the old Grand Master.

Anakin greeted the two, and said, "Welcome young Geran and young Sitk. As you know the war is escalating into a conflict not seen since the Yuuzhan-Vong invasion. While we support the Galactic Free Republic, and they are allied with the immense Planetary Union, the Galactic Empire is growing larger and larger each and every day. Their powerful allies, the reborn Confederation of Independent Systems is creating a nigh-on infinite droid army. However, there is an even more pressing matter. Darth Vicinious, the mysterious leader of the Sith is creating a force of Dark Jedi to rival the Jedi! Even worse, he is searching for a new apprentice to fill the empty position of the Apprentice, ever since his old one, Darth Excrucitous was killed by you, Geran."

Sitk looked over at Geran and saw a flash of pain come over his master's face; in an instant, it was gone. He thought about it for a minute, before he broke the silence.

Sitk asked, "What are we supposed to do, fight some Fallen Jedi or something?"

Anakin looked at them and said, "Master Geran, you and your Padawan are to join a Republic fleet in it's invasion of the Mustafar system. Good luck."

Aboard the GRN Raider, Admiral Sarewn Tyzare was showing the two Jedi around. He said, arriving at the bridge, "The Raider is a fine Liberty-Class Battlecruiser. She could take almost any ship in the Galaxy in a fight. She's one of the newer ships. Also, we will meet 2 ships above Mustafar soon. We're the lead of our group. The others will come soon after us. We should be arriving above Mustafar right about ...now."

However, a strange sight met their eyes when they jumped out of hyperspace. Only one ship greeted them.

Geran said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Admiral Tyzare exclaimed, "There's something wrong; there should be two ships, and that ship, the Hunter, is unresponsive."

A communications officer reported, "Incoming message sir."

A hologram appeared in the central hologram projector. It was a Republic trooper holding on to his bloody arm. He was missing his helmet, and looked young, strong, and terrified, more than terrified, like he was about to die, and had not had time to come to grips with the fact.

He whispered, "Get away from the area, NOW! It came from Mustafar, a lone, small ship! I-it should have been easy to destroy but the p-projectiles, they they NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! N-NO!" They watched in helpless horror as the trooper shot at something with his blaster pistol He tried to run, but something lashed out and stabbed him in the chest. He sank to his knees, gripping his bloody chest, and crying in terror as the unknown thing shot the monitor. All that could be heard were screams, and suddenly, silence. The message stopped.

Everyone in the bridge was stunned. A few looked horrified, others, terrified. Even Admiral Tyzare, who had been in the Republic for 15 years, ever since he was 20, looked unnerved.

A radar officer cried out. "F-fifty projectiles headed towards the ship at high speed! They l-look like boarders! They're headed for the starboard side!"

Admiral Tyzare immediately slammed his hand on the intercom, and barked, "I want a company of troopers to repel that boarding party, NOW! Starboard side, sector R-3!"

The guns blasted a hail of rounds at the incoming boarders. The wall of blasts greeted the diving projectiles, destroying many of them with each volley. Back on the ship, Geran and Sitk were meeting a captain. He introduced himself, "Hello General Skirata and Commander Zawn. My name is Captain Hiyu Blitz of Blaze company, We'll be helping you repel these boarders. We're also your spearhead company for the invasion itself."

Geran nodded stiffly, and Sitk greeted him, "What's up?"

At that moment, a projectile slammed into the hull of the ship. On it, was the insignia of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

"That's impossible!" Sitk cried out. "Didn't the Republic spies say that the new CIS boarding projectile was only in the experimental phase?"

Geran nodded, and wondered aloud, "That IS odd... Hmm..." He trailed off in thought.

Sitk was about to say something, when, a hiss of air could be heard. Everyone turned towards the boarding projectile. The troopers raised up their blaster rifles.

"Steady...Wait for it to open." Captain Blitz said.

The doors hissed open slowly. A thin beam of light shot out of the darkness of the projectile. It seemed to be searching, scrabbling for something. It came to rest on one soldier.

Captain Blitz immediately pushed him out of the way as several blaster bolts rapidly thundered out of the darkness. A blur of light rushed out of the boarding ship. It was a huge, monstrous droid. Everyone gasped in horror as he flew towards a soldier.

Captain Blitz roared, "Fire now!" Every soldier fired immediately. The monstrous droid didn't even flinch as the bolts hit him. Too late, the group noticed the long flexible tail of the droid, that was also tipped with a deadly blade, as it lashed out and stabbed the soldier. The doomed soldier cried out as he slowly died.

Before Geran could stop him, Sitk jumped into action. He leapt at the droid, and slashed him with his lightsaber. The droid staggered back, but was unharmed. His red photoreceptors glowed, as the droid took in this new target.

Suddenly, a long vibro-blade slid out of the droid's right arm. A deep booming sound emanted from the droid as he seemed to chuckle. In an instant, he slashed at Sitk.

Sitk narrowly avoided the slash as he leapt back. Immediately, Geran also leapt forward, and stabbed at the monster.

Geran nearly lost his balance as the blade glanced off the side of the droid's armor.

Sitk parried the droid's thrust, and continued to slash and stab. The droid took no notice, and chuckled again as his left arm transformed into a blaster. He fired rapidly at the young Jedi, as the soldiers fired uselessly at the monstrous droid.

Geran suddenly had an idea, and thought to humself, "I wonder if this droid is also smash-resistant?" He yelled at Sitk to get out of the way.

Sitk nodded, and he nimbly leapt away as Geran Force-Pushed the droid into the wall.

The droid got up, and spun around. It seemed angrier. However, he was uneffected by the impact, except for the fact that his photoreceptors were now cracked.

Geran and Sitk had a simultaneous idea, and they nodded at each other, as they sprinted towards the droid, leapt in midair, narrowly dodged the vibro-blade and tail swipes, and stabbed their lightsabers into the monster's eyes.

The droid slumped down, and fell over, smoking. Geran and Sitk nodded at each other for a job well done.

Captain Blitz rushed over with his men, and congratulated the Jedi duo, when suddenly...

"You can never never never win," the droid croaked out as he twitched. It was obvious that he was close to destruction. "The Confederacy will will will triumph over over over you. Prepare to die die die, you pathetic meatbags. Ha ha ha h-."

The droid was interrupted by Captain Blitz, who had shot multiple blaster bolts into the droid's head through the photoreceptors.

"Never did like droids very much." Blitz calmly stated as he holstered his still-smoking blaster.