Three days ago, Lord Sidious felt a slight tremor in the Force. Slight being a complete understatement that is.
His spy inside the temple had reportedly witnessed an event that should have never occurred.
Inside the temple, everything was normal with Grandmaster Yoda and Master Windu discussing the blockade when all of a sudden there lied a man and a woman.
What his agent described was a trooper from the now extinct Republic Military and the woman was thought to be a Jedi.
But the Force is telling him something different.
The woman is a powerful, ancient Sith and she will destroy him with the soldier at her side.
And the soldier name is legendary.
His name is...Sithkiller
Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy-Six years earlier.
Sergeant James Mayer- "Havoc Squad"
Five Years after the Sacking of Coruscant. Ord Mantell…
Sergeant James Mayer, codename: Sithkiller, sat in anxious silence as the Republic walker slowly made its way to Fort Garnik. James had never been to Ord Mantell before, and truth be told, it wasn't making a great first impression. Maybe it might have been a nice place if circumstances had been different. Well, almost any situation was better than a Separatist civil war.
The large older man sitting next to him had introduced himself as Gearbox once they had started out. The first squad member of his caretaker's team he had ever met in person. James liked him; he was open and genuine, and he hoped that the others of his father's team were the same. Once, he had caught glimpses of some of the members at a military ball a few years ago, but had never gotten a chance to talk. You don't just saunter up and introduce yourself to Havoc Squad. They were legend. James was lucky to be raised by its current CO and his teachings and advice have served James well.
"Hey, I like your codename, kid." Gearbox broke the silence. "How'd you get it?"
"Oh, uh," James did his best to keep his nerves out of his voice as he answered. "I was with the 2nd Force Recon Company of the Marines on Naboo." He felt a mix of pride and grief as he thought about that day. "I held up an entire Imperial Division by myself after my platoon was wiped out and killed a Sith Lord and his apprentices with my bare hands." He smiled a bit at the memory, about how he saved many lives that fateful day.
"Ha! " A wide grin broke out across his dark, scarred face. "No wonder they brought you in for Ord Mantell. I thought Tavus wanted to keep an eye on you Marine. Well anyways, the frontline's nothin' but islands and beaches for miles. You'll be right here at home, Jarhead."
James took in a deep breath. "I'm ready to do my part."
"Being chosen for Havoc Squad at such a young age is nothin' to sneeze at. Just be glad that you're working with your father." He commented, and then went on to explain the details of the current mission.
Havoc was here to find and then either take or destroy a bomb that the separatists were building. He pointed out that a bomb of that caliber could wipe out the whole island they were trudging through. James was no bomb expert, but his training in the academy did cover the basics. He hoped that he wouldn't just be in the way when the real experts like Fuse and Gearbox handled that kind of hardware.
Fuse. The Zabrak demolitions specialist was probably the member that he was the most excited to meet. When he had been given his assignment to Havoc, he was contacted by Commander Tavus to settle some details and ethical issues of his transfer to Army Special Forces. He had been called away in the middle of the holo meeting, so he handed him over to the only other member near -Fuse. He had seemed a bit shy at first, then again, James probably was, too, but he opened up over the course of the conversation. They had so much in common: born in a family of Nerfherders, rooted for the same Huttball team, and a similar family dynamic to the point where he also had a sibling accepted by the Jedi. He liked him as a friend. They had kept contact over the weeks that it took for his paperwork to process and the transfer to complete, and he was currently in route to where he was stationed. Needless to say, he was quite nervous.
Without warning, Gearbox was cut short and the whole 100-ton walker shook violently. The driver informed them that they had been hit by a rocket from in the nearby village. James hadn't known these revolutionists were so well equipped. The driver was still shouting when a hit rattled the walker a second time. There was no further sound from the cockpit.
"Driver! DRIVER!" Gearbox barked, but there was no response. "Blast." He looked at James.
"Sithkiller, they're expecting you at Fort Garnik. There's no other option now than to go right through the thick of it. I'll stay behind and see if I can get this tin can runnin' again," he explained.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok on your own?" James didn't like the idea of leaving a squad mate to fend for himself, especially after Naboo.
"Don't worry about me, kid. I've been through much worse." His eyes seemed to look not at him, but at something very far away. The moment only lasted a fraction of a second, and then Gearbox focused back on James. "You better get goin.' Good luck."
James readied his blaster rifle and nodded once at Gearbox. He turned to face the door and steeled himself as it slowly opened to reveal war-torn Ord Mantell.
Lieutenant Aric Jorgan took a long sip of his kaffa and put the mug down next to the mission datapad. Havoc Squad on Ord Mantell. He never imagined that the Seps could be so threatening to warrant sending the Republic's finest out here. It would've been an honor meeting them if the situation wasn't so dire. It's still an honor, but pleasantries tend to be put on the back burner when it comes to a full out civil war. The brass had been in an uproar when Intel brought news about the ZR-57. Yet, as bad as this situation was, it was still the most excitement he's had since he was promoted. He turned away from the table to look at the group of soldiers waiting in the room. Four members of Havoc Squad. They were waiting for the last two to arrive, one of which happened to be a new recruit. If the others were any indication, this recruit would be quite an unusual person, even for a rookie.
Jorgan started going through the morning routine: obtaining last night's intel, doing a mental roll call, checking in the status of troopers in the clinic, making sure people had their assignments for the day, etc, all the while listening in on the mission brief Commander Tavus was giving his men. The squad was preparing to split up to take on separate jobs, and Jorgan had been given the task of coordinating them from base.
The Havoc rookie was going to be on his own. That worried Jorgan. He knew how promotions could inflate a young soldier's ego. He would have to lay down the rules as soon as the new guy walked in to make sure the trooper knew his place. It didn't bother Jorgan one bit, but what did rake his nerves was a soldier thought he was too good to obey orders. He was mentally preparing the rookie speech when he scented a change in the air. Someone new had entered the building. It was nice to be a Cathar at times.
The conversation Havoc was having broke off abruptly just after Jorgan heard boot steps come through the archway into the command room.
"If we focus our effort on M Sector the - Ah, Sergeant! Welcome, welcome! Come meet the rest of your new squad." Commander Tavus greeted the newcomer.
Jorgan looked up from his datapad. The new member was finally here, if more than a bit later than expected. He turned in the direction of the doorway to get a good look at him.
The first thing the lieutenant noticed was the Blaster. A specialized one. 'An AC-15D Dantooian Defender. That can't be standard issue, at least those who are not Marines, scouts or light infantry.' he thought to himself, but then again a lot of leeway was given to special forces members. Too much leeway in his opinion. Second, the new addition looked familiar. Jorgan realized it was the "Hero of Naboo" himself and he now knows that the rookie's ego is going to be off the charts.
A Marine in the Army.
Looks like he really had his work cut out for him.
