A roll call of past missions sped through the apprentice's mind. Lord Vader had instructed him to dispatch numerous enemies within the Empire down the years: spies and thieves, mainly, with the occasional high-ranking traitor as well.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Starkiller blinked in irritation, sweat dripped from his brow and into his eyes as he carefully added yet another metal crate to the ring of debris currently circling his form. Seeing their opportunity, PROXY lunged at the teen with an electrostaff set to stun, landing a hit on his young charge. The apprentice gave a brief groan and the crate wobbled slightly in its ascent before joining the rest of the debris in a steady orbit. The boy glared at the droid that had been his constant companion for as long as he could remember.
"That was a cheap blow PROXY."
"Perhaps, master. But then, it was Lord Vader who said you must overcome your physical limitations." They almost sounded condescending.
"Easy for you to say, droids don't have to worry about such things."
"Quite right, master." This time, Starkiller definitely caught the hint of smugness in the droid's tone.
He gave PROXY a dry look, one which the droid studiously ignored.
A smile slowly crept onto the young Sith's face as he caused a floating piece of pipe to arc towards PROXY's head. The droid nimbly dodged it but barely managed to bat a second projectile to the side with their electrostaff.
"Really master?" PROXY inquired dryly, though Starkiller believed he heard a hint of amusement in the droid's tone as well.
"Fair's fair." Grinning, the teen sent another object hurtling towards the droid.
Suddenly, PROXY stiffened and the space around them darkened seeming to absorb the surrounding light as the form of Darth Vader appeared.
Starkiller cringed as the object he'd sent at PROXY bounced off the holographic chest-plate of his master. The objects that had been orbiting him crashed to the ground as he sank to his knees before the Dark Lord.
"Master." He murmured, averting his eyes from Vader's cold gaze. "Please, forgive me. PROXY and I were in the middle of a spa-"
"Your excuses mean nothing to me." The Dark Lord stated coldly. The tone with which he had delivered the words seemed to decrease the temperature in the room significantly.
"Your transgression shall be dealt with at a later date. There are other matters to attend to."
Starkiller bowed his head, attempting to suppress the burst of excitement that had flooded through him upon Vader's pronouncement.
"Who is the target master?"
The Dark Lord appeared to study him for several seconds behind his unreadable gaze before responding.
"Deral Corvice. The newly appointed Imperial governor of Duro. He has come to an accord with Black Sun syndicate. Eliminate him and ensure that his successor knows the price of associating with criminals." He noticed that Vader's hand had curled into a fist by the end of his statement before the transmission was abruptly cut short.
Starkiller let loose a shaky breath. He knew of his master's hatred for the head of Black Sun; Prince Xizor, having sensed his master's anger when the crime lord's name had been brought up by PROXY during his lessons on the various criminal factions that existed throughout the galaxy. If he did well on this mission, perhaps his master would be lenient with him when the "transgression" was addressed upon his return.
Starkiller shook his head. It didn't matter either way. He would execute his master's will to the best of his abilities because that was what he had been trained to do.
Calling his lightsaber to his hand, he ordered PROXY to fill him in on the details of the target as he began to make his way towards the hangar. The droid followed him dutifully, transforming into a haughty looking human male as he provided a full bio of the man.
"Deral Corvice. Human. Male. Age; 41 standard years. He was personally appointed to the position of Imperial governor of Duro by the Emperor and is currently the heir to a sizable fortune along with a large stake in the Tagge Mining Company after a speeder bike incident involving his older brother. Suspected of having various contacts in the criminal underworld, Deral Corvice has made a name for himself through methods some in the Senate have deemed "excessive" when ensuring planets reach their quotas for the Empire.
Snorting, he shook his head. "Fratricide and pointless cruelty. No wonder he's the Emperor's new favorite. I'm sure they exchange torture methods over a bottle of Corellian red."
The young Sith wrinkled his nose as they entered the hangar and the Rogue Shadow came into sight.
"Speaking of Corellian red..."
The current captain of the Rogue Shadow shot him a drunken grin as he and PROXY rounded the corner into the hangar bay.
"Ah, don't be like that kid. Wine is good for the heart. You know I'll get you where you need to go, sober or not."
"Considering how much you consume, I'm doubtful. And whether or not we get there isn't the question. It's getting there in one piece I'm worried about." The young assassin grumbled.
The man threw back his head in laughter and the apprentice struggled to keep a smile off his face.
"Careful captain, if I fail my mission because you couldn't handle your booze, it'll mean both our heads."
The former Imperial officer gave him a smirk and rustled the teen's hair despite the glare he received in return.
"Wouldn't dream of it lad. This face is too pretty to let it go to waste." He replied, gesturing at his own unshaven mug.
Climbing up the ramp of the Rogue Shadow and entering the cockpit, he strapped into the pilot's seat and began to adjust the controls before turning to the still scowling adolescent who had followed him up the ramp and into the ship's interior. "Where are we off to today?"
"Duro." The apprentice's response was curt, still somewhat annoyed by the pilot's previous actions.
"No. Not annoyed." Starkiller thought to himself as he tried to place the feeling that had risen in him at the drunken Corellian's antics. "Disconcerted?" He paused for a moment, mulling it over. That was closer to the mark but still somewhat off. He would have to meditate on it later.
Rolling his eyes when the brooding teen gave no further response, the man once known as Lieutenant Meris gave his young passenger a lazy salute before keying in the coordinates to their destination.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Author's Note: Hey all. This is my most recent attempt at a Star Wars fic. Unlike my last one involving Dooku and Yoda, this won't be a oneshot. The Rise of the Empire era ( the period of time between RotS and ANH ) is one of my favorites in Star Wars alongside the Prequel era. Considering Starkiller was apprenticed to Vader from early childhood into his late teens, the character can reasonably be fit into all manner of galactic events. I figured I'd start us off pretty tame with an assassination, perhaps with a few notable cameos here and there. ;) Hope you enjoy this new project!