KULOK V, IN THE CADAVINE SECTOR
The Falturel glided over the fifth planet of the Kulok system. A Venator-class Star Destroyer, she was a monstrous vessel, carrying thousands of troops and dozens of Imperial fighters. Colorless and vast, it was as if she were a city floating above the planet, locked in orbit with the base below.h
Inside the bridge, Trooper 86704 raised a hand as his sensor screen glowed.
"Sir!" he called. "Captain Talk, a ship has entered the system!"
A lean, fit man in an officer's uniform marched smartly over to the clone.
"Indeed," he said, giving the monitor a cursory glance. "This is restricted space. Comm, hail them."
"Yes, sir." Another clone entered a set of numbers and spoke into his headset. "Unidentified ship, this is the Imperial warship Falturel, state your business, identification, and destination. Over."
The captain looked down in silence at the communications member. The speakers gave off equal silence.
"Again," Talk said.
"Yessir. Unidentified ship, vector 342, you are in restricted space. Give your identification, business, and destination now, or the Empire will be irresponsible for any penalties that you may suffer. Over."
Another few seconds; still silence.
"Weapons, bring batteries seven through fifteen online," Talk ordered. "Shields, go to ten percent power. Wing commanders, tell the patrol ships to intercept. Do not open fire. Ready three fighters in the hangar."
"Yes, sir!" the reply came from all over the bridge.
"Do we have an identification?"
"No, sir," 86704 said. "But she's an ARC class gunship. Three years old."
"Let me take the comm."
"Yes, sir."
Talk leaned over and pressed the button.
"Unidentified ARC fighter, this is Captain Talk of the Star Destroyer Falturel. You will transmit your information immediately and hold your present course. Failure to do either may be taken as an act of aggression."
The fighter drew closer to the giant vessel.
"Perhaps their communications are not functioning," a lieutenant suggested.
"Perhaps." He nodded. "Weapons, have a port cannon fire a warning shot. Let him know, in case his communications are not operational."
"Yes, sir. Fire eighth battery, one shot!"
A streak of emerald light shot into the blackness; the fighter did not change course.
"Sentry One and Sentry Two are in position," another clone said. "Orders?"
"Unidentified ship, this is a final warning. Allow these two fighters to escort you in, or—"
But the fighter had a message of its own. In the middle of space, it stopped dead, and the two fighters in front of it shot ahead. There was a flurry of laserfire, and the two sentries exploded.
"Shields up, battle stations, all ion batteries online," Talk said without hesitation. "Make ready the tractors, get two squads to the docking bay. I want to know who this is and what they are doing here."
"Yes, sir."
"Sir, what about our fighters?"
"Get the crews to their ships. But keep them in the bay; I don't want more men lost."
The ARC swooped in closer, its wings opening up.
"Shields are fully charged," a trooper called.
"Good. Fire laser cannons, low power—track it, hit her with an ion cannon."
"Yes, sir. Weapons, low power charge, tracers. Ion cannons, ready."
The ARC let loose with a volley of missiles and lasers. They exploded harmlessly against the shields…
"Open fire," Talk commanded.
Eight laser batteries opened up, surrounding the ARC. It swooped, rolled, and dove underneath the ship.
"Ventral ion cannons, open fire!"
The bottom of the ship sent blue beams jetting into space; the starfighter maneuvered, blasting lasers back up at the ship.
"Trying to lure out our fighters," Talk said. "But we—got him!"
In dodging one ion beam, the fighter had strayed directly into another. It shuddered and began to drift through space.
"Cease fire. Open docking bays. Tractor in."
"Yes, sir."
"Have their weapons set for stun. Bring the crew to me alive."
"Yes, sir."
In the docking bay, Commander Sed nodded to his band of troopers. "It will be done. Troopers, set for stun."
Two squads of clone troopers readied their weapons, moving to surround the ship that was drawn into the hangar.
"Come out, now, hands in the air," the commander called, his voice echoing from the dozens of loudspeakers all around the hangar. "You are surrounded and outnumbered."
There was no reply from the ship.
"I repeat, come out of the ship, now, or we will come in there and remove you forcibly!"
This time, the hatch on the ship opened up. The troopers raised their weapons.
"Don't move, now—"
There was a loud snap-hiss, and a blade of green light emerged from the ship. It was followed by a huge, hulking figure.
Commander Sed had time for one shot before the foe came upon him, and only one word escaped his mouth.
"Jedi!"
Then the green lightsaber blade cut him down.
Talk stared at the viewscreen in shock.
"A Jedi!" he yelled, watching as the robed figure cut down every single trooper in the hangar. "Put all stations on red alert! I want five squads of troopers up here, now!"
The figure sped off of the monitor, moving into the hall.
"Blast doors, shut them!" he yelled. "Quickly!"
Troopers were scrambling into action everywhere. Talk turned to one officer.
"Where is he?"
"Moving towards us—he's in the lift tube, it's coming up."
"That fast?" Talk swallowed. "Have it stop on level thirty-two, quickly! Four squads, converge on that point!"
The lift stopped…
And a minute later, the report came.
"Sir, the lift is empty. A hole was slashed in the ceiling…"
"Captain, he's in the hall!"
Talk stared at the camera feed of the hall just outside of the bridge—the figure was hacking down the five squads as though they were offline droids.
"Get more men up here, get more—"
The blast doors were suddenly wrenched from their holds, and the Jedi burst into the bridge, lightsaber hacking and slashing. Blasters opened fire, but he parried each one…
Talk screamed once as the blade came down.
The figure turned to the camera up in the bridge corner, giving one glimpse of a shaggy face and enormous tusks.
Then it cut the camera apart.
"You see our enemy."
"Yes, Master. He is indeed a powerful Jedi."
"Powerful is not the half of it. Only an emergency upload from the ship to the base below, and a hasty transmission from the base itself, allowed us to view this. The Falturel rammed the planet minutes later, directly onto the base itself. A sentry probe saw this and transmitted it—moments before being destroyed itself."
"Acts that no Jedi would have committed. Wholesale murder is repulsive to them."
A cackle. "Do you think so? You do not know of any Jedi who would turn to murder? Who would ruthlessly cut down an enemy, though he be lying down upon the ground?"
"Windu is dead."
"Indeed he is. But tell me…do you know of Vaapad?"
"A form of combat. Few Jedi have ever mastered it, as it strays…dangerously close to the Dark Side of the Force."
"Very good. Indeed, Master Windu was the only one who truly mastered it—though others successfully employed it. One such Jedi was a Whiphid…K'Kruhk."
"He is dead. He fell at Hypori."
"Indeed, he did. But somehow, he survived. One can only assume that Grievous did not fell him properly—for Whiphids can reduce themselves into a coma that makes them appear…dead."
"You are saying, then, that he feigned death?"
"Indeed. I have heard rumors of his doings…but what other Whiphid Jedi are there who could massacre an entire crew?"
"I see. I suppose that I have an assignment?"
"Kill him. Find K'Kruhk, kill him, and bring his lightsaber to me. And make sure that his head is no longer attached to his shoulders. Destroy this Jedi, and none of our greatest foes will remain."
"Obi-Wan is still out there."
"Has Kenobi been responsible for the losses of three star destroyers and two other warships? Has Kenobi been smashing holes in the sides of the Empire? He is no threat at the moment."
"How shall I find K'Kruhk?"
"It will be fairly difficult—but you will have your resources. Chief Intelligence Supervisor Armand Isard will see to it that all traces are correct."
"Imperial military intelligence will not catch him."
"That is why I have also approached another man; an alien with some connections to galactic crime organizations."
"Aliens and criminals?"
"You will find that Prince Xizor has a network of spies to rival Isard's. He will be most helpful to you."
"With respect, my Master, I do not take lightly to asking the help of criminals."
"They will know. And Lord Vader…there is a third tool at your disposal. The Dark Side of the Force. Use it to locate him. Hunt him. Kill him. You have your orders. And with Imperial, criminal, and Sith resources, you will find K'Kruhk."
"And kill him."
"Indeed. Furthermore, I believe that K'Kruhk may be involved with more Jedi…another one of those small pockets of resistance."
"Multiple victories in one strike."
"Of course. Now, Lord Vader, do what must be done."
"Yes, my Master."