Chapter One: An Unwelcome Guest

TK-2888 had joined the Empire straight out of school. He had grown up hearing stories about the horrors of the Clone Wars from his mother; on his watch the Galaxy would never again experience such carnage. T-2888, or Tomak Derin as he had been known then, had spent the majority of his career as a patrol Stormtrooper on his homeworld of Vardos. After years, he had finally be appointed on a starship. Sure, it was only a small Gozanti-class cruiser, the Morrigan, hauling freight across the Outer Rim, but it was his dream. Today, however, was shaping up to be a nightmare. Another freighter had dropped out of hyperspace and opened fire on the Morrigan; the TIE Fighter escorts had been destroyed before they could even launch. The initial onslaught had torn the Morrigan's defences apart before they even came online. Tomak darted towards the bridge.

"Warning!" a robotic voice echoed through the corridors. "Prepare for hostile boarding!" Tomak entered the control room. The two pilots were frantically manoeuvring through a variety of controls. Sparks and flashes illuminated the control console. The captain turned to face Tomak.

"TK-2888. Remain here with us. Defend the bridge." He barked.

"But sir, what about the others." Tomak protested. The captain's steely gaze twisted into a more frustrated expression.

"Are you questioning me trooper?" he growled.

"No Sir." Tomak replied. He could hear the booms of blaster fire in the distance. Despite the blast doors the unmistakeable sound of violence rung through his ears. Tomak closed his eyes; a silent moment of thought and solidarity for his comrades. He prayed that they would fight of the intruders.

"Pirate scum." Muttered one of the pilots. Tomak couldn't help but agree. Why couldn't these savages just get in line? The Empire provided safety and security to the whole Galaxy; if you followed the rules, you prospered. Tomak looked towards the door. The sounds of the fighting were growing; the enemies drew closer. Tomak raised his blaster to the door in response. In the corner of his eye he noticed the captain had unclipped his blaster. The bangs of blaster fire were interrupted but frequent whirrs; Tomak had no idea what weapons the boarders were using. Before he could dwell on it a beam of yellow light sliced through the doors. Another beam sliced the other way, making a cross of molten metal in the blast door. Tomak was blasted back by an unknown force. The captain was thrown to the ground beside him. Looking up, Tomak could see that the doors had been bent open; they looked as if a speeder bike had crashed through them. Smoke slowly poured through the opening; Tomak's eyes could make out a silhouette in the smog. Tomak fired at the figure. The figure ignited two yellow blades; Tomak recognised them as lightsabers from his days at the Imperial Academy. His body became enveloped in fear. The light cut through the smoke, making the figure clearer. Tomak could see a tall man, with a scraggly beard and long brown hair in a messy bun; he was adorned in grey and black robes and one of his hands was cybernetic. His brown eyes looked at the pilots. Tomak could only watch in horror as the figure threw his weapons at the pilots; both were killed instantly. The captain fired at the man. The man raised his hands as his weapons flew back to his grip. In a single motion, he deflected the captain's shot back into his chest. The captain's lifeless body crumpled on the floor. The figure raised his hand; Tomak felt his body leave the floor. Before he could react, he was flung out of the room, crashing through the remains of the door. He looked around to see the bodies of his Stormtrooper comrades littered across the corridor. Their armour was wrought and peppered with blaster marks and lightsaber slashes. Looking back at the bridge, Tomak could see the man bent over the controls.

"Sev? You there? I've got the codes." He said into a commlink.

"Nice one Artus." A voice crackled in response from the device. "Now set the ship to explode and let's get out of here!"

"Got it."

"No…" Tomak groaned. He couldn't let the ship explode. Tomak was injured and alone, but he knew it was his duty to fight. For the Empire. He grabbed a blaster from a dead Stormtrooper and raised it at the man's back. He pulled the trigger and a crimson bolt raced from the barrel towards the man. Tomak watched as it cut through the air, drawing closer to the man's back. In the blink of an eye, the man activated one of his lightsabers and reflected the bolt back towards Tomak. Tomak felt a brief rush of intense heat as the bolt connected with his neck. Searing pain wrapped around the remains of his throat. Then everything went dark.