________________________________________
Aboard the Imperial-Class I Star Destroyer Devastator — Hangar Bay
The polished deck of the hangar gleamed under rows of harsh fluorescent lighting. Commander Desmond, hands clasped behind his back, paced in front of them with sharp, steps.
He cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the ambient whir of docking clamps and idle TIE engines.
"You're being deployed to the Mustafar system," he said. His voice was low, clipped, and without any room for doubt. "All mission details have been relayed to Delta, who will serve as your commanding officer on this operation. The Lord Inquisitor is personally counting on its success."
His gaze narrowed.
"Failure is not an option."
Delta and his squad raised their fists in a unified salute.
"Sir, yes sir."
Desmond gave a curt nod. "Good. You are to deliver the package directly to the Lord Inquisitor. No detours, no delays. Understood?"
They nodded in unison.
Without another word, the squad turned and strode toward the waiting transport—a modified Imperial Transport Ship, its matte-black hull already prepped for departure. The loading ramp hissed open, and one by one, the Death Troopers disappeared inside.
________________________________________
Beta Pov: Corridor of the ITS Ship
As Beta made his way down the corridor, he let his mind drift.
One of the first Death Troopers. Trained by the best of the best— Nulls and Alphas — alongside Delta. Harsh days, brutal drills, but those were good times. You learned who your brothers were together neck deep in mud.
And Delta? Still the same grim bastard. Unshakeable. Precise. No sense of humour on missions — you'd think decades of friendship would've loosened him up. Nope. Still all business.
He smirked.
Then his thoughts settled on the two other figures of the team— Scorn and Alpha. The last surviving Commando troopers.
Cryo-preserved on the watery planet forgotten for the entirety of the Clone Wars, until the failed Kaminoan Rebellion unearthed them. A different kind of soldier. From a different era. But they still bled for the New Order.
The door hissed open before I touched it.
Scorn stood there, arms crossed. "What do you want, Beta?"
"Stars, what crawled up your exhaust port?"
Scorn scoffed. "My life. What do you want? Alpha's trying to rest."
I looked past him. Alpha had sabacc cards in one hand, whiskey in the other.
"Yeah, real restful. Look, I won't rat you out if you let me join. Deal?"
Scorn moved aside with a sigh. "Whatever."
"Deal me in," I said, waving at Alpha as I sat taking my helmet off and putting under one arm,
Alpha grinned. "You're way more fun than Delta."
Scorn shut the door behind us "This mission feels like a kriffing fetch quest."
Alpha shrugged. "Better than guard duty."
I nodded. "Just stay off the whiskey. We'll need our wits."
Yeah, this squad wasn't normal. Never had been. And that's exactly why they were chosen.
________________________________________
ITS – Outside Mustafar System:
Delta and his squad gather around the holo table.
"Alright, we're going to sneak as far as we can to the fortress, and if we get spotted, we're going to hit back hard. Alpha, as our demolitions expert, you're going to plant charges along the outside and inside of the structural foundations of the castle. After that, you're going to link up with me and Scorn." Alpha nods and starts looking at his options of explosives.
Delta: "Beta, you're going to be our eyes on the ground. Use your sniper to pick off any threats and identify any movements." Delta looks at Beta, and Beta nods.
Delta: "Scorn, you're coming with me. If anything gets heated down there, you and your heavy repeater will clear the way. The ship will land as close to the castle as possible, but afterwards, it's going to stay in the air as air support and recon. Is that understood?"
"Sir, yes sir." They all say. Beta nods and gets ready, double-checking his equipment and sniper. Alpha double-checks his explosives again. Scorn cocks his gun.
The pilot's voice comes through the speakers. "T-minus two minutes till landing."
Everyone is ready, standing near the sliding doors of the ship, holding on to the straps hanging out.
Delta: "Alright. Stay safe, be smart, and remember the plan." The ship lands after a few moments, and they nod as they jump out of the ship after the bay opens. They all go off to complete their tasks.
Delta: "Alright, Scorn, let's go." Scorn nods.
________________________________________
Mustafar A few miles from Lord Vader's Castle – Beta's POV:
As I ascend the rocky ridge overlooking the castle, I spot a small group of stormtroopers. I tag their location and keep an eye on their patrol patterns. Off in the distance, I catch sight of an old ship—worn, half-buried in ash. I mark it as a point of interest.
Near a runoff channel, I see Alpha planting a few explosives before slipping into a sewage tunnel.
Scorn and Delta move in on the landing platform, silent as shadows. Two stormtroopers go down without a sound.
One more trooper circles around, closing in on their position. I take him out cleanly before he spots them.
A few seconds later, Delta's voice crackles over the comms.
Delta: "Good job, Beta."
I look up just in time to see two TIE Fighters roaring overhead.
Not good.
I tap my comm. "Delta, we've got two TIE Fighters overhead. They haven't seen us yet. Orders, sir?"
The fighters sweep over the castle and loop toward the landing pad. There's a moment of static, then Delta responds.
Delta: "Beta, what are the TIE Fighters doing?"
Beta: "They've landed. Looks like they're refueling."
I hear Delta sigh.
Delta: "Can you hit their fuel lines? Turn it into a death trap?"
I already have the shot lined up. I squeeze the trigger.
Beta: "They won't be having another happy landing."
Delta: "Good. Keep watch. Delta out."
There they are—Scorn and Delta, slipping through a narrow window on the side of a small building near the platform. They just missed the pilots, who climbed into their TIE Fighters and lifted off moments before.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1...
Boom.
The explosion shakes the ridge. Flames bloom behind the fighters as they rocket away, trailing smoke.
A squad of stormtroopers breaks formation, racing to investigate.
I tap the comm again. "Delta, you're free to enter the castle. All remaining troopers are heading toward the blast site. The TIEs flew a good twenty-five miles out."
Delta: "Good job, Beta."
I lower the scope.
I wonder what Alpha's gotten up too.
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Alpha's POV: Lord Vader's Castle
Last charge planted.
I duck behind a pillar just as a squad of stormtroopers barrels down the corridor. Footsteps fade, and then the intercom blares:
"Activity reported twenty-five miles north of the landing platform. Move out, all units!"
Perfect.
I move quick, heading for Vader's training room. A blast door blocks the way—locked down, ancient. I punch in the code Delta gave me: 22/32.
The keypad beeps. Two of the digits are worn smooth—like they've been used a thousand times.
Must've been important.
The door slides open with a hiss. Cold air spills out, and I step into the room.
It's quiet. Too quiet.
A Tusken Raider gaffi stick hangs on the wall like a trophy. Above it, a scorched Nubian crest. And on a small hook, draped with a faded red scarf, sits a carved charm—weathered, smooth, almost forgotten.
"Weird little souvenir shelf," I mutter. I put it in the bag.
I stay low and start planting charges around the perimeter. Easy. Clean. Almost done—until something shiny catches my eye.
Wait… what is that?
Rows of lightsabers, neatly displayed like trophies. Red, blue, green—curved hilts, dual-emitters, even a busted one that hums faintly.
"Whoa," I whisper. "That's a lot of lightsabers." Without hesitation, I unzip my bag and start scooping them in.
Then—PSSHHHEW.
A purple blade slices through the air where my head was a second ago.
I dive to the floor. A training droid spins to life across the room.
"Oh COME ON."
I yank a blue-bladed lightsaber from my bag and ignite it. PSSHHHEW. I swing at its legs—barely clip it.
The droid retaliates with a titanium roundhouse that launches me across the room.
Ow.
It charges again. Purple blade spinning. I bring mine up just in time—KSSSHHHH!—blue and purple clash in a storm of sparks.
This thing's strong. Way too strong.
"Who trains like this?!"
I duck, sweep, counter. No good. It blocks everything. I drop low and pull my D-17 pistol with my free hand. Unload the clip right into its chest.
It kicks me one last time—but this time, it drops. Smoking, sparking, dead.
I just lie there, staring up at the ceiling.
"…Wow. That was tough."
I glance at the control panel on the wall.
[TRAINING LEVEL: BEGINNER]
"You've gotta be kriffing kidding me."
Still winded, I gather the lightsabers I dropped, jam them back in the bag, and keep moving.
I started looting. Rule #3: If it's not nailed down—or even if it is—it's fair game. As stated in the looters handbook.
Anything not nailed down? In the bag.
Spare armour and the training droid—in the bag.
Encrypted files and weird glowing objects—in the bag.
Some kind of pyramid thing?
"Weird... probably a power cell." In the bag.
An lightsaber—a sliver base with black on it, heavy. Doesn't seem to work. Doesn't matter. Bag.
Another fancy looking pyramid and a blue square one?
"Bet the Lord Inquisitor will let me play with the armaments of the Star Destroyer if I bring him this."
Also in the bag.
I turn to leave.
"If Lord Vader wanted to keep this stuff, he should've locked it tighter."
The air suddenly turns cold. The lights dim—just slightly.
I freeze.
"I'm just doing my jooooob." And then I ran out of the room.
Because I may be a loot jawa—but I'm not dumb enough to get haunted by Darth Vader.
________________________________________
Lord Vader's Treasury – Scorn's POV
Delta and I move cautiously through the corridors of the castle, clearing out security droids as we go. A few quick shots and the path is open.
We reach the treasury.
It's all here—everything on the list. Rare crystals. Ancient relics. Tech no one's seen in a century.
I check the hallway. All clear.
I turn back and see Delta already loading up, scooping anything not bolted down into sealed satchels. "Uhh, boss… how are we supposed to carry all this back to the ship?"
Delta looks up, in a deadpan voice . "That's why we have you."
I blink, then laugh. "Hah! I didn't know you had it in you. Actual jokes—nice."
Five minutes later
Delta finishes packing. I've stayed on lookout. He gives me a nod.
We start heading out—but someone's coming down the corridor the shadows stretch and twist like it has a life of its own. I raise my heavy blaster. Delta lifts his DC-17. We brace for contact.
A voice echoes out "Hi guys."
We lower our weapons. Both of us exhale.
Delta: "By the force, Alpha—we almost shot you."
He shakes his head as Alpha starts to reply. Delta interrupts "Save it. Let's move."
Alpha and I fall in beside him. Outside, stormtrooper activity is spiking. Just as we reach the outer halls, our comms flare to life.
Beta: "You finally made it out. Better get to the evac zone—stormtroopers are heading back to the castle fast."
Delta lowers his head for a second, then replies. "Copy that. Rendezvous at the ship ASAP."
He switches frequencies.
Delta: "ITS, this is Delta. Requesting immediate evac. Coordinates incoming."
Pilot: "Roger that. ETA is five minutes."
Delta looks up at us. "Scorn, Alpha—move."
We push across the charred terrain of Mustafar. On the way, we pass an ancient hull fragment—rusted, buried in soot.
Delta scans it. His voice is low. "This is over two thousand years old."
He kneels beside a scorched droid husk and brushes off the soot. "Looks like an assassin droid. Scorn, Alpha—hold position. Checking this out."
We nod. I look at Alpha, then at the droid. "You know, I swear this thing looks familiar."
Alpha nods "Yeah. Feels like it's an assassin model. Either way, the Lord Inquisitor will love it."
Delta returns. "No usable intel. The ship's scrap. But the droid might be worth something. Let's bring it."
I lift the droid onto my shoulder and we continue toward the pickup zone.
A few minutes later, Alpha stops. He turns to Delta, then glances back at the castle. He pulls out a detonator with a glowing red button.
Delta meets his eyes—and nods.
Alpha presses it.
KA-BOOM.
A blinding flash. The air goes still. Then the shockwave hits—hard.
The blast singes our armor and throws up a mushroom cloud where Vader's castle once stood. The ground trembles beneath our boots.
Delta stares into the cloud, his voice shocked. "Alpha… How many explosives did you plant?"
Alpha shrugs. "All of them."
Delta and I exchange looks. We shake our heads.
Then we keep walking.
________________________________________
Mustafar System – Beta's POV
The blast wave rolls across the ridge like a wall of fire. I drop low, shielding my visor. "What the…—what was that?!"
I look up—and see nothing but smoke, flame, and a rising inferno where Vader's castle used to stand. "…By the Force."
The ITS drops into view, landing fast. I break into a jog toward the ramp as it hisses open.
Through the haze, I see them—Delta, Scorn, and Alpha—running across the blasted terrain. Scorn's hauling a mangled droid over one shoulder.
Of course they brought a souvenir.
They board just as the doors slam shut. A few seconds later, we're airborne. Hyperspace swallows the view behind us.
I turn to Alpha. "Alpha… What explosives did you use?"
He looks up, half-proud, half-surprised. "I had an old nuclear charge. I was saving it for something special."
He actually looks disappointed.
Can't have that. "Hey, Alpha—how about a few hands of sabacc?"
He perks up immediately. "Yeah. Let's go."
I give Delta a nod and follow Alpha toward the game table. The stars blur around us as we leave Mustafar behind.