•~Mid-Rim Jedi Outpost.
Designation: Brighthome~•

-Clonetrooper-

"Hey! Look at me!"

The clonetrooper whipped out a lightsaber, pulling it from the wall and igniting it, the green blade emitting from its core.

"I'm a Jedi!" he announced, swishing the lightsaber around, careful not to hurt himself.

Another clone beside him shook his head, and continued to type away on his datapad, collecting information and checking the inventory on the Jedi supplies.

"No you're not Ding. If you were a Jedi... " He points his finger at him, then walking up slowly towards him. "You'd be dead!" He jokes, snatching the saber out of his hand and turning it off, with the sshhk sound echoing throughout the room.

Inside the Jedi outpost, there were clean Jedi robes scattered about, crates full of holocrons, boots, lightsabers, all sorts of stuff a Jedi would need, and the clones were there to sort it out and send it to the Empire.

Kicker shoved aside Ding, and turned around to place the lightsaber back into its original holding spot, laying with the rest of the lightsabers.

"Come on, Kicker. I had to do something to liven up this assignment," Ding tells him, walking behind his friend. "We survived what... A hundred missions? I honestly think this is the one that'll kill me. "

Kicker sighs at Ding's complaining, and pulls out his datapad again, placing in the shipment of how many lightsabers he had previously accounted for.

Ding shuffled around the room, looking in several crates, then picked up a blue Jedi holocrons, examining it through his white clone trooper helmet. "The best soldiers in the galaxy, and here we are, stuck making an inventory of a bunch of Jedi junk at the far end of space!" Ding finishes examining the holocrons, then tosses it back carelessly into a metal crate. "What a waste, " he mutters, crossing his arms, still mad that he had been sent there instead of being a red Royal Guard, with Palpatine himself.

"Take this seriously. Every mission is important," Kicker reminds him, looking up from his datapad. "If Emperor Palpatine wants this done, then we get it done. We beat the Separatists- Great. Do you think they're the only enemies out there?" Kicker asks him, pacing around the room again with his datapad in hand.

"No, " Ding sighs. "I just don't think we'll be the ones fighting them. "

"What do you mean?" Kicker turns around and places another lightsaber back into its spot.

"I heard they shut down the facilities on Kamino. They'll train up the last batch of clones, and that's it. "

"But that's crazy! Who will protect the Empire?"

"Don't know Kicker. But it won't be us. We get to pack up old Jedi way stations and crate everything back to Coruscant," Ding looks at the floor in sadness, as if he realizes that the Empire would probably retire them soon, and he wouldn't know what to do for the rest of his life. "I think our fighting days are done. "

Suddenly another clone chirps up, looking away from his datapad, as he crouched down near a crate full of robes. "You two, focus!" he commands, punching in a few more keys into his datapad. "We've got incoming!" The trooper pulls up a holo-message of an incoming black ship, that seemed out of the ordinary. It surely was strange to see a ship come all the way out into deep space. Ding was sure it had to be space pirates or something. Whatever it was, he was sure he wouldn't mind getting out of that room for awhile.

-Darth Vader-

Vader entered the space, expecting something different, but instead saw a Jedi outpost. He wasn't surprised, but was more surprised when he saw a few ARC-170 fighters pull out from the outpost.

"Unidentified vessel, this is restricted space, " a clone trooper voice says, it's transmission coming in to Vader's radio.

Vader looks around, scanning his apparent surroundings. He sees a few Republic fighters, coming around his ship. He smirks, and sits back to watch.

"Your presence is unauthorized. Change course immediately or you will be fired upon, " warns another clone trooper.

Vader grips on to his handles, ignoring the pilots, as he knew he could simply destroy them as well.

"I have the docking codes for this station, Lord Vader. I can transmit them on your order, " his computer in his ship says.

"There will be no second warning, " he hears a clone trooper remind him.

Vader feels his hunger inside of him. He knew there was a need to fight, to do something. He just wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.

Of course it was! What was he thinking? Power. Vengeance. Victory. He wanted all of those things, no, craved all of them, and this victory would surely grant him that.

"Lord Vader?" the computer questions again, as he didn't get a response the first time.

Vader ignored the computer again, pressing his controls forward, the ship accelerating.

"That ship's still coming!" one of the clones announce, now being afraid that they weren't backing down. "Alright, we gave this guy a chance. Light it up. "

"Roger that, " a trooper responds, firing his guns upon the incoming, mysterious ship.

"I am detecting that the ARC fighters have engaged weapons tracking systems," the computer tells Vader, but still gets no response. "Master, with your permission I can transmit our authorization code and end this situation immediately."

"No, " Vader finally replies, gripping on to the handles tightly. He looks up from his dashboard, his Sith yellow eyes peered at the ships ahead of him. "Activate weapons systems."

The computer did exactly as he asked, the guns whirring to life. Pressing on, Vader started to fire among the men, his fighting skills coming back to life.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a fight boys!" Says one of the clones.

"About time!" Says another.

"Agreed! Let's show them what we're made o-"

Vader quickly swooped down, shooting at the ship to the left, then quickly turning around and blowing up the ship to the right. Two down already.

"What the--" A clone was in awe, wondering how he managed to do that so quickly and so fluid. His flying and fighting skills were in tact, and whoever it was, knew what they were doing, as if they had been doing it for a long time.

"He got them! He got them both!" One of them cries, quickly zooming in after the black ship, firing his guns upon him. "How'd he--"

"Focus! He didn't get us--that's the important thing," the only other clone left over responded, zooming after the ship, as they were now on his tail.

"We're right on his tail! He's not going to shake us! " The other one responds back to him, pressing his guns again, the green lasers flying through space.

"With your permission, Lord Vader, I can activate the rear cannons and fire on our pursuers, " requests the computer.

"There is no need. I know where they are," Vader tells him, spinning the ship as he could tell a laser was about to hit his ship, dodging out of the way.

"I can sense them." He looks up ahead, pulling his ship back and around, landing behind them both.

He feels his way through the Force, letting it guide him. He could sense everything. They were scared, cowardly, and arrogant, everything about them was familiar to Vader.

"Their fear, " he continued.

He pressed his guns again, firing upon another ship, letting it blow up, it's parts being blasted into the air.

"Their pain..." Vader turned around, and at last, blowing up the final ARC trooper fighter, smirking in victory.

"Their end. "

-Clonetrooper-

Back inside the outpost, they all sat inside the main control room in wonder and fear, as they saw their friends, their brothers, being blown up in a matter of seconds.

"That thing took out all four ARCs without taking a single hit?" he gasped, his eyes frantically searching the screen for any signs of life, but all he saw were debris. "Who is this guy?"

Another clone trooper scoffed, crossing his arms. "Haven't seen flying like that since... "

"Don't even say it. It can't be a Jedi. They're all dead, " confirms another.

Suddenly the trooper looks down at his datapad, as he has seen that the person who just slaughtered his brothers had managed to deactivate the way station's security protocols.

"Whoever he is, he's managed to deactivate the way station's security protocols," he looked up from his datapad. "That means he's about to dock!'

"We have to protect this station! Get to the hangar deck!" Shouted Ding, grabbing his blaster off of the wall, where all of the weapons were kept.

Behind him, many other troopers began to race after him, all of them utterly eager to fight, as they had not been in battle for quite some time now.

Beside Ding, Kicker ran up next to him, chuckling. "You happy now, Ding? Looks like you found that fight you were looking for!" Kicker yells over the commotion, now hearing an emergency alarm ringing throughout the corridors, indicating that there was an intruder.

"Better than counting robes!" Ding shouts back, adrenaline pumping in his body. As Ding runs, he thinks about why this is happening, out of nowhere, in the middle of deep space, that a pirate, or even a rouge Jedi had decided to invade their site, and take the lives of his brothers. At his thoughts, he chuckled, turning to his friend Kicker to tell him all about it. "Maybe this is an opportunity Kicker! We know the Empire wants this stuff, or we wouldn't be on this mission in the first place!" he paused to take a breath, as running and talking at the same time were making his body work twice as hard. "If we can protect it, prove our worth, maybe word gets back to the Emperor! Maybe he keeps us around!"

Kicker laughs, nodding his head in agreement, imagining what a great promotion they would have. "Maybe we get to put on those red helmets, stand right next to Palpatine himself!"

Finally, the clones reached their destination, standing ready at the hangar deck, all their guns clicked to indicate that their safety had been turned off, preparing for (hopefully) an epic battle. Inside Ding, he felt his heart pumping furiously, which he wasn't sure if it was from excitement, or fear. He kneeled down next to a crate, while his friend Kicker stood up at his side, waiting in the hallway.

In his head, he kept thinking, Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders... Over and over again. Somehow, he couldn't get over the fact that the Jedi had betrayed the galaxy, and wanted to overthrow Palpatine, he couldn't. But he was a good soldier, and good soldiers follow orders.

His attention remained on the metal door in front of him, his heart and thoughts were racing. Suddenly, he hears the door warping, which was impossible. How could that happen? The eerie sound of metal twisting rang throughout the room, but Ding was used to it, as the Jedi had used that tactic many times before to get inside somewhere--wait. Could it be?

"Ready yourselves troopers! He's coming through!" shouts a clone, pointing at the warped, metal door.

"Ding, I get it. Big opportunity here, maybe, " Kicker pauses, readying his blaster gun to fire. Ding notices his voice was shaky. "But only if we survive. "

-Darth Vader-

With all of his might, Vader ripped open the metal door, sending its pieces flying everywhere. In front of him, he saw tons of clone troopers with their weapons at ready.

Vader's eyes widened, as memories came flooding back into his head about his battalion, his soldiers, his friends. No, no. That was Anakin.

Vader snapped back to the real fight; fighting himself on this inside as well.

"Take him down!" shouts a clone, aiming at the dark lord.

Vader's head turns, looking at the clone who shouted that and picks him up using the Force, and throws him against the wall with anger.

"Aieee!"

The battle erupts, blue lasers crossed the field, all of them firing towards Vader.

With the Force, and lightsaberless, he blocks the lasers from hitting him, sending them in different directions. At this moment, it seemed ironic to Vader that at one point he was fighting with the clones, and not against them. He felt like a Separatist battle droid.

Left, right, left, duck. Turn, right, left, dodge... His mind was racing, the Force sent him instructions on where to turn, where to dodge, and what lasers he should be firing back.

Vader wielded the Force, and called upon a group of troopers, picking up three, and snapped their necks, and dropped them when he was finished with them.

In the heat of battle, Vader looked around the room for a moment, and saw a crate, and pulled it over to him using to Force so he could use it for cover. He knew the tactics of these clones: they would inch closer with firepower, and eventually overcrowd him. That's how they did it; that's how they killed the other Jedi, he saw it with his own eyes. Why would it be any different for him?

"Keep the pressure on! Concentrate your fire! We've got him!" commands a clone, but Vader had other plans.

Vader throws off his cloak, which bothered him atrociously, as he had gotten annoyed by how it kept twisting around him and getting in the way. He kicked it to the side, finally revealing his old identity.

"What in all the blasted--"

Before the clone could finish his sentence, Vader pushed the crate in front of him and sent it flying into the clones, leaving them crushed against the wall.

Vader looks around the room for any weapons he could use other than a blaster, as he knew it wouldn't do much good against them. Against a wall, there lied many lightsabers. Vader looked at one he found suitable, and called it using the Force. It landed softly into his gloved mechanical hand, giving him relief as he finally could do some more damage. He ignited the lightsaber, the color of green being it's blade.

"Kriff! Is that General Sk--"

Vader whipped around smoothly, hearing his old name about to be called, but he wouldn't have it. He reached out into the Force and bore his anger into the clone's neck, ending his life with a single snap.

"Okay that's definitely a Jedi," says a clone.

"But Order 66! I thought we killed them all!"

"Say it a little louder Ding! He might not have heard you!"

Vader smirks, turning around to face them. "Good," he remarks, in a deep and raspy voice.

He lurches forward, spinning his lightsaber fluidly, hopping back and forth as his athletic skills served him purpose, slicing off their blasters and turning around and jabbing the lightsaber into them.

After many men had perished, a clone trooper spoke up and started retreating. "Fall back! Regroup on deck--"

But it was too late for him, as Vader swung the saber brilliantly, slicing the trooper in half, only letting two troopers get away.

Vader finished, and surrounding him lay clone troopers, all of them, dead, except the two that had escaped. He looked at all of them blindly, not batting an eye at who they were, or what they used to be to him, they were dead now.

Vader sighed, switching off the lightsaber and dropped it to the floor. He kicked it aside as he went to go pick up his cloak, and threw is back over himself, brushing his hair out of his face, as it was rather sweaty from the battle he just completed.

He walked out of the room, and into the computer room, where he would find information about Jedi that were still alive, well, hopefully anyway.

He looked into the monitor in front of him and pulled up a star map, while crossing his arms, still standing up straight. He pulled out his comlink, and spoke into it, contacting his computer that was in the ship.

"I have used the codes you provided to access the way's station's archives, Lord Vader. What information do you seek?" the computer asked him blatantly.

"Does the archive contain a record of all Jedi assignments before the execution of Order 66?" Vader asks, putting his hand up to his chin in thought.

"Yes. A backup from the primary records at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

"I require data on any Jedi who took the Barash Vow prior to the purge."

"The Barash Vow. Clarify your need for this information."

"I do not expect to be questioned, I expect to be obeyed," Vader remarks, annoyed by the droid's inquires.

"As long as I serve you, I will do both--if I ask a question, it is because I believe the answer will enhance my service. Potential responses to your query include over fourteen thousand Jedi since the founding of the Order. I can recite all available data on these Jedi. It will take several months. Or... You could clarify. Either is acceptable to me."

Vader huffed, giving in the droid's perception. "My master ordered me to take the Kyber crystal for my lightsaber from a Jedi I have defeated knowing combat. Because of the purge, that task has become... Difficult," Vader pauses, images of Jedi he killed flashed through his mind, but he waved it off. "I require a living Jedi. Finding a Barash-Taker seems the easiest route, if one exists."

Vader looks up at the star map, glancing between all of the different planets in the solar system. "Any Jedi pursing Barash has sworn to refrain from activities related to the Order. Complete disengagement from anything but the Force. It is a type of penance. While a Barash-Taker would've felt the purge, they would not have allowed themselves to respond to it, or take action of any kind."

"Which means they may not have gone into hiding after Order 66. I understand Lord Vader, thank you... Resuming search protocol--"

Out of nowhere, in comes a smoke grenade, flying into the room.

"Lord Vader! Explosive device detected!" warns the computer. "Take--"

Vader growls, annoyed already with both the computer and the clones. Quickly, before the bomb executes it's explosion, Vader uses the Force to stop it from releasing it's poisonous gas. It stood still in mid-air, only by the power of the Force.

"The explosive device did not explode," the computer observes.

"Yes... I am... Aware..." he tiredly responds, as he was straining to keep it closed.

The two clones from earlier approach him, pointing their puny blasters at Darth Vader. "Get on your knees! You're coming with us!"

" 'Coming with us'? Just shoot him Ding!" the other one remarks snarkily.

"I have a better idea. We know what Jedi are capable of, they're powerful, but they have limits," the apparent Ding replies to the other clone.

Honestly Vader could've snapped their heads off right there, but he enjoyed their bickering.

"There's no way he can do anything to us while he's keeping that grenade from exploding. We'll get him into restraints and then he's ours."

"And then what?"

"And then we'll take him back to the Emperor--offer him up like a prize! Who knows what he'll give us if we give a Jedi traitor! No more retirement, red helmets for sure!"

Vader breathed, turning his head to meet them, his Sith eyes burned into their helmets. "Troopers, you have made a mistake," he chuckles charismatically, just as if he would've done if he were Anakin.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I'm not a Jedi..." he remarks, using the Force to choke each of them.

"Can't... Breathe!"

At last, Vader closes the invisible hand around their neck, closing their airways to their lungs, and then dropping them both on the floor, like two old battle droids.

Vader continued, "I have no limits," Vader pauses and turns back around, while still holding on to the grenade, talking to the computer. "Have you completed your search? I would prefer--" he raised an eyebrow as he saw the green poisonous gas started to slowly leak out of it's compartment. "I would prefer that this phase of the operation be completed... Quickly."

"I have it master, search complete," it replies.

Vader lets the bomb go, quickly running out of the computer room, still on the comlink with his computer. "Who?"

"It is unlikely you have encountered him before."

"Who?" Vader asks again, unsatisfied that the droid couldn't answer his question the first time. He quickly made his way into his ship, sitting in the cockpit, turning his comlink off as he could now directly talk to the computer.

"He has been on his pilgrimage since before you entered the Jedi Temple."

"Who?" He demands again, starting the engines, and speeding off.

Behind him, the way station explodes, green gas being seen everywhere. Satisfied, he smirks, speeding off even faster.

"He is unique, even for a Jedi. His name is Kirak Infil'a. It has been many years since he has been active in Jedi affairs. But the records show that even when he was, he did not take part in diplomacy, training, or research," the droid paused, gathering more information. "Apparently, master Infil'a had precisely one purpose within the Order: To fight."

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"Good soldiers follow orders... Good soldiers follow orders," -Tup