1 hour before the attack on The Tranquility: The assassin and his droid PROXY are currently on his personal prototype star ship, called The Rogue Shadow; a ship designed for stealth, reconnaissance, and for getting to and from his missions and where he needs to go without being detected, and a ship that had a cloaking device in it as well. 

PROXY was currently flying the ship on his own to the meet up with Asajj Ventress and her boarding party, whilst the assassin himself was currently sitting down in a meditation like pose inside a fairly big and spacious room that he uses for both meditating, and combat training. 

What the assassin used this room for varied depending on his mood; sometimes he used it for meditating, as he was currently; or sometimes he'd use it for saber training practices against training droids or PROXY, since PROXY had a bit of a...'hobby' to try to kill the assassin in combat with any of his training programs. And not kill as in "pretend to kill me with practice sabers", but kill as in "attempt to kill me with everything at your disposal"!

It was part of PROXY's programming, one that had been programmed into PROXY when the assassin was younger...but it was one that the assassin both didn't mind, and rather found both intriguing...and uplifting in a way...and it certainly wasn't a programming that the assassin had any plans on removing in the near future, or at all, finding it comforting in his own way that, with the right programming, one day PROXY might be the one to kill him, and he would have no regrets over it if his only friend did kill him...

Soon enough, the droid on his mind in question soon said via the com "Master, we are approaching the ship that Ventress is on now. She has agreed to meet us at Docking Bay 5." To which the assassin soon spoke as he opened his blood red eyes from behind his helmet (not that anyone could see them with the helmet on), standing up as he replied "I'm on my way...and PROXY? Have you installed the programming yet?" "Yes Master. All droids, security feeds and computer systems will have their memory banks completely wiped of your existence and of the ships." PROXY answered. 

The assassin smirked a bit behind his helmet, simply saying "Good." After that, he soon went and entered the cockpit, heading to the ramp of the ship as his ship began to come out of hyperspace and then began to dock on the Separatist Cruiser. Upon docking on the ship, the ramp for the Rogue Shadow lowered down as the assassin began to exit the ship...greeted by Dooku's other, far less successful assassin, Ventress.

Ventress was a Nightsister from Dathomir who had once been a Jedi, or at least that's what the assassin had found out from PROXY before they had left his dark world for the mission. Beyond that, he knew only that she became the assassin of Darth Sidious, Dooku's master, and Dooku himself, but one who had had many failures and only two successes that were known to him; which was to lure the then Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker to Yavin 4 to try to kill him, in which only the luring part was successful; and also to kidnap crime lord Jabba the Hutt's son. 

Compared to the assassin himself and General Grevious, who had multiple successes between them and, in the assassins case, only a couple of failures: the assassin found it hard to think why either Dooku or his dark master would bother keeping Ventress...though that also meant that he had sympathy for Ventress as well, since she'd probably never know when she'd be replaced or killed when the time to get rid of her did come.

"Ah, Dooku's prized assassin. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ventress soon said, though he knew she wasn't being sincere with the pleasantries, if her coy and emotionless smile wasn't obvious enough. 

"Ventress..." he said simply, not hiding his lack of care at the moment. Ventress soon said the plan as she lead them both to the boarding pods a few corridors down. 

"We are to be taking boarding pods to enter the Jedi's ship. The droids will distract the Clones and, with luck, the Jedi long enough so we can sneak out and head to the Viceroy. We need only keep the Jedi distracted long enough for one of us, or our agent in the Republic, to free the Viceroy." 

"Agent?" the assassin soon asked, stopping a few feet behind Ventress, as they enter the area where the pods were, who in turn stopped and said with a smirk on her face "Why, didn't you know? We have an...accomplice, in the Republic who's ready to spring the Viceroy out at a moments notice." she stated coldly.

The assassin was not at all impressed with that, thinking that using defectors or traitors was neither honorable nor needed, and he personally found it an insult as well. 

He soon said to that "Pray we don't need them..." as he began to walk to his pod; Ventress smirking as she says "I'm surprised...I would have thought you would appreciate the use of Republic Traitors working with us." 

Ventress moved her hands to her belt where her ligthsabers normally are...only to find that they weren't on her belt, to her shock, to which the assassin soon said as he lifted one of his hands up "Looking for these?" And soon both of Ventress's sabers appear above his already lifted hand, much to the surprise of Ventress, her face clearly betraying her thoughts of confusion and shock, not knowing how or when he got her lightsabers. 

"If you plan on killing someone...don't stall and toy with the prey, or they'll become the predator..." He threw her sabers back at her as he got in his pod. "I pity you...no wonder they have no faith in you." he said in a mocking attempt to rile her up, which seemed to work as he closed the door on his pod. His attempt also being an attempt to give her more incentive to succeed.

Soon enough, the pods began to launch, and some Vulture Droids began to follow and escort the pods to the Republic ship, Tranquility, were upon arriving at the ship; the pods pierced their way into the hanger bays...well, mostly...however the assassin himself had programmed his pod to crash into the nearest gunnery section near the main cannon. 

And, as not too long afterwards, he soon ended up crashing into the gunnery section, smashing into one of the cannons as well, before using the Force to smash open the pod door right into some unlucky clones that got too close! 

He then proceeded to call to his hand and then activate his red lightsaber only with the Force this time, deciding against using his darksaber unless he desperately needed it, or if he faced any Jedi worthy enough to face against him and his blade. 

He held the blade he was currently using in his usual reverse style, similar to the Jedi Snipers* of the Jedi Temple, and he began to casually walk out of the pod, being greeted only by a battalion of Clone Troopers. 

"Pfft...only a battalion?" He said, easily deflecting their blaster fire with his saber...before discharging a powerful blast of Force Push that sent the troopers instantly smashing into walls, killing them on impact from the force of the blast, or into special laser force fields that incinerated them upon contact with the force fields.

As soon as the clones were dealt with; he used the Force to tear open the door in front of him, and then soon began to run down the corridor to find a nearby vent duct, or possibly a nearby maintenance hatch, that would lead to the engine room and then could lead to the vents. All the while, he made sure he had access to all communications from both sides, if anything to find out the progress of what was happening with Nute Gunray. 

He soon reached the nearest maintenance hatch and tore into it with his lightsaber, before jumping down inside it into the engine room...when he got there, he could already seen Ventress throwing mines and detonators, no doubt for whatever she planned to use them for later. 

Once she was gone, he used the Force to clear a path into one of the vents, before using it again to propel himself up to the vent and enter it without anyone seeing him. He soon made his way through the vents, hearing chatter on the com about Ventress near the Viceroy...soon though, he feels a great shudder among the cruiser, which in turn caused the vents to release a poisonous gas that would kill any other person! 

The gas only caused the assassin to start having troublesome, if slightly painful, coughing fits...one of the few things he was thankful about his suit...

"PROXY? *cough* You there?" The assassin asked, to which his trusted droid soon answered. "Yes Master. The Rogue Shadow is at a reasonable area for me to meet you up." "What just...*coughs twice*...what just happened here, can you tell?" 

"It would appear that multiple detonators or mines have detonated in the Engine Room and have crippled the ship. I would assume that Ventress did this in an attempt to cripple the ship, and aid in the retrieval of the Viceroy." PROXY replied, to which the assassin sighed in annoyance at that. "Great...crude and annoying...no wonder her success rate is so low." 

He soon says to PROXY "Hold this frequency PROXY and stand by!" "As you wish Master." PROXY responded calmly, before the assassin continued on...soon picking up a com of particular interest to him regarding a third Jedi on the ship that he was not made aware of. "The droids in the mess hall are cleared out. I'm on my way to the next Deck..."

The voice was female, clearly, and he could feel her presence in the Force just below him as he stops, and soon he heard another female Jedi speaking over the com as well, which he assumed was Skywalker's padawan, finding out in the process that the first voice belonged to a woman named Amy...which strangely caused a familiar feeling to stir among him, as if he'd heard the name before... 

He listened in and heard that she was planning on joining her Jedi companions in facing Ventress in the Engineering Deck, where all the explosions were. He soon reignited his lightsaber and began cutting into the vents below in a circular pattern a couple of feet away from him...hearing the Jedi below igniting her lightsaber, and no doubt whatever Clone Troopers that are with her aiming their guns at where he was cutting...before the section of the vents fell down to the floor and hit it with a clang! 

He then jumped down from the hole, and landed on the ground below, one clawed hand on the floor, and his body in a crouching position. He then looked up after a moment, standing up tall as he looked at the Jedi and her clone followers. "Greetings...Jedi!"

He could sense their fear, their determination, their amazement...and their shock, all of which he found humorous. It was clear that these individuals knew who he was, and it was most likely the Jedi in front of him was one of the few who found out his identity not that very long ago. 

Though he noticed she had a look similar to his thoughts earlier; one of if she recognizes him from somewhere. Amy soon spoke, as she said in an attempt to get him to surrender "In the name of the Republic, I ask you to surrender into Republic custody! Don't force us to destroy you." 

At that, the assassin laughed, in a mechanically bone-chilling and deathly serious tone, one that sounded like death in mechanical form, sending shivers down Amy's and the clones spines, which he could sense as easily as remembering the day he became the way he was now, even if they did try to hide it. 

"Surrender? To you Jedi? I don't think so!" He soon looked to each of the clones, soon saying, to the surprise of his enemies in the room "Call your clones off, and I'll consider sparing them. Otherwise...their deaths will be on your hands..." What surprised Amy was that he actually seemed genuinely sincere in his offer, a trait that the Sith were not often known for, as she had read about in her studies at the Jedi Temple.

"Answer me this: why would you spare my troops?" Amy asked, to which the assassin soon responded truthfully. "I can kill them without a moments warning, and you wouldn't know it. And as tempting as it may be to kill them now to make sure there's no witnesses...I would rather not spill anymore clone blood. No honor in wiping them out like rats..." 

To Amy's surprise, she actually believed him, and whilst it might not be to her advantage, she did not want them to lose their lives against this assassin...she soon turned to the clones and said "Continue to deal with the droids, I'll handle him." 

The clones looked at each other confused, but eventually nodded their heads in compliance as they headed off, leaving Amy to stand alone, face-to-face with the dark assassin. The assassin soon raised his blade in a blocking/defensive position in front of him, soon saying "Know that this is nothing personal Jedi...may you die a worthy death!" 

Amy raised her saber up in a defensive position of her own...before eyeing the metal slab that the assassin had cut into earlier behind him, and whilst it wasn't ideal; she used the Force through her mind to lift up the slab and attempt to launch it at the assassin whilst his back was turned...if anything, it was to see what he was capable of...which, within seconds, he whirls around and instantly cuts the slab in two before redirecting both parts towards Amy as he refaces her, shocking Amy, and causing Amy to use her saber to cut the slabs more before they could hit her, causing them to fall to the floor.

When she cuts them down; the assassin soon quickly launched a streak of powerful purple Force Lightning from his finger tips, to the surprise of his Jedi foe; as she barely is able to block it with her bright pink saber before it can connect with her! 

She then manages to use the Force to bounce the lightning back at her opponent...which he deflected easily into a nearby wall with his lightsaber, saying in response "Impressive...but lets see how good you truly are!" 

And at that he soon sends a blast of Force Lightning at her again, which she is able to block...but in blocking the attack of lightning, she soon realizes she left herself open for other attacks, as was proven when she saw the assassin jump into the air immediately as she blocked the lightning attack and attempts to take her out with a spinning lunge saber attack, to which she barely was able to dodge before the attack could hit its mark...but in doing so; the assassin does score a nasty saber scratch on her right shoulder, his crimson blade easily tearing through her robes like a knife through butter! 

As if smelling blood like a shark; the assassin soon pressed his advantage - spinning his blade around like a blur, moving his body in time in different directions as his blade tried to score another hit on her, but Amy just barely managed to block each and every shot...and in doing so, she was giving away her weaknesses in her saber attacks!

Soon the assassin locks blades with Amy's saber in a saber lock, each saber wielder trying to overpower the other! "Your powerful with the Force, no denying that...but you lack the fighting skills with your saber to back it up!" And at that he used the Force to Force Push her into wall outside of the room that they fought in, taking it into the corridor! 

As Amy panted and tried to catch her breath back, she saw the assassin stop a few feet in front of her...before showing the darksaber that had been attached to his belt of many sabers to her, before saying with a surprising amount of respect in his voice that was aimed at her "Many have died by this blade...but few every face it in melee combat with me...you've earned this honor...Jedi." 

And at that, he soon twirled his darksaber into the same reverse position as his lightsaber and activated it: revealing the dark blade to her that, among the Jedi and Mandalorian's both, is a blade of myths and of the ancients! 

It was at that moment that Amy managed to force herself up in a standing position...then she surprised the assassin by revealing a second saber that she had concealed in her robes, and that had the exact same saber design as her first saber, then immediately activated it to reveal a bright lavender blade...before she then connected the second saber to her first, turning her sabers into a double-bladed saber as she twirled it about a bit before holding it in a defensive position. 

For a Jedi, to hold two sabers was fairly rare, even if they are holding a saber that isn't their own...but for a Jedi to hold two lightsabers that each had a rare crystal in them? It was even more rare. "Bright Pink and Bright Lavender...very rare crystals indeed!"

If Amy could see behind his helmet, she could of seen his smirk, the assassin clearly being impressed. He then chuckled in amusement for the first time in a VERY long time. 

"At last...a challenge!" The assassin said, holding his blades in a cross position before beginning to charge on her, his blades smashing against her blades: and with each strike, the two of them each scored impressive hits on each other, causing blood to be drawn on more than one occasion each; and despite Amy backing up as each hit connects and he advances - she seems like she's improving drastically now that her sabers are connected into one double-bladed saber! 

For almost 10 minutes, the two of them danced around with their blades in the battle as if they were in an elegant dance...and to the assassins surprise, as they entered the higher areas of the engine room; Amy has even managed to tire him out and force him to use the Force to sustain him, a feat only his "master" Count Dooku has done in the past! 

In turn, Amy soon spoke as she panted, with smoke and fire lifting upwards and neither noticing Ventress fighting both Master Luminara or Ahsoka below: "We need not...fight any longer...Surrender, please...!" The assassin responded, equally panting in exhaustion "If I could...I would...But I will not stand down! I can't!"

They are soon interrupted when an explosion caused the walkway they were on to shake...and caused Amy to fall off the edge! But she soon got another shock...soon seeing as she was falling down and her sabers deactivate as she fell...that the assassin himself caught her hand with one of his own, his sabers deactivated! 

"Hang on!" he shouted, soon seeing a nearby ledge for her safety from his peripheral vision, Amy shouting in surprise "Why did you save me!?" But the assassin never answered, before swinging his arm and throwing her to the nearby ledge, which she manages to land on safely! 

Master Luminara and Ahsoka soon reached her, all three Jedi looking up at the assassin as he stood up tall looking down at them, sabers deactivated. "You have earned my respect, Jedi! Be honored, for when we meet again, you will not be so fortunate!" He began to turn away at that, before Amy shouts out "Wait! What's your name!?" 

A name? Why a name? What importance did it make? Still, to his own surprise, he could not help but smirk a bit as he revealed to her as he turned his helmeted head "My name...is Starkiller! Remember the name, for I shall be your destroyer!" And with that, he jumped into a nearby vent as he headed to the escape pods; soon reaching one as he blasted his way through clones with the Force and entered it just in time before reinforcements arrived, and launched it. The Jedi arriving at the pod room in time to see the assassins pod take off!

"They got away!" Ahsoka said annoyed, but Master Luminara soon said, in an attempt to calm her down "Fear not, Ahsoka, we'll catch up to them sooner or later..." Though she wasn't too confident at that herself...though neither of them could sense, feel or even know of the now conflicting feelings that were stirring inside of Amy from her encounter with the assassin...

Meanwhile with the assassin, now revealed as Starkiller: he soon contacted the Rogue Shadow and PROXY as he said, exhausted. "PROXY? I'm in a Republic escape pod...sending my tracking signal to you now..." "Signal received Master, I'm heading my way now." PROXY said as he received the signal from his master. 

"I thought you should know Master - Ventress and our...ally, have recovered the Viceroy and are heading to the ship for the extraction. Shall we follow?" Starkiller panted a little as he placed one of his clawed hands to his helmeted face before responding. 

"No...contact Lord Dooku...tell him the mission was a success...what the others do is their business..." "As you wish master. Oh! Before I forget, that Republic traitor was killed by Ventress moments after the Viceroy's extraction."

That surprised Starkiller a bit, but not much. Betrayal...that was one thing the Sith were good at...betraying those that serve them, or work with them...but now, unexpectedly, he had something else on his mind...or someone on his mind...

"Amy...why does that name sound familiar...?"

*Note: If you don't know who the Jedi Snipers are, they were Jedi that, to my knowledge anyway, was exclusive to the Star Wars Episode III video game, and are enemies that Anakin faces in the Jedi Purge mission, or whatever that mission is called. They hold their blue or green lightsabers in similar fashion to Ahsoka and Starkiller. 

Also, if you do start to have a problem with how Amy Eclipse and Starkiller's attitudes change in the story, please bare in mind that the personality of my OC, Amy Eclipse, was and still is based off of my first girlfriends and one of my closest friends's personality to an extent. Hell, even the lightsaber colours and styles were her decision. 

So all I ask is that you please respect my choice in how the characters change in future chapters.