The situation couldn't be worse. Of all the things that the galaxy hid, what Boil and the rest least expected was the fact of having two magnaguards as "personal escorts." On Takke's orders, the deadly droids guided the guests to a rather comfortable room, where they would wait until the host returned with the goods for exchange.

They walked tensely through the hallways. Mirana being the one in front and Boil in the rear, in a useless attempt to protect the young Twi'lek who were the center of attention of all those who looked out with curious eyes. But even Takke's lackeys hid behind the doors when they saw the droids escorting them.

A magnaguardia was in front of the group, acting as a guide, and turning on his electrobar every time that some entertaining henchman did not notice his presence, who fled in terror at the boom of such a terrifying sound. The other was behind Boil, and his mere presence behind the clone's back made a shiver run through his body.

It was not the first time the clone had seen these types of droids, and their reputation made them the deadliest machines the Confederacy of Independent Systems could have produced. Well, the purpose of their creation was none other than to subdue the invincible Jedi, and they became the personal guards of the Separatist leaders.

What two droids of such caliber made in a place like this was quite a mystery. But the fact that Icarus had not come on this mission was something that the clone regretted from the depths of his being. It would be more than easy for their general to enter the neural network of the magnaguardias and reprogram them, but none of them had the slightest chance of defeating them in battle. He even had doubts if the commando droid unit waiting outside the facility stood a chance against those droids.

Boil's mind continued to be busy, trying to find a way out of this situation even when they had reached the room. It was not necessary to be very smart to know that they were being watched, since the steps of the magnaguardias never left the place. In fact, they were perfectly convinced that the droids were waiting outside the room, and they couldn't say anything compromising. But at least there was something Boil was interested in knowing.

Boil: - And this Takke guy... Where do you know each other? -

Her question wasn't very reckless, but it was more than clear that Mirana didn't want to answer, or at least her angry face was what she showed.

It was a not very pleasant past. Something Mirana didn't want to remember, but it was difficult to escape the three pairs of eyes that were looking at her curiously. At least it was better than staying silent until they had to return to Takke.

Mirana: - My past... It's not very pleasant to hear. - She said accompanied by a long sigh, while she adjusted her ideas so as not to make the story as bitter as she remembered it. - I come from a planet called Taris. If you haven't heard of him then you have been very lucky. It's not a very... nice place to say the least. Fighting to survive every day was the norm and that had made me someone... difficult to deal with. I don't remember when exactly, but somehow my path crossed that of Takke when I was younger. If I remember correctly, when we both accepted a mission at the same time. I was a rookie as a bounty hunter back then, but when I thought I should start fighting for my credits, Takke extended a hand and allowed me to join his crew. -

Numa: - Wait... Are you talking about the same Takke from a few minutes ago? -

Mirana: - As hard as it may be to believe... Yes. - He said quite regretfully. - Back then the Takke I knew was... different. Charizmatic... And he always got us into trouble. -

Lubo: - Was there anyone else with you? -

Mirana: - Yes. Homer and Mikasa. Our dearest colleagues and... friends. -

-------------- Flash Back -------------

A group of four quite enthusiastic young people could be seen. Encouraged by the generous reward that their next assignment promised them. Takke always piloted his ship, an S-130 Shelter Speeder that he had stolen from some Naboo merchants several years ago. It was not a ship for intergalactic travel, but with all the modifications that Takke himself had made to it, it could travel at the speed of light like any other.

Within the crew was Mirana herself, and two other individuals who had not shown up until now. The female was an arcona, a rather strange species these days. She responded to the name Mikasa, and was always the most hyperactive of the four, and therefore, the reason why the missions always became more complex than usual. His skin was brown, and he wore a leather jacket very typical of a bounty hunter, although his simple attitude was never in keeping with his bearing.

The other individual was a male of the Zabrak race, the complete opposite of the previous one. His face was occupied by the classic black tattoos of his people that were marked on his yellow skin. He was the strongest of the group, and was always the one carrying the biggest weapon and the explosives, although his calm and kind personality was not typical of someone from that world.

For five long years on Earth, the group consolidated and became renowned. During the Clone Wars they used to work for the Separatist side, accepting any mission that would provide them with good pay and some extra ammunition. But when the war ended... his source of income was considerably reduced.

Desperate, Takke accepted a very peculiar order from an unknown client. They had to travel to a supposedly forgotten planet, where some senior Separatist commanders used to meet and recover some artifacts. According to the information they were given, the planet's facilities had been abandoned and had probably been reduced to ashes by the planet's extreme climate. But the pay for each artifact found was so good that it was worth going to investigate. That planet... was called Mustafar.

As they approached, the four saw with enthusiasm how the information given by the client coincided with what their eyes revealed. A volcanic planet devoid of life, and the ship's sensors detected a strange structure on the surface, supposedly the place where they could find something of value.

Once they descended into the planet's atmosphere, they began to feel the scorching air, and the idea of ​​wearing masks to breathe was quite accepted. But their enthusiasm vanished like dust when they saw an imposing structure in front of them. The one that seemed to emit the very strange signal that his ship received.

The structure looked clearly incomplete. But if you looked closely, it seemed to be only half built, and not being devoured by the endless channels of burning lava that saturated the planet. Even so, their desire for wealth encouraged them to continue forward, but with every meter they advanced they began to have that feeling that being there was anything but prudent.

Takke landed the ship on a desolate, half-built platform. The area was desolate... as if it were abandoned... But an uncomfortable feeling was noticeable in those present. Something... seemed not right.

Still, Takke's words of encouragement allowed them to move forward. According to their calculations, upon finishing that mission they would have so many credits that they could retire for life, or even buy a much larger ship and dedicate themselves to other things. Something less risky in a galaxy where the newly founded Galactic Empire extended its cold claws over the galaxy.

Walking through the hallways of the facility was extremely strange. Mustafar was supposed to be a planetary furnace, but inside the facility there was a strange deathly cold. The obvious lack of life was even more worrying, even though there weren't even droids dismantling or repairing whatever that place was.

Their adventure took them to a strange chamber, which curiously matched perfectly the description that the supposed client had given the Trandoshan. And right in the middle of the room, strangely levitating on a pedestal, a strange pyramidal object caught his attention instantly.

They didn't know what it was, but it definitely looked valuable. Very valuable. Whatever it was, it would have to cost a fortune and they wouldn't let an opportunity so well served on a silver platter pass them by. But it is enough to take one step closer to the object, for your blood to run cold, and an irrational fear will flood your body.

Something... Had stopped them. Or rather, the presence of something or... someone. They could feel it, even without having any Force power they could perfectly feel the angry and unbridled aura that was unleashed behind them. It was like feeling the fiercest of predators breathing down your neck, ready to deliver the final blow that would put an end to your miserable life.

The four of them turned around slowly, their hearts beating so fast it seemed like it wanted to burst out of their chests. But what they saw was something that would undoubtedly tear at their sanity and implant an irrational fear of death. Death made metal.

A monster. A half-man, half-machine creature. A mask that covered his mutilated face that he could barely live without his artificial respiration, the one that created such a chilling sound in the sepulchral silence.

Darte Vader was a shadow. A being that not even the empire itself knew about. Its mere existence was a secret of the emperor himself and some very select senior officials. A monster of rage trapped in a metal body, which in turn, was trapped on that volcanic planet. A place where he would forever remember the shame of defeat... and the consequences of his actions.

Even without knowing it, the four bounty hunters had entered the devil's house, and now they were the victims of his fury. An uncontrollable fury that his metal body could barely contain. The white light was obscured, as a terrifying red lightsaber lit up above his right hand. As experienced combatants, they knew when the situation posed a threat, and their instincts forced them to raise their weapons. A serious mistake.

The metal monster stretched its left hand in front, and then... the nightmare broke out.

Mirana was not able to tell exactly what had happened to those who heard her story, but she remembered what happened very well. His body shuddered as he saw how the zabrak and the arcona magically rose, as if an invisible force took them by the neck and lifted them by weight. Mikasa and Homer squirmed as something they couldn't see clung to their necks like an invisible hand. It was then that the tragedy only worsened.

The strange metal monster waved its hand abruptly, and a piercing crack caused everyone present to shiver. The zabarak fell to the ground, lifeless and with its head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees towards its back. A muffled scream escaped their throats, or at least those who still had them, as the other victim of the monster's fury flew through the air at an impossible speed, his body bursting into a thousand pieces as he crashed into the ground. wall.

Takke and Mirana watched in terror as the misshapen sack of flesh and bones that their friend had become fell amorphously on the ground, leaving a trail of red tones wherever her body landed. Mirana went into anger, an inhuman fury that coursed through her body and forced her to raise her blaster against these horrifying monsters. Fatal decision.

Takke: - ¡ Mirana! No! -

But his words fell on deaf ears. The woman unleashed a flurry of shots at the cibor, but what she never expected was for her shots to be reflected with a single swing of her crimson sword.

Takke: - Arg.... - The Trandoshan complained of pain when one of the reflected blasters hit his abdomen directly.

Mirana: - ¡Thank you! ¡ARGGGGG...! -

The woman's scream was much more heartbreaking. Losing sight of your opponent is a fatal mistake. An error that Miranan would pay heavily for. By the time she realized it, the metallic monster pounced on her, and would have cut off her head with its mysterious sword of red light if it hadn't been for her reflexes, but that didn't stop the energy blade from piercing her right eye, leaving a horrendous scar on his face, right in the same place where he now had his bionic eye.

But the Force and destiny would be on his side that day. In a rush of adrenaline Mirana was able to reach Takke, and with the infernal pain on her face she was able to help him lift him up, and without looking back, they ran as fast as they could back to their ship. Apparently the monster was not chasing them, and the only thing they heard was its heartbreaking roar echoing through the silent hallways of their fortress. What he didn't know was that Darth Vader's robotic right leg had failed, and the short circuit that it triggered caused painful shocks of electricity throughout his body. Only real reason they were still alive. A failure of many that the Sith Lord's obsolete armor used to endure.

After that day nothing was the same. Takke fell into a deep depression, blaming himself for the deaths of his friends while doing his best to survive the abdominal wound that was fighting to take his life. The Trandoshan was consumed by hate and guilt, and was never the same again.

Broken, what remained of the group had no choice but to separate, taking very opposite paths from what they had apparently reached at that time. An opportunity to face the past and overcome it once and for all. Takke became his rival over time, a rivalry that escalated into aggression and a desire for death. Perhaps a reckless way to cope with the burden of the past, but not unrelated to the reality of the Galaxy. What was the correct way to solve such a dilemma? Not even Mirana herself knew the answer. What he did know... Was that he would not hesitate to shoot the skull of the one he once called... a friend.