Trooper

Raid on Kadavo

Kadavo: 14 BBY
"Oppressor"
Jess

Jess was waiting in the main hangar as the Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace. Darth Vader's fleet appeared before them, with his Executor Star Dreadnought in the center. A few shuttles departed from the Executor, headed for the Oppressor.

Amos and Dak stood on either side of him. Ormen was just down the line. Jess straightened as the commander passed by, glancing them over. "On your best behavior, Clone," the commander whispered with a sneer. "We wouldn't want Lord Vader taking an interest in you."

    Jess gritted his teeth and his fist tightened around his blaster. He said nothing, though. The commander continued on as the shuttles reached the hangar and docked. A sense of foreboding filled his mind as the ramps extended. Steam hissed from the shuttles, purging the life support system.

    Breathing filled the audio receptors within his helmet as a black menace stepped off the ship, followed by two Red Guards and several stormtroopers. "Whoa," Amos whispered beside him. The Oppressor's admiral fell in step beside the Dark Lord.

    "Our best troops have been prepared for the mission on Kadavo, Lord Vader."

    "Excellent. Order our fleets to converge on the planet and form a blockade. We will deploy the troops as soon as the system is secure," Vader ordered.

    "Yes, my Lord." The two of them disappeared into a lift, headed towards the bridge.

    The troops visibly relaxed as the Dark Lord vanished. Commanders and lieutenants ran back and forth as orders echoed through the ship. "I didn't think he'd be so," Dak began.

    "Menacing," Ormen finished. He had somehow managed to maneuver his way closer to them. "Does anyone know where he came from?"

    Dak shook his head. "He showed up during the Purge, I thought. The Emperor had him hidden away somewhere until then. He led the attack on the..." he lowered his voice, "on the Jedi Temple. I heard he's the one who killed the Separatist Leaders."

    "No one knew where he was before then?" Jess asked, furrowing his brows.

"Nope. He just appeared."

"That's odd."

"Everything about him is odd," Amos agreed. "You've heard the stories. He doesn't cut corners. I heard he was hunting for some Togruta Jedi and her baby two years ago or something. He killed a former Republic senator."

"Which senator?" Ormen prompted.

"Bonteri, I think."

"Oh, him? He doesn't really count. He only joined the Republic after they helped him take over his planet," Dak retorted.

Jess silently picked over the name in his mind. It didn't sound familiar, although, he had never been too knowledgeable on the workings of the Senate. It hadn't been necessary when he was deployed.

"Hey, Jess, did you hear me?" Dak waved a hand before the visor of his helmet. Jess blinked, surprised.

"Sorry, what?"

Dak let out a hiss of frustration. "You're always in your own world these days. I said you'd better not do anything stupid while Vader is here. He won't tolerate you."

"Don't worry. I won't," Jess replied, a bite of annoyance in his words. Amos and Ormen glanced at each other.

"Hey, you four! Get to your transports!" A deck officer shouted, running past them.

Jess glanced out of the hangar. Kadavo loomed before them. The entire fleet had moved into a barricading position. Several troop transports had been deployed already. Jess sprinted after Dak and jumped into a transport, just as the boarding ramp sealed.