Lava is mined as a precious natural resource on this volatile and volcanic world. The opposing gravitational forces of the twin gas giants closest to Mustafar tear apart the planet’s surface to reveal the mineral-rich lava flows underneath. Once serving as the capital world for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, remnants of their past influence still linger. Massive mining facilities—originally constructed by the Techno Union—are still maintained by the native Mustafarians, an egocentric people who would like nothing more than to squeeze minerals for the purposes of trade and commerce from their volcanic planet.

Other than in the pursuit of business interests, few arrive on Mustafar save for those needing to incinerate evidence in its vast expanses of magma. What little curiosity is given to the volcanic planet is thwarted by a natural scanning interference caused by intense geological activity. Pirates, smugglers, criminals and scum all value this world’s ability to dump bodies, tracked cargo shipments and other unwanted articles—the singular reason for the Black Sun’s interest in the Outer Rim world.

Droids, machines and conveyor belts create the workings of an efficient system to extract the minerals and have it prepared for refinement and transportation. Lacking a suitable surface, metal walkways are shielded against the heat to allow workers passage throughout the facilities. Even with the worst of the heat being shielded against, Mustafar’s temperature remains less than comfortable to most species lacking exoskeletons.

Beyond the blistering heat of the volcanic world, Mustafar served as the battlefield for the fabled final duel between Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

The bridge was a huge construction, spanning one of Mustafar’s many lava rivers. A large steel expanse covered in sensors, defences, barrier points. It was designed to keep the Pirate Lord Kalseer safely on his island, the entire resource rich edifice surrounded by wide flowing rivers of lava and studded with anti-air turrets to prevent someone simply flying in.

Worse, the entire bridge was designed to be able to be dunked into the river if it was being overrun. The entire structure had been considered impossible to infiltrate or even assault for years as Kalseer’s wealth increased further and further.

“So, Ewok?” Edema stated impatiently as Work’t lay across the ground, stolen macro-binoculars awkwardly across his face and optical camouflage leaving him looking like an Ewok shaped rock. She still was annoyed that their assault had been delayed in the first place by the need to get them, and now he had laid as she stood cloaked for over fifteen minutes. “Are we planning to just stand here until we die of heat stroke?”

For his part, the Ewok just snorted something in Ewokese, which hardly helped her mood. He waved a hand and switched to basic. “See much. Five section. First, gun nests. Big guns. Second, security check points. Barriers. Third, mine field.”

She interrupted. “Mine field? On their own bridge?”

Work’t pointed at her. “Kalseer no stupid. Dense, dense field. No slip slip. Energy flying too much, see sensors. Mines stop way, cloak way.” She nodded, that made sense. If they didn’t have a method of stopping a cloaked force user the rest of their defences serve little purpose. Not that cloaking would have stopped the array of heat and volume sensors they had out there anyway.

“After that?” She demanded. “You said five sections.”

“Kill zone for building turrets. Gate.” He said, gesturing at a wide-open space before the great gate at the end of the bridge. “Break mines…” He said, planting an image of his slicing gear into her mind. She stepped on him abit, this was the third time today he’d tried to mind speak her. He grunted but continued in basic. “But not stop guns. Too space. I no hide.”

She nodded. “So, we smash through the gun nests, we’ve got the force and the element of surprise. You hack into the security stations once we breach it and hack the mine field and bridge controls so they can’t drop us down. Then we need to disable the heat sensors so I can cloak across and clear the turret nests above the gate for you, and from there the internal security will have to deal with two Sith in close quarters.”

Work’t nodded. “I reverse magma flow pump. Make big lava squirt. Blind turrets. You cloak. Kill. I cross?”

Edema nodded down at the furry lump. This was what she had to drag him out for in the first place, only a talented slicer could disable the mines and bridge in time to prevent them getting pinned. She just hoped they didn’t have any air support available…

She would resolve the mark on Kalseer’s life. She had sworn it.

Edema looked at the bridge that lay before her the minefield would be the tricky part but the rest, piece of cake, well unless they dunked the whole fraked bridge in the lava.

To her right and left were the bridge initial defence turrets, they were ringed with sensors and had probably half a dozen guards in each one, should be fairly simple.

Drawing the force around her she cloaked, vanishing from sight. She heard a slight gasp from the Ewok but paid no attention to it, her prey lay before her. Approaching the door to the turret bunker she recalled what her companion had said about slicing, we time to show her slicing skill, igniting her saber she cut through the door and gently used the force to lay it down, quietly does it, she needed to take this bunker by stealth, the other not so much.

Climbing the stairs she could sense the guards, two gunners, two crew and what seemed to be some kind of commander, she entered the gun room like a wraith, not even her shadow cast in the space. With a fluid movement that sang of practice she uncloaked and had four of her blades whisking towards their prey before they had even a chance to clock that she was there, the last one, the commander, would survive a bit longer, but only because she wanted to enjoy this kill. Reaching out with the force she clashed his mouth shut, preventing his scream from spoiling the game. Pushing him against the bunker wall she closed on him, her helmet visor inches from his face.

"You have no idea who I am, nor will you, but I want to see your face as your life force leaves you"

Her helmets voice synthesizer making her comment sound so much more sinister as her lightsaber ignited in the mans gut, the smell of burning and melting flesh filled the space as she watched the man internally scream in pain until eventually his body failed him and his life was extinguished. It was rare that she would take such pleasure in a kill but something was driving her on this mission.

The crew dispatched she made her way over to the twin-barrelled laser cannon and sat in the gunner seat, It was a model she was familiar with, especially as it was her uncle who had been supplying the pirate lord for a few years. slewing the gun round she took aim at the opposite gun tower, zooming in she could see that they were oblivious to their fate, she pressed the button and sent red death hurtling towards the bunker. the resulting explosion was glorious, it gave them away but without such heavy firepower there would be no way of eliminating the heavy guns. Swinging the gun around she took aim at the other pair of heavy emplacements. The first exploded spectacularly, the second she was only able to get a glancing blow as she had to dive from the weapon and through the gun slit as the last turret had been able to get off a single shot in reply before the weapon failed, the Mandalorian rolled as the bunker behind her exploded in an almost artistic fashion, chunks of duracrete clattering from her armour.

The game was afoot and the fun would now start, she turned around to see the Ewok cowering behind a barrier

"Hey, fluffball, you coming? The fun starts now"

With that last comment she ignited her blades and made her towards the now alerted horde of angry pirates that lay before her, a wide grin plastered over he face. This was what she lived for.

Work’t stood, glaring at the back of the cocksure cloaker as she slipped off into the line of fire. With the gun nests now inactive, he easily made his way through in time to watch the flashes of blaster fire and hear the crazed screaming of the dying garrison. He watched a squad pile out and raise blasters toward him.

“Kriff.” He muttered, lighting his red saber and aggressively blocking the blasts. Each slammed off his tight defensive form before they suddenly lost half their numbers. Raising a barrier in the confusion, he drew his energy bow and dropped two more before the Sephi manifested and dropped them. She did so with flourish and dramatic energy. He rolled his eyes as he hurled his weight up the ramp into the security checkpoint. Inside he found a mess of…well. The staff wasn’t doing so well after having Edema in here. The bridge began to drop, gears pumping to lower the bridge into the lava.

He ran up to the console as he saw the flicker of her moving across the edge of the minefield. “Wait.” He said. “No yet. No ready. Die if step.” He said exasperated at the bloodthirsty force of pure malice standing over by the minefield, invisible now she was still.

She spat back “You’re about to be dropped in lava. And I can’t get through the gate without you.” Ignoring her, he sliced into the console, the security blinking out in a binaric collapse. They had not prepared for a decent slicer to be within their gunwall. Few people did, and he punished that by unleashing the Sephi across the bridge toward the turret nests. He heard the load cracks and screams of tortured metal as he slammed the central control system open on the terminal, overriding the bridge. “Don’t rush master.” He said, irritably. The bridge’s gears reversed, forcing huge spurts of lava up from the pumping system that was now working in complete reverse, slagging itself as it blinded the occupants of the small fort.

He blinked. “You walk through thermal?” He said.

“I can cloak through it.” She snorted. “Didn’t want to upset your sense of importance. Want to get this gate open?” Work’t ran up, through the dozens of mines that now sat inactive. Passing the turret stations that were meant to guard the gate, now smoking furiously. He shook his head, wondering how she’d managed that. Then again, lightsabers could get you far. He reached the gate console, setting his kit into play. Probes and slicing spikes deployed into the lock computer, quickly grating it open. And then she was gone.

Work’t nodded, following quietly after her. A job well done, he figured. He just hoped Kalseer’s body was recognisable to claim the bounty by the time she was done in there. Edema had already started dropping bodies, and he saw the path covered in more of Kalseer's goons.

"Messy, messy." He said, sour.

Entry into the fort had proved somewhat of a disappointment. The bio on this kal whatsit bloke had him as a high and might crime lord with the best soldiers money could buy, based on the quality of the hired help that lay in chunks behind her, he was obviously not hiring top class.

Cloaked, she made her way down a series of corridors, behind her in the distance she could hear the chittering of her Ewok companion, she had hoped he would have been quicker getting to the minefield, she had been looking forward to throwing the little fuzzball over it, ah well, she shrugged, not that anyone could see.

The Ewok was the opposite of stealth, the clattering noises he made as he tried to carve through what was left would have woken the entire fortress, had they not already been aware of them

Muttering to herself in her helmet.

"Kids, these other races seem to take so long to learn"

The "throne room" loomed before her, well it said it was a throne room, the big and garish flashing light sign that sat above the door was quite clear on the matter.

Bored of the lack of challenges she glided into the command room, guards fluttered about trying to use scanners while a fat bearded man sat in an overly ornate chair, wearing ornate armour and jewelry.... Well at least we know where his money went.

The Sephi found a suitable place to sit while she waited for her furry freind. It was a while before she heard her small friends pattering noise as he ran up the stairs before the "great door" (also made clear in big gold lettering), the guards bearly noticed as the small angry and exhausted Ewok charged into the room, he stood there panting as two guards turned to look, utter confusion in their faces.

The Ewok reached out with the force

"Armoured girl, where you go, you hide?"

Edema chuckled, it had been a while since she had spoken through the force.

"I'm here fuzzy, been waiting for you, didn't want to spoil the fun"

By now the whole room, a dozen guards and the fat crime boss were all looking at the Ewok, they were laughing and pointing, to them an angry Ewok running in must have seemed like some kind of comedy, a pet perhaps, it wasn't untill his red blade lit up that their expressions changed, little did they know it was too late. Blasters were raised but it wouldn't help them as a dozen blades flew from the shadows followed by the armoured Sephi, her blades ignited l, the few guards that were left quickly decided that their employment options needed to be reviewed and promptly ran, the crim boss hurling abuse at them as they ran.

The Ewok and Sephi stood before the furious crime lord who was spitting insults at them, Edema was glad she was in her armour, as it wasn't just words that emerged, her Ewok companion was not as lucky, and would need a shower. The Mandalorian threw the bounty puck infront of the furious crime boss, and his hologram flashed up followed with the bounty, and it wasn't small, angrily he stood up to kick it, but it was clear he didn't do much moving these days, he tripped and fell, sliding down the steps that sat before his chair and ending up face down on the marble floor.

"Kalseer, you are wanted for a multitude of crimes, and now your taxes are due, oh and the price is the same alive or dead, so it's your choice"

The crime lord struggled to sit up

"You stupid filth, I will not be taken in by your kind, your pathetic, useless, ugly, poor, uneducated, ungr...."

His ranting was cut short by Work't's lightsabers removing the man's head from his shoulders.

The Ewok looked at Edema and shrugged.

"Ugly man talk to much, me make quiet"

They both chuckled and Work't placed the head in a sealed bounty bag and the pair made their way out the fort.

"Next time you ask for my help, make sure there is no lava and please at least pick someone who can hire decent guards"

The pair laughed.

As they exited the fort they saw that the bridge controls had failed and the bridge had submerged, the Ewok looked at Edema

"Don't panic my fury freind. Edema to Nightfall Prism"

Her helmet coma cracked into life as her droid responded

"Give us a lift would you, many thanks"

Edema heard a gasp from the Ewok

"Wait... You have ship? Why you not say?"

She shrugged

"You never asked"

The pair waited for their ride as the Ewok chuntered about the ship and how it would have made things easier.