Well, here it is. It's not finished, and I still have a great many more kinks to work out (I spelled that right, didn't I? kinks...) But enjoy the test preview, I might be updating it, or I might just be pulling it down one day, thinking I could actually turn over some money from this...

The Black Ninja

Admiral’s log: Project Black Ninja

To anyone who finds this and reads this, it means that I am probably no longer in the realm of the living. Whether of old age and retirement, or of being killed, I am no longer around to tell you of the Black Ninja incident. So I have made this log to educate you in my absence.

It all started one day at the Bilbringi shipyards. Star Destroyers were being made like crazy to help defend the Empire’s borders from the New Republic. Along with the Star Destroyers, many smaller fighter class ships were being made, and some Bombers. This was business as usual for the shipyards, and I was stuck there until my own Star Destroyer, The Hunter, was finished with its repairs. Everything was going as planned, and we were actually ahead of schedule, when it happened.

Apparently, a group of top Imperial scientists had created something that was beyond their capabilities to control, namely Project 3340, codenamed the Black Ninja. It was a specially designed clone with all the abilities of a Dark Trooper, and the stealth skills of a ninja. Most of you may not have known that ninjas existed in this time and place, but let me assure you that they are very real, and very deadly.

The ninjas started from a guy named Bengali, who started his own guild, kind of like the bounty hunters. In this guild he trained recruits in the ways of stealth, and of using “Blades over Blasters” as he so elegantly put it. At the start of this guild, the Empire’s hands were full with the Rebels, and most of us thought the ninjas weren’t a problem. But when the Rebels started hiring the ninjas, and we started losing many more men then usual, we knew that we were in trouble, so we summarily executed every member we could find. From the leader we took some D.N.A., which we then put into the Black Ninja project. Then we left the leader on some remote backwater planet, which he somehow managed to escape from, and is now selling weapons, including lightsabers, to bounty hunters.

To continue on with what happened, the Black Ninja escaped, taking a highly advanced TIE Interceptor with him. We later learned that he named the TIE after himself, The Black Ninja. He upgraded the ship by giving it better lasers, a hyperdrive, and a sound dampener for his engines. He then expanded the whole fighter back about 10 feet, including the wings, so that he could store weapons and stuff. After that he went into hiding.

At first we thought that he was incapable of surviving in an everyday lifestyle, because the cloning process had mutated him. But when he came out of hiding, we saw that he had somehow acquired a suit of black Mandalorian combat armor, and had chosen the life of a bounty hunter. He was becoming very successful, and we soon felt the need to take him out so that the Rebels couldn’t hire him for anything.

That was our first mistake. Our second was trying to attack him with a small team of commandos. Needless to say, this first plan of ours didn’t go over very well with the Black Ninja, and we soon found out that the entire team had been taken out, all of them with knife wounds to either the heart or the throat. The worst part was, all of the wounds seemed to suggest that the knife had entered from behind, meaning that the target had snuck up behind the whole team, a team of the Empire’s Elite Commandos, trained to succeed in any situation, and killed them all without them knowing anything was wrong.

And then, as the saying goes, “third times a charm,” we made our third mistake. We decided that instead of sending in a small group of Elites, we’d send in a whole Star Destroyer’s worth of stormtroopers. This was a very costly mistake, and the general or admiral who issued that order should have been demoted to the lowest rank possible, and would be if I were in charge. But I’m not in charge, and the admiral/general wasn’t demoted. Anyways, when we hadn’t heard from the stormtroopers for a few months, we decided to check on them. What we found, we didn’t like at all. Every last stormtrooper was dead.  Most of them had knife wounds, but some had a weird mark on the backs of their necks, which we later identified as the Black Ninja’s symbol. These ones had blaster wounds, made by our own weapons.

So, after much heated discussion about whether we should continue trying to capture him, and if so who would lead the attack, I became Grand Admiral Imat, and, needless to say, was to lead the attack.

Instead of just trying to capture him, I decided to go straight to one half of the clone, Bengali. Bengali had set up shop on a remote world in the Outer Rim called Exocron, and was selling weapons to the greatest of bounty hunters. When we got to Exocron, which was incredibly difficult, considering the many obstacles, we immediately located Bengali’s shop, and went to talk to him.

Now, I’d love to give you the exact wording of this conversation, or give you a recording of it, just to be completely accurate, but that is, unfortunately, impossible at the current time. I shall, instead, tell you basically what was said. Now, when we first arrived, Bengali seemed to think that he had somehow gotten in trouble with the Empire again, which was, for the most part, untrue.

After a little bit of encouraging, he came out and told us what we needed to hear, which we weren’t expecting at the time. He told us how to kill a ninja. Now, this information, combined with our knowledge of the Dark Trooper’s weak spots, finally gave us a clue on how to “take him out.”

But when we told him about the Dark Trooper half of him, Bengali immediately turned white. He said that there was a prophecy, a very old prophecy from what he called “The Three Prophets.” He said the prophecy said that one day a single man of extraordinary power would rise up against the ruling power in the galaxy, and would take it by storm. The prophecy also said that there was only one way to stop him. This “weapon” was very rare, in fact, only one of them existed.

When we heard this, we incorrectly assumed that it had to be the Black Samurai, for what other being could possibly stand up to such power? So, we left Exocron and Bengali behind, setting a course for Bilbringi, to see where the Black Samurai was.

When we got to Bilbringi, we found the whole shipyard was abandoned. Now, because of the secret research facility, this is usually not surprising. We assumed that it was some kind of disease that had escaped. But when we tried to contact them, the Black Ninja himself answered. That was when we started to believe the prophecy. Apparently, he had wiped out the entire shipyard as a warning.

We sent a team of stormtroopers down to surround the comcenter, but he managed to escape, and to steal a Star Destroyer no less. Now, we thought it was impossible to control a Star Destroyer with only one person, but he proved us wrong. Somehow, he managed to fly the Destroyer away from the shipyards and into hyperspace all by himself.

But, now we had a lead. He had left his personal TIE Interceptor behind. When we boarded, we found that there was a message in the computer, and that the message was sent to me. When we read it, it had a short recording of the Black Ninja, and he said something like this:

“I am the Hunter, the shadow in the dark, the terror in your dreams. But now, thanks to you, I am the Hunted. Let me warn you, Admiral, that I do not like being the Hunted. So now, I am once again the Hunter, and if you continue to follow me, you will be the Hunted. Goodbye Admiral, and try to stay away from me, you never know when that innocent looking shadow might come after you.”

And so, it seemed that he knew who I was, and what my mission was. I was going to have to be more subtle, and quiet. I thought it was finally time to check the computers, to see where the Black Samurai was hiding.

When we checked the computer, we found a recording of the Black Ninja wiping out the base, which was, to say the least, very gruesome. He used knives on most of them, but on some he used a small object, which made the target turn on his allies. The Black Ninja was very fast. Whenever he moved he seemed to become a shadow, and he would pop up on the other side of the room, taking out at least five soldiers every time he passed.

When we finished watching the recording, we looked up information on the Black Samurai. He was said to have been seen on Geonosis, a major battle site during the Clone Wars. He was apparently hiding there because he had yet another bounty placed on his head. You see, the Black Samurai was himself a bounty hunter, but he had one thing that only a handful of other bounty hunters even know about, much less have. He had the ability to use the Force. Now, some would think that a Force-wielder always had to be a Jedi or a Sith. But there were others, the ones who preferred to save their own life rather than join a cause. They were the Neutral Ones. And because of his abilities and how he chooses to use them, he is usually hunted by both Jedi and Sith. The Jedi believe that he is a threat to all mankind, and the Sith hate all Force-wielders who are not in their order. So the Black Samurai must continually go into hiding to avoid the two groups.

But, before I could go talk to him, I had to pay a visit to an old friend on Tatooine.  Namely, a bounty hunter named Dengar.

When we got to Tatooine, I immediately headed to the Mos Eisley cantina. I found Dengar in a booth, apparently lost in thought. But his gaze showed that he was more alert than most of the other patrons. He flickered his gaze toward me for a second and then seemed to signal for me to sit across from him. So I walked over to him and sat down, in the meantime staring down curious eyes.

When I sat down across from him, I ordered a glass of water and then slowly started looking around for anyone who looked like they were listening in. When I saw nobody, I slowly nodded and leaned a little closer to Dengar. I actually recorded this one, so here’s the exact wording:

“I need you help. I need to find the Black Samurai, and I need it to look like a simple bounty hunter trap. He is the only one who can stop a certain threat to the Empire.”

“Admiral, I know you haven’t heard, you’ve been so busy lately, but I’m married. I have no time for bounty hunting anymore. Now please, find someone else for this job.”

“Dengar, I’m asking this as a friend and fellow bounty hunter, not an Admiral. Congratulations on the marriage, but I need your help.”

“Fine, fine, but you owe me. There’s another bounty hunter, goes by Rodent, who can help you. He is fairly new to the trade, but he’s got a lot of money to burn and the skills for the trade. He’s right over there. You can’t miss him, he has a suit of black Mandalorian armor, just like you had. Just offer him enough money and he’s yours.”

“Thanks, I’ll repay you as soon as I can.”

So I walked over to the other hunter’s table, hoping he could help. Instead, he glanced at me when I sat down and then held out his hand, probably expecting money. I pulled out a credit chit and gave it to him, then ordered another drink and got comfortable.

“The man you are looking for is on Geonosis. He lived in the old arena, where the Clone Wars were said to have started.”

“Lived?”

“Let’s just say that he is of no further use to you, or the Empire, in his present state. But he is not the one you should be seeking. First, you must secure a few leeks in your staff, then you must search for a certain chemical. One that can stop this threat to your Empire.”

“I have just one further question. How is it the threat came to posses a certain suit of black armor?”

“Why, my dear Admiral, it used to be yours. When you left the trade, the armor came into the possession of one Rondar Fell. He would be the one to talk to if you wish to find the threat.”

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to add you to my list of, shall we say, under the table contacts. Goodbye.”

“Good luck Admiral. You will need it in the end. Oh, and Admiral, be sure to bring a certain Stormtrooper, TK 523, or Feelin Grud, with you wherever you go. He can help in ways that nobody else can.”

“Grud? He’s one of our special ops crew isn’t he?”

“Yes. One of the best too. Vader himself has commented on his skills.”

“Fine, he sounds reliable.”

And so I left the cantina, hoping to catch Grud while he was still off duty. A quick call told me that he was still off duty until next week, and that I could have him promoted by tomorrow to my bodyguard. I didn’t know why I was following advice from a bounty hunter, but it was the least of my worries at the moment. And besides, the hunter was right about everything else.

When Grud finally arrived at my office, I was shocked to see a certain insignia on his armor. Now, normally, I wouldn’t care about special insignia’s on Special Ops armor, because they all have their own. But this insignia, I had seen somewhere else. On the black armor that I used to wear as a bounty hunter, and that the Black Ninja now wears. I would say that he was just a fan of my old hunting days, but he was born into a training academy, so he couldn’t have heard about my old career.

I questioned him about it, and he said that it came on the armor he had received, and that he didn’t know what it meant. Of course, neither did I. I only remember that the armor belonged to my father, and that he had created the symbol. He never told me what it meant.

Anyways, Grud got the job, and then we set off to find Rondar Fell, who was apparently a renegade Imperial scientist from Maw Installation.

The rest of this recording has a video portion also, so you can see this first person from Grud, the special Ops member.

“Admiral, we found him. He was exiled to a remote planet renamed “Neerok” after his creation.”

“Creation? What creation?”

“The Neerok. There is no description or information on them other then that they were created by Fell. All other information is either deleted or restricted to everyone your level and under.”

“There isn’t very much information that my clearance can’t get into, certainly not anything like a failed Maw project.”

“Nonetheless Admiral, we should be very careful, just in case. The coordinates are being transferred to the navicomputer as we speak.”

“Good, very good. Grud, I’d like to see you in my office.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Right this way.”

Let me just interrupt for a few seconds. The armor Grud wore when he came into my office before was regular Special Ops armor. But the armor he wore on the bridge was that of the Dark Trooper, one of the best and the rarest military units in the Empire. This armor also had the symbol of my father. I knew that there must be some connection between Grud and I, but I couldn’t see what it was. Anyways, continue the vid.

“Grud, you never told me that you were a Dark Trooper.”

“You never asked Admiral, and I assumed that since you hired me you had found out all of my info.”

“Yes, this is true, but your rank in the Special Ops wasn’t mentioned, only that you were the best.”

“I see Admiral. Is there something wrong with me being a Dark Trooper?”

“No, Grud. Actually, it’s better then I could have expected from you. You may return to the bridge.”

Switching to the camera in the Admiral’s office, standby…

“Admiral, we have a message from the Black Ninja. Obviously he thinks he doesn’t need to hide anymore.”

“Fine, fine. Put it through, but try to figure out where it’s coming from.”

“Ah, My dear Admiral, its so nice to see you again. I trust you have enjoyed the loss of that Star Destroyer?”

“The Black Ninja. Are you so stupid that you would dare challenge a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy? Or did you just call to surrender?”

“Neither, Admiral. You see, you have no need to be tracing this call. First, because with so many star systems to choose from, it could take many hours to trace, and we both know I’m not stupid enough to wait that long. Second, because if you look out the forward viewport sometime in the next 10 minutes you should see me anyways. Yes, I see by the look on your face that you are surprised. You are thinking ’Why  would the hunted purposely throw his life into danger?’. The answer, Admiral, is actually quite simple. I told you to stop hunting me. You didn’t listen. So now I am the hunter, which makes you the hunted. My advice, Admiral, is that you should run now. And if you are planning on finding Fell, I would give up now. I have already tried. The Nar’Tosh do not let anybody onto the planets surface. I would just give up this impossible hunt while your life is still intact, lest you feel the pain I can inflict when provoked. You now have 9 minutes, Admiral.”

And with that, the screen flickered and went dead. The Black Ninja, the single greatest enemy to the Empire, was coming after us. The battle had begun. I ran to the bridge, alerting all he gunners to be on their guard in case the Black Ninja was telling the truth.

Switching back to the camera inside Feelin Grud’s helmet. Standby…

“Grud, get over here!”

“Yes, Admiral. What is it?”

“The Black Ninja called. He is coming here, and says he should be popping out of hyperspace in about 8 minutes now. I want you to prepare a group in case he tries to board. Get the best on this ship. Now go!”

“Admiral, somethings coming!”

“What? He said 9 minutes! All crews, to your stations, power up the guns and prepare for combat. Grud, have you finished yet?”

“Sir, it’s only been 3 minutes. I need more time.”

“Just go with what you have, and hurry to the main docking bay.”

“Ship emerging from hyperspace. Star Destroyer class, 100 occupants.”

“So, he kept the Destroyer. But 100 Occupants? How can that be right?”

“I don’t know sir, but it looks like we’ll soon find out. They’re launching fighters.”

“Turbolasers, aim at all weak spots on enemy Destroyer, but don’t kill it. Just weaken it. All fighter personnel to your TIE’s now!”

“Admiral, enemy transport coming out of hyperspace from behind us. They’re practically on top of us!”

“Well, there’s the boarding party. Lieutenant, tell me when you have a rough estimate of where they might board.”

“Yes, Admiral. Message from enemy Destroyer.”