Skirmish on Cloud City

During the Imperial Era in 2 BBY, a skirmish in Cloud City on the planet Bespin occurred between the forces of the Galactic Empire and Starkiller, the secret apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Before Starkiller's arrival on Cloud City, his master ordered him to create an army that would fight the Empire to expose its enemies. Once Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith who was publicly known as Emperor Palpatine, became sufficiently distracted by the rebellion, Vader assured Starkiller that they would both assassinate Sidious before usurping control over the Empire.

Shortly after Starkiller began his mission, he decided to search for an ally who could provide him with the contacts and resources that were required to build an army of rebels and dissidents. His choice fell on General Rahm Kota, a Jedi fugitive whom Starkiller severely injured on a TIE Fighter Construction Facility above Nar Shaddaa. The apprentice eventually tracked Kota to Cloud City, only to discover that the Jedi had fallen into extreme alcoholism out of despair. Starkiller also learned that Kota had lost his sight; his eyes had been burned by his own lightsaber during his duel with Starkiller above Nar Shaddaa.

As Starkiller attempted to persuade the drunken Jedi to fight the Empire once more, a group of stormtroopers entered the cantina and located their target—Rahm Kota. As a result, Starkiller had to fight Imperial soldiers throughout much of the city; he was also forced to protect Kota, especially due to the general's intoxicated and depressed state of mind. Although Starkiller defeated the Imperial garrison, including a member of the Emperor's Shadow Guard, Kota still regarded resistance against the Empire and its "infinite" army as a futile course of action. Nevertheless, Starkiller still convinced Kota to provide the contacts that he needed to begin a galactic-wide rebellion.

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