Mission to Mustafar/Legends

"The Chancellor has given me a very important mission. The Separatists have gathered in the Mustafar system. I'm going there to end this war. Wait for me until I return&hellip; things will be different, I promise."

- Darth Vader to Padmé Amidala

The Mission to Mustafar, also known as the Massacre on Mustafar at the very end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, was Darth Vader's assignment to kill the last Separatist leaders fronting the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Arrival
"You have done well, Viceroy. When my new apprentice, Darth Vader, arrives, he will... take care of you."

- Darth Sidious to Nute Gunray



Once on Mustafar, Wat Tambor discovered a cave in which to set up a minor base of operations for the Separatists. His Techno Union workers then built an elaborate control center in it, which could be used to control and monitor the droid armies. Next, Tambor contacted Darth Sidious to send the rest of the Separatist Council, along with their guards, droids, and aides, to the volcanic planet. Soon after their arrival from Utapau, the Separatist Council received the above message from Sidious, where Vader would "take care" of them.

The mission
"Welcome, Lord Vader. We've been expecting you."

- Nute Gunray



When Darth Vader arrived at the control bunker on Mustafar, Nute Gunray, San Hill, and the other members of the council welcomed him. They had previously received a communication from Darth Sidious, who had told them to expect his new apprentice. At the time, the Separatist leaders were demoralized by their recent defeats in the Outer Rim Sieges, the loss of Count Dooku, and their sudden withdrawal from Utapau shortly before the battle. Many of them wanted to sue for peace with the Galactic Empire (which had until recently been the Galactic Republic).

However, upon his arrival, Vader immediately closed the doors of the bunker, trapping the Separatist leaders, their aides, and several B-1 battle droids within. Engaging in a rampant killing spree, Vader destroyed the battle droids and killed the other guards before looking to his targets. The Separatist leaders attempted to flee and beg for their lives, but to no avail. Within minutes, Vader had slaughtered the entire council in a violent bloodlust&mdash;Denaria Kee, Po Nudo, Passel Argente, Nudo's Shi'ido, Shu Mai, Cat Miin, Nudo's aide, Poggle the Lesser, San Hill, Rute Gunnay, Rune Haako, Wat Tambor, and finally, Nute Gunray, whom he despised most of all for his attempts to kill Padmé Amidala, Vader's beloved. No sooner as he surveyed the carnage, his eyes turned a red-rimmed yellow, a trait common for a Sith, for his deep immersion in the dark side.

"The war is over! Lord Sidious promised us peace! We only want&mdash;"

- Nute Gunray's last words

Gunray attempted to reason with the young Sith Lord, but Vader slaughtered the Neimoidian with a lightsaber slash to the torso. Vader then went to report his success to his Sith Master, who instructed him to deactivate the droid forces, which he did, ending the war. The Clone Wars were over, and the Great Jedi Purge would soon reach its peak.

Aftermath
"The Separatists have been taken care of, my master." "It is finished, then. You have restored peace and justice to the galaxy."

- Darth Vader and Darth Sidious



While Vader was successful in carrying out his mission, his wife Padmé Amidala soon arrived to question him about his involvement with the massacre at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. As she attempted to reason with him, Vader noticed his old master Obi-Wan Kenobi on board her spaceship. Believing himself betrayed, Vader choked his wife into unconsciousness. Kenobi also tried to reason with his former Padawan, but without success. Kenobi was forced to fight Vader. Vader was severely injured in the ensuing duel, but was rescued by Palpatine and some clone troopers. However, his condition was so critical that he was forced to become a cyborg to save his life.

Publicly, for at least two months (and possibly much longer) the Imperial elite did not release the news of the raid to the public, using the threat of a possible regrouped Separatist Council to justify expanding the Imperial Navy and implementing its draconian security protocols.

After the massacre of their chairs, the Trade Federation and the Techno Union were forced to turn over their assets to the Empire, while the Corporate Alliance and the Commerce Guild quietly dissolved. The IG Banking Clan, however, survived the catastrophy, though it was much less successful than before.

Although Vader ended the Clone Wars, the Confederacy was not completely destroyed by the massacre of its leaders. In 11 BBY, Gizor Dellso attempted to revive the Confederacy and attempted to restart the Clone Wars, but he and his forces were defeated by Vader's 501st Legion in the Battle of Mustafar. Several years later, 3 ABY, following the Battle of Hoth, Separatist-aligned B1 battle droids were active during the Battle of Geonosis, attacking both Imperial forces and the rebel soldier Wedge Antilles, which resulted in the fate of the Separatist holdouts.

Behind the scenes

 * In the Revenge of the Sith video game, the Mission to Mustafar is very different. The length of the mission, the number of Separatists killed, and the death of Nute Gunray are all changed from how they were in the movie. Vader faces increased difficulty when he slaughters a group of Neimoidian aides sent to greet him on the landing platform. The Separatist council, witnessing this act, lock down their control room and Vader is forced to fight through larger numbers of Neimoidian and droid troops before reaching the control room and carrying out his mission. In the process of getting into the control room, he cuts a portion of the wall, Force pushes it out of his way, crushing Poggle the Lesser. Gunray is able to escape and challenges Vader with his shuttle. Vader eventually wins the battle, sending the ship and Gunray plummeting into the lava below.
 * In the Revenge of the Sith novelization, Darth Vader is depicted executing the council in a much more sadistic manner, actively gloating over them or responding to their pleas with cold, though witty, retorts before killing them. In particular, he responded to Nute Gunray's pleas of Sidious's promise to leave them "in peace" with "The transmission was garbled. He promised to leave you in pieces."

Appearances

 * Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith junior novel
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War