Mission to Mustafar/Legends

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

- Viceroy Nute Gunray

The Mission to Mustafar, also known as the Massacre on Mustafar at the 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
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 army. 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 a message from Sidious.

The Massacre


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 of Utapau. 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 their bodyguards within. He attacked, destroying the battle droids and killing the other guards. The Separatist leaders attempted to flee and beg for their lives, but to no avail. Within minutes, Vader had liquidated the entire council&mdash;Passel Argente, San Hill, Tikkes, Po Nudo, Poggle the Lesser, Shu Mai, Rune Haako, Wat Tambor, and finally, Nute Gunray, as well as their aides.



Gunray attempted to reason with the young Sith Lord, saying, "The war is over! Lord Sidious promised us peace! We only want&mdash;", but the Sith Lord killed the Neimoidian with a lightsaber slash. After killing Gunray, Vader went to report his success to his master.

Anakin/Vader vs. Obi-Wan
While Vader was successful in carrying out his mission, his wife Padmé Amidala soon arrived to challenge 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.

Kenobi and Vader's duel raged on through the mining complex and the lava flows of Mustafar, until Vader's three natural limbs were severed by Kenobi's lightsaber. Vader tried to crawl up the banks of a river of lava, but the heat from the nearby lava flow soon caused his clothing and body to burst into flames. Taking Vader's blue lightsaber, Obi-Wan left his former padawan to die, and departed from Mustafar with the injured Padmé. However, Vader's strong will kept him alive until his master, Darth Sidious, arrived to rescue him.



Aftermath
With the Separatist Council dead, and most of the Jedi killed after he had issued Order 66, Darth Sidious (better known as Emperor Palpatine) was left in undisputed control of the Galaxy.

In order to save his life, Vader was taken to the Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center on Coruscant. Now a cyborg, Vader would wear a respirator and full body suit for the rest of his life. Padmé Amidala was not so lucky&mdash;her injuries on Mustafar, as well as the horror of seeing her husband consumed by the dark side, contributed to her death in childbirth on Polis Massa.

Kenobi went into exile after helping to deliver Anakin's children on Polis Massa. He and Anakin's infant son Luke went to Tatooine, while his twin sister Leia went to Alderaan as the adopted daughter of Bail Organa.

Publically, 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.

Although Vader ended the Clone Wars, the Confederacy was not completely destroyed by the massacre of its leaders. In 11 BBY, Gizor Dellso revived 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.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops in ''Star Wars Visionaries
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War (hologram)