Disclaimer: The characters appearing in this story are adapted from the excellent Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

A/N: This is the second installment of my KotOR Saga. If you haven't read 'Second Chances,' read that first of suffer extensive spoilers.

"I think you'll do well here, Private Sarna," said Governor Varss. "This unit is understrength-they just lost four men."

Sarna's eyes widened in shock; Varss suddenly grabbed her arms and cuffed her again. He pushed her through the door into the barracks. Her cuffed hands made it impossible for Sarna to catch herself; she hit the deck hard and saw stars.

A hoarse, cruel voice spoke somewhere above her. "So, this is her, eh, Rafi?"

"Yes," replied another, younger voice. "Sarna here got her uniform stolen by a spy who used it to kill Arnis' patrol." Rough hands flipped Sarna onto her back. Two soldiers were looking down at her. The tall man on the left was bald, with pale skin and grey eyes. A wicked pink-orange scar twisted from the corner of his mouth, across his cheek, and around the side of his head; his ear was completely gone. The second soldier was shorter and swarthy, with olive skin and black hair and eyes. He smiled cruelly. "Let's teach the bitch a lesson, Brent."

Sarna pushed with her feet, scrambling away on her back. The two soldiers laughed and easily kept up. The other soldiers in the room drifted over one by one to watch the show. Sarna continued backing up until she reached the wall. Brent leaned down to grab her and Sarna screamed. "NO! It's not my fault, they drugged me, don't hurt me, please!"

Brent grabbed her by the collar and hauled her upright. Sarna' uniform made a snapping sound as the material was stretched; the back of her neck chafed as her collar was pulled taut. Rafi punched her in the stomach and Sarna doubled over. Brent and Rafi each took an arm and frog-marched Sarna out of the barracks common room to one of the bunkrooms. Sarna looked up as she was forced through the door. What she saw made her heart sink. The sleeping quarters had two bunks on each side wall; on each pillow was a small medallion with the emblem of the 322nd Naval Infantry Regiment. A low table against the end wall held four pictures and a single white candle. Three men and one woman stared silently at Sarna from the photos; she felt their eyes accusing her.

Brent slapped her once, twice, three times across the face. Rafi punched her full-force and Sarna tasted blood. They threw her to the deck and the two troopers began kicking her in the ribs and legs. Sarna curled into a ball, trying to protect herself as best she could. More troopers came to join in the 'fun.' Someone grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the table.

"Look at them, bitch!" Brent grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Four good people are dead because you are a slut and a drunk!"

"Antur's MPs said she fucked the spy," said Rafi. "We should make sure she doesn't have to go looking for sex in cantinas anymore."

Sarna sobbed as someone started tearing at her uniform; many more hands joined the first and she was soon stripped bare. She was pushed onto her belly on the cold metal deck.

"Stop!" cried a voice she hadn't heard before. "Come on, Brent, she's had enough."

The scarred trooper sighed and nodded. Brent gestured, and the troopers brutalizing Sarna released her. "Enough for now, maybe," he said, giving her a kick, "but you'll take care of me later, whore."

Sarna nodded, eyes downcast. "Yes, sir."

The troopers dispersed. Sarna's entire body ached, her torso burned, and she could feel her face swelling. The trooper who had made them stop draped a sheet over her and helped her into the refresher. Sarna noticed that he was careful not to touch her anywhere but her hand and lower arm. She showered off; the trooper had left fresh underwear for her. When she came out into the bunkroom, he was waiting. He gestured to a bed; Sarna froze for a moment, then calmed when she saw that he had brought in a field medic's bag. She lay down and he went to work.

He misted her bruises with analgesic spray, then dabbed at her split lip. He swept Sarna with a hand-held medical scanner. "Those animals did more damage here than I thought. You have two broken ribs." He retrieved a spray injector from his bag and placed it against her right ribcage. A sting and hiss, and Sarna felt the pain recede behind a wave of icy cold.

"That should be that," said the soldier, "Anything left other than aches?"

"No, thank you," Sarna said. She sat up. "I don't know who you are."

He smiled gently. "I'm Corporal Tash Moross, the platoon medic."

She nodded. "Thank you, Corporal. You've been very kind." She got up off the bed and knelt at the improvised memorial. "And… who were they?"

Tash got down beside her and pointed. "Sergeant Arnis Rool, Privates Val Nedjam and Zeak Rolands." His voice shook as he indicated the woman. "And Private First Class Naomi Kasra."

Sarna turned to Tash. "You knew her well?"

Tears rolled down his face. "We were engaged to be married."

Sarna's jaw dropped. "I'm so sorry."

He looked at her. "It's the spy's fault, not yours. You were just lonely on leave." He handed Sarna a clean set of utilities. She donned them and went to look in the mirror. She was a sight; bruises were blooming on her face and neck. Sarna began crying again. "I'm sorry, Sarna," said Tash.

She shook her head. "It isn't that, it's seeing myself in a private's uniform again. My father was so proud when I made junior officer; it'll kill him to hear what I've done."

Tash reached for her shoulder, then caught himself. "You can work your way up again. The Colonel spared you so that you can make up for your mistakes." He pointed to the memorial. "You owe it to them to make this right." Sarna nodded.

"Now, about your duties," continued Tash. "I drew the detail of looking after you while you get settled in to the platoon. Technically, you've been assigned to the headquarters squad as an aide. Practically, you are under house arrest in the barracks. You will be doing all the cleaning around here. Your skills as an armory tech will be put to use; you'll maintain the troopers' weapons and armor." Tash paused. "Now, if the troopers come after you again…" He looked embarrassed and uneasy. "I will do everything I can to protect you, but I'm a corporal; Brent is a sergeant and squad leader. The best advice I can give you is do your jobs well and don't let yourself be alone with Brent or Rafi."

"Because if I do, I'll probably get another beating, or worse," Sarna finished dully.

Tash stared at the floor. "That's about the size of it. They shouldn't mistreat you like they have, it isn't right, but there's only so much I can do." He met Sarna's gaze. "Please, don't think too badly of Brent. He and Sergeant Rool were friends; they served together since the start of the Mandalorian Wars. He's taking this hard."

Sarna pursed her lips. "He needs someone to blame."

Tash nodded. "He'll probably lay off when we catch the spy. In the meantime, show that you're sorry, that you want to keep your head down and they should go easier on you."

They didn't. Sarna was awake eighteen to twenty hours a day maintaining equipment and cleaning the barracks. The Sith soldiers delighted in spilling their drinks or dropping trash on the floor to give her more work to do. One of her duties was to replace the candle in the memorial twice a day, just as a reminder. She slept in a bedroll on the cold metal floor between the empty bunks, with the faces of the dead staring down at her. Brent and Rafi were especially cruel, and she couldn't avoid them while restricted to the barracks. They cornered her twice while Tash was on duty in the medical bay. The first time, there were several other troopers around; they made her kneel at the memorial and beg forgiveness. The second time, there was no one else around. They beat her bloody and Tash patched her up. Intelligence officers had debriefed her thoroughly on her meeting with the fugitives. She had been able to help them create fairly accurate holos of the two men. Sarna lived every moment in hope of hearing that Jace and Onat had been captured, but they eluded the Sith dragnet. Days went by, and the abuse did not stop, or even let up.

On the evening of the fourth day, Tash tapped her on the shoulder. "Come with me, Sarna. Antur wants to see you."

Sarna felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head. "Oh, gods." She was overwhelmed by the memory of Antur, arm upraised, about to order the firing squad to shoot.

She followed the medic out of the barracks and down the corridor. She was relieved when he turned away from the turbolift, which led down to the detention block where she had nearly been executed. The pair stayed within the battalion living area on the Leviathan's command deck. Tash led her into an office where Antur waited behind a desk. Sarna noticed that he was now a major. She came to attention and saluted; she couldn't keep her voice from shaking. "Private Sarna reporting as ordered, sir."

Antur did not look up. "At ease, Private. Corporal, close the door." Tash entered and shut the door behind him.

Sarna struggled to control her fear. What does he want? Am I being punished further?

Antur finished typing and glanced up at her. "Do you remember Colonel Tallek Varss?"

She nodded. "The Provincial Governor of Taris, sir; he spared me from execution. I'll never forget his kindness." I hope that's the right thing to say.

"He's dead," Antur said bluntly. "The spies who infiltrated your party managed to rendezvous with a fugitive Jedi. They attacked the base compound in the Upper City with several locals, we believe hired criminals. We don't yet know what they were after. Colonel Varss was killed, along with another fifteen members of the occupation force. The commander of Third Battalion has moved up to replace him as commander of the 322nd, and I have taken over as Third Battalion commander."

Sarna lost her balance and had to catch herself on the wall. I'm dead. She wanted to be brave, but her voice quavered as she asked the inevitable question. "When am I being put to death?"

Antur grimaced. "You aren't going to be executed, Private." He pointed at Tash. "Corporal Moross recently told me what your platoon has been doing to you. Your ordered punishment was demotion and hard labor. Sergeant Brent and his men were expressly forbidden from abusing you. Sarna, you've suffered enough."

Sarna swayed with relief. She turned to the medic. "Thank you, Tash." He nodded and smiled.

Antur steepled his fingers. "Now, Sarna, I'm transferring you from B Company to C Company. You are being returned to the infantry. Specialist Genda has been serving there with distinction. Corporal Moross is going to be transferred with you, in case the members of your platoon try to retaliate for his reporting them." Antur stood. "I have a request. You have every right to report members of your platoon for the beatings. I ask that you do not. We cannot afford to put a dozen or more troopers in the brig during this mission; we're stretched thin as it is."

Sarna recognized the quid pro quo for what it was. "I'm willing to let it go, Major-as long as they don't touch me again."

Antur nodded. "Thank you, Private. You have my sincere apologies for what they did to you; I am frankly embarrassed at the ill-discipline they showed. I will personally… admonish them." He rubbed his cheek. "I apologize for myself, too. I should never have tried to have you executed; my temper got the better of me. You made a bad mistake, but you didn't deserve to die."

Sarna nodded. "Apology accepted, sir, and thank you."

Antur sat back behind his desk. "Right. If Brent or the others make more trouble, tell me." He handed over two data cards. "Your transfer orders to C Company-dismissed." Sarna and Tash saluted and left the office. They headed back to the B Company barracks and loaded their footlockers onto a repulsor pallet. The walk to their new quarters took only a few minutes.

Yun was waiting to help them unpack. He looked at Sarna with concern. "I've heard. Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I can't complain; I'm alive. That will do for now."

Yun nodded and turned to the medic. "Thank you for helping her, Corporal." The two men shook hands.

Sarna was issued armor and an assault carbine for her new role. Yun carried a blaster rifle; he was still mourning the loss of the sniper rifle the spies had stolen. "Why didn't you draw another from the regimental armory?" Sarna asked.

Yun shook his head. "That wasn't an issue rifle. It was my grandfather's, from the Exar Kun War. He was a marksman during the Krath Crusade. I was a policeman before I joined up; I carried that rifle as a hostage-rescue sniper in Curamelle, on Corulag." Yun frowned. "I'm not sure what he would think about me joining the Sith, but I just don't see the Jedi serving the Republic anymore. Too many of my friends died while the Jedi sat on their hands."

Tash clapped him on the shoulder. "We're helping people-bringing order to the Rim. The Jedi abandoned the troopers of the Republic to the Mandalorian invasion, all but the ones who came with Revan and Malak to save us. The dark side gave them the strength to save billions, and the Jedi punished them!" The medic spat. "That's what I think of their opinion. There are dozens of worlds being crushed by the Hutts and Exchange from the outside and the rich families of the Core on the inside. Nobody but us is looking out for the common people."

Yun shrugged. "I suppose that's true; it's above my pay grade, anyway."

Sarna smiled uncomfortably. "We don't want to rock the boat, we're just new. This is my first assignment on the Republic front; I spent the last two years hunting pirates."

Tash smiled thinly. "As you've learned, the Republic military is a different breed."

A loud klaxon wailed; the three donned their armor and ran to the common room to await assignment. They watched out the windows as fighters were launched from the combat wing in the ventral hull section. The Leviathan shuddered as her main batteries began firing. A wave of shuttles took off from the fleet and headed for the planet.

"What the blazes?" said Sarna, "They didn't send us to the shuttles! Why are they launching without troops on board?"

Major Antur ran into the room. "Sarna, Yun, I thought you should know. The two Republic soldiers who tricked you were no ordinary troopers. The Jedi who led them in the attack on our base was just identified. She's the Most Wanted, Bastila Shan."

Yun gasped. "The Battle Maiden."

Tash turned to Sarna. "You two are lucky to be alive. The soldiers escorting Shan will be Republic special forces."

Antur nodded. "I've just come from a staff meeting with Admiral Karath. Darth Malak just gave the order for a full planetary bombardment. The Dark Lord wanted to capture her, but Shan is too dangerous to risk her getting off the planet alive." He grimaced. "Governor Varss had a copy of the fleet transponder codes. We must assume Shan got them from the base. If she can get to a ship, she can nullify the auto-targeting quad cannon and escape." He frowned. "The bombardment is starting with most of the regiment still on the surface. They're sending transports to extract as many of our troops as possible, but they cannot wait."

Tash looked down. "The shuttles will never be able to get them all out. We're going to lose a lot of good people."

Antur's datapad beeped; he looked down at it for a moment, then smiled worriedly. "Shan was spotted leaving the Upper City in an airspeeder; this ship is moving to stationary orbit above that sector."

Yun turned to Sarna and grinned. "If Onat and Jace take off, they'll be coming right to us. We might get a shot at them yet!" Sarna cracked her knuckles and nodded.

"Whoa, there," said Tash, "Shan is out of our league."

Antur nodded. "Third Battalion is all back on board. If it comes to a fight, we will be the boarding party; Darth Bandon will lead, as he did when we engaged the Republic task force." He thought a moment, then smiled. "With Shan among the enemy forces, we might see Lord Malak himself take the field."

Tash chuckled. "A full-on duel between Malak and the Maiden? I'd pay to see that… from far away."

Antur's comlink chirped; he listened for a moment, concern growing on his face. He straightened up, and nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll get a team in there double quick. I won't let you down, Admiral." He cut the comm and turned to Sarna. "I have a mission for you two. It is beyond risky, and quite frankly I'm considering you expendable."

She shrugged. "I'm up for it, Major. What's the mission?"

Antur's mouth thinned. "Someone just contacted the Leviathan on an enciphered channel. They claim to have information on Bastila Shan, including her location. They want to trade that intel for rescue from the bombardment." He rubbed his hands together nervously. "The voice on the radio was male; the asset is in the estate of Davik Kang, a known member of the Exchange. The compound is along Shan's last known flight path, so the source is classed as credible. Admiral Karath has been ordered not to stop the bombardment, in case Shan is still in the area."

Yun swallowed hard. "You want us to fly into the compound and get them out while the fleet is still firing."

Antur nodded. "The informant may know where Shan is, or where she's going if she escaped."

Tash stood. "I'm coming with you."

Sarna looked at him. "You don't have to do this. We failed, Tash, not you."

He smiled gently. "I want you to redeem yourself, Sarna. And I don't want to have lost Naomi and the others in vain."

Sarna grabbed his hand. "Then let's go." They made their way to the assault deck, between the two main hull sections. The shuttles were returning from the surface; they had stuffed themselves to bursting to pull most of the 322nd off Taris. Those who remained were seeking shelter in the Lower City and various military facilities. With luck, they might survive, but they would be trapped underground as the Upper City spires fell. Sarna, Yun and Tash were assigned a medevac shuttle, in case the contact was injured. They lifted off the hangar bay floor and headed for Davik's estate. The shuttle descended towards the surface as thousands of blaster bolts rained down from above.

A/N: I knew I would need to explain why Sarna and Yun defected in more detail. This is that story. Please, let me know how you like it!