CHAPTER ONE: Taris.

The once bustling trade hub of Taris was now more or less an urban wasteland. Over time, the importance of the former galactic nexus (which, over a century of prosperity, had grown into an ecumenopolis) declined in the wake of improved trading routes and fell into decay.

During the attack on the Endar Spire, Sith Forces descended upon Taris. After wiping out the small Republic Garrison in the Upper City, the Sith declared Marshall Law and Quarantined the planet; No one was getting in or out. Within minutes of the Republic Cruiser's ultimate destruction, several Interdictor-class warships jumped from Hyperspace, surrounding Taris with an impassible blockade.

"Brace yourself!" The red-hot escape pod slammed into one of the towering sky scrapers, then slammed to a sudden halt on the upper-level of Taris, smoke billowing into the skies.

"You alright?" Carth panted, freeing himself from the safety belt and falling to the floor of the pod. He looked up to see Zade hanging loosely in the straps, his eyes closed and a deep gash on his forehead. "Damn it!" the soldier cursed under his breath, struggling to unhook Zade's restraints.

He dragged the limp form of his Republic Comrade out of the pod, eyes squinting through the thick smoke which had engulfed their impromptu landing zone. No one had arrived yet, and Carth thanked his lucky stars. Not far from the crash site stood a rundown looking apartment complex, and acting on impulse, Carth threw Zade over his shoulder, slipping into the elevator as the first of the Tarisian locals arrived on the scene.

Again, it seemed Lady Luck was smiling on the Republic soldiers. After stepping out of the lift into a deserted corridor, Carth quickly found an abandoned apartment, and he slipped inside, sealing the door behind him. On close inspection, Zade's wounds seemed superficial. He would heal in time, but the gash to his forehead looked nasty, and would need some form of medical attention. 'Give it a few hours for the scene outside to calm down…' the pilot thought to himself, gazing down at the pod through one of the apartment's grimy windows. He could see Sith Soldiers surrounding the pod, roughly pushing the onlookers away, while maintenance droids inspected the site itself.

It wasn't until the sun began sinking towards the skyline that the crash site was vacated of Sith Troops, and Carth walked casually from the apartment tower. He zipped up his light brown flight jacket in response to the somewhat chilly breeze as he headed towards one of the Protocol Droids tottering about on the upper level.

"Greetings, off-worlder." The droid said brightly as Carth approached it. "As a representative of the Tarisian Tourism Board, it is my duty to provide any assistance possible to visitors on Taris. All hail the Sith, how may I assist you?"

'Already reprogrammed the Droids. Classy, real classy…' thought Carth dryly. "I'm looking for somewhere to buy medical supplies." Replied Carth, noticing the exceptionally large number of Sith Troopers marching along the streets.

"Ah yes." A few beeps and boops issued from the droid. "At the very end of this street is Zelka Forn's clinic. You should be able to purchase your necessary supplies there."

Muttering a brief thanks to the droid, Carth moved on up the street, trying to remain inconspicuous. He looked back thankfully on his decision to dress casually that day, thinking that the orange armor of the Republic he usually donned when on duty of would have gotten him arrested by now, or even shot.

A service droid sold Carth the supplies he needed (Zelka himself, supposedly, was out of the clinic), and the man returned to the apartment, treating Zade's wounds as best he could. When he was finished, the gash had closed up nicely, although there would no doubt be slight scarring in the long run. Aside from that, Zade would recover in time.

The following day, Carth decided to scout the Upper City, to try and find news of Bastila, and the other escape pods. Sitting in the dingy Pazaak Room of the Upper City South Cantina, Carth learned that a handful of the pods had plummeted down to the bowels of Taris, more commonly known as the Undercity. One or two had crashed into the Lower City, and one (the one Carth himself had arrived in) had caused a major hubbub in the streets of the Upper City.

Over the next two days, Carth gleaned very little from the second hand gossip and chit chat. It was clear that a handful of the escape pods had survived the attack, but beyond that Carth heard nothing about Bastila or the rest of the crew. He was also worrying about Zade, whose wounds had healed nicely, but he often tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep.

On the bridge of an unnamed warship, a beautiful young Jedi is locked in combat with a hooded and robed Dark Jedi. Her yellow lightsaber slashes skillfully through the air, clashing with the red blade of the Sith. She pushes back, kicking the Sith in the chest, then adopts a defensive stance as the vision fades…

Zade's eyes fluttered open, and with a groan, he sat up, his vision slightly blurry. As his eyes focused, a figure rose from a nearby chair, and Zade stood, rubbing his eyes.

"Good to see you awake instead of thrashing about in your sleep." Said Carth, a reassured smile touching his stubbly cheeks. He was indeed relieved to see the soldier alive and well again.

"Where are we? And who are you?" Zade asked groggily.

"I'm Carth Onasi, Republic Pilot. And we're in an abandoned apartment, on the planet of Taris." Carth replied. He clasped his hands behind his back and strode to the window, gazing out onto the streets below. "Our escape pod crashed here in the Upper City, you got pretty banged up. Luckily I wasn't too badly hurt, and I managed to drag you here before the Sith arrived on the scene."

Zade looked down at his feet, then glanced up at Carth. "Thanks. I guess I owe you my life." He muttered his thanks, still trying to clear the sluggishness from his brain. "And it's Zade, by the way. Zade Kento."

"No need to thank me Zade." Carth turned around and gave the younger man a scrutinizing look. "We're not out of this mess yet. And you nearly didn't make it this far; It was touch and go for a while there. You must have been having one hell of a nightmare."

The laser fire lighting up the skies, the low hum of the lightsabers. "Yeah. You could say that." It hadn't exactly been a nightmare, but the experience definitely hadn't been a pleasant one. "So what do we do now?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Have you gotten in touch with the Republic for an evac yet?"

Carth shook his head grimly. "Taris is under Sith control. They've declared marshal law and imposed a planet wide quarantine." He said informatively. "Even if the Republic came, there's no way they'd get through the blockade. And I doubt the whole fleet could punch a hole in that wall. They've got Taris surrounded."

More silence met this grim proclamation. In his mind's eye, Zade could see hundreds of Sith warships circling the planet like ravenous firaxan sharks, waiting to move in for the kill. It seemed a hopeless endeavor.

"So…" Carth began again, breaking the silence. "If we're going to find Bastila and get off this rock, it's up to us. And we need to find Bastila."

"What's so important about finding Bastila again?" asked Zade, the confusion in his voice apparent.

"…That smack to your head did more damage than I thought." Muttered Carth in exasperation. "Bastila is a Jedi. She was with the strike team that took down Darth Revan, and she's the key to the whole Republic war effort."

"But… How can one person, even a Jedi, mean so much?" He couldn't see the colossal importance behind just one soldier.

"She may be young, but Bastila is a master at an old Force ability called Battle Meditation. She has the power to inspire her fellow soldiers, and make her enemies lose their nerve. Often, that's all it takes to win a battle." Zade opened his mouth to reply, but Carth, already knowing the question, intervened. "Apparently, her abilities require a lot of concentration. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so quickly, she didn't have a chance to use her Battle Meditation."

"Alright, I get it." Replied Zade with a sharp nod. "So what's the plan, then? Any ideas on where we should start looking?"

"While you were recovering I did some scouting around. It seems that a few pods crashed into the Undercity, so that would be the logical place to start. The Sith are on the hunt for Bastila, they won't be looking for a couple grunts like us. We should be able to move around without being detected, as long as we don't go drawing attention to ourselves. We don't want to get caught. Those Dark Jedi interrogation methods sound pretty grim." He repressed a shudder, shaking his head. "They say the Force can do terrible things to a mind… It can wipe away your thoughts and destroy your very identity… But, as long as we keep our heads down, we'll be fine."

Outside in the corridor, things were far from fine.

The elevator doors slid open, and a Sith Officer, flanked by two War Droids strode into the hall. "Alright, you alien scum!" The Sith said loudly to the group of Duro who were standing just around the bend from Carth and Zade's apartment. "This is a raid! All of you, up against the wall. Now."

One of the Duro glared defiantly at the Sith. "You have no right bursting in here and ordering us around!" He growled in his native tongue. "You may have laid claim to Taris, but-"

"Alright Soldier…" Carth said, moving towards the door. "Let's move…" Two quick-fire blaster shots abruptly ended his words, and after shooting a worried glance at Zade, he bolted out into the corridor, Zade in tow.

The Duros stepped back, stunned, as their companion fell to the floor. "And that's how we Sith deal with smart mouthed aliens. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you. Now, up against the wall." At that moment, the two Republic soldiers hurtled around the corner, blasters drawn. "What's this? Humans, hiding out with the aliens?" A look of comprehension spread across his brutish looking face. "They're Republic fugitives! Kill them!"

Before the droids could level their weapons at the duo, Carth and Zade began firing, the two droids exploding from the waist up, and the officer falling with blaster scorches dotting his grey uniform.

"Poor Iziz…" muttered one of the Duro, kneeling beside his fallen friend. "He was far too headstrong…" He rose and turned, his bulbous red eyes falling on the two humans. "My thanks." He said graciously. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't turned up."

"Won't the Sith send more soldiers in when this guy doesn't report back?" Zade asked, frowning slightly. "They're going to realize that an officer and two droids have disappeared."

The alien shook his head. "We'll take care of that, off-worlder." He said bluntly. "We can move the bodies and make it look like they were killed elsewhere, throwing them off your trail."

"Good." Said Carth, nodding. "The last thing we want is the Sith sniffing around our makeshift base…" he muttered to Zade.

The pair took their leave of the Duros and headed out into the Upper City. If it wasn't for the Sith Troopers (who seemed to outnumber the Tarisian locals 3 to 1), Zade would have called the Upper City almost peaceful.

They had decided to visit Zelka Forn's clinic first to grab some supplies before finding a way down to the Undercity. They walked in silence, and it was Carth who broke it.

"I ah, took a look at your service record the day you were transferred to the Endar Spire." He said quietly, almost casually. "Quite an interesting resume, if I do say so myself."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, apart from knowing a remarkable number of alien languages, your former career is rather interesting." Carth raised an eyebrow. "Smuggling spice and blasters along the Hydian Way?"

"So I may have broken a few rules in my time." Zade replied with a half-hearted shrug. "I'm no crook, if that's what you're thinking."

"I never said you were. Just an… interesting career choice." He responded defensively. "You're with the Republic now. Guess they decided that since they couldn't catch you, they may as well hire you."

"Yeah, right?" Zade chuckled. "I thought they were going to lock me away when I signed up, and next thing I know, I was posted to the Endar Spire."

Carth scratched his cheek as they walk, thinking. "Speaking of the Endar Spire, what do you remember?"

"Very little." Zade said in reply. "Explosions. The Sith. Dark Jedi." He rattled off. "I wasn't really in a position to know what was going on."

"No, none of us were." There was a highly suspicious tone in Carth's voice. "I just find it a little too convenient that a last minute addition to the crew, requested by Bastila specifically, just so happens to be one of the only survivors from the attack."

"If you're suggesting that I had something to do with the attack," Zade began hotly, "then I think you've got a few screws loose, pal. I damn near didn't make it- Hang on, you said Bastila specifically requested me?"

"When the Jedi took over the ship, they requested a million things. It isn't so odd that they posted someone with your skill set, considering we were patrolling the Outer Rim territories. Again, though, it's a bit too coincidental that you managed to survive when so many others didn't."

"Would you rather I'd have died? You seem to be forgetting we're on the same side here, Carth." Zade came to a halt, shooting Carth a less than friendly glance. "We should be working together."

"I know, and it's nothing against you personally. I just don't trust anyone. Not anymore." A dark look crossed the pilot's face. "Yes, we're on the same side. And I appreciate having you here. I can't do this on my own. But I'd be a fool not to expect the unexpected. That's all. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to focus on more important things."

"I consider this important. If there's some kind of problem, I think we should discuss it."

"I appreciate your concern. But I'm not used to talking about this sort of stuff. I prefer to act, and that's what I intend to do." Carth's tone suggested that the conversation was over, and with that, he turned and continued on up the street towards the clinic.

After a moment's pause, Zade began walking as well. "We're going to talk about this eventually, you got that?"

"Fine. But later."

Zelka Forn's clinic was completely deserted, at first glance. The medical droid was no longer at the counter, and the healer himself was no where to be seen.

"Hello?" called Carth, stepping in to the eerily still clinic. "Zelka?" No reply came, and Carth turned to Zade, shrugging. "Maybe he got called out on business?"

Zade's eyes roamed the room. "He would have closed the shop, if that was the case. There's plenty to steal in here, I doubt he'd just leave it there." At the back of the shop was a reinforced blast door. A sign nearby informed them that the healing tanks for serious injuries were held here, and a hand written note below the door controls read 'Employees only'. "He might be back there. I wouldn't normally do this, but as I'm sure you know, time isn't on our side." . Zade moved over to the doors, and after a moment of tapping away at the lock, the door's slid open.

The doors revealed a long room, lined with cylindrical tanks full of the Kolto healing solution. At the far end, a dark skinned man was examining two patients, who were wearing what seemed to be Republic jump suits.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The man yelled in his shock, dropping the datapad in his hand, a look of fright on his face. "Y-you shouldn't be here! The sign said employees only!"

"Hey, I recognize these men…" Zade said, ignoring Zelka and striding into the room. "They're soldiers with the Republic!"

"You… recognize these soldiers?" Comprehension dawned on Zelka, and he took a steadying breath. "You must be with the Republic. The pod that crashed here in the Upper City, I take it."

"Yes, we are." Zade said calmly. "How did you find these men?"

"Ever since the battle, people have been bringing these soldiers in." Zelka explained, picking up the datapad. "There wounds are too severe for me to really heal them, but at least I can make them comfortable, rather than dying down in the slums."

"We appreciate your efforts, Zelka." Said Carth respectfully. "Thank you, on behalf of the whole Republic."

"It's the least I can do." Zelka replied, moving away from the tanks and leading the pair back out into the clinic proper. "I'm assuming you came here for healing, or supplies?"

"Yes." Said Zade. "We wanted to purchase a few medpacs, if you have any to spare. We need them for an expedition into the Under City."

"Under City?" Zelka started, his eyes widening. "That's suicide. The place is infected with Rakghouls. And to get their, you'd have to pass through the Lower City, and that place is Swoop territory."

"Regardless, we need to find out what happened to the escape pods which crashed down there."

Zelka sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid you won't be getting down to the Lower City anyway. 2 days ago, the Sith stationed guards at all the elevators. No one gets in or out unless it's a Sith patrol."

Carth and Zade looked crestfallen. "You're kidding…" muttered Zade, glancing at Carth. "We'll have to try anyway. There has to be a way."

"I wish I could do more to help you." Zelka moved over to a large cabinet and took a few medpacs from the shelf. "Take these, no charge. You're keeping a secret for me, so I don't mind helping you in return. I wish you luck."

Feeling slightly disappointed, the pair returned to their apartment complex. They'd need to find out a way to get in there. It was the only lead they had on Bastila. The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped out into the corridor. "Ah damn it, wrong floor." Carth muttered, turning around and thumbing the lift button again.

From down the hall, however, they heard raised voices. "We've got your ugly mug on a security tape from the base." The voice said threateningly. "Now, start talking, before I blow your slimy brains out of your repulsive head. Where are the uniforms you stole?"

"Sith…" muttered Zade, pulling out his blaster and moving towards the source. Carth in tow.

An Aqualish voice floated down the corridor. "Unif-forms? I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Lies!" A harsh slap echoed down the hall. "You're planning to sell them to the Tarisian underground! Where are the uniforms?"

They rounded the corner, spying a Sith guard standing outside the doorway. He spotted them and raised his carbine. "Not a step closer, civilians. The commander is busy interrogating this alien spy."

"I'm not going to let you kill an innocent alien." Zade replied darkly, glaring at the Sith.

The Commander must have heard, because he strode from the room a moment later. "Did I hear you correctly? Let us kill him? What are you going to do about it?" he glanced at the other soldier. "Trooper, show these civilians the penalty for defying the Sith."

Carth and Zade's blasters began firing rapidly, the trooper falling dead, his armor cracked and burned, before he could switch his carbine from stun to kill. The commander reached for his own blaster with a snarl, but the Aqualish had seized him around the throat from behind. They heard a dry snap as the commander's neck broke, and he fell to the ground.

"Sith slimo…" he growled in his native tongue. "Thank you, for your timely assistance." He said thankfully.

"You can thank us by handing over some of this Sith uniforms." Zade said abruptly and bluntly. "We happen to be in the market for a set."

"Ah, if I had a set, I would give them to you." Replied the alien. "But the uniforms I stole have already been passed on." Zade could detect no trace of a lie in the alien's voice.

"Very well. If they have your image, there's no doubt they'll come looking for you again. Go hunker down somewhere until it all blows over." The Aqualish didn't need to be told twice. After muttering his gratitude again, he left at a hurried walk down the corridor.

"Another dead end…" Carth muttered, leaning against the wall. "How are we going to get down there? It's not like we can just waltz into the base and take two sets of armor."

Zade had just finished tucking the Sith away in the apartment, when an idea struck him. He gazed at the two Sith; The Trooper's armor was too damaged to be used at all, but the Commander's was completely unblemished. He glanced at the armor, then back over at the pilot. "Carth… I have an idea."