In orbit around Taris, Darth Malak, the Dark Lord of the Sith, looked over the world with disgust. Behind him, admiral Soul Careth walked up to him and bowed his head respectfully.

"You summoned me, Lord Malak?"

"The search for Bastila is taking too long. We cannot risk her escaping Taris. Destroy the entire planet."

"Th... The entire planet?" The admiral couldn't even look the towering figure in the eyes as he protested. "But... There are billions of people on Taris! We'd be slaughtering countless innocents. Not to mention our own men still on the planet."

"Your predecessor made the mistake of questioning my orders, admiral. Surely you are not so foolish as to make the same mistake?" Soul was cowed the moment he saw the yellow eyes of the Sith Lord and bowed his head again.

"Of... Of course not, my Lord Malak. I will do as you ask, but it will take several hours to position our fleet."

"Then I suggest that you do so immediately. You are dismissed, admiral." The Dark Lord then went back to looking down at the backwater world. A world that, in his eyes, was already destroyed.

...

Davik's penthouse was far too elaborate for Meranda's liking, but she comforted herself with knowing that she would not have to be there very long. She only brought Bastila and Carth with her, not wanting to make the old man she was presented to nervous.

"Canderous, I see you've brought someone with you. Most intriguing, if I do say so myself. You usually travel alone." The old man, who had to be Davik, said, looking rather curious. And shockingly enough, Calo Nord was right next to him.

"It's not like you to take on a partner, Canderous. You're getting soft."

"Watch yourself, Calo. You might be the newest kath-hound in the pack, but your not top dog yet!" The Mando snarled back at the bounty hunter, making their boss have to step in.

"Enough! I can't have my two best men kill each other, that's not good business. I'm sure Canderous has a good explanation for why he's no longer working solo."

"This is a special case, Davik. I ran into someone the Exchange might want to recruit. I'm sure you've already heard of their exploits."

"Ah, yes, the Mysterious Stranger! You handled yourself pretty well in the ring and on the track, let alone the battel after the race."

"I honestly don't see what the praise is all about. I just killed a thug who thought he was more than that."

"HA! I like your spirit, kid! So, with the recommendation of Canderous and a thorough background check, I can offer you a place in the Exchange. Many would kill for this opportunity!"

"It is an exciting prospect." Merando lied through her teeth like a scoundrel.

"That's what I like to hear. Come, let me give you a tour of my operation. I think you'll be most impressed." Meranda only paid half attention to the tour, memorizing the layout for when she had to hack and slash her way out. The snag she would have to confront Canderous about would be needing Davik's personal codes to get into the blasted ship. They were soon led to a rather lovely room and waved in by the Crime Lord. "This will be your accommodations. The slave quarters are just down the hall. If you need anything, food, a massage, feel free to call upon their services. If all goes well with your background check, you will be offered to join the Exchange. I'd advise you to take the offer when it arrives or suffer the dire consequences of refusal."

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Davik." Meranda said with a sarcastic wink. Making the old man laugh a bit.

"Don't get too cheeky with me just yet! You will stay as my guest for the next few days during the background check. But, I must warn you, if you are found outside of the guest area, or if you disturb my other guests, my security forces will deal with you most harshly. I will return after the investigation into your background is complete. Until then, make yourselves comfortable. Come, Calo, let us leave our guests in peace." The group waited for Davik and Calo to leave before saying anything to each other.

"Please tell me you have the codes to get onto the Ebon Hawk. I will be very displeased if the answer is no." Meranda said to Canderous, who responded with a huff.

"Don't worry. We will grab them before we leave. Now let's get out of here."

"Ok, but we're rescuing the slaves on our way out."

"We don't have time for-"

"Then we will make time, Mandalorian!" Canderous was cowed rather quickly by the sharp response. And they went on their way.

...

After massacring Davik's guards, and a few of his guests, Meranda made it into the hanger. But by the time they got there, it seemed the Sith saw fit to bombard Davik's estate from orbit. And it appeared that heading to the hanger was a popular idea, as Davik and Calo charged in from a different direction.

"Damn those Sith - they're bombing the whole planet! I knew they'd turn on us sooner or-" Davik then stopped mid-sentence when he saw Meranda and her companions. Then snarled in rage. "Well, would you look at what we got here! Thieves in the hanger bay! So, you figured you'd steal my ship for your getaway and leave me high and dry while the Sith turn this planet into dust? Sorry, but that ain't going to happen!"

"What!? No, we were looking for you to get you to safety! I'd swear on my gramma's grave, honest!" Meranda lied through her teeth, hoping to get the old man in the tight corridors of the ship. But it seemed that the Crime Lord was playing it safe and was not even going to humor the idea of sparing them.

"Let me take care of this, Davik. I've been looking forward to this for a long time!"

"Make it quick, Calo. The Sith mean business. If we don't get to our ship and find somewhere safe, the bombs their dropping will-" Davik was cut off by a large chunk of the roof caving in and burying Calo Nord. Meranda then used this opportunity to throw her vibro-sword, planting the blade in one side of the old man's neck and out the other.

"Onto the ship, everyone move!" Meranda, her team, and the rescued slaves all boarded the ship and made their way to the clinic to pick up the rest of her people and the wounded Republic soldiers. Not saying no when the doc and his scheming assistant asked to come along as well.

...

Malak did his best to try and sense the death of Bastila, but nothing yet. He would know when she was vanquished, and until then, he would have the entire planet glassed.

"Taris is defenseless against our assault, Lord Malak. They are offering no resistance. The city is in ruins." The admiral reported, remorse clear in his voice. But Malak gave no heed to the weakling's grief.

"Resume the bombardment, Commander. Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the galaxy." Malak watched the red dots of blaster fire from his ship rain across the planet. Being Force-sensitive, he could feel every death, the terror of every single person right before they were snuffed out. But he would not stop the slaughter until he felt the death cry of Bastila Shan through the Force.

...

Meranda had never seen anything like it before. The once glittering planet of Taris was now a burning hellscape. All the good she did there burned away, same as the people and starscrappers.

"Plot a course for Dantooine! There's a Jedi enclave there where we can find refuge!" Bastila ordered, only for all the alarms to start going off.

"Fighters incoming!"

"Quickly, get to the gun turrets! You have to the Sith fighters off until we get the hyperspace coordinates punched in!"

"On it!" Meranda said as she rushed to the guns. The Sith fighters came in wave after wave, the near-endless swarm combined with the backdrop of the fleet bombarding Taris made for a demoralizing image. The faces of the now undoubtedly dead people she had helped during her time on the planet flashed before her eyes, then came rage. Hate burned its way through every inch of her body. Every blast she fired was a kill shot. Dozens of fighters fell to her anger before the ship went into hyperspace. Meranda took a few deep breaths before heading back down into the main ship. Walking onto the bridge, Bastila took the lead in the conversation.

"Dantooine... It seems like a lifetime since I last stepped foot on her surface, though in truth, it has only been a few months. We should be safe from Malak here... At least for now."

"Safe?" Carth bulked at Bastila's statement. "You saw what the fleet did to Taris: there wasn't a building over two stories high left standing! They... They turned the planet into one big pile of rubble."

"Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine. There are many Jedi there, including several of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is great strength in that place."

"No, Carth is right. We give our report, then flee to the closest stronghold world." Bastila shook her head at Meranda's statement.

"We can't just keep running. Malak will find us eventually. We need to regroup; we need a plan. We can get supplies and recuperate. The Academy is a place of mental and spiritual healing, something we could all use right about now." Carth nodded in response.

"Maybe your right. It's not easy to witness the annihilation of an entire planet. I know Mission must be taking it pretty hard."

"She will find a way to come to terms with her grief. She is stronger than she appears. We just need to give her time."

"Wake me up when we get to Dantooine. I'm going to go find a corner to pass out in." Meranda stumbled off into the ship. She passed the cargo hold. Looking in, she could see Mission sobbing in Zaalbar's arms. T3, bless his little processer, was chirping maintenance offers for Mission. He clearly didn't understand what was happening. Like a kid at a funeral, all he knew was that everyone was sad. Meranda found a place where Mission's cries of mourning were hardest to hear. And did her best to think about anything else as she drifted off.