Disclaimer: This world and its characters belong to BioWare and Lucasarts.
The building complex came into view on a mountain above the Upper City, near the ocean. As they approached, a black dot appeared and climbed away. Sarna raised a pair of macrobinoculars to her eyes and keyed the radio. "Major, a ship just launched from our objective; it appears to be a Dynamic-class light freighter. Should we pursue?"
"No, stay on mission," replied Antur. "Fighters will intercept your runner." Sarna acknowledged and looked back down at the estate. Blaster fire was hitting the compound hard.
Yun Genda checked the signal tracker. "Major," he asked, "can you stop the bombardment in the immediate area of our contact? They're in the hangar that ship just took off from." Antur acknowledged and went off the air for a moment. The blaster fire stopped in a small circle around the hangar.
"Thank you, sir," called Tash. The shuttle pilot brought them carefully into the collapsing docking bay. He remained with the shuttle; Sarna and Tash followed Yun down the ramp and into the wrecked building. Large sections of the roof had been blasted in, fires were burning all over. Nearly a dozen bodies were scattered across the floor and the walls were marred by carbon scoring.
"Look at this; there was a firefight here," said Sarna.
"I can top that," Tash replied. "Look down here."
He was pointing to a pair of dead bodies holding vibroblades. There were several straight grooves newly cut into the duracrete floor near the corpses. There was not a speck of dust in or near the grooves. Tash and Sarna's eyes met.
"Lightsaber," said Sarna.
Tash nodded and thumbed his comlink. "Major, we have found evidence that there was a Jedi here, though we cannot confirm it was Bastila Shan. It appears that she left aboard the freighter we saw taking off."
"Understood," came the response from Antur. "That ship was able to destroy several fighters and an escort vessel and jump to hyperspace. It is imperative that you find the package and get him up here."
The hangar groaned; metal struts creaked and popped. "I'm thinking that this structure is not entirely stable," said Yun sarcastically. "Let's find this guy and get off this rock before the fleet blasts it to slag." He began sweeping a scanner over the wreckage. They followed the signal, weaving between the wreckage and avoiding fires. Tash pulled his portable medical computer and followed, scanning for life signs. Yun's tracker pinged; he followed it quickly to a twisted pile of metal struts: part of the roof which had fallen in.
Tash concentrated on his readings. "I have a life sign, human; it's quite weak. He's under here!" The three began lifting pieces of debris out of the way.
"I see him!" cried Sarna. A pair of legs was sticking out of the pile. Sarna and Yun grabbed a metal strut and levered a large section of roof out of the way. Tash ducked under it and dragged the man out. He was unconscious and bleeding badly from gashes to his chest and legs. The signal was coming from his wrist comlink. Tash tapped a command into his computer and a repulsor stretcher hovered out of the shuttle. The three loaded the man and began walking back to the ship.
A loud crack split the air, and a section of burning wreckage fell on Sarna. She screamed as she was pinned to the floor. She fought panic as she felt flames licking at her feet. Tash and Yun both spun around. Tash hesitated, looking between Sarna and the man on the stretcher, then kept going. Yun ran back to help.
Sarna was trying to struggle free, but the pile was much too heavy. Yun knelt down and tried to shift it. She smiled sadly. "The hangar is collapsing, Yun. We're out of time."
He shook his head. "I'm not leaving you!"
Sarna looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Yun, please, I don't want you to be hurt or killed for me. I'm begging you, save yourself."
He glared down at her. "Not a chance! I'll lie down next to you before I abandon a fellow trooper." He ran around the wreckage. "That's it!" A piece of rebar was sticking out of a duracrete block. It glowed a dull red. Yun tore off his uniform tunic and wrapped it around his hands. He grabbed the bar and strained; a horrible hissing sound rose from the improvised gloves. Yun roared and the pile shifted. Sarna drew up her knees and braced her feet against the wreckage. She shoved and began to lift the debris. Yun let go of the bar and grabbed her shoulders, dragging her free.
Sarna scrambled to her feet and they both sprinted to the shuttle. It lifted off, pivoted in midair, and glided out from under the burning roof. The ramp dropped, pointing straight at them. Sarna and Yun ran for their lives. Yun stumbled and fell. His hands were charred and he was going into shock; Sarna pulled him to the edge of the ramp. Tash bounded out of the shuttle and the two of them got Yun aboard. Tash had stabilized the informant, who wore a blue jacket and white turban. A large pistol was holstered on each hip. Tash applied kolto bandages to Yun's badly burned hands. Yun turned to Sarna and snarled. "Don't ever give up on me again!"
She nodded numbly. "Thank you, Yun. I thought I was dead for sure."
Tash shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sarna. I had to put the mission first."
"You want to apologize? Buy me a drink, next shore leave." She smiled faintly. "I sure as hell need one."
The shuttle pitched nose-up and picked up speed as the hangar fell in with a loud roar. Tash strapped into the right seat as they climbed away from Davik's estate. "Major Antur, this is Corporal Moross, mission accomplished. Privates Sarna and Genda have non-life-threatening injuries, but the asset is badly wounded. I'll need a trauma team and kolto tank ready in the hangar."
"You've got it," Antur replied. "Excellent work, you three." The shuttle landed safely aboard the Leviathan.
The Republic fugitives had escaped cleanly; more than a third of the regiment had died on Taris, either killed hunting fugitives or left behind during the bombardment. Sarna and Yun learned that the man they had rescued was Calo Nord, an infamous bounty hunter. Once Nord recovered, Admiral Karath debriefed him personally. Antur was not privy to the intelligence that had been gained. The scuttlebutt was that the Admiral was greatly excited by what he had learned. Darth Malak left the Leviathan; no one but the Admiral knew where he had gone. Two days later, Nord left as well; he and a group of Dark Jedi boarded a hyperdrive-equipped picket and jumped away. Sarna heard rumors that he had been hired to go after Bastila Shan. She hoped that the hunter would catch Jace as well.
Meanwhile, something big was brewing. The fleet remained in orbit over Taris; more ships were arriving daily. A large transport arrived; it carried replacement troopers to bring the 322nd back to full unit strength. More warships arrived, carrying two more regiments composed entirely of combat droids. The complete task force included five cruisers, thirteen destroyers and frigates, and nearly six hundred fighters, bombers, and picket ships. The ground force had armored vehicles along with an entire division of human and droid troops and a large number of Dark Jedi. Even so, the fleet was not nearly large enough to attack the Core, or even a well-defended world on the Rim. No one knew their destination for certain, but rumors spread, as they usually did before a major operation. The word that kept coming up was 'Academy.' Everyone believed they were preparing to attack a Jedi training ground. Gossip kept them all apprised of current events. Given Calo Nord's reputation, Sarna was shocked to learn that Shan and her followers had killed the bounty hunter and the Dark Jedi who had gone with him.
About a month after the mission to Taris, Major Antur called Sarna and Yun into his office. Antur clapped his hands together. "I am restoring part of your rank." He handed them new insignia pins. "You are both promoted to private, first class. Now, you've both shown skill at handling difficult and dangerous assignments. I've been ordered to make several good troopers ready for another special mission. They haven't told me what yet, but my guess is you'll be back-up for the apprentices who will be facing Jedi."
Yun grinned. "So the scuttlebutt is accurate?"
Antur smiled and nodded. "It usually is. I still don't know exactly where we are headed, but you are going to special training alongside Sith apprentices. I'm sending you two and Tash, along with about ten more of my best troopers." He cocked his head at Sarna. "That includes Brent and Rafi, but you won't be in the same squad, and you keep your current living arrangements. They've been warned to stay away from you." His expression turned grave. "You should save all your worry for your training. Working with Dark Jedi is dangerous for those without the Force; they see us as inferior beings. If you do not perform to their liking, you may well be killed."
Yun swallowed hard; Sarna nodded. "I know the penalty if I fail the Sith again."
Major Antur shook hands. "Good luck with your new assignment-you will need it."
Sarna, Yun, and Tash joined about two hundred troopers drawn from the entire regiment in the new special unit. With them were thirty or so Dark Jedi apprentices. The entire group was assembled in ranks in a hangar bay to be addressed by their new commander.
Several high-ranking Sith stood on a raised platform; a bald man in black armor stepped forward. "I am Darth Bandon, apprentice to the Dark Lord Malak. You have been chosen because you are the best troopers in the 322nd Regiment. In recent months, the Sith have taken increasing losses from Republic composite units, Jedi fighting alongside soldiers in coordinated teams. You will form the first such Sith unit. We will use their own tactics, modified by the superior Sith Way, to bring the Republic to its knees. Lord Malak intended me to lead this unit into battle, but the situation has changed." He began pacing. "By now, you have no doubt heard that this fleet nearly caught the Jedi Bastila Shan on Taris. You have also heard that she killed the bounty hunter that Lord Malak set on her trail. Now, the Dark Lord has chosen to make her my prey, Battle Meditation or no."
Bandon gestured to the Sith Masters standing behind him. "I leave your training to my second, Master Aramil Vinjagga, and his apprentice, Kaiya Turnell." Bandon left the stage with several Sith; they strode out of the hangar bay. Two Dark Jedi stepped up. Master Aramil was some type of near-human, with deathly pale skin and green-black hair. His tall, heavily muscled frame was squeezed into silvery battle armor and his eyes were such a vivid green they nearly glowed-or perhaps they did glow. Kaiya, on the other hand, looked boringly normal; she was a human woman wearing a grey jumpsuit and black hood. She was neither beautiful nor homely, with brown hair and eyes. It was her bearing and expression that marked her; she radiated intense confidence and pride.
Aramil clasped his hands behind his back and studied the assembled Sith. "Starting tomorrow morning, you will be training here as Sith apprentices do. We will fight in mixed groups, developing tactics to defeat the Jedi and their Republic allies. Only the best of you will serve in the Special Assault Unit being formed here." He smiled coldly. "How will we pick the best? You'll be the only ones left. This training will include sparring with live weapons."
Sarna and the others began training with desperate intensity; their survival depended on it. With their new role came new weapons: cortosis-plated blasters with vibroblade bayonets. Kaiya was their chief instructor, and she was vicious. She often choked or shocked troopers who failed to meet the rigorous expectations of the training program. The trio learned fast, or at least faster than most. Yun's marksmanship lent itself to fighting from a distance with a long rifle; his aim was so precise he could score hits past lightsaber deflection. Sarna and Tash fought from closer in, using their carbines in both ranged and hand-to-hand combat. The practice combat was brutal; many troopers were killed or wounded.
Sarna and Yun were some of the last to be sent into a live-fire exercise. In their first engagement, their squad and a pair of apprentices were ordered to defeat two Dark Jedi Masters-any way they could. The Dark Jedi waited in the center of the floor; crates and equipment had been scattered around as obstacles and cover. Sarna looked around the group before they made their attack. "Does anyone have ideas as to how we do this?"
One of the apprentices sneered at her. "You stay out of the way, fool! We wield the Force, and we don't need help from puny common beings. We will fight, and the strongest will prevail, as it should be." The two apprentices flicked on their lightsabers and charged.
"NO!" cried Yun, "We need a plan!" It was too late. One Sith Master took on both apprentices with a double-bladed lightsaber. The second leapt over them all and struck the apprentices down from behind.
Both Masters cackled maniacally. "Come, insects!" one called mockingly, "It is time to die."
Sarna's mind raced. This was not training anymore; it was survival, plain and simple. She and the other troopers of her squad huddled behind a large cargo container. "We need to surround them. Lightsabers can block blaster shots, but not from every side. Where are the repeater gunners?" Two troopers raised their hands. "Right. One trooper goes with each of you. Split left and right and suppress them. Yun, take two; move cover to cover and head all the way around the back."
Yun shook his head. "That leaves you alone in front of them-one or both of them will charge you and break out of the circle."
Sarna grinned. "I know-I'll be waiting with this." She held up a concussion grenade. "They don't have helmets, so they have no flash or noise protection. Once the 'banger goes off, Yun and the repeater gunners focus on whichever Sith is less affected by the blast. The rest of you will rush the weaker Master with me, bayonets out." She took a breath. "These Dark Jedi care nothing for those without the Force. They think we're just bugs to squash. They don't take us seriously, and they're going to pay for it."
The troopers moved to the edges of their hiding place. Sarna leaned out and fired; the Sith deflected the bolts easily. The squad dashed in both directions in a double envelopment. They crouched behind any available cover as the Sith Masters unleashed a barrage of Force lightning. One trooper following Yun didn't make it in time and the dark energy struck home. The woman jerked, stumbled and fell. One of the Sith Masters shot out an arm and caught the hapless trooper in a Force grip before she could get to cover. She screamed and clawed at the deck as the Dark Jedi pulled her in, laughing cruelly. He slashed down and cut her in half. Yun leaned out and put a rifle shot into the Master's side. He howled in pain and threw lightning again; Yun scrambled behind a crate and readied his blaster.
Sarna bared her teeth. "Let's fuck 'em up, right now!" The troopers began firing. The Dark Jedi were forced back to back deflecting shots from all sides. The fire was too intense for them to concentrate and counterattack, but Sarna knew it could not last. The Sith with the double-blade moved slightly to take the fire of both repeater gunners. This took the pressure off the Sith that Yun had injured. He noted the weaker fire coming from Sarna's direction and made his move. He blasted away with more electricity, forcing her behind the container. The Sith charged and lifted the container, leaving Sarna without cover. She fired as he advanced, backing up slightly. He deflected her shots easily and raised his lightsaber to finish her. Sarna flipped the grenade into his face. The Sith Master cried out as it detonated. The flash and concussion stunned Sarna as well. She couldn't see, and her ears were ringing; she heard a loud crash and a gurgling scream, followed by a howl of rage from the other Dark Jedi. She blinked and her vision began to clear. She looked down to see blood splattered across the deck: the Master had dropped the two-ton cargo box on himself when the concussion stunned him. Sarna shook off the after-effects of the blast and looked out from behind the container.
The remaining Sith was completely on the defensive. He was spinning in place, batting blaster shots back at the shooters and dodging the streams of fire from the repeaters. Sarna broke cover and moved in; several other troopers followed her lead. With only the repeaters to contend with, the Master was free to come out swinging. The troopers switched to bayonet fighting and went toe-to toe with the Sith Master. The Sith was a dangerous opponent even when at a disadvantage; three troopers were lightly injured, one lost an arm, and two were killed outright. Sarna ducked a slash and stabbed the Master in the thigh. He staggered and Sarna clubbed him with her carbine's folding stock. The rest of the squad swarmed in to finish him off. The watching Sith troopers whooped and cheered-this was the first clear win for troopers over the Force users.
Kaiya Turnell clapped approvingly from the observation platform and beckoned Sarna over. Sarna and Yun walked over to where she and Major Antur waited. The major was beaming, and the Dark Jedi had the tiniest of smiles. "Well done, Private."
"Thank you, uh, ma'am." Sarna saluted. "I apologize; I don't know the appropriate form of address."
Kaiya smiled more broadly. "You show proper respect, Private; I am not offended. As a senior apprentice, I hold the military rank of captain; Master Aramil is a full colonel. The military address is appropriate as you are not blessed with the Force." She shifted gears smoothly. "But you are blessed with skill, and a keen tactical mind. I was impressed by your performance. You succeeded even when your apprentices got themselves killed. You performed far and away better than any other trooper here. I am promoting you to Corporal. You will be joining my squad, as will PFC Genda. You will lead a fire team."
Sarna nodded. "Thank you, Captain Turnell."
Antur smiled. "You really are doing well, Sarna. You're halfway back to your lost rank, and combat duty is a good way to earn rapid promotions."
Kaiya nodded. "Continue down the path you are on, and you have great potential among the Sith."
The next few weeks passed quickly. Sarna and Yun began living and training with two other members of Kaiya Turnell's squad. Sarna was no longer facing lethal force now that she had been selected. Kaiya said her troopers were too valuable to risk. Instead, they fought endless battle drills against Master Aramil and his squad, including Tash. Kaiya and Sarna spent a lot of time together, developing tactics. Sarna was quite impressed by the apprentice. Kaiya was the most focused woman she had ever met, strong, intelligent, and dedicated to the Sith with fanatical zeal.
Sarna had other things on her mind as well: she was falling for Tash. As she got to know him better, she was developing stronger feelings for him. She knew he didn't feel the same, and it was killing her. She must have shown it on her face, because Yun asked her what was going on at dinner one night. She couldn't help it; she just let it all out. Yun's face fell and he nodded. "It is very hard when someone you care for doesn't feel the same way."
Sarna's jaw dropped. "Oh no, Yun…" He raised a hand to stop her, but she barged right ahead. "You love me, don't you?"
He smiled sadly. "You didn't notice? I've been following you like a puppy dog for a year now." He looked glum. "But you love Tash."
Now it was Sarna's turn to pout. "And he loves Naomi, who died because of me."
Yun chuckled. "What a mess."
Sarna shook her head. "I have no right to want him. If I hadn't screwed up, he'd be married and happy."
Yun frowned. "It all leads back to Jace, doesn't it?"
Sarna nodded grimly. "I do hope we cross his path before this war is over."
It seemed likely that they would. Six months after Sarna rescued Calo Nord, the task force learned its mission: assaulting the Jedi Enclave on the sparsely populated world of Dantooine. The droids would spread out across the planet to secure the larger settlements. The 322nd would assault the area around the Enclave, and Master Aramil's Special Assault Unit would hit the Enclave itself. The Republic had very little fleet presence in the area, so the major danger was the large number of Jedi, including several Masters. The SAU troopers were given holos of about two dozen Jedi Masters who were considered too dangerous to face. If any of them were spotted, Sarna was supposed to retreat and wait for Aramil or other powerful Sith to take them on. Sarna's job was to keep enemy soldiers from threatening the Force users while they took on the Jedi directly. The squad went over the plan for their section of the battle area, then headed back to the barracks to rest. The fleet formed up and jumped to hyperspace.
A/N: Up next, we get to see the attack on Dantooine we only heard about in KotOR. Please, leave a review to let me know what you think!