"Are you sure about this?" Carth asked for the tenth time since they had formed their plan, or at least grasped at the vague shape of one, "If you want, I can join you, surely one more person wouldn't hurt?"

Bastila sighed, her voice slightly muffled and tinged with static through the Sith soldier's helmet she had donned, "I think I can manage to take Ariv as a prisoner to get inside the base."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Carth insisted, "What if you get ousted? Bastila, I don't like the idea of you even in the vicinity of a Sith base, let alone inside one."

"We already decided, Carth," Ariv admonished gently, resisting the urge to break through the durasteel cuffs already. Even Teethree booped in frustration at Carth's 'doubts' about his abilities.

"Alright," Carth conceded and left them near the elevator to the Lower City, giving them one last concerned look while Bastila walked ahead, half dragging Ariv to make their ruse a little more believable.

They finally reached the entrance to the former Republic base. A single soldier, wearing heavy armour stood stationed in front of the massive doors while various Czerka-made Mark IV assault droids patrolled the area.

"Identification please," he asked.

"You don't need to see our identification, you already know who we are," Bastila persuaded.

The soldier stayed silent for a moment and Ariv nervously glanced up at the autoturrets that were turned towards the entrance and swallowed. He tried his best to remain calm as he waited to see how the soldier would react.

"I don't need to see your identification," the soldier reiterated a moment later, sounding almost dazed. "I already know who you are! Welcome back! "

Ariv shuddered slightly as he walked in, head bent low. The Jedi mind trick had quickly overtaken the soldier's senses and allowed them to twist his thoughts easily. Unconsciously, his mind recounted when he had convinced the Sith at the Party to reveal more information about Bastila and the Guard in the Undercity who had finally agreed to open the Outcast Village's gate on his insistence only. The memories gave him pause, and Ariv shifted, uncomfortable at the prospect that he might have the very same power as well.

Bastila nudged him ahead when he stood in the hallway motionless, murmuring, "We must focus on the mission.

Chastised, Ariv shook his head, realising that the mission was more important. And Bastila had promised him that she would speak to the Jedi. Nodding, he moved ahead where the trio was almost immediately stopped by the receptionist: a Twi'lek lady with yellow skin splotched with red.

"Hey!" she called, "What's going on here?"

"We found this one," Bastila answered, showing Avriv slightly, "Causing a ruckus out there. Figured a few weeks in a cell will set him straight."

"And the droid," she asked pointedly, "What about it?"

"Belongs to him as well," she continued, "Once I'm done with him, I will drop it off to be wiped."

The Twi'lek looked at them, clearly doubting their story. They stood staring at each other for a tense moment before she shrugged and muttered I don't care, I don't get paid enough for this and walked off.

Ariv released a breath of relief and obediently walked ahead Bastila to the nearest corridor where Teethree found an outlet, plugged himself into it, and quickly downloaded all the data he could while they provided the astromech with cover. He and Bastila did not talk, their earlier conversation weighed heavily on his mind. A minute or so later, the droid beeped with triumph and announced his success in finding the layout of the base, and by the looks of it, getting inside had been the easy part. He mournfully dwooped that the codes weren't on the main network, and were likely with the Governor himself.

There was one upside to this: the prison block – where they said they were going to go – was on the same floor as the office. However, that was the only silver lining. Apparently, they would have to get through long winding corridors filled with armed sentry droids, turrets, and soldiers to reach there.

The Governor's office was guarded by an assault droid with a ray shield (as if it wasn't hard enough already), and more turrets before they made it in — not to mention getting the codes from the Sith himself.

Great.

Ariv and Bastila shared a look, knowing that their cover was going to blow and they'd have to fight their way in and out of the base.

The Jedi grasped his forearm again as she dragged him through the long hallways and Teethree made sure to keep them on the right path. Ariv kept his head low as they traversed through the wide passageways lit up by bright white glow panels. A few soldiers crossed their paths and either jeered at him or nodded at Bastila.

Ariv could feel his heartbeat rising in anticipation and terror and he willed it to calm.

Finally, they reached one of the two elevators and Teethree beeped again as they entered. Ariv felt almost at peace, at last, they were alone without any Sith— "Wait up!" the harsh voice of an officer called out as the doors began to shut and Bastila only pressed the 'close' button more rapidly in response, but it was of no use since the man managed to squeeze in.

"Whoo! That was close. You know how the Governor is — gets all cranky if he doesn't get his briefing and reports on time." he said, gesturing to the datapads he was holding.

They both stared at him wordlessly, not daring to insult the Governor. The other man shifted awkwardly, loosening the collar of his grey uniform.

"So, you're taking this one to the prison block huh?" he asked and Bastila nodded.

"Right," he said, studying Ariv closely, "Swear I've seen you before."

"He's a troublemaker," The Jedi covered up quickly, "We've been wanting him behind bars – here with us, for a while now."

"Ah, of course," Officer – Yun Genda, apparently, according to his tag, answered and continued to stare at Ariv suspiciously. He felt a profound sense of horror as he recognised the Officer — the man had been at Sarna's party, and the two of them had spoken briefly. He did not realise who the Officer was earlier because he hadn't been able to make out the other man's face properly in the low light of Sarna's apartment. Ariv quickly looked away to avoid increasing the other man's suspicions but it was too late.

Yun's eyes widened as he came to some conclusion. "You," he hissed, glaring daggers at Ariv, "You're the bastard that cost Sarna her job! I saw you at that party! "

"I don't know what you mean. I was at that party, yes, but that is because, like you, I had been invited. How the hell did Sarna lose her job because of me?" Ariv defended, for he knew that there was no point in lying to the Officer, but he could try and take some of the blame off him. Yun continued, "Because you were the only one who left that apartment! The afternoon after the party when we all came to, I realised that my buddies were knocked out and their uniforms were missing!"

Bastila interjected, annoyed and alarmed, "As I said, he's a fiend."

Ariv only rolled his eyes in response, and Officer Yun gloated, "Good to know that you've finally got him, you know what," he added, shoving the pile of datapads into Bastila's hands, "I'd like to find out what he did with those innocent soldiers' uniforms, where else he'd gone and who he may have sold them to. I would like to oversee his interrogation personally."

The officer's eyes gleamed with the promise of inflicting pain and Ariv swallowed, "Soldier!" he barked, addressing Bastila who was wearing the very uniform Yun wanted to know the whereabouts of. "Take these to the Governor and leave this low-life with me!"

Bastila had come to some form of conclusion while the Officer prattled on, and the Jedi took a step forward, "I'm sorry it had to come to this," she said, not sounding particularly sorry, she let the datapads crash to the floor and curled her fingers in front of his face. The officer's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

The Jedi bent and pulled out the man's clearance card, they'd need it to get access across the base. The floors ticked by as they prepared to face whatever lay ahead. Finally, Bastila pulled off the cuffs from Ariv's hands and he rubbed his wrists as the door whizzed open, immediately the soldiers standing guard in front of the cells realised something was very wrong once they saw an unconscious officer collapsed on the floor and began firing at them, Bastila ignited her lightsaber and blocked the first onslaught of bolts as Ariv returned fire from over her shoulder. They took care of the soldiers and went into the prison cells where more Sith awaited them.

They advanced quickly getting through soldiers and Sentry droids alike and it was clear that the remaining few were getting desperate, one even threw a frag grenade at Bastila, realising that she was obviously the bigger threat. Almost overwhelmed and occupied she did not realise the extent of the Sith's desperation and Ariv ran to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and tackled her to the ground as the grenade exploded and rained metal and shrapnel around them.

Making sure that her body was covered with his, he fired shots at the Sith. They fired back and he only tightened his arms around her. Bastila used the force to deflect any stray bolts as the last of the Sith fell. Pushing himself off the Jedi he offered her his hand and she took it without complaint.

"You there – human!" came the pleading voice of a Duros male from behind the hazy blur of a tawny force cage. Ariv faced the alien realising that there was something familiar about him.

"You helped me once before when the Sith were trying to arrest me. Outside your apartment. Do you remember?" Ariv nodded, recalling the event. Looks like the Sith had taken him behind bars anyway.

"I am in need of your help once again. The Sith are going to execute me for removing that soldier's corpse from your apartment complex. Please, help me out of this cage."

Ariv felt bad that the Duros had gotten into trouble because of him, and asked, "How do I get you out?"

The Duros explained it to him and Ariv was thankful that he was able to successfully get the alien out a few minutes later. "Thank you, human," he began, "I do not know what you are doing inside this military base, but I am grateful. Once again I owe you a debt I can never repay. Now I must leave this place before the Sith discover I have escaped. If you are wise, you will do the same. If the Sith capture you I doubt anyone else will come by to set you free." With that, he ran outside the room.

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

Ariv and Bastila finally reached the next room, finding the Assault droid keeping watch vigilantly. Swiping Officer Yun's badge they simply walked past it and the turrets.

Then, they went into the Governor's office and saw a bald middle-aged man hovering a few inches off the floor, legs crossed. He quickly opened his eyes once he realised something was wrong. "Who dares disturb my meditation?" He boomed, "You shall pay for interrupting me! Wait," he added, his gaze turning inquisitive and shrewd.

"I sense the Force is strong with you, very strong," he said, almost surprised, "Who would have thought a Force Adept could be found on this insignificant planet?" Ariv assumed the man was talking about Bastila – who was, of course, incredibly powerful, after all he had seen it first hand. But the Sith continued, "And with you, you bring the one and only Bastila Shan." Ariv's mouth dropped with horror once he realised that the man was talking about him .

He remembered what Bastila had told him last night, about the fact that he might be 'force-sensitive' as she called it. But, it couldn't be pos– "Truly what a marvellous day this is," the Sith interrupted Ariv's inner dilemma, "Lord Malak would be most pleased to learn that I have caught not one Jedi – but two! Perhaps I might even get a promotion off this dump."

Ariv felt fury rise in him and he hissed, "You Sith must be brought to judgement for all the blood you have spilled."

The Governor only laughed, "You are a fool – this is a new age! The Sith shall be the ones passing judgement now! We are the new order of the galaxy!" He powered up his energy shield and ignited his saber, which materialised as twin beams of crimson and aimed for Bastila who immediately blocked his strike.

Ariv raised his blaster as well but found that his aim might miss the Governor and hurt the Jedi instead, so, he quickly called Teethree – who had been trying to shock the Governor and help her – to his side, at least he could get the codes while Bastila dealt with the Sith.

Teethree sliced into the computer and began downloading the codes and the Sith Governor finally understood what was happening. He used the force to freeze Bastila in place and turned to Ariv, arm raised. A split second later Ariv was slammed back into the control panels with a powerful invisible force.

The Sith advanced, his menacing form blurry to Ariv, "You are powerful, yes, but even whatever raw talent you have is no match for the dark side," he threatened, raising his saber and Ariv's eyes widened as red light filled his vision, but lucky for him, Bastila was quicker. She broke free of the chokehold, crossed the room, and blocked the strike. She then parried the Sith's blows effortlessly and mercilessly, driving the Governor back who looked shocked. Bastila Shan in battle truly was a sight to behold.

"Intriguing that you would defend him so," he remarked, "And with such ferocity! I thought the nonsensical Jedi code said that there is no passion, there is peace –" Bastila's attacks only became more aggressive and she beat him back. He had been knocked to the floor, weaponless and bleeding as she said, looming over him with her golden saber ignited, "Turn away from the dark side. It won't lead you to anything but destruction."

The Sith scoffed, "Spoken like a true drone of the Jedi Council. The Sith have learned to embrace the potential of the dark side. It is what gives us strength!" His hands reached into his pockets as a grin took over his face, "You Jedi are foolish, and it shall be your downfall!" The Governor pulled out a thermal detonator, hoping to take them all out but Ariv reacted faster, he reached for the blaster discarded a few inches away and shot the Sith who slumped to the floor, motionless as the unused detonator rolled away.

The silence was broken by Teethree who declared that he had managed to get the codes. Right , he thinks, getting up – now they were onto the last part of their plan – getting into Davik's Estate and stealing his ship from under his nose.

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

Unsurprisingly, the cantinas both in the Upper and Lower Cities were full even during the afternoons. The citizens of Taris were sick of the blockade and were desperate to find any way to pass time. Ariv and Bastila found Canderous sitting in a dark corner by himself, and other patrons kept their distance from the Mandalorian. The two of them had not spoken since their getaway from the Sith Base. Ariv was still reeling from the Governer's words and Bastila herself seemed confused about the situation, so the walk here had been silent except for Teethree happily chirping away about how much he'd enjoyed his first mission. They had given the little droid monosyllabic answers and yet it beeped happily in response.

They settled down in front of the Mandalorian who simply asked, "I heard that someone broke into the Sith Base and given that the two of you are here – alive, I assume you got the codes?"

Ariv nodded in response, and asked, "What's your plan ahead?"

"I can get you in Davik's Estate, and right to the Ebon Hawk – in fact, it's better if we leave now," Cancerous answered.

"Alright," he said, "But how are you going to get us inside his Estate?"

"Davik's always looking to recruit new talent," The Mandalorian explained, "I'll tell him how you won that swoop race and the duelling championship, and mention that you're interested in working for the Exchange. I'll say I brought you in so he could check you out. He'll have you stay at his estate for a couple days while he runs some background checks on you – that's standard procedure."

"We might not have a few days," Ariv insisted but Bastila cut in, "This is too risky. We should find another way."

"You got another plan, sister?" Canderous asked, "Or are you just objecting 'cause you didn't think of it?"

The Jedi huffed, "No, I... don't have another plan. I would rather not place my life in your hands, however."

"I can say the same about you," Ordo countered, "That makes us even. Fortunately, we both want to get off this rock, right? And besides, no one's taking you to the Estate, Princess."

Bastila's already ram-rod straight posture stiffened further at that, "Excuse me?" she asked.

Ordo grinned, "I heard a rumour that the Vulkars captured you without much of a struggle. It must be embarrassing to be bested by a handful of street thugs."

"There were extenuating circumstances," the Jedi grit out, "And I can assure you it took far more than a handful of Vulkars to subdue me."

It was Ariv's turn to smile, "Yeah," he added, "I'm sure there were twenty of them. I mean, fifty... no, wait... a hundred!"

Bastila glared at him but he could see that her cheeks had darkened from embarrassment, " You of all people should keep shush about this. I was using my battle meditation in my tumbling escape pod to make sure that others could at least reach the surface," she hissed. Ariv thought he ought to be more shocked by this revelation for he did not realise that she may have still tried to make use of her powers despite the fact that she had been hurtling towards the surface at a breakneck speed.

"Whatever you say," Ordo piped up, chuckling, "All I know is that if we had more Jedi like Bastila fighting against us in the Mandalorian Wars, my side might not have lost."

"Bold talk from a broken-down mercenary who was serving at Davik's heel!" Bastila snapped, "I'd call you his pet kath hound, but they have enough loyalty not to turn on their masters." Ariv grinned at her insult but it seemed that the Mandalorian did not take it well.

"Maybe if your Master had trained your lightsaber to be as quick as your tongue you could have escaped those Vulkars, you spoiled little Jedi princess!"

"I was not spoiled!" Bastila insisted, "I was given the same training as everyone else in the Order! You are nothing but a...no. I must not do this. There is no emotion; there is peace," her sharp tone softened at the end and Ordo rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"That's the problem with you Jedi. Always chanting about peace and control, never up for a good fight. Well, except for Revan, I guess," Ordo's voice took a disturbing and almost dreamy tone when mentioning the former Dark Lord that made Ariv grimace.

"Enough, Mandalorian," The Jedi said coldly, "I shan't rise to your bait any more. The game is over. I am accompanying you lot to Davik's Estate."

"Nope," Canderous said, dropping the previous topic and Bastila opened her mouth to argue, "Now, before you say anything, let me tell you this — Davik has some ties to the Sith. He may recognise who you really are, and won't hesitate for even a second before turning you in. All your hard work will go down the drain."

"He's right," Ariv spoke up finally, "It's too dangerous, even if Davik doesn't know, he's got many bounty hunters working for him – they will likely turn you in. It will be better if someone else accompanies me."

Bastila sat back, miffed, and simply said, "We shall see."

"So here's the plan," Canderous began and explained all that would go down at Davik's Estate.

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

"I still don't trust that Mandalorian," Carth began, placing a vat of heavenly–smelling stew on the table. Beams of golden light filtered in from the glass windows of their hideout as the group crowded around the small table.

"Neither do I," Bastila agreed, ladling the thick casserole into bowls and sitting beside Ariv, "But I did not sense any duplicity from him. And yes, I was as surprised as you are, Captain," she then remarked, smirking and seeing the expression of shock on Carth's face.

They had returned from the Cantina an hour or so ago and Canderous had told them that he'd be back in the evening to take them to Davik's Estate. Ariv still had a few hours before he had to leave. Till then, Mission and the rest of the group had been collecting whatever meagre belongings they would take off the planet.

"So," the young Twi'lek began, taking a bowl for herself and four for Zaalbar, "Who do you plan on taking with you to Davik's?"

"Not Teethree," Ariv said and the droid dwooped in disappointment.

"Sorry buddy," he placated, "I can't have Davik recognise you as the droid he ordered weeks ago. He's going to wonder how you ended up in my hands and our plan will blow." The droid beeped, understanding.

"Why can't I go?" Mission whined, "And before any of you tell me it's too dangerous, I should remind you that I used to go around the Undercity with Zaalbar all the time – even when I was younger. Not to mention the fact that I accompanied you to the Black Vulkar's Base as well."

"Our point still stands, Mission," Carth explained, "For starters, we had no choice with the Black Vulkars. Besides, the Exchange is not a local Tarisian gang: it's an intergalactic crime syndicate and much, much more powerful."

"All the more reason for Bastila to stay back, not me! I mean, the Sith Empire must've put bounties on her head right? She's the reason that Malak has the planet in a blockade anyway." Mission added and Carth frowned.

"I assure you that I can deal with a few bounty hunters. This is hardly the first time that a Sith Lord has attempted to hunt me down," she muttered, annoyed.

"Yeah, but unlike Revan," Carth added, pointing his spoon at her, "Malak doesn't care whether you're brought to him dead or alive. He just wants you captured."

"Wait," Mission interrupted, "Revan had placed a bounty on your head?"

"Once he learned of my powers, yes," Bastila answered. Mission opened her mouth to ask more questions but the Jedi spoke quickly, her tone brooking no argument, "Please, I have no desire to speak on this further."

Mission huffed and sat down, pouting. Ariv found Bastila's reluctance to speak about the late Sith Lord…odd, realising that getting answers about the dream he'd seen of the two would be difficult. Deciding that he'd speak to the Jedi princess when they'd have more privacy, he resumed eating, finding that the warm stew was actually pretty good.

"This is incredible!" Mission suddenly exclaimed, staring at Carth, "How does a stodgy Republic soldier know how to make something like this?"

Carth chuckled, "Well, it's my wif–family's recipe – from back home. I learnt it once I realised that while the standard–issue Republic energy puddings were nutritious, they were absolutely disgusting."

"Well, it's really good," Mission said, her mouth full and Zalbaar growled in agreement.

Carth's wide smile dimmed to a sad one and Bastila placed a hand on his arm, presumably comforting him. Ariv cannot fathom the pain Carth must've gone through to see his homeworld be reduced to ashes.

"So, Bastila," the Captain began before anyone could ask him anything more, "I was wondering something. How did those Vulkars manage to capture you? Were you knocked out when your escape pod crashed?"

"No, I was conscious. But my Force powers were exhausted from using my Battle Meditation in the battle for the Endar Spire. Without my help, you might never have gotten off the ship alive."

"Fair enough," Carth said, "But I've seen you in action – there's no way those thugs would have stood a chance against your lightsaber."

"You know that my–my lightsaber was… misplaced. I was exhausted, and bruised and couldn't find it after the crash. I looked everywhere in that pod. The Vulkars came and overwhelmed me even as I was searching for my weapon," she admitted.

"Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You lost your lightsaber?" the Captain laughed, "I mean, isn't that a violation of some kind of Jedi code or something?"

Bastila sulked and Ariv said, "Maybe losing lightsabers is a side-effect of her Battle Meditation," he joked, "Of all the Jedi in the galaxy – why do we get the absent mined one?"

He thought Bastila muttered something like that's rich coming from you, which confused him but she quickly said louder, "This is no laughing matter! During the crash my lightsaber must have… it must have fallen from my belt and rolled under my seat! The Vulkars found it there, weeks after scourging through the wreckage."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get mad," Carth said, raising his hands, "I'm sorry. It's just funny to think of a legendary Jedi losing her lightsaber. Take my advice: this is one detail you might want to keep out of the history texts."

"I hardly consider myself a legend, Carth, I have told you this before," Bastila answered, "Though I will consider your advice when I relate these events to the Jedi Council. There is no need for them to know every detail of what transpired."

"Anyway!" Mission interjected, "So who are you going to take with you Ariv?"

He blinked, thinking about what to say, he would have preferred that Bastila accompany him but Canderous' warning hovered in the front of his mind.

"Not Bastila for sure," he answered and Jedi began to protest but Carth cut in, supporting him, "Canderous was right. It's too dangerous for you to go right now. And Ariv," the Captain continued, "I feel like I should accompany you. I've recovered from my injury and I'm sure that there aren't any Dark Jedi at the Estate that we'll have to worry about. Besides, sneaking into a base and leaving unscathed is something I have experience in."

Bastila huffed but agreed with the Carth, "He's right," she said, "You can even fly the Ebon Hawk to safety once you're out. I am certain that Malak won't let us leave without a fight."

Mission sulked but ultimately understood and Carth grinned, positively giddy at the prospect of finally doing something after being injured for so many days.

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

"So," Ariv began, trying to rein in his annoyance, "When do we begin our hunt?" he asked Canderous in Mando'a in an attempt to keep the conversation private from the Twi'lek who was massaging the other man.

"Soon enough," the Mandalorian grunted in kind, "We don't want to raise suspicions just yet."

Ariv sighed, taking a glass to sit beside the large window, away from the bounty hunters and slaves that flitted about the room. It had been an hour since he'd met Davik – the crime lord presented himself to be like a pleasant, agreeable elderly gentleman, but it was obviously a facade — no one that kind, for lack of a better word, could end up as such a senior member of the Exchange.

He'd also had the misfortune of running into Calo Nord again, and Canderous had nearly come to blows with the bounty hunter before Davik had shut it down. He'd given Ariv and Carth a tour of his Estate and that was when he'd finally seen their ticket off Taris and immediately loved the ship.

It was a Dynamic-class freighter, roughly resembling Aurebesh sigil Enth . The class–one hyperdrive ship was painted primarily dull white with its three prongs accented in red. Davik hadn't been lying when he'd bragged that the ship was the fastest in the Outer Rim. For a light freighter, its armament was impressive, fitted with dual turbolaser turrets, heavy quad laser cannons and proton torpedoes, making it perfect for someone escaping the authorities.

Unfortunately for them, Davik had been smart enough to make sure that he'd installed a state-of-the-art security system to protect her. The shields were completely impregnable unless someone had the necessary codes. For now, Ariv and his party were confined to their quarters and this… recreational area was where he had the freedom to go about. He gazed out the window, staring at the afternoon sky. There, massive Interdictor-class cruisers loomed and strikefighters whizzed about, patrolling the airspace. Ariv frowned, feeling the icy fingers of fear, anger and hatred drag down his back. He tried to brush away the chilling sensation as Carth's gaze focused on him, still weary and distrustful.

"I want to…continue our earlier conversation," Ariv began, and Carth frowned, looking up at the sky as well.

Carth sighed, "I suppose you do, I just…don't trust people easily. That's all."

Ariv raised a brow, turning to look at the Captain who sighed again, "I suppose I won't get any rest until I talk, will I? You want to know why I don't trust anyone? Fine, here goes."

A haunted look came across his face as he continued, "Five years ago the Jedi had just finished the war with the Mandalorians. Revan and Malak were heroes. I was damn proud to have served in their fleet. It was entirely unexpected when they turned on us, invading the Republic while we were still weak. Nobody knew what to think, least of all me. Our heroes had become brutal, conquering Sith… and we were all but helpless before them. Think about it… if you can't even trust the best of the Jedi, who can you trust?"

"But…what do I have to do with them?" He asked.

"Come on!" Carth hissed, "You were a soldier at the time too, weren't you? All of us who didn't betray the Republic to join the Sith were distraught! So many soldiers put down their lives at Revan's command, where were you when Malachor V happened?! We trusted them, we saw them as saviours, as heroes, and yet they attacked us at our most vulnerable. How did you take it?!"

Ariv sat there, not knowing what to speak. He had vague memories of the Mandalorian Wars, all he remembered was the acrid smell of smoke, burning worlds, and ruined ships. "I don't…I don't know," he answered, "But why is it so…personal for you?"

Carth dragged a palm down his face, "When I think of all the men who have betrayed us, the one that stands out above them all is the one I respected the most. Saul."

"...That name sounds familiar."

"With good reason, Admiral Saul Karath is the commander of the entire Sith fleet. He's half the reason Malak has done so well in the war. Saul was my commanding officer back when the Mandalorian Wars first began. He taught me everything about being a soldier… and I looked up to him. Saul approached me before he left. He talked to me about how the Republic was on the losing side… and about how I should start thinking of my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but I couldn't have conceived of it back then. I argued with him and he got angry and he left. I never saw him again."

Ariv waited for the Captain to continue his angry recollection, "Saul was my mentor… he led us to so many victories against the Mandalorians, even when things looked to be at their worst. I just… I couldn't conceive of it. He… he couldn't be serious. I was wrong, of course… he not only left us for the Sith, he… he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I remember waking up as the first of the Sith bombers snuck past our defences and began destroying half of our docked ships. I knew right away what had happened. I… could have stopped him. I could have stopped it all."

"So you blame yourself for trusting your friend?"

"I blame Saul, not myself," It doesn't seem like that, Ariv thought, " I was… I was stupid and I ignored the danger. He nearly destroyed us all." He sympathised with the soldier, his entire squad had died a gruesome death because of his friends had betrayed them. The sting of betrayal hurt even months later.

"Malak and Revan and the Sith deserve to die for what they've done… but the ones who fled the Republic and joined them are even worse. The dark side has nothing to do with why they joined the Sith. They deserve no mercy!" He added, eyes blazing with anger and sheer hatred.

Ariv opened his mouth to talk but was interrupted by Canderous, "Alright boys, time for us to head out. No use in waiting around longer."

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

"I used to be the pilot of the Ebon Hawk!" Hudrow — one of the inmates in the cage yelled and immediately everyone's ears perked with interest, "I know the codes to disable the security system protecting it. Free me and I will give them to you – I swear! You can use those codes to steal Ebon Hawk right out of her hangar. Sell it to the highest bidder, ransom it back to Davik – whatever you do you'll make thousands!"

The trio shared a glance – bingo! This was just what they needed. If he was a Jedi he would've made a stupid joke about how the force works in mysterious ways. But he kept his mouth shut, slicing into the system and opening the force cage. The barrier disappeared with a hiss and the man stumbled out, "Thank you! You have no idea what it was under that torture. I don't know how much more I could take before going mad. It won't be long until Davik figures out I'm free. I have to get out of this base before that happens."

"The codes," he said, shoving his datapad in the man's trembling hands, and Hudrow took it, punching in the sequence. Before the pilot could beat a hasty retreat, Ariv grabbed him by the collar and hissed, "If even one digit is wrong in here, you will pray that Davik finds you before I do." Hudrow gulped and nodded before Ariv let go of the man.

?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ? ?¬゚ᄀ?

I have a bad feeling about this, Ariv thought as they ran down the empty cream and lavender corridors towards the Hangar Bay. As soon as the stray thought entered his mind, the entire Estate shook on its foundations. Bits of concrete and marble rained down from the ceiling and the three of them shared a glance, realising that they needed to hurry. Glass cracked and the sound of near and distant booms echoed throughout the structure even as they reached the hangar. Canderous began working on slicing through the Hangar's security and Carth looked out the window, and whatever he saw filled him with profound horror.

"No," the Captain said, frenzied, "No..this can't…this can't be happening!"

"What…what do you mean?" Ariv asked, shouting over the sound of explosions.

"Karath…damn you!" he murmured, facing him he continued, expression grim, "The Sith…they're bombing Taris like they did Telos IV."

Ariv's mouth dropped open in shock, he looked out of the window to see turbolasers streak by, finding their mark on the many towers that crumbled under the Star Destroyer's assault. He also saw many ships take to the sky in a last–ditch attempt to escape Malak's wrath but the Sith's turbolasers shot them down within seconds of take-off.

"We're in!" Canderous yelled, and the door of the hangar whoosed open. Unfortunately, the trio was greeted by the sight of Davik and Nord, who had beaten them there.

"Damn those Sith – they're bombing the whole planet! I knew they'd turn on us sooner or… well, look what we got here!" Davik spat, noticing them, "Thieves in the hangar."

"So, you figured you'd just steal my ship for your get-away and leave me high and dry while the Sith turn the planet into dust? Sorry, but that ain't going to happen!"

"I'll take care of them, Davik," Calo announced, unholstering his blaster and grinning, "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"Make it quick," Davik ordered and continued working on the controls as blasterfire echoed through the hangar as they all tried to reach the Hawk in time. The hangar's force field collapsed and they heard the sound of harsh winds accompanying the horrific demise of the planet. The lights flickered and the building shook even as they fought, and Ariv could hear it – the Tarisians screaming in agony as the skies rained lasers, and he could feel that the planet was being shattered to its very core.

Desperation ensued and Carth threw a detonator towards Davik who leapt out of the way just in time. Unfortunately for the crime lord, a massive beam spilt apart from its perch on the ceiling and found its way on top of Davik. Ariv and his companions were close enough to the Ebon Hawk to touch it.

"Carth," he yelled, "Get the ship ready for take-off, we'll deal with Nord." Nodding, the pilot loaded the codes into the ship. Seeing his former boss lying beneath a pile of rubble Nord grimaced, "You may have me outnumbered and outgunned, but if I'm going down I'm taking all of you with me!" He grinned like a maniac, raising a thermal detonator.

Before any of them could react, the bounty hunter raised his arm to throw the grenade towards them, but Ordo fired at Calo. Unfortunately for them, the hangar was shaking uncontrollably and the mark missed, hitting Nord's arm, and the bounty hunter's aim was skewed as well. The detonator hit a nearby ship and it exploded, raining metal shards on all of them. The hangar disintegrated further, burying Calo underneath it as well. Ariv sighed, thankful that at least those two were dealt with, but he couldn't feel relief, not when the world around him was on fire. It hurt. He didn't know why, couldn't explain if he tried to, but it was as though he could feel the pain of the planet.

As though he could hear their horrified screams as their world fell apart. He couldn't believe this was happening. All the people he'd met here – Gadon, Zaedra, the Doctor, old Rukil and the villagers, all the people who had helped him would all die. He couldn't do anything to save them. The pain and fury within him grew, begging to be let out.

Malak would pay, as would all those who followed him and were capable of such cruelty. He was sure of it.

Just then, a massive hunk of concrete fell over where the Hawk was stationed and would've crushed the ship and the three of them if he hadn't well…he didn't know what happened or what he did, but a blast of energy knocked the lump of metal and concrete away, but not before slicing him through the arm and hitting his head. He wouldn't remember clearly what had happened just then as a result of his injuries.

Kriff, the wound was deep and blood leaked over his jacket as Carth and Canderous stared at him, dumbfounded. He couldn't see them clearly and he blinked, trying to fight the pain but he knew Ordo was the first to recover from his shock. He felt dizzy but Ordo began running up the ship's ramp dragging Ariv along with him. Carth followed hot on his heels, having recovered from his shock.

Ariv leaned against the wall as Carth, back into his role as Captain yelled orders, "Ordo! Get to the turrets! I'll fly us to the rendezvous point."

Canderous, realising the seriousness of the situation did as he was told and Ariv waited near the ramp, even in his current state he'd try his best to make sure that the rest of the crew could make it on board. The Hawk took the skies quickly, and Carth dodged the passing turbolasers with ease. The codes stolen from the Sith Base must've worked because the auto turrets weren't turning their ship into shreds.

Passing the falling towers and deteriorating city, Carth flew the Hawk closer to the skyscraper where they had decided to meet. Ariv thanked the stars that it was still intact. The ramp opened once again and T-3 was the first to roll in, shrieking wildly, Bastila was close behind, her eyes wide with unsaid horror. She was dragging Mission inside the ship with Zalbaar's help. The young Twi'lek girl thrashed, shouting, " No! No! Let me go! I have to help Gadon and Zaedra!"

It's too late, Ariv thought, heart squeezing with sympathy.

There were a few people on the tower as well, like the Twi'lek salesman and the Duros that he'd spoken to in his first days on the planet. He and Bastila made to help them aboard but…it was too late, the next turbolaser from the Star Destroyers hit the tower, which had reached its limits and it shattered.

Carth realised that the situation was too perilous for them to stall, "Everyone aboard?" the comm cracked with his question and Bastila answered, hands shaking, "Yes."

The ramp hissed shut and the Hawk took to the skies again all while Mission wailed, "Please! NO!" They took the poor girl to the main hold and she continued to sob.

"Mission," Bastila began softly, "its too late," she added echoing his earlier sentiments. Mission only sobbed harder at her words, burying her face in Zalbaar's fur.

They had finally cleared Taris' atmosphere after Carth had done his best to avoid the disintegrating towers, laserfire, and Sith fighters.

Ariv sank into the plush seat, injuries taking their toll. The screams of the citizens still echoed in his head. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the seat and terrible images formed in his mind. The planet's crust had already fractured, unable to stand the constant bombardment. The people…they were worse off, Some had been buried underneath their own homes, others…they had been simply vapourised. Children wailed, trying to wake their parents, but they'd already passed, trying to protect their young ones. Some begged for mercy from whichever deity they worshipped.

Fuck. He still couldn't believe this — the extent of Malak's hatred and cruelty — and all for what? To get one Jedi? No. There was more to it than this. The Sith Lord only needed an outlet for his anger and hatred.

"Ariv," Bastila said, placing a small hand on his injured arm, and his eyes opened at her touch, "Are you alright?" she asked, voice soft.

Sith fighters swarmed their ship, but it was clear that Carth and Ordo were more than capable of handling them, so Bastila made no move to assist the two. Ariv finally looked at the Jedi, and she did not look any better than him, her face was drained of whatever little colour it had and streaks of soot covered her cheek. Her hand was trembling as was her voice.

"It..its like…I can feel it," he answered, whispering, "I can feel them die."

Bastila's eyes widened and she nodded, whispering, "I…can too. I feel it too." Suddenly, the ship jerked and streaks of white and blue materialised around them, signalling the ship's jump to hyperspace. That was the last thing Ariv heard before the world around him went dark.