The cantina was packed with patrons from the Upper City. People gathered around the dueling ring to watch the fights, place bets at the pazaak tables, and of course watch the Taris Season Opener. It was everything people were talking about.

One corner of the bar was empty save for a single gruff-looking man with a large scar running vertically along the left side of his face. Downing a Tarisian ale, the man glanced quickly around the room. He wasn't like the rest of the patrons, the haughty aristocrats and nobles. The Mandalorian brand on his neck marked him as one of the most feared warriors in the galaxy, Canderous Ordo.

If he wanted to, he could single handedly take on the entire cantina with his bare hands. So what am I doing here, a bounty hunter, he thought. This started as just a single one deal job for Davik Kang, leader of the Exchange on Taris, but with the blockade... well his partnership with Davik has become a bit more permanent. Cracking the skulls of lowly thugs when they refuse to pay their dues, ransacking businesses that don't pay their protection money. It was all rather dull work, especially for a battle hardened veteran of the Mandalorian War.

Everything would have been fine had it not been for the Sith. Ever since the blockade, they've been tightening their grip on the world. As a warrior, he's keenly aware of the rising tensions and its only a matter of time before the chaos of war erupts on the planet. He needs to find a way off the planet before that happens. The only way to get off the planet is with the orbital security codes... which is kept in the Sith Military Base here in the Upper City.

He would just go in guns blazing but the base is heavily defended and they would probably just change the codes after the assault anyways. He needs someone subtle enough to break in unnoticed and steal the codes out from under them. Someone skilled enough to be able to silently deal with anyone they come across and not alert the entire base.

He glances up at the holoscreen at the bar, playing live footage from the big race. The camera panned over to the announcers' stage as they announced the winner of the race, someone racing under the name of the Mysterious Stranger. Stupid name, he thought. He watched as suddenly, chaos broke out on the screen. The view wasn't clear and he couldn't see the faces of those involved but he saw The Mysterious Stranger disarm one of the thugs and then swiftly take out a few others as another person, a scantily clad woman, took out a bunch more with a staff. Though, they were no Mandalorians, Canderous admired their fighting style. Then he saw something that really intrigued him, two beams of bright yellow light ignited from a thin metal cylinder and flew into the hands of the woman. The Jedi.

A half-smile crept over his face as he watched the action unfold. A man with no name, and a Jedi, who better qualified to break into somewhere they don't belong?

Already, Sith forces were cracking down after learning that the swoop gangs had been holding the Jedi they so desperately wanted, and had let her escape. Sith troops were beginning a campaign into the lower city to route out the gangs and search for the stranded Jedi. Little did they know, the quarry they sought was laying low in an abandoned apartment in the Upper City. Amidst the nobles and the majority of the Sith occupation force, it would be the last place anyone would think to look.

Still, Venar, Carth, and the others thought it wise to lay low for the next few days, only leaving if it was absolutely necessary. Mission spent some time teaching them to play pazaak, a card game with different positive or negative values on them with the goal to get exactly twenty points. Venar seemed to be a natural at the game, winning all three games against Mission.

"You- you cheated somehow!" She had protested.

"I'm just that good," he had replied folding his hands effortlessly behind his head. Zaalbar had confirmed that he didn't see any evidence of cheating. "What do you say Big Z? Wanna play a hand?"

"You know wookies don't take it very well when they lose right?"

"...right. On second thought, Big Z, why don't we uh play later."

He set the cards down on the floor and was surprised when one of the cards began floating in the air and went whooshing past his face.

"I'd like to run an experiment," Bastila said as the card settled in her hand, "if you don't mind."

"You mean like one of those Jedi mind trick thingys? Wait, you can't read my mind right?"

"No nothing like that and not to worry, mind tricks only work on the weak minded."

"Oh, was that a compliment?"

"Perhaps you're just strong-willed at being stupid."

"Aw shucks that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I'm not surprised. Look, just focus for a second." She held up the card the blank side facing him. "Now. Focus on the card. Clear your mind... not that shouldn't be hard to do."

"Hey!"

"Focus on the card Venar. Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"What? Just... do it!"

"Alright, alright." He closed his eyes but not before giving them a good roll.

"Now, focus on your breathing. Imagine the card in my hand. All of its details. Now. What do you see?"

"I... its... negative five."

With the Force she called a new card into her hand and discarded the old one. "Again."

"...ten."

"Again." Calling up another card.

"Thirteen."

"Remarkable," she said tossing away the last card, "there's no denying you have great potential, though your power is wild and untamed."

"Its hard to explain but... I could feel it, I could feel the card, like I was reaching out."

"You seem to be a fast learner, though its doubtful the Jedi would train you. You're too old to be taken as a Padawan. Typically, training starts as a toddler."

"Don't take this the wrong way but the Jedi seem a little too... strict for my tastes."

"And are you so certain that it is us who are too strict and not you who is too reckless?"

"I mean, when you put it that way, pretty certain yes."

"Then you are simply naive, like a little child."

"So the Jedi would train me then?"

"That's not- Carth where did you find this-"

"Don't look at me I thought you requested him," Carth said," in the manifest."

"What are you talking about?"

"I remember seeing his name under special request to be on board by the Jedi. Your name was signed off on it."

"That's odd I don't recall requesting anyone on board."

"Then who are you really, Venar," Carth said, a suspicious tone edging into his voice.

"Woah, easy there. I told you my story. I was told to report for duty onboard by the officer who requested me. I don't know anything about being a special request."

"I don't sense any deception in you," Bastila said thoughtfully, "Perhaps a simple clerical error is all it was. Perhaps the Force had a hand in it as well. Regardless, we must trust each other if we're going to get off this planet. And we need a plan."

"We would need a ship," Carth said, "not to mention a way past the blockade without being blasted to atoms."

"I think I might know someone who might be able to help us with that," Mission spoke up, "but... you're not going to like it."

"I'm listening," Bastila replied.

The gray cloudy sphere turned slowly in the black veil of space, and with it the Sith armada. These ships were unlike anything the galaxy had seen before. Highly advanced and harboring incredible firepower, they floated just above the atmosphere of Taris. As Grand Admiral Karath looked out the viewport of his flagship, he couldn't help but notice the ships resembled the claws or pincers of some sort of insect.

His flagship, Leviathan, while built in a similar shape, was three times the size of the other vessels and more resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast. That beast glared down at the world below, ready to devour it. What an absurd thought, he mused. He refocused his thoughts as the entrance to the bridge opened several hundred feet behind him.

The room suddenly felt cold, and the air seemed to go stale, like it required every effort just to breathe. The sound of footsteps sounded off the hard floor behind him, gradually getting close. He turned slowly and dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully at the approaching figure.

"My lord," he said with a calm even tone.

"Admiral Karath," came a raspy metallic voice, "My patience wears thin. I want the Jedi found!" Saul looked up to see a pale face with a jaw encased of metal glaring down at him. Dark yellow eyes seemed to pierce into his very being. The Dark Lord walked over to the viewport and gazed out with hands clasped behind his back.

"Our forces on the surface are doing everything they can, Lord Malak," Saul said standing and taking his place behind and slightly to the right of the Sith Lord, "even now our troops sweep the Lower City searching for her. The gangs are on the run. Its only a matter of time before-"

"Before they escape your grasp again?"

"P-please forgive me, Lord Malak. I only meant that-"

"Need I remind you Admiral, that time is of the essence. Bastila has been a thorn in my side for too long. Countless battles have been lost to her battle meditation. She is the weapon of the Jedi. Without her, the galaxy is ours for the taking. Everything rests on finding her."

"Of course, Lord Malak. I will begin work on a new strategy immediately."

"See that you do, Admiral. You have one planetary cycle to find her."

"Y-yes, Lord Malak."

With that, the Dark Lord left the bridge, leaving a trace of his cold presence behind. One day to find the Jedi? Its a steep order even by Sith standards. What would Malak do if he failed to find the Jedi in that time? He shuddered to think of the possibilities. He needed to come up with a new strategy, and fast.

"A Mandalorian?!" Carth asked as they walked down the Upper City streets, heading towards the cantina. Mission had just finished explaining that she heard there was a Mandalorian bounty hunter that wanted to hire The Mysterious Stranger for some sort of job. "You expect us to work with a Mandalorian?"

"Hey, don't look at me? You said you needed a way off the planet," Mission retorted, "he seems like our best chance of doing that."

"Any chance its a trap?" Venar asked.

"I mean I guess its possible," Mission responded, "but that's why were bringing a Jedi with us." She mouthed the word "Jedi" rather than saying it out loud. "Besides, everyone knows Canderous works for Davik Kang, and he's no friend of the Sith, or the Vulkars for that matter."

"Do you have any idea how terrible the Mandalorians are?" Carth protested again. "Why are we even considering working with a Mandalorian?"

"Because," Bastila spoke up in a low voice, "we must trust the will of the Force." She was wearing a spacer's explorer outfit with a hood pulled over her head to do her best to prevent anyone from recognizing her. "Trust me, I'm no more thrilled about it than you are, Carth. But the fact is if he is taking an interest in us, perhaps he could be an ally in getting us off this planet."

"What if he is trying to collect a bounty on us?" Carth asked, his trigger finger twitching slightly.

"Then we'll be ready for that," Bastila said as they neared the entrance to the Upper City cantina, "remember if anything he's expecting the Mysterious Stranger and possibly a Jedi. He's not counting on a soldier and twilek with a wookie by her side. We have every advantage in this situation."

"Well he knows about me," Mission said, "I set up the meeting. But your right he doesn't know about smelly and grumpy back there." Mission jerked a thumb in Carth and Zaalbar's direction.

"Do I even bother ask which one I am?" Carth asked letting out a deep exhale.

"Nope," the twi'lek said as she sauntered into the cantina.

"Graaaawwr," Zaalbar uttered as he gave Carth a light punch in the arm.

The cantina was packed as usual. Not much to do with the blockade going on. They looked about the cantina looking for the mandalorian mercenary they were supposed to meet. They were met with mostly condescending glances or looks of indifference by the many rich nobles or the offspring of such.

"There," Mission said nodding to a corner of the room that was empty except for man with gray hair in a military undercut style. He wore a black short sleeve shirt with leatheris holster straps for his blaster pistols. His tan cargo pants and black boots had a worn look to them which separated him from the rest of the patrons. That and the fact he had a mandalorian brand on his neck. "Stay here I'll be right back. I'll make sure everything is on the up and up first."

"Carth," Bastila said as Mission walked over to their contact, "perhaps it would be best if you kept a low profile and kept an eye open."

"You read my mind," Carth said, "me and Zaalbar will keep a lookout. Come on Z lets go get a drink."

"Grrrwwh."

"You really think this is a trap?" Venar asked Bastila as Carth and the wookie casually strolled over to the bar.

"I don't believe so. That was more for Carth's sake than anyone else."

"Well lets hope this goes well," Venar said as Mission gave them a nod that it was all clear. Venar and Bastila took a seat across from the mandalorian. He slid a couple glasses towards them and nodded to the half empty bottle of ale on the table.

"Help yourself," the warrior said before adding, "name's Canderous Ordo of Clan Ordo. Been looking for you, Mysterious Stranger."

"I heard you have a job opportunity of some sort?" Venar asked, pouring himself a glass of ale. He went to pour Bastila a glass but she just shook her head and gently pushed the glass away.

"That's right. If you're interested. I could use someone like you, and your special friend here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bastila asked.

"Well I assume you're the one the Sith are looking for, the one wielding that lightsaber at the race a few days ago. Lets just say you're both uniquely qualified to do a little job for me, and of course I would expect you would want something in return." Venar studied the man for a moment. His stone-faced demeanor and the scar on the left side of his face made him an intimidating person to have a face to face conversation with.

"We need a way off the planet," Venar responded, "past the blockade without being captured or detected."

"Then I think you'll be very interested to hear the details of the job I have for you," Canderous said with a half-smile that somehow made Venar feel a bit uneasy. "I think it will be mutually beneficial."