In the year 7 BBY, a disastrous incident occurred when a virulent flesh-eating bacterium was inadvertently set loose from an Imperial bacteriological research outpost. This outpost was located in the capital city of Haxim's province on the planet Falleen. The bacterium's rapid propagation triggered widespread civil unrest within the city. In response to the uncontrolled spread of this deadly organism, Darth Vader gave the command for an orbital bombardment to be carried out on the city, which effectively eliminated the bacterium. Although 200,000 Falleen lost their lives in the bombardment, projections indicated that the death toll could have reached into the billions had the bacterium not been contained.