Vette pursed her lips in thought as she thumbed through her spare pazaak cards on board the Fury. Her prized side deck was laid out carefully on the small table in the main hold. She was extremely proud of it; she'd managed to win a coveted tiebreaker card from a smuggler on Nar Shaddaa the last time they'd stopped there. Thinking carefully, she extracted a card and placed it alongside the deck on the table, considering whether to swap it in.

"I don't understand the point of pazaak. There's no skill involved, it's just chance." Malavai Quinn had entered the hold from the cockpit, and was now standing behind her. Vette turned her head to look at him; even when "his General" wasn't present, Quinn's stance was rigid and composed.

"Why don't we play a game, then? You'll get it once you try." The Captain peered at the table, his eyes narrowing, and she could see that he was going to refuse. "Come oooon," she insisted, "you can't be monitoring the ship all the time. Tell you what, we'll play Senate rules. No creds. And I won't even use my good deck!"

Quinn looked affronted, and seemed to stand even straighter in his pristine Imperial uniform. "Excuse me? I do more than just monitor the ship, I'll have you know. I fluently assist in-"

Vette quickly held up her hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright! Do you wanna play or not?"

Quinn looked revolted by the very idea, but Vette was spared his uncomfortable silence by footsteps coming up the ship's ramp. She turned to see Jaesa Willsaam entering the main hold, clad in a blend of thick cloak and weathered armour, her double bladed lightsaber hanging at her side. Vette instinctively shrunk back the tiniest bit; the look on Jaesa's face was one of satisfaction, which more than likely meant she had just killed someone. Vette was sure her attire would be bloodstained if lightsabers didn't cauterise all wounds they caused.

"I'll happily play a game if the Captain here doesn't want to." Jaesa's voice was like tainted honey. Vette hesitated.

"You know I can sense your fear every time you look at me, right?" Jaesa approached the table. Quinn excused himself, taking advantage of Vette's distraction.

"Uh, well, you are kind of… you know… scary." Vette trailed off. Jaesa gave a curt laugh as she sat down, lightsaber clinking against her seat, then looked at her with what was probably intended to be compassion. It came out more like pity.

"You have nothing to worry about from me, as long as the Emperor's Wrath approves of you."

Vette struggled not to roll her eyes. Oh, great. Definitely comforting. But Jaesa was looking purposefully at the pazaak cards on the table, so Vette picked them up. I guess we're playing.

"Where is your darling husband, anyway?" she asked, shuffling the main deck deftly.

"He'll be along shortly. He was just- ah, here he comes," Jaesa responded, inclining her head in the direction of the ship's entrance. Vette didn't hear anything, yet Jaesa's expression went from passive to worried as the ship's doors signalled their opening with a swish. A second later, Argrein entered from the antechamber.

Normally Vette actually preferred Argrein's company to Jaesa's; the tall, bulky Zabrak seemed to appreciate her jokes, at least. This time, however, she wasn't sure. Vette wasn't Force-sensitive in the slightest, and yet she could almost feel the raw emotion that radiated from the Emperor's Wrath as he entered the hold. She cringed as R8, who had been standing in the corner silently the whole time, rattled off his customary greeting.

"Hail to the Emperor! And more importantly-" he stopped as Argrein shot him a look of unfiltered contempt, then looked at Jaesa without rage, but with no less intensity.

"Master? What's wrong?" she asked, leaping to her feet. Vette raised an eyebrow without thinking about it, staying where she was. If they're married, why don't they just call each other by name?

"Come with me," Argrein responded, then turned towards his quarters with a swish of his cloak. Jaesa followed, and the door shut swiftly behind them.

Since Jaesa was evidently not interested in a game, Vette started packing away her pazaak cards, stacking them neatly in a little case she'd bought years ago for just that purpose. As she did so, she saw Lieutenant Pierce lean his head out from the crew quarters. They made eye contact, and he jerked his head towards Argrein's quarters, an eyebrow raised. What's going on? Vette shrugged, then nodded towards the chair next to her. I don't know. C'mere.

Despite their differences, Vette found she probably liked Pierce the best out of the ship's crew. At least he wasn't all about the rules like Quinn. Pierce eased himself into the chair next to her, keeping his voice low.

"What d'you reckon they're up to?"

Vette shook her head a little, her lekku swinging slightly. She understood what Pierce was suggesting; whilst Argrein and Jaesa weren't overt about it, at times they didn't quite hide their lovemaking sessions as well as they could, and the interior walls of the ship weren't that thick.

"Nothing like that," she responded, cautiously eyeing the door while she packed away her pazaak cards. Pierce let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars. What's wrong, d'you know?"

Vette shrugged once more, closing her pazaak case once all the cards were inside.

"Dunno. Haven't seen him this worked up in a long while, though. Must be serious."

Pierce assumed a thoughtful expression, then looked at her with a grin she couldn't help but be sceptical about.

"Wanna listen in?"

Vette crossed her arms, grinning back.

"You're not exactly the stealthiest of people," she teased, and he elbowed her in the ribs, perhaps a little harder than he intended.

"Ow! Hey! My armour's not as thick as yours!"

"Keep it down," he cautioned, though she could tell he was struggling not to laugh, "are we doing this or not? They won't be in there for long."

She thought for a moment.

"If we get caught, Jaesa might actually kill us," she said, only partially joking, but Pierce's expression conveyed his lack of concern, so she sighed and eased herself out of her chair with reluctance. "Alright, fine. But if I die, I'm going to haunt you."

He shook his head, grinning again, and got up. They tiptoed towards Argrein's quarters, Vette in the lead, and leant their heads against the wall beside the door.

"… I had him at my mercy, and yet I didn't strike. He lives and walks the galaxy because of me!" Argrein's voice contained something Vette took a moment to identify, purely because she had never heard it from him before: regret.

"Master, I understand, but in all truth, he did help us," Jaesa, by contrast, spoke like every word was calculated, "and even the Empire rewards those who serve, does it not?"

"Not the Jedi!" The voice, filled with rage, seemed to move to different places in the room. Vette realised Argrein was likely pacing. "I have made a mistake, Jaesa, and not a small one. If the Dark Council finds out that the Emperor's Wrath let a Jedi Master live, there will no doubt be consequences."

"In that case, let me take on the mission, Master. Let me bring you his head. I'm sure the Jedi will appreciate the irony."

"No, Jaesa."

"But, Master-"

"Let me finish," Argrein's voice held such warning that Vette drew in a breath sharply, only releasing it when Jaesa acquiesced.

"You will of course be there when Timmns falls," he continued, "I would have no one else by my side. But I must be the one to strike him down. I tell you this as your Master and instructor: when you make mistakes, you must own them, and you must repair them."

Vette felt a tap on her shoulder, and acknowledged Pierce's signal that the conversation was coming to an end. They regressed back to the seats, and Vette was just opening up her pazaak case again when the door slid open and they sidled out. Jaesa marched straight past them to the cockpit; Vette heard her telling Quinn to make way. Argrein, however, approached the holoprojector in the centre of the room and gave her a look. Really, Vette? She immediately pointed at Pierce, feigning innocence with her eyes. It was his idea! To her relief, Argrein actually gave a tiny smile.

"Where are we headed?" she asked.

"The fleet," he responded, "we need information before taking on our next mission."

"And what is our next mission? I hope it involves bloodshed," chimed in Pierce. Whilst a bystander might have thought Pierce was sucking up to the Emperor's Wrath, Vette knew that he really meant what he said. Why did I end up with all the crazies?

The ship thrummed to life, and Vette felt its gentle tug as it lifted off into the atmosphere. Argrein regarded Pierce briefly and smiled, more visibly this time.

"We must hunt down a Jedi Master, Lieutenant. Bloodshed will not be optional."


Everyone was gathered around the holoprojector in the main hold, which depicted a green-skinned Mirilian male dressed in Jedi robes. Argrein and Jaesa stood side by side next to the holoprojector.

"This is Jedi Master Timmns," Argrein said, gesturing, "we are en route now to the Imperial fleet to seek out information that we can use to either track him down or lure him to us."

"Has the Emperor decreed that he must die?" asked Quinn.

"No, Captain," Argrein fixed him with a steely gaze, "I have." Folding his hands behind his back, Argrein looked around at each of them as he spoke. "In case any of you have forgotten, Jaesa and I encountered Master Timmns on Belsavis. We were forced to temporarily ally with him in order to prevent Darth Ekkage from being freed. Afterwards, I chose to let him live. Timmns contacted me not long after," a note of derision entered his words, "and said that the Jedi Council was in awe at the precedent we had established of Jedi and Sith working together. We must put an end to their delusions."

"What's our plan?" asked Pierce, fully focused on the Sith Lord.

"This is not an official mission," Argrein replied, "so we have a little more freedom to proceed as we see fit. I am entrusting parts of the mission to each of you." What? Vette looked at him, then at Pierce. His look of surprise matched hers.

At this point, R8 came in from the cockpit. "Master, we are due to come out of hyperspace in two minutes." Argrein gave him a curt nod.

"Jaesa, you and Captain Quinn will travel to Dromund Kaas by shuttle, where you will seek out Apprentice Kode; he has information we need. I also believe you have a pre-existing quarrel to settle with him." Jaesa patted her lightsaber, a wide smile on her face. Quinn nodded in acknowledgement.

"Vette, you'll come with me. We have business aboard the fleet," Argrein added. Jaesa turned sharply to face Vette, her eyes glittering. Argrein turned to Pierce, and Vette stuck her tongue out at Jaesa while he wasn't looking.

"Lieutenant, you and Broonmark may do as you see fit whilst we are docked at the fleet. Your part will come later. Questions?"

There was a resounding silence as everyone mulled over the briefing. Argrein nodded his assent and then regressed to his quarters, Jaesa at his side. Vette darted towards Pierce, following him as he headed into the crew quarters.

"Since when do we get sent out on separate missions?" she asked. Pierce shrugged his massive shoulders, then ventured to his bunk and opened up the chest next to it. Vette in turn went to hers.

"Are you complaining?" he responded.

"'Course not! Sure beats being cooped up on the ship while the happy couple take over the universe."

Vette checked her armour, pulled out her ammo belt and donned it quickly, then made sure her blasters were fully loaded. She felt the slight lurch that marked the Fury's exit from hyperspace.

"Maybe the boss has finally recognised our loyalty," ventured Pierce, hefting his massive blaster rifle.

"Yeah. Loyalty." Vette had meant to keep those words to herself, but Pierce gave her a look.

"You're not loyal to the Darth?"

"I didn't exactly sign up by choice," she said, slipping her blasters into their holsters, "but things've been pretty okay. I'm… not really sure where I stand with him."

"Well, you're about to go for a stroll. Why don't you take the opportunity to find out?"


Argrein strode purposefully down the halls of Vaiken Spacedock; Vette almost had to run to keep up. The station's high ceiling and vast windows that opened up to the expanse of space made it seem bigger than it was, and the crowds didn't help either. The hubbub ebbed and flowed as they wound their way through the lines of Sith prospects and Imperial troops.

"Sooo, just like old times, huh?" Vette mused. "Where're we headed anyway?"

"We seek Lord Fedra," he stated, slowing his pace a little to easier facilitate conversation, "his apprentice, by the name of Dolor Kode, encountered Timmns on his last mission. He may be able to tell us of his plans."

"Jaesa was going to see him, yeah?"

"Yes, but Jaesa has a habit of using her lightsaber before using her words," Argrein responded as they rounded a corner. Vette struggled not to giggle. "And Fedra may hold information that Kode does not."

The hallway they had turned into was smaller and lined with doors; Vette recognised them as doors to temporary residences that were available for rent to travellers on long stopovers. She was about to ask him why Jaesa was going to kill Kode in the first place when he stopped at one and Vette noticed him idly flick his hand; the door slid open.

The room was cramped but, as far as she could see, well furnished. She didn't have time to admire the surroundings, however, as a black-clad, green-skinned Twi'lek that she assumed was Fedra entered from the only other door. Vette noticed Argrein stand up a little straighter.

"I suggest you tell me who you are," Fedra said, his voice quite mild, "before I execute you for entering uninvited."

"I am the Emperor's Wrath," Argrein's voice was wreathed in steel, as it always was in public, "and I suggest you show respect."

"Oh! My-my lord, I-I didn't know you'd be arriving so soon!" he responded, giving a bow that made a very good impression of sincerity, "How can I be of service to the Emperor?"

"You can train your next apprentice better than your last one." Argrein took a step forward. His face was expressionless, but his eyes became beacons of fury. How do they have the energy to keep their anger up all the time? Vette thought.

"W-whatever do you mean, my lord? Apprentice Kode is a very promising Sith," Fedra responded. Vette saw him clasp his hands behind his back at waist level. He's readying his lightsaber. They happened to make eye contact, and though she didn't know why, she gave a tiny shake of her head. Bad idea. Fedra gave a slight start, then turned his attention back to Argrein as he spoke. His hands dropped to his sides.

"Kode is a weakling that my apprentice is on her way to eliminate. She has seen the stench of the light side that pervades him. He is a liability and cannot be allowed to live."

Fedra's eyes momentarily widened in shock before he looked down at the floor.

"I… I see," he took a deep breath, "thank you for… keeping me informed, my lord. Is there anything I can do to make up for this failure?"

"There is. I seek information on Jedi Master Timmns; your former apprentice met him. I wish to know what details he may have gleaned from Timmns." Fedra looked momentarily puzzled, and Vette could see he was straining his memory.

"My lord, I… I do not remember much. They met on Nar Shaddaa, and Timmns did not say much of value before my apprentice engaged him in combat."

"Where on Nar Shaddaa?" Argrein pressed. Fedra paused, his eyes darting.

"Ah! I can give you the coordinates of my apprentice's intended target there!" he exclaimed. "Not much to go on, but it was close to their meeting place!"

Argrein did not respond, but merely nodded. Fedra pulled out his datapad and tapped a few buttons. Argrein confirmed it on his own, then looked up at the Twi'lek.

"That will be all, Lord Fedra. Be more careful in your choice of apprentice in the future." Argrein turned and headed towards the door. As Vette moved to follow, Fedra gave her a small nod. Thank you for the warning. She hesitated, still following Argrein, then returned a shrug as she passed the doorway. It wouldn't have made any difference if he'd decided to kill you.


"Why do you do that?" Vette asked as they walked.

"Do what?"

"Put on that… persona when you talk to people." Argrein simply looked at her in what she hoped was puzzlement. "You know, the big tough angry guy? Why do you put that on?"

"Do you doubt my power?" His eyes lit up and his voice hardened, yet Vette persisted.

"Come on, how many supposedly impossible things have I seen you do? I know you can kill me in the blink of an eye, but what you did there with Fedra wasn't the real you."

He stopped walking, and by his gaze she thought she might have actually crossed a line. Well, I guess this is how I die.

"Justify your words, Vette, and do it well." Fear flickered in her belly. It's the same thing. He's putting it on. It's just scarier when it's directed at you. The thoughts rang hollow in her mind.

"Uh, well, when we were on our way over here you… talked differently. But as soon as I asked you that question just then, it's like you hit a switch and suddenly I think you… might actually cut me in half." She didn't want to look him in the eye, but he stared her down until she did, and even then there was a long pause.

"You make a very serious accusation, Vette," he finally said, his tone slick with venom, "if anyone except you or Jaesa had said those words, I would have cut them in half."

So… crisis averted? He paused for a moment, then immediately set off, but not towards the ship.

"Where are we going?" she jogged to catch up.

"To the cantina. You have a lot of explaining to do."

There was only one cantina in the Spacedock, located the centre of its main floor. The tone of conversations gradually wavered from firm and businesslike to loud and jovial as they got closer, and music was audible above the din. It's not very good music, but still. At least they try.

They took seats and a waiter droid began to approach, but Argrein waved it off. Vette scowled and crossed her arms.

"Aww, come on. No drinks?" she protested.

"Afterwards, perhaps," he said, "now explain."

Vette couldn't read him now; his face was blank and his voice neutral. She took a deep breath, looking down at the table. "Well, like I said. You act different around us than you do out in public. Out here it's like you wanna destroy everything and you hate everyone, but… I mean… you have a wife. You have to care about her. And who knows how many times you've saved my neck when you didn't have to? It's like it's a mask or something. I just… don't get it." Vette looked up at Argrein. It was his turn to stare at the table.

"Vette, your ignorance amazes me."

"Ow. Is that your answer?"

"No," he paused, gathering his thoughts, "Look around you. This is the heart of the Sith Empire, where the weak are crushed and the strong survive up until they become weak. Becoming the Emperor's Wrath has earned me power, but it has also earned me enemies, though I may not know them yet. Those enemies are waiting for me to show weakness, and you can be sure that they will exploit it when they find it." He paused, and called back the waiter droid, then nodded to Vette. She placed her order, thinking.

"I must show my strength constantly, otherwise they will begin to pry," he continued, "and it is not a façade. The Dark Side feeds off emotion, and it is emotion that gives me my power."

"Wait a sec, so you have to be angry or whatever all the time when you're fighting?"

"Not necessarily angry, no, but it is easier to manifest anger at will than it is other emotions."

Vette widened her eyes a little. "How do you stand it?" she breathed, "when I fight I have to clear my mind, I have to… think about cover, angles of attack, what weapons the other side's got. Emotion just… gets in the way." She sighed. "I remember back when I was with the old gang, a heist went wrong and we had to fight our way out. At one point, Taunt was shot. Nothing serious after the fact, but… I saw her fall and… everything kinda went fuzzy. I ran out of cover towards her and got myself hit as well." She shook her head. "We barely got out of that one."

They were silent for a few moments. Argrein looked around at the cantina while Vette took the drink that the waiter droid returned with and cradled it in her hands. She felt strange; the pressure to speak had disappeared. When it returned, it was merely because she wanted to break the silence.

"So why are Jaesa and I different?"

Argrein, who had been peering with narrowed eyes across the cantina, turned back to face her.

"What?"

"That's what you said, earlier. If anyone except Jaesa or me had said the… stuff, you would've killed them. So why are we the exception?"

Argrein crossed his arms as he sat. "Because you are the only two that would not be interested in exploiting the fact that I often let my guard down around you."

Vette raised an eyebrow. "Wow, really? You don't… trust the others?" She sipped her drink as she waited. The revelation itself was shocking enough, but this amount of honesty from Argrein was unprecedented.

"You are correct. The droid is of no concern, of course, he's programmed to serve me. But Broonmark and Pierce are individuals that respect only strength. Pierce does not take kindly to authority, so it is only my power that keeps him here; he seeks to learn from my ability to destroy. If he suspects that I am weak he may fixate on the fact that I command him instead. In the worst case he could even be convinced to betray me."

"Wow, when did you become a psychologist?" She remarked.

"Would you like me to stop?" He smiled; he was pleased that he had impressed her.

"No, keep going! I wanna hear the rest."

Argrein chuckled, then signalled the waiter droid again and made an order. He then leaned forward on the table, his smile gone.

"I am less certain about Broonmark's motivations," he continued, "he hasn't been with us long and communication with him isn't my favourite thing in the galaxy. We do know that he despises betrayal, and so a clever enough opponent needs only to plant the idea in his mind that I will betray him and he may well strike pre-emptively."

"What about Quinn?" Vette was listening with rapt attention. Is this what Sith think about in their spare time? The waiter droid returned once more with Argrein's drink.

"Quinn has already betrayed me once. He will not remain alive if he attempts it again." Argrein took a deep breath, and the fire in his words was genuine. "Nevertheless, his betrayal of me even after seeing all that I am capable of shows that he will jump ship as soon as he finds someone more conducive to progressing his career."

He looked down at the table after this. Vette took another gulp from her drink, mulling it over. "Okay, so what makes you think me or Jaesa won't turn against you?"

He stared at her.
"Right, okay, we can count Jaesa out. What about me?" she asked, "I didn't really join up on purpose."

"You tell me, Vette."

"Uh…" Crap. What do I say? I never know the right answer to these questions. "Uh, well… look," she sighed. Maybe I'll finally be able to air some things out. "At the start, things weren't great, and I wanted to leave. But then, eventually you took my shock collar off, we were seeing places… it got better, you know?" She paused, hesitant. This is my chance. I've got to tell him. "Until-"

Argrein held up a hand to stop her; his holo was beeping. He pulled it out and Vette saw Jaesa appear in its miniature projection.

"Master, we have a problem."