Quinn sat in the captain's chair of the Sith lord's vessel with his feet up on the table and a datapad in his hand. It was roughly 23:00 hours and he was the last one awake. His fingers scrolled through the information he was researching about Corellia, but his eyes only glanced over it while his mind trailed off. Earlier in the day, they had been leaving the planet Voss when the spirit of Madaga Ru appeared and gave Seyje a warning that Quinn could not get out of his head.

You helped. I grant you this secret – be warned, one of your own plans to betray you.

Seyje had not acted even the least bit worried, but something about the message bothered Quinn to no end. Who would do such a thing? He put the datapad down on the table, not bothering to read anymore. Gazing out the bay window, his fingers drummed on the armrest while his mind wandered. Surely no one on this vessel would be so foolish as to try something like that. If they did, it was likely something would drive them mad to do so.

Suddenly, a certain Sith dropped on Quinn's conscious like a rock.

Baras.

The thought made Quinn cringe. Technically, he was still under the order of Darth Baras until his debt was paid off – and it would never be paid off. The captain's jaw tightened.

Damn Sith politics.

Ever since Lord Draahg had tried to bury Seyje alive on Quesh by Baras' command, the Darth had stopped contacting Quinn. It used to be that Baras would check in on her progress, but he always called at the most unusual times. Quinn never told anyone about his contact with the Sith. It was not something he was proud of, and he didn't like being tied down to two masters. Sooner or later, something bad was going to happen because of it.

Suddenly, the holocom beeped with an incoming transmission.

Who could that possibly be?

The time zones were different all across the galaxy, but Quinn kept the crew on as much of a normal sleeping schedule as he could. He stood and approached the console protruding from the wall.

That's odd…

The computer didn't recognize the receiving code. Quinn put the transmission through, and as soon as the caller appeared, a cold fear settled on his chest.

"Darth Baras," he said, voice uneasy. "This is unexpected. I–"

"Do not bother me with pleasantries, Captain. I am not interested," Baras snapped. "Perhaps you could explain some of the recent events I've heard concerning my former apprentice."

"I don't know what you mean, my lord," Quinn responded with confusion.

"Am I correct in learning that you've married Lord Seyje?" Baras questioned.

Chills crept up Quinn's back. Their marriage was kept a secret to everyone but the crew.

How in the galaxy did he find out?

"Well, Captain? Am I wrong?" Baras asked impatiently.

"No, my lord, you heard correctly," Quinn responded, his gaze turning away towards the floor.

Resentment began to unfurl its tendrils within the Captain's stomach that had appeared many times before, and he took a deep breath to bury the feeling. Baras had been his master long before Seyje came along; that was a fact. Still, there was something highly suspicious about this call.

"Interesting choice, given your obligations to serve me. I hope your foolish commitment won't be a problem for your assignment," Baras said.

Quinn's head snapped up.

Oh no…

He had heard that tone of voice many times on Balmorra, and it only meant one thing – death.

"Assignment, my lord?" the Captain asked.

This was the first time Baras was actually telling him to act rather than sit back and watch things, but it was not something to be looked forward to. Truthfully, Quinn only halfheartedly wanted to know the answer and would rather have shut off the holocom right then and there.

"Yes. You will set a trap for and kill Lord Seyje," Baras stated.

The world around Quinn grinded to a halt. He froze, unable to move as the words of Madaga Ru rang in his ears.

He was talking about…me.

The Captain stared blankly at the holo image. He was supposed to kill his own wife? It was virtually impossible. She was indestructible, and had proven it many times over in battle. Not only that, but she had shown him the utmost loyalty and respect where he knew he didn't deserve it.

Quinn thought back over the years of his time with Seyje; she had defended him, respected him, and loved him unlike anyone had ever before. He tried his best to return all she had given him, but it was difficult when comparing his own status to hers. And yet no matter what trials they faced, what events tried to come between them, Quinn had always been able to rely on one thing – Seyje loved him, and he loved her more than anyone could possibly understand. Now Baras wanted Quinn to just give up everything? To strike down Seyje as if she had never existed? To erase all history he had with her and betray the Emperor's Wrath?!

He shook his head.

"No."

The word rang with defiance, cutting through the silence of the empty room. If Baras didn't wear that foolish mask all the time, his eyes would've burned right out of their sockets at that moment.

"What did you say to me?" the Sith asked in shock.

Apparently no one had ever stood up to the Lord with an overly round belly.

"I said no," Quinn snarled angrily. "I cannot, and I will not, kill her."

"You can and you will, Captain! That is an order!" demanded Baras, raising his voice to an unruly level.

Thankfully, the walls of the ship were soundproof. Otherwise someone would've surely heard them at that moment.

"I don't take orders from you anymore, Baras. My connections to you were severed the moment you tried to blow up Seyje on Quesh," Quinn said with strong conviction, his hand swiping across his body in a slicing motion.

"Need I remind you, Captain, what happened last time you chose to question authority?" Baras snarled, crossing his arms in a gesture of power.

Quinn fell silent as memories of his fallout with Moff Broysc flooded his mind. He did owe a great deal to Baras after what happened at Drukenwell. The Moff was dead now, executed by Quinn himself, but Baras was still controlling everything that Broysc had been commanding.

"Your disobedience will result in severe consequences if you choose to continue serving that pitiful excuse of an apprentice."

Quinn's head snapped up at the insult.

"Don't you dare insult her. Seyje could easily destroy you," he barked.

Standing up to Baras should've been terrifying, but it felt exhilarating more than anything. Quinn didn't feel so much as an ounce of fear as he shot back remarks to this egotistic Sith.

"Then why hasn't she?" Baras asked.

The question caught Quinn off-guard.

"What?"

"If it would so easy for her to strike me down, then why hasn't she done it yet?" Baras asked again, sounding slightly amused and almost surprised at the lack of perception from the Captain.

If Quinn had been holding a bubble that held his confidence, that question would've been the pin that popped it. The prophecy flashed through his mind again, but Quinn ignored it.

"She's biding her time," he replied.

His answer was a second slower than it should've been, and Baras noticed. The Sith laughed, a sound that would've sent a rancor running.

"Is that so? I disagree, Captain. She's not biding her time, she's wasting it. If our confrontation would really be so simple, then why is she avoiding it?"

"The same could be said about you, Baras," the Captain pointed out.

"Ha! I don't waste my time on chasing after lost causes," the Sith said with a scoff.

As much as Quinn disliked it, there was no denying the truth in Baras' words. Seyje had seemed…distracted lately. Whenever someone mentioned her old master, she was hesitant to discuss things and would try to change the subject. Could it really be true?

Dread clawed at Quinn's stomach as he realized there was another reason.

She's not meant to win...that's why Madaga Ru warned her about a betrayal. Seyje has been ignoring it because she knows it to be true.

"Since you're so unwilling to accept my orders, I'll give you a choice to consider, Captain," Baras said, his voice dripping with a dark delight. "Either you chose how painfully she dies, or I do."

Quinn's eyes involuntarily widened. He had witnessed first-hand what Baras did to captured prisoners, and even all his years of experience in war did not compare to what he had seen the Sith do. His methods were ruthless, but slow enough so that the victim would be put through as much physical and mental pain before their life was extinguished. To hand Seyje over to such horrible torture…

No, that cannot happen. I won't allow it.

Baras continued, oblivious to Quinn's discomfort.

"Let me put it in this perspective, Captain. I have specific war droids for you to program however you see fit. You can make her death as quick and painless. Or I, once she's crushed under my power, will break her spirit in the most agonizing way possible."

Terror took hold of Quinn. He could imagine some rather horrible things, but there was no doubt that Baras could do much, much worse to Seyje once he defeated her.

Hold on, once he defeated her? Did Quinn really lack such faith in his wife's abilities?

The captain looked down at his hands and noticed they were shaking. His nerves were jumping around as if they were on fire.

"It's your choice whether you want to save her life or not," the Sith said dismissively.

Save her life? Such a harsh choice of words, but true nonetheless. Baras was telling him that it didn't matter what Quinn picked: Seyje was going to die one way or another.

There's nothing I can do to stop this. Madaga Ru said so himself that she was going to be betrayed.

The mere thought of it made the Captain tremble with dread. A life without his precious Sith lord wasn't going to be much of a life at all.

This never would've happened if I hadn't allowed myself to fall for her. Or at the very least if I had figured things out on my own after Drukenwell instead of letting all these damn Sith control my life.

But there was no escaping his debt to Baras. That had been made clear by now. Quinn would be forever bound to following orders. Fate even told him so. At least at his hand she would die with the honor and respect she deserved.

"Now, I'm ordering you to kill Lord Seyje," Baras said.

"Yes…my lord," Quinn said slowly, his voice getting caught in his throat.

His mouth burned as the submissive words rolled off his tongue. How he hated Darth Baras. He resented everything about the Sith lord. For him to be controlled like a puppy dog on a leash was enough to make Quinn go mad – but he had no choice and swallowed his emotions once more.

"I am sending the information you'll need to access these war droids," Baras said, the undeniable sound of victory in his voice. "Lucky for you, Captain, this transmission wave is undetectable and will delete any message within ten seconds of the conversation ending. Lord Seyje will never suspect anything. Therefore, you will need to download the information quickly."

Typical of Baras to cheat his way out.

"Do not fail me, Captain," the Sith said, and the holocom went silent.

Quinn only had seconds to make a decision. He could walk away and leave the droid information to be erased, or he could follow through and program them to kill Seyje. Quinn desperately wanted to choose the former, but Darth Baras' threat and the prophecy circulated in his mind. He couldn't let her die at the hand of her old master, but would using the droids really be any better? It seemed that fate had already made his choice for him.

At least I'm saving her life. Yes, that's what this is, I'm protecting her from Baras.

With a heavy sigh, Quinn downloaded the information onto the datapad in his hand. Two seconds later, the screen blanked out, erasing the conversation from the console.

It was done. There was no turning back from this.

Quinn's fingers were shaking, and he felt his knees start to buckle as he collapsed in the captain's chair. The datapad on the table sat there taunting him, and he turned away from it in disgust.

He looked down the hall at the door of Seyje's bedroom. Quinn could almost see his wife sleeping peacefully, burrowed up in the expensive silk blanket he had bought her as a surprise engagement gift. A strand of hair would likely be draped across her face. She would sigh deeply and snuggle up close to Quinn as he brushed it away.

Suddenly, the image in his mind changed to a dark scene of her being chained to a wall in the dungeons of Korriban and Baras laughing manically as he electrified her.

The Captain jumped in his seat. Although the image had only lasted a second, it was so vivid he almost mistook it for reality. Such a thought could not be made so. It was too horrific. Quinn put his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. His chest felt heavy. How was he supposed to face the reality both Baras and Madaga Ru had forced upon him? Kill his own wife? It was unthinkable, and yet it had to be done. It was meant to be done.

I'm saving her…aren't I?

The datapad on the table beeped, and he glanced at it through his fingers. That tiny machine held Seyje's death note.

Quinn would have to put on an act until the deed was done. Any feelings and loyalty he had towards Seyje would have to slowly be dissolved within a mere few days. He would have to lay down next to her at night, knowing what was coming, and not be able to warn her about Baras. He would have to remain the same military man she knew so that Seyje wouldn't suspect anything. He would have to lie to her. Lie to her. That was so morally wrong, and yet Seyje wouldn't know otherwise. She would live her life in a fog, totally unaware of what was happening behind the curtains of Quinn's personal thoughts.

No, lying is no rescue. I'm not saving her - I've condemned her.

Quinn's eyes welled up with tears, and he sat in the chair quietly sobbing into his hands.

What have I done?