Quinn monitored the Jedi investigator with his tracking devices while waiting to hear from Teava, when he suddenly got a live audio feed.
"I followed Baras' orders to the… was never my purpose here," said a male voice with a republican accent. "I served for the glory of the Empire. But the life of a spy is a slippery one."
"I'm honoured to be the one to kill you," said a female voice. Quinn instantly recognized it as Teava's.
His frowned as he checked the frequency. Yes, there was no doubt – it was the Jedi investigator who was listening in on Teava! He quickly sent his operatives a message to intercept the investigator at all costs.
The next thing he heard was the buzzing of a lightsaber and a muffled scream.
Quinn called Teava's holofrequency. She picked up and he didn't even wait for her to greet him.
"My lord, I believe we've got trouble. I heard your conversation just now."
"How could you hear my conversation? Have you been spying on me, Imperial?" she hissed. Gone was her mellow mood she had displayed toward him earlier.
He stayed calm, Sith moods he could handle, Sith flirting he could not. "No, my lord. Apparently the Jedi investigator bugged the base somehow. And as she listened in on your conversation, I heard what she heard. The investigator knows about your mission."
"The same can be said of you now," she retorted.
Hearing these word sent shivers up and down his spine. But he tried to sound unimpressed. "Yes, but I pose no risk to Darth Baras or you. If this investigator gets away, she'll expose everything."
In this moment he got a message from his operatives: They had cut off the investigator to the Republic landing bay.
"Hold on, my lord."
He quickly calculated how to direct the investigator to Sobrik and messaged his orders to his operatives.
"Quinn?" asked Teava, she didn't sound as annoyed as before.
"The investigator was heading to her ship, my lord. I am systematically blocking her avenues of transmission and escape, herding her to the spaceport at Sobrik."
"I will be there soon," said Teava and cut off the connection.
Quinn quickly gathered a detail of soldiers and hurried out of his office – there was no time to waste. If this Jedi investigator was indeed a real Jedi he had to mobilize every available soldier.
ooOOoo
When Quinn arrived at the spaceport he already received reports from his operatives that the investigator was indeed heading his way. A rather keyed-up atmosphere spread among the soldiers gathered at the spaceport; most of them were new recruits and seemed nervous.
After about an hour a lone figure in a suspicious yellow robe entered the spaceport. Quinn gave the signal to surround her.
"Surrender, Jedi!" yelled Quinn and trained his blaster at her.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," replied the investigator with a soft voice. She pulled her lightsaber from her robes and ignited it. "Please step aside."
"Has this ever worked?" rang a voice out.
Quinn jerked his head toward the entrance and saw Teava casually walking in, Vette was following her.
"I have purity of purpose, Sith. I seek neither thrills nor satisfaction. Unlike you, I am calm. I will prevail." The Jedi turned at pointed her lightsaber in Teava's direction.
Teava slowly took her lightsabers from her belt and ignited them. "How incredibly boring."
She charged at the Jedi, Quinn gestured his soldiers to hold their fire. It was clear that Teava wanted to defeat the Jedi on her own.
Quinn had never seen a lightsaber fight up close and was awed at the prowess and speed the women displayed in their fierce combat. It became clear after the first few blows that Teava was going to win, the Jedi was driven back until she lost her lightsaber in a vain attempt to block one of Teava's strikes.
She fell on the floor, panting heavily. Teava held her lightsaber at her throat. "Your victory means nothing. The damage has been done. The proof has been transmitted."
Teava gritted her teeth and was about to deal the deathblow.
"I intercepted your transmission. The Jedi know nothing," Quinn said loudly as he approached her.
Teava's frown eased and she grinned at him. "Quinn! I could kiss you!"
Quinn stiffened and said quietly, "I'm only doing my job, my lord."
"Gloat all you like, it means nothing. I remain at peace. And Nomen Karr and his Padawan will still defeat you," interjected the Jedi.
He gestured his men to cuff her while staring at the Jedi. So this wasn't just about a spy? What was Teava's true mission?
"Tell me the name of Nomen Karr's Padawan!" commanded Teava.
The Jedi just closed her eyes and seemed to meditate while she was being detained.
"Bring her to Darth Baras for questioning," ordered Teava. "I'm certain that she will break eventually."
"Yes, my lord," replied Quinn and implied a bow.
"We will meet in your office as soon as you've secured her, Quinn." Without waiting for him to answer she turned to Vette. "Let's get off this dustball, Vette."
"Can we go somewhere with a nice beach next?"
Teava laughed. It was a warm, deep chuckle. "We'll see."
Quinn assumed that he was dismissed and followed the captured Jedi and his soldiers into the main prison.
ooOOoo
When the Jedi was secured with a shock collar and magnetic cuffs, Quinn left the prison to head for his office. He was satisfied how everything had played out – the mission had been successful. His operatives had been excellent, their intel had proved invaluable. He should put them up for a commendation. Darth Baras was certainly pleased with his performance… Quinn's thoughts returned to Teava's comment on how he knew too much. Was she going to kill him to keep her primary mission secret? But then she had to kill the soldiers who had been present at the Jedi's capture too. No, he was safe. Safe… on Balmorra.
The realisation that he would have to return to his daily grind as soon as Darth Baras' apprentice left struck him. Teava would soon leave this 'dustball' and he would… stay. Suddenly all his energy vanished. He slowed his step. No, this wasn't the time for defeatism. He would continue to serve the Empire to the best of his abilities. After everything that had happened at Druckenwell, he was lucky that he was still allowed to wear the uniform. He should be grateful, Quinn reminded himself.
He made an effort to at least appear energised when he finally stepped into his office. Teava and Vette stood in front of the holoterminal, Darth Baras was still speaking to them. Quinn stopped and turned to leave when Teava called out: "Quinn! Come on in!"
He approached them and bowed.
"Lieutenant Quinn, how good of you to join us," droned Baras. "I take it that you arranged the Jedi's transport to Dromund Kaas?"
"Yes, my lord."
"How would you assess Quinn's contribution, apprentice?" Baras asked, as if Quinn wasn't in the room.
"Lieutenant Quinn is an exceptional officer. I couldn't have done it without him," said Teava in a friendly tone.
Quinn flinched. Just moments ago he had thought about the possibility that she could kill him and now she's complimenting him? She was indeed hard to read – or was he just not able to read her?
"High praise indeed. Quinn, I believe you have sufficiently repaid the debt owed to me. I'm putting you up for a captaincy and transferring you to my apprentice."
Quinn almost gasped – he would get off Balmorra! After ten years he could get away from this backwater planet! But… he was to be transferred to Teava?
"I… I'm honoured, my lord," he stammered. "If my actions benefit the Empire, they benefit me. I would have done the same regardless of our past." Quinn couldn't bring himself to look at Teava – Baras had forced his services on her. She couldn't be pleased.
"Apprentice, your presence on Balmorra is no longer needed. Return to your ship when you're ready to leave. I'll contact you soon," said Baras and ended the holocall.
Quinn turned to face Teava, anxious about her reaction. She crossed her arms before she spoke. "It seems that we don't have choice in this matter, Lieutenant."
"I'm ready and willing to serve in whatever capacity you see fit," he quickly said.
"Whatever capacity I see fit? How exciting." She visibly relaxed and gave him a wolfish smile.
"Interesting choice of words," Vette said. She apparently had to bite back laughter.
Quinn decided to ignore the mockery and proceeded to expunge any doubt about his competence. "My lord, if given the chance, I know I will prove myself to you. I'm a top-notch pilot, military strategist and a deadly shot. I can fly your ship, plan your battles, assess your enemies and kill them."
"Alright, I'm glad to have you, Quinn," said Teava with a smirk. "Collect your things and meet us at hangar B-22, our ship is docked there."
"Thank you, my lord." Quinn was still a flabbergasted about the development but he felt content, even happy to finally move forward.
ooOOoo
Sending his reassignment papers to high command, as well as packing his personal belongings in a suitcase took only a matter of minutes. He had already been at the armoury and had swapped his grey naval uniform for the black one reserved for soldiers serving Sith.
Quinn stood in his quarters, taking a last look – it felt surreal that he would leave this place for good. Or at least he assumed that he wouldn't return here even if Teava should dismiss him from her services.
Quinn put out the light, locked the door and walked down the grey corridor. There was nobody he needed to say his good-byes to, so he went straight to hangar B-22. He was familiar with interceptor class starships, but he still took the time to admire the Fury before boarding it.
As soon as the airlock closed behind him he was greeted by a metallic grey droid.
"Hello, Lieutenant Quinn! My master already informed me about your arrival. I'm 2V and I will gladly…"
In this moment Teava appeared. "Thank you, 2V, I will handle the tour myself." She smiled at him. "Please take Quinn's luggage to the crew quarters."
She led Quinn through the Fury, showing him the med bay, the cockpit, the galley, the bathroom, the training room and finally the crew quarters.
"My quarters are across the corridor, the cargo hold is next to the engine room. Please accompany me to the conference room. We should discuss how things are handled under my command."
"Of course, my lord," Quinn replied.
To his surprise Vette joined them in the conference room. At least he would learn about their relationship and how to act accordingly. During the tour he had decided that he would do everything to please Teava, so he wouldn't be send back to Balmorra or any other dull planet.
"Alright, now that we're all here I would like to establish some ground rules," said Teava and sat down at the top of the table.
Ground rules? So she wouldn't run her ship according to naval customs? Quinn clasped his hands behind his back, and grabbed his left hand with his right and waited for her to continue.
"I want you to speak up if there is something you wish to address. I won't insist on formalities and I'm not interesting in flattery. I want things run efficiently and professionally. Judging from the way you handled our mission on Balmorra I'm confident that you will adapt quickly, Quinn. Do you have questions?"
"May I inquire what's Vette's role is?"
"You can talk to me directly, y'know," Vette piped in.
"Apologies."
"So, I'm officially Teava's slave, but well… unofficially we just decided to work together."
Quinn wasn't certain if he understood this unusual arrangement, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Can I ask you something in return?"
"Of course," replied Quinn. His mouth twitched slightly.
"What kind of debt did you owe Baras?"
Quinn shifted his weight from one leg to another. "I was court-martialled because I disobeyed an order. Darth Baras enabled me to stay in the naval forces and stationed me on Balmorra." He glanced at Teava. "But I can assure you that I will follow your orders to the letter."
"I don't require a mindless servant, Lieutenant. I assume you had good reason to disobey the order?"
Quinn shortly debated whether he should negate, but in the end he decided to answer truthfully. "Yes, my lord. I did."
"Strange, it must have served Baras to keep you on Balmorra – he could clearly advance you," said Vette while rubbing her chin.
"I… yes…" Quinn was startled at the thought. Indeed, it seemed that Baras was casually promoting him – then why had he kept him languishing for a decade on Balmorra?
"Another thing, Quinn. Your promotion was just confirmed by imperial high command," Teava put a small box on the table. When she opened it, the insignia of a captain 1st rank became visible. She took it out of the box. "Come here, I will pin it on."
Quinn obeyed and stood almost at attention in front of her. She removed his old insignia and attached the new one. He did register that she stood a little closer than she had to in order to perform the task. Feeling her touch was strange, and yet he took comfort in it, although he wasn't sure why.
When she was finished she stepped back and smiled at him. "Congratulations, Captain Quinn."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Let's celebrate with a couple of drinks!" Vette exclaimed, slapping Quinn on the shoulder. "Let's see if we can loosen you up a bit, Captain!"
ooOOoo
Quinn was astounded to see how many drinks Vette and Teava gulped down, it was as if they were have some sort of competition. He on the other hand had only had two Korriban whiskeys on the rocks. They told him increasingly incoherent stories about their time together and laughed at nonsensical things. After a while Teava got up and shuffled into her quarters, leaving Vette and Quinn in the galley.
"I'm a little tired, let me just rest my eyes for a moment," Vette mumbled as she rested her head on her arms.
Quinn leaned back and emptied his glass. He let his gaze wander through the galley. It was a standard kitchen with the usual furnishings, but then his eye caught a note pad pinned on the replicator. He got up and drew nearer. 'No nerf milk for Vette' was written on it. Someone had added under it: 'By order of the mighty Lord Creepy-Eye.' Curious. Quinn turned to ask Vette about it, but she was already sleeping, at least judging from her deep breaths.
He gathered all the glasses from the table and put them into the fresher. Vette still didn't move, so Quinn decided to wake her up. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her until she opened her eyes.
"What?"
"You fell asleep on the table. You need to go to your bunk."
"Okay." Vette got up and wobbled as she walked toward the door. Just as her legs seemed to fail her, he grabbed her waist and held her steady. She put her arm around his neck.
"Do you know that I hate fucking Imps?" Vette asked in a slurred voice.
"Really?" Quinn asked dryly while almost dragging her to the crew quarters.
"Yeah I do… but T is nice, y'know."
He didn't answer. Finally they did reach the crew quarters and he helped her get into her bed. Just when he was about to say that she should take off her boots, he saw that she was asleep again. He sighed and pulled the boots from her feet and put a blanket over her.
While stripping off his uniform, Quinn mused about his new position and his new superior. Teava was indeed hard to read. On Balmorra she had been very efficient, focussed and professional and at the same time she had bantered, even flirted with him and threatened him. And the way she acted around her slave… it didn't fit. Or was he missing something? Well, he would complete his analysis soon. All he needed was time.
ooOOoo
The chronometer beeped at 05:00. Quinn silenced it and quickly got up, dressed himself and headed in the galley. Even after a cup of tea he felt weary. It was not surprising, as he had only slept 3 hours and the days before had left him with little sleep as well. But he had to show Teava that he deserved his position; sleep was a luxury at this point. Quinn went to the med bay and injected himself with a stim. In a matter of seconds he felt alert and focussed.
Then he downloaded the ship's schematics and at the data on the Fury's engine. Teava hadn't given him an assignment, but she certainly wouldn't object if he optimised the ship's performance.
A few hours later Quinn stood in the engine room and was checking the engine readouts after his optimisation. He allowed himself to smile as he saw the results: The thrusters now responded 0.09 seconds faster to the pilot's commands – at least according to these tests.
He heard steps closing in on him. He had no doubt that Teava was approaching him. Indeed she soon appeared in the doorway.
"Morning, Captain… I was wondering where you were." She wore casual black robes and held a cup of caf in her right hand. She looked stunning.
"My lord." He wanted to bow, but he stopped himself just in time. "I wanted to make sure that the ship is running at peak efficiency." Quinn hesitated; perhaps he should underline once again that he would be useful? "I am fully trained in all aspects of operating this vessel. I can both navigate and pilot – should you be in need of a pilot."
She tilted her head slightly. "Indeed I am. 2V and Vette have piloted the Fury up until now. But I assume that your training was more extensive."
"You will find a thorough evaluation of my piloting skills in my file, I…"
Teava lifted her left hand and he immediately fell silent.
"You don't need to convince me, Quinn. I meant it when I said that you're an exceptional officer."
He felt himself blush. "Thank you my lord."
"Just one thing: Your demeanour makes me tense, work on loosening up."
Quinn stiffened at her words and almost stood at attention. "I see."
Thoughts raced through his head. How was he supposed to loosen up? What was her intention? Was this some kind of Sith mind game? Quinn decided to grasp the nettle.
"… actually, my lord, I don't see. Is that an order or are you testing my professionalism?"
Teava flashed a grin at him. "Oh, I'm going to get a kick out of you."
Quinn clenched his jaw, trying to stay calm but he couldn't help feeling slightly frightened at the thought that he had become a Sith's toy. Had Baras assigned him here so that his apprentice had some kind of amusement? Was his promotion nothing more than Sith entertainment?
"I hope to be of greater service than that, my lord," he said quietly, unable to keep the tension out of his voice.
"Of that I've no doubt," she said, taking a sip of her caf. "And if there are deficiencies you see or suggestions you have about my operations and mission, I want you to speak up."
Again he was confused about her mixed signals. At the same time he felt relieved that the conversation had returned to topics he was comfortable with.
"Yes, my lord, I will."
