A/N I should probably note now that, while this story focuses on Artagesh and Vette, there will be sections that aren't dedicated to their relationship, for example: This chapter will have segments dedicated to Jaesa and Quinn.

Chapter 3: The Apprentice

Artagesh p.o.v.

From Balmorra to Nar Shaddaa, and Tatooine to Alderaan, Artagesh and Vette had run from one side of the galaxy to the other in search of the mysterious Padawan that threatened Darth Baras's network. Even with the added assistance of Malavai Quinn, Artagesh still had to run the Darth's errands and clear up practically ANY mess the Padawan, Jaesa Willsaam, had made while under Jedi Master Nomen Karr.

Artagesh's dance with Master Karr on Hutta had drawn in the Padawan and, using his newfound trust in the light, had convinced Jaesa to become his apprentice. Now, he had a former twi'lek slave, who was more than happy to stick around, a regulations loving captain, and an apprentice who could see one's true self.

After introducing Jaesa to the others as the newest member of his crew, Artagesh couldn't help but notice a pang of jealousy coming from Vette. Though he refused to show these emotions, especially in front of Quinn, Artagesh gave an inward smile as he watched Vette lead Jaesa to her quarters. The Sith Lord must have let his emotions show, as, when the girls had left, Quinn approached the Zabrak with a raised eyebrow.

'My lord,' he called in his usual, monotone, voice, 'I was curious as to what your relationship is with Vette?'

'Why does it bother you?' Artagesh replied, giving the captain an inquisitive look.

'It's just that I like to know the status of relationships involving my superiors,' he explained, 'if you and Vette are together I won't object, I'd just like to know.'

'We aren't together Quinn,' Artagesh growled, 'and it's not your place to ask.'

'Apologies, my lord,' Quinn replied, 'I was merely curious.'

'Well be curious at your post,' Artagesh replied, regaining his composure.

'Of course, my lord,' Quinn replied, returning to the bridge.

With his crew off doing their own thing, Artagesh, dragging his feet, practically stumbled into his quarters before throwing himself on the bed, looking for some quiet time before he went to speak with Vette.


Quinn p.o.v.

'Apologies, my lord,' Quinn replied, 'I was merely curious.'

'Well be curious at your post,' Quinn gave an inward sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't invoked the wrath of Baras's favourite apprentice.

'Of course, my lord,' the captain replied before returning to his post on the bridge. Quinn released a heavy breath, one he didn't know he'd been holding. Slowing his rapid breathing to settle his heart rate, questioning a Sith Lord can do that to you, Quinn turn to one of the terminals to make his report. He was sure to keep out any details he knew the Zabrak wouldn't want there, allowing a smirk to reach his mouth as he thought about their talk.

Despite being an unreadable, semi-violent Zabrak Sith Lord, Artagesh had failed to hide some of his basic feelings from Quinn. Baras's apprentice was, without a doubt, infatuated with Vette, something to note, should the need to immobilize Artagesh ever come around.

As he filed the report, Quinn found himself thinking about the crew. Artagesh was in charge, no doubt about it, and Vette was off-limits when it came to questioning, unless the captain wanted to lose his throat.

Then there was Jaesa, the Zabrak's new apprentice, and supposed Sith loyalist. Though the Zabrak kept his secrets to himself, he had every right to, Quinn found himself wondering about the apprentice, and whether or not her loyalties truly were with the Empire. Before he could think on it more, however, the captain practically felt Jaesa reaching into his soul to see his allegiance. Concentrating harder than he ever had, Quinn managed to hide his suspicions of Jaesa from her, and her "allegiance scan" moved on.

I'll have to get used to that, Quinn thought, she must have noticed something.

Refusing to let the apprentice and her loyalties worry him any longer, Quinn returned to the report, filing it under the section he couldn't help but call "The Padawan's Fall." The section detailed everything related to their mission to track down Jaesa, and he couldn't help but give it a fancy name. With the details sorted, Quinn sat down at the console, scanning Imperial frequencies for any relevant news.


Jaesa p.o.v.

Jaesa followed the twi'lek to the other end of the ship, glancing back at her new master as she went. The twi'lek, whose emotions practically screamed jealousy, for reasons Jaesa couldn't understand, led her to the crew's quarters, 'You'll be sleeping here,' the twi'lek explained, pointing at the bed in the far right corner, 'next to me.'

'Thank you,' Jaesa replied, sitting on the bed. As she settled herself in, Jaesa noticed the twi'lek was shifting her feet, which further supported the fact that she was jealous, and she needed to break the ice somehow.

'So...' the twi'lek sighed, 'I'll leave you to get settled in.' She started to walk out of the room when Jaesa spoke up.

'I'm sorry,' the apprentice called, stopping the twi'lek, 'I never got your name?' The blue-skinned twi'lek turned to Jaesa and smiled.

'My name's Vette,' she explained, 'I've been with Artagesh since his training on Korriban about two months ago.'

Jaesa smiled, 'and you two,' she began, 'are you…'

'NO!' Vette hastily replied, surprising the apprentice. The twi'lek caught onto her outburst and took a deep breath, calming down, 'I mean,' she stuttered, 'not that I wouldn't like to be, I mean, it's just, um…' Jaesa smirked at Vette's stuttering, but quickly understood where the jealousy was coming from. Vette noticed the smirk and glared at her, 'Are you messing with me?' she demanded.

Jaesa shook her head, 'I was curious,' she explained, 'I merely wanted to debunk the thoughts you have about Artagesh's feelings towards me.'
'What?!' Vette asked, shocked, 'why would I be thinking that?'

'I can sense your feelings, remember?' Jaesa chuckled as the fact returned to Vette's mind, 'Artagesh sees me only as an apprentice, and he took me on to be his apprentice, nothing more. Trust me when I say that he is infatuated with you.' Vette glared at Jaesa before leaving the room, annoyed.

Jaesa sighed as she got down on her knees to meditate and practice her abilities.

No matter who was teaching Jaesa, they would always want her to practice her abilities, and, quite frankly, she agreed with them. If she was going to be seeking out light side Sith for her new master, she would need to hone her skills, and trying it out on the crew would be a good start, 'What would they have to hide, anyway?' she muttered, closing her eyes and reaching out through the Force.

First she reached out to her master's quarters, she sensed calm, peace, happiness, love, just as she expected. Searching the ship for Vette, she found her at her post, sensing aggravation, most likely towards her, fear of entering a relationship with Artagesh, and sadness, for something Jaesa did not know.

Finally, the apprentice turned to the bridge, interested in the captain. It was strange as, for a split second, there appeared to be nothing, then she noticed calm and restrained fear. Was the captain hiding something? She would have to look into it.

Once she was done with the crew, Jaesa spent the next hour reaching out across the stars, searching for any light sided Sith who might be willing to join her cause, occasionally checking to see if Vette or Artagesh had made any advances to the other.


Vette p.o.v.

Vette knew Jaesa was messing with her, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed.

It was no secret that ever since Artagesh started flirting with her in the Sand Demon's cave on Tatooine, Vette had been slowly falling for him. She wasn't really sure what it was, but Vette just couldn't stop looking at him. He was handsome, smart, and had been doing the right thing ever since they had left Korriban. He still hadn't explained why he'd removed her shock collar and had quickly stopped using it after she'd entered his services. Annoyed, Vette sat at the monitor in silence, hoping for Artagesh to come to her. Then she remembered that the zabrak was kinda slow when it came to talking to her.

Letting out a massive sigh, Vette stood and walked over to the Sith Lord's quarters, lightly knocking on the door. She could've sworn she'd heard a muffled groan as the door opened, 'Can't I get some sleep around here?' the zabrak asked, Jaesa's master must've been tougher than Vette had thought.

'I figured you wanted to talk?' Vette sheepishly replied, letting out an inward laugh as Artagesh immediately jumped up when he realized who it was.

'Sorry Vette,' he hurriedly replied, straightening himself up, 'Uh, what can I do for you?'

Vette laughed, noticing that, despite being asleep for a grand total of thirty minutes, Artagesh was a dishevelled mess, 'I just wanted to talk,' she explained, leaning against the door frame.

'About what?'

'You, me…' Vette pause for a second, 'why you decided to bring along Jaesa…' Artagesh immediately noticed what was going on, smiling as he walked towards the twi'lek.

'Vette,' Artagesh smiled, 'Jaesa is a lovely girl, and incredibly gifted, but she's simply not my type.'

Vette was shocked by Artagesh's statement, 'What makes you think I-'

'It doesn't take a prodigy to know what you're thinking Vette,' the zabrak laughed, placing his hand on the former slave's shoulder, 'and just rest easy knowing that, while I feel the same way, I think we should take it slow.'

Vette wanted the zabrak to just propose right then and there, but she knew it was impractical to marry when they hadn't known each other long enough. Even so, she never wanted him to let go. His hand warmed her, just being near him made her giddy, and he had just admitted to being in love with her. The twi'lek's heart was doing backflips and just looking into his eyes, eyes that radiated compassion, not anger, like they used to, she never wanted to look away.

She couldn't help it anymore. Vette reached out and grasped Artagesh's shoulder, and the two leaned in, letting their lips touch, sending a jolt through the twi'lek.

So, yeah, I'm divulging from Vette's companion story a bit. You can't even kiss Vette for the first time until AFTER you've saved her sister. Anyway, I appreciate constructive criticism, did you like Jaesa and Quinn's bits? Was it stupid? Let me know with a review and go ahead and rate it while you're at it.