After a week of confinement, beatings, and collar shocks, Cartog heard a new set of footsteps walking toward his cell. The door clanked open. Two guards entered the room and flanked the door. They weren't guards from the 17th. They were cyborgs. Cartog felt cold just looking at them. His heart dropped farther when a Sith followed them in. His face was covered with a smooth, oval durasteel helmet. This one wasn't like Sestra. Cartog felt no weakness at all. Only terror. He hoped his death would be quick. Chained to the floor, Cartog couldn't stand up to face him. He simply bowed.
"I am Darth Jadus," the Sith said. "You are the soldier who was responsible for the death of my former servant." Darth Jadus licked his words. He spoke with an oily calm.
"Your former servant?" Cartog asked.
"He was not 'lord' Sestra. Sestra delved into secrets of the Dark Side that are forbidden. They are not ineffective, but they feed on those who use them. It weakens them, and in time, it would have killed him. He felt he could unlock its power and prevent the decay. I dismissed him for his foolishness. He was no longer Sith."
"The captain followed him."
"Your captain is dead."
Cartog gulped. He steeled himself, and said, "We didn't know. We served him as best we could, my lord."
Jadus laughed. "I sense only half truth in your words, corporal. But it does not matter. You have saved me from an embarrassment. You will be rewarded with freedom from your collar."
Cartog didn't like the sound of this.
"Continue to serve the Empire as you do. One day, I may have need of your talents."
