Lex did not make friends in the mine. His effective inability to keep his mouth shut meant that he had earned the wrath of the guards before his first hour on the planet was out, and the other prisoners, seeing him made an example of, steered well clear of him after that. Lex had done mining before, but, despite the work was backbreaking and neverending, he still managed to find a myriad of ways to inadvertantly antagonize his captors: pointing out a safety hazard in one of the stopes, asking for water for another prisoner, catching an attempted blow, dodging a blow, returning a blow. By the time a month had passed, Lex was looking a little worse for wear, and the other convicts were actively avoiding him.
"What's this one?" came a female voice from behind as Lex pounded a rockbolt into the cavern wall with a sledgehammer. No one else was in this section of the stope because the prisoners moved away whenever he came near them. He didn't bother to turn, but a hand gripped his shoulder and forced him round.
The woman who stood over him was a Togruta, much taller than him and sharp-toothed. She wore all black, a tight black jumpsuit from chin to wrist, with high black boots and a flowing black cloak. But her skin and eyes were red, and her lekku, or head-tails, were red striped in white. Lex felt a chill go through him. Sith.
She gripped his chin, making him flinch because of a bruise, and she laughed softly. "Trouble with this one, sergeant?"
The guardsman scowled. "He's stubborn and lippy and won't take a hint. Won't last long at this rate."
"What's this about?" Lex asked, frowning and pulling out of her hand. "Who are-" But the guard struck him in the gut with the end of his gun, and the young man doubled over and crumpled.
"See what I mean?" the sergeant sniffed.
"Put him aboard my ship with the rest," said the Sith woman. "You've spirit, boy. Perhaps the Dark Side will suit you better than this grave."
