Chapter 8

Darth Vader listened patiently as Count Dooku briefed him on the situation regarding the Unknown Planet. Most things that were being told were things Vader was already well aware about, yet he was becoming increasingly interested in the young captive they had taken. Vader had heard little of the girl, and had gathered from the stories told by the other Sith Lords that she was quite a defiant captive, and a very competent athlete. An interesting thing that they had all pointed out, was that she had shown much less fear than most of the other captives held by them, which made thing a whole lot more interesting for the three of them.

"I would very much like to see this girl…in action." Vader had remarked. Xanatos laughed at this.

"Oh, trust me, you'll see her in action," he replied, a smirk displayed on his face. At one point, the meeting as abruptly interrupted, and Vader felt behind him a presence of immense power and strength, a presence shone brightly within the Force, like a bright beacon shining in the midst of darkness. He turned around, and to his amazement, there stood a young girl, her breath ragged and her grew eyes wide with surprise when they landed on him. She then saw Xanatos, who had clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth with fury. Vader knew that he was not actually angry, and that he was in fact appearing to be in fury just to witness what her reaction would be. In fact, blood was drained from the girl's face as she realised that she was trapped to Xanatos's fury. When he reached her, I slapped her with the back of his hand, simply for the joy of causing pain. She cried out and her cheek reddened sightly.

"Take her back," his voice commanded, "and chain her to The Wall. I'll deal with her later." There was a slight change of tone in Xanatos's voice, which was the only indication to the rest of the Sith Lords that he had been satisfied with the girl's reaction, and that he was done with her for now. Yep, that was the Xanatos they knew: a man who enjoyed provoking suffering and fear in others.

"I hope that…performance satisfied you," he told Vader once he knew that he was out of earshot, "That's the last time, I'm letting her get away that easily." He, and a few other Sith Lords, laughed.


'Taking me back' was a task that I made hard to accomplish for the bodyguards. I protested and tried to fight them off, refusing to be taken back to Xanatos's lair. When we reached the…well…bedroom, really they kept pushing me forwards, until we reached a door, tucked casually away, near one of the old pieces of furniture. I was then thrust into a room that resembled a torture chamber that was used in ancient castles. I panicked as one of the bodyguards grabbed both of my wrists and bashed them against a rocky wall. The second bodyguard chained my wrists separate from each other, using chains that were firmly attached to the wall. I desperately tried to free myself with no result, and the more I struggled against the bonds restraining me, the more tired I grew. My legs were in pain, and I felt a sudden urge to sit down, but I couldn't do this, since the chains holding me did not allow me to do so. I turned my head, resting my cheek on the cold stonewall, letting out a soft sigh from the exhaustion and the frustration. The door suddenly hissed open and I saw Xanatos come in from the corner of my eye, his fury still clearly displayed on his face. He closed the door behind him and removed his black cloak.

"I told you not do to anything stupid," he began, circling the room menacingly, "yet you did. You disobeyed me." Screw you! I felt like screaming at him for doing this to me. However, prudence kept my mouth firmly shut.

"Do you know what a master does to a disobedient slave?" he asked, and I saw him approach me from the corner of my eye. I did not answer his question.

"He punishes her." He whispered in my ear when he reached me, one hand pinning my neck to the wall, almost suffocating me. As I struggled to regain my breath, I felt him rip open the back of my shirt.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded the fear clearly shown in my voice.

"Punishing you," he responded, gritting his teeth "Just so you think twice next time you consider running away from me." He then walked away, and set himself somewhere in the room where I could not see him. The fear rose once more in my stomach as I was tied there, my bare back making me feel even more vulnerable. What does he want to do to me?? Suddenly, I heard a whipping sound behind me, and seconds later I could feel something slap my back so hard that I thought my skin was going to tear. I screamed out, and when Xanatos came into my line of sight, I saw him standing there with a whip in his hand.

"One," he counted, and before I could say anything, he whipped me again, and again, and again. The pain was never-ending and I kept gritting my teeth to stop myself from screaming out, but once the whip made contact with my back, I couldn't stop the screams that erupted from my throat. By the fifth lash I was given, I was begging him to stop and by the tenth, I could feel my warm blood cover the entirety of my back. I was given twenty lashes. When he was done with me, Xanatos made a simple gesture with his hand and my wrists were released. I collapsed to the floor on my stomach, my bloody back, still exposed to Xanatos. I whimpered pathetically and began to weakly curl up my body on the dusty floor when I saw his boots come towards me. By the time he stood right in front of me, I had squeezed my eyes shut and every bone, every muscle in my body had curled up from the fear of having to experience any more pain. I bit my bottom lip and winced as I felt his hand on my shoulder, and as I awaited the incoming pain. I was so surprised when I felt a pleasant coolness wash over my back, that I jumped slightly. I could then feel a soft cloth wipe away the blood, and I frowned slightly, wanting to know why he had this sudden change of heart.

"That was only a soft punishment," he spoke in a much more tender manner, making me squirm uncomfortably, "I only did this to show you what I am capable of doing if you disobey me." His hand now started to stroke severed my back.

"Disobey me once more, and I will have no choice but to deliver the appropriate punishment." He, again, spoke using his sweet tone. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what the appropriate punishment was, but once more I decided not to ask in case he had the brilliant idea of giving a demonstration.

"So," he spoke softly in my ear, "are you ready to do as you are told?" My brain refused to understand what came out of my mouth next.

"Yes…master." I replied weakly, not wanting to provoke him at all.

"Good," his voice displaying his satisfaction, "now put this on." He threw in front of me a brown dress and stood up.

"I will be waiting for you in the other room." He said, just as he was about to leave. He then closed the door behind him, leaving me alone to get changed. I burst into tears, not being able to believe what had actually happened. Calm down, Patterson, you aren't going to solve anything by doing that. I chided myself. Just do as he says for a while. An opportunity to escape will present itself. Just have some faith. With that, I gingerly slipped off my torn shirt and my jeans, and slipped on the simple (but still horrible, to me) brown dress. I absolutely hated it, as it clung to me like a second skin, and showed too much skin for my liking. I sniffled and wiped away the tears, preparing myself to face Xanatos again. When I closed the sliding door behind me, I did not see him anywhere. I wondered around the spacious room for a while, searching for him. I finally found him lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. When he heard me come in, he sat up on his elbows and looked at me, his eyes analysing me closely. I suddenly became nervous and started to adjust the dress to try and make it fit looser.

"Stop," his voice softly commanded, and I immediately did as he told, my entire body freezing at his command. He smiled at my reaction, and rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. He gestured to a place near him, and I complied, sitting next to him, placing shaking hands on my lap, hoping that I could sit still in order to not provoke him again. He captured my trembling hands in one of his own, making me look at him.

"Are you cold?" He asked gently.

"No…sir" I replied, my voice barely whispered.

"You're frightened then." This was more of a question than a statement. I did not answer, and instead looked away. He reached out, touching my hair before tucking it behind my ear. Using only one finger under my chin, he made me look up at him. He came closer and I resisted the strong urge to look away.

"I won't hurt you," he spoke whilst staring at my eyes, "I will not punish you unfairly." He leaned closer and I squeezed my eyes shut, not really knowing what to expect. I felt him kiss my neck and I automatically tried to squirm away. As a response, he gently pressed forwards, pushing me into the soft mattress. I whimpered quietly and tried to push him away, wanting him to stop. He did not relent, instead leaning further forwards and kissing my lips to silence my quiet protests. Just then, I had had enough and sat up, my hands on his chest firmly pushed my way from me. He sat up on his knees; his eyes enlarged slightly, the only giveaway that he was surprised by this act of defiance from me. I immediately resumed to a more submissive objection to what he was doing, before he had a chance to lean forth again.

"No, master, please," I pleaded softly, "anything but this." He cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," I said, and gently slipped out of bed. Before I knew it, I was down on the ground, at Xanatos's feet, and completely at his mercy.