AN: Major general spoilers at the beginning here! You have been warned.

Chapter 3

SATELE

Darth Vatrus was the most powerful warrior in all the Empire, second only to the Emperor himself; he was the Emperor's Wrath, his personal vanguard. The entire Jedi Council knew of and discussed at length his various exploits. Back when he was merely an apprentice, he had defeated the legendary Jedi Master Nomen Karr, and taken his Padawan, Jaesa Willsaam, as his own apprentice. As a lord, he'd wiped out several of the Republic's greatest military leaders, and crushed Darth Vengean, a member of the Dark Council. And when he finally became the Emperor's Wrath, he'd systematically torn down everything his treacherous former master, Darth Baras, had spent decades building in a matter of weeks.

While Vatrus was notorious for leaving a trail of destruction everywhere he went, according to some reports Satele had received from the few Jedi who had survived encounters with him, Vatrus had a strange code of honor – such as always following through on his promises and never taking a life when it was unnecessary – and his methods for achieving his goals were quite unusual, especially for a Sith. Nobody knew why he did the things that he did, though some speculated that Darth Vatrus secretly walked in the light. Considering that Satele wasn't dead or being tortured right now, Vatrus' merciful reputation seemed to have at least a little truth to it. He really was an interesting specimen.

Still, nobody could deny that the man had slaughtered countless Republic troops and Jedi Knights with nothing more than his extraordinary command of the Force, and the help of a few strange yet talented individuals he'd picked up in his travels. She'd have to be careful around him, because for all his fabled mercy, he was still a Sith, and a very clever and powerful one at that. He'd tricked Master Satele Shan into fighting dirty, and had won hands down. This would not be an easy situation to get out of.

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"Rise and shine, Shan!" came the voice of her Sith Lord captor. Satele groaned, rubbing her eyes and struggling to sit up. 'Damn these ray shield prisons!' Satele thought. 'You can't even sleep properly in them.'

"Oh, come now, Shan," Vatrus said, smiling as she turned to glare at him. "I thought you'd be happy to see me! I have, after all, given you these wonderful accommodations, have I not?"

Satele kept a straight face, and replied with a simple, "Well, if it isn't my Sith Lord friend, Darth Vatrus. What a wonderful surprise."

Vatrus smiled. "Now that's more like it! Tell me, did you manage to get a good night's rest?" His smile grew wider, as if he knew the answer.

Satele rubbed her aching back and said, "Surely you're joking. Last I checked, ray prisons weren't exactly comfortable to sleep in."

Vatrus chuckled. "You'll have to forgive me for not being a proper host, Master Satele. This was the only way I could make sure my little prize won't escape. That would be absolutely dreadful for my reputation! I'm sure that my heavily armed crew, stationed at every corner of this ship wouldn't be very happy about it either."

"I see," Satele sighed. "Well, how long do you plan to keep me in here, exactly? I may be your prisoner, but I am technically a higher rank than you are. You are the Emperor's personal kath hound. I am the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. I at least deserve some cushioning in here."

Vatrus smirked. "Oh, I do so love it when you Jedi buffoons try that sort of crap on me. I'm sorry, Master Shan, but you could be the queen of Naboo for all I care. It doesn't change the fact that I despise you and every single last one of your self-righteous Jedi. Be thankful that I'm not going to cause you unnecessary harm while you're in my custody."

Satele thought of what to say next. "Well, can you at least tell me what you plan to do with your 'prize' once we get to Dromund Kaas?"

"Ah, yes, that," Vatrus said, and stopped to think for a moment. "I'm honestly not sure. Why so anxious to be rid of me, Shan? I thought we had something special. Can't you feel the connection between us? At this rate we'll have a Force bond in no time."

Satele gave an insincere smile. "Vatrus, I am known amongst the Jedi for being open-minded, kind, and social. You are making that reputation increasingly hard to live up to."

The Sith Lord just chuckled. "I'm simply doing my duty to the Sith Empire. If I don't annoy the hell out of at least one Republic soldier or Jedi every few days, then I am openly betraying the Empire."

"Aren't you technically betraying the Empire by not at least torturing me? I am a Jedi, correct? Why, I do believe that I am! Therefore, by your logic, by not torturing me, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, you are giving yourself the death mark."

Vatrus laughed. "Great comeback, Satele, that's an absolutely amazing intellect you have. I must admit, you make a good point. But you see, aside from me and the people on this ship – whom are completely and utterly loyal to me, I should add – nobody in the Empire knows that you're my prisoner, and I intend to see that it's kept that way. Why let others know when I can have boatloads of fun all by myself? I never did like sharing my toys. Not even as a child." He suddenly froze, and a beeping could be heard from the adjacent room. "Oh, you must excuse me, Shan. I have to take this. I realize that my absence will be heartbreaking, but I need you to be strong. I promise I'll be back soon!" And with that, he strode off through the doors and into the other room.

Once he was gone, Satele smiled to herself. "Crazy Sith… aren't you the odd man out?"

She crossed her legs and began to meditate. A small part of her mind wanted her to think about Vatrus' handsome features, his merciful tendencies, or even his strange, yet undeniable charms. But the instant she became aware of this, she reminded herself that she was a Jedi.

'There is no emotion…'

AN: Thanks once again to Paragon of Awesomeness, who is, by far, my best supporter (no offense to you others, you're great), and who helped me make this chapter what it is. He's a very talented beta reader, especially for grammar, detail, and SWTOR lore mistakes. I send him the chapter, he adds some detail and works out the grammar mistakes. It's thanks to Paragon that my story has this many positive reviews. Anyway, Paragon fanboyness aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm hoping to get the new one up in a week or so, maybe less. Until then, ta-ta!