A/N: READ AND REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I NEED REVIEWS TO KEEP ME GOING!

Other than that... Do enjoy this chapter. :)

More A/N at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 15

"So... we off to blow up this satellite tower thing now or what?" Vette enquired as they left Quinn's quarters.

Aaric, without breaking his stride, turned towards the local market. "Not so fast, Vette. First we need to acquire transportation and in this environment I doubt anyone will be in the business of renting speeder bikes. I'll have to purchase one for my own use."

The Twi'lek put on a thinking pose before nodding. "Yeah, that makes sense. No use renting them out when they're more likely to get blown up in this hellhole."

Inwardly, the treasure hunter turned slave was getting excited. They were getting their very own speeder bike! Now if she could convince Aaric to buy a cool model and let her ride it once they've made a purchase...

Soon enough, they made it to the city's market district and began searching. It took only a few minutes before they found what they were looking for. A makeshift garage with a fleet of speeder bikes for sale. Manned by a portly male human with balding hair and sporting a handlebar moustache.

Vette squealed excitedly and ran over to inspect each and every vehicle on display whilst Aaric took his time to surveil the wares. Said portly man recognised Aaric's garb immediately and went over to greet his potential customer.

"Ah! Ya must be one of them Sith eh? Plentiful greetings my lord! Name's Taka." Introduced the man. "Ya look like yer into the business of purchasing a speeder. Please take yer time and browse my fleet. Fair prices this side of the galaxy. You check!"

Aaric kept his features smoothed and neutral. "I'm sure it is."

"Woah... It's an Adno A-R6!" The Twi'lek gushed over one of the models. It looked more polished than the rest. "Acceleration's top notch on this one! Ooh! Ooh! What about this baby? A GSI HMF-03 Exploiter! Not as quick on the uptake as the A-R6 but its top speed probably outpaces anything else here!"

"Please forgive my slave." The Sith sighed. "She's quite...expressive."

"No worries, my lord." Taka waved him off. "Seems to me she knows quite a thing or two about them speeders. Maybe she'll help make an informed decision."

"Holy moly!" Vette gasped. "You have a Z-4C Slingshot, mister? How the hell did you even get this?!"

Aaric had enough. She was embarrassing him as it is. "That's enough Vette. I know what I want already."

"Awesome!" Vette stood upright and skipped back to Aaric's side. "Which one is it? I can't wait to give it a spin!"

The Sith deadpanned. "First off, no you're not going to give it a spin. Not until I say so. Secondly, it's none of those models that you've been fawning over."

"Whatever you say!" The slave shrugged. "I still bet you're gonna get one of those cool ones! Nothing else is gonna say Sith more than that."

Aaric decided to ignore her for the moment and turned to Taka. "Do you have any models with a sidecar?"

Vette sat in their new ride with folded arms as they rode towards the spaceport and back to her master's ship. "I can't believe you got this boring sidecar speeder thing. It doesn't even have a model number!" She groaned.

To the Twi'lek's horror, her master decided to purchase a clunky looking, matte black speeder with a side car for another passenger. It didn't look aerodynamic or speedy at all. In fact, it looked more like a sitting nerf just waiting to be blasted to smithereens!

"You have no right to complain." Aaric countered calmly but firmly, just like a parent would a child. "My credits, my rules. Besides, it suits my needs perfectly."

"Oh really?" Vette deadpanned. "Cuz right now it feels like it accelerates like a Felucian snail and is about as fast as a Bantha."

"It's comparable to the rented ones we've been riding on so far. Just because it doesn't look 'cool' doesn't mean it's useless." Aaric explained while wondering to himself why he even needed to justify himself. "It's fuel efficient. The rider's seat protects the back and head from being exposed and the small cargo compartment ensures there's enough supplies being stored and protected for the both of us and then some. If we ever have enemies on our tail I'll be relying on you being in that sidecar to shoot back. At least you'll be in a better firing position compared to being on my back and twisting your body around."

Vette cursed inwardly. She couldn't disagree with that logic. "B-But... I could just turn and sit facing the opposite direction!" She argued.

"You'll have nothing to hold on to and you might get thrown off if I swerve too abruptly." Her master replied. "Face it, Vette. I'm using this whether you like it or not."

"Phooey... you're no fun."

"You just want to ride a 'cool' bike."

"You bet I do!"

"And I'll let you ride this one if you behave." Aaric declared, doing his best to remove the exasperation from his voice. By the Force was she sexy but annoying at the same time!

The apprentice decided to detract the conversation towards something else. "Besides, you've mentioned you can pilot a speeder bike before. I'd like to know your credentials before I even allow you to touch it."

"Well... alright." Vette sighed and became quiet. Maybe even sombre if Aaric guessed right. "Ever heard of Nok Drayen? Pirate? Terrified the criminal underworld for a few decades?"

Aaric raised a brow. He knew who Nok Drayen was, that was for sure. But what did it have to do with anything? "He destroyed the Rath Cartel and the Vendelhelm Combine in some giant power grab. Same guy?" He questioned.

"Yeah, same guy. Weird to think of him that way." Vette kicked back, placed her arms behind her head and her legs on top of the sidecar's dashboard while looking at the sky. "Nok Drayen was the most famous killer in the galaxy... but he set me free. Before all this, I was a slave. Ended up being owned by Three Eyes when he crossed Nok. Or maybe he just had something Nok wanted? I never did ask."

The Sith was unsurprised at Vette's admission of her past as a slave. Many of their kind, especially the females ended up in some sort of servitude. But it was her relation to Nok Drayen's gang that interested him. "Did any of the gang survive the encounter?" He queried.

"You mean anyone who wasn't owned as property? No they did not." Vette answered. "I'm still not sure how Nok got his speeders into the camp. One minute they weren't there, then they were. Forged myself an appreciation for quick and speedy bikes right there and then!"

The Sith nodded in understanding. At least he understood where Vette was coming from. Lightning raids using fast speeders made sense if you were a pirate or bandit. But for him it was all about making sure they got to their destination in one piece as quickly but also as efficiently as possible.

"He was ruthless but not a thug, you know?" She continued. "Sort of a pirate prince. Freed all the slaves and told them they could join up or go their own way."

"I'm surprised he allowed a child to make that kind of decision." Aaric commented as the speeder slowed down and wove its way into the spaceport.

"He was like that. Never once talked differently to me. Not sure whether he really understood kids." Vette explained. "I was smallest on the crew and mining had taught me to fit in tight spaces. Nok's crew showed me how to steal.

Soon enough as I grew older they taught me how to ride a speeder and let me join in on their raids! For a long time I didn't feel bad about stealing, raiding, taking... So much had been already been taken from me anyway."

Aaric realised he touched upon a sore subject for his slave. For a moment he felt pity for her but quashed it almost immediately. He couldn't let such emotions affect his thinking. Vette was his slave and she would serve her purpose. Being emotionally attached to her would be a grave mistake. Still, it didn't hurt to show empathy. Fostering loyalty from one's retainers was always a good thing.

"It must have been hard for you." Aaric responded. It was the only thing he could say without sounding insensitive.

"Well, its a long time ago anyway." The Twi'lek shrugged. "I've had tons of hours on a speeder bikes because of all those raids. So... can I pilot it?"

"Everything you just told me just confirms my suspicions that you're a speed demon." Aaric deadpanned. Seeing Vette pout, he rolled his eyes and decided to let up on her a little. He still needed to co-pilot just in case he couldn't ride the speeder himself. But he would need to train Vette to make sure he didn't have a higher chance of dying from a speeder crash rather than by being cut down by his enemies.

"But if the opportunity arises I'll give you a chance." He continued, which resulted in him seeing Vette starting to beam out of the corner of his eyes. "Come on, let's get this bike into the ship and we can start prepping it for our mission."

"Ugh... are we leaving so soon?" Vette whined.

"You'll rest for tonight." Aaric ordered. Which took his slave by surprise. "Tomorrow we'll see what Lieutenant Davrill has in store for us, then I'll decide how we will be following through with our missions."

"Wait... Hold up." Vette lifted a finger. "Just me? What about you?"

"Hn. Caught that little hint didn't you?" The apprentice smirked. "I'm arranging a dinner date for myself and Miss Quinn. You go ahead and take the rest of the day off. Just don't get yourself into trouble... or you'll know what's going to happen."

Vette was relieved that they wouldn't be hitting it out into the field so soon. But the fact that Aaric seemed to turn his attention towards this new officer so quickly peeved her a little... not that she could do anything about it.

"Okay fine! I'll just stay inside the ship then... sheesh. It's a wonder I haven't grown at least another pant size yet!"

Lieutenant Malavai Quinn sat in front of her control panel with a quizzical look filling her features.

What the blasted hell did Aaric mean by a Slave and an animal? No matter. She would know what he meant the next day. For now, she had to think about what had just transpired minutes before.

She had just ended a holocall from Baras' apprentice asking to meet up for dinner... claiming to want to know her a little better since they were going to work with each other... at the local cantina no less! Who did he think she was? Some sort of prize to win over so he could show her off at Imperial parties and events?

She cursed her good looks and ample assets for making her ascent in the imperial military so frustrating. Sometimes she wished she was male so she could bypass all these figurative roadblocks! If she were honest with herself, Quinn had more than her fair share of superiors attempting to offer her quick paths to promotions if she let them cop a feel. Most of them were slimy, ugly men who had more power and wealth that their command skill allowed for. Even the rare ones with above average looks and competent command skills were spurned.

But this was the first time she had to deal with a Sith making moves on her. Quinn to had admit that he was good looking and well-mannered compared to his more brutish brethren. It almost felt like he had some sort of noble upbringing. However, she recognised an opportunity to acquire more information and analysis on Aaric when she saw one. She wasn't going to look a gift Orbak in the mouth. Even if Aaric was trying to make a conquest out of her, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

Baras would be delighted to have more dirt that he could leverage on his apprentice. Sith always went hand in hand with internal strife and subterfuge after all.

Now if only she could find a dress in her entire wardrobe full of uniforms...

The sun was already setting on Sobrik when Aaric had left for his appointment with his new eye-candy. That left Vette and 2V-R8, which the Twi'lek had affectionately nicknamed as just 'Vee', in charge of the ship's security. Not that there was much to do anyway.

The free slave sat in the pilot's seat, legs propped up against the console. Simply opening up and observing the ships internals wasn't enough. If she went to sleep now it would take an absurd amount of time to calm her itching fingers. She simply had to tinker with something. Anything!

If only Aaric didn't get that enormously average looking speeder-sidecar monstrosity…

"Wait… that's it!" Vette exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization. If I could modify the bike to increase its speed and acceleration without Aaric being the wiser, then I could have my fun the moment he lets me ride!

"Vee?" Vette hollered. "Do we have a set of tools lying around?"

"A set of tools?" The droid questioned as it came into view from around a corner. "Yes we do have one for general field repairs. Whatever do you need them for Miss Vette?"

Miss Vette? Heh I could live with that. Vette smirked inwardly. "Let's just say I have a personal project to work on."

"Well that doesn't sound good, if you don't mind me saying." The factotum droid seemed to huff as it tapped a button next to a wall that slid open to reveal a canvas bag full of tools. Before he could take it, Vette quickly snatched it away and began skipping towards the direction of the speeder.

"W-wait! W-where are you going?" 2V-R8 cried. Unfortunately, It's calls went unanswered and it followed the Twi'lek to see her beginning to open up a panel at the side of the speeder, much to his existential horror.

"H-hold on there! You can't just start touching master's things! Are you trying to sabotage it?"

Vette gave the droid a deadpan stare. "Sabotage? No, Vee. I'm just… giving it an upgrade! Yeah, that's it! And as second in command of this ship, you aren't going to say anything about it unless he asks. Got it?"

"Oh no…" 2V-R8 groaned. Plasting his durasteel palms against his face. "I'm going to be deactivated aren't I?"

"Don't get your bolts in a twist Vee." Vette shrugged. "Things will turn out fine. I'm sure of it!"

"Somehow that doesn't inspire much confidence in me."

It was evening by the time Aaric entered the only upscale cantina in the city. It was reserved for Sith and high ranking officers alike. So it took a considerable amount of credits to reserve a private booth in the upper floor overlooking the the rest of the cantina in the ground floor. Credits that the Sith had no short amount of.

Aaric opted to wear his one and only set or nobleman's wear. Though it would be considered casual back in the Tapani sector, it was good enough here: A white frock with black lining with a large collar that had a purple trim. While he waited for his new acquaintance to arrive, he sipped in a glass of Endrolian Ground Apple Juice.

He didn't wait long, however, and he turned towards the sound of the cantina doors opening to reveal a sight for sore eyes: The lieutenant put of her crease-free uniform and in a black, tight one-piece dress that covered her from shoulder to ankle. It accentuated her curves even better than her uniform and showed just enough skin around the shoulders, neck and a little cleavage to tease any fortunate viewers.

The Apprentice waved and caught Quinn's attention, who looked a little nervous and out of place with most of the male population bugging their eyes out at seeing her in such a dress. She ignored these stares and made her way to the booth.

"Good evening, Lord Aaric." She greeted curtly.

"Please sit and relax, lieutenant." Aaric responded with a small smile.

Quinn's vision flitted towards the table and noted that there wasn't anything on her side. Not even a drink. Which was good since she didn't need to suspect if Aaric would try and spike her food... as did many men before who attempted to ask her out.

She glided between inbetween the table and overly cushioned chair to make herself comfortable. Almost immediately, a server came over and provided her with a datapad containing the menu. She made a selection and waved the server away.

Throughout those few minutes, Aaric observed Baras' aide closely. She was even more stunning with her simple black dress and she moved with confidence and purpose, yet smooth and fluid. Coupled with her no-nonsense personality and the Sith had a perfect next target to conquer. Though he would have to take this slowly. Couldn't let her gain leverage over him for Baras after all.

"So..." Aaric began. "'Malavai' eh? Well, I do hope you gave your parents hell for that."

The lieutenant raised a brow at the question. It wasn't what she was expecting, but it seemed innocent enough. No one had ever bothered to ask her why she had such a masculine sounding name. Not that anyone even dared to. Since he was being well-behaved for a Sith she decided to throw him a bone.

"My father was a military officer as well." She explained. "He wanted a son. But when my mother died after giving birth to me, he decided to bring me up as close as he could to a son as possible and gave me said name."

"I see. Interesting." The Sith commented, leaning forward. "Going by the way you accosted the soldier earlier today I assume you're a person who desires results and efficiency above all?"

"Loyalty to the Empire foremost, my lord." Quinn argued. "But results and efficiency... yes that is what I desire from any mission I accomplish and from my men."

"Myself as well, lieutenant. It seems we may have something in common." Aaric nodded. "Care to share how you ended up under Baras' supervision? He seems quite confident in your abilities. If you are capable as he says you are then I'm pretty sure you should have made Captain by now."

Quinn's expression turned visibly sour despite her best attempts to do so. An effort which the Sith quickly recognised. It seems there was a story behind it and it made him curious.

"I see that I have touched upon a nerve there." Aaric quickly recovered before she could reply. "It's fine. You don't need to tell me if you're not comfortable. It can wait until later. For now, let's discuss other topics shall we?"

This time, Quinn didn't let her surprise show. First he was polite, and now he was being considerate? This Sith was really breaking stereotypes. Perhaps he was really different from most of his order?

"I would be most grateful, my lord." She let an appreciative smile grace her features as the server returned with her food and drink.

"So you're telling me it's a matter of probability and odds?" Quinn enquired, her cheeks tinted pink from the few glasses of drinks she already had. "I was worried there was some chance involved."

"Well, only if you assume the player with the best hand wins." Aaric responded as he sipped his own drink.

The evening had continued on smoothly and the pair talked about a variety of things from the state of the Empire to analysing famous battles. Right now, though, they were discussing the intricacies of planetary poker.

"So that would be what you call "bluffing"?" Quinn leant forward and rested her chin on her palm.

The apprentice gave a knowing smirk. "So you've heard the term after all. Then you'll also know that in planetary poker you never play your hand. You play the man across from you."

"And you think you're good at reading people?" The lieutenant returned the smirk.

"Yes, I am. Which is why throughout our conversation I've been able to detect an undercurrent of sarcasm in your voice."

"Hmm... Then I guess I should be assured that the success of tomorrow's mission is in good hands."

Aaric put down his drink and leant back into his chair. A foxy grin adorning his features. "You don't think this is a very good plan, do you?

"So there is a plan?" Quinn shot back. A hint of teasing in her voice. "I got the impression we were risking Baras' entire intelligence operation on a mere apprentice and his Twi'lek slave. What else can you surmise, Lord Aaric?

"About you, Miss Quinn?" The Sith could tell she was challenging him. "Well, your beauty's a problem. You worry you won't be taken seriously."

"Which one can say of any attractive woman with half a brain." Quinn scoffed.

"True," Aaric shot back. "but this one overcompensates by wearing slightly masculine clothing and being more aggressive than her female colleagues... which gives her a somewhat prickly demeanor and, ironically enough, makes it less likely for her to be accepted and promoted by her male superiors who mistake her insecurities for arrogance."

Quinn raised a brow ever so slightly. His analysis was quite close.

Aaric continued. "Now, I'd have normally gone with orphan but, you see, by the way you ignored the quip about your parents earlier when you just arrived...l'm gonna have to go with only child."

The lieutenant couldn't help but give a smile. But whether it was because he was right or out of amusement remained to be seen.

"All right. My turn." The officer gave the Sith a thorough looking over. "By the cut of your clothes, you went to some noble academy or wherever and actually think everyone should dress like that. But you wear it with such disdain... my guess is you didn't come from money and your school friends never let you forget it. Which means you were at that school by the grace of someone else's charity, hence the chip on your shoulder. And since your first thought about me ran to orphan... that's what I'd say you are."

Aaric's expression remained still. The bemused smile still on his face. She was quite close in her analysis as well. Even if Aaric's father was still alive, his upbringing was more or less that of an orphan.

"Oh you are?" Quinn sat up and gazed into Aaric's eyes before turning away and chuckling lightly to herself. "I like this poker thing. And that makes perfect sense since Darth Baras looks for maladjusted young Sith and imperials that give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect his interests."

The Apprentice continued to smile and sipped his juice. Not giving away anything.

Finishing the last of her food and drink she picked up her belongings and turned to her new charge once again. "Now, having just met you I wouldn't go as far as calling you a cold-hearted bastard."

"No, of course not." Aaric replied.

"But it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine. You think of women as disposable pleasures... rather than meaningful pursuits." Quinn commented offhandedly. "So as charming as you are Lord Aaric, I will be keeping my eye on your progress and as well as on your perfectly formed arse."

"You noticed?" The Sith teased back. Thoroughly enjoying the mild flirting they were exchanging with each other.

"Even Imperial Officers can have an imagination. How was your nerf?"

"Skewered. One sympathizes."

Quinn stood up as fluidly as she sat down earlier and left with a small bow.

"Good evening, Lord Aaric."

"Good evening, Lieutenant Quinn."

Once she exited the cantina, the officer's expression turned serious and she made her way back to her quarters. She had to keep Baras informed as per her instructions after all.

Meanwhile inside the cantina, Aaric finished up whatever food and drink he had left before making his way out as well. Without her knowing, Quinn had inadvertently shown the Sith her natural proficiency in analysis and deduction. Through careful manipulation of their conversation.

Whatever the officer thought she understood about Aaric was most likely already on file and known by Baras. Though he could tell that Malavai Quinn was a convincing actor pretending to look interested in their conversation he noticed that in some parts of their intercourse she showed genuine attention and fascination on his views of the different subjects they had exchanged about.

That kind of talent was rare and Aaric knew he had to have her loyalties by his side instead of Baras eventually. He'll play the long game for now.

Satisfied with the results of his own investigation, the apprentice turned towards the direction of the spaceport to rest for tomorrow.

The next morning the pair reported to Lieutenant Davrill at the government building where the consolidation corps had as its headquarters. The lanky, middle aged officer greeted Aaric with the standard pleasantries. However upon seeing Quinn, who Aaric had allowed to accompany him to this briefing, his attitude turned sour.

"My lord, word of your talent precedes you. I'm honoured!" Davrill bowed before raising an eye-stink towards his female counterpart. "You're well aware of the situation I'm sure… What I don't understand is why she is here."

The apprentice immediately noticed this and folded his arms while stepping up towards Davrill to tower a head above the lowly imperial. "I have permitted Lieutenant Quinn to accompany me to this briefing. There is a separate matter we will need to be discussed but this can be done after yours. Is there something I should know about? Something you… disagree with?"

Davrill quickly backed up and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Oh, no of course not my lord! Its err… just that my esteemed fellow officer here is not a member of the Consolidation corp. The details of operation breaking point are deemed sensitive in nature so I would highly suggest that she remain outside during this briefing."

"You'll forgive me if I will not take you up on your suggestion." Aaric snapped. "Quinn's presence is important for later and she will stay. My master, Darth Baras, would agree with me that her input will be pertinent to the latter stage of this meeting. Is that not right Lieutenant Quinn?"

The slender woman folded her arms behind her back and puffed out her chest. "Breaking operational security will be the last thing you need to worry about Davrill. Otherwise Baras would have me disappear long ago."

To be honest, Davrill had every right to kick her out of the building. But Baras' new apprentice seemed to be an extremely confident man; being able to defend her presence as well as throwing his master's name into the conversation just to prove a point. Had he somehow been smitten by her? Quinn decided to file the information away for later. Using her sex to obtain favours and get things done wasn't her cup of tea. But if it benefited Darth Baras, it would be worth the effort.

"W-well, if you say so my lord. Then I shall commence this briefing immediately." The male officer sputtered before clearing his throat. "Now… The government-in-exile, the resistance: cowards. If my lord is willing, we're going to bury them in their little hidey-holes."

Aaric sighed and resisted the urge to palm his face as an eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Yes, I get it. We're going to crush the resistance. What's your point?"

Davrill quickly lead the group to a table where a hologram of their targets materialised above it. "The old government's sending generators to the resistance, powering their artillery. If you haven't noticed by now, the city's shields are pounded by them every day; forcing us to keep the bulk of our security forces inside Sobrik to avoid being obliterated. This has allowed the resistance to move men and material to the outskirts of the city and harass our supply lines to the other bases and outposts elsewhere."

"Step one of operation breaking point is taking out said artillery. This will allows us to send out troops in force to secure the city outskirts and set up an effective defensive perimeter and reinforce our logistics lanes. Our aerial forces have managed to triangulate the area where the generators are supposedly held to the Neebray Warehouse, not far from here."

The table then phased into a topographical map where a red dot marked the position of the generators. Strangely, profiles of criminals started appearing above it.

"Furthermore, Intelligence has reported that the resistance had given pardons to Balmorra's worst criminals in exchange for a little guard duty over at the site of the generators. Your task will be to put those killers to sleep and destroy the generators. Simple as that."

Though the Apprentice mentally scoffed at having such a relatively easy-sounding mission carried out by a Sith of his calibre no less, he wasn't about to give up an opportunity to make a good impression on the corp's high command and any ranking Sith in relation to them.

Unfortunately, the forces available to him were unimpressive: Only two squads of standard infantry. Not even enough to make a full platoon. But Lieutenant Davrill was insistent that they were all the corp's could provide at the moment given they were stretched thin. The consolidation corp, though substantial, was only a small subset compared to the overall might of the Imperial military and were supposed to deal with resistance movements and uprisings that utilized guerilla tactics and small scale raids.

The fact that the resistance even had artillery in the first place was deeply concerning but not surprising given that they had the Republic's backing. Where did they even get the hardware? He wondered.

Aaric requested for a couple of mortars and enough speeder bikes for the entire half-platoon, which Davrill was able to provide without question. They had more men than equipment at the moment. The Sith had an idea after listening to Vette's past and her experience may prove useful.

Once the details were finally hammered out, it was time to move onto the next stage of the meeting.

"After the generators are destroyed, I'll be borrowing the troopers with me on a classified mission of utmost importance granted by Darth Baras." Aaric explained.

"I see." Davrill nodded, scratching his bearded chin. "And what does this mission detail?"

Quinn began to open her mouth in protest but was interjected by the apprentice.

"As I have mentioned, it is classified." The Sith huffed. Brushing off the male officer's lame attempt at grasping for juicy secrets. "The details go above and beyond your paygrade and the scope of the consolidation corp. But worry not… As long as I have the corp's continued support, Baras' operations here will most definitely aid Operation Breaking Point. If possible I might even convince my master to provide a token of appreciation."

"Well if that's the case then please ask if you need anything, my lord!" Davrill beamed. "I will definitely assist in any way I can."

As Aaric and Davrill discussed a few more minor details before ending the meeting and going their separate ways.

During the entire duration of the meeting, Vette simply whistled and kept to herself the entire time as a good slave should. She mostly had to just rely on Aaric to do all the planning and execution anyway.

The Twi'lek was slowly getting used to sleeping beside Aaric in his bed, but it still startled her when she felt Aaric slip in and laid down right beside her with both of their naked bodies in contact. The Sith had explicitly ordered her to always be in the nude when going to bed and though she was uncomfortable at first, she was subconsciously becoming used to the warmth of his touch and the slow breaths he took to lull herself to sleep.

Sometimes it took longer because the Apprentice would more often than not like to be a little handsy: groping her supple breasts, squeezing her bum or just simply roaming his hands anywhere around her body. Occasionally he would even finger her and make her wet, but always stopped short of making her cum which frustrated her to no end. Especially when she wasn't allowed to frig herself off...

Even more confusing was that her master allowed himself to get erect but made no indication that he wanted her to service him. He didn't even bother to stick his dick in-between her thighs.

Damn... He must have some immense self-control. Vette shivered at the thought.

When business was concluded, the pair left the building to rendezvous with their supporting troops and make preparations to leave.

Lieutenant Malavai Quinn stared incredulously at the sight before her. She was both dumbstruck and irritated. When Baras' apprentice asked for a favor in storing a slave and an animal in her rather spacious quarters for the duration of his here, she didn't expect this!

Right in front of her was a pink Twi'lek dressed in only a single piece of cloth that barely covered her bosom and left the groin a hair breadth away from being exposed. She was latched down to the very same torture table; spread eagled with its menacing arms of various sexual implements hovering over her body.

Right next to her was the caged Ysalamir. Quinn correctly deducted that the creature's presence was to negate the utilization of force powers from the pink-skinned Twi'lek and that said Twi'lek was force sensitive. The officer noted and filed the information away to report to Baras. It wasn't like she could interrogate the slave anyway, thanks to a ring gag that was lodged in her mouth.

When spaceport workers came in to deposit the two, they informed her that the only message Aaric had sent with regards to them was that she need not worry about feeding both and that she could have fun with the slave if she wanted.

Quinn sighed in frustration. She did not have the time nor the inclination to partake in such acts. Not that she hated the sight of a female being sexually exploited. Far from it, in fact. The lieutenant subscribed to the Empire's philosophy strictly and understood that as an alien, the pink Twi'lek had no rights as Aaric's property. She was not one of those 'feminists' as Republic citizens called the female-empowerment movement. There was no need for one since the Empire treated both men and women equally and provided ample opportunities for both genders to excel.

Sure, the biological differences between men and women were well-known. But the Empire rewarded those who could circumvent their weaknesses and come out on top.

So far, however, the system had yet to bear fruit in response to her undying efforts to contribute to the imperial cause.

Soon. Quinn thought. Soon my time will come.

She turned away and retreated to her console to monitor Aaric's movements. Only to be disturbed by the whirring of a machine behind her.

Yadira was incensed. Here she was, still strapped to the accursed table for as long as she could remember with barely any cloth to cover her. And now she was stuck in some imperial officer's barracks for the force knows how long? Even worse was when the dastardly Sith brutally forced the ring gag upon her and now her mouth and throat was getting drier by the minute.

The worst thing about being strapped to the contraption was that while Aaric wasn't present, one of the machine's arms would produce a phallus that had a small opening on the end at regular rear of the phallus had a tube which extended into the main compartment, and that was where water and gruel was stored.

This was how she was fed so far till now. And judging by roughly how much time had passed, she would be experiencing the dreaded feeding process once again.

The whirring of the machine confirmed her worst fears and she eyed the phallic arm that started to move closer and positioned itself over her oral cavity. She tried to move her head away but the strap that clamped her head to the table disallowed any movement. So she was forced to watch in horror as the offending metal limb inched ever closer; secreting edible lubricant so it could slide itself all the way into her throat.

"Hoooaaah! Heeeeelll! Hoooeeeshh!

Her guttural, hollow screams did not go unnoticed, and the officer turned to watch in morbid curiosity as the slave was force fed by the machine and ignoring the desperate plea for help which Yadira tried to convey when they briefly made eye contact.

The pink Twi'lek tensed as the food-feeding phallus inserted itself into her mouth at an excruciatingly slow speed. As if it was programmed to prolong her suffering by feeling every inch of it invading her. The artificial glans went scraped by her teeth, brushed past her cheeks, forced down her tongue penetrated through her epiglottis and finally inserting itself into the upper portion of her esophagus.

But that was just the beginning.

"Ngghhh! Grrkkk! Guhhh! Grnghhhb!"

The effects of Yadira's gag reflex was forcefully suppressed as the phallic tube inflated itself to fit securely to the walls of her throat so that any digestive acid couldn't escape and make its way up to the esophagus and mouth. All the slave could do was spasm violently against her restraints as she unwillingly gagged over and over; her body instinctively trying to force put the offending object lodged inside her.

The next part would be the most excruciating of all... and Yadira teared at having to go through such torture over and over again for the force knew how long.

The phallic tube slowly started withdrawing until it was almost exiting the esophagus, then stopped for a brief moment before plunging itself just as slowly back into it as deep as it could go. This continued over and over, establishing a constant rhythm and gradually becoming faster over time.

What Yadira was unaware was that Aaric had the machine programmed to do exactly that to prepare his slave for when he needed a cum dumpster on the quick. Though a tight, inexperienced hole always felt the best, Aaric wanted to have a warm throat on hand when time was tight and he needed to bust a nut quickly.

The depth of the phallus' penetration and the pumping motions were to prepare Yadira's body so that the Sith could simply stuff his entire length down her oral cavity in one fell swoop, then jack off using her esophagus as a cock sleeve anytime he wanted. It wouldn't do to waste his time and energy trying to force his way in and risk permanently damaging his slave.

"Grlk! Grlk! Grlk! Grlk! Grlk! Grlk! Grlk!"

The sloppy gurgling sounds continued and gradually quickened in pace as minutes seemed almost like hours to the poor Jedi; The speed of the phallus giving her any indication of when her ordeal will be over. Soon enough, the phallic tube was jackhammering into her at breakneck speed. The only reason why her throat wouldn't be rubbed raw was the constant secretion of lubricant from its surface.

Yadira knew that the final part was coming. It was going to end soon! She could feel the tube pulsate within her even as it thrust her insides at an impossible speed. With a strong, final thrust the feeding phallus was pushed deeper than ever before. A hot stream containing a mixture of water and gruel was pumped directly into her stomach in pulses.

A manner not unlike how a penis would twitch as it ejaculates.

Quinn could barely make out the slave's stomach slowly bulge as whatever voluminous substance was deposited into it. Ensuring there was enough nutrients to last until her next meal time somewhere in the evening.

The Jedi's eyes were rolled back into her head by this time. Her mind and body already shut down due what she had to endure. Yadira still spasmed and gagged uncontrollably even in her unconscious state. Once the feeding was done, the arm slowly extricated its limp tube from her oral cavity and returned to its original position.

The lieutenant raised a brow. Of all of her twenty years spent in the military, this form of captive torture was few and far between. There were Sith who used their power and authority to abuse others in the wildest and most depraved of ways. But it sure seemed to be a peculiar method of breaking down a prisoner or slave. It only showed the officer that Baras' apprentice had some sort of a sexual fetish or streak behind his refined manners.

Seeing as the show was over and no other sounds were made that could distract her from her work, Quinn shrugged returned to her console to track Aaric's progress.

But she couldn't help but feel a tingle in the deepest depths of her bosom.

The area immediate outside Sobrik was nothing more than valleys canyons infested with resistance fighters just waiting to strike at the first imperial they saw. The Sith had seen fit to use the speeder bike-sidecar that he had purchased while the rest of the troopers used their standard-issue swoop bikes. Before reaching their staging area, Aaric and company had to fend off more than their fair share of small scale ambushes and lone snipers trying to take potshots at them. It was clear that the resistance artillery was successful at keeping the consolidation corps from expanding their perimeter outside Sobrik and allowing the resistance to quickly move men and material within the outskirts to harass any reinforcements and hinder supply lines.

Ironically, destroying the generators would allow the corp to come out of their own 'hidey holes', if he were to quote Lieutenant Davrill, and crush the resistance forces before they became a threat to the city's security. A large force operating just outside the corp headquarters wouldn't look good in any situation whatsoever after all.

But with Aaric's leadership and his excellent spatial awareness granted by the Force, the group came out relatively unscathed apart from a few flesh wounds suffered by a few of the soldiers under his command. It was evening when they arrived and camped just outside the entrance to the valley where the blast doors which presumably led to the generators were apparently located right at a dead end.

"Getting prisoners to do guard duty?" Aaric scoffed as he viewed the resistance encampment from afar via macrobinoculars. "For something that's especially pertinent to keeping the corp holed up inside Sobrik the resistance is either very stupid or incredibly overconfident."

"If I may offer my advice, my lord," piped an infantry sergeant to his left. "if they're as violent and bloodthirsty as Lieutenant Davrill makes them out to be, we should still be cautious."

"Duly noted, sergeant." Aaric replied, still not taking his eyes off the encampment as he viewed the heat signatures of a few guards seemingly conversing one another and smoking spice. "However, that doesn't change how foolish the resistance is. I could say the destruction of the generators is pretty much a given as long as you follow my instructions."

"And why's that, master?" Vette chirped from his right as she chewed on some chewstim to pass the time.

"If the resistance has truly realized the importance of their artillery they would have at least have regular Republic troopers guarding the generators rather than this mish-mash hodgepodge of criminals." Aaric lectured. "They could have easily used the artillery's cover to organize a large enough force to raid Sobrik… But for some reason they have never thought about doing so. I reckon those ruffians down there have little to no training in infantry manoeuvres and tactics on top of being given a gun and told to shoot anything wearing black. they're probably not expecting anyone to penetrate through the screen of resistance fighters surrounding Sobrik much less two squads of the Empire's finest."

"I'll prep the men for a textbook assault, my lord." The sergeant began to crawl back towards the rest of the strike team when Aaric addressed him.

"Oh my, dear sergeant." The Sith apprentice quipped with a toothy grin. "Whoever said we would be assaulting them on foot? What do you think the speeders are for?"

I've got a bad feeling about this. Vette gulped. "Does… it have anything to do with that thing I've talked to you about earlier?"

"You wanted a speeder bike raid? You've got it!"

Oh Kriiiiiiifffff… was Vette's first thought.

A/N: And CUT!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The more perceptive of you will realize that I have some scenes which have been inspired (read lifted) from other media. But it is what it is. Deal with it.

It took me so long to finish this and originally I planned this to be longer. Usually I try to write 20 pages worth in Microsoft Word before I publish. But due to time constraints coupled with COVID and having to take care of my family during most of the day, I only can write in the midnight hours when my wife and kids are asleep. Even then, inspiration doesn't strike me all the time so I decided to end off here and include the action in the next chapter.

I can only hope that the build up towards the action as well as some sexy action thrown in is enough to sate you all for the time being.

Please pray that inspiration strikes me often! Thank you everyone for your readership and dedication! Stay safe!

AND REMEMBER TO LEAVE A DETAILED REVIEW IF YOU CAN!