Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. Malgus chanted in his head while the torture went on. Every single time the dreaded machine touched him, he recited this mantra over and over again. Had it been days or weeks or months? He had no idea how long he had been imprisoned for, but he knew one thing, he will never give them the satisfaction of breaking him.

Then his thoughts went to the battle and then to Satele.

Satele.

Her image somehow always stayed with him. The image of her face when she stepped away from him slowly shaking her head.

Every time he thought about her he felt like a fool and this thought deepened his hatred even more. However, deep inside, he knew she wasn't going to fight against her people. It was just foolish wishful thinking.

I should have killed her.

I should have never allowed her to get this close to me.

I should have been stronger.

I should have never fallen for ….

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by her voice.

Satele?

And then there was another voice, a man's voice talking to her.

Behind closed eyelids, Malgus tried to concentrate on their conversation, however, he was in so much agony, he had to focus on blocking the pain out. Still, her sweet voice felt like a cool breeze on a hot sunny day. She is here! He thought excitedly. Then another wave of agonizing pain swept through his battered body and he wanted to scream from the frustration and anger he felt at that moment.

Then her voice drifted away and once again silence enveloped the room.

He felt like crying, but there were no tears. Only the pure hatred for the Jedi and hatred for himself. Then everything went dark again as he drifted through the rivers of torment, slowly drowning into its dark depths. There was no light only darkness that greeted him as he reached rock bottom. He wished for nothing more than to die and put an end to his suffering.

It felt like an eternity when a tiny spark of hope filled his heart. He heard her. Her sweet voice cut through the pitch-black darkness, reaching for him, pulling him out.

"Now what?" Satele's anxious, muffled voice drifted through the darkness.

"He is unconscious." Malgus heard a female voice.

"I know that. You don't have to remind me….Lana." Satele's annoyed voice was heard.

Lana? Malgus thought confused. From the academy?

"They are going to be here in any minute." Lana said in a rushed voice. "We have to hurry up."

"How are we going to get him out of this thing?" Satele asked.

"Move out of the way." Lana replied.

Suddenly a surge of high electrical current rushed through him, making Malgus flinch as it spread through every single cell in his body. He wanted to scream but his mouth wouldn't open, nor his eyes to see what was going on.

As the loud sound of the alarm filled up his ears, he then heard a couple of loud clicks, and then he felt hands touching his body.

"Here they come." Lana anxiously said. "Get him into the armor." She ordered. Then he heard a lightsaber coming to life, followed by blaster shots and the buzzing sound of electrical currents.

The hands that touched him felt comforting and then he felt tugging and pulling as someone tried to press his body into something tight.

Then the blaster fire seized and Satele's frustrated voice drifted through the darkness again.

"He is too big. He won't fit into this armor."

"Squeeze him into it. Hurry up." Lana urged her.

There was a sharp pain cutting deep into his legs and arms as he was pressed inside a metal object, accompanied by heavy breathing from Satele.

Then the sensation of being crushed enveloped him, as his body was squeezed into the armor.

"We have to go now!" Lana insisted.

Then he felt his body elevating off the ground and as he managed to crack one eye open, through the visor of the helmet, the blurry image of Satele appeared in front of his face making Malgus smile on the inside.

He wanted to reach out and touch her face, but he couldn't lift up his arms.

"Let's go." He heard Lana again and then he felt himself floating over the ground.

Then he heard Lana yell at someone.

"The prisoner is out and wreaking havoc down there!" Then she quickly added. "We managed to save this guard out of the chaos."

"Is anyone else down there?" A deep male voice worriedly asked.

"Yes, go now and help them!" Lana said in a hurry and then within seconds, more yelling and blaster fire was heard, as they made their way through the building.

Then he heard Lana's voice again.

"Nico." She yelled. "Where are you?"

Through the radio, the pilot's static voice came through.

"Where am I?" He asked with disbelief. "I'm in trouble that is where I am."

"Meet us on the east side." She said and then she added. "See you soon."

"Yes, Ma'am." He replied and then his voice got cut off.

While Malgus drifted in and out of consciousness, Satele held up his body by utilizing the Force. They rushed toward the east wing where Nico was waiting.

She still couldn't believe what she had done, but in her heart, she knew she had made the right decision. She was aware of the dire consequences of her actions, but she just couldn't stand by and watch as Malgus was slowly dying in front of her eyes.

No! She thought with determination. I couldn't let that happen!

By the time they got to the east wing, everyone who resided inside was at the other end, hoping to catch the rogue prisoner.

By making Lana her 'prisoner', Satele had the chance to take her to where Malgus was being kept. The Jedi she had to knock unconscious made Satele feel extremely guilty, but she needed to get Malgus away from that despicable place.

I'll deal with the consequences later, she thought anxiously as they stepped outside the building and into the early morning light.

A loud sound of a ship's engine cut through his foggy mind when he heard Lana's voice again.

"Just in time." Then with a firm tone, she added. "Let's get out of here."

Hours passed when Malgus felt a gentle touch on his forehead. Then he heard the pilot's raspy voice.

"I can't believe what I did just to get my hands on the artifact."

"You did good Nico." Lana replied. "You'll be rewarded as we have discussed."

"I better be Lana." He said with a mischievous undertone.

As Malgus slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Satele's worried face gazing down on his. Lifting his arm up, he caressed her face. He tried to speak, but because his throat was extremely dry, he couldn't.

When he tried to lift up his head, Satele gently pushed him down and with a smile she said.

"Please, you need to relax."

Closing his eyes, Malgus slowly shifted his body on the bed, and then as he opened them again, he grabbed onto her hand and placed it on his chest.

Then he pulled her closer until her face was only inches from his. As he stared into her eyes, Malgus swallowed hard and licked his parched lips. In a hoarse voice, he said.

"Why?"

"Why did I do this?" She asked, searching his eyes.

"Yes." He replied.

For a few seconds, Satele quietly stared into his eyes. As she was about to give her answer, Lana's mischievous voice abruptly cut in.

"Because she loves you."

In an instant, Satele's eyes grew wide like saucers. As her face flushed with embarrassment, she quickly pushed herself away from Malgus. With a murderous glance, she looked at Lana and then with an upset tone, she said.

"Lana!"

"Yes, Satele?" Lana chimed with a sly grin.

"This is… not what you think it is." Satele stuttered. Composing herself, she stood up and while her accusing eyes were on the other woman, she said.

"I did it because I believe it was wrong what was being done to him."

"Yes, sure Satele." Lana sarcastically said as she removed her contact lenses. "Ugh, I hate these things." She said throwing the blue colored lenses away.

Satele wanted to strangle the Sith woman, however, deep inside she knew she was right. Indeed she had feelings for Malgus, but she wasn't sure that what she had felt for him was love or just compassion for another being. This greatly confused her.

Dar'Nala was right, she thought disheartened. I did change. And where this change would lead her, she had no idea. Her future looked bleak and uncertain at this moment. But she knew one thing, she was a rogue Jedi now and they would hunt her down until the end of time for what she had done.

Although they didn't kill anyone, this was one thing she asked of Lana before the crazy rescue, she did aid with the escape of a Sith Lord and there was no way she could have explained herself out of this.

Then Lana walked up to Malgus and as she squatted down next to him, with a smile she said.

"It's nice to see you Veradun."

Frowning, Malgus gazed into her crimson eyes and then he said.

"Please don't call me that."

"Alright, Lord Malgus." She said with a wink. Then she looked at Satele and said.

"You know from now on you will be staying with us."

Nodding her head in silence, Satele looked at the two Sith watching her. Then her eyes found Malgus's and feeling the redness creeping up her neck, she turned around and approached the pilot.

While Lana and Malgus resumed their conversation, Satele sat down in the co-pilot seat and gazed out the window.

Then she heard Nico's voice.

"You most likely broke that poor trooper's heart, you know that, right?"

Turning toward him, with a frown, she looked at his profile and said.

"You mean Jace?"

Pulling up one of his eyebrows, he looked at her and said.

"When we left you behind on the space station, that poor man talked about nothing but you the whole damn time till we reached Coruscant." Then he added. "I wanted to apologize about leaving you behind, but as I see" saying that he turned his head toward Malgus, "I did you a favor instead of the other way around. Am I right?"

"There is nothing between him and me." Satele quickly replied.

With a sly smile, he looked at her again and then clicking his tongue, he said.

"I've been married once or twice or maybe more than that I can't truly recall, but I know how relationships can be complicated sometimes. It's not easy to get along, but if you really really care for the other person, and of course the sex is amazing then I say you might get a shot to happiness."

Satele felt uneasy listening to his spiel about relationships. Turning away, she faced the window again and as she gazed out into space, she said.

"I have more important things to worry about than getting into a relationship that would never work."

"Because he is a Sith and you are a Jedi?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes." Satele replied.

"Then I guess you cannot be attracted to him, right?' He asked again, leaning closer to her.

For a few seconds, Satele didn't reply. Then she bit her lower lip and said.

"He is who he is and I am who I am. It would never work, that's all I can tell you."

Frowning, Nico leaned closer still and in a low voice, he said.

"I've been with a few Sith women and I'm telling you they are excellent lovers."

Satele took a deep breath and then she turned his way.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked with an annoyed stare.

Shrugging his shoulders, he pouted and then he said. "You seem like a nice girl who deserves to be happy. This Jedi, Sith thing is so overrated. While you guys are fighting your pointless battles, others are indulging themselves with love and lust and other much better things." Then he added as he glanced toward Lana and Malgus. "Just try it at least once and then tell me that I, Nico Okarr, was right."

"Please just stop talking, would you?" Satele said feeling a little irritated by his bluntness.

"Alright." He said placing his hands up in defeat. "I'll stop."

"Thank you." Satele replied with a grin. She didn't want to hear his stories or advice. Her head was swimming with all kinds of thoughts and this was the last thing she wanted to hear about. Sill, with all this talking about intimacy, he had indeed planted a seed of curiosity within her, making her blush as she thought about giving herself to Malgus. No. She shook her head. It's never going to happen.

Throughout the trip, Satele kept her distance from Malgus. Although he was mostly resting, she stayed out of his way. However, to her great surprise, Lana turned out to be a pleasant company, and being around her was where Satele spent most of her time. Despite the fact that Lana was a Sith, Satele grew to like her and loved to listen to her stories from the Sith Academy where Malgus also attended. She found out that Malgus, or Veradun he was called at the time, was a very shy person. He was especially shy around girls and Lana always made sure to tease him about it.

To Satele, he didn't seem shy, but more assertive when it came to kissing or holding her. The sweet memories of those times brought a pleasant sensation inside her stomach, making Satele tremble a little. Then she swiftly dismissed them and resumed her conversation with Lana.

An intense thunderstorm was sweeping through the city of Kaas when they finally arrived. Slowly navigating through the storm, Nico smoothly landed his ship at the spaceport.

As they stepped off the ship, they were greeted by a dozen soldiers and were escorted to the Dark Council's palace.

Malgus was not in the mood to see them, he hoped that they would give him a few days to recover, however it was not his choice. With a heavy heart, he walked between Satele and Lana in the pouring rain and up the steps into a building to receive his punishment.

He knew the council was most displeased with what happened in Ord Radama. He had no choice but to take responsibility for his actions and hope for the best.

Their boots left big puddles of rainwater on the dark marble floor, as they approached the council members.

Malgus tried to hold himself together, but he was still in a lot of pain and had a hard time staying upright. Quickly, Satele folded her arm around his waist and held him up as they stood in front of the council.

"Lord Malgus." The pureblood Sith spoke up. "We are greatly disappointed by your actions."

Bowing his head, Malgus stayed quiet as he listened to Lord Vowrawn's harsh words.

"The war on Ord Radama cost the Empire, not just monetary damage but also many lives and brought great shame to all of us."

"My Lord." Malgus spoke up. His raspy voice drifted through the dark, cold chamber.

"We had successfully breached and took over the city of Livien Magnus. We had full control until we were ambushed by the Republic forces in space."

"I already know what happened...Lord Malgus." Vowrawn replied as he eyed Malgus in front of him. Tilting his head to the left, Vowrawn took a deep breath, and then he said.

"Lord Adraas already informed us."

At the mentioning of Adraas, both Satele's and Malgus's eyes grew wide. Clenching his fists, Malgus waited on what Vowrawn was about to tell them.

"His report showed your undeniable incompetence and also your great weakness." Saying that he intently looked at Satele. Then he added as he looked at Malgus again. "But I will talk to you about that at another time."

Malgus was fuming on the inside. He knew that son of a bitch Adraas gave a false report making him look unworthy and incompetent. It was his payback for what he had done to him. He wanted to speak up and tell them what truly happened, however, if he had opened his mouth, he'd get in trouble and he had no strength to defend himself at the moment. So, he stayed quiet and bitterly swallowed his pride, as he listened to the council's decisions.

While the pureblood Sith spoke, Satele anxiously looked around the room. She was not happy to hear about Adraas, however, she was glad he wasn't here. Then her eyes landed on Lana, who stood beside Marr whispering to each other. She wondered what they were talking about. Then her attention turned to Malgus. His body slightly trembled from the rage, as she held onto his waist. Gently, she squeezed him signaling him to calm down.

An hour later, they were dropped off at Malgus's father's mansion.

"I'll come by tomorrow." Lana said as she waved goodbye.

"See you tomorrow." Satele waved at her and then Lana was off, driving away.

By the time they got to the front door, they were both soaking wet again. As soon as they walked in, his father, accompanied by a few servants, rushed toward them and with a worried expression asked.

"Veradun. What is going on?"

"I just need to rest father." Malgus said looking at him. "I will tell you everything tomorrow."

Grabbing onto his son, they helped him into his room. After placing him down on one of the loungers, his father said to the servants.

"Stay here and take care of him."

Shaking his head, Malgus replied.

"No father. I have Satele to help me."

"As you wish." His father said, and then he signaled the servants to leave. As his eyes found Satele's, a frown appeared on his face. Satele sensed he wasn't fond of her being here. Standing her ground, she stared back at him. Averting his gaze, he walked toward the door, and then he said.

"We'll talk tomorrow, my son."

After drawing a bath, she started to undress him. The view of his naked body somehow didn't bother her this time. It felt almost natural, she thought as she tossed his clothes aside. Then she helped him into the tub.

The hot water felt pleasant on his skin. As he submerged himself, Malgus let out a tired groan, and then a thin smile appeared on his face.

"I can't believe that this is the second time you have seen me like this." Then he looked at her and with a mischievous grin, he said. "I wish I wasn't in so much pain right now."

Satele understood the remark and quickly tearing her gaze away, she looked toward the sink and said.

"I don't think your father appreciates my presence here."

With a painful groan, Malgus replied.

"Don't worry about him."

"Alright." Satele replied with a grin. "I won't."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he said.

"They want me to stay...for now." With a bitter smile, he added. "I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to cope with this."

"It's only a temporary suspension." She said trying to make him feel better.

However deep inside, she was glad they didn't send him back to fight the war she wanted to forget about. Although she wasn't keen on the idea of staying on Dromund Kaas, still, this place was Malgus's home and she liked to spend time in his house and in the zoo. She was looking forward to seeing the animals again.

After helping him out of the tub and as she dried him up, with a mischievous smile, he said.

"You are a good wife….Satele."

"Take it back." Satele growled, and then she tossed the towel at him.

"Oh, I made you mad again?" He chimed wrapping the towel around his waist.

"Yes." She replied feigning hurt. "You're doing a great job at it."

"Good." He said with a grin. "It will come handy when we are ready to train."

In the bedroom, after getting dressed for the night they got into bed. Leaning against the headboard, she cradled his head that rested in her lap. While her fingers gently rubbed the top of his head, her troubled thoughts took her back to the Jedi Academy and to her Master, Dar'Nala. She wondered what they would think of her now that she had aided in an escape of a prisoner. She felt scared, and also ashamed and horrible about what she had done, but on the other hand, she was also disappointed. She had never thought the Jedi used unorthodox methods to get information. This greatly hurt her.

Then she heard his voice.

"Your stomach is growling. Are you hungry?"

Indeed she was hungry. Since her encounter with Lana, Satele felt so nervous about what they were going to do that she forgot to eat.

"Do you want me to send for the servants?" He asked.

"No need." She replied. "I'll eat in the morning."

A few seconds of silence enveloped the room when he spoke up again.

"What are you thinking about?"

Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath and said.

"I feel confused and scared. It's not an easy task managing the feelings I'm feeling right now."

"I told you before." He said with a smile. "We have a lot in common."

Then he shifted his body and pulled her down beside him. Turning her around, he cuddled her from behind and buried his face into her hair that smelled like fresh rain. Closing his eyes, he tried to keep out the unpleasant memories of his captivity. He didn't want to think about what happened there. The only thing he wanted to concentrate on was her being here with him.

In a hushed voice, he said.

"Oh Satele…. what would I do without you?"

Feeling his warm body behind her made Satele relax a bit. Closing her eyes, and lacing her fingers into his, she tried to fell asleep, but her troubled thoughts kept her awake.

Although she liked to spend time in his father's estate, Dromund Kaas was not her home and would never be. She was an outsider who didn't belong here. Satele was certain she would never become one of them, it doesn't matter how hard they would try to make her. What she wished was to leave and find her own path. After a few hours, she finally managed to fell asleep.

In her dream, she was back on Korriban again.

This time, the abandoned valley looked completely different. It was a magnificent view to behold as she walked between the amazing tall, sand-colored buildings. In the warm light of the bright sun, the city looked amazingly beautiful. The streets were full of life with many people and Pureblood Sith alike. Walking amongst them, Satele was so amazed by all this that she didn't notice there was a man following her, watching her every step.

Then the wind suddenly picked up and blew dry, fine sand into her eyes, blinding her for a few seconds.

While she tried to clean the sand out of her eyes, a hand touched her face. Unable to open her eyes to see who it was, she recoiled from the touch.

"Let me help you." The man said.

His warm voice sounded calm and friendly. Reluctantly, she allowed him to touch her face again. The soft texture of his hands felt comforting, almost familiar as he cupped her face and pulled her closer.

Then she felt his lips on her forehead and in a smooth voice, he said.

"Open your eyes Satele and see what I see."

Satele's eyes flew open the same time as a bolt of huge lightning crashed through the dark storm-battered sky, brightly lighting up the room. Instantly her pulse accelerated, and her breathing became rapid. Then the room turned dark again.

Behind her, Malgus softly snored while she gradually slowed her breathing down. She didn't know who the man was, but she felt his presence. Suddenly, millions of tiny goosebumps enveloped her body. As she rubbed her arms beneath the cover, she whispered one thing.

"Revanites."

To be continued...