Tatooine: Thin Ice.

The raven-haired girl sat on the floor, huddled in the far corner of the dilapidated shack. Sunlight pierced through the broken windows and numerous holes in the walls and roof, casting uneven beams across the space. She now resembled a beaten kitten more than a formidable warrior who could turn the tide of a battle with her mere presence—and she relished that feeling. The feeling of dominance when pitiful and inept Jedi would tense up at the sight of her yellow lightsaber.

Sev'rans had always respected her teacher. She unquestionably obeyed his orders and attentively absorbed his wisdom. It was only through him that she had become so strong! Tann felt like she lacked just a drop of power to compare herself to Dooku in the mastery of the lightsaber and the Force, and then she was tasked with meeting Darth Hassan.

Like any good student, Sev'rans sincerely believed that Hassan was much weaker, or at least equal, to Tyranus, so she had no fear of the masked figure. However, their imminent battle with him had ended in her complete defeat. She had lost miserably, unable to even touch Hassan! This, of course, had dealt a severe blow to her pride.

But she continued to fight. She fought him even in her dreams, the content of which had already begun to blur in her mind, but Tann still remembered how anger, rage, and hatred gave her the strength to carry on. And even after waking up, she was full of energy to slice Hassan into tiny pieces, but once again, she had lost.

At first, she had completely succumbed to her emotions and acted chaotically, which had earned her a severe blow to her stomach that still hurt. Then she managed to harness her emotions, making sure that she was in control, drawing strength from them, just as Dooku had taught her. Yet Tann had still lost.

Such bitterness and hatred consumed her that she was ready to explode at any moment and succumb to her emotions again. But she restrained herself. She held back, biting her lips until they bled, to prevent herself from turning into a wild beast driven only by a thirst for killing. The Dark Side was more powerful than the Light, and at the same time, it was more dangerous.

Whom was she angry with? Hassan? For beating and humiliating her in front of her teacher, causing him to disown his own apprentice? For branding her? Even now, the cheek where the mark of the Sith Lord's hand should have remained trembled at the mere thought of him.

Or was it Dooku—because he had so easily discarded his own apprentice? He had literally handed her over to Hassan.

Or perhaps Sev'rans was furious with herself? Because of her helplessness and excessive pride, she had suffered a devastating defeat. Maybe that's why Dooku had abandoned her? She wasn't strong enough to follow him? A new surge of rage directed at her teacher nearly clouded the girl's mind.

Dooku had abandoned Sev'rans for Hassan. It was he who persuaded her teacher to disown her! But the teacher had done it without hesitation... Tann clutched her head. It was clear-cut betrayal, no need to even think about it. Count Dooku betrayed her, and he would pay for it! They would all pay! But for that, she needed strength. Strength that could crush both Sith Lords at once! If she could defeat Hassan, then Tyranus wouldn't be a formidable target for her. And in doing so, she must defeat Hassan in an open and fair fight to restore her pride—only then would she reach the pinnacle from which she could look down on the entire world!

She would use Hassan to become stronger and then crush him with her own hands! However, before that, she would have to submit to him, whether she liked it or not. Nevertheless, Sev'rans was willing to pay this price. What was the price of just one fiery touch from Hassan and... the miraculous healing she couldn't remember?

Sev'rans touched her trembling cheek to stop the tremors, and she succeeded in doing so. However, she still felt the vibration with the tips of her fingers. The branding had left its mark, even after the miraculous healing. She stood up and brushed the sand that had gathered on her clothes after the brief skirmish.

Tann straightened her back, not wanting to appear pitiful in the eyes of her new teacher, although he had already seen her in such a state, and she stepped out onto the street. The blazing sun slightly blinded her eyes, but she didn't show it. The street welcomed her with a gentle breeze and rolling sand, but there were no Sith Lords in sight.

She closed her eyes and listened. She barely discerned the faint sound of the wind, her slightly excited breathing, and a soft metallic clinking. Tann opened her lids and headed for the adjacent structure, resembling either a garage or a stable. There, she found a black silhouette, which was uncertainly sitting on a speeder bike and turning the handlebars in different directions.

"Have you thought it over?" he asked without turning around.

"Yes," she kneeled, "please, teach me, Master."

"But before..." He got off the speeder and walked away from it.

As he did so, she saw a thin layer of ice forming in front of him, which broke under his weight in an instant. The surreal sight once again stirred Tann's thoughts. She raised her head in bewilderment and saw Hassan with his glassy mask, staring directly at her. Instinctively, shivers ran down her spine, and for a good reason. He then pulled his right hand back. A white-blue beam burst from his palm, starting to freeze the desert ground of Tatooine, and then the ice began to take the shape of a chair... No, it was a throne.

Hassan, with his cracked mask, gracefully settled into it, crossing one leg over the other. It now looked as if the Almighty Sith Lord himself sat before her. Sev'rans quickly lowered her head, realizing that she had been openly staring at the throne and her new teacher.

"I must warn you," he continued, "that during your training, you may suffer. Perhaps you'll become crippled, and even in the best-case scenario, you may never master all the knowledge I'll give you, but you will definitely become stronger. Think it over carefully," he formed a dome with his fingers, leaning on the icy armrests, "and only then give your answer."

Perhaps any other fanatic would have shouted "YES!" immediately, but not Tann. Of course, the Ice of the Force left an indelible impression on her. She wouldn't deny that she herself wouldn't mind mastering this technique, but she was far from foolish. She was beginning to understand the hell that awaited her in the future...

But if she backed down now, then what? She would forever remain a discarded defeated girl on the sidelines of the world.

Yes, Sev'rans was already strong. She had killed quite a few Jedi, but compared to the being in the mask sitting before her on a sparkling throne made of ice, she was just a pitiful bug. Only with him could Tann become strong. Stronger than her former teacher, which he would surely feel firsthand. And in the future, even more powerful than Hassan himself! And it didn't matter what she had to endure.

"I agree," she answered obediently, "will you take me as your student?" She timidly raised her gaze from the ground to look at Hassan.

"I'll definitely take you on," though she could only see her reflection in his mask, she still felt like he was smiling predatorily beneath it. "Get on the speeder, you'll be driving," he straightened up.

"As you wish," she elegantly got up and approached the vehicle, noticing with the corner of her eye how the teacher lightly tapped the throne with his finger.

She sat on the speeder but continued to watch him. The throne instantly shattered at Hassan's light touch. Maybe this ice was so thin that even a child could break it? No, the teacher had been sitting on it effortlessly just a moment ago, so it was him who influenced the ice in some way.

Shards rained down on the bare ground and began to melt rapidly, either due to the planet's heat or at the master's command. Sev'rans was leaning more toward the latter. Whoever hid behind that faceless mask, she had already made a firm decision to extract all knowledge from him, and until then, she would be an obedient student.

"Drive straight to the city," Hassan sat behind her, "we'll grab something to eat there. You're probably hungry," and he put his arm around her waist.

Tann didn't squeal at the teacher's actions, she simply started the engine and headed the speeder in the right direction.

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