Tatooine: Raphael.

"So, this is Hutt's base," Hassan said thoughtfully.

The pair stood by a large sand-colored building, surrounded by smaller houses. Overall, Jabba's haven could be confidently called a small village, built specifically for him and his entourage, including his servants. By the way, about the entourage—guards or just protectors dressed in worn-out armor were closely watching the newcomers.

"Hello," the guy waved at the armed aliens guarding the main entrance. "We're mercenaries." He pointed first at his companion and then at himself. "We've come to offer our services to the great Jabba the Hutt."

"Jabba has enough people without you, so get out of here," the hairy creature responded disdainfully.

"What..." Tann stepped forward, ready to rip out his tongue, but the teacher grabbed her shoulder.

"Excuse my companion, gentlemen," Hassan stood in front of Sev'rance to shield her from the threatening looks. "You see, we have some experience in extortion, theft, and even kidnapping, but our reputation hasn't spread beyond one planet, so we're here looking for a chance to make a name for ourselves and become sought-after mercenaries like you."

"Like us?" the second guard said incredulously.

"Of course," Hassan nodded. "I don't think Jabba the Hutt would trust the security of his residence to amateurs, right?"

"Well..."

"Besides," the guy didn't relinquish the initiative to the guards, "we also hope to become competent enough to enter Jabba's circle one day. Who knows, maybe we'll be seeing more of each other then." He laughed good-naturedly at his own words. "But that's in the distant future... In any case, could you let us in? I promise we won't cause any trouble for your boss; otherwise, we'll leave on our own. After all, no one wants to mess with the Hutts, am I right?"

If it weren't for the helmet, the guards would have seen the surprised face of the blue-skinned beauty, who was literally glaring at the back of her partner's head. Anger, impatience, and a sense of wrongness fueled her desire for action. Her first instinct was to eliminate these foolish individuals who dared to defy them, the Sith. Then she would interrogate her teacher about his abrupt change in behavior. However, her plans were destined to remain plans; she wasn't in the position to challenge Hassan just yet.

"Fine, but make it quick," one of the guards pressed a button on the panel, opening the door for the visitors.

"Thank you very much," the guy nodded gratefully, and Tann silently followed her mentor into Hutt's residence.

Sith shouldn't bend like this in front of anyone! Of course, Hassan's silver tongue deserved credit, but the pleasant tone and the words he used... He was openly flattering them! It infuriated Sev'rance. So much that she was ready to turn this place into a bloodbath, regardless of the consequences it might bring in the future.

Meanwhile, the pair entered a spacious hall where live music played. An orchestra composed entirely of attractive young women diligently played their instruments to satisfy Hutt's desires. Perhaps they satisfied him in more ways than one. There was also security in the hall, eyeing the newcomers with caution, as well as regular patrons who huddled in groups near a few round tables or at the bar. And, of course, Jabba the Hutt himself, lounging conspicuously in the center of the room in the company of a droid and a female guard, with servants awaiting their boss's orders.

"O great Jabba the Hutt!" Hassan exclaimed with theatrical flair, sweeping his hand through the air. "The one feared by the entire galaxy! The one who undoubtedly can be called the ruler of Tatooine! My name is Raphael, and I am here to work for such a personality as you!" Boldly declaring their intentions, Raf and Tann stood before Hutt. "We are mercenaries! We are ready to offer you our services, but it's worth mentioning that we do everything except killing! If you have any doubts about us, please give us any task, and we will complete it for free to demonstrate our abilities! O great Jabba the Hutt, we consider it an honor to work under your command!"

A heavy silence hung in the air, during which everyone present stared in shock at the man in the long blue uniform and helmet, which made him appear simpleminded. Even Jabba, his thick tongue sliding across his lips, didn't respond immediately, lost in some thoughts. Sev'rance, on the other hand, seethed with anger over her teacher's behavior. However, the silence didn't last long. Jabba spoke in a language unfamiliar to Raphael; the droid translator quickly conveyed the owner's thoughts to the guest.

"The mighty Jabba the Hutt speaks. He says that he does not require the services of unprofessional mercenaries. However, he is willing to test your skills. Your task will be to collect a debt from one debtor. The credits should be brought by the debtor himself, along with you. If you fail within three days, you may not return here."

"We agree," Raphael promptly replied, "but we need more information to carry out your task."

"All the information will be on the tablet. Please wait for it here. In the meantime, you are guests of the great Jabba the Hutt. Enjoy the music and drinks."

"Thank you very much for the opportunity!" Raphael exclaimed. "We promise we won't let you down."

Jabba ignored the man's words and turned to his staff. Unable to come up with anything better, Raphael, accompanied by the silent woman, approached the bar counter. Other patrons had moved away from them upon their approach. The creature behind the bar, resembling a fish, poured some kind of drink into their glasses and placed them right in front of them before also distancing itself.

"He agreed too quickly; I was ready to keep talking," Raf murmured quietly.

"What are you doing, teacher?" Sev'rance growled, consumed by disapproval. "How can you grovel before someone like him? Let's just slaughter everyone here and take what we need."

"You're quite the maniac, Sev'rance!" Raphael theatrically recoiled from the girl. "The first lesson I learned: learn to adapt. Maybe it doesn't sit well with you Sith types, but I'm different, as I've already said. Right now, we're offering our services to gain Jabba's trust, so he'll give us access to the world of crime. There, we'll have a roof over our heads in the form of that fat slug."

"I understand," Tann turned away from him. "But I can't accept this."

"You'll have to," the man shrugged. "I can assume that Dooku taught you tactics, combat skills, and how to use the Force, am I right?"

"Yes..."

"Here, it's the same. We're ingratiating ourselves with Hutt – it's tactics, so there's almost no difference."

"You're wrong," Sev'rance sighed heavily. Her pride begged her to spill someone's guts right here, but she continued speaking, "The tactics and strategies Dooku taught me could have taken the lives of many of my enemies. Here, we're just groveling under this stinking carcass. Dooku taught me to kill."

"I understand. Chaos runs in the blood of Sith, but..."

"You're a Sith too," Sev'rance interrupted, emboldened. "A powerful Sith, so why are you acting like a cowardly nobody?"

"Hey, that was hurtful," Raf replied with a hurt tone. "Listen to me, please. Sith have chaos in their blood, but what happens next? You kill your enemies and take what you need by force. I'm not saying it's the wrong strategy, but it has many downsides. Firstly, you become overly self-assured. Remember our first fight?" He looked at the girl.

Tann instantly remembered all the shame and pain that the new teacher had caused her. Even her terrified and pitiful face reflected in the broken mask. Suddenly, the left side of her face started twitching nervously at the mere thought of the brand that had seared her skin and forever imprinted itself in her mind. She instinctively pressed her hand to her face to calm the nervous tic, but her gloved fingers only touched the helmet.

"Hey, hey, you don't need to remember that moment in detail," Rafaël said, sounding concerned. "It's enough to know that we had a fight... Oh..." A disappointed sigh followed. "I'm sorry for making you remember that moment..." For Sev'rance, what was worse was that she could hear the sincerity in his apologies.

His soft, quiet voice with a guilty tone didn't sound fake. That's how normal people apologize for things they are genuinely sorry for. But how? How could he apologize to her? The one who had literally tortured her in front of Dooku's eyes?

"I just wanted to say that attacking me was a mistake. Sith preach the power of emotions over consciousness. Jedi prioritize consciousness over emotions. I want to teach you that both teachings are correct. Emotions can't exist without consciousness. Consciousness can't exist without emotions because emotions drive consciousness in the right direction, allowing you to achieve what you want," he gently touched Sev'rance' wrist, moving her hand away from the helmet. "Only in the unity of both can you draw the strength to move forward, regardless of anything, while choosing the easiest path. Sounds like the Jedi? Not at all. They completely reject concepts like rage, anger, and maybe even love. I want your consciousness," he then pointed his fingers at her chest, "to control your emotions. And emotions," he stepped back from his apprentice, "to guide your consciousness. In other words," Rafaël laughed nervously, "I don't like this either, the fact that we're groveling before Hutt, but he's our best chance to get into the criminal world. Right now, we need this kind of protection, and then we'll see how it goes. Oh, sorry for burdening you with all this, I just wanted you to understand," he said, embarrassed.

"It's still beneath the dignity of a Sith. Your behavior brings shame upon us," she replied irritably.

"Hearing that from my own apprentice isn't very pleasant," Rafaël said, visibly worried, as he touched his helmet. "But as I've said before, I'm a different kind of Sith. If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but to be honest, I've started getting used to your company..."

"I'm not... going anywhere," Sev'rance forced out these words with great effort.

The philosophy of her teacher was very close to that of the Jedi, which greatly frustrated the young woman. Why should she follow the same path as the weak Jedi who couldn't properly harness the Force and handle a lightsaber? She believed she should draw her strength from her emotions to crush her enemies, annihilate Jedi, and conquer the galaxy. However, the thought of Hassan's power still lingered in her mind. There was still a tiny chance that by following him, she could learn devastating techniques.

"Oh, it's nice to hear," the satisfaction in the man's voice indicated that he was smiling. "You probably didn't envision your first lesson this way, but we'll get to combat training after completing the mission."

"Understood," she replied.

"By the way, this mission is likely to be challenging. He agreed too quickly, so don't let your guard down. And please, do not use your Force abilities or lightsaber in your mercenary role, okay?" he asked kindly. "Well, I think you already understand that, I'm just making it clear. Oh! Here comes a droid with a tablet. Get ready."

Sev'rance sighed deeply, her dissatisfaction evident. This would be the strangest mission of her life.

"This was a very strange chapter, like a completely different main character than the one at the beginning." Cardsharp