Geonosis: The Captive.

"Ugh..." the woman groaned heavily, opening her eyes.

Her head was pounding, and her nose hurt particularly badly. She didn't know the reason for her poor condition, but as soon as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, she saw a dark figure in a mask sitting in front of her. Memories rushed back with such force that her head felt like it was about to explode, causing her to groan in pain again.

"You've finally awakened," the Sith said.

"What do you want?" the Jedi asked, regaining her composure.

Only now did the Togruta notice a LAAT/i gunship behind the Sith. Most likely, the Sith had somehow stolen the transport from the clones who had the misfortune of encountering such a dangerous enemy. The Jedi attempted to stand, but something was restraining her hands and feet. It took her a moment to realize that she was bound.

"I want many things," the Sith straightened up and moved away.

Under his long black cloak that reached the ground, he had concealed two helmetless clones who were clearly unconscious. Somehow, he had buried them almost entirely in the ground, leaving only their heads exposed on the surface. Had he been sitting on their heads, waiting for her to wake up? His dismissive treatment of the prisoners and his arrogance filled the woman with disgust.

"As you can see," the Sith approached the woman and loomed over her, "they're alive, so you don't need to worry about them, Shaak Ti. If they manage to trace the gunship," without turning around, the Sith gestured toward the ship, "they will remain alive. Don't worry; I haven't touched anything there."

Shaak Ti listened in silence to her captor. In her current state, there was nothing she could do, so she needed to wait for an opportunity to escape. Until then, she needed to gather as much information as possible about the unknown Sith. Nevertheless, if she managed to escape, she would be able to provide some information about the mysterious Sith.

Suddenly, the enemy bent down to her and then grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her over his shoulder. Startled, the woman let out a slight scream.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not hiding her indignation.

"In the company of a beautiful woman, the journey is much more enjoyable," the stranger casually replied as if nothing were amiss.

Shaak Ti wasn't a fool, so she let the compliment from the Sith pass without a reaction. She watched the ship and the clones slowly receding into the distance. She could only hope that the soldiers would have the strength to hold out and wait for help.

"Dooku has escaped," the Jedi began the conversation. "Did you really think your apprentice could..."

"A-ha-ha-ha!" her words were interrupted by the loud laughter of the Sith, which, distorted by the mask, sounded menacing and intimidating.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Do you think Count Dooku is my apprentice?" the stranger replied with a hint of amusement. "I have no apprentices."

"Then you're not on Dooku's side?" she continued to probe.

"I'm on my own side, Shaak Ti."

The Jedi made mental notes: not previously associated with Dooku and no apprentices. Perhaps he had recently left his master and had not yet taken on an apprentice himself? But his immense mastery of the Force and combat skills spoke of something else. To achieve such a level, one needed more than a decade.

Soon, the landed ship turned into a small black dot on the horizon. The Sith walked without haste, seemingly unconcerned about being pursued. Was this a display of self-confidence, or was the enemy overly naive?

"Where's my lightsaber?" Shaak Ti began to steer the conversation toward the topic she was interested in.

"I have it," the Sith replied.

"Will you be fighting with three lightsabers at once?"

"I only have two hands."

"And you wield them excellently," Shaak Ti admitted, putting her pride aside for a moment.

"Yes..." the Sith fell silent for a moment. "That's right..."

"Your sabers, they're vibroblades, aren't they?"

"You can call them that," the enemy replied ambiguously, but Shaak Ti felt like the answer was negative.

So, his lightsabers were made of an unknown material that couldn't be cut by a lightsaber? If droids could be constructed from such material, it would be much harder for the Jedi to survive on the battlefield. These thoughts saddened her, but she tried not to succumb to negative emotions.

Silence fell between them as the unknown Sith continued walking, carrying Shaak Ti on his shoulder. Overall, he turned out to be rather cooperative and not as rude as one might expect, except for the fact that he had been sitting on the clones' heads. Living clones. Another Sith would have killed them by now. Shaak Ti reached out with the Force several times during the journey, and to her surprise, she didn't sense any hatred, anger, or other negative emotions in him. Furthermore, he seemed like an ordinary civilian, far from an understanding of the Force, not like a Dark Side user. Was he this good at concealing his true nature?

When she considered all the facts together, it led her to the assumption that this Sith had long departed from his master and had achieved remarkable heights independently. But why hadn't he found an apprentice yet? And why did she assume he didn't have one? Maybe his apprentice was on a mission?

Finally, she remembered how her enemy had called her by name during the battle. Most likely, he had learned about her from others, but if the Sith was in a fairly cooperative mood, why not gather a bit more information?

"We're acquainted?" she asked.

"Why would we be?" the enemy responded with a question.

"During the battle, you mentioned my name."

For some reason, the Sith didn't answer this time. She could only guess at the reasons, while searching her memories to find someone similar to her current "carrier."

"I saw the future," the unknown Sith's voice, muffled by the mask, pulled her out of her thoughts. "Your future..."

"Why specifically... mine?" His answer greatly surprised Shaak Ti.

You couldn't just see the future of someone you weren't familiar with. Precognition usually came in fragments and dreams, and it was usually related to those you were focused on and attached to. Why would such a powerful Sith peer into her, Shaak Ti's, future? Could it be that they were truly acquainted at some point?

"So... It worked..."

"And what did you see?" The Jedi wasn't inclined to believe the enemy's words, but she couldn't help but ask.

"Death awaits you in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant," the unknown Sith paused. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But in a few years. I'm telling you the truth, Shaak Ti." Now his voice sounded much younger and serious. It seemed like he had removed his mask to deliver these final words.

The Togruta didn't respond. She reached out with the Force to check if he was lying, but even so, it seemed like he was genuinely telling the truth. Did the Sith's words frighten the Jedi? No. Everyone dies sooner or later. However, she still memorized the alleged place of her demise. The Sith continued walking.

"What's your name?" she asked after some time had passed.

"Darth Hassan."

"So, you are a Sith Lord after all," a tight smile appeared on the woman's face.

"With abilities like these," he extended his hand, conjuring a massive blue lightning bolt in the shape of a lizard's head that shot forward, "it's hard to deny." He lowered his hand, and the lightning vanished.

The displayed Force technique left an indelible impression on the Jedi. She was unlikely to deflect such lightning with just one lightsaber. She would have to run or dodge. Although she felt a little fear for herself, she quickly suppressed those emotions.

"Dragon's lightning," his voice distorted by the mask, "Want me to teach you?"

"I'll pass."

As incredible as the Force he showed was, did he really think it would help him turn her to the dark side? It seemed too naive for a dark Sith Lord if this wasn't some kind of jest.

"As you wish."

"Where are we going?"

"To the arena."

"The arena?"

The woman immediately remembered the bloodbath happening there, from which she had been fortunate to escape alive, thanks to the clone troopers. If not for them, she would have surely perished, like many of her comrades.

"The arena."

"Why?"

"To leave."

Leave? Had he already accomplished everything he wanted on this planet and was now trying to leave the battlefield? Did he hide his ship in the arena? What did he need it for? These were the questions swirling in the Togruta's mind. The Sith clearly had his own plans for the Jedi.