The Sith Lord Finn and his apprentice are on an outlying world, having set off an explosion in a building. On their way back to their ship, they are stopped by Lod, a Toydarian who offers Finn Marka, his blue-haired Human slave girl. When Marka refuses to show Finn her teeth, Lod hits her, causing the apprentice to angrily yell at him to stop. When Lod tells Finn that he should keep a closer eye on his slave, the apprentice screams that he is not a slave, and kills Lod with his lightsaber.
Finn scolds the apprentice for showing compassion, a Jedi trait, and Marka asks to be taken with them, using a mind trick on the apprentice. Finn says that he has no need for a slave and already has an apprentice, and the two Sith leave, heading back to their ship. Finn orders the apprentice to deal with Marka as he heads to the top of the building their landing pad is on. A few minutes later the apprentice returns with Marka in tow, having been unable to kill her. Finn once more tells Marka that he already has an apprentice.
In response, Marka snatches the apprentice's lightsaber and pushes him off the building to his death. Finn's only response is to ask Marka if she was coming or not.
"The Apprentice" appears to be set shortly before the time of Darth Plagueis. The adherence to the Rule of Two and the architecture of the planet indicate it, and the author confirmed that that was the intention. However, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia establishes that Finn was active in the years leading up to the Ruusan campaign. By referencing Finn and Marka, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia also establishes a timeline for the story, and places it within the mainstream of Expanded Universe canon.
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