Andronikos was seated in the pilot's chair on the bridge when K'isha decided to approach him. Poring over star charts, he didn't look like he appreciated the distraction. But she'd been waiting to hear from Moff Pyron about testing the massive new weapon she had helped him with, the Silencer. Her alliance with the Moff had been a great political coup, and she knew his backing would help her in her rise against Thanaton. She also appreciated that he was willing to risk his career backing her, since she was still viewed as an upstart. Still, waiting had never suited her and she'd found herself pacing the Fury restlessly, her boots echoing in the unoccupied corridors. Her apprentices, Xalek and Ashara were off for training on Korriban, while Khem Val was accompanying Drellik as he picked up supplies for the medical bay. When she'd wandered on the bridge and seen the tall, dusky pirate, inspiration struck.
She'd draped her pale, slender form across one of the side chairs on the bridge, legs dangling over one of the chair's arms, and watched him patiently, as she'd waited for him to acknowledge her presence. A devious part of her enjoyed the play of emotions that ran over his face. She could see his awareness of her, the annoyance at having been interrupted and his amusement at her tactics. As he lifted his head to look at her, she saw he'd been fighting to keep a straight face, but there was a telltale twitch at the corners of his mouth. Satisfied that she'd achieved her desired effect, K'isha decided to forge ahead.
"Think you can show me how to handle one of those?" she'd motioned at the ever present blaster slung at his hip. She'd instantly wished she'd had a holocam to record the appalled look on his face. But his usual bravado had reestablished itself quickly, and he'd raked his hand down his face.
"Why would you want to learn that?" he'd asked, "You know enough ways to put a hole in somebody." She couldn't help but to laugh at his dry remark.
"Oh, are there ever enough ways to put a hole in someone?" her light tone was at odds with her dark words. She was glad to hear him laugh at that, knowing he'd shared her black sense of humor. "There's been no word from the Moff; I guess it's taking longer to finish the Silencer than he anticipated. No one else is on the ship, so I thought a change of scenery might be in order." At the realization that they were alone on the ship, K'isha saw an assessing gleam light up Andronikos's eyes.
"You know, if you're just looking for a way to kill time," he murmured in a low timbre, "There are lots of things we can do, here on the ship." K'isha felt heat pool in her midsection at his barely veiled suggestion. Since becoming lovers, they'd frequently taken advantage of any private time they had on the ship, and she'd noticed their conversations had become peppered with innuendos. Damn pirate, she thought, as hot memories surged through her. But as appealing as Andronikos's suggestion was, she'd recognized he was appealing to her passionate side to distract her from her original idea.
"Killing time sounds wonderful," she purred, "But I'm more in the mood to spend some time killing." The remark got her the smile she was hoping for. "Besides," she continued, "Didn't you say you were looking forward to testing your blasters?" She'd pressed an unfair advantage with that one, he'd mentioned breaking in his new blasters several times, ever since he'd found them in the unmarked box she'd left on his bunk. She'd known he'd missed the ones he'd had custom-made, so while she had been on Belsavis she asked the corporal at the prison armory which were the best he had. The man had bragged at length about the matched pair, so she'd "liberated" them without his knowledge. Part of her had wished she could have seen the look on Andronikos's face when he discovered them, but to have presented him with the gift personally felt too sentimental. She'd settled for the approving nod he'd given her when he'd caught her staring at them, holstered at his hips.
Andronikos still looked doubtful, as he pondered her suggestion. K'isha had decided to pull out all the stops. Locking her eyes on his, she'd slid from her seat to walk over to him.
"Think about it, new blasters, fresh targets, open air," she put a touch of Force persuasion in her voice, "You can even pick the location." Her movements were kept slow and easy, as if she were approaching a skittish boma, a trick she'd learned from him. She only broke her gaze to crouch next to him. She leaned in close to his ear, and traced the tattoo that flowed over his smooth scalp. "You know I'll make it worth your while." She knew her words would stir his imagination, which was exactly what she wanted. She saw the involuntary clench of his fingers at the console and she backed away slightly, wondering if she had tried too hard to convince him. Without warning he turned in his seat, his face inches from hers, she could feel his long exhale against her lips. She saw his gaze drop to her lips, before sweeping back up to her eyes. His hand half-raised, and she wondered if he was going to trace the tattoos around her eyes, a gesture he'd been doing almost unconsciously lately. She smiled playfully at him, and to her surprise he gave her an answering, if not much less playful, smile.
"You make it hard to say no," he muttered. She maintained her smile, as she gave him a shrug.
"Learned from the best," she said airily, "And it is Sith nature to outdo their teachers." Andronikos chuckled, and K'isha didn't doubt that he'd recognized some of his own methods being used against him. She stood and stretched, having held the crouch longer than she was used to. She saw his eyes follow the lines of her body before shaking his head.
"Alright, Sith, since this is so important, let's do it," he declared, "But there are going to be some conditions." K'isha was delighted that she had gotten her way, but forced herself to control her reaction and gave Andronikos a simple nod.
"First off, I don't care how skilled you are with that saber; you don't know anything about blasters. When I give instruction, you listen." K'isha nodded briskly, she could respect that.
"Second, where we are going there aren't going to be repair points handy so I'm handling the speeder." K'isha narrowed her eyes at Andronikos.
"Not Tatooine?" she couldn't help her dismayed tone. She wasn't looking forward to sand scuffs on her boots again.
"You said I could pick," he said, smiling at her reaction. "But no, we're heading to Alderaan. Which reminds me, you may want to wear something incognito? Not sure if you want to be recognized. Also, grab one of Drellik's blasters, you may have talked me into this, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you use one of mine. His are lighter anyway." K'isha mulled over what he said and nodded again.
"Sounds fair enough," she assented, "Anything else?" Andronikos stood up and moved close to her. She was reminded again of their height difference as he loomed over her. He brushed a lock of her silver hair from her face, before taking her chin gently, but firmly in his hand and lifting so that she had no choice but to meet his gaze. Uh oh, she thought, realizing she may have pushed him too far earlier, big bad pirate is back.
"Just so you know, Sith," he warned, "I'm not a fan of either a woman's wiles, or having Force powers used on me." K'isha pressed her lips together to bite back a gasp of surprise. "Those tactics are better saved for weaker willed men. You want to convince me, you'll have to be more creative." He released her chin but not before tracing the line of her cheekbone with his fingertips. "Now I'm going to set the coordinates. You pack rations and get prepared. Since you're still waiting for the Moff to contact you, we'd better not make this trip last too long." He turned and headed back to the console. K'isha noticed not for the first time, how at ease he was giving orders. She wondered how wise it was to let him have that comfort level giving orders to her. But, since she was getting what she wanted, she'd be willing to take a few orders, at least for now.