A/N: With all the Quinn/FSW stuff out there, I got to thinking of how my MSW would react to him. In my AU, I decided to go a path that most would not want or accept. And that is why I did it. Read and see.
AFTERMATH …
Quinn woke to find the Lord standing over him. He could tell that Rish'tak still wanted to take his rage out on him. He attempted to stand, when he felt the Sith's meaty hand grab his shoulder. The strong grip was not gentle and held him in place.
"I did not give you permission to stand, worm." Rage still fueled Rish'tak's voice. Quinn kept his eyes on the ground as the Lord continued, "You live only because of her. I will not be the one to remove you from this existence. I will not make her cry."
Quinn was confused. Did this mean that he would tell no one what happened down here? They are going to figure it out at some point. "My lord, I—" Quinn's voice faltered. Not due to the Force Choke that nearly killed him, but because he was unsure about how to respond.
Rish'tak took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, allowing his anger to evaporate from him. Using the Force, he picked Quinn up and stood him on his feet and handed him his vibroblade. "Yes, Quinn. That means that I will not speak of what happened down here. While we walk back to the lift, I will figure out some believable story for them. No details, just enough info for them to fill in the blanks themselves."
Quinn stood there impassively. Barras would never have allowed such failure to go unpunished and he said as much. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm nothing like my former master," laughter edged Rish'tak's voice. Quinn smiled faintly, "No, my lord. You are not." The two walked in silence back to the lift to the airlock, leaning heavily on each other for support. As thelift started up towards the airlock, Rish'tak turned to the imperial beside him.
"Here is how I want to play this. You ignored my orders to stay on board as soon as you realized it was a trap. My fight was going well until you showed up and tried to assist, which resulted in me needing to defend both of us against those droids. That is how I became injured. I jumped in front of you as you drew your blade. It was an accident, and will help explain why you are suddenly so submissive and filled with guilt. After the fight, I expressed my displeasure with you. That will explain the bruising on your throat and why there are scorch marks on you from my 'saber. Say nothing more than that. If they want details, tell them that I told you not to speak of it. Which is what I'm doing now. You are not to speak of what happened down there."
Quinn nodded. You could not believe that his good furtune. His thoughts were interrupted by Rish'tak physically pinning him to the lift's wall. "Do not think for an instance that this mercy is for your benefit. Do I make myself clear?" Quinn swallowed hard, his voice a mere whisper as he replied, "Yes m'lord. And I swear, I shall never give you reason to doubt me again."
"I should not have to doubt you at all. My trust in you is gone, Quinn. You swore yourself to my service on Balm'ra. Then, conspired against me with my former master. I do not trust your word. Only your actions from this moment on will give you your place back." Rish'tak took a deep breath and pointed toward the ship. "Everyone on board is like family to me, Quinn. And now, YOU, not Pierce, are the black sheep. Earn you place back." The lift reached the airlock, and the doors opened. Leaning on each other once more, they made their way to the ship.
As they entered the crew area, Vette let out a strangled cry at the state of them, and rushed over. Looking up, Pierce winced at the state of both men. Jaesa's eyes widened in horror seeing the pale complexion of her master. It was Rish'tak who spoke first. "Vette, VETTE! Chill for a minute. He's holding me up. Baras set a trap, and I walked right into it."
"And Captain Tight-ass didn't see it? What the—" Pierce's tirade was quickly interrupted by a tight band of Force wrapped around his throat. Rish'tak glowered at the man as he spoke, "As soon as Quinn realized he'd made a mistake, he came running. Yes, it is his fault I'm hurt, but not for the reasons you think. But for now, questions need to wait. We need to get healed."
Quinn, in what Rish'tak liked to call his Medic Mode, started barking orders, "Pierce, take him to the medbay and get him out of his armor. There's a gash at his side that need attention. Jaesa, any healing you can do with the Force will be appreciated. Vette, please stop. I'm not as injured as I look. Mostly just bruising, I'll be stiff and sore for a few days, but our lord needs my skills."
Vette nodded and backed up, still upset. She looked over at Jaesa and rubbed a finger back and forth across her neck. Jaesa looked at Quinn's neck and saw the beginning a familiar bruising pattern. As the others all left to do his bidding, Quinn pulled Vette back into a tight embrace. Her familiar scent helping to relax him, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault and we can talk about it later. But I promise that nothing like this shall ever happen again." Leaning forward he brushed a kiss over her forehead and released her.
As they entered the medbay, Pierce looked up at him and grinned. "Well now. It's nice to know that Captain Perfect isn't so perfect after all. Just remind me to not be around when you're havin' an off day."
As Quinn got to work, Vette finally spoke what the others wanted to say, "So, Boss. When are we gunna make Darth Fat-ass pay for this." Jaesa looked at her friend in shock. Vette was normally so carefree, but the anger and hatred rolling off her at that moment caused her to fear for Vette's sanity. Rish'tak could also feel it, and so he responded calmly. "First, little sister, we need to take some time to heal, rest, and plan. I don't just want to kill him." His voice dropped to a growl, "I want to destroy him. We will begin by removing his power base. Jaesa and Quinn will begin by finding his spies and informants. Then we will eliminate them. Pierce, I want you to ensure that all weapons and armor are ready for the long haul. See if a few of your old friends can help us out in getting the supplies we need. Armor and weapons mods, explosives, all your favorite 'toys' that we can afford." His eyes glowed with his anger. Baras had crossed a line when he messed with Rish'tak family. And now he was going to pay.
So, what did you think? Review please. And for those who didn't figure it out, yes, Quinn and Vette are an item in my AU. Opposites attract, right? I'm pretty sure some of the Quinn fangirls out there are pretty irate with me right now, but you have to admit, it's a relationship that even Baras could not fathom.