"Your stance is all wrong, Sith," K'isha groaned in frustration at the deep male voice behind her, "You're going to knock yourself on your ass." She sighed as she lifted the blaster again, marveling at how much heavier it was than it looked. Squaring her shoulders as she replanted her feet, she sighted the target and eased the trigger back. The top left portion of the target blew away, but it was a far cry from the center. She fought against the recoil that threatened to knock her off-balance, not wanting to allow Andronikos the satisfaction of being right. Looking over her shoulder as she lowered the blaster, she could tell from his amused look that he had witnessed her falter.
"So help me, if you say I told you so," she let her sentence trail off, preferring the implied threat. As they stood in the abandoned range on Alderaan, facing the hastily set up targets, she gave Andronikos a dark look. She would have loved to send a small jolt in the pirate's direction, just to wipe the smirk off of his face, but this jaunt had been her idea. She'd admit, learning to fire the blaster had been harder than she'd expected, but at least Andronikos had been a thorough teacher.
He'd started by showing her the parts of the blaster and running through how to dismantle and reassemble the weapon. Since Sith are expected to construct and repair their own light sabers, she'd understood that part well. She knew only a fool wasn't familiar with the mechanics of their weapons, she had no patience for the Sith she had met that relied on others to assemble their sabers. He'd seemed surprised that her nimble fingers flew while she assembled Drellik's small blaster; while she'd enjoyed the knowledge that she could still surprise him.
Learning the process of aim had proven more difficult. Her light saber was a weapon better used for close up attacks, having to sight a target was a foreign concept to her. Andronikos had demonstrated the proper stance; but she'd found herself distracted as she watched his easy movements. His fluid draw was hypnotizing, as well as the intense look in his eye as he bore down on the target. The best part had been the satisfaction on his face as the target disintegrated and he'd holstered his blaster. She'd noticed he'd stuck to using one weapon, instead of his usual two blaster style, most likely in deference to the fact he was training her. When he'd stepped back and motioned to her that it was her turn, she'd gotten up hesitantly, unsure of what to expect.
Now she was standing here, determined to get this down. Trying to remember the correct stance, she lifted the weapon again. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to ignore the chuckling pirate next to her as she took aim and pulled the trigger. This time the blast was more centered, but she was still feeling off-balance from the recoil. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, but before she could take aim, she felt the warmth of Andronikos's body behind hers.
"You could ask for help, Sith," he said, as he used his hands to support her hips. He slid one leg between hers, using his booted foot to nudge her legs apart, widening her stance. His touches were light, but that somehow made them feel more intimate. She noticed, however, that her feet were more firmly planted to help her stay balanced. He kept one hand on her hip as he used the other to help support her arms, encouraging her to raise the blaster.
"Now, sight down the barrel," K'isha struggled to focus on his words, and to not be distracted by his breath on her ear. She narrowed her eyes, lining up the barrel with the target. "When you're ready, take a breath and squeeze at the end of the exhale." His precise instruction was easy to follow. K'isha took a breath and squeezed the trigger slowly. The recoil still rocked her, but it didn't take as much effort to recover. This time the there was a clear hole in the target, high and left of center, but far closer than what she'd achieved on her own. As she smiled in satisfaction, she thought she heard Andronikos's familiar laugh.
"You might be a natural," a note of pride in his voice. He still remained behind her with one hand at her hip, but no longer holding her arms. Encouraged by his words, K'isha lifted the blaster again and took a breath, noticing that she was being enveloped by Andronikos's scent. This time when she pulled the trigger, the recoil pushed her slightly against him, but the hole was almost at the center. He let out a low whistle, clearly impressed.
"Very nice," his deep voice vibrating against her ear, as she lowered the blaster, "I had recruits that didn't catch on this quick." She noticed he'd made a reference to his days in the Republic military, not something that happened often.
"I have a good instructor," K'isha said, half turning her head. She wasn't prepared for the proximity of Andronikos's mouth, paused close to hers. For a moment she found herself sharing his breaths, just before he planted a warm kiss on her lips. The hand at her hip pulled her to him more firmly, as his other hand caressed her cheek. As sudden as the kiss started, it stopped, as he pulled his mouth from hers.
"Good instincts," he said, and K'isha tilted her head in confusion. Andronikos had moved back a bit, but he smiled as he traced his hand down her arms. "You didn't drop the blaster." The words of one of her saber instructors popped in her head.
"They taught us at the Academy that your weapon should only fall from your hand when you die," she informed Andronikos, letting her smile warm the cold words.
"Good policy," he said, as he nodded slowly, "With blasters it means less to clean. Speaking of which, we should get on that." His words were crisp, in contrast to the way his hands lingered as he released her arms and hip. It took a moment for what he was saying to sink in.
"Cleaning?" K'isha asked. She watched as Andronikos strode over to the speeder. He pulled a small pack from the back and tossed it to her.
"Lucky for Sith, there's no carbon produced from those power crystals you use," he said briskly, K'isha noticed he was using the same voice he'd used while doling out orders on the ship. "Blasters however should be cleaned after every use. It looks like Drellik believed that, it'd be a shame for him to come back to the ship and find a dirty blaster." Having to explain to Drellik that she'd borrowed one of his blasters was not something K'isha wanted to do. As she sat down to clean the blaster, she surveyed their surroundings again.
Author's Note
I do not know for certain of the blasters in Star Wars actually produce carbon, but it would make sense.
