Chapter 12

Quinn walked into the medbay to find Lord Morda there, engrossed in rummaging through the cabinets.

"Can I help you find something, my lord?"

"Quinn!" She pulled her head out from behind a cabinet door and stared at him with her arms folded. Quinn might have been tempted to laugh, but he knew better.

"I just...it's about this." She thrust a package of stims at him.

He recognized the label. It was a birth control product. He was aware that this package of injections had gone missing from his inventory, but he had written off the loss and said nothing.

"Is something wrong with them?"

"Yes. They make me sick. I need something else."

"Sick as in, nauseous?"

She nodded.

"We just need to adjust the dose. It's no problem. Can I run a scan on you now?"

"I suppose you are going to tell me that I should have come to you in the first place instead of just taking them."

Quinn had planned to say nothing of the sort, but he remained silent, since Morda looked like she had more to say.

"I feared that you would take my interest in these as a sign of...as an obligation perhaps, and with you I just don't...I mean...damn it, Quinn." She sighed.

"I don't understand."

"I want you for more than just that one night."

Quinn felt the heat rushing to his face, but also with that came a sense of elation. Life on a Sith's crew had more than kept him busy and they had not had a chance to truly be alone together since. He had thought about it though, many times. To think that she considered their budding physical relationship as something frequent and - dare he think it? - permanent, assuaged any fears he might have had that Morda wouldn't be interested in him beyond that brief encounter.

"Did you think I would change my mind? My lord, I doubt I could stay away now even if I wanted to." He paused. "Which I don't...want to stay away, I mean." He busied himself with the scanner.

Morda smiled briefly and then grew quiet, her face becoming closed and introspective. "I wanted to do the right thing. I vastly underestimated my ability to control my body through the Force...last time."

"It is not a weakness, my lord. I have only read of a few cases where Force sensitives had that degree of control. It was but a footnote in my medical texts."

Morda nodded, her gaze far away. "I tried to find him, you know. I went looking for a record of who adopted Mordius." Her voice was small, even meek, which caused Quinn to look up from the scanner. "The trail is cold. I knew the smuggler would hide him well, that they would probably change his name...but I wish, I just.." She trailed away.

"Would you like me to try to track down his whereabouts, my lord?" It was a difficult offer to make and one that Quinn did not relish fulfilling. He knew Morda ached for this profound loss, and it pained him to see her like this, but the baby was a memory that he didn't care to revisit. It was a time period that had been painful for him too, for different reasons, and not one that he was proud of.

"No," Morda said. The longing and uncertainty had left her voice, to be replaced by her usual commanding tone. "It is better this way. It needs to be this way."

She turned to him abruptly, her red eyes sharp and piercing. "Have you ever considered that you might have kids someday, Quinn?"

Was she just curious? Or did she mean with him? He didn't realize how long he had hesitated until she spoke again.

"You don't have to answer that."

"I have thought about it, yes," he said. "But not in a long while. I finally decided that my life was not conducive to long-term relationships."

"You decided yourself, or life decided for you?" Her tone was knowing and Quinn was surprised at the question. This time he only took a second to answer. "The latter." He realized that while he had answered her query literally, he had not really given her an answer to the question that had gone unasked.

"I would have liked children someday, my lord."

"You say that like your chance has passed, Quinn."

"I know better now than to assume...anything that life may or may not bring." When had he become so pessimistic? Maybe it had happened when he had watched his peers from the academy getting married and starting families one by one, until he was one of but a few left. He had long ago decided that work was his life, and the thought that it could ever be otherwise was strange. He found he enjoyed thinking about it though. Maybe just a little.

"I could picture you with a bunch of little brats running around." Morda was smiling now, almost wistfully.

"Oh no, my lord. They would never be brats. I would see to it that they were well-behaved. Discipline is important."

Morda laughed. "I'm sure you would. You'd let them be kids and play though, wouldn't you?"

"Of course. I would always make sure to schedule some playtime in among their other activities."

Morda laughed again, but Quinn didn't see what was so funny. Was he really having a conversation about parenting with Lord Morda?

He looked over the scanner's read-out. "I can have new dosages made up for you in a hour, if you like."

"Good. Just leave them on my desk in my room, will you?"

"As you like, my lord."

00o00

Morda had been lying awake in bed for some time, listening for the sound of the med bay door, but the silence in the hallway was absolute. Had everyone gone to sleep now except Quinn? The captain was on evening duty on the bridge, but his shift had ended nearly an hour ago. No doubt he was still working on that letter of complaint regarding Moff Broysc, and had lost track of time. As predicted, the moff had begun harassing Quinn over holocall with increasingly bizarre insults and threats.

Tonight, however, that was the last thing on Morda's mind. Thoughts about Quinn had plagued her throughout the day, and the few times she had crossed paths with him it had nearly driven her wild with distraction. The quiet, modulated sound of Quinn's voice and the way he so readily deferred to her in public contrasted sharply with how he had boldly taken charge in her bedroom. The silky brush of her nightgown over her body lit her skin on fire and she imagined Quinn's hands there instead. Her desire for him was a painful and persistent ache, causing her to at last give up on waiting as a lost cause. She rose and crept down the hall. A red glow reached through the doorway of the bridge, casting the shadows a rich burgundy. Morda slipped into the room on silent bare feet.

Quinn was hunched in a chair in front of a monitor, his head in his hands. He sat back and Morda thought he must have heard her approaching, but he made no move to turn around. Instead he rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Quinn." Morda spoke softly, so as to not startle him, but he twitched in surprise anyway. He started to turn towards her voice, but Morda slid her arms around his shoulders and down his chest, touching her lips to his neck. His hands rose and captured hers, and when Morda pulled back she saw that his eyes were closed and his head bowed.

"You should come to my bed." Morda brushed against his ear and watched his chest rise and fall.

"Soon," he murmured.

By the Force, this man could be impossible. Morda walked around and settled her hip against the arm of his chair. "Why not now?"

His eyes rose to meet hers. "My lord, I-"

She silenced him with a kiss.

When she released him, she saw that he was looking back at her, eyes wide and bright. Now she had his attention.

"You've been out here long past your shift, Quinn. You torture me with waiting."

"I didn't realize you were..." Quinn blinked at her, his face serious. "I don't play games, my lord. You should know that by now."

"Your mere presence on my ship is a tease, whether you mean it or not."

A spark kindled in his gaze. "Is that so, my lord?"

"Forget the bedroom." Morda gestured at the door across the room and it slid shut. Then she leaned forward and kissed him again. He slipped his arms around her, drawing her closer, and Morda lost herself willingly in the feel of him, his breath mingling with hers and his hands holding her tight.

There was a beeping from the console behind her. Morda spun around and slammed her hand against it, cutting the noise off. Damned if work was going to get in the way of her having Quinn now.

"What was that?" Quinn's voice was languid, his eyes heavy-lidded as his eyelashes feathered against her cheek. He stood up, guiding her of the chair and reaching for the console.

"Just a confirmation message. You can check it later." She touched his chin and turned to him back to face her.

"Yes, maybe...maybe tomorrow." His lips found hers again.

Morda slung her arms around his shoulders, and their difference in height pulled him forward towards her. They stumbled against each other and Morda was bumped back against the wall. She waited for the moment when Quinn would pull away, suggest that they find a more appropriate place, or perhaps make some excuse altogether. Instead, he buried his head along her neck, pressing the length of his body against hers. A pleasurable chill spun down Morda's spine as his lips left a gentle trail of kisses from behind her ear down to her collarbone. Through the Force, Morda could sense Quinn's desire like a heady fog, blinding in its haze. She drew strength from its power, feeling it infuse her limbs with tingles of energy even as it clouded her mind and sent a warm, liquid fire through her loins.

"Maybe we should find a bed after all." Morda managed the words in between kisses and tugs at his uniform top.

Quinn paused only long enough to struggle his way out of the shirt, tossing it on the captain's chair nearby.

"The bedroom is too far away." He pushed Morda's hands above her head and pinned her wrists to the wall. Morda squirmed, not to get away, but to relish the strength of his hands holding her in place, enjoying the feeling of surrender, willing to go wherever his passion would lead.

"As you command, captain." She nibbled playfully at his lip, feeling her own desire buoyed by the rising tide that was engulfing both of them.

Quinn's lips lingered at the hollow at her throat, and he released one of her hands to stretch the wide neckline of her gown over her shoulders and to her waist. He slid both of his hands behind her back and lifted her body closer, allowing his mouth to seek out bolder territory. He teased her with his tongue and then moved on to the small row of ridges down her chest, touching his lips to them curiously and tracing their lines with his tongue. He continued to pull impatiently at her gown, opening the elastic neckline until it slid off her hips and pooled on the floor.

Morda had worn nothing underneath. Quinn's increased ardor tightened around her like the embrace of a serpent, leaving her faintly dizzy. Did he have any idea how much power he had over her at moments like this? Morda drank in his desire, needing it like a drowning man needed air.

Quinn seized Morda's arm and spun her around, pushing her forward over the console and holding her down against the glass surface.

"Yes…" Morda said. "Give it to me." Her vision blurred and narrowed, her surroundings becoming unimportant. "You want to. You need to…"

Quinn was need personified, taken over by pure, wanton urge, and Morda wanted him to never stop, not caring if he reached his conclusion before she did. She was a floating piece of driftwood, lifted by the waves and pushed deeper into oblivion, so submerged in their shared pleasure that she felt blind and deaf to anything else. Morda splayed her fingers across the hard glass of the console and whimpered as her own desire began to crest into a painful ache.

Morda felt Quinn's moment of climax building in the tenseness of his thighs, and he sucked in air in uneven gasps. He was silent in those final moments, but the peak of his emotion was a brilliant spike of energy in the Force that slammed into Morda so strong that she could concentrate on nothing but riding it out. The power of it tipped her over the edge and she dipped her head to muffle a cry.

Quinn drew away and Morda lay still across the console, gasping for breath and still shaking from the waves that had overtaken her. "You are magnificent," she whispered. "Just as I knew you would be."

Slowly she pushed herself upright and turned just in time to see Quinn sink into the captain's chair nearby, looking dazed.

Morda gathered up her nightgown and slipped it over her head. "Maybe I should make a point of having more of these late night visits." She smiled and met Quinn's eye, then walked from the room.

Indeed, Quinn would have made a glorious Sith.

00o00

Imperial Command had dismissed Quinn's complaint regarding Moff Broysc. The message was professional and polite, but there was no denying it. It was still a rejection. Quinn's hopes sank. He had written such a detailed report, accurate to the letter and with painstaking attention to all protocol, and had even included Morda's endorsement at the end. Was there anything more that he could have done? Only one man on Major Ovech's squad had agreed to verify Quinn's account of events. Even Major Ovech himself had turned down Quinn's request for other witnesses. Quinn recalled the way Ovech had sighed and looked upwards, as if seeking answers from the great void of space. "You want to do the right thing, Quinn, I understand that," he had said. "But Broysc is untouchable. Be content with the thanks of myself and my troops. What you did means more to me than any official recognition of Broysc's failure."

Quinn dismissed the message and began going over the ship's accounts. There was a recent outflow of money that did not have one of the usual purchase codes, so Quinn paused to give it a more detailed look. He leaned forward and stared at the line entry. Seems Morda had acquired another slave. Another slave? Quinn couldn't make sense of it. Was Morda unhappy with Vette? Surprisingly, Quinn found himself feeling disappointed at the thought of Vette being replaced. She was an annoying pain to be sure, but she was loyal and competent. Quinn checked the purchase details. Some Twi'lek female named Tivva, whose service specialty was listed as "entertainment." He felt a bit hurt that Morda had not consulted him, and then a feeling of unease crawled over him. What would Morda want with a pleasure slave?

There was a rustle in the doorway and Quinn spun in his chair. "My lord." He gave Morda a nod as she walked in.

"Already hard at work, I see. Was last night just a dream then?" She gave him a smile that melted his insides to butter.

"No dream, my lord. It was a memorable night." That was an understatement. Quinn had woken up this morning, his desires raging and his mind filled with images of their passionate interlude. In fact, if he didn't think of something else quick, his body was going to give away his thoughts at this very moment.

"You were fantastic."

Quinn felt a blush stealing over him and dropped his eyes back to the monitor. Morda sat and busied herself at one of the terminals and Quinn turned back to the accounts. There was a short lull of silence before Morda spoke again.

"So, were you going to eat that stuff that Pierce cooked up the other night? It's sitting in a brown congealed lump and I'm this close to throwing - Quinn, is something wrong?"

Quinn blinked, feeling his heart skip a beat. Was he that distracted that he was unable to hide his concerns over the new slave? Or had Morda gotten that good at reading his subtle moods?

"There is nothing wrong, my lord. I see that you have acquired another slave, and the purchase was...unexpected. That is all."

"Another...? Oh. That's Vette's sister, Tivva. I paid her purchase price and set her up in an apartment in a better section of Nar Shaddaa. I signed off on her papers, so she's no longer a slave."

Relief washed over Quinn, but his surprise had only grown. "You freed Vette's sister, my lord?"

"Just a favor, that's all. I didn't think it was important enough to mention." Morda's words rushed together, and her interest in the console before her was suddenly too focused to bother meeting Quinn's eye.

"Of course," Quinn said. He looked away, and then added, as if as an afterthought, "It was generous of you, my lord."

Morda just grunted and waved a hand dismissively. Quinn found himself feeling unexpectedly pleased. Since when did he care about the affairs of slaves?

Author's Note: Some minor edits were made to the love scene in this chapter since it was first posted. Again, AO3 has the original version if you prefer to read that one.