This is my last time, she said
As she faded away
It's hard to imagine but
One day you'll end up like me
'Get Out Alive' - Three Days Grace
Somewhere behind them, a shattered terminal sparked. The lights flickered briefly, but Achai hardly needed to see in order to place a bootheel on the hand of the Jedi at his feet. She gasped, weakly attempted to grasp at the hilt of the lightsaber just out of her reach. He smirked at her and bent over to scoop it up.
"Caught the apprentice before he could get to the airlock," Vith called as he rounded the bend to join the Miraluka. "What, she ain't dead yet? Come on, 'Chai, there's no time for this."
In most circumstances, Vith never dared refer to the Sith by the shortened, pet version of his name. But there was no one else here to witness their banter, except the Jedi Achai knew would be dead soon.
"She will be soon, don't fret," he replied and held the Jedi's lightsaber hilt out to the bounty hunter. Vith took it gingerly, staring at it as if it were a viper that might bite him if he held it in the wrong place. "You can't activate it that way, Vith. Just hold onto it for me."
He knelt, pressing a knee into the Jedi's chest painfully, and reached to grasp her hood, yanking it back to reveal the wizened face. For a moment, he swore he knew her from somewhere, and he delayed choking her just a second longer to figure out how.
"Yes, Sith, I know your brother," she whispered.
"'Chai..." Vith cautioned, but Achai shook his head.
The Jedi mouthed something briefly, then stopped and took a moment to find the breath to speak. "You... will not... the Sene Seekers..."
Achai had heard more than enough and clenched his fist tightly. The Jedi stopped speaking all together, mouth working soundlessly as the pressure against her windpipe increased until finally her eyes closed and she slumped in death.
He kicked her viciously, anger welling up in him so swiftly he lifted her body into the air and threw it violently down the hallway. Vith watched quietly, pulling the helm off his head, tucking it under his arm. His questions were written clearly on his countenance. But Achai shook his head, hand lifting to still the Chiss' tongue for now.
"Yes. What are Sene Seekers?"
Achai growled, "It's nothing. She's making idle threats."
In public, they were Sith Lord and bounty hunter. Vith was part of Darth Invecti's growing powerbase, his strong arm in matters that required the use of brute force. In public Vith always deferred to his Sith master. In public he would never have lifted a hand against a darth.
But a drifting ship with an entirely dead crew was no longer public. In private, they were confidants and lovers and Vith was getting tired of being kept in the dark. Despite the danger an angry Sith was when provoked, he grabbed Achai's hood and slammed him up against the wall, pinning him there. "Pardon me your lordship but I'm kriffin' tired of you not telling me things."
"Vith, don't," Achai warned. Already the Force flowed through him, an angry torrent, an aura that glowed red around him.
"Or what? You think a few more scars are gonna scare me off?" He grabbed a ridge on Achai's rebreather mask, as if that might force him to focus on his face. "What's a Sene Seeker? How'm I gonna keep you safe if ya don't tell me what's goin' on?"
"It's... they're not going to find me in Imperial territory."
"Oh maker, Svik'achai tell me what the kriff is a spaced Sene Seeker?"
It was the use of his married name that stilled the Sith. The anger drained out of him so swiftly that he started laughing. "You sound like my mother when she caught me stealing cookies in the kitchen right before dinner."
The Chiss blinked a few times, staring as if his lover had just grown a second head. "This... isn't funn-- dammit, 'Chai."
Achai took advantage of his confusion, tore the rebreather off of his face and grabbed the Chiss by his suit's power conduit, reeling him in to capture his mouth in a brutal kiss. The Chiss responded eagerly, breaking it a few heartbeats later, resting his forehead against the Miraluka's.
"Don't think you've gotten out of explaining this to me." Then he donned his helm again, securing it to the rest of his suit. "And that was a dirty damn trick, distracting me like that."
Pushing away from the wall, Achai grinned at him. "Mission accomplished here. Let's extract the holocrons and get back to our ship."
"Fine," the Sith huffed, refitting the rebreather over the lower portion of his face. "You'll get your explanation. When we're well away from here."