Riding in Speeders with Boys

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Somewhere in the back of Kinsey's 18-year old mind a warning bell was going off. Don't get into speeders with strange men. Don't get into strange speeders with men. Something like that.

But there was something about this guarlara trainer that made his words seem as sweet as his honeyed-eyes. Every time he touched her or spoke, she wanted more. The addict had to be around her spice.

And those kisses and neck nuzzlings were hella distracting to any common sense and clarity of thought.

The transport arrived at their destination and with a hiss of the doors, the Starchaser twin found herself standing within the belly of the mechanical beast. The spacer could feel the ship and like her uncle, she had a wide range of knowledge on makes and models. Her hand broke away from Sage's for a moment as she looked around the hangar in awe.

"A Wyyrlok Class," she whistled. "Wow. You never said....," too-blue eyes fell back to Sage. "You're obviously more than an equine trainer. Explain." Arms crossed as she became a bit guarded. But it was hard to keep it up with that dreamy smile he had.

Still...maybe she should comm her folks and let them know she'd be late in getting back to the Treader. At least Kaia knew where she was, right?

 

[Sage Bane]

The ride up to Sage's Wyyrlock class Star Destroyer, The Laughing Dead, was divine. Sage hammed up his part to perfection: the pretty bad boy with a devilish smirk who only wanted to take the blue-eyed wild child Guarlara riding. Add in kisses that could weaken the knees, arresting brown eyes, and good old fashioned mind control, and you had the recipe for one very smitten young woman. As they stepped off the transport landing ramp, Sage knew that the masquerade would be up. Not only were the Sith and his prize standing in an ominously designed hangar, but there were black uniformed Sith technicians and troops as far as the eye could see. Some even genuflected submissively before the Hand of the Dark Lord as he descended into the hangar.

Kinsey's eyes widened in awe and then narrowed in suspicion. Her posture changed, body folding in on itself protectively. Sage took her hand and reassuringly caressed the back of it with his thumb. Then his mouth spread into a wide amused grin.

"You got me, pateesa," he said. "I am much more than a Guarlara trainer. But how to explain exactly what it is that I do?"

He rolled his eyes upwards as if lost in thought for a moment. Then he dropped his gaze to look her squarely in the eyes as if to bore right into her soul.

"Let's see. I guess you could say that I purge the galaxy of its weaknesses, and I help to install a newer, stronger order."

Add in murder, genocide, and the widespread destruction of entire civilizations, and that sounded like his job description alright.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Kinsey's eyes widened. The Nabooian lamb knew she had followed the nexu into its den. But to be fair....it was a really, REALLY hot and charming Nexu. Dem eyes, yo. For a second, between the massage of his thumb against the skin of her hand and that intense look, she got lost in his brown depths. She was drowning.

Frack, what was he saying?!

She blinked as if coming out of a daze. Eyes darted at their rather large audience then back to that stare. His red eyes. This ship. All these people. The words she half listened to.

"Ohhhhhhhh kark," yeah, she had quite a mouth in more ways than one. "You're a fricken' sith, aren't you? Why didn't you...I can't believe I....," she stammered, not sure whether to punch him in the face or go for her comm or make out with him more, "...I didn't see it. But I don't get it. You're nothing like the stories I've heard." Pouty lips and face frowned up at him. Starburst eyes searched into his depths just as deeply as his gaze cut into her.

His thumb on her hand. His arms around her. His lips on her mouth. They had all been so...gentle. Still. She felt as played and duped as a jizz box.

"Maybe I should comm Kaia. Let her know I'll be meeting her back on surface soon." Free hand went to the side pocket of her black leather flight jacket.

 

[Sage Bane]

"Of course I'm Sith, leeah..." he said in his gentlest tone. "...but I'm also just a man." Sage brushed his hand softly along her cheek and stared deeply into her wide blue eyes. See? I'm just a misunderstood bad boy who lost his way in the galaxy. I'm not a horrible Sith Lord at all. He inched closer to Kinsey, leaning in slowly and seductively. One hand moved to cup the back of her head, fingers threading through strands of dark hair. He titled his head in to let his mouth graze her earlobe.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," he whispered.

Before Kinsey could reach it, her commlink slipped out of her pocket and snapped into his hand. He used the power of the Force to crush it into tiny bits with his bare hand. His face spread into an expression of mock distress.

"The signal around here is so terribly bad, isn't it?"

The mangled device dropped to the hangar floor with a loud clatter.

"May I show you your room now, Kinsey? Or would you rather my officers take you?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Stars, Sage was so smooth. All it took was a touch from him and that silky timbre of his voice for her mind to fog and her clarity to loosen. She shuddered against him, fingers curling hungrily around the back of his neck when...

CRUNCH-CRACKLE

She tore herself free from his grasp as if just burned. Heart thudded against her chest as her eyes panned between his face and the pieces of her comm on the deck plating. "Hey!" Storms of fury and fear swirled within her blue depths.

She involuntarily took a step back, toward the open ramp of the shuttle. She grappled between seeing the reality of the situation she was in and wanting to understand the man before her. Muscles tightened as if ready to explode into a run, a mad dash.

But something gave her pause.

She wouldn't make it. She knew from the force. And perhaps Sage's mental influence also caused her to hesitate, to not flee. She was a Starchaser. She would know when the time was right for a break. If she wanted to take it when the time came and if she....survived whatever this was.

To flee now would mark her as prey. And she wanted to face Sage and understand him predator to predator. Eyes full of fury, fear, and a touch of youthful bravery met those twins of honey that were sweet enough to choke on.

Stay in control Kins. Don't think about his breath along your neck. His fingers...

Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. "What exactly do you want with me?" She imagined it was more than a make out partner. Unless he was a complete perve.

 

[Sage Bane]

There it was, the Starchaser fire he knew so well. Her will to leave him might have been broken, but every step of the way, she would be painfully torn about it. Sage could have easily twisted the young woman's mind to feel other more convenient things for him: lust, admiration, or even that cursed four-letter word that launched a thousand wars. But Sage did not want a boring thrall, to be played with for a few hours and then discarded. Sage wanted a challenge. Kinsey Starchaser was his new game to be played. Unlike his previous games, this one he had honest affection for, however skewed his motives were.

"What do I want with you? I want you to experience what it is like to hold immense power in the palm of your hands, Kinsey. You have a rare gift, my dear, the gift of the Force. I want to tease out every drop of your potential and help you use it to achieve your wildest dreams. With me you could rise. You could be a Dark-Sided Queen, a Goddess among men. You could have the galaxy at your feet."

His eyes gleamed excitedly at the prospect of making the young woman into his hateful protege, a nightmare to unleash upon the unsuspecting galaxy. His little Darth-to-be.

"I want you to train with me, Kinsey."

Sleeping with him was totally optional, but highly recommended, of course.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

'I want you to train with me.' I want you. Those words burned in her ears. She felt the tug of an invisible tether connected to Sage. He made it sound optional. She knew it wasn't. Dark-brows crinkled in thought.

Why was he singling her out from all those concert goers? Why didn't she feel more disturbed? Would she see her family again? Could she play the game and get herself out of this? Did she want to get out of this?

The fury and fear in her gaze softened just a teeny bit. Submission? Resignation? Affection? Cunning?

Finally, she stepped away from the transport. She leaned in closer to Sage, her shoulder brushing against his, and spoke lowly, wide-eyes searching his face. She didn't need his whole entourage hearing her insecurities. "But why me? What if I'm your worst student? Do you know anything about Starchasers, about my family?"

Perhaps a testing question steeped in real worry and self doubt.

"I hope you know, you've got your work cut out for you. Can we continue this conversation somewhere more...private?" Too-blue eyes darted around to all the stiffs.

 

[Sage Bane]

"I know your family well, Kinsey," Sage admitted with a sinister twinkle in his eye. "I wouldn't do this if I didn't have the utmost faith in your potential."

Noticing her reticence around his men, he took Kinsey's hand and began to lead her through the belly of his Star Destroyer. As they walked, they passed conference rooms, officer mess halls, a game room with dejarik boards and Holofilms, and of course, the ship's many detention cells and interrogation rooms. Soon, they made their way to a private wing of the ship that contained Sage's private quarters. He placed his eye over the retinal scanner and the doors opened with a hiss.

The Sith Lord's private quarters was decorated lavishly in a style that could be described as "modern Atrisian." There were a few cubist sculptures and rare pieces of ancient Sith art among the red One Sith military banners that hung on every wall. His quarters contained a fully stocked bar, a boundless bed resplendent with Zoosha fabric sheets, and a spherical meditation chamber, a sanctuary for Sage to escape the rigors of command and for relaxing with the Dark Side.

"These are my quarters, the most private area on the ship," he explained. "You can have your own quarters if you'd like."

Crossing to the bar, he fixed two glasses of whiskey and then handed one to Kinsey. His grin became wolfish as he fixed his gaze on her.

"Or you can stay here with me."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

He knew her family well? There was a warning there but something she couldn't quite grasp. Fingers picked at the black polish on her nails nervously as her wide-eyed gaze panned around Sage's private quarters. Yup. Definitely a religious zealot. Hints of fear and anger that she didn't fully understand were drifting off her like a fine perfume. And when she met Sage's wolfish gaze, lust sprinkled between the undertones of those emotions.

She downed the whiskey.

Eyes watered and throat burned. No matter what he called it, how nice the sheets were, or how lush the carpeting was, it was still a prison. But as quickly as this realization came it left by that sithly mental nudge. She peeled off her flight jacket, revealing the #dave snugly fitted tank underneath. She found herself drawn back to Sage, always drawn back to his radius.

"I think you and I both know I'd be more productive with my own room."

And perhaps a part of her was still trying to fight the influence he had over her and recognized that space apart would be a good thing. She wouldn't completely lose herself.

"Not so many," she snatched up his glass and downed whatever remained, placing both on the bar top, "distractions." Fingers drifted up the front of his shirt to cup the sides of his face.

He could burn her up if he wanted to and that thought only fed the anger that she still didn't understand - that subconscious part that was fighting against that planted seed of influence. Fingers trembled. "You have to understand. I was raised not to put too much investment into any one super power of the Galaxy: Sith, Jedi, whatever. How did you get to this point? All the banners? Aren't you scared? Do you still question things?"

Thumbs stroked back and forth against his cheeks.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage briefly wondered why Kinsey did not want to stay with him, especially with the desires he felt brimming in her aura. His hand wandered to his face, thin fingers tracing the skin of his cheek. Was his smooth skin was showing signs of Dark Side corruption? More likely it was simply a sign of teenage defiance. Always the rebellious little Starchaser to the end. A slow, feline blink came, disguising his fears.

Her fingers crawled up his shirt collar, reaching up to cradle his face. Good, good. She was still as spellbound as ever. Her emotions were practically bursting out of every pore. Rage and confusion bashed against her frozen will. He might have to reinvigorate the Mind Twist at some point just for good measure, especially if she wouldn't be sharing his bed. Although her hands caressed his face tenderly, grasping questions came. He pondered them for a moment.

"How did I get here?" He gave a chuckle. "I had a Master just like you, and she taught me how to use my powers."

His face took on a slightly reflective quality as he thought about his time serving as the apprentice of Matsu Xiangu, the final beast.

"She was kind, but always had an undertone of cruelty swimming just below the surface. She made it clear the moment that I showed weakness, she would dispose of me. So I showed her my teeth, and proved myself to her." Just like you will prove yourself to me.

As he spoke, one hand lovingly played with his apprentice's hair, and the other one wound around her back and gently brushed across her skin. If she looked closely, she might notice that his left arm had something not-quite-right about it, a slight deformity and an almost imperceptible discoloration.

"As for questions? All questions that I have are answered by the Dark Side, mah ji muna. It has made me what I am now, a Hand of the Dark Lord, our supreme ruler of the Sith."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

Brow crinkled in worry at talk of disposing. Dual emotions raged within her. Was it an answer, a way out? But a way out of what? If those honey-eyes bore into her with anything less than affection or instruction would she snap like a twig?

She felt like she would.

Thumbs stopped their caress and blue-eyes widened in surprise at what Sage said next. "Wait. You're the fricken' Hand of the Dark Lord?"

It made sense with his zealot taste in One Sith decorations. Probably not just any joeschmo sith knight, acolyte, or other ranking Lord would have this much zeal in showing loyalty. Then again, maybe they would. Sage was the first sith the young Starchaser had met in-person.

His scent, his touch, everything was intoxicating. That recalcitrant part of her mind, of her will, was quickly dissolving. Alcohol probably didn't help things either. Not to mention, she was the rebellious twin. Arms circled behind his neck. She wanted her own quarters but she never said anything about where she'd sleep tonight.

Leaning in closer, she pressed her full lips into the side of his neck, paving kisses toward his jawline. See? Student was already learning from her master. "Do you have any regrets?" The whisper left below his ear. "Or anything else I need to know before training officially begins?"

A very small voice in the back of her mind screaming to run was finally smothered.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

"The Dark Lord has two Hands and I am one of them," Sage explained. "With one command, I can order entire Fleets to take a planet in the name of the Sith." He shrugged as if it were an insignificant detail.

Soon, Sage felt Kinsey's resolve slipping away like a life raft floating out to sea. His lips spread into a wide, excited grin, inviting lips that distracted from the wickedness in his deep brown pools. When Kinsey leaned in to lay kisses along his neck, Sage closed his eyes and let out a contented growl. Her lips traced the ruts in his neck, scars left by a myriad of slave collars and he hitched a breath. In a breathless whisper, Kinsey asked him if he had any regrets.

"Regrets?" he said with a mischievous smirk. Sage pressed his body against hers and gently, but firmly, pushed her to the wall, lifting her up in his arms so that she could wrap her athletic legs around his torso. He leaned in and gave her a ferocious kiss. The kind that was meant to be felt everywhere. When he pulled away, he bit his lip with one raised brow.

"Does it feel like I have any regrets?"

Before she could answer, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his vast bed, waiting with its ocean of soft sheets. Tomorrow he would start her training, and he was certain at the end of the day she would hate him.

But tonight he wanted to worship her like a shrine.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]