Diare tugged at her bonds, wondering what in the world she did to deserve a price on her head. As a Sith Lord, her actions were almost excused by the Republic; what could this Zabrakian bounty hunter possibly want? She decided to put her inquiries into words.
“Mind telling me what I’ve done to deserve this?” she asked dryly, staring into his cold eyes defiantly. Damek didn’t turn around from the companel. His fingers flew over the controls effortlessly as he answered her question.
“If you recall, before you left Iridonia, you had murdered a young girl after she and her brother had insulted your family’s less-than favorable bloodline. Her parents have demanded your capture, even after all these years. I was hired by them to locate you. You just happened to be with Khameir during the time of your capture. I’ll get that one later.”
“You’ll never capture him! He’s a more powerful Sith Lord than you could ever imagine! He even killed his master for my life!” Dirae spat harshly. Damek grunted in his throat and glanced over his shoulder at her.
“I take it your precious Maul hasn’t spoken to you about his past, has he?” he asked as he fiddled with a few switches and controls. Even though he couldn’t see it when he turned back around, Dirae shook her head.
“No...he never speaks of his past to me. I’d rather respect his wishes than hear trash from you!” she added vehemently. Damek sighed softly and faced her.
“Wouldn’t you rather know why he left before you die?” he asked, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. She sat in silent defiance, refusing to reveal anything on her mind. Using her Force to block out her deepest thoughts, she kept her lips tightly shut. Her eyes looked past Damek’s head at the sloping chrome wall of the escape pod. The tiny circular window on the right side of the pod reflected the endless ocean of stars. Silence flooded the small space like a might tidal wave.
“I will tell you, young Sith. Whether or not you wish to hear it,” Damek said quietly, one hand resting against his cheek as he leaned on the edge of the small control panel. Dirae lifted her head higher so as to not look into his eyes. “Khameir Sarin, at age twelve, was found by another Sith Lord, Sidious I believe his name was, and he left the planet soon afterward. No one heard about him until the Trade Federation challenged Naboo. His death was spoken of in every trade town on Iridonia.
“Before then I discovered he had another with him. A female Zabrakian he had found on Tatooine. I never got the name until after she began chasing the Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her Sith name was traced back to the title of Khameir’s Sith ship, the Infiltrator, thus it linked one with the other perfectly.” Here Damek brought his hands together symbolically to illustrate his words. “I discovered her name after she had brough Khameir back. Her name was Dirae.”
Dirae allowed her gaze to slide over to meet his. He nodded slowly, confirming her thoughts. “Yes, Dirae, I’ve been hunting you down for quite some time. Not unlike your vow to avenge Khameir, eh?” A slow chuckle sounded from his throat. Against her will, Diare felt tears slip down her white cheeks, darkening the golden teardrop already tattooed to her face.
“Will I be able to see him again before I die?” she asked in a choked voice. Damek shrugged indifferently and leaned back to cross his legs.
“It makes little difference to me if you two ever see each other again. I left him in a very dangerous state back there; he’ll be a long time recovering from that damage.”
“No, you’re wrong. Maul is a very strong man. He will find me out here and wherever else you decide to cart me to. He will come for me,” she added firmly. Damek smiled at her.
“Such faith you have in that twerp. He was never terribly strong, even as a boy. His ability to strike fear into the hearts of the weakminded was what made him a prime target for Sidious and his ridiculous plans.”
“But he told me you were trained in both ways of the Force! Surely you have respect for at least--” Diare started before he interrupted her.
“I have respect for the credits I recieve after I capture a felon. Yes, I am skilled in both sides as you saw, but I have no side in which to take for I am neutral. I exist only to gain wealth and reputation across the galaxy. I care little to nothing for these petty zealots. Jedis, Sith, there is no difference between the two. Both have a set of rules in which to live by, all of them are pompous fools, and are walking into their deaths with their so-called all-seeing eyes closed!