Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Thanks for all the reviews and support for this story! I've finally gotten the next chapter up. The hardest part is when I know where I want to go with the story, I just have to think of things to fill in the gaps between events. How annoying. The temptation to deviate from the movie is overwhelming, but I will continue with the original plan to the best of my abilities, never fear.
Please review. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"Haven't you eaten anything?" Obi-Wan asked curiously the next morning, finding the young woman wandering around the outside of the ship cautiously, inspecting the shiny exterior of the fighter with interest.
"What? Yes, a bit," she shrugged, returning to her looking with more intentness than necessary. Wondering – again – why the Padawan would not leave her alone, she continued to walk around the ship, all-too aware that he was solemnly following her. "Shouldn't you be guarding the Queen? There are guards outside," she said, pointing to the man standing near the entrance ramp.
"I sensed a disturbance in the Force," the Padawan told her suddenly, and she blinked in surprise. "I came out here to see if anything was amiss."
"Nothing I can fe–see," she corrected quickly, almost slapping herself for the slip and managing to keep her hand at her side with some effort. "Was it big?" she asked hesitantly, honestly having felt a slight prick but believing it was merely the Padawan's presence.
"I'm not sure," he shrugged, looking around with squinted eyes to prevent sand from blowing in them. "It feels like the wind's picking up."
"Ferglutz," Reli sighed, turning to peer in the direction Obi-Wan was looking. "I think that usually means a sandstorm's building up."
"Master Kenobi, the ship's sensors indicate that this is going to be a pretty nasty one," the guard said, moving closer after going inside the ship for a moment. "We should go inside and lock up tight to prevent any serious damage."
"All right," Obi-Wan nodded, slightly uncomfortable at being called a 'Master', but not sure how to correct the man.
"There goes my break," Reli muttered, following the two men up the ramp and into the ship. The guard activated the ramp as soon as they were off it, and it lifted and closed shut in a matter of seconds. He headed off toward the cockpit, where the other men were relaxing, leaving the pair standing silently in the narrow hallway. "Well, I need to get some more things done," the young woman said finally, beginning to head off toward the back of the ship. "A few more R2 units need some attention."
"Let me help," Obi-Wan offered. "I'm pretty good with droids."
"I'm not, so I guess it's okay," Reli agreed reluctantly.
"If I can ask, why did you become a handmaiden to the Queen?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly, looking up from the droid he was repairing and glancing over to Reli, who was busy with her own task. Which was cleaning the units, and not something so mind-absorbing that she could pretend she hadn't heard him. Mind-numbing, certainly, but that doesn't render people deaf.
"Well, the similarities my face bears to the Queen's appearance, of course," she said, not looking up from the scrubbing. "All the handmaidens are chosen for that at the beginning. It makes targeting harder in certain situations."
"At the beginning?" he prodded, leaning back on his heels.
"Well, then they each have special talents. Some have sharp minds, others are skilled in combat – things like that," Reli continued with a slight shrug, absently scratching her forearm a moment before returning to her work. "I have some proficiency in combat, so I was assigned to a bodyguard status. But since I haven't been a handmaiden for very long…and because I'm not noble-born, I'm basically just a lackey," she admitted, the words obviously costing some effort.
"What kind of combat do you specialize in?" the Padawan asked, and she flashed a brief grin his way, suddenly cheerful at the mention of fighting.
"Melee combat – vibroswords," she told him. "I prefer double-bladed, but they're pretty hard to come by these days, so I manage with one."
"How did you learn that?" he asked. "From a teacher on Naboo, if you weren't a noble?"
"I came to Naboo when I was thirteen to live with a relative," Reli said, dodging the question of her combat training. "My parents had been killed by a plague spreading on Loorvia, so I was shipped out. My cousin Saché is a handmaiden, and she helped me get a job there as well. When Amidala became Queen, she pointed out to several people the resemblance, however slight, and I was 'promoted'." She said the last word with evident distaste, but was apparently not going to continue.
"I'm sorry about your parents," he said, but she only looked at him in surprise.
"Hm? Don't be – I never knew them that well anyway," she shrugged. "They were merchants, and very busy in their trading. I was more a hired-hand than child, but it doesn't bother me that much."
"I see," Obi-Wan nodded, and looked up when the lights on the ship suddenly dimmed slightly before regaining power.
"Big storm," Reli commented dryly, having also looked. "I wonder if we'll lose any power?"
"If it gets any worse, probably," he sighed, getting to his feet. "The parts Master Qui-Gon is getting will help repair any damage we might take, but we won't be able to fix the power until after the storm is over, if it goes out."
"The R2 units have lights," she pointed out calmly, patting one on the top of its chassis with a slight grin. "Don't you?" she checked, looking at the droid, and sighed in relief when she was greeted with several beeps. "Oh, good."
Obi-Wan peered at her as she continued working, trying to see if the disturbance he felt was indeed coming from her or not. Something seemed wrong about his senses, and he didn't think it was from the young woman directly, but something near her. Shaking his head, he returned to his own work, deciding to find out later.
"Oh, pifgah," Reli muttered, an R2 unit close behind her as she headed down the hall. Sure enough, the ship had lost most of its power, and R2 units were stationed at various points in the ship so everyone could still see what they were doing. She had just finished serving dinner to the Queen, Eirtaé, and Rabé, and was heading back to her own room, which was little more than a closet but better than nothing in her opinion, where the R2 unit would return back to the Queen.
"I thought these things had auxiliary power when things like this happened," she complained to herself, moving aside as a guard headed down the hall past her and continuing when he was gone. "At least they're able to fix it," she continued, and looked around as the R2 unit whistled and began to head back down the hall, leaving her in near-darkness. Shrugging to herself, she took a step forward to continue down the short way she had left to her room, and only managed a few steps when she promptly walked smack into something rather solid. Gasping in surprise, she tilted her head back, only to see an amused-appearing Padawan staring down at her, evidently a bit surprised as well.
"My apologies," he said quickly, as she only blinked at him. They moved back after a moment of contact, and Reli glanced back down, the headdress of the flame gown shielding her eyes even further in the darkness.
"No – I should have been more careful," she apologized, wondering why she suddenly realized how small she was compared to him, and why she cared at all. She had never paid much attention to the opposite sex to begin with, considering her rigorous training, and a Padawan was off-limits, especially for her.
"Have a good sleep," he told her, before quickly striding down the hall away from her. Reli remained still for a moment before continuing in her room, and narrowed her eyes to see in the dark, feeling something was out of place. Feeling around, she realized the storage container that was in her room had been moved, and most likely looked through, and set her jaw. "What was he doing in my room?"
"I wonder what the matter could be," Reli murmured to herself, busying her mind by working aimlessly on one of the broken droids that was stored in the storage hanger. The power had been restored early that morning, and she knelt beside the maintenance model in a melancholy daze. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, preoccupied with the question of why the Padawan had been in her room. She had been unable to question him at all that day, and the problem was bothering her a great deal.
"You're certainly busy this morning," Eirtaé commented, and Reli glanced up briefly before shrugging.
"Of course."
"The Queen is growing impatient with our progress on this planet," the blond handmaiden continued, obviously annoyed with the other, although her outfit disguised her features as well as it did Reli's.
"And what would she like me to do about it?" the other asked coolly, keeping her voice steady and eyes focused on the droid. Eirtaé peered at for a long moment before turning away slightly, as if to leave.
"The Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi – he is often in your presence."
"I am unable to order him anywhere."
"The Queen wonders if perhaps you have…had…any influence with him?" The taller handmaiden remained still, in the doorway, waiting for a reply from the lowest. Reli, however, pressed her lips together for a moment, suppressing unpleasant memories, and shook her head after a pause.
"I have never met him before we arrived on Tatooine."
"Very well," Eirtaé said stiffly, before removing herself from the room and returning to the chambers of the Queen and her handmaidens. Reli remained still for what seemed to be a very long time, resting her forehead against the cool metal of the droid, who was waiting patiently for her to continue her tinkering.
After almost thirty standard minutes had passed, Reli jumped when a voice reached her ears, and she realized she had fallen asleep. She blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to wake up, and ruefully noticed her reflection in the droid's shiny plating, revealing she had a red mark where she had been leaning against it. Leaning back on her heels, she mentally protested when she saw Obi-Wan peering down at her, looking a bit curious.
"Are you well?" he repeated patiently, and she took a moment before flashing him a brief smile and turning away again.
"I'm fine – just tired, I suppose," she told him shortly, feeling his eyes boring into her. To her surprise, he didn't say anything, but retreated from the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Obi-Wan had been sure he felt ripples through the Force near the woman, and was still annoyed he had been forced to leave before he was able to find anything definitive, sensing her approaching. He had indeed searched the records in Coruscant for students from Loorvia, but had come up empty-handed. On speaking to Qui-Gon, the Master had suggested his Padawan do a sweep search. Obi-Wan, doing so, was surprised to find several students from Loorvia on the Almas Academy, but hadn't had a chance to report his discovery to his Master.
Wondering if Reli was one of those students, he paused when he realized that didn't make any sense, since all the students he had found were still located on the planet.
"Oh, kvark," Obi-Wan sighed, realizing he should have also checked any students that hadn't made it to Padawan. Shaking his head in irritation, he strode to the room he was occupying, preparing to log into the system once more.
"It looks so peaceful now," Reli said thoughtfully, wandering near the ship a bit later, having grown bored being inside the ship for so long. Looking around curiously, she wished she had been allowed to go to Mos Espa to explore the city, and was unsatisfied by the glimpses of life she occasionally caught in the sand. Staring out at the dunes in a trance-like state, she started when a strange noise reached her ears. Glancing around, she saw sand stirring up in the distance, and stiffened slightly.
"I wonder if they're Tusken Raiders," a voice suggested, and she whirled around in surprise to see Obi-Wan close by, peering in the same direction she had. He appeared to take no notice of her surprise, seeming cool and collected as usual.
"I suppose it's a Jedi trait," she thought grudgingly, before turning to observe the sand cloud.
"Do you think they'd attack us?" she asked, hearing more unearthly cries. "I thought they weren't quite so…obvious before they attacked."
"Perhaps they're unsure what manner of creature we are," Obi-Wan said in slight amusement, apparently unworried.
"Will they persist?" she pressed, and jumped slightly when the cries suddenly sounded much nearer, and the sand cloud disappeared. The Padawan observed her for a moment before returning his attention to the desert, moving a little closer to the young woman.
"I don't know," he admitted, his hand moving suspiciously close to his lightsaber for someone who wasn't sure of an attack. Reli's gaze rested briefly on the visible lightsaber, with what seemed to be longing in her eyes, before quickly looking away when she noticed Obi-Wan glancing at her from the side of his eyes.
"Well? Aren't you going to do something?" she demanded, and he glanced down at her with what was definitely amusement.
"What would you have me do?" he pointed out. "If I order the ship moved, Master and the others may not find the ship again. And we may attract too much attention if we seek refuge anywhere – this Naboo ship is not the most subtle I would have chosen for a mission of this caliber," he added, and Reli snorted.
"Always having an excuse – like all Jedi," she muttered under her breath, and he glanced at her curiously, not having heard her clearly. He remained standing firm before the ship, watching as he waited for the Sand People to appear. To his slight surprise, the handmaiden remained also, staring into the desert with a far-off look in her eyes. A sharp yell snapped her back to reality, and she moved as a Raider suddenly appeared a few yards away, waving a gaderffii at them menacingly. The two human remained frozen, staring at the Raider, who stood and threatened for a few more minutes before falling still as well, returning their gaze with a shielded stare.
"When I give the signal, get to the ship," Obi-Wan murmured out of the corner of his mouth, and the only acknowledgement she gave of this warning was a slight movement of her foot. The standoff lasted a few more moments which seemed to last for hours before the Raider suddenly leapt at them. Reli dodged to the side, her hand going inside her sleeve, while Obi-Wan's lightsaber flashed briefly, the blue light moving through the air before disappearing again, the Raider face-down in the sand. The Padawan straightened and glanced at Reli, whose right hand was still inside the loose folds of her outer sleeve.
"Will there be more?" she asked abruptly, removing her hand and stiffening her back as Obi-Wan peered suspiciously at her, recognizing the Shii-Cho stance in her movements. She quickly moved toward the ship, noticing his suspicion, and was grateful when Panaka strode down the ramp.
"What is going on out here?" he demanded, and noticed the Raider. "Oh, great," he sighed, and gestured toward Reli. "Come – you shouldn't be outside," he ordered, and turned to Obi-Wan as well. "Do you think they will pose more of a problem?" he asked, and Obi-Wan was forced to take his mind off his confusion regarding Reli and answer.
"I don't know. We should be inside, though," he replied shortly, following the two up the ramp and closing up behind them.
"So, this young woman was in the stance of Shii-Cho?" Qui-Gon repeated, speaking to his Padawan later that night. He had just sent the sample of Anakin's blood to him, and was now finishing up the conversation in regards to Reli.
"Yes, Master. I believe she carries some kind of weapon with her as well, but I do not sense any lightsaber."
"That doesn't mean she has none at all," the Jedi mused. "You said Almas has records of several younglings from Loorvia that didn't make it to Padawan, correct?"
"Yes, Master, but their names were not kept in the records, since they were deemed not to be Force-Sensitive."
"An interesting problem, my young Padawan," Qui-Gon agreed. "Speak to her directly about her knowledge of Shii-Cho. Perhaps some information can be gleaned from her reaction. I do believe she has some connection to the Force, but perhaps it was not strong enough for a Master to deem it necessary to train her."
"All right, Master. When will you be returning?"
"We have a few more things to check up on before we leave here," Qui-Gon informed him, and then briefly outlined his plan for the race. Obi-Wan listened in obvious silent disapproval, but didn't say anything to his Master except a final farewell before breaking the connection.
"More trouble," he muttered with a sigh, wishing he could get a full night's sleep for once instead of keeping guard as a self-appointed duty.
"This isn't good," Reli fretted in her room, grateful the lights were still working so it didn't seem quite as small as it did in the dark. She sat on her bed with her hands clasped in her lap, a frown marring her features. "I shouldn't have been so rash," she chided herself quietly, the weight in her sleeve a reminder of her slip-up that day. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting the seconds and holding her breath for a long while before releasing it and repeating the process to calm her mind.
When she was sufficiently calm, she lay down on her side and turned the lights off, pulling the blanket to her shoulders. "I'll just have to avoid him to deter any questions," she decided, whispering the words in the darkness before falling silent and drifting off to a restless sleep.
If anyone wants me to explain the Star Wars terms, I will, but I thought that most of them were basically self-explanatory. Please review.
