Renell woke with a start. Sweat trickling down her brow dampening her brown face, her entire body glazed in perspiration and eyes bleary from sleep. Quick breaths coming out in gasps with her heart beating rapidly in her chest were mild in comparison to the chaos that ensued her mind. It was as if something grabbed ahold of her head tightly while she was asleep, snapping her from her dreamless sleep. It was the familiar sensation of the Force that awakened her, warning her of a threat near.
The alarm was ringing in her head, her mind concluding that it could only mean one thing.
Someone from her master's faction arrived on planet to Tatooine.
The young woman knew someone would track them but not so soon. It had only been several days since leaving Naboo and not many of her master's followers could track down Jedi so quickly. Especially when the Jedi being tracked did not want to be found. That crossed out everyone but herself and her master's apprentice. Seeing as she as with the Jedi, that could only mean him.
Darth Maul.
The last she heard from him, he was in a different sector. That was the reason her master sent her on this mission. And if he were on planet, then they needed to leave as quickly as possible and she needed to warn the Jedi. A confrontation with him would be disastrous to her plans and if the Jedi were not warned….
Blinking back the bleariness of sleep, Renell made to move up but noticed something draped over her. It was a cloak. The brown material heavy in her hands as she picked the cloak up, her mind switching quickly to the owner.
Obi-Wan was not what he seemed, that much she could say from their moment together before she fell asleep. The Padawan may have seemed and still was an arrogant, self-righteous Jedi but he showed her compassion. An emotion she did not have the pleasure of witnessing with Jedi, no matter that their motto was to be the peacekeepers of the galaxy. The compassion and serious nature he took when telling her she will be with her family again struck a chord in her. That was a statement that she did not ever think she would believe, but when those words left his lips she couldn't help but believe.
Renell swiftly exited from the small hold she held an unspoken claim on in search of Obi-Wan. A chill ran through her body, with her black cloak no longer covering her body. One of the handmaidens offered to patch up a large hole from blaster fire, exposing her arms completely and parts of her back. The cortosis weaved material that covered her body was one that she hid from the eyes of others with the use of her cloak. She would rather not have others think she were a mercenary but rather, a vulnerable teenager.
Her body took an automatic turn into a corridor that led to the main hold but she did not get more than a step in as she found the Padawan heading in her direction.
The young woman must have looked crazy with the way the Padawan was staring her, his eyes narrowed with concern and suspicion. Sweat that previously glossed her body dampened with the cool interior of the ship, but she could feel some strands of hair still stuck to her face. Aside from that, she made sure to keep herself composed.
The Padawan voiced his concern but she tuned the man out momentarily. How exactly would she be able to explain that she felt her master's apprentice's presence on Tatooine. She felt the Zabrak try to reach out to her through the Force. Fortunately enough for her, he failed and in reaching out alerted her of his presence.
Though one question came to mind. Why would Maul try to reach her?
"Renell?"
The sound of Obi-Wan's voice broke her thoughts, her eyes now looking up at the Padawan. She couldn't exactly tell the man that she felt the presence of a Sith Lord trying to reach her. That said Sith Lord is the apprentice of her master. Obi-Wan would ask more questions and would begin to connect the dots. He would find out what she truly was and doubted that it would end nicely over a cup of java.
"I'm fine. I just – my m – captor, I think he sent an assassin here. I felt the danger and that's why I woke up," she answered.
She could see mix of concern and suspicion in his eyes as he looked down at her, assessing if she were telling the truth. It did not take long for him to nod his head, whether it was due to what she said or her loud deep grumble coming from her stomach.
"Do you want to accompany me to the kitchen?"
Renell couldn't remember the exact time she had eaten last, but that didn't matter as she practically inhaled the food placed in front of her in less than two minutes. Not wanting any bit to go to waste, she tipped the bowl to her lips, causing the remnants to spill in. The young woman was suddenly aware of the Padawan's eyes on her.
"So you felt someone….an assassin?" Obi-Wan asked, concern but more curiosity etched into his voice. The Padawan had to be kidding if that was what he felt by what she said.
"We need to make we're sure off planet soon. My captor, he acquires assassins that are skilled enough to take on Jedi," she said, making sure to emphasize the last part. If that didn't concern him, then she'd have to be more convincing. She just didn't know how.
"Like you."
Somehow he knew.
His words shocked her, leaving her slack jawed as she looked into his blue eyes. They were filled with suspicion, much like what she saw when she first awoke and went to him, though this time it was much more apparent.
The concern and compassion that filled his aura earlier vanished completely, instead his posture was rigid as his eyes were cool. Renell could feel the mix of emotions coming from him ranging from betrayal to hurt. His hands were clenched around a comlink chip, a small needle protruding from the tip.
"What is that?" she demanded, looking at the object rather than the storm that brewed behind Obi-Wan's eyes. He placed the chip on the steel table that separated the two from each other.
"Your midi-chlorian count is over twenty thousand," Obi-Wan said slowly, his hand lowering past where she could see. Though she knew exactly what he was reaching for. His lightsaber. "You have not been telling the truth entirely."
The Padawan had pricked her with a needle while she was asleep for damn sake and that was after his compassion filled exchange with her. One thing was for certain. She should not have fallen asleep. This encounter would have been evaded if she did not allow herself to be vulnerable. Her brown eyes staring down at the table where the chip was placed, anger starting to seep out from the dark recesses of her mind.
"He trained me in the Force. Is that what you wanted to hear, Padawan?" Her voice hardened as she spat his title out, feet now planted on the ground. Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms painfully. "My master sent me to oversee the ambassador's deaths and for the treaty to be signed or, if needed, the death of the Queen."
"And Senator Palpatine is behind all this? He's your master?"
Her eyes flashed dangerously as she glanced at the Padawan quickly before settling her eyes on her empty bowl. The corners of her mouth tilting up in a mocking grin when she saw the familiar look on Obi-Wan's face that she saw on the Jedi she ever encountered since her captivity. "Yes, my master, Darth Sidious."
She could feel the Padawan's shock through their bond. Their bond. The thought angered her that she shared something with this fraud who tricked her into thinking she was safe asleep. She did not want him being able to have any connection with her, to be able to feel her. She was wrong to even think a Jedi could hold compassion for another.
"A Sith," she heard Obi-Wan say in a low voice, his voice coming closer to her till his body stood beside tense form. "And you were trying to run."
Trying to run….
He did not think of her as a Sith but as a captive.
Slowly, Renell lifted her head to see the Padawan staring down at her, his eyes widening. His face was so close, she could see the reflection of her now amber eyes from his own eyes. Heat flushed her entire body at the close proximity of the Padawan, her mind scattered.
Concentration was not hard for the young woman to come by, but with the Padawan so close, it was near impossible. Turning her head away from Obi-Wan, she took a deep breath.
"His apprentice is the assassin I felt on Tatooine," she whispered, making sure to place a hand on his chest. Careful to not use too much pressure, Renell made sure to push the Padawan away from her. "We need a way off planet quickly or he will find us soon."
