Some time had passed since Maul's departure, but Enuma still clung tightly to Somina. The young Sith apprentice was uncomfortable with the clinginess of the Twi'lek, but she couldn't really say why she was uncomfortable. Undoubtedly, after a life led without the comfort of simple touch, Somina found any contact with another being awkward at the very least. Jedi were not the most intimate of companions, even though physical contact wasn't outright forbidden.

Somina thought back to her days as a Jedi, and she couldn't help but wonder if that part of her life had damaged her somehow. Attachment was forbidden, of course, but how could you possibly deny a part of your nature indefinitely? She didn't know; all she knew was that a young Twi'lek clung to her like a frightened child. In a way, Somina mused, Enuma was a child. She'd demonstrated an emotional immaturity that Somina had seen all too often in people that had been brought up as slaves, especially the ones that were the most severely abused. Somina had seen what Bib Fortuna had waiting for Enuma for her disobedience, and the thought in one chilled and strengthened her. She had done the right thing, and Enuma was safe and alive because of it.

Somina looked the young Twi'lek over. In many ways, Enuma was far from a child as well. It was fairly common for slavemasters to feed Twi'lek girls just enough to keep some meat on their bones. There was a certain aesthetic that was popular with Twi'lek females, and Enuma certainly adhered to it. She was curvy, but not overly so. Thin, but not starving. Her blue-green skin shone with a certain degree of health, so Somina knew at the very least, Bib Fortuna had fed the girl. Somina could see no visible scars, but Enuma was also fully clothed, wearing some spare clothes Somina had brought with her once she left Proxigor VI. She certainly was not clad in the fetish harnesses and lingerie that were so common with Twi'lek slave girls. Enuma had left that behind once they fled the Hutt-controlled world, and it was good riddance to bad rubbish. Still, even when terrified, even when dressed in clothing slightly too snug for her, Enuma was stunning. Her lekku, thick and healthy, hung down on either side of her head. They were nearly even in length, which Somina had to wonder if they had been trimmed to appear so. The Hutts and their associates were known to commit such barbaric acts against slaves, all for the aesthetic pleasure of their masters. Somina found herself running a finger along the length of one of her own lekku, the smooth skin soft to her touch. No one had ever touched her lekku, not once, except for herself. It wasn't surprising, considering that the lekku in both Twi'lek and Togruta alike were extremely sensitive. A great deal of their nervous system was contained within the lekku, and they were considered intimate, even erogenous. Physical intimacy was hardly a benchmark of the Jedi, of course, but now the path she walked almost begged for indulgence. Who, she thought with a smile, would be the one to touch her in such a way? The thought calmed her somewhat, but still she couldn't help but wonder; what was it about this girl's innocent act of touch that caused her such consternation?

"Somina, are you alright? You are staring at me."

Somina shook her head slightly, coming out of her reverie. "I…I'm fine, Enuma, just thinking about things."

Enuma smiled, and Somina felt like the world lightened just a little. "Ah, thinking about things is good, Somina. I think about a lot of things. Going swimming, climbing the tallest mountain, a delicious meal…"

"Going swimming?" Somina was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Somina. I used to go swim in the lakes near my home before…before I was sold. I think about how it would feel to do so again."

Somina, a smile spreading across her narrow face, turned to look Enuma in the eyes. "Then you will have to wonder no more. Come on, I have an idea."

Somina, with her Twi'lek compatriot in tow, made good time getting back to the small station where Sulaiman sat, his feet propped up on his desk. Somina summed up what she had seen quickly to the officer, letting him know that she intended to praise his efforts to her master. Satisfied with that, Sulaiman directed her on a course away from Coruscant, just out of the range of most Imperial scanners, and out of sight of the orbiting fleet of Star Destroyers. Somina wasted no time in getting back to her ship, and getting off the surface of that accursed planet. She did not like reminders of her past. Her future was far too interesting to look back any longer.

Somehow, some way, Darth Somina would ensure that Enuma would go swimming.

As Somina's ship lifted off the pad and sped towards the sky, yellow eyes watched from the shadows, and a gravelly laugh welled up from the darkest depths. "The seed is already planted, my friend. Your plan is coming perfectly to fruition."

A deep, yet world-weary voice, the voice of a tired, old man, crackled from the comlink held by the shadowed figure. "Good. The first stage is done, then. Track them. I want to know where the apprentice goes at all times. When the time comes, I want to be able to take her alive."

Horrible teeth twisted into a wicked grin. "Oh, don't worry about that, my friend," said Maul to his unseen comrade. "When the time comes, she will give herself to us willingly." The gravelly laugh echoed through the shadowed places around the landing pad as Somina streaked into the sky.

Aboard Somina's small ship, she and Enuma sat in the command module, idly passing the time while in hyperspace. Somina had realized that she'd not had much chance to really talk with Enuma, as events had unfolded rather quickly since Enuma had joined her on Praxigor VI. Enuma had been resistant at first to striking up conversation, as the scars of her life as a slave still bled. In time, though, it was as if a dam had burst, and Enuma spoke at length regarding just about any topic Somina could mention. Enuma mentioned, for example, that she had been born on Ryloth, but yet had no memories of it besides fleeting remembrances of her family, ones she barely could comprehend. She remembered that she had a mother and a sister at home, and that her father was a military officer. Beyond that, Enuma had little recollection of her youth. Most of her time was spent in the service of one master or another. She'd been sold several times, the last time to Bib Fortuna himself. Bib Fortuna was not her cruelest master, either. That dubious honor belonged to a renegade Hutt named Volakk, who would frequently have Enuma whipped for no reason at all, besides his own amusement. Volakk had also subjected Enuma to more horrible violations, but Enuma refused to go into detail about those situations. Volakk had been terminated under a contract put out by Jabba himself, and so she came into Jabba's possession. Bib Fortuna purchased the attractive Twi'lek from his master, and so the story goes.

Somina sat, enraptured by Enuma's tale of suffering and hardship, and she couldn't help but to think that Enuma would make a fantastic Sith, with all the anger and hatred she must feel for the individuals who had progressively broken her throughout her entire life. Somina knew that Vader would not tolerate such a thing, but the thought did linger in the back of her mind. After all, how much easier would it be if Enuma had combat skills of her own?

Somina made a mental note to try and test Enuma to see if she was indeed capable of sensing the Force. All the training in all the galaxy would be meaningless if Enuma lacked the capability. Somina had heard of more esoteric ways of making individuals Force-sensitive, but those generally involved dark sorcery, and Somina wasn't the most trusting of witches.

Then again, Somina was planning to go to Dathomir. The Force truly moved in mysterious ways.

"Somina, have you ever…loved someone?"

Enuma's question cut through Somina's thoughts, and tore through her as if right down to bare bone. Somina was caught off-guard, and didn't have a well-thought-out answer to provide. "I, uh…that's…I mean, Jedi don't…"

Enuma's smirk confirmed that the Twi'lek knew she'd hit a nerve. Somina wasn't sure that such openness about her heart was a good idea, even with someone as seemingly innocent as Enuma. Somina was still of a frame of mind that she needed to guard her own feelings, especially after Maul had so easily plucked them from her. Still, there was something about the Twi'lek, something that put Somina at ease.

"Yes. I loved someone very much once. But I never told him, and he's gone now."

Enuma's smile fell away quickly, and a look of distinct sorrow appeared on the Twi'lek's face. "I am…sorry, Somina…I should not have intruded. I know you carry many burdens, Somina. I can sometimes almost feel your heart, and how heavy it is. I did not know you were in love, but I knew there was something that weighed you down. I am sorry, my friend."

"You…what?" Somina wasn't sure she'd heard Enuma correctly.

"I can sometimes almost feel your heart, Somina. I have done this before, where I just know how someone is feeling. It kept me from being hurt many times as a slave. When you bring your master the very thing he was thinking of having, he just believes you are trained properly and he congratulates himself instead of punishing you. It didn't always save me, but many times I might have died otherwise."

Somina could not believe her luck. If she understood Enuma correctly, the Twi'lek was showing signs of basic manipulation of the Force. Unfortunately, it also meant that Maul was right, and she needed to learn to guard her thoughts and feelings more carefully.

"Did I do something…bad?" Enuma swallowed hard, almost expecting Somina to lash out at her. It always seemed to be the inevitable consequence of many actions in her past.

"No…not at all, Enuma. In many ways, what you're describing means that you can touch the Force, just like I can. I think in time, and with proper training, you might just be as good as I am."

Enuma smiled and laughed. "I will never be as good as you, Somina, but it would make me very happy to be of help to you. Maybe you will help me get one of your glowing swords?"

It was Somina's turn to laugh, and she did with abandon. She was starting to relax a bit after her intense encounter with Maul, and it felt good to just express herself. She felt so much freer now than she ever had as a Jedi. Free even to…

Her eyes were once again fixed on Enuma. Somina had never really felt anything close to romantic attraction before, save that she had for Anakin Skywalker. That one was, of course, never even spoken about, much less pursued. She was all but ignorant of how these sort of feelings really worked, having been trained from an early age that such things were not in her destiny. Still, even with some facet of her feelings for Anakin having been acted upon, if even just in the illusionary netherworld of the Sith temple, she felt incomplete. With the illusion of Anakin, it had been little more than raw passion and lust, the surrender to the biochemical desire for sex. There were, she'd found, many things that appealed to her about a great many people she'd had experiences with. Lux Bonteri had been charming and sweet, to the point where temptation nearly had gotten the better of her. Anakin had been strong, brash, and bold, swaggering his way into her heart. Even people such as Maul had attractive qualities about them, though Somina had no intention of pursuing any sort of relationship with the former Sith apprentice. Physical attraction was, indeed, a fairly commonplace thing. There was something else present, though, when Somina spent time with Enuma. She'd felt something strong for the Twi'lek since she'd first met her. There was a sense of great anger at Enuma's condition, and a strong impulse to protect the girl from her cruel master. Somina had never questioned why she would feel something like that for a stranger; she just thought it was the right thing to do, and it was. But here, now…after getting to know her a little better…Somina wondered if there wasn't more there.

Enuma seemed oblivious to it, which was fine. Somina had no desire to push things in a direction that wasn't the best one for Enuma. She'd just been freed, then stolen away from the life she knew in a hail of blaster bolts, spirited away to the site of a massacre, hunted by an insane Sith, then discovered after all that that she might, in fact, be Force-sensitive. Somina felt that was adequate for one day's revelations, and put such thoughts from her mind. Jedi stoicism had its place, from time to time.

Somina smiled, an honest, caring smile. "I'll help you build your own, when the time comes."

Enuma cocked her head slightly, as if suddenly confused by something. Then, her eyes widened, as if she'd thought of something exciting that she wanted to share. Her face lit up with surprise, and perhaps even a little embarrassment, and she unconsciously clasped her hands over her now-hanging-open mouth. A beat passed, and Enuma's face slowly slid into an expression of an almost cocky knowingness, as if she'd figured something out she wasn't supposed to. Somina wasn't sure what that was, though she feared perhaps Enuma had caught a little of her previous train of thought. Somina quietly sighed as she directed her attention to the various controls and indicators on the instrumentation panel in front of her. They were still in hyperspace, though, so the controls really needed no tending.

"Do you love me, Somina?"

Somina's head turned sharply back in the direction of the Twi'lek at that. She was almost startled by the bluntness of the question. She silently cursed herself for her weak mind, and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

"I would believe you if you said you did."

Somina's smile slid away, replaced by a grimace of denial. "I just met you."

Enuma shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I already love you. You saved me."

"That doesn't mean you owe me your love, or your life, Enuma."

"I don't owe you anything. But my heart is light when I think of you. I am so happy when I am at your side, Somina. I am not asking anything from you, I just want to know. Do you love me?"

Somina sat in silence for an indeterminate amount of time. She was stunned at the Twi'lek's bold confession. Surely such a thing wasn't good for the girl just now, regardless of how either of them might feel. There was much that needed to be done yet, things she didn't necessarily think she'd want Enuma to see. Then, there was the whole mess that was her own life. Somina wasn't sure it was a good idea for her to get involved with someone, never mind the girl. Perhaps, though, it might be a good idea to clear the air between them, be honest with each other. Enuma had said she wasn't asking for anything, so there was no demand for a relationship.

Somina was tired of lies anyway. The Jedi had lied to her. She wasn't going to lie to Enuma.

"Yes. I do."

Enuma slid out of the chair and leaned over a panic-stricken Somina, looking her in the eyes. Enuma moved in close, and kissed Somina softly on her forehead, at the base of her montrals. Her smile was brighter than a gamma ray burst and a million times more beautiful to Somina's eyes. Enuma gently ran her hand down Somina's cheek and whispered to her. "Good."