Two

Chapter 3

“Is there somewhere you wish to go?” he asked. Nima looked at the floor and shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I have no idea what the galaxy is like.” Maul stared at her for a moment before leaving her alone.

Maul’s ship landed on a planet she could never have dreamed of. He instructed her to follow him and she did so, following him off the ship and onto the planet. It was beautiful, vastly different to the swamp planet she was used to, with the sun high in the sky.

Hearing the sound of running water, she looked around and saw a waterfall behind some trees. Meadows of grass could be seen in the distance.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“You don’t need to know the name of this planet,” he said as he began walking. Nima walked close behind him. “You will be staying here for a while.”
“Is there any reason why?”
“Bounty hunters.”

Nima nodded, that made sense. She felt a little trapped here. She had no ship, no way of leaving.
“What if I want to leave?” she asked. Looking behind her, she could see his ship.
“Then I’ll let you leave, if that’s what you want,” said Maul. He glanced over at her before focusing on the path ahead. “There are bounty hunters after you but not for many credits.”

She wasn’t sure how she should feel about what he had told her. Nima didn’t doubt the amount of credits she was worth, she had just been a slave dancer, nothing particularly special and not even particularly good. Just good enough to get by.

“And if I choose to stay?”
“You’ll only be here temporarily, then you can get out of my way,” he said. Nima kept following him through the trees, she wasn’t able to see his ship anymore but she did her best to remember which way it was in case she needed to run.
“What do I do after that?” He stopped in front of her and Nima cowered slightly.
“You really do enjoy irritating me with questions, don’t you?” he growled.

Unsure on whether to apologise or stay quiet, Nima just looked down at the grass. It was the most vibrant green colour she had ever seen. It looked strangely… soft.

“Do you want to see where you’ll be staying?”
“Yes,” she said, lifting her head up. Maul was staring at her. “Thank you.”

Where she was staying was a small hut, hidden away in the forest. It had one bed, a small fire area where food could be cooked, a small wooden chair and table and a small cupboard. There were windows which let in the bright sunlight.
“You can stay here,” said Maul. He seemed to be watching her reactions again.
“Thank you,” she said again, smiling as she walked around the one room cabin. It wasn’t much but it was more than she could remember having, even if it was just temporarily.

Nima looked over at him but seeing his neutral expression, she looked through the windows, there was a lake in the distance. She would have loved to go down to it and sit on the soft grass by the water.

“Look at me,” Maul said. Not harshly but Nima flinched anyway. Still, she turned to look at him.
“Why?” she asked.
“When you leave here, it will be suspicious if you cannot look at people,” he said. “Especially if you are dressed like that.”

Nima looked down at her clothes. She had figured people didn’t dress like how she was dressed. She was dressed as she was because it was more appealing to the Hutts, not for comfort or practicality. They were rather dirty and she did want clothes that covered more skin, she was sick of showing skin to impress the Hutts, or anyone else that visited them.

“I can get new clothes, can’t I?” she said, trying to resist looking away from him. “I could work for them or something.”
“I doubt you’d like the work they’d offer you,” he said. Nima frowned, more dancing work. And she wasn’t particularly good, just good enough to get by. “And I doubt you’d get away with stealing.”
“I’d rather not steal,” she said, thinking of what the guards did to other slaves who stole things, food, clothes, drinks. She shook her head a little, she was glad she hadn’t gotten caught when she stole the knife. “I guess I’ll have to find another way.”

Maul said nothing and just watched her again. It was slightly unnerving, the way his yellow and red eyes watched her every movement. It wasn’t like how the Hutts and their visitors watched her, those eyes were predatorial and filled with lust. While he was more predatorial, being a Sith, he watched her like he was thinking of something. She could only hope the idea benefited her.

“I will leave soon, for a day or two, no more,” said Maul. “I will leave you with some food before I go. Try not to get lost while I’m gone.” Nima nodded and thanked him again.