"𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮."

"Rakus, may I speak with you?" Master Windu said approaching me.

I turned to Cody who I had been talking to. He sent me and Windu a nod before sliding on his helmet and walking away.

"Yes Master Windu," I said as he walked over.

"What do you know about Darth Maul?" he asked me in a hushed tone.

I thought hard about what I knew of the name. "He's the one who killed Obi-Wan's master, isn't he? Honestly, Obi-Wan never told me much about him except that he killed Maul on Naboo."

Windu released a long sigh. "Yes, well, we just received a transmission from Maul and he is very much alive. He's killed innocent people and is asking to meet Obi-Wan alone."

My hand subconsciously went to my blaster. "Well, he's definitely not going alone." I drew my eyebrows together. "It's obvious this is a trap. A guy who shows up after years to face Obi-Wan is not going to make this a fair fight."

"I agree, which is why I'm giving you the location Obi-Wan is heading to," Windu said activating his comlink.

"Why didn't you just have me talk to Obi-Wan about this?" I asked confused. I went on plenty of missions with Obi-Wan, but never had I been briefed like this.

"He doesn't know you're going," Windu said simply. "Obi-Wan has refused to go with anyone, but I don't think that's a good idea. That's why I'm sending you."

I nodded slowly taking in the information. I felt proud that a Jedi Master was sending me on an assignment such as this.

"Obi-Wan will be leaving soon," Windu informed me. "Make sure you take one of the starships and leave by nightfall."

"Yes Master," I bowed my head and he left with a curt nod.

"So what was that all about?" Cody said walking back over to me.

"It's very confidential," I said and Cody waited for me to continue. "You can't even tell General Kenobi," I added and he looked surprised.

"What? What kind of assignment is this?" Cody looked intrigued.

"You know that Maul guy?" I whispered. Cody nodded in recognition. "Well, he's still alive and wants to face Obi-Wan alone, but Master Windu doesn't think that's a good idea so he's sending me."

Cody's mouth dropped open and a look of worry flashed across his face. "Sil, you know that Maul killed-"

"I know who he killed," I cut Cody off, not really liking his tone.

"I can do this, Cody."

"I don't know, Sil. Don't you feel a little... expendable?" Cody said softly. "I mean, Maul was a Sith Lord. He's killed Jedi. Why isn't Master Windu sending a Jedi Master instead of you?"

His words made me freeze. Cody had a point.

"Why don't you ask Master Windu for some backup or for another Jedi to go-"

"No. I was given this task and I'm going to follow through with it."

"There's no point in being reckless if you come back dead, Sil," Cody said seriously.

"I won't," I gave Cody a reassuring look. "And if Master Windu thinks Maul is too much for me, I'm gonna show him that I can do some damage too."

***

Night fell and I made my way out of the Temple to head for the hangar. I caught sight of Anakin walking the halls with Artoo. He sent me a smile and I felt a speck of guilt. He didn't know where I was about to go. I waved at him before leaving the Temple and getting my mind back into focus. He couldn't know about my mission. Only Master Windu and Cody were currently aware.

I watched Obi-Wan's ship leave from the hangar and I hurried over to the ship I had been given permission to board. After leaving a good window after Obi-Wan's departure, I started the engines and flew for Raydonia.

***

When I arrived I was met with a horrific sight. Thick smoke rose from destroyed homes. Lightsaber slashes were engraved in malfunctioning droids and bodies that littered the ground. I sucked in a breath to keep myself together. I was here to help Obi-Wan deal with the monster who had done this.

The sound of grunts and objects being thrown around caught my attention. I followed the noise to the cargo hold of a ship. I snuck up the ramp and hid behind a crate. It wasn't just Obi-Wan and Maul who were there, but another Zabrak who towered above them both. My eyes widened. I knew Maul wouldn't be alone. They tossed Obi-Wan around like a rag doll and beat him senseless.

I peeled my eyes away from them and silently climbed higher up the crates. Once I was perched in a shaded spot, I loaded the rifle I had brought with me. When I turned my gaze back on the men, the tall guy was missing and my heart stopped. I felt a cold presence at my side and I subtly readjusted my grip on my rifle.

I rammed the barrel of my gun in the direction of the Zabrak, but he caught my rifle. He yanked it out of my hands and stood tall above me. My heart pounded in fear. He connected his fist with my eye, knocking me to the ground. I let out a groan and struggled to stand up, but the guy pulled me up by the hood of my jacket and pulled me down to the floor of the cargo hold.

"Let go!" I yelled and kicked, trying to free myself from the man's iron grip on my jacket. We made it down and he dragged me across the floor with the floor ripping my knees. He pulled me up slightly before finally throwing me down in front of Maul. I lifted my gaze and I could see Obi-Wan's lightsaber hanging at his waist.

"Sil?" Obi-Wan croaked. "What're you doing here?"

I chuckled nervously. "I came here to help you knock up this ugly, half clanker."

"This is your help?" Maul laughed unimpressed and pointed at my limp figure. He turned his attention on me. "Do you know to who you so carelessly insult?"

I pretended to think for a moment, hoping Obi-Wan would take advantage of the moment while Maul's attention was on me. "Aren't you Paul?"

Maul scoffed. "What a ridiculous name."

"Hey!" I protested. "I knew a guy at the cantina who's a pretty good musician. His name's Paul Mc-"

"Savage, I've had enough of this fool," Maul cut me off. "Take care of her please."

Savage nodded behind me. He ignited his lightsaber and moved to strike. In a split second, I took out my blaster and fired at his thigh. Savage staggered and I leapt to my feet. Obi-Wan took this moment to throw a punch at Maul and I quickly retrieved Obi-Wan's lightsaber, clipping it to my own belt.

Victory didn't last long. An invisible grip closed around my neck and I clawed at my throat. Whatever air I had in my lungs escaped and I kicked the air. Then I was thrown to the side and crashed into crates that broke upon impact. I gasped for breath and watched as the brothers got a hold of Obi-Wan again.

A woman appeared who I recognized from previous mission reports as Ventress. She caught Maul and Savage's attention and seemed to express no sympathy for them. I ran to take cover behind the crates and moved closer to Obi-Wan. As Ventress taunted them, they left the cargo hold to find her. I ran up to Obi-Wan and shook his shoulders.

"Obi-Wan get up!" I urged and he groaned as he sat up.

"Sil, why are you here?" he asked, worry lacing his voice.

I smiled a bit. "Oh you know, I was just out on a walk and I heard some fighting so I decided to join in."

Obi-Wan shook his head and I helped him to his feet. He looked so defeated and my heart sank.

"It looks like I'm here to rescue you, Kenobi," Ventress stopped next to us and I flinched. Even though she was helping us now, I knew she was a Sith assassin before. I stood on my guard, but Obi-Wan waved a hand in front of me telling me to relax.

I nodded and let the two discuss as I pulled out my blasters and stared at the door the brothers had gone through. My hands trembled. I had only been tossed around for a short amount of time, but the raw and cruel power they had exerted on me left me feeling terrified and vulnerable. These were not people to be underestimated. I grew furious thinking about how I was the only one sent to help Obi-Wan against these monsters. We were lucky Ventress even showed up.

The two of them stood back to back as they waited for Maul and Savage to return. I climbed to the top of a crate and tightened my grip on my blasters, fingers itching on the trigger. They soon arrived and started circling Obi-Wan and Ventress. The fight began and the entire cargo hold was lit by the glow of red lightsabers clashing against each other. As I waited to get a clear shot, I watched the fight with awe. Obi-Wan fought with such power and agility. They all spun, pivoted, and parried, never missing a step. Fatal strikes were countered with another trick. The fight was so captivating I could've sworn I heard opera music in the background.

Obi-Wan tossed his borrowed lightsaber to Ventress who had lost hers. I took this opportunity to shoot at Maul. His eyes narrowed on me and he whipped out his hand, using the Force to knock me off my feet. He jumped to my position and grabbed my neck to land a punch on my jaw. I felt weakness overcome my body.

Maul's presence disappeared and I cracked my eyes open to see Obi-Wan engaging with Maul. I remembered I still had his lightsaber.

"Obi-Wan!" I yelled and threw his lightsaber to him.

I closed my mouth again and felt something hard rolling around. I spat out a wad of blood with a tooth mixed in it. I chuckled in amusement, slowly growing delirious from the pain wracking my body. I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand and picked up my blasters again. I fired whenever I could at the brothers which proved to be difficult with my head growing dizzy and Obi-Wan and Ventress being so near their opponents.

They were not doing well against the brothers, their strikes grew sluggish and it became clear that Maul and Savage were overpowering them.

"Sil, get to the cockpit!" Obi-Wan yelled as he swung around a pole and landed a kick on Maul.

I nodded faintly and climbed off the crates, trying my best to avoid the swinging lightsabers as I headed for the door. Obi-Wan and Ventress soon entered the cockpit and he headed for the control board, but Maul and Savage were already cutting through the door.

"Hurry Kenobi," Ventress urged Obi-Wan.

I watched in horror as the brothers got closer to finishing their hole.

"Come on, Obi-Wan," I muttered. "They're almost here and they look REALLY pissed."

Obi-Wan punched a button and the cockpit detached from the cargo hold. I breathed a sigh of relief and let myself drop to the floor. The adrenaline left my body and I could feel every spot I had been punched and thrown against.

"Obi-Wan, what the hell were you thinking taking on those bantha brains all by yourself," I looked at him.

He just sighed and kept his gaze on the stars ahead of him, lost in thought. "I don't know, I guess I thought I would be able to defeat him like I did all those years ago..."

I didn't prod him any further and decided to let it be. Now that I was free from danger, I let my eyes slip close and listened to the gentle hum of the ship.

***

Obi-Wan shook me awake and I remembered the fight with Maul and his bastard brother. I stood up slowly, every muscle I moved aching with pain. Obi-Wan and I each put an arm around each other for support. We hobbled out of the ship and walked onto the landing platform. Padawans came out and gawked at us as the Jedi healers pushed them out of the way to reach us.

"Oh, you already contacted them," I smiled.

"Of course," Obi-Wan answered. "I updated the Council on the encounter while you were passed out. If you were awake, you could've assisted me in landing the ship," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and let the healers guide us to the medbay. I was surprised to find out that I only had bruises and scrapes for the most part as well as a mild concussion. It wouldn't take too long to recover.

As I lay comfortably in a bed, Anakin rushed in with worry written all over his face, totally killing the calm mood I was in.

"Sil, what were you thinking going off to fight Maul?" Anakin practically screamed.

I covered my mouth as a yawn escaped. "It was Obi-Wan and Ventress doing most of the fighting. I was just sitting around looking pretty with a blaster in my hand," I chuckled darkly, feeling guilty I hadn't been able to help out as much as I intended to.

Anakin brought a hand delicately to my chin and inspected my face. "You took a few hits too," he furrowed his eyebrows as he let his finger run over my split lip. "I heard you lost a tooth."

"Two actually."

His eyes widened in shock and he shook his head. "Alright, no more fighting Sith Lords for you."

"Yeah, I don't plan on doing that again," I smiled lightly and Anakin shared it. There was so much emotion resting behind his eyes.

"You know, when I heard you were in the medbay, I'd never been that scared since..." his words withered out and he had a distant look in his eyes. "Just don't get hurt anymore, alright?"

"I can't promise that."

"I know," Anakin said, his voice rough with exhaustion as his fingers danced over mine. My heart beat sped up as his body leaned even closer. I looked up into his eyes and saw he was staring right at my lips. It was funny, when I left Tatooine, I rejected the idea that someone would actually care for my well-being, but Anakin diminished those feelings. As his thoughts became more clear, his face neared mine and I leaned in too. Anakin's breath tickled my face, his lips now barely touching mine as he considered his actions. I filled in the gap and he kissed back with just as much passion. In this moment, I could tell Anakin felt free. His arms found my waist and pulled me closer while I let my arms drape around his neck to deepen the kiss.

We pulled away and when I looked into his eyes, there wasn't a single worry written in them. A bright smile decorated his face. I grinned back and he leaned his forehead against mine, looking at me deeply.

"I had no idea it would feel like that," he whispered sweetly.

"Neither did I."

The back of his fingers delicately traced my cheek and then he stopped. The air in the room seemed to change and Anakin's expression grew dark.

"We shouldn't have done that, Sil," he sat back. "You know I can't have attachments."

I looked at him strangely. "Isn't it a little late for that," I said thinking about how long we had harbored our feelings for each other. "Besides, nothing bad has come of it."

"Maybe not yet, but something will," he countered and my face fell. I had finally found the person in the galaxy I could trust and Anakin was throwing it all away.

He noticed my expression and he turned a bit softer. "Look, if I had met you a long time ago, things might've been different. But I'm a Jedi Knight now. I have a battalion to lead, a war to fight, and a padawan to set an example for. I- I can't just do whatever I feel like," Anakin finished and stood up.

"But-"

"Goodbye Sil," he said and left the room.