Chapter Text
The both of you paused in unison. You raised an eyebrow in question. "You feel it too?" You asked hesitantly. You remembered what Master Yoda had said to you in the meditation chamber. "Strong in the force you are." He said. It never felt like you were. A skilled swordsman? Sure, You've never disappointed. But you knew for certain that your skill in the force is something you've avoided working on, as much as you'd hate to admit it. It wasn't your strongest quality as a Knight so you were uncertain of some tugs and feelings in the force. Worried of your misjudgment and the possibility of a clouded mind.
Obi-wan looked toward you and placed his hands on his hips. "I do, Young one. A disturbance in the force." He said deep in thought. "We must proceed with caution. We are undercover, surprises are unavoidable." He said viewing his surroundings. "Keep your head. I know this is your first official mission if we're being honest. You'll do well." He said softly and gave you a small smile. "Thank you, Master." You bowed slightly and continued walking, feeling slightly flushed.
Obi-wan led the both of you to the door and you followed warily. You put on a cool face and collected your thoughts. The negative pestering of your worry is stored in the back of your mind. This was serious. As important as the mission is there are plenty of ways to go about finding intel but stealth is key. And you're not quite sure just how you will go about finding information. On assignments, your Master did all the talking. He was wise but never really let you try things on your own. You've only really done security work before the war. Watching Senators debate endlessly until you yourself grew tired but this is unfamiliar territory.
You thought of your old master when you walked in, feeling the energy of everyone in the room. You remembered him saying how "predictable" humans were. You reminisced about a time when things felt simple. You finally relaxed and trusted in the force.
Obi-wan looked at you once more. "We'll cover more ground if we go separate ways. It is better that way." You nodded and stepped off, weaving through the crowd. You exhaled and rubbed your hands together attempting to self-soothe. You allowed the force to guide you and fell instep of what felt right. You walked around until someone caught your eye.
A man of a tall stature observed you from the bar. He leaned on the counter and mixed a golden brown liquid in a glass. He stared until he realized he was caught. He held your eye contact before giving in and turning to talk with the bartender. You quirked your eyebrow and inched to the bar curiously. Before speaking to the bartender you hesitated, trying to remember the Mandalorian language that you haven't used in some time. You opened your mouth to speak but before you managed to get a word out, a drink slid towards you from the man's direction. Him being only a few feet away.
The drink was a mild green that glistened slightly with flecks of gold. You looked toward the man in his direction and raised an eyebrow and pretended to blush. You made eye contact with him, taking in his features before smiling slightly before looking away.
The man was of a rich brown complexion. His hair was black and short, reaching only the very tip of his ear. Thick and wavy shaping his face perfectly. He had a kindness to his aura but determination radiated from his subconscious. You felt it through the force, a strange feeling that made you slightly dizzy. He made his way toward you and he walked with ultimate purpose. He wore a navy button-down and black pants. The sleeves rolled up his forearms and his collar unbuttoned, revealing a wink of his clavicles.
Out the corner of your eye, you saw Obi-wan's every movement. You could tell he was making little to no progress in the short time since both of your arrivals.
At that moment he was cornered by two elderly separatist ambassadors. Engaging in a lengthy conversation while they poked and prodded him. The corner of your mouth twitched, threatening to smirk at his obviously uncomfortable situation. He looked you in the eyes begging silently, ignoring the man approaching you. You shrugged your shoulders slightly and then turned your attention back to the stranger.
You rose your glass and uttered your first pair of words since entering the room. "Thank you."
He shook his head and responded with a subtle charm. "It's no problem, really. I only made an observation on just how beautifully that drink would complement your dress." You chuckled, surprised. Not so much by his confidence, you'd made that conclusion only by looking at him, but his delivery. You've never been spoken to in this manner. His tone sounded almost...flirtatious. Though you've had experience in that field, it wasn't enough to put on an act. This kind of deception would have to be carefully thought out, you realized.
You hesitated before continuing the conversation further. "Is that so? What else have you observed, I'd love to peak inside that brilliant mind of yours." He grinned and moved a few inches closer.
"Between you and me, there are lots of things I've seen...more so heard, in the last few minutes of me being here." He said in a low tone, raising his eyebrows playfully. You nodded playing along. Maybe he knows more than he's genuinely letting on. "How's the cause been going?" You asked signaling toward leaders and generals of the Separatist systems. He shrugged and took a swig of his beverage. "The same as usual. The Trade Confederacy milking honest systems of their credits and resources. Them backing the crimes on their "need" of more troops, droids, and the credits to do it."
"Damn. Who allows them to get away with it? I'm sure the Separatist planets aren't so willing." You pried further, shaking your head in disappointment. The man scoffed and observed you once more, taking in every inch of your appearance. "I think the real question is who allowed you here? I'm sure you're not a Separatist or war general for that matter." You were taken aback by his sudden questioning. "I'm only passing through, I assure you. Besides I'm sure you've never heard of me." You joked.
He smiled and shook his head. "You'd be surprised of just how much I know." Before you could acknowledge his response, you were distracted. From the corner of your peripheral, you saw the leaders of the Trade Federation creep out of the room into the hall. You felt the urge to follow them and decided to listen to your intuition. The man looked to follow your gaze but you quickly adverted his attention back to you. You touched his shoulder and plastered another false smile. "Thank you for the drink and lovely conversation, but I best be on my way now."
He quirked his eyebrows in confusion. "Wait-" he spoke but you'd already begun to walk past him. He then grabbed onto your wrist causing you to halt. "Excuse me, Sir" you spoke calmly, not wanting to bring attention to yourself. "Please, I have something urgent to ask." He begged. "I'm sure it can wait." You said sweetly and forced yourself from his grasp. You quickly made your way toward the door and Obi-wan caught your eye once more. He rose his eyebrow in question, probably witnessing the encounter between you and the stranger. He rose his comm to his lips as you exited the room.
"Yes?" You answered Obi-wan's call on your commlink. "Are you alright? What was that about?" He questioned urgently. A twang in his voice told you there was no avoiding his questioning. He was serious. "I'm not quite sure but that doesn't matter. I'm following the Viceroy of the Trade Federation." You whispered, stalking lightly. You were only a few steps away, they weren't far. You could feel them using the force. Though you still felt a little blind going into it because you could no longer hear them. You had only the force to guide you now. Through the windows, you could see that the sun was completely set and it was now night. The lights of the building weren't helping, they were dim and flickered slightly. Making you feel uneasy.
"Be careful." He demanded and you agreed before storing the comm away.
You'd finally reached the corner of the hallway that led to the emergency exit. You calmed your mind and focused on the words spoken between the two Viceroys. Gunnray raised his voice in a hushed tone. "What are we doing here? Sidious warned us. We must focus on the outer rim sieges for the Separatist territories." The Other Viceroy spoke up. "And what better way than to follow Darth Tarranus while he promotes us on a neutral planet? We'll have Mandalore in no time!"
Gunnray huffed. "I don't think it's smart to have the confederation here with the manufacturing plant. It's a disaster waiting to happen." The viceroy chuckled and patted Gunnray on the back. "You worry too much old friend. We are all on the same side here. We will get what we're due, no need to worry.
You took in all of the information, trying to put the pieces together. Who are "Sidious" and "Darth Tarranus"? Is the Federation contributing to the manufacturing plant? Everything felt obvious but you knew you were still missing vital information. Ultimately you decided to head back to the conference before you were caught.
As you made your way back to the door a dark cloudy feeling absorbed you. Your heart raced at its familiarity but you felt stuck. Your nerves overcame you as the feeling grew. A disturbance in the force is what you felt. An aggressive tug inside of you was being pulled. You reluctantly reached for the door as you began to sweat and you were faced with the disturbance.