Connection - a star wars fanfic

Employment

"Cats, bounty hunters and bodyguards - oh my!"

Give yourself time. Something his sister said. The bounty hunter pondered over that thought in the elevator, his nerves all over the place. Had he given himself time? 'Having time' was a foreign concept. He had travelled so much that sitting on a ship staring out to space for hours was second nature to him. Staring at an endless dark pool full of flickers with the taste of mint rich on his tongue. There was no time to rest on a comfortable bed, ceasing the business and bounties and smelling the coal of a worn out fireplace.

In a way, he did have time, but the hours on the ship only allowed memories he did not want to linger on, and the foreboding shadow of something about to lunge for his skull.

Nik needed the job. It was ironic - he was searching for time and yet he applied for more work. But the job would provide him somewhere to sleep, somewhere to recollect his thoughts. He had termites buried in his skeleton and he needed to slow them down.

And in part, the Force had led him here, and he was going to discover why.

"Nervous?"

The woman who spoke was the only other person in the elevator. Nik didn't know how she had guessed his emotions so accurately. Judging by her lithe physique and calculating eyes, he supposed she was a security guard. Quite young and confident. Though he didn't know what type of security guard carried a lightsaber.

Its dark hilt hung on her hip like a snake or a trophy of authority; ready to be lashed out when the need arose, but was now quiet and dormant - a silent threat.

Nik didn't speak. Most people disliked silence. They would catch at empty air, spitting out words to fill the space. They'd give away more than they had planned. But the security guard simply arched one eyebrow and said nothing in return.

Asaari, she was called. He almost asked, ass? but had decided not to open his mouth until he seized the job. Cooking - easy enough, considering that he'd done a lot in his childhood years and had always been interested in cuisine on his travels. Cooking for Senator Amidala.

This was a dangerous job. There was no immediate danger like his bounties. There was no man in a mask with a gun trained on Nik's forehead. Now, there would be a bodyguard watching his every move each day, security covering the building, no easy way out and a wealthy senator. He'd always had a weak spot when it came to politicians. They were irresistible sometimes.

The vast view of Coruscant seemed to sink through the elevator's glass edges. Tall, iridescent skyscrapers reflecting the afternoon sunlight curled around smaller alabaster structures and dusty streets. The rich in their exotic speeders flew over thousands of city levels; the lower you dared to venture, the more drug-addled and abused people became. Nik had tasted the smog in his mouth, smelt the spices of food vendors and felt the grit crunch beneath his boots too many times before.

But as Asaari's poisonous green eyes caught his, Nik was starting to miss it.

He did not fear her as a person. He feared her training. He would spend months in Senator Amidala's apartment and needed to be careful around the bodyguard. Her flame-red hair matched the utter intensity in her eyes as she sought to pick apart his soul like a greedy bird of prey. She certainly could not discover his past. And the Force he used. It tugged at him wildly, increasing his anxiety by the moment. He didn't understand. He had been in worse situations. Something wasn't right.