Who comes forward?

This oneshot is based on the newest Darth Maul comic by Panini „Darth Maul – Star Wars 30-33", where we, beneath the adventures, Maul has with the attractive blue Padawan, got to know the breaking news, that Maul's sojourn at Malachor in "Rebels" was not his first one on that planet. I hope it is also allowed to spoiler that Maul (before the battle of Naboo) was not alone on Malachor, but in the company of his master – Darth Sidious.

While reading the comic, I asked myself, why the two Sith haven't been able to retrieve the slumbering Holocron on Malachor that time, whilst all required conditions were met … there have to be two, a master and an apprentice to get on the Holocron, thus the female voice is telling us. We know that it took almost thirty years, until Maul could acquire the Holocron with the help of young Ezra Bridger. The second part of this oneshot is a direct tie-in to the finale of s. 2 of "Rebels".

So what did happen before, when Maul was with Sidious on the former Sith world?

This you may read here:

We write the year 33 BBY – and one year before the Battle of Naboo

Darth Sidious has traveled with Darth Maul to the Sith world of Malachor. Arrived, the two Sith go down, far underneath the scorched surface of the mauled planet. Sidious is wandering with his young apprentice through the ample hall, in which the withered bones of the old Sith and the rests of their rotten weapons are laying around.

"Do you know this place, my apprentice?"

"Yes, master. I have seen it … in my dreams."

"Here in this dead world the Jedi once dealt a terrible blow against the Sith", the master explains to the apprentice. "Many of our order did perish here. All that, because they wanted to be free."

Maul falls into a meditative trance, to soak in the plight of the ancient Sith. "Far, far above, deep, deep down …"

"Yesss! Breath it in, my apprentice!", Sidious is encouraging him. "Inhale the ashes of the Empire, which came before us!"

"Ghrrrk."

"Let the hate take over you!", Sidious intonates.

"Far, far above ... down, down below. We don't know, were we fall", Maul recites. "Far, far above, down, down below. What once was big, will render small!"

The ghosts of the haunted Sith pop up before Maul's inner eye … and the ghosts of the victorious Jedi, basking in the undeserved victory - in Mauls eyes. He activates his weapon – both blades.

"Far above, down below … Fight me, damned Jedi!"

The ghosts are going back from Maul. "So fight me, Jedi-scum!"

But the Jedi are escaping though a portal suddenly opened in the stone wall, closing as soon as the last Jedi did slip through.

"Hell, where are they gone?!", Maul rasps angrily.

"What do you mean, my apprentice?", Sidious asks, breaking Maul's trance.

"Master", Maul starts, "I feel that the ghosts of the fleeing Jedi want to show us something."

Sidious smiles a mocking smile. "I'm quite concerned that the ghosts of long gone Jedi want to show something especially to you, my young apprentice. Apparently the light side of the force is stronger in you, than I did presume so far."

Maul's face is infuriating. "That's not true, master! Let's rather go after that hint, which may help us to destroy the Jedi of today!"

Sidious laughs a short, dry smile. "So be it, Maul. But woe is you, this turns out to be a trap!"

"Master, I could never ever …"

Sidious' eyes are impaling Maul. "I actually spoke of a trap of the old Jedi."

Maul is unsure, if to take a relieved breath or to be aware of further scrutinizing inquiries of his master. Both Sith go to the place, the Jedi have shown Maul in his vision. As the two Sith are approaching the wall, a red triangle comes in sight. Maul lays his hand on the triangle and a secret door opens. The Sith go through and enter a room in which an abyss is yawning. In the midst of this abyss a column is towering, upon which a Sith holocon is lying.

"That must be the lost holocron of Darth Traya", Sidious mumbles in awe. "Wait, I will give you an additional force-push, while you are jumping."

Maul gives his master a doubting look, then he prepares to jump. Arrived on the column, he snatches the Holocron and jumps back to the other side, while Sidious is pulling him back with the force. Maul has reached the edge, but stumbles and falls almost down – a single red hand left, grabbing the stone of the abyss's rim desperately.

Sidious stretches one hand out towards Maul. "Give me the holocron, my apprentice!"

Maul stares up in despair. Sidious sees that his apprentice is afraid, he may take the holocron and disappear, leaving him behind.

"So go on and trust me, my apprentice."

Hesitating Maul is giving Sidious the Holocron. Then only Sidious reaches out with his other hand and pulls him up. "You see, it was not that difficult", a grinning Sidious tells his apprentice, after inhaling his fear to the full.

"How to proceed?", he asks his apprentice.

"We have to go right there", Maul says and they go to the two obelisks, between which the holocron has to be placed to unleash his power.

Maul activates the Holocron and lets it fly between the obelisks. A red net of lightning is hueing and buzzing around the holocron.

"Who steps forward?", a commanding female voice asks.

"I am Darth Sidious and this is my apprentice, Darth Maul!", the master explains to the voice from the holocron.

"Hmmm … always two the Sith are … one master and one apprentice … no more … no less."

"That is already known to me", Sidious says haughtily.

"Then you should also know, that a Sith apprentice is not entitled to raise his own apprentice, as long as his master is alive."

"What does that mean?", Sidious snaps. "And who are you anyway?"

"A good question … for another time! I still feel some obscurity in your presence. There is somebody else."

"Impossible!", Sidious rumbles.

"Oh yes!", the voice insists. "Either your master is still alive or this one is not your true apprentice!"

"But … Maul is my apprentice and my master is dead!", Sidious claims.

"Liar! And I won't offer my power to destroy to liars!", the voice booms.

With those words, the Holocron is lifting up and disappears.

"What a sleazy Jedi-bogus! Made to sow disaccord between us! How could you ever be taken in by this?!", Sidious says angrily to his apprentice.

"But, master, you did never tell me about how you did kill your master. Shouldn't I know about that as a Sithlord?"

"A good point – for another time!", Sidious gnarls and ushers his young apprentice to leave the temple and Malachor.

Thirty years later

Sidious has returned to Malachor with Darth Vader, to retrieve the holocon finally. Vader, down in the hall with the old bones and weapons, has the same vision once Maul had.

"It is disturbing, that the ghosts of long gone Jedi are taking so much interest in my apprentice!", Sidious says in a suing manner after Vader's vision ended. "I won't hope, you still carry a core of the light side in you, my friend?!", he lurkingly asks.

"No, Mylord. I will hate the Jedi until the end of my life!", Vader affirms.

"That was not I was asking about!", Sidious says with a venomous voice.

It is very exhausting for the old Emperor to throw the tall, suited and helmeted Darth Vader, who is so much heavier than formerly Maul, to the column, on which the holocron is laying again. Darth Vader is lucky and manages to come back with the holocron and with both mechanical feet back on the rim of the abyss, leaving no chance to Sidious to revel in the fear of his apprentice in case of going to fall into the deep. Vader gives Sidious the holocron and they go to the formation to insert it.

Vader opens the holocron and lets it fly between the obelisks. Fascinated the younger Sith watches, how the red web is unfolding around the Holocron.

"Who steps forward?", the severe female voice asks again.

"I am Darth Sidious and this one is my apprentice, Darth Vader!"

"Oh, I see, you have been here before, Sidious!"

"So, who are you?", Sidious asks.

"A good question … for another time!"

"Enough of your silly games!", Sidious scoffs. "We are only two Sith! My master is dead and this one is my true apprentice!"

"That may be, but how do you look like, anyway?", the voice taunts.

"I was deformed by the power of the dark side, sent back to me by the Jedi Mace Windu. And my apprentice was left behind by his Jedi master in the lava bank of Mustafar. Since then he has to wear that suit and that mask and helmet."

"With evocation of compassion you will gain nothing from me as a Sith!", the Holocron retorts.

"I am the Emperor!", Sidious huffs. "You will do what I say … also as a Sithlord!"

Along his words he is waving his hands.

"No!", the voice booms from far above to deep down. "I don't like you. And your apprentice I don't like either!"

"Vader, help me!", Sidious demands.

Both Sithlords are waving their hands. "You will do as we say!"

"I could give it a second thought", the holocron's guardian says in a more conciliatory manner.

Sidious is taking a relieved breath.

"Is your former apprentice still alive?", the voice from the Holocron asks Sidious.

"Darth Tyranus was beheaded by my current apprentice!", Sidious explains with a strident voice.

"I don't mean the old man", the guardian says condescendingly, "but the handsome, red Zabrak with the black tattoos."

"Alas, so I will come back with Maul", Sidious promises, while Vader is glancing at him flabbergasted and hopes, this will be just another wicked ruse of his master, to acquire the holocron.

"Then you must vow by the Revenge of the Sith, that this one isn't your true apprentice anymore!"

"Let me before consult with my apprentice now", Sidious tries to gain some more time.

"And again you take resort to insidious deception!", the guardian of the holocron states.

Sidious realizes that he cannot trick on the guardian. "Maul is a faithless beast! He does not deserve to be my apprentice anymore!", he snaps.

"So this with the three of us is not going to happen", the guardian says deploring. "Also as a Sith, I am just a woman and I want to work together with good looking force-users only."

Sidious' rage is pumping up. "That is … egregious!"

He wants to rise his hands to get on the Holocron another time, but it flies out of its anchor, while the red web is fading out.

"I am sorry, but the power to destroy, will never be at your service!", the voice declares and the holocron disappears.

"That was just a Jedi-devilry to sow discord between master and apprentice! How could you ever fall for this?", Sidious scolds at his apprentice.

"But you wouldn't have thought about taking Maul to be your apprentice another time, would you, master?"

"How could you ever think, never!", Sidious asserts.

Later on the first Death Star

"It is so humiliating, to be dependent on such technological monstrosities, while the much more elegant machinery to destroy of the Sith Holocron on Malachor could serve us much better and even more effective", Sidious says embittered to his apprentice.

Admiral Ozzel comes into the small throne room. "Mylords, the Zabrak Maul has been spotted on Malachor this day by our probe droids."

"Vader, this is your task now", Sidious tells his apprentice. "Bring Maul down. But before you retrieve this damned holocron with him!"

"And when Maul does refuse?"

Sidious wrinkles his forehead even more and ponders about what Vader said. "Hmmm … I feel more force presences on Malachor. Isn't there your former Padawan? She looked quite pretty."

"Ahsoka Tano?"

"How comes that I can feel your former Padawan's presence on Malachor, but you cannot, my friend?", Sidious teases.

"Concerning this, Ahsoka had to wait long enough before your chancellor office, while I was chatting inside with you. But will the Holocron work together with women too?"

"Just try it!", Sidious barks impatiently at Vader.

"Yes, master!", Vader says and heads for Malachor.

Note of the author: For the scene where Sidious is with Maul at Malachor, I took some dialogues from the Darth Maul comic "Star Wars 30 : Darth Maul" from Panini (2017).