Dark Seige

by Morgan Lewis

Set over a year before Episode I, Darth Maul is sent on an important assignment by his master.

1. • Disclaimer: All characters depicted are the sole property of George Lucas. I'm not making any money off of this.
   • Warning: contains mild spoilers for The Phantom Menace
   • Dark Siege
   • By: Morgan Lewis
   • The dark sleek craft cut silently through the dark voids of space. Within the cockpit of the sinister ship, Darth Maul studied the Infiltrators radar monitor intently. He knew that he was close to his prey, he could feel it. That instinctive premonition that, through disciplined training, he had learned to identify and heed confirmed his target was near by. The Sithlord allowed a brief grin to cross his dark features. His master would be pleased that he had been able to locate the ship so quickly.
   • Despite the fact that the radar was still showing no other ships in the region, Darth Maul activated the Infiltrator's cloaking device and allowed his ship to fade from view. He normally refrained from using the cloak as much as possible as it was extremely draining in the craft's power supply. But that same instinct that told him he was quickly closing in on his prey also urged him to now conceal his ship. After all, he couldn't let his victims know of his approach before it was too late.
   • Maul's pale yellow eyes continued to carefully scan the screen in from on him, constantly keeping his senses alert for any change in the display. His face, obscured by a series of demonic red and black tattoo markings, revealed but a fraction of the violent emotions the roiled within him. Only those sickly-colored eyes occasionally betrayed the full malevolence that lurked beneath the surface. His black robes stirred softly as he moved a glove-clad hand to adjust the pitch of the engines. A hunter did not make noise when he was in the vicinity of his prey.
   • As the Sithlord continued to guide the Infiltrator, using his instinct more than the technical displays, which surrounded him, he allowed his mind to briefly replay the instructions that he had received from his master before departing from Coruscant this morning. Darth Sidious had been quite adamant and specific in his instructions. He was to track and board the Argenthas, a Correllian luxury transport as it passed through the Degobah system, which was located in relatively primitive and unimportant sector of Republic Space.
   • His targets once on board were the three Correllian Imperial Senators, Lailes Algonan, Marlos Telemon, and Aisel Mogna. The secondary, but no less vital objective in his mission was to ensure that none aboard the cruiser survived to report on the attack. The Argenthas, along with her crew and passengers, was simply to disappear and never be heard from again. The mission would be somewhat of a challenge, Maul had no doubt about that fact, but it was a challenge that he would relish. For he also had no doubt that he would be successful in his endeavor.
   • He had however, been somewhat disappointed by his master's instructions. It pleased Maul that his master had enough faith in his capabilities that he would be able to overpower and destroy the entire ship, but once again he had been instructed to ensure that in no way would the Jedi be able to trace the deaths back to him. More than anything else, the Sithlord yearned for the time when the Jedi would quake and tremble at the very mention of his name. He impatiently dreamed of the day when the energy blade of his Lightsaber would carve Jedi flesh and taste Jedi blood. But, for now, he waited and did as his master commanded of him, knowing, as surely as his dark heart was beating, that one day he would witness the death of a Jedi Knight by his own hands.
   • Darth Maul looked up suddenly, his force-honed instincts telling him that his target now lay before him. He could feel the certainty ringing undeniably within his being. A few moments later, the radar display confirmed what he had already known. Directly before him, about thirty clicks in the distance, the Correllian cruiser, Argenthas, glided leisurely through the inky blackness of space.
   • He quickly transferred more power to the engines to close the distance between him and the larger craft. Because of the nature of its cargo, Maul knew that it would be far to heavily armored and shielded for him to be able to destroy with his lone Sith Infiltrator. He simply was not carrying enough ordinance to ensure its complete destruction. And if there were even one lone survivor, then his mission would have been a complete failure.
   • No, he would have to deal with the Senator and his entourage on a more personal and direct level. Maul felt the familiar anticipation of violence building within him. The power of the dark side of the force coursed though his veins like an unquenchable fire. He allowed his mind to become completely focused on the moment, attaining a level of concentration and awareness impossible to any but the Jedi trained. He felt the slow melding as his senses became one with the Infiltrator, the Argenthas, and the void of space around them.
   • As his infiltrator continued to approach, Maul flipped a switch that activated a high-frequency jamming signal. He couldn't risk someone on board sending out a distress signal before he was able to finish the mission the Lord Sidious had given him. And Sidious had been quite adamant in his instruction that none were to ever suspect the Sith of the nefarious act he was about to commit.
   • The Sith-lord deftly guided his craft along side the larger Republic vessel, guided by his intuition now, rather than the ship's equipment. Hypersensitive of his instincts, Maul allowed his senses to probe the cruiser, searching for the one section that would more easily allow his covert entrance onto the vessel. After a few moments of careful searching, he found what he was looking for, a small section in the armor plating that was considerably thinner than the rest of the ship's bulkhead. The Sith-lord carefully brought his ship to hover over thinner plating.
   • He felt the gentle thump as his craft slowly settle on the metal surface, then attached itself firmly to the hull using its magnetic claws. Once he was certain that he was firmly attached to the Republic ship Maul extended the connecting hatch with the flip of a switch. The hatch connected to the hull with a thump, and from that point it only took a few moments to achieve a magnetic seal.
   • Once the tunnel within the hatch had been pressurized to, Maul extended a small tendril of the force to open the sealed door leading from his cockpit into the tunnel. After the door had slid open with a slight hiss, he strode slowly down the tight and constricted corridor until he reached the armored bulkhead of the Argenthas. The dark warrior examined the metal surface closely for a moment, before drawing out the long handle of his Lightsaber from where it hung beneath his dark robes.
   • The blade ignited with a distinctive sizzling hiss and extended to a little more than half a meter in length. Maul studied the surface for another moment before adjusting the nozzle of the emitter until the blade extended to well beyond a full meter. Satisfied, he took a brief moment to focus his anger and rage and ride the rush of power that they produced, before plunger the red blade of his Lightsaber up to it's hilt in carbonite wall before him.
   • Sparks and shreds of superheated metal flew as the Lightsaber slowly carved through the thick wall. Maul grunted in satisfaction as he finally felt the section of hull give under wedge of the force that he been directing at it. The severed circle of carbonite fell back and inwards into the craft, allowing him entrance on board the Argenthas.
   • He deactivated the blade with a hiss and ducked to enter the smoldering opening. After taking a brief look around, Maul was able to determine that he was in some type of cargo or storage area. Experience and common sense told him that the core reactor would be located more towards the center of the ship, where it could be more heavily protected from enemy fire. Maul would have to make a little visit to that section of the ship once the Senator had been dealt with. If the Republic ever did manage to find the Argenthas once he was done with it, they would only assume that a tragic flaw in design had caused the main reactor to overload and destroy the ship.
   • Maul allowed his gaze to travel to the twin doors that sealed him off from the rest of the ship. The dark Sith-Lord brought forth one of his hands to send a flow of energy at the sealed entrance. He felt the door's locking mechanisms resisting him and increased the flow's power. Drawing on his anger and rage, he pushed hard at the sealed doors until he heard the protesting screech of the latches giving away.
   • Darth Maul nearly smiled in satisfaction as the stubborn doors fell beneath his wrath. It never ceased to please him, the power that the dark side of the force could grant him. He never had understood how the Jedi could have been so foolish and ignorant as to have banned it's use. It was his own anger and rage that allowed him to control the force, to use it and gain more power. To him, the Jedi way seemed less about controlling the force and more about simply accepting and submitting to it.
   • This fact had been one of the reasons that he had been unable to find a Jedi master willing to take him on as a padawan at the Temple. They had sensed his frustration and impatience with teachings, his unwillingness to be guided by the force, preferring instead to be the one that guided. Their philosophy of learning to submit to learn to control seemed pure idiocy to him. As a result, he had been released from the temple and sent to work as an apprentice to a ship-builder on Malistar.
   • Even, now some fifteen years later, the memory provoked a dark flash of rage. His new master had felt and understood the rage within him. Lord Sidious had taught him a new way, a different way from what those foolish old men in the Jedi temple preached. He had taught him how to use his anger and hatred to channel the force, controlling it in a way that he had never dreamed possible before. The result had been heady and intoxicating rush, a screaming tide of power that had left him feeling empty and hollow when it was gone.
   • However, along with teaching him of the power of the Dark side, Sidious had also deeply ingrained in him a sense of discipline, for without the strictest discipline, such power could not be controlled. It was that discipline alone that aloud him to control the continual ravenous hunger for the rage and torrent of dark side's power. Sometimes, it took every scrap of restraint that he possessed to keep that need in check. But, the result was power unimaginable. Darth Maul could feel only disdain for those pompous members of the Jedi council that forbade its use.
   • Lord Maul slowly stepped into the hallway beyond the two doors and quickly began to map out the corridor structure within his mind. The storage bin where he had entered was located at the mid-section of the Correllian cruiser and he was fairly certain that the Senators would be located more towards the front decks. The Sith-lord also suspected that, due to the increase in turmoil within the Galaxy in recent times, each Senator would probably also be escorted by a small contingent of armed guards.
   • He continued his way down the hall for a few moments before arriving at turbo lift. Maul quickly entered into the lift and punched in the number for the top level, his instincts telling him that was were he would find his targets. While the lift silently traveled upwards, the Sith-lord allowed his senses to slowly probe the several different consciousness that he could feel surrounding him and nearly snorted in contempt. As he had suspected, they were mostly weak-minded individuals who would be utterly incapable of resisting mental manipulation.
   • As lift began to slow to a halt Darth Maul once again brought his awareness back to his own mind. The Sith-lord brought his simmering anger to a concentrated focus and used it to find his center within the force. He felt his senses and awareness sharpen as the dark rage of power burned through his body. The doors opened and Maul strode ominously into the open corridor.
   • At the end of the hall he could see what appeared to be two Correllian guards chatting amicably with one another. The were both dressed in a suit of light armor, designed to be more of a protection against harsh environments rather than actual blasters, and each carried a laser blaster holstered casually at his side. At the hissing sound of the opening lift doors, both instinctively turned their heads to see who it was that had arrived on their level.
   • Darth Maul reached and seized their minds with the force, projecting thoughts of fear and terror. Both shrunk backwards uneasily as he continued his approach, one of them nervously drawing his blaster. The other guard finally seemed to overcome his initial terror and drew a small communicator from his hip pouch.
   • "This is Bravo four requesting backup in level six," Maul could hear the guard whispering nervously. "We have a potential security breach. Repeat, we have a potential security breach."
   • The guard who had drawn his blaster took a moment to gather his courage and stepped forward to block Maul's path. "I don't know who you are but you are in violation of..." The man never had the chance to finish his sentence.
   • Without even breaking his stride, The Sith-lord ignited the crimson blade of his Lightsaber and in one swift fluid motion sliced the man's blaster in half. Before the guard even had time to react, he completed the arc of the blade, impaling the unfortunate soldier in his abdomen. Maul didn't even pause to savor the man's death. He pivoted sharply, pulling the blade of the Light-saber from the dying guard and in the same motion completed a wicked cross-slash through the other soldier's chest, who had barely even had time to gape in surprise at the death of his companion before his own demise.
   • Maul flicked off the blade as he continued down the corridor at a calm unlabored pace, barely even paying attention to the twin thumps sounding behind him as the bodies fell to the floor. He could still here the now panicked voice of the security officer on the other end of the transmitter clutched in the dead guard's hand.
   • "...Bravo four, do you read me? What's going on up there? Bravo four? I thought I heard something that sounded like laser blasts. Bravo four where are you?..."
   • A few strides later he found himself facing a four-way intersection in the hallway. Once again, he relied on force, allowing his instincts to guide down the left corridor. He would need to find his prey quickly now as he could already hear the quick staccato of booted feet sounding though the halls. As he rounded the corner, the first of several other armored guards with his weapon drawn came racing down the hall in front of him.
   • "You, halt were you are!" The man called out challengingly.
   • In response, Darth Maul brought a hand forward in a quick thrusting motion that sent a wedge of the force crashing into the hapless soldier. The man flew backwards and struck the wall with such force that it left an indentation. Maul heard a sickening crunch as he toppled to the floor and remained motionless.
   • The Sith-lord took a few more measure paces before coming to a halt in the middle of another Corridor intersection. Within the concentrated focus of his anger, he could clearly feel the presence of the other soldiers, ten in all, as they moved to surround him from four different angles. Most were armed with high-powered energy blasters, but a few carried Vibro-lances as well. Maul could easily perceive their fear and uncertainty as they all nervously trained their weapons on him. It was only their numbers and confidence that he couldn't possibly defeat all of them that prevented the soldiers from breaking rank and running. Even so, none could meet his intense eyes and would involuntarily twitch backwards from him when his gaze turned their way.
   • "Identify yourself, immediately!" the man who was apparently the captain ordered forcefully.
   • Darth Maul ignored the Captain's demands, concentrating instead on sending waves of fear and confusion into the malleable minds of the soldiers surrounding him.
   • "I said to identify yourself!" Maul could feel the anger and terror behind the Captain's desperate demands, but still didn't bother to respond or even acknowledge the man's inquiries. In his experience he had learned that word with those who were not you equals was more often than not a complete waste of time. And these men were so far beneath him that wouldn't even have permitted them to lick his boots.
   • Maul took one more careful gaze around him to assure that he had sufficiently disoriented all of the guards to the point that they would be unable to effectively work together. He then let his eyes travel to a large crossbeam directly over a handful of the soldiers in the hall before him. He closed his eyes brief and reached out to the beam with his senses. It was heavy and wielded solidly in place and thus was quite resistant to his commands. However, fueled by his anger he tore at the bindings furiously until they slowly began to pull free.
   • "I'm giving you one last chance to answer my..." The Captain's words were cut off in mid-sentence as the large cross-been along with nearly a ton of plating, wiring and insulation came crashing down upon a handful of the guards. The distraction performed its job admirably, as the other seven soldiers all reacted to what they perceived as a new threat. For just a brief moment, they took their attention off of the Sith-lord. But that instant was more than enough time for Maul.
   • He crouched for a brief instant before launching into a flying somersault in the direction of the three closest guards. He ignited both ends of his double-sided Lightsaber while still hanging in the air and upon landing in the midst of the confused and frightened soldiers immediately set to work carving into their ranks.
   • The first fell to the floor in two separate pieces before he could even become fully aware of the threat. Maul reversed his grip on the handle, twirling the twin red blades wickedly before plunging one into the abdomen of his next opponent. The third guard in the group was beginning the recognize the new threat and moved to bring his blast to bear on the dark warrior. But, before the man could even finish turning around Darth Maul pivoted, using the momentum to launch vicious kick into the guard's face. The man's head snapped backwards as he slammed forcefully into the wall before crumpling in a pile on the ground.
   • The remaining soldiers were only now beginning to realize what had happened and reluctantly abandoned their brethren who had been buried underneath the debris. Moving to gain what cover that they could, given the circumstance, the remaining men opened fire on Maul.
   • Darth Maul growled silently in rage as bolts of energy began raining down around him. Riding the wave of hatred and anger, he brought his double-bladed weapon to bear with a flourish and began deflecting the blasts back at their source. He smiled cruelly as he saw one of the deflected bolts slam into the face of a guard who was still moving for cover. The man fell to the ground with a strangled scream of agony, his hands clutching uselessly at his ruined face. The dark warrior continued to advance inexorably on his opponents, all the while keeping their minds disoriented with a constant stream of fear and confusion.
   • Finally, the onslaught seemed to be too much for one of the soldiers who suddenly broke formation and began running down the hall from the fearsome horned visage of the Dark Lord. Maul quickly advanced on the two remaining men. In one smooth movement he ducked underneath another volley of fire spun sharply and extended a leg to sweep the feet out from underneath the closer guard. Maul came out of his crouch as the man landed heavily on his back with a small grunt of pain. That grunt then turned into a howl of agony as Maul pinned him to the ground with one of the crimson blades.
   • The Sith warrior turned his attention the final remaining guard as he pulled the Lightsaber from the body of his companion. The final guard, obviously convinced of the ineffectiveness of his blaster drew his Vibro-lance and, with trembling hands swung it in a clumsy slash at his attacker.
   • Maul easily dodged the attack and simply backed off, smiling disdainfully at his opponent. The soldier attempted a few more shaky attacks which Maul evaded with no effort what so ever, all the while making mocking gestures to further infuriate and disorient his would-be attacker.. He was enjoying himself greatly but reluctantly acknowledged that he didn't have the time to toy with his prey as he would have preferred. It was time to finish this confrontation.
   • Maul danced backwards from his opponent and pointed the one end of his Lightsaber towards the ground. He stared directly at the lone guard, his face, eyes, and stance conveying a look of utter disdain and amusement. He felt the guard's rage growing, blending beautifully with his terror. Maul reached out with his senses to nudge the man's anger along a little bit more, sending him beyond his breaking point.
   • With an inarticulate howl, the final soldier charged him, launching forward with a furious thrust of his lance. Maul spun his Lightsaber to parry the attack with a downward slash, cutting cleanly through the weapon. He then used his forward momentum from the downward slice to execute a frontal handspring over the defenseless guard, landing behind him. Before the man had even had the time to blink in surprise, Maul brought his blade about in a backward thrust that skewered the unprepared soldier from behind. The man looked down in confusion at the beam of red energy that had suddenly erupted from his chest before collapsing into a lifeless pile on the floor.
   • The Sith-lord turned off the blades of his weapon with a satisfied grunt. The entire confrontation had taken less than a minute and had not even caused him to break a sweat. He took another quick survey around the room at the carnage he had caused before moving off into one of the adjoining in a moderately brisk jog. He was moving more quickly now, allowing the urgency of the hunt to drive him along, as he stalked his prey. There was a large sealed door at the end of the hall and his instincts told him that it led to the private rooms of the Senators.
   • The door was thick enough and its locking mechanism sufficiently durable, that it was quicker for him to simply attempt to override the security codes at the control panel rather then using his Lightsaber or the Force to pry it open. Even so, he lost another minute before gaining access to the rooms. And then he was disappointed and enraged to find that the were empty.
   • His practiced eye scanned the room quickly taking in the important details. The Senators had departed in a great rush and within the last minute or so. He could see a few abandoned hands of Sabaac around a central table. In all likelihood, there was some type of secret emergency escape hatch located somewhere in each of the Senator's quarters. Maul had no doubt that each one was probably cleverly concealed and thus had no desire to waste any further time in searching for them. He could obtain the necessary information in other ways.
   • The Sithlord quickly returned to the hall where he had confronted the armed guards and after a quick scan found the one that he had left alive slowly regaining his senses and attempting to crawl away from him. Maul lifted his hand and seized the surviving soldier with a single flow of the force. The man watched in helpless terror as he was pulled swiftly across the floor by some unseen power into the waiting clutches of the dark warrior.
   • Maul seized him savagely by the throat and hoisted him two feet off of the ground, while at the same time pummeling and twisting his poor mind. He had no time for subtle Jedi mind tricks, opting instead to complete break the man's will to resist his commands.
   • "Where have the senators gone?" he asked while pinning the man with a malevolent glare.
   • The soldier choked and struggled involuntarily against the Sithlord's iron grip, but answered quickly enough. "The... Captain enacted safety.... protocols... Senators... used... evac routes..."
   • Maul tightened his grip before continuing. "Where do the evac routes lead?"
   • "Rear... hanger bay... escape ships located... in... in..."
   • Maul watched in disgust as the guard went limp in his hands before dropping him in a lifeless heap on the ground. He then whirled in fury and began an all out sprint for the rear section of the ship. He had to reach the hanger bay before the senators had the opportunity to escape, thus rendering his mission a complete failure. As he dashed madly through the halls, he heard the sounds of other troops calling out orders, yelling in surprise and grief as they stumbled onto the remains of a former comrade, and in general, trying desperately to regain control of the situation. Maul simply ignored or evaded them as he continued running. They were not his targets now, the Senators were.
   • His eyes caught sight of a door marked "Rear Hangar control tower", and quickly punched the activation panel. Inside was a room filled with monitors, display grids and control panels for the shields and armored doors to the entire bay. However, to his intense anger, he found that the room had not only been deserted but locked down as well so that none of the controls would respond to his commands. Such a precaution must have been a part of their security measures. Indubitable the bay was now being operated by a remote system in the possession of one to the security captains.
   • The Sithlord allowed his gaze to be drawn out of the large control tower window that overlooked the entire Hanger. Fighter craft and shuttles were lined up in neat orderly rows throughout the interior of the hanger. In the far right corner he could see a detachment of four guards hurrying three elegantly dressed and very distressed looking men into a shuttle with Republic markings. He quickly recognized them as three senators that he had been sent dispatch. The shuttle had already been prepped and was only waiting for the Senator's arrival before departing.
   • Maul's scowl deepened into a snarling expression. He unleashed his anger in a single violent strike the shattered the tower window, blasting fragments of the reinforced glass across the hanger floor. Two of the security guards whirled in alarm at the sudden noise. But, all the managed to see was a dark, shadowy form shoot out from the shattered remains of the control tower, before Darth Maul landed on the cold metal surface of the Hanger bay floor, double-bladed Lightsaber already ignited, and launched a furious assault on them.
   • The two guards desperately opened fire upon him, trying to at least marginally slow his advance. Maul simply deflected the blasts with his and quickly moved against the closer guard, neatly slicing him across the abdomen before moving onto to the next soldier. The other two guards had managed to finished ferrying the senators aboard the ship and were now coming to the aid of their comrades.
   • "Take off immediately!! Get the Senators out of here!!" One guard yelled up the ramp of the shuttle. The ramp began to close in response, the ship slowly lifting off the ground as it did so.
   • Another guard fell to the ground with a howl as he caught a deflected laser blast in his chest. The remaining two soldiers began to slowly retreat for cover while keeping up a constant barrage of laser fire. Maul gave them no quarter. With a diving roll, he was on top of the two men, his twin whirling blades easily defending him from their weapons. A quick downward stroke dispatched one of the men, who was then joined by his friend when Maul completed the form, imbedding the weapon's other blade in the guard's throat.
   • As the last man fell limply to the ground, the Sithlord flicked off his Lightsaber's power and quickly turned his attention to the escaping shuttle. Once again, he felt his rage and anger growing, endowing him with power him more and more each moment. He had not come all this way to fail on his assignment and there was no chance that he was going to let that shuttle get away from him. Gathering his strength and empowered by his own raging emotions, Darth Maul executed a six-meter vertical leap to land on the roof of the departing shuttle.
   • He quickly began to run across the surface of the ship's exterior, intent on reaching the cockpit, when his instincts suddenly screamed for him to drop into a prone form. The moments after Maul complied he felt a sudden buzz of energy ignite directly above him, as the Ship's shields were activated. The Sithlord was effectively pinned in the space between the cold metal surface of the shuttle and the blazing energy field, which no surrounded the craft in a protective bubble.
   • He tilted his head upward slightly to see that the ship was slowly moving towards the open cargo bay doors. Even within the protective bubble of the ship's shield he knew that he would be unable to survive the cold void of space. He also knew that he would need more room to maneuver than was presently available to him to be able to successful cut through the ship's hull. His mind whirled frantically, trying to divine a solution for his current dilemma before the shuttle reached the entrance and he ran out of time.
   • Maul slowly slithered forward, trying his best to keep his body underneath the invisible wall of energy that floated mere inches above his head. He had to reach the cockpit of the ship, he would have a chance. The Sithlord hissed softly as his right shoulder blade made contact with the shield, burning away chunks of cloth and flesh. Maul quickly buried the pain, as he had done many times before and would undoubtedly do yet many times again. He disciplined his mind back into a sharp focus once again, concentrating completely and totally on the task at hand.
   • Maul allowed his eyes to glance over at the hanger entrance and quickly gauged the distance. He then did the same for the cockpit of the shuttle and with a sickening sensation realized that he wasn't going to make it in time. A small slither of fear slowly entered into his consciousness, but he quickly buried it and tried to regain his anger. However, the panic on the edges of his concentration was beginning to shake his focus. Darth Maul continued to instinctively fight against the encroaching terror but found that that only caused him to continue to loose concentration and grasp on the force.
   • As his focus began to slip, his mind started to slowly wander over his past memories. Impression's and flashes of his youth before being taken to the Jedi temple passed through his mind. Memories of training underneath the likes of Mace Windu and Yoda, thought he seriously doubted that they would remember him by now, clouded in his consciousness. For some reason, one image of Yoda continued replaying itself in his mind. The memory of him lecturing on the danger of fear.
   • "Fear," the wizened mental image iterated forcefully, "is the path to the dark side. If allow it to control you, you do, hate, anger, and suffering it will bring."
   • Suddenly, the image seemed to be overlaid with another memory, that of Darth Sidious training him, teaching him how to use his anger, hatred, and other emotions the Jedi had always warned against to gain power.
   • Fear, Maul thought in a moment of dawning comprehension. Fear leads to the dark side.
   • The shuttle continued to gain speed as it neared the Hanger doors, but Maul had ceased the notice as him mind continued to try to complete this new concept. The dark side is control. Fear leads to control.
   • Fear, he thought in amazement as the final pieces clicked together, fear is my ally.
   • They amazement of this new revelation was quickly swept away as the Sithlord saw that they were now only fifteen meters from the Hanger entrance. No longer fighting his fear but instead focusing it into a tight knot of concentration, Maul grasped desperately at the force and was immediately filled with the familiar burning rush of power. Fueled by his terror and desperation, he seized a metal grove with both hands and heaved himself forwards. Levitated slightly off the surface by the force, Maul's form streaked across the hull of the shuttle until he came to a stop on the glass plated surface of the cockpit.
   • In a single blurred movement the Sithlord pulled his Lightsaber from his belt and position it perpendicular to the glass surface, the nozzle resting against the glass itself. The pilot seated directly underneath had just begun to glance upwards at what could have impacted against his ship when Maul ignited the blade. The single beam of energy sliced cleanly though the window before imbedding itself between the eyes of a very surprised pilot.
   • The man continued to stare uncomprehendingly upwards as he slumped over the controls of the craft. His limp body bumped the flightstick, sending them off coarse. The ship tilted drunkenly, caused the left wing to scrape across the surface of the hanger floor. From there, the shuttle began to pin violently out of control.. Maul could see that they were heading in a collision course with a nearby fighter.
   • He desperately reached out with his senses to the control panel beneath him. Within a few moments he had found the controls for the ship shields and deactivated them. Maul immediately felt the energy around him sizzle, then dissipate completely. Leaping quickly to his feet, the Sithlord barely sparred his surroundings another glance before leaping clear of the doomed vessel. As he sailed through the air, he felt the heat of the explosion from the two colliding ships.
   • Maul hit the ground and rolled quickly to his feet before he took off in a dead sprint for the hangar doors leading back into the cruiser. The explosion from the collision was already setting off a chain reaction of detonations that leapt from ship to ship. He could feel the heat from the explosions intensifying as they gained on him slowly. Darth Maul redoubled his efforts at speed in an attempt to reach the hanger doors. Suddenly, his instincts once again prompted him to make a quick side-step maneuver just in time to dodge a chunk of burning debris spewed towards him from the explosion of another ship.
   • Maul watched as the block of metal struck the ground, fragmenting into several smaller pieces. He reached out with the force once again to grab one of these smaller chunks and sent it smashing into the control panel by the hanger door, causing it to open, just in time for him to dive through. Behind him, the entire hanger had turned into on giant conflagration, incinerating all who remained within.
   • Maul dashed down a few more hallways before he finally allowed himself to come to a halt. The dark warrior paused for a moment to take stock of his current condition. His shoulder ached fiercely where it had brushed against the shield of the Republic escape shuttle, and he had a varied assortment of minor cuts and bruises. Overall, however, he had managed to complete the first and more difficult phase of his mission with out any significant injuries. He would have preferred to kill the three senators face to face, but he supposed that dead was dead and it didn't really make that much of a difference. And in this way he had even managed to completely disable one of their hangers, thus making it easier on him to accomplish the task of clean up afterwards.
   • The Sithlord allowed another cruel smile to play across his features as the intoxicating flush of victory coursed though his system. He had accomplished the task, which he had been sent to do. Now, all that remained was for him to make a quick visit to the core reactor before he returned to his Infiltrator. After all, he had to ensure that he left no evidence behind.
   • Darth Sidious sat silently in his chair, carefully appraising his apprentice's report on his latest mission. Sidious had not been disappointed by his pupil's performance. Darth Maul had managed to complete the task admirably. He was proving to be a more and more reliable ally every day.
   • "…after I sabotaged the Argenthas's main reactor, I simply returned to the Infiltrator then fell back to a safe position and waited. Within a few moments the ship began to erupt in a series of explosions. All aboard were killed." The younger Sith declared with confidence.
   • "Are you certain that none were able to escape?" Sidious asked. He had to be certain that this crime could never be traced back to them.
   • "I am certain my master." Maul replied solemnly. "I had managed to disable on of their hangers completely. Once the Argenthas began breaking up a few more escape shuttles were launched from the other two hangers, but I experienced no difficulty in eliminating them."
   • The dark master considered his pupil's word for a few moments before finally nodding in agreement. "You have done well my apprentice. Now go and reflect on what you have learned today."
   • "Yes, my master." Darth Maul bowed respectfully then turned to leave his master in silence.
   • Sidious watched as the younger Sith slowly left the room. He had no doubt that his student would immediately return to his private quarters and spend the next several hours in concentrated training, carefully analyzing the difficulties that he may have encountered on the mission and developing new strategies to better deal with such challenges. Maul was truly developing into a formable opponent. Sidious knew of very few Jedi within the temple that would be capable of defeating him in single combat.
   • More importantly, Maul had once again proven his usefulness by successfully completing an important assignment. It was paramount to his plans that those three Correllian senators had been eliminated so as to better set the stage within the Imperial senate. Next week, a new bill would be introduced to the Imperial Senate for the taxation of the trade routes to the outlying systems within the Republic. Correllia had presented the greatest threat in the form of a major opponent to the bill.
   • Correllians were heavily involved within the shipping industry, as their home world manufacture the most well known freighter within the Republic. In fact, just this past year, the Correllian shipping industries taken a gamble by investing a large share of money in producing their latest model, the YT-1300. With the currently precarious position the effects that the proposed tax law would have on their industry could easily bring about financial ruin. Thus, the Correllian Senators had put aside their differences with some rivals in the Senate to form a united coalition against the new tax proposals. Together, they may have been capable of defeating the measure, but without Correllia at their head, the tenuous alliance would tumble into oblivion.
   • When Correllia discovered that their Senators were missing, they would of course move for a delay of the bill until the Senators could be located. The motion would be granted of course, for a week, at most. Correllia would unfortunately have its hands tied for month in the complex political process of selecting new representatives. By that time, however, the bill would have gained far too much momentum for them to be able to do anything about it. They would only be able to sit back and watch in frustration, all the while cursing fate for their bad fortune.
   • Darth Sidious smiled in dark satisfaction. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Now, he had but to convince that slithery Viceroy of the Trade Federation that once the bill passed in the Senate, he would have no other recourse but to ally himself to the Sith, a task that would require little true effort.
   • Yes, everything was going exactly according to plan.
   • fine
   • una scimmia mangia una banana ogni mezz'ora.