In all honesty, Obi-wan had no idea what had drawn him to this backwater planet to begin with. Lotho Minor was all of a pit stop for freighters and other ships to dump their trash: it was literally an endless junkyard of rusting metal and rotting foodstuffs. Despite the planet's less-than-attractive features, Obi-wan had landed his ship on the shifting piles of garbage. He'd promised himself that he'd only step outside for a brief moment to stretch his legs and go through a few breathing exercises. Taking a walk was out of the question: it'd be too easy to get lost in the miles of rubbish surrounding his small ship (especially on a virtually unknown planet), and even with the help of the Force guiding him it would be difficult navigating the trash heaps.

As he opened the steel-reinforced glass that encased the cockpit, Obi-wan recoiled as the smell of rotting food assaulted his nostrils. Honestly, he thought, I really should have ignored the pull of the Force. Whatever's here isn't worth the trouble.

Despite his doubts, Obi-wan felt the niggling pull of the Force again. He sighed and jumped out of the ship, landing with a crunch. He felt something ooze onto his sock and looked down in consternation. Obi-wan shuddered at the slimy feeling of an unknown fluid welling about his ankles. He quickly stepped out of the puddle of goo (oil, perhaps?) and began rolling out his tense shoulders and kicking out his legs to loosen them up. If there's one thing I dislike about flying, it's the aches and pains that come from sitting still in that suffocating cockpit for so long. After a few more minutes of stretching, Obi-wan began to clamber back into the ship. Time to leave this miserable planet behind.

As he lowered himself back into the cockpit, Obi-wan felt another tug from the Force, insistent and niggling. The last time I ignored the Force like this I ended up facedown in a puddle of cowshit. ...Dammit.

Obi-wan hauled himself out of the ship. Whatever the Force intends... I already know this will be terrible. He began to follow the pull of the Force, letting the tendril lead him due south. As Obi-wan walked (stumbled, more like. The ground was heaped with trash and there were dangerous holes and pitfalls to avoid) he noted that there was a familiar presence in the Force that began to echo in his mind, pulling him further south and more urgently (it seemed to like a soft whisper at first, a southsouthsouth, but as he followed the Force it morphed into a shout, a steady: SOUTHSOUTHSOUTH). The presence was dark, brooding. Dangerous and flighty. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Obi-wan felt as if a ghost were breathing down the back of his neck. The presence was familiar...but skewered. Like it'd been twisted, deformed since he'd last felt it. Who is it? They're familiar, and I know I've sensed this presence before…

Reality hit Obi-wan like a sack of bricks.

"No," he gasped in shock, "it can't be! He died on Naboo!" It must be a mistake. He was DEAD! And I only felt his presence for a moment...it'd be easy to forget…(in the back of his mind, though, Obi-wan knew he'd never forget the Force signature of the creature that had killed master Qui-Gon.)

Caught midway between panic and thought, Obi-wan did not notice how the Force presence began to draw near, shivering and quaking. All he felt was a growing pressure in the fabric of the Force, and restlessness, full of rage and- THINK! Think! ...Kenobi, calm down.

Blinking, Obi-wan drew in a deep breath, found his center, and finally noticed the figure approaching. It seemed small still, outlined on the horizon, but Obi-wan knew he'd have to hide quickly.

Masking his force-presence, Obi-wan ducked beneath an overhang of garbage and waited for the creature to arrive. If I'm in luck, Darth Maul won't know what's coming. Grimly, Obi-wan put a hand to the hilt of his lightsaber.

Maul's approach took a lot longer than Obi-wan expected, and by the time he arrived, the light had begun to fade, casting eerie shadows along the ground.

Obi-wan took a moment to take in the appearance of his opponent as he crested the hill: jagged horns marred his forehead (before, they'd been smaller, more contained, probably filed, thought Kenobi distantly) and he seemed to dip and bounce a bit as he walked, almost like-

Obi-wan grimaced. Maul's lower torso had been patched together with what seemed to be spare parts: six legs jutted out awkwardly from a spider-like abdomen that twitched this way and that. Revolting. Guess his legs didn't quite make it.

As Maul approached, Obi-wan noted how he gestured around and about, muttering and exclaiming nonsense to the sky. His metal legs shone dully in the light, clanking this way and that. With dawning horror, Obi-wan realized that Maul was raving to no one but himself. Before he was powerful, frightening...but this is pathetic. He's gone mad.

Obi-wan watched as the once graceful creature scuttled back and forth, clutching at his head and growling about what sounded like 'revenge' and 'mercy' and 'brother' and 'Jedi', all in one long stream of nonsense.

I should have left the planet while I had the chance.

Obi-wan wanted to step out from the shadows, finish the job he'd started all those years ago on Naboo, end this pitiful monster's life, but found that he was frozen in place. His own Force presence flickered in annoyance (it had been years since he'd last hesitated) and Maul paused mid-sentence, yellow eyes hooded and glittering as he swayed back and forth, sniffing the air.

Suddenly, a wave of rage hit Obi-wan full in the face. It bowled him over, almost, seething and gnawing at the corners of his mind. For a moment, he felt lost in a storm of darkness: an angry ocean of greys and blues swirling about him, yanking at his robes, reaching up towards his throat to rip and tear. Then Obi-wan found his center, and the darkness was repelled from his mind. He stepped into the clearing just as Maul ran forwards, snapping his jaw and howling madly.

Obi-wan had his lightsaber out instantly, blazing and ferocious.

Heedless of the weapon, Maul dove over Obi-wan's head, stabbing at him with spearlike projections at the ends of his legs. With a belated curse, Obi-wan spun his lightsaber and in a shower of sparks, Maul's legs fell out from under him (an ironic twist of fate that made Obi-wan wince, just a bit).

Maul gave a surprised sort of screech, golden eyes wide and uncomprehending as he scrabbled for balance. Despite his efforts, Maul tipped over and fell with a thud, as what was left of his legs convulsed and dripped molten metal in dull splatters onto the dirt.

Obi-wan retreated a few steps away, watching Maul struggle.

Maul hissed at him. "Ssscum! I'll have you dead, I will! I'll destroy you, Jedi!"

And he began to claw his way through the rubble towards Obi-wan, dragging his metal half behind him in a chilling echo of some dying, distraught animal. Maul continued to sputter, deranged and out of control as Obi-wan waited for him to approach.

Dammit, Obi-wan thought, I'm not allowed to kill a defenseless creature. Not by the way of the Jedi code...although… He narrowed his eyes at Maul, who continued dragging himself forward inch by painful inch. I think I'll have to disobey the codes this time.

...I'll make it quick.

Obi-wan sprung forward, slicing his lightsaber down, intending to behead Maul and end it, but at the very last moment Maul lurched to the side, and instead of killing him Obi-wan found his lightsaber embedded in his robotic abdomen. Maul screamed then, though not in pain, and he curled in on himself, hands grasping and groping for the handle of the saber.

Obi-wan got there first, but by the time he turned to deal the killing blow, Maul had scrambled away, whimpering under his breath.

"Mercy! Mercy!" Maul wailed, one hand clawing at his face. "Mercy! Please!"

Obi-wan stared at the pathetic, trembling creature before him, whose legs continued to twitch uselessly in the dust.

...Dammit.

Obi-wan powered his saber off and strode towards Maul, lifting him up by the collar.

Maul snarled and spat in his face, shoving him away wildly with one arm. "Don't touch me, Jedi scum!"

Obi-wan felt for the creature's temple, and with one heavy handed smack and a tiny Force suggestion, knocked Maul out.

Maul went limp and loose in his arms. Obi-wan let him thud to the ground. Bastard deserves at least that much.

Staring at Maul lying prone on in the dirt, Obi-wan knew that he couldn't leave him there. The man would starve: Obi-wan could count his ribs, which indicated that he was already food-deprived (food was clearly scarce here, and Obi-wan hadn't seen any natural resources). Obi-wan heaved a sigh. "Well, I can't exactly tow you back to the ship when you have half a ton of metal soldered into your skin."

So, with a measure of satisfaction, Obi-wan finished slicing off Maul's abdomen for the second time in his life.

By the time Obi-wan had managed to restrain Maul's limp body in the passenger seat of his ship, Maul was coming-to.

"Uurrghhh…" Maul moaned. His arm twitched.

Obi-wan grumbled. "Be quiet."

Upon hearing his voice, Maul's bloodshot eyes opened wide. "You?!" He choked out.

"Yes," Obi-wan agreed, "me."

Maul jerked in his restraints then, sharp teeth nearly clamping around Kenobi's throat in a vise, and Obi-wan pulled back just in time.

"You're a handful, aren't you, Maul?"

Maul snapped his yellowed teeth at the Jedi. Obi-wan resisted the urge to punch his face. Be calm, he told himself. Find your center. A few deep breaths later, and he felt himself relax.

Obi-wan finished tying on the last of the restraints and settled himself into the pilot's chair.

I already regret this, dammit.

And then he soared off into the star-filled sky.

Time to fly to Coruscant.

Fifteen minutes later and Obi-wan was close to losing his damn mind.

His prisoner (what else was the Zabrak, really, at this point?) had not ceased in muttering and mumbling under his breath: cursing the Jedi Order, swearing he'd kill Kenobi, reciting an endless list of those who had done him wrong... Obi-wan gritted his teeth.

I regret not gagging him. Although he'd probably end up choking on the thing.

"And then Maul'll bite their fingers off, oh yess, and Maul will lick up all the blood, and they'll scream and Maul won't like it, so Maul will slice their heads off and eat them and-" (Maul's litany continued on, but for the sake of the reader it's been excluded here.)

Obi-wan finally lost his patience (ironic that a Jedi would lose his patience to a Sith of all people.)

"Shut up."

Maul paused for a moment. And then- "Oooohhhhh, it seems like the pathetic little Jedi doesn't like to hear Maul ssspeaking, does he? Ehehe, Maul thinks that sssuits a silly, whimpering little Jedi. Stupid Kenobi!" Darth Maul barked. "He's dense like his tall Jedi master, isn't he?" Maul cackled. "The master was so weak, so stup-"

"Maul, if you don't shut up, I'll make you shut up." Obi-wan let himself fall prey to his rage- just a little. It's not like I'm actually going to hurt him. But intimidation can work wonders, although on Maul-

The Zabrak began to laugh, raspy and loud. "Make me? Make me?" He wheezed. "No, a spineless creature like you...ahahah...ahahahah...pfffttttt...stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

Obi-wan snapped. This is it. I'm going to strangle him. I'm going to give in to my anger, I'll smash his windpipe, invert it… he twisted in his seat, ready to snuff out Maul's life...

Then a realization hit him, and Obi-wan took a steadying breath. He turned back around (Maul was facing the back of the ship, and so was unable to see Kenobi) and ignored the Zabrak's cackling. That was close. His entire Force presence...it was influencing me. Making it easier to succumb to rage. Maul...it's as if he wants death…

Obi-wan piloted the ship forwards in silence.

Obi-wan did, eventually, put a gag over Maul's mouth. The Zabrak was too loud: tried to piss him off with taunts, and even when he wasn't doing that he was mumbling incoherent nothings under his breath. It was irritating, and Obi-wan needed a few moments of peace and quiet so he wouldn't snap again. So the Jedi wrapped a swath of linen around Maul's head, effectively gagging him. As an afterthought, he also secured Maul's head to the headrest, effectively pinning him. Kenobi preferred not to be headbutted by a creature with six inch long horns that had also (conveniently) completely lost its marbles.

Although the Zabrak made noises of anger and malcontent, Obi-wan ignored his growling. After a few minutes, Maul quieted, and the cockpit fell silent, save for the occasional beep from the radar.

Hours passed, and Kenobi could feel himself tiring. Time for a pit stop. Let's see...we're about two hours away from Tatooine...We'll spend the night there and move on to Coruscant tomorrow.

Tatooine was just as miserably hot as Obi-wan remembered it. Within the first hour of docking his ship, he'd begun to feel the beginnings of a sunburn on the back of his neck.

Fortunately, though, before the burn could worsen, Obi-wan retreated to the shade provided by a desolate looking string of buildings that had a faded sign by the roadside proclaiming, 'Best Motel in All of Tatooine!'

Obi-wan entered, breathing a sigh of relief as chilled air embraced him. He booked a motel room (the sleepy receptionist droned on and on about rules that Kenobi could not care less about), got the room keys, inspected the it (removing anything that could be used as a weapon), and then went to fetch Maul.

Maul appeared to be asleep in his chair when Obi-wan arrived. His eyes were closed and his breathing was soft, gentle, even. He looked exhausted. Obi-wan removed the cloth that was covering his mouth, wrinkling his nose. The Zabrak's mouth appeared to be full of open sores: likely a dietary problem. Not enough vitamins, or something.

"Maul." Obi-wan prodded him in the arm.

"Ghhhnnnnrrphhh…." Maul mumbled, and twitched.

"Maul."

"Piss off…" Maul groaned. "Go away, Savage, lemme sleep…"

Savage? Interesting… "I'm not a savage, Maul, I'm a Jedi."

A few seconds passed, and then Maul's eyes shot open, blinking at him rapidly as he growled, "Fuck off, Kenobi."

"No, Maul. I've booked a motel."

"And?" snarled Maul, "What's that got to do with me?"

"I'm going to take you to the motel. You are going to behave, and eat dinner without protest. Then, I am going to restrain you again. Understood?"

Maul spat in his face, and Obi-wan jerked backwards to avoid the spittle.

Obi-wan sighed. At least he's relatively coherent now. Before he was a stuttering mess.

"If you resist me or try to escape, I am going to tie you back up and will not let you loose again until we reach our destination."

Maul stared at Kenobi, obviously unimpressed with his threats. Well, thought Obi-wan belatedly, I should have expected that.

He carefully untied the Zabrak, making sure to tie his hands behind his back. As Obi-wan leaned over Maul to tighten the knot binding his hands (an incredibly stupid idea that Kenobi would've regretted if things went poorly), Maul lurched forwards, smashing his face and horns into Obi-wan's torso. Obi-wan pushed Maul away and flung himself backwards, cursing, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber. Maul fell to the floor, twisting, and hit his head with an audible crack. He jerked once and passed out.

Obi-wan relaxed. That went a lot better than it could have. Although I'll be pissed if he's gotten a concussion. That will keep us from getting back to Coruscant quickly.

Ten minutes later, Obi-wan had managed to drag the semi-conscious, moaning Zabrak into the motel room (despite being only half of the normal body weight for a Zabrak and unusually bony, Maul was heavy). He set him down on a rickety chair, tying his hands behind the back of it so Maul wouldn't be able to move them. Obi-wan began to take out the food he'd brought: a few ration bars, an orange, and a bottle of water. Not much, but enough for a short trip. Obi-wan hadn't planned on taking a prisoner. In fact, he'd only been out to visit the mountain range west of Oberos on Xanathos: there were rumors of an ancient power dwelling there, and Obi-wan wanted to see if it was a Sith hideout. It hadn't been, and instead he found a Sith wandering among piles of garbage on Lotho Minor.

Obi-wan looked up from the food on the table when a low groan echoed through the air. The Force rippled slightly, aching and raw. Maul opened his eyes. "Where- where the hell…?"

Obi-wan sighed. "The motel room. The one I booked."

Maul glared at him groggily, silent.

Obi-wan gestured to the food. "If you promise to behave I'll let you feed yourself."

"How many people saw you drag me through the streets unconscious?" Maul sounded indignant.

Obi-wan shrugged. May as well play along. He seems calmer now, at least. "Only a few."

Maul growled, and Obi-wan felt the Force fluctuate angrily. "How disgraceful." He spat.

Obi-wan sighed. "I doubt they knew who you were. Probably thought you were just some drunk."

"Just some drunk?" The Zabrak was fuming.

"Yes. Are you hungry?"

"No." Maul's stomach growled, and he looked away, embarrassed.

Obi-wan snorted. "Of course you aren't." He Force-shoved a wrapper-free rations bar towards the Zabrak, letting it rasp softly against the grain of the table. Maul looked down at with an expression of disgust and anger.

After a few moments of silence, Maul inquired sulkily, "Am I going to have to eat it like some dog, Kenobi?"

"No." Obi-wan stood and untied one arm from the knot binding it to the back of the chair.

Maul growled and took a tentative bite of the rations bar. He chewed, wincing (Obi-wan would bet one hundred credits that it was because of the weeping sores on his gums). After a few more small bites, Maul practically inhaled it, glaring at Obi-wan all the while, as if threatening him to comment. Kenobi kept his mouth shut and instead poured two glasses of water. He set one down near Maul and took a sip from his own.

Maul drained his glass of water within seconds. Obi-wan raised his eyebrow at him.

"Would you like some more?"

Maul didn't reply, frowning at him.

Obi-wan sighed and poured him another glass.

Maul drank this one slower, seeming to savor it. Once he'd finished it, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Obi-wan ate his own rations bar and orange quietly, watching him and counting.

It took less than five minutes for the Zabrak's breathing to even out and deepen.

Obi-wan suppressed a snort and went about securing Maul for the night.