Back to Power - Chapter 2

In Space - Scimitar

He longed to be free.. It was what every Sith wanted - to be so strong that they could be free - So wanted he. Never before in his life had he been free to do what he wanted. There was always someone to show loyalty - someone to own him. When he was a very young child, it was to his mother, then when she thrown him out to the streets it was to the leader of a local gang - then to his Master and anyone his master wanted him to serve.

He needed a place to hide - A place where he could train and live for the time being until the Jedi and the Sith finished each other. He needed a disguise. He searched the records of a person that was not known if dead or alive - MIA if possible. He didn´t care Jedi or Sith. He needed to hide.

That blasted brat was still in the books of the living. He had failed in that regard - however his time would come in time. Patience was the thing that was always stressed in his training and now he was glad that it had been. He could be as patient as was must.

Then he founded it. Darth Revan. A Jedi Master and A Sith Lord. How peculiar. He could be both or neither. And that mask.. How well indeed. But first he needed to find this Revan person. if the data was correct he was buried in Deralia, or at least so the information he had available suggested. That had been his home planet and as so he would be buried there if he was dead.

The records stated that Deralia was the home planet of the programmed identity. So - he had first been a Jedi Master. Then had turned been reprogrammed - then the Jedi had taken him and reprogrammed him again and then he was a Jedi again.

He was recorded as missing in action to both sides. But at the same time, both sides were thinking about the possibility of Revan being dead. Revan could turn the tide of this war. To the Darkness or to the Light. Now the only things needed to decide were - where to go before going to Deralia, If Revan was not in Deralia he would be in Korriban.. Destroying the Sith.

He needed medical attention and he still had to disguise himself under the armor that Revan wore. Also the possibility of Revan being actually alive was intriguing. if he was alive, why was he not with the Jedi or with the Sith. Maybe it was suspicion from both sides. Also after the rule of two had been made everything would fit. First they had Maul and Sidious, now they had Sidious, Dooku and that Blasted General of Dooku´s.

There were also the Nightsisters. So there would be no place for Revan - Unless. Maul was dead - at least believed to be so. So what would be better than Revan to kill Sidious and take his place. This war was unnecessary, Maul thought.

Sidious wanted new apprentice. Better than him or Dooku. But who would this person be was truly the question to be asked.

He programmed coordinates for the hyperdrive. He needed to meditate about this problem.

After meditating about the problem for a long time he headed back to the cockpit. He needed more information. According to it Revan was in three places: Korriban, Deralia or in the Unknown Regions where he had taken refuge in after all had ended for him.

He also took a look of his abilities. As he discovered - Revan was the master of all forms - Dark and Light, also he had very good - excellent control of the force and was a brilliant tactician - so if he was alive, this was going to be a problem. He needed to train, and to get to that level he needed a master. A master with those qualities that he was after. If Revan was alive that would be good - then he would have a new master.

Next he studied about the Unknown Regions. Beyond the regions edge lay the hyperspace disturbance beyond the edge of the galaxy which would move him to the other side of the galaxy.. To the Wild Space.

If he headed to the Unknown Regions he needed to be careful - He would if he had to go, start his search in 244Core. It was the first planet in the list of planets in the unknown Regions so that would be a good place to start after going to Korriban and Deralia.

He had decided that Tatooine would suffice in finding a medic. In there he would not be too noticeable as it was the hole where everything bad in the galaxy gathered to spoil themselves. The Hutts controlled the planet and so, it would serve as a safe haven for him.

Tatooine - Mos Eisley

Maul stiffly walked in the streets - discreetly trying to find a place where someone would patch him up without any problems or alerting Sidious. His influence was wide. Even in here he culled feel his hand reaching to the planet and controlling subtly.

Finally after exhausting himself by walking over three hours in the sun he found the place. A small clinic - maintained by a woman that was a former slave and so knew how to keep her mouth shut.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"I am in need of a medical assistance. Also someone needs to complete my tattoos after I am completely healed." Maul said. He read her mind and uncovered that her name was Shmi, She had a son named Anakin - who had a familiar presence - who the Jedi he had killed earlier had taken to the Jedi Temple to be a Jedi - Something about a Chosen One.

"Okay - Just trough this door over here." The woman leaded him into a small sterile room with a medical bed in the center. Medical droids were over the place as well as a bacta tank and supplies.

"Please remove your clothes so that I can see the wound." The woman said. Pleasing her, he removed his heavy over robe, his tunic, the hard leather long vest and rest of his clothes until he was standing in front of her, only in his boxers.

"Please sit on the bed." The woman said - as he complied - she took a medical scanner and waived it in front of him.

"You have internal bleeding, broken ribs, deep wound in your leg and few other scrapes and bumps. And then there´s always this hole over here." As she said that she slightly pressed to the wound that was in his chest.

"How have you treated these wounds?"

"Bacta tank and bacta bandages."

"Nothing more.. huh. Well we need to open you up. I will put you into a sleep and then after it to the batch tank. After that we can think about the tattoos. It will take at least a week, until you are fully healed. It depens of your healing rate." The woman said and then took a syringe from one of the cabinets.

Maul had laid on the bed fully now. The painkillers had worn off hours ago. He was tired and sore. He wanted to be rid of this blasted weakness that made him unable to train or do anything really. He could have died if he hand´t gotten treatment earlier like he had.

The Woman pushed the needle of the syringe into his arm and started to gently press at the end so that the medicine inside would flow gently to his vains.

"Don´t talk about me to anyone." He said to the woman and gazed steadily until the syringe was taken away and his head started to spin. He wasn´t asleep yet, but soon he would be.

"This will hurt slightly. Try to swallow as they go allright." The woman said and came to him with two different size tubes. She gently opened his mouth and using a light guided the bigger tube into his lungs, reflex forced him to gag, but he denied the body of his the pleasure of coughing the tube out. He knew that this was necessary in order for him to breathe if something went wrong.

The thinner tube was guided from his nose to his stomach. It would drain any fluid in there so that they could operate the area. Now his head started to feel quite too heavy and so he succumbed to sleep.

"Lars, will you come and help me!" Shmi shouted form the operation room. This would need two pairs of hands. She wasn´t sure if the original lung could be healed, but in that case Lars could put bionic one into it´s place.

He came to the operating room and saw the tattooed body on the bed. He looked dead - No one should survive those kinds of wounds.. At least not a normal human being. He saw the horns that made a crown in his head - A Zabrak then.

Shmi opened the Zabrak up and saw the inner damage that was worse than what she had originally thought.

"You start on his leg. I´ll take care of his innards. I think he may need a bionic lung."

"Is it really that bad? Zabracs are notorious with being excellent healers."

"Yes it is. His lung is damaged, his ribs are broken and second of his hearts has suffered damage, also the blood vessels need care."

"His leg isn´t that bad. It´s a blaster wound that is almost healed. Although it does need operating. It feels like there is something lodged inside his thigh." (AN: He fell into a trash pile!)

"Well let´s get on with this." Shmi said.

They operated on Maul for many hours. Taken occasional breaks when the situation and fatigue became too much. Finally after 8 hours of operating they could move him into the bacta tank. He hand´t needed the bionic lung and a piece of plastic that had been lodged into his thigh had been removed without any problems.

After being two days in there they moved him into the bed and placed various medical instrument over his body so that they would know if any complications rose.

Maul woke up next day. He mentally assessed everything. There was a needle in his arm, which kept him hydrated. Tubes went into his mouth and from there to his lungs and stomach - keeping him from being hungry.

Hearth monitor - two infect kept count of his pulses and bacta patches covered his injuries so that the healing would be completed.

"I see you are awake. I suggest that you sleep a little more. Tomorrow we can take all the tubes and so long of you." Shmi said to him and checked his pulse again from his wrists this time.

As he slept he dreamed of Revan and the Mandalorian Mask. It was not just a mask he realized. It had many purposes other than being the mantel of the leader. It gave insight - insight that was long lost to many people - good and bad.

Next time he woke up Shmi was on his side taking out all the medical equipment.

"You may still feel stabs of pain and weakness. But it will disappear in time. And it is no wonder, you could have died."

"What about the tattoos?" Maul asked, he wanted to know if Shmi could do them. Shmi was force sensitive and that was one of the reasons that she was such a good healer.

Also because she was relatively innocent (hand´t done anything bad) the tattoos she would made would be stronger than the ones that Sidious had done. They would protect him better.

"I know how to do tattoos." Shmi said.

"Good, let's get on to it." Maul said and started to dress after all the medical equipment had been taken care of. He dressed slowly, flexing his muscles so that they wouldn't be so stiff for the lack of exercise lately.

He led Shmi back to the reception room and left bunch of credits to the counter.

"Follow me. We can´t do them here." Maul said and led Shmi outside. In there he called bloodfin to him by his wrist controller.

"Where are we going?" Shmi asked, curious.

"To my ship. I have the necessary equipment there, you will also payed handsomely, to ensure your silence and to pay you of your services. You have done well." Maul said. He normally never complimented anyone, not that he had much reason to. Most people he associated before were either people he had to kill or his master and his quests.

Finally Bloodfin came and Maul stepped in.

"Well?" Maul said and Shmi stepped behind him. Regardless of his passenger he started the powerful machine and so there were out of there, Shmi had immediately placed her hands around his middle so that she wouldn't fall off.

After driving 15 minutes they came to his ship. They stepped off and moved in.

"I first tell you how you must do it." Maul said, they were in the lounge.

"You must use these pincers. They are a living life form, yes, But they are different, because my tattoos are different than the normal ones many have." Mauul said.

Finally they were at the medical bay - Maul was hanging again from the restraints and Shmi was standing uncertainly next to him, one pincer at hand.

"Just follow the line. It doesn't matter if you hurt me. Sometimes things hurt." Maul said and tried to relax in the posture he was in. Shmi hesitantly used the pincers to continue the lines that were damaged. Starting with his leg.

The pincers automatically channeled the force of the user to create poison and ink of the one that touched them - It burned - But Maul could handle it the first time, this time wasn´t any different.

Finally after 2 hours of precise work they were finally done. They were back at the lounge, Shmi was drinking tea and Maul was meditating.

Shmi instinctively knew that it would be rude to interrupt something that was so peaceful. maul was sitting on a pedestal, near the window looking out to the desert.

His red and black skin was partly wet looking and was actually bleeding a little. When Shmi looked above that, she saw a very good muscled man. When maul finally surfaced and opened his eyes he felt much better than originally.

"What are you?"

"What do you mean? My race?"

"No.. That I know, you are a Zabrak, but I was thinking about the fact that you have a light saber." Shmi said.

"Yes. I have build it and have mostly complete my training." Maul said evasively.

"You mean that you are a Jedi?"

"I am not a Jedi!" Maul said in a hard voice.

"Then what are you?"

"I am a Sith. A being that goes agains the Jedi. The Jedi think that there's no emotion, ignorance or anything of the sort. They truly think that they can fix everything. We Sith accept the emotion, that we can´t know everything and that everything can´t be resolved."

"oh.. How old are you? I´m building your medical file so that if you need any medical help I know what to do."

"Fine. I am 22 cycles past at the moment."

"Good, any allergies or anything I should need to know."

"No. Zabraks as a general are hard to kill, so are Siths. For some reason, Sith don´t die to many normal things."

"Thank you."

"Good, now, here is your payment, I trust that you will not tell anyone that I have been anywhere near this planet. I will drive you back to the city." Maul said, dressed and then they left.

When they got back to the clinic, Maul gave her another bag of Credits and left.

He stayed on Tatooine few days after that. Mainly to train and see if Shmi could handle the promise she had made to him. The easiest way had been to kill the woman, but she was too well known for him to do that, without it being noticed, and his former master would know about the death by light saber.

He also needed to fix his own saber staff. It was usable but in two pieces, which made it easier to use, but not the style he favored.

He had sent a probe droid to watch Shmi about any sign of betrayal but it seemed as she took patient confidence seriously.

He decided finally to leave. Korriban was closest and there was a long abandoned sith academy. He hoped to salvage something form there. Revan had destroyed the Sith from there but there had to be records of training methods and different pieces of Sith culture that Sidious had never trusted to him.

He would salvage the place of all information he could, so that he could train on this journey if you could call it that.

AN: Hello again. I know that Maul is a little OCish but hey! You can´t seriously expect me to make him a complete asshole? I like Maul, yes, but I decided as there´s very little for me to base his behavior in to, that I could make is as I like.

Besides, it's fanfiction people. You can't seriously expect me to make everything like it is. It's after all my view of things that I write this and my other stories upon.

I did my research, but to my great displeasure, there´s not much information for me to base in.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope that you review. Also about my other stories. I have absolutely no inspiration for HP, Naruto and FFVII at the moment. For Alex RIder, Death Note and Star Wars I have. So I write what I want, when I have the time and when I want to.

Understand this. Thank you. Besides, how often could you update if you had three jobs, school and two hobbies that all take my time?