Chapter 1, everybody! Hope you enjoy!
Flames of the Force
Chapter 1:
The Search
Maul woke from his slumber feeling refreshed. He sighed contentedly and reached out to hold his Jedi. A sick, sinking feeling formed in his gut as his hand grabbed blankets. His eyes blinked open and he stared woefully at the empty space beside him. The Sith sighed and pushed himself up.
Your heart aches for him. Uusan leaned heavily against the bed post. He was smiling sadly. I can feel it.
"Well, feeling badly is not going to save Ben. Tracking down Skywalker's son could possibly save him. I'm going to focus on that." He said bitterly.
Uusan gave him a long look. You are a wise man. He commented nonchalantly.
Maul felt his stomach twitch at the word 'man'. Few had ever referred to him as a 'man.' He normally heard words like 'beast', 'animal', or even worse. On the occasions when someone treated him like a person, he did not quite know how to react and he usually pretended like he never heard it. "It seems that Skywalker is near the Temple's planet."
Faresh.
"Excuse me?" Maul asked impatiently, repacking his duffel.
Your new home is located on the ancient planet of Faresh in the First Quadrant of our Galaxy.
"Well, now it's just the Unknown Quadrant." The red Sith scoffed. "And all records of it's culture are locked away in a space where all have feared to explore."
I doubt all records are destroyed. We could find them. Suddenly, Uusan frowned. All have feared to go there? One of your Jedi is from a planet not far from Faresh.
Maul raised a brow at him. "Who?"
The small amphibian with the speech impediment. He made it sound as if it were obvious.
"Master Yoda is from Unknown Space?" Maul asked incredulously. He shifted his belongings around in the bag again.
Uusan raised a brow. He has not told you this?
"No. Then again, I never asked. I was always too busy asking about others in his life." He stopped reorganizing his duffel for a third time as a sinking realization his his stomach. "I never really asked him about his life. I am so selfish."
The spirit gave him a sympathetic smile. As Sith, we face our demons every day. We are inherently selfish. This is the time for you to harness that selfishness and channel it into saving the man you love.
"I do not need your lectures." He growled, growing more frantic with the bag.
Maul. Focus.
The Zabrak's hands stilled at the command.
Save the Living. Stop wasting time.
Trust the Force, Maul. Uusan said seriously. He walked over to his kin and laid an ethereal hand on his. It felt like ice and burned like fire, yet it was oddly comforting. You must contact Luke Skywalker and convince him to help you save Obi Wan. With any luck, the Living has already found him.
Maul zipped his pack and slung it over his shoulder.
He felt Anakin's presence before the tall man knocked. "Are you ready?" He called through the door.
"One minute." He answered. He looked around. "I think I have what I need. Benny. Come."
"What about Master Ben's lightsaber?" Benny asked.
The Sith grabbed the weapon from the side table and clipped it to his belt. For some reason, it felt natural at his side. He could feel the warm hum of the crystal on his hip and suddenly a pain overtook his senses. Doubling over, he fought to catch his breath.
Skywalker must have sensed his distress because he came bursting through the door. "Maul!" He pulled the small Dothomiri to his feet. "What happened?!"
"Ben!" He gasped. His vision returned and the pain subsided. He could have retched at the familiarity of it. It was as if a thousand lightning bolts the size of string, each with the same punch of a full sized one had come screaming through his veins. He sucked in a shaky breath. "We must move quickly. They are torturing him."
Anakin growled. "Then we have to hurry." He said in a dangerous tone that implied promise of certain pain to Obi Wan's captors. He pulled the Sith down the hallways.
They bade goodbye to their new family. Most gave them good luck hugs or handshakes. Ahsoka made Maul and Anakin promise to return safely with Obi Wan. Her hug was the tightest. Qui-Lana offered them her best stealth ship and was sure to inform them the exact cost of the vehicle. Qui-Gon gave them both a squeeze on the shoulders. He leaned into a hug with Maul and whispered, "Never lose hope." Maul nodded in a promise that he did not trust himself to speak.
Tahl was waiting with Master Yoda at the hangar. She had an unreadable expression and her arms were folded across her chest. It made her seem even taller and broader than usual. Maul suppressed a shudder at her clear display of intimidation.
"Saber." She addressed him coldly and then smiled at his travel companion. "Anakin."
"Master." Maul knew what she was doing. It was a reminder of how seriously he should be taking this. A flare of irritation appeared in his gut. He knew the gravity of the situation.
"I made sure you were tuned up. You just need to preform the pre-flight check and you should be golden." She said to the human.
Anakin sighed in relief. "Thank you, Master Tahl."
She squeezed his shoulder and bade him good bye. When Skywalker walked off to the ship with Yoda, she turned to Maul. Her smile disappeared and he was met with a stone face that gave him a shudder he couldn't hide. "Master." He managed to say. He could not handle the silence or her striped eyes boring into him.
"I'm relieved to see that becoming the Champion has not bloated your ego. You remember your manners." She stated in an even tone. "Just because you have a lot of responsibility, it does not mean you may forget that you are only half way to becoming a Master Sith. Your training must be placed on the back burner, unfortunately. I cannot follow you to Luke. And you must be focused. I also have Feral to train. With those considerations, my only order is to document every time you feel the fear gripping your heart. Do you understand?" She held out a data pad.
"I understand, Master." He replied evenly, taking the pad and pocketing it in his tunic. He hesitated for a second, starting a syllable before swallowing it.
Tahl's expression softened slightly and she placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "Never be afraid to ask. 'If you do not question, you will never learn. If you never learn, you will never be free.'"
He smirked. "That's from the old Temple."
She chuckled. "Yes, it is. Knowledge is everything and it belongs to every one. I will give all the knowledge I can offer to you." She assured him.
"Why fear?" He asked.
Tahl raised a confused brow and studied his sincere face for a few moments. "I'm surprised that Yoda had not recited his favorite mantra to you. 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.' This is a fearful time for you, Maul. You need to be aware of your emotions."
"So am I to let go of the fear like some Jedi?" A hard slap to the face killed his mocking tone. "I apologize, Master." He said solemnly.
Tahl frowned at him. "I said to be aware. Do not insult my husband or our other Jedi partners with careless lip. When you feel it, record it. And read up on some of the data I downloaded into that pad for you."
Maul bowed respectfully to his new master, accepting his new role as her student.
She held his chin gently, pulling his gaze back to hers. Her striped eyes were soft and concerned. "Never forget that we are very much the same, Jedi and Sith." She studied him for a moment. "What are you feeling? I sense anger."
Maul did feel angry. "He just ran off. He didn't even think about how it would be if he had died. How I would be. As if he could just let go of all of it. All of us." He blurted out. He bit his tongue quickly, expecting punishment.
But Tahl merely gave him a sympathetic smile. "I very much doubt that Obi Wan did not consider the consequences of his actions. He had lived life filled with out-scaled consequences. But he is a Jedi. He will always sacrifice himself for the good of the whole."
"I know this." He replied, now ashamed of his anger.
"That is fear. Log that." She nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "His job is to protect the galaxy. Your job is to protect him." Squeezing his shoulder, she bade him good bye.
Maul sighed and turned to the ship.
Yoda stood, waiting for him at the foot of the ramp. The small Jedi gave him a smile. "Ready, are you?" He asked seriously.
"I am. Are you going to stow away so that you can harass us with your cryptic silliness?" Maul countered playfully. He was glad that he could joke with this Master.
He was rewarded with a chuckle. "Afraid not, I am. Slow you down, I might." He shook his walking stick to show his point.
The Sith shook his head and crossed his arms. "You don't really need that thing, do you?" He accused, narrowing his eyes.
Yoda laughed. "Perceptive, you are. Good. Need that, you will. Be aware." He gave the Sith a long, affectionate gaze. "Return, you must. An option, failure is not."
"Know this, I do." Maul replied with a smirk. He was given a gruff laugh and a feeble whack across his calf with the cane. "I will return. And I will have help."
"Good. Go."
With that command, Maul bowed and entered the ship. The hatch closed with a faint hiss. A wave of anxiety filled his gut and he supported himself on the wall for a moment. Letting out a shaky exhale, the Sith pulled out the datapad and recorded the two moments quickly. Turning to his droid, he sighed. "You ready, Benny?"
The little droid hovered quietly. "It has been a long while since we have shared a mission. I have had sufficient time to prepare." His prim voice gave the statement a hint of pertness. Yet, Maul could not help but feel as his robot had missed him after all these years.
"I suppose you have. Maybe I was asking myself."
"Well, I believe you are. And please, do succeed. Master Ben has been a good influence on you." With that cheeky comment, Benny hovered away towards the cockpit.
Maul chuckled, shaking his head. He then looked around, gauging the made of the ship. It was well made; a newer model, for certain. The interior was sleek and spacious, with dark gray walls and white accents. A voice pulled him out of his analysis.
"Get up here. We're taking off." Skywalker's voice was impatient.
The Zabrak rolled his eyes and headed to the cockpit.
.
Luke looked over the purple and green planet. It was pulsating with the Force. It had taken them quite a number of days to reach the place where Luke had invested most of his curiosity. He reigned in his excitement and then exhaled it.
Han did not share his enthusiasm. "We'll be within atmosphere in a few minutes. You're sure this is the right region?"
"Yes." The Jedi stated simply.
Han scoffed quietly and lowered the ship below the cloud line. The forest was apparently in the middle of a dry season. The trees were not vibrant and the undergrowth had lost all of its foliage. In the distance stood a large plateau. The side they faced was a cascading set of blackened ruins. Much of what had once stood was piled in a mountain of rubble against the base of the cliff. Whatever had happened, left the structure inaccessible.
"Looks like whatever was here is gone now." Han commented grimly. "We came down here for nothing."
Luke's senses told him otherwise. "No. There is more. We can check the other side."
"Fine." The smuggler grumbled and steered their way around the enormous natural structure. Sure enough, another structure had been carved into the rock. The monk statue that adorned the temple was missing its head. Luke felt a shiver of dread from his friend. While Han would never admit it to himself, or anyone else, he was sensitive to the Force. The energy coming from that place was dark and heavy with corruption. "Want to land?"
Not here. The orb appeared at the Jedi's shoulder. Press further and you will find the answers you seek.
Han clicked his tongue, but obeyed without argument. The third temple was the largest. Its spires reminded Luke of the pictures of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant before the Empire. Gardens hung off the white stone balconies. It was beautiful.
"It looks like one of those gardens have been tended to recently." Han pointed out. "See? Down, near the bottom."
"I see fresh oil on the lower landing pad, as well. Seems like this place is not so abandoned." Luke added. "Land there. I want to investigate."
The smuggler gave him a wary look before descending.
Sure enough, the oil was fresh. The hangar led to a hallway. Using his instincts, Luke headed down a flight of stairs. Han followed, blaster in hand. They ended up at a door that opened out to the Gardens that Han had pointed out.
"There are clothes hanging out here." Han nodded to a series of lines with robes hanging randomly on it.
"Let's keep moving." The Jedi suggested.
The lower levels started to look less like ruins and more like a construction site. New control panels were installed in the door ways and the floor had been torn up and redone. As they pressed further, the new work become more complete and consistent. A blaster door blocked their path.
"It's coded." Han let out a rough sigh of frustration.
A feeling, like whispering in his ear, crept into the back of Luke's head. He walked to the keypad and punched in a code. The light clicked to green and the doors hissed open.
"I do not want to know how you did that." Han shuddered.
Past the blaster doors, a whole new temple emerged. The walls were finished and the floors were retiled. Wandering down the corridors, they found a mess hall.
"Looks like whoever was here left in a hurry." The navigator said as he approached the still half-full pots of grains. They were hardened.
Luke nodded in agreement. "Some of this fruit is still good. They left recently. But why?"
"Something tells me we don't wanna know." Han responded.
"Come on. I want to keep going." Luke urged, turning towards the door. They traveled down the hall and down a small set of stairs. At the end of a corridor stood a set of double doors. They walked into a generator room. It seemed as any other energy hub, save the sleeping cot and a pile of strange artwork. There was a mural of Tattooine painted across the wall. A series of working droids stood, ready for activation and an unfinished droid was laid out on a work table.
The Corellian shivered. "This place is giving me seriously bad chills. It's like a ghost town in here."
But Luke hadn't heard him. He had been looking through the artwork on the table and had stopped at a watercolor. It was of Master Yoda; at least, it looked like him. He looked younger and less tired than Luke remembered.
"Who is that?" Han asked, suddenly right behind the Jedi and peering over his shoulder. His energy buzzed around them.
Luke blushed slightly at the closeness. "It looks like Yoda. Too young, though. So, why did the Force lead us here?"
"Maybe to show us that this place isn't so vacant?" Han offered, still well within the Jedi's personal space.
"It has to be more than that. This place has importance." Luke flexed his fingers, reaching out with the Force. He locked onto the weak remnants of a signature. "I can sense him here. Ben was here."
"Well, all I sense is the hair on my neck standing on edge."
The Jedi rolled his baby blue eyes. "Calm down, Han. We are the only living things inside of this Temple... well..." He trailed off suddenly.
The smuggler's face drained any remaining color it had. "What?"
"Unless someone was hiding their Force signature. That's possible." He scratched his neck thoughtfully. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy Han's reactions to his nonchalance.
Han stood there, mouth open in anger and shock. "Wh- Are you- Lie to me, kid!"
Luke shrugged. "Don't ask me questions, then."
You two remind me of the Champions. The orb of Force appeared between them.
"Now what? Why are we here?" The Corellian demanded angrily.
The Jedi tutted. "Han. Calm down, would you?" He huffed and looked at the orb. "He has a point, as rude as it was. You led us here. What are we to gain from this place?"
The light was silent for a few seconds before responding. Follow me. It led them back towards the cafeteria, but turned beforehand. The hall was lined with rooms with altars and bedding. Some were open and scattered with items. The Force stopped at a door. Here.
Luke opened the door slowly. It was the messiest of the rooms. Stacks of data pads, primitive paper, and more artwork were piled along one wall. There was a box of mechanical parts and pieces on it's side. The Jedi, however, was pulled to the altar. A portrait, colorful and skillfully chalked, stood reverently behind a saber stand.
"Is it just me, or do we know that guy?" Han asked, standing next to him, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
Luke kneeled down, studying the drawing closer. "He does look familiar, doesn't he?" It was driving him crazy. The more he stared at it, the more it gnawed at him. Those bright blue eyes... And then it hit him. "Ben!"
"What? The fossil? This is supposed to be that crazy old coot?" Han picked up the paper and inspected it. "You know what? You might be right."
"I found some of the records in the old Temple. It was after we took back Coruscant. They had images of the Jedi when they were taken in, when they became Padawans, and when they became Knights." Luke explained, straightening up. "That is Obi Wan Kenobi."
"What a stupid name." Han scoffed. "Obi Wan? He must have been teased as a kid."
The blond gave his friend a scathing look. "Han. That's mean. And like you can even talk. What kind of name is Han Solo?"
"Not as bad as Skywalker." The general shrugged. Then his face crinkled. "I take that back. Skywalker is a pretty good name."
"It is, isn't it?"
"Cocky kid." Han chuckled fondly.
The light nature of their conversation faded as Luke began to sense something off.
Han must have noticed the mood shift, because his grip on his blaster tightened. "Kid?"
Luke gave him a grave look. "We are not alone in this Temple."