Chapter Nine: Return
The Doctor had always known that, at some point, some of his actions would catch up to him. Not everyone liked what he did, and some people hated him for it. Some people hated him so much that they were willing to make attempts on his life in order to obtain vengeance on the Doctor for something he had done.
During the Clone Wars, the Doctor encountered two such people. The first was young Boba Fett, who was the cloned "son" of Jango Fett, the progenitor for the entire clone army and the bounty hunter whom the Doctor had beheaded during the first battle of the Clone Wars. Boba teamed up with vicious bounty hunters Aurra Sing and Bossk to try and kill the Doctor by blowing him up. When that failed, Aurra ordered Boba to blow up the ship he was on at the time, the Endurance, which almost worked. Boba and Bossk were captured, and Aurra got caught in an explosion and was presumed dead.
The second man was one the Doctor had never expected to be alive. He was a beacon of evil from long ago, and seeing him again made the Doctor know what anger truly felt like. The last time the Doctor had seen this man, he was on Naboo. Qui-Gon Jinn had fallen to this man's blade, and Obi-Wan Kenobi had cut him in half with the Doctor's help as retribution.
The Doctor first sensed him while meditating. As if creating ambience, the skies of Coruscant had started to rain, and lightning crackled every now and again. The Doctor was trying to make contact with Mr. Voice when his mind suddenly became shrouded in darkness. His vision became clouded, and the Doctor soon saw a face enter his field of vision. Clearer and clearer the face showed up until the Doctor could see every line and pore on it. The eyes opened, revealing deep, hateful yellow irises surrounded by bloodshot scleras. He knew that face. He had gazed into it once before.
It was the face of the Sith Lord Darth Maul.
The Doctor cried out in pain as he awoke from his vision. The headache he had from the vision was excruciating. He could still see the irises as they awoke with a fire in them that the Doctor had only seen in the eyes of Darth Maul. Obi-Wan needed to hear this, the Doctor realized, so he telepathically called to the Jedi Master from his quarters in the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan opened the door to the Doctor's quarters and walked in cautiously.
"You wanted to see me, Doctor?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Master Kenobi," said the Doctor. "I'm afraid that you and I might be in terrible danger."
"What do you mean, Doctor?" asked Obi-Wan, worried now because the Doctor almost never referred to him as "Master Kenobi," always by "Obi-Wan."
"I fear an old enemy of ours has risen," said the Doctor solemnly. "You and I fought him ten years ago on Naboo." Obi-Wan instantly put the pieces together.
"Darth Maul," he said breathlessly, as though the revelation knocked the wind out of him. "It can't be. I killed him myself. I watched him die."
"I saw it, too," said the Doctor. "But I can feel him in the Force. Darth Maul has risen again."
Obi-Wan said nothing, merely looking out the window in thought.
"We'll be on the lookout for him, Obi-Wan," said the Doctor. "The minute he does anything, you'll get first crack at him."
"Thank you, Doctor," was Obi-Wan's only response as he continued to ponder.
The Doctor continued to watch for Darth Maul, knowing that the Zabrak would want to make his existence known after so much time away. He only knew that because it was what he would have done in Maul's position. The Doctor waited for days, but nothing came about.
And then, Darth Maul took the stage.
The Doctor had been in the Temple briefing room for hours, waiting. Stass Allie came by a few times to talk with him or bring him some caf, but she knew he was busy. Every time she left, she gave his hand a small squeeze, which had the effect of warming the Doctor's hearts instantly.
He had long since acknowledged that he cared about Stass, and he had figured out that she cared about him as well. Since the Battle of Hypori, they had begun a sort of flirting bout with each other that they kept private at all times so as not to draw attention to themselves. Stass hadn't really flirted with him much today, but only because she knew he was worried about the threat of Darth Maul. The Doctor hadn't told her about Darth Maul, per se, but she knew that he was troubled regardless, so she left him alone for the most part.
Stass had been with him when he received the transmission. It was recorded, not live, from a planet called Raydonia. The Doctor could tell by the way that the central figure of the message wasn't looking at either him or Stass.
The central figure was, of course, Darth Maul. His sickening red lightsaber, somehow recovered from Naboo after Obi-Wan cut it in half just as he had cut Darth Maul in half, glowed in the hologram, and no less than six innocent people were standing, hands behind their backs, cowering in fear of the Zabrak Sith Lord reborn.
"Get Obi-Wan," said the Doctor quickly to Stass as he paused the recording.
"Yes, Doctor," said Stass, and she ran off to find Obi-Wan and bring him back to the Doctor. While she did that, the Doctor also contacted Ki-Adi Mundi, Saesee Tiin, Plo Koon, and Mace Windu, who were all out on assignment. All four senior Jedi Council members answered the call, and they looked at the Doctor with puzzled expressions. Why was he called them? The Doctor had no doubt that they were all wondering this as Stass dashed into the briefing room, Obi-Wan Kenobi at her heels.
"What's going on, Doctor?" asked the Jedi Master. Then, of course, he saw his old enemy. The Doctor looked at him with a solemn expression as he took in the full reality of it.
"Tell me that's not who I think it is," said Obi-Wan, terror and fury evident all at the same time.
"I'm afraid so," said the Doctor. "I knew you'd want to see it for yourself."
"Doctor, to reiterate Master Kenobi's question, what is going on here?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"Allow me to show you," said the Doctor as he played the recording for all seven Jedi to see. Darth Maul had new, cybernetic legs that looked a lot like those of General Grievous, and it was with these legs that he viciously encircled his prey.
"KENOBI!" shouted the hologram of Darth Maul. The voice of Darth Maul had not pierced the Doctor's ears in well over a decade. Hearing it now sent chills down the Doctor's spine. "I have returned for my vengeance at last!"
The faces of the four holographic Jedi Masters all turned grim as they realized that the man to whom they were now listening was Darth Maul reborn.
"These citizens of Raydonia cower in fear of me, Jedi!" Maul continued. "I have killed many of these snivelling weaklings already. Men, women, and children, all in the name of my hatred for you, Kenobi!"
The Doctor's fists clenched in anger when Maul said this. Innocents had died by his blade. He had to pay, whether by Obi-Wan's hand or his own. Somehow, Darth Maul would pay.
"There will be more innocent blood on your hands, Kenobi, unless you come to Raydonia!" challenged Maul. "Face me! Come alone, and if you do not, this world will burn!" As he made this last threat, Darth Maul executed the citizens who were cowering from him, decapitating them brutally.
The hologram shut off, and the Doctor realized that his knuckles had turned white. He quickly calmed himself, regaining the color in his knuckles as he relaxed his grip on the air. The Doctor saw Obi-Wan's face. He knew that he had already made his decision.
"I have to go," he said.
"You're not going alone," ordered Mace.
"I agree," said Plo. "We should send a task force with you."
"No," said Obi-Wan. "You see what he's capable of. He's broken, unbalanced. I've dealt with him before. I can deal with him again."
"This is a trap and you know it," urged Mace.
"I agree with Obi-Wan," said the Doctor. "I saw him fight Darth Maul as a Padawan and very nearly defeat him on his own. He cut Darth Maul in half. He should finish what he started over ten years ago."
The Masters, Mace reluctantly, bowed, following the Doctor's orders, and their hologram transmissions cut off, leaving Obi-Wan, Stass, and the Doctor.
"I'm off to Raydonia to end this once and for all," said Obi-Wan, nodding his head in finality.
Once again, Stass and the Doctor were alone. Stass gripped the Doctor's hand tightly as she spoke to him.
"Are you sure that's Darth Maul?" she asked.
"I'm positive," said the Doctor, remembering the chills he had gotten earlier.
"Then don't you think his capture is too important for Obi-Wan to handle by himself?" asked Stass, fear for her friend bubbling up to the surface.
"Something tells me he won't have to handle Maul by himself," said the Doctor. "There's someone else who can help him." The Doctor couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that Obi-Wan would have an ally against Maul in a very unlikely person, indeed.
"Who?" asked Stass, the curiosity in her shining through.
"I don't know," admitted the Doctor. "I suppose we have to trust in the Force."
"Of course, Doctor," said Stass, letting go of his hand and leaving him to be in the briefing room alone. As she left, the Doctor tried to focus on how to best capture Darth Maul should Obi-Wan fail, but his mind kept wandering back to Stass Allie. She was quite a remarkable young woman. She had grown up a lot since he first met her, especially over the course of the war, which had been going on for roughly two years now. Stass had been a very energetic Padawan for her former Master, Roranicus Pond, to handle, and he often went to his friend, the Doctor, for advice. The Doctor himself had watched her grow even more after being Knighted, and he began to see that she was a capable and intelligent Jedi Knight, as well as attractive. He had first banished thoughts about being attracted to her, but after Hypori and the simple touch they had shared, the Doctor began to wonder if the Code he had faithfully followed for well over nine hundred years was entirely truthful. He didn't bring it up with any of his friends on the Council, not even Plo or Saesee, for fear that they would merely judge him unfit for Jedi duty. He didn't want that. He wanted to serve the Jedi and the Republic as best he could, but he also had the nagging feeling of wanting to be with Stass. What could he do to have both? The Doctor didn't know the answer, so he tried to stay at least partially focused on the task at hand.
Every so often, the image of bright purple eyes would appear in his mind.
Unfortunately, Obi-Wan Kenobi had failed to kill Darth Maul, but only because of a small oversight. Nobody, not even Obi-Wan or the Doctor, had expected Maul to have backup in the form of his brother, Savage Opress, a yellow-skinned Dathomirian Zabrak who had caused the Jedi a bit of trouble a few months back. Even with the help of a newfound ally in Count Dooku's former assassin, Asajj Ventress, who had been thought dead after one of the many battles of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan barely escaped with his life. He did, however, leave Darth Maul and his brother stranded in space for a while, which the Doctor figured would stop them for a time until they resurfaced. For the moment, there was peace.
The relative peace from the Zabrak Sith pair was not to last for long; the Doctor knew this. Reports of lightsaber-wielding Zabrak attacking multiple different planets and space stations in the Outer Rim cropped up. The attacks seemed connected in that they were located around the same general area. This area was close to Raydonia, the planet Maul had massacred in order to get Obi-Wan's attention, so the Doctor quickly deduced that Maul and his brother were behind these attacks. Unfortunately, he needed hard proof that it was the two Sith, and none came until the attack on the spaceport.
Twi'lek Jedi Master Finn Ertay and her Nikto companion, Kened Tenwal, had reported sighting the brothers at a spaceport close to where the attacks had occurred. The Jedi had engaged the Sith, and Master Ertay suddenly cut off communication as Tenwal was overwhelmed by Savage Opress. The Doctor knew that they probably wouldn't survive, and he sighed as he felt a small pang in the Force indicating that he had been right.
"So it's definitely Maul and his brother who have been attacking these places," said Obi-Wan, who had joined the Doctor in his tireless search for their old enemy.
"It would appear so," said the Doctor, running his hand through his hair in frustration. How long would it be before these killings stopped? How long would it take? These were questions the Doctor simply could not answer.
For another day, the Doctor and Obi-Wan waited for another attack in the Outer Rim area in which the brothers were operating. Then, at last, they had a substantial lead. There had been a distress signal sent from an IG Banking Clan space station in the Cybloc system of Meridian sector, close to where Maul and Savage had killed Master Ertay and Kened Tenwal. The Doctor and Obi-Wan decided to go after them, but they also acknowledged that they would need more than just the two of them in case they had to fight the brothers. So, the Doctor decided to call on Master Adi Gallia, a fellow Council member, to help them.
"I would be honored, Doctor," she said with a smile as the three Jedi Masters went off to face the two Sith.
They took a T-6 shuttle to the Cybloc space station. The Doctor could sense the stench of the Dark Side as they dropped out of hyperspace, mixed with a tinge of Zabrak. Darth Maul and Savage had been there recently.
"Here we are," said Obi-Wan. "Cybloc system."
"Close in proximity to the earlier attacks," observed Adi.
"It's them," confirmed the Doctor. "I can sense it."
The Jedi cautiously docked with the station, not knowing what to expect. As they walked onto the station, the three of them held their lightsabers at the ready, just in case Maul and Savage were still there. But, instead of the Sith, they found a Snivvian. He held his hands up in an effort to get the Jedi to back away.
"Hey, woah, now!" he said. "Just what do you think you're doin'? This here's a matter for the IG Bankin' Clan!"
"It's okay," said the Doctor. "We're here to help investigate the attack." The Snivvian seemed to calm himself after hearing the Doctor's reassurances.
"Can you tell us what happened here?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Sure thing," said the Snivvian. "Follow me. I'll take you to where it happened. Name's Morlimur, by the way. Morlimur Snugg."
Morlimur Snugg led the Doctor, Adi, and Obi-Wan through the small station as he explained the circumstances of this particular attack.
"Couple o' the droid survivors said they saw the lights go out right before they came," he said. "Then the droid cap'n goes down and all hell breaks loose. Most of the droids were wiped out, and them boys stole a safe with a small fortune inside.
"This is where the safe was," Morlimur continued, indicating the room they had just entered. "The credits inside were new, unmarked. Ain't no way to trace the buggers. Them boys that done it were the crabbiest Zabraks this side o' the Hydian."
"Were they alone?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Yup," confirmed Morlimur. "The droids said they had lightsabers." Suddenly, as if realizing that he was in the presence of not one, but three, distinguished Jedi Masters, Morlimur grew tense and uncomfortable. It was as though he didn't want to ask the question the Doctor knew he was about to ask.
"Wh-what were they?" he asked. "Couple o' Jedi gone rogue or something?"
"Trust me, Mr. Snugg," said the Doctor. "They are anything but Jedi."
"Right," said Morlimur, seeming to become less uncomfortable with the situation. "Do me a favor there, missy," he said to Adi. "Spark up that lightsaber, would ya?"
Adi did so, showing off her blue blade for Morlimur to see.
"Hmm," the Snivvian rubbed his chin in thought. "The droid survivors said them Zabraks had red sabers." Bingo. Darth Maul and Savage Opress had, without a doubt, been here. All they needed to do now was track them down, as they weren't here anymore.
"They are Sith," said Adi. "We need to find them as soon as possible."
"Well, they did steal my cargo ship," said Morlimur. "Aurore-class. Real beauty."
"Do you know where they were headed?" asked Obi-Wan, giving off a tinge of eagerness.
"One of the droids said they heard something 'bout the Sertar sector, if that helps," said Morlimur.
Yes, it most certainly does, the Doctor thought with glee.
"Thank you, Mr. Snugg," he said out loud. "We'll be out of your way shortly."
As Morlimur walked out of the room, the three Jedi convened to talk about the location of the Zabraks.
"What is in the Sertar sector?" asked Adi, who was unfamiliar with the region.
"It's where Florrum is located," said Obi-Wan after a moment of thought.
"You've been there before," the Doctor said to Obi-Wan, who nodded in confirmation.
"What can we expect?" asked Adi.
"Pirates," said Obi-Wan instantly.
"Brilliant," said the Doctor, who knew all too well the troublesome shifting moods of pirates. "Well, let's get a move on, then. We've got Sith to catch!" With that, he ran off to the shuttle, Obi-Wan and Adi following behind. The Doctor had already punched in the coordinates for Florrum when Obi-Wan and Adi joined him in the shuttle's cockpit. They quickly took off and soon were on their way to Florrum, pushing the T-6 to its speed limit.
When the Jedi arrived at Florrum, they were greeted with the sight of an Aurore-class shuttle.
"There's Mr. Snugg's shuttle," said the Doctor.
"Looks as though our Sith friends have picked up an escort of pirates," commented Obi-Wan.
"Unloading the stolen cargo?" asked Adi.
"I'm not sure that Hondo would make a deal with Sith," replied Obi-Wan.
"You sound like you know him," joked the Doctor, smirking.
"Unfortunately, yes," said Obi-Wan, also smirking. "I'll try to make contact with him."
Obi-Wan punched in a communication number that was apparently Hondo's, and the holoimage of a Weequay pirate with a monkey-lizard on his shoulder appeared before the three Jedi.
"Greetings, Hondo," said Obi-Wan formally.
"Greetings?!" said Hondo incredulously, as though Obi-Wan's formality was an insult. "What kind of menace have you brought to my planet now? Hmm? First, you lose this system, and Grievous comes in and destroys my entire stronghold."
"He has a tendency to do that," commented the Doctor, but Hondo seemed to not take notice or really even care, as he kept on going.
"And I am left to rummage through the remains of my empire," Hondo continued ranting. "Then, these two horned men show up. Who are these horny-headed maniacs, and why are they here? Are they Jedi? They don't seem like normal Jedi."
"They're not Jedi, Hondo," said Obi-Wan. "They're Sith. My friends and I have been tracking them down."
"Well, they just threatened to attack with a group of my men!" shouted Hondo, standing up rather flamboyantly. "My own men!"
"Yes, we're looking at them right now," said the Doctor. "They're heading towards you. Their stolen cargo ship and three of your ships."
"It doesn't matter how many men betrayed me," said Hondo. "What matters is, will you help me when you arrive?"
"We cannot fight your men, but we can fight the Sith," said Adi. Hondo nodded, accepting this plan.
"Good, good," said the pirate. "I will deal with my men, and you will deal with those tattooed crazy men." The communication ceased, and the Jedi piloted the shuttle down to Florrum's surface as fast as they could. The Doctor was very eager indeed to catch Darth Maul at last and bring him to justice. Perhaps the Jedi could even get him to reveal the location of the mysterious Darth Sidious, if such a man even existed. That got the Doctor to try and fly the ship even faster as they descended onto the battlefield that encompassed a small area of Florrum.
As soon as the shuttle landed, the three Jedi dashed out and looked at the battlefield. Hondo's men were holding their own, but this was only the first wave of the traitors. The Doctor could tell that the men loyal to Hondo would not last too much longer.
The Doctor heard the sickening sound of Sith lightsaber blades activating behind him. He instantly whirled around, activating his own lightsabers as Obi-Wan and Adi did the same. Green and blue faced off against red once more as the Jedi and Sith stared defiantly at each other.
"Throwing your hat in with pirates now, Maul?" asked the Doctor sarcastically. "The Sith have indeed fallen far. By the way, loving the new legs. You're so much taller now." Maul's face grew from irritated to enraged as he remembered the role the Doctor had played in his downfall on Naboo.
"Doctor," he seethed. "My hatred for you is eclipsed only by my hatred for Kenobi."
"Well, you're in luck," said Obi-Wan. "Here we are."
Darth Maul lunged at Obi-Wan and the Doctor, striking at them with all he had. Adi joined in against Maul for a few moments, but was soon preoccupied with Savage's attack, leaving Obi-Wan and the Doctor to face Maul once again.
The Doctor's strategy for defeating Maul was the same as it was over twelve years ago. He would apply Djem So mixed with a bit of Ataru and account for Obi-Wan's movements now. Overall, the Doctor and Obi-Wan meshed fairly well in terms of co-op lightsaber combat. The Jedi Masters accounted for the other's moves perfectly, never faulting or failing to defend themselves against Maul.
The Jedi were forced to jump from the cliff to get to a larger field of battle as the Sith gave chase. Adi split off again from the Doctor and Obi-Wan as Savage chased her, swinging his double-bladed lightsaber ferociously. He was a reckless animal, unlike his brother, who was now older, less arrogant, and more calculating than before.
Darth Maul had cornered the Doctor and Obi-Wan and was preparing to kill them once and for all, but the two Jedi Masters saw through his strategy and jumped onto a large piece of ship that was behind them. Maul jumped up as well and held his lightsaber aloft at them.
"I have plans, Jedi, and you two will not be getting in my way this time," he snarled as the duel raged on. Maul seemed to be concentrating more on Obi-Wan, paying the Doctor attention only when the Grand Master scored a near-hit on the Sith. The fight was fierce, and it was beginning to be balanced in favor of the Jedi, who not only outnumbered Maul, but who also had far greater skill in combat.
Adi Gallia was unfortunately not so lucky. Her small frame made it hard for Savage to hit her with his saber, but his large frame made it impossible for her to harm him. The Doctor kicked Maul away, leaving Obi-Wan to briefly engage him alone, and watched as the final moments of his friend, Adi Gallia, played out before his eyes.
Savage was overwhelming Adi with his sheer strength. The Jedi Master was having a hard time keeping up with him and was rapidly growing tired. The Doctor had seen it once before on Naboo, when Qui-Gon Jinn was fatally wounded by the man he had just fought. Adi made a last-ditch attempt to kick out Savage's knee, but it was useless against the stronger warrior. Her strength fading, the Doctor jumped down to try and help her, but by then, it was already too late. Savage had pushed her with the Force against the piece of ship on which the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Maul stood, leaving her dazed for a moment. In her dazed state, Savage saw his opportunity and rushed at her head-first.
"NO!" cried the Doctor as several of Savage's horns pierced Adi Gallia's abdomen. The Doctor pushed Savage away in anger as he ran up to Adi's collapsed form and held her tight.
"Adi! Stay with me," he said. "Stay with me."
"Doctor..." she said weakly. The Doctor looked at her wounds. Blood was already accumulating in frighteningly large volume and pouring out of her.
"It's okay, Adi. You're going to be alright," he lied. There was no use in trying to heal her. Adi Gallia was already dead. Her body just needed to catch up.
"Doctor...please...take care...of...Stass..." said Adi, taking prolonged breaths in between her words. "Watch...over her."
"Of course," said the Doctor.
"Tell...her..." Adi ordered, weakening by the second. "Tell her...how...you feel."
"She knows already," said the Doctor, and it wasn't a complete lie. He hadn't told Stass how he felt about her yet, but he got the feeling that she had worked it out.
"Good," breathed Adi. "She will...be so...happy..." Adi exhaled one last time, then laid her head back, closing her eyes. The Doctor laid her body down on the ground. It had caught up with her. She was dead. Another Jedi gone far too soon.
The Doctor was ripped back into the present by the sounds of clashing lightsabers. Obi-Wan was fighting both Savage and Maul at the same time. The Doctor decided to help him out, activating his lightsabers and going straight for Savage. The Zabrak was slightly unprepared for the Doctor, but he quickly gained a footing against the Gallifreyan and didn't let him gain a whole lot of ground.
The two Jedi fought furiously, but the time came to retreat. Hondo's pirate forces were being overrun, and the Weequay called out to Obi-Wan and the Doctor.
"Jedi!" he shouted. "This way!" The Doctor could barely hear him, but the message was clear.
"We've got to go!" shouted the Doctor. Obi-Wan acknowledged, pulling Adi's fallen lightsaber to him and jumping away from the Zabrak Sith.
"Running away, Doctor?" taunted Maul as the Doctor jumped after Obi-Wan. The Doctor ignored the jab as he and Obi-Wan ran into Hondo's run-down mess of a hideout. It certainly wasn't much to look at, but it would do for now. The narrow hallways could definitely be used to their advantage, the Doctor noted.
The Doctor and Obi-Wan ran down one of the halls and met up with Hondo. He had very few men with him, but the Doctor could have sworn he had more.
"Where are your men?" he asked in puzzlement.
"Setting up an ambush," answered Hondo. "We can use your help."
"We will do what we can," said Obi-Wan.
Hondo looked puzzled for a moment, as if he were looking for something or someone.
"Where is the other Jedi?" he asked.
"Dead," the Doctor answered softly, still very upset at his friend's murder.
"She's d..." Hondo almost blurted out, but too surprised to even finish. "They are too powerful for even you? I am semi-speechless."
The Doctor could hear voices, and his lightsabers activated so quickly, it was as if they had a mind of their own. Obi-Wan's blue blade extended as well, and he activated Adi's lightsaber.
"We will draw the Sith away," said Obi-Wan. "They're after us anyway. Once we're away, blast the passageway closed."
"And leave you alone with the two horned crazies?" asked Hondo, seeming appalled by the very notion. "Okay," he added after a second of thought.
When Maul, Savage, and their men arrived to face the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Hondo's men, Hondo called for a retreat. The Doctor and Obi-Wan ran as fast as they could away from their enemies as Maul shouted for them to go after them. The hallway intersected with another hallway perpendicularly. Hondo and his men ran to the right, and Obi-Wan and the Doctor, seeking only to draw the Sith away, ran to the left. The strategy worked, and Maul and Savage soon gave chase to Obi-Wan and the Doctor.
The passageway was blasted shut by Hondo, just as they had planned, leaving the Jedi alone with the Sith.
The Jedi Masters ran until they were met with a wall, at which point they faced the Zabrak Sith who were chasing them relentlessly.
"Surrender!" ordered Maul. "You are no match for us both." Savage growled his assent as the Doctor and Obi-Wan prepared themselves for another fight.
"That is where you are wrong, Maul," said the Doctor.
The Doctor was engaged by Savage, while Maul duelled Obi-Wan once more. Savage was not a difficult opponent to understand for the Doctor. The beastly man thought only of power, never of strategy. The Doctor's vastly superior intelligence would win him this fight; he knew that much. He also knew that the knee that Adi had kicked at earlier was now a weak point in Savage's defense. Whenever the Doctor got the chance, he kicked at Savage's left knee relentlessly. The Sith was not fast enough to see it coming, and the Doctor used that slowness to his advantage. He kicked and kicked, stabbed and sliced at Savage, his main saber and his shoto thirsting for justice for Adi's murder.
The Doctor warned himself not to get too carried away as he had done with Jango Fett. He didn't want to kill Savage, but he did want to bring him in. If it meant harming him, so be it, but the Doctor didn't really want it to come to that, either.
Another kick, and Savage's knee buckled, forcing him down to the ground for a moment. He growled in anger at the Doctor as he stood up. The Doctor felt a cold set of hands, Maul's hands, lift him off the ground with the Force and slam him into the wall to his left. He landed on Obi-Wan, who had been thrown there by Maul. The two Jedi Masters quickly stood and reactivated their previously turned-off lightsabers. They just barely had enough time to block a simultaneous attack from the Sith. The Doctor looked at Savage's trembling left knee and kicked out at it one last time. He heard a SNAP and a scream from Savage as his kneecap was busted. The Doctor then struck out at Savage in his defenseless state, cutting off his entire left arm. The Zabrak screamed in even more pain as he fell to the ground.
"SAVAGE!" cried Maul. It seemed that Maul actually cared, at least a little bit, about his brother. That surprised the Doctor. So much so that he didn't quite see the Force Push aimed his way. Obi-Wan and the Doctor were caught in the wave and sent flying back into the back of the hallway. Debris fell between the Jedi and the Sith. The Doctor rubbed his head as he got up from the floor and found another hallway leading to the outside, where Maul and Savage were no doubt running.
"Come on, Obi-Wan!" he called as he ran off to capture the Sith. The Doctor ran as fast as he could, Obi-Wan right on his tail. When they reached the outside of the base, the Jedi found Maul and Savage running for their lives from Hondo's reunified men. The Doctor and Obi-Wan joined in the chase, running after the Sith with intent to capture, if possible. The Jedi gained quite a bit of ground when one of Maul's cybernetic legs was shot out from under him. Even still, the Zabraks were fast enough to stay away from the Jedi during the chase. Maul, supported by his brother, used the Force to bring down the T-6 shuttle the Jedi had come in on, and this led to the Sith slowing the pirates down long enough to get to their stolen ship.
Obi-Wan and the Doctor leapt over the T-6 as one of Hondo's men shot at the Sith's engines with a rocket launcher, damaging the ship and forcing it to crash. The Doctor, Obi-Wan, Hondo, and Hondo's men watched as the ship fell further and further until it finally impacted a few kilometers from the base.
"Well, Jedi," announced Hondo after the ship crashed, "let's see what riches those crazies have left in their ship for me-and you." Laughing, Hondo ordered speeder bikes to be brought out for them.
"Shall we?" he asked. The Doctor hated to admit it, but he liked Hondo. He was likeable, even for a pirate, so long as one didn't get on his bad side.
"Let's," said the Doctor as he boarded one of the speeders along with one of Hondo's men, who was called Jiro.
They traveled quickly to the ship, and found it in ruins, as the Doctor had expected. Most of what was stored on the cargo ship had been reduced to almost nothing. Maul and Savage were nowhere to be found, leading Hondo to believe that they had been vaporized in the crash. Obi-Wan and the Doctor both expressed their doubts. If Maul could survive getting cut in half, who was to say that he and his brother couldn't survive a ship crash?
In any case, the pirates collected what they could, and they even gave the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Adi Gallia's body a ride home to Coruscant. The Doctor had taken Adi's body and wrapped it in some cloth that Hondo had given him. It was only a temporary measure, as she would be given a burial in proper burial cloth once the Jedi returned to Coruscant.
A thought popped into the Doctor's head as they were heading back. It was an awful thought that made him cringe. How was he going to tell Stass? She would probably be devastated, he figured as the ship landed at the Jedi Temple.
After landing, the Doctor and Obi-Wan took Adi's body and placed it in a floating casket to be used for her pyre. They met with Mace Windu and told him of what had happened. His eyes betrayed sadness at Adi's death, as she was a friend of his, but he nevertheless took the casket in to prepare for the funeral. The Doctor and Obi-Wan went their separate ways for now, but not before agreeing to meet with Chancellor Palpatine to talk with him about Maul's return.
The Doctor found a quiet room and sat in the middle of it for several minutes, purifying himself of any malignant thoughts he may have had towards Maul and his brother.
"Well, then, soldier," called a voice from the doorway. "How goes the day?" The Doctor looked up and saw Stass Allie smiling in the doorway. She almost skipped down the stairs and wrapped her arms around him in an affectionate hug. Her smile faded when she saw the Doctor's own somber expression.
"What's wrong, Doctor?" she asked. "Did something happen?"
"Unfortunately, yes," said the Doctor, sighing. "Adi-she-well...she was killed by the people we were going after." The Doctor explained the situation to Stass hesitantly, not knowing how she would react.
As he suspected, however, the death of her cousin took a toll on Stass, and she began to sob into the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her to calm down, but it was no use. Stass had just lost her cousin. Naturally, she was utterly devastated. The Doctor simply let her have a good cry, holding her the entire way through it.
When she stopped, she separated from the Doctor's embrace and wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry about that," she said. "I must be a complete mess."
"No, no, it's okay," the Doctor reassured her. "But you should know that Adi died bravely, and she wanted me to take care of you, so that's what I'm going to do."
Stass smiled at him, then hugged him once more. Then he had an idea. It was a long shot, but it could work, or it could at least in the Doctor's mind.
"There's a vacant spot in the Council now," he said. "What say you to taking Adi's place?"
Of course, Stass was completely shocked.
"Oh, my...Doctor, I...I don't know what to say," she stammered.
"Then don't say anything right now," said the Doctor. "Just think about it and come back to me later on. I'll talk to the Council about it, but they should accept you no problem."
"Thank you very much, Doctor," said Stass, hugging him once again before departing the room, leaving the Doctor's hearts fluttering for several seconds after.
The Jedi had their meeting with Chancellor Palpatine that night. Palpatine met with the Doctor and Obi-Wan, along with Mace and Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan relayed the story of Florrum to the Chancellor, including Adi Gallia's death and the Sith's possible demise as well. When he reached the part about the crash of the Sith cargo ship, Palpatine interrupted him.
"Then, I believe we have closure on it, Master Kenobi," he said.
"I apologize, Chancellor, but I must disagree," said Obi-Wan. "If there's any lesson to be learned here, it is that the Sith are persistent."
"I understand your stance on the matter, Master Kenobi, but this is very personal for you. It cannot be allowed to interfere with your duties to the Republic," said the Chancellor. "Darth Maul is not a direct threat to the Republic. Your efforts must therefore be redirected to ending this war."
"If I may, Chancellor, Darth Maul was building an army of pirates," chimed the Doctor. "How is that not a direct threat?"
"Pirates are of little concern to us when the Separatists are still at large, Doctor," said Palpatine. "I say let him play with that rabble. They are merely petty crooks. The Separatists are a much larger threat. I believe this issue has been settled, then. Good day to you."
With that, Chancellor Palpatine walked back into his office, leaving the four Jedi to converse among themselves.
"Something is stirring in the underworld," said Obi-Wan stubbornly. "These crime families have had too much free rein in this war."
"It would seem like a fertile place for Maul to flourish if he survived," agreed Anakin.
"You are probably right, Obi-Wan," said Mace. "But we should heed the words of the Chancellor."
"He's right," said the Doctor. "This is a personal matter for you. It is for me, too. As such, our judgement could be clouded. If he has survived, then Darth Maul will reveal himself again. When he does, we will act."
"Very well, Doctor," said Obi-Wan, resigning to restraining himself until Maul resurfaced again.
The four Jedi left the Senate building to go back to the Jedi Temple and hold Adi Gallia's funeral. Even as he walked with his comrades back to their speeder bus that would take them to the Temple, the Doctor could sense that someone, somewhere, had plans for Darth Maul and his brother, should they rise from the ashes of their defeat once again.
Unbeknownst to the Doctor or anyone else in the galaxy, that someone was Darth Sidious.
So, yeah, this chapter is well over 6,000 words. That's approximately a third of TPM in one chapter, and I'm pretty sure that the next chapter will be even longer. As I'm typing this author's note, I'm working on the first chapter of Return of the Jedi. It's kinda surreal, almost like the beginning of the end of an era. At the same time, however, I'm pretty glad that I've been able to keep at this and eventually finish it.
I've gotten two "yay's" for a Subspace Emissary novelization. I haven't gotten any "nay's," which, right now, probably means I'm going to end up doing it after finishing RotJ, but it's your call. If you don't want me to do it, sound off. If you do, by all means, sound off in a review or private message.
I don't really want to end this note on a somber tone, but I feel that it is my duty to address the tragedy that has recently occurred. Most of you guys probably know this already, but for those of you who don't, the world lost Robin Williams yesterday. The police are ruling it a suicide, which unfortunately means that Mr. Williams had probably been suffering from depression during the latter portion of his life.
I am a HUGE fan of Robin Williams's work. I grew up on movies like Aladdin, Hook, and Flubber. Dead Poets Society is still one of the best movies out there. Robin Williams was a truly talented actor and truly funny man. He wanted to make people laugh, and he was certainly good at getting me to laugh. And the world is less funny without him in it. Genie, you're free. Rest in peace, Robin Williams.
As I said before, Robin Williams was probably suffering from depression during the latter portion of his life. Now, I don't know your life stories, guys, and I don't claim to. But if you're suffering from depression, just remember that it gets better. Think on the positives of life instead of the negatives, and you will feel better. I promise. Even if you aren't suffering from depression, but you know someone who is, try to help them through their struggle. Reach out. You'll be awesome for it, and you'll probably feel awesome about it, too.
Have a bangarang day. Until the next chapter, my friends.