Chapter Ten
Maul found his mother surrounded by the ruin of dozens of mutilated and dismembered droids. In her hands were two lightsabers stolen from two of the units just before she threw them to the ground. "Where is your staff?" Maul asked. She opened one hand and green light began to glow in her hands before taking on the shape of her staff then the gold color with the green emerald on its top.
"Happy now?" Kycina asked, teasing her eldest son. Then she walked past him and went to join Savage while he watched her go and scanned the damage she left in her wake. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked after catching up with her. "Like I said before, Savage's father taught me a couple things while we were a mated pair," Kycina explained.
"Was Savage's father a great warrior?" Maul inquired. "Don't tell Savage himself that I said this, but I believed his father to be a far better man intellectually and in terms of fighting than Savage himself is now," Kycina replied. Maul asked if he was really that impressive and she told him how she believed that if there was any man who was could be considered the greatest of the Nightbrother warriors, it was Savage's father. "I never met a man with such prowess in the art of combat and such a heart as what he had had for me," Kycina said.
"And my father, what was he like in comparison?" Maul asked her. "Even though he was not as skilled as Savage's father in combat, he had the strongest willpower of any warrior I had ever faced. Talzin would need the Spell of Undoing to kill him and it would be barely enough, his will to live was that powerful," Kycina answered quietly. Maul looked surprised and she told him she saw that same willpower within him only improved in proportion to the fact that he was a former Sith Lord and his father had just been an ordinary Nightbrother with extreme willpower.
"Is that part of why you see good in me even when no one else does?" Maul asked. "It's part of how I know you can come into the light even though you've been in the dark all your life. As I said before, Savage is a lost pawn of Mother Talzin but as you have escaped your fate you can break your chains. However, it must be you and you alone who breaks those chains when the time comes," Kycina answered.
Maul nodded, not entirely sure if he understood what she meant but definitely desiring to assure her he had listened to her. "Remember Maul, people helping you to break their chains and trying to let them do it for you are not one and the same. When you and Savage came back to me, that helped me break the chain of madness besides the effects of the Madness Herb as a remedy," she added. "The final line of the Sith Code is Through victory, my chains are broken," Maul suggested.
"There are truths to that but there are also falsities in it like everything else in our lives. You still have a chance to understand that while you are young, I didn't learn of it until after Feral and Savage were taken from me by Talzin," Kycina replied. Finally, Maul had one last question to ask of his mother and it was one that would undoubtedly cut into her core. "Does Savage know what you've told me about his father?" he asked.
"No and neither did Feral, I don't think. It is customary that a Nightsister kill her Nightbrother mate after he has produced one or two children. If both are sons, then they will share the same fate as their father but if they are both daughters then they will share their mother's fate as a Nightsister," she answered. "Yet Savage and I escaped the fate of the other Nightbrothers though for different reasons," he said, remembering how she saved him.
"You two are the first in possibly centuries to have done that. I just wish I had known Savage would become Talzin's pawn sooner, I might have done something to save him," she said. "It was the will of the Force that Savage became Talzin's slave and found his way to me, perhaps it will be the will of the Force that I bring him back up from that life," he said. "Who knows what will happen, Talzin's hold over him is very powerful," she admitted.
They rendezvoused with Savage who told them that the ship was fully fueled and ready for flight whenever Maul was. Maul took his time boarding his old ship, eying everything that he had once used to conquer entire worlds and destroy criminal underworlds from within. Though dusty, the probe droids lied motionless where he had left them all those years ago and the controls of the ship were the same as he remembered them. He had it activated and ready for flight in mere seconds though it had been nearly thirteen years since he flew it.
Opening the launching hatch, Maul activated the ship's invisibility cloak shortly after the sun began to shine on the elegant Sith tool. "Brother, won't we be seen by the Jedi as we're this obvious?" Savage asked. "No Savage, I just activated the invisibility cloak thus we only need to relax and pilot the ship through the atmosphere of Coruscant. We will only be suspected if we bump into one of the airspeeders in the main lanes but we're not going to any of those," Maul answered.
"The ship's invisibility cloak is that powerful?" Kycina asked her son. Maul nodded and added that she and Savage could just sit back and relax while he piloted the ship to Ruusan. Once a hyperspace lane that was closest to it was clear for travel, Maul put in the coordinates and launched the ship's effective and incredibly fast hyperdrive. It was a good feeling to once again travel in Scimitar but this time for a mission he took of his own accord: to create an army of vengeful souls from the past.
"According to Dooku, Maul hopes to amass a fleet that would surely destroy the Republic and the CIS if we allowed him to build it. It's only reasonable that we build a fleet of our own to confront him or else to face one of Dooku's in case he only said that to bring us into a final face-off with him," Obi-Wan told Masters Yoda and Windu. "And did Dooku not recommend that we amass our finest troopers into a single fleet and nothing less?" Windu asked. "Over planet Dathomir as well, hmm?" Yoda agreed.
"Dathomir is one of few planets that is actually in the midway between Serenno and Coruscant if going by a normal route for war. It could very easily be that Dooku only wishes to travel the same distance as us for one last battle in the Clone Wars. That sort of gamble is what we've been waiting for him to make since this war begin nearly three years ago if I may say so," Obi-Wan answered to both senior Jedi. "Suggest early end to the war he wants, do you?" Yoda inquired.
"It's a safe bet to make especially now that Darth Maul is alive and can very easily be used as a cover story for such a dark intent," Obi-Wan replied. "Then we'll help you assemble your fleet and send you to Dathomir before the end of the week," Windu said. "Thank you Master and I hope for the sake of us all that I am right in my suspicion but if Dooku's right and Darth Maul is somehow involved…", Kenobi never finished that thought nor did he need to.
"I can sense them Ventress, they are close to their destiny now. It is only a matter of time before we have the power to destroy all enemies of Dathomir and banish their souls to an oblivion worse than any thought bomb created by Sith sorcery," Talzin declared. "And how many times have we heard that one before?" Ventress asked. "This time though, they are truly close to their goal and you only heard it that first time because I thought they were headed to Ruusan but turned back so Maul could obtain his ship Scimitar," Talzin answered.
"If only it would be a little sooner, I loath just sitting around and waiting in this place. Besides, the residents don't look like they appreciate our presence near the temple and who could blame them?" Ventress complained. "They never do but because I am a daughter of the Goddess, they must allow me and anyone with me to approach the temple unless they'd sooner not see their goddess again," Talzin replied. "But why did Maul turn around and head for Coruscant if he was already so close to Ruusan?" Ventress inquired.
"Because of a fondness Maul had with a certain ship from his days as Sidious' apprentice: the Sith Infiltrator known as Scimitar. Its invisibility cloak is powerful enough to hide him from even the finest of the Republic's sensors in the interior of Coruscant," Talzin answered. "He took a massive risk by going to Coruscant for just a ship, I would have left mine behind if it was in the hands of the Jedi scum," Ventress stated disgustedly. "But your ships did not have the advantage of an invisibility cloak, he could use Scimitar to escape this place if he survives what will transpire here," Talzin replied calmly.
After a moment of welcomed silence, Talzin remembered something Savage had given her before going with Maul to find Kycina. "Here it is: one of your lightsabers you lost when you fought Savage after Maul's return," Talzin said after digging around in her sleeve. "Savage came to you with this after our duel above Raydonia?" Ventress inquired, confused but curious. Talzin nodded and told her to be more careful with her weapons if she hoped to survive until she could be embraced by the Goddess herself.
"I will Mother, you can be sure of that one," Ventress said. "Good, now wait patiently. Even in hyperspace, the trio could take a day or two to reach Ruusan," Talzin replied. Ventress nodded and decided she would meditate while they waited for the trio to reach Ruusan, something Talzin felt she herself could do with as well.
"Brother, what are we doing back on Nyx? Dooku or someone not allied with us would surely have picked up on our trail and set a trap for us by now," Savage asked. "Patience Savage, I only stopped here because it is as far as one trip can take us. I need to plug in new coordinates if we are to reach Ruusan and besides, the invisibility cloak still has its effects plus I activated it right when we got out of hyperspace," Maul answered.
"We are safe Savage, do not fret when your brother is piloting this ship," Kycina said, assuring Savage he didn't need to worry about being caught. "What makes you so certain of his capabilities and not mine, mother?" Savage asked. "Savage, I have as much faith in your capabilities as I do in Maul's. I am merely suggesting that you also have faith in your brother's abilities as I do," Kycina answered.
"Then why so distant from me and not my brother?" Savage asked very bluntly. "You haven't approached me as Maul has and made the strives to become closer. I am only one person and can only do so much you have to help me otherwise I don't know what to do, let alone how much I can do," Kycina answered calmly but also bluntly. Maul asked if they could stop arguing and relax for the final stretch of the ride to Ruusan as it was going to be long though not as long as the stretch from Coruscant to Nyx.
"And you need to tell me something: when I found you and brought you back to Dathomir, you wanted nothing short of revenge against Kenobi for slicing you in half! What has brought about this change in your behavior and I know it isn't just our mother's presence with us," Savage inquired. "Maul, you were sliced in half by someone?" Kycina asked. "Oh so you haven't even told her what that Jedi did to you twelve years ago, well allow me to do that!" Savage shouted.
Savage went on to tell Kycina of how twelve years ago, Maul had nearly perished because his ego allowed for a young human Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi to sever his lower and upper body. He also told her of how Savage himself had found Maul raving mad with the power of the Dark Side and brought him back to Dathomir for healing. When he did heal, Maul had desired nothing of Kenobi's slow, painful death at Maul's own hand and Savage promised to aid him in that matter. He concluded by telling Kycina of their adventures after their first attempt on Kenobi's life and of how Savage had lost his left arm fighting Obi-Wan and Naboo shortly before Maul had nearly been forced to abandon him to the Republic troops stationed there.
"Why else did you think I got this hideous attachment? Did you think it was just a weapon I wore across my arm all the time?" Savage asked. "Maul, is it true what Savage is saying about you and him?" Kycina begged, wanting to know if her son had taken her for a fool. Then Maul admitted that what Savage said was true from beginning to end including that he had been sliced in half and wanted nothing short of revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Show me this cybernetic attachment you have, son. If anything, I will be able to use it as a visual confirmation of what Savage has said," Kycina demanded. At first, Maul wanted to resist her demand or pretend like he hadn't heard her ask that of him. Then he succumbed and stripped off his robes until she could see the cybernetic attachment Talzin had given him when Savage first brought him back to Dathomir.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you mother, it didn't occur to me that you would need to know. Otherwise I would have done so much sooner," Maul said. Kycina looked at her son's deformity with tears running down her eyes. Then she told him to put his clothes back on and never again show her his cybernetic apparatus.
"If you do, I think I'm going to be sick," she added. "But now you know the full truth of what your son and I do. We are cold-blooded killers whether you like it or not!" Savage said. At first, Maul moved to comfort her but remembered that he had forgotten to set the ship on autopilot and had to return to it before it made them crash on Ruusan.
It looked as though she didn't want to be comforted at any rate judging by her numerous tears. The only one who was not feeling any ill in this was Savage for he had done precisely what he had intended to do. He had intended to use the truth to drive a wedge between Maul and Kycina, forcing Maul back into the Dark Side. It was Savage's only hope of bringing his brother back into being the man he had been when Savage began taking his training, the same man whose resolve was hardened against anything else in the way.
"The fleet is in position to begin the jump and meet Count Dooku on Dathomir. If Maul is there then we know Dooku was sincere in what he said," Obi-Wan said. "And if he is not?" Windu asked him. "Then it's just another battle in the Clone Wars unless we can capture Dooku, something that will turn the tide in our favor for a change," Obi-Wan answered.
"May the Force be with you either way and have fun facing either foe. It may prove most interesting to see what the result of it all becomes," Windu said. Obi-Wan nodded with agreement and disconnected his transmission with that. Then he gave his Admiral the go to put the fleet through the jump into hyperspace with Dathomir set in their sights.
