"Well, I'll be damned to the deepest hole in hell."

"I told you not to underestimate her. If you've noticed, our two Sith friends have done so many times and have paid for it with their pride."

"This is better than I could have ever imagined. Beyond my wildest dreams."

"I must admit, even I'm surprised at how well it turned out."

"You're the one who's always nagging me to have faith in her no matter how large my doubts are so that's saying a great deal. He declared her worthy of existence and he also…this is…I'm sorry, I need a minute."

"Take your time."

"Okay I'm alright now. Its hard for me to comprehend that she did it, but its even harder to fathom that she did it without even trying! She wasn't even taking it that seriously!"

"I know."

"Its scary to think how she'll be in a few years."

"Be mindful of the future but not at the expense of the moment."

"Ah. Qui-Gon Jinn. One of the very few Jedi who have my respect. Yeah, you're right. But why was she bawling before? Shouldn't she be thrilled? She accepted your challenge and won."

"Because in that moment, my little apprentice grew up a bit. She now knows Maul is not the single-minded bloodthirsty monster she originally believed. By declaring her worthy of existence, combined with apologizing to her and wanting to train her…and other things, he broke the illusion she placed on him. It was too much to take in at once. Also, she's become attached to him against her will. And what's going to happen to him in the end?"

"Oh."

"It reminds me a bit of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In the old movies, you see the creature as nothing more than an abomination that the protagonist will inevitably defeat, and then you'll be relieved and rejoice that the good guy won and the bad guy will burn hell. But then you read the book. And something terrible and wonderful happens. You see another side of the monster. You begin to understand the monster. You begin to sympathize with the monster. And you find out the protagonist isn't the good as gold hero you originally thought. At the end of the story when the monster finally dies, questions arise in your mind. 'What if' questions. You mull over the possibilities for a while but then find out that the monster was meant to die and there was no other way. He could never have fit in society. His death was inevitable, yet you can't help but wish."

"You told me a lot of Error Correctors go through something similar. They get attached to the characters, but when they come out of their realities, they suffer periods of depression because the characters they get so close to die and there was nothing they could do to stop it."

"Those are short-lived though. We give them emotional training remember?"

"Yeah. And it's a good thing you don't tell them not to form attachments just because a character's death is inevitable."

"Of course. We're not the Jedi. Remember from the Gundam Wing reality? When Heero Yuy's mentor died? His last words were to tell the young boy to live by his emotions. Because without emotions, we are nothing."

"Yeah. Well, now the five weeks are up. Its time for the real story to start."

xXx

"Your Highness?"

Queen Amidala turned her gaze from the large window of her throne room to her chief of Security.

"Yes, Captain?"

The queen was grateful that her face paint helped to hide her emotional expressions. It also concealed the lines of stress around her mouth as well as the shadows that gathered around her eyes. Sleep hadn't been kind to her for the past month.

As leader, she couldn't afford to show weakness.

She noticed Panaka didn't look much better. His strong dark features seemed grimmer every time she saw him.

"Forgive my redundancy, Your Highness, the reports we are receiving from the cities are worse everyday, but the details remain the same. I have nothing more to tell you that you don't already know."

Helplessness and guilt were the dominating emotions that tormented the queen lately. Her people had elected her, trusted her, despite the scorn she had received from so many due to her age and humble upbringing. They had put their faith in her hands. And she was powerless to save them from a crisis Naboo had not experienced since the times of war.

She knew of the reports. Many markets had shut down due to the lack of resources, which led to severe unemployment. And the few markets that had managed to stay open were being robbed on a daily basis. Mostly by groups of children and adolescents. In her mind's eye, she could imagine the joy and happiness on their faces be replaced by hollow desperation and hunger that drove them to abandon their morals for survival.

Amidala clenched her fist in confusion and anger.

Why?

It was the question that haunted her since the Federation had blockaded Naboo. She vividly remembered as if it were yesterday. Viceroy Nute Gunray's ultimatum.

"People of Naboo, and citizens of the Galactic Republic. Due to the unforgivable actions of Supreme Chancellor Valorum, ruler of the Republic, the Trade Federation is about to teach a lesson in the real use of power. We have completely blockaded the planet of Naboo and the surrounding star system with our armed and shielded freighters. No spacecraft of any kind will be allowed to leave the planet, or come to the planet. Any attempts at either will be dealt with decisively. This blockade will stay in place until Tax Resolution BR-0371, regarding the unfair taxation of the free trade zones of the Mid and Outer Rim Territories, is abolished. This ultimatum is non-negotiable. We will refuse any pleas for leniency by Naboo or the Senate. Further, we will consider any attempts to free Naboo by military and/or Jedi forces a blatant act of war, and the Chancellor alone will be held responsible by us. This will be our only communication until our demands are met."

It made absolutely no sense. The Naboo had been loyal customers to the Federation for centuries.

Why? Amidala clenched her right hand so Panaka couldn't see. Why my world?

Perhaps they thought Naboo would be the easiest target. And when one thought about it, it was. Naboo had been a peaceful planet far longer than Amidala had been alive. They had no major weapons, which of course, made fighting back nearly impossible. Then again Alderaan was just as helpless.

Maybe it was because they thought a queen barely more than a child wouldn't have the strength to resist them.

Amidala's eyes hardened as she turned her gaze back to the window, anger and frustration coursing through her, giving her strength.

"Your Highness?"

The queen turned on her heel and marched over to her desk.

"This has gone on long enough, Captain," she sat down on her throne and began to punch in a familiar code on the holoprojector. "My people are afraid. They are suffering. I am queen of this planet, and I refuse to just stand by and do nothing."

Panaka sighed. "Your Highness, you are needlessly stressing yourself out. There is nothing any of us can do, you included. You are no good to anyone if you burden yourself unnecessarily."

Amidala ignored him as a flickering blue image manifested itself on the holoprojector. She noted with satisfaction that Supreme Chancellor Valorum looked as tired she felt.

Good.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Chancellor, if you are going to tell me you can't offer me better news at this point, then save your breath. I find it appalling enough that the Senate would rather debate trivial matters rather than help one of its own member worlds."

"Your Highness," the politeness in Valorum's voice sounded forced and strained. "I know how upsetting this is for you, but both your senator and myself have done all we can. The Republic has no military to force the Federation to back down."

Amidala'a heart sank. The thought of using physical violence to end the blockade made her feel like retching, but she was desperate enough after hearing the reports from the cities.

Now that hope was gone as well.

Anger flared up again. "Tell me, Chancellor, would you like to know what my people are going through right now? Food markets are being shut down. Parents can't feed their children due to unemployment. Believe it or not, but some adolescents have formed gangs and are robbing the remaining markets. At this rate all of them will be shut down in the next month." Amidala clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. "Every day you delay, you take bread out of the starving mouths of the children of Naboo!"

"I know this, I know." The exasperation was now open and exposed. Valorum was pale-faced and the lines on his face were more pronounced. "And I have told you again and again, there is nothing I can do. I don't have the power or the right to order the Senate to repeal the tax!"

Amidala's eyes narrowed menacingly. "Know this, Chancellor. I am holding you personally responsible for the suffering of my people. Find a way to end this blockade now, before you become known as the Chancellor who taxed an entire planet to death!"

"Your Highness…" Valorum held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Perhaps…this is a thin chance, but your senator made a suggestion to me just now."

Amidala's shoulders relaxed slightly. "I'm listening."

"The Viceroy stated he would not accept any form of communication with the exception of myself and the Senate. I believe that can be used to our advantage." the ghost of a sly smile crossed the Chancellor's face. "I could send a ship envoy of Ambassadors to the Viceroy to…negotiate the release of your world."

Amidala frowned. "Chancellor, Nute Gunray has the entire blockade at his command. Even a Neimoidian would show courage with a force like that behind him. What makes you think he will be intimidated by Ambassadors, even if they were sent by you?"

She could have sworn the sly smile widened. "He would not be intimidated by regular Ambassadors, I know."

"Chancellor, what are you getting at?"

"I am on rather good terms with the Jedi Order, Your Highness. I could ask them for a personal favor. For a matter like this, I doubt they would be reluctant."

Amidala's eyes went wide as astonishment flooded her.

"Jedi Ambassadors…" she whispered. The possibility was like a ray of sunlight breaking through a dull gray sky.

"If you wish, Your Highness, I could send a call to them right now."

"Yes," the queen nodded. "Yes, please do that Chancellor. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Your Highness."

The hologram disappeared and Amidala leaned back on her throne with a sigh. Maybe there was hope after all.

Captain Panaka approached. There was a smirk on his face. "Its no small wonder that the people elected you, Your Highness. King Veruna would never have taken a stand like that. He was quite submissive."

"I know," Amidala said. She stared at her desk. "I ran because I love my planet and my people more than I will ever love my own life. I wanted to be the one to protect it. To protect them."

The Captain nodded. "The people chose wisely, Your Highness. I have no doubt you will see us through this crisis."

Amidala nodded in gratitude. She still had doubts and misgivings, but Panaka was a man she greatly respected. His opinion mattered a great deal to her.

"Thank you, Captain. Please inform Governor Bibble and the rest of the Council of the Chancellor's plan."

"Of course, Your Highness."

xXx

In a shadowy lair on Coruscant, Darth Sidious took a moment to revel in the satisfaction of how well his plan was working. It had been too easy to manipulate that Jedi-loving fool Valorum into suggesting the taxation of the free trade zones of the Mid and Outer Rim Territories which gave the Federation a valid excuse to blockade Naboo. His true goal was to replace Valorum with a puppet of his own, such as Ainlee Teem, but choosing Naboo was no coincidence. The planet flat-out disgusted him. Its people consisted of naïve idealists who were foolish enough to forbid the use of weapons and arms. They were like the Jedi, blathering holier-than-thou platitudes of peace and security and thinking they were projecting wisdom to the galaxy, when in reality, they were displaying their own arrogance and cowardice like a stupid child taunting a caged rancor. The child could sit in front of the bars of the rancor's imprisonment and smile innocently, thinking it was perfectly safe because its enemy was in a cage. But eventually, the rancor would become enraged and strong enough to break free and devour the child. To Sidious, the child was a metaphor of Queen Amidala, while the cage represented the Senate. She was naïve enough to believe they would jump to her rescue, while she and her people hid behind their own personal delusions.

Idiot girl.

The Naboo had also, in the process, distanced themselves from the Republic, and prevented themselves from becoming aware of how corrupt it had become. The Senate now consisted only of greedy, cowardly scum, concerned with only gaining more wealth and power. It was the reason Darth Sidious had been able to control so many of them.

Indirectly, the Naboo had asked for what was coming to them. And now it had arrived thanks to Sidious. He would use the planet to achieve his goals, and as an added bonus rid the galaxy of a severe nuisance.

Alderaan was the same way, in fact. Perhaps when the galaxy was his, he would…

He was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt a familiar presence approaching. Donning his hood, he waited.

A few moments later, Darth Maul knelt on one knee.

"My master."

"Rise, Lord Maul."

His apprentice obeyed. Sidious hadn't seen Maul personally since the blockade first began, but now that he was here, Sidious could fully sense the younger Sith's emotions. After a moment of probing, he frowned at what he found.

First things first though.

"The Observer is not with you, Lord Maul," Sidious said silkily. "Did seeing me again hold no appeal to her?"

Maul's eyes flashed. "She informed me two days ago that she received orders from her superiors."

Sidious smiled in cruel amusement. Another half-truth that was not reported to him right away. Apparently, his apprentice did not wish to inform him what these orders were. That alone gave him the answer. However, there was time to draw it out later.

"How goes her training?"

"She is a fast learner, Master. She asks questions only when necessary and offers no complaints as to my methods. I have noticed an improvement to her blade work during the past three weeks. She takes to Teras Kasi remarkably well despite the immaturity of her body. I have confidence she will improve greatly as she grows."

"I sense anger in you, my young apprentice," Sidious said. "Is it about the girl?"

"Not in general, Master," Maul's jaw clenched. "I am utterly disgusted by the cowardice of her government that they would presume to throw away such potential out of ignorant fear. They are unworthy of an agent like her. The only one whom I have any respect for is Claire Selton, her mentor."

"Indeed," Sidious agreed. "Unnecessarily wasting talent is a truly despicable thing." he paused for a long moment, drawing out tension before speaking again. "I know she told you the orders her superiors gave her," his eyes bore into Maul's.

"You will tell me them now."

Maul hesitated before opening his mouth to speak…

…and was cut off by a soft chiming from the holoprojector before he could get a single syllable out.

Sidious gritted his teeth at the interruption. "Stay out of sight." he snapped at his apprentice before answering the call. Three holograms materialized consisting of Viceroy Nute Gunray, his lieutenant Rune Haako and Captain Daultay Dofine. He noted with interest that they were all quivering nervously.

Well, more nervously than they usually did.

"This had better be good, Viceroy." Sidious said menacingly. "I was busy on other matters.What is it?"

Gunray spoke. "The Chancellor has sent ambassadors to force a settlement."

Sidious smirked inwardly. Valorum truly was a fool. So easy to manipulate it wasn't even fun. "Yes, I know."

Gunray swallowed hard. He wasn't finished yet. "They are…Jedi!"

Sidious froze.

"Jedi?" he said in a reverent whisper. "Are you sure?"

"They have been identified, My Lord. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi."

How interesting. The same two who had interfered with his plan with the Bartokk assassins months ago. Coincidence? Not likely. So, Valorum wasn't quite as great a fool as he originally thought. Sidious cursed himself for not foreseeing this. Valorum had always been on very good terms with the Jedi. It would not have been hard for him to ask for a favor such as this.

Lord Maul shifted beside him and Sidious picked up a wave of rage and frustration from his apprentice. And the faintest trace of…

Distress?

"This scheme of yours has failed, Lord Sidious." Dofine whimpered pathetically. "The blockade is finished! We dare not go against the Jedi."

"You seem more worried about the Jedi than you are of me, Dofine." Sidious said coolly. "I am amused. Viceroy!"

"Yes, My Lord?"

"I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again…do you understand?"

The Viceroy nodded and shot the captain a harsh glare, who slunk off with his head bowed. Sidious pursed his lips. It had been only five weeks since the blockade began. His original plan had been two months. But there was no time now. The invasion of Naboo would just have to proceed ahead of schedule.

"This turn of events is unfortunate, but not fatal. We must accelerate our plans, Viceroy. Begin landing your troops."

Gunray flinched. "Ahh, My Lord, is that…legal?"

"I will MAKE it legal," Sidious snarled.

"And…the Jedi?"

"The Chancellor should have never brought them into this." Sidious snapped. "Kill them immediately. Destroy their ship."

The dark lord picked up another emotion from his apprentice at that. It was miniscule, yet it made Sidious grit his teeth and want to blast Maul with Force Lightening until he was unconscious.

"My Lord," Gunray stammered. Panic brimmed in his eyes. "D-destroy a Republic vessel? But--"

"Direct your fear where it rightfully belongs, Viceroy," Sidious hissed. "You don't want to end up like your late associate, Hath Monchar, do you?"

Gunray shook his head violently.

"O-of course, n-not, My Lord!"

"I don't want to hear any more about whether my orders to you are legal or not. Understood? Carry out my commands."

Gunray bowed. "Ye…yes, My Lord. As you wish." the transmission was cut and the hologram faded away.

Darth Sidious was silent and still as a statue for a full minute.

"Now then, Lord Maul," he said in a voice filled with deadly calm without turning around. "You were about to tell me about the Observer personally associating with the Jedi, as of right now."

Brief pause, then. "Yes, master."

Sidious's eyes narrowed behind his hood. "I will grant that she has been useful in keeping an eye on the Neimoidians. However…" he turned around very slowly. "I have sensed a change in you, my young apprentice. And I am not certain I like it." he took a step closer to Maul whose face showed a slight confusion.

"Master?"

"Your hatred burns bright, apprentice." Sidious whispered. "Brighter than I have ever felt. You yearn for the destruction of the Jedi at your own hands more than ever. Yet you felt relieved when I ordered the Neimoidians to execute the two Ambassadors. Why is that?"

"The Neimoidians are as incompetent as they are cowardly, Master. They are no match for Jedi. I have a strong suspicion they will fail."

"And then I will require that you hunt them down." Sidious finished.

"Yes, master."

"You wish to prove yourself to me."

"That is my purpose, Master."

"Of course it is," Sidious took another step closer. Menace radiated off him. "Your thoughts betray you, my young apprentice. Unfortunately, I cannot decipher them completely. Why do you think that is Lord Maul?"

The younger Sith didn't answer. His face was unreadable. But Sidious smirked when he saw the slightest of tremors course over Maul's body.

"Could it be…" Sidious slowly drawled the words out in an ice cold voice. "That I cannot sense your thoughts…because they are mainly focused on a certain…acquaintance of yours? An acquaintance," the drawl transformed into a poisonous hiss. "That has no Force Signature?"

The tension in the air was so thick and cloying it would take a lightsaber to cut through it. Darth Maul stood his ground, his face kept attentively blank.

"You said you would try and persuade her that the Jedi are not what she thinks they are," Sidious said with casual airiness. "Are you having any success?"

The young Sith's Force aura pulsed with the same rage and frustration as the last time. "She listens to what I say, Master, but she counters my arguments with her own idealism. She left when I went too far," Maul bared his teeth. "She is determined to hold the Jedi in high regard no matter what evidence I put before her."

Sidious chuckled. "Yes, that is to be expected." His gaze bore into Maul's. "You are enraged, apprentice. The mere thought of her interacting with them stirs a desire to crush the Temple into ruin right this second."

"She is a naïve child, Master, despite the way she talks and acts." Maul's right hand clenched. "The Jedi will take advantage of that. They will brainwash her further."

"And why should that matter to you, Lord Maul?" Sidious asked quietly. "She is forbidden from interfering. She will not betray us to them. And she has done what we asked of her. So how does it hold significance?"

Maul didn't answer and Sidious closed his fist, summoning the dark side. His apprentice's eyes went wide and a shocked choke escaped his throat, though his hands did not grab for his neck.

"Be very, very careful Maul," Sidious hissed. "I permitted you this indulgence because I thought it would be useful to you. And it has been. Your hatred has increased, yet I sense something else, buried deep down inside. Not compassion, no. You are incapable of such weakness. But a peace of mind that borders on….dare I even suggest it…contentment?"

Sidious channeled the dark energy focusing it on his apprentice's windpipe. Finally, the young Sith did grab his throat, gasping for air. Sidious kept him like that until he collapsed on the ground, wheezing. The dark lord approached the crumpled form of Darth Maul.

"Under normal circumstances, such a thing would hardly matter to me," Sidious said coldly. "But it seems the child is becoming a distraction. And distractions can make one reckless. You wanted her and I let you have her. Do not bother to deny it, Maul. I knew what you were really asking when you requested to train her. But heed my warning. Do not let her own blindness cloud your judgment, or the consequences will be severe." The dark lord turned his back. "Now, get out of my sight."

From behind him, he heard Maul struggle to his feet and walk away and Sidious glared at the wall in front of him before chuckling again. He admitted this was still quite entertaining. However, his apprentice needed to be reminded of his place. The little girl had somehow gotten under Maul's skin and eventually, he decided to voluntarily welcome her there, but only because Sidious permitted it.

xXx

"Captain, we have searched the ship, and there is no trace of the Jedi." the hologram of Rune Haako said. "They may have gotten onto one of your landing craft."

"If they're down here, sir, we'll find them." the droid responded in its lifeless voice. "We are moving out of the swamp and are marching on the cities. We are meeting no resistance."

"Excellent." Gunray said. "Use caution – these Jedi are not to be underestimated."

From her perch on a gunship, Harlene snorted derisively. Now they decide to show the Jedi a bit of respect? Stupid fools. Well, mostly Nute Gunray. Daultay Dofine and Rune Haako had at least encountered them before and learned something from their experiences. And now the este emed Viceroy of the Trade Federation had had the very great privilege of seeing two Jedi warriors kick major ass for the first time. Harlene shared the opinion of several Star Wars fans that The Phantom Menace movie was a big letdown, focusing mainly on special effects rather than the actors performance. But here in a virtual reality world, there was no comparison. She had followed Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon for the last day and reveled in seeing them in action against the Federation. It had been incredibly tempting to reveal herself many times, but restrained herself knowing she would only be a distraction. As of right now, she was content to merely live up to her false title. Harlene found it to be a therapeutic relief to see the Jedi at long last, but it also stirred up conflicting emotions, such as guilt and uncertainty of which a certain Dark Lord of the Sith was to blame.

Well, no that was unfair. He wasn't to blame. He had asked her to come back, but the decision rested on her alone. And she had gone back every day for the past three weeks when it would have been so easy to just vanish from his life altogether. She had done what Claire asked. She had done the impossible. She had created a civil companionship with Darth Maul.

The mere thought still caused her to giggle deliriously every now and then. As did the memory of him kneeling in front of her, touching her chin and declaring her worthy of existence. Actually, that was the impossible thing she had done. Now thanks to Harlene, Maul's list of those people had grown from one to two.

And he complains I always do the exact opposite of what he expects she mentally grumbled.

Maul made good on his promise to train her. She would arrive in the afternoon and meditate with him, after which they would train until late evening. True to his word, he had begun to teach her Juyo lightsaber techniques and the Teras Kasi martial arts. The first day he had drilled her mercilessly to see where her breaking point was. Unfortunately for him, she had not given him the satisfaction of seeing her collapse. The truth was, he was as harsh and demanding as Claire was. Harlene had taken the liberty of informing him of that after he commented upon her stamina.

"You Sith have your 'there is no pain where strength lies' philosophy. Well, we Observers have one that's worded a bit different. 'Yeah, you're in pain, yeah you're exhausted, now suck it up, get on your feet and fight anyway!'" After which she had lunged at him in a flurry of slashes and she could have sworn she saw amusement in his eyes.

Despite Maul's isolated upbringing from society, he truly was an excellent teacher, explaining what he wanted her to do bluntly, yet thoroughly and she obeyed without questioned. Harlene admitted to herself that she had learned quite bit from him in as little as three weeks. Her blade work had improved and she had some handle on the basics of Teras Kasi. In return, she had volunteered her knowledge of Capoeira and he had accepted. Already being a master of acrobatics and martial arts, he was an incredibly fast learner.

She had thought he would dismiss her afterwards. Instead, he would invite her to his window and they would talk as they watched the sun set. Well, actually, she would talk and he would listen. Harlene told him of the history of her people. From the wars they fought, to the conflicts they faced, and the solutions that came during her time. He had been particularly intrigued when she told him about the Spartans.

"They were an ancient civilization?"

"Yeah. Very primitive, but they didn't let that get in the way. They were the ultimate warriors of their time, and they bore many similarities to your Sith culture. If a baby was born misshapen or with birth defects, they threw the infant into a ravine to die from exposure. They only accepted the best of the best. The children that did survive were given severe training to mold them into the perfect killing machines. At the age of seven, boys were tied to a pole and whipped for a certain amount of time. Those that collapsed or died were considered irrelevant. Those that survived continued to train. And the irony is, they were trained to train themselves a lot of times. An example would be stealth. If they wanted food, they had to steal it and were only punished if they got caught. And to advance to the next level, they pitted students against each other in battles to the death. One thing I greatly admire about them is their attitude toward women, which was severely different from the ancient cultures back then. Girls weren't trained as soldiers but they were brought up to be as healthy and strong as men. They were educated in boxing, wrestling, swordplay and gymnastics. Not only that, they enjoyed the privileges of positions of power and owning their own property, as well as the right to divorce their husbands if they chose. Cowardice was also something sorely looked down on. When a man went off to war, he carried a large shield along with his armor. His wife would tell him to come back to her with the shield on his back or his corpse on the shield. If he came back without it, it meant that he dropped it to lighten his load as he ran away. The punishment was death or exile."

Maul had nodded in satisfaction and approval. "This is a culture I could greatly respect."

Their conversations mainly consisted of him asking short questions about Harlene's civilization and her providing thorough, lengthy explanations. Harlene never considered herself a chatterbox, but she found herself eager to share her knowledge. He didn't seem to mind though. In fact, it was almost as if he was perfectly content to just listen to the sound of her voice.

She had been quite confused at first. Yet it would be nothing compared to what happened at the start of the second week.

It was after six long hours of lightsaber drilling. He had offered her food, but she had declined telling him that her immortality enabled her to survive without eating, drinking or sleeping. Actually, it was another programming. Error Correctors could consume nutrition and perform bodily functions, but only if they wanted to. Otherwise, they were free from such burdens so time could be completely devoted to exploring and interacting.

She had stood by the window alone and found herself lost in her thoughts as she stared at the breathtaking sight before her. After an unknown amount of time, Maul had returned, but he didn't stand beside her as he usually did. Instead, he stood behind her. Harlene hadn't thought much of it at first. She waited for him to ask a question, but instead…

…instead…

…he had reached out with his gloved hand and began caressing her hair.

Until her dying day she would remember how every molecule in her body felt as if it had been doused in liquid nitrogen making moving or speaking utterly impossible. But her mind was fully thawed and it had no trouble whatsoever in voicing its incredulity.

Darth Maul is stroking my hair, Darth Maul is stroking my hair, Darth Maul is stroking my…fucking…hair. I'm hallucinating, this is a dream, I'm not really here, I want to wake up now, please let me wake up now, get me the fuck out of this bizarre whatever I'm in…

She eventually forced herself to relax. Malfunction. That's what it was. Just a small malfunction in Maul's programming. That was all. It could be fixed. When Harlene was done here, she would just go up to the Four Founders and tell them about it and they would take care of it. No problem. No problem at all.

If only he would just take his hand off her so she could actually move again.

This was too much. Apologizing to her was one thing, he had honor after all. Declaring her worthy of existence was another, she supposed it made sense in a way. Asking Sidious to train her wasn't that unusual, but this…

This contradicted everything Maul was. It had to be a malfunction, there's no way, no way in the universe…

(feel the sense of touch child)

Malfunction or not, if someone were to ask her what she would do if Darth Maul ever started stroking her hair, she would answer that she would slap his hand away and ask him what the fucking hell did he think he was doing.

But she was shocked to discover that when she actually thought about it, she felt more morbidly curious rather than outraged.

(feel the sense of touch child)

Forcing herself to relax even further so she could think clearly, Harlene tentatively began to concentrate on how his touch felt.

His glove was soft. The speed of his movement moderate.

Gentle…yet not indifferent…like when he had cupped her chin. There was…meaning behind this?

(it's the sense touch, child)

A memory from an old movie called Crash surfaced. The setting had been the city of Los Angeles in the early 2000's. Racial prejudice had been a main theme. Blacks and whites, Asians and Hispanics. It even included the treatment Middle Easterns' received after the September 11th terrorist attacks via Osama Bin Laden. But the focus of the movie had been about how these people's lives affected each others. How they interacted on their own free will, and how they interacted through involuntary collisions both literally and metaphorically.

How they crashed into each other.

But one of the characters had an interesting theory. Perhaps all these collisions were voluntary, and they were the result of an unconscious desire for interaction.

A desire for the sense of touch.

"It's the sense of touch," the character, Detective Graham Waters had said in a mystical voice to his partner and lover, Ria after they had gotten into a car accident. "Any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other just so we can feel something."

Touch was something all living beings craved, sentient or not. And they got it through interacting with others. But how does one control how and when one encounters with others? Sometimes you seek out interaction, sometimes its forced onto you, and sometimes you get caught off guard, yet you respond to it even if it isn't welcome.

She was responding to his touch even if it was sorely unexpected because it was something that she was used to. It was normal for her. But something like this wasn't normal for Darth Maul. His touch was gentle, yet she could sense severe inexperience in it. This was far from normal for him, yet he was a living creature, and a sentient one at that. Touch was something that came instinctively.

Had Sidious ever touched him affectionately? Perhaps he had handled him gently when he was a baby, but memories like that faded as a person got older. Harlene recalled a Star Wars Tales comic in which Maul remembered certain aspects of his past. The main of which was how Sidious had taught him how fear led to anger, hate and suffering. Maul had been assigned to investigate a disturbance in the dark side, which came from a creature called Silus who was part of a brawl that used the Force for financial gain. In reality, Sidious had wanted to pit Maul against Silus in a one-on-one duel as he stated in a holo-recording that Maul presented to him. Sidious instilled fear in Maul when he told Silus he would take him as an apprentice if he could defeat Maul. Maul had used his fear of abandonment, of having no purpose without Sidious to eventually triumph.

"You were afraid?"

"I…yes."

"Good. Fear can make you strong. Obedient. In this there is power. Do you understand?"

"Yes…my master."

Sidious had then cupped his chin between his thumb and index finger. In the exact way Maul had touched Harlene. But for Sidious, such touches held no meaning. They were merely to emphasize his point and to remind Maul that he was nothing without his master.

The touches held no meaning, not even affection and they were probably rarer than rain in the desert. Graham's theory would probably never apply to someone so well than Darth Maul. Well, maybe Darth Vader, but Maul was raised with no contact from the outside world and he spent his days doing nothing expect training and meditating. He was always behind metal and glass. And he received his touch solely by fighting others. He received his touch by crashing into others.

Of course, he would have no qualms with that. He was a Sith after all. What other sense of touch could possibly satisfy him than battle?

(you need to get rid of those blocks on your mind)

But in the comic that told the story of the downfall of Black Sun's vigos…Harlene remembered the scene where Maul had lied to a group of Vigo Darnada's thugs, telling them he wanted to be part of Black Sun. They brought him to Darnada, and the vigo's bodyguard, a Twi'lek named Sinya had taken a moderate interest Maul. She circled him flirtatiously and ran her hands over him to check for potential weapons. Maul hadn't resisted. He had stayed perfectly still.

Why? He didn't have to let her touch him. He had already been in Darnada's lair. He could have just whipped out his lightsaber, caught everyone off guard and the rest would be history.

Harlene tried to push the thought out of her head. He had probably wanted to make a dramatic first strike. Darnada had asked why he had come after Sinya had frisked him and Maul responded, "I came to kill you. ALL of you."

That was it. He had waited because it would be more dramatic. What else could she expect from a Sith?

But Maul had once said in his journal that he never spoke in battle because he wanted to solely focus on the joy of killing. That completely contradicted him announcing his intentions to his victims.

Unless…unless those words had been for himself. To remind himself the real reason why he was there so the unexpected, yet not unpleasant ministrations he had just received would banish from his mind…

Was this really a malfunction?

…or was it artificial intelligence so real and advanced that it completely utterly took her breath away?

Once again, Harlene tried to get the seemingly ludicrous thought out of her head, but there was something that kept on pushing at her mind

(feel the sense of touch child)

Along with the hand stroking her hair that almost pleaded with her to reconsider.

Am I that wrong about you? She wondered. Are you not just a blood-thirsty monster, but a man who desires the same basic things everyone else does? No matter how evil you are?

As if in answer the hand caressing her hair suddenly ceased its movement, but it rested itself on her shoulder, and she felt the leather-clad fingers of his other hand gently stroke her jaw.

Yes.

Yes, I think you just may be.

The revelation filled her with awe at how the Four Founders had created these characters so breathtakingly real, but she also remembered what she had said about Maul before

(he hates interaction of any kind if its not Sidious or someone he can kill)

And didn't even try to quell the rush of shame that burned her face. Claire had been right to reprimand her.

Maul didn't speak for the remaining hour left of daylight. When the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon and the stars began to twinkle in the sky along with Coruscant's lights, he bent his head to whisper in her ear.

"Come before dawn from now on."

Involuntarily, she shivered at the commanding tone in his soft voice, but nodded.

"I will."

He left afterward. But during their remaining days, they would train for hours as usual, and Maul would stroke her hair and jaw during their conversations. Sometimes he would even cup the side of her neck with his remaining hand while he was doing so.

Harlene's uncertainty and guilt did not stem from her interactions with Maul, but rather, it was the lack of guilt and uncertainty. Against her will, she enjoyed this new form of attention he paid to her, and didn't even fight it. It gnawed at her that she was betraying the Jedi by not resisting this twisted affection from a Sith of all people. At night when he finally walked away from her without a word, images would flash in her mind of peaceful places she could go to calm her conflicted mind. She had felt slightly suspicious when it happened, but then brushed it off when she arrived since the places helped mollify her thoughts.

(do what you feel is right, child what others think is irrelevant)

It would be effortless to leave Maul forever. The temptation after she had told him she was going to meet the Jedi two days ago had been almost impossible to overcome. He had gone into an infuriating tirade how they were arrogant hypocrites.

But if she did, he would be sealed behind metal and glass again to await the crashes that was his sense of touch when Sidious assigned him a mission.

What have I done?

What have I found?

Harlene was so absorbed in her thoughts that's she didn't even feel the wind whipping through her hair or hear the scream of machinery and wildlife that rang through the swamps as the Gunships tore through the trees and foliage. But then a vision flashed in her mind.

Qui-Gon Jinn was running at full speed with one of the hulking crafts behind him. Jar-Jar Binks was jerking his head left and right, confused as to what was going on, but he was yards away from Qui-Gon's path. At this rate, they would never collide with one another like they were supposed to.

They would never crash into one another.

Harlene smiled at the irony and proceeded to do her job.