"Impossible!" Obi Wan snapped, biting his tongue right after. "I killed him on Naboo."
Kento shook his head. "You cut him in two. You should have done it vertically instead of horizontally. He had a pair of mechanical legs."
"Darth Maul..." Anakin whispered. "Is that the one who attacked me and Qui Gon on Tatooine?"
The silence that followed was palpable.
Obi Wan glanced at the older or senior Jedi in rank, moving his gaze to each of their own for a few seconds before he returned it to the table. "Yes, that same person."
Cadus kept a growl down, clenching the table with his fingers.
"How could he survive having his spine severed?" Shaak Ti asked, not bothering to hide her dismay.
"And, what about his ribs? When Maul was bisected, Obi Wan must have got a part of his rib cage, or one of his lungs." Anakin reasoned.
"The dark side is a strange thing...It isn't unheard of for a person to survive terrible wounds due to their own pain and hatred. If you have a Sith that knows how to use their pain and hatred, surviving being bisected, and even surviving without having a body aren't impossible. It's just a few things in a long list that they have at their disposal." Cadus remarked.
Anakin turned toward Obi Wan, staring thoughtfully. "Your attack should have killed him all of those years ago. Did you hold back, even a little?"
Obi Wan shook his head, remembering how angry and furious he had been watching Qui Gon fight for his life and then be cut down right before his eyes. The bearded Jedi remained silent. He had allowed anger and fury to consume him. He clung onto it. He believed after that Maul was done for. Maul had been killed by his hand, left to fall to his demise in two halves.
In that moment, Obi Wan had surrendered himself completely to his rage and hate for Maul.
Obi Wan could feel Anakin shifting, growing a little uncomfortable, having trouble maintaining his silence.
Kento leaned back, his brow furrowing. "Darth Maul used his hatred for you, Master Kenobi. He used that same hate to survive that stroke you cut him through with. I do not understand how he, of all people, could have been on my tail and I never even sensed him to start with."
"The dark side is elusive, and it always gives the person what they want. It favors those who make themselves stand out." Cadus said with a small snort.
"In any case, we need to get after him. If a Sith like Maul is around and battle hungry, this war that is about to end may just amplify..." Obi Wan said, tone urgent.
"Perhaps he will reveal himself again in due time, with his other comrades trained in the dark side." Anakin suggested.
"It is possible." Cadus agreed.
"I just wish I knew what his target was. I think I was just a quarry in the long run, a bonus, something like junk in a cargo hopper. He could have killed me more than once, but instead he just left me with severe burns."
"We can't pursue them individually. They could be trying to make us disperse. Anakin, Master Cadus, and Master Kenobi were on different ends of the galaxy." Shaak Ti noted.
The others murmured their approval, showing their confidence in her conclusion.
Kento still furrowed his brow, brooding. "What could someone like that be doing all the way out in the Seswenna Sector?"
"The same reason you were in the Bajic Sector and Quence Sector. He could have been lying in wait from the beginning and expected your recon long in advance. He could have been there since Grievous invaded Utapau, and Master Kenobi liberated the world." Cadus suggested.
"That makes me wary...They are starting to hide in plain sight, right under our noses, and we can't even see them." Kento said, tone growing thick with apprehension.
"You are not the only one that's troubled..." Shaak Ti echoed.
Anakin thought it over.
He stopped when his line of thought began to trail towards Maul, Ventress, and whoever else trying to pinpoint places in the galaxy. They commanded the Droid Army, but even they didn't have the brains to put a strangle hold on trade routes.
That would be Nute Gunray and the others with such knowledge.
Cadus tilted his head. "What are you thinking about, Anakin?"
"It could be nothing." He replied, gaze steady. "But, what if the Sith are going to attack?"
Shaak Ti's and Obi Wan's eyes widened slightly.
"Sith...You mean the likes of Maul, Ventress, and anyone else trained in the same arts as them?" Obi Wan sought to clarify.
"Yes." Anakin said quickly.
Cadus nodded, rubbing his chin. "So, Nute Gunray and everyone else on the Separatist Council move forward with peace talks while the likes of Ventress, Grievous, and others like them begin to attack and push the war themselves?"
"It is possible."
There was a shocked silence.
Anakin was suggesting what should be, the impossible, that the peace talks were going to be a farce, but by the politics, would be more than official, but because of those trained by Dooku and Sidious in the dark side, the war could continue.
It was Obi Wan who gave voice to the collective thought.
"You are suggesting that our war with the CIS would end, but when that war ends, our war with the Sith will continue?"
Anakin shook his head. "The CIS is controlled by Sith. It is going to be a matter of politics and semantics, and the Jedi Order could get a very bad reputation, very fast. We have a less than stellar one right now, but it can get a whole lot worse. To the point everyone hates us and would rather have us dead, than alive."
Obi Wan hesitated. "But, if the Separatist Council agrees to it, Grievous and the others have to follow suit with the collective decision, technically speaking the Council is above Grievous, and anyone else like that in the leadership heirarchy..."
"Do you really think Grievous will ever lay down his arms?" Anakin asked, challenging Obi Wan to answer with full earnest intent.
"Of course not." Obi Wan took a deep breath. "But, he still has to be reasonable."
"He is not reasonable, and it is known that he wants to kill Nute Gunray." Anakin remarked.
Again, there was silence as they all exchanged glances, communicating without words.
"In other words, we won't have any help from the GAR if we go after those trained in the dark side." Obi Wan said softly.
"Finding them and confronting them is our duty." Cadus said, tone strong.
"Naturally, but like Anakin just said...This is going to steer us into politics and smudging our less than stellar reputation right now." Obi Wan said, expression thoughtful.
"It is a path we cannot turn back from. I am starting to think that Master Kento, Master Mallie, and Master Murak are all quarries meant to get our attention." Shaak Ti said.
"So, we really do need Master Murak's report to fill in all of the gaps after this." Cadus said aloud, scratching the bridge of his nose.
"I should have taken Maul's head." Obi Wan bit out, eyes narrowing. "We wouldn't be here if I did."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. If Master Mallie experienced something like Master Kento, I think we will be able to conclude what is really going on." Cadus replied, tone firm.
Kento remained silent, done speaking his report.
Cadus pressed the holo-recorder until it clicked loudly, signifying it was done recording.
"What are you doing-" Obi Wan didn't get very far.
"Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy! Aola Freeta-Freeykaa!" Cadus called, voice booming across the entire cafeteria, nearly stopping everyone in their tracks or in their movements.
Two heads poked out from the serving area where other Jedi were lined up to get their food or moved through the selection area a few feet from it.
Aola looked to the far side of the room, ignoring the Padawans in front of her.
"What would you like, Master Cadus!? Oooohhh you have donuts and ice cream! Lena, Master Cadus has donuts and ice cream! He even has sundaes! He has sundaes!"
"Aola-"
"He has sundaes!" Aola shouted with finality, cutting off Lena's gentle reprimand to calm down.
Cadus met Aola's beaming eyes, and laughed, amused with her exaggerated and excited way of speaking.
"You can have some donuts with ice cream if you like. I still have plenty left for you and your friends. There's even some Muja Fruit filled donuts and Muja Fruit ice cream."
Aola slammed her hands on the counter. "Lena! He has Muja Fruit ice cream! That is your favorite flavor of ice cream! Talisibeth, he even has the sugar donuts you like! The sugar kind!"
Talisibeth nodded with wide eyes, looking a little overwhelmed with the energy Aola was exuding. "Aola, they can hear you all the way in the Archives."
"So?"
Cadus smacked the table he was at with his hand, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Come and eat some sweets. Could you bring us some ice water with some cups, please. I would also like some breakfast."
Aola jumped over the counter with a wide grin, almost knocking over glass plates in her wild excitement, but she ignored the commotion she caused with the reckless action. Without any delay she ran towards Cadus, honing in on the box of chocolate donuts and sundaes like a heat seeking missile.
"I love chocolate!" Aola grabbed a chocolate donut out of the box, nearly swallowing it whole in one bite, and grabbed two more, repeating the same action, and began drinking ice cream. She grabbed another one, shoving it into her mouth and shoving a scoop of ice cream right after.
Mallie blinked in surprise, giving the younger Jedi some space.
"Aola, you're..." Shaak Ti trailed off, dodging chocolate flying through the air.
"That is a little much." Kento agreed, brushing donut crumbs from his arm.
"A little more manners, young one. Aola, some control would also be nice, you're going to get a brain freeze." Obi Wan cleared his throat gently, wiping a piece of donut from his nose.
Aola looked up at the older man, then at Cadus, then finally she turned her gaze towards Shaak Ti. She pitched it towards the Jedi who were remaining silent at the table, just content to watch her. She took another donut.
"You better take your time with that one." Kento said, trying to sound stern and failing.
Aola sat down with the older Jedi, moving a giant bowl of ice cream in front of her and shoved the spoon into it, taking out a huge portion before she shoved the whole spoonful into her mouth.
"I really love sundaes. One time I ate two dozen sundaes and my poop looked just like chocolate."
Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "Aola..."
"I ate my stupid vegetables before I ate the sundaes."
"That's..." Obi Wan wasn't sure if he should laugh or sigh. "That wasn't his point."
Mallie gently cleared her throat, smiling at Aola. "Young one. You still have duties to attend to, no?"
Aola looked back at the serving area, and noted Talisibeth and Lena could use some help despite Arto and the service droids moving around.
She sighed, put her donut in the ice cream, then picked up her sundae and carried it back over with her.
Aola set down her sundae by the large trays in the back, moving back towards the front with some hast, and poked her head through the serving area.
"I'm going to get started on your breakfast Master-"
The Jedi in front of Aola began to speak, cutting her off. "I'd like the blue milk and-"
"Kee chai chai cun kuta!? Hi chuba du naga!? Mee jewz ku! Mi chuga! My yarga! Mah bukee bsha. Bu champios Jedai ateema! Nudd chaa!"
The seventeen year old looked put off and even angered by the snappish remark in Huttese, staring at Aola like she had four heads.
"I would like some blue milk and Kaadu eggs."
"Kee chai chai cun kata!? Ah'chu apenkee dopa meekie, coo ya maya stupa? Dobrah binggona!"
The older Padawan just stared at Aola, showing degrees of insult and annoyance. "Young Aola-"
"Wermo peedunkee Jeedai kwee-kunee."
"Aola, I can get what he needs. You can get the ice water to the Masters. You can start on Master Cadus's breakfast, too. Don't forget to eat your donut and ice cream, sweets help fight fatigue." Tallisibeth said, whole expression going awkward as all eyes in the cafeteria fell on her, Aola, and the Masters in the back.
The older Padawans and Knights were staring at her, Aola, and the Masters in the back, and the Padawan that Aola snapped at was staring at them for few seconds, then he'd turn to look back at the Masters as if waiting for some confirmation.
"Yatuka ateema! Bukee kavaa stuka da jee binggona."
Talisibeth quickly filled a glass with cold blue milk and laid down the fresh scrambled eggs, handing both to the older Padawan on a tray, bowing her head a little.
"Thank you, Scout. Learn some better manners, Aola."
"Gusha koochoo! Chik youngee!" Aola fumed.
"Calm down, Aola." Talisibeth said, almost pulling her back into the serving area so she didn't topple everything over.
"Yeah, before we get in trouble." Lena said, trying to sound stern. "Stop telling him off in Huttese."
"Why? He cut me off and stopped me from doing what I had to do. I was about to go start getting breakfast ready for Master Cadus."
Lena looked at her friend calmly, smiling in good nature.
"Because, we'll get in trouble. You know you always get in trouble when you start saying bad words and telling people off in alien languages. Remember what happened the last time you snapped at Jocasta Nu in Huttese and the time you called Master Windu a low down two faced scum with exhaust for brains in Huttese?"
Aola almost turned the brightest shade red from the memories, but shook her head, remaining firm in her resolve.
Windu shouldn't have been the usual unapproachable two faced scum he always was when it came to certain things, which gave him an exhaust for brains.
And, Jocasta Nu had no reason to snap at her like she had over reading star-maps pertaining to the Outer Rim.
Forgetting about the two older Jedi, she focused on her friend. "Master Cadus asked me to get them ice water. I have to cook his breakfast."
"I know."
"Then the Padawan should have not bothered me."
"I am sure he didn't mean to."
"Karking loca dopa maskey! Skocha-kloonkee! Oto meesku smak telia patogga! Chuba schutta! Poodoo gaggalak mursto! Echuta! Karking kark, echuta schutta!"
"Keepuna! Uba hagwa settah goola kankee! I don't want to hear that again, young Aola! Bona nai kachu!"
Anakin rose his voice a little, more than familiar with the vulgarity of Huttese. He knew exactly what expletive and curse words were flying off her tongue like curse words in basic for most people.
Aola nearly dropped the tray she was carrying, startled by Anakin's sudden, powerful, resounding voice. She stumbled behind the serving area, causing a whole mess of dishes, water, food, flour, people, and everything else to go flying and leave trails of smoke.
"Aola! Hey! Wait! Don't go that way! This way, this way! be careful!"
"The sundae!"
"No chuba da wanga, da wanga! No chuba da wanga, da wanga-no bata tu tu. Chuba je! No bata tu tu!"
"Aola, there's pallie juice all over the floor! Ewww, it's all sticky! All of these cups are broke, and they have fambaas egg shells covering them." Lena began to recover from the melee.
"There's flour everywhere. At least we didn't knock over the sundae." Talisibeth added as an afterthought.
"But, there's flour in it. It'll be all nasty and weird tasting now. We need help, Arto!" Aola groaned, dropping a large pan.
A loud crash echoed through the whole cafeteria.
"Oops..."
"The eggs and flour, Aola!" Lena cried.
"They broke. Oh, the sundae fell too." Talisibeth commented, voice a little blunt. "Wait, Aola don't eat it!"
"It hasn't been five seconds-"
"Aola are you three or are you ten? Don't eat the ice cream or donut off of the floor." Lena scolded, no doubt stopping the younger girl from eating off of the floor.
"But I wanted to finish it, it's still good..."
"We have to clean it up along with the rest of this mess!"
"Eniki..."
A cloud of debris trailed from the serving area, all the way to the other side of the room, and even a few feet away to the side, covering anyone close enough in the aftermath of the collision.
Obi Wan watched the whole thing, speechless for a long time.
"What just happened?" Kento questioned, completely bemused.
"A better question is what are you two doing?" Obi Wan asked, mildly exasperated, almost at a loss, all the while he tried to not observe the melee going on behind the serving area.
It was very, very hard not to.
"Getting us something to drink so our thirst in quenched. We're going to be talking for a long while. I need a nice breakfast to keep me awake. I am going to get tired when I hear Yoda say something about the dark side clouding everything and he can't see anything because of it." Cadus replied, looking at the younger man blankly.
"You couldn't just order from the serving area like everyone else? You had to call out like that?"
"Aola and Talisibeth like sweets so I offered some sweets. Aola jumped at the chance and made a small mess over here. Where is the fun in obedient and submissive Padawans, Master Kenobi? I want to see their spirit! The ones that cause the most trouble are always the most challenging and most rewarding. Have you forgotten your own youth?"
Obi Wan shook his head, watching the cloud of flour finally start to recede, and droids start assisting in the clean up.
"Oh no. I remember." Obi Wan smiled a little.
He had been a troublemaker himself, getting into the most severe of trouble, even with the High Council, and even Qui Gon himself.
"I suppose we all have our trials and failures in youth." Obi Wan agreed, smiling wider.
"Da wanga grancha porko porkman silly." Anakin said, looking at the serving area.
"Da wanga shado gee trouble. Da wanga panwa silly." Cadus nodded in agreement, humor in his eyes.
"Do you really have to rile up the younger ones like that, though? You've already given them more than enough donuts and ice cream, they are going to be hyper for the rest of the day and won't be inclined to listen to any instruction. Even Master Yoda won't be able to calm them down with all of that sugar. And, why are you both speaking in Huttese now?"
Obi Wan beyond was exasperated.
Cadus and Anakin turned the kids into sugar machines-now they were going to be literally bouncing off the walls.
Not even Yoda or Windu would be able to stop them.
"Like Master Cadus just said...It's all about these young ones showing spirit. Obedient and submissive is not rigorous and spirited!" Anakin replied, flexing his muscle a little.
Obi Wan sighed.
Of course Anakin would support it.
Sometimes Anakin and Cadus were as bad as Aola and the younger rambunctious kids-it was no wonder the younger ones viewed the two as their big brother and father respectively, other than the fact they were spoiled rotten by both of them in some way, shape, or form.
Like with donuts and ice cream right now.
Anakin and Cadus understood them, and in some way, they were both still the same as those hyper kids that had yet to know battle or death.
"Can we not...Have a repeat of what just happened, please? I don't know what Master Windu or Master Yoda would do if they're in here and it happens." Obi Wan found the words at last.
"Maybe a jar will fly and Master Windu's head will get stuck inside. He'll have to go to the Halls of Healing." Cadus joked.
"And a droid will have to remove it, because Windu's head would be a perfect fit." Anakin burst out with laughter.
"Anakin-"
Cadus cut off Obi Wan. "His big head will fill in any gaps."
"Maybe we could put him in the middle of a star-map for a lesson plan and his head will reflect the map."
Anakin and Cadus burst out with laughter.
Kento laughed quieter.
Mallie wiped tears from her eyes, laughing a little quieter.
"It's been a while since it's been so lively in here." Shaak Ti noted with her own laughter, observing the trio behind the serving area, listening to Aola's Arto beep and whirl in rapidly.
She listened to Anakin try to control his laughter from the very bad, but very funny joke about Windu.
"If it isn't too much, can we move forward with Master Mallie's report?" Obi Wan ventured forward, not quite as amused as everyone else with the joke nor the commotion that took place minutes ago.
Cadus cleared his throat, quickly growing serious. "Forgive me, Master Mallie. You have the floor now."
She offered a kind smile, laughing softly. "It's no problem at all. It's been a while since I've felt this way and seen the young laugh so freely...It's like nostalgia."
She waited for the loud click on the holo-recorder before she began to speak.
"I was leading a unit of Troopers through the Gordian Reach. There has been lot of activity in the area from the Republic and CIS. War ships, cruisers, frigates, nothing out of the norm. The whole region has turned into a war zone, and has been locked down since the crisis of Vjun. But, then entire fleets of the CIS began to come and go through hyperspace. From the coordinates my Troopers guessed, they were all deep-space vectors, just like with Master Kento. Nothing from the Mid Rim or Expansion Region."
"More deep space vectors..." Shaak Ti trailed off.
Mallie nodded, knitting her brows together.
"There were thousands of fleets coming and going, but the first one to arrive did so near instantly, like they had the coordinates put in already with no drawback time of calculating the actual jump. If I had to guess, I would say they came from around the way of Gand or from around the way of Malagarr."
"That's going into the Hutt Space..." Anakin said with a pointed tone, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What about the other fleets? Where did your Troopers put them?" Shaak Ti questioned.
"Of the many that were coming and going, three came from around the way of Boz Pity, another four came from around the way of Toydaria. My Troopers guessed several more came from Anzat, Roche, Sarka, Ultaar, Bimmisaarl, and Charros. The other few dozen came from the Tion Cluster, specifically, Ossus, Raxus, Elom, and Stenos."
Shaak Ti only nodded.
Mallie's eyes tightened as she dug deeper into the memory, remembering the pain and fear.
"We went to take a closer look, so I cloaked our cruiser and my whole unit in a cloak of insignificance. I made sure our cloak was active and no power was routed from the task...We wanted to bypass the fleets, and find the main chain of command ordering such erratic maneuvering. They received orders to take out anyone. In the blink of an eye we were surrounded by trillions of fighters."
Anakin frowned, clenching the table. "They didn't want you there."
"The formations and sizes of these fleets were not meant for Star Destroyers or Dreadnaughts...They are focusing on smaller ships. Ones that can slip past such monstrosities of destruction without being detected by their systems due to range and size."
Mallie looked at her hand.
It was clean now, but before it had been smothered in the blood of her dying men.
"So the CIS wants to put a clamp on Perlemian Trade Route and the Hydian Way? One end handles heavy firepower while the others sides close in? Is their goal to put a strangle hold on the Republic?" Cadus asked.
"If they did that in unison with the fleets Master Kento encountered they will effectively stifle the Republic's economy. Everything from spices to medicine will be plugged at certain points, or those worlds holding such value will be reduced to nothing, but..." Mallie trailed off, looking at her fellow Jedi.
"Go on, Master Mallie." Shaak Ti implored gently.
"I don't want to speculate, but they could be planning an attack on Kashyyk or they may intend to push deeper, all the way into the Hapes Consortium."
Anakin frowned. "If they push into Hapes and take it, that will put them in a direct path to Coruscant and every other Core World, including Alderaan. If they take Kashyyk they will have access to every single end of the galaxy."
"More importantly, the Hydian Way and Corellian Run lead straight to Coruscant. The Rinma Trade Route merges with the Corellian Trade Spire. The Hydian Way merges with the Perlemian Trade Route at Brentaal. Anakin is right, if we conclude this right now, it is a direct attack on the Core. Military and economical, they are going to wipe us out in battle, than hemorrhage funds." Shaak Ti added.
Anakin realized the horrible implications with a jolt, like a red hot needle had pricked him right through the eye.
The CIS could lay waste to worlds close to the Core, and then because the economy wasn't what it used to be, the Republic wouldn't be able to make necessary repairs. Funds would be hemorrhaged just to get the most basic thing done.
Mallie nodded, meeting Anakin's eyes, returning the sentiment.
"We don't have a lot of Troopers out in the way of Kashyyk, though. Nothing like a legion commanded by likes of Bly or Cody. They couldn't have found us by themselves, our cover was perfect. We weren't the only ones out there either."
"Someone aboard one of the Dreadnaughts knew what ship you were in." Obi Wan said.
Mallie looked at her clean hand, but all she could see was crimson and a still beating heart.
A man's pained, dying screams ripped into her ears.
"Maybe there is nothing more to this than an attack. To bleed the Republic and Jedi. To strangle what little remains of the Republic. To kill our brave Troopers."
Cadus met Mallie's gaze. "Those fighters stopped pursuing you once you managed to get a certain distance away..."
"You made a jump to hyperspace, and when you did, they followed you through hyperspace from a different space vector..." Anakin trailed off, finishing the last piece of the puzzle.
The whole thing had been orchestrated, and they walked right into it like saps. Naboo. Rhen Var. Utapau. And, now these two attacks. Mallie had been pinpointed from one end of the galaxy to the next all within the span of a heartbeat.
Mallie clenched her fist, forcing the crimson to fade from her vision.
"So many good men died in that fight. We tried to fight, but against so many fighters, even our massive ship could do little to stop that continuous onslaught...I just barely made it to Bonadan in one piece with what few of my men remained alive or wounded."
Anakin frowned, resisting the urge to smash the table with his flesh hand.
"They knew your moves, they knew Master Kento's, they knew Master Mallie's, they knew mine, they knew Master Obi Wan's, and they knew Master Cadus's. They knew all of our moves in advance and they are three steps ahead of us. They are pinpointing planets, sectors, and systems from one end of the galaxy to the next, and they are pinning us."
Mallie nodded, not able to meet the gazes of those gathered.
"I don't know how, though. We can't have a traitor in our midst, not now with how things are in the Republic and the Jedi Order. If anyone even slips the wrong word it can be counted as treason, let alone performing certain deeds."
Obi Wan shook his head, mulling it over. "I don't want to believe it, but it wouldn't be the first time a Jedi betrayed one of their own."
Everyone stared at Obi Wan.
"You really entertain there being a traitor in our ranks, Master Obi Wan?" Mallie asked.
"Nothing else makes sense." Anakin admitted.
"I want to believe we do not have someone in our ranks like this. If they are handing out coordinates there is no telling what world or system they may attack." Shaak Ti remarked.
Cadus closed his eyes, shuffling through his thoughts to maintain his calm.
You have things planned down to the very last detail, even the wins and losses in this war, Sidious...I wonder when you will take control of the Jedi Council and the GAR as a whole...You've put the Neimodians up to be slaughtered, it seems...
Mallie took another chocolate donut, taking a bite before she continued.
"A massive fleet arrived to the world and blockaded it...An invasion force then descended and laid waste to the ten spaceports and the weather control station there. They reduced it to nothing but rubble and dust. Whoever it was that executed this plan was lying in wait for the right time to strike...The blockade happened instantly, with no reprieve. And the invasion force swept down without any delay. When I ran to help my Troops so they weren't crushed by debris..."
She trailed off.
Her right hand began trembling again.
She could see her Troopers, all chopped to little pieces.
"The savage cut me off before I could get too far. He slaughtered all of my Troopers that survived viciously, like a rabid animal. He used the force to send a mine underground collapsing, forcing an entire sinkhole to form in the blink of an eye that swallowed part of the landscape...I just barely escaped the attack, but my Troopers..."
Mallie closed her eyes, exhaling slow and gently.
The cries into darkness still haunted her.
"This savage..." Anakin looked at Mallie.
"What did he call himself?" Shaak Ti asked.
Mallie remembered the massive and tall shadow, the yellow and black face that bared bloody fangs, the rage and fury that burned in the acidic, soulless eyes. She remembered the dark side gushing all about her, like she was in the center of a monsoon and being whipped every which way.
"What did he call himself? What was his name?" Cadus prodded.
Mallie looked at everyone.
"Savage Opress. The eldest brother of the one who calls himself Darth Maul."
"Well..."
Obi Wan ran a hand through his hair, and groaned.
"Now there are two of them..."