Notes: After receiving the cryptic message, Maul and his trusty Mandalorians head to Saleucami to investigate the disruption in his business. With his family at risk his secret is no longer safe. Back on Mandalore, the shadow of war is looming.
"So, where would you like to go?"
"I hear Saleucami is nice this time of the year. We can grow anything there... and stay under Republic radars."
"You have thought of everything."
"I learned from the best."
"The last we heard of this system, it was rampant with Republic vessels," said Jav, supporting himself on the struts of the speederbike. "And Republic troops on the ground."
Beneath the vehicle, Maul was inspecting the injection pump on the engine. He tightened some fasteners with his hydrospanner. If his Mandalorians could fly with jetpacks, he still had to rely on ground vehicles. It simply suited him, most of his existence living by traditional warfare: no blasters, no intricate armored suits or gadgets.
"A minor inconvenience for you, I'm sure," he retorted to the medic.
"My lord," Jav adjusted his footing, joining his hands over his belt buckle. "Is this mission about your vision?"
He rose from his awkward position to stretch his spine then used a rag to clean the soot off of his tools. His visions. For the most of the last cycles his dreams and Force visions had become darker, more subdued by his troubles over Mandalore. He had grown too attached, too involved with these people. Yet, it was a necessary set back. There was nothing he could do about the dark figure that blackened the landscape of the future.
"No, Jav," he bitterly answered, cocking a hairless eyebrow as he turned around to face his crew.
They stood in silence, eyeing each other as their backs and muscles tensed. Maul chuckled darkly in the Scimitar's hangar bay. He dropped his tools in a metal crate with loud clashes.
"In this war there can be no weakness that could serve our enemy, so we must ensure nothing but strength," he explained, then let out a sigh. "We are here because I received an encrypted message of the utmost importance. One of my allies is requesting our protection."
"Do they work for your syndicates?" asked Darik.
Maul nodded, looking at each of them.
"It is not a conventional ally by all means, but I have known them for a long time. Even before I was halved by the Jedi," he tightly said, feeling his pulse in his ears. "But without them... There is no hope."
His chest was filled with the same excitement he had experienced the last time he had risked everything to see their faces again. To feel their smiles and hear their loving voices. He could see them in his mind's eye. He could feel the firm clasp of his son's young hand within his own before he lifted him into his arms. He still felt the echo of two small hearts beating right next to his.
Shocked at the sudden and vivid memories from merely mentioning them out loud, he blinked and recovered his stern confidence.
"So, are you with me?"
His warriors nodded and raised their fists as one with their battle cry.
"Oya!"
They regrouped in the cockpit to prepare for the exit from hyperspace. Resuming a frosty temper, Maul ran diagnostics on the ship's cloaking system. Once landed the Scimitar could turn invisible to the naked eye, from far to up close. Not knowing what he might encounter on Saleucami, he needed all of his options.
The Clone Wars had been raging for years and eventually reached the Outer Rim. A backwater system like Saleucami could not be spared, having automatically sided with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, not only were they subjected to difficulties within the Trade Commerce, but had to comply to the war effort demands from the C. I. S.
It came to no one's surprise that a blockade was in effect around the planet while Separatist frigates were opposing a Republic destroyer. Maul activated the cloaking device well outside of targeting range, powering down non-essential systems to reduce the Scimitar's infrared signature. Using nothing but thrusters and gravity, he started the descent towards the surface.
Before meeting the Gossam he directed his ship towards a remote location far from the capital city. The Scimitar cut through low clouds and swerved between mountain tops before lowering into a valley of woods.
Once the silver trail of the river appeared directly ahead, Maul steered the ship left and found a wide clearing of golden grass. Hovering just above the tree tops he brought the ship several more klicks, then he saw the small cluster of buildings below close to the tree line. He set the Scimitar down on the clearing where the Gozanti cruiser usually landed, paces away from the largest building that was the home. Their ship was gone.
Switching off all systems, Maul noticed a farm droid still tending to the front yard. The greenhouse looked in good shape despite the accumulated dust on its walls. The later afternoon sun tinted the scene with an orange glow.
When disembarking Maul headed straight into the main house. Behind him, Darik, Jav and Dren fanned out in line to check for ambushers with their guns ready, as per procedure.
As suspected, no one was home but he stood in the entrance, frozen with rage and anger. There was not one item or piece of furniture in its place. Chairs were toppled, drawers opened with flimsi sheets everywhere, broken pieces of decorations spread on the wooden floor. Some windows were shattered, the large potted plants were uprooted, and dark soil was spilled everywhere around them. It was mayhem.
"Strange place for a meeting," commented Darik, looking over his shoulder plate as he stood guard outside.
Maul gritted his teeth at the sight. What was particularly wounding was the number of seed packets, boxes of remedies and vials of priceless oils either moved or destroyed. She had spent years perfecting her herbal alchemy, mixing science with her attunement to the Force, to bend life to her will in order to produce the intended chemicals for various ailments.
"This is not the meeting," he said. "There is something I must do first."
He lowered the hood from his horned head and proceeded towards the children's bedroom where all of the toys were in disarray instead of being neatly stowed on a shelf or inside a crate. The mattresses were thrown off and torn open, and even their desks were looked into. He checked the emptied wardrobe. The few clothes they owned were gone.
It was war after all, there would always be a risk of looters, but not this far from civilization. Evidently for Maul, nowhere was safe.
He finished with the master bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he went in to hopelessly seek clues, even when every book, electronic or piece of jewellery was taken or destroyed. The only intact item was a large mirror in front of the bed frame. He caught his reflection and ignored it, very much aware that a creature such as himself did not belong in this home. Yet the last time he had caught sight of himself there, things had been different. He recognized the smells, a lingering aroma of incense and sweet citrus. Her smell, as well. The sound of her laughter suddenly rang inside his head, making him squint with surprise.
He heard steps among the mess of broken objects in the hallway, but stayed where he stood, unmoving, and let his breathing steady to tune in with the Force. His eyes stopped darting everywhere in the chaos to allow the Force to guide them.
He squatted down to look at the cuts on the mattress, wide diagonal slashes with burned edges, digging deep in the materials. Lightsaber damage.
"Inquisitors," he groaned.
He turned to the door where Jav was standing, directing his visor to him was a slight tilt of the head.
"The place is clear, my lord. Dren looked in the pantry. Whoever lived here left a while ago."
Maul weighed his options: to let his crew in on his most guarded secret, or to leave them in the dark until it would become so obvious they would do the maths themselves.
A few slow breaths later, he turned on his heels. Under the wooden boards were the foundations and a basement.
He led Jav towards the lower level from a door near the kitchen. There was no point in hiding the fact that Maul knew exactly where everything was. He turned on the lights before they climbed down the cracking stairs. To his relief, a lot of the translucent herb containers were untouched on their shelves.
He walked towards a wall safe and punched in a combination code to see that some of the credits were left, but all of the weapons were gone.
Maul grabbed the credit chips and counted before placing them back in their storage. He committed the amount to memory: two hundred and forty-six.
On his way back outside, the cleaning R4 droid unit rolled in his direction with excited trills and whistles. Maul knew its designation: R4-T7, he had helped reprogram it to integrate a layer of security to its built-in functions. Crouching in front of it, he pinched his mouth and hoped the droid would pipe down. There was a series of keys and buttons on its front panel that Maul pretended to press down, raising his left gauntlet to extract a memory chip. T7 appeared to take the hint and opened its chip drive for data copying. It took roughly a minute then the drive ejected the chip for him to retrieve. Maul did not want to spend more time in that memory-filled place.
"My lord."
He turned to look at Dren, she stood at a respectful distance from him while the others where watching their sectors. The Mandalorian woman held her rifle close to her chest, in her left gloved hand she showed him a small figure painted in black and red. She placed it in his open palm. His hearts skipped a beat.
"I found it in the shed."
Maul held the crudely sculpted, no longer than three inches wooden figure of a black-clad Zabrak with red skin and black markings.
His soldier began walking away. "Dren," he called quietly making her stop in her tracks. He wrapped the toy in his fist and snarled as he looked down. "This is just a toy. It does not mean a thing."
She nodded her black and red helmet at him, waited a second then joined her peers outside the property.
He cursed at himself and did his best to keep his emotions in check. Visiting the small cabin himself, he found it neatly kept, the various tools and supplies untouched by the unwanted visitors. When he checked for other signs or clues left behind for him he found nothing.
T7 trilled a disapproving call. Maul turned to it and examined its message panel: "INTRUSION SCENE UNTOUCHED FOR 6 HOURS FOR INVESTIGATION. OK TO CLEAN?"
He had just missed them. Maul set his face to a grimace realizing how close he had been to catching the intruders.
Maul acquiesced to the droid which instantly rotated its front wheel to get to work. From the time he received the coded transmission from Eldra and the moment he flew to her, the Gozanti freighter was almost halfway across the galaxy. Maul allowed himself to relax his shoulders knowing his family was relatively safe.
He walked back to his ship, climbing the ramp he noted Jav turning his head across from him. Maul sensed the unspoken questions, but the man was looking at Dren who, in turn, did not acknowledge or move at all. Working with masked soldiers after so long, knowing body language and subtle queues helped better understand these cold, calculating killers. Despite their strict code, they had their conflicts like everyone else.
He sat back at the controls and lifted the ramp once everyone was on board.
Using a pocket holocom he inserted the datachip and a four-digit pass code was prompted.
"Zero, two, four, six," Maul said, recalling the credits remaining in the safe.
The data was unlocked and a video recording played from his palm. Two figures in dark uniforms, both Human, walked down the ramp of a ship very similar to the Scimitar, a Sith Infiltrator class star courier. Their faces were concealed behind black masks with a single horizontal slit for a visor. The holorecorder moved along as R4-T7 followed its programmed patrol route, all the while keeping the intruders in sight. They had lightsabers clipped to their belts. They both disappeared into the house for what seemed like seconds as the recording accelerated. At this point, T7 was immobile between the greenhouse and the home, watching from outside. Then the two assassins came out with their red lightsabers deployed, shoulders braced and fists tight. They looked at each other.
"The Jedi knew we were coming," voiced the first. "I don't know how long ago, but they left."
"They had children, at least two," said the other one. A female. "Master Sidious would be pleased to learn this."
"No. We'll both fry for this failure."
The female clipped her lightsaber and started walking back to the Infiltrator.
"They left nothing, no data terminal, not even a kid's holopad. They had time to prepare and we have to start from zero."
Their ship took off leaving T7 to continue its droid duties. The recording ended.
Idly turning the small sculpted figure between his gloved fingers, Maul remained silent for a minute. His muscles ached to move, to crush, kill and maim. His eyes burned in their sockets as he pictured his hands squeezing the life out of the assassins' throats.
"My lord."
He swivelled his seat to face Darik, standing behind him, rifle securely clutched against his red armor plate. Maul could not unclench his jaw, containing a storm that, if he spoke, would decimate the crew if they did not run for cover. Darik could see it through his black visor, Maul did not need to speak. The Mandalorian continued.
"Looks like we're hunting some Sith."
He did not know how much of the recording the Mandalorians had witnessed, that information would have to take a backseat in Maul's mind while he set out to hunt down another Infiltrator ship. The sun was dipping into the horizon offering sufficient shade to operate in the dark. He brought the Scimitar to Saleucami's largest settlement.
The sprawling city stretched along a bay with docks and transit systems. Scanners came up with a myriad of results barely ten klicks away. Thanking the Force for his enemies' sloppiness, Maul pinpointed on the one courier without a designation number, the shape of an Infiltrator appeared on the targeting screen. They had parked in the spaceport. How conveniently arrogant of them.
Upon contact with the spaceport control Maul was granted landing a few pads away from his target. Angling the Scimitar to a low hover, Maul flipped an overhead switch to lock vertical thrusters and motioned to Dren. His men had already unclipped their harnesses and were ready. Maul left the controls to Dren who immediately found her bearings, releasing the altitude lock as she held the sticks.
"Jav, Darik, we drop here," he commanded. His tone was a low rasp, as it was whenever he was about to spring to action. "Keep the Scimitar low and wait for my call."
Jumping off the open ramp, they descended upon the roof of the spherical cockpit. Maul landed with a loud clank of his steel boots while the warriors lowered themselves with their jetpacks. Maul shot a brief look up at the Scimitar, flown by one other than himself or the auto-pilot, then made himself focus on the task at hand. Extending his awareness through the Force, Maul knew the assassins were not there but that wouldn't stop him from visiting their ship.
With a small push of the Force he unlocked the securing mechanism of the rear hatch, stepping inside the familiar hangar bathed in red light. Promptly heading for the cockpit, Maul waved over the navicomputer to see their previous routes and stops: from Coruscant to Alderaan, then the Yavin system before their last stretch to Saleucami. He then switched to the comms monitor for the registry. Maul knew those transponder codes, all ending with top encryption markers he had used when in the service of his former master.
Such a discovery could be invaluable. His mind worked on the prospect of having the location of the enemy at all time. Snapping back to the present, he punched the section of the bulkhead left of the dashboard and pulled out a rope of wrapped wires. He unplugged the bypass connector which happened to be of the same make and format as his remote controller for the sentry drones.
Maul pressed the two red keys down for ten seconds, pairing his wrist device to the new ship's computer. The cockpit ambiance lights blinked twice to acknowledge.
He joined Jav and Darik down in the hangar.
"Nothing here," Darik said, rifles up as he checked the sleeping bunks. "Shall we go hunting, lord?"
Maul stepped down on the ramp and turned to his Mandalorians.
"No need," he said, taking a strong breath as he extended his senses through the Force, letting the Dark Side ripple across the metaphysical landscape. He smirked at the echo of two presences, letting themselves known. "Our prey is coming to us."
It was night time. From their vantage point on top of the circular walls of the landing pad, they waited for Maul's signal. Hidden behind the stone railing they all kept quiet and practiced what Maul told during combat training: no thoughts, no emotions, just empty minds when fighting Force-wielders. Back flush against the wall, Maul held his non-activated saberstaff. He sensed the two assassins approaching the spaceport. He made no reaction until they were through the doorway before seeing their ship.
Maul raised his wrist remote and pressed the left red button twice in a rapid succession. Out of nowhere, the thrusters came to life and the engine powered on with a burst of ion energy. Set on a random hyperspace route, the Infiltrator would soon disappear.
"The ship!" yelled the woman who started running the thirty yards separating her from the middle of the platform.
"Catch it!" followed the other. "Quick! Sto-!"
Maul heaved himself over the ledge and jumped down. His heavy beskar legs crushed the trapezius muscles of the male assassin, tearing a yelp of pain from his throat. He quickly regained his balance and Maul leapt away, ready to parry a blood-colored lightsaber with his own Sith weapon. The assassin was still shaken and his attacks were erratic against Maul who easily fought him off with only a single blade extended. He spun below the man's sweeping attack, and sent a blow to his spine with a high kick.
Once his unconscious victim was on the ground, he heard Darik shoot a beskar-laced net around the other Sith who tried to cut through it with her lightsaber, but the lines caused it to fail and the red blade deactivated from the provoked power surge within the hilt. He bared his teeth at the success of the prototype, having or having not helped design it using his own lightsaber.
Then Jav fired a dart at her, hitting her center-mass, and she collapsed. With his imposing figure Darik secured the net around his catch, adding Force-wielder restraints on her ankles and wrists.
Maul, on the other hand, hit the button on his comlink, then grabbed the Sith by the collar of his black uniform, dragging him unceremoniously across the dusty platform.
"Dren," he called when the call was accepted, "we are in need of a pickup."
Once back in the secluded safety of the Scimitar launched into hyperspace, Maul slapped the two Sith across the face as they sat in his hangar bay. They were both stripped down to their undergarments, completely devoid of any semblance of dignity or tracking devices. Maul had discarded his cloak, no longer worried about hiding his identity. Jav, Darik and Dren stood at equal distances around the circular room, weapons ready to fire.
"You!" said the male Sith, genuinely surprised and his face contorted in pain because of his position. "You broke my spine!"
His eyes glowed with the gold and blood stain of the Dark Side. His sister-in-arms appeared more disciplined, straining her neck to kneel in a dignified way.
"Our master should have killed you on Mandalore," she spat through her teeth. "Alongside your brother."
"Oh, I know all about your master and his plans," he spoke with his gravely voice.
"You know nothing!" moaned the young man, who would have sounded somewhat menacing if not for the tears welling in his eyelids. "You are scum!"
The female kept her eyes on Maul as if to distract him from her partner. Ah, she is the protector. Maul planted his metal feet facing her, hands in his back.
"What were you looking for on Saleucami?"
Her rigidly set jaws worked slightly before she gave her reply.
"Jedi."
"You could have found plenty," Maul rationalized, rolling his eyes up. "Have you not checked with the stationed clone garrison there? All clones obey to a Jedi general and their padawan..."
Her nostrils flared with contempt. "And you claim to know Master Sidious..."
He understood the feeling of scorn and frustration that emanated from her and her wounded friend. Maul had been young, even younger than either of them when he had tried and tried to impress his master, being held back by his rules. Forbidden from ever approaching the Jedi because "he was not ready."
His gloved fingers prodded the dagger he kept in the small of his back, but sensing the nagging distress in the young Sith, he wondered whether or not torture would be an effective tool to obtain answers.
"We took you down in seconds, the both of you," he berated them, creasing his brow with disappointment in his eyes. "You are not ready to face a Jedi. You should have listened to your master's command."
"He lies to us," muttered the other one. "And we walked into a trap..."
"A trap that I set up," Maul confirmed. "So, did Sidious not send you here himself?"
"He would never," cockily said the woman. Her defined eyebrows raised with pride. "We figured we had to track down our own Jedi, improve our strengths, and gain power on our terms."
She paused, waiting for a response but Maul gave her nothing. Like the arrogant, sloppy apprentice that she was, eager to impress, she kept going.
"We gathered rumors among Trade Federation hubs and one trail lead us to Saleucami and the Gossam stim supplies. That's how we found that farm, but it turns out... Someone got there before we did. Or someone ratted."
Maul was getting curious and the mention of Gossam stims made his hands ball into fists.
"Gossam stims?" he repeated.
Her expression turned to confusion when she studied his face. "I thought you already knew? Those stims were so good some scientists theorized they couldn't have been made with regular chemicals. They talked about Force transmutation."
Maul let out a thoughtful "Hmm" and turned away, resting his chin in one of his hands.
"I did not know that much information was out there," he slowly uttered, unclipping his saberstaff. "And you know too much."
A cracking shriek of the weapon and a flash of red later, the prisoners collapsed face down, their heads rolling on the grate of the floor, severed clean from their shoulders.
The quiet contemplation that usually followed an executed rarely lasted half a minute. Ten seconds later Jav spoke. "Oddly respectful death for a couple of thugs."
Maul took an inhale, regrettably breathing the fuming smell of charred flesh as he did so.
"Secure your things, I'm going to space these two and their belongings."
"In hyperspace, sir?"
He froze and turned to look at Jav and Darik before shrugging.
Everything that was not tightly secured behind netting or magnetic crates were put inside the sleeping pods then everyone climbed up in the cockpit. They unceremoniously dumped the corpses into the maelstrom of blue winds where none could ever find them.
Returning to Saleucami after this ordeal made Maul feel uneasy, but should he be followed it would be a good way to find out.
"And here we go," he mused, flying the cloaked Scimitar through lines of Republic transporters full of clones in white armor. "So much for democracy and peace."
He parked in front of the Gossam embassy with full clearance and no questions asked. With his Mandalorians, Maul walked the well-maintained landing area leading to the entrance of the tall building in the middle of the city. A group of Republic troopers detached from a contingent protecting the structure, their gait was pressing as they circled Maul. He grimaced in anger. All Trade Commerce partners were issued private security, generously paid and selected to avoid this sort of encumbrance.
"Halt! State your business and identify yourselves."
The top of his head and face concealed under the hood of his cloak, Maul raised his golden irises. In his old habits he would have discarded the armored lackeys whether they would fall after a brush of the Force, but after since the conquest of Mandalore he had learned to watch his manners.
"We are merchants," he replied dryly. "Ambassador Geei is expecting us."
The clone who had been speaking wore an insignia on his pauldron, signifying the rank of sergeant. He sized them up and down nervously, clutching his black blaster rifle.
"Your weapons," he ordered, "surrender them or face arrest for trespassing and violating article three-seven-oh-four of the public safety code regulation."
Darik chuckled inside his helmet. Jav braced his forearms, gloved hands balling into fists and from the corner of his eye, Maul saw the imperceptible movement of the Mandalorian's finger over the flamethrower switch.
"You would have to take them by force," Maul explained, growing impatient. "Are you not familiar with the Mandalorian creed, clone?"
The last thing he wanted was to raise awareness of his presence on Saleucami. If word of a fallen Sith had clashed with Republic troops, it would quickly reach the ears of his former master. Then, the disappearance of his assassins would make quick work of the reasons behind Maul's affairs with the Trade Commerce.
He unclipped the holotransmitter from his belt and hailed Geei on his comlink. The small figure of the Gossam rose in blue and white light between him and the clone sergeant.
"Ambassader Geei," Maul slurred. "I am here."
"My Lord, um..." The ambassador stammered as he looked at the other figures in his holographic projections. "I am terribly sorry about this welcoming party. I was given no choice, I-"
Maul managed to hide his clenching fist within his robes, narrowing his eyes at the hologram while Geei fought to get air through his vocal chords. The small man nodded frantically. Before Maul released him.
"I am sure we both value our time, Ambassador." He deliberately made his growl audible to the troopers around him. "Meet me down here - quickly - before I change my mind about our business arrangements."
Without missing a beat he cut off the transmission and turned in a wave of his cloak to pace back to the Scimitar.
"Someone compromised you, Geei."
The short man bowed before Maul in the ship's hangar, his beady reptilian eyes watering with stress.
"It must have been logistics, Lord Maul. Your Shadow Collective is illusive, maybe someone not on my payroll?"
Maul threatened to choke him again by raising his hand. "You dare return the accusation?"
"No!" The Gossam looked rebellious but still scared. "My people would never betray you, those stims were life-saving. Now, we will have to rely on low quality chemicals from the Republic. With the war in every system, people want to flee and the demand is constantly rising." He paused to catch his breath in his small lungs. "My lord... We have been executing our own people under the slightest suspicion of their betrayal. Seeing now that you know even less about this leak than we do, it does not reassure me. You may as well kill me, Lord Maul, because I can't think of any solution."
Maul felt the right side of his face twitch and looked away from Geei, letting his thoughts process the information. He took in a long inspiration through his nose and shut his eyes for a few seconds.
Eldra, why did you have to be so good at this?
He set his attention back on the Gossam. "Thank you, Ambassador. I think I have all that I need to move forward on this matter."
It was a formality of a phrase, he was aware of it, and Geei protested as Darik and Dren grabbed him towards the ramp. He shot his questions in a panic.
"Are you going to renew the supply chain? Is your agent even alive? This is about the wars, right?"
But Maul's mind was already racing towards his next steps, planning his next moves against an ever changing galaxy. He could almost feel the shift of the Force around him. He could feel the darkness creeping around it, rampant and seeping through every crack, taking advantage of the imbalance.
He gave Geei a rapid nod.
"Yes, go in peace, Geei. I suggest you relocate your headquarters. Do not attempt to contact me again."
Killing him would have alerted the Republic troopers outside the Scimitar and brought upon them the attention he worked so long to avoid. Once the diplomat was off the ramp they immediately proceeded to take off. As soon as the ship was out of the atmosphere Maul pushed the lever to bring them into hyperspace.
"Sir, are we also looking for Jedi?" asked Jav, arms folded by the side of the pilot area. "Those Sith went out of their way to find one... Is it Skywalker?"
Ah, yes. Sidious's new apprentice. Maul had warned about him and it was only a matter of time before the plan would unravel. He shook his head.
"This is a different matter, Jav. But trust that your questions will be answered."
Darik then asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Where to now, sir?"
"Mandalore," Maul replied, getting up from his seat as he lowered the hood from his head. "Or home. I will not let this distraction weaken us against a hidden threat."
"Yes, my lord." Darik acquiesced. "Understood."
He walked towards the lift to bring himself towards the cargo hold, requiring time alone to center himself. His Mandalorians were on edge, kept in the dark and serving as mere bodyguards when they had trained their whole lives to be warriors. Maul needed the quiet hum of the engines to organize his thoughts.
War was stretching towards the Outer Rim, taking hold of cities and all governing structures. If Saleucami had fallen, then so could Mandalore. After their failed attempt to rescue Satine Kryze with Kenobi, there was no doubt that the Republic would return and soon. He did not forget about Bo-Katan who would seek to avenge her sister. Maul had to be ready, to keep strengthening his hold on the planet, the system. If the Trade Federation was falling apart, he needed the Mandalorians more than ever. Even in diminished numbers they posed a serious threat to any army against him. Their reputation struck fear in the hearts of Jedi and Sith alike.
Touching down on the landing pad of the Sundari palace, Maul hailed Gar Saxon.
"I've returned. Meet me in the briefing room with Kast."
"Right away, my lord."
He slowed his gait and turned to look at Jav, Darik and Dren in his trail. He waited for them to gather around him before addressing them in a hushed tone.
"You have seen the number of ships and battalions the Republic sent to a backwater planet like Saleucami."
Jav raised his chin and adjusting the strap of his rifle over his shoulder. "It was overkill."
Letting the moment sink in, Maul felt the tremors of the Force like the sound waves through an ocean before a quake. His ears heard no sound other than the winds between the buildings and down on the streets, yet he heard the whispers. The slow, rising anguish that brought his senses to an alert.
"Something is upon us," he told them, "Bo-Katan and her Jedi friends will use the war for her own interest to the throne."
"We'll be ready for them, my lord," Darik growled, thumping a fist on his chest.
Dren moved her helmet towards Jav who acknowledged her by looking down. She then turned to Maul. Her voice was stern and dark.
"My lord, the Sith could return as well. If Mandalore should fall..."
Maul interrupted. "Your lack of faith worries me, Dren."
"Sir..." She paused, visibly out of her depth questioning his judgment when speaking up was not in her habits. "We Mandalorians look after our clans and our young, no matter where or how."
Another pause during which Jav shifted his stance, nervously scrutinizing her. Her breastplate rose with a breath.
"I will serve yours if you'll have me."
Maul furrowed his brows at the request, understanding but denying himself the luxury to admit that these three warriors had gotten close, too close to his secret.
"Yes," concurred Darik. "Those Sith weren't expecting us back on Saleucami. You can count on me, Lord Maul."
Then all eyes turned to Jav who hadn't reacted. His helmet dipped in a respectful nod. As he looked down his hand covered Dren's as something strong and intimate passed between them. She responded by twining their fingers through their combat gloves. Jav spoke in a half murmur.
"This is the way."
It was not the first time Maul had heard the phrase although it was usually spoken in private circles among certain, more discrete Death Watch soldiers. Not knowing what it referred to, he resumed walking to their headquarters.
"I appreciate your concerns, but we need a plan." He resorted to bitterness as he gave his instructions. "Prepare for an invasion."
/... MESSAGE TRANSMISSION CANCELED. /
She leaned on her elbows over the dashboard before hiding her face in her hands from the blue and white streaks of hyperspace. The Baby Rancor - that's what the kids had decided to call it - had been running from Saleucami for a week, only stopping to refuel at civilian space stations in the Outer Rim. Eldra sank down her cup of caf before erasing her message draft once more. It was the night time in their cycle so she was the only one awake onboard, piloting the Gozanti light freighter that Maul and herself had stolen so many years ago, on Drazkel. Thinking back to that time made her smile even though the events had been tragic.
Her eyes gleamed over the comms monitor, the encrypted transponder code still pending in the destination input, keeping herself from using it yet again. But she felt in her core that he should know that she was running, never stopping and never looking back. Her attunement to the Force was dwindling as she kept on, aware of the ever watchful eyes that could catch a glimpse of her light, of her children.
Her closed mouth twitched as her jaw clenched hard.
There is no emotion, only peace.
Lack of sleep and calm made her head spin so she left the cockpit, if only to ease her eyes off the bright canopy, and went down to the kitchen to find something to keep her mood level. She settled for some frozen fruit cubes from the cold cabinets, letting a shiver run down her arms and spine and she munched, mindless, letting her thoughts wander.
The ghost feeling of a warm hand on her back made Eldra close her eyes, relishing the memory of Saleucami, the home she had left abandoned, where they had been a family for three months.
Then, he had been a father to their kids, and a husband to her. There had been nothing else in between despite how fast that time went by. Before the visions came.
She had felt the imbalance in the Force when the war started. There had been a looming terror reflecting on every being that interacted with the Republic in the most remote ways. Even as a simple gardener and herbalist, she couldn't escape from the anxious vibrations coming off of people in the cities. So she kept to herself, making no permanent ties, no close friends, just business associates. It was not unlike her life as a Jedi padawan. No attachments. From a young age she had prepared for a lonely existence.
Maul had warned her, very early in their relationship, to take heed of the Force and the signs that it sent their way. And later, when he had reappeared after several years, when she had mourned and cried his death until her heart was numb, Maul told her to be ready to run. To forget all about him again, even though he had survived the most gruesome death at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
She had begged to help him and come to his aid then, if only to secure his safety against Sidious and his goons. But Maul could only grant her a remote presence, the shadow that somehow placed a bag of hard credits on her doorstep every once in a while.
"Mama?"
Shenn's small voice tore her from her brooding and she watched the little girl peek her head through the doorway, her red-marked lekku hanging over her shoulders as she hid her hands in her tunic.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Can I get some fruit cubes too?"
Caught mid-chew, Eldra swallowed her food and sat down at the steel table while Shenn climbed on the bench, grinning.
"Only a few," she told her, watching the blue-skinned Twi'lek girl choose the pink morsels from the transparent box. "Not like last time when you made your tummy hurt from eating too many."
Shenn sat as she ate in thought, her golden eyes raising at the ceiling. She had her father's nose, too. Eldra watched her in contemplation, resting her head on her palm.
"Do you think Dad will make us live with him now?"
Eldra looked down as her heart pinched in her chest. "I hope so."
She went for another frozen cube before Shenn retracted her hand, still in deep thought.
"I know T7 will tell him everything. Dad showed me how he can read his mind."
Endearment made her mother smile and laugh softly. "Your father sure knows his way around droids."
Shenn smiled at her then looked away. Her presence in the Force was of worry and fear. She folded her arms on the table and put her face down. Eldra touched her hands, grabbing her tightly but not so much as to worsen her daughter's emotions.
"Don't worry, everything's fine. We are safe, and so is Daddy. We worked very hard to protect you and Arven."
"I know," said Shenn with a muffled voice, but she sounded upset now. "It would be better if he was with us."
She wiped a single tear from her face before stroking Shenn's shoulder. Her son was the same but more quiet like his father.
"I miss him too, dear. Every day... I know he thinks about you all the time. I can feel him, out there."
Shenn raised her head again, using her bunched up sleeve to dry her face. "With the Force?"
Nodding, Eldra didn't know how far she could take this conversation. Using the Force too often, and too strongly would alert the darkness. Somehow, Maul's Force presence got stronger by the day and she could not shake a nagging call in the back of her head. The same feeling that made her type up a message for him before deleting it.
"I wish we could talk to him on holo," Shenn continued, playing with the hem of her sleeves on the table. "But I know what he might say: that is unwise, young one!"
A fit of laughter caught both of them as Eldra blushed at Shenn's impression of her father, forcing a low tone and Coruscanti accent, making a comedic grimace with her young face.
"But he would be so proud of his daughter," Eldra said.
Shenn squinted her eyes at her. "I may have left him something."
Feeling her joy fading from her cheeks, Eldra lowered her brow and her voice.
"Shenn, what did you do?"
It would be no surprise that the kids breached protocol. They were just kids, after all, and their immense faith in their parents could lead to mistakes. The girl bit her lips but she stood straight. There was no more fear, just hope in her heart.
"Do you remember the figurine I made last year?"
"Yes, Shenn. Do you have it here?"
"Well, that's what I wanted to talk about..."
"...I left it in the shed, with our transponder code inside it."
The war briefing had been extensive due to different intel coming in from Mandalorian outposts across the Mid Rim. After it was established that they should gather their troops to protect Mandalore against Bo-Katan's people, Saxon and Rook started their defensive strategies to protect what was left of the capital. The Republic army would swarm the galaxy with their clones no matter what, bringing along Jedi and all opportunists like Kryze.
"She will want the Darksaber from you, my lord," Saxon said, directing his chin at Maul's clipped weapon. "And I don't think she will attempt to earn it by duel."
Maul scoffed silently as he remembered the bitter face of the red-haired Mandalorian the moment he had challenged and killed Pre Vizsla.
Kast chimed in with her arms crossed in front of her. "We can use the recruits at the perimeter defence posts. But they lack training and experience. I doubt they'd hold very long against a full garrison of troopers, let alone gunships."
"It would fall upon the New Mandalorians and their choice to sacrifice their own people," Maul theorized. "Although a terrible basis for governing, we have seen worse at the head of this planet."
His eyes met the icy blue stare of Saxon who, for a fraction of a second, defied him with something that mixed anger and jealousy before he set his attention back on the world map.
"Without the Shadow Collective to back us we will have to work on damage control. I suggest we focus our attention on the palace and ground-to-air artillery positions."
Maul shook his head, grinding his molars as he rotated the three-dimensional map of Sundari.
"To minimize losses we'll use the underground system. Friendly fire will deal with the clone soldiers while we could set charges around this sector..." He waved and froze the diagram in mid-air. "And around the palace where Bo-Katan will most likely attempt to meet me."
"Sir..."
They both stood in confusion. Maul returned them a hard look.
"I have spent months among your people, living among you, studying your culture and your training. History is evidence of your resilience in the face of certain extinction... yet here you are."
"Clan Saxon prevailed by remaining in control of Mandalore from within," explained the man. "Not by running and resorting to terror tactics on our own land."
"Then I will welcome you to command your warriors out in the open, Saxon," Maul told him as menacingly as possible without growling. "Victory or death, is it?"
Saxon took a slow step away from the table, straightening his spine as his expression hardened. Kast closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
Maul let the weight of the silence plant the confidence he needed to instil in them.
"Secure the underground escape routes and make sure the recruits know what we are up against."
They replied in unison. "Yes, my lord."
The briefing over, Maul took some much-needed rest in his quarters. Once alone in the dim light seeping in from the windows, he removed his cloak, saberstaff and dagger. He placed the last weapon upon his desk and heard something hit the marble tiles at his feet.
Maul raised an irritated brow upon looking at what could have fallen from his belt, then realized he had stowed the small wooden toy sculpted in his likeness. But the noise it made when touching the floor was odd. Maul picked it up and noticed that a piece of the toy had moved. With his gloved fingers he attempted to fix the tiny broken arm but ended up breaking the whole thing apart. The back popped open to reveal a datachip.
Letting the pieces of the figure drop on the table he leaned back against the desk, fumbling with the small electronic part between his fingers. Enclosing it in his hand he pressed his forehead against his fist.
It was a door he could not afford to open. If he mended the rift in his heart it would shatter his strength in battle. He knew they were alive, he felt it from a distance, that was enough. It had to be enough.
Days passed with no visible threat from the Republic on Mandalore while Maul saw over the barricades and fortifications being erect across the capital. Civilians workers were being evacuated to underground shelters or transported away in different domed cities.
The war raged on in the Outer Rim. Grievous and Dooky were still alive, commanding a Separatist fleet taking the fight to the Republic - theatrics, Maul thought, when Sidious had clearly no intentions to spare his puppet playthings. Still, he seethed at the thought of having had them both under his blade at one time. Without them his former master, deprived of his servants, would have had to accelerate his plans.
Then, perhaps Maul wouldn't have had the time to see the future through the Force. The name of the Chosen One would never have come to his knowledge and he wouldn't have been ready. Fate had decided otherwise.
Now, he ruled over Mandalore once again, with a steady flow of new followers under the banner of the Death Watch. Defectors of the New Mandalorians traveled from around the planet to assist in Sundari's defence against another attack from the Republic. His army would grow back to its original numbers and more, posing a new threat against Sidious. It was fate that had placed Maul among these warriors, and if Sidious listened to the will of the Force he would take advantage of Mandalore's instability to strike.
He sensed more than he heard Saxon walking up to him on the roof of their headquarters.
"Holding Mandalore will keep your soldiers in line, my lord," he darkly said. "It may be a desolate planet, forcing us to live in bio-domes, but it's the history, the symbolic of it. Our tribes have been moving around for long enough."
Maul only lent a distracted ear at what Saxon was trying to tell him as he was deep in thought, tuned to the unstable energies of the people below. He kept his hands clasped in his lower back and looked at a small group of warriors handing out the day's ration of uj cake to their working brethren. Turning slightly he looked Gar from the corner of the eye.
"This is the way," he said casually. "Now, where have I heard this before?"
The pale man's face abruptly changed from frosty to grim, giving Maul the impression that he did not approve of the phrase.
"It's nothing you should be concerned about, my lord."
His brow lowered in disappointment. "Do explain, Saxon."
Gar took in the polluted air in his lungs before giving his reply.
"My lord, I assure you... The Death Watch is fully supporting our cause. You may hear some fanatics, fringe elements who claim to follow some obscure cult but it's all fantasy and hopeless romanticism. It leads down to the same old ways of living in the shadows."
When Gar was done talking Maul raised a side of his mouth, having expected that reaction from the ambitious commander.
"I see," he politely said. "And what is the name of this cult?"
"Children of the Watch, Lord Maul."
Feeling emboldened, Gar smirked with satisfaction. Now, Maul knew of the divide within the Death Watch and could act accordingly.
"Very well, Saxon. Dismissed."
At least some of the Mandalorians needed to survive and take to the shadows, he conceded to himself. The rest would serve as a necessary sacrifice to bring about his own plan against Sidious and his pawns.
And Kenobi.
Revenge against the impetuous Jedi Master had to wait, yet again, for true justice needed to be preserved if he wished for hope, for his family. Perhaps the Jedi could be turned against Sidious, like he almost did with Dooku.
Perhaps...
He stopped himself from further fantasies and made his way to the training halls. His warriors needed to know how to fight against a true Force wielder.
Thanks for reading! My OC's are starting to make a life for each other and I'm sorry if it looks like this story is taking huge proportions. Also I'm itching to delve deeper into the relationship between Maul and Eldra, but I can't, not so soon! Haha... I need to be writing more but real life, etc. Also about the AU aspect of this story: I may deviate from canon out of ignorance or selective memory. If something seems off, I apologize!