Chapter 2.

Ready to go

At dawn, Kyra opened her eyes and squinted into the morning light that filtered through her blinds. Closing her eyes, for a few seconds she enjoyed the warmth of the upcoming sun on her face. She always enjoyed the heat and warmth of nature. She hated to feel cold, which made her feel bitter and lonely. Behind her closed eyelids, the rising sun rays danced in the spectrum of hundreds of colors. It looked serene and beautiful, even majestic.

Then the mission intruded her mind and the mysterious Sith Lord. As Kyra opened her eyes, the colors disappeared at once.

"Well." She thought while she was getting dressed. "It could be worse. I could be down at the Hall center today giving a rather boring speech lesson about behavior ethics to the younglings".

She then grabbed her backpack, clipped her lightsaber to her belt, and then she left her room.

It was still early for the others to be awake at this time, unnoticed, she made her way down to the hangars.

There was a small, sleek T-shaped aircraft waiting at the end of the shipyard next to one of the outer hangars.

Kyra approached it cautiously and was looking to see if anyone was around.

The ship's main door was down, but she did not see the pilot.

Kyra slowly walked up to the door and looked inside the spaceship. It was small but fully equipped. To her right was a lift to the cockpit upstairs. When she was about to enter it she felt a presence behind her.

Calmly, she turned around and found herself face-to-face with the apprentice.

The first thought that popped into her mind was how was he able to manage to sneak behind her unnoticed.

The second thought was, he was not what she expected.

Standing a half-foot taller than her, the Zabrak had broad muscular chest and shoulders draped in a black cloak. His wide leather belt where his lightsaber was clipped matched his boots. Kyra slowly looked him up and down. Then her eyes landed on his gloved hands.

His dark garment choice accentuated his unique skin colors, which she found in a way intriguing. His deep red skin was the same as other Zabraks she had seen before, however, the intricate black tattoos covering his face and the back of his head gave him a unique look. The horns crowning his bald head made him look even more menacing. But the most interesting thing about him, which Kyra found scary and mesmerizing, was his eyes. Bright yellow with dark red rims and small black pupils were a stark contrast to his red skin and black tattoos. The way he looked at her gave Kyra a peculiar feeling inside. If she had not been a powerful Grey she would have turned away from his intense stare.

He slowly approached her and stopped just a couple of feet from her, gazing into her eyes.

Maul was also sizing her up. He did see her yesterday from the balcony when she was training the recruits. He watched her with perplexed curiosity and wondered who she was and how similar her fighting technique was to his.

Now, looking at her just an arm's length away, he noticed her beautiful dark green eyes and long black eyelashes that gave her a cat-like look. She had a shapely nose and full luscious lips. Her long raven hair was a sharp contrast to her milk pale skin. However, those cat-like eyes held many more secrets than she would let know he was sure of it. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to enter her mind. She was almost or equally powerful than him.

Without saying a word, she crossed her slender muscular arms in front of her middle and stood there staring back at him.

A moment had passed when finally Kyra spoke up.

"Master told me that you were going to inform me about this important mission. I still find it strange that he asked me to go with you." With a frown, she added. "I never go on missions or at least not off Kish, so please explain to me why am I here and where are we going?"

"I will explain everything as soon as we are on the way to our destination." Maul replied in a cold tone.

Arching up one of her dark eyebrows, she asked with a slightly mocking tone. "Can I at least know where is this destination?"

Not saying anything, Maul walked past her toward the lift, pressed a button on the sidewall closing the outer door with a loud hiss. Then he pressed the lift button, the door opened and he stepped in.

He looked at Kyra then the lift door closed and he was on his way up.

Slowly shaking her head, Kyra let out a frustrated sigh. She couldn't believe that Master had to pick this guy for an apprentice. He was rude and this didn't sit well with her. Wherever is this trip was going to, it's going to be a long trip for sure, she thought with a grin, looking at the metal ceiling.