She has a portrait of me?

Yes.

Did she draw it herself?

Yes.

Really?

Yes.

Were you present when she drew it?

No.

Does she have a portrait of you?

I don't think so.

Are you jealous?

No comment. Park opened the bottom drawer and moved some of the papers out of the way, trying to see to the bottom, where he suspected the portrait would be hidden. He removed some of the objects, most of which were small trinkets Lou must have collected from the planets she had visited.

One such trinket was a red oval-shaped gem, which Park admired by holding it up to the light.

So that's where it went.

Mi stole it from you?

Apparently so.

Park laughed out loud, causing Lindsey to look up inquisitively. "What's so funny?"

"Um...nothing, Sir," he tried to stifle his laughter. Park looked down, and the red and black tatooed face caught his eye. There you are.

I look good.

Don't make me laugh again.

I don't think I like talking to you.

I never liked talking to you to begin with.

It's just burning you up inside that she chose me over you.

"Did you find anything yet, Park?" Lindsey called across the room.

"Nope," he lied, taking the portrait out of the drawer. "I shall return shortly."

Lindsey did not even look up, though the thought did occur to him that after the whole ordeal about who should enter the quarters first, it was odd that Park was now leaving him alone in them.

I could tell your captain about that, you know, Maul informed Park.

But you won't.

And why won't I?

Because you don't want us to get in your way, whatever your plan for Mi is.

Maul thought about that for a minute, and conceded - to himself - that Park had a point.


Raef Caylon sat in the armchair on the side of the desk across from Darth Sidious - or as he preferred to be called now, Emperor Palpatine.

"When does she arrive?" Caylon inquired.

"Soon. Later tonight, or early tomorrow morning," Palpatine's answer was apathetic.

"Fantabulous," Caylon smiled slyly.

Palpatine read Caylon's thoughts. "You will not get her first."

At this, Caylon looked up inquisitively. "Why not?"

"My former apprentice, Darth Maul, shall be the first of us that she encounters."

"Why the hell - "

Palpatine cut him off with a wave of his hand. "She trusts him. She must see him first, so that she does not become suspicious of the reasons we are bringing her here for."

"Fine, Pops, you're the all-powerful one. If that's what you believe is best, I'll go along with it." Caylon got up to leave.

"I don't believe, Raef, I know." Palpatine's thin lips curled into a smile.

Caylon bowed his head, then turned to the door. He stopped beside the grey pyramid sitting atop an intricate display stand. "Jareena, we truly shall see each other again."


Darth Maul waited until Raef Caylon was far enough down the hall that he would not see the Sith Lord go into his former Master's office.

Satisfied with Caylon's distance, Maul left his shadowy corner, and strode up to Palpatine's door. As he reached for the latch, the door swung open.

"I was hoping you would appear sooner. Raef was asking about you," Palpatine's low, gravelly voice still held the same authority over Maul.

"I am not his concern," Maul growled. "Just as he is not mine."

Palpatine arched his eyebrow at Maul, knowing full well that he was lying about that last bit. "Have you decided how you will spend your day with her?"

"Not yet. I was going to let her decide so that she would feel more comfortable with me."

"Oh, she still feels comfortable with you, Maul. Surely you can sense that when you are in her mind."

"She is suspicious of me, not exactly what I would consider comfortable, my Emperor."

Palpatine watched Maul again in silence. After several minutes had passed, he said, "I see. Well, you have a few hours to kill." That was a dismissal.

Maul bowed, then left. What is he up to? he wondered.

"More than you know, my young Sith Lord," Palpatine said as the door locked behind Maul. "More than you know."


Darth Maul entered the spacious apartment that he shared with his apprentice. He sensed that the place was empty, much to his relief. He did not feel like teaching this afternoon.

Maul went into the kitchen to prepare himself a meal. He found a note on the refridgerator from his apprentice, but did not care to read it. He knew where the boy was; out with his friends at the club, as usual.

He sighed, wondering how he could cure the seventeen-year-old Twi'Lek of his favorite pastime. The reason Maul let him get away with it was simply to make up for the things he himself had missed because of Sidious' incessant need to turn Maul into a heartless killer.

But there was more to being a Sith than that.

Maul believed that interaction with other creatures - Force-users, or otherwise - was the best way to get to know one's enemies. Every species had its habits, and a more simple way to discover it and learn to use it to one's advantage had not yet been invented.

Taking a sip from the beverage he had prepared, Maul tried to figure out what he was going to do while he waited for Jareena's arrival.


Lance Breckin sat staring blankly at the computer screen before him.

Raine Taggart eyed him suspiciously, but Breckin did not notice. He considered trying to get his attention, but was distracted as Captain Lindsey returned to the Bridge. His manner told Taggart that he was in a foul mood.

His thoughts told Taggart why.

"Did you hear about Lou?" Taggart asked Breckin.

"Hear what about Lou?"

"That she left."

"I don't care," Breckin grumbled. "I hope she's happy with him."

"With who?"

"Park,"

Taggart looked over his shoulder at Park apparently talking to himself. He could sense the other's dark presence. "Park's right over there."

"Oh,"

"So, how's Simpson?"

Breckin was caught off-guard by the question. "Uh...she's fine."

"You don't sound very sure about that."

"She is," he insisted. "I just f-saw her this morning."

Lindsey leaned in between the two. "Am I hosting a Talk Show, here? Do you two have some kind of unresolved issue in your past that needs to be worked out?" he growled at them.

Taggart knew better than to push the Captain just now. "No, Sir."

"Then shut your cake holes!"

Breckin practically fell off his chair. "Y-yes, Sir."

"Breckin, can you handle double shifts? Rustin's...finally declared himself unfit for work."

"Doesn't that leave me on triple shifts?"

"Rustin isn't very important on his shift. We don't use this station after Beta shift, anyway." Lindsey stated it like it was a well-known fact.

"Oh."

"So can you handle it?" he was getting impatient.

"Sure," Breckin shrugged. Keeps me away from Corrina's room for awhile, prolongs my life.

"Good." Lindsey returned to his place at the helm.

Out of the blue, Park yelled, "I do not have chicken legs!"

The crew turned as one to face him.

"Excuse me?" the Captain was flabbergasted by Park's outburst.

"Uh..." Park's eyes swept across the Bridge nervously. "Nothing."

Breckin muttered, "What a loser."

Taggart sat back in his chair, reaching out to the Disturbance in the Force. What is your business here?

Who are you? Darth Maul demanded.

Park could hear the exchange between the two Force-users in his head.

Taggart tried to read the other's thoughts, knowing that he would be doing the same. You're dead.

So are you.


The connection was broken. Maul had other things to attend to now. He would discover the Jedi's purpose later.

At this moment, Jareena was requesting permission to land on one of Coruscant's many landing pads.

Darth Maul strode down the corridor to meet Jareena, the female he had not seen in four years.