IV

Washes of red and purple splashed across the darkening sky as Maul's ship cruised downward toward Theed. Anakin looked out the Infiltrator's cockpit glass, taking in the sight of sunset on one of the galaxy's most beautiful planets.

Anakin looked at his right hand for the hundredth time in the past hour. The new hand was perfect in every way; durasteel fingers and joints connected to his nerves and trained to obey his every move. The hand was calibrated to the approximate strength of his other hand—but with Anakin's skills changing that would be child's play should the need arise.

He put the custom glove back over the hand. There would time to examinehis trophyagain later.

"Lord Maul! Welcome to Naboo, my lord," Nute Gunray said fearfully, leading the way to private chambers made for the Sith. "I was expecting Lord Sidious."

"Darth Sidious won't be in contact any more, Viceroy," Maul said. Gunray thought he heard an undertone of amusement.

"My lord?"

"Sidious lost his head, Viceroy. I guarantee I have the situation well in hand."

The Viceroy backed up a few steps. All of a sudden the lightsaber on Maul's belt was all too prominent.

"Viceroy?"

"Yes, Lord Maul?"

"The boy that arrived in my ship. Make sure he taken care of. Taken very good care of."

"Yes, Lord Maul. He will be given the Governor's Suite."

"Good, Viceroy. Entertain him."

"Entertain him? But—

Maul pointedly stared at him.

Gunray shut up.

Anakin sat aboard the ship, waiting for Padme or Lord Maul to return. At last, the Sith came aboard, a protocol droid in tow. The droid came over to him.

"I am TC-14," it said in a distinctly female voice. "I am to show you to your room."

"My room?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Skywalker. Lord Maul has arranged private quarters for you inside the palace."

The palace--Padme!

"Let's go then, 14!"

The droid led him through the courtyard and the ornate palace entrance. Anakin and TC-14 arrived at the door to Sio Bibble's quarters.

But Governor Bibble wouldn't be sleeping there tonight.

"Wow."

Comfortable furniture covered every inch of the floor, a complete shift from Maul's bare home. In the bedroom, the bed covered half the floor. The rest was filled with a huge holo-chess board.

"14?"

"Yes?"

"You play chess?"

An hour and a half later, the game still continued. Anakin's instincts seemed to hold up to TC-14's lightning-fast computations. TC-14 was baffled. Who was this boy that could challenge a droid at a game of intellect?

Anakin moved his only knight to the center of the board, taking TC-14's only bishop. TC-14 countered by taking the knight with her queen. Anakin grinned.

Anakin moved his queen to capture the droid's.

"Checkmate."

TC-14 examined the board. The boy had beaten her.

"Where did you come from, Master Skywalker?"

"I'm from Tatooine."

"Tell me about this place."

Lord Maul sat in deep meditation on board his ship. He felt a disturbance in the Force…a danger wan near.

Tonight he had to be on his guard.

Padme, now in full ornamental costume, appeared before the governmental body of Naboo accompanied by Nute Gunray and a mysterious Zabrak clothed in black. Governor Sio Bibble was worried; he could only imagine the stunt she had planned. He hoped it didn't get them all killed.

And why was he sleeping in the guest wing?

The Queen approached the table where Rune Haako, Gunray's second-in-command, already sat. They shook hands, a genuine smile on the Queen's face.

What was happening?

"I, Queen Amidala of Naboo, add my signature to this treaty in hopes of peace between the people of Naboo and the Trade Federation. Under the terms of the treaty, the Federation and any of its allies may travel to and trade from Naboo freely. Also stipulated in the document, from this day forth, Naboo is a colony world of the Trade Federation," the Queen said, to the shock of the Naboo Senate.

The Queen signed the treaty. Gunray and Haako added their signatures as well, under the cold stare of Lord Maul.

"I have a few words to say about the past couple of weeks," the Queen announced.

Thank goodness. The Queen hadn't completely lost her mind.

"As you know, I have been missing for a week or so. I will now share with you what happened."

Panicked glances between the Neimodians.

"Soon after the Federation's arrival in Naboo space, I was abducted by two rogue Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Stunned gasps and whispers from the audience. Rogue Jedi? Abducted?

"I know that this comes as a shock. We have come to respect the Jedi as our heroes and saviors. I have seen first hand that we are gravely mistaken."

She paused to let it sink in.

"But I escaped and returned home with the help of an old friend, Lord Maul."

All attention focused on the Zabrak. "Lord Maul taught himself the ways of the Force, in essence becoming a stronger and better hero than any Jedi. I owe my life to him."

A sudden burst of applause.

"The Jedi have spread legends of the Sith for millennia. But now that the Jedi are revealed as the villains, what of their stories? My hero, Lord Maul before you, is a follower of the Sith religion. And yet he is the one that saved me from the Jedi. Do you see the irony?"

"That is enough!" came a shout from one of the balconies above. Ki-Adi-Mundi leaped from his seat and landed in between the aisles of senators below. A blade of azure sprang from his hand.

"I cannot allow this speech to continue!" he said, his ancient face bordering on anger.

Maul saw his chance. He threw off his cloak and ignited his own red blade. "You will not harm my queen!" he roared. He held his weapon up—and ignited the other side.

Darth Maul, Master of the Sith, beckoned the Jedi Master to come and meet his double blade.

The senators jumped from their seats and ran to the opposite ends of the chamber, wanting to watch but not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Ki-Adi-Mundi sized up his opponent, and decided a fight would end in victory.

The Cerean Master rushed.

Darth Maul met him in the center, launching a flurry of his own attacks. The Cerean held his own, wearing the Sith down and then launching an attack of his own.

Maul Force-pushed his opponent. Ki-Adi-Mundi slid across the floor and cracked his head on the chamber doors. He was up by the time Maul got there. He let loose with a barrage of quick strikes aimed at Maul's chest.

The Sith countered all of them with ease.

Maul grabbed the Cerean by the collar of his robes and slammed him to the ground. Maul got on top of him, blade hovering centimeters from the Jedi's neck. Ki-Adi-Mundi didn't dare move.

But somehow, he found his saber arm pulled upwards. The saber, not quite under his control, snapped around and cut the Sith from shoulder to shoulder. Darth Maul flew backwards off the Jedi and landed on his face a few yards away.

Ki-Adi-Mundi stood. The Sith must have been controlling his arm with the Force…But why would he—

Maul launched into a roll faster than the eye could see, blade extended. The crimson saber slid cleanly through the Jedi's knees—

Before the Cerean even wobbled, Darth Maul, crouching, brought his lightsaber to the Jedi's crotch—

He brought it up, up, all the way up through the top of Ki-Adi-Mundi's conical head. The four pieces of the Cerean Jedi Master fell to the floor as Lord Maul stood. Lord Maul almost immediately fell to his knees again, apparently in great pain.

The senators watched as Sith Lord Maul, the Queen's protector, stood again, smoke still rising from the saber cut on his chest.

Maul turned off his lightsaber.

The room was silent.

Until the senators began to clap.

Maul retrieved his cloak and pulled it back on. He took his place at the Queen's side.

"Do you see now? The Jedi have become so bold in their treachery that they would attack me in my own palace! Do you see now what Lord Maul saved me from?" she screamed at the crowd of senators.

The senators erupted in the loudest round of applause so far.

Maul, hidden beneath his hood, laughed.

In another life, he could have been an excellent actor.