VIII

The sun rose slowly over the eastern horizon, the stars above disappearing as the sky's dark blanket pulled off to reveal the tender blueness underneath. The only sounds were that of a few morning birds in nearby bushes and of the waves gently crashing over onto the beach. Darth Maul sat on the sand, only an arm's length away from the edge of the water as it reached up the shore. His legs were crossed, his feet turned up to rest atop his thighs; his arms were at rest, his hands lying open, palm down, on his knees. His yellowish eyes were closed, his mind composed and deep in thought.

Maul had been up for nearly an hour now; he was starting to revert back to his old routine of only a few hours sleep during the night, meditation in the morning, physical training after that, and another meditating session following. It was how he liked to spend his mornings; that and there was nothing else for him to do except perfect his abilities while he waited for his master to give him a mission.

Newly rebuilt lightsaber lying on his lap between his arms, Maul concentrated on the here-and-now. He could feel the dark side of the Force all around him and it made him feel stronger. The pain from his wounds was almost undistinguishable now; a few more days and he'd be able to go about his business without any sudden discomfort. By then he'd be on his way to Naboo, ship fixed, memories of Corellia behind him.

He remained alone for another half hour until Naturri walked up behind him and stopped. Maul's eyes remained shut, his mouth closed, body completely relaxed. At first she said nothing, but he knew she was looking at him. He could feel her eyes sweeping over his naked torso.

"It takes some time to get to the edge of Tyrena where Welcet's shop is," she said softly. "I made some breakfast if you're hungry."

Darth Maul waited for a moment before he got to his feet; he turned to walk without her, his hand gripping his lightsaber. He hooked it to his belt and entered the house, finding some variations of fruit neatly sliced on a plate. Sitting down at the table, pretending the creature he disliked so much wasn't sitting on the floor looking at him with curious eyes, Maul ate silently; the fruit was sweet and juicy, and although he wasn't much of a fruit eater it wasn't all that bad.

After, Maul joined Naturri by her land speeder and the two were off. Maul had cloaked himself, the hood up to cover the crown of horns atop his head and a good portion of his face if someone were to look at him quickly. Naturri was dressed in, from what he could see a long robe of some sort.

Maul kept his eyes focused on the landscaping around them. It was pretty dull, for the most part—fields, trees, the random hut stamped in the middle. Then he could see the outskirts of a large city starting to appear over the horizon. He was glad of this; he was tired of sitting and watching the scenery.

Naturri parked the speeder off to the side in front of a grayish-colored building. They both got out at the same time, Maul looking around at the crowded street. They were on the outer edge of the city in small village-type setting. There were more different species walking around than he wanted to count, all of whom looked to be visitors to the planet. It would make sense—there was a spaceport not to far from there.

Maul ignored the many glances he got; he was, after all, used to such gestures of curiousness—it wasn't everyday you saw someone with an entirely tattooed face. He smirked to himself and followed the Corellian woman into the shop.

It was a dark atmosphere, making the Sith feel at ease with the shadows that encased the entire room. The place was empty, save for a thin man standing behind a counter looking bored as could be. He was much shorter than Maul, his face pale and narrow; he had two little antennae poking up from a mass of brown hair on top of his head. The man glared at two who entered—he gulped lightly when he set eyes on the Sith.

The shopkeeper's focus switched to the other visitor and his eyes lit up. "Naturri! What brings you here today?"

"My friend here," she said nodding her head to the side towards Maul. "He needs some parts for his ship."

"Ah, well he's come to the right place," the man replied. "You have a show today, Naturri?"

"Yes, actually," she replied, glancing shortly at her companion. "Only a short one though—I'm filling in for another girl." She smiled. "You'll take care of him now, right Welcet?"

"Of course," Welcet replied, standing up straighter now.

Maul watched her turn towards the door and he waited for her to explain where she was going this time. She turned as he expected. "Like I said, I have to go put on a quick show, so I'll leave you to do your business here. You can either wait by the speeder for me or meet me in the club—it's called Setting Moon. Its two streets over; black building, you can't miss it."

Maul snarled lightly. "This wasn't part of our agreement."

"There wasn't an agreement except that I'd take you here," she said with a smile and walked out of the shop.

The corner of his mouth twitched with her words and the way she sauntered out, her hips purposely swaying to provoke him. He turned back to the man behind the counter and pulled out a small holochip that stored the list of parts he needed.

"Engine thrusters, huh?" Welcet said after reading the board. "I'd have to check my inventory—those haven't been on high demand lately. The rest of the stuff here I know for sure is back there; just give me a minute to check everything out."

Maul sighed and crossed his arms as he waited for him to check. He walked around and saw a Twi'lek heading towards the shop, but the moment he saw Maul he turned around and left. Maul smirked; he loved it when people feared him.

The character that ran the shop was lucky he did in fact have the engine thrusters Maul needed for his ship, and although the model number wasn't the same, the shop keeper insisted that they'd fit and work just the same. The option of ordering the parts was out of the question—he'd be forced to stay on Corellia longer than he already had been. However, this Welcet person was able to give him the thrusters, a new ion port that had been on the verge of failing and an extension for the hyperdrive, all of which were given a discount for knowing Naturri. He idly wondered if this Welcet person was one of those who Naturri entertained on the side.

After he had paid with the credits he had left over from previous missions, Maul stocked the equipment into the back of the speeder. Naturri hadn't returned, which made him feel highly annoyed and impatient. He wanted to go back and install the parts so he could be on his way. Half of him said to shrug it off and leave without her—she was of no use to him now. Yet he felt that for once he should appreciate what she did for him and stick around; after all, she had been the one to get him back on his feet quicker than it would've taken him to hunt things down.

Standing at the speeder for more than ten minutes bored him to the point he wanted to pick a fight with whatever random creature passed him who gave him a strange look. He finally gave in to the urges to go track Naturri down and wait for her at this club she spoke of.

Two streets over was much different from the one the speeder was parked on; this street bore darker buildings, all of which were lit with neon lights, even during the middle of the day. Instead of quiet shops there were restaurants of various types and several clubs—one of which was labeled "Setting Moon" in basic and two other languages.

Walking over, head still hidden under the coverings of his cloak, Maul noticed the several men sitting outside the door all of whom seemed to be drunk beyond compare from whatever beverage they had gulped down. He ignored them, stepping inside to the dark atmosphere of the club. It was darker inside the large room than it was back in the parts shop two streets back. Round, metal tables were settled everywhere, most seats occupied with men of several different species, some of which were whistling at a two human women that were dancing around a pole atop a platform off to the corner of the room.

Maul searched the room quickly with his eyes, using the Force to aid him, but Naturri wasn't there. He took a seat off to the side away from other spectators and cloaked himself in the Force so he'd go unnoticed. A few younger adults sat some meters away from him, but the stench from the death sticks they smoked was almost sickening to the point he wanted to ignite the drugs in their hands to bustling flame.

He might have gone through with that thought…if it hadn't been for the band switching tunes to something quick, up-beat, and loud. Through a curtain that hung behind a stage came a girl dressed in shimmering attire that covered only her bust and hip area. The Sith looked at her carefully and realized it was indeed Naturri. She looked stunning, that he'd have to admit, even with the added makeup to her face. The way she moved as she entered the room on the stage, the look of confidence on her face, the lights from the ceiling dancing over her slender, tanned body.

Maul mentally scolded himself for taking interest as she started twisting her body around, the music seeming to match her dance perfectly. It was unacceptable…but yet still undeniable. He had seen women before dressed like this, and usually he paid them no further attention except a quick glance while searching for his given quarry. However, this time it was different. He wasn't here on business—he was merely waiting. So naturally his focus was laid upon whatever caught his interest…and this girl just happened to be it.

He was aware that his concentration was broken, his mind allowing the Force to break away to reveal his presence. Naturri must have seen him sitting there because she glanced towards him and a small smile spread across her face. A strange feeling twisted in the pit of Maul's stomach as she turned around and swayed her hips, then bending back and twisting around, her eyes resting on him once again. Maul caught his lips starting to part to the point he was mesmerized. Getting a hold of himself once more, he straightened up and glanced away. It was the first time he felt himself losing control over his mind; he was not weak minded by no means, and he refused to allow her to have any effect on him. Therefore, he decided, it was time to leave.

Maul left the cantina and the noise inside; he tried very hard to put the image of Naturri out of his head, but that was a little more difficult than he wanted to admit. He stood in the shadows of the awning that covered the entrance to the club, his hood up and covering eighty-percent of his face. His eyes narrowed and looked at the people around him, trying to keep himself occupied while he waited for Naturri to put on some clothes and come out so he could get started on his ship.

It was nearly another fifteen minutes before she stepped out, her hair pulled back up into a lose form, a skirt and robe covering her body once again and her face clean of heavy makeup. Maul caught her gaze and snarled lightly at her confident smile. He made no approach to talk to her; instead he started to walk away with faster-than-usual strides, a high desire to get out of the city flowing over him.

The Force told him Naturri followed closely behind, even though he couldn't see her. Her thoughts were still on him, this he knew. It almost sickened him to think that she thought that she had a certain grasp on a small, slightly unused part of his mind.

Maul continued to walk until he heard Naturri gasp and he felt her presence becoming further. He whipped around quickly to see what she was doing this time, but the site of three men, one of which was holding her arm, caught his attention immediately. Two sat at a round table outside of a tavern, the other—the one holding Naturri's arm—stood next to her, seemingly trying to coax her into sitting with them. Naturri struggled, which was a sign that she didn't agree.

Maul reached them, his eyes gleaming and staring at the three men. "I suggest you let her go," he said calmly and smoothly.

The man—a dirty, unshaved human, spit at the ground and looked at what he could see of Maul's face. "Who the hell do you think you are, buster?"

"Some tourist," another said, this one also being a human, but not as grungy looking.

Maul ignored the comment from the second man and kept his focus on the one grasping Naturri's arm. She looked between both of them, her eyes fearful, but calming quickly once Maul appeared. "I don't give second chances," he said.

"Yeah, well neither do I. So this is your only one—get out of here and let me conduct my business."

Maul's arm shot out, fingers outstretched, his use of the dark side flowing through him in a rage. He used the Force to throw the man back, his grip on the human woman's arm giving, his body flinging back into the smooth wall of the tavern. The wall cracked slightly and the man slid down.

Naturri hurried to Maul's side, her hands resting on his forearm as if for protection. He turned, moving away from her and the men at the table. Yet he knew that this meeting wasn't over yet. The Force told him the third man—a species Maul couldn't identify immediately, but a humanoid with bluish skin, nonetheless—held a blaster pistol and shot three blasts at Maul's back. The Sith unleashed his lightsaber before the first shot was fired, then repelled the three blasts away with his energy sword. The third blast jumped back to its owner and sank into his throat, killing him instantly.

The other two men looked more than frightened and scooted off and around the corner of the tavern. Maul disengaged his lightsaber and hooked it back to his belt, acting like nothing had happened. He continued on towards where the speeder was parked, Naturri following.

They reached the speeder and Maul took the motion to take the driver's seat. "What do you think you're doing?" Naturri asked coming up along side after he already sat down.

"I have the controls this time," he said quickly. His tone alone was enough to persuade Naturri to say nothing more and get in passenger seat. Immediately he switched on the engines and took off, reaching top speed before they passed the border of the city. He smiled for a brief moment when he felt Naturri was a little nervous at his actions; she gripped the side handle of the speeder rather tightly.

"Did you know those men?" Maul asked suddenly, even surprising himself at allowing his curiosity get the better of him.

Naturri nodded and looked at her hands that sat in her lap. "They're men that pull me aside after some of my shows….They don't let me go until—"

"They've had their fill," Maul said with a loathsome snarl. "I should've killed the other two."

Naturri looked at him suddenly, but Maul snarled at her, mottled teeth bearing in one corner. "Do not think I did it for you," he said. "Creatures like that who meddle with my affairs disgust me."

They arrived back at the shoreline in nearly half the time it took to travel to the shop in Tyrena. Maul parked the speeder, but didn't turn the engines off. Naturri gave him a puzzled look, one that was mixed with concern. "I'm going to my ship," he said. "Come if you must, but I'm taking your speeder."

Naturri shook her head and crawled out, moving a few steps away before turning to look at him. Maul gave her no expression; instead he pulled away and journeyed down the beach to where his ship sat waiting.