XIV

For some reason Maul was in no hurry to get back to Coruscant. He put the ship at its full speed, but even so, he almost felt responsible for Naturri Karredine's death. If he hadn't been so selfish he could've taken her with him…

No, he told himself firmly. She was nothing except a couple nights' show. Master Sidious wouldn't allow you to hold a bond with someone—especially someone like her.

Maul nodded to himself as he traced out the coordinates for the planet covered with one large city. Perhaps it would be wise to report to his master before furthering his quest for the Jedi. After all, Sidious was probably under the assumption that Maul had been killed, although his body hadn't been found. Then again, the Sith Lord had a way of knowing things…and Maul almost feared that his master knew of his behavior on Corellia.

No matter; he was sure to get a beating for failing his mission in the first place. His mistakes on Naboo were stupid and uncalled for. There was no excuse for what had happened, except his own carelessness. He detested the thought that he allowed himself to be taken by surprise by a mere Padawan learner. His master had every right to punish him.

Upon reaching Coruscant, Maul made the decision to head to his master's lair instead of continuing his tracking of the Jedi. Besides, there might be a more pressing matter that Sidious needed Maul to take care of instead of his yearning for revenge. Sidious had always told him that he needed to work on his patience.

Sidious had chosen a building centered in the sweep of city life for his hideout. The building was shared with a few other patrons, but neither force had ever met and would never have a reason to do so. Maul had a special port to hide the Infiltrator, one that was beneath the given surface of the normal lifestyle of the habitants on Coruscant. He brought it further down beneath the fogginess that separated the city from the dank and dreary underworld where lived a number or gangs, swindlers, and other unpleasant sights.

The hanger was situated on the side of the skyscraper, its doors opening horizontally as he commanded with the push of a button. The Infiltrator's engines died off as soon as the landing gear touched the surface of the large room. Maul reached into the Force for any sign of his master, having a strange feeling that the Sith would be there to meet him with anger and a feeling of betrayal. He was thankful to find he was alone.

Ascending the ramp and heading towards the elevator, Maul wondered what sort of lecture he was in for. Perhaps he would be pleasantly surprised to find that Darth Sidious was not angry with him and understood the misfortune his apprentice had undergone. Maul snorted to himself, knowing full well that such a thing would not be the case—at least it hadn't been since he could remember.

The doors to the elevator opened and Maul stepped inside, folding his hands in front of him after pressing the button to bring him to the top where his master occupied the whole floor. He called on the dark side to keep his emotions in tact, helping him channel what fear he had and using it to make him stronger. But the flight to the top was short and soon the doors pulled apart to reveal the entrance to his master's hideout. The moment he stepped out he could feel the power of his master inside; usually he kept himself hidden in case of a straying Jedi. Darth Sidious knew Maul was there.

The doors to the large and dark room inside opened and Maul walked with an unhesitant stride through; the doors shut behind him and he immediately fell to one knee and bowed his head.

Sidious sat in a high-backed chair behind a metal desk where several holoscreens were erected around the center. Maul kept his head facing the floor, one hand draped over his bent leg, the other flat against the metal-like tiles he knelt on. He didn't dare glance up as his master rose to his feet and came around from the desk; the Sith's body was completely covered in a long cloak that barely dragged on the floor. Only his hands and lower face could be seen from the darkness.

"Stand up," Sidious spat, his bitterness towards his apprentice evident.

"My master," Maul said after rising to his full height, his voice soft and still calm. "Forgive me for my absence, but—"

"Silence your tongue," Sidious intercepted quickly. "I don't need your excuses. I know of your failure against the Jedi. You killed one and allowed the other to get the best of you."

"Yes, my master," Maul agreed, his eyes darting to the floor once again.

"Pathetic," the Sith Lord said as he stood several meters in front of the Iridonian. "You were trained to destroy the Jedi, not to let them crawl out of the traps and run free. I have no use for failures like you."

Maul said nothing, but forced the lump in his throat to be swallowed. He could sense the intensity of his master's anger. He was surprised when the man spoke further instead of striking him down; "I take it your little vacation gave you ample time to recover from your wounds?"

Maul gave a short nod. "Yes, Master."

"And were, may I ask, did you escape to for the time?"

"I crash landed on Corellia," Maul said truthfully. "I was unconscious for almost—" His sentence was cut of quickly when he felt his throat closing tightly. The Dark Lord has his arm raised, his hand in a vise-like form and closing slowly. Maul's hands instinctively grabbed at the invisible collar that threatened to choke him. He could feel his feet slowly leaving the ground as his master used the Force to raise him.

"I do not tolerate failures, Darth Maul," Sidious said calmly as if what he was doing was fine.

Maul couldn't answer. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, his lungs trying frantically to catch even the slightest bit of air. His eyes shut tightly and his teeth bearing in desperation.

Then without warning, without a spare second to brace himself, Maul was flung backwards and into the wall next to the door. His back hit it straight on and hard, his body pausing for a brief moment before sliding down where he landed on his rear on the floor. For a second he thought his spine had snapped, but as he moved he felt that it was his already-injured ribs fracturing again.

Not about to show weakness, Maul moved to get to his feet, but before he could do so his lightsaber was pulled from his waist and landed in the open hand of his master. Maul's eyes watched his master look over his weapon.

"You're thoughts betray you," Sidious said smugly. "You're filling with more fear as we speak." Maul said nothing. The Sith Lord moved closer, but as he did a side door opened.

Maul glanced over to the middle-aged human that walked through. He was tall, well built; his face showed signs of age under his eyes and his whitening beard and hair distinguished him. Maul got to his feet, sensing great power with him and a surge of the dark side encompassing this human man's form.

"Ah, Count Dooku," Darth Sidious said with a smile. "I'm glad you could join us. Maul, meet my new apprentice, former Jedi, Count Dooku."

Maul's mouth became dry, his heart skipped over a beat, and his eyes narrowed. His master had chosen a new apprentice—without sheer evidence that Maul had been dead! And a Jedi Master to boot! His blood began to boil, his fingers curling into his palms tightly.

"It was chance I came upon someone to replace you so quickly," Sidious continued, obviously enjoying Maul's reaction. "He has good connections and rulings over the Trade Federation; he'll be able to fill in the gaps you couldn't."

Maul listened, but with fury. He was still trying to digest the thought of his master, the one man he devoted his life to serving—he fell to his knees and practically worshiped the Sith Lord with a simple stare—only to be…betrayed by him and thrown away with no hope. Yes, he knew it was possible, and he understood that failing would lead to this…but he never thought it would actually happen.

"My Master," he spoke with a slight edge to his voice, "I live to serve you. I will pick up where I left off—it was nothing but a temporary setback."

Sidious snickered from under his hood. "My plan is at the point where there can be no setbacks. Dooku has more connections that are useful to me, where as you could easily suffer another bout of ill luck."

"If it is luck, then I have more good than bad, Master," Maul argued, which he automatically knew was a mistake. He didn't want to fall back on the memory of the last time he argued with Sidious.

The Sith Lord frowned. He tossed the extended lightsaber back to Maul's feet, who picked it up with the Force quickly. Without a word, as if Darth Sidious transmitted a message telepathically to Dooku, the ex-Jedi's lightsaber emerged into his hand and jumped to its full length, its red beam flashing in Maul's eyes.

Darth Maul activated both ends of his own weapon, preparing himself for the delayed attack from his new opponent. He would not play games with this piece of Jedi work…he would prove to his master that he was the better choice for a Sith.

Dooku hurled himself at Maul, his arms slicing down with his lightsaber to attack. The young Iridonian easily deflected the attack and brought the other end of his weapon around to deliver one of his own. The room was filled with the stuns and buzzing of the two lightsabers, attacks being matched and countered. Maul didn't allow Count Dooku to force him back; he made the offensive side, calling upon every technique he knew.

Maul caught at a quick glance a small smirk on his master's face. Perhaps this was a test; perhaps Sidious set this up to prove to him that he had to be on his feet at all times no matter what—with no setbacks. This thought only brought more motion into Maul's swings, angling his body as Dooku struck and ducked, swung and deflected.

The brief brawl had last long enough for Maul and he was ready to end it quickly—this wasn't as sweet as fighting the two Jedi in Theed Palace; this was a fight for survival. He came around hard, knowing Dooku would predict the assault, but instead of trying again, Maul leapt into the air, twirling his lightsaber around to confuse Dooku on the range of attack. Dooku took one step back as Maul anticipated and prepared himself for anything—except the kick to his gut Maul made as gravity pulled him back down.

The count stumbled back, using his hand to keep his body from rolling to the floor completely. He twisted around with anger spread over his face, his dark eyes searching Maul's calm form. "You're good," Dooku said in a deep voice, his mouth curling slightly on the right. "But you're confidence overwhelms you."

Maul felt like telling the man to shut up, but instead he used his energy to use the Force to drive the man further back, his boots skidding on the floor and finally losing balance with the more pressure Maul added to the invisible hit. Sidious chuckled, but Maul ignored the sound quickly. He wasn't finished with Dooku yet…he would prove he was the better Sith.

While Dooku got to his feet, Maul whirled his lightsaber up and over his head and switched hands that held the blade in its resting position. He snarled at the human, his mottled teeth becoming visible between his red and black mouth for a slight moment. He hated this man; he used the dark side to put this hate into his body further, making him angrier and stronger for the moment. His muscles twitched as he walked towards the expecting count, his eyes steady on the target.

"That's right," Dooku provoked, "come at me as if you've learned nothing from Lord Sidious."

Maul growled to himself—how dare that Jedi insult him. He would pay…with his life. Again, Maul's feet left the ground, his body twisting, his right leg stretched out to kick the man, but his lightsaber ready for anything. The human did something similar; his body jumped to the side, using the Force to help propel his movement. Maul landed and turned around just in time to greet the single-bladed lightsaber. He drove Dooku back, slashing, swiping, and pushing with his weapon until Dooku was against the opposite wall with nowhere to go.

Maul smiled to himself, continuing the assault for a moment longer before delivering the final blow. Until, that is, he was hit from behind. His body froze, his muscles screamed, his mouth emitted a loud yell as he felt an electrifying zap jump at his entire backside and rake through his body.

He knew before he was able to force his head to glance over his shoulder that his master was using his own power of electric shock waves, bolts of lightning, to stun the Iridonian before he could kill Dooku. Maul fell back, struggling to keep a grip on his lightsaber. If he lost that, he'd lose completely.

Using the strands of energy, Darth Sidious pulled Maul away from Count Dooku and turned Maul around to face him. Maul fell to his knees, his body becoming weaker by the second, and his heart almost forgetting how to pump blood through his veins.

"Master!" He yelled out with weakening strength, but Sidious didn't say a word. Instead he looked as if he enjoyed every minute of Maul's anguish.

The Sith Lord stopped, giving Maul less than a second to realize that he had done so before Count Dooku's foot connected with the side of his head, tossing him to his back on the cold floor, the double-ended lightsaber sliding away from his hand. Maul moaned for a moment, trying quickly to regain his thoughts and body movements.

But Dooku had already kicked the lightsaber completely out of reach; the new Sith stomped down with the same foot, cracking all of Maul's fingers and his thumb into pieces. Darth Maul yelled out again and tried to pull his arm away, but Dooku kept his foot there. Maul's other hand shot out to do something, but Dooku kicked it away hard enough that it would leave a good-sized bruise on Maul's forearm.

From behind the figure of Dooku, Maul heard the cackling from Sidious. He arched his head up to look at his master, wondering why Sidious had allowed this to happen…why he had jumped in and attacked his own apprentice.

Maul watched, his eyes finding the harsh, cold ones of his master gleaming from under the dark cowl of his cloak. "Count Dooku," the Sith Lord said calmly, "…kill him."

Maul's heart paused when he heard this, but he knew that he had failed once again. There was no point in asking for forgiveness—if this was a test, he had failed. He had ignored the possibility that his master could attack him—if he had listened to his instincts, allowed the dark side to guide him more than it already was then he would've been able to jump away, making it so Dooku received the blow instead.

The bearded mouth of Count Dooku smiled and his brown eyes shifted to stare down at the helpless Maul. Darth Maul knew he could roll out of this and retreat—hopefully make it out—but with broken fingers there was no way of wielding his lightsaber effectively.

He was finished.

He knew this.

He accepted this.

And yet it wasn't as he had thought it would be. Maul had always expected anger, hatred, anything resulting in what made him so powerful as a Sith to be flowing through his body as he faced death, as he awaited the final strike from the red lightsaber held in both of Dooku's hands. No; it wasn't these emotions. He was calm; sober; at peace.

What surprised him the most, though, was what his mind quickly shifted to as his master spoke the simple words that would end his life at the hands of a Jedi-turned-Sith. Instead of dwelling of the fact that this man…this Jedi that his master had chosen to take his place was the one to end it all, Maul thought of someone else—Naturri. He couldn't explain it. She had meant nothing to him—he had told himself that several times, if not to the point where he was tired of telling himself that she was worthless, pitiful, a mere woman who could do nothing but flash around her body in a public scene for money.

Maul closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Could it be fondness? Or perhaps it was the satisfaction that he made her obey him and he could've controlled her if he so wished. For a split second, Maul wondered what would have happened if he remained on Corellia and never ventured away from her. Would she still be with him? Would he realize that perhaps, (although he had thought it useless and for the weak minded) that he loved her? Could he, Darth Maul, a Lord of the Sith, have been capable of loving one person, attaching himself to her and protect her from harm?

Maul's eyes shot open when he felt the hot fire of the lightsaber stab his mid-section. He could smell his burning flesh, and see a small trail of smoke rise from his singed clothing. Count Dooku waited for a moment, gazing at the red and black tattooed face as Maul winced in utter pain, his teeth clenching, his eyes showing that he was determined not to make any sound.

But as if Dooku wasn't satisfied with Maul's reaction, he plunged the end of the lightsaber into Maul's heart, this time making the dying Sith moan out with the pain. It brought a smile to Dooku's face and he backed away, deactivating his lightsaber and hooking it to his belt. Darth Sidious said nothing as he turned away to leave the room, Dooku doing the same.

Maul lay there, his lungs still attempting to gasp for last bits of air. He heard the door somewhere from the side open, but he couldn't be sure. He figured his master would send in a droid to pick up his carcass. Somehow, as if some invisible person pushed him, Maul was able to roll over to his side, but his body sagged and he stared ahead at the wall. He had done his duties…he had served his master until the point of his failure. But as Darth Maul exhaled one more raspy breath…he could only see images of her.