Disclaimer: I do not own the universe or the characters, and I do not plan to profit in any way from this story.

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The Galactic Empire has cemented its power over the galaxy. In the few years since its rise, most systems have submitted under its power. Any unrest or suspected insurgency has been eradicated swiftly and brutally, leaving planets scarred and civilizations bloodied forever.

In the Outer Rim, various crime syndicates are thriving, their existence allowed by the Empire, either due to their usefulness or simply out of lack of regard for the harm their activities inflict upon the people. Particularly on Tatooine, the Hutt Cartel is thriving like never before, benefiting from the chaos engulfing the galaxy.

A wise Hutt, Jabba is not one to turn away potential allies when their collaboration could prove beneficial to him. To that end, his schedule was recently burdened with securing a cargo for a new major player in the underworld, the leader of an organization called the Crimson Dawn…

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The large cargo ship came to a sudden stop, exiting hyperspace. From the cockpit, the desert planet Tatooine seemed little more than a big ball of dust floating in space. But Maul knew the planet was far more important than it looked, and he knew of the powers that dwelled on its surface.

As he entered the atmosphere, he activated his coms and hailed the Hutt's palace. "This is the Shadow. Jabba is expecting me. I am transmitting the identification codes now."

A moment passed. "Confirmed. You are cleared to land."

A short time later, Maul exited his ship, the hot desert air battering his body, and slowly walked towards the gates of the palace. The job he had tasked Jabba with was not important, merely providing his syndicate with a cargo of spice, but he had decided to receive it personally in order to meet the Hutt. For all the disgust he felt for scum like him, he knew he had to create a working relationship with the heads of the underworld, and a powerful Hutt could prove to be an exceptionally beneficial ally.

For reasons which he believed mirrored his own, the Hutt had apparently decided to hand over the cargo personally as well. Him and a few of his guards were standing in wait near the landing platform. His face lit up when he saw the Zabrak. "Greetings!" he said in his native tongue.

"I greet you, mighty Jabba." said Maul. Among the various new skills he saw fit to master in order to better lead the Crimson Dawn was, thankfully, proficiency in Huttesse. "I am pleased to meet you under such…fortuitous circumstances."

"Likewise, lord Maul. I was pleased to learn of the rise of the Crimson Dawn, and a lot more when you decided to trust me with your affairs. Tell me, why has an organization like yours escaped my attention so far?"

"Until recently, we have had to operate in the shadows, far more so than other syndicates. Now, however, that arrangement has changed. I have contacted you because the Crimson Dawn has need of your services to acquire various goods, substances and other things which are needed to strengthen our position. It goes without saying that you shall be paid handsomely for the aforementioned services."

Jabba laughed heartily. "But of course! Whatever you need, we shall provide! Speaking of which…"

He made a gesture, and a bunch of people and droids came forth, carrying boxes with the cargo Maul had requested. He approached them, opened a small one and checked.

"Everything seems to be in order. This will do nicely."

"Excellent! Come, join me for a refreshment while my people load the cargo on your ship."

Maul would take no pleasure from making small talk with the slug, but he nodded begrudgingly, aware of the need to learn more about the Hutt's personality. They sat comfortably, away from the blazing sunlight, watching the slaves work. The Hutt seemed to be in the mood for conversation, and Maul made sure to behave in a way that would not displease him. Eventually, though, he found himself lost in his thoughts. He wondered whether his decision to base his operations in the Outer Rim was right. He was so far from the center of the galaxy and all the major events, he, who should have been ruling the Empire along with his master. In another life, perhaps he would have. In this one, he was forced to hide where the Empire would not search for him. A stupid decision on their part, he believed. The Outer Rim had become a hiding place for outlaws of various kinds. Even Jedi could be hiding here. He briefly wondered…could he be somewhere in the Outer Rim? Possibly even on this planet? But he dismissed the thought. Always the arrogant Jedi Master, Kenobi had no business in this place, even if, by chance, he had survived the Purge.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. The crack of a whip, a groan, a small container thrown on the man crackling the whip, spilling the spice in the sand. A child, no older than seven, one of his own kind, with skin black as the night sky. He growled and tried to attack his tormentor, only to be stopped by the man activating the shock collar on his neck. He fell on the ground squirming, and the slavemaster kept shocking him. Maul thought he might kill the child if he went on.

Normally, he wouldn't care. But he noticed something about this child. There was power in him, great untapped potential. His Force presence burned brighter than the suns of Tatooine. It was an opportunity he could not let pass.

"Tell me, mighty Jabba, who is this child?"

"An unruly slave is who he is! I am sorry for the cargo, but do not worry. It is only a small amount, it will be replaced easily." said the Hutt, angrily.

"The absence of a single container of spice will not affect my plans. But the child could prove useful to me, if you are willing to part with him."

Whatever Jabba might have thought of this, he didn't say. Instead, he laughed, and then he started shouting at the slavemaster, who stopped shocking the child, picked him up and brought him before them.

Maul inspected the kid. He was thin, short for his age, but he sensed anger and ferocity in him. If properly taught, he would make a fine apprentice.

"What would you like in exchange?", he asked the Hutt.

"Just take him, lord Maul. I shall not have it said that I failed to reimburse a client."

He nodded at that and finished his beverage while the child was taken away. When the loading of the cargo was finished, he shook hands with Jabba and made his way to his ship, where he found the kid waiting, handcuffed. Once the ship was flying on auto pilot through hyperspace, only then did he approach the child.

He knelt close to the kid and freed his hands. He sat on a chair close to him.

"What is your name?"

The child just growled at him. Good. He liked the anger he felt radiating from the small Zabrak. He asked again in Zabraki, but still got no answer.

He decided to change his tactics. He opened a ration bar and presented it to the child. "Eat. You must be hungry." he said in their native tongue. The child's eyes widened at that, but he seemed to not trust him. Maul stared at him for a second, then took a small bite of the bar and offered it to the kid again. Slowly, the child approached, then took the bar from his hand with a swift movement and retreated. Maul said nothing, only leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes.

"Xeran."

He opened them. "What did you say?"

"My name. Xeran. Xeran Vox."

"How did you end up in that place, Xeran Vox?"

"I was sold."

"By whom?"

The child shrugged. "I was at home. Far from here, in Iridonia. I was searching for food. Then it happened. Black shapes in the sky. Fire everywhere. My parents, dead. My sister, dead. Then the men came, the men in white armor. They found me and took me. They sold me to Jabba."

Maul's face tightened. He had heard that the home planet of the Zabrak had been bombarded due to the people there resisting the Empire, as was their nature. He had not expected the Empire to sell the survivors as slaves, but he supposed selling the inherently rebellious Zabrak to the Hutts to be broken made an example of them, more than death ever would.

"Listen to me carefully, Xeran. The people who did this to you are my enemies as well. And if you serve me well, I shall grant you the chance to avenge your family. Would you like that?"

Xeran kept silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. Then from now on, you shall do as I command in all things. Your life belongs to me. But you are not my slave. You are my apprentice."

"Ap-apprentice?"

"My student. In time, you will understand. Now rest. You must be tired. If you require more food or water, all you have to do is ask."

The child opened his mouth, then closed it again. Maul wondered if he had even understood. Then he nodded again, found a quiet spot between the boxes and fell asleep almost immediately.

Maul watched him sleep, contemplating. Could that child make a difference as his enforcer? Yes, he was certain of that. His potential was unquestionable. But could he truly raise him? That went beyond training him. He thought back to his own upbringing by Sidious. He did not wish to inflict that upon another. Showing any form of kindness to his apprentice was not the way of the Sith, but he was no Sith anymore, was he? The Sith had taken everything from him. If his quest for vengeance was to mean anything, he had to do something, at least one thing, even a little better than his master did. It might as well be that.

Tired from the events of the day, he decided to mimic the child and stayed in his chair, where he eventually succumbed to a restless sleep.