Lord Maul was alone in his chambers, lost deep in his thoughts.
His had been a long life, full of pain, betrayal, agony and death. In all those years, he could count the times he felt absolute despair on the fingers of one hand.
This was one of those times.
He had summoned his apprentice not long ago. He knew the boy would be there very soon. And the more the time for their meeting approached, the more fear threatened to paralyze him. Because he had destroyed so many things he valued in his life, but his relationship with that boy would be the last straw, the one thing he could not afford to lose.
He sighed and composed himself as he heard the knock on his door. "Enter."
The door slid away and his apprentice walked into the room and bowed.
"Xeran. Thank you for coming. I wish to show you something."
"What is it, master?"
He approached the younger Zabrak and handed him a small piece of paper. "This is for you."
Xeran examined the paper for a few moments, then looked at his master. "I don't understand."
"This is a ticket for a pod racing match, which will take place a few days from now. My chief mechanic mentioned to me that you expressed interest for the inner workings of speeders, and I thought you would like to see the best of them in action. It would be inspiring, and definitely teachful."
Xeran looked away from Maul, and the old warrior's hearts were racing for the short moments he was unable to see his face. When he looked back at his master, a muscle in his forehead was twitching.
"Is this how you intend to buy my loyalty back after your actions? Have you known me to be that foolish or materialistic? Tell me, master, do you really think so lowly of me?"
Maul lowered his head. When he spoke, his voice was low and tired. "You misjudge me."
The younger man paused his rant, his mouth left gaping.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet his apprentice's gaze. "After our…disagreement, I thought long and hard about what I was supposed to do. What I realized was, in my efforts to make you powerful, I neglected to allow you the chance to have a normal life. I believe you could use a little time to experience what it is to be…ordinary. To take a break and stay away from the base, away from your duties. Away from me."
"Are you…sending me away?"
Maul's gaze widened, his hearts skipping a beat. "No! Xeran, no!" He approached Xeran and put his hand on the boy's forearm. "My goal is to give you time to heal the wounds I have caused you, not to distance you from me. The training I have subjected you to all these years has been far too intense, and far too harmful, both for your body and for your soul. And while I don't doubt your ability to handle it, I think you shouldn't have to." He sighed once more. "Perhaps it is time for you to spend some time as an ordinary teenager, live the life you should have been living. Your mission can wait. I can assign it to someone else, I can…"
"No."
Maul blinked. "No?"
Xeran took a few nervous steps around the room before meeting his master's gaze again. "Do you think I have spent all this time training, mastering myself and my abilities, in order to become ordinary? Do you think that life would suit me, or that I would ever settle for it? No. I shall continue my mission, because it is an integral part of the plan, our plan." He closed his eyes and sighed, then continued. "I have given a lot of thought to my entire training, and my time with you, and I have reached no conclusion. I do not know if you have failed me. You have certainly made mistakes along the way, some more severe than others. But you have given me what I wanted, what I needed. And I can see you are willing to understand, and to try harder. So, I do not want our arrangement, or our relationship, to change. But I meant what I said. I will not accept tricks, manipulation or that kind of interference in my life ever again. So I demand that my training is fundamentally altered."
"Your training is complete. There is nothing more I can teach you. The only thing I possess and you do not is experience, and that will come with time. I am sure you will make me proud, my apprentice." He offered the young warrior a smile, and his face's muscles ached when he did, as if he had not used them in years.
Xeran returned the smile, and both remained silent for a moment. The younger Zabrak spoke first.
"Still, the ticket should not go to waste. I might have to resume my mission, but a small break would not change much. And…"
"Yes?"
Xeran looked away once more, holding his breath. He seemed to be struggling with a decision. Finally, he spoke. "Could you procure another ticket?"
"For what reason?"
"For you to accompany me to the race. If…if your schedule allows it."
Maul gasped, and stared at Xeran, frozen. Then he felt a warmth fill his chest, and he smiled. "Of course, my apprentice. I have never attended such an event before, but I believe it could be enjoyable…especially with the right company."
As they left the room, with Xeran talking about the recent events concerning pod racing to Maul, the security guard who was watching them from afar was deeply unsettled. He had never heard his boss laugh out loudly before. He could only imagine what horrors could force a reaction like that from such a dark creature.
.
The two Zabrak were walking down the dirty, crowded streets, dressed in casual clothing and with their weapons holstered, tickets at hand. As they were in a hurry, they failed to notice the strange, black dressed man who had been following them for a while. Finally, the man turned down another road and down an alley, where he found privacy, and silence. He activated his holocommunicator. A loud, mechanical breathing sound filled the air.
"You were right, my lord. He fits the description, and I can sense the truth in the Force. The Shadow is here, and he is not alone."
"Do not approach them or interact with them in any way. You will return to the base, and you will be debriefed."
"But, my lord, their guard is down. I can take them!"
"Do not make me repeat myself, Inquisitor! You will do as you were commanded." With that, the transmission ended.
The Inquisitor let out a low growling sound. This could have been his chance to prove himself! Still, he dared not disobey Vader, but that did not mean he wouldn't get the chance to have his fun. Yes, the Shadow would definitely die, but his apprentice…he would have a lot of fun turning the apprentice into a servant of the Empire. Just like he had been turned, long ago.
Shivering at the thought, he made his way back to his ship, to return to his master and prepare for his newest assignment.