Maul, the former Sith warrior, clenched his teeth as he manned the controls of the ship he was piloting. He had stolen several over the past twelve hours, either by killing the pilots or simply sneaking away when the time was right. He had done this in an elaborate attempt to cover his tracks as best as he could. Because he knew that Sidious's plan had come to fruition, and that he had no place in this new world order. All he could do was hope that he had amassed enough power through the criminal elements of the Galaxy to weather the coming storm.
The stolen ship cut through the upper atmosphere of Dathomir, his home world. To the South he could make out the village where he had been born. It was just as he remembered it, derelict and depressing. To the North he could faintly make out the outline of his destination, the Nightsister Fortress.
The mountain stood tall against the backdrop of Dathomir, a monument to the strength of the Nightsister clan, who had been mercilessly obliterated to the point of near-extinction. Maul knew that eventually he should go about the planet and gather the scattered survivors to form them into a new, stronger order. One who would feature the greatest strengths of the Nightsisters and the Nightbrothers brought together under his rule. But that day was not today. He had other, more pressing matters to attend to.
Scattered around the base of the Mountain where dozens of smaller cargo ships from all across the Galaxy. The Shadow Collective had indeed returned to Dathomir, as he had ordered them to. He could only see that a few had dared to defy him, chief among them the Hutt Cartel. He would have to deal with them soon enough, when the time was right.
Without a word, Maul brought the ship to the ground steadily, and lowered the ramp. As he descended, he could see four Mandalorian warriors approaching him. And although only one wore no helmet, he could sense their confusion as they approached.
"Lord Maul..." said Rook Kast, with a clear look of shock on her face. "I am surprised to see you alive. I was told that you had been killed by the Jedi."
"Hmph," Maul huffed as he continued forward. "You where mistaken, Mandalorian."
"My Lord," Kast said as she bowed her head low, as did her three companions. "I did not mean to insult you. Gar Saxon was the one who claimed to have seen your demise personally."
"Of course he did," Maul replied. "and I presume that he has taken leadership over the Shadow Collective in my absence?"
"Yes, My Lord," Kast replied quickly. "He has claimed the Darksaber for himself, and seeks to re-conquer Mandalore with what forces we have."
"You would all die," Maul hissed. That was not an insult. It was a fact. Their forces would be no match for the endless waves of Clone Troopers that Palpatine would send their way. Not to mention the Mandalorian resistance. "And very quickly, I might add. Without any chance of victory." He began to push his way past the quartet of Mandalorians, to make his way into the inner sanctum. But his path was blocked by Kast's outstretched arm.
"Lord Maul," Kast said in a respectful tone. "Saxon has claimed leadership of Deathwatch. I have no doubt that if he sees you, he will order his men to-."
"Are your people not still bound by tradition?" Maul sneered, that was one of the Mandalorian people's biggest flaws. Something which made them so easy to manipulate to his desires.
"Yes, my lord," Kast said as she bowed her head low.
"Then it seems," Maul jested, "that I have nothing to fear from them. None of them." he said as he stepped past her and continued forward. By now, his arrival had stirred even more attention. By the time he had reached the main entrance into the Nightsister fortress a large crowd had gathered behind him. No doubt they where eager to see what was about to go down.
Once Maul stepped inside the sacred Fortress, he could instantly hear the boastful voice of Gar Saxon echoing throughout the hall.
"-our forces will descend upon the city's docks and lay down heavy fire," Gar Saxon proclaimed boastfully from the centre of a large crowd of Mandalorian warriors. His warriors, to be exact. As he spoke, Gar Saxxon carelessly and foolishly flailed the drawn Darksaber around like a simple stick. Clearly the man thought that he was a born leader, in the same league as Pre Visla's. Which he was most certainly not, given his current theatrics. "This will draw the Republic forces away from the capitol buildings where our strike teams can-." He paused the instant he saw Maul approaching, as a murderous grimace crossed his face. "Warriors!" Saxon snarled loudly as he held the Darksaber aloft. "Maul is a traitor and unfit to rule! Execute him!"
"Gar Saxon," Maul snarled back with a pointed finger. "You have no claim to my title. Nor my soldiers. Now I challenge you, one warrior to another for leadership of Deathwatch." Saxon looked around for a moment. Clearly he doubted his abilities for a split-second, despite the fact that Maul had no weapon.
"So be it," the Mandalorian scowled as he jumped down off of the altar he had been standing on. "For Mandalore!" he cried loudly. Still holding the Darksaber in hand he charged forward. At the last second Saxon activated his jet-pack, giving himself an extra speed boost. But Maul didn't break a single sweat as the armoured warrior barrelled towards him. He had seen it all coming from a mile away. It was the very same tactic that Pre Visla had used against him. And now Maul knew how better to counter it.
He easily sidestepped the wild swing and grabbed Saxon by the wrist. He spun him around violently before hurling the Mandalorian into a stone wall. Saxon landed with a loud thunk as the Darksaber clattered out of his grasp. Maul casually strode towards Saxon, who quickly drew a blaster pistol and aimed it at Maul. Only for that same blaster pistol to be kicked out of his grasp a mere split second before he could fire it. Saxxon howled in pain. Despite the fact that he wore beskar armour, which was among the best int he galaxy, he had still just been kicked in the hand full-force by a mechanical leg. No doubt ever bone in his blaster-hand was now broken. Not that it would make any difference in the end.
Without any effort, Maul hauled Saxon to his feet, and then promptly slammed him into the stone wall again, this time headfirst. He released Saxon, who stumbled for a second, catching his bearings before he lashed out, with a torrent of flame spewing from his gauntlets. But Maul stepped inside Saxon's striking range and grabbed the man's wrist. He then proceeded to slam his elbow into Saxon's face three times in quick succession, breaking his nose and jaw.
"Pathetic," Maul sneered as he kicked the defeated Mandalorian away and summoned the Darksaber to his hand with the Force. With a quick swipe of his blade, Gar Saxon's head fell free from his shoulders, and Maul's leadership of the Shadow Collective and Deathwatch was sealed. He was ready to revel in the small victory for a moment, one that had been very deserved after so many losses as of late.
But he couldn't.
Because at that moment, a shadow entered the cave.
And with it, came an evil, cackling laughter.
"You have done well, Lord Maul," Darth Sidious cackled as he casually strolled through the cave entrance. Two Mandalorians and an enforcer from the Black Sun moved to stop him, but they where quickly tossed aside with nothing but a twitch from the Sith Lord's finger. "I was wise to put my faith in you all those years ago."
Maul simply snarled as his fingers tightened around the Darksaber's grip. His previous defeat at Sidious's hands was still very fresh in his mind. In that battle, he had been fully rested and had his brother by his side. Now he was tired from numerous battles and little sleep. He was in no shape to fight. Not that it would matter anyway. He was, had always been, and would always be, at Sidious's complete mercy.
"Lord Sidious," Maul growled as he and his former Master circled one another. "Are you here to kill me?"
"If I was," Sidious replied with a sneer. "You would already be dead." Maul knew this deep in his heart. He stood as much chance against Sidious as a Loth-rat did against a Rancor. But that did not quell his desire to have his revenge. "No doubt you have sensed the shift in the Force, my old apprentice," Sidious continued as he seemingly examined the gathered warriors around him, "no doubt that was why you where so eager to strike Skywalker and Kenobi down on Mandalore." Maul grimaced slightly at the notion that his Master had known about his plan all along.
"To deprive you of your new apprentice," Maul snarled back at his old Master.
"Yes, I know," Sidious replied simply. "But it seems that things where not to proceed as I had foreseen..." Maul snickered slightly. As powerful as he was, even Sidious was not above being faced with the unknown variables of the galaxy. "Skywalker is still a Jedi. He escaped my grasp, as did many others."
"And now," Maul hissed, "you come crawling back tohhurrkk!" the words where stopped dead on his lips as Sidious lifted him into the air with a casual wave of his hand, along with everyone else within the cave.
"Understand this, my former apprentice," Sidious snarled viciously. "It is only through my good graces that you have survived for as long as you have. You where useful to me, to root out Talzin and draw Skywalker's pathetic little pet away from him. But now," he continued with a hiss as he drew a blood-red lightsaber from underneath his robes, and brought the blade precariously close to Maul's neck. "I have other uses for you. The surviving Jedi must be routed, before they can strike back with their full strength. You will be my hand in this. Defy me, and you will know the true extent of my powers!" Sidious growled as blue lightning shot out from his fingers and enveloped Maul. The torturous pain lasted for a few seconds before Maul's body slumped to the cave floor. "But please me, and the rewards shall be...great," Sidious said as he reached inside his robe and pulled out a long bundle of black cloth in a familiar shape, which he handed to Maul.
Maul pulled the cloth free to reveal a long-handled silver Lightsaber. Much like the one he had wielded before his downfall.
"Join me on Coruscant when you are ready, Lord Maul," Sidious said with a wicked smile, before disappearing into thin air. Shock and confusion rippled throughout the ranks of the gathered Shadow Collective. But not for Maul, he knew his place in the Galaxy. He knew what he needed to do next.
"Prepare a shuttle," he said firmly to Kast, who was still recovering from Sidious's attack. "And ten warriors. We're leaving for Coruscant in an hour."
"My Lord," Kast replied with a small shake of her head. "I do not mean to question your authority. But is attacking-"
"We are not going to attack him, Kast," Maul said in a defeated tone. "We cannot, he is too powerful. As of right now," he continued to say as he turned to face the Shadow Collective. "We are all the pawns of Darth Sidious. To defy him is to seal our own doom," he said with a defeated sigh.
...xxXxx...
As the magnetic airlock sealed itself, Obi-Wan Kenobi ran a hand through his hair, just along the greying fringes. His whole world was still reeling from the events of the past few days. Grievous was dead, Dooku was dead and now he was an outlaw. He couldn't wait to see what new developments waited for him aboard Bail Organa's ship.
The second that the hatch opened up, Obi-Wan pulled himself out of Greivous's starfighter and into the long, metal tube that would eventually lead him into the main portion of the CR-90 corvette.
The silver-white corridors of Bail's corvette where a small comfort to Obi-Wan. They where familiar and secure, unlike the rapidly changing battlefront he had been on for the past few days. The walls where lined with Alderannian guards, who all bore tired, stern expressions.
Their body language spoke volumes to Obi-Wan as he passed them by. Every single one of them had their hands twitching near their blaster pistols, ready to spring into action with a second's notice. That told him that they where well aware of the situation unfolding around them. Perhaps even moreso than he was at the moment, given that he had just come from the middle of a battlefield.
Adding to his confusion was the sight of one of Padmé's handmaidens tending to a wounded Naboo guard lying in the next hallway. Her head rose quickly with a sharp jolt, and Obi-Wan noticed that she, too, was reaching for a concealed blaster.
"Master Kenobi!" Bail Organa's voice called out to him, snapping Obi-Wan back to the present moment. He spun around on his heel to see the haggard-looking Senator rushing towards him, with a trio of guards behind him. "Thank the stars you're alright," he said with a heaving chest as he waved an arm down the hallway. "Master Yoda is waiting for you in the Medical suite." Immediately Obi-Wan's mind flared with concern for the ancient Jedi Grand-master. Yoda was powerful, yes. But he was not completely above harm.
"Is he-?" Obi-Wan asked as he broke into a brisk stride alongside the Senator.
"No," Bail replied quickly. "No, he seems fine...physically at least," the Senator said as he and Obi-Wan turned left and entered the Medical suite. "It's Senator-"
"Padmé!" Obi-Wan found himself blurting quietly as he saw the young Naboo Senator lying in the centre of the room surrounded by various machines and droids monitoring her health. All of them where giving off positive signs for her health. But Obi-Wan knew better. He could feel the Dark Side of the Force surrounding her spirit like a black cloud of poison. And he wasn't the only one. Off to the side Yoda was sitting in deep meditation.
"Sit, Master Kenobi," Yoda said softly without even opening his eyes. "Act quickly, we must." Understanding the gravity of his Master's words, Obi-wan obeyed without question. He folded his legs together as he sat down directly across from Yoda and closed his eyes. The Force swelled around him like a rising tide as he fell into meditation.
He opened himself to the Galaxy at large. He could feel it pulsing around him. And he could feel the void left by so many Jedi souls. The sensation was almost overwhelming. As if on instinct, Obi-Wan reached out across the Force, hoping to find some small trace of Anakin's presence. But the void was simply far to overwhelming for him to gleam anything.
"Focus, Padawan." He could have sworn he heard the voice of his late Master, Qui-Gon Jinn whisper into his ear. But Obi-Wan listened to the echo of Qui-Gon's words, and focused his mind. He could now better feel the Dark Side of the Force pouring itself out from Padmé's spirit. He knew what he had to do, as did Master Yoda.
In unison, both Jedi Masters raised their palms to chest level and took in a deep breath.
"I am one with the Force," Obi-wan said softly, "and the Force is with me." As he spoke, he let his own life-force flow out of his body and towards the unconscious Padmé. The healing energies from both himself and Yoda wrapped the Senator in a cocoon of Force-energy, which began to eradicate the Dark cloud that surrounded her.
A Jedi Council hundreds of years prior had deemed the act of Force-Healing to be an extremely dangerous one. Because if an inexperienced Jedi attempted the skill on a seriously wounded individual, they risked their own life. This had all culminated in a near outright ban on the practice when a group of Knights secretly attempted to revive a deceased Grand-master, at the cost of their own lives. After which the Council had heavily restricted it's use, and as such it was now a niche technique that very few Jedi knew of, let alone had ever performed. Obi-Wan had learned the technique from Qui-Gon, who had learned it from Dooku, who had learned it from Yoda himself. And he had been sure to discreetly teach it to Anakin, against the Council's official wishes, just like his Master before him.
But for Obi-Wan, the risk was worth it the moment he sensed the two, tiny pin-pricks of light emanating from Padmé's womb. He redoubled his efforts and pushed more of his life-force into the Senator as time went on. Seconds became minutes, which became hours before finally there was an audible gasp of air that filled the room. Obi-wan snapped his eyes snapped pen as Padmé lurched on the bed, still gasping desperately, as if she hadn't been able to breathe properly for hours.
A nearby alarm sounded, and two Handmaidens and a medical droid rushed into the room as Padmé continued to choke on her own breath. More alarms sounded off as the Senator began clenching in pain.
"She has gone into the final stages of labour," the medical droid stated as it produced a syringe. "Applying Bacta stimulant to ease pain levels now."
"Master Jedi," one of the Handmaidens blurted, "we require some assistance." Obi-Wan nodded and rose to his feet. He had spent some time training himself in field medicine, which had helped save quite a few lives during the Clone Wars. However, he had yet to deliver a baby. He'd only studied it briefly, never thinking he'd actually be put in that type of situation.
Padmé began to moan in pain as she convulsed on the bed, held in place by her two handmaidens. A flurry of activity ensued as the medical droid moved to properly stabilize her. Meanwhile Obi-Wan could feel the Force moving around him as Yoda continued to offer healing energies to Padmé. Because while she was now semi-conscious, whatever Dark Side plague had infected her was still taking it's toll on her body. If it was allowed to continue, Padmé would surely have died, and her children with her.
"...Obi-Wan..." Padmé panted with extreme effort. "...where..?...what...?"
"Save your strength," Obi-Wan replied passionately. He didn't want to go into much detail about their current predicament with her. The undue stress would do far more harm than good.
But the Senator's pained moans where soon joined by another sound. The sound of an infant's screams filled the room as the Medical droid produced a small, slimy and flailing little girl. It handed the girl over to Obi-Wan, who gingerly cradled her in his arms. The girl's crying stopped as her eyes seemed to focus on Obi-wan before she turned her head, almost as if on instinct, towards Padmé.
"It's a girl," Obi-Wan said as Mother and Daughter locked eyes for a split second.
"...Leia..." Padmé huffed. Her face became pained once more, but not to the same extent as it had been. A muffled scream escaped her lips as yet more wails filled the room.
"A boy," Obi-Wan said as one of the Handmaidens approached with a swaddled infant in her arms.
"Luke," Padmé groaned as she reached out with her hand to gingerly touch her son's face. "Obi-Wan...where...where is...what...?" she blurted as she tried to focus. He exchanged a quick glance with the lead Handmaiden, and shook his head. He wasn't going to tell her anything that would jeopardize her health for the time being. He'd already lost to many friends already, he wasn't about to lose one more.
"Anakin is safe," he lied with a heavy heart. He sighed softly as he placed his palm against Padmé's forehead. He channelled the Force, helping Padmé fall into a far more restful sleep. He quickly handed the girl, Leia, off to another Handmaiden as he took a step back and a deep breath. "Master," he said, speaking to Yoda. "Please tell me we have a plan of action."
"To Tatooine, headed she was," Yoda replied softly. "Hope, we must, that young Skywalker will be there. For our sake and theirs," he said as he nodded to the Handmaidens who had gathered in a small cluster around the two newborn children. They huddled together in a flock, performing several tests and checks on the children, all the while cleaning them up and wrapping them in something far more comfortable.
"How long until we arrive?" he asked, not tearing his eyes away from the children. One of the Handmaidens, who Obi-wan was sure was called Sabé, tore away from the group and approached the two Jedi.
"Several hours, Master Jedi," Sabé replied with an exhausted expression. "However, there is a problem," Sabé continued as she wiped away grime from her face. A lump formed in his stomach as he heard those words. "Senator Organa has been ordered to return to the Capitol. All of the Senators have. So he cannot remain planet-side for very long. Maybe a day at most."
"That..." Obi-wan said as he stroked his chin, "complicates things tremendously. Finding shelter will definitely be difficult enough on it's own. Let alone on a planet like Tatooine without many credits." He didn't even want to think about how difficult it would be to find Anakin. If he was even alive. And of course after that, they had to consider what they where going to do about being hunted down by both the Republic and criminal gangs looking for a quick score. Because he doubted that the Chancellor would allow them to live for much longer.