Chapter 33
Maul vs. Vader. Just to recap, Maul lost the Battle on Mandalore and Obi-Wan secretly married Satine. Now Darth Maul is running away from his former master and his mysterious apprentice. And Vader's armour in this chapter is the same as the life support suit Anakin wears in the Original Trilogy (The Darth Vader Suit). And with the helmet, his voice sounds like post-suit Vader.
Maul lost everything. His apprentice, his ambitions, his plans, his money, his everything. All he has left is his armour, robotic legs and himself. He was sprawling around the Deep Core, with nothing left. This was near Byss, unfortunately for Maul. He was reciting what went from him when he got captured and dropped unconscious, by the no other hooded figure, Darth Vader.
Maul woke up to see his own master, Darth Sidious, cackling
"What are you cackling about, Sidious?" Maul asked
"Ha ha ha! You are imprisoned! Captured by my new apprentice, Darth Vader" Sidious cackled as a helmeted figure, with a lot of armour, came along. He had a voice disguiser
"Lord Maul, such an honour to meet an esteemed assassin!" Vader exclaimed
"There is no honour here" Maul objected
"You two will fight, and whoever wins will become my apprentice!" Sidious exclaimed
"But they wont be able to betray his mock apprentice now" Vader drooped
"Who is, this mock apprentice?" Maul asked
"He is a Sith Pretender, Dooku!" Vader answered
"So I was correct, Dooku is a Sith Pretender!" Maul deduced
"Yes, now fight!" Sidious exclaimed and gave Maul his lightsaber
Vader started with a jab, Maul defended it and tried to disarm Vader with pushing his lightsaber down at Vader's. Vader then used his armour to fling Maul a few metres backward. Maul used air acrobatics to land safely and charged at Vader, who defended Maul's swing to his face, and then swung his own lightsaber, only for Maul to defend it.
"You will die!" Vader warned
"Unless you do first" Maul returned and moved his lightsaber and stabbed again, only for Vader to duck and used an upper stab, which Maul dodged
They both duelled until they were fast enough to spin each other's lightsabers. They both jumped, and switched their roles in the duel. Vader spun his lightsaber in superior agility and energy, due to his younger build and his even younger age. Sidious smirked as they both duelled. He knew Vader was going to kill Maul since the latter had almost no brains and kept his force powers contained, and he grimanced once or twice when Vader had an opportunity to use the force, but didn't. But inside, he knew that the clone had planned something, which he did, he then went for a side swing aimed at his opponents legs, who went to defend it, but then Vader lifted his side swing and cut off Maul's lightsaber hand. Maul screamed in agony as Vader lifted Maul, and used Force Lightning and charred Maul's dead body
"Congratulations, Vader! You retained your position as my apprentice and I assure you, the betrayal of Dooku will come soon" Sidious assured
Yes, I know, really short chapter, but what? I planned for this chapter to be only the duel. NEXT CHAPTER: RUSH CLOVIS