Somina, Enuma in tow, finally reached the edge of the Jedi temple grounds. It had been a long, arduous trek through some fairly rough terrain. Somina thought back to before the Clone Wars, back when she lived here, worked here. Once, this had been a place of peace and meditation, or at least that was the order claimed. She remembered how the place was always immaculately cared for, so to see it in a state of disrepair was a bit jarring for her.
Once, this place had been her entire world. As a youngling, Somina had never left the temple grounds. From the time Plo Koon had brought her there, until her apprenticeship under Anakin Skywalker, the temple was all she had known. It made sense to her, in retrospect; after all, it was easier to control how someone thinks when you controlled their entire worldview. All throughout her time in this place, they controlled who she interacted with, what she learned, how she slept, what she ate. Time and again, though she hadn't questioned it at the time, she was programmed. Somina understood, of course, the Jedi rationale for such conditioning, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. She just could not allow it, not after what she'd seen, and definitely not after Barriss…and Anakin.
She was older now, no longer a girl. Full womanhood had come to her during her exile, and she'd tried to live her life as she chose, but the ghosts of her past dogged her. That is, they dogged her until she turned to face them, bared her teeth, and counterattacked. Now, she was no longer the prey. She was the predator. A predator that today would hunt; she had a mission to carry out, even if she wasn't yet sure of the target.
One thing was patently obvious, though, upon her return to the Jedi temple. This place was no longer what it once was. A cold, hollow feeling permeated her, like being frozen alive. This place belonged to the Dark Side now. Somina did not fear it, but she did not trust it, either. Her senses were razor-sharp, and she kept her attention focused on the slightest fluctuation in the Force. There was something here, indeed, and it was at least as much a creature of the Dark Side as she was. It was hidden from her, though, and only once in a while would a slight flicker register to her as she walked through the halls that she had once called home. It was interesting to her to see that there were absolutely no Imperial troops or even security droids inside the temple itself. The temple proper was little more than a tomb now, a cenotaph for the first to fall to Darth Vader's blade. All that remained within its walls were Somina herself, Enuma, and something.
"Somina, I am scared." Enuma spoke in harsh whispers, trying desperately to not be heard by the thing that lurked within the walls of the temple.
Somina's eyes never turned from the halls before her. "You should be, Enuma. Something's hunting us."
"Hunting?" Enuma sounded dangerously close to panic.
"Yes. Keep quiet. I need to concentrate."
Enuma did her best to keep herself from screaming in terror, but Somina knew it was only a matter of time before the untrained and horribly abused young Twi'lek would eventually give in to her own terror. Somina needed to have located their stalker before that happened, but she could not afford to give away her own position and abilities without knowing what she was confronting. Instead of actively probing through around her, Somina opened herself up passively to the currents of the Force. Perhaps not all of her Jedi training was wasted time, she thought to herself amusedly.
After a few interminable seconds, she felt something stir. Movement, nearly silent, nearly invisible, and not far from Somina and Enuma. Though she could perceive a general sense of malice in the temple, it seemed that the presence she sought was more curious about her than hostile. This was a great advantage for the two women, as curiosity quite often lured quarry into a trap more effectively than the most aromatic of lures.
Somina, her eyes closed, and her mind silently processing the ebb and flow of the Force all around her, sensed another move. This time the movement was closer, within a hundred meters, though it was still impossible to tell what, or who, watched them. Whatever it was, it could manipulate the Force with more skill than Somina possessed. She would have to be cautious; it could very easily annihilate her if angered.
For the moment, however, there was only curiosity. Somina fought the urge to draw her weapons, as she knew that to do so would be to challenge her stalker, and that is a challenge she would certainly lose. She was quite well attuned to the Force, but whoever she faced was far more skilled. The fact that they could hide so effectively from her attested to that. Impatience swelled up within her, but she channeled that feeling into driving her search. She was afraid, of course, perhaps even as afraid as Enuma, but Somina knew she had to keep her wits about her.
"Jedi? No. Something else." The unfamiliar voice seemed to materialize from nothing right behind her, close to her right ear. Somina swung around quickly, to see nothing at all. She looked around, and found nothing there that hadn't been there before. The shadows were deep, though, and surely hid many secrets. "You were Jedi once. You lived here. Why come back?" The voice, once again close to her ear, this time on the left, sounded almost amused. Somina forced down the torrent of rage that welled up inside of her, waiting for a more opportune moment to draw her blades. She needed to know what she was up against before she could take the situation to a conflict of arms. "There is nothing here but death, my dear. Why come back?" The voice sounded old, but not feeble; in fact, it sounded indescribably powerful.
"I have come looking for you, if I dare say. My master commanded me to seek you out. He felt a distortion in the Force, and I find you here." Somina did her best to sound fearless, but her legs shook underneath even her meager weight.
"Your master? Ah, yes. I can feel his mark upon you. Vader. Sith."
"Yes. I serve Darth Vader."
"Your emotions betray you. You served him before...as Jedi. Both of you. Interesting. I suspected Vader's identity, but had no proof. Now, I know all that I need to." Somina could feel the presence moving, preternaturally silent and quick. "Once, the Sith fascinated me, but the treacherous ways of the one that holds Vader's leash ended up giving me...divided loyalties." The malice in the voice turned the air cold, and Enuma shivered with fright. Somina had quite honestly forgotten the Twi'lek for a moment, and silently cursed her lack of vigilance. "And now, you come, conveniently, straight to my doorstep, as if I'd requested you be delivered to me. So, little turncoat, what shall it be?" The voice was now directly in her right ear. "Fight, or talk? You must choose," the whispering voice rasped.
Somina's hands rested upon the hilts of her lightsabers, as if they were ready to ignite the blades without the consent of her conscious mind. She could not allow herself to show weakness, even in the face of certain oblivion. "You choose."
If derisive laughter could cause a disturbance in the Force, Somina would definitely have felt it. She could hear the presence's amusement as it scoffed at her. She could feel it far stronger now, feel the presence circling her like a shark circling its prey. Somina did not know what would happen next, but she felt ready to respond to whatever came to pass. She certainly had a adequate supply of emotion to drive her, should it come to conflict.
With a snap, and a sizzling sound, a bright red lightsaber blade appeared just under her chin. The choice was made, and Somina was prepared to react. Using the power of her fear and anger unleashed, Somina moved impossibly fast, snapping both of her blades to life and swinging with all her force at whatever stood behind her.
The blades sliced cleanly through empty air.
Cruel, mocking laughter filled the vaulted chamber as a frustrated Somina searched for any sign of movement, any sign that might betray the position of her assailant. She fought to keep control, to keep her wits about her, but the laughter was driving her closer to the edge. Somina swore loudly enough to make Enuma blush slightly, and the laughter continued unabated.
"Delicious. Your hatred overflows, rolls over the breakwater like an unstoppable flood. But what, I wonder, do you plan to do with it? Can you do ANYTHING with it? Can you keep even your little friend safe?"
Somina's head turned sharply to Enuma, but the Twi'lek was gone, replaced with louder, more raucous laughter. "Vader has no claim to the name 'Sith'. And you, you are a bad joke, told poorly. You deny the Jedi, deny their ways, and then cling to them desperately, like a child clinging to her mother's leg. You think you know the Dark Side, but you haven't the first clue."
"You are a fraud. It will be my pleasure to erase the latest of Vader's mistakes."
Somina felt the air around her feel charged, as if suddenly electrified. A blast of consuming heat slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her and throwing her to the ground. A glowing, red blur could occasionally be seen near to her, but it never stayed visible for more than a second. There was no laughter any longer; the games had ended.
Somina climbed to her feet as quickly as she could, only to have another blast of searing heat knock her to her knees. She sensed a small tremor in the Force, and dodged to her right, narrowly escaping the flash of red light that sizzled within millimeters of one of her montrals. Whoever was assaulting her was powerful, more powerful than she'd seen in a very long time, but with power there was always a price. She could sense, microseconds before it happened, when the attacker was about to make a move. It was keeping her head attached to her neck, but she needed to push it further. She steadied herself with one arm, coiling herself like a snake about to strike.
Another tremor, and she lashed out a strike with every bit of pain, rage and humiliation she felt, and connected with something. A satisfying roar of pain filled the chamber, and Somina climbed to her feet once again. She cleared her mind of everything except for the desire to destroy her opposition, and readied both blades. "You're not giving up so easily, are you?"
A confident sneer was the only response she received before a flash of brilliant red lashed out at her again, but she was prepared. She recognized the pattern, knowing it to be one of the most difficult of the combat styles adopted by the Jedi as well as the Sith, one practiced by very few. Somina herself was not particularly adept at this style, but she at least knew what to expect.
Somina expertly dodged out of the way of each strike, as they came in brutal flurries of blows. Clearly, she had angered her attacker, and that was her one advantage she could press. She had to enrage her opponent into making a mistake, and then she would have him. "You're lucky you're facing me and not Vader. He'd have disposed of you already. I needed a good workout, and you've provided an adequate one so far."
"INSOLENT WHELP!" Somina could almost feel the rage in that voice. It was working, and she had to push harder, hoping to trip up her attacker. It was a gamble; he likely became stronger as his rage grew. She took heart in knowing that now, so did she.
"I'm getting bored, sleemo!" Somina laughed back at her attacker. The blows came in a torrent, but most were easily evaded. Then, almost as if they'd never happened in the first place, the attacks stopped. The laughter of the invisible assailant could be heard, quickly moving down the nearest corridor.
Somina's blood ran cold when she heard the voice speak once again. "The girl dies unless you can stop me, child. Time is short; don't delay."
Somina had no choice; she had to find her attacker, and stop him from harming Enuma. If she couldn't even protect one person, what was the point of any of this? She would not be proven to be so useless so soon into her new journey. It only left one question that gnawed at the back of Somina's mind; how would she stop the unstoppable?
Only brief tremors in the Force could warn her of an attack, and that generally didn't give her an impression of where the attack came from. She could only trust her instincts, and hope that her strength was enough to deflect the hammer blows her opponent dealt. Whatever it was, it was stronger than her in both physical might and command of the Force. If she didn't know better, she'd swear it was Sith, but such a thing was impossible. Her master himself had said that in all the galaxy, only he and his master were Sith. Whatever this attacker might be, he was too strong for Somina to defeat toe-to-toe. She held hope that she could outwit him.
Somina started down the long corridor that led into the old atrium of the temple. She remembered the times she and Barriss would walk through this place, talking about where they would go once they were fully Jedi Knights. She thought back to half-remembered daydreams of forbidden love. She also reminded herself that all of these things had been destroyed like a ship dashed upon rocks in a storm. The mocking laughter, though it sounded distant, haunted her with every step. She followed the sound to a half-destroyed door, and walked into an old training room.
It was the very room that Darth Vader had first slaughtered Jedi younglings. Little remained of the younglings that perished here, as many years had passed, and carrion beasts were most efficient at stripping carcasses. Random bones and scraps of brown and tan cloth lay strewn about on the floor. Near the far wall, close to a window overlooking the endlessly-expansive city that was Coruscant, Enuma stood, frozen in terror. A gloved hand held a lightsaber, the blade glowing red as blood, to her throat, with the glow of the blade illuminating her terrified features. The figure itself was not of unusual size, at least that Somina could tell. It was hooded, and its face was completely obscured.
"That's far enough, child. We wouldn't want our mutual friend to go losing her head over this, would we?" The attacker, malice and mockery blatant in his tone, seemed to almost be trying to goad HER on. It was to be a tightrope walk, then, between cold precision and the flames of impassioned battle. Thus, Somina reasoned, was the nature of the Dark Side.
"Release her," Somina growled through gritted teeth. "She is no challenge for you."
The figure laughed, and yet didn't move at all. "YOU are no challenge for me, child. I've been toying with you, don't you see? I have yet to unleash all my might, because you are not worth the effort. I could exterminate you with a thought, if I wished."
"Then wish. Or are you afraid?"
"AFRAID?!" Somina fought back a sly grin as the attacker exploded with rage. "What do you know of afraid? What festering pits have you sought refuge in after having had your life stolen from you? Forced to scavenge what you can just to survive, all the while feeling what remains of your mind slowly leach away into the ground like so much rainwater…what do you possibly know of FEAR? I shall give you your first lesson in TRUE fear, worm!"
The figure threw Enuma to the ground roughly, and she landed with a pained cry. With one swift movement, almost faster than her eye could track, the figure switched off the lightsaber, and unfastened of the clasp holding the hooded cloak over him. The cloak fell away, revealing the red and black skin, and bright yellow eyes. Several horns, obviously sharpened, circled the crown of his head. Her assailant was a Zabrak, and Somina knew exactly which Zabrak it was.
"Maul," Somina whispered, without thinking.
"I am touched, child, that you even know the name. I doubt it is something taught to you by Vader. Perhaps your former master, your Jedi mentor, knew of me…yes…I sense that you were apprenticed to…Skywalker." Maul laughed coldly "Your hatred makes you powerful, little worm, but you would do well to learn to shield your thoughts. If I allow you to live, that is." Maul ignited his lightsaber, the red glow making him seem even more demonic than he did at first look.
"How many times are you going to die, Maul?" Somina was herself terrified, but dared not let it show. Maul had already tore secrets from her mind with barely an effort, so she could not afford to give him further advantages. She steadied herself, entering a defensive posture, and prepared for the barrage.
Maul did not disappoint. Reaching out through the Force, Maul hit Somina with a monstrous concussive blast, one that knocked her back several meters before she could regain her footing. She leapt forward, just outside of Maul's apparent reach, both lightsabers flaring. The sight of such a feared monster taking pleasure in her destruction chilled Somina to her very core. Maul had been right; she was not even close to his ability. She had rarely used her skills during her exile on Praxigor, but Maul moved like someone born and bred for war. Every move he made was purposeful; nothing was wasted effort. She knew very well that the only reason she still lived was that it amused him to allow it to be so. Somina wondered if this is how it would be if she ever fought her master.
Somina was certain that she would never see her master again.
Maul raised his hand, closing it into a tight fist, and Somina felt her throat be crushed, only Maul's grip seemed so much more powerful than she had experienced before. She remembered stories Obi-wan Kenobi had told her about Maul's skill, and even Kenobi's penchant for exaggeration did not do the monstrous Zabrak justice. If anything, he was even stronger than when he'd fought Kenobi years ago on Mandalore, and even then, Kenobi had nearly been annihilated by Maul's power. If not for the interference of the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, Maul would have had another Jedi kill.
There was no time for reminiscence, though, because if she didn't act fast, Maul would annihilate her.
Maul pulled his fist back, and Somina moved along with it. He smashed her into nearby walls and columns, brutally tearing her apart. She bled now from a dozen wounds, and she found herself losing consciousness quickly. She had to act, immediately, because she dare not fail Darth Vader.
While Maul was distracted with sadistic glee as he threw Somina around like a child's toy, she used what little lucidity she had left to reach out with the Force, take hold of a nearby sculpture, and using the burning hatred and terror in her, propel the sculpture at Maul's face.
The sculpture flew across the room at preternatural speed, and Maul did not have time to react quickly enough to avoid it. It smashed into his face, knocking him off his feet with another howl of rage and pain. His concentration broken, the choke hold he had on Somina vanished, and she landed on the ground, gasping for air. Not wasting any time, Somina ignited her lightsabers again, and this time, charged Maul with reckless abandon, her anger and fear powering her with greater strength than she thought she'd have available to her.
Maul, not expecting such a ridiculous move from the younger combatant, was taken off-guard, and only managed to dodge the slash of Somina's blades by millimeters. He leapt into the air and landed several meters away from Somina, igniting his blade once more. Somina, without even thinking, lashed out through the Force, causing a concussive blast that nearly tore Maul's head off. Before Maul could reposition himself, Somina had him in a choke of her own, if only through sheer hatred and determination. Maul did not struggle; instead, he seemed almost to welcome oblivion. Somina, puzzled by this, lowered Maul to the ground, allowing him to fall to his knees before releasing the choke.
"Why are you here?" Somina demanded.
Maul, looking up at her with what Somina could only interpret as amazement, suddenly smiled, his vile, stained teeth reflecting the rot of his spirit. "Vader sent you to find out why I was rooting around, didn't he?" Maul laughed, once again the laugh that mocked her. I begin to see why chose you, child. When you rely on discipline and form, you are predictable and easy to overwhelm. It is when you let go, when you let your hatred and rage guide you, that you become dangerous." Another toothy smile, as if to continue to goad Somina. "Stupid, but dangerous. A vicious animal. Appropriate for Vader's little pet."
Somina raised her hand just as she'd seen Maul do, trying to choke the life from him, but it only seemed to work half as well. Maul was clearly in discomfort, but not in deadly danger. She cursed her own ineffectiveness, but still kept the choke on Maul as much as she could. "Why are you here?"
"Holocron…hidden from…most of the Jedi…Empire didn't know about it," Maul managed to get out between labored breaths. "Only a few…Jedi knew…"
Somina came closer, her malice becoming more visible as her patience with the Zabrak was rapidly evaporating. "Where?"
She could feel the rage boiling up within herself, and subsequently felt the grip on Maul grow tighter and more painful. "I'm not in the habit of repeating myself, Maul. WHERE?"
Though the pain he was experiencing was clear in his eyes, there was also a degree of madness there that Somina could only have seen had she been as close to the monster as she was. He likely would have been laughing, had there been breath in his lungs. He forcibly drew in a breath, and his response wheezed out. "Vault…hidden…even from other Jedi…only a couple knew of it…I can show you…"
His eyes, those insane, yellow eyes, narrowed at Somina slightly. "But you can never go back…once you see it…"
"Good." She released the grip on Maul, and the Zabrak took in a loud, deep breath. "I look forward to seeing it."
Maul panted for a moment, catching his breath. He climbed to his feet, and trained his gaze upon Somina. He looked her over for a moment, sizing her up. "You have tasted the first fruits of the Dark Side, child, but you have yet to scratch the surface."
"It was enough to beat you."
Maul laughed, this time the mockery was even more apparent. "You never 'beat' me, whelp. You caught me with a lucky shot, one that you didn't even intentionally take. You are unskilled and haven't the first idea about your real potential. You couldn't have taken skilled swordsmen like Dooku…" Those teeth flashed at her again. "…Much less someone like me."
Maul circled around her, this time slowly and deliberately. He wanted Somina to know he was appraising her abilities, and he wanted her to know they did not meet expectation. "When you let go, though…you become quite formidable indeed. Perhaps if you can unite the logical, thinking warrior with the rampaging beast, then you might prove yourself…worthy."
"Worthy of what?" Somina's patience was nearly exhausted.
"Worthy of seeing what is in that holocron I have come for. You don't really think I'll just let you take it back to your dear master, do you? I don't suppose you have a name, do you? Let me guess; it starts with 'Darth', doesn't it?"
Somina stood, her chin lifted slightly in the air, in a pose of defiant pride. "Yes. I am Darth Somina, apprentice to Lord Vader."
"Somina, eh? I've never heard of you. Unless…no, you couldn't be. Ahsoka Tano, is it? Mind your thoughts, child. You give me far more information than I have given to you. Everything is just on the table with you, isn't it? All your horrid experiences with the Jedi, all that loathsome meditation, all the lies and betrayal that you could ever hope for, all on the pages of the book of your mind. Easily plucked from you, like the feathers of the fowl I plan to eat. Vader cares little for your mind's security; perhaps if you can show some improvement in your skills…you could learn from me."
Somina's anger began to boil her blood. "How dare you! I would never betray my master!"
"YOUR MASTER HAS ALREADY BETRAYED YOU!" Maul's bellow echoed through the empty halls of the temple. Enuma, curled in a fetal position in the far corner of the room, yelped in terror as the Zabrak berated Somina. "He sent you here to find me. Either you were to kill me, which is laughable, or you were to die by my hand, which is still quite likely. You don't understand the way the Sith think, child. You expect honor and trust, and these things simply do not exist amongst the Sith. It is now, and always, survival of the strongest. The apprentice rises and destroys his master, and the cycle continues. That being said, if Vader has taken you as an apprentice, then it can be assumed that he plans to destroy the beloved Emperor."
"Interesting. If his intent is to kill Sidious, then perhaps it makes more sense that he sent you to me. You see, I want little more in all the galaxy than to see Darth Sidious dead. If he intends to use you to that end, the effort will fail miserably, all things being as they are. But if I train you…"
Maul stopped circling Somina, his eyes boring directly into her brain. "You might stand a slim chance of succeeding."
He extended his hand out, and the crumpled cloak flew from the floor into his grip, and he threw it over his shoulders. "Dathomir. Six rotations from now. There is a small village where the males of my kin dwell. Be outside that town. If you are not…be prepared to be hunted, and this time, I will not hold back."
Maul seemingly vanished from view, without a sound. Somina, exhausted, slumped down to the cold stone floor, landing on her shins with a heavy thud. Maul had nearly destroyed her, seemingly without effort, and reminded her repeatedly that he wasn't even using all his skills. If she couldn't even defeat someone like Maul, how was she going to stop someone as powerful as Emperor Palpatine? Even Vader spoke of the Emperor in hushed tones. What could she possibly do to such a being?
"Somina…" A soft voice broke Somina out of her thoughts. She turned quickly to see Enuma, curled up in a far corner, slowly rocking back and forth as if to some unheard melody. "Somina, why did that man want to hurt you?"
"It's difficult to explain. He just…enjoys hurting people. Not like me, not like us. We protect people from people like him."
"But you couldn't stop him, Somina."
"No, I couldn't. Not yet. But I will get stronger, Enuma, I promise. No one is going to hurt you again. I promised you that already, and he didn't hurt you. He scared you, yes, and I will make sure he pays for that, but you are safe, right?"
Enuma nodded, and abruptly embraced Somina, clutching to her tightly. "I trust you, Somina. I will get stronger too, so I can help you."
Somina, feeling odd at this sudden intimacy, could only return the embrace, holding the sobbing Twi'lek tightly, trying to calm Enuma while at the same time trying to calm herself. Sometimes, she found herself missing Jedi stoicism.
Enuma lifted her head away from Somina's shoulder, her deep violet eyes sparkling in the dim light. She smiled, a smile of genuine affection, and ran her hand down the side of Somina's face. "I will prove a good friend and ally to you, Somina." Enuma softly kissed Somina on the cheek, and laid her head back upon the Togruta's shoulder. Darth Somina, apprentice to Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, could think of no words to speak, and no actions to take, so she just held the Twi'lek close.
