Chapter 70: Threat Rising

"There will be more innocent blood on your hands, Kenobi," Maul said, pacing before a line of terrified, crying villagers on the unaffiliated planet of Raydonia. "Unless you come here. Face me! Come alone, and if you do not..." His lightsaber ignited, and he spun, lashing out with it and the line of villagers fell as their heads were severed. "This world will burn." The holorecording ended, and silence fell heavy over the room, the grim feeling of the senseless loss of life keenly felt.

"Well," said Quinlan Vos, rising from his seat. "This is awkward."

"Have some respect, Master Vos," Mace Windu warned, glaring at the Kiffar, but Vos just glared back.

"Why? This is what I've been saying for a month now! We thought it was a good idea to just do nothing and let the Sith kill each other, and now look!" He gestured his hand in a wide, sweeping motion to point at the hologram, the image frozen on the vicious face of the murdering Zabrak. "Now we have another one. Sitting on our hands is what gave rise to the Sith in the first place! We need to go after them, we need to kill Dooku."

"You're talking about assassination, Quinlan," Luminara said softly. "That isn't the Jedi way."

"You're right, but the Jedi way isn't working! We've all agreed that if we end Dooku, we end the war, so what are we waiting for?!"

"That's assuming that Obi-Wan doesn't just take his place," Kit Fisto said. He attended the meeting via hologram, as did several others. The High Council was never complete these days.

Quinlan scoffed. "As head of the Separatist movement? That isn't going to happen, Dooku's too important, he's the pin that's holding the whole thing together. And besides, with Duchess Satine pregnant, there's no way he wouldn't just defect to Mandalore."

"He may be right about that," Luminara said, frowning. She disliked agreeing with Quinlan as a general rule, but it was very likely he was correct about their friend's attachments. That particular rumor had been confirmed less than a week ago, which simultaneously put fears about Satine's mysterious illness and Mandalorian succession to rest all at once. It also became something of a scandalous topic within the Senate over who could have fathered the child on the woman, though the Jedi already knew the answer to that one.

Mace looked extremely flustered when Vos shot him a superior smirk. "Who would even do this thing!" he cried, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "We've seen what happens when we put the Jedi against the Sith!"

"No, we've seen what happens when we put Jedi against Obi-Wan. We're talking about Dooku here." Quinlan flashed Mace a cheerful grin. "He's not exactly in his peak."

"Peace, Quinlan," Qui-Gon said softly, his hands pressed together and his fingers at his lips, his eyes never leaving the holographic face of Maul. "We're off topic. This isn't the platform to plead your case. This isn't about Dooku or Obi-Wan, or their mysterious Master, it's about him." He pointed to the image. "Maul...I don't understand how he can be alive. Obi-Wan cut him in half."

"Well, he's got a pretty sexy set of cybernetics," Vos drawled, indicating to the sleek mechanical legs the Zabrak wore.

"They weren't attached immediately," Luminara said, her voice flat calm while most of the room began to grow frustrated with the Kiffar. "He somehow managed to survive that, so we are dealing with something unbelievably powerful."

Quinlan laughed loudly. "Well, the joke's on him, because Kenobi's going to be pissed that he's alive." He folded his hands behind his head. "In this case, I think we should adhere to our previous policy of letting the Sith take out the trash. He wants to fight Obi-Wan." He shrugged. "Let him."

"We can't do that," Qui-Gon said softly. "He may be out for Obi-Wan, but he's murdering the innocent to do it. That makes this our business. We aren't Jedi if we don't stand against these injustices. He's a broken, unbalanced monster. We defeated him once. We can do it again."

"Excuse me, we?" Mace asked. "Who is we? And you may have fought him, Qui-Gon, but you lost."

"I do not fear death," Master Jinn said plainly. "And furthermore, I have learned from my last fight."

"You're ten years older!" Mace growled, but Qui-Gon simply shrugged.

"Maybe so, but Maul is, um...half the man he used to be. I'm going. This is a fight I started long ago, and I need to end it."

"This isn't your fight," Mace insisted again, but the older Master was not backing down. "This is Obi-Wan's fight. I...agree with Master Vos," he said in a low, frustrated voice, wincing when the Kiffar grinned broadly and waved at him. "Let the creature have what he wants. Let him face Kenobi alone."

Qui-Gon stood and shook his head. "This is my fight as much as it is Obi-Wan's. I lost my student that day. The rift between us may have begun before, but it was nothing that couldn't be repaired. To win, Obi-Wan reached out and embraced the Dark Side, and from that moment, he was truly lost." He looked again at the vicious image of the first Sith Lord they had known about in a thousand years, the Sith who's death had made Obi-Wan a legend, and he felt the calm, insistent push of the living Force within him. He knew what he must do. "All of this started with Maul, and now, it is time to end it."

Windu groaned loudly. He was growing tired of all these rogue Jedi. "You aren't going alone, this is clearly a trap."

Qui-Gon shrugged as he began to leave. "He said to come alone or he'd burn the planet. I won't have those innocent lives on my hands."

"On your hands?" Windu repeated, standing from his seat as the other Master began to walk from the room. "He asked for Obi-Wan, not you!"

"We can't just let this massacre stand, we need to respond. And we can't give him Obi-Wan, so we're going to give him the next best thing." Qui-Gon stopped, then turned around and smiled at Mace. "After all, I'm the Jedi Master he failed to kill. I think he may want to see me."

Windu stuttered for a moment before he managed to call to the retreating Qui-Gon, "I'll have you know, I'm opposed to this!"

"I'd be disappointed if you weren't!" Qui-Gon called back, sticking his hand in the air and waving as he left the Council chamber. He stopped and waited for the elevator, his eyes closed and in deep concentration, and when the doors slid open, he stepped inside, and Luminara Unduli and Quinlan Vos stepped in after him.

"Are you really doing this?" Luminara asked when the door had hissed closed and they began their descent. "Are you really going to fight this Sith alone when you lost the last time?"

Qui-Gon scoffed. "No, of course not. Obi-Wan's coming with me."

Quinlan laughed loudly when Luminara's jaw dropped. "Man, I somehow don't think the Council is going to approve of that."

He looked deadpan at the Kiffar. "Quinlan Vos. When have you ever known me to follow the will of the Council?" He shrugged. "And besides, now I'm on the Council, so, from a certain point of view, I'm not exactly disobeying, am I?"

"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" Luminara asked, a hand held to her temple as she sighed heavily.

"I follow the Force," he said softly. "Obi-Wan and I started this together. It's only right that we finish it together. It was meant to be this way. I can feel it." He smiled slightly when the door opened, and the three friends stepped out together. "This is where the Force is leading me. I cannot ignore it."

Quinlan shrugged. "I agree with Qui-Gon." Luminara shot him a disbelieving glare. "What! He's right. You want the job done right, get a Sith to do it. They're not afraid to get their hands dirty."

Luminara scoffed. "You sound like you admire them. Don't forget what evil the Sith have done in the galaxy. Obi-Wan may have been our friend once, but he's one of them now."

"Can't he be both?" Vos asked, and Luminara bit her lip and looked away. Despite her calm, collected demeanor, she was conflicted as well. She didn't answer. She didn't know what she could say.

"He's no friend to us," Qui-Gon said softly. "There's too much dark in him. He's lost to the Jedi, but..." He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "He's not lost to us. Obi-Wan isn't a typical Sith, if there is such a thing as a typical Sith. He has embraced darkness, yes, but he also seems to have embraced all aspects of passion, not just anger and hate. He has shown that he cares about those he is attached to, and he clearly feels love. His emotions run deep. That...speaks well of him."

"Not just well," Luminara cautioned. "He's a murderer."

"I'm not saying he isn't," Qui-Gon said quickly. "I'm not even saying that he can be saved, or redeemed. That isn't up to us. I'm saying that he can be forgiven, and that is something we have control over."

"You can't just forget all the evil he's done, Qui-Gon," the Mirialan said, crossing her arms over her chest when the older man broke away from them to venture down the hall that lead to the hangar bay.

"I'll never forget," Jinn said sadly. "He's caused so much pain, so much death, not just for us, but for the galaxy. I can never forget. I never want to forget." He smiled. "But I can forgive him. I'm the Master that failed him, and I will never have redemption for that. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing I can blame him for that I can't trace back to myself. I want his forgiveness. I can't have it if he's dead, and if I can get that from him..." Qui-Gon looked away from the other two Jedi. "He'll never again walk in the light, but the dark path doesn't need to be as painful for him as I'm certain it is."

"...well," Quinlan said, clapping his hands on the old Master's shoulders. "I wish you the best of luck. Do give my regards to Obi-Wan."

"I will."

"May the Force be with you, Qui-Gon Jinn," Luminara said softly. "I hope you know what you're doing..."

"If you're going to rule Mandalore, you need to look the part, Sith Lord."

Kenobi held his arms out, rolling his shoulders and feeling the light weight of the armor that had been specially crafted to integrate with his tunic and robes. In typical Mandalorian fashion, their armor was a masterwork, crafted with such attention and care that it almost felt as though it were a part of him. The black and red chest piece rested over his tunic and could be seen from under his fine, black robes, the shoulder pauldrons sticking out from underneath the silken fabric. The result was a perfect, elegant fusion of Mandalorian armor and Sith tradition, and the woman had somehow made the entire thing perfect by giving him the preferred Mandalorian helmet, the outline of the T-shaped visor painted red on the shining black, and it was crested with horns that swept back along its curved top, a practical imitation of his rancor's own horned head.

"You spoil me, Bo," he said quietly, placing the helmet on his head and looking at the woman sitting on the throne, surprised at how little the visor limited his vision. Not that he needed it. The Force could substitute for any of his senses, should the need arise. He had come to see Satine, but the Duchess hadn't been sleeping and was taking the day to recover. The younger Kryze wouldn't let him go see her, and had instead diverted him with this. All in all, it was a worthy distraction. "How do I look?"

She shrugged. "It will look better on your son."

"You should have made it for him then. But smaller." He drew his lightsaber, the red blade thrumming gently as he made his way through one of the forms. He was pleased to find that the armor did nothing to hinder the smooth, graceful movements or the faster, more precise ones, and his robes kept any sound the armor would have made suitably muffled, allowing him to move in silence as he did before. Bo-Katan had outdone herself. Again.

"A warrior should have armor," she said sternly. "And a warrior king needs to look imposing on the field of battle. It's shameful that you're rushing into this war with nothing on!"

"Hey, hey, it's not like I'm not wearing anything!" he said as he took off the helmet and tucked it under his arm, indicating to the robes he wore, but Bo-Katan just scoffed.

"Robes. You know, my people wear robes when they wake up in the morning before they don their armor."

"My people don't need armor," Kenobi said smugly, mounting the stairs to stand before the substitute queen on the throne that was not hers. "My people are cloaked in the Force."

"Oh, really," she snapped, standing up and bringing herself mere inches from the man, gazing fearlessly into the glowing golden eyes that terrified so many. "How effective were your robes and the Force when you got shot?" she asked, jabbing her fingers into his side where the deep, pale scar from the plasma round stood as a constant reminder to pay attention. He grunted in irritation and stepped away from the woman, who smiled triumphantly. "If you were sensible and were wearing armor, you wouldn't have almost bled to death on some backwater Republic world."

"Remaining vulnerable keeps me cautious."

"Remaining vulnerable keeps you stupid."

"My focus slipped!" he cried, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "It won't happen again."

"And in case it does," she said, rapping her knuckles on the chest plate, "then you will have armor to protect you." She crossed her arms and frowned. "Besides, Satine won't shut up about that injury of yours. She's extremely upset, and she's worried about you, and the doctor says that stress is bad for the baby!" She glared, jabbing her finger in his face. "So you're wearing the kriffing armor for Satine and your baby."

"Alright, alright!" he said, throwing up his hands in surrender. "You win. Sith Hells, you Kryze woman always get your way, don't you?"

"Always," Bo-Katan drawled, falling back into the throne and crossing her legs. "But that's your fault too."

"Yeah, yeah..." Kenobi smoothed his ruffled hair. "She didn't tell me she was worried..."

Bo-Katan rolled her eyes and groaned. "Of course she didn't tell you. She doesn't want you to worry about her. You have a war to fight, she doesn't want to burden you. So she talks to me instead." She crossed her arms and glowered at him in frustration, but he could sense that she was...pleased. The woman was harsh, but she cared deeply about her family, and that seemed to extend to Kenobi as well. "That little Sith Spawn is making her...emotional."

Kenobi winced. "Good emotional, or bad emotional."

"That depends on who you ask, but for you?" She shrugged. "Good, I suspect." She growled. "Be prepared for the worst, though. We have half a standard year of emotional terrorism ahead of us. Again, your fault."

Kenobi rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. "This whole thing would be better if you found a way to keep this helmet from messing up my hair," he said, holding it up and silently admiring the craftsmanship of it while Bo-Katan glared at him.

"You are so vain."

"It isn't vanity! I'm immaculate. Appearances are important."

"And if you keep that thing on, you will appear fearsome. What more could you want? And besides," she said slowly, rising from the throne again and sauntering over to the Sith Lord. "Satine likes it when you're a bit disheveled."

"...she does?" Katan grinned and nodded, and the Sith Lord quickly rubbed his hands through his hair when he heard the door at the right side of the throne slide open. He thrust the helmet into Bo-Katan's arms and caught Satine when she rushed at him, gripping her tightly and lifting her off the ground.

"I didn't know you were here," she mumbled into his neck when he had finally set her down. "Why didn't you come to me immediately?"

"I only just got here, and Bo said you weren't feeling well." Satine's eyes narrowed with annoyance as she slowly dragged he hand down his neck and to his chest and stopped when she felt the hard, light armor under his robes. Immediately, he could feel all the tension inside her melt away in a wash of relief, and any offense she may have felt was gone.

"Did you do this, Bo?" she asked softly as she stroked the Sith Lord's cheek, and her sister scoffed loudly.

"Please. He's an outsider and a scoundrel. He isn't worthy of wearing it." Bo-Katan flushed deeply and looked away when Satine looked at her, and she stepped to the side, hand extended toward the throne as she relinquished it to the Mand'alor. With a smile of appreciation, Satine took her seat, inhaled deeply, and relaxed into her place.

"You were gone so long," the Duchess said, holding out her hand to Kenobi, and he gently took it and brought it to his lips. "I was getting worried that you were avoiding me."

"I was avoiding your sister," he slowly drawled, placing both hands on the arms of the throne to close the Duchess in. "She is extremely hard to deal with."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, Kenobi!"

Satine smiled softly as she ran a hand through the Sith's blond, ruffled hair. "I've tried without success to teach her manners."

"Don't bother, you're wasting your time." Bo-Katan started to loudly object until Satine pulled her lover down and kissed him fiercely, and the warrior swiftly turned away, her face a red to match her fiery hair when hands began to wander as they softly moaned. She missed the days when they had to be discrete and keep their affair a secret, but now, the day when the child would begin showing was not far off, and the speculation of guessing who the father could be was far worse than knowing it belonged to a notorious Separatist commander. Rumors were always worse, and the galaxy would find out eventually.

"Were you fighting in the war?" Satine asked when they parted, breathless and leaning her forehead against his.

"No, I was doing the work of the Sith," Kenobi said as he reluctantly let go of her and sat himself upon one of the throne's wide arms, grinning when the Duchess' hand came to rest on his leg. "The Force is disturbed. I've been seeking out the cause of the disturbance so I can right it."

"Any luck?"

"Not as of yet, no. Our strongest lead was something of a dead end. I need to meditate on my visions to see if I can learn something new. "So..." he drawled slowly, running his hand down her thin arm. "For the next few days, I am all yours..." He leaned down to kiss her again, but stopped and pulled away with a growl of aggravation when the grand main doors of the throne room opened, and a large number of the Mandalorian Death Watch rushed in. Satine leaned forward in her seat, Bo-Katan and Obi-Wan standing close beside her with their hands upon their weapons. The Death Watch captain strode forward and bowed deeply.

"Mand'alor, our forces have captured a Jedi in the city." Obi-Wan felt rage roll off the women beside him, and he gently laid a calming hand on Satine's shoulder, could feel her anger slowly fade, could feel the strong rapid pulse of their son slow as he was soothed. If there was danger here, he would have felt it. The Force was tense, yes, pulled at him with warning, but it had been like this since Ventress was betrayed by Dooku three months ago. If anything was wrong on Mandalore, if there was anything at all that would be a threat to the family he had made for himself, the Force would waste no time in crippling him with the knowledge of it.

"Bring him before me," Satine said firmly, and the soldiers began parting to allow the prisoner to come through. "Another one of your friends?" she whispered to Kenobi, and the Sith closed his eyes, reached out with the Force, and felt it quickly recoil, the Dark Side rushing to hide deep within him. It felt like being punched in the gut, and he grimaced.

"Not a friend, no..."

The guards all stood to the side, and two of the Death Watch threw the Jedi to the ground before the shallow steps to the throne. Hands secured tightly behind his back, Qui-Gon Jinn looked up with deep blue eyes and a small smile on his face, and Kenobi felt himself shake with rage. Satine, however, relaxed, despite being none too pleased to have a Jedi in her city again.

"Where did you find him?" she asked quietly.

"On the docks, my Queen," the Captain said. "He walked off the ship and immediately contacted the authorities to surrender himself."

"So you didn't capture him," the Duchess growled, her blue eyes narrowing in anger at the Captain. "You simply escorted him."

"Y-yes, my Queen, I-"

"There is an ocean of difference between the two!" she snapped, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but grin in pride at the fierceness of this woman. Their son was making her strong, aggressive, uncompromising, and he could feel the child giving voice to his mother's will through the Force. The smile was wiped off his face a moment later when he could feel Qui-Gon's infuriating presence and watched him look at Satine curiously. The Jedi felt it too. "Sister, perhaps a less boastful Captain will serve better in the future. I will not have my captains touting their accomplishments where there are none to be had."

Bo-Katan smirked and crossed her arms over her armored chest. "I agree. I'll see it done, Mand'alor. You," she commanded harshly, pointing at one of the guards that had detained their prisoner. "Release the Jedi. And you fools had better think twice before your actions cause a diplomatic incident with the Republic." The soldiers rushed to do as commanded and the Jedi was released, his confiscated lightsaber thrust back into his hands, and a moment later, they were filing out of the room as Qui-Gon stood, rubbed his wrists, and bowed deeply to Satine.

"Thank you, Duchess," he said softly. "It's good to see you again."

"What business do you have with me, Qui-Gon?"

The Jedi shook his head. "None, Duchess. My business is with Obi-Wan." The Sith Lord immediately bristled, the hairs on his neck standing on end as he felt the Force begin to thrash around him. There was an urgency there like he hadn't felt before. This wasn't the mad panic after Ventress left this Sith. That had been a warning. This was aggression, a pure, raw drive toward destruction, and it took everything in Obi-Wan to control it. His golden eyes fell to Qui-Gon, and the thrashing eased into a cold, bitter resignation. Whatever it was, the feral wrath of the Force wasn't directed at the Jedi. Still, the Dark Side recoiled from the aging Master. That, at least, had not changed. Qui-Gon was still held dear by the Force and was not to be disturbed.

Kenobi stepped forward. "What do you want?" he demanded, trying to sound cold and aloof, but the very real concern he felt shone through.

"I have a message for you," Qui-Gon said softly, fishing a holodisc out of his robe and holding it out to the Sith Lord, who seemed to recoil from it.

"Is it from your Council?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "The Council doesn't know I'm here." Cautiously, Kenobi walked down the steps to stand beside the towering Master, and he snatched the holodisc out of his hand, glaring at him suspiciously. Kenobi activated the disc and played the message, and in the moments that followed, his entire world erupted in pain. It was Maul, alive, and walking around on cybernetic legs, a red lightsaber in his hand and the lives of terrified people in his grasp. He heard the words but could not process them through his rage, saw the villagers, men, women, and children, struck down in an instant. The longer he watched, the more distant he felt, the more removed from his own body as the Force calmly asserted control over him. All the frantic warnings, all the sleepless nights, all the relentless visions led to this, as he knew it would. As he had sensed long ago.

Maul was alive, and he was a real and serious threat. Not just to Kenobi personally, but to the flow of the Force itself. He was a rabid beast, and he needed to be put down. Darth Lumis had no rival, would have no rival. No Jedi had ever had to die so much as Maul.

The holodisc cracked and the image of Maul vanished as the little device began sparking in Kenobi's crushing grasp. Qui-Gon watched with intense interest as blind rage filled his former student, the Force in the air itself becoming twisted and corrupted with darkness as his blinding golden eyes became stained with jagged red. Qui-Gon strengthened his own defenses, his own focus intensifying to keep the oppressive darkness away from him. In this state, Obi-Wan was dangerous, far more than he had been before, and a lesser Jedi may crack under the intense, infinite power of the Dark Side. Even now, Qui-Gon could hear it whisper, calming and soothing and promising power and pleasure and freedom despite the frigid chill he felt deep within himself. It was truly tempting, if only for a moment. How easy it would be for someone to simply reach out and touch it, just for a moment, and it would be over. Once in, the Dark Side was no easy thing to be rid of, and there were very few records of fallen Jedi that had returned to the light.

While Kenobi heard the words Maul spoke, but did not listen, Satine did, and the moment the image disappeared, the Queen was on her feet, her heart beating wildly and her blue eyes wide and frantic. "Obi-Wan, what was that?!" she demanded, pointing to the broken device in his hand, but Kenobi did not answer. He simply stood, staring at the place where the image of Maul had been a moment ago. "Obi-Wan!" Still nothing. With a nervous whimper, Satine rushed down the steps and threw herself against him, one hand over his heart and the other cupping his bearded cheek. Glowing eyes fell to her face, and slowly, the blood red receded back to pure, bright gold.

"That," Kenobi said, smiling slightly, but it was forced and distant, "was the Sith Lord I killed on Naboo over ten years ago."

"...what? How is this possible!"

"...I don't know."

Satine reeled on Qui-Gon, and he had to take a step back from the furious woman. Even she was exuding the Dark Side in thick, strong waves, and the Jedi reached out with the Force to tentatively touch her, making the darkness coming from her thrash and rage with greater intensity. With Kenobi, such an action sent the Dark Side into hiding, but with Satine, it just made her angry. "When did this happen?!" she demanded, her hands clenched tightly at her side, and the Jedi could hear twin blasters prime their charges behind him. Bo-Katan. He took a deep breath and raised his hands, taking a few steps away from the Kryze sisters. Of all the people in the room, it was the Sith that was the least dangerous at the moment.

"Peace, Satine," Qui-gon said calmly. "I came as soon as we got the message, against the wishes of the Council, I might add. This man is a real threat. I couldn't allow Obi-Wan to not know about it."

Satine scoffed loudly, her temper spiking even higher, and Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes and looked within her. She felt Force sensitive. "Nobody is a threat to Obi-Wan!"

"He is a threat, Satine..." Kenobi said softly, his hand absently stroking his beard as he thought and fought with the Dark Side for control. Satine took a deep, shuddering breath and looked at the Jedi.

"Where did this happen?" The dark pulsing had not stopped. She couldn't have developed Force sensitivity. This feeling was coming from the child, though at this stage, it was indistinguishable from the mother. Qui-Gon frowned. This new life was frightfully strong already.

"Raydonia," he said softly. "It's a small farming planet in the Belsmuth sector."

Obi-Wan's eyes snapped up to Qui-Gon, and they looked almost...worried. "Belsmuth...that's the next system over, he is practically on our doorstep!" His heart was pounding in his chest. How much did Maul know about him? Certainly not much, since he sent his message to the Jedi, but in all of the galaxy, it seemed like more than coincidence that he would land so close to Mandalore.

"Belsmuth..." Satine said softly. "I've tried to bring the sector into my alliance, I want to surround the Mandalore sector with allies."

"Satine, we approached Raydonia a few months ago," Bo-Katan said, stepping away from the throne and holstering her blasters. "The entire planet is sparsely populated by small farms. They didn't join with us because they have absolutely no knowledge of what's going on in the galaxy. We told them they needed protection from what was out there, but they insisted that they were fine. Nothing ever happens on Raydonia, it's too remote."

"Which is why it was targeted," Kenobi said softly. "In a galaxy at war, what better way to get the Jedi's attention than the slaughter of the innocent?"

"We need to be more forceful with worlds like this in the future," Satine said, looking down at the floor until Kenobi began to head toward the door at the right of the throne. "Obi-Wan? Where are you going?"

"Raydonia," he said, his voice tight and tense with barely managed anger, and a moment later, the Duchess had thrown her arms around the man to stop him from leaving. It worked.

"This is obviously a trap, Obi-Wan, and if you think he's threat-"

"I'll go with you," Bo-Katan said, grabbing her helmet from the floor beside the throne and putting it on her head. "I'll rally the Death Watch, we will take care of this threat together."

"No." The statement was final, but Satine was having none of it, her eyes narrowed in anger, and Kenobi sighed. "This animal, this...Maul seems to have a talent for not staying dead, like all Children of Dathomir. If we all go to kill him and it doesn't work, if we somehow fail, than he's going to know I'm connected to Mandalore. It will draw him here, and the last thing I want is that monster close to the people I love."

Satine trembled, her eyes filled with tears, and Obi-Wan had to look away. Bo-Katan had been right about the woman being emotional. She was usually much more guarded than this. "You can't go alone. I won't let you."

Before Kenobi could say anything, Qui-Gon stepped forward, put his hand on Satine's shoulder and quietly said, "I'll go. Obi-Wan and I started this together. It's only right that we finish it together."

"Uh, no. That isn't going to happen, Qui-Gon." The Jedi simply shrugged. "He asked for me alone. I'll be fine."

"I will not let you face that beast alone," the Jedi said softly. "I failed you against him once. I will not sit by and fail you again."

"I care nothing for your failures, Qui-Gon Jinn!" the Sith snarled viciously, but the Jedi remained unmoved. It was foolish to go alone, he knew, and Maul was a real threat, or the Force would not caution him so strongly about him. He had visions for years that hinted toward this possibility, but he had seen nothing in terms of the outcome. It was...unsettling. And Qui-Gon was powerful. So powerful that the Dark Side, in all its fury, shrank away from the blinding light of his presence. He had yet to figure out why, what it meant, what his old Master had possibly become, though he felt it was important. And something about this felt...right. He growled and ran his hand through his hair. "And the Jedi sent you alone, even though the last time you engaged him, you nearly died?"

"As I said, the Council doesn't know I'm here. The Jedi didn't send me," Qui-Gon said, a slight smile on his lips. "They cautioned me against this. I came because the Force guided me to you."

Obi-Wan scoffed. Qui-Gon's whims had led Kenobi to the Dark Side, but...on reflection, that was the will of the Force. "Why are you doing this..." Kenobi asked through clenched teeth, and Qui-Gon drew up to his full height.

"Innocent people are dead, Obi-Wan. This is as much my fight as it is yours. I know he said the planet would burn if you don't come alone-"

"I don't care."

"But I do," the Jedi said firmly. "I will not stand by while a madman is allowed to kill the innocent, and I somehow don't think he'll mind if I'm there as well." A small smirk came to the Jedi's lips. "After all, it's very likely he thinks me dead. I think he could do with a shock or two."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his heart skipping when he felt Satine's small hand in his own intertwining their fingers together. "You can't allow that beast to have what he wants," she said softly. "But if you go to Raydonia with the might of your army like I know you are thinking about, than he's going to run, and you won't find him until he wants you to." She smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You have a chance to end this now, and he may think it's on his terms, but you get to decide the rules of engagement, my love. You can't risk scaring him away, not if he's a threat."

She was correct, of course. The slightest inkling that he didn't come alone, and Maul would run like the mad dog he was. "Qui-Gon," Kenobi asked softly. "How big is the ship you came in?"

"Not very. It's a Jedi starfighter, it's nothing special."

"Pilot and gunner's seats?" The Jedi nodded, and the Sith Lord smirked as the Force roared in satisfaction. "Let's go. I'm driving."