It was only after Darth Maul blinked that he realised he had killed the padawan learner. He had not expected the young man to demonstrate such strength in the Force and his onslaught reflected as such. The charge possessed the hallmarks of strong resolve and showed glimpses of latent potential now never to be fulfilled. He would have been more successful in driving Maul back had he not demanded far more from his body than it was able to withstand. It was, nonetheless, enough to tip Maul's hand and make him draw more from the depths of his extensive combat training to vanquish the threat. Even if he did react purely on instinct.
The anguished scream that came from his target, Qui-Gon Jinn, broke Maul from his musings. He pivoted to face the Master and reignited the dormant end of his sabrestaff. As soon as he adopted his stance, Maul had to deflect a flurry of blows each augmented by the maelstrom of emotions that raged in the man. The increased speed and power behind each strike complimented his Ataru prowess and Maul was forced on the defensive.
In an attempt to break the barrage, Maul began to apply the Force to the Master's leg, but Qui-Gon moved out of the way. He responded to the Sith in kind as he extended an arm past the Zabrak's guard and sent a point-blank Force push in an attempt to rupture Maul's organs. The Sith quickly put up a Force shield in time to prevent most of the damage, but the strength was enough for him to ragdoll back into a wall.
The impact knocked the air out of Maul's lungs and he staggered to his feet when the Dark Side warned him of danger. He tilted his head out of the way of Qui-Gon's thrust which embedded itself into the wall behind him. Despite the Jedi's proximity to Maul, he brought his sabrestaff close to strike at the Master. The plasma blade sank into the wall effortlessly and Maul opened a huge gash into it that caused a large shower of sparks to spew forth as he swung his weapon. Qui-Gon turned his lightsabre off then did a wrist rotation to get into a proper block much quicker and reignited the blade in time to meet Maul's strike. The Sith laughed with mirth at this application of Tràkata as it was frowned upon by the Jedi for being a dirty trick. He then kneed Qui-Gon in the stomach and Force kicked him away. Now clear of imminent danger, Maul flipped away from the wall to not be so restricted. When he regained his bearings he saw something that made him widen his eyes.
Qui-Gon Jinn stood on the other side of the circular exhaust vent that lay between them with eyes that promised retribution. His hair was slick with sweat and clung to his brow while his chest heaved in laboured breath. His right arm came across his torso and held his green blade at waist height, pointed behind him as if he were in the process of pulling it free from a sheath. He held the blue blade of his padawan learner in front of him, and pointed towards Maul, in his left hand; a far more traditional grip. His stance was rather low, with knees slightly bent, and his left foot forward ahead of his right which he kept back. He was centred and immovable, ready to meet any resistance, and poised to attack.
Maul had never seen this modified Jar'Kai stance before. It sent shivers of excitement down his spine at the prospect of crossing lightsabres with such an outstanding and unorthodox duellist. It would seem the stories of Qui-Gon's excellence in the art of combat under the rigorous tutelage of Master Dooku were well deserved and the years of experience only honed his skills. To Maul, it was a shame a warrior as fine as he had to be burdened with an old and weakened body. That this duel would be tainted by one of its participants no longer being the fierce force of nature he once was.
He would give the Master a good death.
The two adversaries held their ground as each sharpened their focus to a fine edge. One opened himself fully to the Force, the other seized it and coiled it tightly within him. Qui-Gon Jinn exploded from his spot, crossed the entire pit with tremendous speed in a single stride, and crashed his lightsabre into Maul's with all the might he could muster. The Sith Lord answered in kind by utilising unconventional parries and ripostes that came ever dangerously close to landing on the Jedi. The two were a blur as they crossed blows; unthinking as each trusted only in their respective skills, instincts, and mastery of the Force.
The Jedi's tactics in this resumed bout were much changed from earlier. He would thrust and cut from varied angles, one immediately strung into the next. Strikes alternated between each hand or were a flurry of blows with only one of them. From above, from below, or both at once. Maul knew not what was coming. He had to be ever vigilant and meet each strike with as little movement as possible so he could effectively defend the multiple attack vectors.
Qui-Gon would intersperse his blows, at times, with blunt applications of the Force in an attempt to throw the Sith Lord off balance. However, Maul would flip and twirl and retaliate when he could to break the Jedi's concentration. Some of these exchanges were proven to be rather costly to the ageing Master as Maul managed to score a few grazing strikes to the flank or legs, yet the man soldiered on. The Sith snarled in reluctant amazement at Qui-Gon's resilience. However, it was clear to Maul that all he required was time. The Jedi would make a mistake.
Said moment came when Qui-Gon brought a long, sweeping slash of his blue lightsabre down on Maul. He overextended his reach and left a gap barely wide enough for the Sith to exploit and he did not hesitate. Maul pivoted his sabrestaff and, rather than blocking the strike, he shifted his stance and severed the Master's arm.
Instead of uttering a panicked scream or causing his focus to falter, Qui-Gon glared at him with eyes that reflected triumph. Maul hadn't expected that and was genuinely startled. 'Move.' So came the compulsion from the Dark Side and he obliged. He was barely fast enough to avoid the subsequent upward slash from the green lightsabre, which the Jedi shifted into seamlessly to great effect, as it severed Maul's sabrestaff in two and came dangerously close to his head.
Maul ditched the useless halves of his weapon, while Qui-Gon Jinn allowed himself to grin and he once more lifted his lightsabre to end the Sith once and for all. It was then that the Zabrak steeled himself in place - for he knew the Master would amplify his attack with the Force - and assumed a stance that was known to very few in the galaxy and fewer still who were proficient in it. The hand-to-hand martial art created to defeat Jedi: Teräs Käsi.
The first step: halt the threat. Force-strengthened elbow, absorb impact and block the enemy's weapon arm. The second step: disorientate. Force-enhanced knifehand chop to the throat, crushed trachea. The third step: incapacitate. Foot stomp on the support leg, dislocated kneecap. The fourth step: disarm. Grab a hold of the arm, twist, knifehand strike to the armpit to loosen his grip on the weapon. The fifth step: rearm. A small twitch of his fingers and the Force brought the Jedi's lightsabre to his hand.
The sixth step: neutralise. Maul shifted his feet to create enough distance and plunged the plasma blade into Qui-Gon Jinn's heart.
The Master slumped onto the floor as Maul stood above him with his green blade in hand. The Sith could sense a whirlwind of emotions behind the man's eyes: anger, fear, shame, regret… He revelled in it. So much Dark Side taint was present in this man and it flowed as freely as his life essence ebbed away. Finally, his eyes settled on resignation and, with a last exhale, Qui-Gon Jinn died.
Darth Maul's eyes not once left the Master's as he bore witness to his death. He knew not how long he stood there, but it was enough for the adrenaline levels in his veins to drop. With it came a substantial amount of pain as he could now feel the damage his body took: cracked ribs; ugly purple - bordering on black - bruises in various parts of his body; several muscles and ligaments screamed out at him; burns marred his skin from the blows he suffered; and there was an odd pain in his head.
He brought his hand up and realised with a start that Qui-Gon had cut one of the horns on his temple almost clean off. He idly rubbed the now flat bit of bone as he kept his gaze on the corpse of Qui-Gon Jinn while the lightsabre hummed softly in his rather lax grip.
Right, the mission.
Darth Maul retracted Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsabre and clipped it to his belt. He then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and channelled the Dark Side back into himself to let him better withstand some of the wounds he suffered. At the very least the ribs; the rest he could bear. It took some time and he'd still require bacta to regain his full strength but it would do. He then collected the severed pieces of his broken sabrestaff; it would do no good to leave evidence behind.
Once done he again found himself before the body of the very first adversary he ever faced as an equal. With jaw set, Maul lifted his hand and summoned the padawan's lightsabre to him. The Sith then took a knee, laid the weapon atop Qui-Gon Jinn's chest, and placed the man's already cold hand on the smooth cylinder. The Sith then stood, stretched his senses to feel where the Queen currently was and, once he found her, left both the reactor room and the bodies behind.
This infiltration was devolving into a giant mess at a rapid pace. Queen Padmé Amidala cursed as yet another squadron of B1 battle droids attempted to flank their position in the throne room of the palace. She wheeled to face the threat and opened fire at the droids, destroying a few. She and her Royal Guard figured they'd cut off the Viceroy here, but the man either wasn't as much of a fool as they thought or he had competent staff for he was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was placed in one of the various saferooms scattered about the building in the event of an emergency. The thought caused her to grimace as she was forced to take cover behind a pillar to avoid returning fire.
Never could she have imagined this lavish, and frankly beautiful, hall would one day become the site of a skirmish and much less that she'd come to bemoan its layout. The amount of cover was sparse - to put it mildly - and there were too many balconies and windows scattered about the entire room; all of which provided different avenues for attack making advancing under fire a massive ordeal. It did not help that she had lost a few good men at this point and Captain Panaka took a stray blaster bolt to the shoulder.
She ordered her men to throw ion grenades to thin the opposition so they could break through. They laid down suppressive fire so a cadet could throw the ordinance; his aim was true and the grenade destroyed the remainder of the B1 droids. As the young man celebrated the small victory, Amidala was startled by the distinct sound of blaster cannons, and she watched the cadet be gunned down by two droidekas that arrived as reinforcement. They did not have the armament to deal with this new threat and she angrily barked for her men to use more ion grenades.
Suddenly, the droidekas ceased fire and merely stayed perfectly still, albeit with their shields up, down the hall from them. This confused Amidala greatly for all they had to do was encroach on their position and they'd be slaughtered. She scanned her surroundings to figure out what the enemy was planning when she felt the hairs on her neck rise as a chilling cold ran down her spine. She spun around quickly and brought her blaster to bear; to face whatever approached them from the rear. The sight she was faced with made her heart skip a beat.
There stood the evil Jedi - who they call the Sith - who was very much alive. His robes were singed and tattered and whatever skin was visible was bruised, but he lived nonetheless. That could only mean the Jedi had failed in their task. Amidala thought they were doomed and the only reason the droids stopped their advance was because this Sith wanted the glory of ending them for himself. This assumption was proven incorrect when he demanded their surrender. Amidala cast a furtive glance to Sabé, the handmaiden that currently posed as the Queen, to have her acquiesce to his demand. She carried out her role in exemplary fashion and soon they were rounded up by droids and brought to the imposing Zabrak.
With the heat of combat now tempered Amidala took stock of their appalling situation: her contingent of Royal Guards had been reduced to only eight men, half of which, including Panaka, were injured and she only had three handmaidens with her. Their chances of succeeding - or escaping for that matter - were slim before but now with the arrival of this so-called Sith either outcome was impossible.
"I am Queen Amidala, ruler of Naboo, and I reque–" Sabé said as she stepped forth to maintain the ruse when she interrupted herself as she began to choke and claw at her throat. Her eyes widened in shock and fear.
"No. You are not." The Sith said with a voice that was gravelly and inflexive, his hand raised towards Sabé. He shifted his eyes to regard Amidala, the true Queen, with a gaze that told her that her time was ticking and his patience was waning. Amidala had never even heard of Jedi being capable of something this cruel and it caused her to shudder. It seems trickery would not work, so it was best to salvage this situation as best as possible and make herself known.
"Cease this barbarity; it is I who you are looking for." The Sith appeared to not listen to her as he kept his 'hold' on Sabé who began to turn blue and tears welled in her eyes. "Stop this at once!" Amidala said, incensed and with a tinge of desperation.
"As you wish." The Zabrak at last acknowledged Amidala with a wicked grin and whatever sorcery he used on Sabé was lifted. The girl immediately collapsed to the floor and she began to violently hack and cough. Amidala wanted nothing more but to comfort her and provide a modicum of reassurance. However, now was not the time.
"I am Queen Padmé Amidala Naberrie, the two-hundred-and-sixty-seventh Monarch Elect of Naboo. To whom do I offer my surrender?" Amidala said as she kept the practised monotone as best she could. Every ounce of information was precious and she needed to figure out the personages that she must sway for more favourable terms. She looked into the Zabrak's eyes to demonstrate her resolve but the unnatural shade of yellow the man possessed was disturbing. It took a non-trivial amount of willpower to hold the man's gaze.
At her question all he did was remain silent.
"I was under the impression that Viceroy Gunray and the Trade Federation were the ones responsible for the blockade on my world." Amidala said and while her words omitted it, the implication that she thought him to be a mercenary was clear. The Jedi were adamant that these Sith were nothing like their righteous Order, thus it was not unreasonable to think they would resort to such endeavours.
"You display courage with your words, but they also betray your foolishness." The Sith said in a terse tone even as he glossed over Amidala's assumption. For her part, she swallowed thickly and refused to be intimidated by this man. He must be important if he was at liberty to speak to her in such a manner.
"I have demands." Amidala said and at this, he grinned.
"Go on." The Zabrak said and even sounded mildly amused.
"I will discuss terms with Viceroy Gunray in a more formal setting. While the negotiations are proceeding, I want assurance that Trade Federation forces shall cease all aggression and hostilities towards Naboo and her people."
"Is that all?"
"I also request that medical attention be provided to any and all of my troops."
"I see. Leave the Queen be, take the rest prisoner." The Zabrak said with finality as he turned to order the droids. Amidala felt her shoulders sag ever so slightly in relief as she considered this first step in negotiations to have been successful. Then the man paused as if he thought of something. "Although, not without a warning first."
He unclipped a cylinder from his belt and activated the lightsabre with a snap-hiss. Any notion that Amidala had in her mind that things went well was dispelled as her eyes widened at the light of the green blade. It slowly dawned on her that this was Master Jinn's weapon and, thus, the Jedi's demise had been confirmed beyond any doubt. The Sith then began a slow march toward Sabé, who quaked in fear and called out for Amidala. The Queen did a double take between her handmaiden and the Zabrak and fear gripped the very core of her being. She rushed to stand between her and the Sith.
"Stop! What are you doing? There's no need for this, I already agreed to surrender!" Amidala said as she hoped to appeal to his honour. She suddenly felt herself go ramrod straight, with her limbs squeezed together as if her body was being held by an enormous hand. She was lifted off the floor, flown before him, and held hovering at eye level.
"You are indeed foolish if you believe I answer to anyone. This is to show you what will become of the current Monarch Elect should you fail to comply and attempt to deceive me once more." The Zabrak said and kept her by his side to watch as he continued to stalk slowly toward the handmaiden. Sabé looked on with fear and worry for Amidala's safety rather than her own; she was close to hyperventilating but managed to keep her composure once it was clear that this vile man would not harm the Queen. Sabé held Amidala's gaze for a few seconds, even as her hands shook from adrenaline, and tried to comfort her monarch with a strained smile. The young girl took one deep breath and glared at the Sith with conviction.
"Long live the Queen." Those were the last words to pass Sabé's lips before the green blade cut her down. Her body crumpled to the floor like a marionette that had her strings cut while Amidala let out a primal and raw scream as the last embers of hope were snuffed out within her. The Sith turned his gaze onto Amidala once more before he spoke.
"I wonder if you value the other two as little as you did that one. Remember, Queen," he said the word with added contempt, "their lives are in your hands."
With his piece said, he once again reiterated his command to the droids then turned to leave the throne room with Amidala in tow. The Queen attempted to free herself from whatever spell she was under so she could rend this foul monster limb from limb. She watched on powerless as the droids took her allies to be imprisoned and completely disregarded the corpse of her handmaiden, no, friend… Sabé. Murdered in cold blood. The sight of her eyes wet with unshed tears and the sad smile trying in vain to reassure Amidala was seared into the Queen's mind and it numbed her. This Sith was wrong; she loved her friend and being powerless to stop him would be a regret she will carry for as long as the memory of Sabé remains. The thought finally broke her and she cried. She cried tears of outrage, grief, and incredulity. Why did this happen? Where were the Jedi? How did everything go so wrong?
Why had the Republic forsaken them?
AN: To anyone wondering or interested, Qui-Gon's Jar'Kai stance is a mixture of Musashi's Hyōhō Niten Ichi-Ryū guard with Karate's Fudō-dachi foot placement.
10/July/23 EDIT: Changed the way Maul killed Sabé to be more in line with both his character and his training at this point in the story. General touch-ups and grammar fixes.