That night, Kelly, Aayla and I didn't engage in our nightly ritual. My apprentices were currently in the spare bedroom; I could feel their emotional echoes through the Warp as they pleasured each other. I knew Cortana had been feeling left out, prior to her gaining a body, so tonight I would be giving her my full attention.
"You have no idea how much I've wanted this, Ame," Cortana breathed after I kissed her.
"Just as you have no idea how much I've wanted to give it to you, Cortana," I replied as I kissed her again, our tongues intertwining as we pulled off each other's clothes.
Since gaining a physical body, I could feel Cortana's emotions and stray thoughts through the Warp, so I could tell she'd prefer it if I just fucked her brains out, rather than spend time on foreplay. Even still, I couldn't resist worshipping those wonderful tits of hers, which were considerably larger than those of my apprentices. I bit her nipples hard as I fingered her sopping wet cunt, applying my pleasure spell the entire time, so it wasn't long before she came.
"Oh Ame, that felt amazing. Don't stop giving it to me," Cortana moaned as she came down from her first ever orgasm. I kissed her again before moving down to her crotch to lap up her delicious juices.
Tweaking the pleasure spell to emanate from my mouth as well as my hands, I sucked on Cortana's clit as I dove into her tight cunt hole with my tongue. I was rewarded for my efforts as I felt her shudder, digging her fingers into the back of my head as she held me in place.
"Fucking… fuck yes! Don't fucking stop!" Cortana squealed as she squirted even more of her juices, which I eagerly lapped up.
"You just can't get enough can you?" I pulled my face out her snatch as I grinned. "My little robot slut just can't get enough of her master making her cum her brains out, can she?"
"You're right, I can't," Cortana purred. "I'll gladly be your slut and more if you can make me feel like that, Ame." I kissed her once more, this time less aggressive and more affectionate. I got into position to make love to my AI companion that I'd become so attached to.
"Not yet. You made me feel so good, Ame, so let me return the favour," Cortana said as I lay back on the bed, Cortana kneeling between my legs. "Cast your pleasure spell onto my mouth, and to here," she said, gesturing towards her substantial cleavage.
I eagerly cast the spell, guessing what she was going to do next. I sighed as Cortana's mouth engulfed the head of my dick. Since she didn't have to breathe, I enjoyed the feeling of her mouth working her way up and down my dick, getting closer to the base each time. It wasn't long before it was fully down her throat, something that hadn't been possible with Kelly or Aayla, even with sexual calibration.
I was halfway to my own orgasm when Cortana pulled her mouth back. "I know you like my new big boobs Ame. You'll like them even more once I've gotten you off with them," she smirked as she wrapped her boobs around my shaft and sucked on the head of my dick at the same time.
I enjoyed the feeling of my first titfuck since arriving in Star Wars, Cortana working my dick with total abandon. With the pleasure spell being applied to my dick via Cortana's tits I only lasted a few more minutes. I groaned as she pulled her head back the moment I came, spraying my cum all over her.
"I hope you liked that Ame, but I think now it's time we moved onto the main event," Cortana said, not bothering to clean up the cum on her face and hair as she moved to straddle herself over my still erect penis.
"Considering how you already seem to know what you're doing, I must ask; how much porn have you watched over the holonet Cortana?" I asked.
"Just enough, Ame. If you want I can say it was for research," she smiled as she lined my dick up with her tight pussy. "You might want to adjust your pleasure spell again."
Right. I applied it to both my dick and the inside of her cunt, ensuring we'd both feel it, before Cortana slowly sank down, eventually fitting the entire length of my dick inside her, something I'd never managed with my apprentices, even with sexual calibration.
"How convenient that you don't have human anatomy, Cortana," I said as I enjoyed the feeling of Cortana's tight hole wrapped around my dick right down to the hilt.
"You're gonna be so disappointed when you fuck Kelly and Aayla after this Ame," she smirked as she began riding me.
I didn't move, content to let Cortana do the hard work… at least at first. She kept stopping whenever she came though, so with me having come once already it would be awhile before I came again, even with the pleasure spell. After a few minutes I abruptly pulled Cortana off my dick, holding her face down on the bed as I stood up, positioning myself behind her.
"That's enough messing about. Now it's time I showed you why I got you this body," I growled as I pinned her down, savagely fucking her from behind.
"Fucking give to me Ame. Fucking… oh shit, yes!" Cortana screamed as she came, this time without a break as I kept fucking her through her orgasms. This continued for another twenty minutes, my robot cumdump gradually growing more incoherent, her tongue lolling out of her mouth by the time I came. I saw stars as the contents of my balls squirted out of my pisshole, filling Cortana's cunt to the brim.
Not giving her a chance to recover, I flipped her onto her side, one leg going up my chest as I fucked her sideways. I thought about doing anal, but I didn't want to take the time needed to lube up my dick - no-one wanted chafing after all. As it was, I ensured Cortana spent the entire night cumming her artificial brains out, cumming inside her every so often myself.
Just about two hours after midnight, I was finished. I pulled out of Cortana's cum-stuffed cunt, surveying my handiwork. Despite what I'd done earlier, I couldn't have broken Cortana's brain, synthetic as it was. As soon as she came down from her extended orgasmic high, she began giggling uncontrollably.
"That was absolutely incredible, Ame. You telling me that's what I've been missing out on all this time?"
"If it makes you feel better, there are virtually no beings in the galaxy that can experience pleasure like that, even with a body," I shrugged.
Cortana snorted. "Funnily enough, no that doesn't make me feel better. If anything, it makes me feel bad for them."
"True. I guess you have an advantage in that you don't need to sleep, leaving you with even more time for fun."
"Don't say that. You're making me feel even worse for them," Cortana replied, her voice still laced with mirth.
I sighed. "Sadly, the next round will have to be put on hold for a while. I've got some other stuff to take care of," I said as Cortana nodded in understanding. I'd already told her, and the other, about my plans for Padme.
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I got ready to leave.
"Heading out, lover?" Cortana asked, still wearing nothing except my cum.
"I'm going to pay Padme a visit, though it will be non-sexual in nature. I haven't had the opportunity to speak to her alone, and with Maul arriving soon, I'm not sure I will have it again before she leaves Tatooine."
"By speak with her, I assume you mean subtly manipulate her into casting you in a good light for the galaxy at large," Cortana replied, looking amused.
"That, and replace some of Palpatine's influence over her with my own. Though I shan't bring her to distrust him yet; she'll be instrumental in his election as Chancellor."
"Once you're done, will we carry on where we left off tonight?" Cortana purred.
"Maybe. It depends how nicely you ask," I smirked.
"Guess I'll have to work on convincing you, then. I'll see you later, stud," Cortana replied.
Grabbing my staff, I teleported to the same spot as the other day, a couple of hundred metres away from Padme's ship. Walking over to it, and double-checking the Jedi were asleep, I cast a sound-suppression bubble covering the entirety of Padme's room, before teleporting inside.
As expected, Padme awoke with a start from the light and sound of my teleportation. I cut off her scream for help – not that anyone would've heard anyway – by saying, "Apologies for the intrusion, Your Highness, but I've not had the opportunity to speak to you alone before now." At the same time, I drew upon my staff to create a bubble of sped-up time, similar to what I'd used for my test subjects only in reverse. Though from mine and Padme's perspective, nothing had changed; looking out, one would see the entire rest of the universe moving in slow motion. Naturally, this was harder than creating a bubble of slowed time, hence why I'd brought my staff.
"Amedeus…" Padme trailed off, looking surprised. "You wanted to speak with me alone?"
She was taking the sudden intrusion rather well; brushing my thoughts against hers, I could tell she was intrigued by what I wanted, not to mention the fact she wanted me, a consequence of the Stamp no doubt. Not that I would act on that impulse; I could always pay her a visit on Naboo later, and what I was about to do was far more important than getting myself off.
"That's what I just said, isn't it?" I said wryly. "If you're concerned about lost sleep, I can, if you wish, cast a light sleeping spell on you when I leave; you don't want to be sleep-deprived in a place as dangerous as this, after all."
"Cast a spell?" Padme said, bemused.
"But of course," I replied, grinning. "The Jedi would never phrase it as such, for they refuse to accept the Force for what it is; a kind of magic. I, on the other hand, have decided to embrace it."
Padme gave me a strange look, clearly unsure how to respond. "I appreciate your offer Amedeus," she replied, yawning. "I didn't know you could use the Force to do something like that."
"As I suspected. I guess the Jedi never bothered to learn anything like that." Sensing Padme's displeasure, I cut off her response by saying, "Don't get me wrong, I respect the Jedi's dedication to keeping the galaxy clean of the Dark side's influence, but their insular nature, combined with the lack of any real threats for the past thousand years, has brought about their stagnation. There are a myriad of Light side techniques, discovered by other Force users spread throughout the galaxy, which the Jedi could benefit from learning, if only they cared to."
Padme frowned in consternation, no doubt having been raised to believe the Jedi were the be-all-end-all when it came to the Force. "So… what exactly did you come here to discuss?"
"I was just curious; once your ship's new hyperdrive is working, where exactly do you intend to go from here?"
"I was planning to head to Coruscant to discuss with Senator Palpatine our options for bringing the Trade Federation to justice. I cannot allow them to get away with my people's suffering."
"I understand completely," I replied, not trying to keep the amusement out of my voice. I had wondered if this older version of Padme would be a bit less naïve than her counterpart from the original timeline… apparently not.
"What's so funny?" Padme demanded, outraged.
I sighed. "Your Highness, what exactly does the Trade Federation do for the Republic?"
Padme blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden change of topic. "The Trade Federation has a monopoly over the majority of trade within the republic, while also defending the relevant hyperspace lanes from those that try to disrupt it, like pirates," she replied.
I nodded. "Between that, and Naboo, which do you think the Senate values more?" I asked.
"You-" Padme cut herself off; she may have been naïve, but she wasn't stupid, so she quickly worked out where I was going with this. "Are you implying that the Senate will back the Federation?" she said in a frosty tone.
"Well, no. At least not openly. But the Federation is utterly integral to the galactic economy; they can't be seriously punished without causing a recession, if not complete economic collapse. Hence, punishing them would mean punishing quadrillions of innocent people via more expensive goods and services. More importantly, the Federation knows this, and will use it to their advantage. I doubt they'll even have to bribe anyone."
Padme opened her mouth to object, but quickly closed it, mulling over my words. Despite the Stamp, I was unsure how willing Padme would be to listen to me over her pre-existing beliefs. Thus, other than my off-hand remark about bribery, I decided not to accuse the Senate of actual corruption. At least, not yet.
"How… how could the Senate have allowed this to happen?" Padme asked, shaken.
"Allowed what exactly? The Federation to reach its current position? I guess it gradually bought out its competitors, one by one, over the past millennium. In turn, the people who could've enforced the Republic's anti-monopoly laws, such as they are, chose not to. Presumably because they valued the increased short-term prosperity this brought, as a result of cheaper goods and services via economies of scale, more than preventing the long-term costs, which are a result of the Federation's hegemonic position on trade. Why wouldn't they? After all, the costs would only become apparent after they'd retired." I was cherry-picking my arguments of course; it was ultimately a good thing that Senators didn't stay in power forever. But planting the seed of doubt in Padme's mind would help me in the long term.
"What can I do about it? I can't let my people suffer any longer, regardless of the costs," Padme asked, sounding crestfallen.
"I'm afraid I can't really help you there, Your Highness. I'm not a politician, after all. That said, if I were to suggest anything, it would be to convince the Senate that allowing the Trade Federation to continue unchecked will cost the Republic more than stopping them. Though I have no idea how you'd do that."
"If only the Republic revolved around something other than money," Padme said with a sigh.
"No offence, Your Highness, but it's a sign of your privileged upbringing that you have the mental energy to think about something other than money. For the overwhelming majority of the Republic's citizens, an economic downturn doesn't mean putting off buying their next space yacht. It means choosing between heating their homes, and feeding their children." I was being hyperbolic; the state of the galaxy wasn't that bad, for the most part.
Padme recoiled as if struck; clearly, my words cut her deep. I forestalled her hurt response by saying, "To be clear, I wasn't suggesting that you actually thought that. I'm just saying that's how your words might be interpreted, had you said them in public."
"And the Federation would almost certainly try to twist my words to their advantage," Padme said, frowning.
"Get rid of the 'almost' and you'd be right."
We sat in silence for a few minutes, Padme stewing over my words. Eventually she said, "I need to start somewhere. I need to get Chancellor Valorum on board."
"Yes, and he'll likely be eager to help you, if only to salvage his career after the recent corruption scandals he's been embroiled in. The question is not whether he will help you, but whether he even can; due to those scandals, I doubt he has much political clout left."
Padme looked away, clearly unsure what to say. I broke the silence by saying, "Alternatively, you could just take the Federation to court, there's virtually no chance you'd lose… though of course, the Republic's judicial department is not known for its speed."
"What other choice do I have?" Padme asked, sounding desperate.
"I would hesitate to suggest something so drastic, Your Highness, but the quickest way would be to issue a vote of no-confidence against Valorum, and hope for the election of someone who can actually help you. Given his compromised position, it's extremely unlikely he'd survive such a vote," I said as I put on a thoughtful look. "Come to think of it, wasn't Senator Palpatine planning to run for Chancellorship?"
"He was nominated by Senator Taa of Ryloth, but yes."
"How convenient for him that his homeworld should be invaded, netting him a healthy number of sympathy votes in the process," I said with a wry smile.
Upon seeing Padme's horrified expression, I forced out a laugh. "I was joking, you know. I don't believe for a minute Palpatine had anything to do with this, even if it has indirectly benefited him," I said. I merely wanted to plant the seeds of doubt in Padme's mind, I didn't want them to germinate yet.
"It seems callous to use my people's suffering for political benefit," Padme murmured.
"Such idealism had little room in politics, I'm afraid. Assuming that Palpatine succeeds in becoming Chancellor, isn't it better that he uses his position to help the people of Naboo, regardless of how he may have got there?"
Padme didn't respond, gazing at the floor. After a couple of minutes of silence, I broke it by saying, "There is a silver lining to this cloud, you know."
"And that is?" she asked, sounding deflated, though I felt the tiniest flicker of hope through the Warp.
"Your tenure as Naboo's queen would be the perfect platform for entering politics in the wider galaxy, Your Highness. Your uniquely idealistic nature would gain you incredible popularity as a Senator all by itself. That won't guarantee that you could change the galaxy for the better… but it would certainly make it far easier."
"You're right. I have to maintain a positive mental attitude, don't I?" Padme said, mainly to reassure herself.
I nodded. "People won't strive to make the galaxy a better place if they don't believe that they can. The ability to inspire that belief in others will serve you well."
"Yes, I believe it will," Padme replied, smiling for the first time tonight. "Thank you, Amedeus."
"You're welcome, Your Highness. But it's probably best that I left now. You'll need to be well rested for the trials ahead of you."
"Yes, about that sleeping spell you mentioned…"
"Do you wish for me to use it?" I asked. Padme nodded. "Well then, good night, Your Highness." Before she could respond I pushed her into unconsciousness, just before I dispelled my bubble of sped-up time and teleported away. Hopefully my words, combined with the Stamp, would make her more of an asset than a liability.
-x-x-x-x-
Cortana was ready and waiting when I got back. She was even more insatiable than Kelly and Aayla, to the point that she practically demanded I spend the rest of the night stuffing her holes with my dick, only stopping when it turned morning. I indulged her demands for now, with the intention of punishing her later for her insolence. I would wait a bit first, lull her into a false sense of security while I brainstormed some sufficiently kinky punishments.
The next day started off normal, my apprentices sparring with their lightsabers while I began teaching Cortana the basics of manipulating the Warp. At some point I'd get Talent share for Science talent, and start teaching her the creation of Warp-based artefacts, machines even. It felt a waste turning her into another fighter; she may have had a soul now, but she was still an AI at her core, and putting her work on technology seemed like the best fit.
It was just before midday when I felt a Dark side presence appear in orbit.
"Neither of you felt him?" I asked Kelly and Aayla, the four of us sat in the ship's common room.
They both shook their heads. "Clearly, Sidious must've taught Maul a way to hide his Warp presence," Kelly said.
"Not from you though?" Aayla asked.
"Like I said, there are ways to pierce such veils in the Warp," I replied. "I wonder if Sidious knows that, or if he just didn't bother teaching his pawn such a technique?"
"He probably just doesn't know Ame, seeing as the Jedi don't know it either," Cortana said. "Otherwise, I figure one of them would've noticed the Senator of Naboo is a Sith by now."
"More than likely," I mused. "Hmm, while I was planning to Stamp Maul anyway, I figure his currently unstamped self gives us a unique learning opportunity," I said as I explained my plan to them.
"That's a bit dangerous isn't it?" Kelly asked, clearly not worried as an eager smile appeared on her face.
"This is a guy who would otherwise be sliced in half by a frigging padawan. I think you'll be fine," I grinned. The decision made, Kelly and I quickly put our armour on, including the helmets, before I teleported the four of us to Mos Espa.
-x-x-x-x-
Darth Maul was not having a good day.
Having spent the last few days travelling through hyperspace to the dusty backwater that was Tatooine, his master had made it clear that he was to kill the two Jedi before capturing Queen Padme. Yet his mission had been a complete failure. Despite hiding his presence in the Force as Sidious had taught him, the Jedi still somehow saw him coming. Lacking the element of surprise, they had fought him off with relative ease, a point that stung the Zabrak's pride, almost as much as his punishment would when his master learned of his failure.
It was at times like this that Maul actually considered abandoning the Sith and heading into the unknown regions, maybe finding work as a mercenary on some planet or another. If he left now, it was unlikely Sidious would ever find him… He pushed the thought aside. His master was the closest thing to family that he'd ever had. Maul's punishment, while no doubt painful, wouldn't be fatal, not while he remained useful. Besides, he couldn't help but think that Sidious might have a way of tracking him down with the Force; it was obvious the senior Sith had taught him only a small fraction of everything he knew. Sighing, Maul headed into Mos Espa to pick up supplies for his return trip.
He turned down an empty alleyway, unconcerned by the possibility of local thugs stupid enough to try and mug him. Thinking about what he'd tell his master when he returned, he was jolted out of his rumination when he felt a strange ripple in the Force around him. Looking up, he was stunned to see people at the far end of the alleyway just… standing there, as still as statues, seemingly frozen. Turning around, he saw the same thing: people, the entire world frozen in time. What was happening?
"Darth Maul, I presume?" said a female sounding voice from behind him. Whirling around, lightsaber in hand, Maul was confronted by a tall figure in light blue armour leaning against the far wall, idly toying with her own unignited lightsaber.
The zabrak blinked in surprise; the armoured woman was clearly Force-sensitive, yet he hadn't noticed her arrival. How had she snuck up on him so easily? More to the point, how the Force had she known his identity, that he was a Sith? Had Sidious made a mistake in his scheming? Pushing the questions to one side he focused on his roiling emotions, just as his master taught him. "Who are you? What have you done?" He growled, igniting both ends of his lightsaber.
"I haven't done anything," she replied, shrugging, seemingly unconcerned by the threatening display. "As to who I am… well, someone who is thoroughly unimpressed by your performance, quite frankly. I might have expected a Sith to be able to overpower a middle-aged man and his teenaged apprentice, but apparently that was too much to ask."
The tall woman didn't try to hide the disdain in her voice as Maul felt a vein throb in his forehead. He'd teach this impudent bitch not to insult a Lord of the Sith! Snarling with rage Maul threw himself at the armoured figure, drawing upon the Force to move with preternatural speed.
As quick as he was, his opponent was even quicker, igniting her own blue blade as she blocked his strike with ease. She retaliated with elegant jabs and cuts of her own, forcing Maul back.
The Sith held his double-bladed weapon in a defensive stance as he considered his options. The woman was strong, clearly stronger than himself, and faster to boot. Even worse, her height combined with her longer blade gave her a considerable reach advantage. To top it all off, she seemed proficient with Makashi, a form designed for one-on-one duels.
Focusing on his rage, Maul dashed forward, while focusing on blocking his opponent's weapon. His one saving grace was that she seemed unfamiliar with Juyo, his preferred style. If he could get close enough, her longer blade would be more of a hindrance than a help. She had clearly anticipated this however, using her footwork to keep him at a distance where she could reach him without the reverse being true.
Undeterred, Maul pressed the attack, trying to avoid giving the woman a chance to exploit her reach advantage. In the close confines of the alleyway, she could only play keep-away for so long before being cornered. Even still, her superior strength and speed allowed her to block and parry the zabrak's weapon away with ease. A stray thought made its way through Maul's mind about how little sense that made; how was she so strong? She was using Force augmentation, but her Force potential didn't seem that impressive, clearly less than his own. Yet Maul found himself utterly incapable of overpowering her, no matter how hard he drew upon the Dark Side.
For more than half an hour they fought, Maul desperately trying to kill his opponent, the armoured woman refusing to do the same despite having multiple opportunities, both seemingly trapped in this strange Force bubble. In that time, all Maul had succeeded in doing was exhausting himself, not helped by the early-afternoon heat of Tatooine. It was clear he was more skilled, yet his opponent was no slouch herself, and a fast learner, judging by how the skill gap had closed over the course of their duel. In the end, the woman's superior strength had worn the Sith down; he was so tired he was unable to keep hold of his lightsaber when she eventually disarmed him.
"Yes, I see now why you've been having so much trouble," the armoured woman mused, her voice belying the fact she was being attacked by a Sith. "You keep trying to best me in a lightsaber duel, despite its clear futility. The sensible thing to do would've been to use the Force to launch projectiles at me once it became clear you couldn't beat me in a fair fight."
Maul didn't respond, instead leaning against a wall, panting. He wouldn't normally let his guard down so readily, but it was now obvious that his opponent had been baiting him into a duel, with seemingly no intention of killing him. Not that her intentions mattered; he had been pushing the intensity of his emotions so hard that he was mentally, as well as physically, spent. If she wanted him dead, he was in no position to stop her.
"For example, with all of this sand around, it would've been trivial to use a Force Push to launch a blinding spray of sand at your opponent," the woman continued. She almost sounded annoyed at the opportunity he hadn't taken.
"And how would that have helped against you, with your helmet?" Maul asked, figuring he had nothing to lose by conversing with her.
"It wouldn't have. Against a couple of Jedi wearing only robes however…" the woman trailed off, her point clear.
Maul could've kicked himself; as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He hadn't expected to have trouble with the Jedi, and had failed because of it. Blasting sand in their faces would've made killing them much easier.
"What's the point of all of this? Why attack me, only to point out my shortcomings?" Maul asked. While he was still angry with himself for his failure, he was curious as to what she wanted.
"It was you who attacked me, as I recall. As to why I baited you… My teacher believes that your talents have been wasted as a Sith. Darth Sidious has deliberately held you back, fearful of the threat you might pose to him. Why do you think he has taught you so little, beyond lightsaber combat?"
If he hadn't been so tired, Maul might've paid more attention to the fact that she knew his master's name, and what that implied. "My master taught me everything he needed to for us to have our revenge against the Jedi," he murmured.
"Obviously not, given your inability to stop Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan. Or do you believe the likes of Yoda and Mace Windu will go down any easier?" the woman asked. She had removed her helmet, revealing the fact she was human, despite being taller than some wookiees.
"They will be no match for my master," Maul replied confidently.
"I find that hard to believe, given the Sith's track record over the past few millennia," came a different, much deeper voice. Maul was greeted by the sight of another armoured being, half again as tall as the woman and more than twice as wide, covered head to toe in black and grey armour plates, the thinnest of which were more than two inches thick.
"I see you've become acquainted with my young apprentice. Well, one of them anyway," the giant continued, gesturing to the other two beings who had literally appeared out of nowhere, one a more normal-sized human, the other a twi'lek. "Sidious has been deceiving you your entire life Maul, getting to you to fight his battles for him while he lives the cushy life of a Senator back on Coruscant. When you cease to be of use to him, he will discard you with as much thought as he'd give to swatting a fly. Why waste your life fighting for that flaccid prick when you could live your life on your own terms, as your own man?"
The outrage Maul felt at the giant's insults towards his master were overshadowed by the shock he felt at his presence in the Force. The giant practically glowed with Dark side energy, a raging inferno in the Force, projecting a deafening cacophony of screams of agony, moans of pleasure and cruel, mocking laughter. Not even Sidious was so steeped in the Dark side, and he paid for it via the toll it had taken on his body, having to hide his wrinkly appearance with his 'mask' ability… meanwhile this giant was seemingly unaffected.
"Are you going to try and convince me to work for you instead?" Maul asked, having regained his composure.
The giant shrugged. "Why not? It would be far easier and safer for you. I would only have need of your services occasionally, which you would be well compensated for. The rest of your life you would be free to spend as you wished. Perhaps more importantly, should Sidious attempt any reprisals against you, I can ensure you would be more than powerful enough to show him the error of his ways."
"You would increase my power?" Maul was sceptical.
"Of course; human and near-human augmentation is something of a specialty of mine… or do you believe that I should be afraid of your true potential?" the giant smirked.
Maul raised an eyebrow; whatever this 'augmentation' entailed, was the giant really so naive as to think he would never turn that power against him? Or was he just that confident he'd win if they came to blows? It didn't change his answer. He wouldn't betray the Sith cause so easily, no matter the offer.
"I have lived as a Sith, and I will die as a Sith," Maul said with complete conviction, his earlier doubts gone in the face of adversity, Force-pulling his lightsaber towards himself and igniting both ends.
The giant looked disappointed, but also unsurprised. "Well, I tried the carrot," he muttered. "I guess you want the stick instead."
Grabbing his staff, the giant approached Maul, seemingly unconcerned by his lightsaber. Maul attacked, but his efforts were short-lived; his opponent batted the blade of his lightsaber with his staff, sending it flying out his hands with contemptuous ease. Before he could respond Maul found his head engulfed by an armoured hand. Blue lightning sparked around the hand, shortly before he was pushed into unconsciousness.
AN:
With my prolonged absence prior to the previous chapter, I was pretty rusty when it came to writing smut. Hopefully I did a decent job. I've also not written a fight scene in ages, and I never found them easy to write anyway. Hopefully I did ok with that as well.
While I'm treating it as a basic application of time manipulation (Ahriman has way more impressive feats in that department), the speed/slowness bubbles are inspired by Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. I realise that I'm also handwaving away the same quirks that those speed/slowness bubbles ought to have, such as light being massively red/blueshifted when it enters/exits a bubble, or that you could throw a pebble out of a speed bubble and have it turn into a deadly projectile as it flies out as hypersonic speeds.
The next chapter will feature a couple of new POV characters, hopefully people will like them.