Firefly stepped away from the Mandalorians, their beskar armor humming softly in her mind, a low vibration of protective power that intrigued her. The metal sang to her, its resonance a whisper of untapped potential. She made a mental note to ask Maul if she could examine some of the alloy when it wasn't attached to someone.
Her light footsteps echoed faintly as she moved back toward Maul, the sound mingling with the heavy breathing of the men recovering from their earlier ordeal. Her emerald-green wings fluttered gently, untucking themselves as she drew closer to her mate.
Maul's eyes burned with irritation as they locked onto hers, but Firefly merely smirked, a flicker of mischief dancing across her serene features. Without a word, she reached out through their bond, sending him vivid flashes of their past matings. The images were potent and unrelenting: her golden body writhing against his, biting his horns, and crying out his name in ecstasy.
The irritation in his expression melted into a fierce hunger, his control momentarily slipping as the memories hit him with the force of a tidal wave. He staggered, his claws twitching at his sides. Firefly bit back a laugh as Savage, catching the shift in Maul's demeanor, raised an eyebrow before snorting in amusement.
"Really?" Savage muttered, rolling his golden eyes as he stepped to the side, giving his Master a moment to recover.
Firefly glided closer to Maul, her golden glow caressing his bare, crimson skin and the intricate black tribal tattoos etched across his body. She didn't touch him at least not physically but her light wrapped around him like a gentle embrace, teasing at the edges of his restraint. Her face, calm and angelic, betrayed none of the playful mischief fueling her actions.
Maul's eyes narrowed, his sharp mind battling to suppress the onslaught of sensations she was forcing upon him. His stride was purposeful as he turned on his mechanical legs, black and gleaming, leading Savage and the Mandalorians toward a large ship in the distance. Firefly followed silently, her expression placid, though a knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Just as they reached the ship, she sent him one last image an unrelenting memory of her gasping, "Please, God... please devour me," as she unraveled beneath his touch.
The memory struck Maul like a physical blow, causing him to snarl and stumble on the ramp. His claws dug into the metal as he fought to regain control, and a hush fell over the men around him, their eyes flickering nervously.
Firefly's laughter rang out, light and musical, carrying through the floating city like a playful breeze. She unfurled her emerald wings fully, the luminous membranes shimmering as she hovered gracefully above the platform.
Maul's golden eyes snapped to her, blazing with a mix of hunger and wrath. She could feel the dark storm brewing within him, his anger simmering beneath his skin, but Firefly only smirked in response. She knew well that he would exact his revenge later and she didn't mind the punishment she'd earned.
With a final teasing smile, she shot into the air before he could retaliate, her golden light dimming as she ascended. The Mandalorians, Savage, and Maul himself watched her soar, her presence an otherworldly beacon as she climbed higher into the heavens.
She paused at the apex of her flight, hovering just beneath the dome that encased the city. For a moment, she looked down upon Maul's kingdom, the sprawling city stretching in every direction like a mechanical labyrinth. It was vast, formidable a testament to his strength and ambition.
Her heart swelled with determination. She would do everything in her power to ensure Maul held this kingdom for as long as he desired it.
Firefly drifted upward, her glowing form passing effortlessly through the blue laser field of the dome, her body slipping through the barrier Maul had left open for her. Once beyond the city's confines, she shot toward the stars, their brilliance calling to her like long-lost kin.
As she joined the infinite expanse, the stars greeted her with warmth, their light singing to her soul. Her own song welled up within her, a harmonious melody that resonated with the cosmic chorus of her people.
For now, she was free. But she would return. Always.
Firefly floated effortlessly among the stars, their ancient light weaving through her being, filling her with a radiant energy that she claimed as her own. Her golden form shimmered as she drifted toward a sleeping celestial body, her melodic voice rising in a song that resonated through the cosmos. The stars around her answered her call, their voices harmonizing in an ethereal chorus as she posed her questions.
Her inquiries were focused first about the war and then about the Sith pretenders who sought to bend the galaxy to their will. She listened as the stars responded, their tones filled with a subtle tremor of fear and mourning. They spoke of the Dark Master, Sidious, a shadow so vast and powerful that even the stars hesitated to gaze upon him.
"He is alive," they whispered, their voices like distant chimes trembling in the void. "And he builds his power in silence, a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
Firefly's light dimmed slightly as she tried to soothe their fear, her song weaving gentle reassurance into the starry tapestry. But their terror ran too deep; the very thought of Sidious sent shivers through their celestial forms. The stars recoiled, unwilling to peer deeper into the abyss that was his presence, lest his corruption fall upon them and consume their light.
Frustration flickered through her as she realized she would glean no more about the Dark Master. She shifted her focus, her golden voice rising again as she asked about another name that lingered in her mind Dooku.
The stars quivered once more, but their fear was laced with something fiercer this time: rage. Some had been extinguished by his hand or by the relentless march of his droid armies, their light snuffed out in the vastness of war. Unlike his Master, Dooku was a lesser threat once a Jedi, now a Sith apprentice. The stars' fury simmered, fueled by the injustice of his actions and the blood he had spilled, including that of her people.
Firefly hesitated, her connection to the stars trembling as she carefully navigated the razor's edge of their anger. She could feel the ember of their wrath, a glowing coal waiting to be stoked into a blazing inferno that resonated in her soul. Yet she dared not awaken their full fury. To do so would risk triggering her own Valkyrie heritage, a state of pure, unrelenting rage that would consume her identity and leave only vengeance behind.
Instead, she tempered their anger, coaxing it into a controlled burn as she pressed for more details about the Sith apprentice. The stars answered with a fragmented song, weaving what little they knew of Dooku's story. They sang of his time as a Jedi, his eventual fall from grace, and his role as Sidious's pawn. It was incomplete, but it gave Firefly enough to form a picture of the man who wielded such darkness.
Her thoughts drifted to Maul and Savage, her emerald wings fluttering softly as she unconsciously sang their names to the stars. The stars responded, their chorus shifting to the name of Savage. Firefly's eyebrows rose in surprise as they sang of her new brother, revealing truths she hadn't yet known.
"Savage… a failed apprentice of Dooku," they intoned, their voices tinged with faint amusement. "But first, a tool of the Dathomir Witches."
Firefly's curiosity deepened, her golden light intensifying as she asked for clarity. She closed her piercing blue eyes, the flames within them dimming as she surrendered herself to the stars' song. Their music poured into her like liquid light, a cascade of stories and memories threading through her consciousness.
The stars painted a picture of Savage's transformation a warrior shaped by the cruel manipulations of the Nightsisters. They could not fully see the events on Dathomir, the red mist of the planet obscuring their sight, but they glimpsed enough to know that Savage had been bound to Ventress, another failed apprentice of Dooku.
"Ventress," the stars sang, their tones shifting to a mournful cadence. "A shadow who sought vengeance but found only despair."
Firefly's thoughts swirled with intrigue as she considered the nature of Count Dooku, a man who seemed to discard apprentices as easily as one drained a glass of wine. Her curiosity deepened, and she directed her questions to the stars, asking for more stories about Savage and this enigmatic woman, Ventress. The cosmic chorus responded, their voices weaving together tales as golden sunlight bathed her form, replenishing her strength and amplifying the radiant energy within her.
She surrendered herself to the flow of the stories, losing track of time as she soaked in the histories of her new "brother" and the woman who had once wielded the Force under Dooku's tutelage. Savage's journey painted a picture of manipulation and torment, but also resilience and eventual defiance. Ventress's tale was no less tragic betrayed and discarded by Dooku, much like Savage himself. Firefly couldn't fault either of them for their paths. Savage, like her mate Maul, had been shaped by the cruelty of Sith masters who saw their apprentices as tools to be used and discarded.
Her connection to Maul strengthened her understanding. He, too, had been forged and twisted under Sidious, only to be cast aside when he was no longer of use. This shared suffering linked the Zabrak brothers in a bond of pain and survival, one she respected deeply. Firefly's throat rumbled with a low growl as she listened to the songs of betrayal, the anguish of Savage, Ventress, and Maul echoing through her own soul.
Even Ventress, despite her actions toward Savage, did not earn Firefly's ire. The stars sang of Ventress's past, and Firefly could see the echoes of her own experiences in the woman's desperation. Ventress had been another victim of Sith cruelty, trying to reclaim her own sense of power and freedom. Firefly held no hatred for her only understanding. The stars, like her people, had no ill will toward Maul or Savage either. Firefly's love for her people swelled as she realized they had accepted her chosen family, trusting her judgment that neither Zabrak bore them harm and they saw them separate from the other Sith.
Moved by this acceptance, Firefly sang her love back to the stars and her ancestors. Their gentle voices reached out to her, filled with questions and longing, asking what had become of her during the long time of separation. Tears of light shimmered in her star-fire eyes as she swallowed her pain and began her own song.
Her melody wove a tale of survival and suffering, beginning with the day her slave ship had been shot down by the Jedi. She sang of the explosion, the wreckage, and how she had emerged as the sole survivor and her memories lost. The grief of losing everything mingled with the horror of her capture, locked in a cage, treated as less than a being. The stars mourned with her, their soft voices blending into her song, sharing her pain.
She continued, her voice steady even as her heart ached. She sang of meeting Shadow—Maul and how their bond had grown through shared agony and mutual need. Their relationship, forged in darkness and tempered by her songs, became a lifeline for both of them. Firefly's song faltered briefly as her thoughts strayed to the tender moments they had shared on the trash planet. A blush warmed her luminescent cheeks, and she quickly skimmed over those parts of the story, her embarrassment bringing twinkles of laughter from the stars.
The song carried on, detailing their meeting with Savage and their escape from the desolate world. She sang of their journey to Dathomir, of her bargain with Mother Talzin, and of the moment the collar around her throat was finally shattered. Her voice rose with pride as she described the power of the green waters that had remade her, how her wings had glowed brighter and stronger than ever before, a tangible symbol of her renewed strength.
The stars listened intently as she recounted their battle with Sidious, the monster who had cast such darkness over the galaxy. Her tone darkened as she sang of the fight the ferocity of the Sith Master, the near victory that slipped through her fingers. The stars grew quiet, their light dimming as they reflected on the tale of her near-triumph.
"If only I had been stronger," she sang, her voice trembling with frustration and regret. "If my voice had not faltered, if my power had not been so drained, I could have ended him."
Her anger boiled beneath the surface, but with it came a fierce resolve. Firefly's song shifted, her melody one of determination and hope. She sang of her will to grow stronger, not alone, but alongside Maul and Savage. She had seen the power they wielded together three forces united against the darkness. If they could continue to strengthen their bond and amplify their abilities, she believed they could stand against Sidious and his apprentice and win.
Her voice swelled, filling the stars with her conviction. The stars responded in kind, their light intensifying as they embraced her resolve. Together, they sang, weaving a song of unity, strength, and defiance that reverberated through the cosmos, a testament to the power of hope in even the darkest of times.
After drinking her fill of the sun's light and basking in the melodies of her people, Firefly turned her attention back to where her heart resided on Mandalore, with her mate. Her body was renewed, brimming with power and conviction, ready to grow stronger alongside him and his brother. Together, they would dismantle the rotting darkness devouring the galaxy. Her focus sharpened on Sidious, Dooku, and this dreaded General Grievous. While her anger toward the Jedi mirrored Maul's, her hatred burned hotter for the Sith pretenders. To her, the Jedi were a lesser threat compared to the shadowy monstrosity of the Sith's machinations.
Her radiant, golden-green form streaked through space like a celestial comet, leaving a shimmering trail of light in her wake. The blue laser field of Mandalore's atmosphere loomed ahead, and she surged toward it, her mind echoing with the songs of her people. Their fragmented tales of Savage's betrayal simmered in her thoughts, fueling her resolve. Her fingers curled into tight fists as she descended, the force field brushing lightly against her as she passed through effortlessly.
She resolved to speak with Savage directly. The broken fragments of song she had received from her people only hinted at his suffering, and Maul's guarded nature left many details of his past shrouded in mystery. Her golden lips pressed together thoughtfully. She could feel the bond she shared with Maul pulsing within her chest, alive and potent. Through that connection and the emerald waters of Dathomir, she had glimpsed pieces of his torment, but she respected his reluctance to share more. She wouldn't push him at least, not yet.
Instead, Savage would be her source of answers.
As she neared Mandalore's capital, Sundari, the city stretched out before her a sprawling expanse of metal and glass illuminated by countless lights. Firefly dimmed her radiance, her glow softening to a gentle shimmer that mirrored the city's ambient glow. No longer a blazing sun, she glided gracefully through the skyline, ensuring her power didn't disrupt the fragile balance of the structures or draw unnecessary attention.
This visit was not like the last, when her instincts had driven her to hunt and claim her mate. She shivered at the memory of that fiery, passionate encounter the way he had consumed her every thought and made her forget the galaxy's troubles. The bond between them throbbed in her chest, calling her to him. Her hand twitched, tempted to pluck at the connection, to summon his attention, but she held back. Maul's focus was elsewhere, his mind preoccupied with matters of import.
Her lips curved into a soft smile as she felt him and Savage close together, likely within the capital building. Their presence was a steady beacon, guiding her through the maze of Mandalore's architecture. She flitted past towering structures and dodged speeders with effortless grace, her dimmed light helping her avoid unwanted scrutiny.
She followed the bond's pull to a grand building and ascended to one of the upper levels. While she suspected Maul and Savage were not in the throne room, they were still high above the city streets. Her keen eyes spotted a balcony a few floors below the summit, and she alighted there, her golden feet touching the cool metal with a soft grace.
The hum of life inside the building was faint but present. Firefly paused, listening intently and letting her senses stretch out to confirm her mate and brother's exact location. The bond tugged gently at her awareness, and she felt the faint echo of Maul's energy intertwined with Savage's. Their presence reassured her, grounding her purpose as she prepared to step into their world once again.
As Firefly alighted on the balcony, her bare golden feet barely making a sound against the cold metal, three Mandalorians stepped out from the shadows of the towering pillars. Their imposing forms barred her path to the doors behind which she could feel her mate and brother. Her sharp blue eyes swept over them, quickly noting the details of their armor. One of the males bore the unmistakable mark of allegiance to Maul: metal horns crowning his helmet like a twisted homage.
Firefly tilted her head, her golden skin glowing brighter in the dim light. Her six emerald wings flared wide in a challenge, their edges shimmering with latent power. She fully expected resistance perhaps a fight to prove herself worthy of entering Maul's domain. But instead of raising their weapons or issuing threats, the three Mandalorians surprised her. They each dropped to one knee, bowing low before her in reverence.
Her eyes widened, the glow within them flickering as she sensed their submission through the Force. The depth of their devotion startled her, but it was the horned leader who spoke first, his voice modulated by his helmet's mechanical filter yet steady with sincerity.
"Mistress," he said, bowing his horned head slightly lower. "How can the Commandos serve you?"
Firefly blinked in surprise, recalling Maul's earlier warning that all under his rule were to show her the utmost respect. Despite her mate's assurances, she was unaccustomed to such immediate deference. She had spent her existence fighting for every ounce of respect, earning it through blood, song, and survival. To have it offered so freely unsettled her.
The leader kept his gaze on her, while the other two Mandalorians remained focused on the ground, their deference absolute. Firefly's voice was soft and melodic, carrying an ethereal quality as she addressed them, her curiosity piqued. "What is your name?" she asked, her tone chiming like a distant bell. "Remove your helmets. I wish to see your faces."
She felt their surprise ripple through the Force, but they obeyed without hesitation. The leader was the first to remove his helmet, tucking it under his arm. His pale, battle-worn face was framed by blond hair streaked with silver, and his grey eyes gleamed with conviction.
"My name is Gar Saxon, my Lady," he introduced himself with a measured bow of his head. He gestured to the others. "This is Rook Kast." He indicated the sole female in the group, who was quick to lift her gaze to Firefly, her features sharp and confident. "And this is my younger brother, Tiber Saxon." The youngest Mandalorian, barely more than a boy, flushed slightly under the introduction, though he kept his posture formal.
Firefly nodded at each in turn, her gaze lingering on Rook Kast longer than the others. It had been so long since she had encountered another living woman. Her own people had been entirely female, and the absence of such companionship left an ache in her heart. A faint hope stirred that perhaps this warrior could one day be a friend.
"Rise, please," Firefly said, tucking her emerald wings neatly behind her and dimming her glow further. Now that she understood they were not here to challenge her, there was no need to overwhelm them with her presence. The three warriors stood, though Tiber hesitated slightly, his youthful awe at her lingering despite his elder brother's sharp glance.
She took a moment to observe them more closely. Unlike the scavengers who had once imprisoned her, these humans exuded neither malice nor cruelty. Instead, she felt a mix of curiosity and devotion. Her soft smile warmed them, and her light shimmered faintly, unintentionally drawing them closer. Tiber, caught up in her presence, took a step toward her, his eyes wide and transfixed.
Gar Saxon reacted immediately, snapping out a hand to stop his younger brother. "Tiber," he growled, his tone sharp with disapproval. "Control yourself."
The boy blinked, startled, and stepped back, his pale cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Apologies, my Lady," Gar said, his voice tinged with frustration. "He is still a child."
Firefly laughed softly, the sound like a gentle melody that seemed to ease the tension. "It's not his fault, Commander," she said, her gaze twinkling with understanding. She pulled back her power, containing it beneath her glowing skin. She hadn't realized how easily humans could become enraptured by her, and it amused her slightly to see the effect she had.
Her gaze shifted to the metal doors behind them, her curiosity returning. "I would like to go inside. Am I allowed?" she asked, tilting her head with an avian grace.
Rook Kast was quick to answer, her tone almost eager. "Of course, my Lady. Maul rules under Mandalorian law, and as his mate, you are our Queen."
The word struck Firefly like a bolt. Queen. Her shock rippled through the Force as she processed the title, one she had never considered for herself. Her gaze flicked back to the woman, who smiled softly, her sincerity apparent. Firefly found herself at a loss for words, her mind spinning with the implications. Queen. Was this truly her place now?
Firefly nodded slowly, stepping toward the doors with newfound determination. If this was to be her role, she would wield it with the same strength and conviction that had brought her this far. Behind those doors waited her mate, her brother, and the future she was determined to shape.