(Maul’s POV)

  As had been the case for most of his confinement, Maul sat calmly in the centre of his cell. A cell that he was forced to begrudgingly admit was designed exceptionally well for containing Force users. The platform he was trapped on sat in the centre of the room, a good twenty metres from the wall or the very small ledge that was in front of the door that would lead out of the cell. Such a jump was but a minor inconvenience for one as well trained and powerful in commanding the Force, however, to reach that ledge, he had to contend with a ray shield that encased the platform projected down from above.

  Again, the ray shield was a minor annoyance on its own, as he could easily reach out with the Force and crush the projector, or any semi-critical component inside it, such was his domination over the Force. However, doing so, or using the Force to activate the controls for the ray shield, the walkway that extended to his platform or the door out of the cell would result in the vents in the room sucking all the air from the cell.

  When he had first been told of that, not long after waking in a rage at his defeat to the Jedi Cameron Shan, Maul hadn’t believed the Mandalorian that spoke to him from behind an armoured face. He had reached out with the Force and began crushing the ray shield’s projector. Just as the warrior had warned, alert sirens sounded, and the vents opened.

  Maul knew he could survive in the vacuum of space for a decent while, and felt he could overcome the issue, kill every Mandalorian trying to contain him here and defeat the other defences – which extended to the numerous laser cannons that were dotted around the walls and all activated the moment the shield was dropped. However, a quiver in the Force, one that he had not felt before, had quelled his rage.

  He had ripped the answers from the Force, and as much as he didn’t believe it, understood that this was where he needed to be. At first, he had believed that it was so he could learn from his failure and await recovery by agents of his Master, Darth Sidious. Even while he waited for that believed inevitable rescue, Maul postulated ways to escape.

  He was forced, as the days ticked away, to slowly admit that the Mandalorians knew how to contain a Force user. Multiple redundancies and dead-man’s switches existed for each layer of the defences of his cell, ensuring that nothing would be easy. Add in that they rotated their patrols, the times he was fed, and even altered the length of the day and night to deny him a chance to settle, and Maul found himself, rather unexpectedly, gaining an appreciation for his jailors. Yes, the moment he managed to escape from his confines, he would slaughter them all, but for the craftsmanship that had gone into this prison that now held him, they deserved honour in their deaths; one brought on by death at the hands of a fellow warrior.

  Yet, after what he felt was perhaps a week, if not two, and with every potential plan for escape bringing lower odds of success than he was willing to commit to, he remained unable to contact his Master. Even his demands for a response in the Force failed to draw a response, which caused Maul’s fury – barely constrained as it always was because of his training at the hands of Darth Sidious – to swell once more.

  That time, however, the anger was not directed at his captors, but at himself. He deemed himself unworthy of his place at Darth Sidious’ side. He had allowed a Jedi, one weaker than he had expected but resourceful enough to work to overcome those failings in other, slightly unanticipated ways, to not just beat him, but capture him.

  Cameron Shan, that armoured helmet hiding what a Human might deem appealing features, had stood against him on Naboo. The Jedi’s form was perfect, at least in the mechanical sense. No movement was flawed or inaccurate, yet they were all predictable. As if Maul was training against a droid with the ability to match a Force user for speed and dexterity. Maul had enjoyed the long-held thought that the Padawan he had defeated before engaging Shan, the one for which his reason for being on that insignificant backwater of a planet, shared a connection with, had been a greater threat.

  Yes, the female was far from being as skilled as Shan, nor as powerful as her slain Master with the Force. Yet, when forced to engage him, she had adapted and drawn on the Force. Doing so, much to Maul’s at the time anger but now begrudging respect, by bending the Force to her demands. However, in the end, her use of the Dark Side was that of a child dipping their toe into the deepest depths of the Force, whereas he had bathed in it since he was taken in by Darth Sidious and trained in the ways of the Sith.

  Yet, for all his flaws, for the clear weaknesses he had, Shan had come prepared, and thanks to the help of that damned armour, the same one he saw whenever one of the guards ordained to enter his cell, he had defeated Maul. It had taken time, more than he now was happy about, before Maul had not just accepted his defeat, but gained some begrudging respect for Shan. The child, for that was what he was, no matter that the Jedi made him a Knight, had adapted and overcome his failings. He had, in at least several ways, broken the chains that contained him. Both those created by the Force in whatever twisted ideals it had placed on Shan and in the flawed teachings of the Jedi.

  That realisation had sparked something unexpected in Maul. The understanding of why Darth Sidious spoke so highly of Shan – perhaps even considering replacing Maul with him – and in Maul’s own failings. The realisation that his training had been constrained and narrowly focused had always been one Maul held, but with time away from the teachings of Darth Sidious, he had slowly come to understand his flaws were not ones he had worked to overcome. Not just because of his own innate belief, instilled in him by Darth Sidious that he was a weapon built to kill Jedi, but because his Master had failed to complete his teachings to where he might be a suitable Apprentice for the Dark Lord of the Sith.

  That had caused his anger to shift again, moving towards his Master. Anger that threatened for longer than he was happy to admit, threatened to consume him for far longer than it should’ve. As time passed, and one day slipped into the next, Maul began to understand that his Master had abandoned him, not just because he had failed, but because he had always been disposable. He was never the one Darth Sidious intended for the role of Apprentice once Darth Plagueis was removed. He had only ever been a tool for Darth Sidious to send against enemies he couldn’t himself – for whatever reason – eliminate personally.

  Maul had ruminated for some time on the whispered words from his now former Master, remembering well the promises that once Darth Plagueis was killed, Maul’s training would be completed so he would be a worthy Apprentice for the new Dark Lord of the Sith. One that could honour and carry forth the teaching of Darth Bane as the Grand Plan was enacted. Those words, which he understood now were little more than spice-covered lies designed to keep Maul obedient as much as the harsh punishments and gruelling training, were worthless. Whispers on the winds like the countless others Sidious had told others, even his Master, Darth Plagueis, during his rise to power.

  He remembered well the attack on Sojourn, the failure of it and the punishment brought forth by Darth Sidious for not killing, or at the very least gravely wounding Darth Plagueis. How his former Master had been infuriated at the failure and had punished Maul for weeks afterwards. At the time, Maul had borne the punishment as he felt he should. He had failed and deserved to be punished. Yet, with time to consider the matter, Maul now understood that Darth Sidious had been less enraged at the failure than at his Master still living. It, along with other similar memories, had Maul questioning the power of his former Master. At least in a sense.

  Darth Sidious was powerful, incredibly so, and Maul retained thanks that he had been trained by the Sith Lord. Yet, it was clear that Darth Sidious, for all his power and influence, was still weaker than Darth Plagueis. That he had no intention, or perhaps ability, to strike down his Master and replace him if engaged directly. Now, Maul understood that diversion and distraction were the way of the Sith since the creation of the Rule of Two by Darth Bane. However, the clarity of thought his confinement had brought helped show him that he was nothing but a weapon to be thrown at targets and that his Master was not all-powerful.

  With those thoughts in mind, Maul had turned inward. Not in anger at himself, Darth Sidious, Shan, or anything else. No, he did so with the intention that, as his confinement continued and granted him the peace of environment to do so, to see that not only was he not what he should be, but that Darth Sidious had purposefully made it so. He understood that now, with nothing else to do and time to use, he could change that. That there was much his former Master had failed and chosen to teach him.

  Thus, with his location certain but his path not, Maul reached into the Force and ripped from it any scrap of potential knowledge. He would remain here until such time as he was ready to leave, or the Force offered an opening he would take, and work to improve himself. He had focused on matters that Darth Sidious had told him were unimportant to his training, or that would come later once Darth Plagueis was killed. Maul understood that what he was learning himself had little base from which to work. Just fleeting passages of text in the various ancient Sith manuscripts that Sidious had allowed him to pursue, or displays of the Force that he had seen Jedi he had fought and killed display. However, it did not matter. He would learn those abilities, he would grow stronger so that when the time came, and he was free of this confinement, one he was now using to his advantage, he would be able to strike against those who had…

  Maul’s eyes shot open as he sensed something truly unexpected in the Force. For the first time in his confinement, he felt not just the potential of the Force within someone, but the control of one who had mastered influence and domination over the Force. Power unlike that of his former Master, but potentially far grander and more dangerous, was nearby.

  He stood slowly, his mind pushing into the Force, demanding answers about the newcomer. This was not his former Master, nor as he brushed up against the shields that seemed to contain the raging fury of a galactic storm, was this his Master, Darth Plagueis. He had never directly met his former Master’s Master; however, he had been close enough on occasion to brush up against the Muun’s defences without, he hoped, being detected. Darth Plagueis’ defences were incredible, putting to shame those of his former Master. Yet, this approaching individual was not the Muun.

  The Force was shifting, reacting even though they were a great distance apart, to the presence of Maul and the newcomer, and he felt it lurch at the display of power raging within it. With perhaps a hint of desperation, or even hope, that this was when his confinement would end, Maul grasped at the Force, demanding to know what was happening and who this newcomer was.

  He stumbled back as the newcomer not only denied him that knowledge, but slammed his probes into the Force back with power that, as he blinked in his cell, Maul understood was powerful. Potentially surpassing that of his former Master. “Impossible,” he muttered as he recovered from the backlash.

  The power he had felt, though still raw and in many ways immature, was almost intoxicating. Particularly as Maul had not felt the presence of another Force user since his defeat at the hands of …

  “No,” he mumbled as his eyes widened. “It cannot be.” He moved around his platform as anxiously as he ever had. “It cannot.” Yet, as much as he wished to deny it, the newcomer approaching, the one with power on a scale he had perhaps never experienced before was Cameron Shan. “Impossible,” he muttered again while shaking his head.

  Maul had longed for the day when he might face Shan again. First, when consumed by rage at Shan and then himself, so that he might splatter the Human’s blood on the ground and remove the stench of defeat from himself. Then, once he had regained control of his fury, so that he might learn how the Jedi had prepared for, and in the end, bested him. Yet never in his wildest expectations did he predict that when Shan ordained to re-enter his presence, not only would Shan have grown more powerful than Maul had ever considered probable, but that he did so by using Sith techniques.

  Maul had wondered, and in a few of those more despised moments of weakness feared, that Shan would come. That he would, having become the new and true Apprentice of Darth Sidious, appear to engage and then kill Maul. Yet, while it was undeniable that Shan was drawing on and commanding the Dark Side, Maul didn’t sense his impending doom. Nor what he would now consider the taint of his former Master.

  “Interesting.”

  Shan was using techniques that one could only learn from the Sith to mask his Force signature, or had been before Maul had been caught unaware of his presence. He was now not attempting to constrain his signature, letting Maul freely sense the way Shan bent the Force to his desires and assumed control over the system they were in. That meant Maul had time to prepare for their meeting, and perhaps if Maul were interpreting the ways the eddies in the Force seemed to be shifting, that their confrontation would not be one that ended in bloodshed. It still might, as Shan was denying him the ability to wrest answers from the Force – another sign of Shan’s seemingly unlocked power – yet Maul felt there was the chance that something unexpected, but intriguing, was on the verge of happening.

  Knowing he had time to meditate on the matter, Maul sat down and resumed his earlier position. The same one he held most often when awake. Shan was inbound, but there was time for Maul to consider what was about to happen and ensure that his rage at seeing the one who had defeated and imprisoned him here would not overwhelm him. He was not the rabid dog that his former Master had created to unleash on his enemies. No, Maul served himself now and had control of his desires. That said, if the confrontation between himself and Shan turned violent, Maul would ensure that if he were to fall on this day, then he would ensure that Shan would remember it for eternity.

  He had gained power during his time here. While most of that was outwardly untested for he refused to reveal what he was now capable of to his captors, he knew with certainty that even denied his lightsaber – something he suspected he would have to replace when he finally determined a method of escape from this containment – he could defeat a Jedi. The issue was that Shan was no longer a Jedi.

  It was possible that he might claim to be one to others, but he had revealed the truth of himself to Maul. He was a Sith, though not one of Darth Bane’s lineage. Maul felt his face shift, and the faintest hint of a smile slip onto his face before he schooled his features. Shan wasn’t here to prove his worth to Darth Sidious, nor for all his power was Shan ready to face Maul’s former Master. Yet he was a Sith, and that thread was one that Maul, after countless months, if not years, within this cell, found himself pulling on.

  For all his hopes and desires, for his need to escape to defeat Shan, destroy Sidious and devastate the Jedi and the Republic, Maul was not one to get lost in them. The future was uncertain, and the way the Force was rising and swirling into a seeming monsoon that was slowly tightening as Shan approached. Yet, he sensed that perhaps, just perhaps, there was a way out of his confinement that would allow him the opportunity to gain his vengeance against all who had wronged him. However, for all that he longed for freedom from his confinement, he would not trade one Master for another.

  Time fell away as he focused on ensuring he was prepared for the meeting. Shan had willingly given him warning of his approach, and Maul would not fail to use it. Nor did it seem, as his mind once more lingered on the possibility of freedom, would he stop considering what it meant. However, he knew that no answer would come until he faced Shan.

  That Shan had chosen to not appear in the days and weeks after their battle on Naboo was a sign of wisdom from the young Human. Had he appeared, then in the rage that Maul had struggled to contain and forge, Maul knew he would’ve lashed out and not heard anything the clearly former Jedi had to say. Now, though, with time to accept events and see his flaws, ones hidden from him before, Maul knew he would listen. However, if it were the best option he had available, he would strike down Shan if he could.

  Shan was edging closer, now on the station. For all the training the Mandalorians had to protect themselves against the Force, Maul had time, patience, and new training that allowed him to, if not influence the minds of these warriors, then at least sense where they were around him. They might change their patterns, both when any appeared in his cell and those without rotated, but their central command station was one Maul knew the exact location of. Much as he did the hangar bay in which Shan was now moving.

  He sat there waiting patiently for Shan’s arrival, his eyes opening a mere moment before he heard the outer door of his cell unseal and slide back. Shan emerged a moment later, revealed in the same armour as he had worn on Naboo.

  As Shan looked over at him, Maul felt a flicker of something in the Force. Something new, unexpected, and yet not dangerous. His brow tightened as he understood Shan had used some technique that he had never encountered before. Perhaps one that not even his former Master or his Master knew of. Another hint that this was not the same Human he had faced on Naboo.

  As Shan lifted his hands to his helmet, Maul allowed the faintest flicker of amusement to slide over his face. Shan had replaced the limb Maul had taken, and would no matter if Maul fell today or another, carry the reminder of their battle until he himself perished. That caused a spark of pride to form within Maul; however, he refused to dwell on it.

  The sight of the face of the man who was responsible for his imprisonment came into view, and while externally he remained calm, inside Maul felt the furnace of his rage swell up. One of those he wished to defeat and destroy was there before him. All he had to do was reach out and crush him. However, Maul controlled his rage. He was in command, not the internal furnace nor the whispered voices of temptation that came from the maddest sections of the Force that, if able to, would twist weak fools into pathetic husks.

  “Hello, Maul. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

  Maul stared at the face of the Human, comparing it to the one burned into his memory from before he was sent to Naboo by his former Master. On the surface, only minor differences were visible. A few years have passed, the Human’s hair has grown longer, and there is stubble on his chin and jaw. Yet it was the eyes that drew Maul’s attention. There, in what some weak-willed sentients would say the window to one’s soul; Maul saw the proof of the changes he felt radiating into the Force from Shan. Young though he may be, in the Human’s eyes Maul saw the heart of a warrior, one forged in fire, which caused a small shift in his opinion of Shan. A small measure of respect was gained as he peered at the warrior who stood before him. One who freely and openly commanded the Force to do his bidding.

  Maul’s eyes drifted to Shan’s side, noting the lightsaber there. A momentary flicker of irritation rushed through him at both the fact that Shan had replaced the weapon he had destroyed and that his blade was lost somewhere on Naboo. If not destroyed by Shan in an act of vengeance after their duel.

  Shan’s lips twitched as if he knew what Maul was feeling and thinking. Maul’s gaze shifted back to the Human’s face, though as it did he pushed into the Force, using it to demand the truth of what Shan had become and find some minuscule crack through whatever illusion Shan was projecting to make him appear more powerful, if unrefined, in comparison to what he had been when they had fought on Naboo.

  The twitch turned into a small grin as Shan felt Maul’s actions within the Force. Yet, instead of pushing back or attempting to crush the probe, Shan didn’t just allow it. No, he dropped the first layer of his defences, allowing Maul to access the surface of the Human’s mind that mingled with the Force.

  It took all of Maul’s control not to display his surprise and shock outwardly at not just Shan’s willingness to let Maul examine him within the Force, but at what he felt. The same storm that he had sensed from distance was still present, still threatening to engulf a star if given the freedom to do so. Yet it remained contained: crystallised behind a wall of sheer will that, in the moments that Maul allowed himself to examine it, no hint of a flaw could be found.

  Oh, Shan lacked the control and sophistication that Maul’s former Master held over the Force, but Maul was left in little doubt that in terms of sheer potential, Shan was the most powerful Force user he had ever encountered. Part of him raged at Shan, wondering how the Human had altered himself so dramatically since Naboo. Another voice screamed that it should be he who held that power, not Shan. Neither demand was given the attention they sought, not now that Maul had learnt to truly harness and control the Force around him.

  Yet as he continued to examine Shan, as he demanded the submission of the Force, he could feel Shan’s grasp over it as well. A grasp that, if Shan wished, would push Maul from what he was doing with an ease that Maul considered almost insulting. His former Master often displayed the difference in power and command that existed before them, yet Shan did not. Most curious, and potentially useful.

  “Anything to say?” Shan asked, seemingly trying to break the ice as it were between them.

  Maul remained silent, content to stay in his meditative position for now. He might be the prisoner here, but he sensed that it was he who had command of the situation. That Shan wished for something from him. That said, Maul would admit that the way the Force positively bristled with intent around them had him curious as to Shan’s purpose here.

  There was no malice in Shan’s body language nor within the Force. Nor did Maul sense Shan intended to kill him; something that Maul would make most difficult even without his lightsaber and trapped behind the ray shield as he was. If Maul did not know better, he would suspect that Shan had a purpose here that, potentially, might see Maul somehow freed from his confinement.

  “I mean, I knew you never said much when around Darth Sidious, but come on.” Maul’s face remained impassive, but a fractional tremor must’ve slipped into the Force as Shan’s grin widened into a smile. “Ah, there we go. I was hoping the mention of your Master would be what I needed to draw a response.”

  “Former Master,” Maul said quietly, deciding to use his first words to make clear his current position within the Sith Order.

  “Ah. My mistake. I must admit I’m not as up to date on the current rank and file of the Order of Darth Bane as I once was.” Maul felt a tremor of something radiate from Shan at the mention of Darth Bane and the Sith who had followed his teachings. Not anger, but perhaps irritation and annoyance. He couldn’t be sure as Shan’s mental defences, even with the outermost layer of his mind exposed for Maul to sense, were immense. As if hardened, rather appropriately given Shan’s outfit, by beskar.

  Another silence fell over the chamber. Maul’s gaze held Shan’s, the pair calmly waiting for something to give. A sliver of infuriation formed in Maul as he sensed this was what Shan wanted. To draw Maul out of the shell he had crafted to contain himself while trapped in this cell. Maul didn’t wish to give the Human the satisfaction of responding, but the flicker of curiosity about what Shan had just revealed he knew slowly grew inside Maul like vines moving to cover a tower.

  “How do you know that name?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Darth Sidious.”

  Shan chuckled, and Maul sensed amusement from the Human, along with, entirely confusingly, relief and delight, radiating into the Force. Almost as if Shan longed to speak that name, and what he knew, but had never done so before. That made no sense. Shan was not in the service of Darth Sidious or Darth Plagueis. Particularly not with how he referred to the Order of Darth Bane earlier. Yet Maul sensed through the Force that Shan knew the truth of both figures, and yet also had not mentioned them to others. Perplexing in the extreme.

  “You mean Chancellor Sheev Palpatine?” Maul felt his brow rise, the sheer shock at hearing the mention of Darth Sidious’ public persona, and so brazenly done so at that, was enough to break through Maul’s control for a moment. “Yes, I know who the Chancellor is.” Hearing that the plan to see Darth Sidious elected to lead the Republic had succeeded was interesting and, potentially, once Maul finally escaped his confinement, troubling. “Well, Co-Chancellor.”

  “Co?” Maul couldn’t help himself. The apparently simple slip by Shan added another crack to the barriers Maul had around his emotions and control. It was a minor revelation, but with the earlier connection of Palpatine to Darth Sidious, enough to further chip away at his resolve and allow faint flickers of his emotions to leak into the Force.

  Shan’s lips twitched, suggesting he had sensed Maul’s latest slip brought on by his surprise. At least before Maul had restored his control. “Yes. It seems that after his election, the invasion on Naboo helping to secure his position as he intended,” again, Shan displayed that he knew more than he should, “Sheev Palpatine, in his first official act as Chancellor, determined the office was too broad a scope for a single being to manage. Thus, he openly appointed a Co-Chancellor to rule alongside him with equal powers. Hego Damask.” Maul’s brow shot up at the revelation, unable to contain his shock at this revelation,” or as you know him, Darth Plagueis.”

  “How?” The word, much to his embarrassment and irritation, slipped from Maul before he could stop it.

  “How what? How did Sidious manage that, or how do I know that Damask is Sidious’ Master, Darth Plagueis?”

  “Both,” Maul replied, seeing no reason not to respond. In the few moments that this conversation had been taking place, much of Maul’s belief in the hidden status of the Sith Order and its hidden figures of power had been shattered. As if what he felt from Shan was accurate, the Human was almost revelling in what he was revealing.

  “To the latter, well, that’s a story that I can’t tell you the full details of. What I can say is that I have discovered, let’s say an ability, that allows me to learn secrets for someone with the subtlest of effort. It isn’t infallible, but it does help immensely.” Maul wanted to dismiss Shan’s words, to believe he was lying to him, yet he found no hint that Shan was being deceitful.

  Maul reached into the Force and browsed his memory of this encounter, seeking the faintest of hints as to how Shan had learnt these truths. “When you entered, you did something… unknown to me with the Force.”

  “Yes, and no,” Shan replied almost infuriatingly. “Those with immense control of the Force, or a strong connection to me, can sense my ability. However, it isn’t a Force power per se. More a… gift that I possess. One of several, though you’ll not be learning about the others today.” A burst of anger flared in Maul. Being denied knowledge and power as Sidious had done to him on many an occasion during his training only fuelled that anger, as Shan now did likewise. However, Maul was not some wild beast and contained his anger.

  “Honestly, I couldn’t explain it fully if I wanted to. There’s… rules attached and…” Shan paused suddenly and chuckled. His head lowered as he shook it, causing the hair to flap about irritatingly, while he laughed at some private jest. As Maul waited for Shan to recover from whatever had caused the bout of amusement, he pressed into the Force, trying to use a sliver of his control over it to pierce the protections around Shan’s mind.

  Shan’s head lifted, and he wagged a finger as Maul was pushed back from the walls around Shan’s mind with raw power that Maul knew, as much as it only fuelled his simmering rage, he could never match. “Uh-uh. No peeking without permission,” He said almost dismissively. Lifting his head, and pushed the hair from his face. “Sorry, it’s just… Well, I’ve never been able to say much of what I know to others. Never met another I could explain certain things to without, well,” Shan waved his hand aimlessly, seemingly dismissing the matter. Maul wished to know more, but he sensed that Shan would not be revealing anything about this ability of his, or the others he had hinted at, today. “Anyway, Plagueis… I met him for the first time on Mandalore, at the start of their last civil war.”

  Using the Force, Maul sought to confirm that Shan was speaking the truth and received that affirmation. Maul knew of that encounter from his former Master, and while Maul had thought at the time that Darth Sidious had been irritated by the event because it might have meant a glimmer in the veil that hid them from the sight of the Jedi had been weakened, Maul now knew understood that was not the case. Darth Sidious had been annoyed as it was a moment when his Master might’ve been weakened enough that Maul’s former Master might’ve struck down Darth Plagueis, and Shan had been brought to Darth Plagueis’ attention.

  “It was there that I discovered, through my gift, that he was Darth Plagueis.” Again, this was the truth, though Maul sensed there was something else about the moment that Shan was keeping hidden. Nothing that suggested deception, but that not all the truth was being revealed. A sign that Shan was wiser than his age made him appear to be, though, after how the Human had worked to overcome his flaws so he could defeat him on Naboo, Maul was hardly shocked at learning the Human had wisdom beyond his years. “And it was from there that I was drawn into the plans of the two Sith Lords. As for how Sidious moved to have his Master made Co-Chancellor, well, that I suspect is my fault.”

  Maul remained silent, not wishing any of his confusion and shock that not only was Plagueis still alive, but now a Co-Chancellor of the feeble Republic, to slip into the Force so that Shan might further enjoy his confusion. His former Master had told him that once he was Chancellor, he would strike down Darth Plagueis, yet that was not what had happened. Another sign of the lies and deceit that his former Master was a master of. Something that only proved that his true name was one well taken from the Force.

  “Like you, I’d expected Plagueis to fall after Naboo, regardless of who won our duel. However, instead, Sidious didn’t strike down his Master as intended. Instead, he chose to make him Co-Chancellor, and now two Sith Lords instead of one hold the highest office in the Republic, and from there,” Shan shrugged as if there was nothing he could do about something, “well, they can enact their Grand Plan.”

  Once more, Maul was caught flat-footed. Even if by some miracle this power that Shan claimed to possess insight into a person, even one who was trained to hide the truth of their nature from others, there was no way that he should know of the Grand Plan. It was the Sith’s most closely guarded secret. Even more so than their presence in the Republic. To hear it so openly mentioned drove a stake through whatever remained of Maul’s loyalty to his former Master and the Sith Order.

  “As for how and what I know of that, well, we can discuss that later.” Maul fought the urge to leap to his feet and demand answers now. Only his control over himself and the raging inferno that burned at his core prevented him from doing so.

  He was glad for his control because a moment later, Shan reached for the controls near him. The sound of the machine beneath the ledge echoed in the chamber, and Maul watched silently with Shan as a walkway extended from that ledge towards the platform where Maul was contained. As normal, it stopped before touching the ray shield.

  Shan moved forward, walking towards the shield, and Maul, reacting not just to that but to the swirling shifts in the Force around him, stood. As he did, Maul watched Shan’s movements. Controlled, concise, and purposeful. Those of a warrior certain of themselves. Maul also noted that Shan wore more than just his lightsaber. On the other hip rested the blade he had used during their duel on Naboo, and Maul knew the gauntlet on the right arm contained weaponry and was certain the replacement would also. Shan was not, from everything he had studied before Naboo and then observed today, one unwilling to approach a threat unprepared. And a threat Maul knew he was, even contained behind the shield.

  “I enjoyed our fight on Naboo,” Shan said once he was just on the other side of the ray shield, the energy barrier the only thing stopping either from striking the other.

  “As did I,” Maul replied, matching Shan’s honesty. “Though I expected better from one my former Master spoke so highly of,” he added challengingly, curious as to how Shan would react and respond.

  Instead of even a flicker of anger from Shan, which was what Maul had intended to bring forth, the Human chuckled and shook his head again. A habit that Maul was already growing irritated by. “Yeah, I had… issues back then,” he said, the truth of his words freely radiating into the Force. “Ones that almost, even knowing the confrontation the Force intended for us there, cost me my life.”

  “If not for your armour and the weapons within, you would have fallen like other Jedi before you.” Maul paused, there, letting a small smile appear on his lips. “As did the Padawan you were close to.”

  The comment, as intended, drew a small sliver of rage from Shan. The fury that sparked into the Force for a brief moment was glorious, both because of the reminder to Shan that he was the better duellist, and as it let Maul taste the simmering fury that raged within Shan. A rage that he found reminded him of the rage that dwelt at his core.

  Maul did consider using the spark of anger to slip deeper into Shan’s mind, but before he could do as he had done on Naboo on occasion, Shan regained his composure. No hint of the fury remained in the Force, displaying Shan’s new control over it and himself, something that earned him another mark of respect from Maul. Like him, the Human was not some mindless beast to be directed blindly at the target of their Masters.

  “She survived, barely,” Shan replied slowly after regaining control of the momentary outburst. “Her Master, the former Battlemaster of the Order, just to confirm, didn’t.” The knowledge that the Jedi Master had died was one he already had, but learning that it had been the supposed foremost warrior in the Jedi was both pleasing and yet oddly unsatisfying.

  Maul recalled the duel he had engaged in with a Twi’lek Jedi and his Padawan on Coruscant not long before Naboo. That Jedi Master had been a better fighter than any he had faced on Naboo, but he too had fallen to Maul’s blade as would any Jedi who dared to face him. Even the frantic last attempt at killing Maul while he died had failed to grant the Twi’lek any sliver of victory in defeat. Just as had been the case for every opponent Maul had engaged. Save, unfortunately, the one before him. Yet it was clear to Maul that Shan was no longer a Jedi, and perhaps that was part of how he had managed to survive their encounter on that irritating world.

  “And where is she now?” Maul asked slowly, sensing a thread from the girl, Serra Keto he recalled, with which to potentially torment Shan and test his resolve.

  “She… remains with the Jedi, her training taken over by Master Windu.” Maul nodded. While he had been trained to combat any Jedi, Master Windu was one of those his former Master considered a threat to the Sith. If the Padawan was being trained by one of the best warriors in the Jedi, such as they were, then she would emerge stronger from it. It would not, however, change the outcome if she ever chose to cross blades with him again. “However, neither she nor the other Jedi are why I’m here today, Maul.”

  Maul crossed his arms, waiting to hear the reason that brought Shan to his cell, and that was causing the Force to rise around them. As if they were engulfed in the eye of a storm that could ravage a planet if it so wished.

  “I’m here because, after defeating you, which I admit was because of my armour and weapons,” Maul nodded, accepting the caveat of his defeat, though it did nothing to dull the long-held anger at the failure, “I realised something.” Shan paused and, annoyingly, chuckled once more. “A great many things actually. However, the one that concerns you most is that I saw I had to change. That I had to overcome and break through the… chains that contained me and prevented me from embracing the power that flows within me.”

  “I can sense that you have, in more ways than perhaps the Jedi would approve of.”

  Shan smirked. “Yes, though as I no longer serve the Council, nor the Republic, that is none of their concern.” Maul allowed his brow to rise at those words, making clear his approval of Shan breaking through the lies of the Jedi just as he had done with those of his former Master. “Just as your… evolution is none of the concern of Darth Sidious. At least currently.”

  “I will not return to serve him,” Maul said slowly, sensing that this was a moment to bear some of the truth of how he had changed. “I will not serve anyone ever again.”

  “As you shouldn’t,” Shan replied with an approving nod. “The lies of the Jedi and Sith; blinded fools and dishonourable tyrants that they are, are not paths we should allow ourselves to believe or follow.”

  Maul nodded, finding himself agreeing with the one responsible for placing him in this cage, and thus granting him the time to realise the truth of who and what he was, and what his purpose was meant to be. “Then what are we to do?”

  “Now that is a question,” Shan responded with a smile. One that seemed to echo into the Force as he took command of it and bent it inward, displaying his power over it. “The galaxy stands on the precipice of war. Even if, but a miracle that no gambler would ever take the chance on, the Jedi discover the truth about the Banite Sith, The Republic will fall. The galaxy will burn. But in that crucible of war, in the terror and torment that will be unleashed, there exists the chance to shape the future into something… different. Something better and greater than another empire or republic bound to the failings of the Jedi and Sith.”

  Maul considered Shan carefully, pushing aside the way the Force called temptingly for him to accept the truth in the Human’s words. Instead, he pushed into the Force, seeking to rip hints of what Shan was considering and proposing. His eyes widened as, in that moment, Shan allowed a fraction of his plans to drift into the Force.

  Shan wouldn’t move to stop war coming to the galaxy, but he wouldn’t stop Maul’s former Master and Darth Plagueis from bringing down the Republic. No, as he had said, Shan intended to use the coming war to… shatter everything and rebuild the galaxy anew, free of the falsehoods peddled by the Jedi and Sith. Or at least, Maul realised as he sensed more, the lies of the Sith since Darth Bane.

  Maul’s eyes closed as he felt the presence of one who understood the Dark Side and used it freely and openly. Shan was not a Sith of the Order that he had been trained in, but one born of the old ways. Of a time when the Dark Side was used as it should be; to empower those willing to grasp and mould it and control the fate of themselves and the galaxy.

  Slowly, recovering from the sensations he felt and processing the realisation of what Shan was planning, Maul opened his eyes. “I will not bend the knee to you, or anyone else. Not again,” he repeated slowly. Yes, there was an appeal to Shan’s vision for the future, but Maul wouldn’t serve at the behest of another as a tool for their vision. He wouldn’t permit another to deny him the power and control he knew he deserved. No, he would help shape the destiny of the galaxy with the strength of his might and will.

  “I would not ask that of you,” Shan responded quickly, dismissing the idea as if it insulted him. “No, what I seek is... an ally. A Wrath and Right Hand to show the galaxy that I am not the only one who will shape and define the future. I don’t wish for an apprentice. I have one already. What I seek is one willing, able, and powerful enough to help enact my vision.”

  “And how do you propose to do that?” Maul asked slowly, lifting one hand to draw it near the shield. That caused the energy to flicker out, sending small, easily manageable sparks of pain to rush deliciously through his body.

  “Through combat,” Shan replied calmly, with a small smile. One that Maul matched at hearing the words. “If I cannot prove myself in battle against those I wish to ally with, how can I expect them to help me create the future I demand?”

  As Maul watched, Shan reached behind his back, into the gap between his armour and the cape that hung behind it. His eyes narrowed as he felt another unusual shift in the Force, only for them to open as Shan’s hand pulled back. Within his grasp, somehow, rested Maul’s lightsaber.

  “I’m offering you a chance, Maul. Not just to be free of this confinement, but to help shape what will rise from the ashes of the Republic, the Jedi, and the Banite Sith,” Shan said slowly as he brought the blade in front of him, allowing Maul to see it was exactly as he remembered. Even down to the small scratch that he hadn’t been certain had appeared in the casing when he had been struck by those darts Shan had used to subdue him.

  “If I agree to this proposal, to this duel to prove your worth, it must be fought on equal grounds,” Maul said slowly as his eyes rose from his lightsaber once more to meet Shan’s. “No armour, no fancy toys or deceitful trickery. Just us, our blades, and our mastery over the Force.”

  Shan nodded. “Of course.” He spoke with certainty of victory, and Maul could sense through the Force that he expected as much. Such belief riled Maul, but he kept those feelings internal.

  “And what exactly will happen when, as on Naboo, I prove to be the better fighter?” He asked firmly, as certain of his victory as Shan was of his. One of them would be wrong, but even though Shan had changed drastically from the Jedi he had faced on Naboo, and that Maul had only lost because of the same armour Shan now wore, Maul knew it would not be him. He would see, finally, after countless nights, Shan broken and defeated at his feet.

  Shan laughed gently. “In the improbable event that you are able to defeat me, then our roles reverse. I shall become your ally and Right Hand.” Again, Shan spoke with certainty, but that was to be expected. No warrior could enter a battle expecting anything but victory. Not if they wished to emerge triumphant.

  Maul looked at Shan carefully, judging the Human, the way the Force was rising to what felt like an approaching crescendo of brilliance. One that Maul knew would peak during the battle. The hints of what Shan wished to craft from the chaos of war appealed to Maul. To no one but himself, he knew he lacked a vision for what to do when his freedom came. What Shan proposed was… beautiful chaos. The sort of insanity that, while the chances of success seemed remote – particularly given the power of Maul’s former Master and his Master – was one that was worth pursuing.

  “Then I accept your terms.”

  Shan nodded. “Good.” He shifted his arm holding Maul’s lightsaber hilt and moved it to the other arm, the one grasping his helmet. “However, we won’t fight here. A duel between warriors such as us shouldn’t take place in such an undignified location. No, we should duel in a place worthy of our glory and prowess.”

  Maul felt himself nod. “Agreed.” He lifted his arms, offering them so that Shan could restrain him. While there was none visible, Maul understood that this agreement of a battle between them was why Shan was here, and Maul was more than willing to endure the short insult of being chained if it meant he would soon experience his freedom and have a powerful ally ready to serve him.

  “No need for that,” Shan said, gesturing at Maul’s arms. “Your word that you won’t attempt anything until we duel will suffice.”

  Maul frowned as he once again experienced being caught out by Shan’s manoeuvres. “You are willing to trust me?”

  “I am.”

  “A dangerous choice,” Maul remarked softly as his arms returned to his side, “but one I will honour.” Around him, he felt Shan reach into the Force, bending it to confirm the veracity of Maul’s word. An encouraging sign that Shan had truly embraced the way the Force was meant to be used.

  “Good. I’d hate to have to strike you down and lose a potential ally.” Shan pressed a button on his gauntlet, and a moment later, Maul heard the current surging through the generator above his platform end. A second afterwards, the ray shield between them faded, and for the first time, Maul could see Shan’s face without any impediment.

  Youth was there, but as Maul stood still, ready for any hint of betrayal even though the Force assured him that there wouldn’t be, he saw an older soul. One changed in ways he didn’t yet know but found himself looking forward to learning about.

  “Here.” Shan extended his arm, offering Maul his lightsaber. The action was bold, perhaps too bold. All Maul had to do was take his blade and, with a flick of his wrist, sever Shan’s head from his body. If this offer had been made a few months after Naboo, that was exactly what Maul would’ve done. Thankfully for Shan, the warrior of the Dark Side that stood before him now was tempered by time and reflection.

  His hand moved slowly, sliding around the hilt as Shan released it from his grasp. For the first time since Naboo, Maul felt complete. A weapon the lightsaber may be, but the Jedi were right in saying that, if nothing else, the blade was a part of the user. An extension of their will, and after so very long, Maul was not just complete, but whole.

  Shan took a step back, allowing Maul room to ignite the blade, which he did. A flicker of delight rushed through Maul at feeling the blade come alive in his grasp once more or being reunited with the instrument that had killed so many misguided Jedi, and he hoped, might one day strike down his former Master.

  He gave the blade a few experimental turns, the style he had formed during his training with Darth Sidious rushing to the fore as he moved. To be whole again was invigorating.

  “If you're quite finished reuniting with your blade.” Maul opened his eyes, pulling back from the eddies of the Force that had come naturally to his summons as he acquainted himself with his blade, to see that Shan had turned and moved across the walkway, now standing near the inner door of the cell. “I think it’s time you left this place, and we headed for our duel.”

  Maul nodded, his lightsaber moving to his side and depowering in a single, flowing, almost hypnotic gesture that would entice the minds of weaker beings to think they could claim such an instrument. “It is,” he said with certainty.

  For too long he had stayed in his cage, and while the time had been well spent, to be free again, to know that his path and destiny were finally his and not that of any false Master, was invigorating. He moved down the walkway, his steps measured and controlled, but inside he could feel an ember of delight form. Soon he would cross blades with the one who had caused his imprisonment, and this time, the outcome would be different.

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  And afterwards… the galaxy would learn to fear his name.

  … …

  … …

  (Cam’s POV)

  I walked slowly through the halls of one of many Yamika be Verda – Chamber of Warriors – that existed on Mandalore, a significant group of warriors and one Dark Side Zabrak with me. This Chamber, while not the largest on Mandalore, was still an impressive one and used regularly to settle grudges between Clan Leaders or other significant warriors that existed outside a time of open war between the Clans or an external threat. Any battle that took place here was considered the final matter in whatever dispute was taking place, and any attempt to seek revenge for a loss in a Yamika be Verda was considered highly dishonourable. So much so, in fact, that the warrior who retaliated afterwards could be considered dar’manda or see blood feuds break out between the Clans involved.

  The Yamika be Verda were not used often, or at least hadn’t been over the last century or so, though since the last civil war and the destruction of the insane New Mandalorian faction, they were seeing a slow but steady return to prominence. Or at least public prominence, as those who never agreed with the Republic-backed peace-loving fools, who had tried to change what it meant to be Mando’ade at heart, had continued to use its chambers to settle grudges. However, the ones in Keldabe had been barely used since the New Mandalorians, backed by the Republic in the centuries after the Dral’Han, had risen to supposed power over Mandalore.

  “This is an interesting place.” The comment came from Maul, who walked by my side. Ideally, he would walk a half-step or more behind, but until I defeated him, I knew that wouldn’t happen. Behind and around us was a group of Mando’ade, which included Baston Tyri, Osto Ordo, Pre Vizsla, and Drogo Kryze, among others.

  The presence of those four, two Clan Leaders and two heirs to Clans – and the clans that led the largest Houses among our people – was intentional. As was the choice of venue, and the others who would be present. A Yamika be Verda was the ideal location to duel Maul and determine our positions of importance in what I hoped to craft for the future. By picking one of the larger Chambers, and ensuring that Adonai and Torrhen knew of my intentions, not only would they be present, but so would many of the Clan Leaders who swore to follow them and joined House Kryze or House Ordo. Thus, it presented the ideal opportunity to start impressing those I would need the support of for my eventual rise to becoming Mand'alor.

  “Oh?” I replied to Maul’s comment, the first he had made since we had left his cell. In the hours since then, he had remained quiet and entirely unconcerned by the group of warriors that gathered around him. It didn’t take a genius to sense the belief he had that he could take every Mando’ade present if forced to, nor did I doubt he could do so, though I expected it to be harder than he anticipated. However, as much as I suspected some of the Mando’ade around us wished he would break his word and attempt to escape, Maul made no move to do so.

  He had given his word he would not, something the Force confirmed was truthful, and he had kept it. That was pleasing as it showed he had changed since Naboo, or perhaps adapted might be the better word. From what I knew of him from the other timeline, he had been intelligent, adaptable, and highly capable, and if not for the entirely understandable issues he had held with Obi-Wan Kenobi, might have risen to be something truly terrifying to the Jedi and Sith. It was that idea, and the belief that he would, if given time to contemplate his situation, that had convinced me to attempt to capture him on Naboo. Well, that and the chance that if he failed to prove useful as an ally, I could attempt to break him for information, though I doubted he knew as much as I would like about the Grand Plan. Or at least anything truly critical that I wasn’t already either aware of or suspected.

  “I remember little of my childhood before I was taken to be trained, but I recall hearing that my people used similar structures to settle complications between their leaders.” His head turned slightly so he could watch me, as I was watching him, from the corner of his eye. “That the Mandalorians have such a place as well is unsurprising, but the reminder of a time before I was taken by Darth Sidious is most… pleasing.”

  “Glad you’re happy,” I responded with a chuckle, one that drew a sliver of a smile from him.

  “I am more pleased to be free of my confinement, and that when I defeat you, I shall remain so.” He spoke with certainty, as was to be expected. Anyone who entered a duel for power and control had to believe they were going to win after all; otherwise, they were doomed to fail.

  “You will, even after I again prove my superiority in battle,” I countered, causing that sliver to form into a proper, if small, smile. “And the Mando’ade with us have sworn to me that whatever the outcome, they will not interfere. Not unless you attempt to dishonour the duel and flee instead of fighting. Something we both know you won’t do.”

  “Never. For all I despise my former Master, I will not abandon the ideals of the warrior that were burned into me during my time training under him. To do otherwise would make me no better than the weak-minded fools in this galaxy who believe they have power when what they hold is but an illusion.”

  I nodded, agreeing with the sentiment, and I felt my gauntlet vibrate. Looking down, I saw that Baston had sent a message through the Battlenet, stating his agreement with Maul’s words. Something that it seemed the rest of the warriors with us, and those elsewhere connected to this secure channel of the Battlenet, agreed with. Now, the majority weren’t responding via the Battlenet, instead focused on their duty, but I could sense their pleasure and agreement with Maul’s words. I might not have intended it, but it seemed he was already impressing the warriors I wished to one day have follow me into war.

  The rest of the walk to the arena at the centre of the Chamber was done in silence, which gave me time to plan how I would approach this battle. Or more accurately, refine my plans. I had no intention of killing Maul if I could avoid it. To do so, when the terms of the duel were not to the death, would cheapen the victory in the eyes of the watching Mando’ade, and cost me a useful piece for the coming years, and for one particular mission that I intended, depending on how the next month or so went, to complete before beginning my ascent to the position of Mand'alor.

  Maul’s style, for everything I could recall – both from seeing and fighting him directly and what I knew from my previous life – was one based on explosive power and tenacity. He overwhelmed and dominated every fight he entered, save the one where he and Savage had faced off against Sidious. That one, however, I discounted as the worst ravages of his mental condition had reared their head during the fight, and I suspected he believed he couldn’t defeat his former Master; a factor that, along with Sidious’ insanely powerful abilities, meant the battle was over before it had begun.

  For this duel, I had to adapt. Makashi had a great weakness against powerful opponents and lightsaber forms. I had created my style of combat based on that weakness, and saw that the improvements I’d made were working in my last duel with Dooku. Yes, I had once more lost to my former Master, but I had done so only because his final blow would’ve killed me, whereas mine would have only badly wounded him. A minor distinction when one was battling with lightsabers, but still a clear difference. That said, it was the first time I’d ever come close to taking him, and it gave me not just the confidence to visit Maul but offer this chance to him. It also hinted that, in time, I would be capable of taking on anyone, be they a Jedi Council Member or a Dark Lord of the Sith.

  As we entered the chamber, my gaze drifted up and around. The place was large, though not massive. Perhaps a hundred metres across what was a circular area. Above the floor, on which we would fight, were two rows of balconies. In times past, for the most important duels, this allowed hundreds of people to gather to watch the battle, and in the largest Yamika be Verda, over three thousand warriors could attend a duel. Today, only a few hundred were present, and while they would be observing my battle against Maul, they had orders to take him down if he cheated or tried to escape.

  There were also cameras high on the walls to document any duel, either so that it could be broadcast to those unable to attend, or viewed later as both a way to study how the combatants fought and for the victor to display at their celebration. The cameras were not broadcasting today, and while they would record my duel with Maul, I had been assured by Adonai and Torrhen that only those present would ever see the recording. At least not without my permission. Once I won, and after celebrating that and my new alliance with Maul, I would review the duel to see what flaws I had displayed. I was good, but I knew I had further to improve to be the best.

  After giving Maul a nod, I moved to one side of the arena floor. As he did the same, the warriors that had come with us stayed outside the arena and the door we had entered through slowly slid closed. Like the rest of the Chamber, the walls were reinforced so that if Mando’ade used everything in their arsenal in a duel, the structure would not collapse. The balconies didn’t have any protections for those watching because if a viewer was killed by a stray bolt or explosive, then the fault was theirs for not being alert to the danger. One should never lower their guard when a battle was taking place, even if you were not fighting in it yourself. A lesson that was drilled into the heads of every child by their parents.

  Once I was at the far side of the arena from Maul, I slowly removed my armour. There were ripples of confusion and even a little shock at my actions from those watching, but the rules of the duel were known. If they expected me to dishonour myself by breaking them before the battle commenced, they were fools. My focus, with my eyes and through the Force, was on Maul. He watched as I removed my armour, a small flicker of satisfaction slipping from him into the Force from behind his barriers. While not on the level of those of Dooku, they were still impressive, and I knew that they would withstand untold agony so that none would learn his secrets.

  That said, I knew if Sidious or Plagueis ever captured Maul, he would break eventually. Even those as powerful in the Force as ourselves were not invincible. A mistake that countless Jedi, Sith, and other Force users had made over the untold millennia since sentients first emerged from their caves and realised the power they could wield. Still, the barriers were enough that I knew what I had revealed to him would not be willingly taken from his mind.

  Each section of my armour was placed with respect against the wall of the arena until I stood before everyone in just the underweave. While it had beskar running through it, a direct strike from a lightsaber – or even a solid glancing blow – would break through. In my left hand, I held my lightsaber, while at my right hip rested my shoto. I had considered using my beskad, but while I was more comfortable with the solid blade, it was not a weapon designed for a Force user and thus not one I felt was acceptable under the rules of the duel.

  I ignited my blade and lifted it to give Maul a Makashi opening salute. He returned the gesture with a flourish as he ignited his dual blades. A small tremor of excitement flared within me as he adopted his starting pose: The same one he had used in the other timeline when facing off against Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

  Around us, the Force swirled like a tempest that could devour a planet. The anticipation and expectation that surged through it, and in the minds of the Mando’ade watching from above, grew with each passing second, yet on the floor, Maul and I were immune to the moment. Instead, all that existed with us and our opponent. As if we rested in the eye of a hurricane, about to shape the direction with which it would ravage the galaxy.

  The moment stretched as we drew the Force inwards, bending it to our demands and desires. It offered itself freely, understanding the importance of this moment in time and how it could shape everything that was to come. My fingers tightened around the hilt of my blade, and I moved forward slowly, advancing on my opponent as he did the same, our steps in time with each other.

  Once we were closer, the Force shifted as he pulled it to him. A faint snarl appeared on his face, and he lunged. I tore raw power from the Force, letting it course through my limbs, matching his speed and allowing him the opening salvo. His blades danced around, swirling through the air with grace and power.

  My blade flicked and swished, deflecting and diverting each attack from his weapon without moving. I held the position of a Makashi duellist, wishing to draw him into thinking that was all I would use. On Naboo, I hadn’t done so, but he had no concept of whether that was based on my, as I had defined them to him, issues or if I was trying to bait a trap. Either way, his attacks continued.

  With a shift of my shoulders, my blade pushed out, guiding one-half of his saberstaff away. A fractional movement of my foot, sliding it back, ensured that, with the push I’d enacted on one half of his weapon, the other end of his blade missed.

  My blade flicked forward, seeking a faint opening. He closed it with a powerful swirl of his weapon, and I was forced to re-angle my blade to prevent the other end of his lightsaber from striking me. He took advantage of the move, his blade sweeping in low, aiming for my lead foot. Having already sensed the move; my foot was moving back before his strike was fully formed.

  Into the opening, my blade slid. A roll of my wrists and a shift of my shoulder, taking the blade around his and threatening his chest. The Zabrak swirled away, snarling at the ease with which I’d slipped through his defences in the opening engagement.

  I pushed forward, intent on taking advantage of his momentary retreat. Maul, however, was already resuming his attack. My blade flicked out, the Force granting me every fraction of power I ripped from it to ensure the red of Maul’s blade didn’t strike my underweave.

  The ferocity of his attacks drove me back. He moved with blinding speed — a calculated fury radiating from him through the Force. My feet scrambled to match, adjusting with each twist of his assault. Our blades danced: his red saber against mine, the black core pulsing like a void. The pattern we wove — grace, control, raw power — would have stunned anyone fast enough to follow.

  The tip of my lightsaber caught one side of his blade mid-shaft before a push-down blocked the other end of his weapon. I dropped low, letting the first end sweep through the air above me even as my blade pushed up and against the other end, the power of my body, augmented by the Force that served me, helping alter the angle of his weapon and body.

  He leapt back as the tip of my blade slashed the ground where his feet had once been. As he landed, I saw a smile spreading on his face, one I knew I was matching. The fight, though only feeling moments old, was already exhilarating for both of us and with renewed fire, he came at me again.

  We moved around, our weapons and bodies constantly shifting in an endless, majestic dance as we sought an opening with which, if not to win, then at least to wound our opponent. The Force — a roaring river we both drew from — sang with our display of strength and precision, as if exalting in the duel as much as the spectators above..

  His blade danced close to my shoulder, the heat building and then dissipating in a fraction of a fraction of a second. The next moment, the tip of my blade came close to his face, only a quick shifting of his head to one side preventing the sight and smell of burnt flesh from emerging. As I pushed one end of his blade away, he adjusted, and the other swung low.

  My foot lifted and I pivoted. The acrid tang of ozone clung to the air as his blade sizzled past my boot, so close I heard fabric hiss and felt heat nip the leather. One of his hands was pulled from the hilt of his weapon, forced to do so to avoid my blade as I thrust it forward, the tip missing the casing where his hand had been by a fraction of an inch.

  Onwards our duel continued, our weapons were extensions of our bodies — of our very souls — as the Force bent the knee to our power. Each movement we made, every shift of a body part, was a section of the dance of death that intricately flowed through us. Nothing else mattered, only this moment and the outcome of the duel.

  Faster and faster, we moved. Time blurred, stretched, and collapsed. Outside our battle, the world melted into red and black. But inside our circle — the eye of the storm — we danced. Each strike, each feint, searching for the one opening that would decide everything, trying to wrench that future from the force.

  The fullness of my style, the amalgamation of Ataru and Djem So that I had added to augment Makashi on full display. The mobility of Ataru allowed me to shift and avoid powerful strikes from Maul that I would otherwise have failed to evade. The occasional extra power of a Djem So strike, even the addition of a second hand to my blade, helped to push Maul back at moments he would prefer I didn’t.

  At the same time, the purpose and refinement with which he merged Niman and Djem So into his style, and used them to augment his natural strength advantage, were on clear display. Zabraks were stronger than Humans, though because of my abilities, I was seemingly able to match him physically, even without the Force as a factor. With my power in the Force, I perhaps had the edge, yet his ability to draw on his rage, to keep going in an attempt to crush my defences, perfectly countered that.

  My blade surged forward, seeking an opening in his stance. With a quick shift of his feet and movement of his waist, the fiery energy of my lightsaber was guided away. I pulled my arm back and twisted, sensing the counter, yet I was a fraction too slow.

  Stumbling back, I grunted as the lower half of his saber, or at least what had been the lower section in that moment, had grazed my side. Not enough to do real damage, but the underweave I wore hadn’t been strong enough to resist and the barest edge of his blade had brushed against my skin, burning the flesh.

  I moved back, gaining distance so he couldn’t push the fractional advantage even as the fire inside me roared. It demanded vengeance. I drew on that fury — and on the Force — bending its energy further to my will.

  Maul didn’t allow me respite, closing quickly. His blade swooped around, slicing the air with vicious intent. My blade flicked out, pushing one end away, and then tapping the other to avoid his next strike. Our feet skated across the scuffed arena floor — dust rising around us, stone scorched black in arcs from near-misses. Every slip risked death. But still, we danced. This was greater than my fight with Karkko, better than any duel with Dooku and even though I had just been lightly wounded, I was enjoying myself immensely. That said, I had no intention of losing.

  I pulled the Force to me, pushing its energy through every sinew and nerve in my body and moved forward, meeting Maul’s latest assault with one of my own. For a fraction of a millisecond, I saw shock in his eyes and sensed concern in the Force; however, it was gone a moment later. His rage and intent for victory pushed to the fore once again, drawing more heavily on the Force to meet my onslaught.

  Our blades clashed — again, again, again. The air bristled with power, each blow adding to the storm. His saber sliced close, shearing off strands of my hair. I twisted, striking back. My blade kissed his bicep — shallow, but enough to feel a burst of pleasure. His rage flared. I smiled.

  His skill was immense; his training designed to fight and defeat Jedi. I, however, was no Jedi. Nor perhaps had I ever truly been one. The Force was mine to command and dominate, and I slowly began to use my greater connection to it to push the Zabrak back.

  The twin red blades of his double lightsaber sliced the air, moving rapidly to counter the normally precise flicks and thrust of Makashi and the odd moments where I added a more powerful Djem So strike. The variation and irregular rhythm of my moves kept him off-balance just enough that I could sense the shift in the flow of the battle. For the moment, I had the ascendency, and knowing it wouldn’t last, and concerned deep down that I might not have the training to continue this for as long as he could, I pushed harder seeking victory.

  My blade tapped forward, feinting to strike high. The move drew a reaction, and as Maul shifted to avoid it, I dropped my shoulder and guided my lightsaber lower. He saw the move and tried to move, his blade shifting as his body turned, yet it was for nought.

  Maul stumbled back; one hand forced from his lightsaber to avoid losing it. The end of the hilt that my blade struck was severed, leaving Maul with what amounted to a single blade with which to fight. His eyes shifted from his weapon to me, a vengeful fury in them even as I drove him back further.

  I felt him grasp onto the Force, attempting to bend it to his desires for my blood. However, I didn’t let him. My power, my potential, my training with Adas and that which I’d recently begun with Malgus, and my sheer force of will allowed me to engulf his attempt at domination of the Force to prove the disparity in our power.

  The hand forced to retreat from the hilt returned to it, and with fury in his eyes and burning brightly in the Force, he stepped forward, engaging my assault with his own. Our blades clashed violently, the air alight with the constant buzz of the blades as they moved and clashed against each other.

  Without the other end, Maul shifted to almost a pure Djem So approach, coming at me with intense but controlled fire. His blade slashed the air, seeking to remove my limbs and sever my body. My blade countered each blow, the rattle of the connections sending tremors up my arms and through my bones. This was the Maul I had wanted to fight; this was the battle I had hoped for on Naboo. I had been denied it then, due to my limitations, but now I had what I desired, and I would not just relish in the glory of it but emerge victorious.

  My blade met his — a block, but sloppier than before. Less power. Less control. Maul sensed it instantly and pounced. His next strike was deflected away, though again my effort was weaker and less certain. I felt the Zabrak’s delight at the shift in the battle, and he pushed forward seeking victory.

  His strikes pushed me back. Step by step, he drove me toward the centre of the arena — exactly where I wanted to be. I let him. Gave ground. Pretended to falter. Then, there!

  The black and red of my lightsaber seemed to consume the air. It slid past Maul’s strike, one aimed to bisect me, as I angled my body for my strike. I grunted again as I felt the edge of his blade strike my side, burning deeper than I would’ve liked. Yet, in what he had thought was his moment of victory, as his mouth snarled in delight, he blinked.

  Against the side of his neck, the heat teasing his skin was my blade. So close that any movement by either of us would see him lose his head.

  Around us, the world sped up. Or perhaps more accurately, we slowed down. The dust we had kicked up as we fought fell to the ground, the air settling after the intense and ferocious duel we’d engaged in ended.

  “Yield,” I said as calmly as I could. Pain surged through my body, the second wound roaring like fire. The fire in my side screamed for retribution. My grip tightened. I could end it — one twitch, and he would fall. However, I wrestled control of my emotions and shoved the honeyed whispers of the dark side away as Malgus had taught me.

  I had taken this duel intending to gain an ally, and I would not allow some petty need for revenge for a flesh wound, no matter how painful, to rob me of my true victory.

  My chest rose and fell as I breathed deeply, a sign of how intense the battle had been, and a gesture matched by the Zabrak. His eyes locked on mine, fury and shock at seeing his victory snatched from him at the very moment it was meant to arrive, raging inside him. For a moment, as we stood there, my blade against his neck, his close but not touching my side, I wondered if he would seek death over working with me. That he might fear my earlier words about him being my Right Hand instead of a servant were somehow false.

  “I… Yield.” The words came slowly from his lips as if he had to fight with himself to say them. The barest of nods came from me, but my blade remained where it was; the colours of the blade meshing well with those of his flesh. Not until he powered down his remaining blade and pulled the arm back from my side did I step back.

  The blade remained on, at least until I was a good two metres from him. There was no hint of deception from him lingering in the Force. No potential threat looming nearby. Yet I remained vigilant even as I sensed his reluctant acceptance of the defeat, and a sprinkling of, if I was sensing things correctly, admiration.

  “Thank Manda,” I muttered as I powered down my blade and lowered my arm. “I feared you might seek death over the chance of helping craft a new era.” I chuckled, only to grimace and lift my free hand to my side. “Or that I’d have to endure more wounds than necessary for you to see the truth of my intentions.”

  Maul’s lips twitched slightly at my admittance that he had wounded me, and perhaps at the implication that the duel had been as close as he had believed. “I admit that even before this duel, I was uncertain if your words were truthful. My former Master was skilled in the art of deception,” I grunted in agreement, though instantly regretted it as more pain surged through my body from the wound in my side. “However, during our battle, one that I can say I enjoyed immensely, nothing was hidden from me regarding your plans. Both for me and the warriors around us.”

  I blinked, not realising that some of my thoughts on what I was intending to build had leaked into the Force. That was something I was going to have to be mindful of in future as I would be engaged with other Force users in battle, and most of them, if they didn’t surrender or fall to my blade, would report back anything they learnt to their Masters.

  “Because of that, and my… appreciation of your skill, though I do hope that we might duel again soon, I find myself willing to commit to your goals. For now.”

  I nodded, accepting the warning that if he felt I was growing weak, or that what I planned no longer aligned with his desires, he might challenge me or depart seeking his own dominion. “Fair enough.” I moved closer and extended my arm even as the Interface informed me of a quest completion. “To our alliance.”

  “To our alliance,” he confirmed as he moved to meet my hand. However, instead of letting him shake my hand, I shifted forward and grasped him by the forearm. After a fraction of a second of hesitation – likely brought on by concern of betrayal caused by my sudden shift – he did likewise.

  It was at that moment that I realised the sounds echoing around the arena, which it seemed, rose in intensity as we shook. Looking upwards, I saw many of the warriors around us cheering and shouting, savouring the battle they had just witnessed. For those with their helmets on, they might well have seen more than those without, but I could sense the delight of the Mando’ade here, mixed with appreciation. This was, for probably all of them, the first time they had seen a true Force user in combat. Or at least combat where neither held back against the other.

  “What now?” Maul asked as we broke the clasp.

  “First, we celebrate our alliance; something my friends will enjoy doing.” A small smile came to his lips. “However, if there are any that think they can take you in battle, try not to kill them if they don’t back down.”

  “I shall attempt to do so.”

  Chuckling at his response, I moved closer and clapped my free hand on his shoulder. “That is all I could ask, at least for most of them.” My eyes drifted behind him, to the door through which we had entered the arena. Said door was now open, and while all the warriors there were clapping and cheering at the battle as they approached, my eyes lingered on one.

  Pre Vizsla, while outwardly applauding the duel, radiated irritation and anger into the Force. Something almost delightful in its intensity. He knew what I’d done today, could sense the threat I now posed to his plans, and would be on alert for a way to strike me down. Something he would’ve seen today would be far harder than he had expected.

  While I would prefer that he didn’t learn just what I was capable of, that what had been displayed today was only part of my ever-growing power, it was but a minor inconvenience. No Force powers, or at least those used externally, had been deployed, nor had I used them often in battles that he would have reviewed, or see in the coming years. That, along with dozens of other options at my disposal, would ensure that when the time came to strike the fool down, I would do so with ease. However, not before making sure any remaining members of Death Watch understood that their ways were flawed and only resulted in a tortuously painful death.

  “That one is a threat.”

  I nodded at Maul’s words, understanding that as he had turned to stand beside me, though not behind to make clear he was not a servant, he had sensed my focus on Pre.

  “A minor one, yes, but he remains unaware that I know,” I said quietly as we started moving to meet the Mando’ade. “And I intend for him to remain so until the time is ripe to strike him down for his arrogance. He might be Mando’ade, but he is not one destined to shape the galaxy.”

  Maul made what sounded like a pleased grunt, and I sensed my response had helped a little more to improve his opinion of me. Thinking about that, and with a few moments to kill, I accessed the Interface, and after seeing that there were two notices instead of one, opened them both.

  Quest Completed!

  Son of Darkness [?] [¤]

  Objectives:

  :a: Defeat Maul in a duel. [Yes]

  :b: Win the duel without being injured. [No]

  :c: Win the duel inside of ten minutes. [Yes 9:45]

  :d: Kill Maul in the duel. [No]

  :e: Have the duel take place before others. [Yes]

  Rewards:

  :a: 6000XP (+600XP)

  Pass a Challenge of Friendship with Maul.

  A large increase in Reputation with Maul.

  :c: 3000XP (+300XP)

  A minor increase in Reputation with Maul.

  :e: Variable increases or decreases in Reputation with those watching.

  ...

  Quest Alert!

  Warrior of the Sith [?]

  Maul is willing to listen and work with you for now. Prove your worth to him and gain an ally to stand against those who would oppose your plans for the galaxy.

  Rating: S

  Objectives:

  :a: Prove your alliance with Maul by ensuring he is one of those you take with you to Dromund Kaas.

  :b: Ensure Maul survived until the completion of the quest Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire.

  :c: Allow Maul to prove his worth in battle at your side against a suitable challenge.

  :d: Have Maul reveal the truth of Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis to another.

  :e: Prove to Maul that once Dromund Kaas is completed that you still view him as an ally and not a servant.

  Rewards:

  :a: 3000XP

  Pass a Challenge of Friendship with Maul.

  A Large increase in Reputation with Maul.

  :b: 8000XP

  Pass a Challenge of Friendship with Maul.

  A variable increase in Reputation with Maul depending on events on Dromund Kaas.

  :c: 3000XP

  An increase in Reputation with Maul linked to the strength of the challenge faced.

  :d: 2000XP

  Risk the Banite Sith learning that you know the truth about them and their identities from whoever Maul reveals the secret to.

  A moderate increase in Reputation with Maul.

  A moderate increase in Reputation with whoever is brought in on the secret.

  :e: 3000XP

  A moderate increase in Reputation with Maul.

  Failure:

  :a: -500XP

  A loss of Reputation with Maul

  :b: The death of Maul

  Possible loss of whoever went in Maul’s place.

  The potential loss of another who went with you to Dromund Kaas.

  :c: -1000XP

  A loss of Reputation with Maul if you faced the challenge without him present.

  :d: The secret of the Banite Sith remains hidden from all but yourself and Maul.

  The potential for someone close to you to die.

  :e: The chance that Maul turns against you and becomes an unstable variable.

  Accept?

  Yes/No

  ...

  I kept my surprise at the new quest buried as I read over its details. The idea of taking Maul to Dromund Kaas, a mission I was considering doing before I became Mand'alor, was one that I had considered as nothing more than a remote possibility. It seemed that the Interface had acted on this faint idea and created the quest. Perhaps in response to me using Maul to circumvent the restrictions placed on me regarding what it considered Future Knowledge.

  The rewards were enticing in both an XP sense and the fact that it would further cement Maul’s loyalty. Or perhaps more accurately, his willingness to go along with my intentions as Maul was unlike anyone else I could consider an ally in that he wasn’t going to be bound to me via training or cultural dynamics. A situation that I expected would become more common as the years passed.

  The penalties for failure were concerning, though. Not taking Maul to Dromund Kaas increased the chance of death for others who went with us. A group that right now was just me and Dooku. The chance Maul might die on Dromund Kaas wasn’t a shock; the quest for it was rated S*** for a reason, with only Changing Fate [Anakin] similarly rated. That quest was one I felt I had done enough to finish, or at least was close to doing so, but the Interface disagreed, which suggested there was more to it than revealed. At least in the danger of Anakin falling to the Banite Sith and becoming Darth Vader.

  Adding in that not using Maul to reveal the truth of the Banite Sith to others increased the potential that someone I cared for would die, only made it harder to ignore the quest. That said, I wasn’t in the habit of accepting quests instantly. Not after the failures of the Changing Fate quests for Sifo-Dyas and Micah Giiett. Therefore, I closed that alert but didn’t dismiss it.

  There would be time for me to consider it later. For today, or what remained of it, I intended to enjoy the celebration of my duel and victory. And make sure Maul didn’t kill anyone of importance among my Mando’ade allies.

  … …

  … …

  I leaned against a tree just beyond a sparring ring into which Anakin was just stepping. It was a few days after my victory over Maul, and so far, the Zabrak hadn’t given me any reason to doubt his sincerity in working with me. No hint of betrayal emanated from the former Banite Sith, and according to Observe, not only were his loyalties to Sidious and the Banite Sith below fifty per cent – that was the limit the power had for showing Loyalty – but I was now considered a Liked Acquaintance.

  The terminology was awkward as I doubted Maul particularly liked me, but it was a step up in both his opinion of me and the first step to developing, if not a friendship, then a comfortable alliance of ideals and equals. Or as close as one could get to such a thing when both of us demanded control and obedience from the Force and over our destinies.

  Currently, the Zabrak was off elsewhere in Keldabe. Interestingly, there was a group of Zabrak Mando’ade on Mandalore, spread through a handful of clans. I didn’t expect Maul to join one of their clans, but it seemed that connecting with others of his species held some appeal. Or, probably more accurately, they were interested in getting to know Maul more than he held any desire to spend time with them. So long as Maul didn’t end up alienating or killing them, then there was the chance his presence around his fellow Zabrak might help with ensuring their acceptance of me once I rose to become Mand’alor. Perhaps even convincing their Clan Leaders to support my campaign.

  Bo and Simvyl were with Maul, acting as watchers on the former Banite Sith. I might be willing to trust him, and he had given me his word, but my allies weren’t as trusting. Something Maul approved of, as it showed that people weren’t blindly accepting his presence in their ranks after our duel. Or at least that’s how I assumed Maul was seeing it, as I hadn’t directly asked him about the matter, only noting the sense of acceptance and approval that he projected into the Force when Bo made clear they would be escorting Maul around while he was on Mandalore.

  Since the night of the duel, Bo had become almost an ever-present at my side. Or at least more so than she usually was. While I wasn’t minding the attention, nor what it had led to each night since it amused me to see her act like this, and how it seemed to fire her desires to have a child. Much of her behaviour was, I suspected, almost an attempt to claim me as hers, as I’d seen several female Mando’ade look at me with interest since the duel. A duel that word of had spread around the Mando’ade and that I’d allowed Adonai and Torrhen to show to various Clan leaders in the hope that it might increase their willingness to support me when the time came for me to take the throne.

  There was still a buzz around Keldabe, and I suspected elsewhere on Mandalore, if not throughout the sector, over the duel. Or rumours, since seeing the recordings wasn’t something most had done. Few if any Mando’ade had seen two Force users engage in full combat as Maul and I had, and the spectacle of the event, combined with my status as Mando’ade – word of my leaving the Order was spreading with the fight – meant many were interested in viewing the battle. Something that was, exactly as I had hoped for with my choice of venue for the duel, going to be extremely helpful in the next few years.

  Amusingly, but not entirely unexpected given the culture, several Mando’ade of all ages, genders and species had approached me about sparring. Each had been accepted freely, and while I had restricted how I used the Force in the spars, each had been a victory. Something that would again only help to spread my name and increase my fame among my people.

  All those I had sparred with, be they fresh faces or old, were remembered and extensions made to them so that, if I launched a campaign as I had done with Naboo, they would be available for contact. Most, if not all, would join, which would create, I hoped, a large contingent of warriors with which to begin earning glory and reputation across the sector and beyond. Already, I had R2, HK, and a few Mando’ade I trusted with underworld connections, sifting through data seeking knowledge of the various hives of scum and villainy in the sectors surrounding the Mandalore sector. The focus was on those involved in some way with slavery, as beyond allowing me to bring the Lokella further into alliance with my growing faction of Mando’ade, it was a target that would be the easiest to explain to outsiders when the inevitable backlash occurred on the Holonet.

  I was uncertain how the Banite Sith on Coruscant would respond to my actions, at least in their public personas. However, in their true forms, I knew both Sidious and Plagueis would approve. Not only would I be sowing discord in the Outer Rim, further fanning the flames of civil war in the Republic, but I would be doing so ruthlessly. Both would be interested in considering me for training as either a tool or, in the case of Sidious, at least once he killed Plagueis, as a potential Apprentice.

  I hadn’t spoken in much detail about my developing plans with Maul yet, but I would soon, so that not only would he feel I was keeping my word in making him my Right Hand, but so he could provide more insight on how his former Master and Plagueis might react to my actions. I’d be speaking with Dooku as well, with my former Master inbound for Mandalore at my request. I hadn’t explained exactly why I wished him to come here, and thus leave Vosa alone with the Lokella, but he had accepted that it was important and was coming. As were, most interestingly, Quinlan and Aayla.

  According to my former Master, the pair had reached a decision on the path they wished to pursue. One that they felt they had to give to me in person. I could feel subtle shifts within the Force whenever I thought about the pair and their intentions, and from what I’d ripped from the energy field, I felt reasonably certain that they were planning to accept my offer of retraining them. I just hoped that, once the appearance of Maul and the explanation of his past was given, they wouldn’t change their minds.

  My thoughts turned to my son and apprentice as the spar began, and as I felt him draw the Force into himself, demanding it grant him just enough power to defeat his opponent without embarrassing them, I couldn’t help but smile. Since my talk with him about controlling himself, and a further one reminding him that he was better than he had been, he hadn’t lost a spar against anyone close to his age. The only ones that he had were when he faced those who were significantly older than him.

  Now, if he drew properly on the Force as we both knew he could, I felt he could take most of the younger warriors around us. Perhaps even those like Bo and Naz, who were close to my age. However, he kept his spars against those who, while they might have completed their verd’goten, were only two or three years older than him.

  There was the odd defeat, often when Anakin was overconfident or made a mistake that the opponent was able to exploit, but generally, he was punching well above his weight class while only drawing on enough of the Force to make the fights interesting. Beyond the pride I felt in seeing him best warriors three or four years older than him, it impressed me immensely that he was learning such fine control over the Force, and understood how much power to take from the energy field to ensure victory without embarrassing his opponent. At least most of the time.

  There had been one boy, Utheh Zess, a Togrutan Mando’ade, who had taken his defeat well, but his father had not. The arrogant prick, who Observe revealed disliked me simply for being a former Jedi, had claimed Anakin had cheated by using the Force to win. I had countered that the Force was a weapon like any other, and no warrior who had the power to use a weapon would refuse to do so. The challenge was in using the weapon correctly to ensure that the user only used enough power to win without destroying the objective.

  Those around us, be they adiik like Anakin, warriors he was sparring with, or others simply watching the young train had accepted my reasoning with ease. Zess, however, hadn’t and challenged me to a duel then and there. He demanded that I not call upon the Force and prove I was worthy to be called Mando’ade. After explaining that the Force was as natural to me as breathing and giving my word not to use it as freely as I had against Maul, I accepted the challenge.

  Drawing on only the barest sliver of my power that I needed, I had proceeded to not just beat the Togruta, but hammer a message to him and others that even without the Force being heavily used, I wasn’t someone to trifle with. Given that the Togruta had, once his wounds had healed enough for him to do so, left Mandalore and departed for wherever his Clan made their home, it seemed the message was heard.

  I suspected that Clan Zess was one I would face while seeking to stamp out the last embers of Death Watch. If that were the case, I would be happy to show them just what a Mando’ade with full command of the Force was capable of.

  In the ring, I watched as Anakin moved around his opponent, a young girl with armour coloured vibrant red and orange, seeking the opening for victory. This girl had, I realised as her face came into sight, sparred with Anakin several times since we’d come to Mandalore. Almost once a day. While only a few years older than Anakin, it seemed she enjoyed sparring with my son and was part of the growing circle that was forming around him.

  I didn’t know if there was more to the girl’s interest than a worthy sparring partner, but it was amusing that Anakin was drawing the attention of others and forming his circle of friends and allies. A sign that he was slowly maturing, and while he had a few years yet before he completed his verd’goten, I could already see the signs of him becoming a powerful warrior. One who used the Force and remained in control of his emotions. The trick, like anyone with a strong connection, was making sure he got through puberty without the worst of that phase of his life affecting him adversely, but I felt confident that he could, with my guidance, do so and become a brother-in-arms on the battlefields of the future.

  … …

  … …

  “This is most… unexpected.”

  The words which came slowly from Dooku were the first he had given since I had brought him into this room and had learnt that Maul was not just still alive, but now allied with me, brought a smile to my face. Technically, Maul was allied with us, but I hadn’t yet brought Dooku in on what my plans were, nor asked what his intentions once he finished with Vosa were going to be. I suspected that he would, much as he had in the other timeline, look to reclaim his title as Count. However, making assumptions was a dangerous business. Particularly when dealing with those who were powerful with the Force.

  “Where’s the fun in doing what’s expected?” I shot back as my smile grew into a grin. It wasn’t often that I was able to surprise my former Master, but this was certainly one of those times.

  Dooku’s brow rose just a fraction. A sign I knew well that he disliked something that had been said or done, but wasn’t going to directly comment on. At least not at the moment. “When you were evasive about the Zabrak’s fate, I had believed it was because you had a reason to be. Perhaps you might even have captured him and placed him somewhere secure to later interrogate him for details on the Sith threat the galaxy faces.” There was a faint ripple from Maul that leaked into the Force. One no doubt brought on by the fact that he knew I was, like him, a Sith. Just not one of the Banite lineage. “However, I can be honest and say that the idea that you would recruit the Zabrak to your side was not one I had ever given serious thought to.”

  “Understandable, and until I defeated Karkko, I hadn’t actively considered it. However, with the defeat of the Anzati Dark Jedi, and how I’d done so likely to lead the Jedi to attempt to arrest me, and thus ruin everything we were planning, I saw an… opportunity to gain a powerful ally.”

  “Can he be trusted?”

  Maul sneered at Dooku’s comment, and the flickers of rage at the questioning of his honour radiated into the Force. Thankfully, Maul remained still, standing at the far side of the room as I stood in the middle, separating him from my former Master.

  “I have given Shan my word that I stand with him until we take down my former Master and his Master,” the Zabrak stated bluntly. “His prowess in battle is worthy of respect, as is your training of him.”

  Dooku’s brow rose higher, and he looked at me intently. If not for the seriousness of the situation, and why I’d requested Dooku come to Mandalore, I might’ve laughed at the faint, almost infinitesimal hints of confusion that I sensed from my former Master. The number of times I had managed to surprise Dooku could be counted on one hand with fingers to spare, but this meeting was one that had completely flummoxed him, and thus was something I was enjoying immensely, even if I couldn’t fully revel in the moment.

  “We came to an understanding via combat. The loser would ally and work with, but not serve, the victor.” I glanced at Maul and nodded. “The battle was glorious, but I was honoured to emerge the winner.”

  “This time.”

  I nodded again and chuckled at Maul’s response. “This time,” I repeated, acknowledging that there would be another duel at some point in the future. Particularly if my vision of how to shatter and reshape the galaxy wasn’t one he approved of.

  Turning back to Dooku, I refocused. “Maul has had free rein, in a sense, on Mandalore since our duel. He’s had almost three weeks to escape, and ample opportunity to do so. However, he hasn’t. Instead, he has kept his word and stands with me against the looming chaos that awaits us in the near future.”

  “You are playing a dangerous game, Cameron.”

  “As are you with Vosa,” I countered, letting a minor fraction of my anger at the woman slide into my tone. There was a flicker of recognition from Maul at the name, but I ignored it. We could speak about that bitch later on.

  “I trained Komari as a Padawan, as I did with you. You have no such connection with…” Dooku paused and shifted his gaze to the Zabrak. “Do you have a title or epithet that you prefer?”

  “Maul will suffice. I am no longer a Darth from the line of Darth Bane. If I truly ever was.” The last part was something I had asked him to make clear if the chance arose. I needed Dooku to not just accept my choice, but understand at least part of my logic in creating an alliance with Maul. Dooku was aware of my training with Adas’ holocron and that I held, among others, Malgus’ holocron. As he too, had taken Sith artefacts, and would no doubt be learning from them, the distinction between the lineage of Darth Bane and what I was learning needed to be made clear.

  Dooku’s brow rose again at Maul’s words, and his focus returned to me. “You are certain he is with us? That this is not some deception so he can return to his former Master and regain his place?”

  Maul snarled and stepped forward, his hand raising to point at Dooku. “I will never again be a slave of Darth Sidious!” He snapped, the tone and his movement causing Dooku to shift his stance, one hand sliding to the hilt of his lightsaber. “I long for the day when I can drive my blade through his heart and claim vengeance for every lie he told me!”

  I shifted as Maul continued, moving so that I was in the eye line of both males while trying to not look threatening. As much as I’d pay billions of credits to see Maul and Dooku face off while both were in their primes and capable, I wasn’t going to risk having everything I was hoping to lay the groundwork for today blow up in my face.

  “I… apologise for doubting your motives,” Dooku said slowly. The fury with which Maul had spoken, and the rage and truthfulness of his intent burning like a star in the Force, seemingly helped to convince my former Master.

  Maul nodded, accepting the peace offering, and settled down. That had Dooku relax his stance and pull his hand away from his hilt.

  “How has Anakin taken this reveal?”

  I blinked, a little caught out by the sudden shift in topic. “At first he wasn’t happy about it,” Maul smirked, likely remembering the moment my son, at eleven years old, threatened to destroy Maul if he hurt me. While we all knew he couldn’t do that, at least not currently, the fire and passion had impressed Maul. As had the spark of power that he’d felt with the boy. I’d not elaborated on just how powerful Anakin could be, only saying that he had the potential to equal Maul and myself with time, but it seemed that was enough for Maul to limit how antagonistic he was around my son and apprentice.

  I was sure Maul felt I was too soft on Anakin; that I should push him faster and harder in his training, but he held his tongue. At least for the most part. Maul had, once free of servitude to Sidious or any madness from how he was defeated by Obi-Wan in the other timeline, displayed a tendency for blunt, and often brutal, comments on various matters. Something I found oddly refreshing and amusing.

  “However, he trusts me and understands that there’s something dangerous coming, for which we need allies.”

  Dooku nodded, accepting my explanation, though I knew that once this meeting was over, and he recovered from what I wished to discuss, we would be talking about Anakin again. “You are correct in that matter. It will please you to hear that Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura are willing to undergo retraining with you. On a trial basis initially.”

  I nodded, pleased to hear that. There was no alert from the Interface, meaning the quest A Change in Path wasn’t complete, nor was the decision final. However, it was a good beginning and one I could work with. At least once I was ready to. Before then, there were other things I had to do, not least the purpose of this meeting.

  “That’s good to hear, but they’ll have to wait,” I replied with a smirk as I reached into my belt. “I’m sure you have questions for Maul regarding the Banite Sith. However, those will have to wait for a while as well.” I pulled a datapad from one of the pouches on my belt and placed it on the table that lay between Dooku and Maul. “First, I have a mission that I need both your assistance with.”

  As both watched me with curiosity, I connected a small interface on the table, and a moment later, a world appeared above it. “This is Dromund Kaas, the former crown world of the Sith Empire from around three and a half thousand years ago.”

  “How…” Dooku began, taking a small step towards the map. Something mirrored by Maul. “I fail to see why a former Sith world, particularly one lost to history, would be of importance.”

  “It’s not lost,” I countered with a smile, one that made clear I knew more than either he or Maul did. I enjoyed the fact that this was one of those rare moments where I could use this smile against Dooku, as he and Fay had seemingly loved using it against me while I was their Padawan. “This datapad contains the hyperspace routes to Dromund Kaas.”

  “How?”

  I looked at Maul. “How old do I look?”

  “Younger than I.”

  I bit back the laughter that formed in my throat at his sharp response. There was a hint of annoyance at the fact I’d beaten him while younger, and thus theoretically weaker and less skilled. “Biologically, I’m nineteen. Legally, however, I’m over thirty-eight hundred.”

  Maul looked at me as if I’d suddenly grown a second head. One that belonged on a rancor. After seeing I wasn’t joking, he turned to Dooku for confirmation. “Cameron came to the Order through an accident in time,” my former Master explained slowly. “Aboard a Sith transport from that era.”

  “Impossible.”

  “And yet here I stand,” I countered. I turned to Dooku before continuing. “When I met the Jedi Council, I was unsure of why things were different. Because of that, and a feeling that I should do so, I withheld a small fraction of the story I told them. Something so minor that they wouldn’t have focused on it as it was trivial compared to my arrival in this era.

  “After the ship took off from my homeworld and entered hyperspace, I realised the controls were locked and was forced to travel wherever the Sith wanted the ship to go. That, as it turned out, was Dromund Kaas, though thankfully not during my era. When I arrived there, the planet was a graveyard orbited by husks of ruined stations, defences, and shipyards.

  “It took me time to unlock the hyperdrive, but once I did, I realised that I had to head to Coruscant and the Jedi for help. It was only later, once I was in the Temple and they were considering the truth of my story, that I realised that I’d travelled in time. Later on, using the Jedi Archives and the Celebratus Archive, I determined that the world where I’d appeared was Dromund Kaas and that the routes there had been lost. Routes that, because I took them from the hyperspace computer on the Sith vessel and then wiped them from the ship’s memory, I am possibly the only person in the galaxy to possess them.”

  I stopped there, letting the gravity of what I was saying, and what the datapad held, sink in. Dooku was quiet, behind the durasteel walls that protected his mind, no doubt considering a multitude of questions and issues with my possession of these hyperspace coordinates and why I’d held onto them for so long. That said, there were a few moments of confusion and disbelief that flashed over his features as I explained the situation.

  At the other side of the table, Maul appeared just as shocked at my reveal of the data as Dooku. And like my former Master, he kept a tight lock on his full opinions such that I couldn’t glean anything about his thoughts on the matter from the Force. Not without ripping his mind to shreds, which wasn’t something I wanted to attempt, nor felt capable of doing.

  “I have several questions, most of which centre on why you have kept this from me, and where you have stored this data until now. However, those can wait. The query that I feel requires clarity first is why you are revealing this now.”

  I smiled broadly at my former Master. “Because I want us, as in the three of us and a handful of others, to head there soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “Within a month, ideally.” I could sense Dooku’s reluctance for such a narrow timeframe. “It’s only a matter of time until the Jedi realise what I did on Kiffex, and thus consider coming after me. Not only would Dromund Kaas grant me a place to hide for a short while from their attention, but it might have something that could be of use. Not just to stay ahead of the Jedi and the Sith, but to help us prepare for the war that looms on the horizon.”

  There again was silence in the room, and I could feel both of them peering into the Force, seeking answers from it and me as to my logic. Dooku’s probe was controlled steel; calm, collected, and precise. Maul’s, while controlled, was more forceful. As if trying to burn through anything denying him the answers he sought. Neither, however, would break through my barriers or draw answers from the Force. Not when my command over it was already settled and had been the moment the pair had first locked eyes on each other.

  That moment, when Dooku met the Sith responsible for the death of someone that he considered a friend, or at least a friend in his terms given his rather unique way of seeing the galaxy, and Maul faced off with a Jedi that I knew Sidious had mentioned to him on occasion, had distracted the pair for the moment I needed to ensure my domination over the Force within the room. Domination that I wasn’t willing to release until both agreed to my plans.

  “You feel we can prepare for a mission to a Sith capital world, one hidden deep inside a restricted sector with but one known entrance that is monitored by the Republic and Jedi, and has an untold number of other challenges for us, both seen and unseen, can be arranged so quickly?”

  “I do. Mainly because I’ve been planning this almost from the moment I defeated Maul.” The Zabrak growled at the reminder of his defeat but said nothing. Mainly, as I had turned to him to continue. “I promised you that you would be my ally and learn of my plans for the galaxy. Dromund Kaas is the beginning of those. I have known since I first saw the world that it was important, and now I know that it is time to head there. To take its riches and knowledge before either Darth Sidious or Darth Plagueis learn of the world and grasp them for themselves.”

  Dooku stared at me, and I could feel him searching the Force, seeking proof of my certainty, or perhaps enough clarity to agree to the proposal. “For now, I am willing to entertain your proposal,” he said slowly, his eyes drifting to the image of Dromund Kaas that was being projected. Almost as if the temptation of hidden knowledge called to him as much as it did to me. “Before that, I require clarification on another matter. One linked to your new… ally.” He turned his focus to Maul and pushed into the Force as if seeking to draw the answer to an unasked question from the Zabrak.

  Maul growled, sensing the attempted intrusion into his thoughts, and pushed back against the attempt. I remained silent, letting the duel of power take place, curious as to Dooku’s purpose for seemingly antagonising Maul. The mental battle only lasted about a minute, but as Dooku pulled back, he offered the Zabrak a nod as if impressed by what he had sensed, or not sensed, depending on the outcome.

  “You have both mentioned a Darth Sidious,” Dooku said slowly, “with you,” he added, focusing on Maul, “referring to him as your former Master.” Maul nodded to confirm the point. “If that is the case, then reveal his identity to us here and now.”

  Maul held Dooku’s stare, matching the cool, penetrating gaze of my former Master with one that bristled with barely restrained intensity. I had already explained to Maul that I hadn’t told anyone the public personas of Sidious and Plagueis, making clear that I hadn’t known who I could trust. Or perhaps more accurately, what they would do with the knowledge. I’d then made clear that Dooku would seek that knowledge once they met.

  Maul had respected my caution, mentioning the power and influence – over the Force and lesser beings – that Sidious held. He understood the caution I’d displayed and was impressed that I hadn’t shouted the knowledge to the Jedi Council or others.

  “You know him as Sheev Palpatine.”

  I watched Dooku’s face as the truth was revealed to him: As the blindfold the Banite Sith Lord had placed over him was shredded in the truth of the Force. Dooku’s eyes widened, his mouth drooping open a fraction in clear indications of the shock and disbelief he felt at the reveal. “Impossible!”

  “Palpatine is Sidious,” I added, drawing my former Master’s attention. “I’ve known it for years. Ever since I used this power,” I used Observe on him, “not long after first meeting him. That I was able not to react to the knowledge was, frankly, a small miracle. Perhaps one brought on by the… restrictions I had with my Force connection.”

  Dooku’s eyes flickered wider before he narrowed them. A second later, I felt him brush up against the barriers of my mind, seeking clarity on what I’d just confirmed, and that I had hidden such knowledge from everyone. Perhaps most of all him. I lowered the outer barriers around my thoughts, letting him sense as much of my persona as I would allow. That alone confirmed the truth of my statement, and as he pulled back, I felt a rising sense of respect from him. Along with what felt like a flickering hint of concern or consternation.

  The room once again fell into silence. Maul not speaking as he seemed to understand the moment belonged to me and Dooku. My former Master turned inward, processing the knowledge he had just gleaned and perhaps the fact that I had withheld it from him almost from the moment he had taken me as a Padawan. I waited for him to recover from the revelation, curious as to how he would handle it, and what else remained to be said.

  Ideally, I had hoped to delay this conversation until after Dromund Kaas, but as I waited for Dooku’s arrival on Mandalore, I realised that would never happen. Once he got over the shock of seeing Maul allied with me and came to accept it, he would demand the knowledge of who the Banite Sith were. More than likely, he had expected it to be someone of minor importance, not a long-time friend and the current Co-Chancellor.

  “This is most… unsettling,” Dooku said slowly after perhaps five minutes during which he processed the information. There was no projection into the Force indicating his struggle with acceptance of the knowledge, or anything else such as disgust at himself for not seeing the truth. However, I knew that behind the walls that shielded him within the Force, he would still be struggling to fully grasp the enormity of the idea that Palpatine was Sidious.

  “It is. However, as horrible as it sounds, there’s nothing illegal about it,” I commented, causing his eyes to snap to me. “Republic law prohibits any Jedi, current or former, from becoming Chancellor. A law was placed on the ledger after the last battle of Ruusan. However, and I checked the law carefully on this to be certain, it doesn’t prohibit another strong in the Force, such as a Sith, from rising to take the title.”

  “A loophole that it seems a Sith Lord has used to usurp the Republic.” Dooku’s hand came up, and he stroked his chin in contemplation. “An extremely problematic issue, but one that only proves the Republic is corrupted at its very core and thus beyond saving.”

  “It gets worse,” I said slowly, trying to hide how much I was enjoying knowing more than my former Master and the effect this information was having on him. It was petty to feel superior to him, at least in this way, but after a decade of training under his tutelage, there was something perversely enjoyable about watching him squirm as he processed everything that was being revealed to him. “Darth Plagueis, that is Darth Sidious’ Master… is a Muun.”

  “No!” The word burst from Dooku’s lips before he could stop it. As I nodded to confirm his suspicion, and Maul made no effort to hide his pleasure at seeing the former Jedi Master reel from this last great reveal, Dooku took an unstable step to his side. His hand grasped the back of the nearest chair, using it to steady himself even as I felt the barriers around his mind weaken. The sheer insanity of the truth that was now known to him was enough to at least weaken his considerable mental control. “Magister Damask…”

  “Is Darth Plagueis,” I confirmed with a nod. “Something I learnt after,” I stressed the word, “I believed I had saved him in this very city around six years ago.”

  “I…” Dooku stopped and closed his eyes. I felt him grasp the Force and pull it to him, using it to restore his mental protection, and no doubt control the emotional rollercoaster he’d endured over the last few minutes. “I cannot believe that both Co-Chancellors of the Republic, beings I have known for decades, are Sith Lords. Yet I also cannot deny that both of you are certain of this.” He paused and took a slow, deep breath to rediscover his centre. “There is much I wish to ask about these… discoveries. On a great many topics.”

  “As I had expected, Master,” I replied, using the title as a mark of respect. “And I, at least, would be happy to answer all that I could. However, it has to happen while we prepare to explore Dromund Kaas. The Banite Sith control the Republic, and it is only a matter of time, a decade at best, I suspect, before they enact their plan and destroy the Republic, obliterate the Jedi, and replace everything with a new Sith Empire.”

  I could tell that among the many questions he held was a desire to inform the Council. However, I also knew that his trust in it, even those he considered allies and useful tools within it, was weak. It wouldn’t, I hoped, take much to convince him that the path we had committed to was the one we had to remain committed to and that the Jedi couldn’t yet know that they were taking orders from two Banite Sith Lords.

  Eventually, they would have to be told so they could bring their power to bear against the threat we shared. However, that time was far from now. At least in any move that was done openly, as perhaps there were a few breadcrumbs we could drop, based I felt on what Maul knew, that might open the minds of the Jedi Council to the fact that a Sith had influence, if not outright control, of the Senate.

  Beyond that, I knew this was the time to head to Dromund Kaas. Not only was it part of the newest quest linked to Maul, one that would further cement our alliance, but I had to complete it before war erupted. With my plans for Mandalore and its people, there would be almost no time to commit to such a venture until the drums of war had sounded. Whatever was on the former capital of the Sith Empire that had once sacked the Jedi Temple and controlled Coruscant, I couldn’t and wouldn’t let it fall into the hands of the Banite Sith.

  Such power belonged in mine.

  … …

  … …

  A/N: There will be no public chapter for ANP until mid->late August. This is because I'm off on holiday to visit my wife with my son. As she's in China, that will place me behind the GFW and I'll be taking it easy for the month while I'm away.

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