Star Wars, Episode I: The Darkness Revived

Part 4: The Boy from Tatooine

General Aderonn stood on the bridge of his command ship as his subordinates did a quick check of all the ship's systems. It'd been several hours since Lord Sidious's last transmission and he was beginning to wonder if the Sith's plan to locate the queen's ship was going to fail. Perhaps he should have kept his technicians browsing the scouts' reports, just in case.

"General Aderonn."

Aderonn's posture straightened immediately. He'd never heard that voice before. He turned around to see a stranger clad in many layers of black cloth standing in the bridge's doorway. The man wore a hooded black cloak on top of everything, with the hood drawn up. Despite the garment hiding many of his facial features, he could see the man was no human. The new arrival's crimson face, covered in sharp black tattoos told him that much.

"Who are you?" he demanded, "how did you get aboard this ship?"

The stranger began to advance quickly, heading straight for him. His pace prompted Aderonn to take an unsure step back. He didn't look like a Jedi. Was he an assassin, sent by the Republic?

"Stop there!" he ordered.

One of the armed guards rushed toward the man, raising his blaster carbine as he moved. The stranger stopped and turned his head to look at the guard, then thrust his arm out. The guard flew backward, flung off his feet, until he collided with the far wall and slumped to the ground where he remained. The stranger returned his gaze to the general and continued to move forward until he was standing in front of him.

"Who..? Are you...a Jedi?" Aderonn stammered.

"Do not mistake me for one of their filth," the man scolded him in a deep, threatening voice. The man's stance was tense, his hands clenched tightly on either side of his body. It looked to Aderonn like he would burst into action at any minute. He hoped dearly that action wasn't against him.

"If you're not a Jedi, then..."

"I am Darth Maul, apprentice to Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the revived Sith," the stranger introduced himself, his tone proud and severe. "In the absence of my master, you will follow my orders as if they had come from him."

General Aderonn shakily cleared his throat.

"Lord Sidious never mentioned having an apprentice," he stated, trying to maintain the aire of authority his station demanded, despite the slow chill that crawled throughout his body in the man's intimidating presence. He tried not to flinch when the stranger lifted his open hand in front of his face.

"Do you require another demonstration of my power?" he hissed, slowly clenching the hand back into a fist. "If I need to take command of this ship by force, I will."

Aderonn stared briefly at the fist only centimeters from his nose and shook his head.

"No...Lord Maul."

Maul brought the hand away from his face, returning it to its place at his side.

"Good," he snapped, "set a course for the Tatoo System." He turned his back to the general. Aderonn had to force himself not to react indignantly to the blatant show of disrespect. "I will require a fighter for my personal use," Maul continued. He glanced back at him. "See that it's prepared for me before we reach our destination."

The Sith began to walk away.

"I...my Lord!" the general called after him.

Darth Maul stopped abruptly, but didn't turn to face him.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"If there's a plan, I should know about it."

"You know all you need to know...for now."