Maul: Legacy of Shadows

Chapter 9: Reborn

***Year 4 BBY***

Maul awoke to the sound of low thunder, rumbling in the distance.  It seemed the outer crust of the planet was capable of complex weather patterns, which trickled down to the true, yet hidden, surface of Malachor.  Every so often Maul would witness a bolt of green lightning pierce through the barrier and crash down, the thunder crashing with a deafening blast.

Eldra never slept, it seemed a Force spirit had no need to.  Instead she simply stared out at the planet, watching rain fall through cracks from the surface, creating a bizarre yet beautiful pattern of rainfall.  Maul rose to his feet and walked next to her as she sat on the cargo ramp, finally sitting next to her and taking in the storm as it raged across the planet.  Without the Dark Side flowing through him, Maul's body felt weaker as he wasn't used to existing without its sustaining grasp.

"How did you become a Sith?" Eldra finally asked, her voice the only sound beyond that of the rainfall and thunder in the distance.

Maul contemplated how he should answer her question.  Was it the moment his master showed him the vision of the ancient Sith?  Or perhaps it was the moment he was kidnapped from his mother on Dathomir all those years ago by his master Sidious.  The thought of his mother pained him.  She had sacrificed herself to allow him to escape from Sidious and his minion Grievous, as both laid waste to his ancient home and family.  He wouldn't allow anger to return however, merely sighing and realigning his thoughts to give Eldra an honest answer.

"Long ago, I was the child of the Nightsister shaman Talzin.  Her power with the Force was immense, and in effect, I was born with a talent seen in only a few.  My master saw this, and luring my mother into a false sense of security, abducted me as his first apprentice," Maul explained to the young Twi'lek, as she listened intently to his story.

Maul continued, "every day I trained, learning the methods of the Sith. My true talent, however, was in the form of the lightsaber.  I was trained to become an extension of my master's will, one that would cut down any foe that crossed my path.  Just before my christening as the next Sith Lord in a lineage that spanned a full millennium, my master gifted me a holocron that taught me how to create my first lightsaber.  Ironically, it was the holocron of Darth Bane's apprentice, and the first apprentice in the Rule of Two, Darth Zannah."

Maul pulled his new blade from its hidden sheath within his wooden cane.  Though somewhat similar to his first blade, it featured many differences, allowing it to be hidden as an extension of his cane.  Eldra stared at the large hilt, and marveled at its craftsmanship, especially the rounded guard on one end.  She remembered his original lightsaber, as almost all double-bladed lightsabers were considered ancient weapons from a time long past.  It was a brilliant move on the former Sith's part, as most Jedi would be at a loss for how to counter such a weapon, a testament she herself could speak for.

"Shortly before our fateful duel, my master brought me to this world," Maul explained, staring towards the Sith temple in the distance, lightning still finding its way through the surface above. "It was here that I learned of what befell the ancient Sith, and in a vision forced upon me, I learned to hate everything about the Jedi and craved revenge."

Eldra placed a hand on Maul's right arm, sensing the guilt that swelled within him.  As her light blue skin connected with his, Maul closed his eyes in shame for his previous actions.  Many had died at his hands, both directly and indirectly, with his master guiding him against the Jedi.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Maul whispered, fearing the young Twi'lek would scorn him for his perceived weakness.

"It was the will of the Force, I'm proof of that," she explained, flicking one of her lekku off her shoulder, letting it come to rest on her upper back.

Maul wanted to believe that, but something inside him still tugged at his spirit. His master drove him to hate all Jedi, and he was made into a weapon.  His usefulness to the Sith had run its course, and he was an outcast that held no place in the galaxy.  Maul had witnessed his own younger brother, who he had taken as an apprentice, die at the hands of Darth Sidious himself.  It seemed death and failure would follow Maul everywhere and deny him any chance at connecting with others.

But now this young Jedi had returned from the Force itself to guide him?  Something didn't make sense, Eldra had mentioned she was sent to Maul, but by whom?  Was it the Force itself, giving Maul the opportunity to rise from the ashes and become something greater?

"Who sent you to me?" Maul finally asked, believing he deserved an answer.

"That's a difficult question," Eldra explained. "Becoming one with the Force attunes you to everything it touches, both the past and the future are the same, and the same goes for both the light and dark sides."

Maul pondered that response, the Force was impartial it seemed, but it did guide both sides as a coin with two sides.

"The one who asked me to watch over you was a human woman.  Long ago she passed away, but she said you would hold great importance and sensing our connection through our past battle, decided that I would be best to guide you," Eldra said, her soft hand gripping tightly against Maul's arm.

Maul felt disappointed that it wasn't Kenobi who had sent her.  His old nemesis was truly the driving force for his own survival after their duel on Naboo.  Glancing at his mechanical legs, memories of that day flowed through his mind, and his anger began to swell once again.  Eldra could feel it through the Force, and quickly took her free hand and placed it upon Maul's face, turning it toward her.  Their gaze fell upon each other, and once again the anger dissipated within himself, as Eldra gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry," Maul apologized, "I feel I will never truly be free of my anger and hatred for Kenobi. He is the one who maimed me so, and who began my fall from grace as a Sith.  My only comfort is knowing he is dead and that I still live."

Eldra knew through the Force that Kenobi still lived but dared not speak of that truth to Maul. She was fully aware what would happen should he find out.  All the progress he had made letting go of his hatred would be undone in an instant.  She rested her head on the Zabrak's shoulder with one of her lekku brushing against his back and closed her eyes as she pondered what path Surik wanted Maul to take.

"Who was this woman who sent you? Does she have some connection to me that I don't know?" Maul asked quietly, trying hard to keep from disturbing the Twi'lek too much.

"She knew your ancestor, the one from the holocron that still sits within your pocket.  She was his Jedi master millennia ago," Eldra answered back, her eyes still closed.

The holocron was nearly forgotten by Maul.  He never gave it much thought after seeing the image of his ancestor come before him. In the months that followed, he had been preoccupied with his mechanical limb and survival to take time and actually ponder the question of the ancient Sith temple, which still sat in the distance in silence.

There was One thing Maul found odd, the holocron was of a Sith design.  Jedi made their holocrons in a cubic design, but Sith always made theirs as pyramids.  It was a symbol of supremacy for the ancient Sith.  He also wondered about the weapon his ancestor spoke of, which most likely lay at the heart of the temple, and how his ancestor had used it before in days long past.

Maul reached into his pocket and pulled the holocron out.  Eldra opened her eyes and slowly sat up, her skin disconnecting from Maul's arm.  Maul used his fingers to slowly brush against the Zabrak markings along its edges, no longer sensing any attachment to it.  Holding it on his palm, he slowly lifted the miniscule artifact into the air with the Force and looked to Eldra, giving her a slight nod.  Finally, with one motion, he tossed the artifact through the sky with the Force, closing his eyes to allow it to become lost in the endless void of the planet.

Eldra breathed a sigh of relief, as the small pyramid disappeared into the distance, hopefully lost forever.  Suddenly, Maul jumped to his feet, the metallic sound of his feet clanging as he landed.  He pulled his lightsaber next to him, igniting both ends with a smirk on his face.  Eldra hopped to her feet as well, a smile beaming across her face.  As she stood she quickly ignited hers as well, ready to once again train with the Zabrak warrior.

"Ready for round 3?" Maul asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you know it," Eldra replied.