Maul: Legacy of Shadows

Chapter 12: A New Purpose

***Year 4 BBY***

Maul looked up at the Imperial shuttle as it quickly sped into the distance, disappearing as it broke through a crack in the false surface.  Four guards lay at his feet and Maul had never seen such Imperial forces before.  They were obviously well trained in melee combat, and their discipline surprised the former Sith lord, but their lack of the Force made them easy to dispatch. The commander who escaped was a more pressing matter, however.  Though this mysterious Imperial's command of the Force paled in comparison to Maul's, he was shocked that there would still be Force users within the Empire other than the two Sith lords themselves.

Putting the thought aside for the time being, Maul searched through the bodies of the Royal guards.  Each came equipped with both a Force pike and a small blaster hidden under their flowing crimson cloaks.  Maul heard a soft wet cough come from the guard who initiated the battle, who barely clung to life.  A small puddle of blood formed on the ground from the edge of the guard's crimson mask.

Using what little strength he had, the royal guard attempted to free the blaster from his hip, but Maul froze his body in place.  Maul slowly walked towards the dying guard, curious about this new enemy and their purpose for coming.  Pulling the mask off, Maul noticed he looked nothing like a clone trooper, but the blood pouring from his mouth indicated he had mere moments left.

"What was your purpose coming here?" Maul asked politely, hoping to appeal to the dying soldier.

The guard merely spit at Maul's mechanical feet, a final act of defiance as his final breath left his body.  Looking down at the guard apathetically, Maul merely turned his attention to the doorway that the unknown Force user was slowly prying open.  Unknown to the escaped Force user, it was Maul who began to lift the second inner doorway from the shadows.  He had hoped to catch a glimpse at what lay within.  Without the Dark Side flowing through him however, his abilities were still limited.  It was during this effort that he slightly bumped one of the seemingly infinite ashen bodies, causing it to collapse and alerting the four guards of his presence.

"So, making a mess I see," Eldra said while standing over the unmasked royal guard, surprising Maul enough that he ignited his lightsaber on reaction.

"You know would it kill you to at least warn of your presence?" Maul snapped, deactivating his crimson blades as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't think anything can kill me.  I'm already dead remember?" Eldra quipped back, a small hint of laughter hidden within in her reply.

Maul tried to hide a smile, he began to find her humor relaxing and it always calmed the raging chaos that still fought for control within him. Though he had felt he was free from the Dark Side, his lifetime of use, and his upbringing itself, meant it was always waiting in the shadows for him to falter and grasp its power once again.

"Can't you just enter this temple and tell me what lay within?" Maul asked Eldra, touching the doorway with an outstretched hand.

"A site such as this is protected and powered by the Force.  Even should the doorway be open, I cannot enter," she explained, her answer disappointing Maul.

"I guess it's best we don't know then, but there was an unknown Force-wielder who escaped.  Something tells me our next guests will be more interested in me, than this temple," Maul said quietly to himself, but Eldra was able to hear his words beneath his breath.

Eldra had felt the presence of another Force user, and it was that presence that drove her to rush to Maul's aid.  It would seem his escape was the will of the Force, but she sensed Maul was worried.  Maul then did something Eldra was shocked to see, he began to dig shallow graves with his bare hands for the guards that had faced him honorably.  Though it took quite a while, Maul made sure to bury each with respect, as Eldra looked on, curiously.