Maul: Legacy of Shadows

Chapter 14: Bloodlines

***Year 3,958 BBY***

"Try again," Miraj said as she sat in her bed, leaning against the wall, her blankets hiding the child that sat in her womb, nearing its time of birth.

Bao-Dur concentrated hard, trying to feel the energies of the planet surrounding him.  Though he was still blind to the Force, Miraj believed that his affliction was self-imposed, a side effect of feeling the great loss of life suffered at Malachor.  However, even after months of trying, his mental blocks kept him from reconnecting to his former glory and power.  He had been welcomed into the primitive tribe as their shaman's consort, but his lack of the Force had caused him to fall within a contemptable role in the village.  Many looked down on the former Jedi as a failure, and one who ultimately served his purpose and should be disposed of.

One of Miraj's personal handmaidens quickly ran into the small hut, clearly out of breath from fear.  Miraj was surprised by her sudden appearance, and sat up quickly, even though her pregnancy made movement difficult.

"Mother, there has been trouble spotted.  The Quora tribe has finally heard of our prisoner after all these months.  They march to claim him for a sacrifice!" the handmaiden exclaimed, finally able to breathe normally.

Miraj had hoped this would've happened after the birth of her child, as no tribe would dare attack if they suspected her to be at full strength.  The Quora tribe of humans held a deep-seated grudge against the Jedi, and this wayward exile would satisfy some primal urge for revenge.  She contemplated simply giving them her current plaything, now that he had given her a child that would be exceptionally strong in the Force.  The child's birth would cement her village's hold on planet's current political climate.

To do so however, meant she would appear weak by giving in to their demands.  She would rather die than allow that to happen.  Bao-Dur walked silently over to Miraj.  In return she gave him a small smile, though deep down she was angered at the position he had put her in.

"I will give myself to them willingly then," Bao-Dur finally said, surprising the mother of his future child.

Internally, Miraj was overjoyed at his suggestion, allowing her to save face and placate the demands of a rival village at the same time.  Her face told a different story, forcing a look of worry and disapproval to hide her true feelings from the exiled Jedi.  Finally, she closed her eyes, kissed her lover's right hand, and nodded to her handmaiden to ready Bao-Dur for his inevitable doom.

The handmaiden bowed graciously and walked out of the hut with the exile as he looked back one last time to softly smile at Miraj, who cradled her belly.  What he didn't realize were the tears streaming down her face were nothing more than an image the shaman had conjured up to fool her discarded plaything.  Eventually, the handmaiden and Bao-Dur had left the borders of the village, coming into a large forest of sickly green trees and thorny vines that cast an ominous look across the landscape.  The trees opened up into a small circular grove, red flowers and small fruit-bearing bushes lining the edges all around.

Bao-Dur tried to listen for the sounds of the coming Quora, but there was nothing but silence. Suddenly, a sharp pain drove deeply into his right side just above his kidney.  He quickly recognized it for what it was; he had just been stabbed with a dagger.  Falling to his knees, Bao-Dur coughed up a small spattering of blood as the handmaiden pulled the dagger quickly from his side as he collapsed.

"Don't be so surprised, exile.  You've served your purpose already, we have no more need of you," the handmaiden said while dancing the blade across her fingers with the skill and precision of a master assassin.

Bao-Dur slowly rose to his feet, as he felt the warm blood slowly ooze from his gaping wound. He had expected this to happen much sooner; it seemed all those harsh glances from the rest of the village had finally boiled over into outright murder.

"Did Miraj tell you to do this?" the wounded exile asked between coughs.

"She didn't have to, we all serve her will.  It was clear you were nothing but a means to an end for Mother Miraj," the handmaiden explained, slowly circling the wounded man as a predator would to cornered prey.

A voice began to speak deep within the recesses of Bao-Dur's mind, offering him a chance at revenge on this pathetic specimen.  He tried to refocus on the dagger the handmaiden casually tossed between her hands.  Its movements confounded his eyes, whose vision blurred from the loss of blood.

"Accept your hatred," the whisper said, slowly rising to a roar within Bao-Dur's mind.

Gritting his teeth, Bao-Dur felt a rushing surge wash over his body like a tidal wave.  The Force screamed within him, urging him to lash out and crush the confident insect that stood before him.  He could sense his body adjusting to the feeling of power welling within his soul, as he glared at the handmaiden with unfamiliar eyes.  Her smug smile fueled the rage that consumed his very being.  He imagined her corpse crackling with pain and suffering before raising his right arm, holding it out towards the handmaiden, who smirked at her assured victory.

Lightning cracked and sparked through the air between them, as Bao-Dur's rage became manifest.  The handmaiden screamed in agony as the bolts of energy charred her flesh, jumping across her body like a disease of anguish.  She dropped the dagger as her eyes caught a glimpse of the monster she had inadvertently created, his eyes a piercing yellow that seeped hatred and pure malice.  With an explosion of rage, her body flew back towards the edge of the grove, barely clinging to life as small jolts of energy jumped between gaps in her flesh.

"Crush this insolent fool!" the feminine voice within his head screamed.

The Jedi exile complied to the inner voice's wishes, as he quickly strode to the handmaiden's helpless body.  His blood still seeped endlessly from the wound she inflicted.  His anger knew no bounds and slowly he raised the charred husk of a handmaiden off the ground, an invisible grip crushing what remained of her throat.  With what remained of her strength she attempted to release the hold the Force had upon her.  Mother Miraj was correct, that the Jedi held a power unlike any they had seen in generations.  With a satisfied smile, her last sight was the trees directly behind her, as the Force had snapped her neck fully around.

Bao-Dur watched the body twitch until the handmaiden's nervous system finally accepted its own death.  Satisfied by her death, he released the body to collapse in a heap on the ground. Free of his rage for the moment, the wound she had inflicted had finally taken its toll, and the exiled Jedi collapsed to the ground, unconscious. 

***Elsewhere in the Galaxy***

"Deep breaths my child," the elderly Cathar said as she sat across from Surik.

"Yes master Sylvar," Surik replied as she tried to concentrate.

The aging Cathar reached out to her former student with the Force.  Her student had deafened herself from its comforting embrace, but with time she knew it could be undone.  As the pair sat, a faint echo of the Dark Side brushed against the Cathar master.  Though its origin was an incalculable distance across the cosmos, the ripples from the Force were endless.  Sylvar contemplated bringing it up to her student before deciding against it for fear it would end her progress prematurely.

"Master?  Is everything alright?" Surik asked as she noticed the silent change in her master's demeanor.

"Of course my child," Sylvar quickly explained.

Surik thought of her own student and gave a silent prayer to the Force, asking for it to continue guiding him towards his destiny.