Maul: Legacy of Shadows

Chapter 18: A Different Approach

***Year 4 BBY***

His TIE Fighter sat in the shadows of a small rock outcropping, as the Eighth Brother pondered over the battle he had just escaped.  Not only was his foe admittedly superior in Form VII ,or Juyo, but had the appearance of someone well versed in the Dark Side.  However, during their battle, his opponent hardly tried to use the Force at all.  In fact, it was the edge he needed to finally corner the mysterious 'Shadow', who seemed internally conflicted.

Just when victory was a mere moment away, something or someone held the killing stroke at bay.  His eyes had seen nothing but his opponent, still held against the rock wall through the Eighth Brother's Force attack.  If someone was there, they had employed an ability the Eighth Brother had never even heard of.  Masking your presence subtly is one thing, but to completely hide from sight is another.  Before his task would be complete, he would make it a point to ascertain the knowledge of such an ability.

Finishing his small meal to regain some strength, the Inquisitor decided he would need to stalk his prey and use the element of surprise, especially if he was actually up against two opponents instead of just the 'Shadow'.  Tossing what remained of his food to the ground, the Eighth Brother began his search again, hoping to find the camp of his quarry, and torture some answers to his questions.

***

Eldra could tell Maul was conflicted over what had transpired.  She felt that he had accepted his defeat, but it was her fault he came so close to death.  Without his grip on the Dark Side, the only advantage Maul held was with his skill in lightsaber combat.  It would take more training to reach the power he had once commanded, but she was glad he didn't give into his anger, even when the killing stroke came crashing down.

Maul was silent, pondering over how he would defeat his new enemy, who was skilled and well-versed in the Dark Side.  The foe was nothing compared to the one called Vader or Maul's former master Sidious, however.  He was happy Eldra had come to his aid, it had been a very long time before he knew how to trust another, and her presence confirmed that she truly did care for his safety.  Deceit was a trait for those in the shadows, and Maul spent his entire life by that creed.

Still, his enemy now knew his weakness, and would surely exploit it far sooner than their last encounter.  Maul sighed with disappointment; the Force felt so distant.  He had never trained to use peace to keep a connection with the Force, and instead always drew upon his passions and emotions to grasp and contain its power.  Time was also not on his side, surely the unnamed assassin was already back on the move.  There was only one way to assure victory, he would have to activate the temple to assure the assailant never leaves Malachor.

"We need to activate the temple," Maul said out loud, startling Eldra who wasn't expecting to hear her love say anything at all.

Eldra tried to hide her distain for such a proposal, she knew exactly what had happened here, but she also knew Maul didn't make this choice lightly.

"But we don't even know how it works, and we don't even know where your ancestor's holocron is anymore," Eldra replied, hoping to dissuade him from this journey.

"I saw someone nearly succeed in opening the temple, surely the answer lies within, the issue is getting inside without my connection to the Force at its finest," Maul quipped back, catching Eldra off-guard.

At this point, arguing was pointless, and Eldra decided to merely shrug and agree to Maul's plan.  All she could do was hope that whatever this path brought, that Maul wouldn't fall back to the Dark Side to achieve his goal.