Maul: Legacy of Shadows

Chapter 20: Imprisoned

***Year 4 BBY***

Eldra's body convulsed as she fell into Maul's arms.  Her cries of pain pierced through his body and he stood confused at what was causing her to react in such a way.  Finally she stopped, and her form seemed to be fading from existence before his eyes.  Panic flooded through Maul, who came to rely on her presence and warm company.  Eldra merely opened her eyes, which were filled with tears and placed a hand on Maul's cheek as she faded from his arms.

Maul's mind raced as he felt her touch disappear from his face, and his eyes bolted in random directions trying to find who had caused this to happen.  From behind a stone pillar a shadowy figure appeared, holding a circular double-bladed lightsaber hilt in his grasp.  Maul immediately recognized the figure as his nameless opponent from before, who began to laugh as he saw Maul's face stare blankly at the ground where Eldra had once been in his arms.

"You know, it took me awhile to figure out what had happened during our last battle.  I didn't expect a Force ghost to be the reason for your continued survival.  Pathetic to rely on such a crutch.  Once I understood however, I knew I had to change how I looked at the world and was able to finally see that Twi'lek standing next to you.  All it took was an exertion of the Dark Side to sever her connection and ability to remain on this plane of existence," the Eighth Brother explained, laughter permeating between his words.

Maul stood silent; she was gone.  Memories of her face covered his every thought, and the look she gave him as she lay in his arms in pain.  Deep inside, an echo in the Force began to pulsate within Maul's body, reverberating through the air around him like a heartbeat.  Once again, he was alone.  Once again that which he held dear had been taken from him.  The whispers in his head began to grow into a roar, as images of the Inquisitor's death by his hands consumed his every thought.

Gritting his teeth, Maul felt one of his molars crack from the pressure of his jaw as his eyes reverted to their sulfuric yellow once again.  He wasted no time in formalities, and yanked his lightsaber from his cane, tossing the wooden end away from himself.  As both ends of his lightsaber ignited, the Inquisitor returned the gesture in kind, no longer laughing at the situation.  Maul immediately charged at the Eighth Brother, forgoing his normal cartwheel flourish and instead slamming his lightsaber directly into the Inquisitor's blades.

Sparks flew through the air, as Maul had become little more than a rampaging beast.  With unnatural strength he pressed his attacks at the Inquisitor who was shocked at the ferocity of Maul's blows.  Constantly giving ground, the Eighth Brother knew he had to use his advantage quickly if he wanted to survive this encounter and backed away from the raging beast to give himself some breathing room.  As he did so, the Eighth Brother quickly grabbed pieces of rocks from the surrounding pillars and began tossing them at his opponent.  Maul stood silent, as a few pieces sliced small cuts across his body, breathing heavily as his body was shuddering from the Force swelling within it.

"You are NOTHIING!" the Inquisitor screamed, as he ripped an entire pillar from the ground and hurled it at Maul with the Force.

Maul never moved, even as the large structure neared his body.  Suddenly, it stopped inches from Maul, hovering in the air as if frozen in time.  The Eighth Brother was surprised, but continued to press the Force into the rock.  Even with all his power behind it, it wouldn't move.  Without warning, the pillar came careening back at the stunned Inquisitor, who quickly dove to the side to dodge the massive projectile.  Maul was still motionless, his lightsaber's two blades humming as the petrified figures from the past silently bore witness to the Dark Side surrounding the former Sith.

The Eighth Brother felt fear move into his legs, which shook involuntarily.  His body was fully aware what it had unleashed, and it knew that it should be afraid, even if he wasn't conscious of that fact.  In the blink of an eye, his opponent covered the ground between the two combatants, swinging his lightsaber to decapitate his foe.  Barely having a moment to react, the Eighth Brother dodged the blow and performed a small backflip to give himself more ground once again. His advantage now gone, the Inquisitor had to make a choice of either pressing his attack or retreating.

Maul wouldn't allow him time to ponder, as he sent a wave of the Force at the Inquisitor, slamming him into two petrified bodies.  They crumbled as he crashed through them, covering his suit with what remained of their physical forms.  Maul roared with the Force, shattering pillars all around him as a bubble of destruction emanated from his body.  The Eighth Brother scrambled to his feet, retreating out of the path of destruction, blood filling in his mouth from the Force attack he received.

Never before had the Eighth Brother felt a power like this.  Not even when Vader himself tested the Inquisitors, maiming many of them in a show of strength and superiority.  Activating his lightsaber's lifts, he began to ascend into the air.  His opponent was too dangerous currently, and he would need to come up with a new plan to succeed now.  Internally he cursed at the 'Shadow'.  He had no idea the power his foe was holding back which he unleashed by ridding himself of his invisible opponent.

The Inquisitor looked back, and Maul still stood motionless, content to allow him to retreat. However, the look he saw in his foe's eyes froze him to his core, and he knew by ridding himself of one threat, he had created one far worse.

***

Maul watched as his foe slowly retreated into the distance, as the echoes of the Dark Side were still screaming within his mind.  Eldra was gone.  The one person to show him compassion was taken from him, and Maul knew that the Force would never allow him to be free.  During his battle he now accepted the fact that he had to destroy the Sith entirely to be free from their grasp.  Reclaiming the shackles of the Dark Side, Maul would finally end the Sith with the weapon of the temple.  By allowing his opponent to retreat, he had hoped that Vader or Sidious would personally come to face him.

He knew even with all his power, either one would most likely defeat him in combat.  But the power of the temple would finish the line of the Sith forever.  Maul would have his revenge for both himself, Eldra, and the galaxy as a whole.  If the Jedi couldn't defeat the Sith, then he would have to do it himself.  Deactivating his lightsaber, he summoned his cane once again and solemnly returned to his camp.  The Dark Side still flooded every fiber of his being, but he remained calm and collected.  His rage was now focused and clear, but he would still need another to get to the temple's activation chamber.  With the Force he sensed that it would eventually be his to command, but he would have to be patient.

Maul would wait an eternity if it meant a chance at revenge, and he sat looking out at the temple quietly stirring in the distance.  He missed Eldra, she would be talking his ear off right now, and they would keep each other company.  Now he was alone, with his one true friend gone.  Thinking of her fading from his arms would constantly surge more rage into his body, but he made it a point to keep from releasing it.

"Soon," Maul whispered, hoping Eldra could still hear him.

***

Landing next to his TIE Fighter, the Inquisitor threw his lightsaber to ground in anger.  How could he have miscalculated so badly?  Hoping to break the spirit of his opponent by ridding himself of the Force ghost that saved the 'Shadow' during their first encounter, he instead awoke a power he was unprepared to face.  The Eighth Brother's rage continued, and like a child throwing a temper tantrum, he began to hurl rocks with the Force in all directions.

He still didn't know the identity of his foe, but he couldn't return to Vader empty handed.  Perhaps if he requested a personal audience with the Emperor, he could glean some information about his foe.  He would have to do so in secret, should Vader become aware of his failure, he wouldn't need to worry about falling to his foe's lightsaber anymore.  Looking back towards the pyramid, he climbed back into his ship, but hesitated to take off, instead pondering his next move silently to himself.

Now the task of eliminating the 'Shadow' became personal.