Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.13.2

Maul felt a shiver run down his back when his ship dropped out of hyperspace. His own screams filled his ears, screams from a day when cruelty was the only way he ever knew. Sideous may be dead, but the pain he inflicted was not. Scars always remained longer than wounds. 

And Tyrannus...Maul could sense the hypocrite even from outside of Dromund Kaas's atmosphere. It would be such bliss to finally kill him, to snuff out the man that had replaced him oh so long ago. The day was finally here, the chance to take back what should have belonged to him. 

He wondered if Tyrannus knew what he was about to endure. Had he expected it? Had he dreaded it, or did he welcome the challenge as Maul did? Was he afraid? It mattered not, but the thought of Tyrannus quivering before him did please Maul.

Barriss felt her heart rate pick up as the ship descended to the surface. She had been proud to be Maul's apprentice, but she knew that this was where it was official. There could only be two Sith. Maul had yet to teach her the history behind the Sith Rule of Two, but the knowledge that she was about to become a part of it was...freeing. Empowering. In no longer than an hour, she was going to be the apprentice of a Sith Lord, a Master of the Dark Side. What greater honor in the galaxy existed?

When the ship touched down on the ground, Tyrannus had yet to show his face. As Maul and Barriss disembarked from the ship, the master asked his apprentice, "Do you remember the conventions of the challenge?"

"Yes, Master," she responded, walking in his wake. "I know I must not interfere with the duel."

"Just make certain that you keep your distance," he warned her, looking around the front entrance of the ancient Sith temple. "Tyrannus will use you against me if we allow it. I dare not risk your life in this challenge."

He started along the familiar paths, his feet remembering which way to go more than his mind did. Maul knew where Tyrannus would be waiting for him: In the throne room, sitting atop the chair that ought not to be his as if it would assert dominance over Maul. If Tyrannus sensed him at all, which he ought to, that is where he would be. 

This side of the planet was unlit at this hour, so the hallways of chiseled stone were dark and still. When his eyes could no longer see into the shadows, he ignited one end of his lightsaber to show him the way. Barriss did likewise behind him, making sure to keep close to her master. This was unfamiliar territory for her, and of the three people on this planet she was the weakest, she knew. It would be very easy to be made a victim here. 

Finally, Maul found the doors to the throne room. He deactivated his lightsaber, knowing this particular hall was eternally illuminated with Sith Fire. With both hands, he pushed open the doors, not caring about the creaking echo it made. 

It was just as he remembered it. Giant stone pillars marking a path to the foot of the throne, with stairs leading up to the stone chair. Torches set in every side of the pillars, blazing with stark blue fire. The room expanded around the throne as if it was built to host an empire of disciples who bowed before it. One glorious day, millennia ago, it had, Maul was sure. 

Tyrannus was indeed sitting on his late master's throne, looking as ghastly as ever. He rested his arms patiently on the armrests of the chair, his gaze straight forward and burning into Maul's forehead. "I see you have decided to stop hiding in the shadows," he noted, unblinking as the Zabrak approached the throne. "I was wondering if I would be seeing you soon."

"Do you see me now, Count?" Maul asked, opening his arms to let him look if he wanted. As he did, he looked around at the architecture. His face was one torn between fondness and disgust. "Ohh...if walls could speak, I dare wonder what they would say."