mia

Rooks voice pierced through the ships comm system. "My Lord, how goes the endeavours on Shakari-"

"Rook, listen to me carefully, I need you to round up everyone. Get as many ships and guns prepared and wait on my signal. I will give further instructions soon." Maul announced as he entered Alderaans atmosphere.

"Lord Maul, what is this for?" The Mandalorian replied, confused at her leaders erratic behaviour.

"I will explain when I have more details, and time. I am en route to Alderaan and will comm within the hour."

"Sir-" She began, but he cut her off, ending the call.

Maul landed (more like crash landed) the ship haphazardly and leapt down the ramp before it was even fully down. Every step he took, he reached out into the force, sensing your past movements. It was a difficult skill to keep up, but his fear and building rage pushed him.

Passers by looked on with perplexed expressions, watching the zabrak manoeuvre through the alleyways at impressive speeds. He didn't care, he could sense he was closing in on something.

Then, his metal feet scraped to a halt. This specific alley, this is where the connection in the force ended. It must've happened here. Maul observed carefully, his eyes landing on an unfamiliar object in the middle of the street. A piece of brown, singed fabric; fabric from a cloak, an expensive one at that. "Dooku..."

Mauls gaze tracked upwards, his eyes narrowing on the security cameras that lined the streets. Growing up, the Sith was surrounded by droids, therefore found himself handy with a portable scomp link. He removed the outer panelling of a nearby streetlamp and began infiltrating the surveillance system - soon, he found what he was looking for.

He watched as you duelled, you put up a damn good fight, especially against Count Dooku. The footage showed your injury and subsequent unconsciousness, followed by Dookus droids carrying you away. Maul hopped from camera to camera following where they took you, eventually ending up at a ship dock on the far edge of the city.

The man didn't hesitate, much to the dismay of an unfortunate Alderaanian, Maul force pulled a passing speeder towards him and highjacked it. Revving full throttle in the direction of the ship dock.

As he sped down the roads, Maul focused. He turned his attention back to the force, trying to gauge any indication of where Dooku could have taken you and which planets would make the most sense for him to go to. Coruscant would draw too much attention as well as Raxus, Geonosis was now with the Republic, Serenno was too far away to make escape quick and easy enough. The most likely planet, was Skako.

As Maul pulled up to the desolate dock, he surveyed the tracks left in the dirt. Fresh landing gear imprints told him that a large, commercial ship had recently taken off. One large enough to carry a whole crew and more. Suddenly, a small, squeaky voice echoed from inside a stall within the dock.

"Yeah and then I charged him- rgkrrk!" Maul seized a young Toydarian with the force, squeezing his throat.

"You! The ship that just left here, who was on it?" He commanded.

"I- hgkk- can't tell you!" The blue man squeaked out.

"You will tell me, or die!" The Sith tightened his grip on the Toydarians neck.

"Gah! OK, OK! Some old sleemo and a bunch of droids, they had a woman with them but I don't think she was doing too hot." He spluttered.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know! I just work here, I don't keep track of- AaAaaAhHH!" The zabrak released the man, sending him scurrying back into whatever building the crawled out from.

As much as Maul didn't want to admit it, he had to rely on what you had taught him. He took a deep breath, sinking his knees into the dirt and closing his eyes. A low, rumbling sound began around him - particles of earth vibrated as he dug deeper into the force. Using your training, he pushed his anger and fear aside momentarily. Now, all he focused on was you, and the path you left in the force. Finally, he opened his eyes, feeling the dust settle.

"Rook, send the men to Skako. I will rendezvous with you there." Maul said into his commlink.

"Skako? My Lord, what is our mission?" Rook replied over the hiss of the comm.

"Dooku set up an ambush on Alderaan, he has taken Y/n to draw me out. I sense they have gone to there." The man said as he boarded the speeder and set off back in the direction of his ship.

"But then we would be walking into a trap?" The Mandalorian asked, careful not to seem insulting.

"You wanted action. I am giving you action. Now get to Skako." Maul switched off his comm and revved the speeder.

Your connection to the force was weak, but your bond remained. Maul usually wasn't one to put all of his faith in the force, however in this case he had no choice. It was the place that made the most sense, plus, he still felt that tug in his chest pulling him towards you. He had to be on the right track.

----

"You are growing weaker, I'm afraid 'The Shadow' is running out of time." Dooku taunted you as you hung by the chains. By now, you were slouched over, dangling by your wrists as your wound started to ooze.

"Oh please, be quiet!" You spat with your remaining strength.

The Count paid your words no mind. "Maybe you're right, maybe he isn't coming. How does that make you feel, Jedi?"

You panted. "Kriff... you..."

It was getting harder and harder to keep your eyes open. Every time you looked up, the whole room was a blur, all you could make out was the darkness of Dooku's aura. Your hearing became muffled, but out of the murmurs you could just about make out the unmistakable sound of a B1 battle droid from beyond the doorway.

"Count Dooku, there are multiple unidentified ships entering the atmosphere. How shall we proceed?" The droid asked in that whiny, nasally voice.

A surge of relief coursed through you, followed by anxiety. The syndicate had come for you, but they were walking into a trap.

Dooku turned to you, grinning. "At last. It seems the old apprentice has learned from his previous mistakes and brought reinforcements. A pity, really. He's brought them to their doom."

The droid continued. "Count Dooku, it appears they out match us. It would be wise to lea-"

"No, we must let them come. As soon as I engage in combat and defeat Darth Maul, his mercenaries will scatter. Keep them at bay until he arrives." With that, the man made his exit. His large cape billowing behind him. It seemed to you that Dooku was confident enough in his own abilities to not call upon the rest of the Separatist fleet for backup.

From the doorway, you observed two B1 droids. They exchanged glances, first to you, then in the direction Dooku went, then back to each other.

"Aww man, we're going to die aren't we?" The first one said, his blaster drooping in his hands.

"Yep, pretty much." The other replied, shaking his head in disappointment.

The haze of weakness returned to you, drawing a cloudy film over your eyes. You could barely feel your heart beating, all of your blood had pooled around your ankled and drained from your arms. The constant stretch in your spine caused your back agonising pain - but you were getting numb. This would've been a good thing, if it didn't mean that you were losing your grip on your life.

After what felt like another hour of muffled droid voices, you heard something. An explosion. A feeling of warmth and power surged back into you, making you tilt up your head and open your eyes. Blasters fired and metal clanged as the feeling grew larger. Adrenaline rushed in, you looked to the door to see a red hue quickly consume the hallway.

It was Maul, and he was taking no prisoners. He sliced through those droids as if he had a vendetta against them personally. His eyes seared with rage as he twirled his sabre, deflecting blaster bolts. Then, as the last three droids stood helpless - Maul threw his double edged lightsaber, boomeranging it and cutting down the last clankers in one fell swoop.

You smiled weakly to yourself. *He definitely thought that was cool.*

The zabrak finally turned his attention to the room you were in, his vengeful eyes softening as he saw you. "Y/n? Y/N!"

Maul leapt over to you, immediately assessing how he could get you down from where you were strung. His eyes trailed to your gaping wound, causing him to wince in sympathy. Seeing your exhausted state, he ignited his sabre, carefully cutting through the chains.

"M- Maul- Dooku, he's..." You attempted to warn him as you fell into his arms.

"Oh- here, can you stand?" Without hesitation, he caught you. Bringing a hand to your face to check your pupils and pulse. You gathered from his expression, he didn't like what he found.

"I-" You muttered breathily, before collapsing against him. You felt your eyes drifting shut involuntarily, using the last of your strength, you clutched onto his shoulders.

Maul supported your waist, the sounds of blaster fire getting closer in the hallway. "Not to worry, hold on, this may sting."

Effortlessly, he scooped you up by your legs, your arms still wrapped around his neck. You yelped as the skin around your injury stretched.

Maul carried you 'bridal-style' out into the corridor, where the rest of the Mandalorians engaged Dooku's droids. All you could make out were the whizzing colours and subdued voices of the syndicate.

"Rook! With me!" Maul commanded, gesturing his head towards the hole they'd blown in the wall, which, right now was their only exit.

"Is she alright My Lord?" Rook asked, covering the Sith with her blaster fire.

"I am unsure, we must retreat! Our forces are pinned down, we have lost men." Maul yelled overtop the barrage of artillery. It was rare he would retreat, but he was a smart man, and he knew when to call time.

The Separatist base on Skako was located in a city on stilts, the tall towers stood hundreds of meters above the planets surface. Maul too had landed his ship on the ground, and with the urgency of this mission, no one had really thought of an escape plan.

"I agree, but, the ships are on the ground, its a long way down sir..." Rook gestured her head towards the hole that was several yards away from them. The B1 droids kept flowing, every time one was cut down, two more would be deployed. The hallway was soon teeming with them, shooting mercilessly at the syndicate. Maul may have had Mandalorians on his side, but Dooku had numbers.

"Call the men!" Maul ordered. Rook tapped her comm, causing a light to begin flashing on the other Mandos comms, signalling for their immediate retreat.

Maul adjusted his grip on your wilted body and made for the exit, followed closely by Rook who still kept to pelting the droids with blaster bolts.

Reaching the hole in the wall, Maul took cover behind some debris and peered down, careful to keep you close. The ground wasn't visible, a thick layer of cloud shrouded the bottom. Having entered from the surface and travelled up inside the building, he didn't realise how far of a drop down would be.

He growled with frustration, Rook halted her firing and hid behind the debris. "My Lord, I can carry you!" She said, gesturing to her jetpack. Her voice filled with urgency.

With no warning, the blaster fire ceased. All droids in the hallway stopped firing and stood still. Everyone froze. Maul felt a disturbance deep within his chest. He took a breath, peeking overtop the debris.

Count Dooku. Armed and at the ready, surrounded by his army of mindless droids. His bearded face serious and unyielding. He was ready for this fight, and he'd be damned if he let his prize escape this time.

Maul shut his eyes momentarily, grasping onto you tightly. "Take her, get to the ship with the others and get out of here." Maul instructed Rook.

By this time, your whole body had gone limp, your breathing was barely audible and your skin had drained to a ghostly pale. The Mandalorian held out her arms, taking you from Mauls.

"But-" She protested, but Maul wasn't having it. He looked into her helmet visor, lowering his gaze. Rook understood. To give everyone the best chance of survival, he had to face Dooku, alone.

The Sith rose to his feet, breathing deeply, and stepped out into the corridor.

"Darth Maul. We meet again." The Count spoke, igniting his lightsaber.

"A displeasure to see you, as always, Count Dooku. You have my attention, now, what do you want?" Maul watched out his peripheral as Rook leapt from the building, firing up her jetpack with you in her arms.

"I want nothing from you, my master demands your execution. Your very existence threatens his plans." Dooku smirked as he watched how Sidious' mention sent a cold shiver down Mauls spine.

Maul ignited his sabre, readying his stance. "You know nothing of his plans, Darth Sidious will betray you!"

"We have visited this conversation before, your hatred and lust for revenge cloud your mind. Not to mention your fear for the girl." The Count chuckled.

The zabraks eyes widened, then his face tightened into an animalistic sneer. He growled at the mans arrogance to bring you up. Maul felt that familiar feeling of his anger taking control, the dark side pulsing within him.

"Yes, that's right. I know all about your attachment to her, there is no use in lying. Yet, you refuse her? You only make this harder for yourself, boy." Dooku patronised him.

"SILENCE!" Maul shouted as he lunged for the old man, their blades met, instantly he began pelting him with strikes - ferociously attacking on the offensive.

Dooku continued in the defensive, having to react quickly in order to block Mauls devastating blows. The Count swung for Mauls legs, but he was faster, blocking his attempt, then knocking his hilt up into Dooku's face. The old man stepped back, clutching his nose. Maul saw the opening, his rage consuming him, he landed a barrage of strikes onto the elders sabre, weakening him with each hit.

For the first time in a long time, Count Dooku felt genuine fear. Maul was winning this fight, fuelled by his attachment to you.

Eventually, Dooku regained his balance, blocking Mauls sabre and holding him, staring at him face to face. "Such a shame, your death will only leave her empty hearted." The old man spurred.

Maul saw nothing but red, the veins in his eyes bursting with fury. Dooku had done this to you, injured you, tortured you. The force scratched at him, begging to be released.

"GRRAH!" Maul screamed, pushing harder. The Counts face turned white as he began to lose control over his own sabre. Mauls strength overpowered him, he hadn't anticipated how the zabraks personal feelings would stoke the flames of his anger. Dooku was beginning to doubt, his own arrogance had boosted his belief in his own strength.

As the two mens sabres clashed, a low hum arose from the exit behind them. Blaster fire from Separatist ships pelted the repurposed LAAT gunship you had found yourself in when you woke. And by sheer will, you held it back with the force, stopping the blaster bolts in a shield and protecting the ship.

The force flowed inside your blood, allowing you to stand and defend the syndicate despite your weakened state. Both Maul and Rook gazed at you with shock and awe. Your hands shook as the blasters hailed down a storm of fire. If you weren't protecting the ship - it would've been downed before it had even risen.

"Maul! Get- cough- to the ship, we have to go!" You called feebly to the man, who turned his attention from your voice back to the fight.

You were struggling. If he didn't make a decision now, you would lose your grip, and the ship would go down.

This moment, this single decision would define the true nature of Mauls mind. Kill Dooku, or save your life. Potentially ruin his old masters plans and exact his revenge then and there, or leave before the ship is destroyed, taking his mercenaries and you along with it. The choice was his.

And in this moment, Maul did the only thing he could think of. He went to his mind palace. In a split second, he was back on Dathomir. Those same red clouds and dusty smell surrounded him as a familiar presence came into view through the fog.

Maul squinted his eyes. "Mother? Mother!"

There she stood, Mother Talzins tall figure rose proud as she emerged. The fabric of her cape flowing gently in the wind. Maul rushed up to her, desperate to return to the fight. "I must act quickly, we don't have much time, I-"

But before he could finish, Mother Talzin held up her palm to stop him. "I know what decision lies in front of you, my son. And I cannot make it for you."

Her expression was steadfast. The force worked in mysterious ways, as did nightsister magic, Maul wasn't entirely sure if he was speaking to the spirit of his mother left over from her death some time ago, or if she was merely a recollection of her conjured by his mind. Either way, he sought her wisdom.

"May I have your guidance?" He asked gingerly.

"Hmm...." Talzin looked him up and down, glancing at her son's conflicted gaze. "You must tell me, truthfully, are you attached to this woman? Not by the force, but by your own connection?"

Maul paused. He thought back to when you rescued him on Serenno, how you said that you did it, because you thought he would do the same for you. And here he was - doing exactly that. "...yes."

"And do you want her in your future, do you want her to live?" Mother Talzin spoke, her commanding voice echoing in Mauls mind.

His thoughts shifted. He valued your training of him, without you, this interaction wouldn't even be possible... amongst other things. "Yes."

Talzin lowered herself, levelling eye to eye with her son. "Now tell me, is the price of this victory worth her life? Or the rest of those Mandalorians' too?"

Again, he paused. For so long, all that was on Mauls mind, was revenge - victory. Before meeting you, Kenobi was at the top of his list for exacting his vengeance, but you had changed that. You helped him see the bigger enemy. And the more he thought, the more he realised that he didn't want to see Sidious defeated if that meant you weren't there to watch.

"No, no it isn't mother."

Mother Talzin looked upon him with a proud smile. "Then, my son, your path is clear. Trust in your own plannings and be patient. The time for revenge will come, just as you have foreseen it."

Maul nodded, watching as the image of his mother began to dissolve back into the fog. "Thank you, mother. You are as wise as ever."

Suddenly, he was back in the fight. The picture of Dathomir had disappeared and what was left was the sobering reality of facing off against Count Dooku. Maul picked up where he left off - his and The Counts blades pushing against one another in a battle of strength.

He glanced out of his peripheral, you were still there, holding a shield around the ship but barely managing to stay conscious. Now, he knew what he had to do.

"GggRAAAH!" Maul roared as he force pushed Dooku far down the corridor, buying him just enough time to sprint to the gaping hole in the wall where you waited. And in an impressive leap - he launched himself into the ship, tumbling to the hard ground.

"Saxon, GO!" Rook screeched to the commander who promptly activated the ships boosters, propelling you all vertically into the atmosphere.

Dookus ships followed, but lacked the tinkering that Thalen had expertly fitted to Mauls small collection of ships. You shot into space, leaving a trail of smoke for the B1 droids to follow.

"Hyperspace, now!" Maul shouted to Saxon in the cockpit, watching as Dookus ships grew closer.

"Calculating..." The commander replied, his voice steady.

"Making the jump, hold tight!" Saxon dropped the lever, launching the ship into hyperspace, just in time.

You dropped. Maul caught your unconscious body as it fell, cradling the back of your head.

"You did well, my dear. Rest." He spoke softly into your ear as you and the rest of the syndicate made your way back to Mandalore.

Mauls words rung through your head as you drifted off. Your chest stung with exhaustion, the pain of your wound ate away at your side. But shortly, all of your senses faded away. You felt as if you were floating inside your own mind with nothing but the comfort of Mauls gentle voice to cling on to.

Slowly, you came around. Unfortunately so did your senses. The light of the medical wing in the Sundari palace beamed in front of your eyelids. A tight sensation wrapped itself around your middle, you felt layers of fabric constructing you as you inhaled deeply. Before you even opened your eyes, you knew who was beside you; that oceanic musk so difficult to miss.

"Try not to strain, your flesh is still healing." Mauls patterned face came into your blurry vision as you blinked awake. His figure sat next to you, a tender look resting in his eyes.

"Urgh... How long have I been out?" You said, grunting, sitting up gradually. The stabbing pain from your wound now more of a dreary ache.

"Several days." Maul responded flatly.

"Days!?" You exclaimed, raising your eyebrows. You had only felt like you'd been out for a few hours at the very most.

"Yes, it was necessary for your body to rest. Your injuries were... quite severe. I have been observing your recovery." He admitted, his hands clasped awkwardly in his lap. It looked to you as if he was avoiding eye contact with you, pondering his decision he made on Skako, and why he made it.

"I guess I had you worried then, huh." You said, trying to lighten the mood.

Maul released some air through his nostrils, acknowledging your sentence and smiling slightly. He hadn't really realised the tension he had been carrying the last few days waiting for you to wake up. Now that you were conscious, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "Yes. You did."

You returned a kind smile. His affectionate words were rare, so you knew they meant a lot. In fact, these were some of the only affectionate words he had spoken to you. Oh how you craved his compassion, his sensitivity. You caught yourself, this was a former Sith Lord you were thinking about, but you couldn't bring yourself to lower your expectations. Those small encounters you'd had with him where he'd shown you his vulnerability told you - he had it within him to be caring.

You sighed tiredly, speaking faintly. "I'm... sorry, I got you into all of this mess. If I had just waited until you had gotten back-"

"It's wasn't your fault." He cut you off, now, looking you in your eyes.

"Still, a lot of men probably died just to save me. It shouldn't have come to that." Your heart sank as you thought of the Mandalorians who had given their lives on that mission. Though you didn't see much of it, one could only assume the all those blaster bolts had to have hit something.

After a beat, Maul replied, quietly. "You're worth saving."

Your mouth fell slightly agape. You couldn't really believe what you were hearing. Hiding your expression, you simpered. "Hm, because who would file your horns otherwise?" "Hmph." Maul chuckled at your sarcasm. That was something he valued in you, your ability to make any situation into something less harrowing. Maybe it was your sense of humour that gave you that ability, or maybe it was just because of the way you were. The way he liked you to be. "Or brew your tea, or talk about droid assembly, or hang out with the Mandalorians when you don't want to?" You continued, poking fun at his introverted nature. You too were introverted, but honestly you did enjoy being with the syndicate. Knowing that they all came to your aid at their own peril warmed you.

A comfortable air befell the empty room as you giggled. Maul luxuriated in it. Feeling the anger inside him disperse.

"I would... miss your company." He placed his gloved hand atop of yours, staring deep into your eyes. This wasn't like when he said that he would 'miss your company' as he dropped you on Coruscant, this was different. Maul wasn't trying to be polite, or flirtatious, he was being utterly and completely honest.

Without you, that small slither of light in his life would be extinguished. His days would be spent plotting, training, killing. He would become a shell of what he used to be, entirely alone. You had changed him, and if you left now, the emptiness you would leave behind would be hard not to notice.

You flipped your hand over, both of your palms facing each others. Slowly, you wove your fingers in-between his. Maul looked down as you gently closed your hand around his hand, stroking it with your thumb tenderly.

"Thank you, Maul. For saving me." You locked eyes with him, smiling warmly. Your soft touch making him relax his shoulders and lean in closer to you.

Maul pondered to himself; your hair was tangled and awry, your face was covered in scratches, your body was weak and broken, but in this moment - he thought you had never looked more beautiful.

In the most sincere way possible, he felt his vulnerability flow outwards, letting his guard down for just a brief second. "I would do it again, my dear."

You melted at his words. He cared for you. Even if it was through some twisted, scheming way. You'd never felt a feeling like this, for someone else. Your stomach erupted in tingles as your heart seemed as if it had blown up like a balloon.

That oh-so familiar tug in the force yanked at you. But you didn't need its guidance anymore to know what you were feeling or who Maul was to you.

You were in love with him.

Mauls breathing slowed as he leaned down to where you lay. His grip on your hand tightened gently and with his other hand, he cradled your face. You gazed at him, your faces so close you could see every pore, every ridge in his crimson skin. Reaching your hand up wearily, you stroked his cheek. Mauls eyes faltered shut at your action, he savoured the feeling of your velvet touch, his spine shivered at your affection.

He parted his lips, his eyes were closed but he knew his trajectory. You met him in the middle, placing your lips on his. But you didn't close them, all you did was feel. His breath blew on to yours, it was as if you were breathing as one. Your cold nose brushed against his as he caressed the side of your face with his fingers.

Your foreheads rested on each others, you stayed, breathing. Hearts beating, skin pulsing, you were entirely whole. Finally, you sealed your lips together in the most compassionate and pure kiss. Soaking in every second of sensitivity. This wasn't sexual, this wasn't an apology, this was what the Jedi had long forbidden...

Abruptly, Maul pulled away. He turned his head and shoulders from you, removing his hands. You stayed in the same position, your face turning cold from his unexpected departure.

You weren't offended, you could feel his emotions through the force, those barriers he tried so hard to keep up were coming apart at the seams. He felt what you felt. Those same butterflies in your stomach plagued him too. But all he could react with, was fear.

Maul cleared his throat, breaking the tension. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box.

"Here, take this." His tone was timid and slightly afraid. You noticed his lack of eye contact as he passed you the box.

"What is it?" You asked, taking it from him.

"Jewellery, from Alderaan. Whilst you've been unconscious I decided to fashion it into a location device. To ensure a situation like this does not happen again." His voice was small and low, despite being alone, it seemed he did not want to be overheard.

You opened the box. "Oh wow..."

Inside was a gorgeous necklace made of shining metal. The chain was simple, but sturdy and at the bottom was a shimmering locket topped with ruby stones. The jewels glistened as you opened the locket, inside was a tiny device with a blinking light. A tracking beacon.

You stared at the necklace as Mauls comm began to beep.

"I must go, Rook says there is something I must tend to. I will be back." The zabrak stood, letting go of your hand.