The town of Mos Espa was as bustling as ever as street venders proclaimed their goods the best in the galaxy to the passersby. Throng of aliens from all over the universe came to Mos Espa for gambling, trade, or even to take it easy for a little while. Humanoids populated the adobe hut towns and made up most of the town’s general residents.
On this day of days, the two remaining Sith Lords, Darth Maul and Darth Trator, had decided to come back to the desert planet to claim some droids. Unusual behavior for the Sith it was but needs had to be met now that their link to the Trade Federation had been severed. In fact, the Federation knew next to nothing of their existance; something the two Zabrakians took advantage of. Maul hated not having any Jedi to slay while Trator, otherwise known as Dirae, was glad Sidious was dead and gone. He no longer controlled Maul’s actions for he was his own master now. Dirae had trained beneathe him after Sidious’s destruction and eventually ended up being his right-hand “man” so to speak. Of course, there was more to this relationship than first presented.
Maul kept his hood over his head to avoid anyone from recognizing him. Dirae, not incredibly well-known to the galaxy as of yet, felt safe enough to walk around without the need for a disguise. She kept her lightsaber well-hidden beneathe her black robes, as did Maul. He had reconstructed his favored dual lightsaber; his had been destroyed during his battle between the two Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. A battle that had ended less than favorably on Maul’s part. The young Jedi had managed to retrieve his master’s saber and use it against the Sith Lord, slicing him in half and sending him hurtling over the edge of an energy core.
It had been Dirae who found Kenobi and tried to avenge her love, but was always held back by some thought she could never place. Eventually, she left for Naboo and restored Maul’s body and, in so doing, his life. Her Force had become spilt between them since that time so she relied more on her saber skills than her ability to use the Force. Later, during the confrontation between them and Darth Sidious, Sidious had killed Dirae while she tried to help Maul. Maul had been the one to kill Sidious, using a painful technique that caused the opponent’s insides to implode then eventually cause the body to explode out the middle. Maul had returned the gesture to bring Dirae back and now his Force was divided as well. They fed off the other when the need arose, never seeking battle without each other.
Dirae stood using her mind trick to convince the vendor to give her a few droids for ten credits cheaper than he had requested. Maul kept silent vigil, seeing next to no point in this expedition. Beneathe his black robes his arms were crossed over his broad chest, his feet set far enough apart to give him perfect balance. His yellow eyes sweeped over the trade center, taking in the various lifeforms as they went about their business. Behind him, Dirae suceeded in her trick and turned to him.
“We have a troop of new droids, all ready to be boarded onto the ship,” she reported. Maul nodded. Dirae looked thoughtful for a moment then asked: “I don’t think it’s wise to call you by your Sith name here. What’s your original name?” Maul stared at her, unsure of what he should say in reply.
After a few moments of thought, he replied quietly: “I was called Khamir. I don’t answer to that name anymore, Dirae...but for you I make an exception.” Dirae smiled faintly, pleased that he was entrusting her with this knowledge. But then, she had saved his life.
“Let’s get back to the ship..Khamir,” Dirae said, testing out the name on her tongue. The sensual quality of the name fit him well, as did Maul. He nodded briefly and followed her out of the town.
* * * Meanwhile, back at their ship, Seduction V, a cloaked figure stalked around the base of the vessel. He spied the panel that opened the main hatch, traced his fingers over it, and worked it open. He pressed a series of controls and the hatch eased open on well-oiled gears. The soft hiss of decompressed air was the only sound heard around the ship. He glanced about for any eyewitnesses, then silently boarded the ship., closing the hatch behind him.
Once inside, he walked around inspecting the various quarters, supply rooms, and finally, the cockpit. The vessel was completely empty. Satisfied with his discovery, he slipped into a supply room and remained there until the owners returned.
A few minutes later, Maul and Dirae approached the ship. Behind them marched a dozen pit droids, each carrying a crate of supplies. They chirped amongst themselves as they walked behind their new masters. Neither Maul nor Dirae seemed to mind if they communicated with each other. Dirae opened the hatch and ushered the droids in. She looked over at Maul while they trooped inside.
“What is it?” she asked, concerned. Maul looked up, his eyes glazed over strangely.
“I sense something. Something...familiar,” he replied softly. He looked around for awhile, trying to pinpoint the strange sensation. Dirae searched with her Force as well. Finally he sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I suppose it was nothing. Come, we must go.” He walked up the ramp briskly and vanished inside the ship’s interior. Dirae’s brow puckered in confusion. Something had to be bothering him, she thought, and whatever it was wouldn’t let his mind go until it was discovered.
Hours later, they soared through the sea of endless stars away from Tatooine. Maul had remained in the cockpit ever since they left the planet; his chin resting in one hand as he stared blankly out at the galaxy. Dirae was in the back of the ship tending to the droids, giving them tasks and sending them on their way. She walked into the cockpit and placed her hands on Maul’s broad shoulders. He didn’t so much as look up.
Her concern grew in strength at his lack of reaction. Frowning, she sat down beside him and shook his arm gently. His eyes rolled her way but he didn’t speak. She stared into them, hoping to unlock whatever he was puzzling over.
“Khamir, what is it? There must be something that’s bothering you. It can’t be the same as when we left Tatooine,” she said, concern lacing her every word. Seeing him like this injured her soul, made her feel as though he were shutting her out. That was something she could never become accustomed to.
A long sigh escaped from between his painted lips and he leaned back in his chair, hands over his eyes. Dirae waited. When he spoke his voice sounded choked and haunted. “I thought I felt the presence of someone I knew before I became a Sith Lord. He was very strong in the Force, but neither the Light or the Dark Side of it. He uses them both to his advantage. He has the patience of a Jedi and the venom of a Sith.”
“Gods, what’re you saying, Khamir? That this creature is some kind of...higher being?” Dirae asked in disbelief. Maul shook his head.
“No, just someone very exceptional. He was lost after I left Iridonia...no one ever found him,” he replied.
“Ah, but I have found you, Khamir Saede.”
Both Sith turned, their hands automatically flying to their sabers. Behind them stood the cloacked man who had entered their ship. He was a tall, imposing figure; a virtual mountain of pure muscle. He removed the hood that covered his head and grinned maliciously down at Maul. His perfectly straight teeth gleamed in the faint light of the cockpit, yet there was no kindess in his smile, only evil. His horns were larger than Maul’s and positioned differently in a semi-circle around his head. One rested beside either of his ears, two joined in the front of his forehead, and twin horns jutted out from the sides of his head just above the smaller horns beside his ears. A single gold loop hung in his right ear along with a ruby stud in the same place as Maul’s silver one. His long white hair flowed over his muscled chest in cascading waves, a pair of thin braids swung freely on the left side of his skull. His attire was less-than simple; it consisted entirely of a silvery fabric that glimmered, a golden utility belt that had a long-handled lightsaber hooked to it. His boots were below the knee and made of rich black leather. Topping the whole thing was his flowing black robes that swayed when he walked or turned. They did so now as he stared at the two Sith before him.
“Damek..” the name was more a growl than an actual word when Maul spoke it. His yellow eyes narrowed and he gripped his dualsaber more tightly. Beside him, Dirae clutched her own, the blade ignited and humming in the stillness of the cockpit.
Damek bowed mockingly. “My Lord Maul!” he taunted and laughed. “I was wondering when I’d find you, Khamir. Where have you been hiding all this time hmm?” Damek leaned forward and stared directly into Maul’s eyes without a tremor of fear. Maul shook with his own anger, a low growl rumbling deep inside his throat. Dirae just glared at the strange Zabrak that challenged them.
“I noticed you’ve acquired a wench, Khamir,” Damek observed, causually flicking one finger under Dirae’s chin. She snarled and started to leap towards him when Maul thrust his arm in front of her. He shot her a warning look. She read the command in his eyes and remained still, her own eyes never leaving Damek’s face.
“What do you want, Damek?” Maul demanded in a cold tone. Damek mimicked a bored yawn and shifted his weight to the other foot.
“There’s a high price on your wench’s head, Khamir. I’ve come for her, not you, I’m afraid,” he replied nonchalantley. That enraged Maul. He had almost lost Dirae to Sidious and damned if he was going to lose her to this scum. He snarled viciously and kicked Damek in the chest forcefully. Damek staggered slightly then straightened from the blow. Frowning in a displeased way, he whipped his hand around and backhanded Maul into the ship’s controls. Dirae roared angrily and launched herself at Damek. She forgot her lightsaber and clawed at Damek’s face viciously.
“Don’t you touch him!” she snarled, wrapping one hand around Damek’s thick throat. “You’ll have to kill me to get to him!” Damek threw her from his body and rearranged his shirt patiently.
“Look, wench, we could do this one way or the other. Either you come with me so I can get paid or I kill your Sith boytoy right here and now. It’s your choice,” Damek said. Dirae had landed on her feet in the pilot’s chair and perched there like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. Beside her Maul stood as well and spat out some blood before turning his reptilian glare on Damek.
“You can’t have her, Damek. She belongs to me and the Sith,” Maul said, his anger lacing his words even though his tone was calmer than it had been previously. Damek heaved a great sigh, flipped his long silver hair over his shoulder and grabbed Dirae around the neck. She choked out a growl as he lifted her from the chair. He held her to his right, squeezing her windpipe every time she struggled. Maul screamed his rage and bumrushed Damek.
Damek thrust his free hand forward and pushed Maul back with his Force. Maul cried out as he was thrown back against the panel over and over again. Sparks flew from the controls as his body was battered into the various levers, switches, and buttons. Dirae felt tears seeping from beneathe her closed eyes as she heard Maul’s cries of pain everytime he was slammed into the panel.
Finally unable to take anymore of his torture she shouted: “Stop! Just please stop it! He was dead once! If you have any respect for him you’ll stop!” Damek looked at her, his Force still battering into Maul’s body.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you, wench,” Damek hissed, his malice finally showing through his careless demeanor. Dirae choked out a sob and repeated her demands.
“Leave him alone! I’ll...I’ll go with you if it saves his life.” From the floor, Maul heard her words and raised himself into a sitting position. Weakly he reached out to her.
“No..Dirae...don’t go,” he whispered through his pain. “He’ll kill you...”
“Maul..” Dirae whimpered, her vision blurry from her tears. “Please, if it saves your life. I lost you once to men like this..please don’t let it happen again. Please.” Her pleading finally reached Maul’s dark heart and he crumpled to the floor. Hot tears slipped from under his tightly closed eyelids. Damek kicked him in the side roughly and stalked out of the cockpit, still carrying Dirae by the throat. Maul’s breath hissed out between his teeth as he stared after the departing bounty hunter. The sight of Dirae hanging there limp from defeat brought fresh pain to his heart. He choked on a cry of despair and passed out.
* * *
Damek shackled Dirae’s wrists and removed her utility belt from her waist. He pushed her into an escape pod aboard the ship and climbed in after her. Dirae saw that Damek had come fully prepared for this raid. Dozens of weapons scattered the floor of the pod and hung from the bench across from her. He sealed the door shut and punched in a few coordinates into the pod’s computers.
Diare tugged at her bonds, wondering what in the world she did to deserve a price on her head. As a Sith Lord, her actions were almost excused by the Republic; what could this Zabrakian bounty hunter possibly want? She decided to put her inquiries into words.
“Mind telling me what I’ve done to deserve this?” she asked dryly, staring into his cold eyes defiantly. Damek didn’t turn around from the companel. His fingers flew over the controls effortlessly as he answered her question.
“If you recall, before you left Iridonia, you had murdered a young girl after she and her brother had insulted your family’s less-than favorable bloodline. Her parents have demanded your capture, even after all these years. I was hired by them to locate you. You just happened to be with Khameir during the time of your capture. I’ll get that one later.”
“You’ll never capture him! He’s a more powerful Sith Lord than you could ever imagine! He even killed his master for my life!” Dirae spat harshly. Damek grunted in his throat and glanced over his shoulder at her.
“I take it your precious Maul hasn’t spoken to you about his past, has he?” he asked as he fiddled with a few switches and controls. Even though he couldn’t see it when he turned back around, Dirae shook her head.
“No...he never speaks of his past to me. I’d rather respect his wishes than hear trash from you!” she added vehemently. Damek sighed softly and faced her.
“Wouldn’t you rather know why he left before you die?” he asked, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. She sat in silent defiance, refusing to reveal anything on her mind. Using her Force to block out her deepest thoughts, she kept her lips tightly shut. Her eyes looked past Damek’s head at the sloping chrome wall of the escape pod. The tiny circular window on the right side of the pod reflected the endless ocean of stars. Silence flooded the small space like a might tidal wave.
“I will tell you, young Sith. Whether or not you wish to hear it,” Damek said quietly, one hand resting against his cheek as he leaned on the edge of the small control panel. Dirae lifted her head higher so as to not look into his eyes. “Khameir Sarin, at age twelve, was found by another Sith Lord, Sidious I believe his name was, and he left the planet soon afterward. No one heard about him until the Trade Federation challenged Naboo. His death was spoken of in every trade town on Iridonia.
“Before then I discovered he had another with him. A female Zabrakian he had found on Tatooine. I never got the name until after she began chasing the Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her Sith name was traced back to the title of Khameir’s Sith ship, the Infiltrator, thus it linked one with the other perfectly.” Here Damek brought his hands together symbolically to illustrate his words. “I discovered her name after she had brough Khameir back. Her name was Dirae.”
Dirae allowed her gaze to slide over to meet his. He nodded slowly, confirming her thoughts. “Yes, Dirae, I’ve been hunting you down for quite some time. Not unlike your vow to avenge Khameir, eh?” A slow chuckle sounded from his throat. Against her will, Diare felt tears slip down her white cheeks, darkening the golden teardrop already tattooed to her face.
“Will I be able to see him again before I die?” she asked in a choked voice. Damek shrugged indifferently and leaned back to cross his legs.
“It makes little difference to me if you two ever see each other again. I left him in a very dangerous state back there; he’ll be a long time recovering from that damage.”
“No, you’re wrong. Maul is a very strong man. He will find me out here and wherever else you decide to cart me to. He will come for me,” she added firmly. Damek smiled at her.
“Such faith you have in that twerp. He was never terribly strong, even as a boy. His ability to strike fear into the hearts of the weakminded was what made him a prime target for Sidious and his ridiculous plans.”
“But he told me you were trained in both ways of the Force! Surely you have respect for at least--” Diare started before he interrupted her.
“I have respect for the credits I recieve after I capture a felon. Yes, I am skilled in both sides as you saw, but I have no side in which to take for I am neutral. I exist only to gain wealth and reputation across the galaxy. I care little to nothing for these petty zealots. Jedis, Sith, there is no difference between the two. Both have a set of rules in which to live by, all of them are pompous fools, and are walking into their deaths with their so-called all-seeing eyes closed!
“Why should I hold respect for fools such as they? You, yourself, and that weakling you call Maul, are part of those fools. Everything comes in grays, not blacks or whites. I am the gray, I am the future. I am the sole person. No group rules me, no master tames me. I am the one who sits back and watches as these men and women kill themselves for something they call honor and what’s right. No right, no wrong, no balance. There are maybes, grays, and inifinate possiblities available to us all. We are not on some planned road during our lives; there is no invisible hand guiding my life’s course. I have myself and the power I gleaned from those overzealous fools. I use this power to my own advantage, not to theirs.”
Dirae stared at him, her eyes unblinking. How could what he says he true? she wondered. Maul firmly believed in the Sith and would die to see that they survived long enough to destroy the Jedi. Yes, she conclused, he had to be the fool and not they. Even the Jedi were not as foolish as this bounty hunter.
“You don’t believe me,” Damek observed patiently. “No matter. You can live in that world of yours that they have created for as long as you wish. Me? Give me reality over your idealistic fantasy world anyday of the millenium.”
Dirae sighed deeply, truly afraid that what he was saying was true. Would Maul come for her? she asked herself. Could he have withstood that horrible attack? She could only hope it were true.
* * *
Many hours after Damek and Diare’s departure, Maul finally woke up. He found himself laying on the floor of the cockpit, dazed and disoriented. He groaned in pain and held his head as he sat up slowly. He gazed about him with blurred vision and attempted to stand. Gripping the back of the copilot’s chair he suddenly recalled what had happened hours earlier. Rage replaced disorientation as he remembered Damek holding Dirae up by her throat. Strong as she was, she knew she wasn’t any match for the muscle-bound bounty hunter.
He sent out his Force, searching for Diare’s mind. He had to find her! Joined by their Force as they were, to be apart was like having their limbs torn from their bodies slowly. Faintly, a thought came to him.
“Maul..come for me,” Diare’s thoughts whispered in his mind. Maul tried to respond to her pleas but his focus was shaky from the previous attack. He sighed heavily and hobbled out of the cockpit. He had to recover before he attempted to rescue Dirae. Things like this would’ve originally been easier for a Sith Lord like himself, if it had concerned a total stranger that is. Diare had become his life along with his need to drive out the Jedi.
He limped into the medical facility and fell onto the bed there. The medical droid turned to him. “Yes, sir?” it asked in its metallic voice.
“I need to recover from these wounds quickly, Teeone-Oh. Do whatever is necessary to make me well swiftly,” Maul instructed to the droid. It nodded and began hooking him up to a variety of machines. Hang on, Dirae, Maul thought weakly. I’ll come to you.
Dirae was awaken by the sound of Damek cursing. She opened her eyes and saw him tinkering with the companel. A slow smirk curved her lips. The idiot may be the greatest bounty hunter to exist but he certainly knew next to nothing about repairing a ship.
“Problems, bounty hunter?” Diare asked dryly. Damek looked over his shoulder at her, a smirk crossing his face.
“This isn’t my pod; whoever gave this ship to you certainly didn’t know these things were defunct,” he replied tersely, poking a thin-tipped tool into the open companel. Dirae shrugged and leaned back. He continued to fuss with it, cursing the whole time.
“Guess we’ll just die here, bounty hunter,” Dirae remarked casually. Damek sighed gruffly and turned around to face her.
“If you aren’t the noisiest prize!” he snapped. “You’ll be wise to keep your smart mouth shut if you expect to live through this trip.”
“Wasn’t your order to bring me back alive?” Dirae challenged. Damek’s smile was sly.
“Dead or alive were the orders,” he replied. Dirae scowled. Had she known that girl’s family was so touchy she wouldn’t have killed their daughter. But then they should’ve taught her better than that. She turned away, her thoughts shifting from her past actions to Maul. Had he been able to hear her plea? Was he even alive? The thought of him being dead again made her lip quiver and tears formed under her eyes. Damek didn’t seem to notice as he returned to his work.
* * *
Maul was seated in the pilot’s chair fiercely punching in coordinates. He had traced the whereabouts of the stolen escape pod. His Force was weaker than he’d first suspected and knew he wouldn’t be able to contact Dirae through their mindlink. This saddened him to the point of frustration; a day didn’t pass without his hearing her thoughts in his mind. It would be awhile before his Force was back to the way it was.
The coordinates set, Maul pushed the ship into lightspeed and raced in the direction the pod had taken.
* * *
“We’ll have to land,” Damek told Dirae, who was curled up in the corner of the pod. “The pod’s engine is failing. There’s a planet down there, uncharted but I can handle anything. And if you die it’s no matter to me. I’ll just keep something of yours to get my credits from the family wh hired me. They don’t need to see your body.” He smiled evilly and shifted the pod towards the planet.
Dirae tried her mindlink again. “Khameir! Help! He’s taking me to this unknown planet! I could die!”
Maul jerked abruptly. He heard Diare! Frantically, he responded: “Dirae! I’m coming, hold on as long as you can. Even if you don’t live..I’ll take Damek out for you. E laa yo, Diare..”
Diare’s eyes filled with tears. “E laa yo, Khameir,” she thought back then severed the connection lest Damek sensed something. The planet’s surface began clearer as the pod neared it. Dirae gazed out the circular window and noted that the place resembled a swampland. Tall gangly trees stretched their thin limbs out to snag on the pod as it breezed by them. Flying creatures shrieked their protests at the invading machine and avoided it skillfully. What was this place? she wondered. Damek brought the pod to a halt and opened the hatch. Damp humid air rushed into the pod’s interior, followed by the stench of the swamp. Dirae wrinkled her nose against the smell and plodded out after Damek. Their footsteps created squishy sounds in the damp earth below them as they trudged along the ground.
They walked in silence. Damek cursed lightly when a twig snagged one of his larger horns, causing him to whip his head away fiercely. Dirae, for once, thanked her small height and easily avoided the branches. She took perverse pleasure in seeing the tall bounty hunter plagued by annoyances.
“There,” Damek said, pointing towards a clearing the swamps. “We’ll settle there until morning. Then I’ll have you fix the pod and we can return to Iridonia as planned.” Dirae scowled his way.
“Fix it yourself!” she retorted. Damek lowered his hand, clenched it into a loose fist, and turned towards her.
“You are the prisoner and you do as I order,” he explained slowly. “If I say you are to fix the ship, you fix the ship.” A wad of saliva splattering against his cheek was hs answer. His patience snapped as he ruthlessly grabbed Diare by the throat and held her there. “I will not tolerate this!” he roared, shaking her as he did so. Diare glared him down but didn’t speak. Her hatred flowed freely from her mind and threatened to envelope them both.
“If you kill me, Maul will see that you die a slow agonizing death, bounty hunter,” she hissed quietly. “A very, very slow and agonizing death.” Damek threw her to the ground.
“Your Sith Lord cannot help you now! He couldn’t harm me if his life depended on it!” Damek spat viciously. “I beat him before and I shall again if he dares challenge me!” Diare didn’t move from her place in the mud. Her eyes met with Damek’s in a battle of wills. She had undying faith in Maul and knew he’d have tracked them down by now. It had been Diare’s suggestion to have a tracer on every single escape pod on the ship. She only hoped the pod’s malfunctions hadn’t shorted the tracer out.
* * *
Maul banged on the control panel fiercely. The tracer signal from the pod had vanished. Obviously, something had gone terribly wrong with the pod and the signal wouldn’t resume until after the corrections had been made. He growled impatiently and slammed his fist down onto the panel once more. It could be days before they realized the malfunction.
Maul growled in frustration, angered by the fact he could do nothing at this point. Dirae was in danger and in the hands of the most powerful Zabrakian known to the galaxy. Maul himself had underestimated Damek’s powers and had gotten badly beaten because of it. Next time he had to enforce a little more of the famed patience Sidious had instilled in him during his training. Unfortunately, when it came to Dirae all of his former lessons seemed to dissapate and he was no more than an animal bent on killing his opponent.
He sighed and got up to return to the large quarters they shared. He had set the ship on orbit around a small moon. There was nothing more to do except wait for the signal to return. Maul laid back on the bed, hands crossed behind his horned head, and stared up at the metal ceiling. Waiting was something he didn’t enjoy one bit. He knew he had no choice except to just sit idly by and wait for everything to resume.
“I hate waiting, “ he muttered to himself sulkily.
* * *
Back on the swamp planet, Dirae snuck away from the snoozing bounty hunter to inspect the ship’s controls. The pod’s panel appeared normal on the outside but when she opened it she gasped. The tracer wires had been cut! She snarled and threw the panel’s lid to the floor of the pod. It clattered for a few moments before settling.
“That bastard must’ve seen the tracer while he was adjusting the pod’s course!” she whispered to herself angrily. Her last resort was to send Maul a dream message telling him how to find them. She breathed evenly to calm herself down and perched on the nearest chair. Her mind cleared as she searched for Maul’s Force with her own.
Back on Seduction V, Maul’s closed eyelids twitched as Diare’s message began it’s transferral. He saw her image wave in his mind’s eye, her green eyes wide with fear even as they glistened with her dark love for him. Her mouth opened and she began speaking.
“Mi laa, Damek has landed the pod on a swamp planet. He’ll be taking me back to Iridonia for trial. Go there and get the upper hand. I won’t let them kill me until you come for me. I’ll use my Force to keep my body alive as long as possible if they decide to slaughter me after the trials. “
Maul’s own wavering image formed beside her and he impulsively pulled her into his arms. Diare’s image started briefly at his sudden show of emotion and responded. He bowed his head against her shoulder and replied,
”I will kill him before he allows you to die, Dirae. You have to come back.” The impassioned plea touched Diare’s heart and she held onto his strong form tighter. How she had missed his touch, the feel of his muscled arms around her body. She kissed his head softly, allowing her lips to linger there for a moment before speaking again.
”Just go to Iridonia, mi laa. I have faith in you and your powers. I know together we’ll send Damek to a most fitting hell.” Reluctantly, Diare’s vision parted from Maul’s and vanished, mouthing the words “E laa yo.”.
* * *
Maul’s eyes opened sharply and he was met with the familiar expanse of the quarter’s ceiling. The feel of Diare’s lips on his head remained for many moments afterward. He touched the spot delicately and suddenly curled up on his side, silent sobs wracking his body. Damek would die for this!, he vowed to himself, his teeth clenched against themselves as choked sounds escaped his throat. He would die!
* * *
The next morning, if one could call it morning, on the swampy planet, Damek found Dirae inside the pod and viciously backhanded her awake. With a cry she fell to the floor and glared up at him.
“Your Force fills this space, wench. What have you been doing hmm?” he demanded coldly. Dirae swiped the back of hand over the trickle of blood trailing down her chin.
“That is none of your concern, bounty hunter!” she snapped. Damek kicked her in the side sharply and stalked over to the control panel. She groaned against the pain and held her middle. Damek eyed the open panel with a cold gaze and whirled around to glare at Diare.
“So I see you know about the tracer’s wires, wench. You even tried to fix them while I was asleep didn’t you? For such insolence I will have to punish you.” He withdrew a large blade from his belt and knelt down beside her. Diare steeled herself against his threats, employing her Force to protect her body from anything terribly damaging. He snatched up her arm, inspected the skin befor ehim, then sliced a huge cut into her bicep. She bit back a scream of pain. The blade seemed to be hot and it seared her flesh,leaving a large incision. Pleased, Damek withdrew the blade and calmly licked off the blood from the steel. Diare couldn’t look at him.
“That’s better. Now fix the ship,” he commanded and left the pod. Dirae swallowed back her bitter retorts and stood shakily. She used her Force to keep the blood from coating her arm as she tended to the damaged controls. She noticed the tracer wires had been completely removed from the panel. Apparently, Damek didn’t doubt her mechanical skills. With a long shuddering sigh, she began the repairs.
* * *
Seduction V sped towards the large planet called Iridonia. He hadn’t been back on his home planet in many years. Flashes of his childhood before Sidious found him sped across his mindscape. He recalled the dozens of children who taunted Maul for his small size. Puberty hadn’t been a happy time for him. His horns were too small by his race’s standards, his height was pathetic, and his cold demeanor chased away many a possible friend. Not that it mattered to him at the time but it did trouble his parents often.
Chasing away the memories of a childhood best forgotten, Maul eased the ship down onto the planet. He scouted for towns and cities, located a few in clusters, and landed the ship far from them. The last thing he needed was someone else boarding his ship and causing trouble. He cursed silently to himself. Damek was a crafty bastard all right. How long he had been tracking the Sith pair down was anyone’s guess.
Maul descended from the ship’s main hatchway and activated the cloaking device from his wrist com. A pair of droids followed him from the ship, appearing to be walking on air. He jerked his head forward, indicating that the droids should go on ahead. Their lights blinked and flickered as they obeyed his commands. Maul summoned his Speeder, mounted the crescent moon-shaped vehicle, and sped away after the droids.
* * *
“Good. Now we can resume our journey,” Damek remarked after inspecting Dirae’s handiwork. Dirae muttered a snide reply and curled up in her seat. Damek ignored her mumblings and closed the pod’s hatch. Diare’s stomach dipped as the pod took off and sailed into the starry sky. She hoped Maul had gotten to the planet first. Damek could use a really good ambush, she thought bitterly.
Apparently, the swamp planet had been a fair distance from Iridonia. It took the tiny pod and its two passengers a day and a half to arrive. Dirae was thankful for the distance for it allowed Maul time to plan his attack. If he was even here, she thought sadly, peering out of the window. The familiar grounds of her homeworld would’ve cheered her normally but she knew only death awaited her here.
Damek glanced at her from time to time as he located the correct town to land in. To him, she appeared distant and accepting of her fate. This only mildly bothered him. He rather enjoyed it when his prizes panicked and begged for their lives. Dirae was made of stronger stuff than that, he mused. This almost pleased him. Had she not been scheduled for death he would’ve taken her for himself. That fool Khameir didn’t deserve such a fine female. He smiled snakelike to himself as a new idea formed in his mind. Yes. He would take her.
* * *
Maul had situated himself in an abandoned dwelling on the outskirts of the busiest city on the planet, Di Musi. He remained to himself, constantly using his link with Dirae to see if she’d arrived yet. Suddenly, he felt her presence. An unusual feeling of joy surged through his body. He ran outside to his Speeder and sped away in the direction of the feeling. He assured her of his own presence as he flew wildly to her location.
”I’m coming, Dirae. Hold on.”
* * *
During this time, Damek was leading the chained Dirae to a lodging facility when she heard his thoughts in her mind. Unconsciously she jerked to a halt. Damek’s arm yanked backwards as she did so. He growled and turned to glare at her.
“What the hell’s wrong now?” he grouched. Dirae didn’t hear him. She was overcome with a feeling of triumph at her love’s arrival. She cast her arrogant look towards her captor.
“He is here and you’re going to die,” she stated simply. Damek appeared amused by this news.
“Oh is that so?” he asked teasingly, tugging on her chains gently. “Well, I certainly won’t die without taking what I’ve found.” Dirae’s look of triumph immediately changed to dread as she read his intentions in his eyes. He couldn’t be serious! But he was. Damek lunged forward, snatched Dirae up around the waist, and walked into the lodge. Dirae pounded on his strong back and kicked her legs.
“You will release me, bounty hunter! You’re asking for a trip to the nine Sith hells if you do this!” she shouted. Damek ignored her protests and beatings on his back. He held her legs firmly as he demanded a room for himself and the impatient “missus”. Dirae gasped indignantly and struggled even more. Damek beamed a broad smile at the innkeeper and accepted the keycard from the man.
“Be silent, wench. You’ll soon be screaming for a whole other reason,” Damek said calmly as he opened the door and threw her onto the small bed. Quickly, she rolled away from his grasp and stod against the far wall, fire blazing from her green gaze. Damek sighed impatiently and summoned her to him. She struggled against his power with her own.
“No! I will not allow this!” she cried through clenched teeth. “I’d sooner die than lie with you!” The venom in her voice was clear. Damel frowned darkly at her resistance.
“If force is what you want, then you shall have it,” he promised her coldly. Before she could blink, her Force snapped and her body was flung onto the bed again. Damek used his power to pin her arms and legs down. She continued her struggle against her invisible bonds. Even Maul’s “revenge” seemed to be a simple bout of lovemaking compared to this!
Damek shed his clothes and stood before her in all his splendid glory. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed against prayer that Maul would show up soon. She felt her own clothing being removed by invisible hands. Sobs choked in her throat as the last remaining protection she had was stripped away. Damek advanced upon her, covering her tight lips with his own. He practically devoured her face. She spat out at him when he released her. He slapped her twice because of it. His hands groped her painfully, seeming to enjoy her torment.
Dirae shut her mind away from what was being done to her and concentrated on Maul. He was coming, he said he was. She screamed in her mind as Damek began to fully take his “prize”.
That was it. Dirae threw her head back and screamed for Maul. “Mi laa!! Haalo!!!”
Suddenly, the walls of the room burst open to reveal Maul snarling in rage on his Speeder. He flipped off of the vehicle and viciously kicked Damek off of Dirae. Her bonds snapped and she curled up to hide her nudity. Maul immediately ignited both ends of his lightsaber and slashed at Damek, who in turn had removed his own lightsaber from his belt on the floor. The violet beam clashed with the twin red ones.
Every thrust Maul made was puncuated with a cry of rage. Damek didn’t speak as he deflected Maul’s blows skillfully. A confident smile curled the bounty hunter’s lips and his words hissed out like venom.
“She’s quite the lovely creature, Khameir. You don’t deserve one as fine as she!” he cried in a hoarse tone. Maul howled his rage and slammed into Damek’s naked form with his body.
“Be silent! Dirae belongs to me not you!” he screamed, kicking Damek in the sides. Damek growled this time, enraged. He sprang up and kicked Maul in the chest. Maul snarled and skidded away from his enemy. Dirae watched with fearful eyes as the two males continued their battle.
“She even tastes as good as she looks,” Damek taunted ruthlessly. Maul’s eyes were ablaze with his fury and no words could describe how perfectly furious he was at this moment. Their blades met over and over again, each with a little more force than the last. Maul used his Force to pound into Damek’s body as he plummeled him with blows. The air sang with the sounds of their lightsabers clashing and drawing apart.
“She enjoyed every minute of it, Khameir....she’s mine now,” Damek hissed. That did it. Maul’s reared his great horned head back and howled.
“Deeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” he used his native word for “die” and plunged the end of his lightsaber into Damek’s chest, twisting the searing hot blade inside of him. Damek’s body jerked, his hand releasing his lightsaber. He garbled words as his blood rushed to his mouth and spilled forth all over Maul’s chest. Danek roared with pain before collapsing onto the floor. His body convulsed slightly then went still. His long silver hair lay matted in a pool of his blood. Maul was breathing very heavily as he stared down at his fallen opponent.
Dirae choked out a cry and reached out for Maul. He spun around and immediately took her trembling naked form in his strong arms. She sobbed on his shoulder as he held her tightly, stroking her long brown braid with one hand while the other caressed her back. She raised her head and kissed him all over his face many times, speaking between them.
“E laa yo, E laa yo!” she repeated over and over again. “I feared you would never come, I was so scared!” Maul gripped her tighter to his body.
“I couldn’t allow him to keep you, Dirae,” he confessed, his voice full of emotion that was normally unknown for a Sith Lord. “I need you more than life itself.” He lifted her face to his own and kissed her passionately. She returned it with equal passion, her arms locking around his thick neck.
“Control me again, my lord,” she panted between kisses, falling onto her back and opening her arms to her dark lover. Maul quickly ripped his tunic off and kicked his legs free of his trousers. Their legs entwined as he held himself above her, kissing her neck urgently. Her fingernails dug into the expanse of his thickly muscled back. Passion overwhelmed them both as they devoured the other with a hunger born from starvation.
Dirae’s head was thrown back and tossing from side to side as Maul allowed himself to enter her body. Their Forces mixed in a frenzied passionate embrace. The power consumed them both as their souls and bodies joined once more. Dirae repeated his name into his ear over and over again as he thrust into her. her legs raised and wrapped around his waist, her arms still locked behind his neck. His muscles strained against his black skin, sweat pouring from every part of his being to mingle with Dirae’s.
After many long moments, Maul growled deep in his throat and released himself into Dirae’s body. She cried out as her own pinnacle was reached; she bit down into his shoulder hard enough to draw his sweet blood. A low purring sound emitted after the growl as the pain traveled along his body. He slumped against her, panting heavily. Dirae was gasping for breath as well, her hands trailing over his back lazily. The last waves of pleasure washed over them as they wound down from the wild ride. Dirae felt his lips press against her shoulder before he spoke.
“I’m never letting you go,” he vowed. “You belong to me. You belong with me, mi laa.” Dirae felt tears prick her eyelids. As much attuned to the Dark Side as they were, passion could still reign over the two Sith Lords. Possession and passion could join together to create the dark love they shared.
“I’ll never leave you, my lord Maul. I am yours for as long as I remain on this plane,” she whispered in response against his shoulder. Maul rolled over onto his side, still holding her in his arms. She ran her fingers over the sloping crests of his muscles, savoring the feel of his smooth flesh beneathe her skin. He was her’s as well. She smiled at him softly and caressed his cheek with her free hand. He leaned into her touch, then turned his face to the side so he could trace his tongue over her palm. She shivered at the touch. His eyes were murky with lust as he gazed at her.
They stared at each other for many moments, sharing their unspoken love with soft caresses and smiles. Maul traced her cheek with his thumb gently.
“Sleep, mi laa. In the morning we’ll return to the ship and continue our revenge. No one can take you from me now. Not even the Force can call you away from me. And if it does, I will not be long on this plane.”
“E laa yo, my lord Maul. My Khameir Sarin,” Dirae replied and closed her eyes, nestling her head against his shoulder. Maul rested his head on hers and slept as well.
END