Master Apprentice Archive Becalmed Quick search:

Becalmed

by MrsHamill (thamill@cox.net)

Archive: MA, WWOMB, and my site, Mom's Kitchen (www.squidge.org/~foxsden)
Category: action/adventure; drama; romance; angst; kitchen sink
Pairing: Q/O
Rating: R, I guess
Summary: New Jedi Knight Maul returns to the Temple in time to be assigned a very dangerous mission.
Disclaimer: What, you think I own these guys? Do I even look like George Lucas? If this is not what you expected, please alter your
expectations. No such thing as random coincidence. No such thing as too much lubricant. (Thank you, Mark Morford.)
Warning: Never say "bite me" to a cat.
Spoiler: For Attack of the Clowns-er, Clones and if you haven't seen it by now, you ain't.
Series: Yes, the post-Wheel series, which started with "Sometimes, You Fly"
(Many) Notes: For this fic, you'll need to know that just before Obi and Qui started their honeymoon, a bloody Maul showed up on their doorstep, having been nearly killed by someone he knew only as 'Darth Tyrannus.' The timeline for this is -- oh, about six or seven months after the events in No Hiding Place. This story is an integral part of the main arc that will encompass the time between the end of Wheel and my story Anniversary, so it's a rather important link if you're following it. The basis for the description in the penultimate paragraph of the story is compliments of the beauteous Fuumin, and is from page forty-seven of her brilliant and hilarious 'zine, Attack of the Masters... thanks, hon!! The title has been supplied by Fox, by way of Bunny (or vice-versa), and don't ask. Beta has been given to you by the wonderful and ever-patient Claude and Fox. This is your tour director, terri. Please fasten your seatbelts snugly and keep all dangly bits inside the vehicle while it is in motion. Thank you.

Becalmed: tr.v. 1. To render motionless by lack of wind. 2. To make calm, still: as in the eye of a hurricane.

Dagobah is a hot, steamy, jungle of a planet, alive with vegetation and animals, a place I could never have hoped to imagine in my former life. It is also alive with the Force, both Light and Dark, living and unifying, and I wasn't there more than a day before I realized why my new master had brought me.

I needed to be close to the Force, to be close to what had been denied me my whole life. Oh, I was always taught about the Force, but I was taught to use it, to abuse it, not to let it fill me and guide me. Because I was not raised a Jedi. In fact, I was raised for one reason, and one reason only: to kill Jedi. My training in this was very, very thorough, by the man I called 'master' for longer years than I liked to count. Longer years than I could remember. By contrast, the nearly four years we spent on Dagobah were etched in my memory as the first truly happy time of my life.

But then to come to the Jedi Temple, to live as one of the beings I had been trained to hate, was difficult. Perhaps that's an understatement. Regardless, it took an act of will and faith to even contemplate it, and I attribute that to two people: my new master, Yoda, and the man who saved my life, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had told me, on Naboo before my life changed, that I always had a home with the Jedi. I had tested this by showing up on his doorstep after Darth Tyrannus tried to kill me, and indeed, he had meant it. They all lived up to his promise. It has been difficult at times to accept, but wonderful indeed.

My new master stayed with me during my convalescence. We didn't leave for Dagobah until after I was healed and after I'd had the gene surgery that turned me back into the human I started out being. Even so, I didn't have enough time to feel odd about no longer being a freak before Master Yoda hobbled into my recovery room and announced we would be leaving for Dagobah within the hour. In retrospect, that was a good thing.

But now... now, I'm back; I'm a Jedi knight; I'm a completely different person. The Force sings to me now, as if welcoming me to it, and I bathe in the Light of it. It feels so much... better. Cleaner. Like me: I have normal skin now that is a somewhat pinkish shade -- the tattoos and strange patterns are gone -- and hair, dark hair that I keep short because I don't know how to care for it. My eyes are no longer orange, they're blue. The strange strands of alien DNA that my former master -- my former owner -- imbued me with are gone, stricken from the record, expunged. Thank the Force.

I know it's absurd to hide, to feel nervous about meeting my fellow Jedi, yet I do. Master Yoda told me earlier that he had invited a few people over for dinner this evening, including Obi-Wan and his lover. I should be eager to see them again... yet I'm strangely reticent.

When I'm standing in the doorway to the padawan's room, I can see Master Yoda's common room, though I'm partially hidden. I heard them come in, and watched them greet my new master. I know that Jinn had been Master Yoda's padawan before me, so I guess that does give him a certain right to informality, but still.

Then I heard Obi-Wan's voice and felt a familiar thrill go through me. But Master Yoda's voice over-rode it. "Early you are," he said as they came into the room.

"It's lovely to see you again too, Master," Jinn replied, in a rather insincere tone of voice. Obi-Wan snorted with laughter, and I frowned.

Master Yoda has the oddest sense of humor at times. "Funny that was not," he said. "Miss the old troll you did not. Cannot lie to me -- know you both I do, too well."

"Of course we missed you, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said, going to one knee, giving him the proper reverence, at least. I saw him tug Jinn's sleeve, watched as the big man reluctantly followed him down. "How was Dagobah?"

"Muddy, hot, disgusting," Master Yoda said.

Jinn choked and I blinked in shock. "I thought you liked it on Dagobah, Master," he said.

I'd thought he did too. I'd thought my feelings for the place were well hidden -- Force-strong it was, but comfortable, it most definitely was not.

"Good place to hide, it is," Master Yoda said, "but want to live there I would not. Appreciate central air conditioning I do. Go sit, sit!"

Both men stood and walked to one of the two sofas in the common room, which was my cue, apparently. Before they could sit, I hesitantly walked into the room. Master Yoda smiled at me and sent a burst of comfort to me over our bond, something I was still getting used to.

"Maul!" Obi-Wan said. He sounded actually glad to see me, which relieved me a great deal. He came striding over to me, one arm extended. Force, he was beautiful. "It's great to see you back. You look wonderful."

What else could I do? I took Obi-Wan's proffered hand and gave him as sincere a smile as I could, being as nervous as I was. "Thank you," I said. "It's good to be back here." Well, at least now it was.

Obi-Wan turned and beckoned to Jinn, who stood by the sofa hesitantly. "You remember Qui-Gon, don't you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Jinn was holding out his hand, so I had to take it. "It's good to see you again, Maul," he said. He smiled at me, though his eyes were troubled, and I sighed internally.

"I never got the chance to properly thank you." I said, looking at both of them but speaking to Obi-Wan. "Both of you..." I amended, "for what you did for me." Jinn was frowning faintly. "I'm not sure I would have made it..."

"It's nothing," Obi-Wan interrupted me gently. "You could say I was paying you back for something else... well, not you, but you all the same."

Now, this was something I needed more information on. How had Obi-Wan known I wanted to defect to the Light? "Yoda explained some of that, but I'm not sure I understand it. You've met me... a different version of me... in another reality?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied easily, though he seemed tense at the admission. Jinn hovered and reached out to touch him. "It's a very long story; perhaps some day we can talk about it."

"I'd... like that," I said slowly, wondering at the undercurrents to the conversation.

"So. Come and tell us how Dagobah was," Obi-Wan said, stepping aside so I could precede him to the sitting area. Master Yoda and I exchanged a puzzled glance when Jinn settled in so close to Obi-Wan that he was practically in the man's lap, but he appeared oblivious. I wondered if his possessiveness was new or a reaction to my presence.

We chatted for a while about Dagobah and my training -- re-training -- as a Jedi, while skirting around the questions I'm sure everyone wanted to address: the mysterious Darth Tyrannus who had nearly killed me over three years earlier. I don't really remember much about showing up on their doorstep, though I was told later that I was a beaten, bloody mess. I do know I was in a coma for three days, in bacta for a week, and I spent another month in the healers' ward -- though a lot of that was for the removal of the extra DNA from my genes. Spending the last few years on Dagobah had gone a long way towards healing me from the damage my former master had inflicted upon me.

In the middle of our conversation, Mace Windu and Adi Gallia arrived, bearing cartons of food -- delicately seasoned tidbits, eaten with tongs and sticks, ideally suited to Master Yoda's very short dining table. After some re-introductions -- I had met most of the Council both during my convalescence and after my return from Dagobah the day before -- we all arranged ourselves on pillows around the table. I enthusiastically picked over the offerings -- it was heavenly not to have to worry about bugs in one's dinner.

Master Windu gave me a smile and a small salute as he took a drink from a brown bottle -- I don't know what was in it, but he and Obi-Wan were the only ones drinking it. "I'd like to informally welcome Knight Maul to our ranks," he said. I like Master Windu; he reminds me of someone else, but I can never place who. "His might have been an informal and unconventional training, but I know I'm alone when I say I'm glad to have him join us. The Temple needs all the good knights it can get, and you're a fine addition to our ranks, Maul."

"Congratulations!" Obi-Wan enthused, reaching across the table to gently smack my shoulder. "I should think that being trapped with Master Yoda on Dagobah for a few years would be sufficient for anyone's trials."

Master Gallia tried to conceal an unladylike snerk of laughter behind her napkin, and Master Yoda glared at Obi-Wan, who seemed totally unrepentant. "Everyone keeps saying that," I said softly, frowning in confusion. "But I don't really understand it."

Obi-Wan gave Jinn, then me, an incredulously look. "Really?" he asked, blinking and trying, without much success, to suppress his grin. "I should think it would be self-evident..."

"Enough of that, Knight Kenobi," Master Yoda interrupted. "Insult the troll you need not. Knows how to treat his master, does Knight Maul. Unlike some former padawans." I think it might take me years to get used to Master Yoda's bizarre sense of humor. Perhaps that's what everyone refers to when they offer to commiserate with me.

I'm not one to speak up anymore -- actually, I never was. But I enjoy sitting back and watching other people interact, reading their faces and their body language as much as hearing their words. This group was comfortable with one another, friendly and open, and it gave me a pang when I thought about all the years I went without this camaraderie. Then I resolutely hauled myself back to the present -- I had it now, thank the Force, and I would treat it as the gift it was, not take it for granted.

So I let the conversation wash over me, contributing when it seemed appropriate, but otherwise, just watching and listening. I sat across from Obi-Wan and Jinn, and I have to admit, I was jealous of Jinn. He had the right to touch that glorious creature, the brilliant man sitting next to him, and I hoped he had at least a vague idea of how much he was blessed.

I did find out what was in the brown bottles... Master Windu saw my gaze on his as he got a fresh one from Master Yoda's kitchen. "Would you like one, Maul?" he asked before sitting down. "I can fetch you one if you'd like."

"Root beer is an acquired taste, Mace," Jinn said with a raised eyebrow. "I wouldn't want to scare off the Temple's newest knight with it."

"Oh feumens," Obi-Wan said, laughing and hitting Jinn on his leg. "It's nectar of the gods. I'll bet he loves it."

Obi-Wan poured a small measure into my empty glass from his own bottle, and I sniffed it cautiously. It had an earthy smell; pungent, but not disgusting. But the taste... I couldn't hide my grimace and Jinn laughed. "Don't feel bad, Maul," he said, nudging Obi-Wan with his shoulder. "I hate the stuff too."

Eventually, after long social conversation and much laughter, the discussion came around to the real reason for our gathering. I had no illusions there was an ulterior motive, and apparently, neither did Obi-Wan or Jinn. "The story of who hurt you, Maul, hasn't been discussed widely," Master Windu began. "Not even the entire Council knows of it. We've all been keeping it very private, since most of us want to believe the evil stopped when Palpatine was destroyed."

"Obi-Wan was unable to help us very much," Master Gallia continued in her lovely voice. "This 'Darth Tyrannus' -- it's a new name to you, yes, Obi-Wan?"

From where he sat opposite me, nestled against Jinn, Obi-Wan nodded. "I hadn't run across that name anywhere," he said.

"We don't know if that means it's an isolated incident or if it was merely someone Palpatine was hiding all along," Master Windu said soberly. "While it is disconcerting to be without any foreknowledge here, it is something that we'll have to get used to, since we've moved well past any events that Obi-Wan has lived through." He shook his head with a wry smile. "The mechanics of alternate universes give me a headache."

Everyone at the table -- except me and Obi-Wan -- chuckled low at that. Obi-Wan just looked a bit uncomfortable, and I noticed that Jinn tightened his hold on the man. There was something going on here that I didn't understand, and it was puzzling in the extreme.

"So," Master Windu said. "We need to work on this mystery. Since it is of the highest security, we obviously can't have just anyone on the job..."

"Oh, stop running from the remote, Mace," Jinn interjected. His voice was as wry as his face. "You want Obi-Wan and me on it."

Master Windu raised an eyebrow at Jinn. "And Maul," he said, shooting me a sympathetic look. "Maul, between the two of you, you and Obi-Wan have the most intimate knowledge of the Dark Side of any knights we have -- through no fault of your own, but you have it, just the same. Qui-Gon is one of our best fighters, despite his advanced age--"

"Hey!" Jinn did his best to look affronted but Obi-Wan started laughing soundlessly.

"-- And it's not like we could get the two of them apart with anything less than explosives, anyway," Master Windu finished, as if he hadn't been interrupted. Obi-Wan was still laughing helplessly, and Jinn gave him a sour look, which only intensified his mirth. Master Windu waited until Obi-Wan had calmed down some before continuing. "So while it's an informal assignment, and while we'll expect you to check in only with the three Council members currently present," he said, "do you still accept the mission?"

I knew how I would answer. I wanted to know who this Darth Tyrannus was, who my master -- my former master -- had been keeping from me. Palpatine's shadow would long be over my soul, but doing this might give me a way to help exorcise it. I nodded immediately when Master Windu looked at me.

Obi-Wan was looking at Jinn when I glanced at them, apparently in some form of soundless communication. Were they in telepathic contact, I wondered? "Of course we'll take it," Obi-Wan said, with a small smile at both Master Windu and me. "We'll need to get started immediately. The trail is already a couple of years cold."

"Palpatine's offices -- both here and on Naboo -- have been sealed since his death, at Council's order," Master Gallia said. "Of course, you may not find anything, but that would help, I'm sure."

"And I doubt his secret offices would have been disturbed," I said, and everyone at the table looked at me. "He had offices in a large, converted hangar in the south polar industrial city," I explained. "I met him there routinely; we'd often have... training lessons there." I swallowed. It would be difficult to go back to that place; the memories were not good.

Obi-Wan's beautiful, sympathetic eyes were on me. "That should be one of our first stops, then," he said quietly. "If you think you can handle it." He was giving me an out, I knew that, and I both loved and hated him for it. Master Yoda, who had been curiously silent during the conversation, put one claw on my knee.

"No, I'll be... I'm sure I can handle it," I said, drawing strength from my new master's gentle aura. "And you're right, we should go there first. Then to Naboo, perhaps. I doubt he kept anything of importance in his senatorial offices here."

"You've got a ship when you need it," Master Gallia said. "The Supreme Chancellor has made available his personal corvette, the Expedient."

Jinn snorted. "I hope it's a bit more conservative than the Pride of Coruscant, he said. "Finis tends to like things a bit on the hedonistic side," he said to me by way of explanation. I had no idea Jinn was so familiar with the Supreme Chancellor -- though I guess that made sense, given what little I knew about Jinn's record with the Senate.

"Then agreed, it is," Master Yoda said. He had kept his claw on my knee, and I shamelessly took the comfort he offered. "Start tomorrow, you will?"

"Sounds good," Obi-Wan agreed, after a glance to Jinn.

"First thing in the morning. Third hour?" Jinn said, looking between Obi-Wan and me. I nodded; I'd been an early riser on Dagobah and preferred it now.

Obi-Wan groaned, and Jinn smiled. "You damn morning people," he said, elbowing Jinn. "Come for breakfast at third hour, Maul. We can set our plans and leave from our quarters."

"All right," I replied.

The party broke up then, each person leaving after prolonged good-byes and thank-yous. Finally it was just Master Yoda and me, something I admit pleased me. It still feels strange to be around so many people, so many Jedi. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it.

"Get used to it, you will," my new, very perceptive master said. He walked over to the window I was staring out of, leaning on his stick at my side. "Of the Light you are, Maul," he added. "Very strong. Trust in yourself you should."

I looked down and swallowed. I wasn't even sure who I was... how could I trust in that? But Master Yoda must see my every insecurity, and he patted me on the knee. "To bed you should go," he said gently. "Young you are; sleep you need. When eight hundred fifty years old you reach, need as much sleep, you will not."

I smiled despite myself. What a good, caring being my master is. "Yes, Master," I said.

Impulsively, I knelt before him and bowed my head. He blessed me with one claw, patting my head lovingly. "Sleep for you, Padawan," he said. I nodded, rose and retired. I was suddenly more tired than I had thought.

I presented myself outside the Kenobi/Jinn quarters precisely at third hour the next morning, shoving my odd case of nerves down behind tight shielding. Jinn answered my ring, wearing dark brown pants and a silky-looking, sky-blue robe that was definitely not regulation-issue.

"Knight Maul," he greeted me formally with a slight bow, a small, wry smile on his face. Yes, he had noticed his tension around me the evening before.

"Master Jinn," I replied, equally formal. We would be working together for some time; it behooved us to at least be on speaking terms.

"Obi-Wan is still in the shower," he said, ushering me in. "Come sit down. Would you prefer tea or cha? Or something else?"

"Cha would be wonderful, thank you," I said, taking a seat at their table. Their apartment was smaller than Master Yoda's -- it didn't have a padawan's room -- and comfortably decorated. There were plants everywhere, more than in Master Yoda's apartment even, all healthy-looking and happily absorbing the sun streaming in through the windows and patio door. The place looked... well, lived in. Comfortable. After a moment, I realized... it looked like a home. Something I had never had before.

Jinn put a cup of cha in front of me, and made sure the sweetener and milk were within reach. "I've got to get the bread from the oven," he said with a smile. "Be right back."

Their kitchenette was separated from the sitting room and dining room by a half-wall, and I could smell something wonderful coming from it. "I hope you're not going to so much trouble just for me," I said, adding milk to my cup.

"No," Jinn chuckled, pulling something from the stove. "Obi makes it all the time, so we have plenty on hand in the coldbox. It's... well, I guess you could say it's part of his therapy, in a way. He claims it's very soothing to beat on dough when he has frustrations to get rid of."

"I just pretend that the dough is whichever Council member has been a pain that day," a voice behind me said. I twisted in my chair to see Obi-Wan emerge from their bedroom. He was bare-chested -- as Jinn was -- though he wore no robe, and had a towel slung around his shoulders, under his damp hair. "Good morning, Maul," he said cheerily.

I smiled back helplessly as he passed me on the way to the kitchen. In the morning light, he looked golden and radiant and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Forcing myself to look away, I stared into my cup -- I had it bad, and the man was not even available.

Fortunately, by the time they joined me at the table, I was under better control.

Breakfast was simple and delicious: a sweet, homemade bread with a variety of toppings and fruit. I explained where Palpatine's secret offices were, and we decided to take one of the Temple skimmers, since it was several hours away. They were concerned that there might be traps waiting for us, and though my first impulse was to wave that aside, on further consideration, I had to amend it.

"I do know all the traps Sidious set himself," I said slowly, frowning in thought. "But I have no idea if this Tyrannus person had access to the area. If so, he could have set new ones."

They glanced at each other, and again I wondered if they were in telepathic communication. "We'd better come prepared for anything then," Jinn said soberly, finishing his tea and standing. "Let me finished getting dressed. Obi, can you contact the weapons master and reserve--"

"Body armor, yes, that's a good idea," Obi-Wan finished for him, smiling.

Jinn chuckled, bent and kissed him quickly. "Be right back," he said.

I had turned my gaze to my cup again before Jinn walked away, but when I heard only silence from the other side of the table, I looked up. Obi-Wan was looking at me, sympathy and understanding in his eyes. How could he know, I wondered. "What would you say to a couple of probe droids as well," he asked, his words incongruous with the expression on his face.

"It... it would probably be prudent," I agreed. I'm sure the smile I tried for was crooked.

"More cha?"

"No... No, I'm... fine. Thank you."

After a moment, he nodded, and stood. "Let me place that call, then. I'm thinking breast and faceplate armor should be enough. I can reserve an armored skimmer as well."

I nursed the last of my cha as I listened to him place the reservations, lost in thought. When had I developed such intense feelings for the Jedi knight who was Obi-Wan Kenobi? I hadn't even known he existed until my clone had faced him in battle. I recall that fight very well: Obi-Wan had fought like a demon, like a man possessed, all graceful muscle and determined aura. After one minute I had known the clone was doomed; I don't think anyone could have stood against Obi-Wan that day and lived. But as I'd watched the battle progress... I remember actually finding myself rooting for the Jedi. For the Light. I recall my initial horror at the thought, then my acceptance of it. It was something I believe I had been heading towards for years, perhaps.

Sidious knew the Dark. He had imbued my very cells with Dark, changing me into a monster of his own making. But the Dark didn't fight for me, didn't care if I lived or died or left it to go to the Light. The Light cared, the Light wanted me, asked for me, told me... told me... The light told me I would always have a home with the Jedi. And so I do.

A noise brought me out of my reverie. Jinn, now dressed in his tunics, was back and beginning to clear the table. I stood and helped him gather our dirty plates and cups, carrying them to the kitchenette. He gave me one brief, curious look, but remained silent. Perhaps we would get along after all.

As we cleaned our mess, I heard Obi-Wan finish his call and go into their bedroom. When he emerged, he was fully dressed as well, cinching his belt. "I requested breast and faceplates for all three of us, three probe droids and an armored skimmer," he reported. "Are we ready?"

I tucked the last of the dishes into the washer and closed it. At their inquiring looks, I nodded to show my readiness, and we gathered up our cloaks as we left.

I was glad I had two experienced Jedi with me as we collected our requisitioned equipment and made for the transportation garages. The blasted Temple is enormous, big enough to hold the thousands of Jedi who call it home -- though the majority are rarely here. The only thing I remember clearly from my initial arrival was how glad I was to find that the living quarters were on the outer, easiest to access area of the place. I know now that I was then in no condition to idly roam around a building as big as some small countries I had seen. I'm not even sure how I'd found my way to their quarters -- perhaps the Force had led me.

There was one small moment of trouble when we checked out from the weapons master. My face and name were not recognized, of course, and Jinn had to rather forcibly suggest the clerk check the Temple's records. The clerk, an Iktotchi, was adamant that he knew by sight all the knights currently in residence at the Temple. He wasn't far wrong, actually, even though he was surprised to find my name on the roster. He apologized, I brushed it off, and we collected our gear.

It wasn't until we were in the air, piloted by Obi-Wan, that they asked about it. "I wasn't formally knighted," I explained, wearily. I had a feeling this situation would come back to haunt me. "Master Yoda skirted some rather sharp corners to get me out of official padawan-hood and into being a knight. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but he apparently had some reasons for it." I sighed, looking out over the cityscape. "At least, that's what he told Master Windu."

I heard a snort from the back of the skimmer -- Jinn had given me the front passenger position in deference to the fact that I knew where we were going. "Why does that not surprise me," he said, and his voice sounded disgusted. "You should have had the ceremony, Maul. That's not exactly fair to you."

I shrugged, feeling oddly pleased at his irritation. "It's all right," I said. "I didn't mind that much."

"Still," Obi-Wan said. "I think Yoda's probably done the right thing, but that's no reason to short-change you." He glanced at Jinn over his shoulder. "I think we ought to have a small gathering when this mission is over, introduce the Temple's newest knight around. What do you think, Master Jinn?"

"I think that sounds like a splendid idea, Knight Kenobi," Jinn said with a grin. He must have seen the alarm on my face, for he hastened to add, "Not a large party, don't worry, Maul -- we wouldn't do that to you. Yoda might, but we wouldn't. Just a few friends, to help you get acclimated. You'll like them, I can guarantee it."

"Loral and Sasha," Obi-Wan said, a contemplative look on his face. "Gelor and Bant. Siri? Adi?"

"Yes," Jinn agreed. "We'll work out the guest list later. Good food and good company, that's what you need. A nice, quiet get-together to officially meet some of your fellow Jedi."

I still had reservations over the idea, but I admit, their concern was actually touching. I had to forcibly remind myself that these were my friends and they cared about me. It was an odd, but not unpleasant feeling.

As we drew closer to the lair of my ex-master, I covered my increasing trepidation by taking one of the probe droids and programming it. "We need to stop, a klick out, and release this," I told Obi-Wan. "Let it precede us by a good distance. I've programmed it with the passcodes that were last in use... whether or not it's destroyed should tell us whether Tyrannus has been here."

"Good idea," Obi-Wan replied, nodding. Jinn passed me the body armor, which I put on; then I drove while Obi-Wan did the same. The skimmer was reinforced and heavily shielded, but I knew that would be pretty much useless without the proper passcodes. The defenses around Sidious' lair were formidable.

Our actual approach was wary. Sidious had owned three cubic klicks in the south polar industrial city area, several large above- and under-ground warehouses and quite a lot of empty space surrounding them. He probably owned many more buildings around that area as well -- it was hard to say since none of it could be traced back to Senator Palpatine. I had known of his double life for many years before he deigned to confirm it to me. As his apprentice, I was told the absolute minimum necessary to do what he wanted me to do, and I was expected to use sneaky, underhanded tricks to find information which would help me plot the eventual downfall of my Sith master. He had encouraged my subterfuge by beating me severely every time he caught me nosing around his private files. I'd learned quickly how to hide my tracks.

As we drew nearer, my nervousness grew. I tried my best to release it to the Force, with limited success -- we were simply too close to my old life for me to adequately control my feelings. When we stopped to allow the droid to go on ahead of us, my anxiety must have been evident, for Obi-Wan turned and put his hand on my knee. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

To my surprise, I felt another warm, comforting hand on my shoulder -- Jinn. "You don't have to do this, if you feel you can't," he said. His voice was gentle and earnest, and between that and the sympathy I saw in Obi-Wan's eyes, I was both heartened and shamed. I could do this -- I was a Jedi now, I was of the Light. And now, I had friends to help me.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and sought for my center, thinking about Master Yoda. To my delight, it came easily, and I relaxed. "I'll be all right, now," I said, after releasing my breath slowly. "Thank you," I added, trying to convey how very much it meant to me to know I had friends like them, who would think nothing of helping me at any time.

They didn't reply, save for two hands squeezing me gently. I sent the command to the droid, and Obi-Wan began to follow it slowly at a safe distance.

It was nerve-wracking. I didn't know if Tyrannus had gotten to and compromised the security on this hideout, nor, for that matter, if the hideout itself even had any information that would be of use to us. If the computers were still there, still untouched, I figured I could break into them. But what if they had been pillaged?

The passcodes still worked -- at least, we were able to reach the main entrance of the outer hangar intact. I directed Obi-Wan to set down just outside the main bay, near the large doors. My first priority was to get them jammed open and unable to close -- I knew that Sidious had at least one trap that would involve their closing and not re-opening. A pallet with several large drums on it suited my purpose, and the Force came to my aid in order to shift it. Both my companions divined my intention, and Jinn guarded us while Obi-Wan and I made sure the doors wouldn't close until we wanted them to do so.

"Which way?" Jinn asked quietly, his lightsaber drawn but not active.

I drew my own blue blade and nodded deeper into the complex. "There's a hidden lift further in that will take us to the main portion of the building, where he did his work. It's this way. Stay close."

I'm not sure why, but the ease with which we penetrated the building simply increased my disquiet. None of the passcodes seemed to have changed since the last time I had been here. Granted, that was just before my trip to Naboo, and granted, Palpatine was killed before he could get back to the building. But I found it difficult to believe that Tyrannus didn't know about this place and wouldn't have used it in the intervening time.

But nothing appeared to have been disturbed. We took the lift to the lower levels, and I was able to get us into Sidious' office with no trouble at all. The computers were still there in the deserted complex, still functional, eerily waiting for their master's pleasure. Sidious' office was dusty, unused, but all the equipment was working fine.

I didn't like it one bit.

We'd brought empty datacubes, intending on downloading everything we could, assuming there was anything to download. I sat gingerly behind the huge desk, well aware of who had been the last person sitting in that chair, and powered up the terminal, using the passcodes I'd sliced long before my conversion. They still worked, to my relief and to my worry, and I loaded a blank datacube in the port and began the dump.

Jinn was wandering the office, carefully poking into drawers and file cabinets, while Obi-Wan was exploring just outside it, keeping an eye out for trouble. Jinn had found a drawer full of flimsiplast printouts and was pulling them all out, looking them over with a puzzled expression on his face. I knew the dump was going to take a while, so I went to the table where he had spread the sheets and looked at them. They appeared to be genome maps, but I couldn't tell what -- or rather, who -- they represented.

"We need to take these back to the Temple," Jinn said soberly. "I'm not sure what he was planning here, but..."

He stopped talking and his head jerked up just before Obi-Wan burst into the room. "I've found something," he said, and his face was white.

My heart dropped into my stomach at his words, but we quickly followed him out of the office and left, away from the exit. Towards... "It's the infirmary," I said, as he stopped outside the closed door.

"Maul, it's bad," Obi-Wan said softly, squeezing my arm before he opened the door.

The room was as I remembered from being in there frequently -- as a child, during the metamorphosis I barely remembered, and again as I grew and underwent his 'training' regimen. I'm not sure there's a bone in my body that hasn't been knitted at one time or another. So I was sickly familiar with the room... but I was not familiar with the large container taking up the back wall.

It was a hibernation pod of some kind, filled with a fluid that might have been bacta, save for the fact that it was a pale blue, almost but not quite clear, color.

I was floating in it.

I shook my head hard, unable to tear my eyes of f it, struggling to keep my breakfast from making another appearance. No, no, it wasn't me, it couldn't be me... it was a clone of the me Sidious had built, a clone of Darth Maul, Lord Maul, the horrific thing he wanted me to be, the terrible thing I had been. There were leads attached to it and a panel showing its life force and displaying its vital signs for all of us to see.

There was nothing that could have prepared me for this. I hadn't realized I was trembling until Obi-Wan suddenly appeared in my field of vision and grabbed my arm. He roughly turned me away, put my back to the thing and forced me to focus on him. His hand was tight on my chin and his eyes were as wild as mine probably were. "Maul. Maul. Look at me," he said, staring into my eyes. His face swam before me. He let go of my chin, and used his hand to slap my face gently. With that slight sting, I found words and the bare strength to speak them.

"Kill it," I gasped, leaning on his strength. My knees wanted to give out and I wasn't sure I could stop them. Jinn quickly passed both of us, into the room and out of my sight.

"Maul, it can't hurt you," Obi-Wan was saying, his voice low and choked. "I checked, there's no quickening in the wave form. It's a blank slate, an empty box."

"It was waiting for me," I mumbled. My tongue, like the rest of me, wanted to shut down and sink into blissful unconsciousness, making all this nothing but an evil dream. But I refused to give in to my panic and horror, and fought to get my body -- and my mind, which was cowering in gibbering terror -- to answer my commands again. I was violently trembling, and that came through in my voice, which sounded odd to me. "He... he would have hooked me up to it..."

Abruptly, I was pulled into a tight embrace as Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around me, supporting me, shoring me up with his own strength. I shamelessly took the comfort he offered, feeling very close to screaming with the pressure of memory. There were odd sounds behind me, which I ignored. Instead I concentrated on the mere function of breathing and on regaining my control, on forgetting the agony of what that... that... thing meant to me. Trying to forget the pain of being mind-raped.

After a few moments, I felt the warmth of another body behind me, and another arm wrapped around my shoulders -- Qui-Gon Jinn. "It's dead," he murmured into my ear. "I've shut down the life-support. There was nothing really there anyway, but now it's no more than meat, and nothing can come of it."

I gulped back bile, basking in the Force aura of these two Jedi, my two friends. When they urged me out of the room, I let them lead me, but forced myself to stop at the door. "There will be records in there, where he brought it from, who designed it," I said, my voice low and still shaken. "They should be in the infirmary terminal. We'll need them."

"After what I found in the office, I agree," Jinn said. "I'll do it. I don't want either of you in there with that thing."

The three of us went back into the office, and after a moment to regain our rather shaky centers, Obi-Wan began looking through the flimsies Jinn had found, and checking for more hardcopies, while I changed the datacube and gave Jinn a blank one. As the second datacube began to fill up, Obi-Wan looked over at me. I was leaning on the desk, still fighting to maintain a semblance of control, my hard-won composure.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "This is harder than I thought it would be."

"Revisiting the past generally is," he said, looking down at the drawer he was currently rifling through. "But now that you know it, can feel its shape... You can sever its hold on you, Maul. But it takes work. A lot of work." He closed the drawer and opened another. "When this is over... There's someone else at the Temple you should meet. Her name is Dotrick. She can help you."

I merely nodded. What else was there for me to say? That I feared Master Yoda had seen too much in me? That he had made me a Jedi when perhaps I was not ready to be one? Master Yoda was far wiser than I. If he thought I was ready...

"I don't see anything else here," Obi-Wan said, breaking my train of thought. "Would it do us any good to boot those terminals in the central area?"

"Maybe," I said, pleased that my voice didn't waver. "Couldn't hurt. I'm going to do a bit of snooping on his terminal here, since it looks like the dump is just about done."

"All right." Obi-Wan gave me an encouraging smile, and I managed to give him one in return. He took a blank datacube and walked out, leaving the door to the office open.

The dump was complete; everything was copied onto the datacubes. The technicians at the Temple would have to go through it carefully; I had neither the time nor the inclination. But I did want to get into his private files and see what he had been working on before his death. The unquickened clone in the infirmary meant he had something planned, since, as far as I know, he did not think the first clone would have failed to kill whoever was sent to Naboo after the knight I had fought and injured on Tatooine.

Whatever else he was, Palpatine was a methodical man. His computer files were organized by date and by project, and he had at least four of them going on at once. Unfortunately, he referred to them by code or by location -- yes, that was my former master, paranoid to a fault. I managed to get two names which I thought were planets: Kamino and Geonosis. I'm not sure what their significance was precisely, though I think the clone came from the former, judging by the notes appended to that file. We would have to do more research once back at the Temple. It didn't surprise me in the least that I knew nothing of Sidious' plans -- he would tell me nothing that he felt I did not need to know. My past snooping had managed to gain me an overall picture of his incredible ambitions, but this -- this appeared to be a wholly different thing than his grandiose plans for galactic domination. Then again, he was devious in the extreme and what I had discovered and this new drama could all be connected, at some level.

There was absolutely no mention of Darth Tyrannus in his computer files. I wasn't sure how that made me feel. I was mentioned by name, but only in the context of the clones. Why?

I also checked the local network he had set up to see if there were other terminals of which I wasn't aware. That's how I made the worst discovery -- one that sent my heart pounding. But I also immediately realized there was nothing I could do about it; the damage was already done.

Jinn came back into the office at about that time, carrying a datacube. "I've retrieved everything I could," he said, then frowned at me. "What is it?"

"I think we might be in deep shit," I said, and my voice was strangled.

"Obi-Wan!" Jinn called to his partner through the door, then strode over to me and came around the desk. "What is it, Maul?"

"He's been here," I said, collapsing on the chair. "Tyrannus. There's a tap on the network set to send a tachyon burst signal if anyone signs on."

"Fuck," Obi-Wan snarled, hearing my words as he walked into the office. "When did it go out?"

"As soon as I logged on," I said, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to trace it, try to figure out where it was going."

"Shouldn't we just leave?" Jinn was licking his lips, nervously glancing around the room.

I couldn't blame him -- I almost felt like there was a Sith waiting behind every piece of furniture. "It's too late now," I said. I initiated the trace, and it was absurdly easy. He didn't even care if I found it. I must have said that aloud, for they both turned to stare at me.

"Maybe he wanted you to find it, then," Jinn said slowly, his brow furrowing in a deep frown.

"You might be right," Obi-Wan said, joining the two of us behind the desk. "More than likely, he just wanted to know if you're still alive, Maul. If you're able to trace the burst..."

"Yes," I said, downloading the coordinates into yet another datacube. "I've got it."

"Then he'll be waiting for you. If he wanted you to find the evidence of his tampering, he wanted you to find him." Obi-Wan smiled tightly, and it wasn't a nice smile. "He's not going to be expecting us."

I looked up, surprised at his words. That's right... Tyrannus would expect me to be alone -- one last Sith without a master. And considering I barely escaped him with my life the last time we met, he wouldn't be very concerned about whatever threat I would pose to him. "You don't think he knows I'm a Jedi now?" I asked, my brain churning and my heart lightening.

"Obi-Wan's right," Jinn said, nodding thoughtfully. "And no, I don't see why he would. For all he knows, you're just trying to take over the boss' plans, which would make sense if you were still a Sith. As far as he knows, you still are, and are still mortal enemies with us."

"But I didn't try to kill you after you captured the clone," I said, looking at the puzzle from all sides.

"We were just doing what you would have done yourself," Obi-Wan said. "We killed your master for you." He looked between me and Jinn and grinned crookedly. "I think we might be able to give this Tyrannus person quite a shock."

"Suits me," Jinn replied, draping one arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders. "Are you finished, Maul? I want to get out of here. I can feel the Dark Side lingering and it can't be doing us any good."

I blinked -- of course! No wonder I felt jumpy. I glanced at Obi-Wan and he rolled his eyes. "Just who was supposed to have a better feel for that again?" he asked, and Jinn chuckled.

"I'm finished," I said. We packed up the datacubes and flimsiplast printouts and carefully retraced our steps back to the skimmer. We weren't stopped. Jinn and I cleared the doors and got them closed and locked again. "This place should be destroyed," I muttered, and Jinn snorted.

"I think I'm going to make sure of it," he replied as we got back into the skimmer and headed for home.

It was terabytes of data that we brought back with us, and our own small sub-committee of the Council was pleased. They brought in a couple of techs and a healer who specialized in cloning to look over the data, and we had an interesting meeting going over what we had found. I know I wasn't alone in wondering at the intense need everyone involved seemed to have for secrecy, since both Jinn and Obi-Wan mentioned it to me directly after the meeting. We weren't certain what that meant -- well, we began to get a pretty good idea when we found that the starmaps in the library had been tampered with.

My first meeting with the chief librarian, Jocasta Nu, didn't go well. Then again, I'm not sure it would have gone well regardless of what had happened. She struck me as someone who... well, I'll be charitable and say she was not used to not knowing -- or at least, not used to being unable to find out -- everything. The fact that neither Kamino nor Geonosis appeared on any of the Temple's starmaps did not make her happy: her first reaction was, if they weren't there, they didn't exist. That I argued they must didn't do well for her opinion of me, unfortunately.

The tachyon burst had been aimed at a point about a dozen parsecs along the galactic south of the Rishi Maze, and there were no planets listed in the Temple's database in that quadrant. But the burst had been sent to that location; there were oblique references in other nearby clusters to a star system there; there was a definite gravity well in that area, denoting a star system; and neither planet we were interested in appeared in the archives. By inference, then, at least one of those planets was there, and we had a problem with the archive. Neither Masters Yoda nor Windu looked happy at those conclusions when we brought it to them later that day.

"Jocasta is right," Jinn said, looking troubled. "It doesn't make sense that the archives would have been tampered with."

"It would take a high-ranking Jedi to do something like that," Obi-Wan said slowly, looking down at the table. I noticed that he had one of his hands in Jinn's. "Wouldn't it? I can't imagine a slicer getting past our network security."

"Yes," Master Windu said heavily. He looked at Master Yoda. We were once again gathered in Master Yoda's quarters, and I was coming to think of our group as a specific cabal, almost.

"Master," I said quietly, intending on getting to the bottom of this, "do you suspect someone in the Temple of being a traitor?" I felt Jinn's eyes on me as I spoke, but neither he nor Obi-Wan moved or so much as breathed. Yes, they had been suspecting the same thing.

To my surprise, it was Master Gallia who replied to my question. "There are certain things that we can't tell you, Maul -- not right now, anyway," she said, and her eyes were gravely sad. "I think you -- all three of you -- can draw your own conclusions from that. Regardless, that should not deter you from your primary mission: we want you to find Tyrannus. Apparently, that also means that you should find, by extension, Kamino and Geonosis, and what part they're playing in all this. But your first priority is to locate -- and eliminate -- Darth Tyrannus."

Well. That was certainly blunt enough. I could tell by the restlessness of my companions that they were unhappy with that directive, but as for me -- that had been my intent all along. I knew the Sith. Tyrannus would not be taken; he would have to be killed. And that suited me fine. He posed a threat to my new family, and I would not let it continue.

"The Expedient has been outfitted for three, with enough supplies to last quite a long time. It awaits you at pad four," Master Windu said. "We'd like you to get started immediately. Please check in frequently -- but remember, if you have anything of any importance to say, you must do so in person, back here at the Temple." He looked at all three of us in turn. "Do not trust the communications array, and do not trust anyone else but those of us gathered here -- and only when you see us in person."

Yes, they most certainly suspected something -- or someone. It was past the dinner hour, but I would gladly sacrifice my hunger for the hunt. "We'll get packed and meet you there in half an hour," Jinn said to me. I nodded my acceptance.

"May the Force be with you," Master Yoda said softly.

The Expedient certainly wasn't decadent, but she was a well-appointed ship, roomy and comfortable, with a sophisticated AI for an autopilot and state-of-the-art navigation. She was set up with modular furniture and clever dividers so that anywhere from two to eight individual staterooms could be created. With eight rooms, they would have been very small, but with the three of us on board, we had two rooms on one side of the companionway, and on the other, one large open room perfect for exercise. It was only four days to our mysteriously empty point in space (the ship was fast, but not that fast), but I was sure we would be needing the relief of physical exertion before then.

I knew I would be, anyway. I was getting used to being around my two companions, but being thrown into the confined space of the Expedient with them was something else altogether. They were... well, I guess the word I want is 'intense'... together. While we had been in the skimmer and exploring Sidious' lair, they were all business, and they were the same when we were in our meetings. During the down time, they would joke and trade quips with each other and me, but it didn't take me long to notice that they were almost always touching each other. Thinking back, I realized that even in Sidious' office, when they were in the same room, they were generally touching -- a hand to a shoulder, perhaps, or an arm wrapped around a waist.

It was odd and somewhat disconcerting, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

Obi-Wan made dinner for all of us, taking and giving back a good-natured ribbing from his mate while he did so. Jinn hung over him, stealing bits of food from the preparations, until commanded to go sit. Obi-Wan claimed he loved to cook, and the meal he made for us was delicious. Jinn was as lavish with his praise as I was, and I simply couldn't figure it out. I realized I didn't understand their relationship at all.

That night, however, I had a partial answer to my questions. The movable walls of the Expedient were useful but not particularly soundproof, as it turned out. Or perhaps my hearing was sharper than normal. I woke up in the middle of our sleep-cycle, pulled out of sleep by a ragged, pained cry and a terrorized spike felt through the Force. It was Obi-Wan, and I was halfway to their door before I realized I also heard Jinn's voice.

"Obi-Wan! Obi, look at me, look at me, Obi-Wan! It's a dream, wake now, Obi-love, wake... there you are... deep breaths..."

I knocked quietly and heard Jinn bid me to enter. "I thought I felt..." I started, but stopped when I saw them. Obi-Wan was huddled in Jinn's arms, his body glistening with sweat in the low light from the companionway and the emergency strips. Jinn was cradling him tenderly, rocking him back and forth.

"It was a nightmare," Jinn said softly. "He'll be all right." His eyes asked me for understanding and solitude, and I withdrew, meaning more than ever to get answers to my questions about Obi-Wan Kenobi. The intensity of the feelings he transmitted through the Force was not for just an average, run-of-the-mill nightmare -- I knew that all too well. I'd suffered through my share of them since Sidious died, and even before. What had happened to him to make him so fragile?

I settled back on my bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin. From the other room, I could hear Jinn's crooning voice and Obi-Wan's harsh breathing, both subsiding finally into quiet. I was almost asleep when I heard Jinn ask, "Which one?"

"You; dying," Obi-Wan replied, and I frowned, unable to keep from sinking into sleep. My last clear thought was that I wished I had someone as loving as Qui-Gon Jinn to comfort me when I had nightmares.

The next morning I was first up. I checked our AI navigator and was pleased to discover I was not needed at all, so I went to the galley to brew some cha. After some thought, I also set some tea on -- from what Obi-Wan had said the other day, I suspected Jinn would be up before long.

I was right. As I was sitting with my cup, he walked into the galley, once again wearing that blue robe. He gave me a tired smile and then a more genuine one when he found the pot of tea brewing. "Thank you," he said with a sigh. "I could nominate you for sainthood for that alone."

"That's... um, not necessary," I said wryly. I waited until he had poured himself a cup of tea and sat opposite me to continue. "Is Obi-Wan all right?"

"Yes," he said. He sat back in his chair and scrubbed his face with his hands. "We don't usually have this problem when we're on a mission. But I think that -- that thing -- we found in Palpatine's offices got to him more than he wanted to admit." Jinn shot me a penetrating look. "Are you all right with it?"

I blinked, surprised and oddly pleased that he would think to ask me. "Surprisingly, yes," I replied. "I would have thought that if anyone would have nightmares over it, it would have been me." It was an oblique way of asking about Obi-Wan, and Jinn recognized it as such.

"He... he has other issues," he said, his voice low.

"All of this has to do with what Master Yoda alluded to," I said, watching him carefully. "About that strange alternate reality thing."

"Yes," he said. He wrapped his hands around his cup and chewed on his lip. "It would take longer than our trip to explain, but you will get the explanation," he promised. "From one of us... probably me. It's still too close to the surface for him." Once again he gave me a look, and his sad, deep blue eyes bored into me. "Please, don't ask him about it... not during this mission, at least."

"Rest assured, I won't," I said, nodding. "I would as soon cut off my arm as harm him -- in any way."

Jinn smiled crookedly. "He does have that effect on people," he said. "Thank you."

We sat in companionable silence for a few moments, while I finished my cha. He was finishing his tea when I stood and stretched. "I'm used to doing some exercise in the morning, before breakfast," I told him. "Would you care to join me?"

He raised his eyebrows, but looked pleased. "Yes, I think I will... thank you. Obi-Wan will undoubtedly be asleep for at least another hour." He stood. "Let me go put some workout clothing on."

He joined me in our impromptu gym in short order, wearing a ripped singlet and a pair of loose pants. We stretched easily for a few minutes, then I turned to him. "The eighth?" I asked.

"Sounds good. From say, the third?"

"That would be fine." We began the third kata of the eighth form, one that I had learned as an apprentice to my former master. Where before my transformation the movements had been martial and clipped, now I found myself sliding into oneness with the Force and moving fluidly. My companion in exercise moved with a grace that belied his large frame, and I ended up turning so that I could face him and use him as a mirror to emulate his smooth movements.

By some unspoken agreement, we moved at three-quarters speed, gradually increasing it as we stepped into the fourth kata. I could see why Qui-Gon Jinn was considered an excellent teacher, as he began to make his movements more broad when mine would falter from lack of practice or knowledge. He never stopped me to correct me -- his was a more subtle teaching, and I found I was able to move through all the katas in the form nearly without flaw, something I'd had difficulty with before. It pleased me.

We were walking in circles, cooling down, when Obi-Wan appeared at the doorway. He was wearing a pair of loose shorts and Jinn's blue robe -- which was absurdly too big for him -- and looked rumpled and sleepy. "Damn morning people," he muttered, then turned and wandered down the companionway to the galley. Qui-Gon gave me a look and we chuckled.

There were two decent-sized 'freshers on board, which meant no fighting over the showers. I took my time and was actually done after Jinn was, something I discovered when I walked into the galley. The two of them were leaning against the counter, wrapped in each others' arms -- again -- and Jinn was kissing Obi-Wan's neck. I froze for an instant, thinking I was intruding, but even as the thought came, they moved apart and Obi-Wan smiled at me.

"He's had his tea so he's finally awake now," Jinn said, which earned him a dirty look from Obi-Wan.

"Just for that, you can dish your own doula out," he said. "Would you like some, Maul? There's plenty."

"I don't think I've ever had it..." I replied, sniffing the air, which was fragrant with something.

"Well then, sit down and I'll give you a dish of it to try."

Our happy and relaxed breakfast set the tone for our day aboard ship. I had quite a bit of reading to catch up on -- mostly Jedi history and some other subjects that hadn't been covered by my other training -- and the three of us spent a lot of time poring over the data that we'd retrieved from Sidious' computers. It wasn't boring, but it was confining, at least to me. The two of them were inseparable and I was coming to understand just how deep their bond went. I never did find an occasion to ask whether they shared a telepathic link, but resolved to ask the next time I could work it into the conversation.

Our small free space meant that sparring was out of the question, but the two of them did some hand-to-hand work and, that afternoon, Obi-Wan and I went through the tenth form together, after I admitted I could use some work on it. It turned out that Obi-Wan was nearly as good a teacher as his mate was.

I was wrapped up in a fascinating history of the fourteenth millennial civil war when they decided to retire. I nodded to them, distracted, as they left, and continued my reading. I was so engrossed in the story that I lost track of time, and before I was aware, it was quite late and I realized how tired I was.

Moving quietly so as not to disturb my neighbors, I used the 'fresher, then let myself into my stateroom and stripped, gratefully crawling into bed. I was just getting settled when a muffled groan from next door made me freeze in place. Was Obi-Wan having another nightmare?

No, it wasn't that, and I felt my face heating as more sounds came to me -- moans and gasps, and the steady, rhythmical slap of flesh on flesh. They were obviously trying to keep quiet, but not succeeding very well -- had they been doing this since they went to bed? They also probably thought me still reading in the galley.

"Gods... so good... Feels... so damn good..." Obi-Wan's voice was sultry, even sexier than normal, and I closed my eyes, trying to will myself to sleep and ignorance.

There was a sudden gasp and then I heard Jinn's voice. "There! Oh, Force, again... harder... harder and deep-- Obi-Wan!"

"So tight!" Obi-Wan moaned softly, so softly I almost missed it.

With a sudden jolt, I realized... Master Jinn was letting himself be taken? A master, and so much bigger, but... he bent over...

Why that should be the last strand for me, I don't know, but suddenly I was rock-hard and had to do something, anything -- right now. I nearly ripped my shorts trying to get to my erection and hissed in pleasure as I wrapped my hand tightly around myself, squeezing hard to try and fend off an incipient orgasm. As I managed to back away from the edge slightly, shame overtook me -- these were my friends, should I really be such a voyeur with them?

Then Obi-Wan groaned again, and I heard the steady, rhythmic noises slow even more. "Oh, gods... oh gods..." Obi-Wan was murmuring, and Jinn punctuated his gasping entreaties with deep, rumbling groans of pleasure. I closed my eyes and jacked myself to what I thought was their pace, thinking about Obi-Wan and all that golden skin.

Oh, how I wanted to be Jinn at that moment... to have Obi-Wan buried deeply within me, loving me with his body. I struggled to suppress my harsh breathing as I strained to listen to their every word and movement.

"More..." Jinn's voice was rough with passion and arousal.

"Wait... wait... oh, gods..." It sounded to me like Obi-Wan was on the knife's edge, just as I was.

"Now, Obi-Wan... please... now!"

With a loud, heartfelt moan, Obi-Wan must have begun to pound away at his mate, for Jinn began to call out hoarsely and raggedly, and I could hear obscene squishing and slapping noises, coming faster and faster.

Suddenly, Jinn shouted, but his vocalization was cut off, abruptly muffled, as if by a mouth coming down over and covering his. That visualization did it for me, and I came hard, spurting up on my chest and nearly folding double with the intense pleasure of it.

Gasping, I slowly managed to catch my breath again, and frantically checked my shielding. It was intact, and I don't think I'd made any noise -- well, any that wasn't covered by their own noises. I could hear them now, heavy breathing beginning to slow down and level out, and whispered endearments.

"Love you," I heard each of them murmur, over and over, until finally there was only silence. My semen cooled then dried on my chest as I lay in the dark, alone, my mind blank.

My only thought before sleep that night was that I was glad we only had one more night to go before reaching our destination.

Two more days, and one more night. I don't know if they suspected I had overheard them, but I didn't overhear anything else untoward during that time. Then again, I made sure to be reading in the galley far into the night. We passed the two days as we had passed the first, and I shoved my guilty feelings about what I had done into the Force.

We emerged from hyperspace on target, to find that yes, indeed, there was a large star system where none showed on the Temple's charts. The fourth planet out showed signs of habitation -- for all it was covered in water -- and when we hailed them, they responded readily enough. They almost seemed to be expecting us, which, of course, we'd figured would happen.

Fifteen minutes on the planet, however, changed our thinking rather drastically.

The planet was completely covered in water, and constant storms raged over it. The Kaminoan's cities were built on platforms, half-in and half-out of the water, showing a sophisticated technology. However, they appeared to be something of isolationists, since both they and their planet were virtually unknown in the Republic.

We were met by a tall, beautiful creature who identified herself as Taun We, the administrative assistant to the prime minister of the planet. She was of a species that none of us had ever seen before -- very tall, slender and willowy, with long arms and fingers and huge, deep black eyes. She spoke Basic slowly and with great dignity, and her accent was as musical as Obi-Wan's.

She bowed to us as we came in out of the downpour, and we bowed back, shaking rain from our cloaks. We were on the alert for danger, but none of us sensed anything, which was puzzling. "We had not been expecting you, Sir Jedi," Taun We said to us. "But of course you are always welcome. I'm sure you'll find the project moving along well. We are always open to inspection."

I narrowed my eyes. Everything about her told me she was speaking the truth, and yet... "You didn't receive the signal?" I asked.

She looked at me, clearly puzzled. "Signal?" she asked. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Jedi...?"

"You did not receive a tachyon signal?" I asked, becoming increasingly confused. "I'm sorry, my name is Mau--"

"Mollon," Obi-Wan interrupted me, and I blinked at him. "He's Knight Mollon, I'm Knight Kenobi, and this is Master Jinn. I take it that our signal never made it through, Mollon." He sighed, a bit theatrically. "Well, we're here now, we'll just have to make the best of it."

"There may have been interference with your signal, Jedi Knight Kenobi, preventing it from reaching us," Taun We said, nodding her head. "But we will do our utmost to accommodate you. Please, follow me; I'm to take you to the office of Prime Minister Lama Su at once."

We followed her gliding walk through a maze of corridors and I turned to Obi-Wan, frowning. He headed off my questions with a hissed explanation. "They might know the name Maul," he said, whispering in my ear. "Your new face, and the name Mollon, they won't know at all."

Ah. Now that I thought about it, it made sense. But nothing else did... if the tachyon signal had been aimed here, then for whom was it meant?

Finally, we were shown into the austere office of their prime minister. The differences between Lama Su and Taun We were very slight but noticeable, and Lama Su's voice was deeper. He stood and bowed a greeting to us, which we returned. Deep chairs appeared for us to sit in, and we did, trying not to look as confused as we felt. The Kaminoans obviously had a highly advanced science at their disposal, which only confused me further.

"We are honored by your visit," were the Prime Minister's first words. "I assume you are here on behalf of your Council on the project?"

"Yes," Jinn said, sounding smoothly urbane. "Can you give us a briefing?"

"Of course," the prime minister replied, all calm sophistication. "The project goes well. Though it has only been a little under five years, we have already surpassed twenty thousand units, and the combat and individuality suppression indoctrination has been a complete success. I'm sure your Jedi Council will be pleased."

That brought me up short. The Council? Twenty thousand units of what?

Jinn sat forward and cleared his throat. He looked completely at ease and as though he knew everything that was going on, and I sourly envied him his poise. "Prime Minister, as you surmised, we're here on behalf of the Jedi Council on an audit of this project," he said, and sincerity oozed out of every pore. "It would be helpful to us if you would give us your description of it from the beginning, so that we can correspond it to the records we already have." He smiled pleasantly. "You understand that we must be thorough, and that includes understanding all facets of the project."

"Of course," Lama Su said, nodding as if this made perfect sense. "As you know, your Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas came to us five years ago, with a commission to create a clone army for the Republic." I had to bite my lip to keep from showing my extreme shock on my face. Who was Sifo-Dyas? The Council had authorized the creation of a clone army? "Our cloning facilities are the finest in the galaxy, and though this was the largest commission we have ever undertaken, it was a challenge we simply could not refuse."

"If you've managed to create twenty thousand clones in less than five years, then I would say you have more than risen to the challenge," Obi-Wan said, and Lama Su reared back, the expression on his face more than pleased.

"Thank you for your kind words," he said, inclining his head. "Of course, those twenty thousand are only the ones who have so far reached maturation under our growth-acceleration procedures, and who have completed our combat and training programs successfully. However, within another five years, that number should be well over the two hundred thousand mark, and well on the way to the two million units ordered."

If I hadn't been looking at Obi-Wan at that moment, I would have missed it, but that number obviously shocked him to his core. But he smiled pleasantly in the next instant, and I couldn't see any other signs of his consternation.

"I would assume that you will wish to examine the facilities and a sampling of the units already created," Lama Su went on. "We have thorough and extensive records for your perusal, and my assistant is at your service to show you anything you wish to see."

"That would be a kindness," Jinn said, smiling pleasantly. "While my two associates tour the facility, perhaps I could review the records with you?"

"I would be honored, Master Jinn," Lama Su said.

We stood, and Taun We ushered us out of the office and back into the maze of corridors. We followed far enough back so that I was able to speak in a whisper to Obi-Wan. "Who the hell is Sifo-Dyas?" I hissed, and Obi-Wan turned profoundly troubled eyes on me.

"I recognize the name, barely," he whispered back. "But not from this reality... I have no idea if he's even alive here."

"This whole thing is fantastic," I said quietly, shaking my head. "Who the hell was that signal aimed at?"

Frowning, Obi-Wan just shrugged helplessly. Taun We had come to a stop at a window, and as we came abreast of her, Obi-Wan said, "Taun We, I meant to ask, do you recognize the name of Maul, or Darth Maul?"

She cocked her head as she thought. "The name does not sound familiar to me, Knight Kenobi," she replied after a moment. "Is it someone else on the Jedi Council?"

"No," he replied, shooting me another puzzled look. "It's... he's just a person we've been dealing with in this matter... it's not that important."

We turned and looked out the window and I couldn't suppress my gasp of shock. The room below the walkway was enormous, and filled with dark-haired men marching in formation under the watchful eyes of both Kaminoans and other men. Despite what my eyes told me, my brain nearly refused to process the fact that all the men looked precisely the same. Clones. A cold feeling in the pit of my stomach began sending out tendrils to the rest of my body. My fingers itched to draw my 'saber. This... this was even worse than the clone in Sidious' lair.

"This is maturation group eight-three-bee," Taun We said, and the note of pride in her voice couldn't be missed. It only made me more distressed. "One of our earliest and most successful in the suppression of individuality and initiative. They are progressing well along the path as requested, and are developing into excellent fighters."

I managed to rip my eyes away from the view to glance at Obi-Wan. His face told me he was feeling pretty much the way I was feeling -- unbelievable shock, almost overwhelming astonishment and dismay. I took a deep breath and attempted to control my runaway feelings, to release them to the Force, but had only partial success. Next to me, I could sense Obi-Wan doing the same, probably with the same results. However, we needed more information, we had to have that information, and being stunned into immobility was not the best way to get it. "I--we would like to view some of the clones in your training regimen," I said, striving for a calm voice through my rampaging distress.

"Of course," Taun We said, her voice still smooth and unruffled. "We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. And of course, all the clones are subjected to the growth-acceleration procedures." She began gliding down the curving corridor again, and we flanked her. "This project has not only allowed us to improve our already excellent cloning techniques, but also allowed us to branch off into different areas." She glided to a stop at another window, this time on the left side of the corridor.

The view this time showed hundreds -- thousands -- of the same dark-haired man, in various ages from what looked like adolescent to young adult, sitting at computer terminals. One entire side of the enormous room was taken up with long tables and terminals, and every seat was taken. On the other side of the room, slightly older versions of the man were being taught hand-to-hand combat techniques.

"Because of the unique methods we employ in training, we are able to competently train units from various maturation groups together," Taun We said as we stared, riveted and aghast, through the window. "Every fifteenth unit is singled out for increased training as a supervisor. Those units are allowed slightly more self-awareness than the standard unit, and the indoctrination is slightly different. Once those supervisor units are completed, they are allowed to oversee the training of other maturation groups. Of course, that is only done under our strict supervision," she added.

"Of course," Obi-Wan said faintly. Some small part of me -- the only part not nearly shut down by fear -- was surprised and gratified to hear that he sounded much they way I felt.

We watched the thousands of clones for some time. I know I was struggling against a panic attack, and I wondered how Obi-Wan was holding one off.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Taun We," I said, and she turned her placid face to me, "who is the clone patterned after? Or is it a pure construct?"

"Of course there are some extra strands of DNA in place," Taun We said, and I suppressed a wince, "but predominantly, the bounty hunter Jango Fett's pattern was used."

"Jango Fett?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning.

"Yes," Taun We said, looking between the two of us. "He was supplied by your Master Sifo-Dyas... you are unfamiliar with him?"

"Actually, yes," I replied, trying to cover the fumble. "Some of the records involving the project have been lost at the Temple," I said, and Obi-Wan flashed a quick grin at me. "That's partially the reason for this audit. We need to replace them."

"Ah, I see," Taun We said. "Then you would wish to interview Jango, I assume?"

"He's here?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes widening incredulously.

"Yes," Taun We said, cocking her head. "He lives here."

"He lives here," Obi-Wan repeated, looking at me significantly. I didn't need another hint -- we'd found the destination of the signal.

"Because we have need of him on occasion for his genetic material," Taun We said, a bit later as we again followed her, this time to Jango Fett's quarters, "he lives here in Tipoca City as part of his remuneration."

"Part?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning.

"Yes. On top of his salary -- which is prodigious -- he also requested one unaltered clone of himself that he could raise as his son, Boba. Boba is about four years old now, I believe, since he was not subject to the growth acceleration. Here we are."

She stopped before one unremarkable door in a corridor full of them, and pressed a button to the side. After a moment, the door slid open to reveal the same dark-haired man that we'd been seeing in the clone training rooms. He had one hand behind his back as he answered the door. "Taun We," he said, nodding to her.

Bowing slightly, she said, "Hello, Jango. I've brought you visitors from the Jedi Council; this is Knight Kenobi and Knight Mollon."

His eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of us, but that was the only indication of his thoughts. "Knight Mollon, eh?" he said, looking at me closely. I kept my best stoic face on and gazed back blandly. "Not exactly who I was expecting, but it's always nice to meet Jedi. Won't you come in."

He stepped aside and we followed Taun We into his quarters. I turned enough to see that he did indeed have a blaster behind his back, but he quickly placed it into a small room just next to the front door, before approaching us. "So tell me: what brings Jedi all the way out to Kamino, then?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a powerfully-built, handsome man in his middle years, and just radiated pure danger from every pore. He didn't offer us a seat and we didn't ask for one.

"They are here on an audit of the project, Jango," Taun We said. I didn't take my eyes from Fett, who didn't look away from me either.

"Ah, the project," he said, and I could see the condescending humor behind his words. "Of course. I imagine that was quite a surprise... to see everything so far along. Are you happy with your army?"

Oh, he was good. He was all but taunting us, and all three of us knew it. Before we could say anything, however, a young boy -- obviously his clone 'son' -- burst into the room. "Dad, Dad!"

Fett knelt down and took the child into his arms, stopping his headlong rush and turning him so that he faced us. Another Kaminoan stood in the doorway to the room the boy had been in. "This is my son, Boba," Fett said, standing again and leaving one hand on the child's head. "And Werd Sa, one of his teachers."

"Dad, Werd Sa said I could go watch the clones fight, can I, Dad?" Boba said rapidly, looking up at his father.

"Not right now, Boba," Fett replied. "We have some things to do. Perhaps later, Werd Sa." The Kaminoan nodded and bowed her way out of the apartment. "Boba, these are Jedi, you should show them the proper respect." The youngster's eyes widened as he looked between us and his 'father', but he sketched a bow to us. We replied in kind, Obi-Wan smiling gently at the boy. "So, Jedi," Fett said, "You didn't answer me. Are you indeed happy with your army?"

"It seems perfectly adequate," Obi-Wan replied, calmly and steadily.

"They'll do their job... I can guarantee it." Fett, though he was obviously addressing Obi-Wan, kept looking back to me. "Do you have any questions for me, then?"

I glanced at Obi-Wan. His eyes were hooded as he studied Fett carefully. "No, I don't think so, actually," he said finally. "I think we've seen all we need to see here. Would you agree, M--Mollon?"

The almost-slip was purely intentional, I was sure, since it seemed quite clear that Fett had figured us -- me -- out. It was probably for the best, because he was our link to Tyrannus -- all we needed was proof. I let my glance laugh at Kenobi, showing I knew what he was thinking, and he dropped an almost-wink back. "Yes, Kenobi, I think we're done here," I said. "A pleasure meeting you, Sar Fett."

Fett looked between the two of us suspiciously. "As I said, always a pleasure to meet a Jedi. Good journey to you."

We bowed and followed Taun We out of his apartment. We were only a little way down the corridor when Obi-Wan stopped her. "Could you tell me, please, if Sar Fett has a ship here for his use?"

"Yes, he does," Taun We replied. "He keeps it at his private pad, which is three over from where you landed, I believe," she clarified. "Did you wish to see it?"

"No, no," Obi-Wan said, shooting me a glance that clearly said what he wanted me to do. "I was just interested. Tell me," he continued, leading her down the corridor while I walked slower and slower, letting them get ahead of me, "can you describe the teaching methods you're using, in depth? I'm sure that the teaching masters at the Temple would love to have..."

There... they were gone. I ducked down a side corridor and closed my eyes for a moment, calling up a mental map of the place. All of Tipoca City was circular, concentric circles of hallways ringing the upper levels, where the access to the landing bays was. If we were here, then Fett's ship must be...

I quickly walked back to the nearest cross-corridor and made my way swiftly down it. It took me about five minutes to search out the right doorway -- and I knew I had the right one by the looks of the ship on the pad. While the Kaminoan's ships were sleek and looked as though they would be at home in air, water, or vacuum, Fett's ship was a rough, angular thing that looked scarred and pitted, heavily used.

There was no way we could search his apartment for incriminating evidence -- not as long as we were to continue to dupe the poor Kaminoans. But Fett looked to be a competent sort, and I would eat my robe if he didn't have all the same information, machinery and data duplicated aboard his ship. And that would provide us with the evidence we needed in his complicity with the Sith.

It was, of course, raining when I opened the doors, and I hastily pulled my robe around me and raised the hood. Though it was dark due to the weather, a tingle in the back of my brain made me cautious as I approached the ugly-looking ship, warily watching for signs of a trap, my hand on my 'saber. Motion out of the corner of my eye...

"Maul!"

With the familiar snap-hiss-hum, my 'saber leapt to life and deflected a blaster bolt out into the rain. Jango Fett stood, partially protected by a corner of the building, wielding a large blaster and wearing a strange body armor -- all but the helmet, which he held in his hand. I took a ready stance. "I figured that was you," he said loudly, over the pounding rain and surf. He had a sardonic grin on his face, which was covered as he slapped a helmet on. "I see you've had some gene surgery and picked up a new friend, Darth Maul."

"It's Knight Maul, Fett," I replied, centering myself easily. "I'm no longer a Sith, and you can report that to your master."

"He's not my master," Fett replied, his voice augmented by the helmet's speakers, "just someone who pays the bills. And he's paid me well to kill you."

"You're welcome to try," I said calmly, then immediately ran forward, launching myself with the aid of the Force to the building's roof. He fired at the point where I had been but I was no longer there. Instead, I was diving down onto him, my 'saber ready to strike.

He was fast, however, a lot faster than I gave him credit for being, and he was wearing a jetpack. We fought in the pounding rain, him firing at me and me barely able to deflect his bolts, neither of us managing to get the upper hand. I could not get close enough to him to grapple with him either. I would cheerfully have separated him into multiple sections had I had the chance -- there were plenty of him inside the building without another one running around loose. But every time I got close, he would launch himself up and out of the way.

He was far more attuned to the weather than I, though, and that finally helped him -- that, and whoever was in his ship. A sudden blaster bolt narrowly missed taking my leg off at the knee -- I barely heard the warning in the Force in time -- and he was firing at me again. I slid on the slick deck of the pad and fell, rolling as fast as I could and being chased by blaster bolts all the way. One clipped me in the thigh, but I had no time to feel the pain; I was up and trying to elude him again.

Suddenly, a vibrant blue blade appeared out of the rain and I heard Fett swear virulently. It was Obi-Wan, and I allowed myself a moment to sag in relief while he held off Fett's blaster. "Watch for the ship!" I managed to call out to him, and he maneuvered himself between me and it, deflecting bolts almost faster than I could see.

Fett's armor took two of Obi-Wan's deflected bolts and then he was running for his ship, firing over his shoulder, and whoever was in the ship itself was also laying down covering fire. "Go after him!" I shouted to Obi-Wan.

"It's too late!" he yelled back, and even as he said it, the ship lifted in a backwash of soaking wind.

My internal cursing became verbal as I put some weight on my injured leg -- Fett had nothing on me when it came to knowing good swear words.

Obi-Wan deactivated his 'saber and wrapped his arm around my waist. "We need to get you inside!" he bellowed in my ear, and helped me to the doors.

We staggered indoors and all but fell against the blessedly dry wall, looking, I'm sure, like a couple of half-drowned womp rats. To my surprise, Qui-Gon was leaning at ease against the opposite wall, his arms folded across his chest. He, too, was wet, but looked to be not nearly so bedraggled as Obi-Wan and I probably were.

"Where the hell were you?" Obi-Wan panted, putting his fists on his hips and glaring at his mate. "We might have caught him if you--"

"I was planting a homing beacon on his ship," Jinn said, quietly and smugly interrupting Obi-Wan's rant.

Both our jaws dropped in shock. He was... "You were what?"

"I was planting a homing beacon on his ship, while you two were providing a perfectly splendid distraction out front." I couldn't decide whether to hit him or kiss him -- that smug expression on his face was just insufferable.

Obi-Wan, it appeared, was feeling approximately the same as I was. "I... you..." He suddenly sagged and started laughing helplessly. "I love you," he said, then shook his head hard, spraying water everywhere.

"I know," Jinn replied, grinning and winking at me. Then he did a double-take. "Are you all right?" he asked, and I glanced down. Oh.

"Uh, I took a glancing bolt," I said faintly. One leg of my pants was burned pretty badly, I noticed. I didn't really want to find out what the skin looked like under it.

Suddenly, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were flanking me, holding me up when my good leg seemed to want to give out for some reason. "Let's get you to the Expedient, Obi-Wan said, and they hustled me down the corridor. "We'll need to get going after Fett right away too," he added to Jinn.

"One of us needs to get back to Coruscant and tell the Council what's going on here," Jinn said, holding the doors open to our bay. All conversation ended while we struggled through that damnable rain again to our ship.

"I'm all right," I protested as they all but carried me to the galley. Obi-Wan sat me down on one of the chairs while Jinn pulled the rather extensive emergency medical kit out of its cabinet.

"Sure you are," Obi-Wan said in a patently false soothing tone. He gently lifted the shredded remains of my pants away from the wound and yanked, hard. They tore off at the burn, and he shoved them off my leg and away. I got a quick look at what was actually a pretty bad burn before Qui-Gon pressed a hypospray to the inside of my wrist, and my eyes closed.

He didn't knock me out, thank goodness, but it was enough of a pain-killer that I really didn't care to move or think while they cleaned the wound -- why would they need to clean the damn thing; it had been raining on it -- and wrapped it in a bacta-pack. The next thing I was certain of was Obi-Wan pressing a cup of cha into my hands and seeing my leg elevated on another chair. I was feeling much better.

"How are we going to do this?" Jinn was asking. "We need to alert the Council of this -- this -- abominable project," he said, his distaste evident. "The homing beacon won't work forever, and it has a limited range -- we can't just let Fett go while we divert to Coruscant." He sighed. "Why they insisted we report in to them in person..."

"One of us needs to borrow a ship from the Kaminoans and get back home, then, while the other two go after Fett," Obi-Wan said, calmly replacing the items in the kit.

"I'll do it," I volunteered. "I'm not going to be much good to you now anyway..."

"Nonsense," Jinn said. "Your leg will be fine by tomorrow, or the day after at the worst. I can go..."

"This is ridiculous," Obi-Wan said. He walked over to the pantry and pulled a container out. With his back to us, he did something, and when he turned around, he had three pieces of thin pasta in his hand. "Short piece goes," he said, grinning.

Jinn gave him a disgusted look, but reached for his hand, as did I. We pulled pretty much at the same time... two long pieces. Obi-Wan had a wry expression as he held up the short piece. "I'll call Taun We and see if I can borrow a ship," he said.

"Obi-Wan..." Jinn followed him out of the galley and I could hear them mildly arguing all the way down the companionway to the control room. I sighed and picked up my cha, wincing when the movement pulled at the burned skin of my leg. I didn't much like the idea of being cooped up with a sour Qui-Gon Jinn for who knew how many days, but it looked like Obi-Wan was determined to follow his plan.

They were gone quite a long time, and I was grateful that I was really unable to walk at the moment and perhaps come into a scene such as one I'd overheard before. Instead, I sat still in my damp clothing and steadied my breathing, descending into a healing trance. If I was to be able to help Jinn, I'd need my strength.

After some time, they finally made another appearance. Both were flushed and mussed but wearing dry clothing, and Obi-Wan had a small pack with him. "Maul," he said, crouching by my side, "Taun We has a ship ready for me. I'm leaving now."

"I still don't like it," Jinn said unhappily.

"I'll be fine," Obi-Wan said, standing. "It's less than four days to Coruscant. Squirt me your location when Fett comes out of hyperspace, and I'll join you as fast as I'm able." He squeezed my shoulder. "Take care of him for me, would you?" he said, and Jinn snorted.

"Be careful," I said to him. "I don't want to have to take care of him for very long, you know. You're better at it than I would ever be." It took me a moment to realize what I had said and I cringed -- the drugs must be affecting me more than I thought. Neither of them seemed to notice my lapse into familiarity, though.

"If you two are done insulting me," Jinn said testily, but I could see the genuine worry in his eyes, and felt a burst of sympathy for him.

They left the galley together, and a little while later, Jinn returned, alone. "I'm going to get us underway. Are you all right here, for when we get into hyperspace?"

"I'll be fine," I said. When Jinn turned to go, I caught his sleeve. "He'll be fine too," I said, trying to reassure him.

"I know," he replied heavily. "I... I just don't like being apart from him -- or for him to be alone."

There wasn't much I could say to that, so I let him go forward and shortly, I felt the vibration of the engines as we lifted off from Kamino.

The hyperspace homing beacon that Jinn had attached to Fett's ship was, of necessity, fairly weak. We didn't want Fett to pick it up, after all. But because of its specific resonance within hyperspace, once locked on to it, it was absurdly easy to find.

It did, however, need to be constantly monitored. Jinn helped me back to my bunk and helped me get into clean, dry clothing after setting the autopilot, then told me to sleep. "I'll take the first watch," he said quietly. "You sleep yourself out; we can rotate after that."

There wasn't much I could say to that; between the painkillers and the exhaustion from the fight, I was almost asleep before I managed to get into bed, and once asleep, I slept for ten hours straight. When I awoke, I was stiff, sore, and felt crusty everywhere, but my leg was much better. Still weak, but better.

I managed to get into the shower after removing and discarding the bacta-pack, and felt even better once I was clean. I needed a new bandage, at least, or perhaps a new bacta-pack, so I went back to the galley for that and something to eat. I needed to hurry -- I was certain that Jinn was exhausted and I wanted to relieve him and return the favor he had done me. It took only a few moments to apply a new pack, and I did it while cha was brewing. Then I hobbled forward.

Qui-Gon was meditating in the pilot's chair. I put my cha in a cup-holder and gently settled myself into the second's chair, glancing at our position. The beacon told us Fett was still in hyperspace, but luckily, we seemed to be heading for an area that was actually closer -- well, closer travel-time-wise -- to Coruscant than Kamino was.

"You shouldn't have gotten out of bed by yourself," I heard Jinn say rustily as he stretched in his chair.

"I'm fine," I said, smiling fondly at him. The man had a maternal streak in him a klick wide, and I wondered if it had been there before he met Obi-Wan. "Hungry, though. Looks like everything's under control here."

"Yes," he replied. "I've set the autopilot to ping us if Fett's ship drops out of hyperspace." He stood and stretched a bit more. Damn, the man was big. "I'm going to get something to eat and then go to sleep. Despite what Obi thinks, I can cook... let me bring you something."

"That'd be wonderful, thank you," I said, and he headed aft.

We ate in the control room, in a companionable silence, then Jinn yawned and excused himself to sleep. I spent a boring watch reading and in a healing trance, with one ear out for the alert which never came. Several hours, but probably not long enough, later, Jinn reappeared. He did look a bit refreshed, however.

"Anything?" he asked as he entered the small room.

"Not yet," I replied. I was a bit stiff myself, and stood carefully.

"Let me have a look at your leg," he said. We went back to the galley and I sat while he pulled my leg onto his lap. I'd left my shorts on for easy access to the wound -- it was warm in the ship anyway and I didn't feel the need for full tunics. "It looks good," he said after carefully peeling the bacta-pack away. "Just about healed. Let's leave it open to the air for a while, if you can stand it." He must have seen through my attempt to suppress a wry smile. "What?"

"It's... it's nothing," I said, suddenly self-conscious. "I guess I'm just not used to anyone fussing over me. Burns like this, or broken bones or whatever, usually meant rough healing and an expectation that I would be back on my feet immediately." The look he gave me was filled with sympathy, and I suddenly couldn't handle that. I glanced around the room, anywhere but at him, and said, "It's fine, really. Let me help prepare something for us."

"All right, just be careful," he said, putting my leg down and giving me a hand up.

We cooked something easy and light, then sat to eat, talking about nothing in particular. As we finished up, I realized something. "If we've got the time -- and it seems we do, now," I said, cautiously, "perhaps this would be a good time for me to ask about Obi-Wan's past?"

Jinn pushed his plate away from him and sighed. "Yes, it probably would be," he replied, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Thing is... it's one of those stories that's almost impossible to tell. Hell, it's almost impossible to believe."

"I've gotten the gist of it, from Master Yoda," I said. "Obi-Wan was somehow moving between realities or universes, each one slightly different."

"Yes," he nodded. "The way Yoda -- who might be the only one who really understands it -- puts it, there are... well, let's say roads. Paths. Each one branching off at a different 'if': if I drop something and then Mace trips on it, as opposed to me not dropping something, or dropping it and him not tripping on it... infinite possibilities. Infinite branches."

I frowned, thinking. "All right," I said slowly. "So the situations, the people don't change that much..."

"But even the people do," he disagreed. "A zygote takes a bit longer to swim in the right direction, and a male becomes a female." He smiled at my blinking shock. "Obi says he saw me as a woman several times... I was always named Mar-Gon. Which doesn't surprise me; Mar is the feminine for Qui."

That was a stunner. "Then... anything could have happened."

"Pretty much," he agreed. "He's seen most of us as the other gender. He's seen Coruscant the way it was before it was covered with cities, where forests and primitive buildings were everywhere. He's seen the Temple gone crazy, where padawans didn't live with their masters, and recreational drugs were the norm. He once saw you as an encyclopedia salesman."

This was beginning to make my head hurt... maybe I didn't want to know after all. "All right," I said, and Jinn chuckled.

"You look like I felt when Obi-Wan first told me the story," he said. "I didn't have much of a choice but to believe him, though. He..." he looked down at the table, rubbing at an invisible mark with his thumb. "Obi-Wan Kenobi was my padawan here, but he died. As a youngster." He glanced up briefly, but then turned his attention back to the table. "I blamed myself for his death, even though it was an accident. To have him show back up in my life, as an adult, as someone who -- who could love me..." he swallowed heavily. "It was like a gift from the Force."

Good gods. I was finally beginning to understand, finally beginning to see what drew the two of them together so tightly. But, unfortunately, since it gave me a headache to think about, I needed to know more about Obi-Wan. "He is a gift from the Force," I said quietly, and Jinn smiled crookedly at me.

"Naboo, it turns out, was the pivotal event," he said, after a moment. Standing, he took our dishes to the sink, and began telling me the story of a wounded, soul-hurt young man named Obi-Wan Kenobi, who lost his master and his love to the Sith, but then found him again and lost him again -- many, many times.

The story was fantastic, unbelievable. The things Obi-Wan had seen and done... the obvious way the Force was using him to warn various realities of my former master's machinations... With every new reality Qui-Gon described, my sense of shock grew. We finished tidying up the galley and sat opposite each other with a bottle of ale each while he continued to talk.

"I can't believe he's still sane," I murmured at one point, and Jinn gave me a sad smile.

"I haven't told you the worst of it, yet," he said with a sigh. "He was captured by the Sith at one point. He was tortured quite severely... you can still see the scars sometimes. They're over every inch of his body." I know I basically stopped breathing when he said that, and my eyes grew big. "Not only tortured, he was raped too. But the worst part... well, part of the worst part... was that it was -- it was me."

"What?!"

He swallowed hard. "The Sith apparently ruled that reality, and some kind of mad, demon version of me ruled the Sith." Qui-Gon looked like he was near tears -- well, I was too. "He was trapped there for months, and when he finally managed to escape, he was equally trapped in an empty reality for even longer, while he tried to heal."

"Sweet Force," I whispered, stunned right down to the core of me.

"After that, things got worse," Jinn said, and I know my jaw dropped. How could they have gotten worse? "He was forced to kill himself in one reality, where he'd turned. He was asked to be a pleasure slave in another, and in yet another, he had to train pretty much the whole Temple how to fight again, since they'd lost the ability. He rescued me in one reality, where I'd been made into a slave, only to find out that I was married to someone else. He spent quite a long time in a coma after being hit on the head -- accidentally, actually -- shortly after his arrival in another reality." Qui-Gon took a long swig of his ale. "There were a few that weren't bad, after his capture... but then, he discovered he wasn't alone."

"I... I don't understand..." I said, my mind still reeling.

"Your ex-master, Palpatine -- well, a version of him, anyway -- apparently found a way to move deliberately between the realities, stirring up trouble. He had quite a little empire he was in the process of setting up, and Obi-Wan thinks he might have been behind his imprisonment as well."

My ale forgotten, I sat still, completely astonished. "That's why the Force..." I began, and Jinn nodded.

"I think so too. The Force needed someone to counter Palpatine's plotting, and picked Obi-Wan as its tool." He closed his eyes before continuing in a soft voice. "Even though I would as soon die as lose him, I sometimes wish that he'd never left his own reality, for all the pain he's had to endure." When his eyes opened again, I shivered at the anguish in them. "All I can do now is to help him heal, the best that I can."

I nodded jerkily, feeling quite sick to my stomach. It was incredible that one person could have gone through all that and still emerge from the other end as someone so good, so powerful in the Light that he would shine as a beacon to one like me, one who was in need of all the Light he could get. An old, old platitude came back to me: that which makes us stronger may also be our death. Obi-Wan was, more than anyone I could ever imagine, the strongest person I had ever known. The strongest person in the galaxy. In the universe. It sounded absurd, even to me, but it was true. I just knew it, somewhere on a visceral level. He had faced his death and did not die -- instead, he became stronger for it.

A thought occurred to me and I frowned at Jinn. "That's how he knew about me? It was one of the realities, wasn't it?"

"Yes," he confirmed. He sighed again, and suddenly looked much older than I'd thought he was. "It was one of the realities where I -- where Qui-Gon -- had died. Obi-Wan was given a different padawan than Anakin to train, one that he didn't want to train or even know, for that matter. One who had recently joined the ranks of the Jedi, only as an adult."

"Me."

"Yes." We both took a swallow of ale. "When he arrived, he found 'himself' with 'you' -- they were lovers. He told me it hurt terribly at first, because he thought that his avatar had betrayed the memory of his Qui-Gon. But after he grew to know the Maul of that reality, he realized what a good, strong, decent man he was. So much so that he knew he could rely on 'you' later on, to help him finally neutralize Palpatine. Which you did. He did. Whatever." He waved his hand and I realized how difficult it would be to figure out the proper syntax for something so complex. "And it's how he knew to offer you a home with the Jedi on Naboo. For you are that man, Maul."

Once again I felt near tears. Obi-Wan felt that way about me? How could I possibly live up to such standards? This was almost more than I could bear.

"You are that man, Maul," Jinn repeated softly. I looked at him, only to see him staring at me earnestly. "I felt the same way, in the beginning," he murmured. "He's a dozen times the Jedi -- the man -- I am. I wasn't sure I could... that I could..."

"Live up to him," I whispered. He knew. Qui-Gon understood.

"Yes," he nodded. "The Force has been incredibly, unbelievably wonderful to me, giving me the love of a man like him. I know what it's like now, to truly live in the moment. I will never second-guess myself or the Force again, and always remember that what I have can be ripped away from me at any moment. I can never forget that."

The last puzzle piece clicked into place, and the understanding I received from the whole picture was staggering. I felt dizzy with the knowledge, with the true comprehension of what I had been witnessing. I had been right -- there was no way the Sith clone could have won at Naboo, no way at all. And as long as Obi-Wan Kenobi -- and his mate, Qui-Gon Jinn -- were alive and fighting, there was no way the Dark could win anywhere.

They weren't just of the Light. They were the Light.

There was nothing else to say after a revelation like that. We sat in silence for a while, until I noticed Qui-Gon was trying to hold back a yawn. I didn't even feel remotely tired -- I had slept too long and had done too little -- so I told him to go back to bed. "I'll take this watch, and besides, I don't think we're going to be stopping any time soon."

"If you're sure," he said dubiously, and I grinned at him.

"I'm sure. I promised Obi-Wan I would take care of you, remember? I'm fine."

He snorted in a combination of mirth and disgust and stood, stretching. "I'll take you up on the offer, then. Call me if you need me."

"I will," I promised. He walked out of the galley and I heard him go into the room he should be sharing with his mate. After a few moments, I went forward again to sit my lonely watch and to think.

We quickly settled into a routine over the next couple of days, getting six or seven hours of sleep on a staggered shift that allowed us to be awake together for the rest of the day. My leg felt fine after my second sleep, and Jinn joined me in gentle exercises to help loosen up the muscle again. When I felt more up to it, he helped me more on the tenth form, as Obi-Wan had, and I made excellent progress on it. We kept a close eye on the beacon, but Fett showed no signs of slowing. His heading put him in the path of a good half a dozen systems, so we had no idea where he'd stop.

You can't exercise all the time, and the books I had were beginning to wear thin as entertainment. Qui-Gon found an old, ragged deck of sabacc cards and that helped, and I also found that with very little impetus, he would tell me stories of his missions and of things he'd seen in the past. He was a gifted storyteller and possessed a keen intellect -- as well as a spectacularly dangerous sense of humor. Some of the things he told me that he'd gotten away with as a padawan boggled my mind. But then, I knew Master Yoda's sense of humor was equally odd -- perhaps they had merely egged each other on.

To my surprise then, it was actually a pleasant time we spent chasing Fett. I could tell that Qui-Gon was missing Obi-Wan dreadfully, but he wasn't the sour draigon I expected him to be on the trip. And finally, after nearly five days, Fett went to ground in a system clear across the outer rim from Kamino -- less than a parsec from Tatooine, where a lot of this had started. Once again, it was a planet not on the Temple's database, one with a huge accretion ring around it.

Qui-Gon was on duty when Fett dropped out of hyperspace, and woke me to the alert. "I'm not the pilot Obi-Wan is," he said wryly as we went forward. "I think you'd be better off bringing us out."

I chuckled. "Well, I do have experience at being sneaky," I said, taking the pilot's chair. I brought us out of hyperspace as close to the accretion disk as I safely could, hoping that the asteroids would mask our arrival, and cut all engines as soon as we emerged. I used our docking thrusters to maneuver us close to a large chunk of debris and began scanning the area.

"That was smooth," Qui-Gon said admiringly. "Did he pick us up?"

"It doesn't look like it," I replied. I was tracking Fett as he closed in on the planet. "Do you have a way to disengage the homing device? Now would be a good time... so he won't find it after he lands."

"Yes..." Qui-Gon sent a signal and the persistent soft beeping suddenly cut off.

After a bit longer, I tracked Fett where he landed on the planet, nearly at the sunrise line. The asteroid we were hiding behind had a more rapid orbit than the planet turned, so we were able to stay still and scan it as it turned beneath us. "Did you send the signal to Obi-Wan?" I asked as I calibrated the scanners.

"Yes, the moment Fett dropped out of hyperspace," Qui-Gon replied, distracted by the readouts. "And I've been squirting our location and path to him all along. He'll be here soon, I'm sure. That's odd... there's a rather large Federation starship presence down there. What the hell are they doing here? I thought they were completely demoralized after Naboo, and were still under the Chancellor's thumb."

I shook my head, as puzzled as he was. "The planet is inhabitable -- barely. I'm detecting steam vents and the presence of slag -- it looks like they've got some heavy industry below the planet's surface."

"That makes sense," Qui-Gon said, nodding. "Fett's ship landed on an elevator and he went down. I can't track him anymore."

"Not necessary," I murmured. "I've got his location. How do you want to handle this?"

Qui-Gon was quiet for a long time. I glanced at him, ready to repeat my question, but noticed the thoughtful expression on his face, so I maintained silence and let him think. He had far more experience in these types of matters than I did, and I would gladly defer to him for planning our next move.

He studied the readouts from the scanners for a bit, then finally turned to me. "I want to get more information before we go down there," he said. "I trust Fett about as far as I can fling this planetoid, especially since he's obviously in league with Tyrannus. At least, that's who I assume 'Sifo-Dyas' really was."

"Who is Sifo-Dyas?" I asked, suddenly recalling that name from Kamino. "Is he or she a real person? Obi-Wan said he remembered the name, vaguely."

"I have faint memories of reading about him from when I was a padawan," Qui-Gon said, sitting back in his seat. "He died -- oh, it must have been forty or fifty years ago, at least -- I would have been an initiate still, I think. He was on the Council, I do remember that fact. And I seem to remember hearing about some kind of a scandal or something arising from his death." He shook his head, frowning. "I just don't remember clearly -- it's been too long since I studied Jedi near-history. And we don't have the records here -- nor do I want to give away our location by initiating a long two-way with Coruscant."

"No, that's probably a good idea," I agreed wryly. "I think we can name this planet, at least."

"Yes," he agreed. He looked back down at the mottled brown and red world that turned beneath us. "It must be Geonosis."

We spent the next day and half scanning the planet and analyzing the scans, which were increasingly odd.

The planet was all rough terrain, desert for the most part, only two small oceans near the poles. It still had an active core, which meant it was quite warm despite the fact that its orbit was far out from its primary. It looked as though what civilization there was took advantage of the geothermal energy and the protection of cover and resided below-ground, since there was pretty much nothing above, save for some strange, half-destroyed buildings that looked like arenas. Although some of the 'mountains' appeared to be hollow, or perhaps manufactured -- it was difficult to say until we got down there.

We had a good map of the planet at last and pored over it in the galley. Certain spots seemed more likely than others to give us information, so we ended up picking one of the best-looking ones and carefully, quietly, putting down in a deep canyon nearby. Our scan of the area picked up nothing more than some animal life -- not, of course, that it couldn't still be dangerous.

The canyon was next to one of those oddly regular mountains, and sure enough, I noted something that looked like a path climbing the side of it in a spiral pattern. Moving quickly and as silently as we could, we climbed the path and found ourselves inside the mountain, which was, indeed, artificial. Strange smells and noises assailed us, and Qui-Gon pointed down and to our right, where the loudest of the noises seemed to originate. Carefully moving deeper into the mountain, we followed a ledge around until we got to a spot that afforded a deeper look into the mountain.

It was a droid foundry. And these weren't just any droids, they were battle droids; sophisticated ones, too, and the foundry looked to be producing them at a prodigious rate. Thousands, at least, per day, would be a good estimate, I figured. And this might be only one of several, since we had seen evidence of other heavy industry elsewhere on the planet.

First, a clone army, now a droid army. What the hell had my late, unlamented master been planning, anyway... wholesale destruction of the Republic? I had thought he merely wanted to rule it, not destroy it. Or was this Darth Tyrannus' idea?

Qui-Gon and I shared an incredulous look, then turned and retraced our steps. There was another branch off to the side, which we had missed on the way down, and I could hear the murmur of distant voices. I grabbed Qui-Gon's sleeve and motioned; he nodded and followed me.

This path was trickier, darker and more winding, but the lure of half-heard voices drew me on.

"...Will not sign... Jedi strength..."

"...Commerce Guild... ...Waiting for word from..."

"...Foolish! The Jedi are stronger... ...Cannot hope to prevail."

The voices were getting clearer, as though the speakers were getting closer to where we were. I could see now that we were in a little pocket of rock that had a natural view down onto a fairly well-lit corridor. A beautiful, sophisticated voice I remembered all too well rang out over the others.

"The Jedi cannot stand before the combined might of our droid and clone army, my friends." Darth Tyrannus. I checked my shielding and took a deep breath. I saw Qui-Gon glance at me curiously, and I nodded. He was walking with Nute Gunray, the viceroy of the Trade Federation, and two others: one I did not recognize, and a green-skinned humanoid that looked familiar.

"That's Gunray from the Trade Federation and Passel Argente, from the Corporate Alliance," Qui-Gon breathed into my ear. Yes, that's who it was. "Do you recognize the other?"

"Other than Tyrannus, no," I murmured back.

"The droids we build here are indestructible," the fourth, unknown person said. He spoke Skakoan with a heavy accent. "No one could stand up to them."

"The Jedi are stronger than ever," Argente argued. They were moving out of range, and we carefully picked our way further along to follow them. "What they did to Palpatine..." he shuddered. "I still have nightmares."

"And that is why they must be stopped," Tyrannus said firmly. The end of the corridor was a conference room of some kind, surrounded by computer terminals and taken up by a large table. Two others sat in the room waiting for them, apparently waiting for them. I recognized one, Wat Tambor, the Skakoan -- it was hard to forget that one. Its metallic, generated 'voice' was grating -- in fact, it was just obnoxious, with or without the voice. "Who's that sitting next to Tambor?" I asked Qui-Gon.

"San Hill, from the Banking Clan," he whispered back. "Looks like he's got most of the troublemakers, the dissidents, here. His backers, you think?"

Even though neither of us knew who that sixth person -- speaking Skakoan with a heavy accent -- was, I nodded my agreement slowly. "I know that Sidious worked with all of them at one time or another -- sometimes different representatives but always the same groups. I would have expected to see Shu Mai and Toonbuck Toora here as well -- I wonder if they were invited?"

I had lost the thread of conversation below us, but went back to it with a jerk when Argente banged on the table. "There is no Confederacy any longer!" he bellowed. "The Commerce Guild has withdrawn, along with Po Nudo and--"

"Cowards!" Gunray stood and pointed at Argente. "All of you, cowards! You think the Jedi will simply sit by and allow us our freedom to do as we wish?"

"They have in the past!" Argente yelled back.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please," Tyrannus said, trying to calm them down. They sat, with obvious reluctance. "It doesn't matter how many we have in our Confederacy -- which has not dissolved at all, Sar Argente -- it only matters that we maintain our course. The Jedi must be stopped. That our friends in the Republic Senate don't see that necessity is secondary."

"The Jedi have become more powerful than ever," Argente insisted. "What makes you think that we can stand up to that kind of strength? They've got the whole Senate on their side now."

"Only out of fear," Tyrannus said firmly, and I felt my jaw muscles tightening.

"The Techno Union has no fear of Jedi," Tambor said in its own language.

"That is correct," the mysterious other member agreed, still in Skakoan. "Our ultimate weapon is nearing the point where we can begin construction, and between that and the droid army we have created here for the Confederacy, we can stand against the Jedi."

"Oh, like the droids did on Naboo?" Argente said snidely.

"That was not the fault of our droid armies," Gunray snapped. "And the Archduke is correct; between his new droids, the station and what is left of our army, they will be unstoppable, even by the Jedi."

"Once the members of the Republic Senate see that the Jedi are no longer omnipotent, they will come around to our way of thinking," Tyrannus said. "You know there are many, many others who would support us but for their fear of Jedi mind control. We need to show them that the Jedi are nothing to fear."

"I disagree with that, Count," Argente said, crossing his arms across his chest. Qui-Gon and I exchanged puzzled looks. 'Count'? "You are being dangerously naive."

"I don't think so, Sar Argente," Tyrannus said. "We not only have the droids here, by the largesse of the Techno Union, but we also have a clone army growing apace on Kamino. In the few years since Palpatine's death, the Jedi have grown complacent and soft. They do not suspect that their powerful hold over the Senate could possibly be challenged by anyone. We must prove them wrong."

I heard Qui-Gon inhale sharply next to me. "It is up to us, then, since no one else in the Senate will challenge them," Tyrannus continued. "How many are under their direct mind-control now? We know they have powers at their disposal that are all but magical. If we challenge their hold in the Senate, that control will slip, and our friends will be free of their influence. Their power is spreading -- the time to act will be soon."

Argente settled back in his chair with a sigh. "I still have reservations."

"I don't care if you have reservations, my friend," Tyrannus said in a soft, dangerous voice. "What I care about is that you do not betray us. No one must know of this place who can be taken and coerced by the Jedi." There was motion behind him and I saw Jango Fett stride into the room from another entrance, in full armor but with his helmet under his arm. "I will not allow it -- we have come too far for anyone to back out now."

"Are you threatening me?" Argente said, his voice incredulous. He glanced around the table but found no allies -- in fact, it appeared that everyone else was avoiding his gaze. Fett was bending and whispering something in Tyrannus' ear, which caused the man to stiffen.

Fett stood back at attention behind Tyrannus, who had an interesting expression on his face. "It seems we have an intruder alert," he said, and those at the table, after a moment's shocked silence, erupted into sound.

"It's the Jedi! I knew it!" Argente sounded panicked.

While they babbled below us, Qui-Gon and I looked at each other. I knew what he was going to say, so I overrode him immediately. "I want to be captured," I said rapidly and as quietly as I could. "They don't know about you... only about Obi-Wan and me. I need to know his plans -- we need to know what this 'ultimate weapon' is. Let him take me; you and Obi-Wan can get me out."

"Maul..."

"I trust you, Qui-Gon," I said earnestly. "This might be our only way of uncovering his plans -- all his plans. Obi-Wan will be here soon -- I won't be under his control for long. And if he's got me, he won't look for you -- hopefully."

"How do you know he won't kill you outright?" Qui-Gon demanded in a soft voice. "There's no way of knowing..."

"He won't, he's going to want to know what I've already told the Council," I said with a confidence I wished I felt all the way through. "This is our best hope to get the proof we need."

"Little gods take you... between you and Obi-Wan, I'm going to be an old man before I'm ready," Qui-Gon muttered. Beneath us, Tyrannus was bringing order to his group -- we didn't have much time. "All right, go; I'll stay here and monitor the situation." As I turned to backtrack, he stopped me with a hand on my arm. "Be. Careful." he said, slowly, deliberately and commandingly.

I grinned and gave him a wink, trying to show I was much less panicked than I actually was.

But something told me he saw right through that.

I not only had to make it look good, I had to make sure they didn't think anyone was with me. I hoped that Fett knew Obi-Wan had left Kamino in a Kaminoan ship -- which he probably did, since he seemed to be a thorough sort -- but I hoped he had never thought to find out if there were more Jedi with me.

Leading them on a merry chase was simple, but making it look like I didn't want to be captured wasn't. I knew Qui-Gon would stay put, so I made sure to have them chase me as far away from his position as possible, while wreaking as much damage to the droid foundry as I could. There was no point in just doing one without the other, I felt.

Finally, though, Fett and a host of droidekas cornered me near a smelting operation. I held my 'saber at the ready, easily displaying my nervousness. "Fail to earn your pay again, Fett?" I asked as he stood silent before me.

"Orders have changed," he said without inflection. "I just need you able to talk -- if you want to keep both your legs, stand down."

He would do it, too; I had no doubt about that. Slowly, I dropped out of my ready stance and powered down my weapon. He held out one hand, and I tossed it to him. Then the bastard threw it into a pool of molten metal! "Hey!"

"You won't need that any more, Darth -- oh, your pardon, Jedi Maul," Fett said, grabbing my arm and shoving me in front of him.

I kept quiet, but resolved -- he was going to pay for that one.

He kept me surrounded by droid fighters and stayed just behind me as we made our way up again to the more inhabited sections of the false mountain. When we reached what looked like a laboratory of some kind, he ordered the droids to stop. I began to turn just in time to see him bring his damned blaster down on my head, before everything went black.

When I came to, I was restrained in the most peculiar way. There were manacles on my wrists and ankles, and I was floating in some sort of magnetic field, upright. There was a crick in my neck and I had one hell of a headache. I wondered if Qui-Gon was still all right, and if Obi-Wan had gotten here yet, and I was beginning to realize I really had to take a piss.

But I was alive.

After a while, the object of my loathing walked into the room -- Darth Tyrannus. He came over to where I stood floating and gently turning, and examined me soundlessly. I closed my eyes and centered myself, releasing my bodily distractions to the Force so I'd be better able to deal with that gundark.

"So, Darth Maul, we meet again," he finally said.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze calmly. "Darth Maul is dead," I said. "I am now Knight Maul of the Jedi, and I follow the way of the Light."

He snorted, and just for an instant his face twisted into a mask of loathing. "The Light," he sneered. "The Light is weak. The Light is failing. The Light cannot stand before the power of the Dark Side, young Sith. Once you have tasted it, it will dominate your destiny forever, you know." He snorted again and I felt a wave of bitterness from him.

I frowned -- that was the teaching of Master Yoda. Could it be... "I happen to disagree with you, Tyrannus," I said, pleased I was maintaining my calm. "Now that I have tasted the Light and been embraced by it -- I would never turn back." Taking a stab, I said, "Why did you leave it?"

He glared at me, and for another instant his face twisted. "Who says I did?" he said, but his voice trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and turned away from me for a moment, and that confirmed it for me. At some point, this man had been a Jedi.

"So, what are you going to do with me?" I asked, trying to hurry things along.

"I? I will do nothing with you," he replied. "Archduke Poggle will preside at your trial for espionage and treason, and I'm sure you'll be executed." His mouth turned up in a half-smile. "The Geonosians are quite primitive in a lot of ways, you know. It is certain to be painful -- a justifiable death for your treachery to your master." I just stared at him -- I had no intentions of dying, thank you, and my master was very much alive. "It is possible that I could, of course, intercede in your behalf."

"Oh, you could?" I asked, thinking: here we go.

"Yes, I might be able to... but of course, it would require something from you that I think you might be unwilling to do."

"What is that?"

"Come back," he said, leaning close to my confinement field. "Be my apprentice. Sidious always spoke highly of you--" Oh, he did? That was news to me-- "and I could take over where he left off. Together, we can destroy the Jedi, break their hold on the Senate."

"Why do you want to destroy the Jedi?" I asked curiously.

"Because they are weak and pathetic creatures who will never live up to their potential," he snarled.

"Because you hate them and you hate what they represent," I disagreed, for some reason quite certain my guess was correct. "We become our choices, Tyrannus, and your choices have been vastly different than mine. How could you ever hope to defeat thousands of powerful Jedi? Your scheme would be failing before it could begin. They already know about you on Coruscant, you know."

His face was a twisted mask of rage, but with effort, he calmed himself. I could feel the darkness pouring off him in waves, but I maintained my calm, letting the Force -- oddly muffled, but clear -- sing to me quietly and lovingly. "So you did warn them," he said. "It won't do you any good, you know. It's far too late for that. The Geonosians are a clever race, and the droid foundry you tried so hard to damage was only a cog in the wheel they've designed for me. Between the droids, the clones, and this, the Jedi won't stand a chance." He walked to a bank of computers and turned a display on.

It took me several moments to figure out what I was looking at. It appeared to be a space station, but it couldn't be -- from what I could see of the specs, it would have been as big as a small moon. That wasn't possible -- was it? "I don't even need these pathetic droids," Tyrannus mused as he stared at the display. "This will--"

There was a sudden concussion and the room rocked. Before Tyrannus could do more than look about in confusion, Fett ran into the room. "It's the Jedi," he said. "One ship on a strafing run. Where there's one..."

Tyrannus turned and looked at me, his face once again twisted. He regarded me through narrow eyes, and I maintained my calm. I knew it was Obi-Wan, but I had no idea what his plan was. "Fine," he finally said, after the room rocked with another concussion. "Go to the contingency plan."

"Are you sure?" Fett said, and his voice sounded incredulous.

"Do as you're told!" Tyrannus snapped. "And send word to get my personal corvette here, immediately."

There was a siren sounding in the distance, and other explosions -- this time from deep beneath us -- began rocking the room. Fett nodded briefly and left at a jog, and after a few moments to access something on his terminal, Tyrannus turned back to me. "I cannot believe that this is the Council's plan," he said, staring at me. "What--"

"Actually, it's mine," a voice from the other side of the room said. It was hard for me to keep a straight face, because I knew that voice.

Tyrannus drew his lightsaber as he turned to meet Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said softly, his eyes narrowed. "I don't even know who you are. I had you looked up when I first heard your name, several years ago, from Naboo. Did you know that there are no records of you being knighted -- though there are some that show you dying many years ago."

"Rumors of my demise were premature," Obi-Wan said. I had turned enough to see him by that time. He was standing near the other entrance to the room, and he looked me over carefully, asking if I was all right with his eyes. I nodded and smiled. "I'm sure the records will be updated soon. You might ask your resident slicer for a new search."

"I think perhaps I'd rather test to see if you are indeed a Jedi," Tyrannus snarled, igniting his 'saber.

"Oh, I am," Obi-Wan said easily, stepping forward into the room. "Just as you once were, Count Dooku."

"My name is Darth Tyrannus," he said, and launched himself at Obi-Wan.

The last time I'd witnessed Obi-Wan fighting, he was fighting a clone of me. He was brilliant then, and I couldn't help but admire his strength, agility and connection to the Force.

If anything, he was even better against Tyrannus, and I watched him in increasing awe. He moved almost faster than I could see, basically dancing in his battle with the Sith. They fought back and forth in the small room, blades flashing and crackling, but Tyrannus was good too -- he was very, very good.

Not better than Obi-Wan, but at least as good. I was unable to watch the fight all the time as I twisted in the magnetic wind of my strange prison, and every time I was taken out of sight of them I fretted until I could see them again. It seemed to last for hours.

The sound of boots running down the hallway made me panic until I saw it was Qui-Gon, and that's when I knew the fight was over for Tyrannus. He twisted to meet this new threat as quickly as Qui-Gon came abreast of his mate. "Now, you, I know," Tyrannus gasped, putting his back to the wall.

"Nice to know the people who will kill you, isn't it?" Qui-Gon said pleasantly.

"I don't think so," Tyrannus said and held out his hand. Blue fire -- some sort of Force lightning -- shot from his fingers, and I couldn't help tensing in fear. I'd seen Sidious use that trick before, and I knew no defense against it.

But I wasn't Obi-Wan. He caught the lightning with the blade of his 'saber, absorbed it, handled it as easily as he would a blaster bolt. Qui-Gon was flanking him, and I suddenly had no doubt that he would be able to do the same thing. "We've been instructed to eliminate you, Count Dooku," Obi-Wan said calmly. He was sweating and breathing hard, though, and I knew the fight had taken a bit out of him. "But I would much rather have you accompany us back to Coruscant."

Tyrannus sneered at them. "Yes, I imagine you would, you pathetic Light-siders." He gestured and the room seemed to shake. "But I will not go anywhere with you."

The roof was caving in -- almost directly over my prison. I don't know what other odd qualities the magnetic field that held me had, but it definitely suppressed my ability to call the Force for anything other than the most basic of purposes. I looked up and saw pieces of rock falling directly at me, and winced.

I don't know why I worried -- between them, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon caught the pieces and threw them against the far wall, and I could faintly feel them shoring up the ceiling with the Force as well. After a few long, heart-stopping moments, the danger was past -- and Tyrannus was gone.

"Get Maul out!" Qui-Gon shouted as he ran for the door on the opposite side of the room. "I'm going after Dooku!"

"Wait!" Obi-Wan yelled, but Qui-Gon either didn't hear him or wasn't listening -- my credits were on the latter. "Fucking idiot son of a mynock -- Maul! Do you know how to disable this thing?"

"No clue," I said, suppressing my chuckle. "Don't wreck that terminal, though -- there're things in there we're going to need."

"Fine," he said, and came over to the actual containment field. "Let me see..." He examined something on the floor for a moment, then said, "Hang on."

He ignited his 'saber close to the floor and with a huge ZAP and a shock I felt all the way up my spinal column, the field disintegrated, dropping me a couple of feet to the floor. Obi-Wan caught me before I could hit the floor face-first, and lowered me down. "That seems to have worked," he said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, remind me to thank you for that once my nervous system starts working again," I said.

"Hey, quit complaining, you're free," Obi-Wan said, using some kind of odd tool on the cuffs around my wrists and ankles. "Justify the means, the ends often do."

"Thank you, Master Yoda," I said, rubbing my wrists as the cuffs finally sprang free.

"There, I knew we could cure you of your hero-worship of the little green troll," he replied, grinning cheekily. "That's it. Can you walk?"

"To go after that nasty piece of work?" Obi-Wan had to help me to my feet, but the Force was answering me clearly again and I regained my equilibrium almost immediately. We made for the door and almost ran into Qui-Gon, who was coming back.

"He's gone," he panted. "I got there in time to see him blast off in a corvette. Fett was nowhere in sight. We need to get to the Expedient and go after him."

"Wait," I said, and they turned to me. "Let him go. The whole planet's in disarray -- I don't know what you did, Obi-Wan, but it certainly worked -- and we need the files he's got here in this terminal. That ultimate weapon?" I looked at Qui-Gon, who frowned and nodded. "It's a space station as big as a moon." They both gaped at me. "We need the plans, and anything else we can squeeze out of this data bank." I looked at Obi-Wan. "How're your slicer skills?"

"Let me at it," he said.

Qui-Gon stood guard, watching with his eyes and with the Force, as Obi-Wan and I worked feverishly to break into Tyrannus' files. I finally cracked one end just before he crowed his own success at the other... then he froze and his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

Apparently, both Qui-Gon and I felt the spike in the Force. "What?"

"We have to get the fuck out of here... NOW!" he nearly shouted, and pointed at the display on the terminal he had sliced. It showed a countdown... a countdown? "He's got thermals planted at the core of this planet and he's got them set to go off... we've got less than eight minutes!"

"We're out of here," Qui-Gon growled.

"Wait!" I couldn't explain, but the Force was doing everything but banging me upside the head -- I knew we needed the files on that damn station. "Go get the ship... meet me out there where Tyrannus took off... go!" I pushed them when they would have argued with me. "I have to get that data storage unit!"

"Take this then!" Obi-Wan shouted, even as he turned to go with Qui-Gon. "I won't leave you unarmed!" He tossed me something that I caught reflexively. His 'saber? Oh, yes, mine was melted. I once again resolved to get Fett for that, then just as quickly dismissed it -- I had other things to do.

I don't know if I was able to shove a Force suggestion to my companions or if the Force spoke to them, all I knew was that after Obi-Wan threw me his 'saber, they took off running, heading for the Expedient, and I knew I had about thirty seconds to get that DSU out of the terminal. How could I... I looked around, frantic for a solution, while the Force's song reached a higher pitch in my head.

Finally, I mentally threw up my hands and used Obi-Wan's 'saber to cut into the terminal, trusting the Force to guide my hand, blessing my companion for it. The console blew up in a shower of sparks which singed my hands, but I kept going until I had a good-sized hole carved out of the front of the bank. I pulled off my tabard and wrapped it around one hand, then reached in and forcibly yanked the box containing the DSU out, sighing in relief as the Force's song abated contentedly -- thinking, I'm glad you're happy, now just see to it that I can get the hell out of here! Cradling that precious piece of equipment to my chest, I ran for it, trusting the Force to do just that.

The corridor ended at a hangar bay, which I'd figured it would. The bay doors were wide open to the wind, which was whipping inside with the force of a hurricane. As I pelted around the corner into the bay itself, the Expedient appeared just outside, the airlock wide open and Qui-Gon standing, holding on just inside and beckoning to me.

I pushed more speed on and when I reached the edge of the platform, I jumped, shoving backwards with the Force as I did so, and basically slammed into Qui-Gon. He partially broke my fall even as he used the Force to close and seal the airlock doors.

It took me a minute to get my breath back. "Are you... all right...?" I gasped, and the bastard managed to chuckle.

"I'm fine," he said, rubbing at his chest where the box I was holding must have hit him. "We need to get forward."

He hauled me to my feet and we staggered forward as fast as we could to the command room, where Obi-Wan was piloting. "Strap in," he said, his voice terse. He didn't look around. "We're making the jump to lightspeed in about thirty seconds."

"We're still in the gravity well!" I protested, too shocked to be embarrassed that my voice almost squeaked.

"Don't look," Qui-Gon advised me, and I noticed his hands gripping the seat were white-knuckled. "I know I'm not going to."

"That sounds good... maybe I won't look either," Obi-Wan murmured. I heard the engines and the overworked inertial dampeners whining as he skimmed the top of the atmosphere, seeking escape velocity. "Here we go..."

The poor Expedient shuddered hard and the engines reached a fever pitch -- but suddenly the view out the window shifted, rotated, and we darted into hyperspace. Obi-Wan was watching the monitors and I saw his face pale. "That big shudder was the planet breaking up," he said soberly. "That bastard."

"He destroyed the whole planet... why?" Qui-Gon demanded. He sounded like I felt. "To kill us? To keep his plans from being discovered?"

"Either. Both." I said, feeling completely shell-shocked by the Force echo of thousands of sentient beings dying. "That planet was inhabited..."

"I have to notify the Council to stop the task force," Obi-Wan said. His voice still had a note of sick resignation to it and I could relate.

Wait... "Task force?" I asked.

"They were sending a couple hundred Jedi here to shut Tyrannus down, " he said. "I came ahead, in one of the Temple fighters, pushing it hard. They're less than a day behind me."

"Your ship, what happened to your ship?" I asked, feeling the events of the past day beginning to catch up with me. "And the explosions...?"

"I programmed the astromech droid to do a strafing run on a couple of the more obvious targets after it dropped me off," Obi-Wan explained. "Then it went back to the hyperdrive ring to wait for the task force -- it's fine. Qui-Gon set a few little surprises for them in the droid foundry, after you were taken. Which was a stroke of genius, by the way... even though I understand Qui-Gon wanted to kill you for it."

Smiling tiredly, I said, "He's going to have to stand in line, then." The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and I was beginning to notice all my aches and pains clamoring for attention. As well as my bladder, which was reminding me of its need to be emptied. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," I said, forcing my legs to support me once again, "I am going aft, where I am going to use the 'fresher and then collapse and sleep for about a week. Wake me when we get to Coruscant."

Their chuckles followed me down the companionway to my room.

We met the task force and all of us returned to the Temple at pretty much the same time, vastly overtaxing the Temple pads but effectively masking our return. Apparently, the task force was being led by Master Windu, and the Jedi on it had been told only that the Geonosis operation was a legacy of Palpatine, which was enough for most of them. That little tidbit only confirmed to us that the Council knew of a traitor working for Tyrannus in the Temple. From what Tyrannus had said to me, I could confirm that.

I didn't sleep a week, but I did manage to get in several good hours until a woozy Qui-Gon woke me up. I admit to being a bit testy when he did -- I was tired, dammit!

"I just remembered you got hit on the head," he said. His voice was raspy, and he bent over me, looking at my pupils. "You don't have a concussion, do you?"

"If I do, let me die in my sleep," I think I mumbled, but that was good enough for him and he left me alone after that. I have vague memories of half-hearing him and Obi-Wan make noisy love next door at some point, but by then, I just wanted to sleep. Even my libido was tired from this mission.

Although I think I might have had an almost wet-dream involving a threesome with them...

Upon our return, the data disk I wouldn't let go of was turned over to the techs in our cabal, and we were debriefed by our three-member mini-Council. Obi-Wan knew most of what we knew, but what he had found out was a shocker.

Tyrannus had indeed been a Jedi, a padawan and then a knight named Dooku. Forty-seven years before, his master, Sifo-Dyas, and he had been reported missing on a mission -- just before Dooku would have taken his trials. Sifo-Dyas' badly abused body had finally appeared about a year later, intensifying the search for the padawan, who had finally turned up -- alive but traumatized -- three years after that. Dooku had spent almost a year with the healers, and been granted his knighthood when he was released. He'd claimed he could remember nothing about what happened, either to himself or Sifo-Dyas.

Dooku had lived in the Temple for over twenty years after that, going out on missions and pretending to be the proper little knight. I say pretending because it was painfully obvious to me what had happened -- my late master got hold of him, and turned him. Probably had killed Sifo-Dyas as well, unless I miss my guess. So for twenty years, the Temple was housing an embittered, poisonous, dark-side beast within its very walls; plotting, preparing, and probably sabotaging.

We talked the situation to death over the next few days. I was, for the most part, content to sit back and let those more argumentative than I -- primarily Masters Windu and Jinn -- work it out. There were several times when Obi-Wan's laughing eyes would meet mine in silent communication while those two masters went at it, hammer and tong. I gathered that this was not an abnormal occurrence.

The upshot of all the talk was three new missions: The traitor within the Temple had to be found and dealt with. Someone must discern Tyrannus' and Fett's whereabouts -- though an alert went out to every adjunct Temple and every field representative. Finally, the cloning operation on Kamino had to be stopped, the clones destroyed, and the Kaminoans' ship returned to them.

The three of us were conspicuous in our reluctance to volunteer for any part of these missions, though that didn't stop anyone in our cabal from asking for our input on who to assign the missions to. Master Gallia volunteered to go to Kamino, as she had been intrigued by the descriptions of the Kaminoans and their sophisticated technology.

During the last part of the meetings, which by then were in the Council antechamber, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stood and excused themselves, since it appeared everything was under control. As Qui-Gon passed me, he bent and whispered in my ear, "Don't volunteer for anything." I smiled at him and he left, hand in hand with his mate.

I didn't have to worry about volunteering, as by then the missions were assigned, and most of the worst fallout had been contained. To my surprise, Master Windu turned to me with a smile. "And now to good news... Knight Maul, congratulations in successfully passing your trials."

"Done everything backwards, you have," Master Yoda said fondly. "But done well, you have also. Into your file a commendation will go."

"I said it at the beginning of this mission, and I'll say it again for the record," Master Windu said. "You are an exceptional addition to the ranks of Jedi knights, Maul."

I was speechless. What can one say to such high praise from one's superiors? "A new apartment you should get as well, padawan," Master Yoda said. I could almost swear he was smirking. "Help you, Jinn and Kenobi can. To your party, make sure I am invited."

Finally finding my voice, I said, "Any party for me -- rest assured, you will be invited to it, Master." I looked around, helplessly elated. "Thank you. I am... so proud, and glad to be here."

Our business seemed to be done, so I stood and went in search of my friends to share the good news -- marveling over the fact that I had good news to share. What a joy it was to be in the Light, to be embraced by these people, these Jedi. I would never be alone, never feel lonely again. I had a family now, and they were marvelous.

I caught a glimpse of a dark brown robe through the glass doors leading to the balcony off the Council chamber and went to check -- yes, it was indeed Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. They were standing toe-to-toe at the railing, the potted flowers and the sun framing them. As I watched, Qui-Gon leaned down slightly and Obi-Wan leaned up, and their lips met in the sweetest kiss I think I've ever seen. The only other place they touched was their hands, which were tightly laced together.

Unseen by them, watching for just a moment, I had to smile. They were the best of the best friends I could have. And I could wait to share my happiness with them until later. I turned and walked back into the Temple and my new life.

end of this phase