Star Wars - The Wrath of Darth Maul Page 3

  The journey did not last long. Maul heard the cruiser’s hyperdrive engine winding down. He continued gazing through the viewport. A moment later, the bright colors of hyperspace melted away and were replaced by a field of stars. The cruiser banked to port, and Maul saw they had arrived in the orbit of a small planet. He recognized a cluster of stars and realized they were still in the Atravis sector.

  The cruiser descended to the planet’s surface and landed. Sidious stepped into the passenger compartment, glanced at Maul, and motioned him to get out of his seat. As Maul unclasped his safety belt and lowered himself to the deck, Sidious passed his hand over a wall-mounted control switch, which simultaneously opened the starboard hatch and extended the boarding ramp. Maul followed his Master out of the cruiser.

  “Welcome to Tosste,” Sidious said.

  A murky yellow sky hung over the bluish-gray terrain. Maul gazed across a wide area of mostly flat land and noticed some strangely angular rock formations in the distance. The ground was covered by sporadic clumps of stones and boulders. Maul saw no sign of movement.

  “Take a good look,” Sidious said. “We are standing upon what was once the bottom of an ocean. If it ever had a name, that name was lost to time many eons ago. Here, the only historic records are the geographic evidence.” Sidious toot a few steps away from Maul and looked toward the horizon. “It’s hard to believe that Tosste was once home to billions of lifeforms. While life on other worlds evolved and reached for the stars, Tosste’s inhabitants were never so inspired. They stayed here. They died here. And what is their legacy? Nothing but fossils.” He shook his head sadly. “To live without leaving a mark is a terrible thing. To die forgotten is even worse.” He turned to face Maul. “It is... irresponsible.”

  Sidious’s words chilled Maul. Was his Master implying that he was irresponsible? He wasn’t sure. He stood very still and remained silent.

  Sidious looked at the horizon again. “Walk with me.”

  Leaving the cruiser behind, they proceeded to a nearby outcropping of bedrock, which was bordered by a broad field covered by small stones. The tops of a few large boulders loomed over the stones. Sidious and Maul stopped at the edge of the bedrock. Surveying the stones, Sidious said, “What do you see?”

  “I see rocks, Master Sidious.”

  Sidious frowned. Then he pointed to the center of the field of scones and said, “Go stand over there.”

  Maul always felt especially vulnerable when he could not see his Master, but he did as he was told, step-spot. He stopped.

  “Turn around.”

  Maul turned to face his Master, Sidious stood with his legs apart, his hands clasped behind his back. Sidious said, “I suspect that every creature that ever lived on Tosste did not think much about rocks either. I had hoped that you would be smarter. I’ll ask you again. What do you see, spread out on the ground all around you?”

  Maul’s yellow eyes darted back and forth. He saw only rocks. Some were pebbles, others large stones, and there were the tops of a few boulders. As ever, he did not want to disappoint his Master, but he did not know any other answer than the one he had already given. Returning his gaze to his Master’s face, he said hesitantly, “I see rocks. Master Sidious. Thousands of rocks.”

  Something hard slammed into Maul's left shoulder blade. He ducked as he spun to confront his attacker, and as he moved, he saw the object that had struck him. It was a stone, which fell on the rocks near his feet. Maul looked across the bluish-gray landscape. No one had been standing behind him.

  Another stone smashed into Maul’s right bicep. He grunted as he spun again, this time to look back at his Master.

  Sidious had not moved. His hands remained behind his back. But from the trace of a wicked smile on the Man’s face. Maul suddenly knew the stones weren’t flying by themselves.

  Lifting his gaze to the sky. Sidious said, “The creatures that once roamed this now dead ocean, they lacked imagination. Ultimately, that is why they all perished. They failed to see... potential.”

  Potential?! Maul suddenly sensed a small stone whizzing toward his head. He raised his hand to deflect the stone as he ducked, but the stone sailed past his fingers and clipped one of his horns. “Weapons!” Maul shouted. “I see weapons!”

  Sidious sighed. “The correct response is...”

  “I see weapons. Master Sidious!”

  “Not fast enough,” Sidious said as a stone smashed into Maul’s lower back.

  Maul crouched and grabbed the nearest rock. He no sooner lifted it from the ground than he felt it burning into his hand. He yelped as he reflexively opened his fingers and let the rock fall. How could the rock have generated such intense heal? He suspected it was his Master’s trickery.

  “Oh, come now,” Sidious said impatiently. “Almost any humanoid with fingers can do that.”

  Two stones smacked into the backs of Maul’s legs, knocking him off his feet. He gasped as his small body fell on the hard rocks. Looking up, he saw two more stones rise from the ground. He twisted his body fast, trying to shield his head.

  “Maybe I was wrong about you being special,” Sidious said as he watched the two stones strike Maul. “Maybe you are just as useless and stupid as- —”

  Several stones hurtled up from the ground around Maul’s body. Battered and bruised, Maul glared at Sidious. The stones sailed through the air, all heading straight for his Master.

  Sidious whipped one hand out from behind his back and extended it before him. The rocks stopped in midflight, then fell to the ground. “Is that the best you can do?” Sidious sneered. “I should crush you now.”

  Maul snarled as he jumped to his feet and swiped at the air with both hands. Dozens of rocks launched up from around Maul and raced toward Sidious. Sidious moved his other hand out from behind his back and flexed his fingers. The approaching rocks rebounded as if they had struck an invisible shield.

  Some of the rebounding rocks fell near Maul’s feet. Surprised, he stumbled back. He wasn't sure what had just happened.

  “Well done, young one,” Sidious said as the dust sealed around him. “You passed the test.” He began walking slowly toward Maul. The droid told me that you moved the staff without touching it, but I had to see what you could do with my own eyes. Did you feel it? Did you feel the power of your anger?”

  “Yes, Master Sidious.” Maul responded automatically. Until that moment, he had not known that he had in fact been responsible for making the staff jump up from the ring in the training room. He looked at the rocks on the ground. He hadn’t given any thought to launching them through the air either. He had just... done it.

  Sidious came to a stop beside Maul. Looking down at the boy, be smiled and said, “I want to show you something. Stay close to my side.”

  Sidious extended his arms. Maul heard a rumbling sound and then saw stones sliding and bouncing away from two of the larger boulders that were about fifteen meters away, partially embedded in the ancient seabed. He realized the two boulders were rising slowly, as if an invisible giant were pulling them up from the ground. Dust and din fell away from both boulders as they tore free from the planet’s surface. Maul watched with wonder as they ascended several meters into the air.

  Sidious flicked his fingers. The two boulders launched even higher. He flexed his wrists, and the boulders spun around together like a pair of enormous dancers. He moved his hands apart, and the distance between the spinning boulders increased. Then Sidious clapped his hands together. Still spinning, the boulders swung into each other and collided with a thunderous crash. Shattered chunks and bits of rock exploded in all directions.

  Watching the rocky debris rain down from the yellow sky, Maul said, “How, Master Sidious? How?”

  “With the Force,” Sidious said solemnly.

  Maul looked at Sidious, hoping desperately to learn more.

  “The Force is an energy field,” Sidious continued. “It radiates throughout the galaxy. It is everywhere. It flows between all living things and eve
ry inanimate object. It is between us. It is between the stones, the cruiser over there...” He gestured to his starship... “everywhere. Some beings - some very fortunate beings who are strong with the Force from the day they are born - are able to manipulate and control the Force. They can use its power to do incredible things. You and I, Maul, are such beings.”

  Maul looked at the two holes in the ground where the boulders had recently stood, then al the remains of the boulders strewn across the area. Knowing that such destructive power flowed through him made him feel very pleased. He smiled.

  Seeing the boy’s expression, Sidious said. “You and I shall return to this world often. Here I will teach you the ways of the Force. But because the Force can be very dangerous to those who don’t fully understand it, there is one rule you must obey. You must never reveal your powers to anyone else until I say you are ready. For now, the Force is our secret. No one else may know about it. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Master Sidious,” Maul said, then quickly added. “But the droid saw the staff jump in the ring. Does the droid know... about the Force?”

  “The droid knows just enough to help you in your training.”

  “Master, I meant... can the droid use the Force?”

  Sidious chuckled. “No, boy. The droid is just a machine. Machines can’t use the Force. But remember, the droid is a teaching tool. You are not allowed to use the Force against the droid.”

  “Yes, Master Sidious.” Maul bit his lip.

  “You have another question?”

  “Master, you said I must not reveal my powers to anyone else. Who is ‘anyone else’?”

  Sidious pursed his lips, then said, “So far, you have lived a sheltered life, but it is only a matter of time before you encounter other beings. Most lifeforms are oblivious to the Force. They don’t realize that the Force binds the galaxy together. They cannot draw power from the Force.” Sidious patted Maul’s bruised shoulder. “Most people fear what they don’t understand.”

  “Master Sidious, do you have to be angry to make the Force work?”

  “Not all the time.” Sidious said. “But it helps.”

  Maul stared at the ground. “Are there others like us, Master?”

  Sidious knelt beside Maul so their eyes were on the same level. “Listen very carefully, boy. There are others who use the Force. But they are not... like...us.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Tell me what you know about the Jedi, Maul.”

  Sidious and Maul were inside the training room in the Mustafar facility. Sidious stood beside the six-legged droid. The droid was operating a winch that controlled a long metal cable that extended to the ceiling. Maul was hanging upside down, his small body wrapped in chains, dangling from the winch’s cable. Eight meters below Maul’s inverted head was a large open vat of acid.

  “I know only what I’ve learned from datatapes. Master,” Maul gasped in response. Speaking was difficult because of the chain chat was drawn tightly across his throat. His wrists were manacled behind his back, and as he struggled to free his hands, the droid began ticking at the winch’s crank, slowly lowering Maul from the ceiling. He calculated that at the rate he was descending, he had about ten minutes to escape. “The Jedi,” he continued, “are warriors who are strong with the Force. They use weapons called lightsabers. They are based on the planet Coruscant They serve the Galactic Republic as peacekeepers.”

  Sidious smiled. “That’s according to the datatapes. But what I am about to tell you is the truth.” He stepped away from the droid and began walking in a wide circle around the vat of acid. The Jedi Order was founded twenty-five thousand years ago by a group of beings who were strong with the Force. Before the Jedi Order, such Force-sensitive beings were isolated instead of united. Some were regarded as wizards. Others as demons. There were not many. Nearly all were considered unique on their own worlds. They were strong, powerful individuals. Free to live and die as they wished.

  “But the Jedi Order changed all that. They started by analyzing the Force to understand its power. They found it had a wide spectrum that was influenced by emotions. They debated their findings. Over time, they discovered there was much they could not understand, and they chose to believe what they wanted to believe. They believed some mysteries were best left unsolved. They believed that the Force itself was testing them. Like narrow-minded, superstitious children, they created explanations for the Force.

  “And rather than embrace the full spectrum of Force, the Jedi ignored the infinite shades of gray that stretched between light and darkness. They declared the light side of the Force was good and the dark was evil. To them, there could be no in-between, no middle ground.” Sidious let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s one thing to examine an energy field that penetrates the galaxy. But to give an energy field characteristics of good and evil? One might as well say, “That cloud wants to protect us from solar radiation, but that other cloud wants to strike us dead with lightning.”

  “And then the Jedi declared that to be born with Force powers was not a gift or a curse. They insisted it was a calling. They proclaimed the Force should never be used for selfish purposes, that all Force-sensitive beings were obligated to use their powers for the benefit of others.” Sidious shook his head ruefully. “Many Force users joined the Jedi Order, but the Jedi were not satisfied with their numbers. They sought out the so-called wizards and demons, and gave them three options. Join the Jedi, cease using Force powers, or die.”

  Sidious paused to look at Maul. Maul had traveled almost halfway to the acid vat. He had already wriggled his left hand out of the manacles and was now working to free his right.

  “Join the Jedi.” Sidious said. “Relinquish your individuality and freedom, and fight only when the Jedi tell you to fight. Cease using Force powers. One might as well tell an ordinary life-form to stop living. Die... Well, I don't believe that requires an explanation. And so, the Jedi not only increased their ranks but destroyed those who disagreed with them.”

  “The Jedi convinced the Galactic Republic that they could be the Republic’s guardians. The Jedi Order thrived, and they expanded their authority beyond the Core Worlds. They used their powers and their lightsabers to vanquish those who opposed them. For many millennia, the Jedi were unchallenged. And they grew confident. So confident that they could hardly imagine the possibility that some Jedi did not want to be Jedi.”

  “But almost seven thousand years ago, a group of Jedi rebelled against their own kind. The battle that ensued lasted one hundred years. The so-called peacekeepers believed the war was over when they banished the surviving rebels to an uncharted region of the Outer Rim Territories. But the exiles did not meet their end in the Outer Rim. They discovered the Sith species, and they used their powers to conquer die Sith. They became the Sith Lords.”

  Sidious raised his right hand slowly and examined his fingernails. “Maul, in your studies of history and the galaxy, have you ever come across any datatapes about the Sith Lords?”

  Maul had freed his other hand and was now bent at the waist, lifting his torso so he could work on the chains that were biting into his ankles. He glanced at Sidious and replied, “No, Master.”

  “That’s because the Jedi destroyed many records.” Sidious flexed his fingers, then lowered his hand to his side. “The early Sith Lords had one ruler, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and their armies were legion. Eventually, they discovered the path back to Republic space and fought the Jedi in the Great Hyperspace War. They lost, but the Sith Lord Naga Sadow survived and managed to preserve his spirit in a tomb.”

  “Hundreds of years after Sadow’s death, a Jedi named Freedon Nadd revived Sadow’s spirit. Nadd became the new Dark Lord, and he used his powers to conquer the world Onderon. Following Sadow’s example, Freedon Nadd also preserved his own spirit in a tomb. Many centuries later, Nadd’s spirit was awakened by the Jedi Exar Kun, who became the next Dark Lord. Exar Kun allied with a wayward Jedi named Ulic Qel-Droma, and together they established a S
ith Order ruled by two, a Master and apprentice. These two Dark Lords of the Sith failed to conquer the Jedi because they wound up fighting each other, as did their successors, another pair of former Jedi, named Revan and Malak. History, it seemed, was repeating itself.” Sidious looked at Maul, “Am I going too fast for you?”

  “No, Master.” He was having some difficulty with the chains al his ankles, and he was close enough to the acid that the smell of it was burning his nostrils.

  “I neglected to mention that Revan and Malak renamed themselves Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Some historians believe Darth is a contraction of dark and Sith, while others suggest it was a corruption of daritha, an ancient Rakatan word for ‘emperor.’ In any event, the honorific Darth was introduced to the Sith Lords. Following Revan and Malak, other former Jedi assumed the mantle of Dark Lords... and none learned from their predecessors mistakes.

  “History look a different turn about a thousand years ago, when yet another former Jedi, named Kaan, rose through the ranks of a new order of self-proclaimed Sith Lords. After Kaan became Dark Lord and united thousands of followers, he tried to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors. To avoid infighting, Kaan proposed that all Sith Lords were equals. Kaan’s army became known as the Brotherhood of Darkness.”

  The droid’s pincer lost its grip on the winch’s crank. The metal cable slipped half a meter before the droid stopped the crank with another pincer. Maul’s body fell and jerked violently in the air. He did not cry out but stayed focused on his shackles as he resumed his slow descent to the acid, which was now closer than he’d anticipated.

  “At the Battle of Ruusan.” Sidious continued, “the Jedi overwhelmed the Brotherhood of Darkness. With surrender not an option, Kaan crafted a Force-fueled weapon called a thought bomb, which would destroy all Force users within its blast radius. The thought bomb killed Kaan, his army, and many Jedi.”

  “But one Sith Lord survived. Darth Bane. Bane knew that Kaan had been wrong to believe in strength in numbers. Bane knew that too many Sith Lords resulted in too much envy and competition. Everyone wanted to be the leader, the Dark Lord, and nearly everyone was willing to kill other members of the Brotherhood in order to achieve that goal. And so Bane established the Rule of Two. One Sith Master. One Sith apprentice.” Sidious looked at Maul, who was still struggling with the chains, and added. “Any more would be to lose control.”