Amidala relaxed and allowed herself to laugh. Dressed as Padme once more, she, two of her handmaidens, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Senator Kirshel were seated about the round table in Senator Kirshel's spacious dining room, making merry and growing consistently louder as the evening went by. Sometimes, Morru sat with them.

She did not speak much in the beginning of the evening, preferring instead to help the senator's wife serve and simply listening in on the conversation. Obi-Wan's attempts to draw her into the conversation had been ineffective. Morru had responded cordially to his queries, smiled politely, then retreated into the kitchen to bring out the next course. She probably would have stayed in the "servant" role all evening if it had not been for Anakin.

"Padme, Padme, you've got to meet Morru!" he had cried toward the end of dinner, his excitement getting the better of him "Morru - Morru, put that down, I don't want any - come here and meet Padme!" Morru obediently put the platter down and greeted Padme in the High Court Fashion. "Padme came to Tattooine with Master Kenobi, and...." Ani rattled off his story in small-boy fashion, not stopping for breath, simply assuming that his two friends would love each other as much as he loved them. And then something amazing happened.

Morru looked with interest from Padme to Anakin.

"I didn't know you were a slave," she said to Anakin, her tone strange. Ani looked at her. "Yes, I was." He smiled. "But Qui-Gon freed me!" His smile disappeared briefly. "I miss Qui-Gon," he said.

Morru visibly blanched.

"Qui-Gon?" she said.

"Yeah," sighed the boy. "But he's dead now."

"Qui-Gon?" she repeated in a barely audible voice. "Qui-Gon Jinn?" Obi-Wan dropped his cup with a clang and a splash, looking at Morru as he tried to sop up the drink with napkins.

"You... you knew Qui-Gon?" he asked quietly.

"Qui-Gon set me free," Morru said in dead tones.

Now everyone was staring at her.

Morru seemed to steel herself, drawing strength from somewhere, and looked directly at Anakin. "I was a slave, too," she said. "For fifteen years." Ani's mouth fell open. "You? You were... and Qui-Gon..." Morru smiled. "Sorry - I didn't mean to stop all the conversation... it's just... Obi-Wan... he was tall, and he had a quiet dignity like the great yellow cats they have on Bespin 4." Obi-Wan nodded, spill forgotten. "Yes. That was him."

Morru rose, automatically reaching to clean up Obi-Wan's accident for him. He gently grabbed her wrist, and was surprised to find she was trembling. "Why don't you tell me about it?" he said to her quietly. Her eyes met his - really met his - for the first time since they had met over a month ago, and she seemed to relax.

"If you want to know," she said, and everyone at the table politely clamored for her story. Morru sat down between Anakin and Obi-Wan and began to tell.

***

Darth Maul stood cloaked in shadow outside the kitchen window. From where he was, he could just see the incognito Queen (as if a disguise like that would hide her from him!) and one of her handmaidens. They seemed intent on something just out of his visual range. He could not see the Jedi - but he knew he was there. Maul could feel the hateful presence of the Light side of the Force from where he stood.

Stepping over the perimeter guard whose neck he had broken, Maul quietly entered the kitchen. It would figure that the first assignment his master would give him had to do with revenge and would have to take place in the very shadow of the Jedi Temple.

Sidious had come back to Palpatine's quarters and been incensed to find Maul missing. True, the absent apprentice had arrived only moments after Sidious, but Sidious had punished him rather severely anyway. Maul's muscles were still sore from the jolt of whatever it was Sidious had shot out of his fingers the moment Maul had walked in the door. It had only taken a moment - Sidious wanted Maul chastised, not incapacitated - but it was almost enough to bring Maul's fury to the forefront. He had nearly attacked Sidious then. But Maul was a student of the principles of Darth Bane. Self-control was his ally. He would wait until it was time.

"What is thy will, my master?" he had gasped as soon as he was able.

"You will go the home of Senator Kirshel," Sidious said. "You will find there Queen Amidala and also the Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi - now Knight - who almost slew you. The house is practically unguarded, save for some perimeter security. These are the deactivation codes for the alarm system." Maul did not ask how Sidious had gotten hold of those. "Be quick, as there is an inner containment field designed for the safety of the family; if your targets should retreat there, I cannot help you and they will be out of your reach. You will wreak your vengeance on them, making it clear that no one crosses the Sith. Kill the Jedi, and the Queen; bring me the boy. Now go."

What kind of assignment was that? And Senator Kirshel was a large supporter of the Jedi - his home was about two hundred clicks away from the Temple itself.

Maul knew a suicide mission when he heard it.

He also knew he had little choice. As the voices had said, at his current rate of growth he would equal Sidious in another three years; at present, he had not a chance. Fine. Sidious wanted some heads to roll, Maul could accommodate him. And he would not give Sidious the pleasure of allowing himself to be captured or killed. In the shadow of the Jedi Temple, indeed. Time to see how alert the Jedi really were.

So Maul had though to himself as he donned him cloak, making sure his newly repaired lightsaber was easily accessible. His considerable skills of stealth had been challenged, but Maul had successfully avoided detection all the way to Senator Kirshel's home. Now, quietly, quickly, he sneaked up behind the less-than-observant chef and knocked him unconscious. Must be careful; causing death now would definitely alert the Jedi to his presence. Unfortunately, the clumsy chef spilled a small can of liquid as he went down.

***

Obi-Won briefly glanced toward the kitchen. What was that?

***

Maul drew his lightsaber, listening intently now for the tell-tale sound of chair legs scraping the floor. Nobody moved. He gracefully tiptoed to the door, tuning out the sound of a woman speaking. Carefully angling himself to avoid being seen, Maul took advantage of the heavily mirrored dining room and began to note who was seated where.

And barely stifled a gasp.

The woman - the one from the marketplace - sat right there in front of him, next to the Jedi who had almost caused his demise. Eyes widened in shock, Maul listened more closely to what she was saying.

"... and so I came here. What I said before was true - I have no family left, so I was free to go wherever I wanted to go. Or well, wherever I could afford to, anyway." The girl smiled enchantingly. Unfortunately, her smile was directed at Kenobi. "And then this Jedi Kenobi came along and decided to help me." She looked back at Amidala. "Between Obi-Wan and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, I was able to get a job at the temple and live here in this most generous home." Senator Kirshel's wife muttered "it's nothing" and Morru continued.

"But Morru... you're all alone?" asked Anakin. "Don't you have any kids?" He was privately thrilled; Morru had never shared so much of herself before. Morru chuckled gently. "Ah.... no, Ani. I would need to have a mate of some kind to have any of those, and there has been none." Obi-Wan's face lit up ever so slightly, and smiling gently, he leaned toward her to ask something.

That look was almost his death. Infuriated with a jealous rage he himself could not explain, Darth Maul launched himself from the cover of the kitchen, saber blazing, and prepared to strike down his enemies.

***

The moment before Maul attacked, Morru looked toward the kitchen. Something was wrong, very wrong. When the assassin in black had come flying out of the kitchen, Morru had been the first to react. Springing up, she overturned the table, blocking Maul and knocking people to the floor. In doing so, she saved Obi-Wan's life.

***

Maul's saber came down on air; Obi-Wan's head was not where it had been a moment before. The inauspicious Knight had fallen to the floor when that woman - Morru - overturned the table. Roaring, he moved toward her and slashed the table in two. By this time, however, Obi-Wan had recovered and, drawing his lightsaber, began to counter the attack.

There was one horrible moment when their faces were inches apart, sabers locked together in a battle of strength. Obi-Wan's face paled.

"What...." he began, but Maul was too much for him. With one vicious and well timed thrust, he slammed the Jedi to the floor. Maul turned and went after the Queen.

***

To his credit, Senator Kirshel was not standing frozen by the overturned table like most of his guests. When Obi-Wan hit the floor the second time, Kirshel was already moving, sprinting to the far side of the room where the containment field was located. Wondering vaguely what had become of his guards and trying not to be distracted by the dying screams of Padme's handmaidens, who had thrown themselves between the attacker and the queen, Kirshel quickly punched in the activation codes. A bluish band of light suddenly appeared between floor and ceiling, quickly expanding to a large, semi-circular shape. "In!" he cried, waving his arms to indicate what people should do. Sadly, that was the last thing that noble man ever did.

Maul flipped into the air, grateful for the clearance the dining room's high ceilings gave him, and landed in front of the containment field. His fist came up and with one powerful burst of the Force, he slammed Senator Kirshel into the far wall too hard, much too hard. Turning his back on Kirshel's limp form, Maul bared blackened teeth to his victims, and waited for their next move.

***

Morru could not believe how quickly everything had happened. Some part of her that had been hurt too many times told her she should have expected something like this, but her conscious mind was busy working on solutions. She knew one thing with perfect clarity: Padme and Anakin had to be kept safe. She kept her eyes on Maul, realizing in passing that he was the same intense character who'd made a pass at her earlier that evening, and was glad to see that he was not looking at her; he was looking at Obi-Wan. Subtly, carefully, she tried to get Ani's attention.

***

Ani had another one of his feelings and obediently glanced in Morru's direction. She was communicating to him, somehow - it seemed without movement or sound. And he understood exactly what he needed to do. He moved closer to Amidala. ***

Maul kept his eyes on the Jedi Knight. He reveled in the shock on the young man's face, feeding off his horror. Of all the people in that room, Maul alone knew that Kenobi had gotten lucky in the reactor; that skill had not given him that shot. Maul could feel the force in Obi-Wan; it had indeed grown since they had met last, but not enough. Kenobi should not yet have been given the rank of Jedi Knight. Smiling knowingly, he advanced a few paces into the room, silently daring anyone to move. Their fear was making him strong. ***

Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the Sith lord. It was impossible; it had to be a clone, or another one of the same species. It couldn't be the same one. It couldn't. And yet, the confident, knowing grin on the monster's face indicated otherwise. But it was so much stronger! Obi-Wan was not sure how that could have happened; it was as though his foe's abilities had increased exponentially.

Obi-Wan knew he was in trouble. The party-goers were not in a position to flee; the windows were barred, locked, supposed to keep intruders out. The kitchen led to the outside, but Maul could easily cut anyone down before they made it to safety. That left the containment field - but once again, Maul effectively blocked that off. The only hope was to distract the Sith lord, although the eager expression on the Sith's face indicated he was hoping Obi-Wan would do just that. Silently praying for strength, Obi-Wan rushed forward in attack.

***

The moment the two enemies' blades clashed, Morru had gone into action. As Obi-Wan and Maul danced across the room, she grabbed Kirshel's shocked wife and led the older woman toward the containment field as fast as she could make her charge go. Ani, dragging Padme, followed close behind.

***

Maul saw them go, and noted with some satisfaction that Morru was the one who was attempting to lead them to safety. A futile gesture, of course, but it gratified him to once again note this woman's strength. He would enjoy raping her before her death.

In an unexpected move, Maul twisted his saber around, trapping Kenobi's beneath it, and simply hit the Jedi with closed fist. Kenobi went down like a sack of bricks. Lightsaber raised, Maul turned and ran toward the containment field again, blocking the escapees off. He never in a thousand millennia would have predicted what happened next.

Letting go of Kirshel's wife, Morru leaped right at him. He raised his saber, sorry that he would have to cut her to pieces before he got a chance to....

She lunged forward, grabbed the saber's handle, and using his own grip as leverage, jumped into the air and kicked him in the chest with both feet. The force of the impact knocked him back, not down, but that slight disorientation was all the space Morru needed. She waded viciously after him, jumping into the air again and this time kicking him in the face. Now he did fall down. Grabbing Mrs. Kershel by the arm, Morru practically flung the woman into the still open containment field, followed quickly by Padme and Ani.

Obi-Wan came up just then, fully intending to shut Morru in the field with them and continue his fight, but it was not to be. Roaring, Maul leaped up and backhanded Morru so hard she fell to the floor. He then engaged Obi-Wan in battle once more.

***

From her position on the floor, Morru could see that Kershel's wife was still dazed - too dazed to close the containment field. She could also see that the black-robed man and Obi-Wan were fighting right at the opening. Perhaps... could it work...

Morru scrambled to the wall behind her and began pressing buttons inset in the wall, grateful for the extra control console, grateful that the Senator had trusted her enough to teach her the codes.

***

The blue containment field suddenly closed around Obi-Wan and the others, blocking them in and keeping Maul out. He could not believe it. Kenobi and the Queen had effectively gotten away. He shut off his lightsaber and turned toward the source of his vexation, murder apparent in his every step.

Behind the sound proof, blue containment field, unheard by the outside, Obi-Wan screamed.

***

Morru's eyes went wide. She did the only thing she could do - she ran for the door. *** Maul leaped into the air again and landed right in front of her. Raising his fist and growling, he hit her with the Force. Morru went flying backwards and landed on her back, hard. She lay, dazed, unable to move, feeling the floor spin beneath her. She opened her eyes to find the tattooed killer standing above her. He waited until he had her eyes before extending his saber to its full length.

Morru lay where she was, her face set and hard. She would die well. ***

Maul stood over the woman, breathing hard with the exertion of his anger, letting the very tip of his saber play centimeters above Morru's stomach. Even now, in the face if death, she was brave. Wonderful.

Slowly, possessively, he traced the tip of the saber up her body, following the curves of her breasts, stopping the blade right above her eyes. She did not flinch. And that's when the voices started.

***

Morru kept her eyes on her killer, seeing her death in his eyes. When he positioned the blade right above her face, she felt the first stab of real fear. Did he mean to torture her before he killed her?

Then something strange happened. The man kept his saber where it was and his eyes on her face, but suddenly it seemed as though he were no longer looking at her. He almost seemed to be listening to something.

Then, without warning or explanation, he simply turned off his lightsaber, stepped over her, and walked away.

Morru did not move. What the hell was he doing?

He walked out the kitchen door.

And he did not come back.

Panting, Morru sat up, wincing a little at the soreness in her neck, and looked across the room to see how her charges were. Anakin was weeping openly into Padme's breast, the young Queen holding and comforting him. Obi-Wan stood, saber hanging limply from his hand, his face a map of shock and disbelief. Morru limped to her feet and made her way to the computer console on her side of the room. In a matter of moments, she had the containment field off. Everybody scattered, Padme to her faithful fallen handmaidens, Mrs. Kirshel to her dead husband, Obi-Wan and Ani to Morru.

Obi-Wan tore across the room to her, and got there just in time to catch her as she fainted.

***

Darth Maul stayed up late into the night, pouring over scrolls and animals skins, books and parchments, all the accumulated history of the Sith. He was not sure what he was looking for; the voices, however would not let him go. From the moment he had stood, saber extended, over the body of the Jedi friend Morru, the voices had chorused their loudest, almost blocking out audible sound as they endeavored in his mind to be heard. They had told him to leave her. To let her live. To remember her - for she was pivotal to his future. Never before had they spoken with such clarity, such passion....

And now, driven by the sounds only he could hear, he rifled through his master's documents, trying even as the morning grew near to find whatever it was the voices wanted him to find. Sidious had looked in on him once, at the beginning, before patience had restored itself, and watched Maul tear through the ancient histories like a man possessed. "Don't break anything," Sidious had growled at him, not bothering to as, and then gone to bed. Maul had forced himself to slow down, to skim each tome more carefully, knowing that when he finally happened across that which the voices wished for him to find, he would know. The Force would tell him.

And now, as the sky over Coruscant began to take on tones of gutted fish, he found it.

Looking through the writing of Darth Bane, the true founder of Sith, always filled Maul with a strange, warm pride. Over two thousand years ago, a rogue Jedi, tired of the ineffectual mutterings of the Jedi council, had broken away from the order and formed his own. Many Jedi had come to him, knowing that the true power of the Force lay in the Dark side, knowing that the time of the Jedi, who were weakened by their foolishness, was coming to an end. And then, disaster.

The Sith had fought among themselves, disintegrating from within in a vain struggle for Power. Maul scowled as he reviewed the histories; such a waste! They could have destroyed the Jedi and ended the futile struggle once and for all, but all wished to be ruler. Those few who survived the carnage were quickly picked off by the watchful Jedi.

All but one.

Darth Bane, a young man who had joined the Sith but recently, did not participate in the slaughter. He alone had possessed the wisdom to refrain. Bane had realized that true power lay not in one Side or the other, but rather in between the two. The pure power of the Dark side must be tempered by the patience, wisdom, and control of the Light; only then could the student of the Force attain true power.

Darth Bane had also instituted the rule that only two Sith could exist at a time, Master and Apprentice. Never again would the bloodbath be repeated.

Lord Bane's wisdom had paid off. For the Sith had continued to flourish, continued to thrive, right on the Jedi's doorstep. And the Jedi taught in their temple that the Sith were vanquished. Fools.

Maul picked up the precious hand-written parchment of Darth Bane, experiencing a slight tingling sensation as he did so, and began to peruse it carefully. There it was. The voices suddenly silenced, and Maul became aware of the sounds of traffic in the dawn.

The manuscript had to do with the taking of Apprentices.

How, the testimony read, if none could be found worthy of training, that other means existed of procuring a Padawan (Maul winced at the Jedi terminology; that, at least, had been done away with in more recent years). How, if certain criteria were met, a Padawan could be made. Created.

Maul's eyes widened as he read on. The subject that the parchment described for impregnation, the Chosen One (amusing that Bane had assumed the Sith to follow him would all be male), must be a woman of strength. Of passion. Of beauty, but not great beauty - great beauty rarely extended below the surface. Of intelligence. A virgin, pure. Strong with the Force, and yet not trained in the Force. Unconnected - no ties to the world, no family.

The more Maul read, the quieter he grew. At last he lowered his hands to the table, still clutching the crumbling manuscript, and stared at the wall for a long, long time.

The acquiring of such a one would be difficult; she could not be forced. It was part of the test for both the Sith and subject - to turn the intended to the Dark Side, to sully her, was the goal. She must turn willingly. Then, the union would be alive in the Force and the child would be powerful. Very powerful. After the birth, the Sith would have protective responsibilities toward the subject, she deserved respect as the mother of a future Sith, etc., etc., so on and so forth. Maul dropped the manuscript on the table and turned his gaze to the open window.

The voices did not speak to him again that night, but they did not need to. He knew what he had to do.

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