The small, nondescript vessel quickly swung out of hyperspace and began orbiting the planet of Irdonia. All blues and yellows, the planet hung like an iridescent jewel in space, its brightness assaulting the optic senses after the hours of velvety blackness endured by the ships passengers. As for the passengers themselves... a grim looking group they made.

Anakin was miserable. Yes, he had known that he would only have Padme for one evening; that, he was prepared for. What he had not been prepared for was the disaster after dinner, which culminated in Padme - once again as Amidala, which was a whole other can of worms in itself - leaving immediately for someplace else. The only upside of this whole adventure, as far as Anakin could see, was that he didn't have to complete the second month of his "punishment." He leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, pouting.

She hadn't even said goodbye.

*

Morru looked out the window at the lovely planet below and for a moment experienced such a surge of confusing emotions that she forgot why she was so upset. Irdonia - why Irdonia, of all places?

It was so beautiful from this distance; most things, she reflected, usually were. And then you got up close.

Take the Jedi Council, for example. Why, from a distance, they appeared to be the epitome of wisdom, a positive bastion of peace and harmony and guardians of justice throughout the galaxy.... and then you got up close and realized that really, they were just a bunch of sadistic bastards on a centuries-old power trip.

Morru smiled wryly, amazed at her own bitterness. No, she thought, remembering Ki-Adi-Mundi's kind words and Yaddle's motherly care, they were not all like that. Just the occasional bald-headed senior council member. That's all.

Mace Windu had taken her aside minutes before they left and hissed mean things in her ear.

"I'll be watching you," he'd said as though he fully expected her to bring down the Republic alone and with her bare hands. "Kenobi has been warned, and he will be watching you, too. Don't think you can get away with anything." Morru had blinked at him and bitten her tongue, having no suitable response which did not involve comments of a personal and/or combative nature. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

Obi-Wan, however, seemed to be in agreement with Mace Windu. From the moment she had stepped on board with him, she had been able to get almost nothing out of him other than "yes," "no," and "later." He could be such an officious twit when he chose to be. And then there was that last, horrid comment he had made...

Morru seriously doubted she would be able to see him as a "good man" again for a long time.

*

Obi-Wan kept his eyes trained out the cockpit window and on the planet beneath him. He wouldn't look at her; he couldn't. He, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who could stand before the Jedi council without fear, who could take on a Sith lord in his prime, who could face an angry Yoda or a determined Qui-Gon with defiance.... he would not dare to look at Morru right now.

He had tried to follow Master Windu's instructions. He was cordial to her, polite, helpful - at least, he thought he was. He watched her carefully, and did his best to not let her get under his skin, ignoring the pain in his heart as he spurned her friendly advances. He was even careful to avoid making eye contact with her, choosing instead to look at her hair or her small chin or even the delicate-looking gold bracelet she always wore on her left wrist.

Naturally, she had chosen right now to finally respond to his previous gestures of kindness.

Well, that ceased rather abruptly.

After a few minutes of his coolness toward her, she chuckled at him gently as though reproving a child, and then asked, "What's the matter with you, anyway?"

Obi-Wan had thought his answer sounded good. At the time.

"Since your survival with the Sith lord, the Council has taken decided to take a cautious view towards the direction of your loyalties." Her eyes had narrowed in a most alarming expression. Without responding, she had turned toward the window, and said not another word the rest of the trip. One thought of betrayal came from her as clearly as though she had said it out loud: "I saved your life and you mistrust me on the word of someone who wasn't even there..."

The waves of anger rolling off her were startling, and, to his shame, he reacted in kind. Who was she to question the Jedi Council, anyway? Mace Windu was very wise, respected highly throughout the galaxy for his powers of discernment, and if he said to watch out for Morru, then there was a good reason for it.

Unfortunately, he didn't consider until later that night that she was making herself angry to avoid being hurt.

It was a sorry group indeed that arrived in the landing bay on Irdonia.

***

Darth Maul stood before his master, waiting to be acknowledged. Ah, how things had changed between them! Before Naboo, he had been Sidious's faithful lackey, eager to please, wondering more than once whether, when the time came, he would even have the desire to strike his master down. Now, everything was different. Being dismissed so out of hand had had a profound effect on Maul's psyche. He was quite ready to replace Sidious now. Without a qualm.

Palpatine continued to stare peevishly over the balcony in all his foppish blue glory.

"I told you to assassinate Senator Briggan," he said.

Maul said nothing.

"Lord Maul," Sidious hissed. "As I told you before, Briggan is the head - I repeat, the head - of the small dissident group in the Senate which still supports that fool Valorum and is trying to vote me out of office. It is merely matter of honor that he be removed." Sidious turned to face his student.

"I sent you out that door not an hour ago, and I happen to know that at least thirty five to forty minutes of travel is required to reach his property, to say nothing of breaking in. And yet here you stand, in obvious defiance of my orders. I am most disappointed in you, Lord Maul. This is the third time, in a row, mind you, that you have..." At that point, someone inside the apartments knocked on the balcony door. Maul backed into the shadows.

"Come in," called the master, Palpatine once more.

"A message from the Jedi council, sir," said the quiet young man, bowing as he entered. "They wish for you to remain indoors, and ask permission to place a guard around your residence." Palpatine blinked. "Is that so? And why, if I may ask, do they wish to do so?"

"Because another Senator has been found dead, Chancellor." Palpatine blinked.

"Another?" he asked.

"First Senator Kirshel, as you know. And now, Senator Briggan. His wife is most distraught, sir."

Palpatine managed to look aghast. "What? In his home, just like the last one?"

"Well, not quite like the last one," the young man admitted, nervously brushing sandy brown hair away from his eyes. "Senator Kirshel was crushed. Senator Briggan... well, they still don't know where his head is, sir." Palpatine had to restrain a smile. Perhaps he had been too hasty in judging Maul, after all.

"Oh, dear. How terrible. Give my regards to Briggan's family, and assure them that I will attend the memorial service." The boy nodded his acquiescence. "Tell the Jedi, however, that I will not accept such protection unless they are prepared to provide it also to all the other Senators who own private residences outside the Senate building itself. I will not be treated specially, simply because of a lucky vote that made me Chancellor." The boy bowed again, in awe at the Chancellor's bravery and selflessness. "Yes, sir," he said, and left. Palpatine waited a moment before speaking to Maul, who stayed hidden in the shadows.

"Very impressive, my apprentice. You seem well on your way to redeeming yourself. Would you mind telling me how you accomplished your goal so quickly? Oh, and what in the world did you do with the good senator's head?"

A small, heavy bag came flying out of the shadows and landed at the Chancellor's feet with a thud.

"It was a matter of honor, my master," said Maul.

Sidious began to laugh. He laughed long and hard, a high-pitched, sadistic cackle that almost - but not quite - gave his apprentice the shivers. "You are well on your way to redemption indeed, my boy. Oh, yes." He cackled some more, then without bothering to look inside, picked up the sack and tossed it back toward his apprentice.

"All right. You have amused me. You may go. Kenobi is going to Irdonia - an irony, that - along with his Padawan Skywalker." Leer. "You know what I want with him."

Ah, but did he?

"Also, there's a young woman - Morru S'mec, I believe is her name - who is currently under Kenobi's protection for some reason or another. You may do with her as you like," Sidious said with an amused sneer, as though bestowing a great favor. Maul was suddenly very glad for the shadows which hid his face. "Just be sure to leave this place before the Jedi get here to" - Sidious looked even more amused at this - "protect me."

"Yes, my master." Maul tucked his package under his arm and strode from the balcony.

It was only after Maul left that Sidious began to wonder if the woman involved had anything to do with Maul's behavior of late. Probably not, thought Sidious as he walked over the ground where Briggan's head had lain moments before. Maul was not the type to lose his head over a woman. And if he continued to out-perform himself in this way, it may not be necessary after all to find a new apprentice. As tempting as Skywalker was.

Sidious then made one of two great mistakes in his life, and ironically both had to do with trust. The first, that of re-placing his confidence in Maul, almost cost him his life. The second, which you know of, did, but that is another story.

***

Darth Maul stroked the control panel of his ship with the familiarity of an old lover. He did love his toy. Originally built by Sienar Design Systems as an Armed Star Cruiser, Maul had had it rebuilt. It was now two decks and eighty-some odd feet, complete with high-temperature X-C 2 ion sub-light drive array, Siennar SSDS 11-A (class 3.0) hyper drive systems, 6 low-profile laser cannons, (4 original, 2 added), spying and surveillance equipment, interrogator droids (an edition of his own), and a cloaking device.

The Sith Infiltrator.

He knew that his master thought him silly for the amount of work he had put into his ship; in fact, the old man had even alluded more than once to the phallic aspects of both the ship's shape and name.

Maul ignored him.

He leaned forward now and began to log into the Jedi Temple mainframe via remote access, using a patch he had designed in his early teens. Pathetically easy. Sidious, in one of his rare impressed moments, had commented that Maul was one of the most innately intelligent warriors in the history of the Sith. Maul, however, knew that appearing intelligent simply meant being prepared. He was going to be very prepared when he met Morru on Irdonia. Tapping into the Council's private information banks, Maul instituted a search on Morru S'mec.

He was initially frustrated with what he found. None of the usual information was available. No official registration number (all those born in the Republic were given this at birth); no lineage, no known ties to or affiliation with anything. It was as though she had been recently invented just for his torment. And then, Maul stumbled across the record of Obi-Wan's debriefing with the Jedi Council after their after dinner encounter.

This, Maul read with increasing interest.

She had been a slave on Irdonia. More than that, she had been a pleasure slave, for entertainment; this meant she been kept healthy, had had the best of educations (how else could one be expected to converse with and entertain the very upper echelons of society while hosting their parties?), and was, to all appearances, treated rather well.

Maul knew differently.

Fortunately for her, she had escaped at the age of 15 - one year before the tradition "breaking-in party." Maul had been to a few of those in his youth, before Sidious had found him. "Breaking-in" parties were very interesting: the slave was kept a virgin until her (or his) 16th birthday, and then... well, broken in. A la group setting.

Hm. It also said here she had witness her mother's murder when she was merely thirteen standard years old, which memorable event was the catalyst that drove her to escape. Maul stored this information away for later use as well.

Interesting indeed. This explained much of her strength. Slaves on Irdonia did not escape with impunity; surely she must know the risk of going back to that planet now. But she had not said a word to the Council about it.

Maul privately wondered if death was something she wished to embrace with open arms.

***

"This way, please," said the protocol droid, and led the three travelers into the complex. Morru was scared. She did not want it to admit it to herself, but she was very, very glad for the covering of the Jedi cloak she now wore. It was perhaps a small breach of etiquette to allow someone who was not Jedi to wear the Jedi's traditional garb, but Obi-Wan had offered it without complaint. A peace-offering, no doubt.

Unconsciously, Morru tightly grasped the small bracelet on her left wrist. It was a delicate-looking thing, ornate, lovely. Evil.

Morru had not been told that Irdonia was her destination. Had she known, she would have said anything - done anything - to avoid coming here again.

Too late now.

Morru quietly followed the protocol droid deeper into the planet's substructure, trusting with child-like faith that the Jedi would protect her from dangers of which they did not know.

***

The mission was absurdly simple; the very threat of Jedi presence in the capital city of Malbern had caused the leaders of the three "civilized" countries of Irdonia to respond in a most satisfactory, if panicky, fashion. The conflict which had been tearing their peace apart for the past two years was resolved almost before the Jedi arrived, compromises on all sides, thank you very much. Resolution came, amazingly, two days earlier than originally projected by the Council.

It was very unusual for something to take less time than expected, and Obi-Wan had already put into motion plans which would interfere with an immediate return. The ship was presently in shop for a tune-up of sorts - that small noise in the left front engine which had bothered Kenobi on the way to Irdonia would not be bothering him on the way back. Unfortunately, this meant they could not leave.

Obi-Wan shrugged and on behalf of himself, Morru, and Anakin, accepted the gracious offer of housing proffered by Malbern's governor while he waited for the ship's repair. He wondered what they would find to occupy themselves with for two days.

***

Maul landed his ship slightly outside the city of Malbern, keeping the cloaking device activated. Unless somebody walked into it, the Infiltrator did not exist so far as the outside world was concerned. Grateful for the cold weather which gave him an excuse to hide his face in his robes, Maul set out on foot for the city of Malbern, silently cursing the high technology of the city which disallowed the use of his probe droids.

He marched toward the dark skyline before him, crunching through snow and dead branches. Toward his destiny. Toward Morru. He felt almost driven; the... presence which sometimes came upon him was placing in his mind an obsession that would not pass. Sidious had assumed that Kenobi was the goal of this little mission, that revenge was Maul's impetus here. Well, to keep up appearances, certainly Maul would kill him. His goal, however, was somewhat different.

Bane's manuscript had said that he must, for all intents and purposes, seduce her. The difficult part was that she had to know exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it. It was not important that she love him, only that she be in agreement with him. Somehow, that added to the power of the Force when they... joined.

In a way, this was a relief. Maul was not naturally romantic, and murmuring sweet nothings was, quite frankly, a bit beyond him. He simply did not see the point.

Something told him, however, that Morru would not be won by sweet nothings. Winning her would require a concentrated effort of physical stimulation and psychological warfare.

He wondered, briefly, if she had ever been kissed. He sincerely hoped he would be the first to do so. It would be... a matter of honor.

To the SW indexTo Chapter TenTo the Previous Chapter