He felt the presence up ahead, clear and bright through the minds of other, lesser
beings. He ran to it, running through the
corridors and rooms of the Theed Palace.
No-one was there to block his path, and no-one would have dared.
Closer, now....and there. As he came to a halt, the hanger doors slid open as they detected him.
No wonder the presence was so strong...it was actually two Jedi, their proximity causing Maul, in his haste, to believe it was only the man he had fought with in the Tatooine desert just days before. He recognised the Queen, and her bodyguards, but didn't bother to pay any attention to them. The Jedi were all that was important to him.
Noticing him, Qui-Gon motioned for the Queen to fall back. "We'll handle this," he said, his bluster amusing to Maul. Moving slowly, for maximum effect, Maul slid off his dark robes as the Jedi, Master and Padawan, did similar.
He knew about these two. Information was a powerful weapon, and his master had already shown him, on previous occasions, how powerful it could be. Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the most accomplished swordsmen in the Jedi Order,but his body was failing him more and more each year. As for Obi-Wan Kenobi, the boy possessed only a small gra
sp of the Force compared to his Master. He had youth, but Maul doubted he had much else.
It took only a couple of seconds for Maul to size them up. He produced his lightsabre, as the Jedi lit theirs. Maul smiled inwardly at their momentary suprise as his second blade extended from the other end of his lightsabre handle, then let the Dark Side enter him.
He struck at the Padawan, who somersaulted over his head. A quick block backwards, then Maul drove at Qui-Gon, turning his blade aside. Two more clashes, then another block brought him to the centre of the hanger. The two Jedi had obviously worked together in swordfights before, and were trying to end this contest early.
They neared him and clashed again. Block,
block, strike, then Maul lashed out with a foot and succeeded in knocking Qui-Gon to the ground.
'Time for some more space.' Maul cartwheeled through the air, heading for the entrance to the Naboo main power station. Reaching out with the Force, he hurled a chunk of droid into the door controls, hearing them
open as Obi-Wan neared again. Whirling his
lightsabre, he smashed aside two attacks,
backing away, leading them on as Qui-Gon
returned to the fray. High blocks, then low,and Obi-Wan left himself open just long
enough for Maul to land a satisfying kick tothe chin that sent the younger Jedi skidding away.
Qui-Gon pressed on, long hair streaming behind him as he sought to overcome Maul's defence. Maul let them follow him, to the edge of a narrow control section. Focusing on the combat so much, he almost lost his footing and fell into the darkness below.
'Idiot!' Maul cursed to himself. Pearched on the edge, his opponents believed him trapped. Obi-Wan feinted a strike, but Maul read it and blocked Qui-Gon's attack, using the momentum and the Force to carry him into a backwards somersault onto the far platform.
To his annoyance, the Jedi quickly followed his example, and Maul fought off their attacks again. The narrow walkway left little room for manouverablity, leaving Maul between the two Jedi, but it didn't matter. The Dark Side flowed through him as he concentrated his energies, pressing hard at Qui-Gon whilst keeping the Padawan at bay behind him with sweeps of his sabre. A series of blows knocked the Jedi Master back, and the Padawan came rushing forward recklessly to aid his Master.
The boy was becoming annoying, and Maul let the hate flow through him. Maul's kick knocked Obi-Wan clear off the platform, catching the Jedi completely unawares and landing him several levels down.
Disappointed that the Padawan hadn't been
killed in the drop, Maul was suprised as Qui-Gon drove an elbow into his stomach, then landed a back-handed blow that sent him also flying off the platform. Maul landed heavily, but the rage brought him back, made him powerful. How DARE he?! Qui-Gon jumped after the Dark Lord, and Maul kicked out at him, gaining him enough time to get back onto his feet. The older Jedi struck with skill and determination, but Maul blocked and parried, falling back again.
He sensed nothing else, was locked completely into the struggle. The green lightsabre of his foe flashed and span, not able to pierce his defence but still pressing him backwards. The hum of electrics surrounded him as they both backed into a thin corridor, Maul feeding the Dark Side with his anger and hatred of the Jedi before him. About to strike again, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a wall of pink light. He blinked, his physical activity suddenly halted. It took his mind a few seconds to realise that they had entered a service corridor, and that it was covered with laser gates to prevent unauthorised access. The gates proved invunerable to his sabre, and Qui-Gon realised it too. The Jedi Master settled down into a Jedi Battle Meditation position, trying to gather his powers while they waited for the gates to turn off again. Maul marvelled at how far they had come since the beginning of the fight. He could feel the sweat heavy on his body, and tapped into the power of the Dark Side to refresh himself. The exhaution on Qui-Gon's face was apparent, and Maul knew that he would have a chance to kill him. He focused his anger, again feeling the energies of the Dark Side clear his mind and channel his powers. He noticed that the Padawan had caught up, but was trapped, about five walls further behind. He wouldn't be able to help his master, and Maul grinned. The thrill of the combat fuelled him, making him feel truly alive. He began to pace, impatient for the battle to begin again and eager not to waste the Dark Side power that he had pulled in whilst waiting. With a hiss, the laser gate suddenly moved aside. Qui-Gon was on his feet in an instant, his lightsabre clashing repeatedly with Maul's. Maul dimly sensed the Padawan rushing towards the end of the corridor, and not making it, but his full concentration was on Qui-Gon. Clearly, the Jedi Master had succeeded in using his considerable Force ability to aid him. Maul whirled and dodged, blocking and striking, but the Jedi Master wouldn't give him time to think ahead, engaging in hard, fast close quarters combat. Block left, left low, strike at the head, then left again. Maul felt his battle concentration slipping as Qui-Gon bored into his defence.
Leaping away, he let the anger flow and battled back. He felt his efforts succeeding, the sweat and exertion evident as Qui-Gon reached the limits of his physical ability. Maul let the Master's worry fuel his own abilities, closing with swift spinning attacks. Qui-Gon backed away, and Maul felt a blast of fear from the Padawan, only one laser gate from his master. The fear was delicious to Maul, and he knew that his chance to kill Qui-Gon was near. He struck, then hit high. Qui-Gon blocked the blows, but suddenly there was an opening. Maul smashed the hilt of his lightsabre intothe Jedi's chin, catching him off-guard and dazing him. 'NOW!' Maul spun, bringing his blade around with deadly accuracy. It drove deep into the Jedi's torso, near his heart. He heard the scream behind him, pulling the blade free and spinning to face the shocked Padawan in one smooth movement before the Jedi Master could even hit the floor. Joy exploded in Darth Maul's heart, his senses and abilities soared with the pain and anguish from the two Jedi. He felt renewed, ready to destroy everything in his path. Not only had he killed a Jedi, but one of the most noted of recent times. He grinned ferally at Obi-Wan, ecstatic at the power now fed to him by the Dark Side. His exertions were forgotten, his body as fresh as if he'd only just begun. THIS was real power, the power of a god. Forcing himself back down from his high, Maul waited, patient for once, knowing that the laser gate would soon open again. His boosted senses picked up things in acute detail. He saw the tiny scratches on Obi-Wan's lightsabre handle, smelt the rich tang of ozone from the lasers. Then the last gate opened. Obi-Wan flung himself at Darth Maul, lightsabres crashing with percussive force against each other. Maul held his defence, then pressed with a series of his own. Obi-Wan blocked and ducked, his skill more apparent then it had been before. The Padawan blocked another series of blows, then span away to face Maul again.
Maul revelled in the boy's anger. He could feel the ripples of Dark Side energy as the young Jedi attacked again, feeling his heart swell with the joy of the battle, the hypnotic whirl of light and clash of energies. Perhaps he was enjoying it too much. The boy's ability with the blade suprised him, and his lightsabre hilt was cut clean in half when he misjudged the angle of an attack. Maul barely had time to register this, before a kick to his chest sent him tumbling backwards. 'Concentrate!' Maul unleashed his darkest anger, his rage at the Jedi and this impudent upstart in particular. Rage drove him to his feet, discarding the useless half of his weapon, lightsabre whirling as he span past the Jedi, daring him to get in his way. They clashed again, Maul pressing hard. Blocks and ripostes moved in a blur, Maul's blade dancing in front of him. The Dark Lord kicked Obi-Wan firmly on the chin, but the Jedi's anger allowed him to quickly use the Force to land on his feet. The boy stood his ground more warily now, his anger and grief still apparent but now being held in check. The fool was actually rejecting the power that the Dark Side could bring him! Obi-Wan closed again, Maul meeting his blade and trading blows. Left, right, high, low, Maul felt himself getting stronger and gaining the advantage. Obi-Wan brought his blade crashing down in an overhead strike, and for a moment stood face-to-face with Maul, Padawan and Lord of the Sith. Then Maul shoved hard with the Force to the young Jedi's head, sending him tumbling away and over the lip of the nearby reactor shaft. Maul strode forward, and saw the Jedi clinging to a module a few metres below. With gleeful deliberation, Maul kicked the Jedi's lightsabre into the pit, and watched it fall past the Padawan to dwindle into thedarkness below.
Exhiliration washed over Maul. The Jedi wasnear death, unarmed and helpless. Maul wasamused as the Jedi clung to life, and slashed his lightsabre across the floor as he looked down at him, burning sparks cascading over the young Jedi. The Dark Side was fully with him. Maul opened himself completely to the energy, and gloried in the power. Then he prepared to carry out the final attack, to leave him as the sole survivor and victor. Drawing his lightsabre up, he.... Then a substantial burst of Light Side energy suprised him. The boy, showing levels ofcontrol that he had never seemed capable of, somersaulted several metres into the air, and landed behind Maul. Maul was astounded by this sudden and unexpected display of Force agility, and whirled around, ready for the despairing punch or kick that would be headed his way. Green light flashed in front of him, and a wave of cold lanced across his midriff. The boy held something. It was.... ..it was Qui-Gon's lightsabre. His fierce concentration, and enjoyment of the Dark Side powers, had made him forget about the fallen Jedi Master's weapon. He wanted to move, but his limbs felt heavy. The world rushed past his eyes, and he knew he must have fallen into the pit. Why couldn't he call on the Force? Why could.... Darkness, final darkness, overtook Darth Maul.
10/10 "Pure Imaginative Writing" -RS Times
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