A Celebration

Dark Lady

Rating:      PG
Warnings: There is one rude word, used from a quote.
Disclaimer: No profit is being made from this story.  Lucas owns Maul, the concept belongs to Dark Lady.
Summary: This is inspired by Celebration 2.  Maul is instructed to escort two Jedi knights and a group of women to Palpatine's pleasure barge.
Universe:  Palpatine is Emperor, and Maul is his trusted Aide.  Because their powers were ultimately useless against the Dark Side, Sidious spared the few Jedi which were left, and they have come to terms with their situation.  While not converting to the dark side of the Force, they perform mercy missions and run soup kitchens for the disadvantaged.  Occasionally, they get involved in a ruckus, which they rather enjoy.
Feedback to: dark-lady@blueyonder.co.uk
Acknowledgements: To MaulMaus, for her unfailing attempts at improvement.

Maul knelt in front of his Master, listening with mounting annoyance and irritation as Sidious outlined the requirements of Maul's next trial.  He was to escort two Jedi women and a gaggle of sympathisers, hangers-on, and party organisers, safely from the Emperor's apartments to his pleasure barge, moored on one of the many delightful canals which encircling the Imperial District of Coruscant. 

"The Ladies Jade and Sinn-Tau have expressed the desire to walk down Empire Boulevard with their entourage, to the barge, Apprentice, and there I shall join them to celebrate my second year as Emperor." 

Maul ground his mottled teeth in ever increasing rage.  Ladies?  Maul had no fancy for 'ladies' of any kind, shape, species, or hue, and besides, if they came from the Emperor's apartments, it was unlikely that they would be 'ladies', no matter what Sidious professed regarding his own chastity. 

"you will extend all courtesy…" 

He always did, either for appearances sake, or sometimes to disarm and lull into a false sense of security before making the kill. 

"Walk at an appropriate pace…" 

Some simpering wenches then, tottering about on those ridiculous 'fuck me' shoes the girls liked to wear these days, for fashions sake. He had heard the phrase used on the holonet a while back, when a particularly strident human female had engaged in a debate concerning the equality of woman and the height of their heels, and another had opposed the concept, utterly.  As if a woman could ever be the equal of any man!  For if they were, they would walk alone, and not need an escort. 

"And maintain security at all times." 

An easy task this, for was he not the finest warrior ever to grace his Order? 

Maul remained kneeling, feeling the full weight of Sidious' disapproval at his rebellious thoughts.  He was reminded that he was but a tool of his master, and that the vows to his order, the Sith, included those of poverty, chastity, and obedience.  Most especially, obedience. 

"Yessss, my Master," hissed Maul, head bowed in total submission, and thinking, Poverty?  He wanted for nothing, possessed nothing, yet would be rich beyond measure when he inherited the empire upon the death of Sidious, which he very much hoped would be soon.  Chastity?  This duty had never burdened him unduly, for it could be subject to subtle interpretation, and Obedience?  Always obedience, for he lusted after power and would do anything to obtain it. 

"You will attend the ladies at 18:30 in the lobby."  Sidious glared one final time at Maul, and swept regally from the room in a swirl of heavy blue cloak.  The doors hissed open, two troopers snapped to attention and slapped the stocks of their laser rifles in salute, and the doors closed again with a soft 'ssshhh,' leaving Maul alone with his thoughts. 

Resigned to his duty, he rose, walked over to the long tall window, and stared at the city panorama.   'There will be time for training…' 

Empire Boulevard stretched into the distance, a broad and pleasant avenue lined with trees, and edged with small green parks walled in stone, where fountains played, and birds sang.  The green was pleasing to his eyes, for his home world was harsh and arid, a desert for the most part, and Maul loved green and growing things.  This was the oldest part of Coruscant, preserved for posterity as a designated conservation area.  The buildings were low, gracious, and widely spaced.  The air was fresh and moist, and lightly perfumed by the flowers in the parks.  There was little traffic in the eight-lane highway, but the little there was, was fast and aggressive.  'A pity about my Master's redevelopment plans, and the new speeder parks…' he thought.  

The lightsabre was a familiar and comfortable weight against his thigh, and he removed his gauntlets, tucked them into his belt, and unclipped the sabre.  He extended his arm and balanced the weapon on the edge of his palm, so that it was level with the horizon indicated by the old canal, clearly visible at the end of the boulevard.  The sabre started spinning when he tapped the underside of it with a thumbnail, and he worked it through his strong slender fingers until it became a spinning blur of bright machined alloy: a vertical wall of silver metal.  When the blades were lit, he could weave a basket of fire, dazzling and mesmerising his opponents so they hardly noticed the death stroke. 

He suddenly stopped the spinning and held the sabre level with the horizon again, in his fist.  'Yes, a walk might be pleasant, although there is a doubt about the company…'  So thinking, he turned the sabre and pointed it down the avenue towards the canal as if it were a laser sight.   'About thirty minutes walk…', he estimated. 

*****

Maul waited at the top of the escalators in the lobby, gauntleted hands clasped in front of him.  He exuded an air of silent menace and deadly purpose, and people stared then gave him a wide berth.  Their comings and goings were of no concern to him, their business of no importance.  But when they glimpsed his glowing eyes staring with contempt at themselves and other passers-by, they searched their consciences, loosed their collars, and hurried on lest he be an assassin. 

Then he sensed two powerful presences in the Force and saw two slender figures walk towards him.  Their minds were like mirrors, and unreadable, but their gait and garments described them as both warrior and Jedi. 

"Lord Maul?" said the softly spoken Jedi with the tanned olive skin, hair shorn like velvet and eyes like the deepest of pools in the dark Force. 

"I think it is!" said the pale-skinned and flame haired warrior.  Her flashing eyes were as vivid a green as the grass in the parks down the boulevard. 

With a touch of gallantry which was totally unbidden, Maul bowed as if to his Master and Emperor.  "My Lady Sinn-Tau, my Lady Jade."  When he raised his head he looked beyond the two knights to the small group of ten or so behind them.  They were all human women, 'my Master is biased, as always, to the human,"  he thought with sadness and resignation, as he used the Force to sense how they were disposed towards him.  Not that he cared greatly, but a little fear in the minds of these women would have been a pleasant thing to savour. 

A pleasure that was denied to him, by them all.  Instead of fear, he found a zest for life and a sensuality that was overwhelming in its intensity.  Moreover, some of their appreciation was turned in his direction.  There was no dread of his vibrant tattoos, his glittering feral eyes, or his aspect of a dark Sith knight, garbed in sombre and deadly black.  They were, rather, more fascinated, and speculative about his fighting abilities, and the graceful way he moved.  Some of their thoughts were of a more intimate nature, and with more than a little disapproval, he blocked the errant thoughts while he continued his appraisal of them. 

There was a dancer dressed in carved gold beads and sheer fabrics, over which she had draped a long cloak of a soft and expensive stuff, which shimmered and flowed over her body like water.  Her lips were delicate and exquisitely coloured.  She was very beautiful.  Maul knew that his Master had a fine taste for pretty women, and he wondered whether she was a famous courtesan.  Her mind, however, said not, but rather, that she had an exceptional gift with technology.  She looked at him, thought he was beautiful, and caressed a small device lovingly with perfectly manicured hands. 

He looked at the others in the group. There was a tall and powerful looking priestess, dressed in silver.  She was more covered than the dancer, and walked with a lithe and sinewy grace.  She looked at Maul with a steady gaze, accepting him for what he was, not what she might want him to be.  The power within her ran deep and dark, and was of a female kind unfamiliar to him - the kind he wished to explore, although with great circumspection, for it made him shudder. 

The woman with the mass of long blonde curls was blatantly attracted to him, and showed it.  Her thoughts about his body were quite lascivious as she measured him with her eyes, and she struck a seductive pose for him when he looked in her direction.  Drawing himself up, to impress upon her the dignity of his office, he dipped into her mind.  Sensuous she might be, yet her courage and bravery were unparalleled and her mind was as analytical as that of a man, second only to his own, perhaps.  He would forgive her her errant thoughts, for now, and he turned to assess the rest of the party. 

The other women were of a similar nature, sensuous and very self-aware, and he wondered at the energy of their thoughts in this regard, and thought how distracting it must be in their daily lives.  He reassured himself that the vow of chastity he had made when he joined his order, ensured that he himself was above such matters, sublimating his essential and baser energies to a higher purpose. 

He assessed them all, one by one, until the last, finding a warrior of smaller stature, with long black hair and dark eyes, dressed completely in form-fitting black, and with a small sabre sheathed at her waist.  Her fierce stance and mind bespoke the fine balance of an athlete and the determination of a warrior - her expertise in the martial arts would be most useful if a situation developed.  But this was a warm sunny day on Coruscant, and he thought it most unlikely.

*****

 Maul surveyed the assembled group, and looked in turn at the Ladies Sinn-Tau and Jade. 

"Your group is fully present and accounted for?" He addressed the black-haired Jedi, who nodded. 

"And you are ready to leave now?"  He turned to the flame haired warrior. 

"Of course."  she said, with a sly smile. 

He counted.  They numbered twelve in all, not including himself.  "Then we depart." 

So saying, he turned in a swirl of black pleated cloak, and boot heels clicking on the marble floor, led the way to the exit.  He walked briskly, not caring how their feet were shod, but they easily kept pace behind him.  The dark-haired Jedi had stationed herself behind his left shoulder, and said nothing, but scanned the skyline, and counted the group, checking their numbers continuously.  Her eyes darted from left to right, and forward and back, continually looking and searching. 

For politeness sake he tried to make conversation with her.  "For what do you seek?" he asked, when she drew level with him. 

"Trouble."  Her reply was curt and he smiled at her condescendingly, although from a military point of view, he approved her caution. 

"Today?"  He gestured at the buildings around them, the peaceful gardens, and the sky above them.  The sun shone, the birds sang and the fountains played - he made his  incredulity quite obvious to her. 

She snorted a little in derision, and did not stop scanning - front, left, turn around and scan the back, right side, skyline, and then count again.  "You know as well as I do, Lord Maul, that trouble is always present in one guise or another, and most especially when the Sith are about." 

"True, but I sense nothing.  Do you?" 

The Lady Jade muttered to no-one in particular, "There is something…"  She had been anxiously scanning the horizon also, and glanced at Maul as he delved into the Force.  Recognition flashed between them.

***** 

"Incoming!" shouted Maul, as he dived to the sidewalk, and rolled to one side, unclipping his sabre as he did so.  The rest of the company did likewise, and the small group scattered to find the nearest cover.  Blaster fire ricocheted from stone walls, and made small craters in the roadway and ornamental stonework.  From where the fire came, he was not certain, except possibly from the roofs of the buildings opposite and behind them, for they were caught in cross-fire.  He and the two Jedi leapt to their feet, and stood to form a triangle back to back.  Lightsabres drawn, they parried and struck to send the blaster bolts back to their source.  Then the firing suddenly ceased, and the day became peaceful again.   Maul assessed their position, and now that the sun had started to set, saw that it was, in fact, setting over the canal where they were headed, making it difficult to see. 

A howl and scream assaulted their ears, as a manned speeder dived towards them, out of the sun.  Blaster bolts and laser fire pocked the road again, and the three somersaulted for the shelter of the park and the wall.  Firing intermittently, the speeder disappeared down the road, causing traffic to turn and flee, leaving the roadway deserted.

***** 

Having reached relative safety, Maul assessed the state of the group and was unexpectedly pleased to see that the rest of the women appeared to be armed, and ready to fight.  Some had needle blasters in their hands, others had dropped to a crouch and held laser knives or sonic stunners capable of killing a large being at quite some range.  He was irritated to see that the dancer and the priestess appeared merely to be gathering their skirts and beads and making repairs.  On looking closer, he saw that they were, in fact, stripping the beads from their costumes.  The priestess held several fine strings decorated with large carved beads at the end, in her hands and the dancer was placing beads in hidden pockets within her fine cloak.  Looking closer and reaching to snatch the strings from her hands, he realised, with a shock, that the fine strings were sharpened shiga wire, capable of use as a garrotte.  He sincerely hoped she would get close enough to use it, for that would mean they had the upper hand in the conflict, or at least a fighting chance. 

Fleetingly and with irritation, he wondered how beads, however beautiful, could be dangerous, and his unspoken question was answered when a small platoon of troops garbed as Fett clones crept cautiously from the park opposite them, and then stormed across the road towards them.  With an elegant sweeping underhand movement, the dancer threw beads at the troops.  They rolled, and stayed innocuously on the tarmac until the clones tramped on them.  The mines, for mines they were, exploded on contact and left the clones crippled and screaming in agony, and their fellows hastily retreated, leaving the injured ones to their fate. 

Maul was amused to see the priestess putting the wounded out of their pain and misery by swiftly drawing the wire around their necks and with a jerk, severing the heads from the bodies.  Most efficient! he thought, admiring her economical technique and resolving to learn from it, as he spoke into his wrist communicator, to summon his most trusted troops, the 501st Coruscant Garrison, (motto, The Emperor's Fist,) to assist the women in their hour of need.  The first thing they needed to do, was close off the traffic. 

They are more competent than I thought… Maul looked at the group of huddling whispering women.  The flame haired Jedi was drawing in the dust, and the dark haired one was nodding, vigorously.  The curly-haired blonde turned and sneered at him, "We have a forty two percent chance of making it, Sith!"  she paused and looked at him in a suggestive manner, "Are you up for it?"  He was surprised to see her lick her lips at him, for he was up for anything and everything - until it occurred to him that 'it', might not be the forthcoming military engagement he was preparing for.  He gave her a glare sufficient to quell most sentient beings, but she just laughed, and so he snarled at her and stalked away. 

"Jade, Sinn-Tau.  To me!" he snapped.  They needed to form a viable plan, and he did not wish to cede control to mere women.  However skilled they may be in the arts of war, he thought hastily, for they were Jedi, and if they had picked up what he thought…. 

The two Jedi turned their heads and looked at him, then walked over to where he stood.  Their eyes were amused, but their expressions serious, as though they had the measure of him.  "Perhaps you will consider this," said the dark-haired one, and without waiting for him to give assent, she started to explain how the clones could be defeated. 

He studied her plan - it was a good one -, and they made modifications.  Firstly, they took an inventory of the weapons at their disposal.  The tiny mines, some poison gas darts, laser blasters and sonic stunners, assorted knives (albeit of the finest quality)  a sabre of such sharpness that it looked as though it could cleave a hair, a catapult, the lightsabres of the Jedi, and that of himself, the Sith.  With the exception of the lightsabres, it was a pitiful collection and mostly, the type of weapon that was used for close work.  The sort of things women will use, he thought, and these troops are several hundred yards away…  But undaunted, they prepared themselves for battle.  Each chose a weapon, and some picked two. 

The blonde laughed and picked up a sonic stunner and the poisoned darts.  "Souvenirs of a great day out!  Or will you make it memorable in another way, Sith?"  She hefted the darts in her hand and grinned at him.  "These make our chances forty two point five percent.  A greater chance of life.  If we keep it, how shall we use it?"  She leered at him, so Maul narrowed his eyes at her, hoping that his barbaric tattoos and fierce eyes would strike terror into her heart, and subdue her.  It was a pointless exercise. 

Grinning broadly she took up her station behind a sheltering wall, as he realised that he looked forward to the coming fray with a degree of excitement which was almost sexual.  Perhaps it was sexual.  No doubt about it, it definitely was sexual!  Perhaps the raw female energy around him affected him in this way.  Raising his arm, he gave the signal to commence.

*****

The battle was short and ugly.  The dark haired Jedi in her dull beige and brown raced and zig-zagged across the wide avenue with four of her companions, bringing the armed speeder swooping down at them from the city end of the avenue.  The dancer catapulted mines into the open top of the vehicle, while the small group attacked the squadron of clones entrenched in the small park.  Such was the ferocity of their approach, that they could not be resisted, and the slaughter of their enemy was complete. 

There was a short time when the cloak the Jedi had erected around her mind slipped in the pleasure she took in the battle.  Taking the opportunity to sense her thoughts, Maul found a fiery determination of such ferocity, he was quite shocked, accustomed as he was to the idea that Jedi killed with cool and unemotional detachment.  It was comparable to the heat of over-riding anger and rage he used to accomplish his own ends, and he wondered if the brothers in the Jedi Order were turning to the dark side. 

There was not much time to consider whether Jedi philosophy was in flux.  The diversion created by the attack enabled the Lady Mara and her small group to engage the enemy ensconced upon the balconies of the building behind them, while Maul force-jumped to the roof and gave battle to their captain.  He was closely followed by the black-clad warrior, who launched herself seemingly into space, only to land behind a startled clone who had taken aim at one of the Jedi, and was preparing to fire.  Her sabre was a blur of flashing metal, as she separated his hand from his wrist before he could move, and while the clone looked in disbelief at the bloodied stump, his head fell to his feet before he could register the pain. 

A short distance away, skewered by Maul's lightsabre, the captain's body tumbled to the ground, far below, and Maul jumped after it, to make sure that the man was dead and would be no further threat.  This was not something he left to chance these days, for he had learned a harsh lesson on Naboo.  Just to be sure of his adversary, Maul bisected his body - a habit he had got into of late - and paused to take stock of the battle. 

One clone was left alive in the speeder, and he was piloting it back down the boulevard again, retracing his path.  The course of the vehicle was erratic, for the mines had damaged the controls, but the pilot bravely struggled on, bombarding the road with mines and cluster bombs with increasing desperation and inaccuracy. 

The blonde snatched the catapult from the dancer, and fired the poisoned darts into the cockpit of the speeder.  The pilot fell back from the controls, clutching the darts in his throat, and the speeder plunged towards the surface of the road.  Everyone dived for cover again, and the remaining ordinance aboard the craft exploded, tearing up the road and sending fragmented tarmac, stone walls, and jagged pieces of metal skyward. 

Prone, the group waited, eyes squeezed shut, hands protecting heads, while the debris rained down on them, until, with a final clatter, a Mandalorian cod-piece fell to earth and came to rest by Maul's feet.  At the same time, the rhythmic tramp of boots and the rattle of armour announced the arrival of the glorious 501st. 

*****

Maul raised himself from his knees and brushing the dust from his uniform, counted the assembled company.  There were twelve in all, not including himself.  The birds started to sing again, and the fountains played as before.  All the women were grinning, even though there were occasional bursts of blaster fire in the distance as the last of the clones were rooted out and dispatched .  Mopping up, he thought, and was pleased that no-one was hurt, for that would have meant failure. 

The road was cratered, stone walls were broken and shattered, but they could still thread their way through the damage and walk to the Imperial Barge, in the last of the afternoon sun. The broken cod-piece caught against his boot.  Maul shuddered at the implications of it, and kicked it into the gutter, where it belonged. 

Lady Hanshara Sinn-Tau heaved a sigh and moodily kicked a piece of stone out of her path, as though she had enjoyed the fracas and was sorry it was over.  "We should go…" she said, "or we will be late." 

Maul found her Basic strangely accented as if she came from an outlying colony, but it was not unpleasant, and he was able to understand most of what she said.  He nodded agreement and turned to Lady Mara Jade. 

Her green eyes danced, and she tossed her flaming hair over her shoulders.  The effect was most pleasing and he desperately wanted to push his hands through those thick red curls.  She gave him a mischievous smile and suddenly he found that chastity was a hard burden to bear. 

"And the Emperor does not like to be kept waiting…"  Her voice was smooth and authoritative.  He found it sweet and seductive, and he wondered if the vow of chastity might be circumvented in some manner. 

Maul faced the road in the direction they needed to travel.  From this distance, the trio could see the light from the setting sun dancing on the waters of the canal, and the fluttering pennants on the waiting barge.  The gunfire had died away and the 501st were organising demolition and recovery crews, to remove the debris and clear the road. 

He extended his left hand to Lady Hanshara, and she placed her hand thereon with a very light touch.  With an unexpected feeling of generosity, he squeezed her fingers for she had fought well.  To his surprise she squeezed back, and when he looked at her brown eyes flecked with gold, he saw admiration and something else.  The 'something else' was deep and dark, very dark.  It promised to be a bridge between their two cultures.  It thrilled and excited him and he wondered whether Jedi were always so cold as they appeared. 

Apparently not, for to his greater shock, she leaned forward to kiss him full on the lips.  Despite himself he responded, for there was a definite invitation there, and he vowed he would investigate the possibilities of this later, vows or no vows. 

He extended his right hand to Lady Mara, and without hesitation, she placed her hand on his.  He gripped her gloved fingers tightly, for she was brave and fearless.   She smiled at him, her lips slightly parted, and again, he suddenly wanted to push his hands through that riot of deep red curls.  The tight leather armour interspersed with cooling panels of finest mesh encased her slender body delightfully, and the manner of its fastening intrigued him mightily - he would very much like to remove it and crush her body beneath his in an embrace of the kind forbidden by his Order.  He gazed at her and sighed.  A shiver ran down his back - the Force was even stronger in him now that he had passed this trial.  He fixed his gaze at the canal in the distance, and tried hard, but ineffectually, to dismiss the seductive thoughts of twining limbs, of red and black lying with pale and tanned, and the touch of skin upon soft skin which had suddenly invaded his mind with such insistence. 

Twenty five minutes or so… he estimated, as he wondered about the strength of the Force powers of these two Jedi women.  His most trusted lieutenants, Clutch and Taarm, took flanking positions to left and right, and they prepared to move out. 

Another squad of troopers tramped up behind, and blasters at the ready, grouped themselves protectively around the silent smiling women.  Maul took a sly sideways look at the boots his companions wore.  Elegant, serviceable, and comfortable. 

No simpering wenches, these… he thought, and tucked the arms of the two Jedi securely under his own, held their hands with a firmer grasp, and basked in the warm glow of affection from them and the attendant group.  The warm glow rapidly turned to heat and he growled very softly to himself in appreciation.

"Come, ladies," invited Maul. 

They walked together, arm in arm, the light and pleasant breeze causing their cloaks to billow behind them, as they progressed down the boulevard. 

And Maul? 

Maul considered his vows.

***** 

* With acknowledgement to that cultural icon, Germaine Greer, who, I am sure, never, ever, imagined she would be quoted in a Star Wars fanfic.

END