Brothers In  Arms

Dark Lady

Rating:        NC-17  There are adult sexual situations in this story, and violence.
Disclaimer: Star Wars characters, names, and places belong to George Lucas.  Everything other than these things owned by Lucas belongs to the author, and no profit is being made from this story. .
Summary:  This is part of the DMEB2's challenge series Duel of the Faiths - Darth Maul and Darth Vader battle the invading forces of the Yuuzhan Vong - together.    
Feedback:  Please send feedback to Dark Lady@blueyonder.co.uk
Initial posting: On dmeb2.
Acknowledgement: This is the most important part of the introduction to this story.  Without Maulmaus' generosity and ruthless comments, this story would not be as half as good as it is.  I bow to her skill in teasing out things that have a greater importance than I had seen, and her patience with my sometimes clumsy expressions.  My thanks also to Red, who helps me clarify my thoughts on 'religious' matters.

Brothers In Arms.

This is one of those other infinite universes, where Maul is the Sith Master, and reigns as Emperor, and after the death of Sidious, rules from Coruscant. All is not peaceful however. The Empire is harried by the armies of the Yuuzhan Vong, a race driven by hunger for food and thirst for religion, who come from beyond the galaxy and wage jihad.

Read 'Take Me To Korriban' for a little more background to this story. Otherwise, the timeline is different. The children of Amidala were killed with her, and there are now no  Jedi to rescue the citizens of the galaxy from the misuse of Imperial power.  Only one remains, and she is Maul's.

The age of the Sith glory has come, and the future is filled with pain.

The Brotherhood of Sith

Suddenly aware of the massive weight of the daunting presence behind him, Maul turned from the tall bright window where he had been looking over the spires and towers of Coruscant in the early evening light. His long black pleated cloak swirled around him as he turned and by force of habit, his hand rested upon the hilt of his lightsabre. Facing the door, he inclined his head to his visitor, a small courtesy to an equal - nothing more, nothing less.

His visitor acknowledged the courtesy in like manner, and stood in the doorway, gauntleted hand also on sabre, tensed, waiting for betrayal of the truce the two men had made in order that they might discuss matters now that Sidious was dead. The two men looked at one another, until finally, Maul strode to the taller Sith Lord, and faced him, feet apart, hands clasped behind his back. Vader hooked his thumbs into his belt and looked down at Maul. Maul hated it. The repetitive wheezing of Vader's respirator made harsh rasping echoes in the spacious room as Maul's hand crept to his sabre and his fist reflexively tightened on the hilt. Unbidden, a low growl started deep in his chest but thinking that his purpose would be ill-served by blatant aggression, he moved his hand behind him again.

"How shall we proceed my Lord Vader? Should one of us be dead? For if so, it will not be me." Maul broke the uneasy silence between them, the implied challenge hanging weightily in the air like the threat it was.

"How to proceed? Hmm. Your prime concern should be that the Order continue, the next is to ensure the security of the Empire. Rebellion and civil strife must still prevail in many corners of the Empire - it must be made secure." As he stood, looking down on his brother Sith, Vader stated the obvious to his would-be adversary, his tone cool, neutral.

"There is more to governance than that, my Lord Vader. Trade between the inner core and the rim areas is diminishing rapidly due to the Vong incursions. Coruscant itself is almost cut off, barricaded from without. People will starve, there will be more civil unrest, their taxes and our obligations will not be met… " Maul used the derogatory term for the invaders from beyond the known galaxy and gestured angrily at the window.

"These Yuuzhan Vong will be easily defeated, they have no technology as we know it, they are primitives, surely." Vader dismissed these foes with a small gesture, again rested his thumbs in his belt, looking down at his brother Sith.

"No," said Maul coldly, turning toward the window, "they use the basic principles of life and generation, the most powerful force in all creation. They have ultimate control over these very processes. Genetic engineers par excellence, my Lord, that is what they are. The best of our own engineers are shamed by the very existence of those Vong they call 'Shapers'." Maul stared into space for a while, and gathered his thoughts. "I wonder whether what they create is dead because we do not feel them in the Force? Or is the life force in the organisms they create of a different nature, or is the organism not living as we know it?"

"These questions are rhetorical in nature, Lord Maul. If what the Vong use works against us, whatever it's nature, the Empire is imperiled by these invasions and we must act accordingly. They must be crushed. Alas, during my period of, aah… seclusion, I have missed much of importance. What are our losses, our gains? What is our strategy, our plan?" Vader held out an open hand, as if to demonstrate the poverty of Maul's approach to this threat, and tucked his thumb in his belt again.

Vader's tone was dry, but the bitterness engendered by his voluntary seclusion on the prison planet of Tiertus with a select brigade of the old Imperial Guard was real enough. Thinking to cultivate the Dark Force within himself to an even greater degree, perhaps to challenge Maul, he had been divorced from news of the Empire as it struggled to recover from the bitter conflict between the Imperium and the rebellion. He had been deliberately deprived of military intelligence and had little knowledge of the Vong or the desperate skirmishes fought against them, but wanting to use his talent for war, Maul had seen to it that Vader was well briefed on his way to Coruscant.

But he had said 'our' losses, 'our' gains. Maul was encouraged by Vader's use of this word 'our', and made a small mirthless smile, bared his teeth a little, relaxed a little, breathed more easily.

"We must renew acquaintance," he said to Vader, "many months have passed since we dealt with our Master's remains on Korriban. Perhaps the time has come to find a way of living together."

Vader's response was a cynical laugh - "Sith co-exist with Sith? A novel idea indeed!"

"Why not? Why should we not challenge ways of living that are outmoded when both of us will benefit by such a course of action?" Maul stepped closer to Vader and planted his fists aggressively on his hips, looking up at him in a manner so arrogant an onlooker might think that Vader would use the Force to strike him down.

Vader again looked down at Maul and Maul hated it still, but he bore it for the sake of the power he wielded and the Empire he ruled. Maul felt Vader smile inside the helmet. "Can we co-exist I wonder? Shall we get to know each other a little? An intriguing concept - and challenging, Lord Maul, challenging!" Vader looked away. "Know thine enemy indeed." he murmured to no one in particular, then looking up at the window. "What would you know of me?"

"There is everything to know, and nothing that I need to know," Maul gave a curt nod. "I do not pry. I know of your devotion to the Order, and the power of your general-ship is legendary. Should we draw comparisons of worth? That would be a futile exercise I think." Maul paced back and forth until Vader spoke.

"Who is more devoted to our Order, and who is more worthy? You with your religious observances? Or me with my renowned military zeal? Yes, futile indeed. However…" Vader paused, tapped his belt with the fingers of his right hand as he stared out of the window. "While your devotion to the Order is not at issue my Lord Maul, there is just one matter on which I would question you…"

"And that is?" Maul turned and walked to the window, turned again and stood with his back towards the light, such that his face was in shadow and Vader could not judge his expression or mood, for he cloaked his feelings as he conversed with him. But Vader walked towards him, and stood to one side, almost facing him.

He looked down and sideways at Maul, scrutinised him. "You have a female do you not? Do you not fail on that weakness of the flesh then? Does pleasure not rule you?"

"Chastity is not a pre-requisite my Lord, you would be as well to be reminded." Maul turned to the window in exasperation at this prying, but it occurred to him that in these circumstances, it were well that such matters were understood between them.

"You have a harem then?"

"She is my Tai Shan, we are bound to each other." He was curt in his reply, but his tone of voice excluded the possibility of any other woman in his bed.

Vader nodded, apparently more at ease, and Maul knew now that he felt no threat, feared no ambush, and that Vader would keep his word as well as he, for they were both honourable men. "I had little time for such pursuits," said Vader with a short laugh, "and in all truth, not the inclination either. Although, many of the women of the court thought to ply their wiles for my attention - but for favour, or advancement only. What would such women know of love? What would a Sith know of such matters either?" He fell silent and looked up at the window and hooked his thumbs into his belt again, stared at the panorama of sunset and city lights flickering in the dusk.

"Indeed!" Agreed Maul, waiting for Vader to continue and not wishing to enlarge upon his own situation. However, Vader pursued the matter.

"Of greater concern to me is that she is, or was, rumoured to be of the Jedi Order."

"True."

"And this does not concern you?"

"No." Maul's reply was short and his manner brusque.

"Then how do you explain her presence here, how do you govern her actions? You do, of course, govern her? She is subordinate to you in all things is she not, as a woman should be?"

"There is no explanation to be given, and she governs her own actions my Lord, for she is my equal in all things, as you will discover." Maul was beginning to tire of this, for he was not a patient man.

Vader snorted as well as he could through his respirator, and gave a short sharp laugh as he turned his head to Maul, saying. "And you should no doubt be reminded that these Jedi are our enemies still, and I swore to our Master that I would cull the galaxy of every Jedi, every Padawan, every last vestige of their execrable, weak, and pathetic religion."

"You need not remind me of Jedi! She is the last that I know of, and their religion is neither weak nor pathetic, which is why we feared and hated it. It is not to be underestimated. Her power is great, but it is different. Any harm done to her is done against me, rely on it." Maul gave Lord Vader a steady appraising stare, and decided to end this futile probing for weakness and to attack the matter at hand directly. "Our Master is safely immured on Korriban, How shall we proceed? Shall we share the spoils of his demise between us? Shall one of us take it all? Shall we cast lots? And if we shared the spoils, should one of us take the realm of religion, the other the temporal governance of the Empire? Should we split the galaxy in two or find a duty that each of us prefers? And there are of course, the Vong, the ever-present Vong." Maul spat the word 'Vong' as if it were a vile epithet.

"So your proposal, my Lord Maul, is what? A truce? A convention of Sith to deal with this menace? And when the menace is gone? How shall we deal then?" Vader fell silent and looked for a time out of the window, his respirator whistling in the gathering gloom. "Perhaps I will not kill you for the moment," he taunted, "perhaps a time of association, of mutual aid to benefit us both, and the Empire. Shall I call you 'brother'?"

For the sake of his Empire, Maul ground his teeth, ignored the threat, and nodded assent. "Then we shall continue this discussion after dinner my Lord and brother. You will join us, of course." This was a statement, not a question, and Vader would not have declined even if it were a question.

"Indeed," said Vader, "perhaps I shall meet this last Jedi you speak of."

*****

Sister Jedi

"Then come with me." and Maul swept through the blaster pocked corridors and grenade damaged salons of the old Imperial Palace, Vader easily following behind, his long strides threatening to overtake the shorter stockier Sith Master. Black-armour clad Imperial Guards snapped to attention at their passing, heavy red cloaks shimmering, and boot heels clicking on the chipped marble floor as their hands slapped the stocks of their laser guns in salute. At the door of Emperor Palpatine's old suite, a scarlet and black robed attendant bowed and opened the door. As he walked, Maul drew off his gauntlets, undid the cloak and threw them casually to another servant standing waiting in the vestibule. Vader observed that the ancient engraved brooch which had held the cloak at his throat was detached, kissed reverently, and secreted about his person - for it was a symbol of the supreme authority he now held within the Order, and as such, was sacred to him.

As Maul undid the brooch, Vader noticed the fine hands of the Zabrak. Long slender hands tipped with lethally sharp claws. Not womanish hands, but hands that had a powerful sensuality about them, strong lean hands that could grip a lightsabre or caress a woman with equal ease and fluency.

For an instant, he envied those hands of Maul. An image of Amidala flew into his mind and he remembered the fine soft texture of her skin from his youth when he had loved her. But then he had been forced into the lava pit by the Knight who had been his Master, and the burns had wrenched his hands into clawed talons that only wielded death, did not give love and life.

He put the image behind him, for he had long since killed Amidala, and his children with her, and forsaken the last of his humanity in that simple act. Or so he hoped, for that killing had placed him above such pathetic ties as family and fatherhood, and freed him to be the ruthless servant of the dark that he wished to be. That he was.

He followed Maul, as he continued through a small ante-room to a larger grander sitting room. The damage incurred during the last battles before the death of Palpatine was still evident, but in some places, repairs had been effected. The room was spacious, but sparsely furnished, and one wall paneled in a light glowing wood. There was a rug upon the floor, made in warm sunny colours upon deepest black, as if sunrise and sunset were depicted thereon, and the floor itself was of the same light wood that graced the walls. There was glass and steel, soft glowing lights on long steel pendants, two desks with holo-projectors and data-viewers of the most advanced kind. There was much light, and air, and space, and he sensed that Maul loved and enjoyed these things for they exemplified a freedom only truly realised since the death of Sidious.

To Vader's left, at one end of the room, were two large sofas, facing each other with a low table between, and to his right was a long window, floor to ceiling, of transparasteel. The wide balcony outside was filled with tubs and baskets of living plants and flowers, and beyond that, the most magnificent view of Coruscant that Vader had ever witnessed. He suddenly coveted this view, wanted to enjoy it alone and be allowed to reminisce a while. Even in his days as the loyal lieutenant of Palpatine, he had never seen this view, for the old Emperor had kept the drapes drawn tight, lest he cast his eye upon the uncontrolled spaces outside the palace walls.

"Yes my Lord Vader, it is indeed magnificent. Share it with us this evening if you would."

Vader had not seen or sensed the woman curled in the corner of the sofa, and at the sound of her voice he turned to watch her rise gracefully from her seat and put a small datapad on the table in front of her. She walked towards him, smiling, held out her hand to greet him, and took his hand firmly and authoritatively. Yet despite the pressure, it felt as though she was careful, as if she knew of the pain which still arose in the vestiges of his once-burned hands. Her mind was a mirror when he tried to probe it, and when he looked closer, she smiled again, with a touch of mischief in her large brown eyes.

The woman was dressed in the Jedi manner. She was clad in black breeches and a white tunic, there were soft boots on her feet, and what appeared to be a lightsabre at her belt. She was trim and wiry; like her mate - lean and muscular, not the decorative appurtenance of a decadent court. For all her milk-white skin and pretty mouth she looked plain and he wondered what possible fascination she held for any man, let alone such a warrior as Lord Maul. Then he looked again, more closely this time, and found an air of strength and vitality. Her hair was thick and glossy, bound into a braid which trailed down her back, whereas Maul had no hair at all that he could see - was this an attraction for him he wondered? Her lashes were thick and lustrous, her mouth generous but not over-full, and her brown eyes sparkled with intelligence and life. Until he knew the strength of her power, perhaps he would allow himself to be charmed by her for the moment.

He saw that Maul was watching her intently, was focused solely upon her, had eyes only for her, as if his own presence was forgotten. This irked him, and he wondered about the importance of the woman to Maul, in what esteem did he hold her?

"You have the advantage of me, Sister Jedi…" Vader released her hand, and bowed, adopting a formal pose as if he were at another court in another time.

Her eyes widened in delight. "My name is Hanshara, brother, be welcome, please." And she turned to Maul who stepped from Vader's side to touch her cheek in a manner that seemed to be a ritual between them.

"My Lady…" Maul murmured, and with fierce eyes still fixed upon hers and a slight smile upon his lips, inclined his head a little. Her smile did not change but her hand reached up and wrapped tightly around his, and her eyes suddenly gleamed. The mirror of her mind shattered and for an instant, Vader felt a wild jolt of power flare between them; something so basic and primitive he could not describe it, only feel a recharging effect upon his body. As delicately attuned to the Force as he was, he felt the violence of it and shivered inside his armour, then felt another shiver go up his spine. He could not comprehend it, did not even try.

Normality quickly returned as the woman turned back to Vader. "If it pleases you, stay with us my Lord. We have an excellent chef, he is most talented with what little we have in these days of austerity. Sit with us at dinner in an hour or so. I have taken the liberty of preparing a suite and meal for you. Andre here will show you the way, and bring you back to us when you are ready."

Vader bowed. Her power was such that it suited him to be charmed by her for now.

Andre the page stared in awe at Vader for a short while, turned to the door, and set a brisk pace to accommodate the long strides of the Dark Lord. Once at the suite, he showed him the controls to the room which was furnished in dark stained wood and polished steel, giving it a bare military feel, which Vader grudgingly liked, and felt at ease with. The bed was large and appeared comfortable, suitable for his large frame. There was a place of darkness for meditation, and a meal sufficient for his needs set upon a well-laid side table. He realised the page had coughed politely to draw his attention.

"My Lady instructed me to show you this my Lord." And the page made the drapes to the large window draw back revealing yet another view of Coruscant, the sparkling lights which remained in the damaged city flickering and glowing many colours in the gathering dark. Vader waved away the page, and stood for a while to admire the view once more, and reminisce upon times that had gone, and the splendid court that Emperor Palpatine had led.

*****

Maul and Hanshara stood side by side at the long tall window, watching those same lights. Maul clasped his hands behind him, and glared at the cityscape, soul as still and deep as a well of blackest pitch. His anger seethed. The dark force gathered about him, and he clenched and unclenched his fist, as his jaw tightened with fury.

"Is co-operation between you possible?" she asked him after a while, hooking her arm through his, looking at the lights with him.

He turned his head to stare impassively at her for a little while, then turned back to the window. "It must. It requires both of us to save the galaxy from the depredations of the Vong and perpetual darkness. What is the use of a Sith Master with no Apprentice? What is the use of an Emperor with but blasted planets and derelict moons for company, and no-one to rule?"

They watched the lights in silence.

*****

Dinner was a simple affair. In the sitting room, two servants laid a table in front of the window, with crisp white linen and sparkling crystal. Gleaming silverware was set for three, and plain white china plates, thin and transparent. The lights were dimmed, and a single candle was placed at the centre, a squat, black, rough textured candle, part burned away, the wick black and used.

"Our Master is represented here, and our Order.." Maul gestured discreetly at the candle which lit, "In remembrance," he said, "of him." Vader saw Hanshara's barely disguised shudder of disgust and wondered at her thoughts on his own cruelty and evil, for in some respects, he had outdone his Master, Sidious.

Before he sat, Maul nodded briefly to the candle and what it represented, and Vader followed suit, for appearances sake, although he had been pleased at the death of Sidious. Hanshara, he saw, ignored the little ceremony of observance and just sat.

She smiled at him as she picked up her napkin and shook it. "Compromise and pragmatism are virtues are they not, Lord Vader?"

"Indeed Madame, as long as one does not compromise one's conscience,"

"Do you have a conscience my Lord?" She smiled at him, perhaps to take the edge off the question and the inference that she may have thought him amoral and brutal.

"I merely do what is necessary, to maintain control," Vader shrugged, "and that is not a matter for personal conscience, for the lives and survival of the citizens of the Empire rely on such control."

"You are right, of course, it is a pity that this control cannot be maintained in a more agreeable and civilised manner." She gestured to the single servant to commence serving the meal. "I am a virtuous woman in that respect, Lord Vader, but some compromises are not possible for me. Please understand."

"I understand well. You do not wish to be part of the defence of your mate's realm, is that it? Yet I put it to you, does that not mark you 'traitor'?"

Maul leaned into the back of his chair and watched this exchange with detached amusement. Vader wondered for a moment why he allowed her to display such impertinence, but Maul said nothing, and merely smiled at the spirited exchange of views.

"When I ply my sabre in the defence of this realm, my Lord Vader, you will not find me wanting, but there are many ways to ply a sabre." As she spoke she gave him a penetrating look and he sensed anew the river of power running within her. A power which was not of the Force but something deeper and totally alien to him, something ancient and female; something red and rich which under-laid both life and death, had its roots in the past and could reach into the future. It both fascinated and repelled him, for he could not understand it, still less understand how Maul could bear to touch the bearer of such a power, for if its origin was not the Force, it must therefore be unclean.

Vader re-appraised the woman as she sat, wondering how, for all her power, she had managed to come to such an accommodation with her situation and conscience that she, a Jedi, could sit and eat at the same table as two Sith Lords - and bed one of them, that 'one' being the Sith Master to boot! He marveled and assured himself that she was renegade; that she had turned her soul to the dark side, and that whatever strange power she possessed had corrupted her. For Maul's sake he hoped her corruption was a permanent thing, for he would not suffer a Jedi to live.

She now wore a long plain white unbelted tunic which bared her neck, throat, and collar bones, and the lights from the window glinted on a simple gem which lay against her skin, suspended on a fine cord. Vader idly wondered whether it was a love gift, and if so, how had Maul obtained it? As he stared, unthinkingly she touched it and rubbed it between her fingers. Vader watched it glow a little brighter, and was curious as to the nature of it, but held his tongue lest he be seen to pry.

As they ate and made polite conversation, Vader reflected upon the contrast between the simple dishes before them now and the sumptuous banquets of the past; the modest plain dress and single jewel of the woman beside him and the elegant revealing dresses of the mistresses and concubines of Palpatine's court; the warm silence here and the noisy throng and bustle there; the quiet discipline now, the constraining protocol then. He wondered if such times would return, for he had much enjoyed the great game of high politic and the pitching of power against ambition in those around him.

*****

Conversation was polite. Maul and the woman ate, Vader watched, and the talk was of inconsequential matters for a while. Vader casually mentioned her gem, 'A bond gift, my Lord Maul made it…' she said, pleased at his notice of it and touching it fleetingly, casually trailing her fingers over her fine white neck as she did so. Disconcerted by the sensuality evoked by her action, Vader gave a sceptical nod and Maul scowled a little.

Eventually the talk turned to serious matters; of the decline in trade, the food shortages, rationing, and the Yuuzhan Vong, their battle tactics. Until… 

"What of their customs, my Lady," asked Vader. "Are they an honourable race? How do they deal with their prisoners, and their dead?"

Hanshara looked at the window but saw nothing as she put down her fork.

"They collect their dead and burn them cleanly, but as for prisoners - they take slaves…" she murmured.

Conversation stopped, and there was an eerie silence. With great deliberation Maul sliced a small piece of nubuck from the slice on his plate, and delicately swirled it in the sauce. The chink of cutlery against china was suddenly very loud, and he studied the city lights intently as he raised the fork to his mouth.

Vader toyed with his own cutlery on the plate. "Slaves, my Lady?" Vader stared at the flickering candle as he spoke, his voice was hollow and distant with long remembered pain.

"They take slaves," continued Hanshara, "the best they sacrifice in cruel and unusual ways, while those deemed not worthy of such an 'honour' are implanted with something which grows inside them and gradually incapacitates them. Such unfortunates labour incessantly in their fields, in their ships, in misery and deprivation until their deaths. If they fall into the hands of the Shapers, they look forward to nothing but pain and agony for what remains of their short lives."

"Misery and deprivation are nothing new to the human condition, or the condition of any species, my Lady, and the economic purpose of slaves is to fulfill those menial functions that a civilisation or community prefers to ignore, yet cannot do without for the smooth functioning of itself. Slaves add wealth at no cost to the owner save minimal nourishment sufficient to sustain life, as we know." Unaware of his actions, Vader's hand clenched and unclenched upon the table as he spoke, remembering his own enslavement as a child. "Tell me of the sacrifices, tell me of the Shapers and what they do. And those things only, for slavery itself needs no description."

Hanshara looked at her plate, and sighed, ate the last of her nubuck in silence, and put her fork to one side.

"How shall I begin to tell you of the terror that has been endured?" she looked steadily at him. "I am no stranger to pain and suffering my Lord Vader, but the manner in which this race conduct their everyday lives is a horror, and a mystery to us all. They worship violent gods who glorify pain in all its aspects, visit its unpleasant benediction upon their daily lives, and they think to inflict their perverted beliefs upon us."

Maul interjected quietly. "As our Master taught us, 'there is no pain where strength lies'. Yet he did not worship pain for its own sake, he did not espouse it as a way of life. It is but a thing to be overcome, and all Sith teaching reinforces this. Such a fascination as pain holds for these Vong, it is debilitating and inimical to life. A perversion."

Vader frowned inside his mask. "Yet they seem strong enough. This is a religious war for them then? A jihad?"

"We think so." Hanshara whispered, "They send shiploads of our captured citizens into the sun, as sacrifice to these gods; they feed them living to the sentient war machines that govern their ships, those creatures called dovin basals; the less fortunate the Shapers vivisect in their never-ending game of genetic engineering." Hanshara looked at the table and paused a while, then looked up at him again. "We must keep these terrors from our people, Lord Vader. We must find the weak point in the Vong defences and bring them to heel, vanquish them utterly." Her voice was firm and she slapped the table with her hand to emphasise the point.

"You talk of attack? You preach war? How very unJedi-like!" Vader commented sarcastically. He stared intently at the woman, tried to find some trace of falsehood or artifice in her voice. He could find none for her mind was like a mirror still. He asked, but in a tone that was less harsh than before, "How do you know of their ways and their beliefs?"

"Many of our operatives died to gain this information, brave men and women from ransacked planets who sacrificed themselves to gain small snippets of knowledge which together make up the larger picture. One of our diplomats who tried to gain an early understanding of them was held in such high regard by War Master Kedai Rungen that he awarded the diplomat the highest honour of all."

"And that was?" said Vader.

"He garroted him slowly, by his own hand, and sent back his gilded bones, embellished with jewels and returned to us placed in a coffin made of scented wood. Rungen detailed upon the coffin what was needed to do this, and why he had done it. He said that the bones had been treated as though they were those of a greatly honoured ancestor, such was the respect he accorded him." She shivered as she remembered the strange and terrible fascination the bones had held as the coffin had been opened, the awful beauty of them.

"Gilded bones…" whispered Vader, in fascination. "and they have no technology for they abjure it, do they not?" He turned to Maul. "I think we can do business my Lord Maul. Let us plan to rid the galaxy of these pests."

Maul grinned and raised his glass of wine to Vader, then drained it. He stood, fingertips resting lightly on the table, greatly enjoying the moment as he looked down upon Vader for a short while. "Let me show you our Master's old library. I think there is much that would interest you. And we shall talk."

Brother Sith

Maul led the way to a door opening off the main sitting room. He opened it, switched on a light, and stepped to one side. "Master Sidious' old library." he said, gesturing for Vader to enter before him.

Books! Books everywhere. Books in chests! Books upon shelves! Books; in cupboards; in piles; in stacks. Books everywhere of all shapes, sizes, colours and materials. There were books made of thin plastic litho, real-paper, metal wafer, and even human skin - all in many tongues, many languages. There were datacubes and discs of unknown provenance and Sithly title, and boxes holding carefully wrapped objects of strange shape and form.

"So little remained after the razing of our libraries by the accursed Jedi, but Master Sidious collected and preserved what he could for future generations and encouraged in me the love of books and learning. No doubt your own experience was the same, both during your time with the Jedi and later, when you turned to the true path. Such a fine education we have gained you and I."

Maul felt Vader's quizzical look. as the Dark Lord turned briefly in his direction, then Vader picked up book after book and examined the titles in a cursory manner. "The Book Of The Planes Of Existence", "The Perils Inherent Upon Oracular Divination - A Study", "The Kharma Suithra"… The latter he opened and was amused to see small illustrations of congress in the manner of the Sith, and how during such pleasing diversion, pain may be inflicted to greatest effect. For a moment he wondered about Maul and his consort, but decided that the manner of Maul's amusement was of no concern to him.

He reached for another book, and thus missed the narrowing of Maul's eyes, and the hardening of his expression as Maul's hand slowly spread over the hilt of his sabre, only to reach for another book as Vader kept his own counsel and remained silent.

A box caught Vader's attention and he lifted it carefully off the shelf where it had been placed. Upon opening the lid, a chain was revealed, with a sigil pendant of unusual design. Maul stayed Vader's hand with the lightest of touches before the Sith Lord could pick up the chain, "Caution my Lord Vader, unlike many such ornaments you might know of, fasting and meditation is required to purify oneself before touching that thing, for it holds great power, and a sacrifice of blood is needed before that power can be used." Maul withdrew his hand and turned to the shelf, allowing Vader to replace the chain and cover it with the silk lining the box. "This may be of interest to you," and he passed him a book of ancient battle plans espoused by the original Lords of the Sith during their early conquests.

"And of course, this…" Maul snapped on another light and reached for an object wrapped in red teisseire silk of rare quality. "The jewel of Sidious' collection."

"A holocron!" exclaimed Vader, as Maul unwrapped an irregular octahedron made of a deep red crystal. The eight sides each had glittering depths which twisted the eye of the beholder into its fiery heart, where a rope of scarlet mist twisted and turned.

"A Sith holocron." emphasised Maul, "Many tens of thousands of standard years old, found on Ephysys IV in the Outer Rim. It has revealed little to me, but you may be the luckier. Try it." He passed the crystal to Vader, who reverently weighed it in one gauntleted hand, then the other.

"By whom was this created?" he asked.

"Nimith, once a Sith Lord, in the earliest days of the internal struggles of our Order. It may be enquired upon by doing this," he twisted the face of one of the sides, "and this," a gesture of power followed and a small figure appeared in front of them and bowed.

"It speaks a most ancient form of Basic, yet it may be understood with ease. It tells much of the early struggles of our Order, and how subtle energies may be harnessed, and where devices are hidden and buried. Alas, there is nothing about Vong, or of divining the future."

Vader spoke carefully and deliberately. "We must find the weak point in the armour of these Vong. We should capture some for study, and devise a weapon to bring them to their knees. Perhaps something genetically engineered…"

Maul showed his amusement. "A biological weapon? Turn the skills of the Shapers against their own people? Very fitting, but first we must catch some, and that task eludes us."

"There is a pattern. Before they strike they take a planet and mould it to their needs do they not? They shape it into producing supplies and food to their own requirements, provide a staging post for their operations and from whence to launch a strike. If we find where they may appear, wait for them to come to us, and ambush them."

Maul was silent for a while as he thought about Vader's proposal, then nodded as he slowly turned the pages of a book entitled "Darth Bane - A Study In Benevolent Tyranny", "Try the holocron." he replied.

Brothers In Arms.

Vader was no more successful with the Sith holocron than Maul. He fasted, then meditated for many hours in a shrine he built, woven from dark power and murmured incantations,  but the secret of divination was withheld from him. Many combinations of arcane and powerful words were tried, and gestures of power. The device was examined, studied, and ancient Sith mantras were intoned, words of power invoked, but to no avail. Eventually he conceded defeat, and must ask Maul - could they ask the aid of Hanshara in the matter, and would she try and divine the future on their behalf, for reading the future was a Jedi trick?

His brother Sith became sombre when Vader revealed this disturbing news. His face became impassive, and he nodded his reluctant agreement in silence. "Perhaps.  I will ask her tonight," said Maul, "tonight." And he turned and walked quickly away, deep in thought.

*****

Hanshara sat in a posture of meditation and Maul sat cross-legged behind her. As Hanshara prepared herself for her task, Vader became disturbed by what he saw and heard - the simple gestures she used and the mantras she murmured. "But this is in the manner of the Sith…" he protested in angry tones. "You have divulged our sacred writings... to her... to a Jedi?"

"Silence!" hissed Maul, as Hanshara continued with her preparations, "We do what we must, and if she is to see into the mists of the future, there must be silence. Say nothing more, or leave!" and he touched her shoulder fleetingly, reassuringly Vader thought.

Vader watched with his minds eye as the woman fell into the trance with a well-practised ease, closely followed by her mate. He felt them fall into the well of the Force, and reach into the future, Hanshara leading and Maul following. As Vader trailed closely behind, they flew into the mists of what was to come, and became submerged in the eddies and pools of uncertainty. Then Maul slowed, stopped, and took refuge on an island of temporal stasis as Hanshara went on, using not the Force, but that mysterious deeper power within her.

Then Vader found he also could pursue the woman no further, and waiting behind Maul, he studied the place in which he found himself. At first, he thought he was in the empty deeps of space, until on looking again, he found tiny threads drifting in the void, and beyond these, even tinier threads. There were pulses of energy as certainty increased and a probability became a fact. The void brightened, and he saw that it pulsed with life of a kind. Then the chaos started to resolve itself into a pattern, rushed towards him, and left behind it universes of infinite shape and variety as it spun around him.

Vader watched the spirit of the Jedi vanish into the intricate web, where the threads were finer and eons apart, and where a soul might become lost forever. Before she disappeared, he watched her slim hands touch ever finer threads and start to pull apart the warp and weft of space and time. He saw that Maul waited patiently, and he knew he was not a patient man. The patience had an edge of fear ruthlessly suppressed, but the small fear nibbled insistently at that thin veneer of patience, paving the way for uneasy despair, and Vader wondered at what the Jedi might be undertaking.

*****

Vader heard the words "Aleusis V," and "perhaps in 63 days…" and snapped out of his trance as Hanshara slumped backwards, exhausted, with a heavy sheen of sweat on her face and limbs. She shivered as if caught in a deadly cold or fever. Maul caught her against him, and cradled her in his arms as he sat back on his heels. Her breathing was barely perceptible, and her heartbeat had slowed to a handful of beats in a minute. Vader felt her spirit to be only tenuously connected to her living form, her physical body, and he realised, that save for Maul, the attraction of the Force would be overwhelming for her.

Vader watched as Maul held her there for some time, face impassive, rocking her gently and staring out of the window, oblivious to all else as he shared his vitality with her, willing her to come back to him. The only thing he appeared to do was stroke her cheek with a thumb, the red and black pattern startlingly vivid against the waxen pallidity of her face.

Vader paced the floor, watching, filled with disdain at Maul's weakness for the woman, and contempt for the feeling he held for her; feelings self-evident in the way he held and touched her. Such weakness!  How could a true Sith come to this? That such a man was a Sith Lord and now the Sith Master infuriated him. Vader stopped, and stood behind Maul, letting him hear the menacing hiss of his respirator as he towered over him, enjoying his greater height and the feeling of insignificance it engendered within lesser beings. Yet Maul did not move, or glance round.  He gave no indication at all that Vader was even present, as he waited for Hanshara to revive.

Hanshara's colour returned, albeit slowly, and her signs of vitality increased, then the atmosphere in the room suddenly lightened as Maul closed his eyes, tightened his hold on her and buried his face in her hair.  He took a deep breath and laid her carefully on the rug, and with a light and gentle touch he wiped the sweat away from her face with a corner of her tunic; Vader thought perhaps he kissed her and quickly caressed the side of her face as she curled into a foetal position, eyes still closed but her breathing regular, and her colour normal.

Maul then stood and glared back at Vader. "See, my brother? She has come back to me, and she has gone deeper than she has ever gone before. Wait upon my return." he said, his curt tones at odds with the manner in which he tenderly picked her up and carried her out of the room. He gestured at the door with a quick nod, to open it using the Force, for powerful as he was, his arms were fully burdened.

*****

Waiting, staring out of the window, Vader's thoughts turned to his youth again, and what he had so briefly enjoyed with Amidala. Of how such feelings had made him weak, of how thoughts of wanting her had distracted him from his path to enlightenment and weakened his craving for power.  Most of all, he remembered the subtle injunctions of his Master, Sidious; that the richest source of power was found in the deepest wells of rage and violence; that love led to gentleness, and that in itself was weakness. Lost in feelings of dismay and anger at Maul's situation, he did not hear Maul's return, until the Sith Master hissed at him from behind, "Your contempt is out of place, Lord Vader, and I will not have your pity either."

"Oh, there is no pity!" drawled Vader as he turned to face him "But contempt is warranted I think."

"How so?" Yellow-gold eyes blazed, one hand clenching and unclenching, as Maul reached for his lightsabre, with the other. He prowled around Vader, visibly assessing the space between them and circling in. He was lightly balanced, ready to strike if it came to that.

"Your manner towards her is most tender. Do you 'love' her?" Vader's tone was cutting and sarcastic as he turned back to the window again.

"You dare to censure me? She is accorded the honour and respect she is due as my consort, no more, no less!" raged Maul. His hand was on his sabre now, ready to strike at Vader and silence the calumnies of this 'brother'.

But Vader persisted.

"Do you 'love' her?"

"Love?" Maul sneered,. "That is a weakness and to be despised, for it can be used against one. What we have between us cannot be 'love' for it makes us stronger, both individually and together."

"Then I am reassured." Vader's voice became cool and conciliatory. Love had made him weak, not stronger, until he had renounced it in such a brutal manner.  Whatever fascination it was that this Sith and Jedi had for each other - for now he would tolerate it. Later perhaps, he would exploit it. Slipping his mental guard a little he let Maul find his feelings on the matter, and allowed him to be re-assured a little, and watched him relax a little. But only a little.

Maul turned and stared through the window, hand still on his sabre,

"For what would a Sith know of 'love'?" he demanded arrogantly of the world beyond that window.

*****

In the few days that followed, the two men quickly laid their plans. Vader enquired once after his 'sister', and Maul's reply was sharp. "She risked much for us, and now she rests." And the matter was closed.

Three days later, Hanshara appeared at Maul's side, and life went on with the added bustle of preparations for the ambush on Aleusis V. At first, Hanshara was pale and listless, but as the days went on, she recovered her sparkle and wit. She searched archives for surveys of Aleusis V, sent scouts to do more, and laid the preliminary plans.

The two Sith Lords selected from volunteers; Vader selected from his own loyal guards, and Maul from his own elite squadron. Small sleek ships were outfitted and camouflaged for the jungles of Aleusis, and Hanshara saw to it that they were supplied with the best equipment that could be found.

*****

The night before departure, Maul took Hanshara aboard the Infiltrator and into the reaches of space, where they would not be found for a while.

"This will be a hard battle," he said solemnly, as he held her face in his hands and looked at her, "but it will be the key to the war."

"I Know," she replied, as Maul pulled her to him, kissed her, then tugged at her tunic.

He frowned and pulled at the rest of her clothes with his slender red and black hands, picking at clips and buckles, removing her sabre smoothly and putting it carefully to one side - his fingers long accustomed to the arcane fastenings of her Jedi garments, "I will return, of course." His manner was cool and matter-of-fact, a thin veneer of calm over burning excitement and lust for war.

"Of course." She murmured, cupping his face in her hands and returning the kiss before she pulled at his clothes in return.

"We have no bed…" he frowned some more and dropped her belt to the floor. His claws had been sharpened for battle, and he was careful with her.

"That is no matter…" she assured him, knowing that he would sleep in the pilot's command chair during the flight, for every bit of space was taken up with much needed supplies, even his spartan quarters and narrow bunk. The hidden buttons of his tunic gave way to her eager knowing fingers.

"Hmm…" Maul grunted his approval that she had not softened during her time as his Empress.

"And I want you now…"  He was an impatient man, in these matters as in others, but she liked that. Both tunics fell to the floor.

"And here…" He was a passionate and ardent lover, and adventurous. He cared nothing about time or place if the mood took him and he wanted her - as long as they were alone and unobserved. He knew she liked that passion too. Boots and breeches quickly joined the pile of clothes on the floor.

"While I am gone, you will watch for me…" he said, and with an evil grin he held her close, clicked off the artificial gravity and kicked the floor, sending them into a slow spin around the control deck. She stretched her body along his, touching his soft skin wherever she could, as he wound his hands in her hair and held her with it.

They needed no bed.

*****

Later that day, from her own small ship, she watched the small band take off, and transition to hyperspace in perfect formation.

During the weeks that followed, when she meditated, seeing them as if through a dim glass, she saw them hide in their cloaked ships on one of the moons of Aleusis V, awaiting the arrival of the Vong; Maul in his Infiltrator, Vader in his black modified TIE fighter, and the twenty small cruisers of the fleet behind. During the long days and nights she waited.  Sometimes she could see, sometimes she could not. Sometimes, she dreamed.

She dreamed of the strange organic ships called coral skippers swooping down from space and being hidden in green jungles; she dreamed of the Vong, with their alien grey hue to the skin, covered with blue patterns and whorls as if they were a tattoo. Their faces were misshapen, and asymmetrical, bones painfully broken for love of their cruel gods, making a mockery of beauty and form. They built small shelters from the plants and trees around them, gathered samples, started to shape the local plants in strange and tortuous ways, until they were fit for a new and different purpose.

She shuddered in her sleep, and cried out, as the few alien warriors guarding the settlement from space were attacked and laser canon burned the crews, destroying them with their ships; she saw an ambush laid, the jungle settlement strafed with liquid fire, and Maul and Vader invade the small guarded settlement of Shapers; she screamed and woke sweating from a vision where Maul ran over the crisped bodies of his enemies, crunching the charred bones into the earth. He kicked aside a blackened rib-cage and leapt to catch the hand of a female about to cast a whip-like creature into his path. She held her breath as Maul struggled to bind the strange woman, sustaining deep gashes and cuts from the bony spurs on her hands, wrists, heels, and elbows. The battle was indeed hard, for the two Sith could not 'see' their enemies in the Force, and must rely on lightening reflexes and instinct, and their physical senses.

In her vision, Vader battled a male with a crown of snakes, subduing him with a mighty blow of his sabre, removing his arm, then his legs at the knees. She saw the horror on the face of the young Vong, as he struggled to comprehend what had been taken from him, and she caught the momentary look of anguish on the face of one of the females as she turned and saw what had befallen the shaper. Were they mated? she wondered. For all their devotion to pain, did they enjoy feelings of attraction and love?

While the battle raged and the Sith slowly gained the upper hand, she saw Maul's sabre strokes become more sure, and despite his exhaustion, she saw a new fire in his eyes, felt his flash of triumph, of foreknowledge of his opponents movements.  His movements became more graceful as his anger fed the dark force and he became more savage, cutting down his opponents with a new and deadly accuracy.

Brothers In Adversity.

Impatiently tugging at his gauntlets, the Emperor, just returned from battle, strode swiftly down the paneled corridor of the Imperial Palace, black pleated cloak fluttering behind him, his staff scurrying after him like a flock of bustling hens. At the door of his private suite he stopped, turned and pulled impatiently at the cloak of office, releasing the ancient and intricately decorated brooch with a sharpened claw. It was known that the Emperor always sharpened his claws before battle, and that his philosophy was such that no weapon should be disregarded.

He thrust forward a hand and took a succulent fruit from a basket offered by an Aide. "Quickly!" barked the Emperor at the gathered throng, and he bit into the fruit. He was impatient; he wanted other fruit, for the heat of battle was still upon him.

A weasel-faced human who had led the pack bowed low. "Sire, the Shapers, how shall we…"

The Emperor glared at him as he bit again into the fruit, sharp white fangs shearing the flesh with consummate ease. A little of the tart-sweet juice trailed down the corner of his mouth and he licked it away with a flick of his long black tongue.

The human stared back and shuddered inside as it crossed his mind that this creature would lie with a human, his Empress, and he wondered how she could bear to feel those teeth nip her flesh, to have that tongue in her mouth, to feel those violently coloured slender hands roaming her naked body, to have the long fingers with their black claws touching her intimately… 

Pulling himself back from his impromptu reverie and imaginary lust,  he met the burning eyes of his Liege, who was staring at him with a thinly veiled look of contempt, as he took another bite. "Put your mind to matters that concern you, Chief of Police. Find their secrets. That is what I pay you for, is it not?" The smooth tones were cutting and sarcastic.

The man wondered whether the Emperor could truly read minds, as was rumoured, hoped not, and hurriedly bowed low under the weight of the stare. "Of course Sire." he murmured, but the Sith Lord had already turned, dismissed him as unworthy of further attention, and opened the door to his suite.

*****

Maul shut the door behind him with a firm 'snick' of the lock. The one servant had gone, dismissed by Hanshara some time before. He strode through the ante-room, tossed the cloak to one side, kissed the ancient brooch, and placed the precious thing safe within his tunic. He found Hanshara kneeling in a posture of meditation upon the thick rug, awaiting his safe return, Her back was to the door and he could not see her face, but he felt her attention snap out of the trance to the 'real' world and him.

Needful and hungry as he was after his victory, he stood for a moment to study her, as she knelt motionless in the centre of the orange-red pattern of sunset and sunrise upon the black wool of the rug. The vivid colours formed a bright contrast to her white and black-clad figure, her pale skin and almost-black hair, as he looked at her, one hand clenched, the other flexing and stretching as if round the hilt of a sabre.

He knelt behind her, undid her braid and drew the hair through his fingers, spreading it about her shoulders. He lifted the hair to one side with a finger and kissed the back of her neck. He slid his arms around her, held her tight against him with a tense ferocity barely contained.

"I can feel them, Tai Shan," his deep velvety voice crooned in her ear, belying his fierce hold of her, his lips touching the lobe of her ear, his fangs biting a little.

"I can sense them when they die..." His sweet metallic breath drifted across her face as his arms tightened around her and he pulled her body closer to his. The memory of the hard and vicious battle was bright in his mind and he dwelt fondly upon it, relishing the memory of every shout of alarm, and scream of pain and fear heard in the lethal melee above the planet and afterwards, in its forests. His agile fingers pulled at her clothes, and her loose tunic was tugged over her shoulders. He gently slid a hand inside it to caress her bare skin while he mouthed her neck and shoulder.

She moved to turn and face him but he held her where she was, and started to rock against her, pushing his erect body against her back as his heartbeat quickened and his breathing deepened. His hands slipped everywhere, splayed out over her stomach as he stroked, then he forced his hands into her breeches and moved to her secret places.

"Shall I tell you how they die, Beloved?" the velvety voice continued, as he stroked, fingers slipping easily on her and into her, exciting her and momentarily pulling her mind away from his obsession with the darker things in the minds of men.

Hanshara closed her eyes and heard his words, but did not want to listen. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder, bared her throat to him, and reached back to grasp his tunic. Winding the heavy cloth around her hands she pulled him even closer as he pushed tight against her.

"Why do you tell me?" She whispered, dreading what was to come yet not judging him, never judging him, for that was how he was and she would not change him.

"I must tell you, Beloved, for I have found that they die like any other man, screaming for their god, or their mother, or their woman." He kept rocking against her, exciting her more, and his voice became even more beautiful, even more husky and seductive as he put his mouth close to her ear again. "They pray to their god Yun Yamka before they fly into battle, I have heard. Perhaps their hearts are full of glory and power for a while. I do not know, for they are invisible to me then." He stroked, rocked, and whispered lovingly to her of the darkness in men's souls, and disregarded her feelings of pity for all beings who suffered in the carnage of war.

"And suddenly they are mortal. They are hit, they burst into being like stars, and I can feel them then, as they find that their god has deserted them." One hand stroked, the other pulled nimbly at her belt which dropped to the floor along with her sabre. He shucked off his boots and undid the rest of his clothes.

Maul started to lose himself in the delights of her body and the remembered pain of his adversaries. He bent his head to her neck, closed his eyes and kissed the soft skin, "They do not feel pain as the laser strikes, not yet. But then they burn Beloved," he delicately licked the skin, and found the scent and taste of her wonderful. "Their skin blackens, cracks and splits as it cooks in the heat from our canon." He drew his lips along her shoulder, and moved his hands to her breasts, cupping them gently, then he stroked her flanks, and reached around her, ran his fingers lightly down the long bones of her thighs.

"Their bodies start to curl in the heat, roasting like fowl in the oven. Did you know that Beloved?" His voice was husky with excitement as he murmured these thoughts to her, and he pulled his hands up her body and cupped her breasts again, squeezed gently and felt the nipples peak under his thumbs. He half turned her around and reached for her mouth, kissed her violently and tore at her remaining clothes as she pulled at his, until he pushed her onto her back. "Only then do they feel pain, my Beloved, the pain being in their souls as well as in their bodies, as they find that their god has deserted them."

He pushed her knees apart with his, and positioned himself between them.  She put her hand onto him, felt him hard and hot, and he sighed, pressed his two hands over hers and rocked again, eyes closed. If she felt the shaking that suddenly took possession of him, she gave no sign.

"Their pain is not so much of the body, for there is little pain where they expect to find it. They discover their god is a nothing and they realise the pain of non-existence as they die. They see no heaven, no warrior's paradise."

He let control go and unleashed what violence was left in him, leaned forward, and pushed himself roughly into her, then started to thrust deeply and painfully hard, with her hands held tight above her head. "When their bones blacken and crumble into dust, my Beloved, their spirit does likewise. We must tell them." he came quickly, with a violent shudder, and collapsed on top of her, the heat of battle gone. She was left wanting, and turned her head away from him...

Coming to his senses, he looked down at her and silently wiped away the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, and kissed her eyes, for she would not open them and look at him. Then, still inside her, he hooked his foot around her knee and turned them both until she lay on top of him, and pulled his discarded tunic over them both. He held her tight in his arms until she slept, before allowing himself to sleep.

*****

While he slept, Maul dreamed.  In his dream, he stood sure-footed on a razor-sharp ridge that stretched before him, and behind him. He was in total silence, yet to the right of him lay darkness and chaos, as a whirlwind of destruction lay endless waste to lands and peoples; threw planets out of orbit, and angrily devoured suns. To his left lay tranquillity and sunlight, a quiet and unchanging Utopian vista where centuries passed with infinite slowness, and inertia lay heavily on the land; where creation was but a methodical replacement of what had gone before; and all was in harmony and balance, stagnant.

Ahead of him lay a vortex, a dark and roiling majesty inexorably consuming all within its path, including himself and his companion. Beyond the vortex lay ineffable beauty - of galaxies consumed within black holes, and spewed forth from quasars as great gushings-forth of rivers of light and energy, coalescing into brilliant suns and dark moons; swirling clouds of glowing gas; universes where life formed, celebrated itself, and died, joining and rejoining the essence of the Force as it was made and unmade, constantly changing.

Behind them lay nothing but a vacuum edged with writhing threads of chaos, which rushed upon them both, turning all it encountered into grey dust.

Maul immersed himself totally in the Force, and gave himself up to its desire and whim, feeling its ebb and flow start to guide his thoughts and actions. His companion did likewise.

// This was your mistake, my Master, to try and bend the Force unbalances it.  You must let the force bend you. //

He felt as if he was a fulcrum of unimaginable delicacy, and his companion a lever of such power that they could turn the universe about them, move it when and where they wished. Turning, he grabbed the hand of his woman, his eyes glittered and he gave her a feral grin.

"Come, it awaits us." And they raced along the razor edge, balanced in the Force.

*****

Maul woke instantly from the dream, the memory sharp within his mind, and he turned to the woman beside him. His lifelong mate, his Tai Shan, and "Beloved Above All Things" lay asleep facing him, one arm thrown over his waist, her long dark hair tousled on the pillow. He remembered carrying her to their bed, where she had turned away from him. Even so, he had held her, and in her sleep, she had turned back to him. He propped himself on an elbow and leaned over, reaching to pick up her hair, pulling it gently through his fingers. The glossy smoothness of it entranced him - it always did.

Leaning over her he kissed the side of her face, and pulled the covers a little away from her face so he could see her. "Come, we have a large wide bed and some hours to spare…" Maul whispered, as he slid his hand over her flank. Today, he wanted to feel her skin against his. Today he wanted nothing between them. Today he wanted the balance she would give him, for in his frenzy he had left her unsatisfied, and he would make his peace with her.

The covers slipped off, inch by tantalising inch as he tugged them. He threw one light bedcover completely away from them, so he could better see what they were doing in the dim light, and pulled at the last thin cover with a smile.

Hanshara stretched and yawned, and flexed her body as he tugged at the fabric, hindering then helping his uncovering of her, then hindering again. He growled at this and held her down while she laughed and struggled a little. He liked the game, and pulled at the cover more insistently until he realised that the fabric stretched taut over the lower half of her breasts gave rise to a most pleasing effect. As he bent to kiss them and graze his fangs over the thin fabric, she put her arms around his neck. "I am the most content of women, Beloved." she murmured.

Maul was alarmed, for he wanted her hungry for him. "Surely not yet, for we have not…" and he raised his head to look anxiously into her eyes, glittering gold captivating the dark brown.

"Perhaps not yet then, but nearly so." She said in a dreamy voice.

"Aah." Much relieved, Maul went back to kissing her breasts and moulding them with his hands, playing with the cloth and then her body, touching with clever fingers and nipping with sharp fangs, nips just short of breaking her skin.

He smoothed the cover over her, pulled it tight and released it, stroked her with his hand over then under the fabric. As she moaned with pleasure and stretched under his hands, he slid his fingers under the cloth, touched and fondled her intimate places yet as he kissed her, he found a reserve, a wariness he had not felt before.

"Is there a battle between us then, Tai Shan?" he rolled her on top of him and traced his fingers up and down her vertebrae, caressed the back of her neck and playfully ran his fingers through her hair again, rubbed his cheek against hers, kissed her ears...

"If you like." He could scarcely hear her as she buried her head in his shoulder, and as the universe suddenly tilted around him he became still, was silent.  He felt space unravel and a great void open beneath him.  All was in shadow and he was disoriented, standing on nothing.  The horror of loneliness and desolation loomed at the thought of a life without her, and anger flared because of it.  He reflexively clenched his fist in her hair and tightened his hold of her, sharp claws digging into her flesh.

"I do not like. And the rules of engagement?" There was a hard and bitter edge to his voice, which was out of place in his bed at this time. It jarred the silence and even the Force was stilled, as if waiting for her answer.

"Nothing. Anything. I don't know, there are no rules."  Her head was still buried in his shoulder and he felt her clutch at him as tightly as he held her.

Her blood seeped under his nails, as he struggled to keep a foothold in reality, and dipped into her mind.  He felt her want, her need, her desire. He felt her pain at his ill-use of her, and her apprehension at the thought he may do it again, keep his mind apart from her as he heedlessly took his pleasure upon her. The anger died away as suddenly as it had come and he breathed again - he synchronised each breath with hers, to re-assure her. His voice was soft and like velvet, as he murmured to her...

"There are always rules," he said, kissing and stroking her hair, "and sometimes in heat and passion they are broken, that is how things are. But now we are here and together. Live in the present Tai Shan, let us enjoy what we have between us."

***

The universe breathed again. He had acknowledged the hurt from the day before, that was all she wanted. The battle with the Vong had been long fought and hard won. He had returned wounded but whole, and he had expended the last of his hate and rage in her body, discharged the last of the frenzy which had plagued him since his return. She raised her head and stroked his lips with a finger. His expression was proud, unbending - she relented and accepted what he had done. "And what does the present offer?" she asked, shaking her head so the long hair fell around her like a veil, brushing his cheeks and mouth with tiny glossy fingers. She watched him close his eyes and blow it to one side before he told her.

"This."

And he held her head in his hands and pulled her mouth to his, slowly traced her lips with his tongue and delicately entered her mouth, inviting her to take him. With a little moan she put her hurt completely to one side, and forgot her reserve. She opened her mouth to receive him, and gave herself up to delight in his body, his presence, in everything about him, remembering that the wounds he had sustained were barely healed.

There was a voice in her mind, 'It is of no matter now, Beloved, there is no pain...', and she felt his fingers touch, and excite, and give her such delight as she had not felt before. There was a low rumbling growl from deep within him and she felt the vibration in her own chest as the Force shifted and moved around her and she started to move with it in synchrony as her senses heightened. Then Maul's mind prowled round her own, and as she looked into the burning gold and red fire of his eyes, he snatched her soul, which became incandescent with longing and desire for him.

Totally submersed in his being, she felt him respond to the movements in the Force, until it surrounded and guided them both, then he entered her body, and all was lost in a cyclone of sensation; the feel of his soft skin against hers, his gliding movement within her, his scent in her nostrils. Her heart beat with his, and she breathed with him, until the whole universe became just one sensation of pleasure and fulfillment beyond her wildest dreams.

***

Maul purred and held her in his arms as she drifted off to sleep. He had made her secure in the knowledge of his need for her. The end of the mantra played in his mind; '...where strength lies'. 'Indeed, that is a truth.' he thought, drifting off to sleep himself. He had made his peace with her.

*****

They breakfasted on the curved balcony, at a small wrought metal table laid with simple food of the finest quality, placed upon a crisp white cloth which glared brightly in the thin early morning sun. A crystal pitcher of tart green juice, a basket of small breads - crispy rolls glazed with salt, soft flaky, butter-filled crescents which crumbled at the lightest touch, and a coarse brown twist of bread made in the Iridonian manner. There was a flagon of hot spiced coffee, and another of Mauls favourite drink, chocoffee. They might be alone save for the hidden guards that stood to attention around the curve of the balcony, but seconds away.

While they ate, Maul worked, attending to the minor matters of state that demanded his immediate attention. Tapping the keys of a datapad with his left hand he ate with his right. He authorised plaudits and decorations for the pilots who had destroyed the nest of Yuuzhan Vong, but most especially for those who had captured the Shapers. Yes, that had been a hard battle indeed, for they had been guarded well, but now he had three of them in his custody, two females and a male - enough to breed from if it were necessary to do so.

He continued tapping the commands and authorisations, dipping a piece of the coarse bread into the bowl of chocoffee.  He brought the delicious morsel halfway to his mouth, suddenly stiffened, and quickly glanced over at his woman, as she sat cradling a cup of hot coffee in her lap, eyes closed and her face lifted to the sun.

// The watcher focused the long range binoculars upon the balcony across the city //

The Emperor slowly ate the piece of bread, and blindly reached for another roll. He pushed the datapad gently to one side, and cast his mind into the Force to find the source of the intrusion he felt.  He absently broke the bread apart, dipped one piece into the bowl of hot steaming liquid. His eyes glazed over and his breathing became lighter, regular, more even as he searched further, as only the Sith knew how.

// and the lenses were trained with great precision upon the Empress. //

Maul slowly ate the next piece, but tasted nothing, for he was immersed totally in the maelstrom that was the Dark Force. The maelstrom shifted and moved as he probed, then he let it guide his actions and give him direction. Finished with the bread, he let his hand rest on the edge of the table, and he sniffed slowly, then opened his mouth a little to draw the air of Coruscant over his tongue and palate, searching for the watcher. Eyes still glazed, he rose from the table and prowled trancelike to the edge of the balcony, many thousands of metres above the city. The balcony girdled a round tower, and to the left and the right stood Imperial Guards clad in iridescent black plasteel armour. He gripped the rail with both hands in mounting rage, his loose calf-length breeches flapping in the light breeze and the patterned skin of his naked torso gleaming in the morning light. He searched the cityscape, hunting.

The guard, thinking that the Emperor perceived a threat that he did not, slowly loosed the laser gun from his holster, and crouched, ready to aim and fire, but Maul impatiently gestured with his right hand, signifying him to be at ease'. The man relaxed a little, replaced the laser gun and stood at his station again, but more wary now, and watched the Emperor… 

// The watcher leaned forward, and stared keenly through the lenses //

With one hand still gripping the balcony, Maul abruptly turned back to the table and look with narrowed eyes upon his Empress, who now watched Maul, her eyes hooded and her hands still cradling the cooling cup of coffee.

Maul strode over to her, and out of sight of the guards, half-sat on the edge of the table, removed the lukewarm cup from her hands and leaned over and kissed her. He drew his tongue along her lips, tasted the coffee and then tasted her. One hand touched her cheek and the other pushed into her hair, and he deepened the kiss, taking his time.

// but the lenses clouded. The watcher frowned, cleaned them with a special cloth bought for the purpose, and looked again. //

They were out of direct sight of the guards, so he stood, pulling her up, and placed a finger on her lips to indicate silence.  She responded by laughing and biting him in play and following a pattern of black upon the red with a teasing hand. He gave her an evil grin and pushed her roughly against the wall of the tower, then he gave her quick kisses on her mouth and his tongue darted between her lips, again and again.

// The lenses clouded once more, and the watcher angrily cleaned them yet again. He has seen nothing as of yet…//

He kissed her more, but deeply and sweetly now. His sinewy bare feet with the long toes and black short-clipped claws slid a little on the dusty parapet as he pushed a knee between hers and pressed himself up against her. "You feel him?" he whispered in his husky velvet voice, as he kissed her throat and slid his fingers along the edge of her coarse spun robe, pushed it off her shoulder and delicately nipped the fine white skin with his fangs.

"Yes," she murmured, and he felt the pressure of his lean body against hers captivate her attention. He laughed and pushed her harder against the wall with his hips, holding her there. He spread his fingers again into her long and lustrous hair, kissed her mouth and deepened the kiss again, making her catch her breath with desire and re-awakened need. He knew that he might be naked for what she felt, the thin cotton of his single garment hid nothing from her.

Pushing back against him, she mewed, wanting him inside her, and slid her hands over his soft patterned skin, felt the hard muscle underneath and clutched at his back and shoulders.

// The watcher cursed volubly as the lenses defocused, and all became blurred. The instrument refocused, his hand stole to his crotch as the figure of the Empress, almost covered by that of her mate, came back into view. //

As Maul pulled at the robe, and moved his hand to her waist and hip, she moaned at the pleasure of his touch, forgot the watcher totally as her mind and body drowned in that of her lover.

// The voyeur bit his lip as he stroked himself, and peered intently at the scene unfolding before him. //

As she writhed against him, her slight form was barely visible beneath him; as he covered her; as he felt along the dark force for the presence that watched; stalked his quarry; discovered him, and warped the planes of the crystal lattice of the lenses. As his Empress raised her face to his and told him how much she wanted him...

// The crystal lenses shattered as the watcher spasmed in pleasure. The shards exploded into his eyes. Seed mingled with tears and he screamed with overwhelming pain, fell to his knees. The crystal shards were fine, like tiny knives, and they shredded his eyes into slivers and gobbets of jelly and slippery wet flesh as he clawed at them, screaming without end at the pain, and the darkness. Most especially the darkness. //

Maul was quite content with the justice he had dispensed. As he picked her up to carry her back into their suite, he smiled an evil smile, for such was his nature, and thus was he revenged, and he kissed her again.

*****

On hearing of the appalling injuries to the eyes of his Chief of Police, whom he had disliked and distrusted, but needed to use, Maul nodded wisely, and gave a little smile of satisfaction.  "Send for my Lord Vader!" he ordered to his Aides, "There are urgent matters to attend to, and his special skills are called for here."

*****

Vader loomed in the doorway of the brightly lit metal prison chamber, the sound of his respirator bounced off the walls. The light from a single spotlight penetrated all corners of the bare cell, was harsh and glaring, allowing nothing to hide, and deep shadows of the captives played upon the walls. The three prisoners straightened themselves, adopting a semblance of dignity before the coming storm of pain that would soon subsume them.

"I believe you know of the 'Jeedai', as you call them," said Vader. His voice echoed a little and he waited courteously for a reply. There was none, except that one of the Shapers cleared his throat, become quickly dry with fear.

"While their Order was extant, they had a saying," continued Vader. "'Do unto others as you would be done by'. You Vong practice vivisection I understand?" He looked at the three, each in turn, as horrified realisation dawned on them. "We shall explore the juxtaposition of these simple concepts, in some detail, for I am not 'Jeedai', you understand." And Vader signaled for his guard to take the first.

*****

Over time, using the captured Shapers, and two coral skippers taken from the ambushed settlement, the Dark Lord Vader discovered the secrets of the Yuuzhan Vong and their ships. Using the most highly skilled genetic engineers of the day, those who were veterans of the cloning project, he created a tiny mollusc with a voracious appetite for coral, and seeded it with a virus. Volunteers from captured worlds were infected with the same virus, and carrying eggs of the tiny creatures, were taken back to their world, and smuggled in. They allowed themselves to be caught by the Vong, and the eggs of the rapidly breeding molluscs were thus transported on board the coral skippers and the world ships where they bred and multiplied. In its turn, the virus was transmitted to the dovin basals which powered those ships; and the molluscs themselves created weaknesses in the hulls as they ate the coral. The Vong soon started to die as their weakened ships were holed by laser canon, or broke apart in the vacuum of space

The molluscs and the virus spread quickly. After some months, the Vong retreated in disarray to try and eliminate the two plagues from their ships, and in their absence, trade began to be restored, and life started to return to some semblance of normalcy. Although the threat had only receded, not disappeared, the citizens of the galaxy celebrated peace, of a sort.

My Brother.

The Senate Hall of Assembly was crowded, seething, full of chattering celebrating masses, joyful at their liberation from the threat of a life of pain and slavery under Yuuzhan Vong overlords. The crowds spilled over into the bunting decorated piazza in front of the Hall.

Maul stood in front of the golden throne of the Imperium, his guardsmen at the side of him in serried ranks of black- and red-clad motionless figures. At Maul's command, a discreet gesture, the great doors opened, and fanfare sounded. The Hall fell silent as Vader commenced his walk down the processional way, flanked by his own honour guard clad in the old Imperial Red uniform - that brigade who had accompanied him in his seclusion on Tertius, who had forged victory at Aleusis, and thus proven their loyalty to the Empire beyond all doubt.

Behind him were prisoners carried on a repulsor-lift carriage, immobilised by force-fields and held in ceremonial shackles lest they kill themselves and escape the punishment the Sith would vent upon them. They were guarded by those elite of Maul's squadrons who had accompanied their Master to Aleusis and captured the Shapers.

There was War Master Kedai Rungen, upon his knees, bent in a posture of subservience, shamed forever by his capture; the High Priest of Yun Yamka, eye-lids clamped open and forced to look upon one of his precious idols shattered beyond repair, and the Master Shaper, his hands and power removed, kneeling upon a dying dovin basal of his own creation.

As Vader and his trophy prisoners passed the assembly, there was total silence, thick with condemnation and heavy with hate. There was an occasional whisper, sometimes a low voiced comment, and once, a child wailed, frightened at the distorted features of the strange race from beyond the galaxy.

Behind these captives walked pilots and troops-men of all regiments, brigades, and squadrons who had defended Coruscant against the ravages of the Vong. They waved at the crowds, and suddenly, those crowds cheered, roared, became lost in hysteria and joy. Banners were waved, hats thrown into the air, women cried and grown men wiped away a tear of relief that the threat had gone for now.

Maul watched, hand upon the hilt of his lightsabre as was his habit, golden eyes intent upon the figure of Vader as he strode towards the throne. Vader did not halt at the foot of the dais. He continued purposefully up the steps and faced Maul in front of the throne, stood before him, thumbs hooked into his belt, and looked down at the Emperor.

Maul hated it.

Maul's eyes flashed with anger as his hand clenched reflexively around the hilt of his lightsabre, and he ground his teeth in barely suppressed rage.

Maul looked at Vader and Vader might have smiled under his mask. The two men made a small bow to each other, at precisely the same time, and Maul's hand moved away from his sabre.  He held it out his hand to Vader.

"Greetings brother. Come, share what we have." And the people rejoiced.

Brotherly Love

Some days later….

Maul was kissing his woman with a slow and burning passion. They were alone on the balcony outside the old Imperial suite and standing in front of the long tall window which looked over the Imperial City. His Imperial city. His and Vader's Imperial City.

One of the ever recurring black-outs had struck, and this area of the city was in darkness. The palace lights were dim and powered by emergency generators, transport was stilled, neon lights were dead, and for now, the stars were visible. A restoration of service had been promised by disembodied voices transmitted from military flyers, but light was not yet apparent. Until that time, they could see bright pinpoints of light set in velvet-black; a glory swathed across the night sky. Glorious it might be, but they both knew that out in space, the glories were greater, more beautiful, and more wondrous than this atmosphere-obscured panoply.

He broke the kiss and pulled away to look at the stars, took his hands out of her hair (for he had wrapped his hands tightly in it and had been holding her still with it) and slid his hands down her shoulders and arms to her hands. With a solemn demeanour, he held them and studied them for some seconds in silence, and bending his head to her in acknowledgement of what she had done for him, touched them to his forehead, then brought them to his lips and kissed them briefly. Then he wrapped his arms around her and looked over her shoulder at the stars again. Their bodies fit together like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle. She buried her head in the folds of his tunic, resting on his shoulder, and she felt warm and inviting to him. He became aroused and wanted her, thought of Vader and his promise to Sidious, that he would kill each and every Jedi, even to the last of them.

"I am decided, Tai Shan. This business of governance is not a fitting trade for a warrior." He felt her shake with stifled laughter and haughtily demanded, "What amuses you? Do you not think the cloak of office sits well upon me?"

"Indeed it does, but be truthful now," she replied, "you find it tedious and exquisitely boring."

He laughed at her but was relieved that she understood this part of him. He was a warrior in his prime, lean and powerful, few could even hope to oppose him and those who did were fools. His métier was fine swordplay with the most elegant and lethal weapon ever crafted, not the signing of documents and disbursement of favours. The thrill of the chase of a cunning enemy; the heat of battle hard fought and won; the mastery of a powerful opponent - his mind and body were fine tuned to the military arts, not the superintendence of bureaucracy.

"Quite so." He said, pulling back to look at her, his manner lofty and aloof, then he hooked his hands in her hair again and brought her face close to his and spoke urgently in between hot kisses. "There are still Vong out there, my Beloved, waiting for the cull. They must be hunted down, eliminated, or my Empire will never be safe." He hissed in displeasure at his absent foe, and brushed aside her distaste at his enthusiasm for the hunt, and his almost naked desire for bloody revenge, the bloodier the better. He gathered her tightly in his arms again and whispered in her ear. "My kingdom I leave to Lord Vader for the moment. I will entrust it to him, for he prefers to manipulate the machinery of state and the material world of the Empire, whereas I am ordained Master, and prefer the realm of the immeasurable and transcendental. The Vong are a material manifestation of that. Let us go and hunt them down, for they are opponents who are worthy of my attention and I would kill more of them."

Focused as he was on combat and war, he only vaguely noticed that her breathing was now synchronised with his, and suddenly the desire for her which had settled upon him, became most profound.  But still he looked at the stars although he pulled her tighter to him. His voice was soft and seductive, like velvet.

"Will you come with me or shall you go to your Master?"

"I will come with you, my Master has no need of me at present."

Her answer pleased him greatly, and he fixed his inner gaze on the Force, felt the shifting eddies of the future, and dipped his mind into the dark pools of probability. The Vong were there, their consciousness expressed as a nullity around which the finer threads of the Force became unbalanced and in turmoil. The signs of chaos were most evident to him now, and they could be read, anticipated, used. As a Chosen One, he would allow the Force to bend him to its own purpose, and that of the Sith, bringing balance to the Force and remaking the true pattern. The Universe itself would then come into balance as he and the woman directed the forces of destruction and creation, he as the fulcrum, she as the lever. This is what the Force desired, and they were both but the servants of that Force.

"That is well, Beloved." Her heart beat in rhythm with his now, and the desire which he felt was overwhelming. The need to bury himself in her body and become one with her could be resisted no longer - they must now achieve their own balance in their own manner. Sith and Jedi, destruction and creation, chaos and order - they were two sides of the same coin, dark and light.

He picked her up and nuzzled her neck, his golden eyes bright with lust, her pupils wide with desire.

"Come." He shifted, taking her weight onto one arm, and pulled at her tunic.  He slid a warm hand inside. "We have urgent matters to attend to, you and I, we shall sleep on my ship."

END

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