“Hyperdrive failure imminent,” the flat computer voice said, breaking through the noise and chaos of the Infiltrator cockpit. Darth Maul quickly pressed a few buttons on the main console while cursing to himself about the current situation. The ship responded immediately to his commands, and dropped out of hyperspace. The ion-engines engaged and Maul changed course once again.

A disturbance in the Force rolled over him like a wave - he actually felt as if he were drowning in its strength. Overwhelming power as he had never known, overwhelming lightness and darkness rolled through him, causing him to loose focus on what he was doing. Finally, looking at the readouts on the main console, he saw the reason Turning, he looked out the front transparisteel window, right into the face of a Force storm, the likes of which he had never seen before. One more powerful than he had ever even heard about.

Maul swore again in Zabrak, as he tried to change course away from the expanding clouds of gas and debris, but the storm advanced too quickly and soon overtook his ship, seemingly chasing him. Despite his best efforts, he soon felt the chaos and power of the light and dark sides battling one another in the space around him. He smirked, giving himself little chance to survive this in his current condition, but at least he wouldn’t die alone. He relaxed his body and began to center himself, calling the dark-side to him and awaiting his fate.

“C’mon, c’mon!” Karen exclaimed. Her old red Datsun was working hard to make the steep grade, as she and her best friend Sandy drove up the narrow two-lane highway. Already the cooler temperatures near the top of the Rim were noticeable; at least they would have a break from the heat of the Valley. They enjoyed the spectacular views as they wound their way up the rim, the scent of the Ponderosa pines coming through the vents, along with the awful smell of diesel from the truck in front of them.

They had gone in together to rent a cabin for the whole summer with their three good friends, Elissa, Kim and Debby. It wasn’t very expensive, as the owners were old friends of Elissa’s family and preferred to make some money rather than none off their cabins. Greer, where the cabin was located, was nice and cool compared to the Valley, sitting along the banks of the headwaters of the Little Colorado River, the cabin itself was located just over the hill from the stream and the main part of the small town.

Karen imagined Kim and Debby were already there in the cabin, beginning the preparations for the long weekend, if they weren’t already arguing. She steered the “Old Lady” up the winding highway, Led Zeppelin blaring in the background. Her thoughts strangely centered on her mother and the breakup with her boyfriend six months prior. Why she was thinking of these things, she didn’t know. She brushed her long blonde hair out of the way and glanced over at her younger friend Sandy, a she picked up the Big Gulp of Diet Coke and took a drink.

Sandy appeared also lost in thought. Her cupped hand holding her head up as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery, her brown hair blowing with the air from the vents. She looked at Karen and smiled. “Are we there yet?”

Karen laughed. Sandy’s tone was perfect, just like from “The Simpsons.” But she also saw that beneath her attempt at humor, Sandy’s face held a concerned expression on it. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Sandy shrugged her shoulders and shifted her weight in the seat, attempting to find a more comfortable position. “Just a strange feeling. I don’t, know, like … like something big is going to happen….” Her voice trailed off.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Sandy!” Karen exclaimed, trying to hide the fact she felt the same thing. It was nonsense, she told herself. Just one of those strange occurrences in life; something that would never be explained, and in fact would soon be forgotten. “Maybe Kim and Bob will finally break up?” Karen said, hoping it were true, but not believing it in the slightest.

“That would be good,” Sandy murmured in agreement.

Kim and Debby had finished preparing for the weekend; popcorn and chips were out, soda, beer and wine coolers were stocked in the fridge and the pizzas sat in the freezer, ready to go into the oven once the others arrived. Kim finished wiping the counter down and walked into the living room for a short break. For a cabin, she thought it rather large and luxurious. Hell, it was sure bigger than the house she shared with Karen and Elissa, even if the interior wasn’t quite as nice as home. She took a drink from her blackberry wine cooler, leaned back on the overstuffed brown sofa and reached for the TV remote.

A loud rumbling began in the distance. It didn’t sound quite like thunder, she thought, though it was mid-afternoon when the summer monsoon rains normally came. The sun was shining brightly however. Very strange. Now the sound was constant and getting louder and closer. Oh well, probably just a low flying jet or something. Kim clicked the TV on and started watching the news, finding it depressing, so she began flipping channels. A few minutes later, she heard another low rumbling sound. This one didn’t sound as smooth as the first one, almost like a car that wasn’t running right, but much, much louder. The TV screen went fuzzy for a moment.

Debby heard it too and quickly walked through the living room, muttering something under her breath, Kim got up and followed her closely as she headed out the back door. Neither one of them saw anything and the sound soon dissipated over the small ridge behind the cabin. They both waited nervously for a few moments but nothing happened and the birds began chirping and singing again. Looking at each other, they shrugged their shoulders, neither having any idea what had just happened.

“What do you think it was? Kim asked, her voice sounding a bit apprehensive.

“I don’t know,” Debby replied, shaking her head. “Sounded almost like jet engines or … something.” She paused and looked over her shoulder again, a strange concerned look crossed her face, but she said nothing.

Kim felt a strong, yet brief feeling of foreboding. She knew with all her heart and being something was going to happen - then - it was gone. She shook her head in confusion and looked at Debby again, sure that Debby had felt the same thing.

“I’m sure it was nothing. Lets go back inside,” offered Debby.

Kim nodded and they returned to the living room. Kim having double checked that the doors were locked behind them. There was still work to do before the others came.

“Are you sure about this Master?”

Qui-Gon sighed softly then simply ignored the younger Padawan’s question, lifting his hand to knock on the door in front of them. He had made a cursory probe into the small wooden building as they approached, and found two people inhabited it. But, the Force storm had caused him a loss in his perception, more loss than he cared to admit to his Apprentice, who was already worrying too much about the situation. He had been unable to determine much beyond the presence of two people, not their ages or even genders, let alone their general mindset or beliefs. The Force felt strangely clouded and it made him uneasy.

A few moments later, the mumbled arguments of two women could barely be heard behind the thick wooden door, yet Qui-Gon knew they were disagreeing on whether to open the door or not to the strangers. As it opened, he saw them staring out at them, a rather concerned look on both of their faces.

“I am sorry to bother you ladies. We don’t mean to frighten you,” Qui-Gon assured them with a smile. “I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is … um … Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He stepped to the side so they could see him and noted that the emotions of the two women quickly changed from apprehension, bordering on fear to surprise and then changed again to one of amusement. He glanced at Obi-Wan who looked at him in astonishment, this was the last reaction they had expected. Qui-Gon cleared his throat. “May we come in?”

“Of course,” the dark-haired one replied with a bright smile and twinkle in her eyes. She stepped back to let them in, accidentally pushing the blonde back in her enthusiasm. She indicated they should come inside and pointed to a living area, indicating where they could take a seat. “I’m Debby and this is Kim,” she said, introducing themselves, then excusing herself to get them something to drink, excitedly motioning Kim to follow her.

Qui-Gon sat on the large and comfortable sofa provided for them, then glanced around the large and comfortable room, very simply decorated in browns and blues. No, perhaps simple wasn’t the proper word. Primitive is what came to mind.

“Master?” Obi-Wan asked hesitantly.

“The Force will guide us young Padawan,” Qui-Gon said softly, so they would not be overheard. At least they spoke Basic here, he mused, wondering how that had happened on such a remote system as this one. He looked up, sensing the approach of the two women, and watched the dark haired one, Debby, carry in the glasses for them, Kim, carrying a bottle of water as well as her own drink.

Qui-Gon smiled again. He was able to sense more from them now than before. Perhaps because they were more relaxed. He sensed their strange amusement at the whole situation now, yet he also sensing that they were good and decent people, the kind to help them. “I know you are wondering why we are here,” he started, watching Debby and Kim nod their heads. “We are hoping you could be of assistance. We’re trying to locate a fugitive. A very dangerous … person.”

With disbelief he watched Debby fight hard to keep from laughing, though she wasn’t able to contain her smile. “Let me guess - Darth Maul?”

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged quick and worried glances. “How could you know this?” asked Obi-Wan, his brow deeply furrowed.

Qui-Gon was also very concerned, he hadn’t sensed that they were exceptionally strong in the Force. How could they know of the Sith? He reached out again with the Force, but didn’t sense anything unusual, let alone the dark and evil presence of the Sith. But, he reminded himself, his Force powers were very weakened here for some reason. He couldn’t rely on them for too much.

“Well of course! Who else would you be looking for?” Debby laughed and looked at Kim who also started to laugh. “Elissa will get such a kick out of this!” They looked at each other again and laughed.

“Yeah, her and her Star Wars obsession!” Kim joked. “I hope you won’t leave before our friends get here!” she added, looking at Debby again, both of them laughing even harder. “Can I see your lightsaber?” she asked Obi-Wan before breaking out into hysterics.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan sat there and patiently waited for them to calm down, not understanding what was so funny about any of this. They were being sincere, yet these women believed it all to be some sort of ruse. When the laughing had finally quieted to a giggle, Qui-Gon gently continued. “I sense that you know us, or at least recognize us?” he asked calmly, hoping to get a serious answer from them.

“You can stop with the role-playing now,” joked Debby.

“Role-playing?” asked Obi-Wan.

“The Phantom Menace roles,” giggled Kim. She pointed at each of them, “Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Learner Obi-Wan Kenobi!” She smiled, “You guys sure do look like them too!”

The two men looked at one another astounded. This was impossible. How could these women know exactly who they were? “And Darth Maul?” asked Obi-Wan, wondering if they knew of the Sith as well.

“Is he really here too? Cool! Darth Maul, Dark Lord of the Sith! Ooooohhh!” Debby could hardly contain her glee.

Darth Maul was indeed there. He had managed to find a small pasture in which to land his ship. The Infiltrator had been heavily damaged, but the Jedi’s ship had been in even worse shape from what his readouts told him. That was of little solace though. He would have to make repairs before trying to return to Coruscant or even his Sith Citadel on Tanus VII. He would need time and patience, neither of which he had in abundance. Time would depend upon the Jedi themselves. Patience, well, that was always a problem he faced, one his Master reminded him of constantly. But, what troubled him, besides his festering wound, was that the technological development on this backwater of a planet didn’t look promising. His preliminary scans had been rather disappointing, but given the condition of his ship, he needed to confirm these findings before jumping to conclusions. However, he was sure that if he needed to replace anything critical, he was in trouble.

He shut all the engines down, did a quick scan for the Jedi ship and discovered that it too had landed nearby, though the exact location was indefinite. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt and began the task of assessing his beloved ship for damage, a task that would require time and patience.

Elissa hadn’t been able to leave town until late that afternoon, as an extra project had been dumped on her desk soon after lunch. Then it was a long four-hour drive up to the High Country, especially with the weekend traffic, though she stopped to grab a bite to eat in Show Low, before continuing.

Arriving well after dark in the small, sleepy community of Greer, population 358, she pulled her Jeep up to the cabin, noticing the cars of her friends already parked. She smiled, happy to have some time off away from work and a chance to see some beautiful and quiet scenery. As she hopped out the driver’s seat, a sudden chill went down her spine and she felt like she was being watched. Turning quickly around, she didn’t see anything or anybody in the darkness. Pulling her purse and computer bag out, she shut the door and started walking for the front door of the main cabin, shrugging off that nagging feeling. She had been working too hard and it had been a long drive.

A dry twig suddenly snapped in the shadows of the trees at the far end of the driveway. She turned again, barely seeing the outline of a dark form in the pale moonlight; a human form, standing close to one of the larger trees. Someone was watching her. Another shiver went down her spine as she saw what looked like golden glowing eyes and she dropped her bags.

“You will assist me,” a deep and velvety smooth voice said in her mind, one that seemed somehow familiar. She swore she felt a hand around her throat, but as her hand instinctively reached for her throat, she noted that nothing was there.

Elissa suddenly felt in a trance almost, unable to really move or think clearly. The phantom hand around her throat tightened its grip slightly, enough to be uncomfortable though not painful. Her mind and heart were racing with this strange and frightening experience. She continued looking in the direction that she had seen those strange eyes and noted that whoever it was, he was coming closer. Then the sensation of the hand was gone as suddenly as it had begun and she heard a groan before seeing the man collapse to the ground.

She decided it was time to run to the cabin - dashing quickly up the path and the stairs, she burst through the door, barely noticing the two strangers sitting in chairs talking with her friends. She did notice that they all looked up at her in surprise.

“There’s someone out there!” Elissa cried before she even thought about it. Then she realized that somehow the strangers looked familiar but brushed it off in the excitement of the moment. They were there, appeared friendly, that was all that mattered.

“Where?” asked the older one, as the two of them jumped up almost instantaneously, his hand holding a metallic cylindrical device attached to his belt.

Elissa quickly led them out of the cabin and down the pathway and pointed to where the barely visible form of a crumpled person lay.

“Looks like our elusive Sith!” said Obi-Wan as he and Qui-Gon put their sabers away and bent over him, sure the Sith would not fight in this condition.

Karen rushed forward, the only one to remember to bring a flashlight from the cabin. She shined it down on the dark form lying in the gravel. All of the girls let out a gasp, almost in unison as they recognized who it was.

Qui-Gon quickly looked him over, and felt the blood seeping from his tunic, from the large wound still around his stomach. He unclipped the lightsaber from the Sith’s belt, handed it to Karen and motioned for Obi-Wan to help him. “We have to get him inside, get these wounds tended to.” He looked at his astonished apprentice, staring back at him. “Yes, we must Obi-Wan. Our Code demands it, as should your conscience.” He looked up again at the younger man when he failed to help. “Would you destroy him now? Like this?”

Obi-Wan looked ashamed, turning his head down. “No, Master.” The two Jedi picked up the Sith and carried him carefully to the cabin.

The Jedi quickly carried the Sith Lord inside the cabin and Karen showed them a bed to lay him down on as they began the task of trying to help him. After cleaning him up, dressing his wounds and putting him to bed, Qui-Gon performed a Force-healing on the Sith, though he had explained its effects would be slight given the limited Force presence he felt.

Shortly afterwards Maul regained consciousness, at least long enough for them to get some hot sweet tea, especially prepared by Qui-Gon, down him.

As the Jedi and one of these women worked on him, tending to his wounds, Maul grumbled and complained, astounded at finding himself as weak as he was. He could offer no real resistance. He briefly considered if he had died and gone to Sith Hell for failure, being stuck at the mercy of others, especially at the mercy of the Jedi. His stomach turned again. This was the worst torture he could ever imagine. Being weak and in need of others.

He groaned slightly. His Master would not be pleased and in fact would probably reject him for allowing this to happen, for failing once again to do as he had been directed. First he had failed to get the Queen on Tatooine, then he failed in killing the Jedi on Naboo. Though he was convinced the Jedi Master should have died. Now, here he was lying helpless on a bed on some backwater world with some locals and the Jedi tending to his wounds. Maul never felt worse in his life and it was not just from the physical pain and discomfort he felt.

He turned slightly, shifting his weight in the bed so he could look at the elder Jedi. “As a warrior, I ask you to end this for me.” He looked the Jedi in the eyes. “I have failed my Master. I deserve my fate. I deserve death.” He stated it as clearly as he could, amid the chaos of their working on him.

Qui-Gon stood back for a second, a soft and serene smile on his lips. “No one has failed yet, my young Sith. And we will not take your life in such a dishonorable manner.”

Maul noted the strange look on the Padawan’s face, a feeling that he disagreed with the Master on this issue. He glanced at the woman, sensing her strange concern for him, even amongst the fog of the Force he felt. She also somehow knew the Jedi … knew him, personally. Yet, this planet wasn’t even on the star charts. He shook his head slightly, wishing to ask about this, but felt the healing tea start to work as well as a sudden urge to sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the slight hand movement of the Jedi Master, who had managed to influence him somehow. A fog of darkness came over him as he welcomed the opportunity to truly rest.

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