Rugen believed every word of it. Laychel was sure he did.

"Where is the apprentice now?" Rugen had asked her.

"Back at his ship a few kilometers from the city," she said, and began to wail again. Rugen tried his best to comfort her, though he obviously was not used to that sort of activity. She threw her arms around him and begged him not to turn her over to the apprentice. Rugen had reassured her that she was in no more danger and that he would take care of her. Then he went to find her food and a room of her own.

She only hoped he wouldn’t try to confirm any of her stories with Maul.

Maul. She had finally done it. She kissed him. He kissed her back, harder than she thought he might. She chewed on her lower lip in memory, silently wishing Rugen had waited just a few minutes longer before interrupting them.

Now what do I do? She wondered.

She was out of the cell, but Maul was still there, anchored to the wall. How was she going to get him out?

Rugen came back with food and drink for her. It was much better than she had consumed since leaving Coruscant, and complemented Rugen on his generosity. At least that part of her story was true! The ration bars she had grown accustomed to did not compare to the fresh vegetables and bread brought before her. She thanked him profusely and hugged him again.

Rugen was obviously pleased with her attention and Laychel realized there was at least one route she could take in order to free her Master.

Evening began to approach. Rugen invited Laychel to join him for dinner and drink. Laychel drank as little of the wine as she could and watched Rugen closely throughout the meal. He talked about her necklace, tracing his finger over it again and again.

"It holds tremendous power for anyone who can use it," he told her. "If a Sith or Jedi Master possesses the wearer he would hold the galaxy firmly in grip, that is for sure. I am dedicated to making sure neither side get it."

"But why?" Laychel asked. "Surely if we give it to the Jedi they could destroy the Sith. There are only two of them - I know this."

"The Jedi are no different," Rugen dismissed. "Their methods may differ, but the goal is the same. If you don’t possess their ‘gifts’ you are nothing. It is time for the rest of us - the masses - to rise up and get rid of both ruling orders."

He’s insane, Laychel thought, but smiled and nodded her agreement with him.

"Rugen," she bowed her head down in the most submissive stance she could, "can you get this thing off of me?" She tried to make her lips tremble a bit, but wasn’t sure how successful she was.

"Not yet," he admitted. "But I will find out. That Sith knows how to remove it, but do you think he will tell us?" Laychel shook her head vigorously. "I figured he would not. We should probably kill him now before he finds a way to escape."

"Can I ask you something else?" Laychel glanced up at him.

"Of course - anything."

"How is it that he cannot free himself?" Laychel tried not to make herself sound so obvious, but wasn’t sure how. "I mean…I have seen him break bonds much stronger than those that hold him now."

Rugen laughed.

"The Sith, like the Jedi, are completely helpless without their Force-powers. I have discovered the key to removing that energy from them, and I intend to use it against them to wipe out both sides."

"How can you do this?" she asked, silently wondering if Maul was so helpless why so many of their captors died while capturing him.

Rugen’s hand indicated one of the odd decorative pieces she saw in the cell before. The small globes on their pedestals.

"I guess you would call them anti-Force devices," Rugen said. "They draw the Force into themselves completely, like a black hole pulls in light and any matter than comes close enough to it, the anti-Force globes pull in the energy he would use to break his chains. Another feature is that the globes kind of…hide themselves from the Force sensitive. They take no notice of them, so they do not think to be wary of them."

Laychel smiled.

"That’s wonderful!" she exclaimed. "A perfect device, and they will never know it’s there until it is too late!" Laychel laughed. "You are brilliant!"

Rugen blushed a little, Laychel thought maybe from the wine he was drinking.

"And can it also take this thing off of me?" she asked. "If this is Force-powered, maybe the globes would get it off!"

"That was my hope," Rugen said. "However, I tried while you were still unconscious." He held up his hand and showed Laychel the burn mark there. "Didn’t work," he shrugged.

Laychel suddenly began to cry.

"What am I going to do?" she asked Rugen. "They will all be after me as long as I have it, and I can’t take it off!" Laychel suddenly realized that this outburst of emotion was not completely false. Rugen tried to comfort her.

"Well, at least the Sith will no longer be a worry to you," he said. "With both Master and apprentice on the planet we will dispose of the entire order."

"But the Jedi…?"

"Don’t know you have it," Rugen smiled. "And won’t, if I have anything to say about it."

"My Master knows how to get it off," Laychel said quietly.

"That Zabrak abomination is no longer your Master," Rugen said. Laychel was confused for a moment.

"Zabrak?"

"Yes - from Iridonia, I think, they’re a nearly dead species - I had never seen one before him."

"I never knew what he was," Laychel said softly. Maul had never revealed anything of himself, certainly not any life before the Sith. Laychel honestly hadn’t really thought of him as anything but Sith, like the order was it’s own ancestry.

Rugen stood up and called for his two main bodyguards.

"Time to rid ourselves of the Dark Lord, I think."

"Rugen," Laychel tried to keep her voice calm. "He may be the only one who can get this thing off of me. There must be some way to get him to talk. As you said, he has no powers, and as long as that indestructible little globe is near him…"

"Oh, it’s not indestructible," Rugen said. Laychel couldn’t believe he fell for such a lame trick. "Even water diminishes its abilities for a while."

"Can’t we try to get the information from him then? I want this thing off of me!"

"What would you suggest? Torture a Sith? I can’t think of any pain that he would succumb to."

"I know something he might succumb to," Laychel began. "But the thought of doing it…again…" She decided to let Rugen’s imagination fill in the gaps. She looked up at him and bit her lip. His eyes held such concern for her she found it hard to keep from laughing.

"I can’t ask you to do anything like that," he told her, shaking his head.

"And I can’t stand the thought of being a prisoner to a Force-necklace for the rest of my life!" She turned away from him and sobbed loudly. "Just kill me now - you will have the necklace and I will be free."

"Actually, it doesn’t work that way," it was Rugen’s turn to avoid her eyes. "If I thought I could get it by killing you we would have killed you in the street," he admitted, then turned to her quickly. "You must realize I didn’t know you - didn’t know how you ended up with him…"

"It’s all right, I understand."

"I’m sorry, Laychel," Rugen moved in close to her and took her in his embrace, holding her close to him. Laychel responded when he pushed his lips against hers, but broke away after only a few seconds.

"I…I can’t get him out of my head," Laychel whispered, holding her hand over her mouth. "May I have a drink, please? Just some water…"

Rugen got her a glass and she drank it quickly. He offered her a refill, which she accepted graciously.

"I do want this thing off of me," she said, trying to sound resolved to her decision. "I am willing to go through…anything at this point to get rid of it."

"Maybe you can…"

"What?"

"Well…trick him into telling you," Rugen suggested. "You could pretend to be on his side and get the information we need from him." Laychel felt panic well up and she turned quickly to Rugen, sure she was found out and he must have been toying with her the whole time. His stance had not changed, he was not faking this. Laychel shook her head in wonderment.

"I think you could do it," he said. "I think he would tell you," Rugen smiled boyishly. "I know I would."

Laychel almost felt bad for him, but forced the thought from her mind. He was really very sweet, and treating her in a way that she was not accustomed to. Deceiving him was far too easy, and she was feeling guilty.

"I am willing to try anything."

Rugen explained his plan to her. She would go into his cell alone, presumably she had escaped Rugen’s men and now wanted to free him, but would not know how to get the bonds off. Maybe if he would remove the necklace and wear it himself, he could get enough Force power from it to break the chains. Laychel thought it was fairly ineffective, but no more so than her plan to trick Rugen into helping her and her Master. She agreed to do it, asking for another glass of water.

"I think the air here is making me dehydrated," she smiled as she downed another glass, then another.

Rugen tried to comfort and coach her as the went to the cell, assuring her that they would be close outside the door, and she only need scream and they would be right there to protect her from the monster in chains. Laychel was just glad she did not have to try to hide her nervousness. She had no idea if her own plan would work or not. Time to find out.

"This is the key to the cell," Rugen said, handing her a small ring of keys. "These other keys are similar to the ones for the shackles, but they are not the right ones. It might be a good diversion, and you can say you got them from one of the guards."

Laychel agreed and took a deep breath. Rugen wished her luck and she opened the door, slipping quickly inside and shutting it again.

Maul was in the same position he was when she left him, hanging on the wall with his eyes blazing down at her. She smiled broadly at him and put a finger over her lips.

"You have the keys?" he said.

"Shhh…" she came up close to him, and couldn’t help herself. She took his mouth in hers again, but he pulled away from her.

"I will gladly fuck you once we get back to the Infiltrator," he snarled. "Now if you have a plan, get on with it!"

Laychel stifled a laugh, then leaned over close to his ear. "I just might hold you to that promise, Lord Maul. Now close your eyes."

"There is no time…"

"Close them! I can’t do this if you’re watching me!"

Maul looked at her in confusion, but then cautiously complied.

Laychel checked for sounds at the door, then hiked up her dress and climbed on to the little table and straddled over the globe. Her bladder was about to burst.

"What the hell…?"

"Close your eyes!" Maul looked up at the ceiling and Laychel relieved her aching bladder over top of the anti-Force globe. "I just hope this works," she mumbled.

"You idiotic, stupid slave!" Maul began to yell at her. "If I could but tear these chains from the wall I’d wrap them around your neck…"

Lord Maul’s body flung forward, the concentration of Force power locked up inside of him for over a day suddenly bursting through. He crashed into Laychel, flattening her against the wall and breaking the table below her. He stared down at her body underneath his and saw her hopeful smile.

Maul grabbed her by the shoulders and licked her from her chin up to the tip of her nose. Laychel felt her heart try to rip its way out of her ribcage. He jumped up and tore the cuffs from his wrists, thighs and ankles.

"If it starts to dry out," Laychel told him, "it might start working again."

"That?" Maul pointed at the dripping globe. "It takes the Force from me?"

Laychel nodded. Maul placed a gloved hand over the door.

"They are outside," he said.

"Yes, waiting for me to call out if I need help."

"Call them," Maul ordered.

"But Lord Maul, we may be able to…"

"Call them!"

Laychel hesitated. She knew the look he had in his fiery eyes. Whoever walked into the room would die. She thought about Rugen and his gentle words to her. Yes, she had been deceitful, but only to get herself and her Master free of this place. She did not want him to die because of her efforts.

Maul stared into her. He was not looking into her eyes, but into her soul - she could feel his energy coursing through her mind. He reached her in one step, grabbed her roughly by the front of her dress and pulled her close.

"You will suffer for your disobedience!" With a wave of his hand the door flew off of it’s hinges and smashed into the wall on the other side. Rugen and his men were in the room in seconds, Rugen screaming her name. He jumped at Maul, who still held Laychel in his fist. The Sith’s foot flew out behind him and landed square in Rugen’s chest, sending him flying. The other two guards fired blasters which never found their mark.

The next few minutes went by so quickly Laychel could hardly take a breath. When Maul finished with the men in the cell, he dragged her down the corridor, killing several other guards who reacted to the alarm. They were ill prepared, and each one met a fate as bad as the last. By the time he had hauled her to Rugen’s room where she had eaten dinner - her last water glass still on the table - and located his lightsaber and cloak, she didn't think any of their original captors could have been left alive. When they finally made it out to the street Maul pulled her to the side of the building and held her up against the wall as he paused for a moment to get his bearings and make his plan.

"Master," she gasped, "I can hardly…breathe…"

He glared up at her and then let her drop. Laychel coughed and tried to fight off the remnants of his choking grip. Her eyes burned with tears. Rugen - he had literally torn Rugen’s head from his shoulders. Blood covered the floor of the small cell in seconds. Her dress was splattered with it.

Darth Maul seemed to have come to some sort of decision, pulled her up to her feet without a word and continued to manhandle her down the darkened corridor. They could see the city gates once they reached the end of the long building, but Maul did not head in that direction. Even Laychel could sense the danger there. Instead, he dragged her back the other direction to the high city wall.

"Master, please…" she silenced as the Force grip on her throat demanded her to. Laychel didn’t think she had ever seen him so furious, and she had never felt so frightened of him.

Maul looked up at the top of the wall, then back at Laychel. It had been precisely fourteen minutes and eleven seconds since she had defied him in the cell. His fury had not waned, but grown. He had come very, very close to decapitating her along with her new found friend, but gathered his senses long enough to see her death would result in the loss of the artifact he must return to his Master. Ever since they had arrived on the planet she had been nothing but a nuisance. Granted, she had located the artifact, but he would have found it eventually without her. In the meantime he had to rescue her from a would-be rapist/murderer, buy her clothes and put up with her childish flirtations.

Now she posed another problem - alone he could easily jump the city wall. He didn’t know if he could make it holding on to her.

Throw her up, he thought, but knew she could be killed in the fall. Part of him smirked at the mental image. He looked down at her, cowering at his feet like some wounded puppy. He hated weakness. He could hardly believe he had actually been considering bedding this pathetic creature.

He was left with little choice - he had to try and carry her.

"Get up," he snapped. She obeyed him quickly enough now. He knelt down to one knee with his back to her. "Put your arms around my neck and hold on. If you say anything to me I will kill you and leave you here." He wasn’t about to listen to any meager protest. She did as he said.

Darth Maul positioned himself at the base of the wall, looking up to the top. He gauged the distance at five and a half meters, pulled the dark side energy around himself and leapt, just reaching the top. He jumped back down on the other side with ease and disentangled himself from the slave.

Checking to the left, then the right and listening closely, he proceeded off through the forest. Laychel had to scramble to catch up with him. Maul’s teachings as a Sith Lord allowed him to proceed quickly and silently through the woods, but Laychel had no such lessons.

Small forest animals scampered up trees and under shrubs as they passed. Laychel didn’t know how long they walked through scratchy undergrowth that clung to her hair and clothes. She was completely exhausted, but still had to move quickly to keep from being left behind. Her legs ached terribly, but the nearly palpable anger from her Master kept her silent about their pace, until she simply couldn’t go any farther and tripped over a rock, splashing into a thin trickle of water flowing across the ground.

She tried to push herself up again, but could only make it as far as her knees when she noticed a deep gash along one calf. She dropped back to the ground.

Darth Maul felt her mental cry of pain behind him. He stopped and turned back around, his mind reaching out to find her. He was finally beginning to calm down, his remaining anger mostly directed at himself. It was bad enough that he had not understood the necklace for what it was the moment he first touched it, but then to be so unaware he walked headlong into an awaiting trap - it was inexcusable. He would need to find a way to make this particular lesson implant itself deeply in his mind. Not even Sidious’ punishments would be sufficient.

He found her lying on her side, her leg badly cut from when she fell against a group of sharp stones. Her eyes were open, but she did not look up to him when he approached. She looked so small and frail there on the ground, Maul found it hard to believe he had been dependant on her for his escape. But she had found the way, had removed the barriers around him and allowed him to act. He was, he realized, indebted to her.

"I thought…you would…" Laychel winced at the pain in her leg as Maul bent over and picked her up, "leave me here," she managed to finish.

In the dark of the forest Laychel could only make out the red markings on his face - the darker parts completely obscured by the surrounding shadows. Maul held her with one arm curled around her shoulders and the other under her knees, carefully holding the injured part of her leg away from him. Without a word he began walking again.

With her eyes closed and her head resting on the Dark Lord’s chest, Laychel bounced around as Maul carried her quickly through the undergrowth. She was utterly exhausted, and didn’t think she had ever felt so bad in her life. She really had thought he would not come back for her, which is why she didn’t bother to call out to him when she fell. When he did appear at her side, she had half expected him to kick her, not pick her up. She half wished that he had left her there to die.

Laychel was deeply, deeply ashamed.

She was born and raised a slave. Her teachings in her profession went back farther in her life than did Maul’s. She had been trained all her life to obey her Master, whatever the command might be. She had not only hesitated, but refused to comply with Lord Maul’s wishes and openly defied him. She deserved to die.

The necklace on her throat could be the only reason he returned for her at all, she knew that. It was his mission, after all, to return the piece to Lord Sidious and he could hardly leave it behind. Since it wouldn’t come off, she realized he must feel completely trapped with her presence until it could be removed. She was slowing him down even now, and in the way.

Her leg was beginning to throb painfully. She didn’t really pay much attention to it, the pain in her mind and heart made her leg not matter so much. She opened her eyes and looked up at her Master.

He was looking straight ahead, his eyes flashing back and forth surveying his path. Seeing him for the first time in this sort of natural low-light, she realized that his eyes - much like felines she had seen on her home planet - reflected the small amount of present light off his retina, making his nighttime vision much better than hers. The effect made him look somewhat surreal, and Laychel wondered if, like a cat, he was color blind. When he blinked his eyes completely disappeared from her vision as the deep black of his eyelids meshed with the black around his eyes. He was beautiful to her.

"Master?" Laychel heard herself whisper, and wondered what she was planning to say if he responded. He did glance down at her briefly, which she assumed was as much response as she could hope for.

"Master," she said again, and felt the word choke her. "Master…I’m sorry. I never wanted to defy you, Master. I was wrong, and I will never question you again, Master please…please forgive me," she felt tears falling from her cheeks onto his shirt. "I love you, Master," she finally whispered.

"Silence," Maul said, but his voice was not harsh. "You are hurt and you are developing a fever from your wound. We can talk after we get out of here and your wound has been cleaned, if you still feel it is necessary."

Laychel wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. Maul felt her soft crying stop as she drifted off into sleep.

*****

Tiny blades of dew-covered grasses reached up and tickled at Laychel’s nose. She opened her eyes and rubbed the plants away from her, tying to collect her senses. It was dawn, the low light and chirping birds told her that much. She was laying on a small patch of grass near the edge of the wooded area. She craned her neck around until she saw Darth Maul, lying on his stomach a few feet closer to the cleared area with a pair of electro-binoculars in his hands. She attempted to roll over and get up, but shooting pain slid up her leg and spread like mynoks over power cables.

"Ahhh!" she cried out, clutching her leg. Darth Maul moved over to her quickly and placed his hand over her mouth. His other hand stroked her temple and he uttered a single word.

"Rest."

Laychel fell back to the ground, not unconscious but near it. She strained to look up at him.

"They have found the Infiltrator," her Master told her quietly. "There are a dozen or so around it, and they have disabled the cloaking device. I still feel the Force here, in the woods, but a few meters beyond and I am blind."

"They have the anti-Force globes there," Laychel said, matching his quiet tone.

"I cannot see them, but they must be there."

"What will we do?"

"Wait."

Darth Maul didn’t know how long they could really wait. Laychel’s leg was in bad shape, and he had never mastered the art of Force healing anyone other than himself, and even that ability had more to do with removal of pain than actual physical mending. Bacteria were building up in her leg and if she did not receive real medical attention within the next day, she would lose it.

"Master," her whisper was barely audible. "Master - it’s my fault." He looked to her, seeing her shameful tears. "I told them about the ship - I said your apprentice was on it."

"Apprentice…?"

"I told Rugen you were the Master Sith."

Maul considered all of this. It had been less than eight hours since they had escaped, which would have been plenty of time for the group to reach the ship, destroy the cloak and set up camp. At least, if they knew exactly where to look. No known devices could track his cloaked vessel, and they would have needed the exact coordinates to locate it that quickly. Laychel didn’t have the exact coordinates to give. It was very likely this group did not even know of their escape.

"I don’t think your information would have been enough," he told her and rubbed some of her tears away from her face. "Do not blame yourself, it will not help matters anyway."

Crawling back to the edge of the forest, Maul pulled the electro-binoculars back out and reassessed the group around his ship. It was another open area and difficult to defend. If he could get into the ship, he would be able to defeat them as they tried to enter, but he didn’t think he would make it that far. Not without the Force as a guide. He was going to have to come up with something else. He reached over to his side and pulled a chunk of flesh from a small forest mammal that had made the mistake of venturing too close to him in the night, and ate it raw. He tore off another piece, silently eating and watching the men at his ship.

"No wonder," Laychel muttered, "you don't like what I make."

Maul ignored her comment and kept watching. He knew would have to come up with an alternate plan quickly, but time ran out and the chance of another plan was lost to him.

He silently cursed as huge towing machines appeared over the horizon and the men began to attach his ship to them. He thought quickly - his first course of action now had to be getting Laychel to a medical unit. That meant going into a populated area. The Dark Lord had no interest in returning to the place they came from so soon, so the next town would have to suffice. He reached out with his Force senses for large concentrations of humanoid life. In front of him, the Force-less bubble prevented him from seeing what lay beyond, so he focused his attention on the woods to the right and back of him. Back over his right shoulder, perhaps eight or ten kilometers from their position, was a small population - nothing like where they came from, but it should be large enough for what he needed.

Laychel felt Maul’s arms grip her and hold her up to him again. He began walking quickly away from the ship. Laychel wanted to inquire, but the pain in her leg overwhelmed her and she blacked out.

Maul ran most of the way.

The village he found wasn’t completely primitive, but he thought it might as well be. The buildings were of a little higher quality than a basic shack. Most of them were built into the ground slightly with cave-like openings in the front to allow passage.

As he looked around at the inhabitants, he saw nothing but humans. That he took as a good sign, for once. They would be more likely to be able to treat another human. He approached a burly man who did not retreat back into his dwelling when Maul approached.

"This woman needs medical attention," Maul’s crystal voice crooned at the human, who blinked a couple of times, somewhat dazed.

"She needs medical attention," he said.

"Take us to a doctor."

"Yeah…uh…come this way - I’ll take you to a doctor."

Surprisingly enough, the human female physician actually seemed to know what she was doing. Maul stood off to the side, arms folded. The doctor prepared Laychel’s leg by cleaning the infected wound and stitching up the torn flesh, shaking her head the entire time.

"How did this happen?" the doctor asked. Maul dismissed her with a wave.

"It is not important," he said. The doctor snorted and continued her work, her will a bit stronger than he had anticipated and she did not fall for his tricks. The leg was bandaged completely from knee to ankle when she was finished. A nurse placed a long hypodermic in the doctor’s hand, who then injected the anti-bacterial fluid into Laychel’s system.

"She should rest for a few hours," the doctor said. "Then I can apply the skin graft and she should not feel any more pain after that." The doctor looked up to him, questioningly. "You are her husband?"

Maul gave the smallest of nods, not bothering to waste his efforts with mind tricks. Deceit would be enough for now.

"There’s no inn here, so I suppose you can stay with her. I will be back in the morning to do the skin graft."

Maul hated the thought of wasting an entire night when his ship was probably being torn apart at the very moment. He began to breathe slowly and deeply, entering a state of slight meditation to bring himself in control. He could not change what had already happened. He needed to come up with an alternative.

The most logical thought seemed to be to leave the slave woman here while he retrieved his ship and came back to get her, but he didn’t quite believe she would be safe, even in this remote village. It was still the closest place to the main city, and seeking them out here would not be an unreasonable course of action. He didn’t think he could leave her with the artifact around her neck. He would have to wait for her to recover.

Then what?

He sat back in the one chair, templed his fingers under his chin and thought. He needed an ally - someone local to retrieve his ship for him. He was hunted in the main town now, and would need to remain out of sight. He nodded to himself. His first port of call would have to be the local hangout for roughnecks and thieves.

*****

Slipping nervous feet on to the cool floor of the medical center sent a jolt up Laychel’s legs, but she managed to put her weight on them without much pain. The skin graft was very well done, and the doctor did not think any scarring would occur.

"Your husband’s got the town talking up a storm," the doctor said conversationally.

"Oh…" Laychel realized who the woman was talking about. "I supposed you don’t get many of his kind here."

"Or anywhere else, I’ll bet," the doctor gave her a knowing look, though Laychel wasn’t sure what she was thinking.

Maul was standing in the corner outside the room. He approached her as she walked out and smiled at him.

"Good as new," she announced.

"We must leave now," he said softly, noticing the doctor’s soft scowl. It suddenly occurred to him just what the doctor’s looks and comments had been about. She believed he was responsible for the injury, like some pathetic abusive mate. Maul reached out and took Laychel gently by her hand and began to lead her out. As he passed the doctor, he dropped the last of his coin him her hand. "If I am given the chance," he told her, "I can return with more."

The doctor looked at the gold bars in her hand, her eyes widening in surprise.

"I don’t think that will be necessary," she said. "Thank you."

Maul walked quickly, but not hurriedly to the outskirts of the village, Laychel’s hand still grasped in his. He wondered why he was suddenly trying to keep her safe when that had not been part of his concern before. He knew his attitude towards her had changed since she had proved herself useful in their escape. Her actions had puzzled him - as a slave he would have thought she would take the opportunity to free herself, not come back to help her Master return her to slavery. He considered his words in the cell, and wondered if or when the time came she would really want his attentions.

When they reached the edge of town he found a small area that harbored a variety of cheap and outdated all-terrain crafts ready for use. He acquired one that would fit them both comfortably and they sped their way back to Machtig City.

The trip was short, especially compared to the laborious journey they had made through the woods the last time. Once they reached the city, Maul deposited the speeder in the forest and they continued through the gates on foot, careful to blend into the crowd as much as possible.

Laychel noticed the Force-cloak he drew around himself seemed to do very well at keeping his features obscured from others. They simply didn’t take notice of him, even though he was right there to be noticed. Like the anti-Force globes, Laychel thought. Your eyes just glance over them.

Throughout the speeder trip, Laychel had attempted to get him to say something to her, but to no avail. She finally gave up, assuming he would let her in on whatever plan he had come up with when he felt it was necessary. She just followed him in silence.

Finally, Maul stopped in front of a tavern and ushered her inside. Laychel immediately felt him drop his mental cloak and escort her to a table against the far wall, every eye in the place on them. A bartender approached and asked for their order. Maul made a request for both of them, which the bartender brought back quickly.

"Drink," Maul said. "It will make us look less conspicuous." Laychel shook her head, not understanding what he was dong at all, but not about to question him again. It wasn’t long before the meaning was all too clear.

"Welcome, stranger," a large, tanned human stopped at the edge of their table and addressed Maul. "My name’s Folm Gordon and I thought you just might be interested in doing a little business." The man kept speaking to Maul, but his glances continuously swayed over to Laychel. His eyes made her want to squirm away and hide in a big hole. Maul apparently noticed his looks as well, and placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

It was not a gesture she had known before, but she certainly wasn’t going to break away from it.

"What did you have in mind?" the Sith asked.

"Well, that all depends on what you’re in the market for," he tossed short brown curls away from his forehead and indicated the empty seat at the table. "Mind if I sit? Ya see…when it comes to this town, I am known as a man of means. A person such as yourself - no offense intended now - a person such as yourself ain’t gonna to be in a place such as this unless he’s lookin’ for something. Am I right?"

Maul tilted his head, somewhat affirmative.

"Ya see?" the man tapped his finger on the tabletop. "I’m a good judge of character! Now, whatever you’re lookin’ for, I can probably get, if it’s gettable. And I know you got something to offer that I’m interested in, too."

Maul tilted his head to one side, questioning.

"Now don’t you be playing coy with me!" the human laughed. "You can’t parade a slave around here without attracting a bit of attention." Maul smiled and nodded. "Unless I have totally lost all my cognitive functions, you’re a man short on cash and in need of some help. Lucky you - you got something to offer in return," the human looked over to Laychel and licked his lips. "And she’s a pretty one, too. Not much around here in the form of that kind of entertainment. She’ll get a good price. I’ll buy her from you outright."

Laychel found her fingers tightly gripped on Mauls’ tunic. He reached up to her hair and twirled a lock of it through his fingers. Gordon’s eyes followed the movement and he smiled broadly.

"Not for sale," the Dark Lord said. Laychel felt breath escape from her, though she didn’t know she had been holding it.

"For rent, then," Gordon pushed.

"She’s worth more than you know," Maul leaned over to the man. "I have kept her…untried."

"Master - no!" Laychel looked up at him and tried to draw away. His grip on her hair became tight as he pulled her face and looked into her eyes, his fury bearing down at her. She dropped her protest and cowered against him. He can’t be serious, she thought. It’s a trick - he wouldn’t let this man just take me!

"Name the price," Maul’s additional information and her outburst seemed to have excited the buyer more than curbed his interest. Maul had counted on that.

"My ship has been…detained," the Sith Lord revealed. "I need it retrieved."

"Not a problem," Folm Gordon beamed. "I got a lot of personal favors to call on in the detainment area."

"Make the arrangements," Maul said. "And I will deliver her to you personally."

They shook hands, the man recoiling just a little when their fingers met. He looked over to her one last time and wriggled his eyebrows at her.

"Be seeing you," he said, and left.

Maul finally released his grip on her hair and took a very slight sip at the drink, frowned and placed it back on the table. Laychel stared at him, waiting for his explanation. He couldn’t possibly intend for her to go through with this.

"I certainly do," Darth Maul told her.

"Master," Laychel found it hard to speak at all, shock taking over her normal functions. "Lord Maul… please…I can’t…"

"Would you defy me again, slave?" his voice was cold and deadly.

"No, Master," she said, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

*****

Laychel was shaking, her eyes were red and hurt more than the pain from Lord Maul’s hand when he had hit her. He had never outright hit her before. She would not try to beg him to reconsider again. It was too late now, anyway. He pushed her before him up the stairs of a dirty apartment building.

In all her time as a slave to the Sith Master and his apprentice, she had always assumed when she was old enough Lord Maul would be her first, ever since the first time she saw him training. She didn’t know exactly why she believed this, except maybe because there were only the two of them to serve, and the idea of Sidious…well, she didn’t care to think about it. Maul was not so much older than she, and was certainly intriguing, if not exactly attractive in the typical human sense of the word. The idea that he was now turning her over to a complete stranger without a second thought - tears welled up again. She forced them away.

The door to the last apartment opened as they approached and Darth Maul brought her inside.

"Everything is taken care of," Folm Gordon smiled but elected not to shake hands with the Sith again. "Your ship had a couple tracking devices added to it - I had those removed - no extra charge. It currently is being transported to docking bay T-14. Should be there in about 2 hours. Plenty of time for your end of the bargain to be fulfilled."

Darth Maul smiled.

"If you say so," he said, the insult obviously not reaching its intended recipient. "I will return for her in two hours then," he turned to go, having to first dislodge Laychel from his tunic.

"Master," she whispered, her voice hold one final plea.

"I only ask you do not damage her beyond reason," Maul’s finger stroked her cheek, but he ignored her pleading tone. "I would suggest you start slow with her - she is very good with her mouth. Worth holding out for." The door closed with a snap behind him and she was left alone with Gordon.

"With any luck," she could hear Gordon’s approach though her back was turned, "he’ll be late."

Laychel felt hands on her waist, turning her around to face Folm. He didn’t look at her face, but watched his own hands run up and down her sides.

"How long have you been with that thing?" Folm Gordon asked, still not looking at her.

"A couple of years," she said, seeing no reason to give false information.

"That long and he hasn’t fucked you? Unbelievable! Bet he’s had you do everything but, huh?"

Laychel didn’t respond.

"Man," he went on, still rubbing her body through her dress. "I’ve been jerking off half the day just thinking about it." His hands found her breasts and he fondled them roughly. Laychel closed her eyes and tried to imagine Maul’s hands on her, but the image wouldn’t come - she couldn’t see Maul’s flawless movements ever feeling so clumsy.

"Kiss me like he was sayin’…"

Laychel tried her best, finally holding her Lord’s face in her thoughts as she caressed the stubbled jaw of the man she was with. She felt his tongue plunge into her mouth with a torrent of saliva, almost making her gag. His hands found her firm buttocks and squeezed them unceremoniously. She ran her hands up his face and had to stop herself from recoiling when she found hair instead of horns. The thought almost made her laugh, that she would become so accustomed to the Sith’s appearance that those of her own species revolted her. At least Gordon took her smile for one of requited pleasure.

He broke away from her with a kind of frantic push. He looked her up and down again, then went to a table and fumbled with the controls of a music device. Whiney brass instruments blared out of it. He turned the volume down a bit and sat in the chair next to the table.

"Why don’t ya like…dance around and strip."

*****

Maul moved as quickly and quietly as he could through the streets of Machtig City, towards the docking bays. He was a little concerned about the distance between the bays and the apartment where he had left Laychel, but it couldn’t be helped. He would just have to be faster.

Once he located the appropriate docking bay, Darth Maul extracted the location of the craft detainment area from a less-than-cooperative dock guard, who now lay unconscious behind a row of crates. The detainment area was not far, and he made for it without delay.

Halfway there, he found what he was looking for.

The Infiltrator was raised onto levitating platforms and escorted by a team of droids. There were only three living escorts - two human, one Twi’lek. Maul smiled. He had counted on Gordon’s need for secrecy, and had hoped the number of co-conspirators would be small. He paused in the darkened corner of two buildings and waited patiently for them to get far enough into the opening.

Lytle Thorn was "the man in charge" of this deal, he kept reminding his two cohorts. Fenrick Gordon, whose brother had gotten all this started, and the obnoxious Twi’lek called Hollend would be well-off to keep that in mind and do as he said - Folm Gordon had told them so. So when Thorn saw the shadowy man approach from the darkness he motioned for the whole group to stop and walked up ahead.

The Sith glided straight up to him and stopped, bowing slightly. Thorn raised his head up a little higher and glanced back at his companions as if to say "Ya see - that’s how it OUGHT to be!" He turned back to the dark man (he couldn’t really get a good look at him under the hood) and smiled just a bit. He wasn’t completely stupid, and still remained on his guard.

"What do you want here, friend?"

"I have word from Folm Gordon," Darth Maul kept his head bowed and obscured. "You are to relinquish the craft to me now and meet him in the Tavern later, as planned." The movement of his hand under the cloak was hardly noticeable.

"Uh…yeah," Thorn stepped back as if he had just had a snake thrust into his face. "You take the ship and we’ll meet in the pub later."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Fenrick Gordon had just about enough of Thorn’s ridiculous games. "Folm said two hours - no less. We can’t turn this thing over to anybody!"

Maul turned his attention to the other man.

"Your chronometer must be incorrect. It has been two hours." Maul sent the message as best he could, but knew it was not taking hold. Like his brother, this one’s will was strong.

"Like hell!" the younger Gordon said and pulled out a blaster. He fired three shots into nothing before a bright red beam cleaved him in two. The Twi’lek fell next to him, leaving only Thorn, who was still a little dazed. Maul repeated his earlier request.

"Sure, no problem," Thorn glanced down at the two bodies now lying in front of the ship.

"I think they must have gone against your wishes and visited the pub beforehand," Maul whispered to him.

"Jerks!" Thorn spat down near the bodies. He poked at a few of the controls on his handheld computer and the droids gently placed the Infiltrator neatly down on its landing gear.

"Take your time returning the droids to their hanger," Maul touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Then take a nice stroll to the pub and have a few while you wait patiently for the others."

Thorn mumbled something incomprehensible and wandered back towards the detainment station, droids in pursuit.

Darth Maul wasted no time taking command of his ship and lifting it above the buildings and over the town, back towards the apartment complex. He looked at his own chronometer - it had been nearly twenty minutes. His mind searched for Laychel, but he was having some difficulty focusing.

The anti-Force devices, he thought. They have planted one on the ship.

It was the last thing he needed - he had no time to waste looking for it. It would have to wait.

The Infiltrator landed quietly on the roof of the apartment. Its pilot quickly disembarked and went to the ledge of the building, looking down at the rows of balconies below. He found he could concentrate better outside the ship, and was grateful the devices did not seem to have a wide range. He walked slowly along the ledge until he came to the right area. He dropped down to the first balcony, then climbed down the side of it to the one below, then again.

Darth Maul reached out, trying to locate Laychel’s mind now that he was close. He could feel her thought screaming out, but knew she was keeping her body from reacting to it. She was trying to be strong, and succeeding. He could feel her trying to hold an image of him in her mind, but she was unable to keep up the fantasy as inexperienced hands fumbled over her and a sticky tongue covered her mouth and neck. Maul moved faster down the remaining balconies.

Gordon seemed to be done with his games and finally tossed Laychel onto the bed. He was on top of her, straddling her chest and holding his erect member in one hand. He grabbed one of her hands and guided her movements up and down his shaft.

"Blow time!" he announced and pushed the thing to her mouth. Laychel tried to prepare herself to receive him, constantly reminding herself it was what Maul wanted her to do, so she would do it. Her lips parted as she heard a familiar humming sound and Gordon jumped up to his feet.

Laychel pulled the thin sheet over herself, scrambled off the bed and threw herself at Lord Maul.

"Master!" she cried, ecstatic. She pushed against his chest, wanting to erase the last half-hour from her mind on his cloak. She felt his protective arm around her shoulders. He held Gordon at bay with the tip of one side of the lightsaber.

"You next words will pronounce his fate," Maul told her, making sure Folm Gordon heard every word. "Did he take you? Have you been defiled by him yet?"

"Fuck you, man!" Folm suddenly screamed out, apparently unaware or uncaring that he was still standing naked and slightly erect. "We had a deal."

"The deal has been altered," Maul said in his deadly soft voice. "Laychel?"

"No, Master," Laychel said. "He hadn’t…yet…"

"Lucky man," Maul sneered.

"You came back for me," Laychel was somewhat convinced her mind was tricking her into thinking he had come to rescue her, but she was actually being pummeled by the slimy man across the room.

Darth Maul’s eyes came down to meet hers, gazing intently at her.

"No other man will ever take you," he told her simply.

Gordon took the opportunity to produce a blaster and begin firing. Maul deflected the energy bolts with his saber, then used the Force to throw the weapon from the other man’s hand.

"Be glad you did not let your lust make you act too quickly," Maul released Laychel and approached Gordon slowly. "Or you would die very painfully. Patience has saved you that pain- remember that." With a flick of his weapon, the Sith castrated Folm Gordon and left him screaming on the floor. Another swipe ended his life.

Laychel grabbed her dress from the heap on the floor and followed Maul out the balcony doors. She still had the sheet wrapped around her and tucked up above her breasts.

"Hold on to me," her Master’s voice was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he jumped effortlessly up the balconies to the roof, where she saw the Infiltrator waiting for them. Darth Maul looked down at her.

"You are not hurt?" he inquired.

"Not really," Laychel said. She felt his hand on the back of her neck, and didn’t wait for his kiss to come to her. Her hand moved up his face, feeling the tips of his lower horns under her fingertips. She held tight when she felt him pulling away.

"Didn’t I already tell you once to wait until we’re in the ship?" he chastised her. Laychel grinned.

"Let’s get out of here," she said.

In minutes they were leaving the horrible little planet behind them. Laychel refused to even go into the cockpit to watch it fall farther behind them. She felt the inertia push from her place on the galley bench as Maul commanded the ship to enter hyperspace. Even with her eyes closed and his silent movements, she knew when he was there with her again.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" Laychel asked.

"Gordon would have seen through it. You had to believe so he would believe."

"He was horrible."

"Do not think of it," Maul said, coming closer to her and keeling down beside the bench.

"I felt sick," she said.

Maul took her head in both of his hands and held her so she was looking directly at him.

"No other man will ever have you," he said for the second time that evening. "Tonight I am going to make you mine alone." As if the promise was to be sealed with a kiss, his mouth encompassed hers and his tongue gently stroked her. Laychel lay back on the bench, Maul following her, and she wondered if this was just a fantasy like so many that had come before. His hands stroked her face and neck, never going any lower. His fingers fanned her hair out on the seat of the bench. The hood of his cloak fell back as Laychel’s hands pushed it away from his head.

The tip of her finger traced the markings on his right cheek, moving slowly up and around his cheekbone to the short side horn in from of his ear. Darth Maul turned his head to one side, making it easier for her to follow the design up the side of his head, his eyes never moving from hers. As she traced the base of the horn she felt the slightest tension in his muscles and saw a tiny flicker - barely noticeable - in his eyes.

"Does that feel good?" she asked quietly. He reached up and took her hand in his, pulling it away from his skin and moving away from her. Laychel’s heart sank.

"Not time yet," he said, and pulled her up to her feet. "Rugen’s men put one of the globes on the ship. It must be found now."

The search didn’t take long in the small ship. The globe really appeared to be left rather than hidden. Maul found it in the compartment his speeder would normally be located. He looked at the thing, his first reaction to throw it out the airlock. He held it in his hand - even through the glove it made his skin crawl. He remembered Laychel’s drowning of the thing in the cell, and chose to douse it in the bathroom sink instead of destroying it. Perhaps Darth Sidious would find it of some little interest. He still found it almost difficult to look at, and thoughts of it left his mind immediately when it was out of sight. Maul turned his attention back to the slave woman, still searching in the cockpit. He came at her from behind, she issuing a short cry as his arms closed around her waist and turned her around. He kissed her quickly.

She was still draped in the sheet from Gordon’s apartment. Maul pulled at it and tossed it to the side, leaving her naked and vulnerable in front of him. He took her by the hand and led her not to the bedroom, as she thought he would, but to the washroom.

Once beyond the door he opened the shower and guided her inside.

"Make it as hot as you can stand," he told her. She turned the faucet on and steamy water poured out and over her feet. She moved in slowly, testing the temperature and nudging it up a little as she got used to it. She looked over her shoulder to see her Master’s cloak draped over the counter. He pulled off each of his gloves in turn, eyes watching her as the heat from the shower covered her body and began to steam up the entire room. He removed his tunic, bringing it quickly over his head and let it join the cloak. Laychel’s breath caught in her throat as he brought his hands to his waist and lowered his trousers.

He was actually better than she had imagined. His well-toned and defined musculature continued down from his taut stomach followed by lines of red and black, outlining each greater muscle. He was completely covered in the primal markings, even the head of his penis marked with the same design as on his chin. He was bigger than Gordon, she realized, and then also noticed he was not yet aroused. Laychel had to tear her eyes away from the sight of him as he came closer and joined her in the water.

Without a word he turned her carefully so she faced the back wall. Water cascaded around her face and in her eyes, which she held shut. She felt his hands, slippery with foaming lather begin to move over her back and shoulders. She started to turn around, but he stopped her.

"I should be washing you," Laychel said. "I am your slave…"

"Hush," the Sith commanded. "You talk too much."

Laychel obeyed and closed her eyes again, giving in completely to the feelings he was bringing out in her body. As his hands moved over her sides she told herself he had never touched her there before - and again when his fingers reached her stomach, and everywhere else they touched. Laychel braced herself against the back of the shower with her hands as he moved his fingers up to join with hers, then back down again, over the tender skin under her arms and down her sides to her hips. He studiously avoided the parts she wanted him most to touch - her breasts, her inner thighs, between her legs.

Strong arms wrapped completely around her midsection and she felt his forehead push slightly against her shoulder blade. He inhaled deeply.

Finally, he thought. The scent of that human man was off her skin and no longer making him want to retch. The thought that a man would use physical strength to overcome and adulterate a woman made him sick, slave or not. He was still hesitant to mate this human woman, since he believed her desire came more from a sense of obligation and fear than anything else. But she seemed so willing and it had been a very long time for him.

His loosened his grip on her and she turned to face him. He looked at her closely, the brilliant blue of her eyes, her pale skin in contrast to her hair as dark as his skin. He noticed they were almost the same shade as darker parts of the gem at her throat. The Sith apprentice reached out and fingered the stone and was instantly hit with a course of raging power. For a brief moment he was completely consumed in lust - so much so he couldn’t even act on it. He fought for command of his senses - trying to push the blinding energy away from him. He barely succeeded. Catching his breath and looking at the slave next to him Maul realized she was completely unaware of what had happened to him, her attention drawn to the pattern on his chest she traced with her fingers.

Breathing deeply, Darth Maul regained some sense of himself and decided activating the stone while in the shower with a naked woman was not something to be repeated. Avoiding the jewelry, he took her face in his hands and kissed her, his tongue touching her lips softly.

Feeling like she had just spun down a black hole, dazed and in awe of the male specimen before her, Laychel tried to keep from simply falling over with hunger and passion for him. It seemed to her she had been waiting all her life for this moment, and now that it was here she didn’t know what to do. She had no experience - not with anyone. She wasn’t about to count the perverted games Gordon had her do only a couple hours before, and was trying desperately to forget any of that occurred at all. Instead, she concentrated on the strong hands touching her and the gentle mouth against hers.

Turning a little to the side, Maul positioned himself under the jet of water and faced upward into it. He ran his hands over his face and across the crown on his scalp. He stepped slightly away from the stream and shook water from his head.

"Is it my turn yet?" Laychel asked. Maul narrowed his eyes. "To wash you," she added, smiling.

"If that is what you want," he replied.

"I do want," she whispered, and poured some of the liquid cleanser into her hands. She started at his shoulders, because she just couldn’t quite look him in the eye. Her hands moved rhythmically over his muscled arms and chest and down to the rippled abdomen.

Laychel found her eyes often drifting down to the less familiar parts of him. She had expected him to be excited, aroused like she felt through her body, but if he was aroused the most intimate part of him did not reveal it. She wanted to run her soapy hands over it, just to see if that would stimulate him to full size, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to touch him there.

Instead, she ran her hands up his pectorals and around to the back of his neck, pushing her body close to his. They kissed softly, then with more force until Maul took her arms from his neck and shut off the water.

He brought her out of the shower and placed a towel around his waist. He picked up another towel and motioned her close to him. The Sith gently dried her face, shoulders and arms. He ran the towel over her hair which lay slick down her back. He moved around to her shoulder blades and ran the towel down her spine. Laychel could feel his deft fingers brushing the top of her shoulder.

"Is there hair on all of your body?" he asked abruptly.

"Well," Laychel considered. "Most of it. A little, at least. Except for hands and feet." Maul took her hand in his, brushing the tiny hairs on top of her fingers. Laychel turned her hand palm up and he studied it. "You act like you’ve never seen a human before," Laychel smiled.

"Not this close," Maul admitted. "Not without their death being my intent."

"You haven’t been with human women before?" Laychel asked, assuming he had.

"Sexually? No," his bluntness took her off guard. He moved his fingers up her arm, tickling where her arm met her body. "There’s no hair here," he said.

"Well…it was removed when I was younger. And the hair from my legs. It’s a rather silly custom for human women." She paused. "I thought you would have been with a human before."

"The opportunity had not presented itself before now," Maul replied.

"You have been with another Zabrak?"

Maul closed his eyes for a moment and Laychel could feel the energy from his body - anger manifesting itself as heat. She could almost feel him fighting to keep his breath at a steady pace.

"Do you wish me to discuss my sexual past or conduct my sexual future?"

Laychel withdrew a little, suddenly frightened and wondering what the hell she was doing. Her fantasies had been filled with them both consumed by undeniable passion and a lot of writhing about on the floor - not this. He seemed as indifferent to her as he had the day she first saw him, and that was not part of her desires.

The Sith Lord turned her around to face him, studying her face.

"You emit such as strange combination of emotions I do not know what to make of them," he admitted. Laychel backed up a bit, finding the wall of the washroom close behind her. She shivered, but not at the touch of the cold metal. She looked down at the floor, not wanting to see the man in front of her, and tried to bring her breathing back under control, but she did not have the constitution of a Sith and tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want him to see her cry, and pushed past him and out the door. He did not try to stop her.

End of part 2  On to part 3.