Obi-Wan Kenobi lies upon his prison bed, his arms aching from the restraints that do not give enough length to allow him to stretch his arms, work sore muscles. And the Jedi Knight is worried.

"What am I going to tell the Council once I return to the Temple – if I am even able to escape?" Obi-Wan thinks as he tries to summon the Force about him the best that he is able, despite being without nourishment and enough sleep to keep his strength up. But his thoughts torment him, leaving him unable to fully connect to the Force as he wishes to be.

"I have lost Kerri to the wife of the Sith Lord I had killed, losing her, my friend, to the Darkside. Then I am raped by her as the Sith woman taunted and touched me. How can I stand before the Jedi council and them what has taken place here on Endor? How can I stand before them humiliated, ashamed and abused and tell them everything?"

Suddenly Obi-Wan senses someone nearing the prison chamber he has been occupying for who knows how long. He has been unable to tell the time of day, how long he has been imprisoned within this mysterious place, which must more than likely be the Sith stronghold the Republic planetary survey team had alerted the Jedi of. Quickly Obi-Wan summons as much in the Force that he is able, preparing for what may lie ahead for him, unsure what is to happen…and in a way, not wanting to know, dreading it.

The door of the prison chamber slides open and the first person he sees is the Sith woman dressed in a simple, yet elegant black low cut gown that shows off more of the red and black designs upon her skin.

**********

The moment the prison chamber door slides open, I see Obi-Wan raise his head and look anxiously upon me. As I enter the prison chamber, behind me stands Maul with his mocking smile, seeing the Jedi Knight lying helpless upon the table.

Then the Jedi sees Maul, and his eyes almost fall from his skull in utter disbelief in seeing my beloved still very much alive.

"You cannot be real! I killed you!" Obi-Wan exclaims aloud, his eyes wide, his mouth falling open as he watches Maul enter the room, only just noticing Kerri following in from behind.

"I am not that easy to kill. Besides, how do you know you did not kill my clone?" Maul says with a menacing growl in his deep throat, his arms remain at his sides, but his black gloved hands clench into tight fists.

"Your clone?! Bloody hell, you must be joking!" the Jedi gasps, not believing his ears at what my husband tells him, attempting to sit up upon his elbows to get a better view of the Sith Lord standing in full view not far away.

“I am Sith, I do not joke,” my Lord says with a note of steel in his voice, his gold and blood red eyes burning with his dark hatred and distaste for the Jedi.

"No! No, it cannot be - she thought you were dead too! She wanted to avenge herself upon me!” A note of despair enters Obi's voice now. He turns his head away, closing his eyes for an instant before turning to Lord Maul once more. “You were dead!”

Maul crosses his arms and cocks his head. "That is the second time this morning I am asked why I am not dead. Most annoying!" my beloved says mockingly, not once taking his eyes from Obi-Wan as I move to stand with my consort, and Kerri beside me.

Then the lines beside Maul’s mouth deepen a little. “My consort is not your concern, Jedi, all you need to know that I am very much alive as you can see.” His black robes sway softly as he moves menacingly closer to Obi-Wan. “ Now...Jedi...prepare to face ultimate humiliation at the hands of the Sith."

"Kerri!" Maul calls her to him and gestures at the Jedi Knight on the table, silently telling her what she is to do.

Obediently Kerri nods to Maul and, stepping forward, she bows over slowly to Obi-Wan's face to kiss his lips in a most sensual way. The Jedi tries to move away from her, but my little Darksider holds his face in a steely grip and her kiss deepens. She bites his lower lip and I see a small crimson droplet appear on it. Kerri licks it hungrily and grins, her lips tinged a faint crimson. She stands close to the table on which Obi-Wan lies and begins to move her body in an arousing, sensuous way, moving her hands over her body as she sways her hips slowly, seducing and enticing the hapless Jedi, weaving her dark web about him. She is agile and lithe, all grace and beauty as she lets her stomach make an undulating roll that goes down to her belly, then back up again. She leans forward and shakes her shoulders, causing her breasts to dance before the Jedi's eyes.

Obi-Wan gives a muffled groan, yet cannot take his eyes away from her, being caught in her snare once again, unable to help himself, disgusted because he cannot fight the dark power of his former friend and padawan.

"It is useless to resist, my sweet," Kerri whispers in Obi-Wan's ear, flicking his earlobe with the tip of her tongue teasingly.

The newborn Darksider raises her arms over her head and her left hand caresses her right arm until it reaches the strap of her black nightgown, letting it slide off her shoulder. She slips her arm from it and repeats the same languid move to her left arm. Slowly, teasingly removing the shoulder strap, she sways her body like a willow in the breeze, pushing the nightgown slowly down over her breasts, her stomach, her belly, before she lets it drop to the floor, a pool of black silken ripples about her feet.

I can see Obi-Wan is obviously aroused, his manhood beginning to harden and swell with the engorging of blood with each beating of his racing heart.

"Human males are so fickle - their erection comes and fades too quickly." I think to myself, sharing my thought with my beloved as I smirk inwardly, thankful that I had become my Lord's consort before being bedded by a pathetic, unworthy human male.

I watch with a dark grin of pleasure as Kerri runs her hands over the Jedi's body, caressing his shoulders, the hard muscles on his chest, his abdomen. And closing her hand around his manhood, she rubs the skin up and down until Obi groans, unable to resist the sensations that she causes with the movements of her hand over his gender.

Suddenly I notice my Lord Maul has moved slightly to the back of the room, and I see him removing an object from his utility belt, holding it in his right black gloved hand. It looks like a durasteel handle with a strange carving at the bottom. He places it on the small table standing in the corner of the room, then stands watching Kerri, his arms again crossed over his chest, the hood of his cloak raised

Kerri continues stroking Obi-Wan's body, licking his hot skin, biting his hard nipples and arousing him almost to the point of no return. I grin as I see tiny droplets appear on the head of his sex.

"Oh, my Jedi friend is going to give soon and when he does..." I grin maliciously, knowing what will happen if he does, knowing that it will destroy him ever so more.

Kerri bites his nipples harder, causing a cry to burst from his lips, pain coursing through his body like arced lightning, traveling from nerve ending to nerve ending, setting his body on fire with arousal as well as pain. She slowly, carefully climbs up onto the table, straddling the Jedi, running her body over his as she teases him by holding her nipples close to his mouth, brushing his lips with them. As she rubs her womanhood over him I see a slick trail and I hear her moan deep down in her throat. She rubs her wet, swollen lips against his throbbing sex, arousing Obi-Wan more with the intimate caress of her gender.

"Give me..." she moans, "give me your seed...."

"Nooo!" Obi groans, closing his eyes as he attempts to utilize the Force to stop his erection, but he is helpless, my Lord Maul is in the room and his control of the Dark Side is no match for the meager skills of a Jedi.

I see Obi-Wan bite his lips, trying to stop his arousal as Kerri slides his manhood slides between her lips, the head almost inside her entrance, slick with her essence. She moans as she moves her hips, taking the throbbing head inside her and immediately contracts her muscles around it, gritting her teeth between parted lips as the swollen head stretches her within.

"You know of course...Jedi, that you can no longer have intercourse with a Lightsider?" Maul hisses maliciously, seeing how the Jedi's body tenses as his old friend turned Darksider holds him inside her, his hands clenching and his arms fighting against the restraints.

Maul is answered only by an enraged groan from the table, as my little Dark Jedi strains to squeeze the head of Obi-Wan's sex within her, wanting him to feel pain and pleasure all at once.

"Then let me tell you what is going to happen now. She belongs to the Darkside and your seed will impregnate her. In a few minutes Kerri will be with child and you have given life to another Darksider. Does that please you...Jedi?" Maul's breathy voice is even lower, his gold eyes glowing with the energies of the Darkside, feeding off the Jedi's pain and despair.

The Jedi Knight on the table screams, thrashing his arms and legs against the bonds holding them to the table he lies upon, but to no avail – the enchanted restraints remain unaffected. Slowly, agonizingly, Kerri lowers herself onto his sex, gasping as its size and hardness fills her completely and she immediately begins to rock her hips wildly over him, plucking her nipples and closing her eyes, her fiery tresses dancing about her like molten rock coming from the earth.

Obi-Wan groans, still trying to prevent himself from giving Kerri his seed...and his child. His lips bleed as he bites them constantly in attempt to resist her, but all is useless – hopeless. Kerri contacts her muscles around his sex, taking his essence from him, riding him hard and wild and with total abandonment, her small breasts dancing as she moves. Groaning, her breath coming in gasps as her release comes.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Obi cries. "Master...why have you left me! Noooooo! I have failed you!"

Tears run down his cheeks and he gasps for breath as Kerri's womanhood milks him deep inside her. Leaning back, she places her hands upon his thighs to rub his sex against her most sensitive spot, causing her to cry out with each downward thrust of her hips. That is when Obi-Wan cannot withstand it any longer, his body shakes with tension and failing concentration, slowly loosing his essence deep within Kerri's burning body. And then…suddenly…he arches his back and screams - a loud anguished cry, I see his body shudder and I know he is releasing, filling her womb with his hot seed.

Kerri feels it aswell, and within moments, she gives a long moan, her wildly thrusting body moving hard over Obi-Wan's sex. With her body shaking from an overwhelming sexual need, she lets go, surrounding the Jedi's manhood with her own essence, mixing it with his. Lord Maul stands beside her suddenly, the fabric of his cloak brushing my arm as he moves soundlessly. He places his hand on her quivering belly and whispers an ancient Sith mantra, holding his hand there as Kerri moves slowly over Obi-Wan's sex, panting hard for breath.

"She is with child now...Jedi," Maul growls. "Your life will grow inside her...and you may want to know it will be a son."

Panting, Kerri slowly moves away from Obi-Wan and I see his manhood slip from her body, releasing a flood of their combined essences. She raises herself to full height and stands beside the panting Jedi before reclaiming the nightgown from the floor. Licking her lips, she looks to me as she moves toward me, her eyes still clouded with passion, and the Darkside. I embrace her and kiss her mouth, sharing a deep kiss, one as only Sith women can share in their bond. We break our embrace and turn back toward the pathetic excuse of a Jedi.

I find my Lord Maul still standing beside the table where Obi-Wan lies panting and weeping, ashamed and humiliated beyond imagining. Raising his hand, the Force of the Darkside brings the object from the table flying into his hand. As he holds it I can see its carved bottom begins to glow an angry red – as if burning like hot metal.

Obi watches Maul wide-eyed as my beloved grins maliciously. "I have not finished with you...Jedi. This is an ancient Sith brand. I am going to mark your flesh with it and it will forever mark you as one who was used by the Darkside."

My consort whispers a few words in Zabrak before pressing the branding iron down on Obi-Wan's flesh, the spot on his underbelly, just above his manhood. Instantly Obi-Wan lets out a piercing cry that fills the room with darkness - indescribable pain flashing through him and into the currents of the Force. The ugly scent of charred flesh wafts my way and I see burned into his white skin a black Sith marking with an intricate pattern, one that will be forever – never fully to heal, leaving a scar that will never fade.

"If you undress before a woman and have sex with her...Jedi, she will see it and ask, and you will be reminded of the fact that your seed can only breed Darksiders from now on." My Lord Maul gives an evil chuckle. "But then...Jedi..." and the pause before Jedi is filled with such menace, "you may make love to men in the future, they cannot conceive your Darksiders."

Obi screams again, his feet thrashing madly, but he is helpless. He has lost, been humiliated and he knows it. He clenches his fists and as he turns his head toward Maul again, his eyes are filled with hate as a single tear runs down his cheek.

I can sense his pain and rage, and I close my eyes to feed off it, savoring every minute of his despair, rage, hatred and pain. It is delectable and sweet, my vengeful hunger satiated…almost.

"I will make you pay for this, you rabid animal! Release me and fight me...if you dare! Remember I defeated you before!" The Jedi exclaims in a haughty tone, attempting to rile Maul's temper…and it works.

Maul does not move, but from the way his mouth turns down at the corners, I know he is raging, the fires of the Darkside burning brightly with its dark flame within him.

When my Lord answers, his voice is a low hiss. "You will fight me...Jedi?" And oh...such loathing lies in that small pause before he says the word Jedi! "Do you think yourself worthy to fight me? You are a loathsome weakling."

"So give me food and water and time to heal myself and I will kill you again!" the Jedi shoots back, his blue eyes hard and his brow furrowed with anger, lips in a tight line as he speaks.

Maul is enraged. The Jedi Knight had insulted my beloved one too many a time. But my consort keeps his calm, though I can see his rage in his wildly burning eyes and in his body as he stands. He moves away from the table, standing beside me once more and with a slight movement of his hand, the restraints pop open about Obi-Wan's wrists and ankles. We watch with great caution as the Jedi slowly, yet stiffly, sits up upon the table and rubs his aching sore wrists, his eyes looking upon my husband with an icy glare. But he does not turn his eyes to Kerri who stands beside me, unable to look upon the woman who had been one of his closest friends, and who had been a fellow padawan and Jedi…and now a Darksider, and the mother of his child … his son.

"Move it Jedi – we do not have all day." I growl.

Obi-Wan takes his time to rise to his feet, standing stiffly from the table, swaying slightly for lack of strength, yet he catches himself on the table behind him, leaning against it for a moment as his legs regain their bearings.

"And put this on!" I toss his Jedi clothing to him – all but his lightsaber, which my consort has possession of. It would be too dangerous in even his weakened state for him to have his lightsaber returned to him – too dangerous and unwise.

Groaning from sore, aching muscles and joints, the Jedi slips back into his Lightsider attire, wincing slightly as he bends his limbs to put his clothes on over his still sweaty body. Once he slips his brown leather boots upon his feet, he stands to his full height and looks us over with his arrogant and self-righteous Jedi pomposity.

My Lord growls deep and low in his throat, the Jedi enraging him ever more, but does not make a move and remains with his arms crossed over his chest, his brilliant eyes burning with the fires of the Darkside. Standing beside my consort, I can feel his hatred and rage flow from him like smoke from a blazing firestorm. I take a step forward, looking at the Jedi sternly and I motion him to the door, ordering him without a word to move before something bad might happen to him if he continues to taunt my consort and enrage him so.

Obi-Wan turns his eyes from Maul to me, their icy blue depths looking me over, sizing me up, trying to see into me and what and who I am.

"I would not dare do so, my dear Jedi." I send through the Force, warning him that he would be in for far more than a battle if he continues to taunt me as he does. He would meet an untimely death at the hands of the Sith Lord who is my husband and consort.

Immediately I see just the faintest hint of a grin upon his young face, a glint of mischief in his blue eyes – but only for a moment. Losing my patience, I grab hold of the Jedi with use of the Force, and force him to move out the prison chamber door, and Force push him down the corridor with Maul and Kerri following behind me.

Kerri and I lead Obi-Wan along the corridor with Maul walking behind us, left down an adjoining corridor where I stop before a single door at its end. After tapping a few keys upon the control panel beside the metal door, it slides open and Maul sends Obi-Wan flying into the room with a hard Force push, the door closing quickly behind him.

"You have two standard hours to eat and heal yourself…Jedi, then we will fight." Maul sneers before the door is completely shut and sealed.

"That will be enough, Sith." Then all is quiet.

With a groan, Obi-Wan Kenobi raises himself stiffly up from the cold hard floor onto his knees and looks about his new surroundings. He finds that he is in a room not much larger than the prison chamber he had been held prisoner in. The walls are high and black, joining in four junctures in opposite sides of the room. To his left against the wall is an adequately sized sleep-couch with a single small pillow and in the nearby corner before him and to his right is a table with a single chair, with the scent of fresh food and drink coming from the table. Instantly his stomach begins to growl and his mouth water, having not eating in so long – not since the night the Sith Lord's consort had captured him…and Kerri.

Carefully he rises to his feet, seats himself in the single chair before the table and looks at his fare – a sufficient portion of meat, vegetables, fruit, a piece of bread and a glass with a pitcher of clear water. Taking the eating utensil in his hand as he pours water into the glass, he begins to eat hungrily, taking large portions to his waiting, eager mouth with each return of the fork. It does not take the Jedi long to devour everything on his plate and with the last bit of water he drinks from his glass, he rises from the chair and lays himself out upon the sleep-couch. Already he can feel his strength beginning to return, and with a slow deep breath, he closes his weary eyes to enter himself into a healing trance.

"Master, I seek your aid in the battle that is to come. I am no match for the Sith in my weakened state," he begs Qui-Gon Jinn to come to his aid as he lies motionless upon the sleep-couch, deep in his Force healing trance. "My strength is low, my body tainted by the Darkside – I beg you, give me the strength to fight the Sith Lord, the strength to fight and destroy him finally!"

Slowly he draws strength from his nourishment and through the phenomenal regenerative powers of the Jedi. He sinks deeply into the Force healing trance, letting aching muscles heal, sore and stiff joints become supple again. Obi-Wan summons the Force around him, digging deeply into it and slowly regains the slimmest piece of pride and the smallest hope that he will finish what he thought he had completed over a year ago on Naboo.

That day, for the first time, he gave into hate and rage, killing the Sith Lord's clone in a fit of vengeance fed by the Darkside. And now, it has tainted him far more than he ever thought it could, the first encounter giving way to his weakness against Kerri as she used him, the Darkside's sway reducing him to a whimpering, weak, pathetic fool. Obi-Wan grinds his teeth as he remembers his defeat and humiliation. “Master, you said I would become a great Jedi Knight, Look at me, I have proved you wrong. I was unworthy, I let a Darksider seduce me and I was unable to stop it.”

In this darkest hour, Obi-Wan can suddenly hear the deep voice of his Master and his gentle face appears before him.

“Obi-Wan, do not center on your failure. Draw strength from the Force. Concentrate on the task ahead. You must defeat the Dark One,” Qui-Gon’s voice is strong and persuasive.

“Master!” Obi-Wan cries out.

“You are a Jedi, now you must prove it more than ever. Use the Force, feel it permeate you, strengthen you and let it guide you. Kerri is lost to the Lightside, there is nothing more you can do for her. Now concentrate on saving yourself. The Force will be with you.” Qui-Gon Jinn’s image fades as quickly as it appeared, leaving Obi-Wan deep in his healing trance.

Time passes, and finally he opens his eyes, sensing the time of battle soon to come. Because of Qui-Gon’s reassuring presence he feels stronger than he had only a short time before. He sits up on the sleep-couch and remembers the look in his Master's eyes as the life faded from him. He feels the anger and hatred returns anew, the Darkside once more fueling him, his taint giving it a more strong hold upon him.

"I will not give in – I will never turn to the Darkside." Obi-Wan exclaims as he rises to his feet, looking about the room, measuring to see if he has room to prepare for the fight to come. "I will not fail you again, Master."

Moving a few objects out away from the center of the room, Obi-Wan slowly begins to stretch his body, standing with his feet together and bending over as he wraps his arms about his calves, holding his chest against his legs. He twists and stretches all the muscles of his body, minimizing any chance of cramps during his fight with the Sith Lord. He had been lying in that position for so long…he could not even tell what time of day it was nor how long he had been imprisoned and restrained to that table.

**********

The two standard hours are up and the door to the Jedi's prison opens.

Immediately I see the Jedi turn and find Kerri and I standing before him, lightsabers activated to prevent even the smallest thought of escape. He is noticeably feeling better and I sense his strength has returned, yet not as fully as it had been when I captured him.

"It is time Jedi," I remark as I step away from the doorway.

Kerri and I are both prepared if he attempts to charge us and escape. And if he did manage to escape us, he would have a raging Sith Lord to contend with once he reached the outside. He knows this - I can see it in his crystal blue eyes. Arrogant fool. But he does nothing but look me over once more before looking toward the open door. He exits the room after Kerri, and I follow up behind, my crimson lightsaber's blade pointed straight at his broad back, between his shoulder blades. We escort him through the corridors, out an open side door, outside where we show him to a nearby clearing in the woods where Maul awaits him. My consort paces back and forth like a caged great cat, ready and waiting for the moment he will be released after his prey. The moment his intense, fiery eyes find Obi-Wan standing at the edge of the clearing, Maul turns and prepares for battle.

Both men face each other across the clearing, both great fighters, yet my beloved is superior to any. My Lord is at his peak of strength and skill now, his experience far more vast than that of the Jedi Knight about to face him. Slowly my husband unbuttons his tunics and lets them fall to the ground, revealing his Zabrak visage to the Jedi standing not far from him just inside the edge of the clearing. Obi-Wan stares in amazement as Maul allows the tunics to slide down his arms and lets them fall into the grass. His eyes are wide as he looks at my husband's swirling red patterns covering his entire chest, arms and back, and quickly takes off his own tunics. The two men then near each other, two warriors about to do battle. Both are well muscled, Maul a little older - and both are strong, but my Lord is in his prime and he knows he is the superior fighter. Taking on his fighter's stance, Maul stretches out his left arm and activates both fiery red blades of his lightsaber, his eyes burning with hate and fiery rage, a snarl creeping across his intense face. Obi follows suit, his knees bent, both hands on his lightsaber as he raises his arms to his right, his eyes upon my consort, his face full of concentration as he draws the Force to him as best he is able, his lips hard and thin, his body tense, prepared to spring to action.

I look on in amazement as I always did when I saw my Lord doing his combat training. His moves have the elegance and swiftness of a panther as he somersaults over the head of the Jedi and lands to his right, lunging his lightsaber forward to attack Obi-Wan's chest. The Jedi parries his strike and in his turn, flips backward out of reach of the angry red blades, falling to one knee, striking upwards as Maul closes in, but his green blade meets a red one before it can do any damage. Quickly Obi-Wan rolls away over his shoulder upon the ground. One fluid jump brings him to his feet and he strikes at Maul, his lightsaber making contact with Maul's shoulder, smoke from burnt flesh rising in a puff. The Sith growls angrily, spinning to his left and as Obi-Wan expects him to move from the left, he feigns and lunges to his right. The Jedi cannot hold back a cry as Maul's lightsaber slashes his thigh, blood staining his tan colored pants. The fresh forest air is now mixed with the scent of ozone from the lightsabers and the smell of charred flesh, a smell that lingers in my nostrils with each breath I take of the fetid air.

The Jedi is breathing heavily as he takes a Force aided leap, trying to come up behind my consort, but Maul can foresee each move before it happens. Instantly he falls to his left knee, his right leg forward, his foot facing inwards for support and his strikes at Obi-Wan, making an arch with his weapon, the glowing crimson blade making an unending streak through the air as it moves toward the hapless Jedi. Again Obi-Wan is hit, this time his left upper arm, gritting his teeth as he fights to control the pain that sears through his body.

I can see sweat pouring from him while my Lord only has the lightest sheen of sweat on his forehead – my consort is the true fighter between the two and my heart swells with love and pride.

Maul jumps to his feet once more, pushing forward trying to slash Obi-Wan's chest, but the Jedi parries this attack, blocking my husband's fiery red black from the fatal blow. But at the same time he dives under Maul's arm and uses the Force to throw Maul backwards to the ground.

My nails dig into my palms as I hear the thud with which my beloved hits the grass. But he is so powerful, kicking his legs out, he jumps to his feet, whirling again, striking at his opponent from all sides without mercy. Crimson blades seem to fly like red ribbons in the air, moving faster than the eye can see, blinding, yet so brilliant and beautiful…awe inspiring and so very deadly. As Obi-Wan tries to move forward, Maul turns and uses his famous high sidekicks, hitting Obi-Wan at the shoulder, stunning the Jedi for a moment.

And then suddenly it is over…

Maul whirls again and using the momentum of his move, strikes at Obi-Wan's arm, hitting the lightsaber and causing it to fly into the air and land harmlessly on the grass a few meters away. At the same time he hits Obi-Wan with another high kick and the Jedi falls, lying helplessly on the ground, with the Sith Lord towering over him, holding one crimson blade of his lightsaber an inch away from Obi's throat.

"Kill me then Sith, have it over with!" Obi-Wan hisses between laboured breaths.

"Oh no, no, no, you shall feel my punishment for the rest of your life," Maul growls, hardly breathing faster, looking down upon the fallen Jedi with utter contempt. "You shall face your Jedi Council in utter humiliation, having lost your padawan to the Darkside, being raped and defeated and furthermore, fathering another Darksider."

"Enjoy your life of celibacy...Jedi!" Maul sneers in apparent pleasure in the Jedi's disbelief and great failure. "Oh...and remember, you carry my mark on your body, I may come for you."

I step forward, looking down upon the Jedi I had so wanted to hurt for causing my beloved pain, my eyes dark with hate. Suddenly I strike Obi-Wan's jaw with the heel of my shoe as hard as I am able, knocking the Jedi unconscious. I have taken my consort by surprise I think, for he turns his head to me and stares, his brilliant golden and blood red eyes looking upon me as I stand beside him.

"Little one?"

"He caused you pain my love. I cannot forgive that, I want him dead," I answer, my hands clenched into fists, my anger and hatred of the Jedi coursing through my veins like dark fire.

Before Maul can speak any further, his comlink signals. He punches in a code and listens to the computer-generated sounds of a message. And as he turns to me his face is grim.

"The warning systems from the Infiltrator have intercepted a message, the Jedi are on the way." Turning away without another look at the defeated Jedi Knight at his feet, he strides off. "We must hurry"

I look at the bleeding, unconscious man at my feet and call after my consort.

"What about this?" I cry out, pointing an indignant finger at the Jedi.

"We leave him here," Maul answers.

"Alive?" I question, looking down upon the unconscious Jedi, seeing blood beginning to trickle from the place where my foot had come in contact with his head.

"Of course alive, can you think of a better way to humiliate him?"

I grin evilly. "Of course, you are right, my Lord, as always."

My Lord hurries back into our secret hiding place and goes to the bedchamber where he waves his hand over a safe in the wall, using the Darkside to open it. Inside the hidden safe he has several items that I have not seen before – I had not even known about the safe until now. One by one my husband removes the objects from the safe, placing them in a case he had bought with him as he made his way to our bedchambers. I gather up the pieces of the alter I made in remembrance of him, glancing over my shoulder to see him carefully place several small objects of crystal and gold, a beautiful dagger of some kind, several film sheets, a handful of data pads, and a black and gold box of some sort, in the box sitting on the table beside him. When Maul has emptied the safe, he turns and goes into the living-room, leaving me to finish packing those items I wish to take with me. I wrap the precious pieces of the altar gingerly in the silk sheets of our bed, leaving the bundles on the bed while I quickly gather as much of my personal belongings as I can, tossing them in traveling case. Then with the case in hand and the bundles under my arm, I enter the livingroom, finding Maul standing before one of the walls.

My Lord has a grim look on his face as he accesses a small panel in the wall in the livingroom, hidden behind a dark painting of a night sky with lightning streaking through it, one he had allowed me to bring as something to decorate the quite plain room. He punches in a code and sets a digital clock.

"The Jedi will find nothing here, beloved, this place will be destroyed in two hours."

Solemnly, I look around the house where I shared happy moments with my Lord as well as the deepest grief after his death. In a matter of minutes, all this will be gone.

Maul smiles down at me and takes my hand, leading me from the house. As we step outside again, the sky has darkened and the first drops of a tropical shower are falling, bringing the fresh scent of new fallen rain I love so much.

Kerri is already standing around , looking a bit forlornly, playing absentmindedly with her lightsaber.

"What is to become of me now?"

"You know how to pilot a ship, so you can take off in Scimitar II. You will wait for us once you are in orbit and then you will come with us to Iridonia, where you shall bear your son. He shall be another in the new line of Sith," my beloved explains, looking into Kerri's golden yellow and red eyes. "My consort and you shall be the mothers of a new Sith Order."

I look up at him. "The Sith shall reign over the galaxy again, my Lord and my life. More powerful and stronger than ever. You shall make it happen."

For a short moment my eyes lock with those of my consort's and once again I drown in their depths. His gloved hand touches my cheek, his eyes brilliant as he smiles at me.

"Come, we must depart."

“I will take Kerri to the hangar,” I offer and with Kerri running behind me, we race to the secret door at the side of the house that leads to the hangar bay where the smaller replica of Scimitar stands, shining and menacing looking in her own right. I take Kerri inside and as she sits down in the pilot’s seat, I explain to her how she is to take off.

“It is all right, I am a good pilot, she is not all that different from the Jedi Magenta fighter I was trained on,” Kerri says, smiling reassuringly. “The Jedi have very advanced spacecraft.”

I give her shoulder a squeeze and then run back to where Maul waits impatiently for me and swiftly he leads me to where the Infiltrator is hidden. My Lord takes me to a clearing in the lush green woods where, after a signal from his comlink, the familiar features of the Infiltrator appear out of nowhere. She is as sleek and beautiful as I remember her and I cannot suppress a smile.

"I always thought her so beautiful, beloved, she suits you so well,"

I follow my Lord up the ramp and enter the familiar surroundings of Scimitar. As Maul enters the red night lights go on and cast wild shadows on his face. I follow him to the flight deck and take my place behind his pilot's seat, having placed our things in the hidden closets in the durasteel wall, and watch him as he prepares for take off. His hands move efficiently over the control panel, checking the engines and the weapons. Maul knows his ship from bow to stern, port to aft, every wire, every little piece that makes Scimitar work. No one knows a ship more intimately than he. As I look out through the windscreen, I see the rain is coming down in a heavy curtain. It is getting dark and between the trees, the light is an eerie, dark green, mixed with black. Then I feel a soft thrumming on my chest as the engines start and the Infiltrator lifts off into the air. We fly low, skimming over the trees as Maul pilots his ship to the place where he knows the Jedi transport sits. The Jedi must not have a means of escape, he must suffer without food and without his transport. He lets Scimitar hover and trains his guns on the Jedi ship. I see his mouth press into a thin line as he pushes the firing button and his guns fire rapidly. The Jedi ship explodes in an angry ball of red, and orange. Maul has already throttled up and shoots up into the menacingly dark sky, clearing the planet quickly. As we leave the luscious blue-green sphere behind us, I see Scimitar II in orbit around it, waiting for us to join her. Maul contacts Kerri, connecting her board computers to the Infiltrator's, so he can fly both ships. I enjoy the sight of my beloved's expert hands handling the superior spaceship as he sets course for his home-planet…Iridonia.

**********

EPILOGUE

Obi-Wan regains consciousness and finds himself lying on the rain drenched grass. His vision is blurred and he groans as he tries to touch his face. His right arm is swollen and a deep cauterized wound scars his white flesh. He winces as his hand connects with the right side of his face where it is swollen and painful. Looking at his hand, he finds it covered with blood. He can taste blood in his mouth, he knows his nose is broken. As he tries to rise, the world spins around him madly and with a cry of pain, he collapses on the grass again, landing upon his stomach, the rain pouring down on his naked back. His thigh is badly wounded as well, the pain searing through his body as he moves his leg, the fabric of his rain soaked pants clinging to his legs. Shivering Obi-Wan forces himself slowly to his feet and summons the Force around him to aid him in healing and to find some sort of shelter. He knows the Jedi are on their way, but they will not arrive for at least another day. Until then he has to survive on his own. To his infinite relief he finds his soaked tunics still lying on the grass nearby and he quickly covers his shivering body with them.

Looking to the east, he sees a plume of coal black smoke through the canopy of the hundred meter tall trees, rising into the grey Endorian sky. There is only one thing on the planet that could make such smoke…his ship. And seeing the black column rise into the sky, he knows his transport has been destroyed. Now there is nothing left to do but wait for his fellow Jedi to find him. He has no idea where he is on the planet, but he knows he has to find food, water and shelter. From the condition of his body and the light, he knows he has been unconscious a long time - possibly hours. His mouth is dry as sandpaper; he would kill for water. But he knows he cannot wander too far from the clearing or the Jedi will never find him.

Taking deep breaths of the moist rain forest air, Obi-Wan makes his way to the nearby foliage, dragging his wounded leg behind him. He lowers himself to the ground, sitting upon a fallen log, and finding a plant beside him, he uses a few of its large leaves to gather some rainwater to drink. He moves a little deeper under the large ferns, trying to keep away from the rain. And there he waits, shaking with cold and fever, holding his arms him, trying to keep warm as best he can.

Obi-Wan must have lost consciousness again, for as he wakes up he finds himself in a clean, white bed, a Jedi medic bandaging his wounds. The female Twi'lik stands over him, busy tending to his medical needs.

"Rest, Master Kenobi, you are running a fever, but I have put bacta on your wounds. You will recover soon." The medic says in an efficient, quiet voice, her soft violet eyes looking down into his blue ones as she soothes him as best she can, her soft slender hands upon his chest, sending warm waves of Force energy into him.

Obi-Wan drifts off to sleep once more, haunted by dreams of evil, yellow eyes glowering into his. In his dream he is with a woman he loves, but when he is about to touch her, pain shoots through him and he remembers...he cannot make her his, or she will become Darkside. And as he writhes and moans in his bed, Obi-Wan hears a low breathy voice laugh.

A few days pass and finally Obi-Wan stands in the circular Jedi Council chambers high above Coruscant, atop a tall sky-reaching spire. Only today he does not see the sun reflecting on the skyscrapers, or the glittering lights from the air traffic, for his eyes are lowered and his hands hidden inside the sleeves of his brown robe, unable to raise them to the Jedi Masters surrounding him in every direction. He is still a bit unsteady on his feet after his ordeal - despite a long period inside a bacta tank.

"Hmm....tell us you will, what found you on Endor," the raspy voice of Yoda says, looking intently upon the Jedi Knight standing before him with his hands hidden in the arms of his earth-toned robe, eyes downcast with shame.

"Yes, my Master, I discovered the Sith hiding place there. As my Padawan and I were about to investigate, we were attacked and taken prisoner." Obi's voice is low. "It was the wife of the Sith Lord I destroyed at Naboo, or thought I destroyed, for he had returned."

"Returned he has?" Master Yoda asks. "Destroy him, you did not?"

"No, my Master, I did not, It was a clone I destroyed, the Sith Lord is alive."

"More there is to tell, Obi-Wan. Tell us you will."

"I...lost Padawan Kerri Vexa...she..." Obi trails off, remembering with great detail all that had taken place during his terrible imprisonment.

"Tell us everything you will!" Yoda's voice is impatient and his green eyes bore into Obi's blue ones.

Obi-Wan swallows and continues. "She was seduced and taken by the Darkside...the consort to the Sith Lord wanted to avenge herself upon me. It was she who turned Kerri to the Darkside, using a Sith dagger.

Obi's face is a deathly pale now. "She then...she...well...she..."

"Obi-Wan, you will tell us exactly what you know, without delay," the stern voice of Mace Windu comes, his dark eyes intense as he leans forward in his chair, his clasped hands separating to be placed upon the arm rests.

"Yes, my Master. She had sex with me...that is to say...I was tied to a table and she...used ...me."

Obi-Wan for once wishes the floor would open and he would disappear into oblivion. However the floor remains as shiny as always – perfectly solid, and he gulps again.

"I was forced to release...and then the Sith woman said, once I gave my seed to a Darksider I could never have another woman again, for I would turn her into a Darksider as well." Obi Wan drops his head in shame. "Furthermore I cannot father any children, for they too will become Darksiders. That is what happened."

"Not all that happened this is, Obi-Wan. See through you, I can. Withhold nothing from us you can." Yoda raises a warning finger, his eyes looking Obi-Wan's still healing appearance over, seeing what any normal being would not.

"No, not all...Kerri Vexa came to me again...she..." Obi-Wan hesitates, ice cold fear swelling in his gut as he again remembers the images and feelings of what had happened to him. "Well...she forced me to release again and the Sith Lord was present too...and he...he...touched Kerri ...and...."

Obi-Wan feels his throat constrict a the memory. "Please my Master...I cannot go on."

"Have you become a coward, Obi-Wan? Besides losing your Padawan to the Darkside, a Padawan who was not even yours to lose, mind, you tell me she forces you to release? You, a Jedi?" Mace Windu's voice is angry and cold as ice, his jaw muscles taut, his visage stern.

Obi-Wan lowers his head in great shame and as he answers his voice is nothing but a whisper. "The Darkside was too strong, my Master, I tried to resists and could not. Force forgive me, I tried not to do her wish, but the Sith Lord… I felt his power. And then...then...I released and he touched Kerri...and he said she...was...with child. And that I would have a son by her."

None of the Jedi Council members speak after Obi's last whispered words. In the silence Obi-Wan can hear his heart pounding in his ears and believes all those in the room surrounding him can hear it as well.

"Is there anymore we need to know, Jedi Knight Kenobi?" Adi Gallia asks scathingly, leaning upon one elbow as she leans forward, her blue eyes looking hard upon the young Jedi Knight standing in the center of the room.

"Yes, the Sith Lord...branded me...he put his mark on my body, telling me he would come for me one day..."

"Show us this mark you will, Obi-Wan," rasps Yoda, his clawed hands clasping together in deep thought as his eyes remain unmoving from the Jedi Knight.

"Master...can I be spared this humiliation before the Council?"

An angry lifting of Mace Windu's dark brow makes Obi-Wan push back his robe, lift his tunics and open his pants, showing the fiery red Sith brand.

"So, live a life of celibacy you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda says, inspecting the Sith sign over Obi-Wan's manhood.

"This is the kind of revenge a Sith would take, leaving you alive to face this humiliation before the Council. In addition you have lost a Padawan, you lost a ship belonging to the Jedi Order and you have lost valuable information on the Sith when the house was destroyed," growls Mace Windu, his voice hard and critical as he leans back in his chair, looking the young man over.

"You may now return to your quarters and meditate while we discuss your further punishment," Mace Windu dismisses Obi-Wan with the slightest move of his hand. "May the Force be with you."

*****