- 24 BBY -
- Lotho Minor, Outer Rim -
In the laboratory of Maul's Bulk Freighter, he stands in front of several screens, going over the data and checking the progress of his newest project. He has returned from Korriban, taking with him all the knowledge he could find. He also took back the Yoke of Seeming with him, which he had already figured out how it functions in detail and was in the process of improving and recreating a better version. One that doesn't burn his skin when he's wearing it.
He looks in front of him, at the bacta tank and the small feline creature inside it. There are several stages of growth that the four bacta tanks contain. On the surgery table to the right lies the dead Jedi Knight Jak'zin, whom Dooku killed. Jak'zin is a Togorian, and after learning all he could, Maul had the best idea of how to use his new mastery over Sith Alchemy and Sorcery. Togorians are a sentient species of large, feline beings with digitigrade feet. Their bodies are covered in short, thick fur that can be brown, white, orange, or red, with distinctive stripes. Their eyes can be yellow or green, often with a yellowish hue. Togorians have retractable claws and are a proud race.
Maul naturally wanted to use what he had learned and improved. He didn't allow himself to just remain at the stage he was after learning all that the Sith holocrons could teach him. Through his essence, he understood how it worked and combined it with his own growing knowledge of the laws, going beyond. He walks to the tank on the far right and looks at the large creature, which he created by combining Sith Alchemy and bioengineering.
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The door opens, and Elizabeth walks into the lab. She has been training under Maul and has grown more powerful and finally truly loyal. Even if they didn't have a bond, she was now utterly loyal and would do anything to further his goals. And it was time to do that.
"What is that?" she asks.
"A new species I created. I call them Appoplexian," Maul says, tapping away on a keyboard.
"Why?"
"Because it seemed right."
"And what is special about them?" she asks.
"Appoplexians are physically powerful, argumentative, and highly aggressive. They believe any problem can be solved by hitting it. However, that's not all; they grow stronger as they become angrier. There is a limit, of course, but it is considerable."
"So, they're not too bright?"
"That as well. But that's not something I need them to be. As long as they do what I want, having low intelligence is preferable."
"So what about that mission you told me about? Am I ready for it?" Elizabeth asks.
"More than ready. Come, let's go, I'll brief you on the ship."
.
"When did you build this ship?" Elizabeth asks.
She is in awe at the design and at what it can do.
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"This is the X-70B Phantom. I found a destroyed one on Korriban and rebuilt it. It is a prototype starship of the reconstituted Sith Empire used by Imperial Intelligence. I didn't have the designs, so I built it how I like it. So it's probably better now than it was initially."
X-70Bs were so technologically advanced that they were never mass-produced. Instead, they were elite vessels reserved for only the most trusted intelligence agents on the most vital missions to the Empire during the Great Galactic War. The ships were coated with a sensor-resistant exterior and equipped with the most sophisticated equipment and weapons. Their powerful sensor arrays could scan the interiors of other ships, even over large distances. However, Maul made it better and added numerous different weapon systems.
"The planet we're going to is called Sluis Van. It is situated along the Rimma Trade Route in the Outer Rim and serves as the capital of the Sluis sector," Maul explains.
"And what are we doing there?"
"We will take over."
"Take over? Take over what exactly?"
"Everything, of course. In the war to come, the Sluis sector, including Sluis Van and Praesitlyn, will be of great importance. I always planned to take over a planet, as while Lotho Minor has become my headquarters and personal working and research location, I also need a political base. And Sluis Van is perfect in that regard," Maul explains.
"How so?"
"It is the site of an extensive deep-space docking facility and shipyard, the largest and most impressive in the area. Remember, we are in the Outer Rim, so this has massive potential when I put some effort into improving it and adding my own creations. Perimeter battle stations defend the docking station, while the shipyards are managed by an outer system defence network as well as the Sluis Control," Maul says, the plans already having formed in his mind.
"And what will we take over then? The construction of new vessels or what?" Elizabeth asks.
"The ruler of Sluis Van and the Sluis sector as a whole holds the title of Khedive. Then we have the Sluis Van Congregate, which is based on the planet and operates the Sluis Van Shipyards. They are responsible for a large percentage of the Sluissi income. And those are the two things we will take over," Maul reveals his plan.
"And how exactly? Are you going to threaten them or kill them and then assume the new position?" she asks.
"No, no, no. I didn't recreate and improve the Yoke of Seeming to then show my face like that. I will use my ever-growing skill in Sith Sorcery and take over the minds of Candobar Inglet, the current khedive and the leaders of the Congregate. We won't kill them just yet, as that would be suspicious. No, you will become Inglet's apprentice and secretary in a way. Use what I taught you, and he will do anything you say. We will remove him eventually, after you have strengthened your position fully in the entire sector."
"You want me to lead? An entire sector at that? How would I do that? I'm not trained or qualified for it," she argues.
"It doesn't matter. You will learn as you go along and study under Candobar Inglet. The Sluissi are patient, sociable, relaxed, and easygoing beings, renowned for their ability to remain calm under pressure. Their patient, calm nature, combined with their seeming inability to become genuinely upset or angry, often baffles and sometimes even infuriates other species. Once I have taken control over Inglet's brain, he will teach you all you need to know until you are ready to take over fully."
*Sigh*
"What else do you know?" she asks.
"Well, the Sluissi are extremely industrious. They love to tinker with technology and mechanical objects, much like I do, and the Sluissi technicians can improve the engine efficiency, power output and system response in even archaic, worn-out ships. The Sluissi are also extremely methodical and work slowly. To them, starship construction is an art form. Although jobs done by Sluissi always take longer than expected, most clients are willing to be patient because Sluissi technicians can make improvements on or salvage vessels when no other mechanics can."
"That seems impressive. What will you do then, while I'm 'learning'?"
"Your impatience has grown over the last year. I told you to rein in your urges and needs and stay in control. I will first take over the Sluis Van Congregate and then finally address my body. I have grown tired of my mechanical legs; no matter how much I improve them, they will still never be my own. And that will change now."
"Ah! Good, I approve of this!" Elizabeth beams, having secret thoughts.
.
They land on the planet of Sluis Van. Maul dons his own version of the Yoke of Seeming and a mask to hide his identity. He can't have his former Master know that he is still alive.
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Guards approach them, and Maul uses his Sith Sorcery. With a wave of his hand, he subdues and then takes control of the minds of the Sluissi guards and overrides them, making him their lord and master.
"Take us to Candobar Inglet," he commands, and they nod their heads.
"Yes."
So they make their way through the spaceport and into the government building. On the way, whenever guards or officials question them, Maul repeats the process and takes over their minds entirely. His understanding and mastery of the mind have grown to very impressive degrees. Finally, they reach the palace where Candobar Inglet is staying right now. The door opens, and the old Sluissi can be seen.
"Yes, what can I-" he tries to say, but is stopped.
Maul once again manipulates his mind, creating orders and fail-safes within it. In a short span of less than an hour, the position of Khedive of Sluis Van was already Maul's, and he could do as he wanted. But that's not yet his goal. He needs to prepare for the war and especially for the time after the war.
"You will teach Elizabeth everything and introduce her as a promising new addition to Sluis Van. She will, in time, take over the politics of this planet. You will show her everything."
"Yes, Lord Maul."
"Good. Contact me, should something happen," Maul tells her.
"Do you need to leave?" she asks.
"I will take control over the Sluis Van Congregate and have them start producing better technology in secret and then leave. I'll see you in a few rotations if everything goes smoothly."
.
The X-70B Phantom lands in the northern hemisphere of the planet Lothal in the Outer Rim Territories. Maul has come here for a very specific reason, and that's to find the Lothal Jedi Temple. The reason he was here was to access not the temple itself, but one of the paintings it holds: the painting of the Mortis trio. The Father, Daughter and Son.
Maul walks forward and stands in front of the place where the temple should emerge. The Jedi Temple was built above a natural wellspring of Force energy, concentrated below ground in a series of caves and tunnels. Using their mastery of the Force, the Jedi pilgrims removed the central rock spire from the ground and hollowed out its interior, creating a grand entrance at its base and a secondary entrance midway up its walls. Employing Force-inspired architectural designs, the Jedi sank the spire back into the ground, where it threaded into the bedrock to secure the Temple from intruders, concealing the entrances.
It is said that access to the temple could only be gained by both a master and an apprentice working together, using the Force to lift the spire, which would rise in a corkscrew, counter-clockwise motion. If either of them lost focus, the outer building would sink back into the ground. The upper entrance hall was unadorned and straightforward, leading into a small meditation room with a single door that opened into the subterranean caverns beyond the outer wall of the spire.
Maul goes through the motions. He never believed that the temple could only be accessed by two people. It was far more likely that the strength of the Force applied to it was strong, and the second one a bit weaker. A master and an apprentice. So Maul does exactly that. He uses both his hands and applies more strength to his right hand compared to his left.
And he is correct, the spire is raised. But instead of going in, Maul closes the spire again and then lifts it back up again. He is not here for meditation, but the gateway. Maul raises the spire again to reveal the main entrance at the base of the spire. He walks through the doorway leading off the grand foyer, aligned with different halls that access various cave systems. His goal is the cave system, which holds the painting of the Mortis trio.
After wandering around and checking all the walls, he finally finds what he has been looking for.
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This is the reason he came here. The painting is no mere painting. It serves as a portal to the World Between Worlds. The World Between Worlds, also known as the Vergence Scatter, is an extra-dimensional plane within the Force that serves as a collection of doors and pathways, existing between time and space, which link all moments in time together. That's what Maul is after, because it holds limitless possibilities, and that's what he wants.
Suddenly, several Loth-wolves stand behind him, growling threateningly. Maul turns around and looks at them, knowing that the Force doesn't want him here, as he could disrupt everything. He could change into anything he wants if he goes in. Naturally, the Force is not about to allow that just like that.
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You can comment on what he could or will change. We'll see whether you're right, if he should truly get in there.