Obsession

An Army part 2: The calm before the storm

(A/N: sorry if it said that Part 1 was republished, I had revised a bit of it than noticed that it was named Announment and not Announcement, so I changed that. Sorry again. And I'd like to say that this song doesn't really relate to the chapter as much as it is foreshadowing.)

Maul paced around in the palace hall while Satine sat in her throne. A look of worry was on her face. She had Maul inside of her head, goading her to kill Vizsla in front of everyone. Although at the moment, Maul being in her head wasn't what was worrying her. She watched Maul pace around, he looked frustrated and worried and saddened all at the same time. Satine started to grow familiar of this look on Maul's face, but before she only saw it when the topic was about Obi-wan. Oh, how she missed Obi-wan. She wanted to just be alone and cry. Her heart moarned for him and ached for him to be here to tell her to be patient with the Empire and to reassure the people that everything was fine while Obi-wan dealt with the Empire himself. But she only had Maul, the one Obi-wan chose, the loose cannon, the one she chose to lead her army, a former Sith, someone who in Obi-wan's mind wanted to do good. Satine hoped and prayed that Maul would decide to listen her about this upcoming battle. She hoped he wouldn't kill Vizsla. He was a fine warrior and only wants the safety of Mandalore above anything and here she was changing her role from Pacifist to Warrior. Still that wasn't what was worrying her. Not the battle or the future or her want for Obi-wan or that Maul was in her head. What was worrying her at the moment was if Maul was going to walk a moat in her floor as Maul paced around the outskirts of the hall quickly.
"Why didn't you tell me that Arsayh's father was one of Vizsla's hands?!" Maul growled at her as he paced. He could still see the Mandalorian helmet with the cut on the right side of the helmet. It didn't take long for Maul to realize that Arsayh's father had a scar exactly where the cut in the helmet was.
"I was going to tell you when you got back, but when I found you, you were asleep in your room." Satine said keeping her eyes on him, she swore if she looked close enough to the floor she could already see a dip in the ground.
"I figured that you didn't want to be woken up, you looked like you we having a nice dream, even after everything that has happened to you." Satine went on and Maul stopped for a second. Yes, he did have a nice dream with Obi-wan in it. But it wasn't a dream. It was just his mind replaying the memory of when he and Obi-wan were in the others bodies. When they were peacefully next to each other. When Obi-wan was laughing for a reason he still did not understand than after the laughter, the Jedi had kissed him. The moments than and after that he wanted to remember forever and constantly relive. It was one of the moments Obi-wan wanted Maul so close to him and the first time Obi-wan let Maul touch him in the way he had.
Maul pushed that aside as his mind reminded him of the reason why he was worrying and he continued pacing.
"Even if I wanted Vizsla dead, it wouldn't be good. If Arsayh's father recognized me, he'll definitely make sure I'll never see her again." Maul said and Satine couldn't tell if he was talking to her or himself.
"I must be careful with this fight. Vizsla is their leader, though we want the same thing, yet we don't want the same thing. I want to protect Mandalore, make it stronger. He wants to protect Mandalore and make it stronger, yet he wants to rule it." Maul said and Satine ruled that he was talking to himself.
"We can not afford for me to lose this fight, yet I can not kill him." Maul said to her and she scratched the idea of him talking to himself.
"Killing him would be to easy. I would gain his followers yet I wouldn't gain them. They all would be loyal to him until they die, if he dies." Maul said continuing on while he kept pacing. Satine finally decided to stop him.
"Maul, you're worrying about nothing. It's just a battle. One you've fought many times. Go and rest in your room and I'll bring some food up to you. You should be ready for the fight." Satine said and Maul stopped, looking at about to protest until he heard his stomach growl.
"Yes. Some food would be nice." Maul said calmly after he took a deep breath calming his body as well. He kept forgetting to eat, his mind was so focused on his emotions that he just pushed his hunger aside and let the Force feed him. She stood up and left the hall to get him some food herself. Once she was gone, something deep in Maul's head told him to to just kill Vizsla and Satine to take Mandalore for himself. The Mandalorians would be forced to follow him than, but the thought was quickly silenced by a softer thought. It told him to just go back to his room and wait for Satine.
He started walking out of the hall until the throne finally caught his eye. He stopped and turned to the empty seat. It was there again, that dark voice in his head. That need to be absolute. The yearning to start over and act like he never decided to let Obi-wan live. He walked over to the throne, wanting to know the source of the reasoning in why he was drawn to it. A voice in him screamed that it was his throne. He throne didn't look very comfortable to sit in and he wondered how Satine could stand sitting on something like it. The voice in his head over powered the one thought and it pushed him to sit down in the throne.
Maul looked over his shoulder, the kitchen is quite a walk away, he thought than looking back at the throne. The corner of his mouth bent up in a small smirk as he sat down in the throne. All of his worries washed away into a dark sea. He felt power slowly creep through him. Power that could be his. Power that he could easily take. With a simple plan at that. The same plan he used as an apprentice: deceive and kill. He truly had no one to let down anymore. No master. No apprentice. No Kenobi. No Savage. No one close to him to hurt. Attachments were just weaknesses. If Maul truly loved something he knew now he would have to let them go. Attachments were easily seen by the enemy and used against him. Maul would have that no longer. No more weaknesses.
Suddenly Maul stood up from the throne looking at it. What was he thinking? He wasn't going to kill Satine! Obi-wan had entrusted her to lead him down the path Obi-wan wanted him to go down.
But there was no more Obi-wan now. Obi-wan was dead. Murdered by the clones who were ordered to carry out Order 66. His old master's order.
Obi-wan had asked Maul to protect the galaxy and to free it of the Empire. To treat the galaxy like the galaxy was Obi-wan.
But Maul always ended up hurting Obi-wan. In freeing the galaxy from the Empire, it also meant his revenge. His revenge for everything his old master and the Sith did to him: Ripped him from his mother's arms, murdered his brother and mate. The Sith would pay for what they did. And they would pay with a slow and painful death. Maul would stalk his prey in the shadows, careful of not being seen. He would study and observe their every moment and this time. He would not let them get away for what they did.
Maul walked back to his room to wait for Satine and his food. His eyes sparked with the need for revenge. But first he needed an army. He has a base here on Mandalore and on Dathomir. Now he needed an army to conquer the galaxy. To make his army stronger. Than once, when it would be strong enough, he would strike and take down the Empire. Saving everyone from the Sith and his old master's evil hand. Freeing the galaxy. With Satine there by his side, the one who let it all become possible.
Before he could think further about the future, he had to think about the now. He had to battle Pre Vizsla without killing him. Or at least not yet.