Obsession

Visions and voices

"Where are we?" Ezra asks as he sees the red and black planet they are heading for.
"That is Dathomir. My home." Maul answers his apprentice looking over at him as he speaks than looks back at the lonely planet. Nothing else is said between with of them until the ship lands the deserted village.
"If this is your home, where are your people? Where is everybody?" Ezra asked looking around as he followed Maul.
"My brother and I are the last survivors of our people. Our family, the Nightsisters and Nightbrothers, were killed." Maul spoke quietly as they approached three large stone graves. "Masterful with magik, they were, a threat to Empire." Maul rested his hand on the middle grave.
"I know that you can relate." Maul said softly.
"Are these graves?" Ezra asked looking at the three.
"Yes." Maul kept his voice soft and quiet unlike Ezra had ever heard it before.
"Who's are they? Where are the others?" Ezra asked unable to take his eyes off of the middle grave noticing that it was smaller than the others.
"My mother's, my mate's and my brother's." Maul answered him.
"You had a mate?" Ezra asked completely surprised that someone like Maul could possibly have a mate.
"Yes. He was what some would call an enemy or a rival of mine when we first met." Maul voice saddened and it had surprised him that he's never seen this side of Maul before. "I had made... so many mistakes, but he was so forgiving. Although, we never could really get pass what happened between us when we first met... as soon as we were getting pass it, the Sith murdered him. He had died in my arms." Maul spoke than ended it there realizing who he was talking to.
"Why is the one in the middle smaller than the other two?" Ezra asked seeming to be intrigued by the stone graves.
"This one is my mate's." Maul said running his hand over it. "I have gotten separated from his body when I was trying to protect my brother. But in all my efforts both him and my mate were killed. The Sith had separated me from both their bodies. I was only able to retrieve my brother's body with the help of some Mandalorians, but we couldn't find my mate's body." Maul half lied to Ezra and the human boy could obviously tell that Maul telling the story had disturbed the old Zabrak.
"So, you had two brothers?" Ezra asked trying to change the subject.
"Yes. Feral and I are the only ones of our entire species left. The Sith had killed everyone on the planet in fear that they might rise up against the Empire." Maul explained to Ezra
"So where is your brother?" Ezra asked on
"He is somewhere around here. Watching us, no doubt." Maul said and Ezra couldn't help, but look around.
"Why doesn't he come out?" Ezra asked
"He has no business with you, apprentice. He knows to stay out of my business." Maul said walking away from the graves. "Come, my apprentice, on with why I brought you here."
"So these witches, they used the Force?" Ezra asked curiously
"Some aspect of it, yes. But it was their connection with this planet that made them strong." Maul explained. "That is why we are here, to preform, some some old magik." Maul barely contained his laughter. His story had worked on Ezra, getting him to sympathize Maul. They walked toward the large cave.
"Yes. Yes, everything we need lies within the cave." Maul said hoping his plan would work as he walked closer to the cave.
"I'm not going any further until you tell me how this works." Ezra stated stopping in front of the cave and it had frustrated Maul with his apprentice's stubbornness that hit himself on the forehead with his fist a couple times.
"The only way to access the knowledge we seek is to merge our minds again, the effect will only last for a moment. Just enough time for each of us to find answers to our questions. Trust me Ezra," Maul sighed "I only want the answers I deserve. Nothing more."
"What do we have to do?" Ezra asked giving in. He guessed what Maul meant by hope was in hope to find his mate's body. It also confused Ezra because of that was the case, why did he see nothing about it in the pieces he got from the Holocron?  It might have been in there along with everything that he didn't understand. He wasn't sure.
"Come." Maul led Ezra into the cave and they reached a small hut in the cave where the roof above them opened up, it was large enough to fit a small ship into. He guessed from the size of it that the ship they came down in was just to big to fit into he hole.
"I have gathered many things, secrets to help us restore our memories." Maul said leading him into his hut. As Ezra entered only one thing came to mind as he saw everything:
"Look at all of this junk."
"Do not touch anything!" Maul snapped at him as he walked to the back of the hut. "These are artifacts from my past, when my power was almost absolute."
Ezra looked the his right to see a line of lightsabers. He walked over to them and noticed the murals. He couldn't help, but look at the mural in the middle. It seemed to be of a man he recognized, but he couldn't remember who. He than took notice of the darksaber. He started to reach out to it until he heard Maul's voice.
"Get away from there!" Maul snapped going over to Ezra quickly with gauntlets in his hands. He looked over the counter making sure nothing was touched.
"Is that a lightsaber?" Ezra asked referring to the darksaber.
"Indeed. Yes, but not like any you would know. If your Mandalorian friend was here she could explain it to you." Maul said handing Ezra the gauntlets and they both left the hut. Maul led him over a ways to an alter. He took the gauntlets from Ezra and set them down on a table that had three long bottles on it.
"I have studied the ways of the Nightsisters and have found a spell that should suit our needs." Maul started to explain. "This water is the focus of their ancient power." He powered the two outer bottles into the one in the middle before pouring the middle bottles contents into the two gauntlets.
"Now to initiate this merge we must both drink this potion." Maul said picking up the gauntlets and handed one to Ezra.
"You first." Ezra said nervous and Maul drank all of the potion that was in his gauntlet.
"To complete the spell, you must drink it all. Just like me. All of it." Maul said placing his gauntlet on the table. Than Ezra began drinking his half of the potion.
"It's... working!" Maul said holding his head and once Ezra was done drinking he started coughing. Both of their eyes had turned green.
"Where is he?!" Maul said as the green mist from their eyes connected, quickly they swapped and shared the pieces of information that they knew.
"I see... I understand." Maul said as he heard his apprentice say something, but he was too enthralled in his newly found information to tell what Ezra said. Than as quickly as it started it stopped and Maul and Ezra were left leaning against the table.
"Of course! It's where it all began... a desert planet with twin suns!" Maul whispered to himself.
"He's alive! I can't believe he's alive!" Ezra said standing up to only notice that the fires around them were going out and Maul started backing up.
"It is time to pay our debt." Maul said and he couldn't help, but feel his two hearts beat frantically.
"Wait! Wait! Wait, what's happening?!" Ezra asked as the backed up and Maul took out a comm link.
"What is that!?" Ezra asked scared of the green ghosts that formed from the alter that was behind the table.
"Pay our due!" One of the green ghosts hissed and Ezra couldn't help, but hear Maul's gasp.
"The spirits of the Nightsisters, must be compensated for the use of their magik." Maul says to Ezra as they back up further from the spirits that slowly moved closer to them.
"So pay them and let's get out of here!" Ezra shouted at Maul as a spirit rushed towards them and Maul pushed Ezra away causing the spirit to pass by them.
"Our debt is our own flesh and blood. Don't let them touch you!" Maul said bring the comm to his mouth to speak into it.
"Now you let me!" Ezra says looking around.
"Ezra!" Kanan shout as he and Sabine ran over to Ezra.
"No! What are you doing?! Leave!" Maul shouts at them dodging a spirit.
"Kanan! Sabine! Stay back!" Ezra demanded and Sabine started to fire her blasters at one of the spirits.
"Feral! Hurry! It is time!" Maul shouts into the comm and Kanan and Sabine are quickly possessed by a couple of Nightsisters.
"Ezra! Stay back! Don't go near them!" Maul orders Ezra as the young Jedi and apprentice slowly starts to approach his possessed friends.
"Kanan? Sabine?" Ezra says while dodging more spirits. Before they knew it, Feral and a group of Mandalorians ran over to them.
"Brother! Don't let the spirits touch you!" Maul cried out to the other side of the cave.
"Don't worry brother! I've been running from the Nightsisters all my life! I didn't expect it to stop anytime soon!" Feral said to Maul, who scoffed at his younger brother. How could Feral be making jokes at this time?! This was more dangerous than fighting on a battlefield. If he was possessed by a Nightsister there was nothing Maul could do to remove the Nightsister. If a Nightsister had gotten into a body of Dathomirian flesh and blood they would be able to roam freely around the planet. At the moment, Maul just wanted them back, but to be and stay under control with in the cave.
Maul quickly found himself in a fight with the Jedi Master while Ezra was fighting against Sabine.
"You better not hurt him!" Ezra said to Maul.
"You can not defeat the spirits of the Nightsisters. Follow me, I will show you how to save your friends." Maul said pushing the possessed Rebels back as the started to run for the entrance.
"Feral!" Maul shouted back into the tunnel to see his younger brother quickly following after them.
"Hurry Feral! Do not stop!" Maul kept shouting as he saw the trail of spirits behind his brother. Maul also took. Price that the possessed Rebels were between him and his brother.
"Feral! Jump!" Maul shouted and Feral jumped into the air and Maul use the force to throw Feral out of the cave. He watched his brother fail the landing and tumble to a stop. Feral just lied there on the found outside of the tunnel.
Once they were out of the tunnel Maul turned around to see just how close they were to Ezra's possessed friends.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Why aren't they coming after us?" Ezra asked backing away
"The alter is the Nightsister's main source of power, they can not venture far from the cave. It is unfortunate for your friends, but this is an opportunity to embrace your destiny as my apprentice." Maul said to Ezra placing a hand on his shoulder and Ezra quickly pushed it off.
"I told you that will never happen!" Ezra snapped at Maul
"FORGET THE PAST! FORGET YOUR MEMORIES!" Maul yelled at Ezra. "Forget your attachments! Our future can merge on a planet with twin suns! We can walk that path together! As friends. As brothers!"
"My friends are trapped in there because of us! I can't just leave them here." Ezra said to him and Maul growled softly.
"You, disappoint me, Ezra Bridger." Maul walks away from him. Now time to focus his attention on his brother who still was on the ground not moving.
"Brother?" Maul knelt down next to Feral shaking him. Ezra stopped after he reentered the cave seeing Maul shake Feral and feeling Maul's panic.
"Brother!" Maul tried waking him up and had received a groan from the younger Zabrak. Ezra watched Maul help his brother up, Ezra was relieved when he he watched Maul help his brother up and quickly leave the planet. Ezra looked into the cave prepared to face the Nightsister spirits that were in his friends.