The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Investigation on Iveria: Golden Opportunity

Maul waited. And he waited. And he waited some more. He tapped his fingers against his bicep. He bit his cheek. He wanted to stab something.

But he waited still. And then he came. Maul steeled himself, preparing for the meeting. His two hearts were pumping sporadically.

Darth Sidious gave a malevolent laugh as he stepped out of the shadows. The sight set Maul's stomach ablaze with hatred and rage, while the rest of him was drenched in icy fear. He kept his exterior cool as his former master strolled up to him in deep red robes. His hood was up, half of his face covered in darkness. The Zabrak knelt down instinctively.

"Hello my former apprentice. Did you retrieve the holocron?" he asked serenely, like he couldn't kill him with a twitch of his finger. Maul looked up.

"I did my master, but the Gray took it back." Sidious made a sour face.

"I'm am quite unhappy to hear that." he said, stepping forward. His fingers began to crackle with purple-blue sparks. Maul reached into his pocket.

"But it was not a failure!" he said quickly, hoping to stop Sidious from electrocuting him or worse. He pulled out a small device.

"I had the holocron's contents copied." The Sith Lord stopped. He snatched the holoprojector from the Zabrak.

In front of his face grew the schematics for the famed Starforge. Maul stood up, eyes skimming all over the intricacies of the ancient battle station. Sidious smiled deviously.

"I am glad sparing you has been fruitful, Maul." he said Maul with an edge, like his name was meant to be an insult.

"You see, by today's standards, this battle station isn't much of a marvel. Most of this could be replicated with modern technology. However, there is one thing that does make the Starforge useful to me." the Sith Lord began to zoom in on the blueprints.

"Those who were there say the entire station was drenched in the Dark Side of the Force. I figured since the blueprints weren't in the Rakatan Temple and Revan had given Bindo the Abominations, it made sense that he may have given him the Starforge schematics as well.

"But why, my former apprentice, would Revan have gone through so vigorous lengths to hide such a thing? Why not give it to the Republic? Certainly it would be in good hands." he asked rhetorically.

"To prevent it from being replicated." Maul replied. His eyes grew wide as the power sector of the Starforge grew large. "Because it was powered by kyber crystal." the Zabrak said, finishing his own statement. Sidious turned the hologram off, the blueprints getting sucked into the darkness.

"Indeed." the Sith Lord said with a dangerously sadistic smile. Maul understood.

"You are going to build a battle station." he said, not believing what he was hearing. Sidious laughed again. It was a horrid sound.

"Yes I am, one that'll rival the Starforge in size, power, and fear." he said. He turned his eyes on Maul. They were depthless, like a pit. They glittered hungrily.

"Now, we start the final phase of my plan." he explained, tucking his hand with the holoprojector into the sleeve of his robe.

"You will return to Mandalore. Draw the Republic's focus there." he commanded. He turned to return to the darkness, like the vermin he was.

"And you my lord?" Sidious turned to look at him over his shoulder. That expression chilled even Maul to the bone. The Chancellor grinned wickedly.

"I'm going to plan a kidnapping."