Assassin (A Star Wars Fan-Fiction) Book 4

Chapter Thirty

If Bail had known what awaited them in the penthouse, he never would've taken Deidre with him for tea.

The scene could only be described as a nightmare as the senator began to survey the entire apartment, eyes alert and weapon at the ready. Although he made sure to check for a pulse when he happened upon each Twi-lek body, whoever had broken in didn't want any witnesses. It broke his heart to recognize each servant, to know each one personally and to have shared precious memories with them- it made his chest physically ache. But he couldn't let the sadness overwhelm him; the killer could've still been present.

After scanning the first floor, Bail made his way to the second level of the penthouse. This was the floor that held all the bedrooms: servants' quarters, guest suite, as well as the Bernattos' rooms. The Twi-lek senator was known for being punctual when it came to social occasions, which included Bail and Deidre's traditional visits. The fact that Bail hadn't found his or his wife's and daughter's bodies was taken as a good sign and he continued on with his search.

As he made his way down the hall, the breeze he'd felt in the foyer below grew stronger. It began to lower the temperature of the corridor and a thin layer of goose-bumps appeared on his skin; the burglar had to have entered from one of the bedrooms. 

The first room Bail entered was the servants' quarters; save for the body of a young girl, Ammalla, who he recalled to be the daughter of one of the maids he'd seen downstairs, there was no sign of any possible culprits. He moved to the next room, the guest room, and was thankful to find it empty. Bail hadn't heard of Agost receiving any visitors that would be staying for an extended period of time, so that was a breath of fresh air not to find a dead body.

It was a thought he never dreamed would pass his mind- to expect a corpse and finding an empty space. Bail shook his head and kept moving.

Ever since he'd sent Deidre back to the first floor for help, he'd dreaded this moment. The bedroom doors were next to each other, one possibly leading to the corpses of Bail's friend and his wife, the other their daughter who more than likely had met a foul end as well. He didn't want to even think about what he'd have to tell his own daughter. He mentally debated for a quick moment before stepping towards what could've been the crime scene of his best friend's murder.

***

From the moment that damned woman sat down across from him, Maul had no idea what was happening. He put up a good front that the ex-sith had the situation completely under control- it wasn't a front, he did have the situation under control. The man had been making a name for himself once more as a bounty hunter over the past few months; he knew the ropes like the back of his hand. Everything had been running smoothly.

Up until she walked in.

She must have been insane, absolutely out of her mind when she entered the cantina. No sane person struts into a bar full of criminals like they own the place and demands a job from one of the most dangerous individuals in the galaxy. He could sense her intentions before she even walked through the door and he resented her before his eyes ever looked up from his drink.

The gall, the complete nerve of that lady who either was too stupid to read a room or just didn't give a damn pissed him off to a point beyond belief. 

Despite missing his lower half, Maul was still a force to be reckoned with; he practically radiated the idea of being within inches of death itself. There was a reason he was doing as well as he was in such a short amount of time, and that was the fact that the people who wanted his fame and fortune were too scared to try and take it from him. He was the new god of the mercenary guild and he was not one to be trifled with.

After the woman left, a low murmur had settled in the cantina among the scoundrels and drunks. The zabrak didn't need the Force to know exactly what everyone was talking about- the fact that he hadn't slaughtered that woman where she stood.

"Excuse me."

The chatting instantly came to a halt at the sound of his voice and that familiar, comforting sensation of the people's fear rang clear through the establishment once more. All eyes were on him, every pupil dilated with fright and the suffocating atmosphere of anticipation for his words was like a drug he couldn't get enough of.

Their god, indeed.

His gaze fell to the bartender and Maul tapped at the rim of his empty beverage.

"Another drink. Now."

The bartender, a male Rodian who seemed a bit younger than he looked, scurried to fulfill Maul's request and made his way over to the man's table in record time. He blathered through a list of apologies that were ultimately ignored before quickly darting back to the safety of his bar table, where everyone else watched in complete silence. The zabrak rolled his eyes in annoyance.

He wouldn't do the job; after how uncivilized that woman behaved, there was no chance he'd help her in any way, shape, or form. Her husband could rot for all he cared. Kriff, maybe her husband left to join the Sand People instead of rescuing his kid; living with a fiend like that walking-insult was probably agonizing. But after a moment of consideration, Maul grabbed onto his cup and swirled the liquid around, disappearing deep into mental-debate.

The offspring of Denali Bleway and Obi-Wan Kenobi...

A mixture of emotions ran rampant through himself. He could recall his time as a young man, barely above the age of a child, and how he'd spent his earlier years with the Rancor Slayers. The day Denali was taken by the Jedi was still a memory fresh as day. It was the day that Zendara was imprisoned and he became the next candidate for Darth Sidious' padawan.

Though he would never admit it out loud, a small shadow deep within his soul wished that Denali hadn't been the only person they'd taken to be trained. It was strange how different his life could have been if he hadn't known to hide his force-sensitivity.

Obi-Wan Kenobi...

The rage that surged through his veins at the very thought of his name had died down over the years, especially after finding out about his death on Mustafar. It had lessened to a dull glow, like embers in a fire pit. Maul's only regret was that he hadn't be able to kill the bastard himself. But now knowing Kenobi had a child...and with the sister of the leader of his former bounty hunter clan... He took a big swig of his alcoholic beverage- he couldn't remember what he ordered and frankly didn't care- before taking a low, deep breath.

He'd regret, or at least that's what he told himself. He'd regret taking this job, and especially taking orders from a woman who appeared to be too dim-witted to understand the natural order of things. But as his thoughts continued to churn in his mind and take the form of future plans, the ex-sith realized this was an opportunity too good to pass up.

The odds of their child being force-sensitive were too high to even consider that she might be normal- if the kid was a Bleway, she was a force-user. And if she had any sort of power like her mother and uncle had, she would be a worthy apprentice for him. One last shot of his drink and he'd finished it completely, now fueled with a new mission, a new purpose. The bar-goers watched with bated breath as his made his way across the room to the door with a sinister smirk on his lips.

Yes, he'd rescue the child.

And they would become a duo like no one in the galaxy had ever seen.