Archive of Our Own

If he stepped back and thought about it, sometimes it was a little cruel how he toyed with Rook Kast’s emotions. But it was a fleeting thought, and the funnier outcome (and more satisfying) was watching Rook nearly lose all sense of composure when Maul showed up with two teens trekking along behind him. He could see an entire impulsive desire to scold him building within her eyes. But her words stayed in her mouth for good reason, though her emotions swelled with such ferocity the next planet over could have heard her internal screams. 

Unfortunately, Maul still listened to her every thought anyway through the Force. He didn’t tell her that. Then again, she already knew he could hear them. 

Now, ten days after rescuing Devon from the Inquisitor and taking the other child home, Maul was still unsuccessful in convincing Devon to join his side. It would have been a smoother process had it been just him and Devon. She could pour her hatred for him into her fighting, channel it into the unfair world that she was forced to live, and let her frustrations fester until she snapped and took them out upon the Empire. From there, it would be easy to show her how to hone her skills and embrace the darkness. 

But there was a problem. And the problem was in the other teenager that came along. Although Devon tried to sway Rylee Lawson’s mind (in a world of Obi-Wan Kenobis, Count Dookus, and Ahsoka Tanos, who the hell names their child Rylee? Poor kid) and claim Maul was evil, Maul quickly turned the tables by getting the kid to tell him all about Botekin. Apparently, the kid was at a near-professional level, and gladly taught Maul and Devon a few rules when asked. A fast friendship formed between the teenagers over the game, slowing Maul’s apprentice plans greatly. 

But, more than that, they had taken to bothering Maul for sport (and by proxy, Rook). Which is exactly what they were doing now. 

“You got any good snacks down here?” Rylee asked, Devon following him close behind. 

“No,” Maul said. 

“So when are you going to get more?”

Rook scowled, annoyed that the two were there while she and Maul had better matters to take care of. They could only keep Vario threatened for so long before he would stop talking. “Never. No more snacks. No more holotv. No more hockey. (“What’s hockey?” Rylee asked.) You will respect Lord Maul or I will personally see to it you never breathe again.”

“Whoa, that’s scary,” Devon said, not even a hint of concern in her voice. “Maul, can you teach me how to drive one of the speeders?” 

“No,” Maul said. 

“Wait, what’s your legs made out of?” Rylee asked for the third time this week. 

“Glass,” Maul said and began to try and walk away. 

“Can we go to the surface?” Devon now asked. 

“No.”

“Man, you never let us do anything fun!”

Maul whirled around, hissing. Devon immediately moved to protect Rylee, who gladly backed up behind the twi’lek. “Had I known you two would be utterly insufferable, I would have left you to die on that train.” 

“Just give us snacks, and we’ll shut up. We’re growing children, you know,” Devon said. “We need to be watered and repotted sometimes.”

What did that even mean?

Never mind that. Maul didn’t know why he caved but he turned to Rook and sent her on a mission to fetch snacks. She resisted briefly, then realized there was no point and finally obeyed. And once she had left, Maul found Devon and Rylee a stick for them to play with. Sometimes the Mandalorians threw the same stick for Spybot to chase after when operations were slow. 

It wasn’t long before he heard the sweet sounds of the two teens trying to beat each other up in some type of stick game. Well, at least they could tire each other out. Maul went back to where he had hung Vario upside down by the leg by a rope. Icarus and Scorn were poking Vario, making him swing back and forth. 

They stopped when Maul entered the room. “Have you thought about your answer?” Maul hummed.

Vario flailed about. “I’m telling you the truth! I don’t know all the Pyke’s routes. Just give me time to look into it, and I can score you all the money off their assets. I promise it’ll be good.”

“You promise many things.”

“I mean, I’ve kept them all.”

“And Nico Deemis’ life?”

“Okay, that was a deal that went bad, but that wasn’t really my fault. He attacked me.” Maul snarled. Vario squeaked and flinched. “Okay okay, maybe it was my fault. Sorry.” 

“Find those routes.” Maul drew his blade, cutting the rope. Vario dropped to the ground with a screech. “See to it he does not fail.” And Scorn and Icarus began intimidating Vario, who begged for mercy from both of them. 

By the time Rook returned with the snacks, it was dinner and so she chose to withhold the treats until after dinner was eaten. The two children didn’t care, having appropriately worn one another out as predicted. Maul made them all tea while Icarus created a fine dining experience for the four. Scrappy, by Rook and Maul’s standards, but both Rylee and Devon ate like there was no tomorrow, and then wondered if there were seconds (yes, there were. Maul had been through this conversation five days ago). The teens also drank all their tea, then acted like they hadn’t spent a drop of energy all day and yapped. They knew better to talk during meal times, that much was initially instilled into them, but when Rylee gently asked if he could speak during the meal, Maul had granted them both permission, expecting some sort of profound story. 

Nope. What had begun as simple little questions soon turned into vivacious conversations, sometimes philosophical, most of the time utterly useless. And now Maul and Rook were subjected to listening to a conversation about shoe sizes and how human and twi’lek foot bone structures were completely different. Rook kept glancing towards the Shadow Lord, wondering if he would silence them, but Maul had secretly become so invested that he didn’t want the two to stop. The kids even asked him about zabrak feet at one point, but he didn’t know the answer (“Most of them have more toes than I do now.”), and those were the only words he got in all meal. 

Rook, meanwhile, quickly established that Mandalorians were humans, and there was a second human at the table with better answers. 

“Is this what it’s like to take care of two children?” Rook wondered when the teens had finished dinner and were now bullying Vario with Scorn and Icarus. 

Maul shrugged. “I suspect their annoying behaviors are far more incessant than most children their age because they want to prove their hatred for me.” 

“You got that out of a conversation about feet?” 

“Of course not. The Force told me they hate and fear me. But they’re learning that I do not intend to kill them yet.”

“Key word: yet. Give me the word, and I could end their life swiftly.”

“No.” 

“Then drag their last breaths out.” 

“We are not killing them yet. I have a plan.”

Rook threw her hands up, exasperated. “Of course you do. Is it an actual good plan, or just another impulsive desire?”

“It is a plan. That is all you need to know.”

“Mister Maul?”

“Master Maul.”

“Mister Master Maul? Do you have games on your phone?”

Maul frowned. What the hell was a phone? What is all this new slang anyway? It was his fault that he made it obvious he didn’t know the new age slang, and now Rylee said slang in every other sentence to further confuse him. 

“No, I do not have games, nor do I have pho. Icarus has holochess. Scorn can give you food.”

“Holochess is not it,” Devon said. 

Rylee shook his head dramatically. “Kriffing Boomers. Never passing the vibe check.” 

“He’s too young to be a boomer,” Rook said, but no one listened to her except Spybot, who was crawling on her shoulder.

A scowl painted itself upon Maul’s face. “If you want a proper answer from me, you will speak to me in plain Basic, or you will exit this room and refrain from disturbing me.”

“Actually, I have a question. Why do you speak like Shaeek Speer?” Rylee asked. 

Another slang word. “And what is Shaeek Speer?”

Devon gasped, and so did Spybot. “You don’t know who Shaeek Speer?” She said, forcing Maul to shake his head. “Only the most famous playwright of all time from the Old Republic. You gotta watch one of his plays.”

“Yeah!” Spybot said. “What she said!”

“Wait, why are you agreeing with me? Aren’t you Maul’s droid?”

“Shaeek Speer.”

Maul held back from rolling his eyes. “Plays are ridiculous.” 

Rylee responded by crossing his arms, and put on a fake accent clearly mocking Maul’s slow speech. “Devon, it appears we are amongst a bandwagon Shaeek Speer hater. Perhaps we should educate our dear friend.”

“But of course!” Devon said in the same drawling accent. “Why, I find it utterly disappointing Mister Master Maul has failed to even hear of the name!” 

Rook pulled up her blaster and the two kids immediately stopped their mimicry and threw their hands into the air. “All who try and impersonate the Shadow Lord shall be subjected to execution. Apologize.”

“Yeah!” Spybot said. “Or we will cut out your little guts!”

“Whose side are you even on?” Rook muttered. 

“No need to scare them,” Maul said, flicking his hand and forcing Rook’s hand down. “Their impressions are simply pitiful, they could not possibly convince anyone they are me. Besides…they could be impersonating you instead, Kast.”

“And I’ll shoot them if they do.”

Maul sighed. “Do not mock her if you want to live.”

Both teens nodded, having zero problems with that agreement. 

Later that night, after dinner, Rylee and Devon had run off, giggling and whispering to one another. They only came out to ask Maul if there was a holoprojector or holotv. Maul didn’t think twice about handing over a holotv, especially when Rylee said they wanted to watch an episode of “Stir Whorls.” Which, according to Devon, was a show about two teams of chefs battling it out for control of the kitchen. 

Vario tried to join them, apparently also excited about the new episode. He was denied when Maul shot a lightsaber out in front of him. “You can rewatch the show later,” Maul said. “We have business to discuss.”

“Now hold on, how come you treat those kids with more respect than me?” Vario asked. “I gave you a route! I have the money! What do they have? Nothing! Nothing, I tell you! They’re just tiny children that can’t even figure out left from right—”

Maul shoved Vario into a chair then snarled. 

“Alright, alright, sorry. Never been good with kids anyway.” Vario forced a smile. 

It was about an hour later when Devon reappeared, slowly creeping up towards the Shadow Lord and his closest associate. Maul sensed her approaching while he was mid conversation with Rook, just shortly after they had thrown Vario back into prison. His words faltered ever so slightly, and Rook caught on, reaching for her blaster. A quick shake of his head and gesturing to the strategy map was all that she needed to know the threat was manageable and did not need her interference. They now took up a useless conversation on how to get rid of the stormtroopers in the area. 

Then Maul stuck his hand out, and Devon’s attempted pounce ended right there midair as she was suspended in their air with the Force. She kicked and flailed, crying out protests that reached neither Maul nor Rook’s ears despite the ruckus. 

Maul sighed and brought her closer to study at her with a disappointed stare. Really? She tried to sneak up on him, of all hunting species? And not even a zabrak, but a Force sensitive zabrak. Was she stupid or something?

Well, to be fair, she was a teenager. Maul remembered when he was a teen, he did dumb stuff like that too. Such as… becoming Sidious’ apprentice.

“Let me go!” Devon yelled. “I wasn’t even trying to kill you this time!”

“You entered this chamber like you were a hunter. Forgive me if I find your reasoning feeble.” 

“Okay, but counterpoint, I wanted to see if I could surprise you anyway. Just to test you.”

Maul released his Force hold on her. “And did I pass?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Good. Now leave. You should be sleeping. Your rest is imperative to your performance.”

“I don’t like your curfews, and it’s not even that late. Besides, Rylee and I wanted to know if you wanted to watch Ham Let with us.”

“Ham Let?” Did it involve boars? Why was it called Ham Let? 

Rook answered the question. “It’s a Shaeek Speer tragedy.”

“Again with that name.” Maul shook his head. “It seems I am the only one who does not know him.”  

“You might be.” 

Now Devon spoke, eyes trained to Maul. “So… are you in or not?” 

What the hell, sure. Rook’s disappointment continued to mount immeasurably while Devon dragged Maul away. It wasn’t long before Maul sat before the holotv with Devon and Rylee. They had a ton of new snacks piled around (where did they get all these snacks?) and angled themselves to see Maul’s expressions as they watched the play. Even if they kept their distance from him, Maul didn’t mind. It was somewhat enjoyable to see they were curious about him rather than afraid. 

Now, on to finding out what this “Ham Let” was all about. 

(Maul quickly learned that was one word, not two, and did not involve boars.)

Like Rook said, the play wasn’t very sad despite it being labelled a tragedy. But Maul didn’t mind. It kept him entertained even if he had to ask the teens the occasional question on what he was watching. 

At some point, Rook opened the door and threw Vario in. “I heard you were watching Hamlet,” Vario said. “I love this play. I’ve seen it probably eight or seven times in the last year.”

“Eight-seven,” Rylee cackled, and he and Devon waved their hands around. 

“Don’t ever do that again,” Rook huffed before she left, shutting the door. Both Maul and Vario shrugged, unsure what the reference was. 

As they watched, a burning question niggled at Maul’s mind. Normally, he’d ask a trusted person more personal questions, but he only had one person that fit that rhetoric, and Rook Kast wouldn’t say anything if he tried. Which is why he must consult an outside source. 

That source being Vario, who was snacking away at a single piece of Mantell Mix nearly half the size of his head. “Vario, do you agree with the children that I speak like this… Shaeek Speer?” 

Devon and Rylee peeked over, eagerly waiting for an answer. 

“I mean, you’re like a Shaeek Speer wannabe. You have the right cadence and idea, but the execution isn’t great. It’s like a bad impersonator. But that’s not a bad thing! You’re just at an amateur level, y’know?” 

Maul only huffed. Then glared at Vario to scare him before looking back at the holotv. The teens’ laughing while Vario’s scream tickled Maul’s mind just right, and he didn’t even attempt to stop his grin. 

The Force tingled as it always did right before disaster. Today’s disaster was a small ball lobbed in his direction. Maul spun around, catching it in his hand with ease before it hit him.

He was in no way prepared for the shock that jolted through his body. A yelp escaped his throat and he dropped it. From the side, Icarus and Scorn chuckled at the mishap, then quickly went back to modding their blasters when Maul snarled at them. 

Rylee and Devon did not have the same sense of self preservation, their laughter still audible as they ducked behind a corner. 

Maul grabbed the ball, ignoring the shocks—which weren’t even painful. He’s survived worse—and chased after them. “Oh, kriff!” Devon yelled and gave Rylee a little shove. “Go! He’s right behind us!” 

They ran around the room for a bit before Maul was close enough to throw the ball back at them. Devon jumped away while Rylee twisted to catch the ball. The boy’s hand had some sort of mitt on it, though Maul wasn’t sure what kind. And when Rylee lobbed it back, Maul grabbed the ball only to be shocked again. This time, he was more prepared for it and accepted his fate.

“Why do you play with a torture device?” Maul wondered aloud as he continued to follow them, the shocks making his arm numb. 

“It’s not a torture device!” Rylee said, snatching the ball out of the air when Maul threw it. Only then did he and Devon stop running. Maul slowed to halt just a few paces from them. “It’s a shockball.”

“A what?”

“A toy.”

“What a ridiculous toy. It should be modified for torture.”

“I mean, I don’t think it can do that. It’s just for the game Shockball, and I have it at the lowest setting. You ever played?”

“Shockball?” 

“By the Maker, he’s an anchorite,” Rylee muttered, making Devon smile. “You’ve never played Shockball?” And Maul shook his head. “Bro. You gotta get out more.”

Devon spoke. “Maybe you should teach him.” 

“You bet I can! You in, Maul?”

Great. Another antic. “Fine.”

“Alright, so here’s the basic rules of Shockball…” 

For the next hour, the three played a scrappy game of Shockball. Apparently, the entire goal was to shock the entire opposite team, though the current teams consisted of one person each. Rylee explained the basic rules that an “out” for their modified game was anyone shocked more than three times, then Devon kept changing the rules so she could win. Maul tried to cheat as well only for both teens to gang up against him. 

It was Rylee who won, which wasn’t really a surprise when they found out he was almost good enough to go to a professional league as well, he just chose to focus on Botekin. Although Rylee got the official win, he gave credit to Devon, who gladly took it. All because they had worked together to beat Maul (and really, Maul could have won if he didn’t enjoy the determination of two kids trying to bring him down). 

After the game, the three began their trek back to the main sewer to find food. Devon and Maul tossed the ball (which Rylee had turned off) back and forth with the Force while she and Rylee chatted about starting an animal farm together and having the ugliest animals they could think of. So far, they had a rancor and eopie, and were debating if an acklay was cute or ugly. 

The conversation and ball game died when Maul paused in his step and Devon ran into him. Rook, Icarus, Scorn, and two other Mandalorians all stood before Spybot’s feed upon the large projection. Maul parked himself next to Rook, and the teens tucked themselves up against Maul to watch. 

Upon the screen, Spybot had zoomed in on the Imperial guy. Brain. Raisin. Brooke. Maul honestly forgot the guy’s name. The man who had made living upon Janix near Hell. He hated this Imperial’s voice with a burning passion, yet he forced himself to listen. 

“—but rest assured, citizens of Janix. The perpetrators associated with this terrorist will be dealt with swiftly, and at the least risk possible. All police stations have been seized by the Empire to enforce this, and all personnel have been approved and examined to ensure they are Imperial standard. Those that are not have been removed from the police force so there will be no reason to fret about your safety.”

“My Dad… what if they got him?” Rylee began to panic. And though Devon tried to comfort him, he quickly became inconsolable, turning to Maul for assurance instead. “You have to find him! The Empire might be torturing him!”

Maul didn’t say anything. Why should he care about Lawson? The man deserved to die after he stirred up so much trouble and brought the Empire to Janix. 

His silence only further upset the younger Lawson. “If he gets captured by the Empire, he’s dead!” Rylee said. “I don’t want him to die. You can bring him here to hide, right?”

Devon placed a hand on Rylee’s shoulder. “Rylee,” she said softly. “He’s not going to help us.”

“What? But—”

“He doesn’t care. Your dad and my master aren’t part of his grand plan.” 

Rylee looked at Maul, betrayal and denial mixing upon his face. He tried to speak, but stopped when Devon intertwined her fingers into his. “Come on.” And Devon beckoned Rylee away. She shot her own glare in Maul’s direction, the same one she always did, but it fell away to empathy as she pulled Rylee towards their room. 

Maul still felt her anger linger when they were out of sight. 

Rook huffed. “Smart girl. She knows you too well. You might want to be careful.”

“She is becoming exactly what I want her to be for an apprentice,” Maul said, glad that Rook didn’t have the Force. Else, she might have become concerned at the twinge of disappointment slowly pulsing through Maul’s heart. 

“Shakespeare. Senth-herf-aurek-krill-esk-senth-peth-esk-aurek-resh-esk—why is it spelled like this?” 

Spybot tittered. He had perched up like a bird upon Maul’s forearm, mostly because Maul had been tinkering and fixing the droid’s sensors for the first half of the day. Now the two were looking at a datapad together. 

“Stupid inner rim and their standardized language,” Spybot said. “We should invent a new language that makes sense when we conquer the galaxy.”

“I suspect there is a culturally significant explanation for the name, but I do not have the time to care.” Maul put the datapad down. Shakespeare. What a stupid spelling. And to think those two children were familiar with it, then let him make a fool of himself. Had it not been for Maul casually trying to search the name up to find out what other plays the man had written, and becoming frustrated when no search resulted in an answer, he would have remained ignorant to the proper spelling for the rest of his life. 

The Force shifted ever so slightly. Rook was outside the door, her hesitation almost overwhelming her Force signature. He almost wanted to yell at her through the door to spit it out, annoyed at how strong she was feeling… everything, honestly. 

He wasn’t the only one aware of her presence. Spybot suddenly shifted upon his arm, probably tapped into the camera system and watching her. 

“Someone’s gonna get in troubleeeee~”

Maul glared at Spybot. “What do you know that I do not, Spybot?”

“Trouble. Lots of trouble.”

“And will you elaborate on this… trouble?” 

“She will.”

Before Maul could ask who “She” referred to (even if he already had an answer), Rook entered the room. Maul didn’t even bother facing her way, simply tracking her location based on the swell of frustration reeking off her. 

“My Lord, I have news for you. The children are gone.” 

“What!?” Maul spun around, eyes snapping right to her face. Spybot beeped happily. “Gone? How could they be gone?”

“You heard me. They’re not here,” Rook defended. 

“Uh oh! Someone’s a bad babysitter!” Spybot cackled and danced about. 

“Send out a search team!” Maul roared. “I want the girl alive!”

“Oopsy doo, you’re gonna die if Lawson finds out you killed his kiddo,” Spybot sang. 

“Keep the boy alive, too.” 

Rook shook her head. “You have kept them from their guardians for nearly four weeks. It was only a matter of time before they would escape.”

Maul threw Rook with the Force. “I do not need your commentary on this matter. Find them! Bring them back to me!” 

Rook scoffed but got up. “Yes, my Lord.” And she left.

Spybot began to giggle. And Maul shook his arm until the little droid nearly fell off. “Hey!”

“You too. Find them before the Empire does!” 

Spybot bounced off Maul’s arm, flying away. “Booshkeedoo!” 

Anger burned through Maul. He should have known they would run off at the first opportunity, but a part of him wanted to believe anything but that could be true. How foolish of him to trust they could behave. How stupid he would rely on mere children to obey. He had yet to give them a reason that their master and father were worse alternatives than himself. 

Maul tried to find Devon through the Force, though the effort was in vain. All he could do was wait for someone to report back. Maybe wish the Empire hadn’t laid their hands upon the two. Or perhaps wonder if they were dead. The options weren’t very charming, and so he clung to the one thing he never allied himself with until now. 

Hope. 

He simply hoped they were alright.

It was hours of agony. Multiple times, Maul doubted they were even alive. Especially with that Inquisitor wandering around. He shouldn’t care about the teens, and he shouldn’t be this upset he lost sight of them. Yet it almost felt like a failure on his part to let them run off without a quick way to protect them.

So it was a relief when his comm rang, not by Rook, but by Spybot. Maul opened the datapad to see Spybot’s camera. And sure enough, there were the two children, cowering behind a wall. 

Maul pressed the comm. “What are they doing?”

“Impy’s on their tails!” Spybot sounded way too pleased. “Run, Forrest, Run!” 

Maul didn’t even bother telling the rest of the Shadow Collective where he was going. He swung himself onto a speeder and kicked it into gear. “What sector?”

“Oh, two sectors away. Impy’s got them cornered real good. They’re being shot at, too. It’s amazing!” 

“Distract the Imperials until I get to them.”

“Time for me to play hero! Wheeee!” And Spybot turned off the comm. It wasn’t hard to figure out where Spybot was, for only a moment later something exploded, and that was all Maul needed to locate the trio. 

He ditched the speeder just before he reached the area, drawing his body in to keep his speed up through the air until he was nearly upon the ground. The Force helped slow him just enough to land right between the small legion of stormtroopers and the children. Both his blades snapped to life, illuminating the alleyway with their crimson glow. 

Devon’s scowl deepened upon her face, but Maul didn’t care. He threw both teens behind cover with the Force before a rain of fire pelted the air where they once stood. The double bladed lightsaber hummed in sync with his every movement, deflecting shots back into the troopers, and cutting down the forces one by one. Still, it was too much for a single fighter to take on, and Maul was no fool. He slowly backed off until he had the teens just in the corner of his eye. 

Devon illuminated her lightsaber, rising to her feet. She grabbed Rylee’s arm, and the two ran away. Maul slashed at a coolant pipe on the nearby building before running the same direction as the teens. “Move!” he snarled, both Devon and Rylee running just a little faster to keep pace with him. 

Spybot flew above them. “What fun this is! I love making messes!”

“Give us some directions!” Maul said. “Keep us out of Imperial eyes!”

“Off I go!” And Spybot disappeared high into the air. 

The trio ran through the streets, Spybot helping guide them and avoid other patrols the best he could. But even he wasn’t ready for when the Empire suddenly decided to deploy their gunships. Poor Spybot was shot at, falling from the sky and just barely being caught by Rylee. “Owwie!” 

Without Spybot, luck ran out immediately. The trio took a turn and froze. Imperial troopers stood in a firing line, fingers on the triggers. Going back was also impossible, for as soon as they tried to backtrack, they ended up in the sights of several other troopers. “Lay your weapons down!” the commander yelled. “No one needs to get hurt!” 

Devon and Maul went back to back, Rylee in between them. “Got an ideas how to get out of here, asshole?” Devon hissed as the troopers cornered them further. 

Maul didn’t bother to answer. He might survive, but they weren’t making it out of this together. The plan was simply “Everyone for themselves.”  

“There’s a balcony above us,” Rylee said. “Maybe we can escape that way?”

An idea popped into Maul’s head and he broadcast it to Devon, who opened her mind just enough to understand his thoughts. She accepted, the Light and Dark side of the Force shaking hands in their minds. 

“Drop your weapons! This is your last chance!” The commander shouted again.

Maul snarled. “Now, Devon!” In sync, the two lightsaber users pulled the balcony down with the Force onto the Imperial troops and created a smokescreen of dust. Devon was quick to jump through it, while Maul picked Rylee up and bounded over the ruins. Spybot screamed from Rylee’s arms. 

The three scaled up the building quickly, Maul dodging blaster fire while Devon had her blade out to deflect any shots looking to add a corpse to the Imperial count. They ended up on another balcony, pausing to catch their breath just long enough for Maul to do a quick headcount and Devon and Rylee to check on one another. Spybot was still yelling, but Rylee had stopped trying to assure him they would be okay.

The doors to the balcony opened, Imperial troops emerging from the light. Devon pushed Rylee behind her as she and Maul faced the group, lightsabers ready. But they didn’t have to fight, for blaster fire from the sky quickly eliminated the troops from the Mandalorians passing above. 

Only one turned her speeder around and lowered it towards the edge of the balcony. “Get in!” Rook said. She must have stolen a civilian’s speeder, for Maul didn’t remember ever keeping a cruiser inside the sewers. Maul picked Rylee up again and jumped the large gap. 

Devon followed right behind, but missed her mark. She slipped down the side of the speeder, crying out when Maul stamped on her arm to keep her from falling.

Rylee twisted in Maul’s arms and reached down. “Devon!” And Devon managed to swing her free arm up just high enough to grab Riley. Maul removed his leg as Rylee pulled Devon into the speeder.

As soon as the group settled, Rook threw the speeder’s joystick forwards, and the speeder jumped to life. Devon and Rylee quickly hunkered down, the former holding her injured arm. “You could have been gentler,” she said coldly. 

“And you would have died. Sit inside.” Maul kicked her blade out of her hand with one foot, catching it and igniting it along with his own as Imperial gunships made their way through the city after them. His feet clamped into the cruiser to hold his balance, then worked both blades to keep fire off them. Yet his mind wasn’t fully concentrated. Devon’s blade was very light compared to his. Despite her handle being nearly an adult’s weight, her hands were just small enough that the hilt was difficult to hold on to. A few times, Maul had to adjust his grip to make sure the blade was used to its full efficiency. 

He didn’t have to pull the stunt as long as he expected he would. Between Rook’s insane driving and the arrival of three Mandalorians circling around, the Imperial ships were soon dealt with. The team ditched the stolen speeder and switched to Rook’s personal Balutar-class swoop speeder, clambering onto anything they could hold. From there, it was easy riding into the sewer. 

Once they were safely tucked into the Shadow Collective’s lair, Rook pushed Maul off the side where he hung from, and Maul promptly fell to the ground. He quickly got back to his feet and growled. “Oh, shut up,” Rook said, swinging her legs over to one side. One hand held the damaged Spybot, the other shot an accusing finger in Maul’s direction. “You’re lucky you’re on my good side.” 

Maul rolled his eyes. “Yes, your good side is quite flattering. I worry what the other side would look like.”

She rolled her eyes and shoved Spybot into his hands. “You fix him.” And then she stormed off. 

Rylee was now fussing over Devon’s arm, making sure she was alright. “It’s just a small scrape,” Devon said, a smile in her voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” 

Maul circled the speeder, the two teens pausing their conversation to study him. Worry crossed their faces, though it eased up when Maul held his hand out with Devon’s lightsaber in it. 

She took it back. “Thanks.”

And that was the line that tipped Maul over the edge. Rage sparked through him faster than a blaster shot. “How could you choose to be so stupid?! Have you lost your minds?” Devon and Rylee immediately stiffened. “What could you possibly have expected would happen when you walk in public during an Imperial lockdown?” 

“We didn’t mean to get caught,” Devon said, determination in her voice.

“Yes, how silly of me to forget. Of course the Empire cares if you do not mean it.”

“It’s my fault,” Rylee said. “We were just going to find if they have my Dad, I thought we’d be okay.”

“I do not care who is at fault! Both of you are compliant!” Exasperation burned at Maul’s veins. No matter how many times Savage pissed him off, usually just for existing, it was never to this level. “You have many resources at your disposal to find your father—and your master—yet you chose to walk into Imperial arms.”

“Well, we’re not going to ask you for help,” Devon snapped. “You don’t want us to find him.” 

Maul pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is not a matter of debate! You both should know better!” He said. “You!” He glared at Devon. “It has been a year since the Fall of the Order. You should know how to properly run by now! And you!” He stared at Rylee. “You are the son of an Imperial and police! You should know what happens to classified criminals!”

Devon was not giving up. “We were fine—”

“One of you cannot fight! Tell me how that is “fine.” I do not care if you go to the surface, but if you do, you do not go without telling someone from now on, do you understand?”

“Why?” Devon said. “It’s not like you’re in control of us.”

“If your master or his father come here and you are missing, what do I tell them? That you died trying to be heroic against the Empire? That you drowned in the sewers? That you were taken off planet, traded by Vario? They will blame me for your deaths regardless, so what do you want me to say that would make them feel a little less guilt for not reaching you in time?”

“That’s not—!”

“Devon, stop,” Rylee said. His head hung, shoulders falling as reality kicked in. Devon opened her mouth to protest but even she too became consumed with guilt. Her lekku drooped, and she no longer wanted to look at Maul. 

Well, at least it was getting through their heads. 

Maul reeled back his desire to keep yelling at them. “Find something to do if you must, but stay in this sewer for the rest of the day. Is that clear?” 

“Yes, Maul.”

“Go.”

The two walked off. Maul heaved a sigh as soon as they were out of ear range. The stress of scolding them both wasn’t what bothered him most, but rather that they seemed genuinely upset from his words alone. Maybe he should have punished them more. He didn’t know. Pain and discipline would not solve stupidity, he knew that much. Only guilt and self reflection would keep the two from ever making that type of mistake again.  

“Ooooh, drama and tea,” Spybot said, only for Maul to chuck the droid through the air. The droid screamed, crashing to the ground and sliding across the floor right to where Rook was standing.

Rook paused to pick the broken Spybot up. “You let them get away with a lot,” she said, approaching Maul and handing him a cup of tea. “You’re getting soft.”

“Spare me the lecture,” Maul huffed. He downed the tea like it was a liquor shot, then regretted his choice when he burned his tongue. Not that he said anything. Rook didn’t need another piece of ammunition against him. 

“Then I’ll get to the thesis right now. Get rid of them. They’re nothing but a liability.”

“The boy, we can get rid of. But the girl—“

“That keeps trying to kill you! Nor are they convinced you are good for them. My Lord, save yourself the trouble.” 

“They will bow to me in time.”

Rook rolled her eyes. “if you’re not going to get rid of them, and you won’t let me get rid of them, I know who will.” And she handed him a datapad. Maul gazed at the photo she set the screen to, frowning slightly. “Sector B-12. Caught on the security cams Spybot hacked earlier this week. Apparently, if you make a ruckus big enough to ruffle the Empire’s feathers, the right people follow.”

For some reason, it was the last photo he wanted to see right now. 

“Well?” Rook waited patiently for an answer.

“Bring the father here.”

“Are we finally getting rid of the kids?” 

Maul handed her the tea cup back and took Spybot, turning the droid off. “The boy, yes.” He didn’t add anymore as he walked away. Maul stopped by the electronics room and left Spybot there, then swung by the medical supply and picked up a bacta pack. 

Finally, he made his way to the children’s room. 

The door slid open to reveal Rylee and Devon laying on their stomachs next to one another. The two scrambled to their feet, watching his every move as he entered. “Your arm, how is it?” Maul asked. 

“Fine.” Devon scowled. Maul held out the bacta pack but she pushed his hand away. “Don’t need it.” 

Little brat. 

The Shadow Lord let out a long sigh. “Your adventure caught the attention of many—“

“Look, we get it,” Rylee said, voice bitter. “We messed up. So if you’re here to talk about that, we’re sorry. Can we just please drop the topic?” 

“Unfortunately, no. I’ve come here to make amends to our dispute.” The two children didn’t say anything, nor did they move. So Maul took that as an opportunity to continue. “What you did was far from wise, foolish even… and yet you survived.”

“What do you want?” Devon said. 

“A truce,” Maul said. “I will overlook your mishap, in exchange for your cooperation for a few days.”

“Sounds stupid. And I’m not becoming your apprentice.” 

“It will only be for a limited time.” And Maul turned the datapad their way to show the picture. 

It took only a second before recognition flashed upon their faces. Suddenly all sadness was forgotten, their chipper voices overlapping in a mix of “Dad!” and “Master!” while they grabbed the datapad to look at the photo closer. 

“Where are they?” Devon asked. 

“That, I do not yet,” Maul lied. “I have already sent word to your father to come find you, Rylee. Rest assured, he will remain unharmed.” 

“And my Master?” Devon said. 

“I have not decided.”

Devon frowned. “I’m not becoming your apprentice.”

“And I’m pretty sure my dad and Daki are inseparable,” Rylee said. 

Maul sighed heavily. “You will spend so much of your life running from nothing, when you have such talents.”

“Look, Maul, I have only two hands.” Devon held her hands up. “I can’t fight the galaxy alone. But I can do small acts of service to those in need, and that’s real power. I’m not interested in joining your cause.”

“You deceive me again and again and again!” Maul felt his anger spiking. He saw the way both teens’ smiles fell. “Such a waste of your potential.”

“Hey, in her defense, potential’s kinda stupid,” Rylee said. “You wanna make it in the galaxy, you gotta be bigger than your talents, or people just throw you away. That’s kinda how it goes.”

Devon nodded. “What he said.”

A piece of Maul wanted to fight more, but instead he groaned. “Fine! Your master can come.” And he left the room. 

He let Rook know to keep the master alive, to which she complied. In her mind, she thought they were going to torture Daki until he could provide answers. 

She kicked his ass later when she learned Maul was doing this because the children pressured him into it. And by kicking his ass, it was just a simple lecture. She was a little too smart to take him in a physical fight for a good reason.  

“Someone is going to get in troubleeeee—”

Maul grabbed Spybot out of the air and held the droid hostage in his hand. Sure, Spybot could escape, but instead he decided to be dramatic and screamed for mercy instead. “Silence, you bolted disk. I put you back together. I can take you apart again.” 

“The children are outside!”

Of course they were. Maul didn’t even bother asking why, he just went to check on them himself. He let Spybot go once he confirmed the information to be true. 

The kids were hanging out on the roof of some of the old structures covering the sewer. Two quick Force jumps landed him just above the kids, the duo oblivious to his presence. Rylee had Devon’s lightsaber hilt in his hands, and was inspecting the hilt with all the joy of a commoner in the presence of a mythic weapon. 

It was only when Maul ignited his own blade did they finally realize he was there. Rylee quickly handed the hilt back, and Devon was to her feet, illuminating her own blade. 

“You two play a dangerous game,” Maul said. “Tempting the Empire to your location guarantees no one’s survival.” 

“We let the Mandalorians know where we were,” Devon said, stepping past Rylee to approach Maul and put her companion behind her. “Guess they didn’t tell you.”

Maul narrowed his eyes. Now why in the galaxy would the Mandalorians not… wait. “Ah. You told Kast.”

“Yeah. We didn’t break any rules, and you said to tell someone.” 

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Maul put his blade away, confusing Devon. She kept hers out a little longer before realizing he wasn’t threatening her and finally snapped the saber shut. “Of all the Mandalorians to tell, she is the one who would keep it a secret for the sake of a joke.” Maul strode towards them, hands folded behind his back. “What are you two doing anyway?” 

“Nothing,” Devon said. 

“Looking at the view,” Rylee answered. 

Maul followed their gazes to see the city in its full color. Even with the Empire rampant, Janix still glowed like it always had, with its cacophony of neon lights mixing upon the duller buildings. Blues and purples made the backdrop that was highlighted with vibrant shuttles passing through the sky. And though Janix’s sun was nowhere as impressive as many other planets, the orange glow that could be seen from the depths of the city softened the rugged edges of skyscrapers until they looked like paintings. 

“It is quite exquisite.” Sometimes Maul wondered why he never admired the view more often. But that would have to fall to second priority once more as his attention returned to the teens. “How did you two get up here?” 

“I threw him up here.” 

“She jumped up.” 

“And how do you plan to get back down?”

Rylee peered over the side. “Actually that’s a good question, Devon. How are we getting down?” 

“I was going to jump down and then catch you.” 

“Oh, nonononononono. I’m not doing that! There’s gotta be a ladder here, right?” 

“There is not,” Maul said. 

Devon shrugged. “I dunno, that’s what I would think makes sense. I’ve seen a lot of Jedi do it.”

Rylee shook his head. “I’m not jumping off a building! What if you miss me?”

“Come on! You can trust me. I’ve spent my life with the Force.”

“Yeah, and I haven’t. I trust you, but not that much!”

Maul chuckled, making the kids look at him. Devon spoke. “Don’t laugh. How would you get him down?”

“I would push him off and hope the architecture breaks his fall safely on his way down.” 

Rylee stared at him. “Never mind, I trust Devon with my life now.” 

That got a huff of amusement out of Maul. “A wise choice, young one. Do not linger out here long. You would not want the Empire to find you.” And he walked to the end of the roof, then jumped down, landing silently upon the ground. Spybot greeted him at the entrance, and Maul sent the droid to keep an eye on the kids from a distance. 

Back inside the sewers, his demeanor changed immediately. Rook and Vario were in a heated debate, both practically begging Maul to side with them. “The route that I found with the Pykes’ remaining money is gone,” Vario said. “So I thought we could do a passage through Deemis’ old territories, and we can raid his assets on the way.”

“Assets which were already seized by Janix police,” Rook recalled. “They will be with the Empire in time, if not already.” 

“The Empire wouldn’t want to look that deeply into Nico Deemis anyway. He’s dead. They like dead people. All that money can be yours if you just get it more while the Empire has their eyes the other way.”

“And risk the Shadow Collective’s deeper involvement. We can’t afford it.”

Maul stepped forward and studied the holomap. The routes were far from familiar, yet he still could distinguish checkpoints along the route. They were common spots for anyone to stop their run and sell off any excess before they traversed to more restrictive sectors. 

“It is… a viable route,” Maul said. Rook’s eye twitched. 

“You think so?” Vario looked up at Maul hopefully. 

“Yes. But I and many others are not familiar with this route. Perhaps you could guide us.”

“What, uh, you don’t need me. I have a map right here you can use. It’s not that hard, just don’t get caught.”

“There are many intricacies to a route. Surely, you must know them all.”

“I mean I know some, but I’m not that familiar with this. You don’t need me.”

Maul began to Force choke Vario, the Aleena gagging as his tiny throat instantly closed. “You expect me to follow a route you cannot take yourself. Perhaps you do not understand the gravity of what happens when someone lies to me.” And Maul ignited his lightsaber. Vario’s eyes went wide as he stared at the blade. “It would be much harder to take this route without one of your legs, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ll replot the route!” Vario wheezed. “It’ll be safe for us, I promise!” 

The Force shifted. Maul glanced over his shoulder to see Devon. She was alone, Rylee nowhere to be seen, but just from her body language, it was not because he had left her or that his father had come. Rather, something else was bothering her. 

“Maul?” She said, voice a little bit small and cautious. 

“I’m busy, Devon.”

“…I need help.” 

Of all the things he expected her to say, that was not one of them. Maul dropped Vario out of the air and shut his blade. “See to it Vario gives us a new route.”

“Yes, my Lord,” and Rook placed her blaster at Vario’s head. Vario whimpered. 

Now that Rook had that under control, Maul turned his attention to Devon. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into, child?”

“Nothing! I… I lied to you earlier. I didn’t throw Rylee up onto the roof. He climbed up himself. Now I can’t get him down and he’s stuck.” 

“Have him jump and catch him.”

“I would if I was strong enough…” Devon hugged herself, looking down at the floor. “I’m not that good with the Force…”

Somehow, he figured this might happen. He shook his head, sighing. Stupid child. “Come.” And Maul began towards the exit, Devon close behind. 

Rylee was hanging on to a pipe well below the roof. He probably had tried to climb down before realizing he might die. He didn’t even try to conceal his relief when Devon and Maul hopped up and grabbed onto nearby structures. “Was starting to wonder if you had forgotten about me,” he said and hugged the pipe tighter. “Don’t push me off. I’d like to get down in one piece.”

“Oh, you will.” Maul raised his hand and plucked Rylee away from the pipe, suspending him in midair. Rylee panicked, crying out for mercy as though Maul planned to kill him. “Calm down, you fool. I will only push you from halfway.” 

“Can you just not push me!? I don’t wanna die!”

Maul cackled. He then drew Rylee to his side and hooked his arm at the child’s torso. Rylee wrapped his arms around Maul’s neck, clinging on so tightly it practically choked Maul. Wordlessly, the Shadow Lord hopped down the building’s side and landed softly on the ground within a few short seconds. 

Devon landed next to them. “I guess I could have done that,” she said. “How did your legs absorb that fall so well?”

“They are made from foam.” 

“No they’re not. You okay, Rylee?”

Rylee nodded and thanked Maul before letting go. The kids followed the Shadow Lord back in, Devon on one side, Rylee on the other. They demanded to know what metals Maul’s legs were made of, then when he refused to give them the answer, they asked why he had them to start with. Maul told them about Obi-Wan Kenobi, and how the bastard had cut his legs off. Much to his pleasure, Devon actually chose to dislike Kenobi after hearing the story. Apparently, she had never had the pleasure of meeting Kenobi while at the temple, and had only heard his name in passing. If Kenobi was so insistent on a kill, he should have finished Maul in the moment, or at least finished the job the second time they met, so Devon’s reasoning went. 

“Wait, I wanna learn how to fight like a Jedi,” Rylee said. “That way, if we ever see this Kenobi fellow, I can take him down!”

“Your enthusiasm is admirable,” Maul said, knowing quite well Rylee would get his ass kicked in seconds by the likes of Kenobi. 

“Maybe in the afterlife,” Devon said. “Kenobi’s kinda dead right now.”

And that got Maul to whirl around and look at her like she had grown antlers in place of her lekku. “Dead? He still thrives in my visions. He cannot be dead.”

“I dunno, man. Pretty sure he’s dead.”

Rylee’s eyes widened. “Wait, how did Kenobi die?” 

“The thing I was telling you about, Order 66.”

“Oh.” And Rylee fell silent. He slipped around Maul so he could walk next to Devon, who shot him a sad smile. 

Only then did Maul speak. “I was there when Order 66 happened.” And the two glanced at him. “Though I was no Jedi, I was not exempt from the purge. My master wanted my body to be just another number.”

Devon raised an eyebrow. “How did you survive?”

“A Jedi let me out of my prison where I was meant to be slaughtered. She told me she needed a diversion while her army hunted her. So I destroyed her entire ship.” 

For some reason, Rylee chuckled. “No offense, Mister Master Maul, but that’s the most in-character thing you could have done.” 

“Did you blow up the ship with a bomb?” Devon asked. 

“No, I destroyed the hyperdrive with the Force, and it fell to the moon. I do not know if she survived.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right for you.”  

It was the middle of the night when Maul awoke from his slumber. He had let himself doze off in a meditative state, mostly because he was watching a vision. A vision of a future with the Empire crawling across even the most remote planets like Tatooine and forcing their policies upon all those that lived there. 

For some reason, his vision lingered upon the planet, as though indicating he was supposed to go there and recall a presence he had forgotten. Yet before he could dwell upon the pictures, his mind shifted to a new vision. This location was obvious: Malachor. The desolate feeling of the planet cutting into his skin and crushing his breath started to crawl under his skin. His stomach lurched at the twisted darkness that even his own heart which had been molded by cruelty and apathy could not stand. Cold winds drew a shiver off his lips and left a trail of frost upon his bones. Screams scorched his ears, overwhelming his mind, and forcing him to wake himself just to escape. 

That was Malachor. That’s the planet he could remember. 

He shuddered, trying to make sense of it. Going to Malachor now would be impossible. Not while the Imperial lockdown suffocated Janix. Whatever answers his vision called him to attend to had to wait until the odds of leaving were just high enough to make survival a probability. 

A sharp stabbing wail ran through his mind, sent by the Force. Maul grunted, eye twitching ever so slightly as it bounced off the inside of his head and drowned his ears. He quickly fell upon his survival techniques, finding refuge and peace within himself like he had so many times under Sidious’ apprenticeship. And when he regained stability, he began to search the Force for what he heard. 

The answer came all too quickly. Maul was on his feet before he even fully processed the sound, exiting the room and making his way to the ship bay. 

“Lord Maul,” one Mandalorian on night watch stepped close to him. “One of the children went outside.”

No she didn’t. Maul could see Devon from where he was. But he acknowledged the Mandalorian then wandered over to the ship bay where Devon had perched herself atop one ship. 

She peered over the edge to stare down at him. “Couldn’t sleep either?” She asked. 

“I believe it was you who might have woke me.” 

“Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

Maul climbed up to where she was, yet still kept his distance. Devon didn’t even try to defend herself like she had been the past six weeks. Rather, she toyed with her own fingers, no longer wanting to look at him. 

She didn’t even move when Maul finally did approach her. And Maul took a slow breath. “How many times has the galaxy told you to be grateful you are alive?” He asked. 

“Too many, and not enough,” Devon answered. “It’s not like I go around telling people I am a survivor. But those who know… it sucks.”

“So much pity, so little empathy. All pretending they could even understand an inkling of what you have lived through.”

“Yeah.” Devon slowly glanced back, meeting his eyes. She was searching for something, but what exactly Maul could not tell. He took the opportunity to step closer to her, and when she showed no sign of resistance, he sat next to her. 

The Force swelled ever so slightly in harmony as she welcomed his presence. 

“Do you also have nightmares of the purge?” Devon asked. 

“No.”

“Oh.”

“It would not bring nightmares to me. The Jedi and their clones were already my enemies. But… I have survived other purges orchestrated by the Emperor, and those I dread to dream of.”

“What are your dreams like?”

“They are memories that consume me, and remind me of my failures. And I… forever helpless to change the ending even if I can control the events leading up to it in the dream.” 

Devon sighed. “I can’t even control my dreams. I just relive everything again and again.” And for a brief moment, her heart burned with hatred. “I wish I never survived. It’s not even fair. All these great Jedi, all the younglings with futures, and I survive? I wasn’t supposed to survive! But I did, and you’re telling me I got a second chance at life? What’s the point of a second life if I don’t even feel like living it?!” 

She hadn’t realized she was starting to yell by the end, nor that she spoke in one breath. But when her lungs ran short of air, and she finally gasped, the tears began to gather in her eyes. Devon quickly wiped them away. “And no one cares,” she said, voice breaking. “I’m so angry about it all, and I don’t know what to do. And don’t tell me to use that anger because it’s not making me stronger. Not this type of anger.” She sniffed and wiped some more tears away. “All it does is blind me again and again because everything reminds me of it. I hate it. I want to forget it all.”

Maul wanted to speak, yet it all revolved around letting the anger fuel her. Except that there was no anger. The only emotion that burned in her Force signature now was sadness. Even when she claimed she was angry, her heart drowned in grief. He had no idea what the right words would be. He couldn’t even provide a comforting Force signature the way many Jedi could have, never having learned how to, and for the first time in his life, he wished a Jedi was here to help him.

“I don’t know why I’m talking to you about this,” Devon said. 

“Your choice of listeners are very limited.”

That got a half-hearted laugh out of her. “Yeah. Rylee’s sweet, but he doesn’t even know the first thing about the Jedi or the Republic. And I wouldn’t trust Kast with my name, but she knows it anyway. Everyone else, I don’t know.” She wiped a few more tears away. “Guess that just leaves you.”

“And Vario.”

“Please no. He’d turn my guilt into profit. Probably a true crime story.”

“A true crime story?”

“You’ve never heard of true crime? Man, you live under a rock. What do you do for fun—wait, you just meditate and train. You told me that.” She hugged her knees and rested her chin atop them, sniffing. “Vario would narrate a documentary about how the Jedi were killed and narrate it as though it’s a mystery show.” 

“Vario loves his voice too much to be a good narrator.”

Devon chuckled softly. “Yeah, he’d ramble too much.” She flicked away her tears again, then studied him. “You’re awfully normal talking about this. What gives?”

“I am not foolish enough to believe I could tell you what you want to hear, or need to hear.” 

“Well, if it means anything, I appreciate it. So… thanks for that.” And she smiled ever so slightly. 

“There is a way to forget,” Maul said. “The Force can manipulate memories until they are gone forever. And you will never know what happened to you unless you go searching.”

“Can you do it? I want to forget it all. Please?”

Maul shook his head. “You do not want it.”

“Why?”

“One day, you will wish you had those memories, even if they are the most painful memories you will ever know.”

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I do.” 

The shockball was back in action. The power had been turned off this time, but it still made its entrance by hitting Maul in the head and earning a grunt out of him. Maul whirled around, ready to fight whoever threw it, and then realized the two children wanted him to fight them anyway. 

Fine. He handed Rook the datapad that held the final contract notes for Vario to transfer Deemis’ remaining credits into the Shadow Collective’s system. “Finish up here,” he said, then began to chase the teens, who screamed and tried to run away. 

They didn’t make it far before Maul caught them. Then came a basic wrestling match, Devon and Maul both wordlessly agreeing to ditch the lightsabers to even the playing field down to Rylee’s level. It was the teens against Maul, and though Maul could easily overpower and beat them both, he kept his strength restrained and let them nearly defeat him a few times. 

At some point, Rook came to spectate them with a bag of Mantell Mix, Spybot on her shoulder. Maul only noticed her briefly before he was tackled by Rylee and his arms pinned by Devon. 

“Surrender or you’re getting shocked!” Rylee said as he held the shockball at Maul’s nape. 

Deep inside, Maul couldn’t help the small smirk that played at the corners of his lips. But he held his composure and opted for snarling. “Unhand me this instant, or you will regret this decision!”

“Nope.” Rylee turned the shockball on. Maul grunted as electricity shot through him. Meanwhile, Devon yelped and jumped away, losing her grip on Maul. 

“Rylee! I was still holding his arm!”

“Sorry! I forgot!”

Rook began to clap, catching the three’s attention. “Well, that was a wonderful entertainment show.” She then stopped before Maul, who had recovered from the shock and was picking himself off the ground. He froze when Rook jabbed him with a finger to his chest. “Why do you let them win? You could easily beat them.” Maul rolled his eyes. 

“She’s got a point. Go hard on us!” Devon said. “We can take it!” 

“You cannot take me in a fight,” Maul reminded. 

“That’s why I got Rylee here. We can do it,” Devon said, and Rylee nodded excitedly. 

Maul glanced between the children, then Rook who still had her finger at his chest. He plucked her hand off. “Fine.”

It took them just under fifteen seconds flat before he had Devon trapped under Rylee so she couldn’t use her hands to channel the Force, and Rylee immobilized and unable to defend himself in any way.

“You suck!” Both kids yelled. 

Rook chuckled. “This is why you don’t ask for more than you can handle.

“What about you?” Rylee asked Rook.

Rook raised her eyebrow while Maul let the kids free. “What about me?”

“Can you take him?” Rylee began to get up.

Devon smiled. “Yeah, you’re a Mandalorian! You can probably fight him well! Ow, Rylee, watch your elbow.” 

Rook crossed her arms. “I’d rather not.”

“Come on, fight! Fight! Fight!” The two kids started chanting. 

“No.”

Maul bopped Rook on the forehead with his finger. “So afraid to lose. Surrendering is a far safer option. That is the Mandalorian code, no?”

He had Rook’s blaster at his chest within the blink of an eye. “Kids, give me some rules for this fight,” Rook grumbled. “Now.” 

“Anything goes,” Rylee said, and Devon agreed. 

Zabrak and Mandalorian stepped away from one another, putting a good distance between their bodies. Rook set her helmet upon her head and Maul drew his lightsaber as the two teens began to eat the Mantell Mix. 

“Do watch the pipes, my Lord. They are not lightsaber proof.” 

“You should watch where you shoot,” Maul taunted. “Your aim needs practice.” He crouched down and Rook drew her blasters, the two slowly circling, waiting for each other to make the first move. 

Maul finally jumped at her as Rook fired. Her blaster shots just barely missed his head, their heat at the highest setting rather than stun. She wanted the kill and he couldn’t say he blamed her as his blade spun through the air to block her shots. 

If only she had a counter attack against him when the Force choked her and slammed her down to her knees. Rook tried to fire off her wrist rocket, only for Maul to stamp on her hand.

He smiled. “I win.” 

“You know, I should have figured that would happen,” Devon said with her mouth full with Mantell Mix while Maul let Rook go. 

Rylee went over to Rook to check on her. The Mandalorian shoved him away. “I don’t know why I do anything with him,” she ranted to Rylee. “He’s always cheating with the damn magic.”

“In another place, perhaps you would have stood a chance,” Maul hummed. “But not here.”

“I’m going to strangle you one day.” And Rook stomped off. 

Unfortunately for her, Maul followed her, and the kids followed him. “It’s a shame it had to be me to show your incompetence. Your skills are admirable most days.” 

She spun around and electrocuted his legs. Maul fell over, his prosthetics absolutely useless. And before he could protest, Rook left the room. 

“Oh, damn, she got you good,” Rylee said. 

“Womp womp,” Devon added. 

Maul scowled. Nothing hurt. Just his pride. And of course the knowledge that the teens would remember that moment forever. 

The rest of the morning went along smoothly. After playfighting a few more times, Maul let the kids have some time to themselves while he worked with Spybot, Rook, Vario, and the rest of the Shadow Collective. The new routes were laid out near flawlessly, with only a few logistics remaining to confirm they could follow this route. Scorn and Icarus were out on a mock run of the route, but were expected to return within the hour to report their findings. Vario’s entire existence depended on what they found, which left Vario’s anxious Force signature nearly overpowering to Maul’s senses. 

At one point, the Shadow Lord could see the two teens watching from the corner, listening in. He fixed his eyes in their direction, and the two quickly ducked behind the speeder they had been peeking over. Soft giggles reached his ears. 

Little shits. 

Maul used the Force to steal the shockball and turned it on low. He handed it to Rook, whose insulated gloves helped her perfectly toss it under the speeder and right between the two kids. A moment later, two screams filled the air as Devon and Rylee were shocked by the ball, and both scrambled out of their hiding spot.

Rook and Maul both got a laugh out of that. Rylee and Devon both realized what had happened, then ran up to Maul. “We’ll get you for that!” Devon said. And she threw the ball, aiming for Maul. Except it shot off into a completely random direction. 

“What the kriff, Devon,” Rylee said, not even hiding his disappointment. 

Maul caught it with the Force before it got lost somewhere in the sewers. Wordlessly, he chucked it back at them, flicking the off button at the last second so he could just watch the children cry out and dive to escape the ball. They followed up by cursing him out after realizing he was just scaring them, their voices overlapping with protests as Maul hummed with pleasure. 

“Mister Master Maul, you wanna see the city lights again tonight?” Rylee suddenly asked. 

“Why do you still call him all that?” Rook asked. “My Lord is shorter.”

“Well, he’s no lord to me,” Devon responded. “He’s just Maul if he wants to be boring.”

“Mister Master My Lord My Liege Maul,” Rylee said. “Try saying that ten times faster, Kast.”

“No.” She stepped close to Maul and muttered in his ear, “When are we getting rid of them?”

Maul rolled his eyes. “If we are fortunate, never.” To the kids, he said, “Ignore her. She takes things too seriously. Now, what were you doing spying on me?”

The two teens didn’t even have an answer for that. Apparently, they just felt like it. And when Maul realized they truly didn’t have a reason, he stopped asking and instead fed them some fish sticks. Why he ordered Rook to find him fish sticks the other day, he would never know, but after nearly two months with the two children, it seemed appropriate given their personalities. 

And thank the maker it worked out. Both teens were eager to eat them, Rylee having never tried them, and Devon revealing it was one of her favorite snacks growing up. The two devoured the sticks, then asked for extras and it just so happened Maul did have more. They also let him have a few, even if he found the food to be mostly unfulfilling. 

They had just finished eating and were both asking about Maul’s vestigial horns and what they were made of (“Dried organs of those I’ve devoured,” Maul told them to scare them—it worked), when Rook entered the room, her body language stiff and at attention. It was enough to get the three to stop their happy chatter and stare, a twinge of nervousness crossing between them. 

“My Lord, they’re here.”

Maul hated those words. “You brought them to the base?”

“Blindfolded. The brothers found them on the route.” 

Maul rose to his feet, then turned to the children who were watching, a bit of confusion on their faces. “Follow me,” he said, the two obeying. Rook took up the back while Maul led into the main area. 

It took only a second before the teens saw who was waiting at the ramp of the gunship next to Icarus and Scorn. “Master!” Devon cried, face lighting up and sprinting across the room. 

“Dad!” Rylee shot after her, going straight to his father. The two teens fell into an embrace with their respective guardians. Both guardians then began their interrogations, Daki starting with inspecting Devon’s injured arm, while Lawson asked Rylee question after question about everything that happened. 

No one but Rook took notice of Maul. “Guess your fortune didn’t work out,” she said under her breath.

“Perhaps they will be willing to negotiate.” Maul stepped towards the four. Lawson immediately shifted to move in front of his son despite Rylee’s attempts to stop him, and Devon and Daki both faced Maul, tensing ever so slightly.

“You have taken good care of them,” Daki said. “Thank you.”

Maul folded his hands behind his back. “The Empire still hungers for your blood. With me, I can offer you protection from their wrath.” 

“Yeah, no. We’re taking our chances. Come on, Rylee.” And Lawson pushed his son towards the ship, Rylee stumbling slightly and starting to protest. “No, I’m not having you associate with a terrorist.” 

Maul turned his eyes down to Daki, who shook his head. “Your offer is admirable, but it comes with too many strings. In exchange for watching after our young ones, your location and operations will be overlooked by both of us. That much I can assure.” 

“And Devon?”

Devon shook her head. “You’ve taught me a lot, but I can’t accept. Not yet. Maybe never.” 

Maul sighed, concealing the stab of sadness in his chest. “How unfortunate. Very well. You should leave this place before my generosity and patience runs out.”

Devon and Daki nodded and began towards the ship, Lawson and Rylee already on the ramp and waiting. Both Devon and Rylee trailed behind their guardians into the ship, quietly chatting with one another. 

Lawson pressed the button to shut the door, and that’s when the kids broke out. “Rylee!” Lawson yelled, but neither teen cared, running to Maul and both hugging him. 

Maul froze. His entire body screamed to steal the children and never let them leave. 

He didn’t get a chance to react or hug back before they released him. “Bye Mister Master Maul,” they both said before running back to the ship, joining their guardians inside. Icarus and Scorn also entered the ship along with Spybot under Rook’s instructions to take the four far away. 

The shuttle closed and peeled out of the bay, soon leaving the sewers with a simple whoosh. Only then did Maul’s heart sink. It was already too quiet without the teens sneaking around, and they had barely left. And he didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye. 

“Good news, My Lord. You can tell Vario he gets to live. The brothers said the route is clear, and we can use it, by the way.” Rook stepped up next to Maul, stumbling when she got closer to him. “Ah, stupid ball. Should have given this to them when they left.” She reached down, yelped, and then stamped on the shockball to turn it off before collecting it. “Well, I must say, it’s already much quieter without—My Lord? Are you crying?” 

Was he? Maul blinked and tears fell down his cheeks easily. Of all the things to get emotional about. And now Rook had blackmail. 

“Already suffering from empty nest syndrome.” She shook her head and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving them a squeeze as Maul tried to dry away his tears. “Don’t cry. With any luck, they’ll send you a holiday card in a few months.”