“Yes, what is it?” she asked the droid. Teeoh-One inclined his head and spoke.
“Master Maul wishes to see you, Mistress Dirae,” he replied politely. “He is fully alert and off the sedatives you perscribed.”
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
The droid nodded and left the cockpit. Dirae let out a long sigh. Undoubtedly, Maul would want to know what she had meant by “home” earlier. Explaining things to him wasn’t going to be easy. Dirae stood, adjusted her tunic out of habit, then left for the medical ward.
She found Maul sitting up in bed, his shirt off. She had to draw in her breath upon seeing his bare chest in the light and how the muscles seemed to flex on their own beneathe his black skin. Amazing how he’d have black skin when every other Zabrakian she knew had tan or pale flesh. She pressed her hand to her bosom and walked into the ward.
“Dirae, what did you mean by home before?” he asked almost immediately. “You know we can’t return to Coruscant yet.” Dirae sighed in relief inwardly. He hadn’t suspected Iridonia.
“We’re not returning to Coruscant, my lord. We’re going back to Iridonia. It was the only place I could think of where Sidious wouldn’t try to look,” she explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. Maul smirked slightly and turned his head away from her. She waited.
“I don’t particually enjoy the idea of going back there, Dirae,” he told her, his voice tight with emotion. “However, if it was the last place you could think of we’ll have to make do with that,” he added.
Dirae nodded even though his gaze was averted. She bowed her head and stared at her hands folded in her lap. Maul glanced at her, noticed how insecure she looked, and impulsively took her hand in his. She looked up at him. The faintest of smiles curved his painted lips as he stroked his thumb over the top of her hand.
“Everything will be fine,” he assured her gently, more gently than he’d ever spoken before. It surprised even himself, as well as Dirae. Yes, something was changing in him and he was beginning to...enjoy it. It felt like the same surge of power he’d experienced after using his abilities to the fullest. It was over-encompassing, seductive, and hard to deny. It was also the same feeling he’d had before taking Dirae as his own. It struck him now.
“Come here,” he instructed, gesturing for Dirae to move closer. She did so, unsure of what he had in mind. He placed his hands on her upper arms and pulled her to him, their faces inches apart. Dirae’s breath quickened when she read the look in his yellow eyes. It was there again. The same passionate possessive need. Maul inclined his head slightly, his eyes half-open as he moved closer to her lips. Dirae started when he kissed her, but the kiss wasn’t one of lust, but of...love? Her mind raced even as she responded in kind. He tightened his hold around her as the kiss resumed, quickening until they were both breathless.
“You brought me back from oblivion, Dirae. I am yours as you are mine,” he told her huskily. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her again and again. It felt good to him to have someone there with him. No one, especially a female, had paid him any mind when he was younger. He thought after becoming a Sith Lord he could never care for anyone else nor have anyone care for him. He had been wrong.
“Maul,” Dirae murmured between kisses. He drew away from her, his eyes glazed over with passion. “You’re still recovering, we shouldn’t yet. It would only exhaust you.” Her excuses were feeble and she knew it. Maul gave her a small smile and pulled her closer again. He simply held her to him, savoring the feel of her body against his. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head onto his shoulder. Things were changing between them and changing quickly. It didn’t phase her in the slightest, only cheered her. She had longed to be this close to him and now that she was, she wasn’t about to let go.
* * * *
“We’re nearing Iridonia, my lord,” Dirae announced a day later. Maul, who was seated beside her in the co-pilot’s chair, peered at the viewscreen displaying the image of their home planet. Iridonia wasn’t a very large planet but it served its people well. Harsh landscapes, lush forests, the planet was a grab bag of climates. Maul had grown up on the desert side of the planet; he wasn’t sure about Dirae.
“Where are we landing?” he asked. Dirae tapped at the panel before her then answered.
“On the edge of the desert but close to the forested areas so we won’t be without water reserves. Unless you could suggest otherwise..?” She looked to him, waiting. Maul pondered then shrugged, waving a hand.
“That area’s fine. How long till we land?”
“According to the read-out..fifteen minutes at best. I’ll just shift to autopilot and we can go eat in the galley. The cloaking device is set to activate the moment we touch ground. I kept your Speeder; it’s in the docking bay of the ship. I thought you might be needing it.”
Maul’s lips curved into an amused smile. “A cloaking device, docking bay, and you kept my Speeder. If I didn’t know any better I’d say your ship was designed after my own. Speaking of which, where is my Infiltrator?”
“Sidious has it. I wanted to be able to use it for my own missions but he decided to give me my own ship. It has more to it than the Infiltrator; including a medical ward, sleeping chambers, galley, prison holding, docking bay, and a large droid storage compartment near the rear of the ship. Why he gave me such a classy ship I’ll never know,” Dirae told him. Maul’s brow raised in surprise. Sidious must’ve been feeling quite generous when he’d given her this vessel, he thought.
“And how did he come about having so much money to pay for this large of a transport?” Maul asked curiously.
“He was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Senate shortly after your death. No doubt he’s locked in some heated argument about the government,” Dirae explained, smirking at the end of her sentence.
“He did have ambitions to gain higher power in the Senate, even when he was only a Senator. I remember him telling me about his plans when I first trained under him,” Maul said. “I never thought it would come about this quickly.”
“Blame the foolish and naive Naboo queen. He manipulated her into giving a vote of no confidence to Valorum during her case. She still believes Sidious is her ally and not her enemy. All of the idiots on the Senate do as well. He’s fooling a great deal of people and enjoying every minute of it,” Dirae said.
“My master was always a very shrewd man of his race,” Maul said almost proudly. His respect for his former master was still apparent despite their current relationship with Sidious. Dirae suspected it wouldn’t fade away quickly just because he was her master now. It would take time for that respect for Sidious to disappear. She could wait.
“We’re coming upon the planet. Brace for impact,” Dirae said, changing the subject as she read the display on the viewscreen. Maul strapped himself in and leaned back. Dirae did likewise. The ship’s hull fired up as they entered the atmosphere then cooled when they got past it. Thick clouds rushed forward as they continued their descent onto the planet. Soon, overhead views of a forest and the sandy reddish hue of the desert could be seen on the viewport.
Maul gazed out at the landscape, remembering the last time he’d been there. He never thought he’d return to this place after becoming Sidious’ apprentice. Yet, somehow he knew one day he would.
The ship landed neatly and shifted to cloak mode quickly. Dirae unstrapped herself and left the cockpit. Maul followed her down the long corridors of the ship until they came upon the docking bay. A few small transports, including his Speeder, were docked along the walls. He approached his Speeder and a ran a gloved hand over the handlebars. He’d missed his transport and was darkly happy to see it still in one piece. Dirae went over to a covered object and removed the covering carefully. Maul blinked when the object was revealed to be a Speeder almost identical to his own. Dirae flashed him a smile and a wink.