- 26 BBY -
- Sullust, Outer Rim -
Maul has done something remarkable. He has created the first version in a series of armours he would use. Maul hasn't been idle ever since he woke up four years ago. Even when he took the four Null clones and began training them, he never forgot his goal, continuing to refine his understanding and application of the Force, as well as his technological and scientific progress.
After he had taken the young boys as his students, Maul used his ever-growing mastery in Alter Mind and made Kal Skirata go back to Kamino to continue training the clones and make sure no one would notice the Nulls' absence. However, that's not all. Maul is delving into the knowledge of the Tedryn Holocron, having gone through all parts he is interested in and has also begun to explore what might be considered Sith Alchemy. He sent Kal Skirata to obtain high-quality metals and materials, such as beskar. Since he is a Mandalorian, Kal Skirata managed to get some of it.
With it, Maul constructed the Armour V1, part of the Maul Armour series, and he will continue to improve it constantly. He has a lot to do, making him have to split his attention among many things, but if he has the necessary resources, he will take all of his technology to the next level, far ahead of what the galaxy currently knows.
.
"A competitor? How arrogant," Dooku says.
Dooku is his usual regal and composed self. He steps forward with his trademark elegant disdain, looking at Maul. His curved-hilt lightsaber hisses, and the Dark Side can be felt from the blood-red blade. He holds it in the opening stance of Form II Makashi.
"Then I'm in good company," Maul responds.
For a moment, neither of them says anything. Both of them feel the tension grow, as the Force seems to ignite. The two charge with a burst of Force speed and swing their lightsabers against one another. Dooku's mastery over Makashi is second to none. Their blades clash in a whirlwind of red and blue, both trying to outmanoeuvre the other.
The former Jedi is an extraordinarily skilled and vastly experienced lightsaber duelist. Before his resignation, Dooku was among the most highly regarded lightsaber instructors in the Jedi Order. Next to Yoda, Dooku was the finest lightsaber instructor in Jedi history and possibly the one who held true mastery with a blade without the aid of the Force, competing for the title of the best lightsaber duelist not only of his time but also of all time. He was the Jedi Temple's most agile swordmaster and instructor, and according to Obi-Wan, a master swordsman.
Dooku's skills are so great that he is even known for having once bested Mace Windu at sparring, a feat that only Yoda was able to achieve. He exclusively uses Makashi in combat, believing that duelists who devoted themselves to the study of multiple combat forms would never attain the same level of mastery as those who dedicate themselves to a single style. And one can see why.
*TSSCHHHH*
*TSSCHHHH*
Dooku's outstanding mastery of such a rare form provided him with an edge against most duelists, who simply were not prepared for Dooku's finesse and precise movements coming from his mastery of a form bred for lightsaber duelling; hence, Dooku would give the Sith an edge over the Jedi during the Clone Wars. But Maul is no Jedi, and he is not unprepared.
Maul doesn't meet the old man with elegance. He utilises his strength and speed, leveraging his youthful energy to his advantage. He shifts, flowing from Form IV Ataru's agility into Form V Djem-So's powerful brute force counters. He redirects Dooku's strikes with deliberate, fast counters, threatening the old Sith Lord. Maul blocks a strike and counters low.
Their lightsabers clash. Both of the combatants use the Force in combination with their lightsabers. Dooku's fighting style displays pinpoint accuracy and an unpredictable offence, reinforced by an almost effortless, fluid defence. He utilises his superior mobility, balance, and feints to entrap his opponents, employing footwork to outmanoeuvre them. He bases his approach on balance, back-and-forth charges, and sudden retreats to navigate around his opponents, deftly deflecting and evading their attacks rather than meeting them head-on. This strategy allows him to conserve energy effectively and unleash rapid, devastating counters later.
But Maul knows what to expect from this fight. He knows that Dooku managed to negate Anakin Skywalker's devastating blows of Djem-So by outpacing and deflecting Form V's power and releasing parries. And right now, Dooku is doing the same here. He has to conserve his energy, since he feels Maul's power.
Maul suddenly switches his lightsaber form to Form VII, Juyo. He fuels himself with his darkness and unleashes a series of fast and heavy attacks. His speed and power rise, and he turns the tide of the battle, dealing with Dooku's fast and precise slashes. Feeling the change, Dooku blocks the series and takes a step back, holding up his hand and firing Force Lightning forward.
*ZZZZZZZ*
But Maul holds out his hand, using Tutaminis. He absorbs the lightning with his left hand and charges as he does so. He swings his lightsaber horizontally, forcing Dooku to block the attack. Then, Maul unleashes what he absorbed a second earlier. He adds his own control of Force Lightning to it, forcing Dooku to block the attack with his lightsaber, as he is not fast enough to deal with it differently.
Maul switches his lightsaber form to Djem-So again, using this moment to attack. The attack is blocked. Dooku takes a step forward, but is met with the defensive prowess of Form III, surprising the old man with the speed and fluidity with which Maul switches to different forms. The entire time, Maul's suit is recording the fight as it happens, for him to use and upload to his training droid and 'spar' against a virtual Dooku.
Dooku uses Force Push to get some distance between him and Maul, but his repulsive use of the Force is countered by Maul, who does the same. Maul switches to Niman and adds his personal destructive twist to it, transforming into a powerful storm. He holds out his hand and pulls the left foot of Dooku towards him, causing the man to slip ever so slightly, before he corrects his stance to block another attack.
But the way Dooku counters is used by Maul as he switches from pulling to pushing. The Force Push slams into Dooku and makes him hit the wall behind him. The lightsaber shoots through the air, and the old Sith manages to block just in time again, before he is decapitated. He looks at the armoured warrior in front of him with narrowed eyes. He may be old, but apart from Mace Windu and, of course, Yoda, there shouldn't be anyone among the Jedi who could push him to this extent.
Maul doesn't stop and unleashes a series of attacks using modified Juyo. The lightsaber in his hand approaches Dooku's side, but a sudden blast impacts his back.
*BOOOOM*
*BAM*
Maul smashes into the wall to the side.
Dooku looks to the side and sees someone new having entered their duel. A woman with red skin and long purplish-blue hair. She wears a revealing, tight outfit and holds two katana-shaped vibroblades in her hands.
[Picture]
"A Zeltron?"
"Ah, I see the old man still has needs, hehehe. I'm sorry about that, but I can't allow someone else to take what is mine, can I?" she says.
She suddenly turns to the side, slashing her blade through the air. The vibroblade cuts through the kinetic charge of the scatter gun, but is still hit with small pieces. She winces, but still smiles, seeing the Mandalorian-looking Null clones. She doesn't know who they are and believes them to be normal Mandalorians who are after the same thing as she is, which is the purpose of the disguise.
"Ah, strong men... my favourite," the female Zeltron smiles.
"Mind if we take this one?" Ordo asks, the returning Maul.
"Beware the pheromones," Maul says, swiping the dust off his suit and facing Dooku again.
"Ahhh, no telling my secrets," the woman says.
The Nulls attack the Zeltron, unaware of the danger she poses.
Prudii moves towards Dooku and aims his machine slugthrower at the old Sith. Maul charges at Dooku again, continuing their duel, while Prudii fires a few shots every once in a while, keeping Dooku on his toes. The machine slugthrower is essentially the Star Wars equivalent of a machine gun, but more powerful and with a higher firing rate. Meanwhile, the other Nulls are attacking the Zeltron, who uses her vibroswords impressively and closes the distance between them, forcing the clones to engage her in close-quarter combat. The guns they are equipped with far exceed anything the Zeltron is familiar with, but she is fast and agile, giving her a dangerous flair. There is a dangerous smile on her face, and she seems to enjoy this for some reason.
Mereel tries to find a moment to shoot, but she changes her position, moving from one brother to the next, never giving any of them time to aim and fire. Ordo takes out his vibro knife and blocks her strike, kicking her in the stomach and striking at her face. But she moves out of the way and attacks him with a roundhouse kick. The de facto leader among his brothers is hit, surprising his brothers, who react immediately. A'den attacks the woman, engaging her in a short bout, while Ordo recovers.
Mereel moves next to his brother and helps him up, while finally firing his gun. But the Zeltron seems to have eyes in the back of her head. She dodges the shots and places A'den between her and the line of fire. Suddenly, she unleashes a series of extremely fast and devastating strikes, appearing as though she blurs in the eyes of the Nulls. Her fist impacts A'den's chest and causes a strong vibration to pulsate through the young man's armour and almost punches through it entirely. If he weren't wearing armour, A'den would now have a bleeding hole in his chest; that's how strong the blow was. But the Null clones are stronger than ordinary humans, so they are faster as well and therefore aren't taken out just yet.
The young men have a hard time keeping their focus for some reason and are susceptible to the female Zeltron's attacks. She slashes her blades through Mereel's gun and kicks him in the face. Ordo delivers a series of attacks, using what he learned during his training up to this point. But she moves her head, anticipating his attacks with an uncanny ease, dodging all of his punches and strikes. She seems to blur again, swinging her leg up and around Ordo's right arm that just lashed out. An uppercut lands on Ordo's chin and gets him on the ground.
.
Maul and Dooku's fight is about to come to a premature end. The old Sith Lord is thinking about getting away, now that the situation has become rather unpleasant. He would report to his master what had happened here and then accept the punishment. While the Kaldana Syndicate is helpful in their plans, they can do without a crime unit like this for now. But Dooku will most definitely return here and solve what wasn't solved.
Dooku blocks another set of shots from Prudii's shots and Maul's strikes, taking another step back. He has arrived with his back against the wall.
"Impressive. To think that you need a helping hand in dealing with me," Dooku taunts.
"Impressive, to think that an old man like you can still hold out," Maul responds. "Is what I would like to say, but we both know you are hardly keeping it together."
"A coward hiding behind a mask should not speak about such things. You might embarrass yourself."
"And a dusted relic shouldn't be moving like that, or you might twist your joints."
Dooku had tried to rile up Maul using the Sith art of Dun Möch, a tactic that focuses on disrupting an opponent's concentration by the use of psychological warfare. But Maul was a master in the art himself, and since he was in control of his emotions, there was nothing the former Jedi could say that would bother him. Maul wasn't weak enough to allow words to hurt him. Besides, even if he grew angry, anger would only fuel his strength and not diminish it.
Dooku grabs Prudii using the Force and pulls him closer, holding him at lightsaber point.
"Give up, or he dies," Dooku threatens.
Jedi can be easily riled up and broken if their beliefs are shattered. Dooku thinks that to break the man in front of him, whom he still believes to be some kind of former Jedi Master, he would be able to do so by threatening one of his comrades.
"Dew it."
"What?" Dooku asks, surprised.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Dew it," Maul repeats.
Dooku suddenly realises that he won't win this fight. He senses that Maul means what he says and doesn't care if Prudii dies. If anything, it would give him an advantage. It's as if he isn't fighting a Jedi at all. So, Dooku knows it's time to leave. He throws Prudii towards Maul and then sends out Force Lightning as well. Using Force speed, Dooku makes his way out of the warehouse and leaves.
Maul takes the lightning and tests the suit's durability and the power behind the lightning. He uses Tutaminis to absorb the energy behind the attack. A second later, a powerful and fast vibroblade is stopped mid-air, as it is about to slice him in half. The Zeltron has dealt with the Nulls thanks to her special biology and skills, and now thinks she can take out Maul.
"Oh, my. Aren't you a fast one?" she taunts.
"Urgh. Shouldn't you be indulging your sex drive somewhere, Zeltron?" Maul asks.
"Why, are you interested?" she asks.
She is serious about this.
"I am here for you. Your bounty is very high, and I can use the credits," she finally admits.
"I see. So you followed us from Lotho Minor. You are either very lucky or patient. Either way, I am interested," Maul says.
"Of course you are."
She attacks Maul, slashing her blades at him and aiming to confuse him. Maul narrows his eyes, seeing the attack. He is familiar with this martial art. He knows it as well. Maul's speed increases. He deflects the blade with his left palm and uses his elbow to push the second blade upwards, getting him in the perfect position to strike at the Zeltron's exposed centre. His armoured fist smashes into her chest, holding back since he would kill her easily if he didn't. The pain knocks the woman out.
"Interesting. You are Force-sensitive. Too bad for you, I also know Teräs Käsi."