Xarae's Saga, Part 1

Xarae sat and watched as Mobae bound his spear. His large fingers weren't suited to the task, and they kept slipping and getting tied up in the string. He pursued it with incredible patience and seemed not to notice or even care when he failed to tie the intricate knots needed. She looked at his ungainly body dumbly posed over his handiwork and sighed a weary sigh. He made her life more miserable merely by existing, not to mention the fact that she was engaged to him without her consent. He looked up and her and placed the spear on the floor of the dusty hut.

"Are you not going to get ready?" he asked in slow, clumsy Basic.

"I already am ready. And don't try and reprimand me. My saber will do fine." Xarae's voice was heavy and smooth, like syrup flowing off of her tongue. Mobae grunted and stood up.

"You are too a rebel wife."

"The word is REBELLIOUS. Get it right next time. And don't call me your wife. We are not wed yet." And with that she turned and walked out the door of the hut. It was hot and muggy, and the humidity made her loose-fitting clothes stick to her skin. She wordlessly walked past her mother and brothers, not looking back as she made her way down the path to the village forum. The whole village was alive. Small children ran playfully through the streets, and persons of all ages gathered at the well-worn path to the southern lowlands. Excitement was in the air; it seemed to blanket the entire town like a fog. The hunt marked a new year -- from one wet season to the next, the dawning of a new era of prosperity and fertility. But for Xarae, the hunt was just something to get worked up about in the small, sleepy village. The only thing that really changed after the hunt was that it rained more. Only men and specially chosen, unmarried and completly virginal women could go on the hunt. Xarae was one of these such women. Secretly Xarae wished she could give birth to a child so that she would be excluded form the various village outings. She knew not who to bear these children by though, nor how to conceive them for that matter, for after her incident in Komkon years ago she had taken a secret vow of chastity.

Xarae could only remember bits and pieces of it -- after all, she was only thirteen at the time. She was in the capital city of Komkon with her brother Gammone, trading fur pelts for goods in the bustling trade port. It was the third and final night of their stay, and Gammone had rented a couple of women for the night. She remembered what Gammone had said before joining the women in the rented room: not to disturb him, not to report him to anyone back in the village. She was quite tempted to tell of her brother's liberties to his wife, Brigmtouiey, for the penalties of cheating on one's spouse were very severe. But Xarae followed Gammone's orders and stayed out of the room and the repulsive noises coming form within. She had fallen asleep on the floor of the hallway, tucked in a dirty alcove like an animal. Xarae could recall waking groggily to a strangely protruding sense of presense. She had not yet learned to interpret these feelings, and therefore did not know what to do about it or what it meant. The next thing she could remember was laying sprawled in her hideaway, robbed, beaten, and raped.

She never told about this incident to anyone, not even Kiruon, her older sister, mentor, and only friend. Her already dwindling confidence was shattered, and for the first time in her life let all her emotions rise to the surface. She vowed to pay everyone back for what they had done to her. Bitter, willful, shy, untrusting, and very fearful, Xarae quested for power that just wasn't there. She secretly wished for a savior, a savior that she knew was coming.

Xarae leaned up against a hut nearby where the village elder was now making his speech in their native language. She stood on her tiptoes to see over the crowd, searching for Kiruon. Eventually she gave up. She was probably home ill with her sickness. Xarae sighed. She had missed Kiruon the last four months; now being a housewife and pregnant as well, she had little time to comfort and teach Xarae. She truly missed having her sister around. Kiruon was the only friend she had ever had, and now she was losing her to a man and a child. Xarae despised Kiruon's husband Hilaxede but showed respect towards him only due to his wife's apparent undying love.

Suddenly the crowd erupted in a cheer and Xarae looked up. The village elder continued talking. She adjusted her well-worn cloak and slid her saber out of its homemade sheath. She examined the ancient thing, making sure that it was sharp enough and perfect enough. She had found it one day in the ruins to the north. Encruated with jewels, it was of exceptional craftsmanship, forged out of the purest metals and finest gems. She had tried to keep it a secret, but one day Mobae found her training with it in a clearing. Nevertheless, she was thankful that it had been him to find her and not her father. He would have surely beat her for slacking off from her chores. She had also found with it a black crystal on a silken cord, which she always wore around her neck. She felt specially bonded to this weapon and constantly honed her incredible skills. That was one thing Xarae was proud of -- her ability to conquer such a marvelous saber. She had even named it -- Terranovavenuseptide, which meant "earth and fire expolsion and release of eternal angel soul." A farily long name yes, but it perfectly described the way that the saber effected her. It swept through her like an incredible explosion of everything that is in her world, like a wave of flames that transformed her into a warrior of fire and wind and water and earth.

Again the crowd cheered, and Xarae quickly replaced her saber. She followed the group of hunters that were now jogging down the path. They moved at a brisk pace down the roadlike path until they could no longer hear the chanting of the other villagers. The hunting party slowed down and quieted themselves as not to scare off any game. Xarae was at the back of the line, as always, concentrating on her presence. Ever since she was a least seven, she had been able to detect the presence of other beings, their mindset and their conscience. She had tried to keep this and her powers to predict events to herself, but somehow rumors got out, and now the whole entire village was afraid of her and her strange powers, among other things, like her beauty that didn’t exactly run in the family, her incredible strength, her burning blue eyes. They thought she was some kind of evil succubus from another realm sent here to steal the men from the village. Many people called her Sahara, which meant "dark seductress."

Today, Xarae felt an unusal lack of presence, not even that of a bird of small game; in fact, no presence at all spare that of her fellow hunters. This worried her -- she couldn’t recall a time when it had been like this. Far in the distance it was as if she felt a flicker of someone, something, but she could not place it anywhere or identify it. Xarae didn’t like this. She shuddered a little as a cold wind blew at her cloak. She glanced up at the sky, and thunder rolled ominously in the distance. In her mind's eye, a crack of lightning flashed, and she shivered again.

Xarae could hear the river Setsunae gently lapping at its nearby shores as they stopped in the hunter's clearing. After hushed prayers to the gods, the hunters set out in groups of two or three. Except for Xarae. She walked off alone, knowing that no one would even offer to hunt with her. She already missed Kiruon. Xarae had figured out beforehand how to get out of hunting. Using her knowledge of the forest and her instinct, she would find her way back past the village to the northern woods, where she would stay until nighttime fell. She strayed off the small path she was on and started making her way to the north, slashing and hacking at the underbrush with her saber.

After about an hour of walking, Xarae found herself in familiar territory. She made her way to a special clearing and sat down in the damp grass. She'd been here often. In the north it was lush and green, full of wildlife and beautiful water spectacles, and she was the only one who dared to go there. The villagers believed the woods to the north were cursed by a pair of long dead and star-crossed lovers, and that if you entered the woods, your life would be ridden by obstacles and your death would be long and painful. Xarae didn't believe the story. Tired from her hike, she laid down in the center of the clearing and looked up at the canopy. She watched the gentle sway of the flowery, drooping braches of the trees and nestled her head comfortably in the soft grass. The sweet smell of the pink blossoms drifted into her nose. She felt so strangely at peace -- like someone was rocking her, singing her to sleep like one would do to a small child. She could almost hear the whispers, serene tendrils that wound in her mind. Melodious, beautiful tones... She slowly drifted off to sleep.

Xarae awoke with a start. Right away she knew something was wrong. An eerie silence filled the forest. She looked at the sky and it rumbled with thunder. I only slept a few mintes, right? she thought. The forest was dark; it almost seemed to seep with evil. Out of the trees, like a deep puce mist, it penetrated her. Ominious. Elusive. The forest she had lived in her whole life was now turning against her. She realized her strong presence and the intense headache that was now accompanying it. Xarae suddenly was fearful that someone was there, watching her, waiting for her to make a wrong move. She stood up abruptly when a crack of thunder sounded. Slowly, she unsheathed her saber. Panting for no reason and sweating a cold sweat, she struggled with her headache to stay on her feet. Suddenly, everything started to seem dreamlike, almost like she were watching herself from far away or up above. Everything moved so slowly. Xarae stopped, shut her eyes, and tried to sort out her senses. She was trying to identify and pinpoint the presence she felt when she heard a screeching noise, at first distant, but then louder and louder. It almost sounded like when the starships had landed at Komkon. Xarae panicked and fell to her knees, holding her ears as the earth shook and screamed out to her.

It was all over as soon as it had begun, even though to Xarae the sounds had seemed to take hours to hear. She slowly stood up again, grasping her weapon. The dream was over now, and she was back to her old self again. Did I dream it all up? she asked herself. Cautiously, she began to make her way towards the sound. The more she walked, the more compelled she felt to run, and the more scared she became. With every step she took, the pain in her head because worse. It came to the point where it was pounding in her ears. She couldn't take it anymore. All of a sudden, she screamed and took off in a full sprint. She pushed her body to the limits, leaping through the forest like the wind. She ran deeper and deeper into the woods. Her heart sounded in her ears and she was forced to stop and catch a breath. Quickly, she took off again.

Xarae didn't know what she was doing -- she was scared out of her mind and wanted to stop, but it was like something, some force was both pushing her and pulling her at the same time towards an unknown destination... She ran up a small hill and saw it. It was gorgeous, one of the largest she had ever seen. Xarae took a step and fell to her knees in front of the gleaming silver starship. She tried to compose herself, convince herself to turn back and run away, but her mind was whirring like a machine. The thing was a strange shape -- almost like a raindrop, slightly flattened and carved. It had two fins, one of which was steaming, coming off the back of the craft. She struggled to stand up and made her way to the only apparent door that was being forced open with a tree trunk. She went around it and into the door, finding herself in a short and compact coridor. She battled with her her common sense and incredible pain as she walked to the lift across the round room, which carried her up to the cockpit with much racket. She fell out of the lift onto the cold metal of the floor. In too much pain to get up, Xarae crawled over to a mass of black cloth thrown on the other side of the room. She felt an unfamiliar burning in her fingertips, and her headache became crippling. Dizzy and her vision blurred, she reached out to touch the man that was thrown to the side like a doll. She wanted to turn him over, see his face, but the moment she touched him, all of her pain dissappeared. Dizzy, nauseous, and uncoordinated from the sudden relief, she collapsed in a faint on top of the stranger's body.

Xarae came to a short while later. She opened her eyes to find herself as she had fallen. Moaning a little, she tried to sit up. She stopped when she felt the rising and falling of someone breathing beneath her. Again she moaned and laid back down. Xarae felt the stranger underneath her growl low in his chest. The deep sound reverberated. The man placed a hand on Xarae's shoulder and shifted a little. She started to panic again.

"Calm down. Go back to sleep." The man's voice was deep and silky, velvety almost, melodious and seductive. Familiar and convincing. As a matter of fact, she was still feeling groggy and very dizzy, although her headache was gone. Xarae relaxed as the stranger had told her and slowly drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the feel of the man's hands around her waist. She lifted her head from his chest and looked around. The man was beneath her, holding her lightly in his sleep. She couldn't see his face, which was covered by the hood of the cloak he had on. Xarae moaned, and the man tighted his hold on her. She placed her hands on his and tried to pry them off. Suddenly he woke up. He turned his head and the hood that was covering it fell to the floor. Xarae sreeched and jumped away from the... creature. She slowly crawled away from him. The stranger sat up.

"Get away from me..." Xarae whispered.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She whimpered and fell backwards. "Come here." He waved his hand in the air a little.

"No," she stammered.

"No?" He looked at her quizzically. Slowly he got to his knees. Xarae stared at him. He was... devilish. His face was covered with red and black markings, and nine or ten horns encircled his bald head. Their ivory gleamed even in the lack of light. His skin...it was a masterpiece of lightning-like artistry. Who is this man? she thought.

"What is wrong with your face?" Xarae boldly inched towards him.

"Nothing is wrong with my face. This is how I look."

"Who did this to you?" She got closer and closer to the stranger.

"Myself. This was my own doing," he said quietly.

"Why?" The man didn't answer her. Xarae reached out and touched his face like he was a precious gem. She ran a finger down one of the streaks of black on his cheek. She let her hand wander up his face and entwined her fingers in the vestigial horns on his head, feeling the cold, sharp ivory under her skin.

"Let go of me," he said. Xarae pulled her hand away from him. She was so surprised at the way she was acting. So... friendly. She was so scared of this man -- why was she touching him like this? She noticed how fast her heart was beating. His eyes met hers, and she jumped back again. They were a burning yellow, red and orange like fire. Piercing.

"Fetch me water."

"What is your name?" Xarae blurted out.

"Names are of no importance. Go get me water."

"Yes, yes of course..." Xarae stammered. She stood up and walked towards the lift to exit the ship.

Xarae ran through the darkened woods towards her settlement. She crashed along, not knowing where exactly she was going, but again being driven by some kind of... force. She wasn't thinking about anything but doing as the stranger had asked. She slowed down when she could spot the fires burning in the forum of the village. Xarae quietly stole around the perimeter of the village to her sister's hut. Stopping to calm herself, she noticed that she was sweating a cold sweat that soaked her hair. She crept up to her sister's window. Kiruon was sitting in the corner sewing something. Her husband was gone, as usual.

"Kiruon!" she whispered. Kiruon didn't hear her. She called her sister again, louder this time. Kiruon whirled around.

"Xarae??" She ran to the window. "What are you doing here? Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!"

"Calm down! I'm here to fetch water and bandages."

"Why, Xarae?"

"Don't question, I don't have the time." She watched her sister gather ointments and bandages and water, among other things, wrapping them up into a neat little package. Kiruon handed it to her.

"Take care." She placed a hand on Xarae's cheek, but she whipped her face away from Kiruon's touch.

"Tei kunonon." Xarae thanked her sister in their language and left again for the ship just as it was starting to drizzle.

When she reached the ship, it was pouring and the thunder was coming closer and closer. She made her way up to the cockpit of the ship to find the nameless man slouched in the black pilot's seat. He turned the chair to look at her. She took a deep breath and put the bundle of things on the floor. He stood up and limped to her slowly.

"I... think I'm hurt." His voice wavered and he suddenly fell into her arms. Xarae gasped. His body was heavy, and she was forced to lower him to the ground. He laid in her lap, his horns digging into her flesh and his chest heaving. Xarae started to remove his black tunics, somehow sensing where he was hurt. She threw the tunics to the side and pressed her hand on a bleeding laceration on the side of his abdomen. Hot blood poured out over her hands and through her fingers.

"Calm down, you'll be fine," Xarae soothed the man as she reached for her things. "Sit up. Come on, sit up." She helped him do so and opened a goatskin package of an antiseptic ointment. His strong body stiffened as she put the stinging brown ointment on his wound. "Calm down," she said again as she wrapped the bandages around his body. Xarae laid him back down in her lap. The man's breathing slowed down, and he opened his yellow eyes to look at Xarae. She averted her eyes from his gaze and reached over to take out the canteen of water to give to him. He finished quickly and threw the empty canteen across the cockpit. The stranger closed his eyes again and nestled his head into Xarae's loose fitting clothing. She looked down at the strange body lying in his arms. He must be incredibly strong... She let her hand hover over the ebony black muscles on his arms and chest. No one in the village is nearly as strong as this man... He had gleaming silver rings in his nipples like the village elder had, except these were smaller and obviously much more expensive. He must be very rich, she concluded. She fingered the expensive cloth that his clothes were made of. I wonder what he does for a living... She ran her hand just above his skin, outlining the beautiful pattern of red and black zigzags and diamonds that covered his shoulders and upper arms. The intricate designs snaked around to his back. She wished that he would sit up, allowing her to take in all of the beauty. He was truly a work of art in himself. Suddenly, lightning flashed, and Xarae jumped. The man opened his eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing," she lied. "What is your name?" The man sighed in exasperation.

"You may call me Lord Maul."

"That is a strange name."

"It is only a title." A title? He MUST be rich. Maul looked up at the girl who had come to his rescue, and he took a deep breath. She was... absolutely gorgeous. She had a long brown braid that cascaded over her small, thin form and deep blue eyes that twinkled like the oceans of Cerea with starburts of jade green around the jet black pupils. Although he had hardly been around any women in his life -- in fact, this was the closest he could remember being to any woman -- he admitted to himself that she was, certainly, the most beautiful creature in the whole entire universe.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Call me Sahara." Maul took another deep breath.

After a short meal of dried fish between the two, Maul was able to stand up and walk around. With a great amout of pain, of course, but walk nonetheless. They hardly spoke to one another, but Xarae was glad of this, for she was still unsure of whether or not to trust the man. He seemed quite concerned with the damage done to the ship, making himself busy checking the various electronics around the craft. Xarae couldn't figure out what would be proper manners -- to leave Maul alone or to stay with him in case he needed anything. Frankly, she didn't want to venture out into the forest this late at night, not to mention that the was incredibly afraid of thunderstorms. Those were the only reasons she stayed and watched Maul curse at the unresponsive controls.

Maul took Xarae in slowly, catching quick glimpses of the beautiful girl through wires or pipes he was pretending to work on. He had never really observed a woman before -- the handmaidens back at the temple were all ugly as sin, and, really, women didn't interest him. Being such a high ranking, he could have any woman in the star system that he could possibly want, but he didn't bother himself with these things, being as dedicated to the Sith as he was. Now though, the ancient order was the furthest thing from his mind. He was thinking of her. Her beautiful body, the shimmering braid of hair that flowed down her back. Her hair... it carried an intoxicating scent. Strangely seductive, piny, woody, natural and spicy. Maul had never smelled perfume on anyone before. He really liked it quite a bit and tried to get closer to her lingering scent whenever he could. He was doing just this when she spoke to him at long last.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Yes, please don't go he thought.

"If you want to. Is your town far from here?"

"Yes, quite a ways," she lied.

"You may spend the night here if you wish. I am deeply sorry, but I have no beds for you to sleep on."

"That's fine, I am used to sleeping on the floor. Besides, I brought some fur pelts with me. Thank you for offering." She was being as cordial and polite as she knew how.

"That's good." He growled a little and returned to his work. Xarae began to dig through her little bundle of things, pulling out more food and water. How did Kiruon know I'm not going to return? she thought. She sighed and wrung out a little more rainwater from her hair. A crack of thunder lit up the night sky outside, and she shivered. Maul looked over at her.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Yes, actually." Maul grunted and returned to his work. Xarae wondered why he had asked if he wasn't going to do anything about it.

"It is warmer over here, away from the outer walls and closer to the heaters," he mumbled. Xarae stood up and walked over to where he stood. She leaned up against the control panel and rubbed her arms. Rain pounded harder on the ship. Xarae glanced over at Maul, who was looking vaguely at the controls. He glanced up at her quickly, but upon realizing she was trying to make eye contact, he did a double take. His golden eyes met hers. Their deep cyanic color enchanted him. Tantilizingly beautiful. He stared at her and the swirling azure pigments in her eyes. He thought of something Master Sidious had once said -- that the eyes are the window to one's soul. Maul thought about this, gazing into her, and began to try and probe her mind with the Force. But much to his surprise, it was as if she had erected a mental wall, and he hit it head on, no way around it. Like a Jedi... Her eyes shimmered, and he felt penetrated.

His eyes... Xarae couldn't pry her eyes from his stare. Their color... Devilish, their ambers and crimsons, like burning fires in themselves. They were those most certainly those of an animal. Beautiful. She saw through them, and inside the regal man in front of her. Xarae saw his identity. Faint flickers of a troubled past. She unintentionally delved deeper into him subconscious, but there she met a wall. It slowly pushed her back into reality, and when she reached it, she was in his arms. Xarae whimpered. Maul was holding her tightly around the waist, pressing her body to his with his strong hands, and so close that she could feel his breath hot on her flesh. No, please, not again... The horrible memories of Komkon flashed in her mind. Xarae felt her eyes burn with tears as he leaned in to kiss her.She felt his lips gently brush against hers.

"Khameir... no..." Maul opened his eyes and let go of her. She began to cry.

"What did you call me?" he growled. Xarae looked into his angered eyes.

"Khameir..." she said feebly. Suddenly, he brought her hand up and smacked her hard across the face. She was almost knocked over by the blow and was leaning against the control panel for support. She cradled her stinging face in her hands.

"Don't you EVER call me that again. Understand?" Xarae nodded. "Now go over there and go to sleep and don't bother me again." He pointed to a row of seats against the wall of the ship. She willingly complied to his orders, and, like a dog with its tail between its legs, hobbled to the passenger seat, pulling a fur pelt over her shivering body. Maul turned back to his work on the panels. Damn that woman... He felt like slamming his fist on the unresponsive panel.

Xarae stayed seated where she was, trembling, scared to move or breathe or sneeze or do anything in fear of being hit again. I was right about not trusting this man. Xarae watched him out of the corner of her partially-opened eye the whole night, watching him with his horned head in his hands, at times sighing, at times silent, sometimes gazing out the wide window into the retreating storm outside.

Xarae awoke to an empty room. Various clangs echoed out of the open lift shaft across the small cockpit. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Standing up, Xarae walked to the front window of the ship. It was early morning, and the sun was just rising to the north. Rivulets of rain ran down the ship and off the tree branches. Xarae yawned and looked around. I need to get home and away from this man... she thought to herself as she started packing her things.

Maul heard Xarae making noise above him in the cockpit. That girl.... there is something very strange about her. She seems so.... troubled about something. He could almost feel her fear and uncertainty pulsing through the Force. Sighing, he dropped the bolt he was holding in his teeth to the floor. How did she know my name? He knelt down and groped for the dropped bolt. The Force, maybe? I shall watch her more carefully... He looked up at the cockpit above him and leaned his head against the shaft wall. Visions of her beautiful eyes drifted up from the back of his mind. I can't belive I hit her. I actually struck her beaufiful face....

Xarae heard Maul curse again is some language she didn't recognize. What am I going to do about this situation? I can't leave him here... She started pacing. He is so frightening, controlling, like he puts a trance over me. Maybe that's what those markings are for... but I can't leave him.... She looked over at the lift shaft, and Maul hoisted himself out of it. He crouched on the floor.

"You're awake," he said.

"Yes," Xarae answered.

"I hope.... you slept well." He looked over at her and managed a small smile. Xarae didn't reply, and he tore his gaze from her almost abashedly. "I'm going to need your help fixing my ship."

"I know nothing about electronics."

"You don't need to." He stood up and brushed off his tunics. "But first, go and get us some food." He paused. "If... you don't mind." He picked some sort of strange tool out of a small panel and jumped back down to where he was working. Xarae walked over to the lift.

"Take my hands." Maul held out his hands to help her down. She stared at his strong, dry and calloused hands before taking them. He grasped her small and frail fingers tightly and pulled her down into the small space in the first level of the ship. "Don't be afaraid of me, please," he whispered. Xarae looked him in the eyes and started to tremble. His hands drifted up and down her arms, and she swallowed hard. "I just don't want you to be afraid of me." He stared deeper into her eyes and leaned in closer to her.

"Let me go," she said quietly. Maul's eyes seemed to flash with dissapointment as she walked out of the craft.