“I would suggest you remain in the ward while it heals,” it advised in its mechanical voice. Dirae smirked and laid back with a sigh. Maul had been very concerned about her as he fled from the slave woman’s home and back to the ship. Her Speeder was parked in the docking bay of the ship, as was his. Currently, Maul was in their quarters alone. Dirae felt his body trembling with anger and decided to go against the droid’s instructions.
“I’ll be back, T7-15,” she told the droid and gently eased herself off the bed. T7-15 protested as Dirae left the ward. She paid the panicky droid no mind as she hurried to the quarters she shared with her love.
“Khameir?” she called softly after opening the door. The room was dark but she could make out his shape on the bed. He lay there curled on his side, his hands over his head, clutching it as if some great thing pained him. Concerned, Dirae approached the bed and pressed her hand to his shoulder. It shook beneathe her palm.
“Khameir?” she asked again, leaning over to peer into his face. Maul looked over at her, his fiery eyes damp with unshed tears. Dirae started for she had never seen him cry before. She thought him impossible of it. “Khameir, what is it?” she pressed gently.
Without a word, Maul sat up and pulled her into his arms, holding her there tightly. His head bowed to the area between her neck and shoulder. Dirae winced slightly as her wounded horn grazed his face. She ignored the throbbing pain and stroked his broad, muscled back gently with her hands. She kissed his head and his horns one by one. The taste of sweat lingered on her tongue when she drew away.
“Don’t ever be that overconfident again,” Maul said into her shoulder, his words muffled. “It killed me once; don’t let it kill you too.”
“Khameir...I had to do something to put fear into the Jedi’s minds. The woman was just a natural target for killing. The boy--” Maul whipped his head up, clutched her shoulders firmly in his grasp, and spoke to her fiercely.
“The boy almost killed you! He had enough anger in him to do so!” His every word was puncuated with a slight shake to Diare’s shoulders. “Do not do that again when we go after them. You know how I feel about you, Dirae, and you know I don’t want to lose you. When you healed me we were joined by our Forces. I hate strongly yet I love and possess strongly as well. I’ll kill whoever takes you from me.”
Many times had Maul vowed to bring death to those who took her away. Recently, it had been the bounty hunter, Damek. Before, he’d killed his own master after Sidious had stabbed her in the back thus ending her life. Both had been through death and back thanks to the other’s devotion.
“Swear something to me, Khameir,” Dirae started, placing her own hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. His hands slid down from her shoulders to rest on her thighs. “Swear that you will let me have my revenge against the Jedi Master. Even though I’ve brought you back he still has to play for killing you. Let me go about this on my own. Go back to Coruscant, survive. If you die again, or if I die, the Sith will be no more. There must be others after us; we’re not eternal.”
Maul shook his head quickly. “No. No, I will not swear to that. Your life is more important--”
“No! Khameir, you know more than I do, I could never teach anyone. It is you who must survive,” Dirae protested passionately. Maul continued to shake his head, only more slowly. He knew he couldn’t change her mind once it was set.
“No. I can’t, I won’t, I refuse to allow you to do this. You became mine the day you followed me back to my ship. You were still mine after I killed my master. You will always belong to me,” he told her, the unshed tears finally making their way down his tattooed face. Dirae steeled herself against her heart and stood up.
“Go back to Coruscant. Leave my ship with me, I had it kept in the docking bay. I have to stay and finish my vows. I will come back to you. I swear it.” Her vision blurred as she spoke. Looking at him sitting there, so forlorn and saddened by her words, tore at her heart. She blinked many times to clear her vision.