the training grounds were loud beneath the burning mandalorian sun— blaster fire echoing off metal walls, boots slamming against dirt, commands barked sharply between sparring soldiers. rows of maul’s warriors moved across the arena in organized violence, trying desperately not to embarrass themselves under the gaze of the man watching from above.

darth maul stood at the edge of the overlook platform, hands clasped behind his back as his yellow eyes tracked every movement below with cold precision. black robes shifted slightly in the warm wind, the lower half of his mechanical legs humming quietly beneath the fabric.

and beside him stood you. the empire knew you were important— no one stood at maul’s side without reason— but they didn’t know the extent of it yet. didn’t know one of the strongest jedi the republic had ever produced had chosen him over the order. most importantly, they didn’t know you were his equal. maul preferred it that way for now. fear worked better when people discovered the truth too late.

below, two soldiers clashed in close combat training, staffs cracking together hard enough to spark. one was experienced— controlled, disciplined. the other was bigger, sloppier. relying too heavily on brute force. you watched quietly for another moment before leaning slightly toward maul, voice low enough for only him to hear.

“his left side is weak,” you murmured calmly. “he overcorrects every time he pivots.”

maul’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the soldier again. then, slowly, one corner of his mouth twitched upward. “hm.” a sound of agreement more than anything. but apparently not quiet enough. one of the newer soldiers standing guard near the platform glanced over with immediate irritation. “with respect,” he snapped, “i don’t think you know more than the commander training them.”

silence. immediate. suffocating silence. the sparring below continued for exactly three more seconds before the experienced fighter exploited the opening you pointed out, sweeping the weaker soldier onto his back hard enough to knock the breath from him. everybody froze after that. maul turned his head slowly toward the guard. too slowly.

the zabrak’s expression didn’t visibly change, but somehow that made it worse. yellow eyes locked onto the soldier with the same cold stillness a predator gave prey right before killing it. the guard paled almost instantly. because maul wasn’t angry often. but when he was quiet like this? that was far more dangerous.

you remained relaxed beside him, hands folded behind your back, though you could already feel the shift in the force around maul— sharp, simmering, predatory. the guard swallowed hard, suddenly realizing every other soldier nearby had gone rigid. maul stepped forward once. just once. the mechanical hiss of his legs against the platform sounded deafening in the silence.

“you presume,” he said quietly, voice low and controlled, “to correct someone standing at my side?”

the soldier’s face lost color. “i— lord maul, i didn’t realize—”

“no,” maul interrupted smoothly, eyes narrowing. “you did not.” his gaze flicked toward the training grounds below before returning to the guard. “and yet she was correct.” another step closer.

the soldier looked seconds away from collapsing. maul tilted his head slightly, studying him before speaking again. “perhaps next time,” he murmured, “you will think before embarrassing yourself in front of your rulers.”

your rulers. the words hit the surrounding soldiers like a shockwave. and for the first time, the empire understood exactly who had been standing beside darth maul this entire time.