Prelude To Terror

Prelude to Terror

A One Shot for the Plagueis fan contest

by

Lordhadrian

    Plagueis felt the excitement.  Long he had waited to gain his revenge on his old
apprentice, Darth Sidious.  he small craft slipped past the Republic warships around Coruscant on the night side of the planet.  Discretion is the better part of valor, he thought.

    His revenge would be slow, step by step.  No need for it all in one night.  He wanted Sidious to know horror, and suffering.  He needed to know that, even as Chancellor, he could never be safe, that the Jedi could not protect him, nor his Sith allies.....

    Plagueis' huge Dynasty class, pyramid shaped cruiser, "Sutek", stopped in orbit around
Coruscant.  Authorities thought he was simply another wealthy merchant, enjoying his opulent
luxury yacht.  His credentials and papers all checked out, but a few well placed bribes helped
him orbit the capital without incident.

    The Dark Lord landed a small shuttle in a private establishment.  Very high caliber, a
grand old building that had stood since the days of the war between the Old Republic and the
Old Sith Empire.  It was a mansion for the wealthy of Coruscant.  The Hangar bays were at the
very top, and below were hundreds of floors for recreation, fine dining, sports bars,
bungalows and suites that were large enough to hold an entire community.  This building had
dozens of communities that jealously protected their territories within.

    But for Plagueis, it was his playground.  He had established himself here as a forceful
personality long ago, and could move freely through any floor, any place.  For now, though, i
was a chance to enjoy a luxurious rest in one of the grand suites.

    That day, Plagueis enjoyed the comforts of a king.  Good wine, a quiet meal, and a
prepared lover from one of the many companion services that the building secretly held away
from official Republic eyes.  Plagueis was a stoic, refined man when he chose to be.  He took
this moment to indulge before embarking on Sith business.

    And business would be brutal indeed.  He built a web of schemes that would reach far and
wide during this Clone/Droid conflict orchestrated by Sidious and the old man Tyranus.

    Later that week, he had prepped a part of his suite for visitors.  Several stealthy
servants from his pyramid ship entered from a large, luxurious balcony near a grand swimming
pool where they could park their small shuttle, one of the many parking spaces he had
surrounding the suite.

    "Master." One of the larger figures announced as it bowed.  There were five of them, four
carrying a large bulky body shape wrapped in special cloth.

    Plagueis looked over the contents wrapped carefully for his schemes.  He was satisfied
that his servants, Sith trained acolytes, had succeeded in their first mission on Coruscant.  
It was time to initiate the next step.  "Bring me the one called Maul." he waved them off
casually, as if he had requested a glass of wine or sent them on a meager errand.

    It did not take long to provoke Maul's animosity.  He chased Plagueis' minions through
the city, until they landed in the grand suite.

    Maul landed his ship and burst through the doors to a huge banquet hall.  Plagueis sat at
the long table and quietly ate soup as Maul stomped towards him with the double bladed saber
and eternal anger burning in him.

    "You have a lot of guts to play with the Sith!"  Maul roared as he got close.  Plagueis
looked at him and kept eating.  Maul scrunched his face in rage. "Who do you think you are?"

    Maul stared, readying a death blow as the figure before him dabbed his face with a napkin
and stood to face him.

    "I am who I am." Plagueis then unleashed a fury of lightning upon Maul to subdue him and
paralyze him.  The power of Plagueis' attack was so intense, Maul screamed until it stopped.

    "Maul of the Sith.  What is the worth of loyalty?  What is the price of revenge?"  
Plagueis looked down at him.  "What would it take to have you turn your power against Sidious?"

    Maul looked at him, still trying to catch his breath.  The anger was still within him.

    "You have nothing I would want!" Maul spit.  Then, another voice called from the darkness.  It was a weak voice, but it was familiar to him.

    "Brother....wait!" Oppress walked slowly to Plagueis' side and looked at his brother.

    Maul was frozen in shock and stared at them both.  Savage Oppress walked to Maul.  "Yes.
I am real.  I am not a ghost."  Oppress grabbed Maul's arms and helped him up.  There was a
calm on his face as his brother looked him in the eyes.

    "Who are you?"  Maul asked the tall, pale stranger that lured him to a new Destiny.

    "I am the wise, the creator of life and the cheater of death!"  Plagueis announced "I am
the angel of revenge against the man who took your brother.  I have given you a great gift and
your loyalty is now mine!"

    Oppress looked at him and nodded.  Maul did not question the power of the Dark side that
flowed through this Lord of the Sith.  He accepted this as an opportunity to have final revenge against the man he once called Master.

    Plagueis walked up to them and clasped a hand on each shoulder.  "First, chaos, then we
humiliate the Jedi....then, we shall destroy Sidious!"