the urge to kill anything within reach He surveyed the skeletons and rotting carcasses on the tunnel's floor then used his droid legs to launch several swift and vicious kicks that sent bones crashing against the walls Finding a large rib cage he seized it and brought it down hard across the back of one metal leg then threw aside the splintered bones He found no satisfaction in this petty destruction He only hated more Why can't I remember Balling his hands into tight fists he felt his sharp dirty fingernails dig into the bases of his leathery palms He gnashed his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to conjure up a memory any memory that would help him recall his own identity It was then while he felt his hatred burning within that a spark ignited in his mind And he saw a sea of fire
CHAPTER ONE The boy named Maul had to stand on his tiptoes to peer through the thick window in his small room The window was polarized to block heat and light but the view was still so intense that it made the boy squint The light did not come from the sky which was choked with black smoky clouds but radiated from the river of lava that flowed below the facility where Maul lived Turning his head slightly he saw the lava empty into what looked like a wide fiery sea The planet's name was Mustafar according to the droid that looked after Maul The droid also served as the boy's teacher and had shown him holograms that illustrated Mustafar's terrain and the planet's location in the galaxy The droid had shown him holograms of other worlds too Maul had a hard time understanding that the holograms represented actual planets but he had to memorize their names and correctly indicate their locations locations or the droid would subject him to a painful shock
Fortunately Maul was alone Looking through the window he tried to spot any signs of life Occasionally he would glimpse Mustafar's armored natives riding lava fleas in the distance heading for the northern region where they worked as miners A few times he had even seen ore haulers traveling across the sky At the moment he could not see any Mustafarians or vessels just the never ending flow of lava fire smoke and clouds The droid had told Maul that he wouldn't last long on Mustafar's surface but that didn't stop him from wanting to venture outside After all if the Mustafarians could move about freely why couldn't he He might need Mustafarian armor to protect him from the heat and also some kind of breathing apparatus He wondered how difficult it would be to acquire such things He had no reason to believe a Mustafarian would just give him what he needed to survive But he did imagine that going outside would be exciting Maul moved slightly and saw something shift across the window's surface Maul realized it was his own reflection He could see only the top of his head which had multiple small horns Like the rest of his body his head was distinguished by red and black patterns His eyes were bright yellow with small black pupils The first time he had seen his reflection he had been startled because he had thought he was seeing another person For all he knew his reflection was another person person another boy who looked like him and echoed his
every movement A boy who was semitransparent suspended suspended in the smoky air outside the room A boy who was free to roam the planet's volcanic surface without fear of injury who could leave Mustafar and go anywhere anywhere he wanted A boy who could help Maul escape Maul wished he were that boy Bracing his hands against the seamless area where the smooth metal wall met the glass Maul jumped up so he could see more of his thin body reflected in the window He jumped again and again fascinated by his leaping reflection as well as the sound of his bare feet smacking against the metal floor He pushed himself himself away from the window as he jumped back still facing the window and continued jumping for several minutes He didn't stop until well after his breathing had become short his feet had gotten sore and his leg muscles had begun stinging with pain Catching his breath he turned away from the window window and surveyed his room The room's only remarkable features were a single door against the wall opposite the window and a cold water faucet that was operated by a palm sensor positioned over a small drainage hole in one corner The door was made of thick metal the same material as the walls floor and ceiling The bottom of the door had a narrow horizontal slot through which the droid would sometimes shove a small tray of food usually usually bits of uncooked meat Maul could not see through the slot because it remained sealed when not in use by
