Curled up in the back of a ship, Barriss flipped a page of the book she was reading. Although she had been training quite regularly for the past few weeks, a little over a month now, actually, she had been studying just as much as she had in the beginning. Her master had retrieved ancient Sith texts for her to read, dating back as far as the Jedi-Sith War, a thousand years ago. Centuries of history were unfolding before her, and the better she got at reading Sith Runes the faster she was learning. 

It had been a wonderful trip for the two of them. Maul had taken Barriss to no less than three Sith temples in her time as his apprentice, and each time they had found old libraries and saferooms, some of which had been locked up for hundreds of years. Seeing the architecture, the detail, and the beauty put into the temples, it put the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to shame. Sure there were runes and statues every so often, but it was so bland, so tasteless. The temples built by the Sith had far exceeded her expectations.

Barriss had learned that Maul himself was a practical learner, but when he had figured out that Barriss could learn just as well from texts as she could from training, he had immediately taken her to seek out Sith texts for her to begin reading. She had started slowly, learning how to decipher runes that were previously unfamiliar to her, but Barriss worked tirelessly to teach herself the language and the letterings. Once this had been accomplished, it didn't matter if she was reading a history book, an incantation guide, a textbook, or a curriculum text, she was soaking absolutely all of it up.

Not that she was lacking in her training either. Maul attended to his leadership duties while she studied, but he set aside time in the mornings and evenings to meditate, spar, and instruct his new apprentice. If there was something in her studies that she needed clarification on, Barriss would ask him before the lesson began, and he would make sure she had sufficient answers to all of her questions before moving on. She was so inquisitive, wanting to know the depths of every piece of the Sith culture she had fallen in love with. Maul was more than willing to provide answers to her, and sometimes the time they were supposed to be used to train instead got sucked away by rabbit trails that stemmed from Barriss's studies. The hours would slip away before the lesson began, and Maul would have to attend to Mandalore without training her.

When that didn't happen though, their lessons were just as insightful. Barriss willingly submitted to the Dark Side, but not wildly and recklessly as was dangerous to do. Her descent was gradual, paced, and certain, and extremely pleasing to her master. Although the power was making her stronger, she did not let herself be consumed by greed or lust for it. She exercised great restraint, at the bidding of Maul, and made sure the steps she was taking were measured ones. 

She didn't spend all of her time with her nose buried in a book, though. Maul invited her to accompany him as he continued to secure his rule over Mandalore and even appointed her to tasks as she felt more comfortable with it. She made a habit of remaining by his side when he met with his advisors and earned their respect as well. It didn't take long for his soldiers to start referring to Barriss as Lady Offee, and although they knew Maul was their ruler she soon gained as much authority as him. Maul had no objection to this, as the work his apprentice was doing at his side was pleasing to him. He came to trust her to carry out his will without feeling the need to oversee her.

In secret, Gar Saxon and the other Mandalorians respected Lady Offee not only for her power and wisdom, which she was showing to have much of both, but because they noticed a change in Maul as well. They were all grateful that his random mutterings and outbursts about someone named 'Darth Sideous' had ceased months ago, but he still would ramble about things none of them understood and were, quite frankly, too scared to ask about. His bloodshot eyes would go wild unexpectedly, and when he started hitting, breaking, or throwing things, they knew to get out of the room.

When Barriss came, though, the mad ravings became less frequent. He seemed calmer, more composed, less paranoid, even. Lord Maul wasn't necessarily any less ruthless, especially to the people who were resisting his rule, but he had certainly stabilized over the past few weeks. At the moment, Maul hadn't lashed out for a full ten days, and Gar Saxon was absolutely sure it had something to do with the woman he called his apprentice. 

So Lady Offee received the utmost respect from everyone under Maul's immediate leadership. When she asked to learn about the culture of the Mandalorians, they did not ridicule her but taught her patiently and gratefully. When she suggested certain tactics to suppress the rebels rising in the capital, they took her recommendations seriously, whether she supported their original strategy or suggested against it. When she requested permission to access sensitive information, she was not denied. Maul's supporters would do anything to make Lady Offee happy, as long as she continued to work whatever magic she was casting on Lord Maul. 

Barriss was aware of this, but she only used this authority to her advantage and refrained from abusing it. She too had noticed the change in her master, as she was monitoring her own progress. Not that she knew what exactly it was about her that Maul was so enthralled with, but she continued to work to embrace the Dark Side and please her master, and every day he was not only satisfied but downright joyful with her. After the cold harsh treatment she had received from Luminara, and the pain of living on the run for so long, alone, the attention she was being showered with, both from her master and the Mandalorians, was bliss. She had no regrets about her commitment to Maul's teachings. So far, it had only been a blessing.

A lot of her training was not only spent learning about the ways of the Sith but also unlearning the ways of the Jedi. Despite how far she had fallen from the Light, she still had habits ingrained in her, habits that had to be abolished. Her master had been patient with her, correcting her behavior and her thinking when she did not do it herself. Maul remembered the abusive ways Sideous had conditioned him, and while he knew they were effective, he refused to treat his apprentice with such cruelty. Barriss would not know the harsh teaching methods of the Sith before him, he had promised her. Never would such pain come from him.

It was difficult though, and a very slow process. She was so used to bottling everything up inside her and feeling like she had to hide it to please her superiors. Multiple times, Barriss had been silent when Maul knew she had something to say, and would not speak even when invited to. Only when Maul confronted her alone, assuring her that no punishment would result in her vulnerability, would she speak her mind, and even then she still braced for a lecture. While Maul didn't always agree with his apprentice, he would sit and debate about it with her and did not chide her for her insights. Only in the past few days had she trusted him enough to speak her mind freely, even among his council of advisors and soldiers. 

Even her dueling had needed correcting. Obviously, learning to feed her skills with her emotions was a learning process, but so much honor had been wired into her mind that it was holding her back. It had taken coaxing, trust, and so many lessons, and she was still trying to unlearn the disciplines Luminara had instilled in her. 

Maul tried to integrate this with teaching her a Sith lightsaber form, one reminiscent of the Sith Mauraders that suited her double blades, but it was painful for him to watch her fight herself as she worked to overcome her past. He wanted to snap his fingers and take away the struggle she was going through, but the path to overcoming one's history was not one that could be accomplished simply. Still, he did not abandon Barriss to this struggle. He remained with her, patiently, kindly, and he guided her when she felt lost. She may have to walk this path, but Maul refused to let her walk it alone.

Barriss had made progress, she knew. Day by day, she was leaving her Jedi life behind her. Maul had warned her that it may be a lifelong struggle and that her past may never truly stop haunting her, but it was diminishing. In the smallest of increments, she was breaking off the chains the Jedi had bound her with and releasing them, one link at a time. Even if she never would be completely free from her past, she had her future with her master to look forward to. As long as the rest of her life would be spent undoing the pain the Jedi had inflicted upon her, it would be a good one. It would only get better from here, and right now it was already more incredible than she had ever dreamed of.

A knock came at the door Barriss was sitting in, and when the door slid open Maul appeared in the doorway. She was in her quarters on his ship, ones he had given her once they started traveling together. Marking her spot in her book and setting it aside, she sat up and sat forward on her bed, wondering what Maul had to say.

"We don't have much longer before we reach Dromund Kaas," he told her, stepping inside a few steps. "I would say less than five minutes. I wanted to warn you in case there was something on your mind. Now would be the time to say it, because we will not have the time to speak once we land."

"You've been preparing me for this day ever since you rescued me," she said, standing up to join Maul. "It is the reason you found me, the reason I have a purpose here. I know how important this is to you."

She followed him to the cockpit of the ship, settling into the copilot's seat while her Master studied her. "Ever my faithful student, you have been. Your loyalty and sense duty are forces within you I have never seen matched in anyone. Yet I see it is holding something back in you, something you feel ashamed of." He looked at her, meeting her eyes. "Fear."

It was humbling to have a master that could read her so well, but Barriss had learned to value it rather than be afraid of it. "Not for you. I have seen your power and your skills, I do not doubt that you are ready for this challenge. It is myself who I believe is unprepared for this day."

"Transcendence is not something you can prepare yourself for, my apprentice," he counseled her, "nor is it something I can teach you. It will come whether you feel that you are ready for it or not, but I assure you, I have faith in your commitment to the Dark Side. It will not fail you today, Barriss Offee. Nor will you fail me."

A smile crept onto her face, and she held her head higher than she had a moment ago. "Then by the grace of your training, I will be a disciple worth of the Sith. My past will not dictate my future."

Maul nodded and took his seat behind the controls of the ship. His apprentice was still bounded and scarred from the Jedi, but he saw her confidence and her trust building every day. The investment he had poured into her was beginning to yield a harvest, one that would serve her well in her days to come. He finally had hope that all would be set right, that what had been stolen from both of them would be returned in full. 

"Know this," he spoke softly, facing her instead of facing forward. "Your loyalty, your commitment, your devotion, all of it has only been a blessing to me. Despite every setback the Jedi have forced you to suffer, you have risen above them and rested unyielding faith in the Dark Side, in me. I can only hope to return your faith to you in kind, but I promise you, no matter what befalls us on Dromund Kaas, I pledge myself to you as you have done to me. There is no apprentice who has ever been as loyal, nor any master who has ever been as grateful."

Barriss felt like she should respond, like there ought to be something she could say to return the sentiment, but her face spoke for her. Pride swelled up in her, in herself and the master she served, and she could feel her eyes burning as tears began to fall. Now, though, she didn't try to hide her emotion or bottle it up but bore it proudly, and she let herself bask in the passion she felt. She no longer had to hide it or pretend that it wasn't there. She let it strengthen her, fuel her for what was to come. Through passion, I gain strength, she recited, through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.

Is this what I've been missing? she wondered silently, looking at her master as he began to drop out of hyperspace. Is this the love I was seeking from Luminara? 

"Yes, my apprentice," Maul answered her, looking at her fondly. "May you seek it no longer."