"I told him to come alone," Maul snarled.
Ahsoka wasn't much happier than Maul about this development. She'd intentionally avoided dragging Anakin into her troubles, intentionally kept her Master out of the loop, at bay, where he couldn't see into her life and worry about her troubles. Ahsoka knew Obi Wan would come if she'd asked, or if it looked as if she needed aid, but Anakin was the one sailing through space to rescue her at a moment's notice.
She didn't need rescuing. She needed her lightsaber.
Maul withdrew his saber and latched it onto his belt, crossed his arms and snorted. "I told him you would suffer if he didn't come alone."
"My Master probably caught wind of that," Ahsoka said. Her former master. "He might kill you."
"Is that the way of the Jedi?" Maul replied with a snort.
Maybe it wasn't. Ahsoka had seen how Anakin was when his friends were in danger, when Padme was in danger, when Obi Wan had seemingly died, killed by a run-off bounty hunter. She remembered Anakin holding Hardeen by his neck, how chilled his presence was in the Force.
She should have stopped him then, but she hadn't. She'd let him sink to such a low.
"Two Jedi, a…part-timer…and me. This will attract the Sith. You know this."
"So?" Ahsoka said.
"This operation cannot stand," Maul said. Like he'd done this before. He turned to the door and Ahsoka tailed him. She wasn't just going to let him wander off to his death with her lightsaber crystal in his pocket. He didn't stop her, instead leaping down from the rafters and finding the sentry at the front gate.
He ignited his lightsaber and slashed in in a diagonal motion, decapitating the man.
Ahsoka leapt down too late to stop him. "What are you doing?"
"Eliminating any witnesses. There's only four more. The rest I sent away after our excursion in case we roused our enemies."
Ahsoka wasn't about to let him kill the mercenaries, even if she didn't care for any of them. She should have grabbed a staff off of the wall – it wouldn't do much against a lightsaber, against Pre Vizla's sword, but she could at least cause some hurt, slow him down until Anakin arrived. Until Obi Wan arrived, but whereas Anakin felt close, almost like he was already standing beside her, offering her Padawan braid, Obi Wan felt distant. And slow.
"When our enemies arrive—both of our enemies, not just your friends—they will torture every man tied to us. The Sith do not take kindly to rivals."
"I'm not going to let you do this," Ahsoka said.
"You're awfully bold today, Lady Tano." Maybe before Maul would have laughed at her, but today he bared his teeth and snarled like a rabid kathound. He stormed past her angrily, but he'd forgotten something.
The guard's pistol was still holstered on his belt.
Ahsoka rushed to the guard's headless body and snatched the weapon before directing it at Maul's back. It wasn't a fair fight. It wouldn't be a fair fight until Ahsoka had her lightsabers, both of them.
She fired a warning shot at his heel and aimed the next one at his head. He stood very still, seething.
"You'll have to fight me first," she said.
Maul snarled and tried to rip the pistol out of her hand with the Force, but she had anticipated that. She held it tightly in both hands and pushed back, digging her heels in even as he dragged her across the floor. Then she fired.
The bolt grazed Maul's hand but he relented in his Force pull, instead opting to throw objects instead. Morbidly, he reached for the severed head behind Ahsoka. She spun and kicked it out of the way before firing another round at Maul. He ran behind a set of crates and tried to flank her, but when he moved to attack it was not with his saber but with a kick.
He was still trying to keep her alive, at least. He wouldn't try anything lethal.
Ahsoka could hold him off. She had to hold him off.
