Night crept onto Atollon, gently overtaking the day and pushing for tomorrow. Some spiders stalked the perimeter of the base, hissing at the pylons, eyeing the people they couldn't get too mere feet from them. So they sat on the line, waiting for a moment that would never come.

Just as alive as the wildlife, the base occupants worked tirelessly and diligently on their jobs. Supply management, ship rearmament, medical teams, repair men and women, watchmen and engineer groups; No one that was awake at Chopper Base was sitting around meaningless. It was a quiet night, most of the rebels had gone to sleep for the night, but one ship was still active. At the edge of the base, one of the most distinct ships, stood the Ghost, a famous amongst the rebellion and infamous among the Empire. It's crew, having been retired for most of the day, were making last minute preparations for their newest resident, against the wishes of the said crew.

"Well I'm beat," Zeb stretched out his arms, making sure to hit Ezra 'accidentally' who swatted his cat-like arms away. Chuckling, he rose from the bench and headed to his bunk. Quickly behind was Ezra, who gave a goodnight to everyone, including Maul, and hurried to his room, wanting to get into sleep before Zeb's snoring started.

"I feel like I'll pass out if I stay another minute," Sabine yawned, getting off the wall, and headed for her room. Before she exited, she threw a smile, barely noticeable, towards Maul, who returned it in kind.

Chopper beeped about humans needing to recharge their batteries, and rolled off to who knows where.

Left behind were Maul, Kanan and Hera. Tensions slightly rose in the room, Hera eyeing Maul cautiously where as Kanan acted as if it was another day, not caring that a murderer from his time stood a mere two feet to his right. Maul, not really knowing how to act within company, stood still and had his head down, not wanting to meet the pilot's warning glare.

"I've got some more work to do for Sato," Hera brushed her uniform, wiping away the non-existent dust of the day, and looked at both men. "Probably will be gone all night, so don't blow up my ship." Although meant as a joke, an edge was directed in it, and they all knew who it was towards.

"It'll be standing when you return," Kanan replied, smiling calmly. It worked to relax Hera, a negligible amount, as she headed off towards her duty.

The common room was silent, neither man knowing how to proceed. Awkward was a light word for the scenario, uncomfortable barely acknowledging the tension. Taking a chance, Kanan gently placed his hand on Maul's shoulder, ignoring the flinch that came with it.

"It's been a long day," Maul gave a dry chuckle, That's an understatement. Kanan replied with one filled with mirth.

"It has been tiring," Maul replied, stretching his back out, wincing at the multiple cracks and pops that came from it.

"Sounds like you need some rest." With that Kanan slowly walked to the door, waiting for Maul. Not really expecting Kanan to go through with this, Maul was slower to follow him, but ready to turn back at the moment's notice. Kanan didn't push away, and just kept walking with him to his, now shared, cabin.

Maul looked around the cabin, and could see how it was Kanan's. It was empty, clear, like a well trained Jedi, with almost no worldly possessions. Yet across the way were two things, a lightsaber and a photo, the only two things in the otherwise barren room.

"It's not much, but it's home." Kanan sat on one bunk, rubbing his neck.

Maul, unsure of himself, sat on the one across, unclipping his own saber and placing it next to the jedi's. Feeling the cushion, something not overly comfortable, Maul felt a tiny part of him lunge from his heart, longing for something as simple as this over his tormented years. "It is enough."

"I agree."

Maul nodded, but scanned the room. Something had been bothering him, ever since he landed on Atollon, and was created when they left Malachor. The artifact, the Sith holocron, left some worry in his mind. Should that be opened, mistakenly or by a wayward padawan, it could lead to dire consequences.

Sensing his companions worry, Kanan looked over to him, "Don't worry. It's safe, Ezra won't get to it."

Maul visibly relaxed, calmed by that information. Kanan took notice that he didn't even ask where it was, just accepted that it was safe and moved on. To be honest, he would probably tell Maul where it was if he asked, but would wait for him to push on the matter. Seeing that he didn't, Kanan relaxed and laid on his bunk, feeling his energy slowly evaporate.

Maul took a bit longer, his old body not used to the softness beneath him, but he slowly slipped into a sleep-like state, yet not fully developed. He was alert, ready for anything, which was a requirement over the years since Mandalore, and true sleep eluded him since. If he was pulled too deep, he might relive memories as well, so he purposely put his body in this 'stasis' mode, giving up sleep for peace.

Over on the other bunk, Kanan lied still, feeling the bunk around him in the Force. Nothing was being told to him, and it was quiet in the room as the pair of them let the night roll on. Slowly, Kanan felt himself slipping into sleep, feeling at peace with the room. He was not ready for what would happen later, but he enjoyed the peace he had at the moment.


Kanan was pulled from his sleep. Something changed in the room, a shift in the force had told him, and he felt his body become alert. Sending out a pulse, he quickly located the source, but was confused. The disturbance came from the other bunk, where Maul was, but something was different than when he had gone to bed. Opening his eyes, Kanan glanced over and quickly scanned Maul's figure, noticing two things quickly. One, Maul was slightly twitching, his fingers grabbing at an invisible staff, and legs kicked every so often. Two, Maul was sweating a little, and his head was rolling back and forth.

Silently, Kanan rolled from his bunk, not wanting to wake up his companion, and stalked over. Observing a little, he found out the force was unbalanced around him, tense and aggressive. Focusing, Kanan felt Maul's emotions, before summing up the situation.

Nightmares

It was a simple answer, and he knew he was correct, but he felt himself un eased. Maul was such a strong and powerful man of the past, yet he suffered from visions of pain and some torture in his sleep. Earlier Kanan noticed that Maul never really went to bed, not staying awake either, but it had a purpose behind it. Now he knew; Maul was trying to stop whatever was happening, but had failed at some point, and the Force had alerted Kanan.

Reaching out, both physically and mentally, Kanan shook Maul gently, trying to wake him. It seemed to make it worse, for Maul became more violent, shaking and twitching fervently, and his muscles tensed.

"Maul."

Instantly Maul woke up, nearly slamming his head on the bunk above, gasping and heaving for breath. His forehead still tensed, sweat rolling down, and his eyes were wild and unfocused, and the yellow seemed to come forth. He was alert, confused, and afraid, and his Force signature was crazed.

"Easy there." Kanan tried to calm him down, rubbing his shoulder gently, relaxing the startled Zabrak. It took a moment, but his breaths calmed and his eyes focused, coming back to the present. Taking some deep breaths, Maul reigned in his Force signature, calming it and putting it back behind a wall. Neither of them spoke while he did that.

"Kanan?" Maul spoke, tentatively, looking to the Jedi next to him.

"It's me."

Maul relaxed, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Sorry for waking you."

"I'm used to little sleep," Kanan replied, "Comes with being a rebel." Maul nodded, taking a deep breath. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Maul said, too quickly, before looking down. "Nothing I am not used to. I apologise for waking you."

"This isn't the first time, is it?" Maul went silent, speaking his answer with his reticence. Kanan sighed, "I know how you feel. The past can hurt, yes," A dry snort came from Maul, thinking of the pain of his master and the loss of his brother. "And it doesn't go away overnight." Maul nodded, finally turning to Kanan. Kanan, feeling wise all of the sudden, smiled at the man, "But it doesn't mean you can't overcome it."

"If only it were that simple," Maul replied, sounding empty and tired. He studied his legs intently, yet not focused on them, as he thought over Kanan's words, letting them sink in. "If it were only easy."

Kanan sighed. He agreed, and it would make life easier. He remembered the grueling training he had at the Temple, both physically and mentally, and how he wished it to be done. So early on, he wanted to give up and go away from the temple, but his master always kept him. A memory came to his mind, one that stuck out. He was training, with a wooden pole, on movement and stance, but always kept falling or tripping over the stonework. Frustrated, he threw his 'saber' down and sat down, refusing to work. Calm as ever, his master, Depa Billaba, stepped over and knelt beside him, and said these words:

"I know it's hard, but that's how it is. Nothing in the galaxy is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well."

Feeling the wisdom in the words, Kanan relayed them to Maul. After he said his part, and giving him one last pat on his shoulder, Kanan left Maul and checked the time. It was only an hour before he had to wake up, so he decided on getting an early start, stretching out his body. Satisfied, he threw a look at Maul.

"I could use some training," Kanan spoke, summoning his saber. "It helps clear my mind."

Hesitant, Maul thought over Kanan's words, and took them to heart. He was right, and Maul knew it. If the galaxy was always easy, then there would be nothing worthwhile in it. With that in mind, he summoned his own saber, clipping it to his waist, and stood. "I think it wise as well," Maul cracked his own body, wincing at the pains of age. "Over the years, I never had a worthy opponent, maybe you could prove one." A tiny smirk played at his lips, watching as Kanan pretended to get offended.

"You wound me, Maul."

"Then again," Maul stated, walking up to him. There was a playful grin on his face, and his eyes seemed clearer than before. "Maybe those Inquisitors were the best foe I would receive. What a shame." And he walked out of the bunk, mentally counting down from three, before a loud 'HEY!' came from the cabin. Chuckling, Maul waited for Kanan, and walked down to the ramp, getting ready to practice once again.


Just a quick A/N: the quote from Kanan's master was a Teddy Roosevelt one. Just a heads up.


Waking, groggily as always, Ezra slowly came back from the arms of sleep. It was a peaceful night, other than a small disturbance he felt, but it was quickly quelled and went back to a calm night. Other than Zeb's usual snoring, he wasn't woken up and actually got a decent night's sleep from it. Still tired, he quietly slipped down his bunk, as to not awake Zeb, but was surprised to find it empty.

Fur ball is up early, Ezra mused, stretching out his body. Even in his youthful age, the slight twinge of ache from his joints and winces from his legs made him feel aged in this war. The same could be said from his days on the streets of Lothal, but now they were aches of war and of fighting, and of little sleep.

Exiting to the common room, his musings were proved correct, eyeing Zeb scarf down some space-waffles. Looking around he saw that most of the crew was here. Chopped was next to Zeb, grumbling about 'messy Catman' (which Ezra chuckled and appreciated), Sabine was holding a cup of Caf, eyeing her armor (and probably thinking of a new coat of paint), and Hera stood at the counter, making waffles. The only ones missing were Kanan, and Maul, which made Ezra warry.

"Are Kanan and Maul up?" Ezra looked around for a response, but only got confused faces. Zeb shook his head, before going back to his waffles,, and Sabine shrugged.

"Not that I know of." Hera, although tired, sounded worried. With no words she paused her cooking (to Zeb's great fear) and walked out of the common room. It was silent after that, everyone was too tired in the morning to talk, and it remained like that until Hera returned.

"Are they in there?" Ezra asked.

"No." Hera said. Instantly, all of their tiredness vanished and was replaced with alert. Searching the force, Ezra focused on Kanan's signature, and breathed easier.

"He's outside the Ghost." Ezra told them, watching them all relax. Yet when he focused again, he found a darker signature with him, one that wasn't Ahsoka's grey signature. It processed, before he tensed up. "With Maul."

The other three tensed. Forgetting their food or drinks, all four of them traveled out of the ship to the loading bay. It was still empty, but a sound was coming over the air, one that froze all of them. It was the sound of lightsabers clashing, and Ezra searched again in the force. It wasn't Ahsoka, and Kanan was only outside with Maul…

With no waste all of them hurried down the ramp, pausing when they reached the bottom. There, In a small clearing, was Kanan and Maul fighting. A flurry of red and blue clashed, swinging violently and hastily in the air. Zeb and Sabine pulled out their blasters, ready to go out and help Kanan, before Hera grabbed their shoulders.

"Don't." Hera said, still watching the duel.

"Hera?" Sabine asked.

"They're sparring." Hera replied, her hands falling back to her sides. Ezra focused on the fight, and found that she was right. Both were slightly holding back, something Ezra picked out, and relaxed. It was a sparring match, not a fight. Grudgingly, Zeb and Sabine holstered their arms and watched the fight.

It was an intense fight, even for them holding back, and it was hard to tell who was winning. For an old man, Maul had great strength and agility for his age, matching Kanan's, and was very offensive in his tactics. Kanan played defensive where he had to, but often would prod him with a quick kick or low swing, but Maul still blocked him before returning to the attack. Yet there was a small difference: Maul's strength was greater than Kanan's, yet his agility was slightly below. Footwork was impeccable, and the speeds they were dueling at was impressive, showing Ezra a true Lightsaber match.

Then, in a quick move from Kanan, Maul was knocked to the ground, unbalanced from a previous swing. Before he could get up, Kanan's saber was pointed at his throat, signifying the end. Both of them were breathing deeply, the fight having taken a lot out of them, and Kanan's arm was shaking slightly.

Satisfied Kanan shut off his saber, and offered an arm out to Maul. With a smile, Maul took it and was hoisted up. "I should have expected that."

"I was lucky," Kanan retorted, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Your move was a touch too extended, and I saw an opportunity."

"Yes," Maul sighed, rubbing his neck. "A risky move, but it was a stalemate fight from my view, and needed something to tip the scale."

"It was a tough duel," Kanan looked over himself. There were patches of dirt over his pants, and scuff marks from close sabers. "If you didn't do that, I would've been tired out soon." He took a look over Maul, and, seeing a lack of deep breathing, looked surprised. "You don't seem as winded as I am."

"My endurance has been...trained over the years," Maul replied, sounding slightly angered. "It was something the Sith prided on." He spat the word 'Sith' before calming himself. Relaxing, he eyed the ground, feeling some pain from memories.

"Well it was a good fight," Kanan quickly replied. "We'll have to do it again."

"Agreed," Maul now had a joking smirk on his face, "It would be a pleasure to see you knocked on your back."

Both men laughed before finally looking at the crew, who were walking over to them. All of them had varying levels of shock and awe at the duel, none of them having seen a duel so intense or stalemated for so long. The crew could tell both men held back, not wanting to hurt the other (Though they had reservations about Maul's intentions), but neither were fighting as if a paper was in front of them. Ezra, who really only had Inquisitors and one fight with Vader, was impressed by both of them by the fight, a look of longing to be half as good as them gleaming in his eyes.

"Some fight." Zeb started, eyeing Maul carefully, seeing him in a new light. When he first arrived Zeb didn't think much of Maul, though became on edge when he heard the tales of his exploits, especially that of Mandalore, yet by looks Maul didn't seem so impressive. Then again, neither did Rex and the clones when they first met them, so point taken, but Maul seemed different. Rex came out, flanked by his brothers, the very air about him swirled in authority and experience.

When Maul stepped off the Phantom, he thought less of him. Age had shown clearly on him, and the hunched over figure with a cane didn't exactly disagree. He didn't think much of Maul when he first arrived, which his training made him feel ashamed about, but the fight proved that he was wrong.

"That was amazing!" Ezra beamed, ever the enthusiastic kid. Both of them smiled at him, feeling the adrenaline slip from their fight.

"That was interesting to watch." Sabine offered, eyeing Maul's legs with a careful eye, checking for any damage from the duel.

Maul saw her eyes and smiled, "Your handiwork was spared from harm."

"That's a relief," Sabine replied, crossing her arms. "I'd hate to have to work on them again, they're fragile as it is."

"They held up quite well in the fight," and Kanan was right. Maul's footwork was brilliant in the duel, always matching Kanan's, and didn't seem to freeze up. Of course this would stoke a bit of Sabine's handiwork ego, but she took pride in her work like everyone else did.

"Well both of you get cleaned up," Hera said, calling all attention to her. "We have a mission in a day, and I'd like to brief you all on it."

"A mission?" Kanan asked.

"Easy stuff," Hera assured, then turned to Maul. A flash of hesitation crossed her face, then she spoke, "You are coming along as well."

Surprised, expecting to be left in a cell on the planet, Maul couldn't help the shock in his voice, "Are you sure? I'm well aware that most of you don't hold a...favorable mindset of me, and I was expecting to be left under guard."

"That is not the case," 'Even if I wouldn't mind it', Hera mused in her head, "You are under our watch, and that includes missions."

The others were surprised, Kanan included (even if he was the most onboard of it), but stayed out of the conversation, knowing their opinion wouldn't sway. Maul mused the idea before nodding, "Then I am at my lady's command."