I know, I know, this took longer than you and I were hoping, but I think it works. You know why? These chapters are usually around 4,000 words at the most. This one nearly reaches 6,000.
Enjoy.
Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, and Bo-Katan stood on a balcony, overlooking the streets below. The once proud streets of Mandalore, once filled with lights, art, and bustling crowds, now in flames and covered in rubble, it's famous artwork smeared in crates and marks of fire.
On these streets were clone soldiers, each one of them unhappily escorting grumbling citizens to their designated shelters, shelters many of them expected to be used in their lifetimes. Some said it was because the deaths Mandalore had caused was now come to haunt them.
Not one of these four looked on carelessly. Bo-Katan saw her people, lowly and oppressed, being pushed around by whoever came next. Anakin and Ahsoka were Jedi, at least at heart in Ahsoka's case, and wanted nothing more than for these people's troubles to be over. Captain Rex found himself failing to see a point in everything transpiring here - or in the whole Clone War, for that matter.
Eventually, they didn't care to look any longer, and retreated inside the former palace, which itself was once a place of simple beauty, and now, after nearly a year of being trodden by the most vile of crime lords in the galaxy, felt more dead than the surface outside the city.
Bo-Katan shook her head, helmet in hand. "This occupation cannot last much longer," she said. "The people will not stand for it." The door into the palace opened and closed to let them through. "I will not stand for it."
"You asked for our help," Anakin spoke up. "Trust me, we want out of here, too, but we have things to accomplish first. But believe me, as soon as Maul is ours, we'll be out of here."
"Once Maul's been captured," Ahsoka continued as they entered the main hall of the palace, "I assure you, you will have your opportunity to lead."
"I agree!"
The voice wasn't theirs.
Bo-Katan didn't hesitate to drop her helmet, draw her pistols and attack when she saw Darth Maul on the seat that once belonged to her sister.
Almost toyfully, Maul swept aside blaster bolts with motions of his hand before holding Bo-Katan in the air. It was evident that he was enjoying himself.
"My lady, is that any way to treat your rightful ruler?" he said with a sadistic sarcasm before letting her go, allowing her to concede.
Besides him was Jesse, the missing ARC Trooper, his armor stripped from him, save for his kama and some leg pieces, and his hands were cuffed. Anakin looked in distaste, albeit he was about as pleasantly surprised as he could be in this situation be Maul's next words.
Less sadistically, he spoke again, "Now, as a show of good faith, I return your comrade in arms to you." With another sweep of his hand, the binders fell off the ARC Trooper, who looked on in confused fear.
"Run along," Maul said mockingly, as if he spoke to a pet animal. "There you go! Back to your brothers."
Jesse limped over, but as Rex and Ahsoka comforted him, Anakin and Bo-Katan only stared spitefully at Maul. He returned only a savage grin.
Leaning his brother against his arm, Rex left to carry Jesse away to Kix the medic, leaving just the two Jedi and Bo-Katan.
The three stared in silence at the red-striped Zabrak Sith Lord before explosions went off outside. It seemed Maul had a plan of his own, and his satisfied grin only affirmed it.
But while Ahsoka was distracted by everything transpiring around her, Anakin kept his focus on Maul, and he felt something else in his mind, something hidden.
Fear.
Anakin couldn't help but grin himself, which seemed to catch Maul off guard, who quickly turned to a snarl before looking to Bo-Katan.
"One of you might want to deal with that," he said about the battle outside, clearly indicating to Bo-Katan.
Anakin looked to her himself. "Go. We'll handle this." As she hesitantly left, Anakin removed his robe in preparation for an inevitable fight.
Suddenly, Maul was in less control than he seemed. He clearly saw something in the Chosen One, something that made him realize he may not have been fully prepared.
When Bo-Katan left the room to help direct the defense, Maul arose form his seat and stared down at the two Jedi.
"So, you're Kenobi's apprentice, then," he said, walking down the stairs slowly, his eyes locked on Skywalker, his hands clasped behind his back. "A shame he could not have come himself, I had great plans for the both of you."
"Obi-Wan had more important things to do," Anakin replied with a grin. "Like budget meetings with the Jedi Council."
Maul returned only a snarl. "It would seem the apple that is Kenobi's wit has not fallen far from the tree, Skywalker," he said, his voice raised. "Nevertheless, let's not waste time bantering amongst ourselves." He sat back in the throne. "There is a reason I am here, after all."
"Care to tell us what that reason is?" Ahsoka said firmly.
Maul chuckled demeaningly. "Tell me, Jedi," he said, "what is this war to you?"
"A fight to to bring people like you to justice," said Ahsoka, her voice filled with a certain just confidence.
"Justice?" Maul imitated mockingly. "Justice is simply a tool utilized by the ones in power, and you will find that those heads will be exchanged very soon."
"And Darth Sidious will be the one behind it?" said Ahsoka.
Maul turned to them with fire in his eyes. "He has been behind everything since the beginning," he snarled. His voice slowly rising, he continued, "Under your very noses, he has pulled every string, controlled every pawn, and now, a thousand years of manipulation by the Order of the Sith Lords shall come to fruition before our very eyes!"
Anakin took a breath and let the Jedi in him rise up again. "The Jedi can and will stop him, Maul," he said. "Help us, and you can come out all the better before it's too late."
"Too late!?" Maul mocked. "For what? For the Republic to fall? It fell the moment this war began, the moment the Jedi allowed the Dark Lord of the Sith to walk among them as a predator amongst the flock! The only justice the galaxy will achieve will be what its new ruler shall command!"
Hearing boots drop onto the ground, the two Jedi looked behind them to see Mandalorians dropping from the ceiling, armed with blasters and vibroblades. Half a dozen were on the ground with more to come when they turned to look back at Maul, who was now slowly walking toward them, lightsaber in hand.
"The Jedi cannot defeat Sidious," he said, igniting two crimson blades from his double-ended hilt. "No, they shall only quicken his rise."
Anakin and Ahsoka ignited their blue lightsabers and stood back-to-back as Maul and the Mandalorians encircled them.
"Just like old time, Snips," Anakin said, the sudden opposition only lightening his mood.
"Let's try to end it like old times, Skyguy," Ahsoka teased back.
Anakin's blade crossed Maul's, the Mandalorians charged Ahsoka, and the fight began.
Revan wasn't expecting this attack so soon. Frankly, if he did expect it, he wouldn't have had that... emotional overload of his a few minutes ago. People tended to assume he was only joking when he said he was like that some times, though calling it "tactical emotion timing" all the time likely didn't help.
Nevertheless, the inevitable attack was here, and Revan found himself without a plan at that current moment, nor did he really have the intel to formulate one yet.
The Mandalorian attack seemed to have no clear rhyme or reason, save for the evident focus on Republic military assets. Revan would rather they had not crippled a nearby AT-TE, but he could still work. He just needed more data.
Not really something to be found while deflecting blaster bolts and cutting down these renewed Mandalorians, of course. He needed to deal with the current area before moving on to the bigger picture.
Luckily for him, Muunilinst-10 was there, and every shot of their blasters cemented them further as the best of the best within the clone trooper ranks. Nevertheless, they were still fighting Mandalorians, and that did come with its challenges.
Many of the warriors coming at them were far more skilled and experienced than the majority of the clones, who barely had an advantage in numbers, either - in this area, anyway. From what he could tell, this was a multi-pronged attack, complicating the matter.
The battle was out in the open, with little cover to protect the clones, giving the Mandalorians free reign in the firefight. The Republic was fighting on the enemy's terms. Revan would have to adjust that.
It would likely involve a retreat. Revan knew that. Terrain was very important. The question was where they would go.
Just about every Mandalorian there had a jetpack, meaning they could get places quicker than any of the clones could, meaning the better strategic position they needed would have to be nearby in order for them to get there before the enemy could follow them.
Revan's train of thought was briefly interrupted by a Mandalorian with a vibroblade. It served only as an annoyance, of course; his foe was cut down before he could even swing his blade.
Revan took about five seconds to quickly survey the area. There were multiple alleyways leading to other parts of the city. Alleyways were particularly easy to defend, but the Mandalorians could still fly above them and flank them.
The inside of a building, however, could limit their movement. Confine them to a doorway while puckering them with blaster fire.
Problem was, it could trap them, as well, so something with a back door was quite vital so he could re-link with the main attack force.
Mandalorians were certainly difficult to fight. He was going to need Jedi support to minimize casualties.
"Fordo!" he called out to the Captain. "Where's Skywalker and Tano?"
"Unknown, sir!" he called back, ending a fistfight with a Mandalorian by breaking his opponents neck before running over to his General.
"Then find out!" Revan ordered. "What about Merrick?"
"Fighting somewhere else, sir," Fordo replied. "I'll get his exact location now."
"Very good," Revan replied. "I intend to link up after we finish here."
Fordo gunned down another Mandalorian getting too close for comfort, uninterested in another fistfight. "Any plans for that, sir?"
Revan deflected a trio of blaster bolts in two motions of his lightsaber. "I'm figuring a retreat through a building would do us well."
"Well put, sir," Fordo replied. "Might I suggest calling in gunships to cover us?"
"The extra firepower would so us well, good call," Revan replied. Now why didn't I think of that?
"Very good, sir." The ARC Captain blasted a Mandalorian out of the sky. "I'll have Zillo find us an escape route before I call in those gunships."
A barrage of automatic blaster fire suddenly reminded them they were still in a firefight. Fordo took a moment to give orders to the necessary specialists before resuming fire on the enemy.
"This is NOT like old times!" yelled out Ahsoka, struggling to keep the three Mandalorians off of her. Maul clearly didn't call on the scrubs she was used to dealing with.
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" yelled back Anakin. On his own, while still being a challenge, Maul was no match for Anakin. With four Mandalorians assisting him, armed with blasters and vibroblades, it became a little much.
And there were still several more, either ready to pounce or supporting with blaster fire. The duo almost wished Rex or Fordo was there to support them - hell, both of them would come in handy, these were clearly Mandalorian elites.
If there weren't so many, the pair wouldn't have had so much difficulty, of course. They would have no trouble dispatching aa dozen Battle Droid, for instance; dispatching a couple hundred was a different story.
In neither case, however, was it impossible for them to come out on top, and Ahsoka quickly reminded herself of this when she managed to catch a hole in one of the Mandalorian's defense and ended him with a stab into his heart.
She had to admit she died a little inside when two more rushed to replace him. Nevertheless, she fought on with an infuriated grunt.
Anakin, meanwhile, was fortunate enough to deflect two stabs one-hundred-and-eighty degrees apart with a single spin of his lightsaber before he had to block a strike from Maul.
The Zabrak caught him in a momentary saber lock, but uninterested in the conversation that usually followed such a move, he used a Force-amplified kickto knock the former Sith back a few meters.
Taking advantage of his small window, he grabbed the wrist of one of the Mandalorians with his mechanical hand and squeezed the vibroblade form his hand. Letting go of the wrist, Anakin took the vibroblade in his own hand and finished off its former wielder with it.
Anakin smirked as Maul growled at him. This would certainly help matters.
"General!" called out Zillo.
"Lieutenant!" called back Revan.
The ARC Lieutenant ran over to the Jedi, and the two quickly took cover behind some rubble.
"I've found us an exit," Zillo said, then pointed to an archway. "I know you asked for a building, sir, but that alleyway is relatively covered up, by the looks of it, so we should achieve a similar effect."
A grenade landed right next t them, which Zillo instinctively grabbed and threw away before looking to Revan again for approval.
Revan took a moment to briefly survey the alleyway himself. It was only wide enough for the troopers to pass through two-by-two, but the gunship support should give them enough time to get out with minimal casualties - as minimal as they can get with Mandalorians, anyway.
"Tell Fordo to call in those gunships and begin subtly positioning troops for retreat," Revan ordered. "What do we have in terms of stationary weapons?"
"Some E-Web's, sir," Zillo replied. "The Z-6 rotary cannons should also come in handy."
"Prepare them all for quick transport, we'll need them later," ordered Revan, peeking over the rubble to analyze the battlefield further while Zillo contacted Fordo.
A Mandalorian helmet flew across the room, the head occupying it having fallen out seconds ago, severed by Ahsoka Tano's lightsaber. One less problem out of five for her.
Anakin was still having much difficulty regardless of the vibroblade, though it did come in handy more than once.
Maul, however, was still a problem when in combination with the others, of course. Oh, how would they deal with all of them? This wasn't exactly a situation where they could call for reinforcements...
Anakin focused on a singular Mandalorian to begin a new strategy. Breaching his defenses with a series of powerful strikes, he eventually managed to cut him down and leap a few meters from the fight.
There were still three Mandos left besides Maul, and he still had to deflect the shots coming from the sharpshooters above. The sharpshooters above...
Anakin had an idea.
He and Obi-Wan had a series of hand signs they would frequently use when shouting the plan at each other wasn't exactly appropriate for their situation. He and Ahsoka eventually developed a similar system. It was mostly usable by the time Ahsoka left the Order, and it seemed it was appropriate now.
Deflecting a blaster bolt at Ahsoka's feet, Anakin got Ahsoka's attention for a moment. He made a few motions of his hand and pointed up. Ahsoka signed back that it was a bad plan, but Anakin returned that there was no time to argue. Reluctantly, Ahsoka conceded and jumped several meters into the air and grabbed on to a chandelier to begin her new task: take out the sharpshooters while Anakin deals with everyone on the ground.
Come to think of it, it probably was a bad plan. Nothing he wasn't used to, of course.
As Revan charged his lightsaber through a Mandalorians, front-flipped, and threw his saber into another, he came to realize that the gunship support he was promised should be here by now.
"Where are those gunships, Captain?" he shouted out as he redirected a rocket.
"Change of plans, we won't be getting them, sir," Fordo shouted back.
Revan paused a moment in sheer disappointment. "What?"
"Don't worry, sir," Fordo called back, his tone as positive as one as monotone as he could get. "We're getting a suitable replacement."
Frustrated, he threw his saber into a hostile running by. "Like what?"
A roar of repulsor lifts could be heard from a nearby alleyway. Revan looked to his left to see a trio of hovering tanks zooming in, dual cannons on either side with a beam cannon mounted on top with a gunner behind it.
"TX-130 Saber Tanks, sir," Fordo replied calmly. Suitable replacement, indeed.
Using rockets, laser cannons, and the aforementioned beam cannon, the Saber Tanks quickly forced the enemy into disarray, giving Revan the opportunity he needed to reposition.
"All troopers, move through the marked location," Revan ordered through his comlink after marking the covered alley through the device on his wrist. "Double time, let's go, let's go! Move!"
The clones moved swiftly, heavy gunners helping to cover them, as protocol dictated, and the tanks and newly-placed E-Web turrets blocked the Mandalorians from pursuit.
A tank swooped by and dropped a 501st officer off before Revan. "General, sir," he saluted.
Revan couldn't put a finger on his name. "Yes, Commander...?"
"Rex, sir."
"Yes, Commander Rex," Revan repeated. "Any info on Skywalker and Tano's location?"
"That's why I'm here, sir," Rex replied. "They've engaged Maul."
Revan jolted his head back. "They what now?" That wasn't precisely what he had in mind, but it could work.
"He confronted us at the palace, sir," Rex continued. At least he went according to Revan's plan location-wise. "Myself and Bo-Katan were there, too, but the attack diverted our attention."
"I... see." Revan held his chin in hand, giving the news a moment of thought.
"If you plan on joining them, I recommend gathering some reinforcements," Rex stated. "I heard some blaster fire form within the palace, Maul may have brought reinforcements."
"Luckily for them, I was already planning on picking up Merrick," Revan replied. "We'll get him out, move in together, and finish this." He turned around to face Fordo, who was standing behind him. "Gonna take off soon, Captain. Think you can handle the rest?"
"Absolutely, sir," Fordo replied.
"Very good, let's go."
With Revan, Fordo, and Rex's departure, the clones were now finished retreating. Now to link up with Sedyn Merrick.
Reaching the perches the sharpshooters sat securely on was difficult, especially when they figured out what Ahsoka was doing and tried to stop her. Nevertheless, it wasn't impossible, and they were poorly prepared for when she got close.
That didn't change the fact that it took advanced acrobatics and parkour aided by the Force to get close to begin with.
And as expected, Anakin wasn't having a fun time with a nearly tripled amount of hostiles. The only reason he stood an actual chance was because there was literally not enough room for them all to attack at once. As such, they practically took turns jabbing at the Chosen One. And the Chosen One was starting to have just about enough.
Rapidly killing two Mandalorians with his lightsaber and the vibroblade, Anakin gained a moment of focus in an arena where he stood alone against his enemies.
He pulled his arms in, calling on the Force, the power he wielded. And then, outstretching his arms, his every opponent was sent flying back, some into walls, some out the large window nearby, and some onto the floor. Maul, bracing his arms, struggled to stay his ground.
Out of the dozen Mandalorians Anakin tossed aside, only 5 got up.
They all stood in a circle for a moment. The Mandalorians stood in silence, their weapons ready. Maul and Anakin locked eyes with fiery intensity.
"After all the Jedi have done to you," Maul venomously said, "you continue to fight for them."
"To be fair, the Sith did a lot worse for you," Anakin replied. "And just look at what you're doing."
Maul scoffed humorously at Skywalker's remark. "How little you know," he said as he flurried his blade.
Ahsoka dropped down behind them, and a few Mandalorians turned their attention to her.
She quickly moved into a combat stance, and Maul looked back, annoyed.
A few more moments of staring went by, and soon, the fight was renewed.
Sedyn was found fighting alongside Bo-Katan. Frankly, their situation was far nicer than Revan's, of course, because I can't have anything nice when two people pick up some blasters and decide to go to war.
They were positioned behind the cover of positioned boxes, sandbags, and whatever else they could get with AT-TE's behind them providing fire support support. The enemy still proved a challenge, of course, but they were making no considerable progress at first glance.
Revan, of course, knew they were probably planning something. A flanking maneuver, most likely, perhaps air support, which the area seemed poorly prepared for.
The Saber Tank Revan was riding swooped by and dropped him off with the rest of the soldiers, clones and allied Mandalorians alike. An advantage, to be sure, but he was quite sure they would rather charge the line than wait behind improvised barricades, peeking blasterfire over.
"Merrick!" Revan called out.
"Zaykanian?" Sedyn called back. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking to set up a bed and breakfast, that hill over there looks lovely," Revan snarked in response, pointing to a pile of rubble that was once a building.
Sedyn lowered his shoulders and sighed.
"Looking to link up with the Jedi," Revan stated, seriously this time. "Gonna need some support - namely, you and whoever else I can get."
"Ah," Sedyn nodded. "Well, there's a slight problem." Sedyn turned to look at the situation before him. "We need to clear these guys out, we're all that stands between them and the evac center."
Naturally. "Ah, side missions delaying the actual important things I need to do, how nostalgic!" Revan sighed, his frustration quite obvious.
"Those tanks will help, of course," said Sedyn, not all too happy either. "They won't do everything, though."
Revan just stared, arms crossed, forcing Sedyn to gulp and look away. He shook his head. "Let me think."
The thought to throw the AT-TE at them was all too tempting right now, but that would hardly help, truth be told. Attempting gunship support again would likely help, but they were probably also still occupied, and were hardly reliable in this particular circumstance, due to the need to drive the enemy out of a more enclosed space than cover a retreat in an open one.
There were roughly a hundred hostiles in front of them, holding their ground. It became more and more likely in Revan's mind that this was only part of the strategy. He needed intel.
"Captain Fordo!" Revan called out. "Intel report, STAT."
"Yes, sir. A moment," Fordo saluted back before firing orders back at his own men.
Revan took the few minutes they needed to survey the battlefield some more. He had a strong gut feeling that something was amiss. These were not ordinary Mandalorian tactics.
Perhaps Maul was foolish enough to defy his command. He was originally going to go easy on him during his capture, but it would seem that was about to change.
Back to the matter at hand, Fordo had an intel report ready.
"Mandos seem to be holing up like this wherever they can, sir," the ARC Captain reported. "I hope I'm not the only one who finds this unusual."
"You're absolutely not alone, Captain."
Why were Mandalorians, of all people, setting up positions and staying put instead of charging into battle? Holding positions...
Were they trying to delay them? Revan snapped his fingers "Of course they are," he whispered just loud enough for Fordo to hear.
Maul was trying to keep Revan away from him as long as he could.
That meant he needed to move forward immediately.
No one was outsmarting him today.
"Couldn't take us alone, Maul?" Anakin mocked, the battle now having turned in his favor and Maul's saber locked with his own.
"Do not think I will take foolish chances!" Maul reached out his hand, using the Force to bolster his strength as he pulled down the chandelier hanging directly above them.
As it crashed, the two leaped directly away from each other just in time.
"We stand now at the end of the galaxy as we know it, 'Chosen One'," Maul cried out. "You are not the galaxy's salvation, but its damnation!"
With his final words as a battle-cry, Maul spun and charged forward with a downward slash. Anakin blocked, and Maul continued with savage and unpredictable attacks, yet with a sense of strategy behind them. Nevertheless, Anakin didn't let his guard break once.
Ahsoka found a level of challenge in the remaining Mandalorians, but their resolve was clearly weakened after seeing so many comrades defeated. Nonetheless, they fought vigorously and with honor, but so did Ahsoka.
Suddenly, one of the combatants threw his vibroblade at Ahsoka, then without warning threw flame from his wrist.
Ahsoka used the Force to pull herself back just in the nick of time, but she still found herself on the ground and with 5 Mandalorians charging her.
"Lady Bo-Katan," Revan called over, having found her fighting alongside her men.
"What is it, Zaykanian?" she bluntly replied.
"I need you to order your men to charge over the edge and assault the enemy position," Revan replied.
Bo-Katan was a little surprised to hear this.
"I trust you know why we're positioned here and have a reason to abandon it?"
Revan gestured over to the enemy. "You Mandalorians generally prefer more aggressive tactics to holding cover and positions, yes?" Bo-Katan tilted her head, waiting for his point.
"So why would these ones - and as intel reports, many, many more - hold positions and slowly try to remove us instead of charging through us and to their objective?"
Bo-Katan was starting to see now. "They're trying to keep us from moving."
"Precisely, and I - we - have more important places to be, don't we?"
Bo-Katan nodded. "My men have been itching to get out of here anyway."
"That's the spirit," he said before turning to Fordo. "Prepare for attack."
"With pleasure, sir."
"Troopers!" Revan shouted with power and authority. "This is the land of your blood! The home of your ancestors! It is just as much your home as it is the home of the men and women fighting alongside you today! It is your home just as much as Kamino!" He climbed on top of one of the improvised barricades to help his voice carry and heighten his stature.
"The fate of Mandalore this day will decide the fates of countless worlds in the future. Understand this, and follow me to victory!" The clones stood and listened intently to their leader.
Revan still remembered the first day he did this, back at the battle of Dxun. There was a last assault necessary for victory on the planet, but the troops were tired, worn, and hopeless.
Meetra Surik was the first to rise up and speak her words, then he. They held their lightsabers in the air proudly, declaring what the Republic forces had so far done on the moon with so little, that despite the sacrifices they endured, they came out on top each time. He and Meetra spoke so proudly about them that he swears to this day that the words they spoke were the only reason Dxun was restored to the Republic.
And now he did the same here, encouraging troopers in a battle they thought to be pointless, raising their spirits in a time of what they thought to be needless sacrifice. And he loved every second of it.
Because, for at least a few minutes in his life of evil for the greater good, he felt like a hero.
"Now charge over these barriers and show our enemy who leads this galaxy in these times and why they are worthy to do so!" Revan continued. "I have seen what Mandalorians are capable of, and that is why I know the Republic will succeed, for YOU ARE MANDALORE!"
A roar of battle cries erupted from the clones, and already they began climbing over whatever was in their way to show their enemy what they were capable of.
"Saber Tanks in front!" Revan ordered. "Everyone else, follow! For the Republic! For Mandalore!"
Allied Mandalorians and clone troopers alike followed in his battle cry as he led the charge, lightsaber forward and the tanks moving ahead of them.
It is said that not a single casualty was suffered during that small charge that many marked to be the beginning of Revan's new legend.
What to do, what to do...
She was on the ground, and subsequently, her guard was down. This wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't five Mandalorians charging her. Ahsoka needed to think fast.
The enemy was now in stabbing range. Using a combination of rolls and improvised blocking techniques, she managed to stay alive long enough to roll away form the fight and quickly jump back up.
It left a quick hole in her defense for just a moment, however, and one of her attackers nearly stabbed abdomen if it wasn't for a quick side step. Unfortunately for him, the attack left his back turned to her, and Ahsoka quickly dropped him with a stab into his spinal cord.
Anakin, meanwhile, had the upper hand against Maul, to no real surprise. A fallen Sith Lord was an equal for your average Knight, but Anakin was a few steps above your average Knight. Maul was wavering; the fight would be over soon.
With a leap, Ahsoka flew over the heads of her opponents and quickly took one of them with her.
When she spun back around into attack position, there were three left, and they didn't seem to be in a fighting mood any longer. As such, they quickly darted to the door as Ahsoka smirked.
The tables were flipped, and now Maul was outnumbered.
He and Anakin ceased their fight as he looked on to now two opponents all to himself.
These two were far stronger than Maul anticipated, and now it was costing him.
But hope was not yet lost for him. He backed up, slowly.
"Come quietly, Maul," Anakin demanded. "I'm sure you'd hate to lose your legs a second time."
"There's no way out of this!" added Ahsoka.
"Not quite," Maul smirked.
Maul revealed a metallic cylinder in his hand. But before the two Jedi could do anything...
BOOM.
The explosion that went off between them took them off their feet, and if they had not been Jedi, they likely would not have survived. But it did its job regardless.
By the time Anakin got up, Maul had already climbed up to a window above the throne, ready to jump to his next destination. But first, he stopped. Stopped to look on the Chosen One.
He didn't speak. He only looked, hatred always in his eyes.
He was turning around to jump when a bolt of lightning sent him flying back into the other end of the palace. Within a moment, Revan landed in the center of the room.
Maul groaned and got up, igniting his saberstaff for a final stand. Revan only ignited a single green blade in response.
Revan readied himself into a Makashi stance before Maul lunged forward to attack. Revan elegantly deflected each strike.
Spinning out of the way, Revan quickly disarmed Maul and used the Force to slam him into a wall as Anakin and Ahsoka simply watched, somewhat entertained after the... difficulties Maul just put them through. Not quite the Jedi way, but no one had to know.
Even more not the Jedi way was Revan pulling a small DC-17 blaster from under his cape to quickly stun Maul.
Revan then looked at the two clearly worn and tired Jedi, then at the result of their battle, with Mandalorians strewn across the floor.
Then he looked back at them. "Had fun?" he said casually.
"You could say that," replied Anakin tiredly.
A squad of ARC Troopers swarmed the room, accompanied by Merrick, ready for a fight but finding none.
Sedyn hung back his head and looked at Revan, quite annoyed. "Why did you call me if you didn't need me?"
"I didn't say I needed you, I just said I might need you," Revan replied.
"No, you said you needed me," Sedyn corrected.
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Revan dismissed before turning to Fordo. "Get something to restrain him immediately."
"We already have something ready for him," Sedyn interjected. "I'll go get it"
"Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen," Revan declared, arms clasped behind his back. "We got him."
Well, looks like this fiasco is finally over :P
Thanks for sticking around this long, everyone! I know my work isn't quite perfect, but I think we're all having fun regardless, and that's what matters, isn't it? Not to say I won't work at improving, of course!
So feel free to leave a review, and may the Force be with you!