A/N: Finally got around to writing this after watching an AMAZING and HEARTBREAKING Ahsoka Tano tribute on YouTube called "Ahsoka Tano Tribute: I Am No Jedi" (twice). It was very well put-together and it made me cry both times, which in my book is a sign that something's good. Also, I'm kind of in an under-appreciated villain mood (think Maul and Thrawn), so I decided I might as well write the Part 2 you've all been waiting for. I hope this lives up to your expectations. Also, it's Star Wars Day, so I had to, parental restrictions be damned.

Warning: Minor Rexshoka-ness in this part.

Disclaimer: Seriously, you should know by now that I don't own any of it. This is all Lucasfilm's and Disney's.

If: Part 2: Redemption

Jesse and Rex were both incredulous when Ahsoka described the events that had transpired in the throne room. Maul himself lingered in the back of the room, somewhat uncomfortably. Ahsoka knew this couldn't be easy for him - he had spent pretty much all his life filled with the anger and hatred that had kept him going even after Obi-Wan cut him in half on Naboo, after all - but she also knew it had to be done. She had to save Anakin.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Commander?" Rex asked, shooting a pointed look at Maul, whose yellow eyes narrowed at the glare.

"Sure," Ahsoka said.

Rex led her away from Jesse and Maul. Jesse had his helmet on, though Ahsoka knew he was probably glaring in the former Sith's direction.

"Are you sure you can trust him?" asked Rex, taking his helmet off and tucking it under his arm.

"I don't trust him," Ahsoka replied. "But I sensed it when the darkness left him. I think I'm the reason the darkness left him. And we need his help."

Rex laid his free hand on her arm. "I know you're worried about General Skywalker, Ahsoka, but why Maul? After everything - the number of times he's tried to kill General Kenobi - and his threats against General Skywalker...why do we need him?"

Ahsoka sensed something off about Rex in the Force. "Rex, are you...jealous?"

"What? No!" Rex protested, a little too quickly. "Why would I be jealous?"

Ahsoka gave him a look. "You're jealous."

"What could I possibly have to be jealous of?" Rex sighed.

Ahsoka moved her arm; Rex started to move to let his hand fall, but she caught it with her own.

"Absolutely nothing," she assured him. He brightened.

"You're sure this will work?" Rex asked. "You're sure he won't try and take over the galaxy once Sidious is gone?"

"I'm sure," Ahsoka said. "Trust me."

Rex's hazel eyes searched her own blue ones. Ahsoka could see the years of experience and sorrow in Rex's, and wondered if her own eyes reflected the same thing back at him. She wouldn't be surprised if they did.

"I do trust you," Rex said. "Come on."

The pair headed back to the main holotable. Maul was busy glaring at Jesse's helmet visor, as he still hadn't taken said helmet off, and Ahsoka could sense the high-strung tensions in the room. She stepped in between them before a fight could break out as Rex pulled Jesse aside to reassure him. Ahsoka could hear his sharp, "Stand down, soldier!" even as she turned to face Maul.

"How do we save Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

Maul blinked at her. "We have to contact the Council." He shook his head. "A sentence I never thought I'd hear myself say. But we must convene a Council meeting."

"What makes you think the Council will listen to you?" Rex sked. "You're not exactly their favorite person in the galaxy."

Maul eyed him coolly. "I won't be the one doing the talking." He looked pointedly at Ahsoka.

She gave the Zabrak a pointed look right back. "You have a point, but this does not mean you get to sulk off and hide during the meeting. They won't believe the word of a woman who was expelled from the Order, even if they did offer me a place back among them, without hard proof. You would be that proof."

"They won't believe me, either," Maul pointed out. "Not after...everything."

"They might believe all three of us," Rex said. "Generals Skywalker and Kenobi both trust me. The Council knows I'm one of the most well-respected commanders in the Grand Army of the Republic. If I back the two of you up..."

Ahsoka smiled at him. Maul had winced at Obi-Wan's name, but he too nodded.

"It sounds...reasonable," Maul said carefully. "For a clone." Ahsoka glared at him.

"Rex is not just a clone," she defended. The tattoo above Maul's right eye went up in what would have, on a human, been a rasied-eyebrow expression. The tips of Ahsoka's lekku twitched minutely, too small a movement for any present company except Rex to notice. "Like he said, the Council knows and respects him. They'll listen to us if he's with us."

Maul sighed. "Fine. I never said I was against it."

Ahsoka grinned at Rex, who smirked back. This was going to be an interesting Council meeting.

"You want to WHAT?!"

"Calm yourself, General Skywalker," Mace Windu placated. "We must hear them out."

Anakin looked outraged, but bit his tongue. Obi-Wan's hologram shot him a stern glance.

"Masters, please," Ahsoka said. "As Master Windu said, hear us out. It will be worth your while."

"Speak," ordered Ki-Adi-Mundi.

Ahsoka began her story. "While on Mandalore, Maul -" the Zabrak started at the sound of his name, earning glares from the Council that he returned in kind - "and I had an encounter. He claimed he'd seen the future."

"The future of what?" asked Saesee Tiin's hologram.

"Everything," Maul replied, eyes far away and voice slightly haunted. "The end of it all. These...Clone Wars, as you call them, end in fire...and death. The deaths of a thousand Jedi Masters...executed by your own faithful clones. One by one. World by world. And pain...so much pain. Rage. Hatred. A coming darkness so deep that even I...even I was frightened. At the heart of it all, Sidious...and his acolyte. His dark apprentice, tempted in by an unfaithful promise."

"And who would this apprentice be?" asked Kit Fisto's hologram, sounding disbelieving.

Maul turned his hollow gaze on Anakin. "Skywalker," he hissed.

Shocked murmurs ran through the room as an expression of fury crossed Anakin's face and his Force aura darkened for a moment. Ahsoka was used to these discrepancies - they'd happened occasionally during her training, during the war - but this one was so much stronger. Maul flinched as he sensed it too.

"This is a serious accusation," Plo Koon said, his deep voice cutting through the whispers like a knife through butter. "To accuse one of our own of working with Sidious..."

"He's not accusing General Skywalker of anything," Rex spoke up. "All due respect, Generals, but he's only recounting the vision he had. It's entirely plausible that whatever he's seen hasn't yet come to pass."

"Exactly," Ahsoka said. "Thank you, Rex. There's still time to prevent this from coming about, to find out who Sidious is before it's too late. We can change the future so that Maul's vision never happens, but only if we act now."

"Why should we believe a girl who left the Order and now comes back bearing a Sith and a clone with her?" asked Adi Gallia skeptically.

Ahsoka stared her directly in the eye in defiance. "Because I've seen the same vision," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Because I was one of the best Padawans you had before you expelled me for a crime I didn't commit. Because something about my energy destroyed the darkness in him. Because this is too serious to afford to ignore me. And because if you don't believe me, the entire galaxy will suffer at the hands of Sidious, and it will be on your hands. Tell me, Masters - is that a price you're willing to pay?"

Before anyone could reply, Ahsoka turned on her heel and strode out of the Council chamber.

Rex caught up to her when she was a few feet down the hall, Maul trailing behind. "Ahsoka!"

She paused but did not turn, letting Rex reach her side before she looked at him.

"Is it strange that I both want to berate you severely for that and also kiss you for it at the same time?" Rex said, phrasing it like a question.

"Probably not," Ahsoka replied with a fleeting smile. "That was reckless. But it felt good."

"I can imagine," Rex said. "They probably deserved it, to be honest."

"Glad we agree," Ahsoka smiled. It faded as she glanced at Maul, who'd stopped a few feet away. "What about him? You stuck up for him back there. Why?"

Rex shrugged. "I don't know. But I said I'd come to help, and I helped."

"You didn't do it for me," Maul said, obviously having been listening. "You defended me...because of her."

Rex and Ahsoka both looked at him, Ahsoka a little confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Maul rolled his eyes. "Aside from the fact that it's...glaringly obvious and fairly sickening how in love you two are...he doesn't trust me. He trusts you, Lady Tano. He trusts your...judgement. And if for some reason you're trusting me...he will too, with a healthy degree of suspicion, I might add."

Ahsoka glanced at Rex, who was looking away uncomfortably.

"Rex," she said. "Is he right?"

Rex sighed. "Probably. Yes. I don't know, Ahsoka. I don't know how to feel or what to believe anymore. I just know that there are only a few people I trust implicitly, and you are one of them."

Ahsoka nodded. "And proud to be one. Now, come on. It's probably not wise to stand around for long with Maul in tow."

Maul sighed. "Fair enough. Lead on, Lady Tano."

The Council called them back a few hours later. Ahsoka, Maul, and Rex once more stood in front of the array of Jedi Masters.

"We've discussed your information," Mace said. "And we've come to a few decisions."

"We will act on your information," Plo Koon told them. "We've placed a spy on the Chancellor and any other potential suspects for the role of Sidious and have decided to keep General Skywalker as far from them as possible."

"Assuming this war ends in our favor once Sidious is defeated," Ki-Adi-Mundi continued, "all clones who wish to continue serving can stay on as Coruscanti guards, and those who wish to have normal lives may do so, but all must submit to a scan for the programming that would have them turn on us." Rex nodded, apparently satisfied with that arrangement.

"Child," Yoda said, addressing Ahsoka. "Come forward you must."

Ahsoka glanced at Rex, then at Anakin, who nodded minutely at her. She stepped towards the hologram of the little green alien and bowed her head respectfully.

"A brave soul, it takes to come forward with such things," Yoda told her. "Proven yourself a true Jedi, you have."

Ahsoka didn't quite understand. "Do you mean...?"

"Congratulations, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan's hologram said. "Even if you're no longer part of the Order, in title, you are officially a Jedi Knight."

Ahsoka couldn't believe her ears. She glanced back at Rex, who was trying to smother an expression of utter joy. Even Maul looked stunned, and Ahsoka could detect a tiny bit of pride in his expression.

She turned back to the Council. "Thank you, Masters," she said. "Even after everything, it's an honor."

"What about Maul?" asked Rex. "What's to become of him?"

Glances were exchanged before Kit Fisto's hologram said, "We're willing to forgive him for his crimes...if he agrees to have a Jedi assigned to watch him and keep him in check."

Maul's eyes flashed defiantly. "I -"

"What if he comes with me?" Ahsoka interrupted before he could say something that would make them change their minds. "You just said yourselves that I'm now officially a Jedi Knight. If he comes with me, it still counts - but he won't be on nearly as tight a leash. At least this way he'll have some freedom to prove he can change."

Anakin glanced at Maul. "What do you say?"

Maul, in turn, glanced at Ahsoka, and something in his eyes softened a fraction. "I...suppose that wouldn't be terrible."

"That's not really a yes..." Shaak-Ti trailed off.

"That's as good as we're going to get from him," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Take it as it is."

More glances were exchanged, and then Mace said, "It's settled then. Ahsoka Tano will be appointed as Maul's...supervisor, for want of a better word...until further notice."

Maul caught Ahsoka's eyes and nodded once in acceptance of the order.

"This Council is adjourned," Mace said, and the Council members began to disperse, the holograms flickering off and the physically-there members streaming towards the doors.

Plo Koon briefly laid his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder as he exited. "Good job, Ahsoka," he said, and filed out with the others.

Anakin hugged her. "I'm proud of you, Snips," he told her. "Despite everything, you managed to make it to Knighthood, and possibly just saved the galaxy while you were at it."

Ahsoka smiled at him. "Thanks, Skyguy."

Anakin turned his attention to Rex. "You take care of her."

Rex nodded and saluted him. "Will do, General."

Next Anakin turned on Maul. "And you," he said, the hint of a snarl entering his voice. "You hurt her at all, and I will find you."

Maul simply stared coolly at him. "I won't," he said. "She's a good woman. Far better than either of us."

Anakin held his gaze for a moment. Some mutual understanding seemed to pass between them. "Yes she is," was all he said. "See you around, Snips."

He, too, disappeared.

Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul all looked at each other. "Where do we go from here?" Rex asked.

Ahsoka smiled. "Wherever the stars take us."

The galaxy lived in a state of civil war. Sidious had managed to escape Coruscant, but they'd managed to warn the Jedi in time to keep the clones from turning on them. Coruscant still stood strong, the heart of the Rebellion that was fighting against Sidious' attempts to bring his Galactic Empire down on the galaxy. Far too many people had joined his side, and there was word of a dark menace spreading through the galaxy, Sidious' right hand.

The Jedi were taking in new younglings and Padawans every day as Force-sensitives fled the worlds the Empire had conquered and sought refuge with the Order. Anakin, as it turned out, had been carrying on a secret romance with Chancellor Padmé Amidala and now had two Force-strong children, the twins Luke and Leia Skywalker. The Council could do nothing about it now, and so Anakin was allowed to stay, though he'd gotten a severe tongue-lashing from Obi-Wan.

As for Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul, the trio had become quite well-known throughout the galaxy as Fulcrum agents, Ahsoka herself being the one who'd coined the term. Maul was still Maul, reserved and quiet and disdainful, but there was genuine affection for the other two buried somewhere beneath all the façades. Ahsoka's Fulcrum agents were spies, gathering information on the Imperial forces and reporting it back to Coruscant. It was a dangerous job, but Ahsoka wouldn't trade it (or the company) for anything.

She and Rex had officially gotten together after the Clone Wars ended, and were a virtually inseparable pair. Maul's quiet affection warmed her heart every time she caught him watching them with a small, exasperated smile or quietly laughing at their various shenanigans, though she knew he'd vehemently deny it if she confronted him about it.

They'd become a little family, as strange as it may sound, and Ahsoka was happy with that.

Despite the war, despite the constant struggle for survival, despite past differences and issues, Ahsoka had found her home.

There you go. I'm going to have hell to pay for posting this (I'm not supposed to be on FFnet because my mom banned me until I can get school shit together), but as I said before, it's Star Wars Day and I don't give a shit. I hope you enjoyed this (I did!), and please leave reviews telling me if you approve of Part 2. May the 4th be with you and happy Revenge of the 5th.