Summary:
Mandalore is about to be under attack. Maul secures his escape with the factionless Mandalorians to regroup somewhere safe. He discovers Rook's loyalties are more complex than what he had expected. They capture a clone trooper to discover more about Ahsoka Tano. He meets the former Jedi...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sundari, capital dome-city of Mandalore, seat of the New Mandalorian leaders and now controlled by the Death Watch, or simply the Mandalorians themselves. If people were as vehemently supporting their rights and freedom from an oppressor as they were when protesting Duchess Satine, they could take matters into their own hands eventually.
At least, Maul hoped so. He was not eternal even though he had cheated death once, and his particular destiny could not allow him to stay in one place for extended periods of time.
So he went and reviewed the possibilities underground, and Sundari was not lacking in that regard. While the surface was enclosed in its biodome, the layers below were far more expansive and developing quickly into hidden infrastructure capable of transportation and housing. The technology used to build in the depths of the planet predated the current generations and those that preceded them. The architecture, while primitive in design, was imposing in respect to the warrior aspects of Mandalorian history.
That was it, he had found the key to the Mandalorians' interest in protecting their home planet. Beyond the sewers and buried foundations of Sundari, Maul followed the secret trails of ancient nomads who resisted against global extinction. His guides, Jav and Dren, lead him through a dark maze of tunnels. They were all on alert, Maul himself had donned the Mandalorian beskar that day and he had every intention to fight off whoever challenged him.
Permacrete turned to crude rock, durasteel beams disappearing entirely. His Dathomiran eyes adapted to the darkness allowing him to see clearly as he stepped behind his loyal allies with their nightvision visors.
"The last time our people used these tunnels there wasn't much left of Sundari," Jav said, speaking over his shoulder. "But the tribe helps preserve them."
Maul noticed the rather clean condition of the floors.
"This tribe," he asked, "the Children of the Watch?"
"Just the tribe, my lord," Jav retorted, shooting a glance towards him.
There was simply deference in the Mandalorian's tone, without the constant emphasis on calling him lord, a title Maul mostly inherited from his life as Darth.
They reached a dimly lit section of the narrow corridor. There was an entrance blocked by a blast door, guarded by a Mandalorian that he had never seen before. His beskar was painted red. He opened the blast door for them to pass after a rapid acknowledgement. What he was guarding was evidently a cavern. Raising his eyes, Maul noticed dim blue light on the ceiling of the natural halls from bioluminescence. Within the walls and between mineral formations were hut-like dwellings, but also reinforced modular structures and tents. The people he saw were carrying supplies, fixing weapons or conversing quietly in small groups. There could not have been more than fifty people down in this hideout.
"Very quaint," he commented.
What struck him was that none of these Mandalorians removed their helmets, even the one who was tending to household chores outside her hut.
Jav motioned towards the main building. "We would like you to meet someone."
It was indeed a makeshift crisis center with minimal comforts. A handful of warriors stood around a holotable much similar to the one in the briefing room at the surface. They turned towards the entrance as Jav and Dren came in. Maul did not wait before stepping in front of them to stare at the committee.
"Lord Maul," said a female behind her mask, bowing her head quickly. "You've finally found us."
Her helmet had a different design than the others. The class T-shape had a more primal accent, reminiscent of ancient soldiers from a different time. The helmet itself was of a gold or copper coloring and the rest of her beskar'gam was of dark silver.
"Times of crisis bring out the best - and the worst - in everyone." He folded his arms against his chest plate and looked at the woman. "I hope this is not where you plan on hiding while battle rages above. The Republic Army would do quick work of these tunnels, effectively burying your little group in seconds."
"Oh, we have no intention of staying," she firmly replied, walking around the table to stand at his level. She was as tall as he. "Your visions tell us about a plan being executed. We have our own: survive."
Unable to detect deceit or dissimulation in that dark visor, he searched the other Mandalorians standing behind the leader of this tribe but none budged. He squinted at them before addressing the female in the golden helm.
"The Death Watch will fight to keep Mandalore, and so will the thousands of citizens who swore allegiance to us. If you are seen fleeing, you will be killed."
"Not unless you come along," she said without skipping a beat. "Mand'alor."
He dipped his brow at her. "If your plan is suitable."
She gave a nod to her fellow masked men who all agreed to leave the room, followed by Jav and Dren. Maul waited for the moment to pass. The leader with the golden helmet set her attention back on him.
"I am called Ivah, I am not from here. I was summoned by those who have faith in you to lead you to our covert."
"My intentions were not to hide or form a new army," he stopped her with a motion of a hand.
"Either way," this Ivah continued, "there is no question of your intentions. Your place as Mand'alor should and has been proven on the battlefield. What the tribe does is to secure a future for the generations to come."
"I would have to see where you operate as a permanent basis before I could judge your work," Maul attempted to negotiate, even though he was becoming aware of the dire situation for these people.
She raised her chin up, shoulders braced slightly. There was no weakness in Ivah's stance but whatever they were discussing was sensitive enough that she was struck with anxious grief.
"If this war goes on, Mandalorians will be both hunter and pray. Given time, you will come to see our operation yourself should you remain with us, you will see that there is nothing really permanent about it."
Maul agreed to follow her outside where she gave him a tour of their camp in the underground village they occupied. They walked between the stone huts, some of the mando'ade stood and acknowledged them but more did not and kept at their occupations.
"Every mando belongs to a clan, and every clan must vow to adopt, protect and train their young." They advanced towards a group of small students in dull-colored clothes, some of them wearing a T-visor helmet, smaller children did not. "These foundlings lost their families at the hands of this clone war. Whether they choose to remain with the tribe or leave once they reach adulthood, we have a duty to them."
They all became aware of Maul's presence and stopped their games or learning sessions with datapads and toy weapons. A few came running up to Maul and Ivah, waving their small palms up before running back to their activities. Maul could not brush the smirk off his face soon enough before he heard Ivah make a comment.
"It was brought to my attention that you have a clan of your own, Mand'alor. That it may be in danger as we speak."
He fought it as best as he could but his face contorted with anger.
"The threat was dealt with," he gritted, eyes lost mid-distance. "They have their own plan. Changing it now would bring unwanted attention on them."
Or any attention. Most of his anger was directed at himself for ever disclosing the existence of his family to his subjects, brothers as they may be to him. And his throat and chest tightened under the pressure of his conscience, that all he the years trying to shelter Eldra from the darkness only brought silence and fear. He felt for the left side of his wide belt, where he kept the small toy his children made, pieced together with glue after he had accidentally shattered it. What resentment Shenn and Arven held towards him from the last time he had seen them was balanced out by their hope to be reunited. He hoped just as ardently, but his fear was even greater now.
"Even the greatest army could not protect my clan against Sidious, my former master," he calmly stated, hands clasped in his back. "To bring them to your tribe would endanger your foundlings. That is not a sacrifice I am willing to make."
Ivah looked steadfast at him. "If the danger is so great that our one ruler should live in fear, then it is our duty to provide everything we can to change that."
He remembered his rescue from Dooku's prison and how it had been expected by Sidious himself, Saxon and Kast never the wiser about being manipulated into keeping Maul as their leader. Then he had thrown his droid army at him, never mind that he had gathered the Black Sun, the Pykes, and even the Nightbrothers to put a dent on his enemies' pride. Maul lost his brothers, Savage, then Mother Talzin. He now knew better than to gather all of his assets in one spot.
In his silence, Ivah shifted her posture. "A set of coordinates will be sent to you in due time, my lord. I trust that you will make the right decision."
"Arven!"
He almost shouted but revised himself. Gold irises scanning the fields, then the forest, he heard no response except the touch of Force presence in his heart. It was Eldra, she began to worry from within the house where dinner was being prepared.
"Arven, your mother needs you," he called, walking towards the tree line, his prosthetics covered in dirt from a long day working outside.
The boy was getting good. His masking abilities grew stronger every time they met, and that was barely years apart, and never for long enough according to his children. They were soon to be teenagers and with that their stubbornness only increased. Walking through the thick of the forest was no trouble as the ground was mostly solid and paths were cleared by wild animals. He saw their hoof prints in the topsoil, some torn off saplings but no broken branches on the ground, not a footprint. A sense of pride never left him as he progressed under the tree canopy, breathing in the cool evening air in the shade.
With two fingers, Maul smoothed the crease in his forehead while he stepped around the thick oat roots that lead towards the pond. Brambles caught around his metal feet when he neared the humid edges of the water. He still could not sense his son, but he knew his usual spots. Silence settled around him with every step he took as he got closer to their usual fishing area, the ambient birdsong had quieted though Maul sensed life all around him. The perfect hiding place for an unruly child.
Standing next to the edge of the water he took a deep breath, stretched out an arm to relieve a knot under his shoulder blade and sighed. The day had flown by while fixing the greenhouse, arms growing numb to patch up holes in the ceiling after a hailstorm.
Had he known he would have spent time by the pond he would have brought the fishing gear.
Sitting at the foot of the large oak, arms propped on his raised metal knees he drifted in light meditation, waiting, calming the frustration that crept in his mind. He heard a drop in the water, somewhere near the middle of the small lake. As soon as the ripples faded, another drop - a pebble thrown at the same spot.
Lids partly closed, Maul intertwined his fingers and spoke towards the tree above him.
"I was your age when I learned stealth, and competed against other children training to become assassins."
He reminisced Orsis with bitter remorse. The pebbles no longer flew into the water.
"Those other children," distantly asked Arven, "were they like us?"
Maul recalled the sharp memories of his then friends, no, allies, who were not permitted to learn of his powers or his destiny at the hands of Darth Sidious.
"No, they were not. And I was not allowed to show my powers, I had to remain a secret." He kept quiet the consequences that followed the breaking of that rule of secrecy. "But ultimately, I was on my own. I couldn't be friends with anyone."
A pause, and while he waited he idly picked up a small rock and tossed it over the surface of the pond. It bounced once before disappearing in the darkness.
"I don't want any friends."
His lips bent down at the pang of anger in his son's voice. He forced himself to breathe calmly and looked up at the branches and the sky turning to purple through the green foliage.
"I made one friend," he told, smiling to convey hope. "Your mother."
"She told us that story," replied Arven, throwing something else down but it bounced off the roots of his tree. "What's the point of making friends if you can't stay with them?"
Maul knew that complaint, it was not the first time he had to explain to his children why he could not remain at their side indefinitely. He hardened his face and stood.
"Come down and we can talk on the way home," he said. "Or enjoy eating your cold dinner by yourself, Lord Solitude."
Arven made his voice firm to hide his annoyance. "Don't call me that, dad."
"Then prove me wrong."
Ruffled leaves and cracking branches sounded while he climbed down the tree. Maul felt pride seeing how high his son had been sitting this whole time, out of sight and dominating the sector.
He finally saw him hanging from the lowest thick branch, finding where he could land his feet then he let go, planting his leather boots on the soft ground with minimal noise. Maul reached and placed a hand between his shoulders, smiling down at the set of horns around the crimson and black skin of Arven's head. They walked back the way he arrived and he could feel some relief from their tension. He looked back at him with pools of deep azure, identical to his mother's eyes. Worry creased his young brow, accentuated by a pattern of markings that had transferred through to him, the dark magic of the Nightsisters forever tracking his bloodline.
"You know I can be stealthy," he told him, stepping confidently at his side, "even Shenn can't find me sometimes."
"I know," agreed Maul. "That is why I need you here when I will be too busy to come looking for you."
Arven blew the air through his lips before biting them, slightly straightening himself as he walked less hurriedly.
"I'm sorry, dad."
He looked at his son who almost reached his shoulder in height. Arven was growing to be a strong and handsome young man, brought up in a peaceful and loving environment.
"As long as you keep up with your training and listen to your mother," he told his son. "Your emotions are your strength, Arven. Learn to identify them, and when you'll have them under control you'll have nothing to apologize for."
He gave him another look of deep thought and Maul halted to face him, they had reached the tree line and the night sky made his eyes even darker. Singing insects filled the air with buzzing sounds.
"How do you feel now?"
Arven breathed at a steady rhythm as he looked to his right before setting his blue eyes on him. He was almost a mirror image of himself, and Maul never tired to spot the few variations of his traits and markings.
"I feel worried," the boy spoke in a low voice. "I always worry about you, dad. I want you to stay with us, get away from the war and your old master. We can protect you here."
Maul thought his face would melt if he stayed silent. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed firmly as he leaned forward.
"You are not responsible for my decisions. Your mother and I chose to have you and your sister, so you are under our protection. No matter where we are, even if you cannot see me. Do you understand?"
Arven clammed up before looking down, eventually bowing his head slightly. Maul had to let go of his shoulder and almost took a step back as he felt a dip in his gut. The spoken response was clear but faint.
"Yes, sir."
Taking in the night air, the void remained and he couldn't not bear to see his son drowning in bitterness. He knew he was being tough, but Maul himself was raised hard and without affection nor comfort. Given the circumstances and the state of the galaxy, none of them could afford weakness.
Feeling the back of his eyes burning he brought Arven to walk closely by his side and looked forward, holding his shoulder while they made it back to the farm. His throat was tight when he forced himself to talk.
"Come now, Arven, no need to mope."
The twitch in his facial muscles would not go away unless he held a constant sneer. If he let brought down his guard, if he set his emotions free he would have to go through another bout of passive aggression with Eldra. The last thing the children needed the night before his departure was to hear their parents fight again.
Early hours, before dawn along the perimeter of the fortress, Maul took a leisurely walk alongside Rook Kast. She had been left to her security duty since Saxon was coordinating his clan for new logistics and deals.
"I'm honored that you would join me on patrol duty, my lord," she said before fixing a strand of dyed purple hair behind her ear. Her mouth dipped at the corners. "There has got to be more important things you would rather do."
Clenching gloved fingers behind his back, Maul kept his shoulders low, hiding whatever suspicions he held towards his Death Watch commanders. His previous conversations with Saxon had set him on a path of dissent, a liability in terms of combat preparedness.
"There is much to be discussed," he gently replied, aware of her looks. "As soon as the rumors of our war preparations reach Republic ears we will need to act quickly."
Her thin nose wrinkled as she slowed in her stride, they had reached a side of the building sheltered by permacrete fortified walls.
"My lord, the new recruits will be ready to resist an invasion. They're rough around the edges but once they see gunships landing they won't back down."
"Yes, and I would expect nothing less," he blinked, piecing his thoughts together. "You have done well, Rook."
She nodded sharply to acknowledge the compliment in her typical warrior's stoicism. "Sir."
"Our plan must not stop at Sundari, or Mandalore," he began, watching her intently. "Your warriors will want a death in battle, but we must not make this planet our last stand. I will need to count on you, Rook, when the moment comes. A shuttle will be ready."
"My lord," she fidgeted in her boots, eyes darting from his eyes to his saberstaff at his belt. "You prepared us for this moment, trained us for months... Most of the clans have started settling here."
"And that is fortunate, they will fight even harder to defend their new home."
"But you...?"
He tilted his head. "My dear, fate will decide of my decisions eventually. Whatever happens I will adapt, and survive, that is what I do."
She parted her lips and hesitated. Her voice faded to a whisper.
"This is the way."
He felt a smile form on his mouth as he faced the young woman. He acquiesced with a single nod.
"This is the way."
Before the first order of breakfast at the barracks mess hall they went in for tea and met Jav and Dren. Maul hadn't expected to see either of them there since his return from Salaucami, as the couple had mostly kept to themselves for the past three days.
They joined him and Kast at their table, removing their helmets for what could be the last time he would see their faces.
Jav had cleanly shaved and trimmed his blond hair short, his icy stare set on Kast before addressing him.
"We've arranged for a small escort to leave with the Scimitar once you give us the signal, my lord. Should more crafts join our fleet our fighters will be sent to protect them on the way to the covert."
Rook raised a thin eyebrow in question, holding her warm beverage away from her mouth. "More crafts? Who will be left to fight the Republic if everyone leaves?"
"One," Maul corrected, "one craft."
Slowly spinning his cup of tea on the table, he stopped it with his gloved fingers before taking an inhale and looked at a perplexed Kast.
"It is not a Mandalorian clan that needs escorting. This breaks many rules in your culture, and the ways of your tribe... But I was promised an opportunity to do right by my people."
He studied each of their faces and while Rook showed no sign of understanding the situation any better, Dren had worry plastered on her brow while Jav was simply looking idly at his cup.
"Your people?" Rook repeated, then sat a bit taller in her chair. "We have faith in you, sir. You know this."
He could not repress his upper lip to stiffen nor the regretful shudder that ran down his spine. Maul crossed his arms, compressing his chest beneath the beskar armor. He gave Dren a brief glance.
"I may not have been completely truthful about my motives when I allied with the Death Watch. You knew my brother, and that was enough. You believed that my family was just him and Mother Talzin before she was taken on Ord Mantell."
He steeled his heart against the memories and blinked them away. Silence was suspending time but soon, the venue would be crowded with soldiers. He did not wish to be interrupted at an inopportune moment.
"I intentionally led you all to believe that you were fighting against my master's plans which, in essence, still holds true. But through our work to regain Mandalore you allowed me to build a wall of security around the family that must remain a secret. They have been staying on Salaucami until recently, when we hunted down two Sith assassins."
She was visibly processing the news and Maul waited for her to find something to reply before Jav leaned on his weaponized gauntlets.
"We could have them settled in advance," he quietly suggested to him. "It wouldn't take long and that way your mind will be free to focus on the battle, Lord Maul. We can ask Ivah for the coordinates."
"No," Maul said, wary of Jav's offer, "I will handle it in due time."
Kast gave Maul a hard stare. "My lord, when you took that long leave of absence last year, was it to visit your family?"
"If you mention the time after we returned from Tatooine with Pre Vizsla, then yes." He held his irritated reaction about her inquiry into his affairs. He angled his head to watch her, hoping she could sense the ire in his eyes. "I spent that month on Saleucami, to start training my children and ensure that they lack nothing."
Her azure eyes softening as he spoke, Rook mulled her thoughts before giving a reply.
"My buir, Ivah, has given us faith in the future of all mando'ade. I'm glad you share that faith, Lord Maul."
He heard noise, sounds of boots and voices coming from the barracks and he stood from his seat. The others followed. Blinking at the Death Watch commander, he changed the topic rapidly before the hall would get swarmed by unwanted ears.
"Now, remember your objectives and keep your wits sharp." He saw Dren hardening her face before slipping back into her helmet. "I will not accept failure. Understood?"
They all replied in unison. "Yes, sir."
The first wave of Republic assault teams had not been subtle by any means, and the fortifications around Sundari proved to be efficient in a limited manner. Observing from the war room and coordinating in the underground, Maul kept mobile, adapting to the clone divisions as they progressed on foot through the city.
The Death Watch warriors were spread thin, leading the defence and motivating the recruits. Merely hours into the offensive and they were reporting heavy losses among the trainees.
Pitted to the tunnels with a group of his guards, he worked through the mixed vibrations of the Force, gathered the name of Ahsoka Tano from the clone troopers responding to orders from the Jedi general leading the charge. Why hadn't the Jedi Council sent Kenobi and Skywalker? Were they already on their last legs at this point in the war?
He had sent Saxon to keep an eye on Almec in the eventuality of a regrettable change of allegiance. If Tano and Kryze were to catch the prime minister and attempt a coup, then they would have to deal with one more dead body.
"My lord, just say the word," Rook said while they all waited for him to make a decision. They were at the intersection before the tunnel leading to the covert. "We are getting hit hard at the palace. The Jedi and Bo-Katan were spotted."
"Not all is lost," he pensively said. "Keep defending the city with everything you have, do not appear weak."
He did not say the Death Watch war cry, victory or death, nor did he wish for them to submit to the invaders.
"Rook," he turned to his Death Watch commander, "let us capture some information about this Jedi."
Acquiring a clone prisoner had proven a simple feat after a short excursion to the surface, but having him cooperate and walk down the maze below the city required a mild tranquillizer. Maul insisted he remained conscious for the interrogation even though he proved to be loyal to his side. A good soldier.
"That mark on your scalp, a curious look for a clone," Maul mused, looking over the unmasked trooper that Rook firmly held by his arms.
"Not as funny as your marks," the clone retorted.
He raised his head in feigned humor. "Ahsoka Tano," he continued. "What should I know about your Jedi General?"
The clone - what did his comrades call him again? Jesse? - tried to pull away from Rook's grasp but grunted and sneered at Maul.
"You're wasting your time. I'll never talk."
"As I would expect," Maul hissed at him. "You fail to understand my methods. I have different options at my disposal: kill you and send an expeditious message to your leaders, however pointless that might be, or simply receive your aid so that I can parliament with them. You would be returned alive to your brothers, of course." He paused, letting the trooper work his maths. "You have two choices: dead and useless, or alive to help these negotiations along. So... What would you rather be, Jesse?"
Whether it be the effects of the tranquillizer or an actual sign of independent thought, the clone's eyes moved left and right. Maul shot a glance at Rook and nodded imperceptibly. She released the trooper who almost fell over and turned in surprise, forehead lined as he wordlessly followed Maul to sit on the steps of the tunnel entrance. Resting an elbow on his metal knee, Maul rubbed his chin and motioned for Jesse to speak.
"Take your time, I merely need to know who I will be dealing with."
Head tucked in his gloved hands, the soldier breathed out in despair. "General Tano is not a Jedi. She left the ranks, but she believes in us. We're the reason why she risks her life in this war."
"The Republic allows you to take orders from a defector?" Something was amiss, or Maul did not know the whole picture.
"It's more complicated than that," the trooper stalled, then met his eyes. Maul closed his fists and he continued. "I don't know what the Jedi are thinking and you'd fool yourself by interrogating me about it."
"I know what the Jedi think," he told the prisoner. "They seek to arrest me for murder, but they send you and your brothers as cannon fodder instead of facing me directly. This works to both our advantage, however."
"How? So you can manipulate people into following you and to commit your crimes?"
"It's more complicated than that," Maul repeated with a smirk. "No harm should come to you, trooper. If anyone should pay for this trespassing, it's your General."
He rose and pulled the trooper by the arm, feeling him tensing in his grasp.
"Please, she's just a kid. Just kill me, I already betrayed her by speaking..."
Maul grimaced and relinquished him to his men who put the retrains back on his wrist.
"No," he told Jesse. "I am a man of my word. You will live."
From his vantage point in the throne room of the palace Maul could see the state of disarray and chaos Sundari had returned to. It pained him somewhat, his Mandalorians had just finished rebuilding and mending the moral gap between Death Watch and the local sympathizers. Perhaps the Force had more irony than anyone would wish. Perhaps nobody was supposed to enjoy the fruits of their labor for too long during this state of imbalance.
"They will never stop," said Jesse, his voice was weak coming from his sunken chest, sitting at the foot of the throne. "Your warriors, or my brothers... We're the same."
Maul looked over his shoulder, turning away from the war torn landscape.
"I have heard of your originator, Jango Fett. A worthy candidate even for a mercenary. A pity we never crossed paths."
"How would you know?" challenged the young man. "Did you interrogate another soldier because you were curious?"
A low rumble of a laugh escaped Maul. "I actually visited your facilities on Kamino, Jesse. Many years before you were ever conceived."
He shrugged his already drooping shoulders. "Wouldn't be the first Force-wielder to have done that."
A rising hum in the white noise of the Force took his attention from the clone, the presence was singular, not unlike most Jedi he'd come to encounter in the past. And it did not come alone.
The doors of the hall parted on a trio of Republic and New Mandalorian leaders who stepped in and immediately drew their weapons at him.
Kryze was first to open fire. From his position next to the windows, Maul simply willed the blaster bolts to veer left and right, the Force deflecting the shots away but the fire-haired woman did not stop in her advancement upon him. She was determined in her fight, despite his powers, despite her knowledge of the history surrounding him.
Losing patience, he brought his other hand up and held an invisible grip around her throat.
"Now, now, my lady," he gritted. "Is this the way you greet your rightful ruler?"
The young Togruta that accompanied them had her lightsabers drawn, but before Bo-Katan began to suffocate he released her and she fell to her knees, catching her breath.
"Jesse!" called the clone with blue painted marks on his white armor.
Maul exchanged a look with the prisoner, then released him from his cuffs. He was given an incredulous look. His three guests were just as shocked and surprised.
"Go on, now. Run to your brothers."
He did not wait and got up to be taken in by his comrade. The young Jedi - or former, Maul would not know, hadn't the trooper told him - seemed concerned about the man's safety and health. She did appear young, not as young as Arven but war did not favor the innocence of youth. If he remembered correctly, at least five years had gone since the clone wars started, meaning that Ahsoka Tano, then a padawan, should have entered the battlefields around his children's age.
The one she called Rex took charge of the released prisoner. Maul easily dismissed Kryze after a detonation successfully hit her forefront line of soldiers. The Jedi defector did not seem more phased to become isolated with him in that room, she even felt confident enough to face him alone.
Obi-Wan Kenobi's arrogance, or that of most of the Jedi. Maul shook his head, denying the thought to linger. The more he studied the girl, the more he noticed how badly combat had affected her: a demeanour ill-fitting for her years, her emaciated limbs, a short stature when most Togrutas easily towered everyone. And her eyes...
What have they done to her? No, he could not afford to think of Shenn. If the Jedi ever knew...
"What's wrong?" she taunted. "The mean, evil Sith lost his tongue? Or can you only spit your venom when there's an audience?"
Her voice. He blinked harder than he'd wished, clenching his fists in his back and forced himself to breathe steadily. She was not a Twi'lek but her inflexions and tone were similar to that of Eldra when he first met her, thirteen years ago.
"What did Jesse tell you, Maul? Did you torture him?"
He used the scorn building up in his heart to finally speak and face her. "No, the boy agreed to converse with me."
"About what?"
She was quick to react, he wondered if she performed in a duel.
"About you," he said and paced towards her in a wide circle, aware of her battle stance. "You were not who I expected, Ahsoka Tano. I expected Kenobi or Skywalker, or both. It seems we were set up for disappointment."
"They had more important matters to tend to," she cockily said.
The right part of his face tore lightly at a nervous tick upon hearing the trademark Jedi disdain when she spoke. But her blue ocean eyes quickly brushed away the resentful sentiment.
"What about you?" he enquired. "What do you gain from tending to matters here, on Mandalore?"
She searched her thoughts, he could see it from the way her face contorted slightly, then she grimaced and shifted her posture to appear more relaxed than she needed to be.
"I'm doing what's right for the people. You're a criminal and a Jedi murderer who should be brought to justice."
"Justice," he scoffed, looking down as he pondered stepping away, but stood his ground instead. "The same justice that ruled for a Sith Lord to take emergency powers over the Republic?" He studied her reaction but she simply narrowed her eyelids. "Or the system that keeps waging these wars across the galaxy, regardless of cost or consequence?"
Tano raised her chin with whatever pride she held for herself and she almost folded her arms in front of her before guarding her hands to her sides, still holding the double weapons.
"What do you care about consequence?" she spat. "You murder in cold blood. You created this war, right here."
"If that is what you were lead to believe." Maul crossed his arms, planting his feet shoulder-length apart. "War is what Mandalorians are brought to take part in. Your clone troopers were bred to wage it. You, a former Jedi, are here for something I've yet to identify. Regardless, we all chose to be here, for one reason or another, because the Force has something in store for us."
"What is it, then?" she asked with less vitriol. "if you're not going to kill me, why are youstill here when you could have run away?"
"I want to understand," he answered, "what happened, Lady Tano? What made you leave the order and yet, here we are: a former Jedi meeting a former Sith. You have to admit, those odds are interesting."
"That doesn't make us friends, Maul."
He was going to chuckle at her when another detonation abruptly cut his trail of thought, blasting much too close for comfort, blowing the large bay windows to small rounded shards. He shot a glance down to the formerly fortified wall used to stand, now a large pile of rubble running around the palace grounds. Mandalorians, red against blue exchanging fire, white-clad troopers advancing.
"You're running out of time!" Ahsoka warned him.
Her hands moved to ignite her weapons the moment he spoke again. He kept his voice low and settled.
"Come. I want to show you something."
"Tell me what it is!" she demanded, igniting her blades.
He started walking to the door at the back of the throne room. Rolling his eyes to the high ceiling, Maul mumbled more to himself than to the Togruta girl.
"You sound just like my daughter."
He could have heard a pin drop as he waited at the opened door, looking over his shoulder with a scolding glare.
"You?" she said, aghast. "You have... a daughter?"
Maul sighed exasperatedly as he bit the inside of his left cheek, motioning for her to follow.
"We will just have to establish this right now then. Yes, I have a daughter, and a son, for that matter. If that does not answer your questions, you may want to keep listening, young lady."
She shook her white and blue montrals. "That's a trick. I don't believe you."
Another explosion which made the walls shake.
"We will have more time to discuss this once we move to the underground and resume our conversation, safe from the blast zone."
"So it is a trick to trap me somewhere," she bitterly said.
"Fine. Stay here, child. Good luck with the ruins and the rubble."
He pestered between his teeth as he walked down the hallways and towards the elevators that he hoped were still functional during the tremors. Plaster dust and cracked paint were now littering the marble floors. He arrived at the elevators and heard rapid footsteps behind him. He turned when she arrived at his level, heaving her chest as she contained her nervous breathing. Maul only then noticed the iron heart symbol on her armor. The design was everywhere on Mandalore, the trademark of all beskar chest plates, including his own.
"We are heading underground where I've established a temporary base," he softly explained. "So yes, it will look like a trap, Lady Tano. There will be enemies surrounding you, and yes, they will treat you as a prisoner... Unless I tell them otherwise. You might want to keep that in mind before using those lightsabers."
The elevator finally arrived, the indicator lamps blinking at an alarming rate in the top panel.
The door parted with a less than reassuring crank. Neither of them felt assured when stepping inside.
"Could say the same for you," she retorted when he pressed a button on the command panel. "Maybe I ordered the attack on the palace, hoping to trap you inside."
There was a shudder and a drop before the lift decided to go down at its regular speed. Maul cleared his throat after watching the girl steady herself against the wall. His prosthetic legs had stabilized automatically.
"I am not sure your sense of self-sacrifice would go that far," he mused. "Because then your clone friends would never have let you in here by yourself."
She shot him a defying glance. "I can hold my own."
Still wary of the possibly damaged elevator mechanic, Maul spoke back to her in a patronizing tone.
"I have no doubt. But then again: most teenagers would say that."
The lift finally slowed to a stop and the door opened but barely. Maul had to pry it open with his hands and push the steel door into its casing halfway to pass through. Tano waited inside the elevator cabin, eyes ever suspicious of him.
His comlink crackled before he heard Kast's voice from his gauntlet.
"My lord, we just lost the recruits barracks and medbay at the southern perimet-..." Some static, and her somber voice was audible again. "...not take Republic gunship firepower. We just lost a hundred men..."
Another tremor following a distant detonation made dust fall upon his shoulder pads as he looked harshly at the former Jedi. He pressed the transmitter before replying.
"Copy that, Rook." He took in a breath, proceeding into the tunnels. "Have the ships ready."
"They're already underway, sir."
Maul felt his lung constrict and it was not caused by the crumbling fortress atop the ceiling. "Very well."
Lights blinked frantically, making the dark corridors ominous to walk through.
"So, you are running," said Ahsoka, catching up with him. "Why won't you fight me? Scared to lose to a teenager?"
He would have smiled at her humor if the situation was not so dire.
"You aren't fighting me now either. I wonder why that is?"
She did not skip a beat. "In the off chance you might be telling the truth about having children," she said then paused, searching her words, "I would have to investigate before disposing of you."
"How very generous," he commented.
He pressed the pace to arrive at a locked blast door that he opened thanks to a code Jav taught him before. When it slid open he found two red and black armored Mandalorians raising their assault rifles at Ahsoka. Maul dismissed them with a wave of his hand.
"Stand down, she is with me," he told them.
"My lord," they both said.
"If she makes a move I will deal with her."
That answer seemed to appease them and they let them pass. What it looked like, he assumed, was that a Jedi General was caught single-handedly and without force. Deprived of their leader, the Republic troops were de facto defeated. But now was not the time to boast or rush to a convenient solution.
They arrived at the nerve center of his underground base, where few Mandalorians stayed behind, mainly Jav, Dren and Darik. They were around a table studying holomaps and arguing when Maul arrived with his guest.
"What the kriff," interjected Darik.
All blasters came out of their holsters and Ahsoka brandished her lightsabers. Maul simply looked at the silver hilts and had the Force deactivate the blades before he addressed his men.
"General Tano is here to observe and learn," he announced. "There will be no bloodshed from either side, nor will she be apprehended."
Tano sneered as she inspected her weapons quickly before realizing it was his doing that they malfunctioned.
"You could start by calling off the attack," suggested Darik, addressing her directly.
None of the Mandalorians lowered their weapons. The holomaps displayed the now missing building that had been bombed, in the outskirts of Sundari, nowhere close to any strategic positions. A medevac group was scrambling to find survivors.
"The damage is done," he said, dark as he turned back to Tano. "Lady Tano, will you allow your clone friends to continue this massacre while you stand here, safe from it all? Or do you still abide by the senseless hypocrisy of the Jedi order?"
"This has nothing to do with the Jedi," she said, folding her arms defensively.
Maul observed as her eyes shifted slowly from the holomap, to the Mandalorians around her, then to Maul himself.
"Ah, I see," he sighed. "You promised Bo-Katan to apprehend me so that she could retrieve this?"
He reached for his belt and showed her the darksaber, igniting the blade in a smooth movement, held it between them so that she understood he would not relinquish his title. When it was stowed again she tilted her head, shoulders relaxed.
"That's between you and her, she will get to you eventually. You have no right to rule this planet, these people."
"Di'kutla jetii," spat one of the warriors holding Tano in his sights.
"Udesii," Maul told them, holding out a hand before going to the table. "You fail to understand the situation, Lady Tano, which is certainly no fault of yours. After all, you have been conditioned to believe in your moral superiority from a young age. So I will be brief."
He brought up a map of the Mid Rim, with a fraction of Wild Space on the edges. He motioned to a collection of systems and they were highlighted in blue.
"Whatever happens to Mandalore, the Death Watch and their allies will not be left stranded. We will regroup, mend our wonds and return. It does not matter what the Kryze clan intends to do, they cannot change the course of the plan. Ultimately, Darth Sidious will not be able to influence the systems that fall under our supervision."
Her white facial markings rose with the brow she lifted at the mention of the name.
"Sidious?" she hissed. "The Jedi Council told me you had information on him."
Working his jaw at the outlandish idea of giving away knowledge to the enemy, Maul pressed the tip of his fingers on the table.
"Exchanging information is a two-way street, Lady Tano. You'll be happy to know that I have a plan against Darth Sidious, but it would only work if I have strong allies by my side."
She rolled her big blue eyes to the dark ceiling and threw her arms up with impatience.
"Then work with me, Maul. Come to the Jedi Council and tell them what you know."
His teeth bared when he chuckled and a few Mandalorians laughed with him. To those reactions the young Togruta seemed quite irritated.
"The Jedi Council is part of the problem, my young friend."
"Why did I even bother?" she rhetorically asked, turning around only to find more armed men covered in beskar. "If there's nothing more for us to talk about, will you let me go?"
"Not yet," Maul replied. "Lives are at stake. Call off the attack."
Having lost most of her assurance from before, she warily eyed the Mandalorians around them before bringing up her comlink. He noticed Darik bringing up his own emitter to have her call on record.
"Rex, hold the assault."
"General," sounded the voice of her clone officer. "Are you safe? What's going on, where are you?"
Maul intensified his look on her before she answered that question. If she was attuned to the Force, he needed only to let her feel his pending vindication should she betray them.
"I'm safe, Rex." She paused and sighed, evidently looking for something to say to appease her troopers. "Maul and his men want a truce. I think... we have to stop the bloodshed."
"Ahsoka," wearily replied the clone, "I believe you. But it'll be hard to pull back when the Death Watch are still at us."
Her worried look jumped up to Maul who then quietly signed to his men to transmit the order to Kast and Saxon. Intrigued, Tano continued to debate with her Rex clone.
"They heard that, I think... I think they're telling their soldiers to stand down."
There was a moment when all they could hear was shouting and laser shots until things appeared to settle.
"Ahsoka, it looks like they stopped. Ah... Alright, then. Let us know where we can find you, General!"
"I will, Rex. Be safe out there."
With a wave of his hand, Maul shut off her comms. She crumpled her face with disapproval, but not having to worry about the battle at the surface was one less weight on his back. The young former Jedi had been sent by the Council to lead an attack on Mandalore, knowingly to face him of all people. There was no worse disdain Maul felt towards the Jedi than at this moment, when he looked upon the girl who stood, defeated, in the midst of his warriors.
"Come with me."
He was aware of the ties that bound her to the order even without the title of Jedi. She believed in their moral grand-standing, to hunt down anyone who did not abide by their code, to follow orders regardless of the will of the Force. Once before, very long ago, countless Sith students and warriors were massacred because of such a rhetoric, none of these self-righteous Jedi remembered Malachor.
By no choice of hers, Ahsoka Tano went with him deeper into the underground maze and towards the secret tunnels. He pressed his comlink transmitter.
"Ivah, this is Maul."
The silence was short before he received a response. "My lord."
He sucked in some air as he shot a glance to the Togruta. "I'm ready. Prepare the foundlings."
Shutting off the transmission he stopped in his stride, arriving in front of the last door before the covert. Tano gave him a quiet question with her young face that had already seen too much.
"Promise me you will behave and keep to yourself," he bitterly asked.
She blinked and shook her head in confusion. Maul sighed again.
"Lady Tano, I am simply asking you not to scare the children. We are evacuating them before your men decide to destroy this planet once more."
Bringing a Jedi - the enemy - into the most guarded secret location of the Mandalorian civilization was not a decision he had taken lightly, but the outcome of this war was serious enough for Maul to breach a few rules. Tano was in shock and said no word when standing in the middle of the command center where everyone had gathered before going to the freighter ships: there were on duty guards, adults, younger adults, trainees and of course the children.
They were grouped by clan, holding hands with each other or their guardians' gloved hands as they listened to Ivah and Rook who gave them care packages, rations and medkits for the voyage.
The Force was abuzz with their stress levels and directed attention on the former Jedi. Maul had introduced her as dar'jetii, or not-Jedi which made the connection for Mandalorians to the enemy of their enemy. A form of play on words, but it would have to do for what he needed her to see and understand. Ivah and Rook joined them in one corner of the common hall, both of them keeping their helmets on and Maul noticed they were of the same height and wore the same design of breastplates.
"The ships are ready to depart," casually said Ivah, then pointed her peculiar visor at Tano. "Will your friend be joining us?"
The young Togruta widened her gaze and turned to him. He had no intention to sway her to his cause entirely, having not considered that it could be an option. The masked women waited for an answer.
"I'm... Uh, hm," Tano hesitated and shook her montrals. "I can't. I'm really sorry that your families have to be displaced..."
"If you stay here you will command your troops to remove themselves from Sundari and let this convoy leave the planet," Maul reasoned for her. "I will let you debate the consequences of such an order with your Jedi council. As for myself, without my presence, the clans will be considered deserters and traitors to the cause of Mandalore. They will be shot down unless I am among them."
Tano parted her dark lips as if she was going to protest and rebel against his instructions. Just like Shenn when he asked her to take out the trash. Maul held out a raised index to interrupt her.
"Now would be a good time to think about the consequences of your choice."
"This is unfair, you're using guilt to manipulate me."
Anger suddenly burst through his barrier of self-control, merely reigned in by his growling low voice. "Tell these people how their existence is an inconvenience to your concept of fairness, Lady Tano. Please, enlighten us on how you could save everyone thanks to your Jedi Council, and the virtuous Republic to which Darth Sidious made you pledge your allegiance."
Another pause as his words seemed to resonate with her, and her face changed, shedding doubt and despise for shock and horror.
"Yes, young Ahsoka," he smiled at her realization. "He was there, all along, right under the nose of your Jedi Council."
"Darth Sidious... is Chancellor Palpatine?"
Maul filled his lungs, jaws clenched unwillingly. For once, someone else than the Sith or his allies was facing the truth.
"How?"
He softened his words. "He is a master of deceit. Even your most powerful Jedi Master doesn't know."
"Master Yoda...?" she was visibly losing ground and her hands were shaking.
"My lord," Kast interrupted. "If you don't mind, I would like to start settling the clans to their ships."
"Of course, Rook," he nodded apologetically. "I will be there shortly."
Ivah bowed her head at them, her stare lingering on Ahsoka for a long second before she followed the other Mandalorian woman towards the underground hangar bay where people were pouring out to board their transport.
Maul gave his Jedi counterpart a silent stare. She was turning, looking around at the crowd of Mandalorians who were not of Bo-Katan Kryze's faction. They did not follow any faction for that matter. Maul crossed his arms against his armor plate and leaned against the door frame that lead to the hangar cavern. He knew they were relatively safe, miles below the surface, even the Scimitar had been moved and placed among the awaiting freighters. Soon, he could have Arven and Shenn learn to fly it properly. He gave the star courier a brief look before Tano pulled him from his thoughts.
"How can you defeat Sidious?"
Maul did not meet her inquisitive eyes. Echoes of the old cackling voice still shook his nerves along with the ghost sensation of electrifying shocks throughout his body. The sharp and violent spasms, the locking and short-circuiting of his prosthetics, his own cries of pain. He had not been ready then, and his old master hadn't intended in killing him. Only to break him and damage the faith of his followers.
"You can't, not in the kinetic way, Lady Tano."
She appeared to lower her guard and he could feel her empathy through the Force, an overreach of her prodding senses into his mind. Maul straightened himself and immediately locked his emotions away. Her disappointment was visible, her traits made her frown impossible to hide.
"Of course, someone like me would not leave such an important issue up to chance. I have spent the more recent years seeking out the Force, watching out for signs and was granted answers, fragmented as they may be."
"Visions," she affirmed more than she asked. They were now by themselves in the hall, as most of the covert had gone to the starships. "I heard Bo-Katan's people talking about you and what you made them believe... I didn't believe it."
"Then you know what I have seen," he scrutinized her, allowing himself a smidgen of hope.
"Your vision is flawed," she retorted, almost in pain by the sound of her constricted throat. "Master Obi-Wan and Anakin are not corrupt. I know them."
"Everyone has to play their part," he gritted through tense jaws. "It is the way of the Force."
She could not understand, not while she was torn between her loyalties to the subverted Republic and her Jedi friends. Maul suddenly felt aware of the object tucked in his belt, the reminder of who he truly needed to protect. The young woman was not his responsibility.
She is not Shenn, nor Arven. She is not Eldra.
He took a step towards the hangar.
"I must go to my family, Lady Tano." He slowly shook his head, pinching his lips together. "They are the reason I'm still alive to this day."
He proceeded to board his ship, walking the distance through the hangar bay and he heard her light footfalls in his wake.
"Maul," she firmly called behind him. "Wait."
He did not stop or turn around. She is wasting my time. "I will instruct the Mandalorians not to shoot you on the way out. May the Force be with you, young Ahsoka."
He stopped and looked at her from the top of the ramp in the Scimitar. Her wide blue eyes looked different now. Her Force presence was alarmed and in some kind of distress. He gave her a smile, trying to look kind enough to give her some form of confidence to walk away by herself.
"Maybe we'll meet again," he nodded his chin at her. "Then you can show me what you can do with those lightsabers of yours."
"Why don't you stick around and find out?" she shot back at him, failing her attempt to taunt.
Maul chuckled, bearing a wide grin. It pulled at his heartstrings to strand her in that desolate cave, among strangers and enemies. He was also aware that he was getting soft and that Eldra would never let him hear the end of it if she knew what he did.
"You still haven't proven anything," Tano continued, determined to push his buttons. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
Clinging to the edge of the hatch, he let out a heavy breath, unable to brush off a nervous twitch on his cheek.
"Get in then," he muted the cussings he itched to speak. He pulled the small figure from his belt to retrieve the transmission code. He went inside to reach the cockpit, rumbling along the way. "If proof is all you need, then that's what you'll get."
Notes:
Thanks so much for reading!
I hope I got Ahsoka's characterization right. It's possible that I may have written her to be a bit more flawed than how she's presented in the shows, a bit more roughed up... But it's also what Maul sees in her now that he's a parents, and parents tend to worry about all the kids they meet x)
Some mando'a:
buir: parents, mother/father
dar'jetii: no longer a Jedi, or Sith
di'kutla: stupid
udesii!: calm down!