Chapter 3 – Maul
Author's Note: In which Obi-Wan arrives on Mandalore. :D
To the Guest who reviewed: I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! And no, this chapter does not include anything about Anakin. The next, however, does, if I remember right. :)
~ Amina Gila
With Dooku and Grievous presumed dead, the war is effectively at a standstill, allowing Obi-Wan to leave the planet. He's grateful to go, unwilling – and unable – to remain on Coruscant, the site of Anakin's death. He needs time. Time to mourn and grieve for the person he lost. Anakin is – he was his everything. There is nothing Obi-Wan wouldn't have done for Anakin. Those were feelings he'd long suppressed, knowing how un-Jedi-like they are. But now... well, hindsight isn't easy.
It would be easier, he thinks, to be able to continue living under the illusion that Anakin is no more than a dear friend, not a part of his very soul. Obi-Wan knows that having something to do, some mission to accomplish, will be best in this time. He doesn't want to lose himself, wallowing in his grief and pain, trying in vain to shut it out.
Maul has long been a problem, and he will feel very satisfied with bringing him to justice. If he can't avenge Anakin – oh, how he wishes that he could, that there was someone he could actually blame for this, someone he could go after to get vengeance on – then he can avenge Qui-Gon and Satine. Anakin would have approved.
He meets Ahsoka near the outskirts of the palace on Sundari. The Togruta is leaning heavily on a railing, staring out at the city with unseeing eyes, expression vacant. She seems so... lifeless compared to normal, so different from the vibrant Padawan he remembers. She's taking Anakin's loss as hard as he is, as hard as Padme probably is too.
For a moment – only a moment – Obi-Wan lets himself throw protocol and propriety to the wind, approaching Ahsoka and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he whispers to her. It's not his fault – there was little more he could have done without endangering the Chancellor, though a dark part of him would much rather Palpatine have died there instead of Anakin, but he still blames himself, nevertheless.
Ahsoka starts at the contact, jolting upright and hugging him fiercely and quickly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. It lasts for only a moment before she straightens, a mask falling over her face and hiding her grief from her expression but not from the Force. Obi-Wan can still feel it around her, clinging to her. She is not nearly as alright as she's pretending, but he does her the courtesy of not commenting. It's not as if he's feeling any better.
Bo-Katan, it seems, might have an inkling as to what's happened, because she remains quiet until it's apparent that the two Jedi are focused on the situation at hand, something akin to sympathy in her green eyes. "This occupation cannot last much longer," she points out, shaking her head, fingers tightening on the helmet clasped under her arm. "The people will not stand for it. I will not stand for it."
"You asked for our help," Ahsoka points out, as they turn towards the entrance of the palace. She's at Obi-Wan's side, between him and Bo-Katan. Rex falls in next to Obi-Wan as they walk. "My men don't want to be acting as a police force. The Republic forces will depart once we capture Maul." The throne room doors slide open, but Obi-Wan has already sensed Maul inside, the Sith's presence igniting a complicated mix of feelings within him.
"Then," Ahsoka continues, seeming oblivious, "You will have your opportunity to lead."
"I agree." Obi-Wan narrows his eyes when he sees Maul lounging on the throne, a dark glee echoing into the Force around him.
Bo-Katan reacts instantly, dropping her helmet and drawing her pistols. She beings shooting at the Sith, who casually deflects the bolts with his hand, looking amused, before lifting her into the air with the Force. "My lady, is that any way to treat your rightful ruler?" he mocks, dropping her. She lands on her knees, glowering at him.
As Obi-Wan scans the room, he notices Jesse kneeling next to the throne, head bowed, wrists cuffed, most of his armor missing. Maul must discern who Obi-Wan is looking at because he smirks. "Now, as a show of good faith, I return your comrade in arms to you," he announces. With a simple gesture, he unlocks the restraints on Jesse's wrists, letting the clone rise. "Run along," Maul says to him, waving dismissively. "There you go! Back to your brothers."
Jesse limps over to them, and Rex moves forwards to keep him upright. "Are you all right, Jesse?"
"I'm sorry, Commander," he apologizes. "I couldn't help it. I told him everything."
"It's okay," Rex promises, glancing at Ahsoka. She nods, and Rex leads Jesse from the room.
A sudden explosion draws Obi-Wan's attention to the window, and he looks out, feeling Maul's sadistic glee at the chaos and death which follows. It sickens him. Obi-Wan has never hated the Sith more than he does in this moment, and the hatred curls within him, twisting into a writhing mess as he struggles to get himself back under control. The desire to make Maul hurt is creeping up, trying to overwhelm him. The past few days have been – to say a nightmare would be an understatement. A major understatement.
"One of you might want to deal with that," Maul comments casually, as if the fact that he's destroying the city means nothing. It probably doesn't to him, if the sadistic pleasure staining the Force around him is any indication.
"It's okay," Ahsoka assures Bo-Katan when she hesitates. "We can deal with him. Your people need you." The Mandalorian nods, pulling on her helmet and flying away with her jetpack.
"I have heard the goings-on on Coruscant," Maul tells them, gloating. "It is such a shame that you have lost Skywalker to Sidious already. Well, no matter. If I cannot avenge myself on my old master now, then I will have time in the future. You, however, will not be so lucky." His eyes narrow, and he rises, slowly, leisurely walking down the steps of the throne.
"What does that mean?" Ahsoka asks warily. "Anakin –" she chokes on the name, and Obi-Wan pretends not to notice, though he expects Maul won't be so considerate, "– he wasn't killed by the Sith."
Maul smirks as if someone told him a joke. "You misunderstand me. I never said he was killed. He's not dead."
For a moment, there is only silence in the throne room, even as the floor trembles beneath their feet from an explosion outside. And Obi-Wan has never hated another being more than he does in this moment. It's not right, not the Jedi way, but the cruel, callous way that Maul is mocking their pain is more than he can handle. "You dare –" Obi-Wan begins, hardly even sure what he's trying to say. He hardly even recognizes his own voice. "– to mock us? You think we could possibly not know the truth? That you could deceive us into believing such falsehoods?"
"How curious," Maul muses, a dark, greedy look in his eyes. "I would not have expected this... attachment. Very unbefitting of a Jedi. What a pity I did not know this any earlier. It would have been far more... satisfying to go after Skywalker instead of your Duchess."
Obi-Wan knows that Maul is goading him, trying to make him angry enough to fight, but in this moment, he doesn't even care. Red hot rage blinds him. Killing Qui-Gon and Satine wasn't enough for this – this monster. He would have tried to take Anakin away from him as well. Not Anakin. Anyone other than him. He reigns in his anger just barely, smiling pleasantly at Maul. "He would have defeated you single-handedly," he remarks. "You and Savage both. Speaking of which, where is he? I had hoped to see him again. Did you lose him somewhere?"
He's intentionally taunting Maul, but he doesn't care. From the way Maul's eyes darken, Obi-Wan knows he hit a nerve. Maybe his brother is actually dead. Wouldn't that be a miracle? Although, he had expected it from the start since he knew that Maul would likely never face them in here unless he had Savage with him. With Savage being absent, there aren't many things which he could be doing or places which he could be. Hence, the conclusion.
Maul growls angrily, drawing and igniting his lightsaber as he lunges towards Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. In a flash, they have their own sabers drawn, blue blades clashing against Maul's red ones. Obi-Wan reaches out to the Force, letting it guide him as they fight.
**w**
Ahsoka lets out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall to catch her breath and take a short rest after the duel is over. Maul is unconscious on the floor, and they've contacted the clones to come and take him. The Mandalorians apparently have a device which they promise will be able to keep Maul contained for the journey back to Coruscant. There is still some fighting in a few areas, but they're mainly skirmishes now; the majority of the Death Watch warriors under Maul have either died or been captured.
Now, it's time for the Republic to leave Mandalore to Bo-Katan.
The duel against Maul had been fast and furious, and Ahsoka has never seen Obi-Wan fight so aggressively before. He was angry – very angry – and that was reflected in his movements. Even if Maul had wanted to run, he never got the chance. They pushed him onto the defensive, and a lucky Force attack allowed them to knock him out.
Ahsoka doesn't know how to feel, honestly. She still hasn't quite gotten used to the fact that – that Anakin is gone. Much as she would like to believe Maul's lie, she knows that it would only hurt her in the end. Maul was lying; he was trying to hurt them. That's what Sith do. If Anakin was – was still here, Obi-Wan would know. The bond they had i- was legendary, and Obi-Wan would know if Anakin was still living. He'd probably be more likely to delude himself into believing it than Ahsoka even.
"What are your plans now?" Obi-Wan asks, interrupting her musing.
Ahsoka looks up at him and straightens, shrugging. "I don't know," she admits. Never before has she felt so lost, even after she first left the Order so many months ago. "I – I had thought... after I first came here, that perhaps I could... come back, finish my training. I missed Anakin and you and... everyone."
Obi-Wan's expression doesn't change, but he nods. "And now?" he queries kindly. "What about now? What do you want now?"
She feels tears pricking her eyes, her answer rising unbidden, but she squashes it ruthlessly. I want to see Anakin again. I want to tell him that I wish I had never left. I want to tell him how much I love him, how much I missed him. I want to tell him what I realized when I was gone. I want to finish my training under him. I want him to be able to Knight me. Instead she says, "I don't know, but – but I think Anakin would have liked for me to come back to the Order."
This time, a pained look flashes across Obi-Wan's face. "Anakin always struggled to let go." His voice is quiet, strained. Ahsoka pretends not to notice how hard it is for him to say the words. "If you want to return to the Order, if you truly desire to finish your training, I would be honored to guide you."
Ahsoka meets his eyes, considering. "Let me think about it," she requests finally, "But I would like to come back to the Temple. I have somewhere else to stay, but... if I'm at the Temple, I'll be able to make my decision better." Because if she goes back to stay with the Martez sisters, she doesn't know if she'll be able to ever look at the Temple again, not when Anakin is gone. She wants to be a Jedi. She wants to continue her master's – her brother's – legacy, but at the same time, she doesn't know if she can be a Jedi when Anakin is – is gone.
Obi-Wan touches her shoulder fleetingly. "Of course. You can have all the time you need," he assures her.
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