Ahsoka could hardly make sense of her imminent fate. It didn't feel real.
Her vision faded until she could see nothing at all. She tried desperately to move, to speak, to do anything - but nothing worked. The Jedi had always treated death as something peaceful- this was anything but. It was cold. It was dark. It was scary. And more than anything, it was lonely. Gradually, even her thoughts lost clarity until they became a hazy mess of ideas and feelings.
"Let go," she tried to tell herself. "The pain is finally over… just… let go."
After being cast off the platform by Vader's mighty Force attack, Maul narrowly avoided landing in the lake of lava that sat below the Black Sun fortifications by grabbing a handhold in the scorched rock as he fell. From there, after attaching his saber to his belt, he'd made the arduous climb up the molten cliff face, his hands burning with every second he grasped the fiery stone. As difficult as it was, such pain was nothing new- nothing next to the suffering he'd experienced crawling in the junk of Lotho Minor with half a body. But by the time he'd clambered up to the landing platform once more, ready to destroy the impudent brat who'd stolen his place at Sidious' side, the sight that greeted him was a horrific one. Vader stood towering, fearsome and unbroken, a crimson blade in his hands. And at his feet was Ahsoka- no- Ahsoka's body- limp and lifeless. As Maul drew and ignited his weapon once more, Vader turned to face him.
"You survived," said Vader without a hint of surprise in his voice. "A pity the same cannot be said for your pawn."
Maul let out a furious growl, rushing forwards without another word and re-engaging Vader in a devastating clash of red blades. But this time, the graceful flurry of strikes typical of Maul's combat style was nowhere to be seen. Though his attacks were faster, they lacked the effortless elegance of true mastery- instead, they were aggressive, reckless, and predictable. Vader's defense capitalised on this, and despite Maul's greater speed, it wasn't long before he was pushed on the defensive by the terrifying efficiency of Vader's attacks.
"Your emotions have unbalanced you. Could it be-" Vader stopped in realisation. "I see. Skywalker's apprentice was more than a mere pawn to you… wasn't she?"
"Silence!" yelled Maul, slashing at Vader only to be met with the same, impenetrable guard. "You think you know me?!"
"I do." Vader responded, attempting to throw Maul back with a Force push. This time, the Zabrak was ready, stabbing one end of his saberstaff into the solid durasteel surface of the landing platform and using it to hold himself in place.
"You cannot hide the truth- not from yourself, and not from me."
"Stop it!" said Maul, attempting to grasp the Sith Lord's neck with the Force to no avail.
"You care for her."
The haze was gone. Ahsoka woke up in what looked like a black void, peppered by glowing, white dots. It was as if she was standing in the midst of a night sky on some distant world- except there was no ground. She was standing alone, suspended in the darkness.
"Is this… the Force?" she thought to herself. "Am I dead?"
She heard a voice from behind her- a female voice- soft, elegant, and familiar.
"That depends on your decision."
Ahsoka turned around to face the source of the voice.
"You remember who I am… right?"
The identity of the woman before her- human-looking, but with flowing green hair and pale, glowing skin- was unmistakable. Ahsoka thought back to her time on Mortis- the planet she'd encountered three incalculably powerful beings, physical manifestations of the Force itself. There was the Son- the embodiment of the Dark, the Daughter- the embodiment of the Light, and the Father- the one who maintained balance between the two siblings. The Daughter had died on Mortis, but had used the last of her power to save Ahsoka's life. And now, somehow, she was standing before her.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Ahsoka?"
"I- How- How are you talking to me?"
"I've been a part of you ever since that day on Mortis. Your connection to the Force kept me 'alive', and even though I could not speak to you directly as I am now… that voice inside your head- those fragments of your memories pushing you to keep fighting- they were me."
"So then- after Rex died, Anakin… that was..."
"Yes. A projection created from your own memories of your master. But it was your strength and force of will which allowed me to manifest it."
Ahsoka gave a half-hearted nod.
"And… what happens to me now?"
"I know you've endured a lot of suffering. I know you want nothing more than for the pain to stop. But I must ask that you make a difficult choice."
"A choice?"
"I can restore you to life, and help you overcome the foe you face… but it will come at a cost. If I do this, it will consume the last of my strength... I would cease to exist, the Darkness would grow stronger than ever, and the strength of the Light would fade."
"Okay… what's the other option?"
"You die, and my light will live on in others. Given time, a new hope may rise, but... you'll be gone."
Maul broke out into a fit of insincere laughter.
"Do you really think she mattered to me?!" he sneered, forcing a grin. "Ahsoka was a tool. A proton torpedo."
"And yet her death has shattered your resolve."
"You're delusional."
Maul drew his weapon from the ground and went on the offensive, striking thundering blow after thundering blow. Despite losing ground, the Sith Lord's goading didn't cease.
"You felt like she was the sister you never had… didn't you?"
Vader blocked yet another devastating strike with ease.
"First, you failed your brother."
The zabrak unleashed a Force push against Vader, which succeeded in pushing the Sith Lord backwards but did little to break his stance.
"Then your mother."
Their blades clashed in a blade lock- creating a brilliant flash of crimson.
"And now, Ahsoka Tano is dead thanks to your weakness."
Ahsoka smiled sadly. "I… don't understand... why me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you give up your power, your… your life… just to save someone like me? Why would you give me this choice?!"
"I'm… afraid I still don't understand."
The former Jedi shook her head.
"I failed. I know what Anakin did, and I know I could have stopped it. It's thanks to me that the Jedi were- I…"
"You could not have known how things would turn out. The weight of the Jedi's destruction is not your burden to bear."
"Why does everyone feel the need to make excuses for me?!" Ahsoka screamed, clenching her fists. "Innocent people are dead because of my decisions! I killed Rex! I left the Order. And- and-"
"And what?"
"The worst thing a Jedi can do is embrace their darker emotions. Fear, anger, hatred… once you start down the dark path, it condemns you forever," Ahsoka said, her teeth gritted. "The truth is, I hate Anakin, and everything he's become. I saw what he did- I lived it. And in the moment, I lost control and gave in to those feelings. But do you want to know the worst part?! I enjoyed it. I gave in to hatred, and I enjoyed it. The last thing I deserve is a second chance. But even if I did deserve it, I-"
"Go on."
Ahsoka put one hand on her own shoulder, and her gaze shifted downwards in shame.
"Everything… hurts, and… I don't know if it will ever get better," she said, swallowing in an attempt to get rid of the lump in her throat. "It feels like all my efforts are for nothing. Every time I try to fix things, they get worse. Every time I try to do the right thing, I find out later that it was actually the wrong thing, and… I... I'm so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of having to put on a brave face, tired of constantly losing the things I care about… tired of everything. I… can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, I just... can't."
"You've been through a lot in the past few weeks. And the feelings you're having aren't unreasonable. But I promise, the possibility for a brighter future exists. And you are the one who can bring it about."
"You don't know that."
"Maybe. But there's always hope. There's always a chance that something brighter is waiting over the horizon. But the only way to see it is to keep going- no matter how hopeless things might seem."
"...so you're saying I should choose to live? What for? What's the point? Do you honestly think that the... the chance things'll get better is worth all the guilt and the pain and the hollow despair?"
"I'm saying that I care about you, and that I'm not the only one. But you have to decide whether it's worth it. And… I also don't believe that you're the failure you're making yourself out to be. You've made mistakes, as have we all. But contrary to what the Jedi might tell you, those mistakes do not define you forever. I know from what I've seen that you're one of the most compassionate, capable people in the galaxy. You know it is against my nature to lie, right?"
Ahsoka nodded.
"Then trust me when I say that even if you don't see your worth… I do."
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Go ahead," said the Daughter.
"I- I thought my master was supposed to be the one to restore balance to the Force. Was the prophecy wrong?"
"Perhaps… though perhaps not. I used to buy into the dogma that my Father… and the Jedi… treated as fact. The idea that balance in the Force is all that matters, and upholding that balance is always moral. I remained on Mortis, allowing the galaxy to descend into turmoil, all the while knowing my powers could have made a difference. And I did so because I thought… I thought it was for the greater good. Meanwhile, my brother believed that because we had power, we had an obligation to use it. He wanted to use his strength to fix the galaxy- to bring peace and end suffering, once and for all, regardless of the consequences. It was only my Father and I who kept him in check. Recently, though, I've been wondering whether he was right all along, at least in some small way."
"Why is that?"
"After seeing what happened on Mortis, I realised something... the idea 'balance' is a fixed state- equal parts Light and equal parts Dark- is absurd. Balance is a process, eternal and inescapable. Darkness will always rise, and Light will always meet it. When I 'died', my brother soon followed. The Jedi Order rose, only to give way to a Sith Empire. This is the way it has been for all of eternity, and perhaps the way it will always be. The Force endlessly moves towards balance- the ebb and flow of Light and Dark, a law as unavoidable as gravity. The destruction of the Jedi… the wars and famines and death… they're all part of the same, continuous cycle. Perhaps the Chosen One, too, is merely an instrument of this cycle- meant to bring about the destruction of both Light and Dark, just as my father did, so they may be built up once more… Whatever the case, neither side is inherently good, nor is the cycle itself."
"So then… what's the point of fighting to defeat the Empire, if it's destined to fall anyway? Why bother building something better if that too will fall?"
The Daughter smiled slightly at Ahsoka's question.
"Funny you should ask that question, because I struggled with it too. In the end, it was through observing you that I found my answer. I learned that we don't truly fight for these intangible ideas of Light and Dark. We fight because the fight is meaningful to us. We fight because we have things worth protecting. The very thing the Jedi decry- attachments- are part of what gives meaning to our lives. Perhaps they won't last forever, but we can find meaning and joy in them while they do last. Isn't that why you fight? To protect the people- the galaxy- you care about?"
"...I guess so."
"And that's why I ask that you choose to keep living. My family is all I've ever known, all I ever will know. And they're gone. But you still have people to protect. You still have a cause to fight for, hopes and dreams you wish to see fulfilled. That, to me, matters more than some arbitrary idea of 'balance'."
After a long silence between the two, Ahsoka spoke.
"...Okay. I'm ready to make my choice."
Vader was unconquerable. Taking advantage of the locked blades and Maul's reckless aggression, the Sith Lord grabbed the Zabrak's saberstaff with his free hand and pried it out of their formidable grasp with inhuman strength. Then, casting the weapon aside, Vader raised his own blade to deliver a killing blow.
"Wait!" begged Maul, failing to hide the desperation in his voice. "Are you truly content being a slave for Sidious?! You-"
"Suitably pathetic last words for a truly pathetic Sith Lord."
Vader's saber swung. But just as it was mere centimetres from Maul's neck, a pair of blue blades pierced through the control box in Vader's chest, impaling him from behind. Moments after the blades deactivated, Maul seized the opportunity, grabbing Vader with the Force and expending the last of his power to throw the Sith off the landing platform down to the lake of lava below. Maul looked up to see Ahsoka- the wound in her stomach miraculously healed- standing where Vader had once stood.
"You alright?" asked the former Jedi.
Try as he might, Maul could not hide the relief in his voice.
"Ahsoka! I- you're- I thought you were- "
"I'm fine," she responded with a weary smile. "It's over."
"But… how?"
"It's a long story… a good friend saved me."
"When we get off this cursed planet, I want you to tell me everything," demanded Maul, quickly reassuming his standard tone. "But for now, I… I'm glad you're okay."
Ahsoka smiled playfully.
"I bet you are! Where else in the galaxy would you have found an 'asset with such a high combat effectiveness'?" she teased.
"That's not what I…" Maul trailed off.
"What was that?"
"I… no. You know exactly what I meant, Lady Tano."
"Anakin Skywalker is dead."
Behind Ahsoka's lively facade, she knew it all too well. And yet, somewhat disturbingly, she felt no remorse. There was no sadness. No guilt. Only grim satisfaction. After idolising her master for years, this feeling came as a surprise.
"Anakin Skywalker is dead."
Her master had been a selfless hero- a man who would protect those closest to him until the very end and sacrifice everything to keep them from harm.
"Anakin Skywalker is dead."
Her master had been a murderous traitor- a man who turned on those closest to him and slaughtered them without a second thought.
"Anakin Skywalker is dead."
Her master had been the most legendary Jedi in history, and the most terrifying monster the galaxy would ever know. There was no sadness. No guilt. Only grim satisfaction.