The glass shattered did not affect the young Togruta whatsoever, she had been trained to keep on her toes and to keep her senses up; her montrals also helped as it let her sense echolocation.
Maul stood before her, hand stretched out. She can feel his desperation and fear in the words he spoke, when Ahsoka dug deeper she found truth along them.
That's when Ahsoka made up her mind. She looked at him with gentle determination.
"I will help you."
The male is shocked - surprised as if he misheard her before being replaced with relief. It makes her wonder how much those visions hurt him as Alec told her.
But the former Prime Minister also mentioned Skywalker - Anakin's name; her Master. His name spoke in Maul's visions, and Ahsoka needs to know why.
"But you must answer one question."
"You need but to ask." Maul replies, his hand out further and she can see his need for her help.
She calms herself. "What do you want with Anakin Skywalker."
Maul gets a bit deflated and his arm slowly returns to his side. "He is the key."
Ahsoka knows this, she's heard it many times. "To bring balance to the Force."
"To destroy." He says as if Ahsoka misunderstood an important piece. "He has been long groomed for his role, as my Master's new apprentice." He finishes with a glare and menace.
Shock roots from Ahsoka, making time freeze around her. Maul's words ripping deep.
Anakin falling to the dark side? No...No there's no way he would!
She digs into Maul's words, his feelings. Surely he must be lying, he must have been trying to trick her into killing her Master and then Maul would rule the galaxy! Maul has to be wrong!
But to her horror she only finds truth, truth with every word Maul has said. It makes her gasp and come back to reality.
She couldn't believe it...her Master would really fall?
"He has long been groomed for his new role, as my Master's new apprentice."
Anakin would fall, but not because he wanted to. Because whoever this Darth Sidious is has been with him, whispering in his ear, giving him false lies to serve him.
And then it hits her, for someone to do that to Anakin must have been around him a lot, and for him not to see it means he must see them as a friend. It definitely wasn't Obi-Wan and other then he and herself; the only person who could ever do that was-
"The Chancellor."
"Yes." Maul gasps. "Yes. Now do you see? His plan is already in motion. If we work together now he can stop him."
He holds his hand out again and his need for her help is screaming, she glances at the floor as she tries to think.
She wanted to join Maul, they could take down Darth Sidious together and ruin his plans that he has put in motion for so long. To stop the rise of evil that is about to become and maybe, just maybe it will finally bring peace.
But she can't let Anakin die, not when the Chancellor has used him like this - a tool to serve his plan.
"On one condition." She looks back up at Maul, this time with all the determination she can muster. "You let me deal with Anakin."
He is surprised and narrows his eyes. "Why?"
"He was my Master, and I know him better then anyone. He wouldn't turn unless something, or someone is making him." She tells him. "I can stop him from turning, and he can then fulfil his destiny as the Chosen One, defeat Sidious, and bring balance to the Force."
Maul retracts his hand as he thinks, she can sense it all. She finds herself praising him as, despite how desperate he is, he doesn't jump at the chance for help and actually thinks about it. Even in the most dire of situations he is careful.
He looks back at her, and with a slight nod, holds out his hand once again. "As long as Sidious is defeated."
She looks at him then back to his hand. She doesn't need to know how he feels anymore as it's all the same. She takes her hands off her lightsabers, comfortably secure against her waist. She walks towards him and when she's close enough, takes his hand with a soft but firm grip.
He does it back.
"Thank you." He said and she finds it out of character from all that she's heard about him, but this time it's different.
She nods at him. "Let's go."
Ahsoka quickly used her comm to call Rex for a ship for her and Maul, he was confused and worried at first but after she explained everything he did it without question. He stayed on Mandalore of course, still attending the battle and will lead it to victory.
As soon as they boarded they got it out in the air and put it in Hyperspace, Ahsoka takes this time to ask Maul more questions.
"Alec told me you knew about all of this because you had visions, how did you get them?"
They were both seated and he turned to her, fingers tapping against each other under his chin.
"After I had escaped from his prison they started to come to me. I do not know how but I suspect it has something to do with the bond of my Master-former Master."
Ahsoka waits before asking again. "What...What did you see?"
He looks at her for a moment before signing. "There is...too much. It would be easier if I showed you." He stood and held out his hand, Ahsoka raised an eyebrow before standing up, and gently placing her hand on his.
And then she saw it all.
The kidnapped Chancellor persuades Anakin to kill Count Dooku - he does.
The Chancellor revealing himself as Darth Sidious.
Mace Windu and other Jedi Master's going to arrest him - all are killed except Mace.
Anakin comes in and tries to stop the Jedi Master from killing the Sith Lord.
Anakin cutting off Mace's arm and Darth Sidious striking him with lighting - falling to his death.
"From now on you shall be called Darth...Vader."
"Execute Order 66." Jedi being killed by the clones.
Anakin killed the younglings.
"Anakin, your breaking my heart!" Anakin choking Padmé - leading to her death after childbirth.
Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting - Anakin trying to kill him. Anakin almost burning in lava.
"You were my brother Anakin! I loved you!"
"I HATE YOU!"
She gasps as she opens her eyes, her breath heavy and heart beating faster.
"Anakin…"
"Now you see, now you know." Maul says with a low voice, trying not to scare her even more. "These visions came slowly to me, keeping me up and driving me to find the whole story. And the answer to end it."
She didn't know she was crying until he put a hand on her cheek, wiping away a tear with this thumb. It makes her stare at him.
"Now do you see why I wanted him dead."
She hates it, she hates how she understood it, how it would have changed everything if he killed Anakin.
She hates that she nods.
"I'll save him." She tried to sound strong despite her tears. "I have to."
He looks at her with...Regret? Fondness? Understanding? She doesn't know but it helps in some way.
He hums quietly. "I hope you do Tano."
As soon as they come out of Hyperspace Ahsoka takes the controls and flies them over to the building of Palpatine, they land and quickly run into the building.
"I can sense him." Maul grits his teeth. Ahsoka searches with the force and finds him.
"He's in his office!"
They waste no time in running, they couldn't waste another second, time was precious.
As they get closer Ahsoka senses more people.
Mace Windu and "Anakin.."
Maul blasts the doors open and there before them is Palpatine, laying on the ground with Mace over him. Anakin watching and Ahsoka can sense his despair.
"Master!" She yells for his attention and he instantly turns to her, a look of shock washed over him.
"Ahsoka? What are you-?"
"Your plan has come to an end Master." Maul glares at the figure on the floor.
The act of an old scared man is now gone, replaced with his true colours.
He stands with a scowl. "I see now your not just my rival," his force called his lightsabers to him, he activates them. Red glowing among his skin. "You are my enemy!"
Maul activated his double bladed lightsaber, red glowing against his face. The former Master launches at his old apprentice, and the battle begins.
Ahsoka sees Anakin ready his lightsaber. "Anakin don't!"
"Ahsoka, you don't understand-"
"I know about Padmé." He looks at her in shock but she continues. "I know everything Anakin but falling to the dark side won't help. It will only cause more pain and suffering."
"She's going to die! I need his help to save her!"
"No you don't!" She yells at him. "When has the Sith done anything good? All they know is pain and destruction, that's what Palpatine has been doing to us! It's what he's been doing to you!" She see's the conflict in him and tries harder. "Please Master, don't follow him. You have all the power you need, you always have!"
He looks at the ground. "I…"
During her trying to make Anakin see sense Mace had joined the fight, supporting Maul in trying to take down the Sith Lord. Ahsoka can feel Maul's anger at his former Master and the fear of the visions he saw, she will do anything to make sure they don't happen.
"Your the Chosen One Skyguy." he jumps at the nickname. "The one to bring balance to the Force, you can do it right here right now, and save us all and Padmé. Please."
All of a sudden Mace screams in pain and they turn to see his arm become a victim to Palatine, the Jedi Master falls to the floor, clutching his shoulder, his purple lightsaber deactivated laying by his head.
Palpatine swings for Maul who manages to dodge but Ahsoka can see it, the small opening that Palpatine is about to take and immediately swings into action.
"Ahsoka!"
She ignores her Master yell and activates her lightsabers he gave to her, clashing with Palpatine's that aimed for Maul's stomach.
The Sith Lord glared at her and threw them back with the Force, they hit the hall behind them and he walked towards them.
"You have foiled my plan for the last time, Ahsoka Tano ." He sneers her name as he lifts her up with the Force, choking her. "Anakin Skywalker will be mine!"
"Let her go!" Anakin jumps in, his blue lightsaber cutting Palpatine's hand off, making the man scream in pain and Ahsoka falling on the floor.
Maul instantly goes for her. "Ahsoka!"
She groans as he helps her sit up, she turns to him and gives a small smile. "I'm ok, thank you."
Maul is surprised but nods back, Anakin watches them, feeling confused but knows that somehow, Ahsoka is safe with Maul.
Anakin turns back to the Sith Lord, the man he saw as a mentor, friend - a father. And it was just all play to get him to turn, he was tool in Palpatine's plan to rule over the galaxy.
But not anymore - Anakin is the Chosen One, and he will do what he must.
He walked towards the fallen man, who looked up at him in pain.
"My boy...Help me." He chokes out, it pains Anakin to hear the man call him that. Before he took great pride and heart into it, but now he see's it was all lies.
"You are finished." He says with a glare as he strikes his lightsaber through Palpatine, the old man gasps at the pain.
"I had such...high hopes...for...you." He manages to say until his dying breath.
As soon as he couldn't feel the Force in him Anakin deactivated his lightsaber. He turns back to see Ahsoka tending to Mace with Maul watching. He raises an eyebrow at the former Sith Lord, who notices him.
But before he can say anything, Ahsoka speaks.
"We need to get Master Windu medical attention, now!"
"Let's get him on the ship." Maul says to her, she nods and he helps stand Mace up before taking the weight himself, holding the Jedi Master so that he could walk.
Anakin puts away his lightsaber and helps Maul, the two have an unspoken term of agreement in working together as they follow Ahsoka to the ship.
Mace is unconscious as he lies in one of the beds in the medical bay of the Jedi Temple, his shoulder wrapped in bandages. Anakin had wanted to go to Padmé as soon as he could, but the thought of Ahsoka and Maul together in one room made him stop.
He turns to his apprentice, the girl he saw as his little sister. Sitting on a bed next to Mace with Maul standing against the far wall before them. "How did you know? About Padmé."
Ahsoka glanced over at Maul before answering. "Maul showed me the visions he had been seeing, one of them was Padmé...dying at childbirth."
Anakin looked at Maul with narrowed eyes. "Visions?"
Maul nodded. "My former Master, Darth Sidious had planned all of this from the start, before I became his apprentice. I do not know how I got the visions, but I assume it had something to do with him. Perhaps to rub it in my face that his time for power and rule was coming...and I was not there." He eyes were downcast at the last sentence and Ahsoka would see the pain in his eyes.
"I see…" Anakin kept on guard around the man and rightfully so, Ahsoka didn't blame him and she dreaded to think what Obi-Wan's reaction would be to see the Dathomirian, sitting in the medical bay with them so casually.
His comm beeped and his heart tugged when it noticed it was from Padmé, Force he wanted to see her so badly and make sure that she and their unborn child are safe.
"Go." Ahsoka tells him with a smile. "Go and see her, she needs you."
He glances over at Maul then back at her.
You sure Snips?
As ever Skyguy.
He hesitates for a moment before nodding, and walking out the door, leaving Ahsoka and Maul alone.
"Thank you." She says after a moment of silence. "For not killing Anakin."
"In my visions, all I saw was destruction by his hand." Maul said and then looked at her. "But you...you saw him differently."
"He was my Master." Ahsoka told him, though he already knew that. "He's always been so kind and gentle, compassionate and caring. There were times where he let his anger get the better of him, but I would never have imagined him falling." She looks down, finding the floor more interesting. "When I saw your visions...I couldn't believe it."
"He has not hurt you?" Maul asks and Ahsoka immediately looks back up at him, surprised by the question.
"No. No He would never hurt me. He promised me he wouldn't let anyone hurt me." Ahsoka frowns at the memory, for when she ran away to prove her innocence. She believed in Anakin's words back then and she still does now, even if the Council did hurt her.
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Why would you ask that sort of thing?"
"Forgive me, I just assumed with him becoming my Master's new apprentice, that he would have shown that side of him to his own. At least that's what mine did."
Ahsoka didn't like where this was going, but asked anyway. "Palpatine hurt you?"
He chuckled darkly. "Yes, many times. Ever since he took me from my mother and raised me to be his apprentice. He made it known just how of a Sith Lord he was."
She shifted on the bed, she has heard stories of people being abused for different reasons. Ahsoka didn't care, abuse was abuse and abuse was bad - end of story.
She looks at the former Sith and wonders just how much he went through, she remembers hearing all about Maul from Anakin and Obi-Wan. That he was ruthless and showed no mercy, he tortures, kills and will harm anyone to get what he wants. He did that with Obi-Wan, killing his Master in front of him and then doing the same to Satine for revenge.
Maul has done awful things and Ahsoka knows because it's the way Darth Sidious raised him however the actions he took are his own.
The Maul in front of her is different, he didn't kill but forced his way into Jesse's mind to know about her, Ahsoka took note to check on the trooper when all of this was finished.
"I'm sorry." Her voice is quiet but he can hear it well.
He signs - deeply. "What's done is done. I played my part and he has done his."
"What will you do now?" In her mind Maul would have killed Anakin and Palpatine, and named himself ruler of the galaxy. It is what she would have expected from him - but Maul has been different with her.
He signs once more. "I do not know. Now that the old man is gone and Skywalker has brought balance to the Force, my life is...uncertain."
She looks at Mace and feels the lightsabers on her waist, bringing her comfort. She had a thought, maybe - just maybe. "You...You could join us?"
He looks at her in shock and glances down at the ground before chuckling. "You are full of surprises Tano."
She finds herself smiling, his words aren't meant to hurt her and they probably never will.
He looks at her for a minute before walking over, she straightens up as he stands before her. He holds out his hand once more, the same one he offered for her help.
"Thank you Ahsoka Tano, for believing in me."
She's shocked but doesn't show it, instead she stands and looks up at him with a smile.
"Thank you Maul, for letting me save Anakin."
She took his hand, a small shake with a gentle and firm grip. They looked into each other's eyes and didn't let go.
Perhaps, they both thought, this could be the start of a beautiful partnership.