Shortly after reading the message from Maul, Ahsoka and Kaeden had gotten back to their ship, courtesy of a lift from Saw, and headed to the coordinates of the planet provided by Maul.
Saw had not come with, instead he had promised to join them at their rendezvous when the time to strike was right. And Ahsoka was inclined to believe him. Saw may be an extremist, but when push came to shove, he would always prove loyal, and there were very few people Ahsoka could trust with such an operation.
So they had left Jedha, and a few hours later they had emerged from hyperspace over another planet, one Ahsoka had never heard of before. From orbit, it was a myriad of greys and blacks, and seemed to emanate a dark sense of foreboding. Being a force sensitive, it felt especially odd to Ahsoka, as if it was concealing something big.
And Ahsoka was sure she was about to discover what.
Angling the cargo freighter towards the location of Maul's beacon, one he had set up for her in advance, Ahsoka fly the ship down through the atmosphere of the mysterious planet. As they descended, the horizon began to fill with a thick fog like substance, as well as endless lines of trees.
The planet seemed to have a swamp like biome. Why had Maul asked them to meet him here?
In the distance, Ahsoka spotted the familiar shape of the Nightbrother, already stationary on the ground in a slightly open area. Standing at the bottom of the ramp to the ship was Maul, who upon hearing the approaching ship looked up and waved them down.
Landing the ship next to Maul's, Ahsoka and Kaeden stood from their seats, heading towards the back ramp of their freighter.
Exiting their ship, they were greeted by the red and black horned visage of Maul, who open seeing them smiled.
Ahsoka would never get used to Maul actually smiling at her. It was strange to see.
"Lady Tano, Miss Larte, how good to see you. I trust your missions were a success?"
Approaching the Zabrak, Ahsoka allowed a small smile to come to her face. She had successfully recruited Saw, but Vos' decision seemed to have been final. Only time would tell.
"Fifty fifty Maul. Saw is in, the Jedi… maybe not."
Maul huffed in response, seemingly disappointed at the lack of another Jedi ally.
"What about you? Did you find your friend?" Ahsoka inquired, genuinely curious as to who Maul had been to speak to.
Maul seemed to shrink in on himself suddenly. It was almost as if he was embarrassed about something.
"Maul, what did you do?" Kaeden inquired from behind, apprehension in her voice.
The Zabrak shrugged his shoulders, before pointing a hand at the ramp leading into the Nightbrother, just as someone began to walk down the ramp.
Suddenly, a familiar presence lit up in the force to Ahsoka. It was warm and welcoming, a clear opposite to that of Maul's presence, even now. In fact, it felt a lot like…
"Obi-Wan?!"
"Hello my grandpadawan. I hear you need help."
Ahsoka did not refrain herself. She stormed across the distance between them, wrapping the older man into a hug. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be protecting Luke!
Pulling back from the hug, Ahsoka locked her eyes with Obi-Wan's. The Jedi master had a warm look in them.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you had to stay on Tatooine?" Ahsoka voiced her concerns.
"The best way to protect Luke and Leia now is to rid the galaxy of Sidious once and for all. Together, we can do that. He'll be fine for a while." Kenobi responded, a calculating tone in his voice.
Of all the people in the galaxy, Maul had gone to speak to his mortal enemy, hadn't killed him, or died by his hands, and then recruited him for a suicide mission despite Kenobi's prior obligations.
Ahsoka had to say, she was impressed.
Taking a step back from Obi-Wan, Ahsoka smiled. To say she was happy was an understatement. If Obi-Wan wanted to help, she wouldn't stop him.
"I'm glad you're here Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan smiled again. "As am I Ahsoka."
It was then that Ahsoka heard a fake cough behind her. Allowing a sly smile to come to her face she turned to face Kaeden, who seemed to be waiting with some sort of expectation.
"Kaeden Larte, this is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He trained my master. Obi-Wan, this is Kaeden Larte. She helped me after Order 66." Ahsoka made the introductions, making sure to introduce both with positive images.
Obi-Wan spoke first. "A pleasure. Thank you for looking after Ahsoka for me. She is clearly in good company."
Kaeden blushed at the compliment, before regaining her composure. "Thank you Master Jedi. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."
Maul chose that moment to interrupt. "So, why exactly are we here Kenobi?"
Ahsoka noted the way Obi-Wan flinched at the way Maul said his name. The Jedi master was clearly not yet used to working with his enemy. Still, if she knew Obi-Wan, in time, he would attempting to sass the Zabrak.
Ahsoka suspected that Maul would not appreciate that.
The elder Jedi turned slightly, pointing a direction with his hand. Ahsoka took a glance at where Kenobi was pointing. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than trees and fog, as well as swamp land.
But at another glance, Ahsoka saw something, hidden beneath the trees.
A cave.
"If we are to speak to the person who lives here, you must enter the cave Ahsoka." Obi-Wan spoke, as wise as the days of the republic.
Ahsoka had to admit, the idea of entering the dark cave before her unnerved her slightly. The whole area was creepy, and the force was clouded around her, as if concealing something.
But she trusted Obi-Wan. If she had to enter the cave, she would.
"Well, let's go then." Ahsoka spoke, leading the way.
"No, you must go alone." Obi-Wan interrupted, foreboding in his voice.
Now Ahsoka certainly didn't like this. But she didn't seem to have a choice.
Sighing, she continued forward, until a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Ahsoka gasped as she was pulled into an embrace by Kaeden, who seemed to be equally concerned about the situation.
"Be careful." Kaeden spoke, a commanding tone in her voice.
Ahsoka chuckled lightly, returning the offered embrace.
"I promise."
Pulling back from the hug, Ahsoka turned her head to nod at Maul, who in turn nodded back, understanding in his eyes, and then turned back around, and headed into the cave.
The cave was dark, as was expected of a cave, but something in the force was wrong with it. As if it was being manipulated by some sort of entity.
The foreboding atmosphere Ahsoka had felt earlier seemed to treble, a sense of danger being predominant in her feelings.
The area around her reminded Ahsoka of her dreams, of the nightmares were she had to endlessly wander a forest, listening to the voices of the deceased.
The whole place was wrong. Yet something pushed Ahsoka forward. Whoever Obi-Wan wanted to meet was apparently through the cave.
So the Togruta continued to push forward, deeper into the cave. She pushed past vines that fell from the roof, and stepped through the damp soil, her feet sinking slightly.
'I'm gonna have to clean my boots after this!' Ahsoka thought humorously for a second, before her montrals suddenly picked up movement.
Something was moving in front of her, hidden in the shadows of the cave. Was it the person Obi-Wan wanted to meet with?
Reaching into the force, Ahsoka felt a new signature, one that was familiar to her in some way, but also corrupted by the darkside.
It was cold, colder than any signature she had ever felt, par Sidious'.
And the strange familiarity to it made her fear it.
Then, another presence appeared in the force, this one lighter, yet equally familiar.
But unlike the corrupted presence, she could tell who this was in a second.
"Impossible!" Ahsoka whispered in dread. She could already tell what was about to happen.
Then, a voice echoed through the caves.
"Ahsoka. Why did you leave me?"
A figure appeared before her, walking out from the shadows to face her.
"I stood by you Ahsoka, when everyone abandoned you. Why did you leave?"
Ahsoka felt bile grow in her stomach as she recognized the figure before her. His brown hair, his tall broad figure, the scar over his eye.
And his eyes in general. They were blue.
"Anakin?" Ahsoka whispered, horrified at the image before her.
"That's right my padawan. Have you missed me?" The image of Anakin Skywalker spoke, nothing but love and compassion in his voice.
Ahsoka took a step backwards.
"No, you are dead. You became a monster."
The image of Anakin seemed shocked, as if he was actively responding to Ahsoka's comment. As if he was right there with her.
And that was the worst part of it all. Anakin was dead. So how could he be here now?
"Dead? I'm not dead Snips. I'll never leave you." The image of Anakin spoke again, still compassion, lacking any resemblance to Vader.
Despite the force screaming danger at her, Ahsoka reached a hand out for her master. The image responded in kind, reaching his own hand, his flesh one, out to her.
For a few brief moments, it appeared that master and padawan would be able to touch once more. Ahsoka wanted nothing more than to fall into his comforting embrace, as she had when she was a child. Anakin had always been her safety net in times of great struggle.
However, as their fingers neared, the force flared once again, and the darker presence, the one that was heavily corrupted appeared once again.
Suddenly, the snap hiss of the lightsaber could be heard, and a pair of red blades erupted through the chest of Anakin Skywalker.
"NO!" Ahsoka screamed, reaching forward for Anakin. The image of her master however evaporated instantly, disappearing forever.
Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Ahsoka looked up to the figure behind where Anakin had stood, to where his murdered was.
Instantly, she recognized the figure, and she froze in response.
"What's the matter Ahsoka? Scared of your future!"
It was her, the darker version of her. The one she had witnessed kill Ezra, then Rex, then Kaeden. The dark, corrupted version of the person she was.
Ahsoka Tano, corrupted by the darkside.
The shadow Ahsoka approached, crimson lightsabers ignited, clearly poised to strike at the real Ahsoka.
Rage built up inside of Ahsoka. This shadow was not her!
Reaching down to her waist, she gripped her lightsabers hilts, and ignited the white blades, dropping into a ready position.
The shadow version of herself smirked darkly, evil intent evident in her eyes.
"Finally, a challenge!"
The shadow attacked first, surprising Ahsoka with a fast barrage of strikes. Red clashed with white, much to the surprise of the real Ahsoka. Since when could visions actually touch reality?
Was this a vision? Was she the real Ahsoka?
Pivoting, the shadow tried another series of strikes, these ones aimed at Ahsoka's legs. The Togruta jumped over the crimson blades, before unleashing a series of swings herself at the shadow.
But the shadow countered, blocking the strikes as fast as Ahsoka could send them.
Then, the shadow jumped back, before raising her hand outwards.
Ahsoka didn't have time to evade as a stream of force lightning came barrelling towards her, knocking her back and sending sharp pains throughout her body.
"You are weak! I was weak! But now I am strong!" The shadow taunted, ending the lightning barrage, and attacking again.
Ahsoka recovered from the lightning quickly, bringing her sabers up in time to block the attacks made by her shadow.
The two entered into a saber lock, pushing against one another.
Across the red and white light, Ahsoka looked deeply into her shadow's golden eyes. They burned with fire, with hatred.
This version of her was terrifying.
"No, you are not me. I will never be you!" Ahsoka snarled, pushing again, breaking out of the saber lock and bringing her shoto upwards.
The blade connected with the hilt of one of the shadow's sabers, destroying it and leaving the shadow with one lightsaber.
"You will Ahsoka, you will. I am stronger without my so called friends. Your precious clone captain, the Jedi, the Sith pretender, all of them will betray you eventually. Most of them already have. I enjoyed killing them. Every single one, even that bitch Kaeden Larte!"
Ahsoka released a scream of pure fury, unleashing everything she had at the shadow. In doing so, she delved deep into her innate darkside, allowing her anger to guide her.
In a furious clash of blades, Ahsoka disarmed the shadow, who fell to her knees before Ahsoka, defiance in her eyes.
"Go on then. Do it!" The shadow taunted. It was then that Ahsoka realized she had her blade pointed right at her shadow's heart.
Ahsoka wanted to do it. She wanted to end this shadow.
But by doing so, she knew she would be doing it out of hatred.
When she had killed Vader, she had done so not out of hatred, but for the good of the galaxy.
Now however, she was faced with what she assumed was a vision of herself, one that did not truly exist. If she killed the shadow, she would be doing it out of hatred.
She would be no better than the Sith.
Taking a breath, Ahsoka extinguished her blades, stepping back from the shadow.
Expecting something to happen, Ahsoka was not surprised when the shadow of herself simply disappeared before her, leaving her in the dark cave alone.
Falling to her knees in despair, Ahsoka clutched her head, feeling a headache coming on.
She sat in silence for what seemed like a few hours, but was in truth a few seconds, before a familiar voice echoed through the cave.
"Strong with the force, you have become. A powerful Jedi you would have become. An equally powerful Sith you could be."
Shock filled Ahsoka at hearing a voice she had not heard in years. It couldn't be…
"Master Yoda?" Ahsoka called out, recognizing the familiar broken style of speech the old Jedi used.
"Tell me, why resist your darker side, did you?"
Yoda had always been cryptic at the best of times. If Ahsoka was to guess, she would assume that somehow, Yoda had influenced the vision she had just experienced as a test of some kind, to determine whether or not she was worth talking to.
"Because that's not who I am master." Ahsoka replied, seemingly speaking to a voice in her head.
"Hmmm, then who are you?" The voice of Yoda replied, patience present.
Ahsoka had thought long and hard about who she was now. About what she represented.
She was no Jedi, she was adamant about that. But she was no Sith either.
And despite what the Jedi had warned her about in the past, Ahsoka had found a middle path to walk. It was not a line of neutrality, like the Bendu on Atollon, but one that allowed her to exist both within the light and the dark. She belonged to no side.
Kanan was adamant in his beliefs. He was a Jedi Knight, and Ahsoka believed him. He acted the part, if not an unorthodox one at that.
So Ahsoka had taken a leaf out of her friend's book. Regardless of what the galaxy thought of her, she was what she said she was, opinion be damned.
"I am Ahsoka Tano. Servant of the light, who moves in the shadows."
Yoda seemed to chuckle at her response, but not in a condescending way. Instead, it was as if he was testing her own beliefs.
"Move in the shadows you do, but refuse the dark? Why? Makes you more powerful, the darkside, does it not?" Yoda questioned, forcing Ahsoka to doubt her own words.
In some aspect it was true. One Sith Lord was the equivalent of many Jedi. It had only taken the manipulations of one Sith to destroy the entirety of the Jedi order.
But at the same time the darkside made one vulnerable. They were often arrogant, so focused on achieving their goals that they were unable to see what was right in front of them.
Sidious seemed to be the exception to that rule, or at least Ahsoka thought. Surely he was not infallible.
Turning her train of thought back to Yoda's words, Ahsoka comprised her response.
"No, the darkside leaves you vulnerable to the light, as the lightside does to the dark. Only by achieving balance, by walking a path in the middle, can one find true success."
If fourteen year old Ahsoka could see her now, she was sure she would mock her older self for the very cryptic and Jedi like answer she had just produced. Hell she was sure Anakin would have mocked her for it as well.
But Ahsoka no longer cared what others thought of her path. It was hers to walk. And she walked it with pride.
"Balance you say. Hmmm, achieved it yet, you have not?"
Ahsoka felt a brief twinge of anger build up within her at Yoda's doubts.
"Strike down your old master you did. Why, out of anger? Vengeance?"
Ahsoka blinked once before replying. "He was a threat to the galaxy. I saved many lives by doing so."
Yoda continued from that point.
"Saved many, you did. But why, not strike down your shadow?"
Ahsoka released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding, and answered.
"Because I don't kill in anger. That is a tenant of the darkside."
Yoda replied instantly. "A practise of the Jedi, that is. But no longer a Jedi, you said you were."
That was true, Ahsoka had said that, many times in fact.
"I may no longer be a Jedi, but I hold many of their teachings sacred. They guide me on my path." Ahsoka replied honestly. She could not easily forget what she had learned in her youth. It had been ingrained into her from such a young age. It was as much a part of her as her montrals were.
"Neither Jedi nor Sith you claim to be, but use teachings of both you do. Opened a Sith holocron you did!" Yoda spoke, his tone turning more serious at the mention of the holocron.
"It could have provided important information to me. Help me defeat the Sith. The best way to defeat your enemy is…"
Yoda interrupted. "Understand them yes. Correct you are. Is that why you move in shadows? To understand?"
Ahsoka found herself nodding, even if Yoda was only a voice in her head. Realising what she was doing, she spoke.
"Yes master. I use the dark to understand them. To understand how to beat them with the light."
Yoda was silent for was few moments. Ahsoka began to think he had left her, not wanting to speak any longer. It wouldn't surprise her.
Then, the wise Jedi master spoke again, with an emotion that Ahsoka barely recognized in his voice.
One of pride.
"Strong grasp of understanding you have about yourself. Sure you are?"
Ahsoka's reply was instantaneous. "Yes Master Yoda. I am."
Yoda chuckled again. "Servant of the light you are. Walk in the dark you do. Powerful this makes you. Dangerous too. But sense I do, that a good heart you have. Not use your power for ill, will you."
Ahsoka allowed herself to smile, despite the current conditions of the cave she was in.
"Thank you Master Yoda. I'm glad you understand."
"Understand? Hmmm? Doubt understand you I ever will Ahsoka Tano. Your mission to take down the emperor? Best hope we have of ending this conflict?" Yoda spoke with humour, whilst simultaneously asking for what Ahsoka presumed was her opinion.
"Yes master. If we kill him, we can bring down the empire in one move."
Yoda seemed to mull this over for a few seconds before he spoke again.
"Then one request I have of you my friend?"
Ahsoka was surprised. Yoda very rarely asked for anything from anyone in such a way. And despite everything that had gone down between the two of them, she still respected his advice in a weird way.
"Of course master Yoda. Anything."
Suddenly, it was as if Ahsoka was pulled out the meditative state she hadn't even realized she had entered. She found herself back in the dark cave on her knees.
Raising her head from where it had dropped slightly, the Togruta jumped back in surprise at what was before her.
Standing before her in the cave, resting his weight on his trusty cane, was Master Yoda. His eyes bore into hers, analysing her, seeing through to her very soul.
And then he spoke.
"Old I am. But help, I wish to. Join your team, I desire. Have me, will you?"
Kaeden and the others had been waiting outside the cave for a good amount of time, and Kaeden was starting to grow worried. Whatever Ahsoka was doing in there was obviously private, given that neither Maul nor Kenobi made a move to follow.
The dark-skinned human woman could only hope that Ahsoka would emerge unharmed.
Both physically, and mentally.
It was then that Kaeden heard movement coming from inside the cave. Behind her, Maul approached, whilst Kenobi, who had been sat on a nearby fallen tree meditating, opened his eyes to watch.
A few tense seconds later, Ahsoka emerged looking no worse for wear.
Kaeden couldn't help breathe a sigh of relief, before moving forward to greet the Togrutan woman.
"You ok?" Kaeden asked. Ahsoka smiled back, bringing her hand up to squeeze Kaeden's shoulder.
"What happened in there?" Maul inquired next, confusion in his voice.
Expecting Ahsoka to answer, both Kaeden and Maul were surprised when another voice spoke first.
"Faced her fears, she has. Confident in who she is, Ahsoka Tano has become."
Kaeden watched as a small green figure existed the cave behind Ahsoka, hobbling along with a walking stick. It looked like some sort of rodent, one that was perhaps native to this planet.
Before she had a chance to ask, Kaeden heard Maul mutter under his breath.
"You've got to be kidding me? Another Jedi?"
Kaeden did a double take. This small green creature was a Jedi?
Not able to stop herself, Kaeden suddenly found herself unable to stop her mouth. "But, he's small and old. How can you be a Jedi?"
Silence filled the air. Maul had a look of surprise on his face, as did Ahsoka.
Kenobi didn't seem at all fazed by the disrespect.
But it was the green creature's expression that surprised Kaeden the most. His face was lit up with a smile, one that clearly showed humour.
Slowly, the creature lifted out a hand, and gently made an upwards gesture with it.
What happened next nearly cause Kaeden to scream in terror. She felt herself suddenly being lifted off of the ground, suspended in mid-air. She had seen the force at work before, even been the recipient of an interrogation technique or two courtesy of the Sixth Brother.
But she had never been lifted into the air before by it. It was surreal to experience it in such a way.
It was then that the green creature spoke.
"Old and small I may be, but with the force, still strong I am, Kaeden Larte."
Still suspended in the air, Kaeden's eyes widened at the creature saying her name.
"How do you know my name?" Kaeden questioned cautiously. What was going on?
"Seen you I have, in a vision. Stabilising element you have on Ahsoka. Important to her future, you are." The green creature spoke cryptically.
Glancing to the side, Kaeden locked eyes with Ahsoka. The Togruta's blue eyes held both mischief, and confusion within them. Mischief at Kaeden's current predicament, and confusion at the words of the Jedi.
"Ok, you can put me down now." Kaeden turned her attention back to the green creature, who chuckled at Kaeden's words, but released her gently. Kaeden felt her feet lightly touch the swamp beneath her. It was good to be on solid ground.
"Master Yoda I am." The green creature spoke, resuming his hold on his walking stick, before turning to Maul.
"Surprised I am, to see you here. A new path you seek?"
Maul seemed to almost snarl at the Jedi called Yoda, but refrained.
"Lady Tano has shown me a new path." That was all the Zabrak said, and clearly nothing more needed to be said, as Yoda seemed to hum once, accepting Maul's word.
It was then that Ahsoka spoke up.
"Master Yoda has agreed to help us with our mission."
"Yes, help I will. Much to do, there is." Yoda confirmed afterwards, humour still in his croaky voice. Kaeden had to admit, for a Jedi Master, Yoda was amusing to watch and listen to.
Shrugging her shoulders, still feeling weird from her experience with the force, Kaeden spoke.
"So, what now Ahsoka? We need to get to the meeting spot on Raada soon."
That much was true. There was now only a day before the team had agreed to meet on Raada. If they were going to make it, they had to leave soon. How time had flown by.
"Agreed. We should head there and get set up to wait for everyone." Ahsoka spoke, assuming command of the situation. The Togruta began to move back towards the ship she had arrived in with Kaeden, assuming that Maul would head back to the Nightbrother.
So it was a surprise when Maul did not move from his spot. Instead, his gaze had turned to the cave that Ahsoka had previously been in.
"Maul? You ok?" Ahsoka inquired, concern in her voice.
The Zabrak made a gesture for Ahsoka to leave without turning around to face her, before speaking.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to stay for a bit. I feel the need to enter the cave myself. I'll bring the Jedi along shortly."
That surprised Ahsoka. Why did Maul want to enter the cave? What was he hoping to find in there?
Still, she wouldn't argue. Maul knew what he was doing, and she was sure he wouldn't bail on her now.
"Ok. See you three later then." Ahsoka called out in reply.
Yoda nodded once, watching as Maul began to descend into the cave. Obi-Wan merely returned to his meditation.
Shrugging off the unexpected turn of events, Ahsoka fell in line with Kaeden as they two headed back into the cargo freighter owned by the Larte sisters, before setting course for Raada.
It was time to see who had been recruited.
Author's thoughts
First things first, sorry for the delayed update. Internet issues. Now, on with the thoughts.
Oh hi Yoda. Whats that? You want to join the team? Oh, ok then?
Again, like Obi-Wan, I know some people will not like Yoda joining the team becasue of canon plot reasons and such, but I wanted him involved, so there.
Besides, without Yoda, do they really stand a chance against Sidious?
Also... Yoda, why you speak backwards?! It makes your dialogue so hard to write!
Anyway, I'm glad the last chapter was well recieved, and that people like the inclusion of Kenobi into the story. Now lets only hope he survives huh?
Next time round we check in with a variety of different characters on both rebel and imperial sides, and witness someone make a shocking decision that could turn the entire tide of this suicide mission!
As normal, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
jamese765: Maul has no friends left by this point (except for Ahsoka in this AU) so he had to go and speak to an enemy instead. The irony is delicious.
WolveHulk: Yoda certainly is the oldest of the Jedi, but I'd question the wisest. :)
FossilQueen1984: I'm glad you are liking the direction of this story. People die in heist stories all the time. Look at 'Mission Impossible'.
LukeDude: I'm glad the chapter was worth the twenty odd chapter wait. It was a hard one to write as it needed to be believable for both characters.
Maul's character is a fun one to write now, as he is still evil, but with a side order of patient.
Suffice to say, Chopper's prank on Maul will be featured in a one shot.
And Yoda did come along. I hope that's ok?
And now, your questions:
1. Palpatine does have his cane, but it is mainly just for show. He can still kick some serious arse.
2. Ysalamir have had their appearances now. I don't want to overuse them too much. Maybe in a one shot thought. 'Thrawn and his pet Ysalamir'
3. The Death Star will have high security, but not too much otherwise it might draw attention to it. You will have to wait and see what there is.
4. I still don't have a name for the team, and don't want to call them Rogue One as it takes away the significance of the characters that have that title in canon.
Mogor: Kenobi is not tricking Maul, nor vice versa. They are both committed to helping Ahsoka end the threat of Sidious. While the protection of Luke and Leia is still a priority, it has gotten to the point where ther best way to protect them is to eliminate the emperor rather than wait and train them later. As for Han and Chewie, they will not appear, as I associate those characters closely with Luke and Leia, who aren't really involved in this story.
Cranky Paws: I'm glad you liked the direction of this chapter, as well as the relationship between Maul and Kenobi. I doubt the two of them will ever be friends, but we will have to see if they put their fued aside for good.
SWGoji2001: Looks like you were right about Yoda. I'm glad I was able to surprise you with Maul's recruit being Kenobi.
SLE's fave guest: Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahahaha!
Got you!
I was so internally happy when you guessed Obi-Wan early on, and couldn't wait for your reaction to the reveal. It was so worth it. :)
Sidious is certainly in trouble now, assuming they live long enough to face him that is.
Travis Middleton: I'm glad you liked the dynamic between Maul and Obi-Wan, as well as Maul's internal struggle.
Luke will be fine for a little while, I'm sure.
Mysterious Guest number one: I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one. Maul going for Kenobi is just perfect irony really. I couldn't resist it.
Mysterious Guest number two: Is there such a thing as watching too much Star Wars... nah!
I'm going to be honest, I very nearly had Maul say the 'you're our only hope line' to Kenobi, but then decided against it as it didn't really suit the situation, nor Maul's characters.
The Son/Daughter thing is a good idea. Poor Maul, voices in his head telling him what to do.
I'm glad you liked the numerous references as well. I do it to please the fans that will notice them. :)
Mysterious Guest number three: I'm glad you like my stories, that means a lot. I may have the stuff on Mortis come up at one point in a one shot, but not this story. Sorry.