Chapter 1

Two old enemies from decades beyond stand across from one another.

They spoken... briefly.

Before the short battle begin.

In mere seconds, it is over.

His grasp of the Force is too shaky for him to sustain. He expects to go into the hells the Dark Side has planned for him.

He. He didn't. Everything had happened too fast. Kenobi had...

His whole body hurt. Muscles spasms oddly, his entire body frozen and incapable of movement...

Darth Maul is dying. He had been struck down by Kenobi before. Only this time, the Force nor the Dark Side can save him. He is going to die on this dust ball of a planet at the hands of one of his hated enemy. The one who crippled him in their first fight. The one who is at the forefront of his mind in seeking out revenge. There is no one else aside from his old master that the Zabrak from Dathomir craved dead for all the agony that the Jedi caused him in his life.

It did not ended how it should have. Maul should have embedded his lightsaber into his abdomen and find the Chosen One and train him... But now that is impossible.

He failed yet again.

And yet, the Jedi showed him mercy by holding him. No mocking. No boasting. No witty comebacks over defeating the Sith. Just calm acceptance. It should have infuriated the Zabrak, but his rage had faded with his body. There are still questions. What is the one who Kenobi is protecting?

Maul can only think of one reason but needs to hear it from the Jedi's own mouth.

"Tell me. Is it the chosen one?" Maul asks while Kenobi holds him close to his chest.

The old Jedi looks at him with something close to sadness and sympathy.

"He is," Obi-Wan responds with conviction in his voice.

"He…will…avenge us," Maul murmurs, finding himself a bit hopeful.

The entire galaxy is turning blank, the face of his arch nemesis is fading more and more...

Life has abandoned him just like the Sith has.

Perhaps it is about time that he is placed out of his misery...

"Maul..."

Maul finds himself surrounded by stars. Up. Down. Left. Right. There it is all around him. He has caused nothing but death and destruction to everything around him. He lived a life full of vengeance and anger. Why is he in such a beautiful place?

"I can answer your confusion," the voice states.

It is the Jedi Master he killed on Naboo all those decades ago. Qui-Gon Jinn.

"You. You brought me here," Maul states coldly, his eyes going wide as he regards Qui-Gon Jinn.

"I am not your enemy, Maul. I never was. Neither was Obi-Wan. You have been used your entire life by Sidious." Jinn states sympathetically.

"Why? Why did you drag me to this place? Have you expected for me to repent?"

"Your destiny could have been different, Maul. Sidious manipulated you. You cannot blame Obi-Wan for everything that went wrong."

Old rage burns up. "Kenobi cut off my legs and killed me. I have every right to want revenge against that blasted Jedi!"

"And you killed his Master and lover in his arms. He'd been where you were before. You both have a lot in common and suffered greatly because of Sidious." Qui-Gon responds neutrally..

Maul cannot respond to that. Once, it would have fueled him with anger but now he comes to a realization. Maul feels an epiphany slowly rising. Kenobi was a victim of the Sith just like Maul was. He lost his Apprentice.

Like Kenobi, Maul lost everything...

"I admit that you have a point," the Zabrak replies coldly, closing his eyes and swallowing down the bitter feelings. After a full minute, they pass successfully, and Maul couldn't help but feel free.

"You are responsible for many crimes, causing death and destruction to innocents, contributed in pain and suffering for the galaxy and for the Jedi likewise. But you were also a victim."

He can feel something clenching up around him. It have been there before, briefly when Bridger turned his offer down, another time when Maul have failed to save Savage. Guilt...

"...Why?"

Instead of giving him an answer, Qui-Gon Jinn simply walks around him, "Given the chance, Son of Dathomir, would you amend everything you've done?"

Maul is surprised. "What do you mean?"

Qui-Gon stares, seemingly amused. "If you were able to reverse everything, all the deaths that you have caused, putting an end to the Sith Master for years, preventing Anakin from falling the Dark Side. Would you go back?"

What is Jinn's point? Maul had been an animal for so long. What does the Jedi want out of this? Why had he brought him here instead of allowing the Dark Side to claim him?

Just how to respond to this? To stop Kenobi from losing his Master and go against his Master's plans? To guarantee that Skywalker does not become the Padawan of Sidious?

"...Yes."

"What was that, my friend?"

Maul replies. "I would fix everything I could." When Qui-Gon smiles, Maul scowls. "Do not misunderstand me, Jinn, I would never renounce the Dark Side. I still serve that above everything else."

Golden eyes turn to expect gray ones.

"But... I realise now that those innocents didn't deserve to die. The genocide of innocents weren't the right thing to do, I admit that much."

Jinn turns to him with a kind smile. "So you would go back to fix your mistakes."

It is not a question. It is a statement, a fact.

Maul scowls. What is he-? And suddently Maul feels pressure lifted from him, looking down to see his legs restored. "What... What is this...?"

"You still have much to do, Maul." Qui-Gon says from afar. "You can make better decisions. Redemption is possible for everyone. Just remember to call upon the Force in its entirety and not just the Dark."

Maul looks, swearing an oath to not disappoint the Jedi. He would stop this.

The form of Qui-Gon nods...

Memories of lifetimes away suddenly goes through him. He sees things-

(-Maul descending downwards, no legs, defeated, shocked...)

(-Savage dying in his arms-)

(-Lady Tano refusing to listen to him on Mandalore-)

(-Maul begging for Tano to release him and let him die-)

(-Maul spending his years lost in the galaxy loathing this Empire and only using his fuel for Kenobi-)

Now...

Now he sees something he never saw before...

(-Skywalker and Obi-Wan locked in lightsaber battle surrounded by lava, anger on Skywalker's face, pain and resignation on Kenobi's-)

(-countless Jedi on the ground like discarded dolls, their empty faces more surprised than afraid-)

(-the monster that is Darth Vader storming through, cutting through anyone who gets in his way-)

(-a boy - the true Chosen One no doubt - staring at the sunset with hopeful vigor -)

(-Kenobi falling at the hands of the machine that once been Anakin Skywalker)

(-the Force striving from darkness returning to a balance that Maul never seen before-)

The Zabrak is no longer fading. He is... sitting? On a speeder?

In a distance, the Naboo Royal Starship is waiting. Maul finally comes to a harsh realization. He is back on Tatooine, going directly for Jinn and Skywalker!

"Anakin, drop!" Jinn shouts.

Maul finds himself clamping down harshly onto the speeder's controls, breaking the vehicle away from Not-Vader before it could have crashed against the child, and jumping off.

Jinn's expression morphs in distaste as he draws his green lightsaber.

"Anakin, get to the ship."

Maul looks at the boy before regarding Jinn. He squashes down the desire of wanting to draw his lightsaber.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, you have no idea of the danger awaiting you."

Jinn's expression morphs into further distaste before he charges forward. Maul activates his lightsaber, realizing suddenly that this is his old hilt, as Jinn comes crashing down upon him.

The old Jedi is obviously unprepared for someone of Maul's caliber. The Zabrak continues to swing his lightsaber around him once he accustoms to the hilt, moving quickly as he tears at the Jedi's defensives.

Unlike last time, Kenobi rushes in, blue lightsaber sparking to life. He attacks Maul, using the form that the Zabrak recognizes as Ataru. As the battle continues on Maul cannot help but wonder. Where is the grace of Soresu that has been evident in their last few battles throughout the Clone Wars?

While they may have been able to stand against him a lifetime ago, now Maul is ahead of them in all fields. He can stand against the Master of the Order himself and perhaps emerge victorious...

Maul pushes his hilt up against Jinn's face, and while he could have taken the advantage as he did many years ago, the Zabrak twirls around him and drives his fist into his gut, causing the Jedi Master to reach for that area with a gasp...

Now it is just Kenobi and Maul...

Ironic.

Kenobi's brash and arrogance is palpable for the Zabrak to see as he continues to try to push him back. Another twist in irony is that Maul is now using Soresu, rapidly deflecting every blow as they lands, eventually driving Kenobi's hilt out of his hand.

Instead of decapitating his head as he would have at one point, the Zabrak calls for both Jedi's lightsabers, placing them on his belt.

Maul regards them both before staring at the Jedi Master.

"Jinn, I am not your enemy," Maul assures, deactivating his lightsaber, much to the surprise of both Jedi. "Let's negotiate. First, ease your companions minds."

Jinn frowns but is surprised when 'truth' rings through the Force. He does so, speaking into the com, and seconds later the ship descends.

"The boy is the Chosen One," Maul speaks. "He is destined to bring balance to the Force."

Kenobi pales. "You knew?"

Maul eyes him. "Yes; originally I was to carry my Master's plan, but I had a vision. I would have gut Jinn, and you would have been the one who trained the Chosen One. My Master would have betrayed me and I cannot allow him to rule this galaxy so I offer an alliance with you Jedi to stop him."

Both Jedi are petrified by this, staring at one another, before the oldest respond.

"How do we know that you wouldn't betray us?" Jinn asks.

Great point.

Maul looks at the floor before staring up at the Jedi. "I swear on my brother's behalf I would never betray you nor present a problem for the Jedi."

A oath that Maul promises to keep.

The Zabrak floats their hilts back into their hands.

"Undoubtedly a false promise," Kenobi spits arrogantly, activating his blue lightsaber and charging forward yet again.

Maul ignites his lightsaber in irritation when Jinn blocks the strike.

"Master, what are you doing?!"

"He's not a threat. I can feel it through the Force." Jinn states, staring at his Apprentice with a raised eyebrow. "Now deactivate your lightsaber."

"He's a Sith-"

"You must put your personal feelings aside, my young Padawan."

Maul stares at both of them with a slight smirk across his lips as Kenobi pouts and deactivates his lightsaber. Jinn does so next, and so does Maul.

"Lead us aboard, Jinn, we have a lot to discuss," Maul says, planting his hands behind his back and walking behind the Jedi.

His former Master would be in for quite a shock when they land on Coruscant.

Maul would truthfully love seeing it and break each of his plans one by one. He would see that the true Chosen One is trained by the Jedi if only to teach him the power of the Dark Side later when the boy's ready to learn control.

The Zabrak would make sure the boy go against everything that Sidious loves. Sidious loves the Sith, and so Maul would see the Sith in his image following the Rule of Two crash.

He would make better decisions this time around, even though Maul would hold bitter feelings at having to control the Dark Side instead of unleashing it on all.

He would settle for it. After all, stopping Sidious and killing that bastard would be satisfying.

Maul thinks bitterly.

"You have won once, my Master, you will not win again."

Arthur's note: I have recently discovered how much I love the character of Darth Maul and was horrified that there's barely any fics of him time traveling to the Phantom Menace. I have tried and failed with many characters time traveling because they were boring and already used ideas or I didn't know that much about them. Darth Maul is someone who I can use in many ways.

There are going to be several pairings in this fic. Maul x Sabé, Anakin x Padmé, and Obi-Wan x Siri is all that comes to mind currently. Of course there's going to be more but I want to use this fic to do something unique. I hope you all join me in this journey.

May the Force be with you all always.