"Maul!"

Ahsoka was shocked to say the least. What was he doing here? An Inquisitor was bad enough, but Maul. A full-fledged Sith Lord. Was she cursed with some obscene bad luck recently?

Suffice to say she didn't have time to deliberate. Instead she summoned her sabers to her hands, igniting the blades and taking a ready stance. She knew how Maul fought. She'd gone against him before on Mandalore. He favoured fast pace attacks like she did. And she had outwitted him before too. If she could when she was a teenager, she could do it again.

That didn't mean she was underestimating the Zabrak. He had fought Jedi to standstills before. Even Obi-Wan had reiterated to her once that Maul was dangerous. After all he had killed Qui Gon Jinn. So Ahsoka prepared, ignoring any bruising from her recent falls. She had to be at the top of her game for this fight.

But Maul just stood there...watching. Not moving. Barely batting an eyelid at her. What was he doing?

"Really my dear, I'm mean you no harm. After all, we seek the same goal." Maul began, resting his weight on what looked to be a walking stick of some kind. On closer inspection, Ahsoka noticed the sheen on metal protruding from one end of the stick. His lightsaber.

Ahsoka weighed her options. If she attacked first, he would have to waste precious time drawing his blade, thus allowing her to close the gap. However, Maul was also proficient with the darkside of the force. No doubt he would respond with a push or choke to counter her advance.

That left Ahsoka with the option of patience, a trait she had worked hard to perfect over the years. The Maul she met on Mandalore would have attacked her outright. This Maul however seemed more reluctant. Perhaps he too had learned patience. So she waited for him to make the first move.

"Please, put you weapons away so we may have a more civil conversation Lady Tano."

"Why should I trust you?" Ahsoka responded, steel in her voice. She was in no mood for games.

"I never said anything about trust." Maul returned, still calm, unmoving.

"You asked me to put away my lightsabers. Then what, huh? You attack?" Ahsoka was growing frustrated. What did the Sith want with her?

"Firstly, if I was going to attack you I would have by now Tano." Maul too was beginning to grow impatient. "Secondly, we both know that neither of us would emerge victorious in a fight such as this. We are evenly matched. Therefore it is in our benefit to work together to traverse this place."

'Ah, so that was what he's after.' Ahsoka thought. Like her, Maul was stuck in this place. But that still didn't make sense. Maul was powerful. What was stopping him from advancing?

She decided to ask.

"You need my help? For what? Company?" Ahsoka allowed some of her dormant snippiness to come through.

"My dear I can assure you that you company is the last I desire right now. It is merely in our best interests to work together."

Ok, this was getting ridiculous. Maul was purposefully evading her line of questioning. And her patience had snapped. She raised one of her blades, pointing it at Maul's throat.

"Tell me everything now. Why are you here? And why should I trust you." Ahsoka demanded. "Refuse to tell me, and I'll end you here and now."

Not the most Jedi like negotiations.

But she was no Jedi.

Not anymore.

"I came to this world in hopes of finding something to destroy the Sith. But on arrival my ship crashed. I've been stranded since." Maul finally cooperated. But it wasn't enough for Ahsoka to lower the sabers.

"What's here that is worth all this effort?" She inquired. If anyone knew what was inside the temple, it would be the Sith Lord himself.

"Knowledge. Information. Power. All necessary tools to destroy Sidious for everything he had done." Maul snarled, spitting the name of the Sith master with venom.

"And you need my help why?" Ahsoka continued.

"Because you seek the same as I do. Together, we are weak. But united against a common foe, we can succeed." Maul finished. Ahsoka knew he was withholding information. But what could she expect from a Sith Lord.

"You keep mentioning wanting to destroy the Sith, but you are one yourself Maul." Ahsoka reminded the Zabrak.

Maul snarled in response.

"The Sith took EVERYTHING from me. Tortured me. Enslaved me. Used me. I no longer hold any loyalty to them. I am as much a Lord of the Sith as you are a Knight of the Jedi, Lady Tano!"

Ahsoka wanted to deny his words. That it was just Sith manipulation to let get her to let her guard down. But somehow, she knew there was an element of truth in Maul's words. He had been a slave to Sidious, cast aside when he was no longer needed. And that had made him angry. If Maul sought vengeance against the man who had taken Anakin from her, she was willing to cooperate, for now.

"In what confidence can I say that you will not harm me or my friends?" Ahsoka asked. This was the decider. How Maul responded would shape her choice.

"I have no animosity towards you or your Jedi friends, despite our previous encounter on Mandalore. The Sith and their Inquisitor puppets are as much of a threat to you as they are to me. Together, and only together can we retrieve the knowledge within the temple. What we do afterwards is open to debate another time." Maul concluded.

The logic was there. An alliance with Maul, whether temporary or not would be beneficial to the mission. It wasn't like she had to be friends with him.

Ahsoka extinguished her lightsabers. Before her, Maul smiled and relaxed his shoulders.

"Alright Maul. Deal, for now. But if you betray the opportunity I'm giving you..." Ahsoka gestured with her hands, indicating her sabers towards Maul.

Maul smiled in response.

"I would expect nothing less from you Lady Tano. Now come, we have a journey ahead. I will fill you in on the workings of this temple as we go."