"Lady Tano, we do not have time to discuss who knows..."
Maul had barely opened his mouth, hoping to brush off Ahsoka's comment about her former master, when the Togruta in question grabbed him and slammed him against a nearby wall, growling and presenting her sharp teeth that were universal among Togruta. The woman snarled at Maul, clearly attempting to intimidate him into submission. If Maul hadn't been trained by a Sith Lord such as Sidious, he was sure he would buckle. In the dark of the temple, surrounded by dust and a red hue, Ahsoka Tano looked fearsome.
Maul made no move to arm himself. If she wanted answers, she would get them. For the good of this alliance.
"Tell me what you know about Anakin!" Ahsoka demanded.
"Is it not obvious Lady Tano? The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic declares the Jedi as traitors and orders their execution. Within hours he is accompanied by a new Sith Lord by the name of Vader. When would he have had the time to train a new apprentice? It only makes sense that he converted a Jedi, as he did with Dooku." Maul spoke simply, stating evidence that up till now had eluded Ahsoka, as it had many. How did she miss it?
"As to his true identity, it was no secret that Sidious was fond of Skywalker, and would see him as the ultimate prize. By removing both you and Kenobi from the question, he forced Skywalker close to him. Forced Skywalker to rely on him. Forced Skywalker to trust him."
Maul's statement was everything that Ahsoka hadn't wanted to hear. By leaving Anakin, she had only pushed him closer to the Sith Lord.
"I do not know the details Lady Tano, only that the man you once knew is no more. Now he is out for you for one reason alone." Maul's statement became cryptic.
"Let me guess. To erase his past." Ahsoka finished for Maul, releasing him from his position pinned against the wall.
"No Lady Tano. No doubt he seeks you to be his apprentice!"
The Eighth Brother's situation could be worse. Malachor itself was not exactly a homely place to be in the first place. No that he particularly minded. The darkside was strong here.
No, the fact that he was on Malachor at the mercy of two Jedi pretenders was what really annoyed him. They hadn't even outwitted him fairly. He was only stuck due to the actions of an archaic astromech droid. As soon as he was free, the droid would be the first to go. He didn't understand the Seventh Sister's love of droids.
The Eighth Brother looked up at the two Jedi before him. Jarrus and Bridger. He'd read the dossier on the two. Killed the Grand Inquisitor. Responsible for the actions of the rebel cell known as Phoenix Squadron. They would be a formidable catch.
Except they had caught him. And that they were not his current target.
"Kriff"
"What did you say?" Jarrus spoke to him first, clearly hearing the cursive produced by the Eighth Brother.
'Well then.' The Inquisitor thought. 'Time to have some fun.'
"I called you a mockery of a Jedi."
The insult seemed to have little effect on Jarrus, who smiled?
"Thank you." The Jedi responded.
"Says the Inquisitor who got caught by his targets." Bridger interrupted, clearly more offended by the Inquisitor's remark than his master. So that was who he had to target.
Jarrus spoke next. "You're the fourth Inquisitor we've encountered. How many of you are there?"
So it was numbers the Jedi was after. This would be fun.
"More than enough for the two of you." The Inquisitor shifted his gaze to Bridger. "Nothing can save you now."
Bridger's face contorted in anger, with a hint of fear. Good. The statement had the effect the Inquisitor had intended. If he could just incite the right amount of fear into the boy, then maybe, just maybe he could use that to his advantage.
"You were surprised when you saw us earlier. Why? I thought all Inquisitors would be searching for us." Jarrus attempted to interrogate again. The Inquisitor produced a harsh cackle in response.
"Don't flatter yourself Master Jedi, not everyone is looking for you. I have more important targets to chase."
"Yeah, like force sensitive children you monster. They are innocent, and you kidnap them for your experiments." Bridger was growing more and more unsettled by the Inquisitors presence, as well is statements. The interrogation was going in the favour of the Eighth Brother and he knew it.
"Who, or what are you hunting if not us?" Jarrus asked, clearly losing his patience too.
The Eighth Brother decided to humour the two Jedi, if not only to incite more fear and unrest into them.
"A shadow!"
"Why would Vader want me as his apprentice?" Ahsoka questioned, clearly perplexed by the very notion.
"It is the Sith's way to train an apprentice to help destroy the Sith master. Your neutrality in the force, and your evident willingness to utilize both the light and the dark make you a prime target for a Sith Lord. Furthermore, your past experiences with the Jedi and your repressed anger and hatred at them only makes you stronger. You would make a good Sith Lady, Ahsoka Tano." Maul was clearly enjoying this. Trying to rip apart all of Ahsoka's insecurities. And to some extent it was working.
Ahsoka began to doubt herself. Her conviction. Was she a Jedi? A Sith? Or something in between? Long had she battled herself, trying to figure herself out, both after she left the Jedi, and after Order 66.
"Never." Ahsoka muttered under her breath.
"What?" Maul spoke back, clearly unsure of her stance.
"Never. I will never become a Sith. I may not be a Jedi anymore Maul, but I will never stoop to your level of darkness." Ahsoka was resolute in her conviction now. She was Ahsoka Tano. She belonged to no one.
"And what of Vader. When he demands you stand by his side once more. When he threatens to destroy everything you have. What will you do? Grant him mercy because of his past? Of what he once was to you?" Maul argued, approaching Ahsoka and getting in her face.
Ahsoka didn't know what she would do. She knew what she should do. But did she have the strength to?
She decided to give Maul the answer he wanted, even if she was unsure of the truth behind it.
"No, Vader dies when I meet him. He deserves no mercy, despite who he once was to me."
Maul seemed to accept her bluff, even if Ahsoka was unsure herself. He nodded his head and stepped back from the Togruta's personal space.
"Good. Vader is yours to kill. As Sidious is mine." Maul finished, walking off down a corridor of the Sith temple, leaving Ahsoka in his wake.
"Damn it Ahsoka, what have you got yourself into this time." Ahsoka whispered to herself. When she could produce no immediate answer, she shook her thoughts clear, and followed Maul further into the Sith temple's corridors.