"So, the rumors are true, Darth Maul lives," the Seven Sister observed as she activated her lightsaber's spinning feature for a second and stared at the Zabrak as he walked towards them as Kanan and both Mandalorians stared at him.
"Formerly Darth, now just Maul," Maul corrected the Mirialan as he continued to slowly walk away from the temple's entrance.
"Ezra, step away from him!" Kanan warned Ezra as he knew who Maul was and what he did to his and Sabine's people during the Clone Wars.
"Kanan, he's not our enemy… at least not right now!" Ezra told him.
"Who's to say he'll backstab us once he gets what he wants," Sabine said, arguing with her husband.
"Perhaps my actions will speak louder than words," Maul suggested as he detached a lightsaber that looked like it was made from parts of an Inquisitor's one as it had a part of the ring-shaped hilt that an Inquisitor's lightsaber had from his cane before igniting it with two crimson colored blades appearing from both ends of the hilt.
The Zabrak then narrowed his eyes as he stared at the two Purge Troopers before he used the Force to throw his lightsaber towards them. As the saber was being propelled by the Force, it moved at a very high speed as the Purge Troopers barely had enough time to register the threat of the lightsaber's crimson blades and raise their electrostaffs. There was a flash of sparks as their electrostaffs malfunctioned and exploded, sending the Purge Troopers flying back, stunned and incapacitated as they were thrown off of the Sith temple, killing them instantly. The lightsaber then flew back into Maul's right hand before he jumped towards the three Inquisitors and began to battle them before he kicked the Seventh Sister backwards with his cybernetic right foot.
"What are we waiting for?" Ezra asked as he reignited his lightsaber as Maul swirled his lightsaber around as he approached the Fifth Brother before kicking him back a bit with his left cybernetic foot before seeing the two other Inquisitors running towards him, only for the Zabrak to jump backwards and avoided their sabers before clashing his with the Seventh Sister's for a brief second.
The Eighth Brother suddenly leaped between Maul and the Mirialan and clashed their sabers together before he kicked the Terrelian Jango Jumper out of the way with his cybernetic right foot as he clashed his saber with the Seventh Sister's again.
"Why would you come here?" The Seventh Sister asked him.
"He knows of the artifact!" The Fifth Brother stated as Kanan clashed his saber with his own as Sabine clashed her lightsaber with his saber as well, while Ahsoka clashed one of her lightsabers with the Eighth Brother's.
"The holocron, do you have it?" The Eighth Brother asked Maul.
"You will find out soon enough," Maul answered.
"Fall back!" The Seventh Sister ordered as she and the other two Inquisitors used their lightsabers as propellers again as they flew away from the Sith temple and retreated from the Jedi Knight, both Mandalorians, Ahsoka and Maul.
"Maul, what game are you playing?" Ahsoka asked Maul.
"The end game, Lady Tano. The end game," Maul answered as he dropped a wooden stick that he was using as a part of his lightsaber when using it as a cane with his left hand, "I am the enemy of your enemy now, and I have my own reasons for wanting the Empire to fall." He then inhaled deeply, "But we have little time. The one they call Vader will be here soon."
"How do you know this?" Kanan asked him.
"His dogs will tell him where we are," Maul answered as he deactivated his saber and turned around as he clipped his lightsaber onto the left side of his belt before Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka did the same and clipped their lightsabers back onto their belts, "One Jedi, two Mandalorian ones and a part timer. Oh, he will come. He will not be able to resist us."
"Okay, hold on, there is no us. Dealing with Inquisitors is one thing. Vader is another," Kanan argued, "And I'm not convinced we're all on the same side anyway."
"Kanan's right. We can't forget what Maul did to our people during the Clone Wars," Sabine said, agreeing with Kanan as the Jedi Knight crossed his arms, "He's caused enough pain and destruction. Ezra, we need to remember our history and be cautious."
"Kanan, Sabine, we should trust him for the moment. See what he knows," Ezra said before he took out the Sith holocron with both of his hands, "Uh, look! He and I took this from the temple together! This is why we came here, right? To find out about the Sith. To find a way to beat them. Ahsoka, you said we came here for knowledge."
"Isn't that a Sith holocron?" Sabine asked Kanan and Ahsoka.
"It is, Sabine," Ahsoka said, confirming her suspicions before turning towards Ezra, "Ezra, there is no way a Jedi can unlock that holocron."
"But you may unlock the Temple itself," Maul offered.
"What do you mean, unlock the Temple?" Ezra asked him, "How does this holocron help?"
"At the top of the temple is a chamber. Connect the holocron to the obelisk within and you can unlock the ancient knowledge of the Sith," Maul explained.
"Why are you working so hard to keep us here?" Ahsoka asked Maul as he walked past them.
"I cannot defeat Vader alone," Maul answered.
"So, you know who he is then?" Ahsoka asked him.
"He is what I should have been," Maul answered.
"I hate to say it, but I say we stay with him," Ezra told Kanan.
"If it's a way to defeat the Sith, then I'm in," Sabine said, agreeing with her husband.
"Yeah, I say we go, so that settles it," Kanan told them.
"Are you such cowards that you would run from this chance to defeat your enemies?" Maul scoffed as he turned back around towards them, "Who slaughter your family and friends?"
"Kanan?" Ezra said as he looked at his and Sabine's master, who looked at Ahsoka as she nodded at him, telling him that she agrees with both Mandalorians.
"Chopper, we're staying for a while," Kanan said as he took his comlink out with his right hand after he sighed before Chopper grunted a response, "Yeah, I know it's a bad idea. Just scan for incoming ships and keep the Phantom out of sight." Chopper then grunted another response.
"Oh, how exciting. We're all on the same side," Maul stated as he approached Kanan on his left side.
"Just show us to get to the top, and hurry," Kanan ordered him.
"This way," Maul said before he began to show them how to get to the top of the temple, while one of the Seventh Sister's seeker droids watched and recorded parts of their conversation from above in a hiding spot around the temple.
"He and I took this from the temple together! And this is why we came here, right? To find out about the Sith!" The three Inquisitors heard a recording that the Seventh Sister's seeker droid took of Ezra say as they stood around the Sith temple with the Eighth Brother standing on a collapsed pillar above the other two Inquisitors.
"The Mandalorian, Ezra Bridger has the holocron," the Seventh Sister realized.
"We cannot let him use it," the Fifth Brother stated.
"I will reclaim it!" The Eighth Brother said before he reignited his lightsaber and jumped away as the Fifth Brother grabbed his lightsaber from his back as he went to stop him.
"Wait! Let him thin them out, then we will retrieve Lord Vader's prize," the Seventh Sister told him.
"Now what?" Kanan asked Maul as the five of them approached one of the corners of the temple as the former Sith placed his left hand on one of the walls, causing it to slowly descend down towards them, revealing that it was a lift.
"Wow!" Ezra said with amazement in his voice before he walked onto the lift with Sabine following him as Maul did the same.
"Only three," Maul told Kanan as he held up his left hand's index and middle fingers as the Jedi Knight approached him, "No more, no less."
"Yeah? Well, these three come as a triad," Kanan retorted as he pushed Maul off the lift with both of his hands before he looked at Ahsoka as he stood next to Ezra and Sabine on the lift, "You okay riding with Grandpa?"
"I'll be fine," Ahsoka assured him as Maul placed his left hand on the temple's wall, causing the lift to power back up as it slowly began to rise upwards towards the top of the temple.
"Ezra, listen to me, he's using you," Kanan told Ezra as he placed his right hand over the left pauldron of Ezra's armor.
"Are you ever gonna trust me to think for myself?" Ezra asked him, "To follow my instincts?"
"I do trust you, Ezra," Kanan told him.
"Ez'ika, remember what he did to our people after he took the Darksaber from Pre Vizsla after he defeated him in a trial by combat in the throne room within Sundari when we were toddlers," Sabine reminded her husband, "We can't forget that. We need to be highly cautious around him."
"I know. I'm just trying to see what he's planning," Ezra told them, "And besides, we could use him as a strength against the Sith… for now."
"All right, Ezra," Kanan sighed, "Just be careful."
"Yeah, be careful around him, Ezra," Sabine said, agreeing with their master.
"I will," Ezra assured them as the lift neared the top when he suddenly saw the Eighth Brother flying towards them with his lightsaber as he was using it as a propeller again, "Look out!"
Just then, the Terrelian Jango Jumper kicked Kanan backwards with his left foot before the Jedi Knight landed on his stomach as both Mandalorians grabbed their lightsabers from their armors' belts with their left hands and ignited them before they charged at the Inquisitor with Ezra clashing his lightsaber with the Eighth Brother's lightsaber a few times.
The Terrelian Jango Jumper then kicked Ezra from behind with his left foot, causing the Mandalorian to grunt as he fell onto the ledge and began holding onto it with his right hand as he was about to fall off as the Eighth Brother clashed his lightsaber with Sabine's a few times before he kicked her back a bit with his left foot as well.
"Give me the holocron!" The Eighth Brother demanded Ezra before he deactivated his lightsaber's blades and activated a saw-like feature from it, which began spinning around as he slowly moved it towards the Mandalorian's right hand.
"Ezra!" The Mandalorian suddenly heard Maul calling his name as he and Ahsoka with their lightsabers ignited as the Zebrak rushed towards the Inquisitor as the Eighth Brother deactivated his lightsaber's saw-like feature and reignited its blades as Maul clashed his saber with the Terrelian Jango Jumper's lightsaber as Ahsoka rushed over to Kanan to see if the Jedi Knight was alright as Sabine helped her husband up with her right hand.
Maul then extended his left hand out towards the Eighth Brother as he used the Force to push the Inquisitor off the temple before the Terrelian Jango Jumper used his lightsaber as a propeller as he used it to fly away again as Ahsoka helped Kanan back up to his feet as Maul deactivated his lightsaber before they saw the other two Inquisitors using their lightsabers as propellers to fly around the temple.
"Looks like they figured out your plan," Kanan told Maul.
"Then we shall alter it," Maul said as he crossed his arms, "I recommend that we split up and scale the Pyramid from two sides. They will also divide their forces."
"And let me guess, Ezra goes with you?" Kanan surmised, "No thanks."
"It is the logical choice," Maul reasoned.
"I saw we split up," Ezra said, agreeing with the former Sith, "Trust me." Kanan then sighed as he knew that it was useless to argue with him.
"Excellent, excellent," Maul said as he and Ezra walked onto a lift in front of them, "You will find another lift on the far side, we will meet again on the next terrace." He then placed his right hand on the wall next to him, causing the lift that he and Ezra were on to begin to slowly rise upwards.
"He'll be fine," Ahsoka assured Kanan.
"Ahsoka's right," Sabine said, agreeing with the Togruta as she walked with her, "Ezra will be fine."
"Yeah? How do you both know that?" Kanan asked them.
"Because you taught him," Ahsoka answered as she stopped walking and turned around to look at him as she smiled.
"And besides, he's a Mandalorian like me after all," Sabine added as she stopped walking as well, causing Kanan to smile as well before they began to walk around the temple to its next lift.
"The dark side fights without mercy, without remorse," Maul told Ezra as the lift they were on continued to rise upwards, "If you want to be victorious, you need to find the same strength inside you."
"Kanan always said fighting is a last resort, not a first," Ezra stated, "Especially for Mandalorians like me and Sabine."
"Ezra, you were given your gift for one reason, to use it," Maul explained as he placed his left hand over the right pauldron of Ezra's armor, "Can I count on you?"
Maul lowered his left arm as the lift reached the top before he and Ezra walked off the lift as one of the Seventh Sister's seeker droids spied on them as they began to walk towards a flight of stairs, where a few petrified remains of the ancient cataclysm that happened on the planet were at as it and two more of the Seventh Sister's seeker droids hovered behind them.
The seeker droids then began to fly down towards them as Ezra and Maul reignited their lightsabers as the seeker droids began firing blaster bolts from their built-in blasters at them with both Force-Sensitives using their sabers to deflect the blaster bolts as they walked backwards onto the steps behind them as the blaster bolts that they deflected with their lightsabers were then deflected back at the seeker droids, destroying them on contact.
Maul then jumped towards a seeker droid as two more appeared and slashed two of them with his lightsaber as the one the Maul didn't destroyed fired a blaster bolt from its built-in blaster at Ezra, which he evaded as an Inquisitor's lightsaber was thrown towards him from behind with the Force before he used his saber to knock it back up the stairs before it landed back in the Seventh Sister's right hand as she stood at the top of the stairs as he mask retracted before she laughed as Maul twirled his lightsaber around as he and Ezra rushed towards her.
"That doesn't sound good!" Kanan said as he heard Ezra yelled as he, Sabine and Ahsoka traveled up the other lift as it was ascending up the temple.
"I agree, Kanan and it sounds like he's in trouble," Sabine muttered, agreeing with her master as the lift reached the top, where the Fifth Brother was waiting for them with his lightsaber in his right hand and twirled it around behind them.
"Look out!" Ahsoka warned them as she saw the Fifth Brother behind them as she grabbed both of her lightsabers from her belt and reignited them and evaded the Inquisitor's strike as the lift began to descend back down as Kanan jumped onto the ledge, while Ahsoka and Sabine used the Force to jump behind the Inquisitor.
Sabine then grabbed her lightsaber from her armor's belt with her right hand and reignites its blade as Ahsoka clashed one of her lightsabers with the Inquisitor's lightsaber before Kanan climbed up the ledge with his lightsaber ignited as he held it in both of his hands as the Inquisitor activated his lightsaber's spinning feature, causing it to spin rapidly as he turned towards Kanan for a second before he deactivated its spinning feature as he turned back around towards Ahsoka and Sabine.
The Eighth Brother then flew towards them from below with his lightsaber, which Kanan saw and went to clash his saber with the Inquisitor's, only for the Terrelian Jango Jumper to kick him in the back with his left foot, but Kanan turned back around towards him just in time, stopping him to be kicked backwards and clashed his lightsaber with the Inquisitor as Sabine went to help her master battle the Eighth Brother.
The Seventh Sister twirled her lightsaber around as Ezra clashed his saber with the Seventh Sister's a few times before the Mirialan activated her lightsaber's spinning feature for a second, which Ezra evaded.
"That's it, young one. Use your anger, use your pain, let it fill you, fuel you," Maul encouraged the Mandalorian as he locked his saber's blade with the Inquisitor's causing the Mirialan to step backwards before she felt her throat being crushed by use of the Force as she saw Maul Force choking her with his left hand before he used the Force to lift her up from the ground.
"No! No!" The Seventh Sister pleaded with fear in her voice as her lightsaber deactivated.
"Strike her down!" Maul ordered the Mandalorian, "You want to end this? Finish her!"
Ezra wanted to strike the Mirialan down but was hesitant as it was not the Jedi way and not honorable in the Resol'nare.
"I can't!" The Mandalorian said as he deactivated his lightsaber, causing the Seventh Sister to smirk, only for Maul to grunt as he used the Force to throw his lightsaber at the Mirialan, killing her on contact as she screamed to her death.
Ezra then widened his eyes in shock and horror as he watched as the dead body of the Seventh Sister fell on her knees and dropped her lightsaber as she fell to the floor before she fell on her side on the floor as well.
"The next time you hesitate like that, it may cost you your life, your honor, or the lives of your wife, parents and friends," Maul told him after he panted as he stood next to him when they suddenly heard Kanan grunt in the distance as well as lightsabers clashing together before Maul picked his lightsaber back up with his right hand, "We must hurry. I fear your wife and our companions are in danger." Both Maul and Ezra then rushed up the stairs.
Kanan and Sabine continued to clash their lightsabers with the Eighth Brother's lightsaber with Ahsoka doing the same with the Fifth Brother as they continued to battle the Inquisitors on the other side of the temple as Ezra and Maul stood on top of a stairwell above them before the Mandalorian and Zabrak looked up at the sky with Maul sensing that something was approaching them.
"What is it?" Ezra asked Maul.
"Nothing," Maul answered, "We must not delay. I will handle this. You take the holocron. Place it in the obelisk, activate the temple, gain the knowledge you seek." Ezra then looked down at the lightsaber down below them.
"I'll meet you at the top," Ezra told Maul as he looked at him and had a feeling deep down that Maul was gonna betray them, but didn't want to lose his trust just yet before he ran up to the top of them temple as Maul reignited his lightsaber and used the Force to jump down onto the floor below the stairs.
The Zabrak then began to clash his saber with the Inquisitors' as both Kanan and Sabine backed away from the Terrelian Jango Jumper as Maul continued to clash his saber with Inquisitors' lightsabers, fueling his anger through the dark side as he did so.
Kanan, Sabine and Ahsoka then exchanged a glance for a split second before they rushed back towards the Inquisitors as Ahsoka slashed one of her lightsabers against the Fifth Brother's lightsaber hilt, causing it to short circuit as he dropped it as it was now useless before Maul slashed his lightsaber against him, causing the Fifth Brother to scream in pain before falling dead on his back.
Seconds after Maul killed the Fifth Brother, Kanan slashed his saber against the lightsaber of the last living Inquisitor, causing it to slowly malfunction as it sparked with electricity and looked at Kanan, Sabine, Ahsoka and Maul as Kanan and Sabine went into the lightsaber combat battle stance known as Ataru, Ahsoka went into a Jar'Kai battle stance and Maul went into one for a double-bladed lightsaber.
The Eighth Brother then began to retreat as he was outnumbered before he jumped and began to use his lightsaber as a propeller again to fly away, only for it to split apart, causing him to scream to his death below before Maul stood back up as he turned around to face the wall of the pyramid.
"Where's Ezra?" Kanan asked Maul as he turned around to face him.
"You mean, my apprentice?" Maul said, correcting the Jedi Knight, his words confirming what Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan had suspected, Maul had been using Ezra all along before in a swift and unexpected move, Maul swung his lightsaber towards Sabine.
"Sabine!" Ahsoka and Kanan called out to the female Mandalorian, but it was too late as the lightsaber struck Sabine's helmet, leaving a scorch mark on the surface of her helmet as the heat from the blade was so intense that it burned her right cheek underneath, leaving a searing line of pain, causing her to gasp in shock with her lightsaber falling out of her right hand as it deactivated as she fell to her knees and removed her helmet and placed it next to her as she clutched her face.
Ahsoka then ran towards Maul as she clashed her lightsabers with his. Kanan was momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events but quickly regained his composure. The sight of Sabine injured by Maul's attack ignited a new fire within him, making this fight deeply personal.
"My apprentice is activating the temple, or more precisely, this battle station, which I shall use to exact my revenge on all my enemies!" Maul announced as he backed away from Ahsoka as their sabers left their saberlocked position.
Kanan then quickly moved over to Sabine's side and helped her up to her feet with his left hand as his face was filled with concern.
"Sabine, you need to warn Ezra about the temple," Kanan told her with urgency in his voice, "It's not just a temple, it's a superweapon as well."
"Will do," Sabine replied as she nodded as determination replaced the shock on her face as she picked her helmet back up with her right hand and placed it back over her head before she also grabbed her lightsaber with her right hand and clipped it back onto her armor's belt before she ran towards the stairs to warn her husband.
Ezra soon reached the top of the temple and saw that the floor was colored red as he saw a black colored monument that looked similar to the one that he took the holocron from in the center of the floor as it hovered above the floor and he knew that it was the temple's obelisk.
He then took the holocron out from one of his armor's bags with his left hand and held it in both of his hands for a second before he lowered his right arm as he began to use the Force to levitate it as it began to fly towards and into the obelisk as the holocron opened up with all four sides of it sliding outwards as an electrical field surrounded the obelisk from the holocron.
"Who comes forth?" A feminine voice known as the Presence suddenly asked from the Sith holocron.
"Ezra, uh, Ezra Bridger," Ezra answered, "I was told this holocron was the key to knowledge."
"Indeed, Ezra Bridger," the Presence confirmed, "And do you know what knowledge is?"
"Tell me!" Ezra requested with curiosity in his voice.
"Knowledge is power," the Presence stated before the holocron produced an energy field into the sky as well as the ground of the planet's surface from the temple's superweapon.
Just then, Sabine began to approach him from behind, her helmet was still over her head. As she neared Ezra, she removed her helmet and placed it under her arm, revealing a fresh scar on her right cheek. The scar was a horizontal straight line, similar in size to Ezra's but not as long. It cut across her otherwise smooth skin. It was still red and raw, indicating the recentness of the injury.
"Ezra, the temple's a superweapon," Sabine told him.
"Sabine… your face," Ezra muttered as he looked at her with his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the scar on her cheek.
"It's just a scar, Ezra," Sabine said as she gave him a small smile and touched the scar lightly with her right hand's index and middle fingers, "Remember what you told me after you got yours from the Grand Inquisitor? We Mandalorians usually get them once in our lives. And it was Maul who just gave me this scar."
"You're right, Sabine," Ezra told his wife as his worry eased slightly, "I remember saying that. But it doesn't make it any easier to see you hurt." He then looked at her with admiration, "But I know you're strong. We'll get through this together."
Back on the floor below the temple's obelisk, Ahsoka continued to clash her sabers with Maul's lightsaber before she looked up and saw the energy field flowing into the sky with Maul doing the same before he went to clash his saber with Ahsoka's lightsabers again.
"The power will be mine! Ezra will be mine, and there is nothing you can do to stop me," Maul declared before he clashed his saber against both of Ahsoka's sabers again as Kanan stood nearby, his eyes locked on the duel as he was studying Maul's movements, waiting for the right moment to join the fight.
Ahsoka then clashed her sabers with Maul's again as she twirled around with agility before locking one of her sabers with his before leaping onto the stairs behind her with the Force.
"Running away again, Lady Tano?" Maul mocked the Togruta.
"If you want to finish our fight, you'll have to deal with him first," Ahsoka stated as she stood up before Maul turned around and saw Kanan standing behind him with his lightsaber reignited as he held it in his right hand.
"Go get the kids!" Kanan told her before she nodded a response as she left to get both Mandalorians.
"I will make this quick," Maul said as he started at the Jedi Knight.
"You had your chance," Kanan stated as he held his lightsaber in a reverse grip.
Kanan moved swiftly as he anticipated Maul's attack before their lightsabers clashed a few times. Kanan then suddenly grabbed the Zabrak's left wrist with his left hand as he used his superior strength and technique to push Maul back, knocking Maul off of the temple with one of the petrified remains as he landed on the ground below. The Jedi Knight then deactivated his lightsaber and sighed as he bent down before he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt as he grabbed his comlink with his right hand as he suddenly heard Chopper grunt from it.
"Chopper! Am I glad to hear you," Kanan said, happily as he spoke into his comlink, "We need a pick up." Chopper then grunted a response, "A TIE fighter? Are you sure?"
"I have been waiting," the Presence told Ezra.
"Don't listen to it, Ezra," Sabine pleaded with her husband, "Whatever it wants can't be good."
"I know, Sabine," Ezra replied before he turned back towards the holocron, wondering what it was doing to the area around them, "What's happening?"
"The power to destroy life is at your command," the Presence explained.
"Yep, definitely not good," Sabine muttered to herself.
"What? No! No, no! That's not what I wanted!" Ezra protested as what the Presence just said was beyond unhonorable in the Resol'nare and was pure evil.
"I don't want it either," Sabine said, agreeing with her husband.
"Then perhaps the other who approaches will claim it instead," the Presence suggested.
"What other?" Ezra asked himself, "Maul?"
"I don't think so," Sabine answered as she placed her helmet back over her head before both Mandalorians left the obelisk and saw Vader's TIE Advanced x1 starfighter descending downwards with Vader standing on top of his TIE fighter as he held his lightsaber in his right hand with its crimson red blade bing ignited as he breathed coarsely with his mechanical breathing before he jumped off of his starfighter towards both Mandalorians as Ezra and Sabine grabbed their lightsabers from their armors' belts and reignited them.
"You both have unlocked the secret of the Temple," Vader said as he began to approach both Mandalorians as they slowly backed away from him, "How did the two of you accomplish this?"
"You're smart, figure it out!" Ezra retorted before he clashed his saber with Vader's before they clashed their lightsabers together a few more times.
"Like he said, figure it out. We're not here to do your job for you," Sabine said, agreeing with her husband before clashing her saber with the Sith Lord's a few times.
"No matter," Vader told them, "The power within will soon serve the Emperor."
"I don't fear you!" Ezra said as he stared at the Sith Lord.
"And neither do I," Sabine said, agreeing with her husband, "We Mandalorians don't go down without a fight that easily."
"Then you both will die braver than most," Vader told them before he clashed his saber against Ezra's again, causing him to grunt before they clashed their sabers a few more times when Vader suddenly slashed his lightsaber's hilt open, destroying it on contact and releasing its kyber crystal from within as they fell to the floor, causing Ezra to fall to the floor and stared at his destroyed lightsaber in shock and horror.
"You'll pay for what you did to his lightsaber, you shabuir!" Sabine cursed at the Sith Lord in Mando'a as she clashed her lightsaber with his lightsaber a few times before like he did with Ezra's, his blade slashed her lightsaber's hilt open, destroying it instantly and releasing its kyber crystal from within as well with both the destroyed hilt and the kyber crystal falling to the floor, causing her to look at it with shock and horror as she fell on the floor near her husband.
"Perhaps I was wrong about you both," Vader said as he approached both Mandalorians and raised his lightsaber as he was about to strike one of them down.
"It wouldn't be the first time," the three of them suddenly heard Ahsoka say before Vader turned around to see the Tgruta standing across from them.
"It was foretold you would be here. Our long-awaited meeting has come at last," Vader told Ahsoka as Ezra quickly grabbed his broken lightsaber's kyber crystal with his right hand and placed it inside one of his armor's bags before Sabine did the same with her kyber crystal from her destroyed lightsaber with her right hand and placed it inside one of her bags as well.
"I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to," Ahsoka said as she stared at the SIth Lord as he deactivated his lightsaber.
"We need not be adversaries," Vader told the Togruta, "The Emperor will show you mercy if you tell me where the remaining Jedi can be found."
"There are no Jedi," Ahsoka snapped at the Sith Lord, "You, your Inquisitors and Purge Troopers have seen to that."
"Perhaps these Mandalorian children will confess what you will not," Vader stated as he turned towards Ezra and Sabine.
"I was beginning to believe I knew who you were behind that mask, but it's impossible," Ahsoka said as she continued to stare at the Sith Lord, "My master could never be as vile as you."
"Anakin Skywalker was weak," Vader told her, "I destroyed him."
"Then I will avenge his death," Ahsoka hissed after she closed her eyes for a second.
"Revenge is not the Jedi way," Vader reminded her.
"I am no Jedi," Ahsoka hissed again before she grabbed both of her lightsabers from her belt and reignited them before Vader did the same with his own lightsaber.
Ahsoka then ran towards Vader and swung her lightsabers at Vader's helmet for a second before they clashed their sabers together and locked them in a saberlocked position for a second before she quickly moved out of his way multiple times with agility before she extended both of her arms out towards him as she used the Force to push him backwards.
The Togruta then used the Force to leap towards him with her sabers and was about to strike him when their sabers locked with each other again before she landed next to him as their sabers locked in a saberlock yet again.
Ahsoka then leaped backwards as she clashed her sabers with his again as she walked backwards before locking them together yet again before she twirled around as she leapt back in front of him again as they began to duel out of the room where the obelisk was.
"We need a lot more training," Ezra muttered to himself as he and Sabine watched the duel between Ahsoka and Vader when they suddenly heard a noise from the monument behind them.
"Ezra, the holocron! We need to remove it," Sabine said as they turned around and saw the Sith holocron crackling with electricity.
"I know, Sabine, we can't let him get it," Ezra told her as he stood back up and as he began to reach for the holocron with his left hand, his voice began to strain when the electricity around the holocron suddenly shocked him as it sent him flying backwards away from the monument as it landed on his back.
"Ezra!" Sabine said with concern in her voice as she rushed over to her husband, "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, Sabine," Ezra answered, "Just a little shocked."
"It takes a master and an apprentice!" Both Mandalorians suddenly heard Kanan said as Sabine helped Ezra to his feet before they turned around to see Kanan walking towards him with Chopper rolling alongside him as they walked away from the Phantom, which was now stationed outside the temple's obelisk.
"Kanan!" Both Mandalorians said with relief in their voices as they ran up to him.
"Are you okay?" Ezra asked the Jedi Knight as he looked at him for any signs of injury.
"I'm fine, Ezra," Kanan answered, "Chopper, get the Phantom ready."
"I'll go prep the Phantom for takeoff with Chopper," Sabine said as she began to walk back towards the VCX-series auxiliary starfighter shuttle with Chopper.
"Ezra, let's get the holocron!" Kanan told the Mandalorian as they began walking towards the monument within the room, "We've got to get that holocron out of here." He then noticed that Ahsoka was nowhere to be seen, "Where's Ahsoka?"
"With Vader," Ezra answered with a sigh."
Outside the temple's obelisk, Ahsoka and Vader continued to clash their sabers together before their sabers soon entered a saberlocked position for a brief second before they clashed them together a few more times before they locked them together again before they left their saberlocked position again and clashed them together a few more times before they entered yet another saberlock before they quickly exited their saberlocked position and clashed their sabers again before Vader extended his right hand out towards her as he used the Force to Push her off the ledge, causing her to grunt as she fell off of the floor of the obelisk.
"We're almost there," Ezra said as he and Kanan approached the obelisk's monument before the Mandalorian extended his right hand out towards the holocron with Kanan doing the same with his right hand.
"Stay focused, Ezra," Kanan told him as they continued to reach for the holocron, "We need to do this together."
"I know, Kanan. We've got this," Ezra replied as they reached higher for the holocron, "We almost have it!" Their hands then grabbed the Sith holocron as energy began pulsating from the monument, "Now, pull!"
"Brace yourself, Ezra!" Kanan warned Ezra as the Mandalorian grabbed the holocron from the monument before they both were flown backwards as Ezra landed on his back, while Kanan landed on his side after they grunted as Sabine, who had removed her helmet with it being inside the Phantom ran up to them,
"Guys, get up! The temple's starting to collapse!" Sabine told them as she saw that the obelisk's walls were beginning to slide shut.
Next to the stairs below the obelisk, Ahsoka was laying on her side next to it with both of her lightsabers next to her before she suddenly regained consciousness and stood up as she saw that the obelisk was beginning to close above her.
Chopper grunted, frustratedly from the Phantom's astromech socket as he waved his metal left arm at Kanan and both Mandalorians as he opened the shuttle's rear hatch as Kanan, Ezra and Sabine slowly walked towards the VCX-series auxiliary starfighter shuttle.
"We're coming as fast as we can!" Ezra told Chopper as he, Sabine and Kanan continued to walk towards the Phantom, "Just be ready to go… Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" He then began to be pulled towards Vader as the Sith Lord had extended his left hand out towards him as he used the Force to pull him and the SIth holocron towards him as the Mandalorian held it in his left hand before Kanan grabbed Ezra's right hand with both of his hands as Sabine grabbed Ezra's hands as well, "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" It's… it's him!"
"I know! Me and Sabine got you!" Kanan assured him.
"Kanan's right, Ezra, we got you!" Sabine said, agreeing with Kanan as they tried pulling him towards the Phantom and away from Vader's grasp of using the Force on him.
As this was happening, Ahsoka began running towards Vader from behind, gripping her lightsabers in a reverse grip before the Sith Lord sensed this and turned around as she yelled before she slashed one of her sabers against the right side of his mask, causing him to grunt as she fell on her stomach across from him, while he fell onto his knees.
"Ahsoka! Come on, hurry!" Ezra urged the Togruta from outside of the obelisk's walls.
"Ahsoka!" The Togruta suddenly heard Vader call out to her with the voice of her former master as his armor's voice modulator was damaged before turning her head around towards him and saw that she had cut off the right side of his mask, revealing that he had light skin, brown eyebrows and Sith yellow eyes as she realized that he was in fact her former master, "Ahsoka."
"Anakin," Ahsoka muttered as she stood back up and realized that Maul's vision of her master turning to the dark side before their duel on Mandalore was correct as Kanan walked back inside the Phantom before Ezra looked back at Ahsoka and Vader as the Sith Lord stood back up as Sabine walked back inside the Phantom with Kanan, "I won't leave you. Not this time."
"Then you will die," Vader said after a few seconds of breathing heavily as he reignited his lightsaber and began to slowly approach her.
"Ahsoka!" Ezra cried as he ran from the Phantom to reach the Togruta, only for Ahsoka to extend her right arm out towards the Mandalorian as she used the Force to push him back as he landed on his butt as the walls nearly finished closing shut before she reignited her lightsabers as she turned back around and placed her sabers behind her back and lekkus with her back facing Vader as she locked her lightsabers with Vader's as he approached her from behind as the Mandalorian extended his left hand out towards Ahsoka as if to grab her as the walls finished closing, "No! No!"
"Ezra! Ezra, let's go!" Kanan ordered Ezra from the Phantom.
"Yeah, Ezra, come on!" Sabine said, agreeing with their master before Ezra nodded as he entered the Phantom before the shuttle lifted off of the temple's floor outside the obelisk as the VCX-series auxiliary starfighter shuttle's wings unfolded as its rear hatch closed and flew back through the hole that Ezra accidentally created when he touched the ancient Sith writing from one of the towering monoliths after they landed on the planet with Ahsoka as the SIth temple's superweapon imploded as a burst of purple colored energy engulfed the surrounding area as the Phantom began to leave the planet's atmosphere.
As the Phantom began to leave Malachor, Ezra removed his helmet as he sat next to Kanan and began to cry over Ahsoka's sacrifice.
"There's nothing we can do now, Ezra," Kanan said, trying to comfort him as he began to hug him, "It's over. It's over now."
"Kanan's right, Ez'ika," Sabine told her husband, agreeing with their master as she sat next to him, "Ahsoka made her choice to protect us and we have to honor that and keep going for all of us."
A few hours later on Atollon, Hera, Zeb, Mira, Ephraim, Rex and Markus walked towards a landing bay as the Phantom began to approach it with a couple of rebel pilots, AP-5 and Sato, who had his arms behind his back watched from a distance behind the landing bay. As the Phantom landed, its wings folded back up before the VCX-series auxiliary starfighter shuttle's rear hatch opened back up as Ezra, Sabine and Kanan exited the shuttle.
Hera's eyes widened in shock as she noticed the scar on Sabine's right cheek before she ran up to them and hugged Kanan tightly, relief washing over her at the sight of seeing him unharmed before she stopped hugging the Jedi Knight and turned towards Sabine, her eyes filled with concern as she gently touched the scar with her right hand's index and middle fingers before she pulled her into a comforting hug.
Mira and Ephraim also looked at Sabine with shock on their faces. The sight of their daughter-in-law injured was a stark reminder of the dangers that they all faced on Malachor. They then approached Sabine, offering their own words of comfort and shared concern.
Rex looked at Ezra and Sabine, his expression solemn as he took in the gravity of what had transpired on Malachor. The absence of Ahsoka hit him hard, and he realized the sacrifice that she had made. Rex then closed his eyes before Ezra and Sabine closed their eyes as well, the weight of their experience on Malachor settling in.
Back in the Malachor System, Maul was sitting on the pilot seat of a TIE Advanced v1 that he stole as he piloted the TIE Advanced v1 away from Malachor.
Back on the surface of Malachor, Vader was walking limp across the planet's surface as he walked away from the destroyed Sith temple with his breathing rasp, while the convor that was around Ahsoka when she arrived on Atollon stood on the temple above him before it began flying away.
Below the planet's surface and inside the temple, Ahsoka, who had seemingly survived her confrontation with Vader, walked into a dark room.
Meanwhile on the Ghost, Zeb and Hera were standing in the cockpit, grappling with the aftermath of the intense battle on Malachor and Ahsoka's apparent demise as Zeb placed his right hand over the back of his head. Chopper stood a few feet away from Kanan, who was standing in front of the ladder in the back of the hallway that contained everyone's personal quarters and was in deep thought, reflecting on the recent events of what happened on Malachor.
Sabine stood in the doorway of her and Ezra's cabin as the scar on her cheek, once a vivid red, had faded to a softer hue, a constant reminder of their encounter with Maul. On her armor's belt was a newly rebuilt lightsaber clipped to it. It's hilt, made from the same materials and carefully etched with the same Starbird from before around its grip, was a testament to her resilience and determination.
Ezra sat on the floor of his and Sabine's room, holding the SIth holocron in his hands as he was levitating it with the Force, his eyes flickering between his natural blue eyes and Sith yellow as the top of the holocron opened up.
