An alarm blared as the attack shuttle emerged into real-space.

"It seems, my Lady, that we will have to put this little discussion on hold," Maul said, as he turned towards the cockpit.

"We're not finished here," responded Ahsoka, grabbing the Maul's arm. She now knew exactly what he sought. Part of her believed she could dissuade him from his current path. After all, Maul remained a powerful potential ally. But she knew all too well that Maul would be thinking something similar, carefully plotting to turn her to his side.

"I'm afraid we don't have time for-"

Before Maul could finish what he was saying, an impact rocked the ship. Another, higher pitched alarm joined in on the cacophony.

"What was that?!" Ahsoka snapped, moments before Maul pulled free of her grasp.

Standing in the hallway leading to the cockpit, Maul's body had been obscuring her view of the transparasteel windows. But as he rushed to the pilot's seat, Ahsoka could now see the looming threat.

Asteroids.

Ahsoka rushed to the gunner seat as Maul spun the ship ninety degrees, out of the way of another potential impact.

"Where are we?!" Ahsoka demanded.

"We're in the midst of the Rings of Phelbos. To a smaller, more manoeuvrable ship, this asteroid field wouldn't be a problem, but-"

In spite of the inertial dampeners, the former Jedi felt a jerk as Maul banked the ship right in an attempt to evade a large chunk of rock. But he was too late. He wouldn't make it in time. The asteroid closed in…

Only for it to be splintered apart by brilliant green laser fire. Shortly after unleashing that barrage, Ahsoka then turned the guns on a series of approaching asteroids, blasting them to dust before they could pose a threat. Though as much as she looked through the fields of floating rock, she couldn't imagine why Maul would bring them here.

"Hold your fire!" Maul yelled, as the craft suddenly shifted towards an especially large, circular asteroid.

"Hold my fire?! In case you didn't notice, we're heading straight for-"

And then, she saw it. Tucked within the rock were three darkened hangar bays, constructed out of a brilliant, gleaming metal. Two were empty, while one held a Gauntlet-class Starfighter, painted with a sinister mix of red and black. Maul rolled the shuttle to match the orientation of one of the empty bays, before deploying the landing gear and touching down.

"Alright, Maul, I want answers. What is this place? Why did you bring us here?"

"This," Maul said as he lowered the boarding ramp, "…is Vizsla Keep Nine."

Ahsoka watched as Maul stood up and walked down the ramp. Her curiosity piqued, she followed behind him.

"Vizsla… you mean… this is a Mandalorian base?"

"Indeed. And it has served me well."

Ahsoka looked around the vast hangar. Though an effort had been made to conceal it, it was clear that a fight had broken out within this very building. Subtle scorch marks and dents on the walls coupled with the remnants of exploded debris told the tale of a quite expansive battle.

"What happened here?"

The pair approached the extremity of the hangar, towards a small door. Maul opened the door and continued down a long, narrow corridor as Ahsoka followed behind him.

"In my game against Sidious, I successfully captured his two most valuable pieces- the Droid General Grievous and the Leader of the Separatists… Count Dooku."

Ahsoka's eyes widened in surprise.

"You captured both Grievous and Dooku?! How?!"

"A long and costly battle. But once all was said and done, I brought them here as my prisoners, intending to use them as leverage against my old master. Unfortunately…"

The former Jedi nodded in understanding.

"He didn't care. Even they were disposable to him."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, I thought it safer to leave them alive. Admittedly, it would have been best to kill Grievous when I had the chance, but… I had higher hopes for Dooku."

"Let me guess- you asked him to join you."

Maul smiled.

"You're starting to think like a survivor."

After navigating through a maze of sparse corridors, they'd finally arrived at their destination. The doors slid open, leading to a minimalistic yet elegant command centre. On the far side of the room, a series of transparasteel windows looked out into space. A brilliant white light partially obscured by the asteroid field spilled into the room. The design of the room was distinctly Mandalorian, though Ahsoka had never seen anything quite like it.

"You're correct, Lady Tano. Dooku was a pawn, and I thought that I could convince him of that fact. I still believe that he would have been a valuable ally, but the fool thought himself indispensable to Sidious. Then again, so did I."

"So… Sidious attacked? He freed your captives?"

"Not directly, no. My master rarely acts in the open like that. And with the droid army crippled by the loss of its two leaders… what do you suppose he did?"

"Well… given how desperate the Jedi Council was to capture you… it would have been easy for Palpatine to manipulate them into doing his work for him."

"Indeed. Republic forces led by Jedi launched a relentless assault on this outpost. My Mandalorians held the line for as long as they could, but in the end, we were forced to abandon the base."

Maul walked to a terminal within the command centre and began typing at the keyboard. But Ahsoka's cautious calmness turned to concealed panic.

"If he doesn't already, Palpatine will soon know of our survival. And if he also knows about this hideout of yours…"

"Yes. It should be relatively easy for Sidious to deduce our possible positions."

"Positions? What do you mean?"

"I believe your clone friends kept a record of our vector as we escaped. Along that vector, there are only two destinations I would have any interest in."

Pressing another button, Maul brought up a holographic map of the galaxy and gestured towards it.

"My home planet, Dathomir, and Ord Mantell- a planet in this very system, and the location of a Black Sun stronghold. Our combined powers are a threat even Sidious fears, but presently, he cannot commit too many resources to our search. With the threat of Separatist holdouts and civil unrest, I believe that he will only be able to muster a few ships."

"Even so, why risk discovery? What's so important that you had to come here?"

"Nothing. The fact that this base is so poor a hiding place makes it perfect for my plan. I have no doubt that the bulk of his small force will search Dathomir in vain. Others will investigate Black Sun installations on Ord Mantell. And just to be safe, since I've used this base in the past, a small task force will be dispatched to investigate this area. Sidious won't expect to find me here, because under normal circumstances, it would be foolish to return to a compromised base. But it's exactly that fact I will use against him."

"...how so?"

"An ambush. We shall select a suitable vessel, eliminate the crew... and commandeer it."

Ahsoka's stomach lurched. Commandeering a light cruiser? Killing the crew? How much longer would she go along with Maul's schemes? How many more would die as a result?

"No, I… I won't do it."

"Lady Tano, I implore you to listen-"

"Why do you hate Sidious?"

"What has that got to do with-"

"It's a simple question, Maul. Why do you hate Sidious?"

"I grow weary of repeating myself. But very well, I'll humour you. Sidious tortured me, murdered my mother and brother, used me as a weapon, and cast me aside. He promised my mother a place at his side, only to steal me away. He promised me the galaxy, only to leave me for dead. I know you still think me a monster, but he is a true monster."

"But how are you any different? You claim not to be a monster yet your crimes speak for themselves. And just like Sidious, you use people and throw them away the moment they cease to be useful. You used pirates, Mandalorians, criminals… and me. The moment I stop being useful to you… what will you do, Maul?"

"…thought so," Ahsoka said, after awaiting a response from the former Sith to no avail.

Maul felt a brief spark of emotion in Ahsoka through the Force.

"I'm not blind to the suffering you've endured, Maul," she continued. "Becoming a Sith was never your choice, and the Jedi should have been there to protect you. But your actions since then… the destruction you've left in your wake… and your ultimate goal, to rule as a tyrant… I can't just stand idly by and ignore all of that."

"My goal, first and foremost, is revenge," responded Maul. "After that… well… think about it this way. Unless we work together, we cannot vanquish Sidious. So until that happens, you need me… and, I suppose… I need you."

"And once that happens? What then?"

"We shall see. But surely you'd rather have me as an enemy than Sidious."

As much as she hated to admit it, Maul was right. Evil or no, he was certainly the lesser of two evils. And whether or not she could defeat him, her past victory had assured her that she had at least a good chance. But against Sidious- an evil capable of besting the greatest of the Jedi- she wouldn't have a hope. The right choice, then, would be to work with Maul for as long as it took to destroy his Sith master and the rising Empire. Then, if Maul still aspired to be a tyrant, he too would be defeated. Of course, Maul would be making similar calculations- for if he truly sought control over the galaxy, Ahsoka would either need to be turned completely to his side or destroyed. But she was determined that neither possibility would come to pass.

"…you're right. I know your word isn't worth much, but can you swear to me that you won't turn on me until the day Sidious falls?"

"Very well then. Until such a time comes that our goals no longer align, no harm will come to you."

"Fine… and until such a time, I'll work with you, so long as your actions do not unnecessarily endanger lives."

"It's naïve to think a war can be won without spilling blood. You learnt that lesson aboard the Venator, did you not?"

Ahsoka's expression weakened, and her gaze shifted to the ground. After remaining silent for several moments, she responded.

"…Yes. I did."

"Now, back to what I was saying," Maul said, the impatience beginning to show in his voice. "If we are to oppose Sidious, we need a more permanent base of operations. Preferably a mobile one, to ensure his forces do not catch up to us. A Republic Light Cruiser would therefore be ideal. Anything larger is impossible to capture with our… constrained… resources… and anything smaller will lack the capacity to serve our needs."

"Okay," said Ahsoka, though her tone lacked the conviction it once had.

"I sense hesitation, Lady Tano. You are concerned for the lives of your former allies. But you have been witness to the price of that hesitation first hand."

"I know."

Turning from the terminal, Maul took a step towards Ahsoka and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to recoil reflexively. Was it a gesture of genuine concern, or more manipulation?

"You're still uncertain. You do not know what is the 'right' thing to do."

The former Jedi shook her head.

"The world used to feel so simple. The Jedi were good. The Sith were evil. The Republic was good. The Separatists were evil."

"And now you start to see the truth of things. You see that 'good' and 'evil' are not so easily separated."

"No. They aren't."

A minute of silence passed between the two before being broken by Maul's voice.

"It might be a while until Sidious' forces reach us. Until then, some rest and time to think might do you good. If you head out the way we came, and turn left at the first intersection, you'll reach the barracks. Feel free to stay there until the moment comes."

"What will you do?"

"I will make the necessary preparations for our… 'guests'," he said with a villainous smile.


Following Maul's directions had led her to a sprawling room filled with countless, eerily empty bunks. The bunks themselves were spartan, heavily reminiscent of the sleeping compartments in Star Destroyers and military cruisers. Still, they were an improvement over the seats in the Nu-class shuttle. Without a second thought, she collapsed into one of the lower bunks, exhausted.

In front of the former Sith, she'd needed to put up a brave face, doing everything in her power to hide her fears and uncertainties lest she give Maul more strings to pull on. But he'd seen through the facade long ago. The truth was, Ahsoka was terrified. Clear divisions between good and evil might have been an illusion. But they were a comforting illusion- an illusion Ahsoka longed for as she laid there unmoving. She'd always had a clear set of morals, a clear code to live by, a clear set of allies, and a clear set of enemies. When faced with difficult choices, she could always fall back on her unwavering sense of right and wrong. But now, there were no 'right' choices. If Ahsoka did nothing, Sidious' new regime would tighten its tyrannical grip across the galaxy. Billions would suffer thanks to her inaction. If Ahsoka tried to fight alone, or with what few allies she could muster, she'd almost certainly lose. Once again, billions would pay the price for her failure. And then there was her third option- to work with Maul.

Though she'd made a conscious effort to avoid it, Ahsoka couldn't help but sympathise with the former Sith. From his brief description of his history, it was clear that Maul was as much a victim of evil as he was a perpetrator. The truth was, she felt sorry for him- another person that, had the Jedi done their duty adequately, could have been saved. And beyond his history, he was not wholly unfeeling. As he'd talked about his mother and brother, Ahsoka had sensed feelings of great grief and regret. Still, who he was at heart was ultimately irrelevant to her. It was his actions that defined him. It was his actions which made him a monster. So if Ahsoka chose to go along with Maul's plans, what would that make her?

The war she'd wage by his side would be full of bloodshed and moral compromises. It was certainly not the path any Jedi would take. But she needed to stop Sidious, and though she would never admit it, she needed retribution. Sidious had taken everything from her- and the truth was, she desired to do the same to him. Revenge was not the Jedi way. But Ahsoka didn't care. Not in this moment. It was Sidious who'd turned her friends against her. It was Sidious who'd made her kill her greatest ally. And it was Sidious who'd brought about the end of her master.

Personal motives aside, the greater good demanded that Ahsoka do everything in her power to stop him. Maul had criticised such ideals, dismissing the 'greater good' as little more than a justification for immoral acts. Perhaps there was more truth to that statement than she knew. Even so, one thought remained in Ahsoka's mind.

"Darth Sidious will fall. No matter the cost."