The view from the apex of Malachor's Temple was as breathtaking as it was unnerving. It was only from this height that the enormity of destruction that had cursed this planet became clear. The countless petrified bodies below were like drops of water in an ocean- insignificant specs whose individuality was rendered irrelevant thanks to the grand scale of the macabre display of which they were a part. The floor was unnaturally smooth, crisscrossed by glowing lines reminiscent of circuitry. And just in front of Ahsoka and Maul was their final destination- a simple, two-pronged obelisk of stone.

"It's time," said Maul, his voice hushed in awe. "The holocron, if you would,"

"Here goes nothing," thought Ahsoka as she passed it to Maul. Using the Force, Maul guided the holocron into the gap between the prongs. Then, as if possessing a will entirely of its own, it opened. Purple lightning exploded from the holocron's heart, before a blinding beam of light pierced the heavens, parting the clouds above. After millennia of slumber, the temple was finally awake.

"Who comes forth?" demanded an otherworldly voice, seeming to emanate from the obelisk itself.

"She is Ahsoka Tano- former Jedi, and my sister in Darkness," answered Maul, gesturing to his compatriot.

"And you?"

"I am Maul- former Sith, Son of Dathomir, and last of the Nightbrothers."

For a moment, there was a silence filled only by the howling wind. Then, the voice spoke, a note of mockery in their tone.

"Perhaps the time of the Sith'ari is finally at hand. Honoured beings, your perseverance shall now be rewarded- the power to destroy life is at your command."

"The… power to destroy life?" Ahsoka asked hesitantly.

"Indeed, " responded the voice. "Simply state the planet whose life you desire vanquished… and it shall be done."

Maul grinned. Ahsoka recoiled.

"Coruscant," said Maul with a satisfied smile.

"Wait… just... Coruscant? All of Coruscant?! That-" she said gravely, an anger swelling in her voice. "This wasn't the deal!"

The air crackled with power as the temple's superweapon began charging.

"Stop!" she called out to the temple. "I don't want-"

"Once initiated, " began the voice, " ...two must grasp the holocron to stop the firing cycle. No more, and no less."

"Maul…" she pleaded. "Wh- I thought- you… you lied to me! If I'd known-"

Ahsoka's hands moved to her lightsabers.

"Wait," said Maul with almost frantic desperation. "I never lied to you, Ahsoka. I told you that Malachor would hold the key to destroying Sidious- this is it! This is how we defeat him!"

A disgusted rage spread across Ahsoka's face.

"At the cost of a planet's worth of people! How do you even know Sidious is on Coruscant?!"

"You don't think I accounted for that? Why do you think I was so determined we launch our attack today? As we speak, my master is addressing the Senate about-"

"That doesn't change the fact that you're destroying a world just to kill one man! I don't care what he's done, nothing justifies-"

"Listen to me!" yelled Maul, his voice growing impassioned. "It was you who said we needed to be willing to do whatever it takes to defeat my old master! It was you who proposed the plan we used to kill countless aboard that Star Destroyer!"

"They were soldiers! These are civilians - and besides, there's a difference between a single destroyer's crew and an entire planet of people!"

Silence filled the air. And then came an eerie chuckling… from Ahsoka.

"Heh… heheheh… you'd think after everything that's happened…"

She lowered her head to hide her teary eyes, as a forced smile spread across her face.

"You'd think that after the Jedi Council… after Rex… after Anakin … I'd know better than to put my trust in people."

Maul's voice softened.

"Ahsoka-"

"I don't want to hear it," grimaced Ahsoka with gritted teeth. "I was… I was stupid and naive to not see this coming. I allowed myself to fall for your lies… I let myself believe that you wanted to be better- that you were capable of good."

A genuine hurt filled Ahsoka's voice as her eyes narrowed.

"I trusted you, Maul! And you betrayed me… like everyone else."

She drew her sabers from her belt and ignited them, raising the blades towards her former ally.

"Help me stop the weapon… or I'll cut you in two, for good."

But to Ahsoka's surprise, Maul refrained from drawing his own weapon. Instead, he raised his hands in surrender, a conviction persisting on his face.

"I never betrayed you."

He took a step towards Ahsoka. In response, she reverted to an offensive stance.

"Stay back-" she demanded. Maul took another step closer.

"And I don't want to fight you."

Ahsoka swiped at Maul with her weapons, but he swiftly sidestepped.

"You want to avenge your master, right? And your clone friend? Do you not want justice for every person you've lost thanks to Sidious?"

"Not like this!"

Ahsoka's movements were unbalanced and predictable. She launched an attack at Maul's head, who ducked effortlessly under it in response.

"Your true emotions betray you, Ahsoka. As threatening as you try to be, we both know that had you actually intended it, I'd be dead already. And we both know that you desire vengeance as much as I."

"Maybe that's true," said Ahsoka as she clutched her weapons tighter. "But making every person on Coruscant pay for your master's sins… is wrong."

"A necessary wrong- we would be destroying one world to save thousands more from Sidious' tyranny!"

"And what then?! Do you think the galaxy will just… magically get better once Palpatine is dead?! The power vacuum-"

"The power vacuum is by design."

"What?!" she said incredulously.

"Don't look so surprised," said Maul. "Under our guidance, every planetary government and rebel group with strength worthy of note has had their resources drained thanks to war with the Empire. And that is also true of the various criminal organisations that make up the Shadow Collective. The Empire itself is the last significant base of power in the galaxy… and they too will be fragmented once they lose their capital and their Emperor."

Ahsoka's eyes widened as she finally realised what Maul was getting at.

"So what- once Coruscant is destroyed, you plan to use this battle station to coerce the whole galaxy to obey you- just because they don't have the strength to say no?!"

"Yes," said Maul, his eyes glowing with determination and resolve. "Destroying Coruscant does more than remove Sidious from the board- it is a statement. It will send a message to all those who would oppose us that we are not to be trifled with- and will provide us the opportunity to build something better than the Old Republic or Sidious' Empire. Together, we could usher in an era of peace and prosperity unlike any the galaxy has ever seen!"

"All enforced by fear of annihilation."

"Maybe… but what is the alternative? Palpatine's reign?"

"If we start destroying entire worlds to achieve our ends, how can we claim to be any better than him?! Dammit Maul, just- stop this! We can find another way!"

Maul shook his head.

"There is no other way."

Ahsoka's spirit was split. Part of her wanted to listen to Maul. The prospect of finally being in a position to make change - to bring peace and justice to a galaxy that was so lacking in both- was tantalising. Perhaps such an order would need to be enforced through the threat of catastrophic destruction- but if it led to better and safer lives for the galaxy's people, did that really matter? The Republic had been plagued by constant impediments to beneficial societal change- corporations and politicians who only cared about lining their own pockets, the apathy of the Galactic Core to the more impoverished worlds of the Outer Rim, and the endless infighting and political gridlock that kept change from taking place. Surely she could do better… right?

And then there was the vow she'd made to herself at the very beginning of this crusade. She'd promised to end Sidious, no matter what it took. Not for anyone else's sake, but for her own. The pain and the grief and the loss she'd suffered thanks to that monster was beyond even her own conception- and the importance of her principles had gradually diminished in the face of such an overwhelming desire for retribution. But to destroy a planet- to take an utterly incalculable number of lives- all to satisfy a lust for vengeance- was that not the very kind of act the old Ahsoka would have thought of as unquestionably evil? Ahsoka felt as though her moral compass had led her astray far too many times- and yet, what else could she fall back on? The ground's shaking intensified. Time was running out. Was she fighting to avenge … or was she fighting to protect? She closed her eyes, steeling herself. Then, after taking a deep breath, she faced Maul once more. Half of her desperately hoped she could talk Maul down. The other half knew that such hopes were in vain.

"Maul… I understand your anger. And… I agree. Palpatine deserves to die for everything he did to you. But… there are good people on Coruscant. Countless innocent people with their own lives, their own… families. Killing them- perpetuating this cycle of vengeance and destruction- it won't bring you any peace."

"Whether it brings me peace is of no concern to me. The only thing I desire is Sidious' destruction."

Ahsoka felt a heavy pang of sadness as the weight of Maul's words sank in. There was not a hint of conflict behind his resolve. He had made his choice. But what of Ahsoka?

She'd grown to sympathise with Maul. She'd grown to value him. She'd even grown to trust him. But could she really allow such an attachment to cost the lives of trillions?

"No," thought Ahsoka. "I can't afford to hesitate."

"Fine," she scowled, levelling her blades towards Maul. "If you won't cooperate… maybe your corpse will."

"Are you truly prepared to kill me, Ahsoka?"

"I will do what I must."

Maul grimaced, drawing his weapon and igniting it.

"You will try."

In a cerulean blur, Ahsoka began her attack, drawing upon the Dark Side to enhance her strength and speed. Her blows were quick, powerful, and relentless- an endless barrage of saber strikes that forced Maul on the defensive.

"I thought you understood," said Maul, a heavy sadness beneath the frustration. "If Sidious is allowed to live, the galaxy will suffer for it!"

Ahsoka jumped backwards to create distance between the two, before throwing her shoto-saber at Maul. The blade spun towards him in an arc of brilliant blue, only for him to intercept it with the Force and throw it aside.

"With him eliminated and this temple's power at our command… we could rule the galaxy together! As brother and sister!"

The former Jedi rushed forwards, striking downwards at Maul with her remaining saber. Maul would block exactly as she anticipated- prompting Ahsoka to use her free hand to grab the hilt of Maul's weapon. But try as she might to pry the weapon from his grasp, she was no match for the zabrak's formidable strength. Maul used the opportunity to deliver a devastating kick to her chest with his mechanical leg- sending her reeling backwards.

"But as long as he lives, neither of us is safe! If we do not act now, he will never stop hunting us. He will destroy us."

Winded, Ahsoka grasped her chest.

"You…" she winced. "...you don't know that."

Maul advanced towards her with a measured and steady gait. Ahsoka instinctively backpedalled, holding her remaining blade close in a reverse grip.

"Yes, I do. My brother and I thought ourselves safe on Mandalore… until from nowhere, Sidious appeared and effortlessly slaughtered him."

"Just because you lost once before-"

Maul shook his head.

"You don't get it, Ahsoka. It doesn't matter how powerful- how secure- how seemingly invincible one feels. Nobody is a match for him."

"So what? You'll resort to wiping out a planet just because you're scared of him?!"

"That's not what this is about-"

"Then what is it about?!"

The spine-chilling crackle of artificial lightning filled the air. The beam emanating from the obelisk glowed brighter and brighter. And an indescribable horror overcame Ahsoka's face as the weapon opened fire.

Coruscant's people would at first hear a bizarre and deafening screeching. Then, they'd be engulfed by an almost heavenly light as a burning sensation in their chest grew more and more excruciating. The collective screams of an entire planet's agony echoed across the galactic capital… and then there was silence. From the richest of senators living atop towering skyscrapers to the poorest of labourers living deep below the surface, no one was spared. Every single living being on the planet was petrified- the final moments of trillions of people, eternally preserved in unmoving stone.

"No…" muttered Ahsoka, her voice shaken by sheer disbelief. "...what… did you just do?"

What she'd sensed during Order 66 could not even compare to the overwhelming despair of feeling trillions of lives snuffed out in an instant. An entire world. The scale and the scope of the devastation Maul had wrought was unimaginable. And none of it would have been possible without her aid.

"I let this happen," she thought to herself as her legs grew weak and her arms grew shaky. "All those lives lost… because of me!"

Ahsoka's breathing turned ragged. Tears streaked down her face and her weapon fell to the floor. It was all too much. Acting on pure emotion, she raised her hands towards Maul, channelling every negative emotion that had brought her to this point. Her anger, her sadness, her fury, her guilt- everything coalesced into an all-consuming blast of Force Lightning which arced from her fingertips and flew towards Maul with impossible speed. The former Sith attempted to shield himself with his lightsaber- yet the lighting's power was too great, breaking through his guard and throwing him to the floor. But Ahsoka did not stop there. Standing over the former Sith, she unleashed another storm of Force Lightning upon the now defenceless Maul, prompting him to cry out in pain. And still, Ahsoka did not stop. Letting out a guttural scream of unrestrained fury, she continued to rain lightning down upon Maul in spite of his pleas. And it was only when the last of her rage had left her did she finally stop, as the weight of her actions sunk in.

Her legs turned to jelly, and she collapsed to her knees next to Maul's smoking body- his limbs still twitching erratically from the residual electrical charge.

"...why…" she said weakly, barely able to form words after all that had transpired. "...why would you do this…"

After several seconds passed, a hesitant Maul finally spoke, his rageful facade completely gone, revealing the anxiety and uncertainty it had concealed for so long.

"It wasn't…" Maul coughed, struggling to speak. "It wasn't my life I feared for, Ahsoka," he said softly. "It was yours. I had already lost so much thanks to him… my freedom, my future, my family … and I couldn't… I wouldn't… allow him to destroy you too."

"Don't even… don't you dare try to use my life as an excuse! You-"

"...I made my choice, Ahsoka. Now…" he winced, his energy waning. "...you must do the same. The entire galaxy is within reach, my Sister in Darkness. Do what I could not… and make it yours."

And with those words, Maul fell silent- the orange glow fading from his eyes for good.

"Maul?"

She placed a quivering hand on his shoulder.

"Wake up! You can't- you don't get to just-"

Ahsoka reached out with the Force but found no trace of what had once been his familiar and reassuring presence. She felt lost- purposeless- hopeless- almost as though by destroying Maul- by breaking the connection between their minds- Ahsoka had also destroyed a part of herself. She was completely empty. She had nothing left.

And yet, she'd succeeded… hadn't she? When the former Jedi promised that she'd destroy Sidious no matter the cost, she never pictured it happening like this. But the fact remained that he was dead. And with Coruscant out of the picture, the power base of the Empire was broken… exactly as the pair had originally intended. She'd avenged the destruction of the Jedi Order… and all it took was allowing Maul to carry out an atrocity far greater.

What would come next? No doubt, the surviving Imperials would wage war against the galaxy and amongst themselves to hold onto the tiny scraps of power they'd have left. The Shadow Collective would use the opportunity to expand their operations of theft, murder, and slavery. Chaos and conflict would plague the galaxy once more. After everything she'd fought for, further bloodshed seemed all but inevitable.

But there was an alternative- to see Maul's plan through. She could use the temple's power to coerce the galaxy into obeying her - she could establish a new order and ensure that peace prevailed. To do that would be to become everything she'd fought against. A despot. A tyrant. A monster- perhaps one not entirely dissimilar from the one she'd just vanquished. Forcing the galaxy into compliance at blasterpoint was an idea that just a few months ago, she would have detested. Yet with her resolve shattered and her purpose lost, what else was there? The void left by the tremendous loss she'd inflicted upon herself yearned to be filled.

If she could fix the fractured galaxy, the lives lost wouldn't be in vain. If she could bring peace and order and security- if she could deliver on the Jedi's failed promises- then perhaps she could find purpose again. Perhaps she could find redemption. For a moment she glimpsed the first light of a glorious new dawn. She imagined a future untarnished by war, unmarred by the gruesome scars of the past. And in that moment, her mind was made. After everything she'd done to get this far, turning back now would be unthinkable. She would do it. Ahsoka would become the leader the galaxy so desperately needed.

She would be powerful, but benevolent.

Strong, but just.

Relentless, but compassionate.

And she would be known as Empress Tano.