At least Fanfiction has gotten its email problem all solved.

Let's do this guys.

The once decorated and even elegant hanger was now anything but, the rain and lightning still attacked the city outside with little sign of stopping. The millions upon millions of people who live in the close vicinity of the once peaceful Jedi temple and now powerful imperial palace kept on living their lives, completely oblivious of the fight that taking place so close to them.

The large hanger was broken apart. Large panels of the walls, ceiling and floor were torn up and thrown about the place. Wires and exposed circuits sparked as they dangled from their once-fitted placements, the many ships that once filled the area were all but destroyed, it was safe to assume that they wouldn't be flight-worthy for a while.

The reason for the destruction was the two individuals that moved side by side along the wall, one moved with a grace that only came with a lifetime of training and personal dedication. The second was a torrent of rage and fury that came only with his torturous indoctrination and desire for battle.

The emperor smiled in glee as he used both his sabres to parry his opponents and as the younger man was forced to move past him, he delivered a powerful kick to the younger man's side, augmented with the force and with a cracked rib his opponent fell to the ground before, rolling slightly before coming to a stop. The laughter from the man has not stopped for more than a couple of moments since the fighting started.

His opponent turned his head towards him and looked at him with rage he had not seemed directed pointedly at him for a very long time. He knew this would be a fight he wouldn't win, the skills of the master needed to be so strong in order for him to keep his place of master. Starkiller, the hand of Lord Vader slowly started to pick himself up off the ground, taking deep breaths as he did so. While the pain he was in right now was great, it was not the worst he had had to endure. But the fact that the master was just toying with him was what allowed him to keep his rage and not submit to defeat.

Holding both his sabres tightly, Starkiller once again made the first move and with his organic hand, a torrent of lightning shot forth aimed right at the master. The older man laughed as he made a block with his sabres crossing them with each other making an 'X' as he did so. He knew that it wouldn't do much against him but that wasn't the point. The point was to lock him in place.

Starkiller started to run forward towards the master while he shot lightning didn't diminish. When he reached his enemy, Starkiller jumped in the air and the lightning stopped just before he hit the middle of the 'X' with his sabre with a powerful swing and forced the master to lose the block and made his arms stagger slightly. The hand landed on the ground in front of the emperor, not being attacked as the older man was still recovering from the attack, giving him an opening to continue.

Though much to his annoyance the master was able to back up two feet or so and gain a defensive stance, but he wasn't as sure-footed as he used to be which allowed Starkiller to follow up with a collection of attacks that the master couldn't parry, instead he was forced to block. There was a good reason as to why the master hasn't blocked a single sabre blow so far. The difference in their age and body was most likely Starkillers largest advantage, the strength he could put into his attacks was unmatched by his opponent and the older man felt the shock from the kinetic force travel up his arms, causing him to stagger.

Seeing his chance, he didn't let up once he moved found and made strike after strike, each one connecting with the master weapons and he could feel the strain that must be affecting him. Even with the Force acting as a booster for him, it shouldn't be able to keep him on his feet for much longer. Then it gave out and with a slash of the Darksabre, the sabre in the emperor's left hand was knocked out of his hands. As the weapon fell to the ground, the older man quickly pushed his free hand out towards him, sensing the danger Starkiller didn't retreat but instead moved his sabre to intercept the hand. As the powerful blast of lightning left his hand it quickly collided with his moving red sabre.

The blade didn't just block the attack but instead redirected it towards the emperor's other sabre. If the man was prepared for the counter he didn't prove it as his other sabre was blown out of his hand by his attack and the master's second blade dropped to the ground. Seeing his opening, Starkiller made for a double slash with his sabres, intent on ending the life of the one who made a move to attack him.

Just before his sabre connected however, he could the glint in the eye of the master and he froze in place, not because he changed his mind but because of something far worse.

The Force was locking him in place.

He tried to break free but found himself unable to, he couldn't even move his head as he looked at the master who straightened his back as he stood in front of the hand, uncaring for the blades that were inches away from his head "Your skill with a sabre is impressive my young friend" the master said as casually as he did when they were in the middle of the gala "If this were a simple battle of blades, you would have won" he admitted as his right arm slowly rose in the air slightly.

Starkiller let out a gasp as he rose with it, both his arms forced to his sides. The sabres he held were still active "But it is never so simple" he slammed his eyes to the side and he was unable to stop himself from being slammed into the wall, then the ceiling and ground, it wasn't strong enough to break bones but it sure as hell hurt as it did. As his back smashed into the ground, he was still unable to move as the master walked over towards him, not stopping until his feet stopped just at the base of his skull "You may not be as strong as myself or Lord Vader, but your potential is impressive. I will ensure you achieve it whether you want it or not" Starkiller was silent as he listened to the master, looking up at him from the ground. Trying to understand how the man wasn't out of breath given all they just did "It begins with this" he didn't even try to stop the Darksabre from being ripped from his hand and hovered in place in front of the emperor.

"In your hand is held the key to gaining a powerful army for the empire, but you do not attempt to claim them for your own. Why? Because they are beneath you? Because it is too much work?" lightning shot out from his hand.

"AAAAHHHHH!" he screamed in pain as it washed over him, it was only for a moment before it stopped.

"No more. You have shown me that you have the beginnings of building ambition by coming here. Now you will do more. Go to Mandalore. Claim them for yourself and use them in the service of me" he ordered, Starkiller looked with blurry eyes up into the deep yellow of Darth Sidious.

"As you command my Lord" he rasped with a broken voice.

"Not master?" Sidious asked him with his eyes narrowing slightly.

Starkiller answered immediately "You are the master of all Sith, but until you recognise me as your apprentice. You are my Lord. My master is Lord Vader" he explained.

"As you were, my young friend" Darth Sidious said dropping the Darksabre, the ancient blade landing on his chest. The master turned and started to leave the hanger forcing Starkiller to remain on the ground for a few minutes. His face, which was once neutral despite the pain, turned to anger.

This wasn't right, he just fought for his life. He should be smiling at the battle, it was amazing, a true test of skill that he hadn't had in a long time, the exhilaration during was incredible. But he was angry, and he knew why 'he cheated' he thought to himself as he looked at the damaged ceiling. It was a battle of blades and skill. He had lost but he cheated instead of accepting defeat. Despite all the pain he was in, he clenched his fists and took in many different deep breaths.

But he couldn't challenge him on that, could he? He was the master, and he had the strength to keep the position. Well, he wasn't going to command the Mandalorian just yet. He had his own mission to complete and after that display, he was going to do this first. With a grunt of pain, he started to pick himself up off the ground.

Looking back to his ship, he started to limp his way forward. His back hunched low as he did so. Getting up the ramp was a long process but he made it eventually. Entering the cockpit, he blindly reached to the side and opened a small panel. Grabbing the stim he quickly jammed it into his neck, the painkiller took effect speedily and he let out a deep breath without a great deal of pain to hinder him.

He sat in the chair and turned around to turn the engine on "The dark side" a voice echoed behind him, Starkiller quickly turned around "It will pull at you, it will call to you" he clenched his eyes shut as a great pain overtook him, he reached up to grab his head as the headache overtake him.

"What…... is this?" he asked aloud as he tried to block out the pain.

"General, Clone trooper Able one seven zero seven. Reporting for duty sir" another voice called out from the dark.

"Stop" he said to himself as the pain increased, without even meaning to he pulled at the Force to drive off the pain but it only resulted in the floor and wall panels starting to bend and break away.

"You are my family" a woman's voice called out.

"And I always will be" It was a man this time, it almost sounded like his own.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted as loudly as he could and everything came to a close. The panels around him stopped floating before dropping to the ground "That is enough" he added before he quickly turned around and went back to the controls, deciding that he had a mission to do was more important than some voices in the back of his head. He would deal with them later.

At least they seemed to be stopping now. As the Eclipse left the hanger and started to climb high into the sky, he quickly punched in the coordinates for Malachor. He needed to get to the bottom of this quickly, just because he was going to do this first didn't mean he wanted the master to know that he purposefully wasn't following his instructions first.

Sabine held a calm face as he looked down to the ground, staring at the black helmet she was holding in between her knees, they landed a few minutes ago and Fenn wanted to take a look at their surroundings before they moved. But it was more so to make sure they weren't attacked the second they stepped out of the ship. She was going to join them soon, but she just wanted to take a moment to think about it all, about everything that's gone wrong.

The hot water rushed over her as she leaned forward against the wall, her hand outstretched to keep her upright. Looking down at the drain in between her feet, the water slowly draining away mixed with the colours that had normally taken up her hair. But no more, it's been a week since she and Able got back from Malachor and it's been a week since she lost him.

Of course, she wanted to go back to the temple the second Able pulled her to the seat but when that explosion went off…. Her eyes shut as she remembered seeing the large beam of lightning that took down the Super Star Destroyer. There was no way he could have possibly survived that, not even him. She wanted to be proud of him, she wanted to take pride in him. He proved himself to be a true Mandalorian, he died in battle killing his enemy. The great Lord Vader. If Ezra died, then Vader must have died with him.

But she couldn't be proud of him, because he left her. Without even thinking about it, she brought her hand back and slammed it into the wall. The pain seemed to snap her out of it but it was only a fraction of what she was feeling inside. After everything they did, how could she just go on without him?

The water shut off and she let out a sigh as her head rose, the steam covered the mirror in front of her but with a wipe of her hand, she brushed it all away. And looked at her face, her eyes were still stained with red. It was only recently that she stopped crying regularly. Her hair was now that dark brown she was born with, and that desire to see the colour all around her was now gone. The knock on the door caught her attention "Yeah!" she shouted loud enough to be heard through the metal.

"Ma'am" Able's voice came through "You've been requested at the command centre. We have an unexpected visitor" he said to her.

She glanced at the door for a moment before nodding "I'll be there soon" she said back calmly.

"Understood" he said back before he left.

Able himself didn't seem too affected by the loss of Ezra, not that Sabine could blame him of course. He only knew him for a short time, he mourned with the rest of him and felt the loss of such a skilled leader but he wasn't any were near as broken up as she or any other of the Ghost crew.

She couldn't help but think of them as she dried herself off and started to get dressed. Zeb acted like many others expected him to, he and Ezra were close but not the best of friends, from what she was told he spent the day in the morning and got drunk that night. He was still sad but like the former honour guard he was he put in the back of his mind to focus on the jobs he was given.

Hera was completely devastated by his death, she put on a brave face when around others but Sabine knew that when she was alone she cried maybe as much as she herself did, Hera cared for Ezra greatly. It broke her up when he and Kanan had their falling out but she was ok because she knew Sabine was here to keep an eye on Ezra so he would be ok. She was getting over it slowly but the wound was still fresh in her mind.

Kanan's reaction to it all. Sabine frowned as she thought about it, the man didn't have any reactions to it all. The only thing it seemed to do was knock him into some extra meditations but apart from that he hadn't changed at all, he didn't even react to any of them when they mourned in their own way.

Now completely dressed and carrying her black helmet under her arm she left the washroom and started to move towards the central command centre. It wasn't hard to see others glance at her as she moved, it wasn't surprising either when she was known for her art and colour but now it was gone as well. Her hair, her armour, it was all so bland now.

"I don't like this"

"We can trust him, he's no alley to the empire"

"That doesn't make him one to us either"

She could hear the argument take place the closer she got, it looked like it was between Kanan and Able "I'd still like to know how he found us" Hera' voice came in next.

"I placed a tracker on their ship before I announced myself to them" Sabine paused mid-step as she heard a voice that she hadn't heard since that day.

Reaching the main command centre, she could see a small crowd of armed soldiers surrounding the area, so many that she had to start pushing her way through them. Though they were quick to move when it was clear she was coming forward. As the crowd parted those standing arguing turned to look at her. Able was the closest with his back turned fully to her though he turned when she arrived, giving her a nod, not taking any note of her change in style apart from a quick glance at her hair.

Commander Sato and his guards were on the left of the table, giving her a nod in greeting as well while Kanan and Hera were on the right. Of course, they stared at her hair and armour more than the others, but they didn't bring it up, though she knew she was going to have to talk about it later. At least Hera would want to know what was going on though she doubted she didn't have an excellent idea as to why "What the hell is going on?" she asked the group as they quieted down.

At the question, the others didn't answer for a moment but Able was the first to act, stepping to the side and allowing Sabine to see what was on the other side of the table to him. Her eyebrows at the sight of the man she never thought she would see again, a man she thought was dead "You?" she asked as she took a couple of steps forward until she stood next to Able.

"Mando, it is good to see you again" the Old Master said to her with a nod.

"Talon II" Sato said as he turned to Sabine "This man arrived here thirty minutes ago claiming to be an alley. Is this true?" he asked her.

Sabine placed her helmet on the table before crossing her arms "He fought with us if that's what you mean. I'm convinced he's an enemy of the empire and to be honest" She gave a pointed look towards Kanan "I don't give a damn what he's done or who he was with" She turned back to Sato "I'm not saying I trust but he's earned the chance to earn it" before anyone could respond she turned back to Maul "What happened to you and how did you find us?"

The man was quiet for a moment as he thought about the right response to give "As you and the clone are aware, I climbed the temple with Ezra and made it to the top. That was when we were ambushed by Lord Vader, I was knocked away quickly. Pushed from the top of the pyramid and down to the ground, I was surrounded on all sides with very little to aid me in the defence of so many enemies. I did the only thing I could, I fled" he admitted as everyone paid close attention to him "I tried to make my way back to the two of you, but you were already in the air. Thankfully, I placed a tracker on your ship before I announced my presence to you all"

It wasn't hard to miss the frown appearing on both Sabine and Able's faces as the man reached behind him and pulled a small data pad, he placed it on the table and slid it over to Sabine who looked at it and saw the beeping tracker from where the Tempest was right now "I stayed hidden and when the rest of the imperial army arrived I was able to sneak onto and steel one of their ships. I made a handful of blind jumps, shut off any type of tracker the ship would have on it and made my way here" he made a quick glance at Sato "I am here to offer my aid in the destruction of the empire"

Sabine had to admit that this was a surprise but there was something that didn't just add up. She looked over towards Kanan "So what's the problem?" she asked with a frown.

"He didn't tell you who he was, did he?" Kanan asked as he locked his eyes on Maul.

Sabine gave him a shrug "He never gave us his name but he told us immediately that he was a Sith, used to be the apprentice to the Emperor before Vader. I doubt he would tell us all that only to lie about something else" Kanan frowned at the answer but even though it was clear he wanted to argue against her words, he didn't have a lot of ground to stand on. She ignored his sour look and turned to look at Sato "That's all I know about him" she finished.

There wasn't much more fanfare after that, Sato had a more private meeting with Maul and came out of it convinced that while Maul wasn't some rebel, he was at least an alley they could use against the empire. Hera seemed on edge when around him but she guessed that was Kanan's influence, Zeb didn't care either way though she heard around the base that the Zabrak had a long conversation about how Force users fight so he could be better prepared in the future if they ever run into them again.

She wasn't surprised to see Ashoka show up sometime later, she offered her condolences but she had that same emotionless expression that Kanan did so it meant very little to her. If anything it just pissed her off even more, if she and Kanan weren't so narrow-minded and complete cunts with their dogma. Kanan would have still been training Ezra and hell he and Ashoka might have gone with them to Malachor and they wouldn't have lost him then. She let out a sigh as she thought about it, she couldn't worry about this now. She had to keep her mind focused on the mission.

"Talon 2. We're clear" Able's voice sounded from outside.

"Copy that" she said before getting to her feet and placing her helmet back on her head before turning to leave the ship. They needed to get this job over and done with.

Ok, we shall leave it there; I know this one is a little short but I don't have a lot of time to finish this and since I leave for a holiday tomorrow I thought it would be best to post it now. No update next week because of said holiday.

Anyway, let me know what you all think of the fight and how Maul got introduced and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Next Story update: Project Atlas