Chapter 3: General Maul
Ahsoka is sitting aboard her corvette, the Fulcrum, meditating in her private chambers. The events of Order 66 have caused her and Rex to go rogue from the newly formed Empire. As she medicates, she feels a massive disturbance in the Force, though she cannot tell what it is. As she opens her eyes, she sees Rex standing before her.
"What is it, Rex?" She asks.
"We've picked up a transmission that you might wanna listen to." Rex answers.
Following Rex to the monitor, she recognizes the voice of Darth Maul on the messages. Though it does not sound like the Maul of rage and ferocity that she had encountered before. This sounds like a man who has reached his breaking point.
"We will destroy them. Soldier after soldier. Fleet after fleet. Planet after planet. We do this, and they call me an assassin. What do you call it, when the assassins accuse the assassin? They lie, and we have to be merciful to those who lie. I hate them, those self righteous imperialists. I truly hate them."
"There's more to it." Rex says as he plays another transmission.
"Men are trained to rain fire on the enemy, but they are not allowed to cuss on over a radio because… it's obscene."
"Where did you receive these transmissions from?" Ahsoka asks.
"It looks like the signal is coming from Mustafar." Rex answers.
"Set the course for Mustafar then." She orders.
As they make their way to Mustafar, Ahsoka meditates on hearing the transmissions. She senses a great disturbance in the Force. She attempts to reach out to her comrades via the Force, but nobody is answering.
"Be with me." She pleads. "Master, if you're there, answer me." She hangs her head when she feels nobody reaching out to her. As the ship approaches Mustafar, Ahsoka senses that the planet is strong with the Dark Side.
"Enemy Sepratist ships approaching, permission to open fire?" Rex requests.
"No, they haven't fired upon us yet." Ahsoka says.
Before they can think of their next move, the power in the ship goes out and they feel themselves being pulled down to the surface of the planet.
"Tractor beam. Hang on, Rex." Ahsoka says as she buckles up in her Captain chair.
The ship descends onto the volcanic planet, and arrives on a platform on the banks of a lava river. When the two of them step out, there is nobody there to greet them. The only thing there on a floating platform to take them upstream.
"What do you think, boss?" Rex asks.
"We go upstream." Ahsoka says, sensing Maul is upstream. Riding the platform upstream, Ahsoka can sense the Dark Side growing stronger. Hearing a battle cry, Rex reaches for his blaster only for Ahsoka to motion for him to keep it holstered.
"They're not going to attack us." Ahsoka says as she sees several clone troopers wearing war paint performing a haka. "It's ceremonial." They approach the entrance of a compound, surrounded by several child clones, resembling young Boba Fett. They are all shirtless, with war paint on the faces and blasters on their backs.
"What the hell is this place?" A disturbed Rex asks.
"That's what we're here to find out." Ahsoka says, trying to mask her disgust.
"It's okay, children! Let them pass!" A voice yells out. They children make way and allow the platform through. The pair of them look to see the man they recognize as Commander Cody coming out to greet them. Instead of wearing clone armor, he dons a Jedi robe.
"Cody? What are you doing wearing that? You're not a Jedi!" Rex says with astonishment.
"Jedi or not, I am a child of the Force. Everyone you see here is a child of the Force." Cody explains. "That's probably what called you here unless… unless you have come to take him from us."
"Take WHO from you?" Ahsoka asks dumbfounded.
"Him, General Maul. The one who enlightened us." Cody answers. "He is our savior from the corruption of this world. The outsiders had tried time and time again to send others to take the General from us."
"And… where are those who were sent?" Rex asks.
"One of them has seen the error of those who attempted to corrupt him." Cody answers as he guides them down a corridor where Obi-Wan Kenobi is standing guard.
"Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka rushes to see him, only for Obi-Wan to stand guard with a vacant expression. Apart from his dead eyes, Ahsoka sees he has foregon his Jedi tabard in exchange for a bandolier. He has a lightsaber and blaster both holstered to both sides of his belt.
"Obi-Wan it's us, Ahsoka and Rex." She pleads trying to get him to respond, only for him to remain mute.
"Leave him be, he's in thought right now." Cody says as he leads them onwards. "There was another who failed to see the General's vision and… well see yourself." He points to the head of Anakin Skywalker, frozen in carbonite. Ahsoka feels faint, only for Cody to help her stay balanced.
"No, Anakin!" Ahsoka says breaking down.
"He failed to see the enlightenment that the General gives us." Cody says. "He can seem like a mighty bastard, but he's right about what he says."
"Where is the general?" Ahsoka asks, trying to regain her composure. "I want to speak to him."
"Well that's the thing, you don't really talk to the general. You just listen to him and you don't judge him. Never judge him, he says that's the one thing nobody has the right to do." Cody says as he leads them to a large throne room.
"Rex, wait out here." Ahsoka says as Rex nods in agreement as she enters the throne room. She enters the throne room which reeks not only of the smell of the dead, but also of the Dark Side. She approaches the throne and sits across from it when she sees Maul sit up, but remain in the shadows.
"Where are you from?" Maul asks.
"I was born on the planet Shili, General." Ahsoka answers.
"I visited that planet when I was a boy. I rode down a river and… there was an old castle, maybe over a thousand years old. It was covered in plom blooms… overgrown and it was just nothing but plom blooms for miles. It felt as if… there was something greater than all of us in this universe that could allow for such majesty to befall us." Maul says as Ahsoka listens intently. She senses a broken man, driven to insanity and trapped in his own mind.
"How did you find me here?" Maul asks.
"A disturbance in the Force, something otherworldly even." Ahsoka answers.
"What disturbance do you see now?" Maul asks while staring at Ahsoka with dead lifeless eyes. "Do you believe the rumors about my methods?"
"I don't see any method in any of this. But then again, I didn't know what to expect when I came here. I trust in the Force, but not like this." Ahsoka answers, much to Maul's disdain.
"Are you an assassin?" Maul asks.
"I was a Jedi, now I'm a soldier." She replies.
"You're none of them. You're a pawn on a Dejarik board… played by men with a god complex." Maul says while staring directly into Ahsoka's soul. Ahsoka is at a loss for words as this is not the Sith she knew from her world. She grows conflict from within being around him. She wants to end all the insanity around her, but she also wants to pick his brain. Mauls up and sits down directly in front of Ahsoka, where she catches a glaze at his black, lifeless pupils.
"If you seek to kill, you have a right to do that. But you have no right to judge me, for the things I've done. It is hard to find the finds for those who do not know what horror is. Horror has a face, and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are you your friends. If they aren't, then they are enemies to be feared. I remember when I was serving with the Republic, it seems a million life times ago, we had traveled to Tattoine to aid Tusken children. We had left the village, after we inoculated the children for bloodburn, and this Tusken woman was crying and running towards. We went back to the camp and found the Separatists had come and severed every inoculated. I remember, because I never want to forget, weeping and panicking, I don't know what to do. Then it occurred to… that the Separatists were stronger. Because they were men who have friends and families, yet they had the strength to kill without passion or feeling. And without judgement, because judgement is what defeats us. If I had ten battalions of men like at the village, then the fighting across the galaxy would end very quickly." Maul gets up to walk to let Ahsoka take in what he told her. "I want you to tell the galaxy what you've seen here, because if there's one thing I detest… it's the stench of lies. You will do as the Force has willed you, but you will not hide what you have done." He leaves Ahsoka to meditate on what her next step should be.
End of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this segment of the story. This segment was inspired by the film Apocalypse Now. If you're confused by elements of this chapter, go watch the movie. The next chapter is likely to focus on role reversal of some Sith and Jedi. Until then, happy reading.