Chapter Text
Ahsoka’s footsteps echoed on the metal floor as she sprinted down the hall, the jarring sound mingling with her heavy breathing.
Rex, her men, had tried to kill her.
Why had they tried to kill her?
The shock of what had transpired mere minutes earlier had fueled her drive to escape. However, now, her surprise was beginning to give way to confusion. It had all been so sudden; one minute, she had been standing on the bridge, lost in the blue swirl of hyper space, and then…
The visions.
In the clamor of the ambush, of being shot at by the clones, she had nearly forgotten what had happened merely moments before her men had attacked her. She had seen things, absurd things, that had drilled a hole in her skull and had caused her head to throb and ache in pain. Mace Windu, a man she could only assume to be Darth Sidious, Anakin….
She couldn’t shake the feeling that the visions were real. They had been too vivid, too alive, almost like she was there herself. And deep at her core, despite how much she wanted to deny their truth, she knew that Anakin was in trouble.
You idiot, she thought to herself, slowing her sprint down the corridor to press herself against the wall as she approached a broad intersection of the ship, right now, I’d say you’re in more trouble than he is.
But even with the visions, she was still puzzled. That didn’t explain why her men had attacked her, and it certainly didn’t explain Rex’s bizarre behavior. As far as she was concerned, her vision of Anakin and her reality of being shot at by the clones were two separate, unrelated events.
Inching cautiously along the wall, Ahsoka frowned as the hilt of a third, foreign lightsaber hilt dug into her thigh.
After landing on Mandalore with Maul in custody, Ahsoka had been greeted by Bo-Katan, the stern woman scrutinizing her with sharp, green eyes. She had returned Ahsoka’s lighsabers to her, carrying the two hilts in the palm of her hand.
In her other hand, she had revealed a third lightsaber hilt, the thick barrel glinting harshly in the light. Ahsoka immediately recognized it as Maul’s saberstaff.
“We weren’t quite sure what to do with this,” she had said, a sneer of disgust plastered across her face. “But we sure as hell don’t want it.”
In the moment, Ahsoka hadn’t really wanted it either, but, not wanting to offend Bo-Katan, she had accepted the third saber without so much as a sour face. The handle had been heavy; a hideous, bulky contraption that weighed more than her two sabers combined. Trying her best to suppress a grimace at the unwanted gift, Ahsoka had clipped it to her belt, doing her best to adapt to the extra mass she found herself straddled with.
“Make sure he doesn’t get a hold of that thing,” Bo-Katan had warned, pointing a finger accusingly at the device. “It’s caused enough damage as it is.”
Ahsoka couldn’t agree more.
Attention drawn back to the present, towards the offending hilt, Ahsoka had a sudden epiphany. Maul, she realized. This has to be his doing.
Anger and frustration swelled around her in waves. Of course! Even that Force-restricting Mandalorian prison couldn’t prevent him from weaseling his slimy grip through and manipulating the minds of the clones, provoking them to attack her.
Very sneaky, Maul, Ahsoka seethed, altering her course towards the detention bay where she knew he was currently confined. She had to hand it to him, the guy was impressively creative. Though how he was able to control the clones from his prison, which should have severed his access to the Force, was beyond her.
Bo-Katan did say that it was an old contraption, Ahsoka mused as she quietly jogged down the hallway. Perhaps it didn’t work as well as they thought.
Taking a few more turns, Ahsoka recognized the part of the ship she was in. If she was correct, Maul’s prison cell would be down the corridor at the next junction.
Tiptoeing against the wall, Ahsoka snuck a quick peek around the corner. There, down the hall, were two Republic Clone Troopers standing guard next to a door. Their backs were to the wall, but Ahsoka knew that they would see her if she were to step out into the open.
Ahsoka was stuck. She knew the moment she was spotted, they would open fire and alert the other clones to her location. She had to distract them, but with what?
She almost withdrew back to her spot behind the wall to think when she saw the trooper closest to her pull out a communication device and exchange a brief word with a hooded, holographic figure. Squinting her eyes, Ahsoka tried to identify the person, but couldn’t quite make out their features due to the combined efforts of the distance and the fuzzy quality of the image.
After a moment, the transmission cut out. Strapping the device back onto his belt, the soldier who had received the message looked at his companion and nodded. Together, the two guards entered Maul’s cell, leaving the hallway clear.
Wasting no time, Ahsoka sprinted down the corridor, a pit of dread growing in her stomach as she approached the cell. What was Maul playing at?
Quickly arriving at the entrance to the chamber, Ahsoka watched as the clones stood right outside of Maul’s prison, the one closest to the control panel pushing a button that caused the door to slide open with a rush of air. Ahsoka was prepared to stop them from freeing him when suddenly, she saw the clones simultaneously lift their blasters in preparation to shoot him, with Maul still strapped in and chained to his coffin. Realization about their intent dawned upon her, and, without thinking, she reached out with the Force and slammed one of the clones into the wall on her right, hard enough to instantly knock him out. Her distraction allowed the other trooper time to lift his blaster and aim at her, but before he could pull the trigger, Ahsoka seized his body and threw it wildly up into the ceiling, letting him drop in an unconscious heap.
Her breath ragged and heart hammering in her skull, Ahsoka locked eyes with Maul, his eyes betraying a bewildered, perplexed expression.
She stalked up to him across the room, nose scrunched in fury. “Was this your doing?” she accused, jabbing a finger at his immobile chest.
He narrowed his eyes at her; with his mouth covered and the rest of his body shackled, it was the only thing that he could use to communicate. After a moment of holding her gaze, he pointedly looked at the body of the unconscious clone that had been thrown against the wall, and then at the one that had been thrown against the ceiling. He couldn’t speak, but Ahsoka knew exactly what he was trying to tell her.
Her fury at him quickly dissipated, giving way to more confusion. They had just tried to kill Maul. If he wasn’t behind it, then who was?
Cupping her chin in her hand, Ahsoka thought for a second. Given the current circumstances, she had to get off the ship, and fast. But how?
An idea occurred to her. Looking up, she met Maul’s eyes, whose glowing glare hadn’t left her as she had paused to contemplate her next move.
She fought the urge to sigh. It was risky, and she really didn’t want to do it, but she was fresh out of options.
“Don’t make me regret this,” she growled, jabbing another finger at his chest in warning. Before she could fully consider what she was doing, Ahsoka pressed a button on a panel on the side of the box. With a hiss, the restraints that had held him helplessly pinned against the wall loosened. Free, but unsupported, Maul fell like a rock, gracelessly collapsing on his hands and knees at Ahsoka’s feet. Coughing, he struggled to control his breathing, his sides heaving as he knelt on the ground. After he took a moment to regain his composure, he slowly straightened his body until he was level with Ahsoka, yellow eyes meeting blue.
“You… you survived,” he muttered incredulously.
Ahsoka unsheathed her main lightsaber and pointed the blade threateningly at Maul’s neck. “Was this your doing?” she repeated, voice laced with menace. She wanted to hear him speak and defend himself. “Choose your next words carefully.”
Maul coughed lightly into his shoulder. “No, this what not my doing, I don’t know what has occurred. But I felt it,” his body spasmed as he was wracked with a light fit of wheezing, heavy breathing. “The voices crying out. The death.”
“The visions,” Ahsoka whispered in terror. “You saw them too?”
“I felt them, even in my confinement.”
Ahsoka relented slightly, taking a step back. “The clones turned against me. I don’t know why, they suddenly just… weren’t themselves.”
To her surprise, she heard Maul laughing lightly, the sound not unfit for a raving lunatic. Raising an eyebrow in appraisal, she judgmentally watched as his shoulders shook with the sound. “Brilliant,” he exclaimed, “Brilliant!”
Ahsoka’s confusion morphed into a scowl, her twisted expression inviting Maul to elaborate.
“I was not privy to my master’s plans, but now… now I see it. He’s turned the Jedi’s own army against them. Although how, that escapes me.”
He straightened out his tunic, taking a step toward Ahsoka. “Well, you’ve done the right thing by coming to me. Only together, can we survive this. Now, if you’ll follow my lead…”
“Your lead?” Ahsoka asked incredulously, holding the blade of her lightsaber up to him. “I think you forget who holds the power here, Maul.”
He merely glared at the end of the blue edge shoved threateningly in his face, his mouth thinning into a line of annoyance. “So,” he drawled, appearing unphased by Ahsoka’s threat. “I take it you have a plan?”
Ahsoka adjusted her grip on the hilt of her saber, trying to quell her discomfort at being so close to Maul’s scrutiny. “I… have the beginnings of one.”
“Oh, do tell,” he scoffed, crossing his arms expectantly.
Ahsoka felt herself struggling to control her breathing, fighting the rising panic of her proximity to Maul. This was all too much! What was she doing?
She cleared her throat in an effort to shake her apprehension. “For starters, we need to get off this ship.”
“Excellent observation, Lady Tano,” he said tauntingly. “And tell me, how do you propose we do that?”
“Well, currently, we’re traveling through hyperspace. We’ll have to disengage the ship from the hyperlane in order to safely evacuate.”
Maul rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you, I’m aware of how hyperspace works.” He turned away from her to begin pacing the length of the room, knuckles pressed to his mouth as he sank deep in thought. Ahsoka’s eyes did not leave his figure as he idly moved across the floor, determined not to let her guard slip.
“We’ll need a transport” he muttered to himself, barely loud enough for Ahsoka to hear. “But I don’t doubt that they have the hangar bay under complete lockdown.”
After a moment, he stopped pacing and looked back up at Ahsoka. “We will need to split up.”
Ahsoka snorted in disbelief. “There’s no kriffing way I’m letting you out of my sight.”
Maul strode up to her until his nose was almost touching the end of her ignited blade. He gave the saber a disdainful sneer. “Trust me, Padawan, the only way we’re getting off this blasted ship is if we simultaneously tackle these obstacles. Time is of the essence. We’ll have to work quickly and efficiently. The moment the hyperdrive is disengaged, we must leave immediately. There will be no time to find a ship, it will have to be secured and ready to go.”
“If you feel so strongly about separating, then you disable the hyperdrive. I’ll find us a ship.”
Maul smirked, though it did not reach his eyes. “Giving me the more difficult job, no? You drive a hard bargain.” He paused, looking away as he tapped his fingers to his chin thoughtfully before turning his gaze back to her. “How do I know you won’t leave the ship without me?”
Ahsoka flexed her fingers on the hilt of her saber, inching it closer to his face in threat. “You don’t.”
“Hmmmmm, no, that won’t do.” He stepped back, submitting to her slight show of aggression and putting some distance between him and her exposed blade.
“How do I know you won’t try to kill me if we escape together?” Ahsoka countered.
Maul chuckled darkly. “You don’t,” he replied, echoing what she had previously answered.
“Well, then how do you expect us to work together?” Ahsoka asked. “We obviously don’t trust each other.”
“No, but you do have my word that I will not attempt to kill you.”
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “Even after we escape this ship?” She questioned.
“Until we defeat Sidious. My offer for you to join me still stands,” he responded, voice dangerously low and serious.
A moment of tension passed between the two figures, so thick it was almost tangible. Ahsoka hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Every part of her was screaming at her to tell him no, to refuse like she had already done twice before, and yet....
Ahsoka sighed and straightened, sheathing her blade. It was less than ideal, but she was out of choices and out of time. If this is how she was going to make it off the ship alive, then she would do what she needed to do. “I accept,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was betraying her friends, family, and herself, but right now, the need to survive trumped all rational thought.
A look of relief passed across Maul’s face. “Good,” he breathed, exhaustion shining through his features for a brief moment before he regained his composure.
A period of awkward silence stretched between them, neither knowing what to say. Words eluded Ahsoka and she was unsure of what to do; she knew they needed to leave, but she wasn’t willing to let him out of her sight.
If only there was some way to guarantee their mutual compliance… but they had nothing to offer each other but empty promises and dubious skepticism.
Ahsoka lightly traced her finger along the hilt of her saber, an idea suddenly occurring to her. “We may not trust each other, but there may be something we can exchange in order to ensure our… cooperation.”
Ahsoka unclipped the three lightsaber hilts from her belt, holding up her two smaller ones in her left hand and Maul’s in her right.
“My lightsaber…” Maul said mild reverence, watching intently as Ahsoka lifted it up in the dim light of the cell. “I never thought I’d see it again.”
Ashoka balanced his hilt in her hand. “Here’s the deal. I give you my lightsabers. I take yours. We exchange them once we are safely off this ship. Simple as that.”
Maul frowned. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re getting the better deal here. How am I to know that you won’t run off with my lightsaber?”
Ahsoka scoffed. “Are you kidding me? Red is definitely not my color. Not to mention, your hilt is incredibly bulky and garish.” She held the heavy device in the palm of her hand, eyeing it with distaste. “Yes, your saber is certainly not my style.”
“Fair point. Now, if you’re done insulting my lightsaber, I agree to your little deal. May we proceed?”
He held out his hand expectantly. With reluctance, Ahsoka dropped her hilts into his palm, trying to swallow her regret as their familiar touch left her fingers. He lifted the sabers up to inspect them, turning them over in his hands and testing their weight.
It was uncomfortable watching him scrutinize them, making her feel oddly self-conscious. For the Jedi, it was taught that one’s lightsaber was their life. The unspoken connection between an individual and their kyber crystal ran deep in the fibers of the Force. Her offer was one not to be taken lightly, and she could only hope that the Sith respected their crystals in the same way that the Jedi did.
With her free hand she pointed at her two lightsaber hilts clenched in Maul’s gloved hands. She could practically feel her crystals pulsing in displeasure at being held by the Sith. “I want those back unharmed. There better not be a single scratch.” Those lightsabers mean a lot to me, she added as an unspoken afterthought, thinking briefly of Anakin.
“Do not fret, Lady Tano,” he said dismissively, clipping the hilts to his belt. They looked odd and out of place at his side. “I’ll return them to you once we are off this ship, just as I expect you to do the same with mine.”
Ahsoka nodded, trying to ignore the feeling that this would be the last time she would be seeing her precious weapons.
The two crystals in the heavy hilt she currently held thrummed with a dark, chaotic energy. Their aura was distinct and foreign, completely different from the soft, calming glow of her own. She got the sense that they weren’t particularly happy about being possessed by a light-sider.
Tucking the handle back onto her belt, she watched guardedly as Maul walked over to the bodies of the clones, pulling two commlinks off of their unconscious frames.
He offered one to Ahsoka, who accepted it hesitantly. “It would be in our best interest to remain in contact with one another, don’t you think?” he commented, fidgeting with his device to change the frequency channel it was tuned into. Ahsoka did the same.
“So, our plan is simple,” she said, clipping the device onto her wrist. “You go bring the ship out of hyperspace. I go find and ready a shuttle for us to leave. Once you’ve completed your job, come find me in the hangar bay. Then, we leave.”
“Sounds like a very well thought out plan,” Maul sarcastically quipped. He walked past her and out the door of the cell. “Your attention to details is immaculate.”
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, turning to follow him out into the hallway. “I’m confident in your abilities to figure it out.”
“Such faith you have in me. I thought you didn’t trust me?”
“I don’t,” Ahsoka clarified. “I just know what you’re capable of.”
“Hm, yes, well, it seems as though my reputation precedes me.”
Ahsoka grunted in exasperation. “Just, get the job done.”
A sudden thought occurred to her, causing her face to contort into a slight grimace.
“And please, try not to kill too many clones.”
Maul rolled his eyes. “I will make no such promises.”
Ahsoka bit the bottom of her lip, her eyes drawn to her lightsabers at Maul’s waist. The abrupt realization that this monster would use her lightsabers to kill her brothers curled sickeningly in her gut. Why had she freed him? This was a mistake. This was a huge mistake.
As if reading her thoughts, Maul fully turned to her, capturing her in a steely glare. “Though, if it makes you feel any better, I will not use your weapons to bring about their demise,” he offered in an almost irritated tone.
Unsure of how to respond, Ahsoka simply nodded in thanks. Lifting up her wrist, she pointed to the communication device strapped to it. “I’ll contact you once I have a transport secured.”
“And I’ll contact you when I bring the ship out of hyperspace,” he confirmed.
Ahsoka pursed her lips, not really knowing what to say. “…Good luck, Maul.”
He regarded her for a second before slightly bowing his head. “May the Force be with you, Ahsoka Tano.” And with that, he turned around and strolled down the hall, leaving her alone in the eerily quiet ship.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, Ahsoka admonished, turning to jog down the corridor in the opposite direction. Here goes nothing.