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Chapter Text

"Apprentice, what can the tauntaun teach us about life?"

Maul scratched Naa'leth's wooley ears and watched Luke as he wandered among the other tauntauns. They weren't the most intelligent animals, nor the most Force sensitive, but on Hoth they had important lessons to teach the boy. Although his attention was wandering far from Maul's instruction and he despaired at ever getting this lesson through the boy's head.

Luke crouched down beside a bull and peered into his eyes curiously. "Wear a coat when you go out in the snow?" he joked. Maul rolled his eyes. Luke was an excellent student - filled with endless  thoughtful questions - until he was distracted. Then, his mind would run just as fast in unrelated directions, and it was all Maul could do to drag him through a lesson. As with this moment.

"Alright, alright. Sorry. Uh, there's strength in numbers?" Luke tried again, more seriously.

"Yes, certainly, that isn't a bad place to start," Maul allowed. "The tundra is merciless. Tauntauns huddle for warmth and use their numbers to trample predators, but when the individual is lost from the group or grows ill, they are abandoned and the tundra consumes them. Hoth is a home and a grave. Like the tundra, the galaxy is a harsh place filled with harsh, complicated truths."

The tauntaun bleated and continued to chew its cud.

"Oh," Luke flopped back into the hay. "When can I start learning something useful? You keep telling me how awful everything is, but if I have the power to change it, why can't we start? The sooner I can fight, the sooner I can make myself useful to the Rebellion!"

He merely rolled his eyes at Luke's proclamation. "There is no need for melodrama." 

"But people are dying because I'm taking too long!" 

Maul imagined that even Naa'leth looked unimpressed with this logic. "You ought not run toward your inevitable battle with Vader. You must have patience with the Force; it will not be rushed. The Rebellion grew and survived for twenty years without you, it will last long enough to see you fully trained." 

(Although, the Force only knew how that would have happened had Maul not appeared.)

With reluctance, the apprentice sat up from the hay, bits of it falling out of his golden hair and off his heavy jacket. "I know, but it's still frustrating. Being stuck here on base while everyone else is out there fighting is awful!"

"Your time on medical leave is nearly over, and you have made great strides in your training during these last four weeks," Maul said reasonably. "Perhaps not in the form you desire, but it is significant progress nonetheless."

"That's not how it feels at all. Han's out there running jobs for the Rebellion even though he doesn't even want to be here! He's picking up my slack and everybody knows it."

And here we reach the crux of the problem, Maul thought. He rose from where he sat beside Naa'leth, and the tauntaun followed Maul through the enclosure to where Luke pouted. She nudged the boy's shoulder with her snout. 

"This is about Solo?"

Luke turned red.

"And the princess," Maul said, satisfied that at last they may now begin to make some progress. "Speak, Apprentice. What troubles you?"

The little Jedi didn't immediately offer an answer, but Maul had learned that he only had to be patient. Luke would crack on his own, he just needed time. Maul silently patted Naa'leth, who nosed at the hay in Luke's hair.

"She kissed me!" he burst out at last. "Leia kissed me! Right there in front of Han and Threepio!" 

Maul had seen the way the three friends interacted, had learned too (from Captain Antilles, little surprise there) that tensions had been high between them since almost the moment they'd met. And Maul had been watching the princess closely, ever since she had looked up at him and he had seen Queen Amidala. He didn't know what significance this held, but the Force sang with its veracity. 

And the Force also drew Luke and Leia together; when they worked in tandem, the flow of the Force changed and shaped itself to them. He'd never seen anything like it. 

Maul had to remind himself of his own advice to Luke: the Force would reveal itself with time, pushing things would only cause missteps and frustration. 

"That is what you wanted, is it not?" Maul said slowly, testing out the words. He was still very bad at offering comfort. "But you are more upset now."

"Because nothing changed! She hasn't done it again, but she and Han are fighting more than ever. I was worried he was going to finally leave, like he's been threatening to for months, but he just keeps taking more jobs when we offer them and complaining about the pay! Nothing makes any sense!" With this proclamation, Luke flopped back into the hay, causing one of Naa'leth's sisters to brey at him unhappily. 

"Well, perhaps you ought to begin by asking yourself what it is that you want."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked from the hay pile.

"You said the princess kissed you, but I am given to understand that among humans these things are meant to be reciprocated. Have you kissed her?" 

Luke sat up. "Well, no. It was kinda sudden and I didn't really have time to react…" He blushed again. 

"And you have not sought her out? Every being, even those as confident as your princess, needs encouragement in romance, Apprentice. What you must now ask yourself is what you want, and then act with surety." He offered a hand to help Luke up. "But I recommend you decide quickly, for Princess Organa is not a patient woman."

This, at least, seemed to finally be actionable enough advice that it got through to the boy. "Alright. I'll think about it. Thanks." With a little half-grin, Luke took Maul's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Hey - speaking of, have you heard from Ben lately?"

Maul, who had turned away to don his coat, looked slowly back at Luke, "Pardon?"

"Have you heard from Ben lately?" Luke repeated obediently, carefully not meeting Maul's eyes as he pulled on his own jacket.

"...no, not since he helped me to locate you. Kenobi has been reticent of late." And didn't that just irritate him - the bastard had gone and made himself useful, for once, and then disappeared. More than that, though, Luke had finally confirmed that Kenobi wasn't a figment of Maul's imagination. It raised questions on which, until Kenobi deigned to reveal his presence to the living once again, Maul could only stew.

"I'm sure he's just off doing important ghost stuff. He'll be back soon, don't worry."

"I am not worried," Maul protested, but the boy had stopped listening. 

Luke was already out of the tauntaun pen and babbling about his stomach. "Poodoo! Do you see what time it is? Come on, we should go now if we want to have dinner with Han and Leia." 

And just like that Luke was his usual bubbly self again, seeking his friends out regardless of his troubles with them. Maul should have silently despaired at Luke's mercurial moods, but he was just so pleased to be able to raise Luke's spirits. With one hand on Maul's forearm to tow him along, they joined a handful of other stragglers headed to the evening meal. 

Among them was the towering form of Chewbacca. The Wookie had to duck and dodge occasionally to avoid the errant hodgepodge of wiring or an out-standing ventilation shaft embedded into the ice, but he still towered over the crowd. Luke angled them in Chewbacca's direction and they could soon hear and see Solo as well. 

"I ain't saying she doesn't need rewiring, just that maybe now ain't the time to do it! We got jobs to do and Jabba- "

Chewbacca roared something that Maul was almost certain was a shot at Solo's courage (but may also have simply been a remark about trees and not an insulting idiom, Maul's Shyriiwook had never been stellar). Based on the way Solo cried, "Oh, so now this is my fault!" Maul was quite sure his translation had been correct.

"Did you take apart the Falcon again, Chewie?" Luke said in lieu of a greeting, all glowing smiles and laughter.

The Wookie barked an affirmative, and his great woofing laughter joined Luke's giggles. 

"I got jobs!" Solo groused to Maul. "We've got obligations! Taking my baby to pieces in this icy hellscape is not how a smuggler makes money!"

Maul too chuckled. "It seems your obligations here will keep you a little longer."

Solo threw his hands into the air, the gesture somewhat softened by his heavy blue parka, "You're all against me!"

"Aww, c'mon Han," Luke said, nudging the smuggler with his elbow. "Somebody's gotta pick up my slack."

"Your pity-party's just about over, kid," said Solo, unconsciously echoing Maul's earlier words, "soon you'll be back to full duty and then Chewie and I got places to be." The captain glared up at his companion. "And this time, I mean it! No more "repairs"!"

The princess was already seated across the cafeteria alongside several of the Rogues. Their group of four queued for their portion of the (again swiftly dwindling) rations and then joined her table. 

"I'm afraid we're going to have to start cutting back to half-rations on fuel," Leia was saying as they approached. 

"Ah hell. We'll make it work, but has the fuel situation gotten that bad?" Wedge asked, then looked up and grinned when he saw them. "Oh, hey guys!" 

Maul found himself sitting between Luke and Wedge while Solo and Chewbacca slid in beside the princess. At the far end of the table, the youngest of the Rogues, Hobbie and Dak, listened with interest to Organa and Antilles talk shop. There was a chorus of greetings as space was made for them. 

"Did you have a good lesson?" the princess asked. 

"Yeah, I asked the tauntauns for advice on my love life," Luke joked. "How are preparations coming? Did Intelligence get you that report on the probe droid yet?"

"Not yet; I think they're still reviewing some things. We'll get all the details at the meeting."

A grumble went up from the pilots. Echo base was rapidly approaching its first base-wide meeting - a comprehensive breakdown of their projects and accomplishments to date as well as their long-term prospects on Hoth. The Rebels had been hard at work preparing, but Maul had to confess he found the administrative work utterly dull.

Conversation buzzed around Maul's horns and he let it lull him as he ate his ration bar. It was strange to be included in this group of friends like he was one of them. He still felt like a foreigner, but with Luke and Wedge's warm shoulders pressed up against his and the weight of food in his belly, Maul could almost pretend for a moment that this was where he belonged. 

You'll never be one of them. Cease these foolish, weak thoughts. 

Maul's eyes flew open and he froze for a moment, needing to reassure himself that Sidious's voice was just an echo of his damaged mind. That the Sith wasn't really there. Maul was safe.

The conversation didn't change around him, but he felt Luke gently nudge his hand under the table. When he looked up, their eyes met, and in Luke's he saw gentle concern. Maul forced a small smile and nodded. The little Jedi needn't worry about Maul's delusions; they were not a matter he needed to put on his apprentice's shoulders. 

Dinner broke not long later as most of the Rogues were assigned an early call-time. Luke and the princess would spend the next two days in relentless preparation for the meeting. After a brief goodbye, Maul attended to his evening ablutions and then retreated to his room for his own meditations and sleep. It was the same routine he had been practicing for weeks.

In the middle of the night, however, Maul snapped awake. His lightsaber, hidden safely beneath his pillow, in his hand and lit before he was even fully conscious. Kenobi only looked amused, standing with his hands raised passively at the end of the red blade.

"We must stop meeting this way," the ghost said, like it was a joke. 

"You must announce yourself or I shall keep doing so!" Maul snarled back, but he extinguished his lightsaber. 

Still smiling, Kenobi said, "I apologize for waking you. That was not my intent."

Maul sat up and gathered some semblance of dignity. "Then you admit you were spying on me?" 

Kenobi raised an eyebrow, "I check on both you and Luke periodically. You have been doing fine; I haven't had anything to add."

"I can hardly believe the day has come when the Negotiator has no opinions to share," Maul sneered. He'd heard Kenobi's pompous title during the Clone Wars and threw it in his ghost's face now.

Kenobi only laughed. "You would rather I make my presence known?

"I would rather know when I am being watched, yes," Maul growled. "Is that all? As you can see, I am neither tempting Luke to the Dark Side nor slaughtering innocents. May I sleep, O' great Jedi?"

"Since you asked so nicely," Kenobi teased. (Teased! Him!) "Sleep well, you ornery old Sith."

"Get out!" Maul could only snarl as the ghost vanished in the next second. 

The next afternoon, Maul and Luke were working through a more advanced lightsaber form when Kenobi struck again. 

"Very well done, Luke. Your training is progressing admirably. Your father would be proud," Kenobi called out as Luke came to a smooth finish, the Force flowing through his movements with enviable effortlessness. The ghost appeared from the Force where once there had been nothing, and Maul fought the urge to skewer Kenobi on principle.

Luke, of course, was already talking. "Ben! Thank you! We've been working on it since the doctors gave me the go-ahead. It turns out these exercises are as good as the physical therapy they were gonna order, so Master has been teaching me. Um… thank-you again for rescuing me, by the way," he finished shyly.

Kenobi walked (a strangely mortal gesture) to where Maul stood rigidly and placed himself at Maul's right hand. "You are most welcome, young one, but it is your master you ought to be thanking. He did all the hard work; I was merely the messenger."

The conversation lapsed, and Maul realized that was because it was his turn to speak, but he was still trying to process Kenobi and his frustrating ways.

He took a steadying breath. Luke thought that they were friendly, and having Kenobi's endorsement lent more power to Maul's teachings. He could not break the illusion of civility, much as he wanted to take his usual tone with the intrusive Jedi. 

"You are indeed growing skilled at these exercises, Apprentice," he said at long last. "When your physician clears you, you are ready to begin sparring with me." He had been planning on telling the little Jedi today in any case; he may as well give him a moment to preen before his dear Ben.

Luke's eyes grew wide and bright. "Are you serious? Ben, did you hear that?"

Beside him, Kenobi chuckled warmly and said, "Yes, congratulations Luke. It is well-earned. And you could not have a better teacher; Maul is one of the most skilled dualists I've ever faced." 

"Save your flattery," he snapped, but couldn't stop a burst of pride deep in his chest. Kenobi also looked back on their duals with satisfaction? That was - ! Well, he didn't exactly know what it was, but it warmed something deep inside him.

"Can I learn to fight with two blades too?" cried Luke.

"Learn with one first; when you have gained suitable competence, then we will train you in other techniques," Maul said. And the boy would need another kyber crystal if he sought a second blade, although the Empire still maintained a tight hold on any producing worlds. 

Problems for another day. 

"You master is quite right, Luke," Kenobi agreed. "There will be opportunity for these things in time. Your training is not to be rushed."

Maul rolled his eyes at the Jedi. "Is this what you meant when you said you had nothing to add?"

"I told you you were doing fine." The world seemed to narrow down to just Kenobi's smiling lips and blue eyes. "You're the one who told me to come say hello."

He tore his gaze away with a derisive snort. "We should get back to work."

Luke, who had been watching them with thoughtful eyes, grinned brightly. "Actually, I got roped into doing a rotation with Wedge and Dak, so I better run." He lied so perfectly that Maul (nearly) didn't catch it. "You two should hang out though. Sounds like you've got a lot of catching up to do." He was out the door and down the hall so fast that Maul could only marvel at the sudden slipperiness of his student. Perhaps he had learned something of Sith cunning. 

"That's the Anakin in him," Kenobi said as he watched the door close behind Luke with a pneumatic hiss.

Maul glowered. "Such comparisons are unhelpful. He will have to learn the truth eventually. You only hurt him in the long term."

"Should I erase the man Anakin once was? The good he did and the impact he's had on his son?" Kenobi asked sharply.

"We should not tell him such things without context. Sidious will weaponize his ignorance. If he faces the Sith without knowing the truth, he will fail." Maul's words rang true in the Force, a stunning burst of insight that seemed to leave even Kenobi wrong-footed.

"Do you see?" Maul cried as the feeling settled in his gut like an anxious lead weight. "Lies do not become us! They only strengthen our enemies." 

Kenobi's eyes were fixed again in the ether, appealing to someone Maul could not see. "Surely even your dead Jedi cohorts must understand!" Maul cried.

"You - !" For the first time, Kenobi looked almost angry, but it dissolved as quickly as it had come. 

Leaving Maul even more enraged. 

"Yes. You are right," Kenobi conceded at length, although this did nothing to sooth Maul's fury; he knew he was right. "Luke must learn of his relation to Vader before they face each other again." He met Maul's eyes. "How will you do it?"

They had reached the point on this topic  where Maul's thoughts always stalled, circling the same worries over and over. How did he tell Luke of how far his lauded father had fallen and all the damage he had done without breaking the boy? 

And all at once his rage petered out as well, leaving Maul with only the leaden anxiety at his core and Kenobi to ground him. They were on even footing again - which was just as strange as it had been when they were working together to rescue Luke. He did not like this alliance.

Beside him, Kenobi stroked his beard in that old, familiar way. Maul must have been making some sort of face, because he hummed, "Yes, quite. Luke can be... fragile."

"I am working on it," Maul snapped.

"His uncle was very overprotective. Owen Lars was only ever exposed to the worst of Anakin, and he did his best to scare Luke away from any traits he thought may lead him down a similar path. I'm afraid Luke was never given much of a chance to grow up before he became a rebel."

"And the Rebellion has thrust him into a leadership role," Maul added despairingly. "With no training."

"Luke has a great deal of natural charisma and an adaptable personality - both enhanced by the Force - are you surprised? They lost many soldiers to obtain the plans for the Death Star and yet more to its destruction. Luke was a hero. His advancement was very natural."

"Be that as it may, it does not make it easier to speak to the boy on the matter of his father."

Kenobi blew out a breath. "You are correct. We will both work to prepare him for the truth. I will do… better about the way I speak of Anakin. You have my word."

Had Kenobi just agreed with him? He hated this! It was awful!

"Good. Perhaps we may yet bring Sidious down." He looked Kenobi very seriously in the eye. "I still hate you."

"I know." Kenobi smirked and vanished. 

The next day, Maul had been volunteered by Wedge to assist with de-icing the ventilation systems in the X-wings, and he was deep in a fighter's guts when a sharp rap on the hull rattled him. 

"Antilles," he said without thinking, "hand me that spanner-"

But it wasn't Wedge who looked down on him as he rolled out from beneath the X-wing, but the unmistakable face of Ahsoka Tano.

"Hello Maul," Lady Tano said, looking torn between angry and amused. She had grown taller, somehow, outstripping every being in the hanger but the Wookie (himself immersed in the Falcon's guts), and replaced her armor with more Jedi-like white robes. She had even acquired a coordinating staff.

Maul was suddenly, horribly aware that he was covered in grease and had snowmelt dripping off his horns. 

"Lady Tano," he said, unable to keep the shock from his voice. "You survived… again."

"Yes, thanks to Ezra Bridger. And so did you, it seems."

From the beginning, Maul had been prepared for objections to his presence to come from many directions: Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, perhaps even Bo-Katan if she was still alive. He had been appropriately confident, however, that Ahsoka Tano was dead. He had not prepared for this. Maul had felt her wink out of existence on Malachor.

He had thought fondly on her memory! 

"Master, can you believe it? Ahsoka Tano is here! She's alive!" Luke cried, making his presence known. Dear, sweet Luke, who certainly thought that he had just brought his master a great gift: a friend still living. Was the Force itself laughing at him as it thwarted his attempts to plan? "She just landed in the auxiliary hanger, and when I told her how excited you'd be to see her we just had to come right away. Master - you didn't tell me Lady Tano was Fulcrum!"

Tano was glancing between Luke and Maul with narrowed eyes, gauging, no doubt, how far he had corrupted the apprentice (by his estimation, Maul couldn't help but reflect, not at all). Maul eased himself to his feet, telegraphing his moves and keeping his hands in sight at all times, but trying not to act as if he were. In the hanger surrounded by rebels was not the place for a fight. The part-time Jedi never moved, just watched him with a gentle frown. 

"That would be because I was not aware," Maul answered Luke's question. "It is... good to see you alive, Lady Tano." 

"It's a damn reunion," said another familiar voice, and Maul noticed for the first time a burly old man just a half-step behind Lady Tano. "Shame Bo-Katan couldn't make it." 

The "she'd already have killed you" was left unsaid.

"Commander Rex," Maul croaked, finally recognizing the old clone. 

"Captain. I was demoted before the end of the War. Think that was while you were busy stealing our ship?" He raised a bushy eyebrow. 

Maul drew himself up in offense. "It was made very clear when Lady Tano recruited me that I would not be welcome to evacuate with you. Did you expect me to die in the crash?"

"That you caused," Rex snarled.

"Commander Skywalker," Tano's low, melodic voice cut easily through Rex and Maul's bickering, "could we make use of a private room, please? They could keep this up for hours."

Luke, who was listening with absolutely rapt interest, nodded. "Yes, of course! C'mon, I'm sure there's an empty room around here somewhere."

"Try the equipment room on the far side!" Wedge called from where he was perched on another X-wing. "And I want my defroster back, Skywalker. I'm not done with him yet."

"Thanks, Wedge! Dunno how long we'll be, we've got Jedi Business. I'll send you Dak and Hobbie," Luke called back, and Wedge saluted him with a grin. 

Tano watched the exchange, glancing between the boys and, eventually, Maul himself, with interest. She said nothing when their eyes met, only held his gaze steadily until they had to follow Luke. If the boy found their silence strained at all, he did not show it.

"Apprentice, may I first speak to Lady Tano and the captain in private?"

"No," Tano said, for the first time sounding almost angry. "Commander Skywalker deserves to be a part of this conversation." She silently dared him to disagree.

And damn her if she wasn't correct; they both knew what it was to have a Master (or, in Lady Tano's case, an entire council) who lied, manipulated, and used them. He knew better than anyone what a difference knowledge could make. 

He would not be a master like Sidious. (Weakness, Sidious scoffed in his mind.)

"Very well," he conceded after only a heartbeat's hesitation. He knew even as he held open the door for Tano and the captain that this must surely be the unraveling of all his plans. Luke entered last and tried to catch Maul's eye.

"Master?"

Maul sighed, wondering if this was the last time he would hear that title from Luke. It made his chest ache to even imagine losing his apprentice like this. By the Swamps, had he grown so attached to the boy in only a few short weeks? You have lost half your body and your brother; what is one more petty loss? But his silent beration rang false to his own mind: Luke's loss would be anything but petty.

"I did try to tell you that I am not a good person," he said and followed the boy in, closing the door behind them.

"Is that some kinda sick joke?" Captain Rex snarled. "The shit you pulled on Mandalore alone was gonna get you executed!"

"Rex," Tano reprimanded lightly. "We can all agree that what happened on Mandalore was as manufactured as the rest of the Clone Wars. That's obvious with hindsight."

"Hindsight?" Maul sneered. "I told you what was happening as it unfolded, and you were so blinded by your love for him that you could not see the truth before your eyes. Were they opened on Malachor, Lady Tano? Do you believe me now?"

The captain was on his feet, breathing heavy and looking ready to beat him bloody with his fists alone (please, please; Maul needed a good fight). Luke obviously wanted to interrupt but didn't feel it was his place. If Maul survived this, he would be answering questions for hours -

And by the Force, let this not be the moment Luke had to learn Anakin Skywalker's fate.

"Yes, in more ways than you could possibly know," Tano answered simply. "What happened on Mandalore is in the past. But that does not mean you have nothing to answer for. And it most certainly does not mean I trust you anywhere near Luke Skywalker or the Rebellion."

"Wait, hold on now." Luke finally could no longer keep his mouth shut. "We know - I know - my master hasn't always been on our side. We know he used to be Sidious's apprentice and that he's involved with the crime syndicates. We know he's a Dark Side User. He's been honest with us about all that, but he and Ben - that is, Master Kenobi-"

"Of course you do, Commander Skywalker," Tano interrupted him, tone patient. "But he has told you lies and half-truths as well. Maul isn't just a smuggler or even a crime lord; he is a Darksider. He has fought and killed many Jedi, and his actions have directly or indirectly cost the lives of countless innocents. Whatever he has told you, Maul would not hesitate to sacrifice you and the whole of the Rebellion to save himself."

"That is untrue," Maul protested, but it was for not. The captain scoffed loudly and Tano's eyes narrowed.

"Master's already saved me," Luke persisted. "And he's agreed to train me to be a Jedi!"

Even Tano's perfect serenity broke at this proclamation and disgusted shock leaked through her shields and into the Force; she was otherwise, as always, invisible. "With what knowledge? Your lies to Ezra were transparent, Maul, but this? How long did you imagine such feeble deceptions could hold? Luke," she turned back to the boy and her whole demeanor softened. "Maul could no more teach you to be a Jedi than a Loth cat could teach you to fly. He is a Jedi killer. He killed Master Obi-Wan's master, Qui-Gon Jinn. When Obi-Wan cut him in in half-"

All at once, Maul discovered that there were indeed fates worse than being put back at Sidious's mercy as Luke turned to him with wide, brokenhearted eyes. "What? No, Ben and Maul are friends!"

"Is that what he's been telling you?" Captain Rex barked. "He was obsessed with General Kenobi, sure; he chased the general across the galaxy. But they were enemies until the day Kenobi died."

"An accurate assessment, Captain," murmured Kenobi, and suddenly the ghost was standing next to Maul as if he'd always been there. "If a bit behind the times. Hello Rex. Hello Ahsoka."

Their silence was deafening; Luke was, of course, the one to break it. "Ben! I think there's been some kinda misunderstanding or something. Lady Tano and Captain Rex think you and Maul are enemies! They said you - " here, he stumbled over his words. "They said you cut off Maul's legs." 

"This is some kind of trick, right? More Sith shit?" the captain asked Tano. 

Tano's brows were pulled together in an upset crease. "I don't think so, Rex. Hello Master Obi-Wan. It seems we've stumbled into something big again."

"Oh no. Nothing so grand as you're imagining, Ahsoka. Just two old enemies who've finally realized they have a great deal in common," Kenobi said with a warm smile in Maul's direction.

"What does that mean?" asked Luke, his voice loud in the little room. "Old enemies. So they're telling the truth? You're the one who did that to him? You were never friends?"

Kenobi stayed quiet, offering Maul the chance to respond to his apprentice. Guilt roiled in his gut (next to that feeling, the dark anxiety); what could he say? They'd lied to Luke and done so knowingly. Hadn't he thought those very things to himself just the other day?

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Maul said at last. "Kenobi is dead; I cannot get at him. The Emperor lives," his lip curled. "This, we can do something about. It is a mutual goal, ergo we are friends. The galaxy is more complicated than Imperials and Rebels, Apprentice. You know this."

Beside him, he caught the faintest whiff of pain in the Force from Kenobi, as if his words were anything but the truth.

"But I thought-" Luke cut himself off. "So when you showed up here looking for Ben, you were here to what? Fight him? Kill him?"

"Does it matter?" Kenobi asked, fully recovered and shields locked into place. "It does not to me, and I am the one he sought. When he met you, Luke, he realized there were other paths available to him. Despite being trained by a Darksider, you yourself have only taken steps down the path of a Jedi. I have watched. Maul has put your life above whatever feud once drove us. Are these the teachings and actions of a monster?"

Luke looked away; Maul could read in his posture, in the clench of his hand, that this was far from over. Kenobi may have soothed Luke's immediate concerns, but a storm of questions had been stirred up. Force, what a disaster. 

"Jedi bantha shit," Rex snapped finally. "What about Kanan and Ezra and all the shit you pulled with them? You blinded that man! Ezra wasn't ever the same after he got involved with you. Luke seems like a good kid, sure, but so was Ezra. What've you got to say for yourself there?"

"Do you want excuses?" Maul snapped. "Remorse? You won't find them here. I am aware of my sins, and most of them I don't regret. This is a harsh galaxy and your idea of justice is laughable in the face of Darth Sidious' power." They wanted honesty? Fine. He met Lady Tano's eyes and said with brutal sincerity, "When I told you to let me die in Sundari, I meant it. When Sidious' clones were ordered to execute me, it was a relief. Then, at least, he could not reach me.

"You have refused to let me die so many times, Lady Tano. Now, I am openly your ally. Either kill me or let me help you." He was whispering by the end, his words petering into nothingness. He'd thought he would be angry, yet all the fight had gone out of him.

"Alright," Lady Tano spoke for the first time in a long while. "I can see that things are more complicated than we could have imagined. I'm not prepared to leave matters as they are, however. If you'll permit me - us," she corrected with a glance back at the captain, "to stay on base and observe for a few days, perhaps we can come to some sort of compromise. Alliance leadership is waiting for Rex's report; I am willing to at least consider giving my blessing if I see evidence of what Luke and Obi-Wan claim."

Captain Rex scoffed but did not otherwise contradict her.

Luke was silent until he realized that this proposal was, in part, directed at him. "We can take you on. We'll have to speed up that supply run, I guess," he added in a mutter. Then, more loudly, he continued, "Let me go get that cleared with everyone. Someone'll come get you and show you your rooms in a minute."

Maul caught his arm, "We must speak when you are finished."

"Yeah." Luke didn't meet his eye. "I'll meet you at your room this evening, okay?" When Maul gave confirmation, he pulled away and left without another word. 

"We'll secure our ship," Tano said. "Master Obi-Wan, Rex and I would like to speak with you in private, when you have time."

The ghost bowed. "Yes of course. I owe you both that much at least." When they were alone (and the captain had cast one last scathing look back at Maul), Kenobi said, "Well, that could have gone better. What will you do now?"

"Perhaps I can offer to clear Solo's name with Jabba in exchange for a quick escape. I hope that damn Wookie didn't spend the afternoon reconfiguring the motivator again," Maul said, only half in jest.

Kenobi laughed. "Knowing your luck, that's exactly what he did. If escape is impossible, may I offer an alternative?"

"As if I could stop you."

"I will speak to Rex and Ahsoka. I believe they can be made to see that you represent no threat to Luke or the Rebellion. You need only help Luke to understand the rockier aspects of our relationship."

"You are the Negotiator, not I. 'Rocky' is not how I would describe our dealings."

"And you are Luke's master," Kenobi rebuked him. Then, softer and with something dangerously like fondness, he said, "How many times must I tell you you are a good master before you believe me? Of course Luke is upset; he feels foolish for having not fully grasped the complexities of the situation. But he will not throw you away for one lie of omission, my old friend."

To cover how wrongfooted Kenobi's compliments left him, Maul snapped, "Is that how you justified lying to him about Vader?"

The ghost scowled. "Regardless, Luke's immense capacity for forgiveness mustn't be overlooked."

"Or taken advantage of," Maul growled and pushed open the door, determined to finally have the last word.

With Dak and Hobbie helping Wedge, Maul was left without purpose and followed his robotic legs pacing through Echo base. Somehow, despite his legs' long absence, they could still grow restless and send him wandering aimlessly. 

Yes, run. Run, you fool. The boy will realize what a failure you are now and turn on you, Sidious whispered. Maul shoved those dark thoughts aside viciously. 

Perhaps he would try to call Qi'ra. He hadn't heard from her in some time and he had promised he would contact her more frequently. The thought brought Maul's roiling anxiety back. Yes, he ought to check in.

The princess's shouting and a scathing retort from Solo stopped him at the mouth of the communications corridor, the heat produced by the equipment ghosting across his face. A passing tech caught his eye and shook her head. Come back later, the gesture said, they're at it again. Maul was denied yet another distraction. 

"I thought you were leaving! Luke's ready for full duty again, so you can go get a better paying job elsewhere!"

"Well, your worship, I would, but I know how much you'd miss me!" Solo's enormous blue parka came into view.

He was about to make a strategic retreat, as the tech had recommended, when the princess spotted him and called with brisk politeness, "Master Maul!"

Maul froze and grimaced at the wall where neither captain nor princess could see (imagining that Kenobi or one of his dead Jedi spies would at least find it humorous) before turning to the little rebel leader. "Good afternoon, Highness." Maul bowed politely. "Captain."

"I've been looking for you," she said as if Solo was not there at all. "I wondered if you had time to spar with me? I haven't had time to practice with a blade in months."

"I already told you, if you need a man good with a knife, I'm right here!" Solo groused. "Whatcha need fancy sword skills for anyway? A good blaster will do ya better than a laser sword. Leave the Jedi training to the kid."

She scowled up at him, "I'll have you know that I am capable of at least defending myself with most weapons! Swordwork is something I find relaxing and it's excellent exercise." The princess turned back to Maul, "If you have time, of course, Master."

Oh yes, to judge merely by how quickly the hallway had emptied, they had been at this awhile, and Chewbacca certainly had the motivator in pieces. Escape was a lost cause short of stealing a ship, which took time and there was less than an hour of sunlight left. Dammit, he hated acquiescing to Kenobi's plans. 

"I suppose assisting you is more entertaining than simply waiting for death," he sighed half-sarcastically, thinking of how Lady Tano would react when she realized his easy access to the Princess of Alderaan as well. "Come. Tell me of your training." He spun on his artificial heel and began leading the way toward the cramped recreational area he had laid claim to for Luke's training. 

"You really know how to flatter a girl," she said as she fell into step beside him. 

"That is not what I was doing. You were telling me of your training?"

From behind them, Solo yelped, "Are you serious?" and scrambled to keep up.

The princess glanced back at Solo before responding. "As I said, I was trained to be at least sufficient with most weapons, including blades. But more specifically, there is- was a form of sword dancing on Alderaan which requires a rather complete literacy of swordplay."

"Mm… I do not know of Alderaan's tradition specifically, but I have studied a similar concept from Naboo. And both Jedi and Sith lightsaber techniques have a set of exercises not dissimilar to dancing which exist to teach vital forms and footwork."

"The katas that you've been teaching Luke?" she asked, eyes shining. 

"Indeed."

Solo was still following them. If they were going to play this game, he was going to put the children through their paces. At least then they would have less energy for their disruptive arguments. 

Maul threw a training blade (wooden sticks he'd made to reflect the weight of a lightsaber as best he could for beginning combat training with Luke) to the princess and captain each.

"Hey, I'm not part of this!" Solo whined.

Maul gave him an unimpressed look. "Why else would you have come?"

Faced with joining their practice or admitting that he had just followed to be with the princess, Solo took the stick. With his own mock-weapon in hand, Maul sized up his opponents. Solo held his weapon down at his side, treating it more like a club than a sword. The princess had better form and grip, but her size would be a limiting factor until she learned to use it to her advantage. 

Perhaps Lady Tano could make herself useful and teach the girl some tricks while she was here.

"Both of you, attack me," he barked.

They hesitated, but at least had the wherewithal to come at him from different angles. Maul batted away their attacks, and in a few short seconds had Solo on his ass and the princess disarmed. Neither seemed to know how this had happened. 

"Again," Maul said, not even breathing heavily. "Solo, you are larger, you should be putting yourself forward as a target and giving the princess a chance to slip behind and get in a hit. Princess-"

"Leia," she corrected lightly and adjusted her grip on her weapon. "If you are going to humiliate me on the battlefield, I at least expect you to do so while using my given name."

"...Leia," he repeated begrudgingly. "Your forms are good, but your fluidity needs improvement. You are too rigid and you broadcast your moves. You have both fought together before, have you not? Use that experience now!"

And so progressed their lesson. They were both capable fighters and worked well together when they weren't bickering (an uncommon occurrence). He may make something of them yet, although it was obvious both had a preference for blasters. 

"When adapting to work with others, particularly those with whom you will coordinate frequently, understanding each other's skills and weaknesses is vital. Your partner's speed, reach, and style must be considered. It ought never be incumbent upon Leia to reach over you, Solo, but you have the reach to parry overhead attacks while she invades my defenses," Maul lectured as they fought. When they performed his instructions and Leia forced him back a step, he crowed, "Yes, well done!"

"Oh here you guys all are," Luke said from the doorway, and they fell back. Beside him, Ahsoka Tano silently watched the scene. There was something of a studied, unnatural neutrality about her. Had Kenobi already spoken to her? Maul could not tell.

Luke still looked upset, although in front of his friends he'd put on a brave face. Maul watched as he introduced Lady Tano to Solo and the princess. 

"My father spoke highly of your work as Fulcrum," Leia said politely. 

Lady Tano inclined her head gracefully. "Thank you. I worked alongside Bail Organa for many years. He was a great man, and his loss is felt across the galaxy."

It was a kind sentiment, and Leia accepted it gravely, but she was obviously uncomfortable dwelling on the topic. In her next breath, she turned to Luke and said, "I'm sorry we borrowed your master without asking, Luke."

Maul fought a flinch. 

"I don't envy the shit he's gonna put you through." Solo wrapped an arm around Luke's shoulders, jolting him from his pout. "The crazy powers ain't worth the asskicking." 

Leia laughed, "You'll have Vader quaking in his boots before Maul's done with you, though."

Luke gave them a weak half-smile.

Fascination broke through Lady Tano's neutrality, like they were a particularly interesting holofilm she was studying. "Maul is certainly one of the most intimidating dualists I have ever faced," she said like a test.

"Yeah, I've," Luke paused, reminded suddenly that he had a secret he'd been keeping from his friends: Kenobi's ghost. "I've heard something similar."

"May I sit in on your lessons, Maul?" Lady Tano asked politely. 

Maul scowled at her; she assumed that after her stunt this afternoon Luke would permit further lessons. "The apprentice may decide," he said.

This proclamation seemed to baffle both parties. Tano recovered first and turned to Luke for his answer.

"Uh, sure, I guess," Luke said. "Master and I need to talk alone tonight, though, please." If he were seeking to sound stern, Luke had missed the mark completely. Hope bubbled in Maul for the first time, though. Perhaps the boy was still willing to listen. 

Maul nodded. "Yes, I agree."

Lady Tano inclined her head. Maul was so distracted by the wave of relief he felt, he nearly missed Han and Leia exchange a brief-but-knowing glance. Then the princess said briskly, "It sounds like you two have work to do. Lady Tano, allow us to escort you to dinner." And with the princess on one arm and Solo on the other, Tano was steered down the hall before she had the chance to respond. The last Maul saw of her face, she looked genuinely amused.

Into the silence left in their wake, Maul said quietly, "You have very loyal friends."

"Yeah, I do. And they like you too." When their eyes met, Luke looked angry, but Maul could glimpse the real sadness that lay beneath. "I think we need to have that talk now."

"Agreed."

Their walk back to Maul's little abode was taken in silence. Luke chose to hold his peace until they were alone. Although he was tempted, Maul refrained from skimming Luke's thoughts in the Force; he deserved his privacy. 

Maul was not like Sidious .

When they were alone at last, Luke wasted no time in saying, "Tell me the truth. Please."

Maul closed his eyes, praying to his absent gods for the right words. Oh Spirit of the Negotiator, hear my plea, he thought sarcastically, and began to speak.

"When I was twenty-four, Sidious set the first of his plans into motion: the Trade Federation blockaded the small outer-rim world of Naboo," he decided to begin. "Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi had been dispatched by the Republic to negotiate on behalf of Naboo. I had orders to kill them if they deferred from their course.

"After several... misadventures, the Jedi helped Naboo's queen, Amidala, to reach the Republic Senate on Coruscant. There, she pleaded the case for her planet and, ultimately, overthrew the Chancellor by calling for a vote of no confidence when it seemed her planet's needs would be lost to the ceaseless churn of bureaucracy. All had gone according to his plans." Maul met Luke's eye. "That day, Darth Sidious was elected Chancellor of the Republic."

Shock fell over the boy's veneer as he began to realize the scale of Sidious's machinations.

"But Amidala did something unexpected, as he had predicted, and she returned to Naboo with her guards and Jedi to route the Trade Federation. I was there waiting for them."

This was where he needed to make Luke understand the nature of his and Kenobi's first meeting. It was a difficult part of the story, both to make Luke understand and to remember. In his mind, Maul edged carefully around the gaping maw of the reactor shaft and its dark memories.

"When a Sith apprentice kills their first Jedi Master, it is a moment of evolution in their journey. Even Sidious would have honored such an accomplishment. Killing Qui-Gon Jinn was a moment I had dreamed about my entire life." Maul paused and took a breath, steeling himself. "Only minutes later, Kenobi killed me. He bisected me and tossed me down the reactor shaft. This was the end of my time as Sith and the start of my exile."

At some point, Maul had begun to pace as he spoke. It helped him to find the words. Luke had moved to sit on the cot, and his eyes followed Maul's path back-and-forth thoughtfully, but there was still a spark of frustrated anger in his eyes. 

"Why did you lie to me about it? Why make me think you and Ben were friends? I just don't get it."

Maul sighed and offered, "Because I have a complicated past and you seemed content to fill in the gaps. I did not - I still do not - understand why Kenobi has endorsed this apprenticeship. However, I saw no need to upset the delicate balance."

Luke's face darkened, "And now that everything's come out what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Tano and Captain Rex both seem to think you aren't loyal to the Alliance."

Maul snorted. "I am not, but I will not betray them regardless. Here, with you, I can pass on what I have learned and perhaps even see Sidious defeated. I am almost satisfied. You need not fear me, as Lady Tano put it, 'sacrificing you and the whole of the Rebellion'. I've nothing left worth sacrificing you for. Either we destroy Sidious together or I die trying. There is no alternative."

The mistrust that Maul sensed around him lessened somewhat, and Luke nodded. "Okay. Alright, I'm listening. Tell me how you ended up on Mandalore."

"For more than a decade I rotted on the junk planet Lotho Minor," Maul took the invitation to launch back into his tale, "driven mad and living animalistically. My brother, Savage, found me and brought me to Mother Talzin, the Dathmiri witch. Using her dark powers, she restored my mind and crafted my prosthetics. When, for the first time, I was given a choice on how to move forward, I could imagine nothing but to seek out Kenobi, the man who had humiliated me, and have my vengeance." He clenched his fists, even now furious at the thought. 

But the anger was not sustainable and soon drained from him. "I was young and foolish; I did not consider who my true enemy was. I threw myself into hunting Kenobi with everything I had. When you are trained to be a blade, every problem is solved with violence. Kenobi defeated me time and time again, and I grew smarter, if not wiser. 

"Violence and intimidation have always been my greatest weapons. When Savage and I were rescued from the aftereffects of another run-in with Kenobi by the Mandalorian cult Death Watch, which desired to take control of Mandalore, I was quickly made leader. Using Death Watch, I took control of the crime syndicates and formed the first Shadow Collective."

"So it's true!" Luke gasped. "We - that is General Draven and his spies - were following rumors that you might be the Shadow, but we weren't sure. You're really the Shadow, the real leader of the Five Syndicates?"

Maul wrinkled his nose. "That is something of an overstatement. Perhaps I once had such influence. Back in the early days of the Empire something of a united front was valuable. But Qi'ra and I suspect the era of the Shadow Collective is coming to an end. The Syndicates are by their very nature incapable of real collectivism, and Sidious has been working to divide them from the outside for years. He will succeed sooner or later. It is only a matter of time before the Collective is completely obsolete.

"I maintain nominal control of the Crimson Dawn, of course, but Qi'ra manages it in every practical sense. That is to my preference." 

Luke gave him a serious look. "Rebel intelligence needs to hear this. We're writing them a memo about the Shadow Collective tomorrow." He offered no room for argument, and Maul did not contradict him. 

"As you wish, but we have jumped ahead in the story. You wished to hear about the Battle of Mandalore. With Death Watch and the Syndicates at my command, we took control of Mandalore's capital city, Sundari, and the systems she controlled. I had but one ultimate goal for all of these plans: vengeance against Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I used," he hesitated over his word-choice, "cruel games to draw Kenobi out. I took something from him I thought equal to the loss of my legs and my place at Sidious's side. And then I let him go to lick his wounds." 

"Why? After all that time, why not just kill him and move on?" asked Luke. It was jarring to hear it from his voice, for Savage had once asked the same. "You allowed Bo-Katan to free him, Brother, why? He was in our grasp - you could have had your true vengeance and shown the galaxy how powerful you have become! Why not just kill him?"

Maul looked away; he had lied to his brother then, but now he owed Luke the truth. "Because by that point, I had already realized that what I desired was not Kenobi's death, much as I still sought it. What I truly wanted was to meet him on the field of battle as equals once more." He closed his eyes. "Nothing - not my position as Shadow, not ruling Mandalore, and no battle in the years to come - ever brought me the satisfaction that facing Kenobi did.

"By this drive I was blinded. I made foolish mistakes." His voice turned hoarse as he again walked the thin line between remembering and losing himself to despair. "Sidious descended upon Sundari mere hours later and cut through us like we were toys. He killed my brother to show me the price of my ambition and left me alive to remind me that there are worse fates than death."

As his voice petered out, Maul realized there were tear tracks on his cheeks. This was a pathetic show of weakness before his student when he needed to display strength. He must, above all things, demonstrate that he could help Luke defeat Sidious, and here he sat sobbing over his brother like a child! 

A warm hand landed on his shoulder and Maul looked up into Luke's face, met his unwavering gaze. "I'm so sorry Maul. I'm so sorry Sidious did that to you and Savage. Take all the time you need, okay? Can I get you anything? Water, maybe?"

"No," Maul said softly, covering Luke's hand with his own just to make sure it was real, "thank you. I only need a moment."

His head was reeling, both from Luke's repeated kindness (and he must teach the boy some self preservation, this was getting ridiculous) and from fighting back the spiral. He had so much left to recount, so many sins, and already he had broken down. 

Only for Luke to gently pick him back up and give him another chance. 

Sidious had always told him that there were no second chances; outside of one's training every action had deadly consequences. Much of Sidious's training had itself been lethal. 

And yet now, when Maul could imagine nothing with greater consequence than this conversation, Luke was an ocean of patience. He didn't know what to do with this. 

Maul took a deep breath, pulling himself together through sheer force of will, and said, "I am ready to continue."

Luke nodded encouragingly. 

"In the end it was not Kenobi who came to face me, but Lady Tano, only months removed from her ejection from the Jedi Temple. As she and the Republic forces laid siege to Sundari, I sensed the next great step of Sidious's plan taking shape. I tried to recruit Lady Tano to help me stop what was coming, but her feelings clouded her judgment until it was too late."

The anxiety in his gut twisted again - a sign, perhaps, or a warning? But of what he did not know.

"Sidious proclaimed the Jedi traitors. When the clone soldiers turned against their Jedi generals, we rescued each other. Of course, we fought again as the ship crashed, and in the end myself, Lady Tano, and Captain Rex were the only survivors. We went our separate ways. 

"The transition from Republic to Empire was similarly disordered. I was able to take advantage of my influence among the Syndicates and, as I mentioned, bring the Shadow Collective an era of great power. But none of it mattered. Sidious still reigned and my brother was dead. In light of these things, my criminal dealings were a petty success. I yearned once again for a greater purpose. And then I met Ezra Bridger."

Luke sat up straighter. "You've mentioned him before. And that other Jedi, Kanan Jarrus." He hesitated. "The captain said you blinded him."

Maul hesitated over his words again, weighing his options. "I did. I confess it was an accident; I meant to kill him cleanly. I miscalculated. I was in a rush."

"That's not better, Master!" Luke cried, and hearing that title again was enough to keep Maul humble. 

"I know… I know. I am sorry." Maul took a breath, looking down at his hands where they gripped his cane. "I forget more frequently than I should that Sith and Dathmiri practices are… considered rather barbaric in the wider galaxy. In either, you see, defeating the master and kidnapping the apprentice is a matter of course. I would have treated Ezra well, trained him as I have you." (Although Ezra might have eventually fallen, where Luke clung stubbornly to the light, Maul thought a bit snidely.) "I confess the practices are brutal."

Luke sighed and muttered, "I can't believe you sometimes." Then, louder, "So you did all that because you thought having an apprentice would give you purpose?"

"No. I did not meet Ezra with any intent to take an apprentice, but as I observed and interacted with him, I sensed his great potential, and I - " another truth he was rather embarrassed to confess, " - I felt we worked well together. I liked the boy."

"So what were you there for? Why did you keep going after them?"

"As I said, I sought purpose. I had heard that the Emperor was interested in a Sith temple on Malachor, so I went to investigate." He would skip the story of his crash and subsequent stranding (Qi'ra had been furious at his disappearance). "There was a Sith Holocron there, and when all was said and done, Ezra was the one who left with it.

"A little-known truth of holocrons is that when combined, Sith and Jedi holocrons will answer any question you ask. Desperate as I was, I had to ask for some tiny shard of hope to go on. I had to know," he rasped.

Silence fell, Maul's own voice ringing in his ears. The answer the holocrons had given was seared into his memory: the image of an old man, alone in the vast wastes of the desert. In his eyes glinted the last vestiges of Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi. Like a light shown in the darkness, Maul had seen his life fall into perfect order with Kenobi flanking his beginning and end. In that moment, he had felt himself slide seamlessly back into his place in the galaxy. He only had to find Kenobi one last time.

"They showed me Kenobi, alive," he continued after several long moments. "When I finally determined his location, I wanted to go after him immediately, but Qi'ra called and waylaid me. The Crymorah Syndicate was attempting to rise up and usurp us." Maul squeezed his fists, still frustrated with them for interrupting his plans. "So I returned, and together we put them back in their place. The fighting was long and drawn out, though, and by the time I had the syndicates back in line, the Battle of Yavin was already finished."

"And Ben was dead," Luke filled in. "But you thought he was still alive and with the Rebellion? That's how you ended up here?"

Maul shrugged. "I was following rumors and instinct - a feeling in the Force. It was hardly an exact science. That is essentially correct, however."

"If what you wanted was to bring the Empire down, why didn't you join with the Alliance sooner?" 

"You forget," Maul said with a flat look, "the Rebellion was wholly unimpressive before the Battle of Yavin They had won only a few small victories and gained no ground against the Empire. The Battles of Scarif and Yavin changed that. This isn't an uncommon opinion."

Luke fell silent, taking his time to digest all this information. He looked solemn and thoughtful whereas Maul himself felt exhausted. He had no idea how successful he had been at convincing the boy of his good intentions (or at least his loyalty to Luke and disdain for Sidious), but their conversation had been so reasonable he couldn't imagine Luke turning him away now. 

"You and Ben are the same, you know." Maul's head snapped up, a baffled denial on the tip of his tongue, but the uncanny wisdom in Luke's eyes stopped him short. "You were both raised to be the absolute epitome of your ideologies, that one battle made and broke both of you, and the Force keeps bringing you back together. Ben realized you're stuck in this awful cycle where nobody wins if you keep fighting each other, but if you work together you have a real chance to make an impact that benefits both of you and the galaxy by defeating Sidious and the Empire. And isn't that basically the same thing you said to Ahsoka and Rex?"

Maul hummed softly, resisting the temptation to reject his words out-of-hand. "I suppose..." He turned his nose up. "I will not pretend to understand Kenobi's vexatious ways."

Luke grinned and it was like the sun coming out after a storm. "Yeah, he can be a bit of a pain, but he brought us together, so I can't be all mad." He sobered slightly. "A lot of what you told me is really upsetting; especially the way you hurt Ezra Bridger and his master. That kind of thing isn't acceptable, no matter what the situation."

He hesitated, blushing. "This is weird, you're the master, but this time I have to yell at you. Okay. You've, um, you've done a lot of bad stuff, but you're also here now and trying to help us fight and, like I said before, that matters. But it isn't enough on its own."

Maul flinched, but Luke plowed without stopping. "You've gotta promise me that you're going to make a real effort to change your behavior. The Rebellion is about second chances - about hope - and a part of that is you making the choice to change. Can you do that, Master?"

With Luke's huge, hopeful eyes gazing up at him, Maul couldn't find it in his (shriveled, blackened) heart to disappoint the apprentice. When Luke defined the galaxy in such terms, he could almost see himself as Luke saw him, but the image was so at odds with everything he knew about himself that Maul flinched away before he could gain any further insight. 

"I… will try, Apprentice, if it is what you wish."

Before he could properly react, Luke had flung his arms around Maul's middle in an enormous hug. "That's all I ask." He stepped back and looked up at Maul sternly. "And no more secrets. I mean it. I don't want to learn any more of the big stuff from other people, okay?"

Maul nodded wordlessly. The anxiety squirmed in his gut like a nest of serpents. He needed to tell Luke about Vader, but how could he possibly do so now? It would be a very long, difficult journey back to their previous level of trust. To a place where the news about Vader wouldn't break him. 

Feelings finally on the mend, they checked the time only to realize how late it had grown. Luke bid a hasty retreat, but not without giving Maul another quick hug. 

When he was finally alone with the thorny tangle of his feelings, Maul said to the empty room, "I know you're listening, Kenobi. Get out here."

"You did very well. And so did he," Kenobi said conversationally as he appeared from thin air to stand next to Maul. "I'm terribly proud of you both."

"I don't want your empty praise," Maul said around the lump forming in his throat. He had surely been talking too much today. "You spoke to Tano and the captain?"

Kenobi smiled and the years seemed to fall away. There was still the man who had laughed and mocked him with his (Maul had once hoped) last breaths. It made Maul's hearts squeeze unpleasantly. "Yes. They are willing to give you a chance, although Rex may still try to kill you out of sheer frustration."

"I can't fathom what you must have said to them."

"Oh," Kenobi waved a hand airily, "I just reiterated what Luke was saying. They simply needed to hear it from a different perspective."

Maul rolled his eyes. He didn't want to know, he was sure. 

"Did you mean it?" Kenobi asked, apropos of nothing. 

"Mean what?"

"That you had stopped wanting to kill me?"

He fought the urge to flinch. Of course Kenobi had been listening. "Yes," he confessed, nothing else to lose. "More so after Savage's death. I have only ever known how to hate, but I have grown so tired of it all. I came here, to you, to die. There was no one else I could let do it… But if it was you, I thought I could let go at last. 

"And then you had to go and get yourself killed first."

The ghost, who had been looking very sad and sober, snorted with sudden laughter. "And yet I'm the dramatic one for haunting you."

"You are. Anyone else would have stayed dead."

"Have you any idea how ironic that is?"

Maul snarled, but Kenobi only laughed, delighted.

Maul didn't rouse until late, meditating in his room until Luke collected him after his first shift back in his X-wing. The boy practically floated through their early lunch so excited was he by flying and swordwork and being back on full-duty. Maul told him stories of battles and answered Luke's excited questions as they ate. 

"Were lightsabers all really that distinct during the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, wide-eyed.

"Certainly. Most could recognize a whole catalog of blades, both friend and foe. The truly skilled could guess a wielder based on burn marks alone," Maul lectured over the weak tea the cafeteria had resorted to. "For example, Kenobi uses a thin, blue blade of approximately 145 centimeters and a simple hilt of alloy metal. He is a master of Soresu but is also proficient in Shii-Cho. Ahsoka Tano," he spoke up, spotting the woman approaching along with Rex and a small band of Rogues, "has used two sets of blades since I've known her."

"This ought to be good," Tano said with forced civility as she joined them at the table. The captain, Wedge, Hobbie, and Dak gathered around to listen too.

"On Mandalore you used two sabers, both blue, one traditional and one shoto. Hilts made of Naboo chromium, if I recall correctly." Maul followed her lead. If Kenobi had spoken to her already, it was Maul's job not to give her any reason to mistrust him now. "By Malachor, of course, you were wielding white blades, although your preference for the shoto had not changed. I confess, I don't know what the hilts are made of these days."

"Polished junk, mostly," Tano said with a crooked smile in Luke's direction and laid her curved blades out on the table. "Don't stop, I want to hear the rest."

"You prefer the reverse-grip variant of Shien and employ a number of acrobatics that use your opponent's weight against them," Maul continued. "Ezra also mentioned a variation on Ataru that you had helped develop specifically to counter blaster fire on the front lines of the Clone War."

Into Tano's surprised silence, Captain Rex growled, "You learn that all from Jesse?"

Maul's mug of tea thumped back on the table as he looked up and silently dared the captain to continue that line of questioning. He would not like the answers.

"I must admit, that is impressive," Tano said loudly, ending their fight before it could begin. "Your reputation as a knowledgeable dualist is well-earned." 

They, it appeared, really were going to dance around each other with their best manners and oblique references to the past. Very well, that suited Maul fine. 

"May I see your weapons, Lady Tano?" Luke asked politely. He had been staring at them since Tano had laid them out on the table. 

"You may - if I can see yours. But don't activate the blades. It's too crowded in here to do so safely."

Luke laid out his own weapon reverently before he took Ahsoka's hilts with gentle hands. The Rogues, too, crowded in for a closer look. "Woah, you seriously made these out of junk? They're beautiful!"

"Initially. I also took some of the essential components from an Inquisitor's 'saber. Over the years, I've had time to clean them up and collect better materials."

"Amazing," Luke murmured.

And they were. Made to fit perfectly into Tano's palms, the hilts were curved very gently, a style often favored by dual wielders. Dark and light metal alloys created a subtle design with their contrast, but they were clearly crafted to be lethal above all else. These, Maul thought with growing respect, were the weapons of a survivor.

By contrast, Tano and Captain Rex looked down at Anakin Skywalker's old weapon with heartbreak in their eyes. The things that weapon had done, both good and bad, resonated within the crystal, and it hummed a brokenhearted harmony. It was still pure and very loyal to young Skywalker, but the weapon was marked by tragedy. Neither captain nor Jedi said anything, and Maul looked away. It seemed needlessly cruel to gawk at their grief.

The Rogues' exclamations over Tano's 'sabers had died down and when Maul looked back at them, all their hopeful faces were fixed on him. 

"Master, may we see your lightsaber?" Luke asked with shining eyes. 

"Yes, yes, alright," he acquiesced at length; that innocent expression would be the death of him. Maul detached his saber from its home as his cane head. His blade was longer and heavier than either of the (would-be and part-time) Jedi's. The upper was made from scrapped bits of an Inquisitor's hilt and the bottom incorporated parts of Savage's old lightsaber along with his crystal. It was also much rougher, showing its age and use. Still, Maul thought the weapon an honest reflection of himself, and it had served him loyally for many battles. 

"I think I get what you mean now," Luke said, turning the blade over in his hands. "You guys have such different styles, and your lightsabers are totally unique." His face darkened. "Does that mean Vader and the Emperor would recognize you both if you used them?"

Tano, who had looked up curiously from Skywalker's blade to examine Maul's own, said, "There are few enough of us with lightsabers anymore, so I'd say so."

"This is why you must always weigh the drawing of your blade against the risk," Maul added. "Even in my work for the Crimson Dawn I only drew my lightsaber if I was willing to risk the Emperor himself learning of it." 

"Master Obi-Wan always taught us that this weapon is your life, and that is even more true in the days of the Empire," Tano said as they each passed their 'sabers back to the owner. She hung hers in their place at her hip and rose. "Treat your blade with that level of respect and you will always know the moment to draw your weapon."

"Like Kenobi didn't lose the damn thing constantly," Captain Rex chuckled. "I've never met a man so bad at following his own advice."

Maul huffed. "Of course he did. Well, enough of this. Come, Luke, Tano; we have work to do."

The apprentice bid his friends goodbye and Tano exchanged a long look with her captain before they followed him to the practice room. 

When their stretches were complete and Luke had his practice sword in hand, Maul began the lesson, doing his utmost to pretend Lady Tano wasn't watching him closely from behind. "These last weeks, you have been learning basic lightsaber techniques and rebuilding your strength. It is time to translate those skills to your saber. I will attack you; use your forms to block my advance and, when you feel the moment is right, attack."

The first few rounds, Maul moved slowly, broadcasting his strikes openly, but gradually he sped up the hits until Luke was struggling to keep pace. When he had knocked Luke down for a third time, along with a hand up, he offered, "You are doing well, Apprentice. I am a harsh taskmaster and your speed and stamina will come with time. You do well in remembering your forms although you might try to keep them a bit tighter. On the whole you are doing well."

They weren't mere words, either. Luke held his blade with skill and the Force came to his call even unintentionally. Maul had worked some with him on using these techniques in moving meditation and inviting the Force into the body, but never in this context. It spoke highly of his inherent abilities. 

"Thanks Master!" Luke said with a wide smile. 

"You already naturally call the Force to you," Maul voiced his thoughts as Luke fell into his next stance and Maul gently corrected his form. "What I want from you now is a purposeful focus of that power. Use it to help speed your blade and aid your endurance. When you gain further skill and control, the Force will allow you to foresee your opponent's next move and counter it as it happens."

"Like when I'm flying?" Luke asked. 

"Yes," Maul replied. "Call on that experience to guide you now."

Luke nodded and took a deep breath,  centering himself while Maul fell back to prepare his attack. He took that moment to get a glimpse of Tano. As always, her expression did not disclose her thoughts, but the way her eyes followed Luke so carefully was enough to hint at how emotional watching her master's son truly made her. 

Maul refocused on beginning the next round, not calling a warning before he attacked, but giving Luke ample opportunity to see the attack. After blocking the first handful of hits, Maul felt something shift, and so did the apprentice,  because suddenly Luke was on the attack, advancing on Maul with surprising dexterity. 

"Well done," he praised, blocking Luke's next move. The boy's eyes gleamed with pleasure, but Luke didn't let the talk distract him. The Force flowed through his movements, giving them strength and surety. 

Maul saw the final blow coming and fell with it gracefully, letting Luke get the clean hit. The boy's eyes were wide as he realized he'd won. Over the sound of their panting breaths, Tano applauded.

"Very good," she called. "Incredible, honestly, for having never done this before."

Helping his master to his feet, Luke blushed again. "Thank you, Lady Tano. But it's not really my first time. Ben worked with me a little before he died, and, I mean I had a lightsaber and no teacher so I taught myself and begged lessons from anybody who was any good with a blade. Master Maul's just the first formal training I've gotten," Luke finished. 

Tano nodded somberly. "There aren't many of us left. Your dedication is admirable, Luke."

Tano was otherwise politely quiet during the lesson, listening intently but refraining from comment. In fact, when he was fully focused on the lesson, Maul could have pretended they were alone. Her presence was much less invasive than Hobbie and Dak's, or even Solo and Leia's.

As the lesson wrapped up, and Luke hurried off ahead to inhale dinner and then take his place in the meeting hall, Tano hung back with Maul. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to be so good with him. He responds to you well."

"What a ringing endorsement," Maul said with irony as he followed Luke at a more sedate pace. "You were expecting me to hit him and scream?"

She met his gaze without flinching. "I wasn't sure what to expect when Luke said you were teaching him to be a Jedi. I couldn't imagine how it could be done. After your lesson, I think I'm starting to understand how lightsaber techniques can translate, but how do you handle the rest of it? Your philosophies are so different."

Maul snorted. "Start a philosophical debate with that boy and you'll lose three hours. I've never met someone who's morals aligned so perfectly with your goody-goody nonsense."

Tano laughed outright. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Her whole expression seemed to soften. "He's a good kid."

They were immediately beset upon when they entered the cafeteria and shuffled to the Rogues' table, already packed and boisterous. Captain Rex was at the center, loudly regaling them with tales from the Clone Wars. Tano watched him with a mix of fondness and horror that reminded Maul of Kenobi. She must have picked up the expression from her grandmaster. 

Promptly after the dinner hour finished, the meeting began. As a group, Echo base crushed into the conference room, a large-but-still-too-small ice cave which offered a crescent of metal prefab risers and a large holo projector. Tano and the captain chose an unobtrusive place at the back of the crowd from which to watch the meeting unfold. The rest of Rogue Squadron had saved him a much-coveted seat, and Maul was ushered to a place of honor in the front row. To his left, Wedge grinned at him and knocked together their elbows in what Maul might call a friendly manner. 

It all left him feeling rather diffident.

"If I may have your attention, I would like to call this meeting to order," the princess spoke up over the murmur of the crowd. "I will begin by reading the minutes from the Alliance Leadership meeting which took place two days ago."

On his other side, Solo muttered, "Fucking bureaucracy," to Chewbacca, and the Wookie let out a soft chuff of laughter.

"Go on then, Leia," said Luke cheerfully from his place among the commanders.

And so began a series of dull speakers to which Maul listened with only mild interest. The princess delivered a list of missives and empty promises from their absentee leadership. Then a general named Rieekan, whom Maul did not know, spoke at length about the new sensor relays they had installed across this region of Hoth. As their topics ranged from ration requisition to realistic long-term prospects for Echo base itself, Maul began to notice a pattern: there seemed to be no end of optimistic fools (among which, he shamefacedly had to confess, he numbered) ready to fight for an end to Imperial reign. 

What the Empire excelled at was cutting off Rebel supply lines. They had soldiers they could not feed, pilots grounded for lack of ships, and ships grounded for lack of fuel.

"The Mining Guild cuts us off at every turn; between them, the sources directly controlled by the Empire, and the Syndicate-controlled deposits, our on-base fuel reserves are dwindling," Luke explained gravely to the group. "All of our current access is turning up diluted and freezes at Hoth's temperatures. We've been looking at several sources of tibanna gas, which, as our engineers will remind you," Luke grinned at the Mon Calamari women in question, "is liquid at freezing temperatures, but so far we haven't turned up any leads with potential."

Tibanna gas… Maul sat back, adjusting his grip on his cane. Why did that tug at his memory? He ruminated on it for a moment, and came to the all-but-certain conclusion it was because Qi'ra had some connection with ties to unaffiliated mining operations, conceivably even tibanna gas, which had worked with the Crimson Dawn in the past. Perhaps she could make an introduction? He would call her again; they hadn't spoken in several cycles in any case, and he had promised he would communicate with her more frequently. 

"And finally, many of you have heard about the probe droid that Master Maul froze and was able to return to base nearly undamaged," the princess said and set off an excited round of murmuring. Maul could feel curious eyes on him from around the room. "I am pleased to report that our slicers were able to crack the security encryption, and we've learned, among other things, that the Empire may have a new communications relay in the Endor system."

Luke and Leia's eyes were both fixed on Tano and Rex, watching their reaction to this news. "This may be very beneficial to our cause in that sector," Leia continued. "On behalf of the Alliance Council, thank you, Master Maul." She was drowned out by a cheer that went out from the Rogues, and the rest of the crowd took it up. Maul couldn't immediately identify the feeling in his gut, but eventually he settled on flattered. 

As the jubilation died down, her highness ended the meeting.

Maul came alongside Luke, pointedly avoiding Tano, with Solo a half-step behind him and already calling to rile up the princess, "Well said your worship. You sounded straight out of the Imperial Senate."

"Aww thank you, Flyboy," she responded without missing a beat. "It's called professionalism, maybe you've heard of it?"

Maul turned to see how Luke would react to these flirtations. To his pride, the apprentice looked thoughtful as he watched his friends banter. He gave Luke a moment to finish his thoughts.

"Sorry, Master. What's up?" Luke asked at length. 

"I think I may be able to help with your fuel problem," he said without preamble. "I oughtn't make any promises, but I seem to recall an associate of mine had convenient connections within mining circles that were unfriendly to both the Guild and the Empire. If I may contact her, I could gauge further our potential to assist."

Luke's face lit up. "Please do. I've pretty much exhausted all our more promising options, believe it or not."

"I will submit a formal contact request with Colonel Octmalin before I retire then. Good night, Apprentice. Do not let the Rogues keep you up too late, for I still expect you to meditate before you sleep."

He grinned lopsided. "For sure. G'night, Master."

With that, Maul eased his way across the room and through the crowd. He took the opportunity to look for Tano and her captain, and found them waylaid by the general Maul was still unfamiliar with discussing more old war stories. He was glad his conversation with Octmalin wouldn't have an audience. 

He found the Nautolan, Col. Octmalin, gossiping with one of his techs. Maul was eyed up and down before he was addressed. "Good evening, Master. What can I do for you?"

"I wish to request an official communique be extended in my name to the same frequency on which I was contacted several weeks ago."

"I've still got it, yeah." A spark lit in his dark eyes. "Who am I addressing the message to?" Beside him, the tech looked delighted to be present for a question with such potential for gossip.

"Qi'ra. The message is that I have questions regarding her tibanna mining contacts." It was a benign enough answer that he chose to be honest, this time.

"I'll pass it along. You'll want another private room?"

"Please." He was certain their conversations could be watched - were likely recorded - but it seemed the Rebellion had guessed most of those secrets anyway. "Good night, Colonel."

As he walked away, he heard the tech whisper, "So that's Maul. I hope he can miracle up some fuel like he saved Commander Skywalker."

He stepped out from the lights and dwindling crowds and went down his own empty hall. What an odd thought: Maul, bringer of miracles. 

He was jerked from slumber when a weight landed on his bed. Maul had his lightsaber in hand and aimed before he managed to pry his eyes open. Luke grinned brightly at him. "Up and at 'em, Master! We've got an emergency supply run this morning!"

Maul glared at his apprentice in the low light. 

"Meet us at the Falcon in thirty. We've got breakfast." In the low light, the boy grinned like the sun. "Also, this is revenge: don't lie to me again, please."

With that baffling threat, Luke bid a hasty retreat before Maul's sleep-addled brain could decide whether or not to gut his apprentice. In the end, it was easier to stare sleepily at the pack Luke had left him until he was awake enough to process more competently. Eventually, he opened it to reveal a set of clothing meant for a much milder climate than Hoth's (thankfully without boots to discard) along with the usual accoutrements the Rebellion furnished for off-world missions. 

He layered the light shirt and jacket beneath his heavy thermal coat, added his lightsaber to the pack, and made his way through the very (very) early morning crowd. The Falcon had been put back together at some point during the night and was being fueled up under the watchful eye of Chewbacca. The Wookie rumbled a good morning which Maul returned with as much courtesy as he could muster. 

Inside, Captain Rex and Lady Tano sat at the dajek table with cups of caf and sleepy expressions. The clone said nothing and hunched further over his drink when he saw Maul, but Tano poured him a mug from the shared carafe and offered him a seat. She looked offensively chipper for the early hour. "This is quite a ship, isn't it?"

"A junk heap," Maul agreed around a long drink. 

"I heard that, asshole!" Solo shouted from the cockpit, and Rex smirked. 

Apparently taking the hint, Tano let him sit and sip his caf in Force-blessed silence. He was half-asleep, thoughts wandering somewhere between here and Castilson, when Luke bounded in with Leia on his tail and arms full of ration bars.

"Alright, we're just waiting on Chewie and then we're off," Luke said brightly, handing out breakfast. 

"May I ask where we're headed?" Tano asked as she politely accepted her ration bar.

"Takodana." It was the princess who answered. "Only a standard supply run, but this is Luke's first off world mission since the wampa attack."

Tano threw a look at Maul, who had taken the opportunity to eat his ration bar in a few quick bites, and said, "Dak and Hobbie have regaled us with the tale. Congratulations on your recovery, Commander Skywalker. Getting back out there again is a big step."

Luke was blushing as he said, "Oh, you can just call me Luke, ma'am."

"Then please call me Ahsoka, Luke." Her smile turned mischievous. "Rex prefers captain or sir." 

The captain glowered at her over a drink of caf. "One time. I said that one time. And damn Fives for telling you that story anyway."

They reached hyperspace without incident. Although Takodana was not far from Hoth, they were taking a circuitous and meandering route to mask the location of Echo base, and so a trip of a few hours turned into a full day. With breakfast finished and the crew more awake, they gathered for a brief on the mission. Luke looked less gleeful with his vengeance now that he'd been awake for a couple of hours and his eyelids drooped slightly. Maul nudged him to attention fondly. 

"Alright, guys, this is a basic supply run," Luke instructed with a yawn. "Everything is paid for, we're just rendezvousing with the supplier. Han and Chewie know Takodana's matriarch, and so they're going to pay their respects. Meanwhile, Lady Tano - sorry, Ahsoka - Master Maul, Leia, and I will take R2 and make the pick-up. Captain Rex, if you would be willing to stay behind with the ship so we can make a quick getaway, this should be an easy in-and-out mission."

"Well, now that you've said that it won't be," the captain muttered, and Maul silently agreed. "Sure thing, kid."

From where she sat primly next to Maul, Leia cleared her throat. "Luke, don't forget about the - "

" - right, yeah, sorry," Luke responded, immediately catching on. "We had a memo come down from General Dravin late last night, and he said the Empire's getting antsy. They've increased most of our bounties, so we've got strict orders not to draw any attention to ourselves. Takodana is not someplace we want to bring the Empire down on."

"No kidding," Solo piped up. "That's Maz's number one rule: no fighting."

"And what about myself, Master Luke?" the princess's neurotic gold protocol droid asked.

While Luke reassured C3P0 that he would aid them most by remaining with the ship, Maul heard Rex murmur to Tano, "Ain't that Amidala's old goldie?"

"I believe so," was her response, but she didn't elaborate. 

From the way her shoulders stiffened, Leia had heard the exchange as well. Maul caught her eye and she shrugged: neither of them knew the significance of this revelation, but both agreed it had meaning.

Luke beamed at all of them. "Right, I think that's everything! Just a couple more hours and we'll get to Takodana."

As if on cue, the proximity alarm blared as the Falcon prepared to come out of hyperspace. The children all leapt to attention and scurried off to their stations (Solo and Chewbacca at the helm, Leia and Luke manning both gunnery positions) while Maul put himself in the cockpit near enough to the scanner and communications array that he could be useful if needed. Rex and Tano hung nearby in waiting. 

"Hey! Uh-uh, no. Get outta here; you called the Falcon junk!" Solo snapped as he prepared the return to realspace. 

"Do not take offense," Maul said absently, flicking a quick adjustment to the comm channel. "You were also my first choice for escape should Lady Tano have tried to chase me off of Hoth." Somewhere behind them, Maul was quite sure Tano was stifling laughter.

Solo gave him a look that was both irritated and amused. "Guess that's something. Not sure what, but it's something."

Chewbacca mocked him with a bark, but they were interrupted when the Eriadu system took shape around them. Dozens of lights blinked into being on the scanner as the Falcon fell into the long line of hyperspace-bound traffic. The meeting of many hyperspace lanes, Eriadu was an easy place to go unnoticed in the crowds of space traffic. 

"So many star destroyers," Lady Tano murmured as she stepped closer to look out the viewport. "Is Eriadu under siege?"

Solo snorted. "Been gone awhile, huh? They're "keeping the peace". Directing traffic and arresting anyone they think might be trouble."

"Why come this way if the imperial presence is so heavy?"

"It is heavy everywhere," Maul answered. "But here we are one of thousands on the Rimma Trade Route."

The comm crackled to life and Maul deftly sent the signal to Solo. "Name and cargo," droned the imp on the other end.

"This is the Amygdala and right now we're only carrying crew. Making a pickup on Sarrish and taking it down to Cerea," Solo lied without missing a beat.

There was a long pause, and then, "Affirmative. Stand by to be scanned."

Although there was nothing suspicious about them - they had the correct crew for a cargo ship this size and nothing illicit (aside from several lightsabers) onboard - the room seemed to hold its breath as they were scanned. Maul closed his eyes, letting his focus expand outside the ship to the thrum of traffic and life around them. There were of course the usual malignant few but nothing with its focus on them…

"Amygdala, you are cleared to await your hyperspace jump toward Sarrish. Fall into lane S57J and await further permission to jump."

"Copy," Solo barked, and as soon as the line was dead, muttered. "Nothin' to it, just fly casual."

They jumped to hyperspace without any trouble, quietly complying with imperial bureaucracy and doing their best not to draw attention to themselves. The same held true of their next two jumps, and before long they were looking out at Takodana. 

Solo put the Falcon down in a grassy clearing overlooking the lake, a small sign to the side was the only signifier that this was a landing pad, otherwise it was secluded and hidden from the sky above. It was just one of the many amenities that Takodana offered which kept smugglers, spicers, and Rebels thick on the ground. Of course, the Imperial Security Bureau was also cognizant of Takodana's popularity among the galaxy's ne'er-do-wells, and so the rebels took the time to pull up hoods and wrap scarves around their faces to blend into the crowd. Even Tano swapped out her white cloak for something less conspicuous. Maul covered himself from head to foot so his horns and tattoos were hidden from sight; let Sidious not become aware of his alliance with the Rebellion because Maul had slipped up on a simple supply run.

The group split up, with Solo and Chewbacca heading off toward the castle to pay their respects while the rest of them continued toward the market where they would rendezvous with their supplier. Maul knew these sorts of establishments well, although Takodana only by reputation. Rumor had it that the Pirate Queen who ran the planet was unfriendly to the Dark Side, and Maul was in no mood to push his luck. 

Takodana's market was bright and bustling in a way Maul hadn't seen since the days of the Republic. There were few places in the galaxy that were so friendly to nonhumans, and in this way they fit right in. Even their identity-disguising hoods were more the norm than not. With wide eyes, Luke and Leia fought the instinct to clamor around the market like younglings, R2 buzzing along behind. 

Tano smiled at them indulgently as they pulled ahead and Maul let them go, although neither Luke nor Leia ever left his line of sight. "It has been a long time since they've left the base, hasn't it?" Tano said softly. 

"He is a pilot. Having that freedom taken away while he recovered made the boy restless. It's why I started teaching him moving meditation. That it clearly improved his combat skills is an obvious benefit as well."

Silently scanning the crowd with the skill of a seasoned spy, Tano took her time to respond. "You told him about me. As soon as I landed and introduced myself, he knew exactly who I was."

Maul stayed silent, unsure what her question was and unwilling to proffer incriminating information. 

"You told him the truth - well," she amended, "a version of it. But you could have told him any lie about the Jedi you wanted. Why tell him about me?"

"He idolizes the Jedi. In life, Kenobi did a poor job of explaining the complexities of their legacy." He shrugged, using the excuse of watching Luke and Leia to avoid Tano's gaze. "Your story worked well as an entry point into understanding their fallacies and not making the same mistakes." 

She smirked. "And you thought I was dead, so no one could contradict you."

Maul sneered, "Yes, your resurrection is very inconvenient."

Tano laughed brightly, "Now you know how Obi-Wan felt."

"You two have the same sense of humor," Maul despaired, to which Tano only continued to laugh.

Suddenly, Maul felt a prickle across his senses, like they were being watched, but it was gone as soon as it came. His eyes tracked across the crowd again, but the very thing that kept them so well-hidden shielded any potential spies as well.

"Keep your senses sharp," he murmured to Tano, "I fear trouble may yet find us."

"That's what you haven't figured out yet," Tano said with deliberate sweetness, "with Skywalkers, trouble always finds you."

Their supplier was an elderly Duros with viciously pointed teeth and a drawling Outer-rim accent. While the princess exchanged news with him, Maul, Luke, R2, and Tano combed through boxes of freeze-dried vegetables and ammunition, making sure everything was accounted for and stacking the crates on hovertrollies. It was tedious work, lightened by Luke's tendency to exclaim over the smallest treasures - like a vat of powdered blue milk, apparently his favorite. 

"Oh, these are frozen bantha nuggets! Wedge is gonna be excited! And some dried galcot too, what a treat! They're Leia's favorite!"

While Maul watched him fondly, Tano got a glint in her eye which Maul was sure meant no good. "You and Leia seem close."

Maul wanted to groan and just barely kept the urge in check. Luke did not need Tano complicating his young life with talk of romance. Luke, though, only shrugged. "I mean yeah. We sorta helped each other after we both lost our families. At this point I don't know what I'd do without her and Han both."

A good answer, Maul thought. It seemed he had been following Maul's advice and thinking about what he wanted from his relationship with the princess. 

Tano looked surprised. "You mean you'd never met before the Battle of Yavin?"

"We only met because when she was attacked on her way to get Ben, I was the one who found her message. Otherwise I would have probably been stuck on Tatooine for the rest of my life. There's no way a guy like me could meet a princess otherwise. Ben said it was the Force at work. Guess he was right."

Before Tano could push any further, Han and Leia burst into the room, bringing with them the faint buzz of panic. "You about done?" Solo barked. "We gotta move, Chewie thinks we got company."

"And you led them back here?" Maul snapped. 

"Whoever they are, they're good. Chewie only realized we were being followed just outside!" Solo put his hands up. "I swear we were careful."

"Fighting each other isn't helpful," Leia intervened quickly. "We're as good as done. Let's just get these last few crates stacked and we can go. What's our plan?"

They fell quiet, each mulling over the best escape. But they couldn't waste too much time, lest their pursuant grow bored of the chase and resort to more violent tactics. That was a surefire way to blow their cover at large. 

Reaching out with his senses, Maul felt the same dark gaze fixed on them that he had felt while walking through the market. It sat in wait, like a great panther, but that was all Maul could see. He did not know this presence. At least that meant he could rule out Vader or one of Sidious's other, more powerful lackeys. Nothing he couldn't handle. 

Maul opened his eyes. "Luke, Leia, Solo, and Chewbacca, take the supplies and get back to the ship; Tano and I will exit through the back and follow at a distance. With luck, they do not know how many of us there are, and while you act as bait, Tano and I can locate and catch them by surprise. Circle back for us with the Falcon once the supplies are loaded."

After a moment, Tano nodded, "As good as anything I've got." This brought a murmur of agreement from the others as well.

"Let me go too! What if you have to confront them and there's a fight? I should be there to help," Luke said wide-eyed. 

"Absolutely not," Maul snapped. "You and Leia are our greatest liabilities, for you are the Empire's most wanted. We need to get you back to the ship with the supplies."

Luke looked ready to argue, but Maul put a quieting hand on his shoulder. "This is not about one fight; it is about completing an important mission for the Alliance. We must consider and prioritize."

The boy looked aside and nodded. "Yes Master, you're right. But if they report your lightsaber, it'll blow your cover. Take my lightsaber, at least, so they don't know it's you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Maul said almost fondly. "If it comes to a flight, you are not skilled enough to handle any blade but your own. I have ways of defending myself without a lightsaber."

Luke was going to protest again, but Tano beat him to it. "Your master's right, Luke. That blade is your life; keep it close. He can borrow one of mine." She took Maul's wrist in hand and firmly placed one of her 'sabers into his palm. 

He took it, astonished. It was warm in his hand, the kyber crystal within hummed at him curiously, almost like a living,  breathing being. It would be whip-quick, he knew from experience, and smooth as the wind. 

"The crystal likes you. But I want that back when we get to the ship." She winked and turned back to the others as if she had not just reordered Maul's world in a split-second.

"Alright, great. If that's all figured out, can we get movin'?" Solo whined. "I don't want to get caught in a shootout here. Maz'd kill us."

Chewbacca growled a correction and Solo groused, "Fine, she'd kill me! Happy?"

While the children and Chewbacca took the supplies and made their way back to the ship, pretending to be none-the-wiser about their pursuant, Maul and Tano were escorted to the back exit by their host. As Maul checked over his Alliance-issued blaster with distaste, he silently bemoaned the need for subtlety, even with Tano's lightsaber easily at hand. 

Tano gave him one last jaunty wave before she leapt to the nearest roof and disappeared into the flurry of brightly-colored flags and pennants. 

What the hell was happening to all these Jedi that they had suddenly decided to like him? But this wasn't the time to dwell on such things. He shook himself and plunged into the twisting back alleys. Now that he knew better what to look for, Maul could track the hunter at a distance while their focus was taken up with the bait.

As Maul scaled another wall, his instincts blazed to life and he allowed himself just a moment to relish the hunt. He pulled the Force around him like a cloak, masking and strengthening himself. As he moved closer, he slowed and took care with his approach. Chewbacca and the children were not far from the ship now; Maul needed to find an opening for the ambush.

Sure that Tano was close, Maul took the plunge.

He hadn't realized he would be attacking a Mandalorian until the moment was upon him. The bounty hunter was quick, becoming aware of the attack before he could take advantage of the element of surprise, and Maul's first shot went wide.

"There you are," growled the Mandalorian behind his faded green-and-red helmet. "I'd wondered if they'd traded you and the woman for the goods."

If the words were meant to sting, Maul was unimpressed. He merely aimed and took another shot. The Mandalorian dodged even in the small space and his retaliatory shot sent Maul's blaster tumbling away. That was when Tano finally chose to attack.

She brought her hilt down on the juncture of the bounty hunter's neck and shoulder, between the plates of that infamous Mandalorian armor. The bounty hunter grunted and flinched. Maul abandoned his lost blaster and spun in an acrobatic kick that he hoped would knock out their pursuant's legs. It on ly worked when Tano brought her interlocked fists down on his back. 

"You rebels are stepping up your game," the bounty hunter grunted as he hit the ground. "Not that it matters."

Fire burst from the Mandalorian's vambrace and he spun, catching Tano's cloak aflame and forcing Maul back several steps. To keep the bounty hunter's attention while Tano put out the fire, Maul grabbed the shoto hilt on his belt and ignited the blade. It snapped to life, crisp and clean in the dirty alley.

"Jedi," the Mandalorian spat. "Haven't killed one of you in a while."

"And you will not this day, either," Maul growled to goad him.

With a roar, the bounty hunter began shooting at him with deadly accuracy. Maul deflected the first few shots into the dirt, but the third sent the blaster tumbling. Never without tricks, the Mandalorian reached behind his back and produced a short, sharp vibroblade. They exchanged a few quick blows, but Maul very clearly had the advantage. 

Still, it wasn't until Tano rejoined him, her twin white 'saber snapping alongside his, that they finally backed the bounty hunter into a corner he couldn't escape. Maul raised his borrowed blade, intending to give the fool a nice, clean cut throat and be done with him, when Tano stayed his hand.

"We are not taking prisoners," Maul hissed.

She pointed upward, although her eyes never left their prey, and Maul saw the Falcon roaring towards them, causing the denizens to point and shout but keeping well above the rooftops. "Our ride is here, and you heard our orders: we're not supposed to fight on Takodana. Imagine how the Pirate Queen would take it if we left her a corpse."

Maul hissed a curse, turned back to the disarmed, cornered Mandalorian, and sneered beneath his mask. Fine, this was the sort of thing Luke would likely have frowned on as well, and Maul's promise still rang loudly  in his ears. He thumbed off his lightsaber and reached out with the Force, squeezing closed the bounty hunter's throat until, just on the cusp of suffocation, Maul let go and he slumped unconscious.

"He will live," Maul huffed in response to Tano's disapproval. "Weren't we leaving?"

Together, they climbed to the top of the nearest building and used the Force to leap onto the Millennium Falcon's lowered boarding ramp. With Luke's help, Maul was able to find his balance and stumble to safety. Beside them, Captain Rex was helping Tano do the same. From deeper in the ship, Maul heard Leia shout, "They're on! Hit it"

The boarding ramp closed with a pneumatic hiss and Maul felt the motivator rumble beneath his artificial feet as the Falcon headed for the upper atmosphere. 

"Are you okay?" Luke cried, patting Maul down like he was looking for injuries. 

"Fine. We're fine, Apprentice," Maul said, gently catching Luke's flailing hands.

Tano nodded, "Yes, I'm just a bit singed." For the first time, Maul noticed that Tano had been forced to shed her cloak during the fire. Her face was still covered, but her horns and their distinctive blue-and-white pattern were clearly visible. "I think that was Boba Fett."

Maul snapped to attention. "Jabba's bounty hunter?"

"You sure?" Captain Rex asked sharply.

"I'd know Jango Fett's moves anywhere. I met Boba once, when we were both children. It was him," Tano concluded grimly.

From the cockpit, Solo swore loudly. "It's my fault! I told you, Jabba's coming down on me. I gotta go deal with him."

Luke and Leia's faces fell in twin expressions of disappointment, and Maul heard himself say, "Calm down, Solo. We are all wanted by the Empire; this is the risk we take whenever we enter a populated system. There's no need for you to go throwing yourself to the Hutt's mercy."

Maul took a breath and, when Solo didn't disagree, continued, "If he recognized you, though, Lady Tano, I'm afraid word of your resurrection may find Vader's ear." 

Tano looked a bit grim, but shrugged. "Like you said, it's the risk we take."

Their team was none the worse for wear, and, as Luke had predicted, all of Echo base was thrilled with the restock of rations. In the days that followed, morale was high.

The exception being Han Solo. He had been fretting over Fett's attack more than even Alliance leadership, who disliked how close Jabba's bounty hunter had gotten to their star Rebels - they had, however, had complimentary things to say for Maul and Tano's handling of the situation. Solo seemed to blame Fett's appearance on himself despite all reassurances to the contrary. 

He and the princess were having regular shouting matches about increasingly ridiculous topics and Chewbacca had disassembled every part of the Falcon, twice. 

And so, of course, it was Solo who came to fetch him when Qi'ra finally called. The captain was often assigned to run errands for Octmalin when Leia finally got fed-up with him, and today he seemed particularly surly about it.

"Hey, old man, got a call for you down in communications," he barked at Maul, who along with Dak and Hobbie, was feeding the tauntauns. 

"Is it Qi'ra?" Maul asked, albeit needlessly, for who else knew to contact him here? Any others who thought they needed his attention would have gone through her anyway. 

Maul missed Solo's response as Hobbie chose that moment to say, "Go on, Master, Ralter and I can finish up here."

He took the boys up on their offer and hurried toward the communications corridor. It had taken Qi'ra long enough to return Maul's message that he had, in the back of his mind, begun to worry. Was she hurt? Had Sidious tracked her down? Or had another member of the Crimson Dawn tried to usurp her? 

Between his concerns for her, Fett's appearance on Takodana, and the ever-present question of how to tell Luke about Vader, the anxious feeling in his gut had begun to pulse like a bruise.

Octmalin and his techs all gave him amused looks as he hurried to the private comm, Solo left somewhere in his dust.

Qi'ra looked well in her resplendent suit and cape, and she bowed with dignity. Next to even her holo, Maul felt his age. "My lord," she greeted formally. "I apologize for my delayed reply, but the Baron Administrator was slow to respond to my message."

It was a relief to hear that it was only this which had slowed her, and nothing more threatening. But that then did not account for his mounting sense of dread.

"I am glad that was the only cause," he replied. "You are well otherwise? The syndicates have not caused you any trouble?"

She gave him an odd look. "No, thank you, my lord. I do, however, bring good news; I had already been feeling out Bespin Administrator Lando Calrissian's loyalties based on your previous request. I was right to think of him: he has worked with Rebel cells in the past and gotten into more than his share of trouble with the Empire."

"And what does this baron offer?" Maul asked as he settled himself down for a longer conversation. 

"He owns a tibanna gas mine on Bespin in the Anoat Sector. They're a small operation, it's how they've been able to stay out of Imperial purview, but a good producer."

"The Anoat Sector? That is easily managed," he murmured. In fact, it was almost ridiculously close; Hoth was in the same sector, only a system or two away. "I shall speak to the leadership, but I suspect we will be asked to facilitate an introduction in short order."

"I will be awaiting your request." Qi'ra bowed. 

Maul hummed under his breath, "I suspect, given our tenuous relationship with the Alliance leadership, you will be asked to make the introduction in person. I hope this is acceptable."

"Of course. It has been too long since we have seen one another in person, and I have not forgotten that you promised me information."

He couldn't help but smile; seeing Qi'ra well after days of worry soothed his temper. "I did indeed. And I will have introductions to make as well."

Qi'ra gave him another strange look. "You have been making friends?" she joked, although it sounded half-incredulous. 

For some reason, her words brought to mind Kenobi's face. 

"Collecting allies," Maul corrected sharply. Let her not imagine for even a moment his time with the Rebels was anything but work. His time with Kenobi in particular. 

She instantly straightened. "Of course, Lord Maul."

"Is there anything else I ought to know?"

"Both the Black Sun and the Pykes remain unaware of our affiliation with the Alliance, but they have openly discussed their disdain for the Rebellion. I have begun closely monitoring their activities. 

"More concerning, the Crymorah syndicate were recently defeated in a bidding war by the Hutt Clan to provide the Empire with raw materials. My operatives are in the process of learning the details of this transaction. The Cymorah may be vengeful over the implied snub, but every one of the families has heavy financial ties to the Empire. I doubt we have the resources to temp them to the other side at this time. I am not looking for allies there.

She paused, looking grave. "The Hutt Clan has fully allied themselves with the Empire. Two galactic weeks ago, they contracted their personal bounty hunters to Vader. It seems Jabba has some sort of personal vendetta against the Rebels."

"That is indeed not good news, but it does explain my recent run-in with Boba Fett." The Hutts had always been just frightened enough of the Shadow to stay in line, but he was not surprised that in the end they chose the Empire. "Ultimately, they are of little consequence. You have done well, Qi'ra. Continue as you have and stand ready should I need you."

"As you wish, my lord." She bowed one final time and cut the feed.

Maul sat there in the low light of the chamber mulling over this new information. He hadn't had high hopes for convincing the other syndicates to join allegiances with the Rebellion, but learning that they would all immediately run to the Empire was disappointing regardless. 

Still, Qi'ra kept his secrets and Maul's plans went unchanged. He would have to inform the Alliance that the Hutts and the Empire were working together; it raised the likelihood of Vader learning of Tano's resurrection, if nothing else. The news was nothing he and Qi'ra hadn't already predicted, but that did not make it any less infuriating. 

Luke had already taken it upon himself to send a missive off to Alliance leadership with the insights and information Maul had given him about the Crimson Dawn, as threatened. There would inevitably be another now, he grumbled to himself. 

Maul rose with a sigh and opened the door only to find Solo waiting directly on the other side. The captain looked nervous, a great transformation from not thirty minutes prior. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Even odder. Maul sized him up for a moment before nodding. Knowing Solo, this was about Luke and the princess or some other drivel. Octmalin gave them a look as they left, but the added bonus of having Solo by his side was that no one could come near enough to get more gossip.

When they had found an unused room off one of the auxiliary ice tunnels, Solo finally spoke, still looking uncharacteristically anxious. "Listen, it probably ain't my business, but since you saved the kid from that wampa, I figure I owe you one. You said you were talkin' to a Qi'ra. She a short brunette? From Corellia?"

Maul blinked, caught completely off-guard by Solo's chosen topic. "You know Qi'ra?"

"Ah hell! I was afraid it was her. Listen, she's bad news, Maul. I know she can put on a good face, and she's scary efficient, but she's bloodthirsty. There's a reason she's part of the Crimson Dawn."

The accusation hung in the air between them. 

Maul snorted and then began to laugh. "'Part of the Crimson Dawn'? My dear boy, she is the leader of the Crimson Dawn."

Solo gaped. "Wait, what? Since when?"

"Years, now. Since Dryden Voss was killed." He was still chucking. "I do not know what she may have done to earn your ire, but I can assure you that she is entirely reliable. I trust Qi'ra with my life."

"How do you even know her?" the captain asked, eyeing him now. "How's a Force guru end up hobnobbin' with crime syndicates?"

They locked eyes. Maul was much better at reading thoughts and memories with direct physical touch, but eye-contact allowed him to skim surface thoughts. Solo fancied himself a smuggler with a heart of gold or some similar, easily manipulated cliche.

"War creates strange bedfellows." As he'd hoped, his words conjured a sympathetic response from Solo. "The Empire - even the Republic - has not been an easy place to survive, and I have found my friends where I can. I will not judge them for their sins if they do not judge me for mine." 

Solo flinched. 

"Qi'ra has been a steadfast ally," Maul continued, pushing just a hint of Force persuasion into his words to ease their going down. "She does not threaten the Rebellion."

Curiously, Solo remained unchanged by the Force suggestion. Where Maul would have expected easy compliance, the smuggler was still eyeing him wearily, thoughtfully. Perhaps there was more to Han Solo than Maul had initially given credit.

"Listen, you don't have ta' tell me about getting into places you shouldn't - I got a Hutt bounty on my head. But I ain't inviting them to join the Rebellion, see?"

Like Luke, Maul thought a touch sourly, he would be forced to give Solo more than mere platitudes.

"Qi'ra, for reasons both professional and personal, wants the Empire gone as much as we do," he replied, changing tactics. "That is the best we can ask of any Rebel, don't you agree? The other syndicates are lining up behind the Empire, and she is the only one willing to listen. The Rebellion needs all the resources and contacts available to us. We can go back to fighting one another over semantics when the Emperor is dead."

"I don't like it. Qi'ra's not magnanimous." The captain stuck a finger in Maul's face (that he resisted the urge to bite off). "I just hope for everybody's sake you got a good read on her, or we're all dead men."

"Then at least trust that I would never knowingly endanger Luke."

Solo snorted, "That, at least, I do believe."

"Besides, she would merely be introducing us to a contact, and from there the Alliance would craft its own bargain. In most parts of the galaxy, that is merely considered a business transaction."

"You're a wiley old bastard, you know that Maul?" Solo almost sounded impressed.

"One would have to be to have survived my life," Maul grumbled and adjusted his grip on his cane. At those words, Solo's eyes drifted to the approximate (his eyes were slightly low) seam of Maul's robotic and organic halves. "What has Luke told you?" Maul asked bluntly.

Solo blushed. "Uh, he told Leia and me you got cut in half, survived, fought Ahsoka and Rex during the Clone War, became the Shadow - which I'm still tryin' to wrap my head around, here - caused some mishaps for the Rebellion back in the day, and you and Kenobi weren't actually lovers."

It took him a moment for the word to register, and when it did it was like the galaxy inverted. Solo was still babbling, but Maul heard none of it. He and Kenobi lovers? Ridiculous. To this day, Maul loathed the man despite their occasional collaborations.

And yet his treacherous mind couldn't help but conjure the memory of Kenobi's fond smiles, of their shared moments and secrets. Of the way Kenobi's face had fallen for a split-second when Maul had called them nothing more than grudging allies. He tried to refocus, ignore the growing realization that he was - 

That Kenobi -

" - Luke vouched for you, pulled the Jedi Card, everything. Leia said s'long as Rex files an all-clear with Mothma, there's not gonna be a problem."

Maul nodded, feigning calm. "I will leave it to Luke's discretion what to tell you. It seems you have the," he cleared his throat, "highlights."

"Well if that ain't reassuring, I don't know what is," Solo quipped, clearly also at a loss. Maul took that opportunity to escape, for which he suspected Solo was also grateful. 

Determined, after the awkwardness of the morning, to keep to himself until it was time for Luke's lesson, Maul found a job shunting containers about in a sequestered corner of the base for a few hours. The physical labor had the added bonus of driving any thought of - the ghost out of his head.

Which made Tano's appearance midway through his shift all the more aggravating. "You certainly made yourself hard to find," she said on her approach, expression and tone calm and open. 

"And yet you have broken my pointed solitude. I hope this is important," Maul replied, setting down his crate with a heavy thud. 

Lady Tano, if anything, looked amused. "Yes, actually. If we might find somewhere private to speak?"

"This in no way bodes well," Maul grumbled even as he quickly finished what he was doing and led Tano back to his empty little ice cave, the nearest privacy of which he knew. 

"It is time for me to leave," she said without preamble. When Maul only looked at her in surprised silence, she continued. "I can already sense Vader trying to hone in on my location. I won't threaten Luke or this base with my presence."

Maul swallowed, feeling like a fool for questioning his own good fortune, but driven to ask all the same, "And your report to Mothma and the Alliance?"

Her demeanor softened slightly, although Maul could still get no more specific a read off Tano. "I will give you my blessing," she said. "Obi-Wan was right; you and Luke benefit one another. Together, I believe you actually have a chance against the Emperor." Tano shook her head a bit ruefully. "I can't say I understand it, but you're doing the impossible: an ex-Sith training a Jedi knight. Maybe that's just what the Force needs to find balance right now."

"I don't pretend to understand it either." He swallowed, struggling with what he knew he had to say next. "Thank you. For trusting me."

Her lips twitched in what was very nearly laughter. "Oh, don't do that. This is at least partially selfish. If you didn't train Luke, it would fall to me. The only person worse at training Jedi than you is me." 

But then Tano was her solemn self again. "Before I go there's something you need to know: Luke and Leia are twins."

After the day's earlier revelation, this felt more like the final piece of a puzzle sliding into place. That accounted for their connection in the Force and the pull Luke felt towards the princess. "That explains a great deal," was what he said aloud. "They have felt a pull toward one another from their first meeting, and this should alleviate many questions they've had."

Maul felt the blood rush from his face. "Forgive me," he choked, "but human siblings are not supposed to mate, correct?"

"No," Tano drew the word out, worry stealing over her face, "generally the gene pool frowns upon it. Why, Maul, has something happened?"

"Something very nearly did," Maul hissed softly. His furious gaze darted back to Tano's. "Kenobi knows, doesn't he?" 

She didn't respond immediately, only a small line appearing between her brows as she considered this. "I assume so. He didn't tell me either; Rex and I figured it out because we knew Anakin and Padme so well."

They came to the conclusion at the same time. "She's back-up if Luke fails," Tano growled, eyes flashing. "It's exactly the type of thing the Jedi Council would come up with. Separate the twins to hide them and don't tell them about each other so one can't give the other away. That way, you have a spare child if the first dies or falls," she sneered.

Maul was glad she had said it, and he didn't have to convince her of the truth. 

"Thank you for telling me." This time the words were much easier to say. "I'll speak to them both as soon as possible. This oughtn't wait."

"And Obi-Wan?"

"You expected anything more of him?" Maul asked scornfully, almost certain Kenobi was listening. Let him revel in his sins. "I'll make his excuses to the boy, I always do." 

Anger with Kenobi was a familiar feeling, and he slid back into it with ease. It drove away those fears and wonders which had begun to accumulate that morning after Solo's blunder. His head was clear again, mind sharp. He knew what he had to do.

Tano had fallen silent, watching him.

"I am afraid I must ask you not to attend Luke's lesson this afternoon. Unless you would be willing to answer some difficult questions." His tone was as chilly as the tundra outside.

"Do you need me to? There are things you don't know about Anakin and Padmé. I would rather not speak of it, honestly, but if I must, I will. Rex, too."

"They don't know Vader is their father. He destroyed both their families - her entire planet - and is the reason they were torn apart at birth. Learning more wonderful things about their parents is the last thing they need. I must prepare them for a harsh truth. Your Jedi niceties cannot ease the way."

Tano nodded, expression somehow both sad and utterly opaque. "I know that you'll take care of them both, but if there is anything I can do to help, I won't be leaving until they open the hangar doors tomorrow."

Maul nodded tersely, but he was already moving to the door, mind whirling. He held it open for Tano and then hurried ahead of her down the hall to find the twins.

He had to pull Leia from where she had ingrained herself into the process of sorting and dividing their supplies, while he nabbed Luke the moment he left the pilots' locker room. Looking at them gathered together like this, Maul wondered how he had never before seen the resemblance. She was dark and he was fair, but the curve of their lips and the quirk of their brows were an exact match.

"What's this all about, Master?" asked the princess impatiently. 

"Yeah, I thought we were working on more forms with Ahsoka this evening."

Maul took a fortifying breath. (Why did these things always find their way to his shoulders?) "Lady Tano is leaving tomorrow. Before she goes, there are two things which we have agreed you both need to know."

The children exchanged a look, concern seeping into their gazes. "Go on," Leia commanded.

"You are twins. The children of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala."

There was silence, Luke's eyes were as wide as Maul had ever seen them while Leia squinted into space, contemplating. Maul let them decide how to react, giving them space to contemplate and absorb the information. The silence stretched between them for a long moment. 

"I think," Leia said at last, "that somehow, I've always known. I felt a connection to you - "

" - deeper than friendship, but I couldn't ever identify it..." Luke finished. Then, he seized the girl in a fierce hug. "Leia, you're my sister! I can't believe it!"

She hugged him back, just as tight, and Maul turned away. They were taking this well - better than he could have hoped, considering. In the Force, they shined together as one complete being, a beacon in Hoth's wasteland. It really was no wonder the Jedi had thought to separate them; seeing the two together like this, they would have been difficult to hide from Sidious. But even the witches of Dathomir had known that twins in the Force were a sacred power not to be separated.

Eventually, the glow of reunion subsided and the questions Maul had anticipated took its place. With some surprise, the first came from Leia. "Why? Why were we separated?"

"Lady Tano and I cannot be sure, but we believe it was to hide you from Sidious. You are," he hummed, "very bright together in the Force. If what was left of the Jedi Council did not consider itself adequate protection from the Emperor, they likely chose what they believed to be the safest of difficult choices."

The twins exchanged a look. "Why are we only learning about this now?" Luke asked.

"Because I only became aware of the fact an hour ago. Lady Tano did not know you were ignorant of your relationship until she was fishing for information on Takodana: she had merely thought you were keeping the fact to yourselves for security. Both Tano and the captain knew your parents; that's how they identified you."

"Does Ben know?" Luke almost sounded like he didn't want the answer.

Maul sighed and said, "As for that, I do not know what Kenobi knew before he died. I will be looking into it further."

Leia's thoughts had drifted, though, to darker places. She looked stricken, and all the color drained from her face. "Vader," she gasped, tears beginning to build in her eyes, "that monster has taken three families from us, Luke."

Luke wrapped his sister in another tight hug as Maul watched, helpless to stop the words that tumbled from Luke's lips, "I know Leia. I know. I'll get him for you, okay? For you and all our parents and my aunt and uncle and Alderaan. I promise." He pulled back just far enough to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Leia."

Maul watched his plans, along with his resolve, to tell them the truth about Anakin Skywalker crumble as the children held each other and cried. They were too vulnerable now, once again too raw for him to throw yet another messy truth at them. Leia in particular seemed terribly shaken about the revelation despite her claim that she'd always known. 

Eventually, around another enormous sniffle, Luke said. "Sorry Master. This is wonderful, but it's all a lot. You, uh, you said two things, right? What was the second thing?"

"Qi'ra has returned my call," Maul lied effortlessly, fighting the panic growing in his chest. "She believes she's found a source of tibanna gas controlled by a baron administrator on Bespin willing to do business with the Rebellion."

"That's wonderful!" Luke cried. 

"This could completely change our prospects in this region!" Leia chimed in, brushing away her tears. 

The anxiety in Maul's belly seemed to solidify into a deep, dark pit. He had made a horrible mistake. 

He released them not much later, once tears had been dried and Maul had answered a handful more questions, most of them with uncertainty. With Leia's parents and Alderaan all gone, what they had known couldn't be determined. As he began to realize the extent of Kenobi's lies, Luke grew quieter and quieter.

And yet, despite every given reason to despair, Luke clung to his sister and grinned as they meandered down the hall, plotting how they would break the news to Solo and Chewbacca. 

Maul closed the door and rested his forehorn against the cold durasteel, letting the chill sooth his stress-warm face. He was almost certain that when he turned around, Kenobi would be standing there apologetic and full of excuses about "best interests" and "complicated circumstances" and the urge to cut off his fat Jedi head would become overwhelming. It would be easy to simply leave and get a drink with Antilles or Captain Rex. Kenobi wouldn't be there when he returned. Might even get the hint that he wasn't wanted there if Maul walked away a few more times. He was doing fine, Kenobi had said, there was nothing the dead had to add.

This could be the beginning of the end for the terrifying thing that had grown up between them. 

When he turned around, Kenobi indeed stood there, looking more aloof and superior than Maul had ever seen him. He regretted the choice to stay almost immediately. "You shouldn't have told them," were the first words from his lying Jedi mouth. 

Bearing his teeth, Maul snarled, "They were too close to romantic entanglement; it had to be done. Now their feelings can be appropriately channeled. Your Jedi sensibilities ought to be appeased!"

"Their ignorance may have upset your sensibilities, but we had good reason for the choices we made," Kenobi said with just the barest hint of a sneer behind his beard. "Now, you've jeopardized everything."

Maul stormed forward, putting himself in the ghost's face and hissing like an angry tooka. "Then you could have made yourself known and answered their questions! Instead, I had to make your excuses. Luke will not tolerate this behavior for long, even from his hero."

"Do not try to guilt me, Maul. There is no room for sentimentality with so much at stake," Kenobi snapped in return. "Vader and the Emperor felt that burst of power. You were lucky it didn't give away the location of the Rebel base." 

Their eyes locked, and Maul stared Kenobi down. "Luke and Leia are stronger together. Keeping them apart now only benefits your plans, and they are none of my concern. Those children are. Every lie you tell hurts the boy. Hurts the girl now, too."

"Which is why you kept the truth about Vader from them, again," Kenobi spat back. "You told them of their connection and threatened everything we have worked for here, and now if Sidious gets his hands on one twin, he as good as has the other. How precisely does that protect them?"

"These children are not pieces on a board or sabaac cards in your hand! They must have the freedom to make their own decisions and we can but arm them with the knowledge they need to make wise decisions!" Maul laughed hysterically, his next words half-mad, "If this is how you were with Skywalker it's no wonder why he turned into Vader."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Maul knew he had gone too far. Although they had not - could not have even if they'd given into the urge - touched each other, Kenobi looked as though Maul had stabbed him. (How many times had he pictured causing that pain? But not like this, never like this.)

"Ah," Kenobi's voice was cold. "I can see you have the situation well in-hand. I'll leave it to your discretion, then, shall I?"

With those parting words, he was gone. Maul was once again alone. 

Tano's departure approached rapidly; after a miserable night replaying his fight with Kenobi over and over in his nightmares, Maul's morning was a tired blur. Around him, Luke, Leia, and the Rogues all seemed thrilled with themselves for "proving" to Lady Tano Maul's dedication to the Rebel cause. 

The only person that still held him in suspicion was Captain Rex, who had informed him glibly over breakfast that he would be remaining on Echo base "to keep an eye on things".

Although telling Luke and Leia of their relationship had torn a rift between Maul and Kenobi, it had conversely cemented Tano's good opinion of him. She smiled a bit ironically as she coded her private frequency into his comm (she was, after all, still officially dead as far as the Rebellion was concerned). "Call if you need anything. I'm giving this to you because I'm sure you won't abuse the privilege."

Maul snorted. "That will most certainly not be a problem. Stay safe, Lady Tano. I shall be sorely disappointed should I hear you are put down by a lesser adversary."

"Such a charmer. Keep these kids in line, Maul." She was interrupted by both the twins and Chewbacca piling on top of her in an enthusiastic hug goodbye. Captain Solo, meanwhile, only shook her hand, still himself looking a bit shocked by the recent revelation. 

And then Lady Tano was gone, taking the little star skimmer that she and Captain Rex had arrived in and jumping first back to Lothal and then away to wherever it was she'd found to seclude herself until the war passed.

"Master, you have a second?" Luke asked as they all dispersed, heading back to their day's work.

"Yes, of course, Apprentice. What is it?"

Luke glanced around him, to make sure there were no obvious eavesdroppers, and then said, "Ben came to talk to Leia and I last night. He revealed himself to Leia and then answered a bunch of questions for us - about how much her parents knew and a little bit about our mother and stuff. And I just wanted to say thank you."

Maul, who had been listening with some shock, nearly missed this last, most baffling declaration. "Thank me? Whatever for?"

"Ben said it was your idea. He said you had to yell at him to get him to come talk to us. So thank you. It means a lot how much you do for Leia and me." By now, Maul was used to Luke's hugs, and he was prepared for this one, but his mind still reeled.

Kenobi had gone and revealed himself to answer questions? He had listened to Maul after their harsh words? And he had attributed his change of heart to Maul's poor opinion.

What was Kenobi playing at?

Leia pushed Maul's tip about Bespin under Mon Mothma's nose, and they quickly received permission to make introductions. The plan was to rendezvous with Qi'ra on Ison in order to disguise the base's location in the neverending traffic along the Ison Trade Corridor, and then backtrack to Bespin with Qi'ra to make the introduction. 

The response Maul had received from her to his missive was affirmative and gleeful. He and Qi'ra hadn't been in one place together since the Crymorah Incident, and it would be good to see her again. They did not expect trouble. The assignment - to protect Leia while she bartered with the baron administrator - was considered inconspicuous enough that they even allowed Luke, with his high bounty, to attend on behalf of the pilots. (And, Maul imagined, the Alliance hoped to wow potential allies with their Jedi golden boy.) Of course, where the twins went, Solo, Chewbacca, and Rex followed. Maul would be attending not just as back-up, but as the formal link between the Alliance and the Crimson Dawn. 

Ison was a scum-ridden hole on the edge of the galaxy. It was one of the last stops before Wild Space and a popular hideaway for the lowest kind of galactic refuse. The transitory nature of the planet meant that all the local establishments were either prefab or run-down, and the debris field that littered the star system hung overhead like a perpetual threat. All in all, it was the perfect place for a clandestine meeting. 

In the interest of secrecy, Qi'ra had left her yacht and the majority of her security team behind. She met them in the basement of one of the nicer cantinas in the port town, much more upscale than the rebels' usual fare. They were eyed with some hostility until Maul let slip the passphrase, then the barkeep hurriedly led them to Qi'ra's private room. 

"Lord Maul," Qi'ra said warmly as she rose to greet them. "You are looking well! Come in, all of you. Let me meet you."

"Hello Qi'ra." Maul tipped into a shallow bow, grazing the back of her hand with his lips. "You are looking lovely as always." She murmured her thanks, and then her gaze drifted over his shoulder to the rest of the Rebels. He smirked and said indulgently, "Allow me to introduce Princess Leia Organa, Commander Luke Skywalker, Captain Rex, and I believe you are already acquainted with Captain Han Solo."

Qi'ra, who had been all polite smiles as she met the rest of their rag-tag group, grew ridged as Solo stepped into the room. Maul had honestly been surprised the captain hadn't sent Chewbacca in his stead and chosen to stay with the Falcon himself. 

"Hey there, Qi'ra," Solo said with irony. 

"Han," Qi'ra said with only a touch of discomfort cracking through her professional facade. "What a surprise to see you with the Rebellion."

"Looks like we both got mixed up in this insane crusade," Solo said with a swift, obvious glance over to the twins. "I hear you got fuel for us."

With a gracious invitation to sit, Qi'ra smiled and sipped her drink. "From another old friend, actually. Lando Calrissian became baron administrator of Cloud City, a tibanna refinery on Bespin." The segue allowed her to politely refocus her attention on Maul and Leia. "He dislikes the Empire as much as you do, and he told me that he has worked briefly with the crew of the Ghost smuggling mining equipment onto Lothal. They're rebels, yes?"

Leia had settled across from Qi'ra, expression diplomatic. Luke sat at her right hand while Maul sat with Qi'ra at his left. Solo neglected the last seat at the table and leaned against the back wall, obviously and loudly removing himself from negotiations. The old clone captain stood just behind the princess's left elbow, in parallel to Qi'ra's single guard, a heavily armored mountain Nikto.

"Yes. That must have been back before the Liberation of Lothal. Have you done much business with Baron Administrator Calrissian, Lady Qi'ra?" Leia spoke with all the confidence of a politician, if none of the needless simpering. 

"Not myself, but I've facilitated business deals between him and others in the past, and they have always been - " Qi'ra's long nails clicked a line down the side of her wine glass, " - satisfied." 

Solo snorted softly and Qi'ra spoke up, tone ever-so-slightly goading. "Han can speak to the quality of his work."

"When he ain't tryin' ta kill me," Solo grumbled. "Lando may cheat at cards, but cutting fuel's beneath him. It'll be the real deal."

"We can leave you on the ship," Leia said sharply, "if you're going to make a bad impression on him."

Qi'ra laughed, delighted. "Absolutely not! If Lord Maul can spring Han on me, I simply demand that we do the same to Lando. He'll be so happy to see you again."

"Wait, wait," Luke, who had been doing an admirable job of holding his tongue, interrupted. "I'm totally lost here. Han, how do you know all these people?"

Han and Qi'ra exchanged a long look, and it was Qi'ra who finally answered. "Han and I grew up together on Corellia. We went our separate ways, but worked a job together about a decade ago. Lando was there as well. It seems fate has brought us all back together again."

"Fate… or the Force," Maul murmured, and Luke frowned at him from across the table.

Leia cleared her throat. "As fascinating as this all is, we should take this conversation back to the ship and be off. We wouldn't want to keep the baron administrator waiting."

"Oh, my apologies. You're right, of course. Come, Ryland," Qi'ra added to her bodyguard, "let's go make a deal."

As they filed out, Maul offered his arm to Qi'ra, who looped her elbow with his and patted his hand. "It really is wonderful to see you again, my lord."

"And you, Qi'ra. Your work has been invaluable while I have been away, and your information regarding our friend on Tatooine has been passed to the appropriate channels."

"Excellent. Perhaps that slug will finally get what he deserves." She pulled up the hood of her nondescript, if expensive-looking, cloak as they stepped out into the cool afternoon. The rebels did the same, and they all made their way back through the rundown city to the landing platforms. As they walked, Maul reached out with his feelings, seeking the same dark malevolence that had portended Fett. There was nothing, only the swirl of dirty dealings and shady business. No eyes lingered on them longer than they should have. The mission was, by all accounts, going well.

So why did he have a horrible feeling about this? 

When they were back in hyperspace and en route to Bespin, Qi'ra and Leia settled at the dajek table and began speaking broadly about the potential support the Crimson Dawn and Alliance could offer one another. Maul listened with only half-an-ear while the rest of his attention was taken up by Luke edging close. In an undertone, he asked, "Did you and Han… prank Lady Qi'ra?"

Maul affected false offense. "I would never, Apprentice. Solo and I determined the shared acquaintance after our last communique, and I was not going to waste a secure call on a personal matter. Besides," he smirked, "I like to keep my lieutenants on their feet."

"Is this what I have to look forward to as your apprentice?" Luke looked almost properly alarmed. "Weird pop quizzes?"

"Eventually, yes," Maul confessed amicably. "When we reach a certain point in your lightsaber training I'll begin implementing surprise attacks, among other things. Tell me: which group was responsible for the blockade of Naboo?"

"The Trade Federation," Luke answered automatically. "Wait, seriously?"

"Correct, well done." With a chuckle, Maul patted Luke's head and wandered off to find Captain Rex.

Bespin was a gas giant made of tibanna in its raw, unfiltered form. Cloud City glowed silver where it hung in the upper atmosphere. The station was a relic of Republic architecture. Both beautiful and functional, the design incorporated the tibanna refinement system into the structure of the city like a piece of art.

While Rex did another once-over for Leia, ensuring her hair and dress were immaculate, Maul helped Luke get his hair into some semblance of order, quietly cursing pilots' helmets.

"Lando is very charming, but he bargains hard and won't do anything that may put the city in danger," Qi'ra warned as she watched them, a tiny confused wrinkle between her brows. "I believe he's ready to make a deal, but he'll play coy and make you work for it."

"Sounds like Lando," Solo said as he brought them to a smooth landing. "He's nothing Leia can't handle." Qi'ra nodded, confident.

Maul caught the look of surprised pleasure on Leia's face at the captain's compliment. So did Luke, who elbowed his sister playfully. There, at least, was a problem which had solved itself. 

Qi'ra and her bodyguard descended the ramp first. Maul was a step behind them. She greeted Calrissian like an old friend, laughing and letting him kiss her hand. "Lando, may I introduce you to my Lord Maul?" Qi'ra left his title simple, and Calrissian's eyes widened slightly at the implications. 

"An absolute pleasure, I'm sure," said Calrissian with a flamboyant bow that showed off what must have been a very expensive cape. "It's so kind of you to grace my little city with your presence, my lord." Lando Calrissian was a handsome human with equally elegant manners, Maul thought, but he looked tired.

"We are looking forward to doing business with you," Maul replied, already bored with ceremony. 

"And allow me to introduce Princess Leia Organa, your formal liaison with the Alliance, and her colleagues," Qi'ra gestured as the others joined them on the platform.

There was a spark of fear in Calrissian's eyes as they were introduced, but he took Leia's hand and kissed it with the same aplomb he had offered Qi'ra. "I have never had the pleasure of hosting royalty before. You must let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, your highness."

"You are too kind, Baron Administrator."

"Please, your highness, call me Lando."

Beside Maul, Qi'ra smirked. "Her highness is accompanied by Commander Luke Skywalker, Captain Rex, and you'll remember Captain Han Solo and - "

"Chewbacca!" Calrissian crowed, striding past the humans and taking Chewbacca's enormous hairy paws in hands. "It's good to see you! I knew you'd drag Han into the Rebellion eventually, my old friend!"

Qi'ra, Leia, and Luke all had to hide their laughter at the dismay evident on Solo's face over being ignored. After he'd finished greeting Chewbacca, the baron administrator finally gave Solo his attention. "Oh Han, don't think I've forgotten you." He gave Solo a dazzling smile and pulled him in for a hug. "You old rascal. Your better nature finally won out, huh?"

"Nah, I got suckered into it. I'll have to tell you the whole story later, when we can catch up. Maybe grab a drink." Solo, who had looked for a moment like he expected to have a blaster pulled on him, relaxed as the conversation stayed friendly. "Go, get your work done, Baron Administrator." Solo turned him around and shoved Calrissian playfully, sending him back toward Qi'ra and Leia.

"Alright, but I want to hear how my ship's doing. You better be taking good care of her, Solo!"

"She's my ship and you bet I'm taking care of her. She's still the fastest in the galaxy."

Calrissian insisted on taking them on a tour of Cloud City, which was at least of interest to Luke, although the boy seemed jittery and was surrounded by a cloud of nervous energy. The rest of them suffered in polite silence as Calrissian waxed poetic about reactor bulbs, processing vanes, and carbon-freezing. After the first half-hour, Maul took to people-watching to pass the time. Curiously, there were few enough people to watch that it set off Maul's instinct for danger. 

Despite Calrissian bragging about the casinos upstairs - "Han, Qi'ra, let me buy you a drink at the Pair O'Dice tonight, we simply must catch up" - the cloud cars and tourist attractions - "I'll take you kids on a tour tomorrow, you'll have the time of your life" - Maul saw only the Ugnaughts and technicians who worked the refinery. The baron administrator, too, seemed out-of-sorts. There was an air of apprehension about him. It wasn't sinister, precisely, and Maul didn't sense a single lie from either the baron or his assistant, the cybernetically enhanced Lobot.

Maul leaned on his cane and followed the tour despite his suspicions. He would be ready if something went wrong. That was all he could do, for now.

"These will be your suites while you stay with us," Calrissian said, gesturing to the long hotel hallway. "Let me reiterate, if there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable," here, he shot Qi'ra a sultry look, "please let me know. Now, you folks take a little downtime and then prepare for dinner! Come hungry, I have the best chef this side of Takodana!"

The door closed behind him and Maul was terribly glad for that first moment of quiet; Lando Calrissian was a loud presence.

"Well, he's quite a personality," Leia said, but Luke wasn't listening. As they separated, each claiming a room, both Luke and Qi'ra reached for Maul.

"Master, can we talk - ?"

" - Lord Maul, may I borrow you for a moment?"

He resisted the urge to sigh; he had wanted to spend some time in meditation, to see if he couldn't trace the source of his anxiety. It seemed that work would have to wait. 

"I can be quick," Luke promised. The boy was wide-eyed and slightly pale. "Then he's all yours, ma'am."

Qi'ra looked torn between frustration and curiosity as Maul flicked his fingers dismissively at her and said, "Give us a moment; I will be with you shortly."

Luke followed Maul into his suite, an airy room so much larger than his space back on Hoth that it was ridiculous. He settled onto the curving white sofa and looked up at Luke expectantly. 

"Something bad is coming. I'm not sure what, but it's coming." The boy's eyes were wide. It was obvious that this had been bothering him through much of the tour. "I think we need to warn the others and get out of here."

Maul held up a hand, forestalling Luke's next panicked words. "I believe you. I too sense something amiss about this place. There are no tourists in the upper levels and the citizens aren't about, either. But I am not certain it is yet time to run."

"What do you mean?"

"We have nothing more than a feeling to go on, and this mission is important. If we leave now, we run the risk of insulting a possible ally and jeopardizing our alliance with Qi'ra as well. We must slow down and use these feelings to help us seek facts before we act."

Luke sighed and looked away, fear still evident in his crossed arms. "Yeah, okay. You're right."

Taking pity on the boy, Maul leaned forward and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Take the droids and scope out the city before we meet our host for dinner. Find out if the Falcon is being watched and take note of anything else that catches your eye. Do not engage. Consider this a test of stealth and cunning."

As he'd hoped, at his words replaced Luke's fear with anticipation. He responded, as Maul did, better to specific direction and action than vague platitudes. "Okay. You're right. I'm going to warn Leia and Rex, too, so they can keep safe and have an eye out. Thanks Master."

Maul smiled. "Be safe, Apprentice. And be crafty. I will see you soon."

The boy was out the door in a flash, off to complete his mission. Maul allowed himself only a moment to sigh before using his cane as leverage to heft himself up and go talk to his lieutenant. 

Qi'ra, the wonderful woman, had ordered tea and was talking quietly with her bodyguard when he joined them. She rose automatically as he entered and he batted away that nonsense with his cane. 

"Enough of that. Calrissian had enough pleasantries to last the decade. Pour me some tea and tell me what I have missed." He sat down heavily; his artificial knees disliked Hoth's temperatures and he was old enough that walking tours were hell on them anyway. 

"Little has changed since my last report," Qi'ra said as she prepared his tea. "The Hutts seem pleased by the bargain they've struck with the Empire, while the Pykes and the Black Sun resent their favoritism. None of these are official platforms, of course. In all of our formal communications, all remain loyal to you and to the Collective."

"For however long that lasts," Maul snorted. "Have they caused you any trouble?"

"Nothing Ryland and I haven't been able to handle. Why so concerned, have you heard something?" Qi'ra asked as she passed him his tea.

Maul took it with a word of thanks and settled back against the sofa (the same long, curving, white model his own room had). "We encountered Boba Fett on Takodana several days ago. There were precautions taken and I do not believe he recognized me, but Fett oughtn't be underestimated."

"Word would have gotten back to the Empire by now that you've taken a personal interest in the Rebellion and they would have been cracking down on us, were that the case. For the moment, I believe we are safe." Qi'ra sipped at her tea. "If I may change the subject, Lord Maul, you promised me information."

Maul chuckled and looked over at the bodyguard. "We require privacy; please vacate the room." The Nikto waited for Qi'ra's permission before silently slipping outside.

"You have a whole pod of younglings following you around now," Qi'ra said when they were alone. "Not to mention Han Solo and Chewbacca. Whatever did you find, chasing your Kenobi across the galaxy?"

"He is not mine," Maul grumbled, but he couldn't help but remember that it had been his goading that had gotten Kenobi to answer the twins' questions. "Kenobi was already dead. He died just before the Battle of Yavin by Vader's blade."

"I'm so sorry," Qi'ra murmured. "I know how much your quest for vengeance meant to you. But you found Commander Skywalker, instead? The Jedi boy who destroyed the Death Star?"

"Yes," he said, and told her the whole mad tale. He even spoke of Kenobi's ghost; Qi'ra was one of the few souls more fascinated by the dark side than afraid of it. She would have made such a wonderful apprentice, had she been Force sensitive. 

The story was long and naturally meandered as he answered questions and expounded upon history. Maul was careful with Alliance secrets and kept the truth about Vader hidden, but on the whole he gave Qi'ra a rather complete retelling of events. 

"Well, it seems you've been busy, my lord," Qi'ra said carefully, eyeing him over her teacup. 

Maul tilted his head to the side, amused. "You disagree with my choices?"

She didn't flinch, but it was a near thing. "No, not exactly. I can't overstate how thrilled I would be to see an end to imperial reign. But if we miscalculate, it's everyone's heads. I know the Jedi had high hopes for the boy, but they were disastrously wrong last time…" Qi'ra lapsed into silence for a moment before adding, "Luke seems like a nice boy. All your Rebels do. But will that and some ancient magic be enough to destroy the Empire?"

"Charisma, ancient magic, and a few well-laid plans were what created it. We have the best - possibly the only - opportunity to - "

He was interrupted when the door burst open and Calrissian tumbled into the room, closely followed by Qi'ra's bodyguard, who tackled the baron administrator to the ground. "No! Qi'ra, listen! You've got to get out of here! You're in danger!" Calrissian gasped as he hit the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" Qi'ra snapped, all thoughtful softness lost and her icy facade back in place. She and Maul were both on their feet and Maul's lightsaber was in his hand.

"You have to leave," Calrissian said, voice still hoarse from Ryland's tight hold. "The Empire knows the Rebels are here. They're coming for them. You have to leave, Qi'ra."

Qi'ra stiffened. "Lando, you sold us out?" She sounded, for the first time, almost shaken. 

"No! I didn't have a choice. The Imps been here for weeks, taking all the tibanna and keeping the citizens locked in their homes. When you called, they ordered me to lead you on and try to get them an in with the Rebellion. Then you had to bring the Jedi kid and the Princess of Alderaan. You have to get out of here, Qi'ra, they're sending Vader!"

It felt like the ground had opened up and swallowed him. Vader was coming here, and Maul had sent Luke off somewhere into this enormous city unprepared. Luke had tried to warn him, and Maul had rebuffed his concerns. 

Into the thrumming silence, Qi'ra asked, "My lord, what's our next move?"

"Go tell the others what's happening. Luke is running reconnaissance, and I must get him back here."

"There's no time for all that!" Calrissian cried. "Why do you think I came here like this? Vader is already here! The Imps called him as soon as they realized who they had. Let me up!" Calrissian demanded and, after a moment, Qi'ra allowed it. "They didn't tell me he was coming until a few minutes ago. He'll hit the system any second now and from there he's less than an hour to atmo."

"Then we still have time," Maul insisted. "If you want to leave here alive you will go with Qi'ra and help the others plan the best route off this station. I must find my apprentice."

All three hurried to comply while Maul tapped into Luke's comm channel. "Apprentice, do you read me?"

There was a moment of only static in which Maul's hearts beat a tattoo against his ribs, then, "I read you, Master, what's up?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Come back to the - "

Vader's presence erupted out of hyperspace like an exploding star. It was just like Malachor: he was a dark pit, leeching the color and life out of everything around him. Maul had once wondered idly if, at the height of his powers, Anakin Skywalker had shed light to the same extent. Like everything Sidious touched, Vader was so twisted it was impossible to imagine there was even a man behind all that darkness. 

Maul felt any hope of them leaving without a showdown evaporate. 

"He's here," Luke's voice said over the comm, but it sounded as if he were speaking from far away. "Vader's here."

"You need to return, now," Maul ordered harshly. "We are formulating an escape. Calrissian gave us a few minutes' forewarning."

For several moments, Luke didn't respond, then, "No. Vader's after me. If I draw him away, you'll be able to escape. Maybe I can try to steal a ship, and - "

"Absolutely not! Return to the hotel at once. That is an order, Apprentice."

"I won't let him hurt Leia again. Not my sister. And he'll identify you to the Emperor. If we give him what he wants, he'll focus on me and let you go. I've escaped from him before and I can do it this time too."

The pit of anxiety in Maul's stomach bottomed out. This was what the Force had been trying to warn him about. Luke could not face Vader.

"No you will not! You are not ready."

"I'm sorry, Master. I have to."

The channel went dead.

Maul stared at the little piece of technology for a long moment, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. The answer, of course, was obvious. He simply hated it.

"Kenobi," he barked, voice hoarse. "I need you."

He honestly did not know if Kenobi would appear - nor did he know if the Jedi would agree that Luke shouldn't face Vader. But he had to try, even if Kenobi put up a fight. 

"I never expected to hear those words from you, Maul," Kenobi said in lieu of a greeting, but then the amusement melted from his face as he took in the situation. "He's here. Vader is here."

"Luke thinks he wants to face Vader," Maul began without preamble. "You must find him and convince him to leave with the others. I will distract Vader. Coordinate with Leia too; get them out of here, Kenobi." He disliked how his voice broke on Kenobi's name, but in his desperation, he ignored the hit to his pride.

The ghost nodded seriously, not a whiff of disagreement about him. "I will. And you too, Maul. Survive this. Luke needs you." With that, Kenobi vanished as quickly as he'd come. 

Maul was left speechless. He had been expecting a fight, but it was as if their argument had not happened at all. Kenobi seemed to hold no grudge and even had the gall to tell him to be careful.

With these thoughts still turning over in his head, Maul took off down the hall to Leia's room, where he could sense the others had gathered. When he entered, he found Rex and Solo with their blasters drawn and pointed at Calrissian and Qi'ra while Chewbacca had tackled the Nikto to the ground and was holding him there. Leia had her blaster out and trained at the floor.

"Vader has entered the system," Maul said loudly, interrupting the stand-off. "Luke, the little fool, has decided to try to draw Vader's attention and allow you all to escape. Rex, get everyone to a ship and get off this platform - them, too," he added with a jerk of his chin toward Qi'ra and Calrissian."

"You actually believe their poodoo?" Solo demanded. 

"I believe the panic Calrissian felt when he came to warn us. And Qi'ra has been with me this evening; she did not betray us to the Empire. Now, I must go get Luke and find our escape. You go, quickly! Vader will be here soon."

Solo looked like he was going to argue again, but Leia shoved her way forward and snapped, "He's right. We'll worry about this later. If we leave Lando now, he's dead. As long as he pulls his weight, he can come." This proclamation finally spurred everyone into action; they put away their blasters and began to speak of escape.

Maul turned to leave, but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm and found Leia beside him. "Bring my brother back alive again, please." The determination in her face only just overcame the fear. "I'll get everyone else to safety."

He nodded solemnly and went to find his foolish apprentice. 

Cloud City was enormous and sprawling, home to literally thousands. Keeping to the shadows and side-streets, Maul made his way to the nearest security station. Inside, he could hear the chatter of Stormtroopers - three or four, he estimated. Breaking in and dispatching them was a matter of systematic violence. The first man he cut through the heart and then used him as a shield to absorb the delayed retaliatory shots from his comrades. He tossed the corpse at his fellow Stormtrooper and turned on the third, redirecting his next few shots and slicing off his head before he could fire off any more.

Behind him, he could hear the last man finally struggle to his feet. With a roar, the foolish Stormtrooper threw himself at Maul's back. He fell with Maul's second red blade through his stomach. Stepping around splayed limbs and cooling bodies, Maul pulled off the nearest man's helmet. He reached into it, tore out the built-in comm, and flicked it to life.

" - Lord Vader landing in T minus eight minutes - "

" - where's Calrissian? The slippery bastard's disappeared again - "

" - The Rebels are on the move! Calrissian's double-crossed us. They're headed toward the Millennium Falcon, all available troops converge on hanger A13 - "

Maul sighed. All would be for nothing if those idiots went and got themselves caught before Vader even arrived. The time for stealth was over. With grim new determination, he descended through the station down towards the tibanna refinery. He needed something that would cause a lot of damage without compromising the station or threatening too many civilian lives, otherwise Luke and Rex would have his head. 

He finally settled on the reactor bulb. It was at the very bottom of the city, and a mess down there would draw Vader and his troops far from the Rebels and Luke - wherever he was. Maul quickly descended through the station, pausing only to cut down any Stormtroopers unlucky enough to stumble into his path or warn any techs or Ugnaughts he came across to flee. His wake of destruction was wide enough that soon the imperial comm was buzzing about an "unknown, rogue red-blade" in the lower levels. 

If Maul were perfectly honest, he did not know what purpose the reactor bulb had, exactly. But during Calrissian's tour, he had impressed upon them how much power passed through it. That sounded like as good a place to begin as any. 

As the comm announced "T minus thirty seconds" to Vader's arrival, Maul began to feel his way around the enormous transperisteel bulb in the Force. It was perfectly round and symmetrical, a necessity for the role it played, but as he applied pressure, tiny imperfections in the molecular structure began to give way. 

There were two high-pitched cracks and then an explosion. Maul was glad he'd stayed near the entrance of the observatory, because he had only a moment to scramble for cover before the shockwave ripped through the room. He was still tossed like a rag doll. For a moment, his vision whited out and all he could hear was the high-pitched whine of injured eardrums.

As Maul's senses returned, it felt like the world was tilting on its axis, and it was only when he began to slide that he realized it was because the station's thrusters were struggling to find equilibrium after the explosion. He scrambled to his feet using the singed wall and hobbled to safer ground. Maul quickly checked himself over for damage; barring a few burns and bruises, he was whole (ha).

When he had a moment to concentrate, Maul realized that, in the Force, Vader's dark gaze was trained on him. The dark lord was approaching rapidly. Well, he thought wryly, the plan had worked. 

Drawing on the Force, Maul felt the energy restore and strengthen his weary limbs. He would pay for this borrowed energy later. Reinforcement complete, Maul climbed a few levels higher, seeking the right stage for their fight. He found it on the floor of the refinement chamber, which reached up a dozen stories and was criss-crossed overhead by pipes, machines, and catwalks.

The first thing he heard was Vader's infamous breathing. In and out, ceaselessly. "Darth Maul," he intoned, emerging from a cloud of steam. 

"Only Maul, now." He smiled widely. "But I hear you have been wearing Darth with pride." The smile fell. "A pity. There is no pride in being Sidious's blade."

Vader's lightsaber lit red in the dark. "Do not be a fool. You know the power of the Dark Side, and you know you cannot defeat my Master. Why are you really here?"

"I was hunting for Kenobi - "

"I killed him."

" - I know, and for that reason alone I am happy to destroy you. But while I was looking for Kenobi, I found someone else." Vader froze and Maul laughed mockingly, beginning to stalk a wide circle around the Sith. "Luke Skywalker: the boy he had been protecting."

"What?" Vader hissed. 

"He was a naïve, half-trained mess," Maul continued to push, "but I've never had an apprentice make such great strides so quickly."

"No!" Vader roared and charged at Maul. With the Force behind him, stopping Vader was like trying to slow a Star Destroyer with his bare hands. Instead, moving more on instinct than thought, Maul twisted out of Vader's way. 

With a positively feral howl, Maul lit both blades of his lightsaber and met Vader's next strikes blow-for-blow. He aimed a kick at the blinking control panel on Vader's chest but was blasted back by a powerful wave of Force energy. He skidded several meters and had to catch himself on a nearby control panel. He was breathing heavily, but a cruel, thrilled smile worked its way over his features. Maul hadn't had a duel this exciting since Mandalore, and the familiar combination of adrenaline and muscle memory took hold of him. 

This was what Maul was born to do.

Vader barreled forward, lightsaber-first, and Maul redirected the blow. He used his second blade to slash at Vader's chest, but was fended off. Vader attempted a low thrust, which Maul dodged. He was able to slip past Vader's outstretched arm and draw first blood, slashing at Vader's back and leaving a path of melted duristeel in his armor. 

The Sith made a noise that his vocoder didn't translate well, but which Maul was happy to assume was an agonized howl. In his pained flailing, Vader's next slash went very wide and Maul ducked under his guard, slicing his second blade across Vader's hip. He retaliated by slamming his elbow into Maul's nose and forcing him back several steps.

Through streaming eyes, Maul was able to fend off Vader's next few strikes. He feinted to the left and nearly caught Vader's helmet when he brought his second blade around in an arc. Vader was forced to take several steps back to avoid the hit and Maul gained the space he needed to wipe the blood and tears from his vision. The pain was buried beneath the adrenaline rush. 

"Kenobi is so disappointed by what you've become," he taunted.

"You are obsessed with a dead man."

Maul smiled through his teeth. "And you aren't?"

Before Vader could respond, Maul leapt forward and brought his lightsaber down in a series of quick strikes, hoping that the change in angle would make Vader stumble, but the Sith met each blow. As Maul leapt away to prepare for another attack, he heard a grinding whine behind him and had to scramble and duck to avoid the huge pipe Vader dragged off the wall and threw at him with the Force.

While Maul's focus was elsewhere, Vader got in an absolutely brutal hit on Maul's left leg, shearing through the metal. He dug in his right heel, shifting his weight backward onto it and pivoting to avoid Vader's next blow. Maul attempted to bring his saber across Vader's chest in a wide slash, but this time Vader was ready for him and sent out another shockwave of Force energy to knock Maul off what was left of his feet.

"My master would offer you one chance to turn the boy over to us or be struck down," Vader intoned emotionlessly as he loomed over Maul.

Maul laughed in his face, his own mad visage reflected back at him in that shiny black helmet. "And I would spit at him, too!"

"Unfortunately for you, I am not so merciful." Vader raised his blade and Maul sneered at death one last time.

"No!" Luke cried as he barreled into Vader from the side, knocking the Sith away from Maul. "I won't let you hurt him! I won't let you hurt anyone else ever again!"

"Luke," Maul moaned. "No, you foolish child, you should not be here!"

"Foolish indeed," Vader agreed darkly, "to let this disgrace teach you. If you wanted to learn the ways of the Dark Side, Luke, you ought to have come to me."

Luke, witless and brave boy that he was, looked Vader in the eye and scoffed. "He's training me to be a Jedi. To defeat you." He charged Vader, ducking beneath the first swing of his red blade and shoving Vader back with his shoulder. When Vader retaliated, Luke danced lightly out of the big Sith Lord's reach.

Vader caught Luke's next strike with his blade and forced the boy onto the defensive, using his superior strength to hammer blows down on him. Desperate to escape, Luke dropped and tumbled out of Vader's reach.

"The Force is with you, young one. But whatever he has taught you is nothing but a bastardization of the power that I could show you," Vader proclaimed. "He is a failure, rejected by my master."

"I know. That's why I like him," Luke grinned defiantly as he hopped to his feet.

Maul, who had been taking advantage of the distraction to hastily cobble together a splint for his destroyed prosthesis, finally found his feet again. "Apprentice, come this way! We need to move."

"You have learned how to control your fear. Now you must be taught to release your anger." Vader mocked, "Has he shattered Obi-Wan's pretty lies for you yet, boy?" 

"Don't pretend you know anything about Ben or my master!" Luke cried back and charged again, bringing his own whirlwind of quick strikes down on Vader who batted each and every one away effortlessly. 

"You claim I know nothing." Vader's voice and steady breathing echoed around them. "But I know something about you, boy. Has your master told you the truth about your father?"

"Ignore him, Luke," Maul called above the clashing of plasma. "He is trying to make you angry." Even though he was able to stand, Maul could neither enter the fray himself nor intervene with the Force without risking Luke. 

Luke didn't respond, instead taking a few more hits at Vader and trying to break his guard. The Sith held his ground and then began to push forward slowly, unrelentingly.

"They never told you what happened to your father," Vader said, and Maul watched helplessly as all of his preparations came crashing around him.

"What's there to tell? You killed him."

"No, Luke, I am your father."

The boy looked like Vader had gutted him. "T-that's not true. You're a liar!"

"Search your feelings. Ask your failure of a master. It is true," Vader said with finality.

With a cry of denial, Luke threw himself at Vader, attacking with all of his might, but the Sith batted him aside easily. "Enough of this, boy. You are meant to rule at my side; together we will defeat Sidious and bring the Empire into a new era!"

Maul could see from across the room that Luke was shaking. He still held his ground, kept his lightsaber up and defensive, but the poor boy's world was shattering around him. "Stop it! Stop saying that! You're not my father! You're not!"

Vader roared furiously, lashing out with his lightsaber and Luke tried to block the attack. Maul and Luke both screamed as Vader's 'saber came down on Luke's wrist, cleanly severing it. The appendage, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber still clutched in its fingers, tumbled through the air. The blade sheathed itself automatically, and when hilt and hand hit the floor, the lightsaber went tumbling down between the grates, disappearing with a loud clatter. 

The boy stumbled backward with a cry of denial and pain. "No! Why would you - ?" Luke's eyes saught Maul. "Master, help me!"

Maul acted without hesitation. His gaze landed on a looping tube that hung above where Vader loomed over Luke marked "carbon freezing". In one swift motion, Maul lit his saber and threw it, spinning, toward the tube. It sliced through easily, sending clouds of frozen carbon spewing through the room. As his saber arched back, Maul snatched it out of the air.

Vader reared back from the cloud and Maul used the opportunity to Force-pull Luke towards him and the far exit. "I've got you. We're going to get out of here," he promised, grabbing Luke's arm. 

Behind them, Vader was using the Force to clear away the frozen carbon and their cover was rapidly disappearing. 

"But Vader - ! M-my lightsaber - " There was a sob in Luke's words.

Maul pulled him close, the brief embrace all the comfort he had time now to offer. "I will tell you everything when we are safe, I swear it." Maul met Luke's eyes beseechingly. "Please trust me, Apprentice, we must leave."

With a soft sigh, Luke nodded and shakily helped Maul hurry up the stairs and away from Vader. The hallway they entered was dark but for the emergency lights bathing them in red every-other-second. Luke's face was pale and pained in the low light, and Maul wished he had the words to help. "Go left, toward the escape pods," he instead instructed quietly. 

They weren't moving fast enough. Vader's breathing followed them and soon his heavy tread joined it. When Maul chanced a look behind, Vader was in sight and gaining on them. 

Maul stopped and pushed Luke behind him, then closed his eyes and concentrated all his willpower on Vader. Slowly at first and then with increasing speed as Maul's power grew, strips of the hallway began to peel away from the station's frame and wrap themselves around Vader. At first, Vader could rip them off and the attacks barely slowed him, but as more and more layers of duriplast and duristeel twisted around Vader, he was soon left an unmoving mound of metal.

"Quickly; that will only slow him for a moment," Maul panted, sagging against Luke's side, who was staring at where Vader was buried with huge, confused eyes.

They had nearly made it to the escape pods before Vader's breathing began to surround them again. Luke's fingers shook as he tapped one-handed over the keyboard, overriding the lock and initiating the exit sequence. 

"Escape is pointless." Vader's deep, echoing voice promised, "I will find you, Luke. You will embrace your rightful place at my side."

Maul pushed Luke into the pod the second the door opened and all but fell in behind him. He punched the release just as Vader's black mask appeared in the viewport and they spun off into Bespin's atmosphere with a pneumatic hiss and a lurch.

There were several long seconds of silence as all either Maul or Luke could do was try to catch their breath. Luke didn't meet his eye and Maul wondered what would happen next. He had failed Luke. In his weakness, he had valued his apprentice's happiness over his knowledge of the truth, and Luke had lost his hand for it. 

Like Savage, Maul had failed Luke. He did not deserve to call himself master.

With shaking hands, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his comm, tuned it into Leia's frequency, and silently prayed that she was safe and able to respond. 

"M-master? Are you alright? Is Luke with you?" The princess sounded wrong, her voice noticeably distressed even over the comm.

"Yes, we escaped. Did you?"

There was a very long pause before she said, "Yes. Mostly. Where are you? We'll come get you."

"We're in an escape pod. I'll send our coordinates."

"We'll see you soon."

The line was cut and Maul dropped the comm back into his pocket and closed his eyes for just a moment, to brace himself. Then he opened them again and took proper account of Luke.

The boy was pale and shaking, clutching his stump wrist close to his chest and silently crying. Maul crossed the small space and pulled Luke into another hug, trying to pour the same level of comfort into it that Luke had shown him. Against his shoulder, Luke's sobs became more pronounced as he was finally allowed to break down. Maul cupped the back of his head softly and let the boy cry.

He didn't know how long they sat like that, be it minutes or hours, but eventually Luke whispered, "He was telling the truth, wasn't he? Vader's really my father."

"Yes," Maul's voice shook as he confessed. "I have been trying to tell you - to prepare you - but I thought we had more time - "

Luke pulled away, but where Maul expected to find anger, there was only heartbreak. The boy held up a forestalling hand. "No more. I can't do this right now, okay? I can't." With that, the boy buried his face back in Maul's shoulder and sobbed again.

Not long later, a shadow passed overhead. Maul gently separated himself from Luke and looked out the viewport to find the Falcon gliding quietly toward them. Luke only nodded numbly when Maul told him what he saw. Solo maneuvered the Falcon to scoop them gently into the hold, and Rex was there to hoist them to the ground. 

Maul, carefully balancing on one leg, helped pass Luke up to Rex first. "C'mere Luke- ah hell," he heard Rex say as the old clone got his hands on Luke. "You're alright, shiny. Just a flesh wound. We'll get you to a good doc and he'll patch you right up. Here, Leia, help me - "

With exhausted, shaking arms, Maul braced himself against the sides of the pod and attempted to heave himself up, only to find the captain's waiting hand. "I gotcha. C'mon Maul." As Maul was lowered to the ground, he only got a brief glimpse of Luke safely in Leia's embrace before his vision was obscured by brown hair as Qi'ra pulled him into a sudden, tight hug.

"Thank the Force you're alright! I thought we'd lost you both as well!" she gasped against his shoulder. Maul put his arms around her automatically, until Qi'ra's words sunk in fully.

At the same time, Luke cried, "Wait, who'd we lose?"

Leia, eyes full of tears, replied, "Han. We lost Han. It was Fett; he arrived with Vader and followed us when Vader went after you."

"Han took a stun shot for Lando," Qi'ra said softly. "He went down, and Fett got to him first. If I had to guess, I believe Fett will take Han to Tatooine and collect the bounty. Jabba is his benefactor, after all. Thankfully, the bounty wanted Han alive. There's still a chance we can save him." 

It was quiet as they rerouted to meet with the Rebel Fleet. Luke needed more care than Echo Base could provide and so Leia had ordered the medical frigate to meet the Falcon in a nearby system. Maul stayed close to the twins, but they seemed only to find solace in one another. 

In the next room (where the Nikto lay unconscious from his own scuffle with Fett), Qi'ra called upon her contacts, trying to track Han's location. Chewbacca and Calrissian sat together in the cockpit talking quietly. 

As Maul sat half-dozing, he did his best not to dwell on the thrumming pain emanating off of Luke in the Force or his own guilt, although he failed spectacularly on both fronts. He felt a shiver go up his arm, like gentle fingers trying to catch his attention. He jerked awake, only to find himself alone.

It only took him a moment to put together what had happened. With a soft groan, Maul hoisted himself to standing and used the wall to hobble into the empty hold.

"Kenobi?" he called softly into the darkness. After a moment, the ghost stepped around the side of the pod, looking very small. They started at each other for a long moment without speaking. 

"...I am sorry," Kenobi said at last. "This is all my fault. You entrusted me with Luke's safety and I failed. If I had convinced him to leave - if I had been more candid with him in the first place - none of this would have happened."

Sagging against the wall, Maul was surprised to discover that he was too drained to be angry. Kenobi looked as devastated as Maul felt. He shook his head and then forced himself to catch and hold Kenobi's gaze.

"Perhaps. There's no way to know. If Luke hadn't come when he had, Vader would have killed me."

Kenobi ran a hand through his sparse hair, looking both more haggard and more mortal than Maul had seen him since his death. "Oh Maul," Kenobi choked and turned away. "Damn you, Anakin."

"He's going to need you," Maul said hoarsely. "He's going to need us both. You can't fall apart now. We must take responsibility for what we've allowed to pass. We owe Luke that much and more."

The Jedi smiled a bit, and it seemed Maul's world stopped and reset with that tiny expression. "Never one to mope, were you? You are right, of course."

Maul looked away, not sure what this feeling was that warmed his chest. "Good. Then drop the self-pity. We'll get him through this together."

"Yes," Kenobi agreed with an emotion Maul refused to identify in his voice. "Together."