STAR WARS: CONFLICTED

CHAPTER XXV - DUEL OF THE FATES

Maul threw the first blow, launching at Ahsoka from his throne, darksaber drawn. Ahsoka's blue blades met it, before Maul switched and swung at her legs, which she blocked with her shoto saber, before delivering a quick kick to the jaw, sending Maul back slightly.

Savage began to advance on Nathan, double-bladed saber in front of him. Nathan swung at it, testing the blocking power of the Zabrak. Much to his expectation, he withstood the attack with ease, before rotating the hilt to use the end blade to force Nathan back. Savage jumped at him, but Nathan powerjumped over him, landing next to Ahsoka.

Maul's darksaber was certainly heavier than a regular lightsaber, as he soon came to realise. His strikes at Ahsoka were parried with ease, and the Togruta's acrobatic nature kept him at bay without much of a struggle.

Maul growled at Ahsoka as she delivered yet another parry-kick combo to the former Sith. He tossed his saber aside, flipped back, and drew a longer hilt from his belt, igniting first one blade, and then another.

Savage's precision was way off in comparison to Nathan's, and it was showing. Every attack the Zabrak launched was either leapt over or parried, followed by a swift counterattack from the Jedi Knight. In one particular move, Nathan parried an overhead strike, before pushing Savage back with the Force, towards the window of the throne room.

Ahsoka had managed to string together a few combinations of her own, aiming high and low at Maul, before pushing him back with the Force into a wall.

As both Jedi advanced on the Zabraks, Maul and Savage both pushed Nathan and Ahsoka into each other, almost knocking them out. Maul summoned the Darksaber to his side again, and leapt out of the window, with Savage closely following.

Nathan and Ahsoka sat there helplessly in the throne room, almost losing consciousness from the impact.

"You okay?" Nathan was first to regain his speech.
"Ow." Ahsoka said, rubbing her head furiously.
"We need to get out of here. Find somewhere to stay while we figure out what we do next." Nathan said, getting to his feet.
"Did you know about him?" Ahsoka asked, still in pain.
"The other Zabrak? No, I didn't."
They both were now on their feet, brushing themselves down.
"Nathan?" Ahsoka said quietly, clipping her sabers back on her belt, the same belt Nathan had given her years ago now.
"Yeah?" He said slowly.
"Maul said he sensed fear in you, what did he mean?"
Nathan paused, looking up at the Togruta.
"He was bluffing, 'Soka. He meant nothing by it."
Ahsoka frowned at him.
"I sense it too, Nath." She said, folding her arms.
"Not now, Ahsoka. We have a job to do." Nathan cut her off, looking for a safe way out. It wouldn't be long before Maul sent his guards to wipe them out as they fled.

* * *

Both Jedi and former Jedi managed to find a little forest, outside the city, and using the Force, they constructed a miniature hut, with enough closure to rest. As Nathan laid the last few foundations down to finish it off, Nathan's comlink went off. It was approaching night time now on Mandalore.

Ahsoka answered it, beckoning for Nathan to join her.

"Ah, Ahsoka. Is Nathan there?" Came the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi from the comlink.
"Right here, Master." Nathan said, taking a seat beside Ahsoka.
"Good. I have some urgent news from Coruscant which may be of use to you. I also wanted to check in and see how the mission was going." Master Kenobi explained.
"You first, Master." Nathan said, beginning to start a fire as he listened.
"Well, there's good news and bad news.
Grievous' attack on the capital was defended successfully, with minimal casualties."
"Good to hear. How is Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.
Obi-Wan sighed sharply before answering.

"Well, whilst rescuing the Chancellor, myself and Anakin encountered Count Dooku." Ahsoka felt Nathan tighten up at hearing his name spoken, and placed a hand on his thigh to comfort him.
"And?" Ahsoka asked nervously, not sure she wanted to hear the next part.
"Well, we have lost a vital link to discovering our Sith Lord."
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked. The actual Sith Lord's identity had never been explained fully to him.
"Nathan, long ago, when I killed Maul, or thought I killed Maul rather, he was the apprentice to a Sith Lord. A man I would learn to discover went by the name of Darth Sidious. I learned this from Count Dooku on Geonosis. And, well..." Kenobi tailed off.
"And?" Ahsoka and Nathan asked together.
"Count Dooku, is dead. Anakin killed him whilst rescuing the Chancellor. This kills off any real chance of discovering the Sith Lord."

Ahsoka and Nathan let this information sink in. Nathan was glad to hear of the demise of Dooku, as he was the catalyst to a lot of his pain. At the same time, knowing he was one of the Jedi's last opportunities to find out anything about Sidious, and that was now dead, did sting a little from a Jedi point of view.

"So what happens now?" Nathan asked quietly.
"Well, I'm being sent off to Utapau, to track down General Grievous."
"If you kill him, the war might be over soon." Ahsoka gasped, slightly more excited.
"Well, not exactly." Obi-Wan said.
"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked.
"We still don't have our Sith Lord. He could still be anywhere."
Nathan had a bright idea.
"Could Anakin re-inforce us now? If he isn't with you hunting Grievous..."
Obi-Wan frowned.
"Anakin is on a special assignment to watch over the Chancellor, and report on his findings to the Council."
"Why?" Ahsoka asked, confused. That seemed a little strange to her, that they would send Anakin to spy on their own leader, and his friend.
"I'm afraid I cannot explain further, Ahsoka, as you are now a member of the public, rather than a Jedi."
Ahsoka's face dropped. "I understand."
"So what about the Maul situation?" Obi-Wan asked the pair, who went stiff in anxiousness.
"Well, Maul had help, from a larger man of his species, one he called Savage." Nathan started. "We had the upper hand, but they escaped. We plan to hunt them first thing in the morning."
"I see." Kenobi said, stroking the bottom of his chin. "Well, good luck to the both of you."
"Thank you, Master."
"And may the Force be with you both."
"You too, Obi-Wan." Nathan said. This was the first time he had called Master Kenobi by his first name.
The call ended, leaving the two in silence, huddled against one another as the rain fell outside the hut, pattering the roof.

Ahsoka snuggled her head into Nathan's chest, as he stroked her lekku for comfort. He felt a wet patch on his robes.
"Ahsoka?" Nathan asked quietly, lifting her head. He looked into her eyes, and saw they were watery with tears. She had been crying, badly.
"Nathan, what if we don't make it out of this war?" She asked, as Nathan pulled her head back into his chest.
"Ahsoka, whatever happens in the next few days will impact the fate of not only us, but the galaxy as a whole. It is our job as Jedi-"
"Not a Jedi, Nathan." She corrected him.
"Your morals are far beyond any Jedi's. You're more of a Jedi than me, and you don't need a title to prove that, 'Soka." She giggled quietly as he said this.

"It is our job to protect the people of this Republic. If you, or I, die during the process, then that is the will of the living Force, and we must adhere to it." Nathan continued.
There was a brief silence as Ahsoka took in his words, she looked down at his belt, noticing his lightsaber slightly out of place, and nudging it with her knee back into position.
"You know, you never explained the reason why your blade is so.."
"Different?" Nathan finished her sentence.
"Yeah."
Nathan sat up, resting his back against the wall, and beckoned for Ahsoka to lay on his lap, as she did willingly.
"When I was a padawan, Master Yoda took us to the Jedi Temple on Illum. There, we were tasked with finding our crystals, as usual.
My crystal was blue, when it was set into the ice, but when I tried to pull the crystal away, it wouldn't budge. Instead, I used the Force to lift it out, causing the kyber crystal to have a green tinge to it, which gives it the blue-green colour it has now."
"Woah." Ahsoka said, "I wish my story was as interesting as that."
"You're interesting enough as it is, 'Soka."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Nathan chuckled. "In a good way, I mean."
"Hmm, okay." She giggled, nestling her head into him again.

"I love you, Ahsoka."
"I love you too, Nathan."