The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter One Hundred And Five: Momentary Setbacks

MAUL

Maul felt the Force stir uneasily around him as the lift finally came to a stop on the next terrace of the Temple. He paused, reaching out with his mind in hopes of discovering the cause, but, sensing nothing, he turned to focus on his young Jedi companion once more.

As far as Maul was concerned, Ezra's determination to make his friends proud of him was admirable, but otherwise quite foolish. He did not need the approval of those around him to grow strong, nor their trust; only the ability to look within himself and always find the will to succeed.

He was overly trusting, and gave his loyalties away too quickly and often without asking for anything to his advantage in return. Those were valued qualities in a Jedi, true, but nonsensical for someone who truly sought to achieve victory over his enemies.

Maul resolved to start beating the whole overly compassionate attitude out of him as soon as possible... But after the secrets of the Temple and the power they would bring him were his and he had had his revenge, of course.

But then, as they were approaching the steps that would lead them up to the next level of the Temple, the disturbance sharpened into a twittering buzz. Maul whirled and ignited his blade, watching Ezra do the same just in time to deflect a laser blast from a small swarm of droids emblazoned with the Imperial crest.

As the droids continued their advance and forced them back up the steps to properly deflect the incoming fire, Maul's senses brought back another image, this one far clearer than the vague feelings he had received before.

He opened his mouth to warn Ezra of the threat, but the boy's reflexes had already snapped into action. He smashed his blade into that of the female Inquisitor – Seventh Sister, he believed she was called –, altering its course through the air before it could spin close enough to hit him.

She summoned it back to her hands, looking down at them from the top of the steps with a triumphant laugh.

Is she really such an incompetent fighter that she needs to hide behind her little droids and wait for them to tire us out before she confronts us? Maul thought, far from impressed. How pathetic.

He gave his blade an experimental spin and nodded to Ezra. Then, he bounded up the steps, the boy not too far behind him.

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he slowed his pace to let Ezra take the lead. Perhaps it was time for another test...

He let Ezra strike the first blow, and watched as his attacks gradually started to turn away from the more careful and reserved fighting disciplines his Master had instructed him in. They grew more violent, but lost none of their focus. In this fight, Ezra was leaving nothing to chance.

The boy had said a Jedi was never supposed to act out of emotion, and yet here he was, letting his negative feelings cloud his judgment more and more with every second that went by... And a more poetic case of irony Maul had never seen.

"That's it, young one," Maul murmured, unable to help the grin on his face that grew larger with every slash of the boy's saber. "Use your anger, use your pain – let it fill you... fuel you..."

As Ezra lashed out in a final blow that sent Seventh Sister stumbling back across the landing, Maul decided the time was finally right to see what the boy was made of. Before she could react, he reached out with one hand and closed the Force around her airways. Then, he began to squeeze.

"No... no!" Seventh Sister's free hand flew to her neck, searching for an imaginary gap in his grip in a desperate bid to free herself. Maul could practically smell the stench of fear on her, but to her credit, she did not drop her weapon.