Maul stood before Kenobi, his body trembling with excitement. The night was cold and sand fluttered as the campfire raged between them.
"Look what has become of you, a rat in the desert" Maul said, scowling.
"Look what I have risen above" Kenobi replied, unmoved.
"I have come to kill you, but perhaps it is better to leave you here" Maul taunted. "festering, in your squalor."
"If you define yourself by your power to take life, desire to dominate. You have nothing"
"What do you have" Maul raged as he unsheathed his blade, slashing the fire.
"Why you come to this place, not simply to hide.... Oh, you have a purpose here?"
Kenobi became alert, uncertain how much Maul knew.
"Perhaps you are protecting something... No protecting someone" Maul smirked.
Kenobi raised his saber, he couldn't let Maul try anything with Luke, Maul activated his second saber as they stared at each other. Maul spun his blade and entered his stance. The tension rose.
Maul and Kenobi circled each other,
Their stances mirroring the duel Maul and Qui Gon had all those years ago on Naboo.
Until Maul lost his patience. He screamed, lunging forward.
He slashed at Kenobi, who parried the blow, maul slashed again, more vigorously
Kenobi parried again. Maul pushed the saber hilt at Kenobi, hoping to confuse him.
The jedi ducked, slashing through both the hilt and Maul in one blow.
Silence returned, their blades deactivated, Maul and Kenobi looked at each other for a moment, before mail fell, it was over in a blink of an eye.
Kenobi caught Maul as he fell. As his sabers rolled away, Maul knew he had lost.
His life flashed before him, He knew this was the end. Perhaps hatred could preserve his life, but he had already given up. He couldn't hate Kenobi any longer.
All his years alone in Malachor gave him time to reflect.
His pitiful life, controlled by Sidious, fighting both the Jedi and Sith, cut in half, stranded and driven mad, then when he thought he could return in glory, his brother's death, Sidious's torture, Mother Talzin's sacrifice, his defeat against Ashoka.
All of it haunted him, he had given up fighting against Sidious. Only his revenge against Kenobi kept him alive and sane through those 14 years in Malachor.
Though he refused to acknowledge it. Kenobi suffered just as much as he did.
And through these years, Maul had already moved past his anger at Kenobi for striking him down at Naboo. His revenge was already complete when he killed Satine. Now Kenobi was merely an outlet for his hatred and regret, a desperate attempt to find peace.
Maul stared into the firm eyes of Kenobi, he only had one wish. 'Sidious must die, even if it is not by my hand.' Maul thought to himself.
"Tell me, is he the chosen one?" Maul pleaded.
"He is" Kenobi replied assuring Maul.
Maul looked on into the future, picturing the day Sidious will fall at the hands of the chosen one.
"He will avenge us." Maul muttered in his dying breath as he passed, his eyes still open.
Kenobi closed Maul's eyes in sympathy for his old enemy, reminiscing.
Maul felt his eyes go blurry, his Limbs went numb, And his breathing weakened.
Everything went dark. Maul's heart stopped beating. And the last bit of breath left his body.
And then, there was nothing...
For how long? He couldn't tell, but suddenly something clicked.
He felt himself take a breath again,
his heart beat again... and again, and again. His vision returned. And then his strength returned.
He felt himself seated, he jolted awake, looking around.
'This is....' Maul 's mind scrambled for clarity. 'Mandalore.' he thought bittersweet. 'My empire.'
"Brother, what is it?" A yellow Zabrak spoke from across the room.
"Savage.." Maul said out loud, shock and denial evident on his face as his mind scrambled for answers. 'Is this some cruel trick?'
'This is..' Maul began to realize 'this is, the time before Savage died... back in time' Maul thought, looking over to a confused Savage.
"It won't be long before Sidious's arrival." Maul recalled, replaying the events of his torture, and Savage's death in his mind. His eyes turned to Savage.
Maul trembled, what truly was going on, was it some kind of dream before death, or is it truly reality.
His brother looked at him with concern.
Maul sighed, sitting back on his throne, "I need to collect my thoughts, It just feels overwhelming." he told Savage.
Savage stood there puzzled yet concerned.
All his life, Maul had been driven by revenge and hatred, but now as he saw his brother's eyes, and remembered Savage's cruel fate at the hands of Sidious. For the first time Maul found something he wanted to protect rather than destroy.
Should he run away and hide to survive, after all Maul had his brother again, he had the night watch, his mother was still alive, he was ruler of Mandalore. He hadn't lost everything, not yet.
"What's wrong brother" Savage called out to him, snapping Maul back to the moment.
Maul understood that it wouldn't be long before Sidious would arrive, Maul had made up his mind, this was the only time Sidious would meet him on his turf, the only time he could lay a trap, but even then it was impossible to fight Sidious, not without a plan.
Maul turned to Savage, 'I have a plan, Savage.'
Maul told Savage his idea, as he called upon his troops, his death watch.
He told them that they would have the honor and the opportunity to face the strongest being in the galaxy and prove themselves as the strongest force...