In the throne room, which Bo-Katan had successfully taken with her fellow Mandalorians, she, Ahsoka, and Rex gave Obi-Wan a progress report. Well, Bo-Katan was. Rex and Ahsoka hadn't said much yet. "There are a small number of firefights still happening in sector eleven, but for the most part, your clones have been as effective as promised. Still, without Maul in custody, this could all fall apart quickly. We must capture him before he escapes."

"Any sign of Barriss?" Obi-Wan asked Ahsoka, who shook her head.

"According to Ursa, Barriss isn't even in Sundari. She may not even be on Mandalore," Ahsoka predicted, crossing her arms. "He mentioned Darth Tyrannus, indirectly."

This troubled Obi-Wan, but Bo-Katan didn't recognize the name. "Who is this Tyrannus?"

The Jedi Master thought for a moment before speaking. "I would tell you, but I believe Ahsoka is better suited to do so."

Should we be offended? The Sister asked jokingly as Bo-Katan turned to Ahsoka. Not bothering to respond to her alter ego, she explained: "He is better known as Count Dooku, the apprentice of Darth Sideous. His master is the one who orchestrated the Clone War and played both sides to his advantage until he was killed almost eight months ago. Tyrannus, or Dooku, now leads the Separatist Alliance in his master's absence."

Rex turned the projection of Sundari off and dismissed the droid providing it. Obi-Wan stroked his beard before responding. "If you can capture Maul, he may be able to provide information about Dooku's whereabouts."

"Then send me more men," Ahsoka asked, knowing that even in the short hours since her troop had landed on Mandalore, they had suffered losses.

"Unfortunately, I cannot," Obi-Wan confessed. "I'm being sent to hunt down General Grievous on Utapau."

Ahsoka didn't object to this, she understood the significance of his mission. Having worked with Grievous as the Inquisitor, she knew his tactical value. "What about Anakin? Maybe he can reinforce us?"

His answer did not come quickly. In fact, he looked uneasy as he addressed Rex and Bo-Katan. "May I speak to Ahsoka alone for a moment?"

This request didn't exactly put the group at ease, but silently they left the meeting, Bo-Katan with an unimpressed look and Rex with a concerned one. Ahsoka wasn't sure what was so sensitive about Anakin that required privacy, but she remained quiet and waited for Obi-Wan to speak. 

When he was sure that the other two were out of earshot, he explained. "Anakin is on special assignment from the Jedi Council."

"What kind of assignment?" she asked, not entirely trusting the motive of this move.

"He's been grounded on Coruscant. Anakin is not to leave the Senate Building unless to report back to the Jedi Temple. To be specific, he is guarding the Chancellor," Obi-Wan told her.

Ahsoka uncrossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "This isn't some sort of punishment for sending Rex with me, is it?"

He held a hand up to calm her, not wanting to get the wrong idea across. "No, it's not like that at all." Obi-Wan sighed, realizing he was going to have to divulge information to get her to understand. "The Council is concerned for Chancellor Kanai's safety. They believe another attack on her life is imminent, and we are too shorthanded at the moment to protect her ourselves."

"Shorthanded?" Ahsoka asked, confused. "What do you mean? I thought it was protocol to not leave Coruscant without a Jedi Master while the Clone War lasted."

"It was, and still is," he confirmed, bracing himself to say the dreaded words. "But at the moment, there are not enough Jedi Masters to go around. A third of our Council is dead."

"What?" How could that be? What else had happened that she had missed that so many of the Jedi had been killed?

Obi-Wan's face fell as he told her. "You are aware that Master Gallia died when our forces were ambushed on Corellia, but three more deaths have happened since then. Two weeks ago, Master Unduli and Master Fisto were killed in an attempt to hunt down and kill Count Dooku. Then today, Master Shaak Ti was killed while she was trying to protect Chancellor Kanai. Grievous killed her before Anakin and I could reinforce her."

She stood in silence, stunned. Four Jedi Masters were dead. Ahsoka knew the Council hadn't suffered losses like this in years, maybe even decades. How many Jedi were carrying the weight of their deaths, how had they handled this kind of burden? She looked solemnly up at him. "I'm sorry."

He moved on, refusing to linger on the fact. "Master Windu is on Coruscant in case of an emergency, but in the absence of so many of our leadership, Anakin has been stationed at the Senate Building, and will be until he can be relieved. I cannot give you any clue as to when that will be."

Ahsoka wanted to ask more, maybe to get more details about the attack that had killed Luminara and Kit Fisto, but Rex ran in at that moment. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's been an attack," he announced. 

"You had best go," Obi-Wan told Ahsoka, "and when you can, send Anakin a status update. He will want to know how your efforts are going."

She nodded and ran off to go with Rex. It was going to have to wait, but she understood why Obi-Wan wanted her to send the update. Anakin was going to get restless on Coruscant without a mission, especially if no attack came. 

I'll remind you later, the Sister offered. Just focus on your mission for now. 

Thanks, Sister, she thought back, and let the subject be. She needed to concentrate on this attack.

~

Author's Note: The next few scenes in the episode happen as usual. Sterling reports that Jesse was taken alive by Maul, and our wonderful trio goes to interrogate Almec before he's assassinated by Saxon. Almec still confesses that Maul wanted both Kenobi and Skywalker to come to Mandalore before he falls over dead (good riddance). Maul tells the Syndicate members to evacuate and sneaks into the throne room. Rex gets Jesse back, and Bo-Katan goes to deal with the fight outside. 

~

"Look at them," Maul told Ahsoka, as he observed the chaos reigning outside. "So blissfully ignorant."

Ahsoka wasn't interested. The sooner this fight happened, the better. "Care to tell me what this is all about? Or would you rather save it for the Council?"

Maul seemed amused, and he turned to face her as he spoke. "Oh no, no. You are the one that I wish to speak with. Were you not cast out of your Order?"

Of course, he would have asked Jesse about this. Careful, the Sister warned her. Sideous probably taught him to manipulate people using the Dark Side. "I left voluntarily."

"Yes, but you were motivated to leave by the hypocrisy of the Jedi Council," he predicted, and when Ahsoka didn't deny it, he sighed. "We were both tools for greater powers."

"I remember," Ahsoka told him, choosing not to explain the extent of his statement about her. She didn't like thinking about her own experience with manipulation. "You were Sideous's apprentice before Obi-Wan killed you. After your death, he took on Tyrannus instead."

Maul side-eyed her, not expecting her to be so knowledgable about his past. "I see you've done your research," he noted, folding his hands behind his back. 

She shook her head because technically she hadn't researched it at all. "I just pick things up along the way. Our...'mutual friends', as you put it, haven't forgotten you either."

"Oh, you're observant," Maul credited her, sighing slightly. "Just like her. No wonder she was fond of you."

"If you're referring to Barriss, the feeling isn't mutual," she informed him, clenching her fists. "And while we're on the subject, I don't suppose you'll tell me where she is?"

"Oh, I'll tell you," Maul snarled, "because your question only confirms my beliefs about what happened to her. If the Jedi do not have her, then there is only one place she is."

Ahsoka didn't respond, hoping Maul would continue unprompted. He did, pacing slightly as he spoke. "She was taken, taken from me, by Tyrannus. He abducted my apprentice, and I do not know what horrors she is facing because of me. He is making Barriss suffer to make me suffer."

Sounds familiar, the Sister noted. It fits the bill, it's the exact same thing he did to you.

Why would he, though? Ahsoka wondered. The last time he did that didn't exactly work out well for him. "What makes you think she is still alive? Wouldn't he kill her if he knew it would hurt you that much?"

"Not if he believed I would rescue her," he told her, bringing a fist up as if he had to convince himself of the fact as well as Ahsoka. "Not if he thought he could use her to kill me as well. Once he eliminates both of us, no one will prevent him from taking the throne of the Sith."

Again, he has a point.

She disregarded the Sister. "I'm not here to get involved in the Sith hierarchy," Ahsoka declared. "I am here to bring you to justice."

"Justice is merely the construct of the current power base," Maul lectured to her. "A base, which, if Tyrannus is left alive, is going to change."

"Tyrannus does not have the control that Sideous did," she argued, trusting that he hadn't found a way to sneak into the Senate by now. "With his secret identity exposed, there is no way for anyone to take up Sideous's position in both the Republic and the Separatist Alliance."

Maul shook his head at her, raising his voice. "You think that will stop him? Sideous's legacy lives on, even if he himself is dead! Until that legacy is snuffed out, there can be no assurance that Tyrannus will not complete my master's plan!!! The Jedi and the Republic will fall! When that happens, there will be no justice, no law, no order, except for the one that will replace it!"

She shook her head, choosing to believe in what she had stood with for so long. "They have not fallen yet. As long as they still stand, they can and will fight Tyrannus in his quest for power."

"Did they not tell you how he has hindered their precious Council?" he declared, defying Ahsoka's belief. "The time of the Jedi has long passed. They cannot defeat Tyrannus!" Maul inhaled, calming down a little bit, before telling her, "But, together, you and I can."

Bad idea, bad idea! The Sister warned her, nearly shouting in Ahsoka's ear. If he finds out we're alive, it's not going to end well for us!

Tyrannus can't kill us if we kill him first, Ahsoka argued, just as opposed to working with Maul but trying to be reasonable. If there was a possibility that Tyrannus could be killed, she couldn't ignore it.

The Sister wouldn't have it, though. We did our part, we killed Sideous. Why do we have to be the ones to finish the job? Haven't we done enough? What if we can't kill him?

What if we can? Ahsoka wondered, and Maul saw her thinking deeply.

"No matter what you feel or don't feel for my apprentice, I know you do not want to leave her to Tyrannus's mercy. You know enough about him to know what will happen to her," he said, trying to convince her. "I refuse to abandon Barriss, and despite your history with the Jedi I know you are more compassionate than them." Maul stared at her eyes, almost as if he was trying to drill holes into her. "Every choice you have made has led you to this moment."

He stretched a hand out to her, offering Ahsoka a truce. Even with every suspicion she had about Maul, she knew his offer was genuine. 

She let her gaze drop, knowing his words had hit the Sister hard. Both of them did know what Tyrannus would do to Barriss, they had lived through that particular experience. Scars were still hiding on her back from how he and Sideous had abused the Sister. As much as they despised Maul, both of them knew which of them, between him and Tyrannus, Barriss would be safer with. 

What was that you were thinking earlier about morals and ethics? The Sister muttered, sensing that her argument was about to fail.

I created you so that we could take the hit for the Jedi, Ahsoka reminded her, not wanting to use this card against her but not seeing another choice. So that no one else would have to. 

Barriss deserves it.

She does, but we promised that what happened to us would never happen again. Never. 

An explosion from the fight raging outside got too close to the throne room. The blast shattered the windows, sending glass and sparks flying into the hall. Ahsoka's head started ringing slightly, and she prepared to resign herself to the lesser of the two evils. 

"I will help you," she told Maul quietly, but not moving to accept his hand just yet. "But you must answer one question." There was still something she didn't understand, something she wanted to know.

"You have but to ask," Maul promised her, keeping his arm outstretched. 

"What do you want with Anakin Skywalker?"