Maul had returned, and Obi-Wan had to leave to face him.

It wasn't possible, as Kenobi had slain the Sith many years ago back on Naboo, but it seemed that somehow the Sith had returned, and innocents were being harmed because of it.

Obi-Wan had to take care of him once more, and hopefully this time for good, and he had to go alone.

This wasn't a mission for Grim to go along with.

Although it did bother him slightly that she had never mentioned this to him.

Surely she knew that Maul would return, he felt as if that would be something that was shown in the fiction of her universe. So, if she had known, why hadn't she told him?

"Master?" Grim asked him, noticing he was leaving. "Where are you going?"

Obi-Wan stopped, he knew that if he told Grim where he was going that she would more than likely follow, even if he told her to stay. "I have to deal with something I should've done a while ago. I will be back shortly," he told her.

Grim crossed her arms and gave him a look that he knew meant that she wasn't convinced. "Something you should've done a while ago?" she repeated questioningly. "You don't mean- Maul's returned already?"

Kenobi sighed, of course she figured it out, "it is a possibility, yes. I am going to face him alone, you are not to come along on this mission with me. I will return shortly."

Grim looked even more unconvinced than ever. This was what he wanted to avoid. "No you won't. I'm coming with you."

He sighed again. He knew she would say that. "No you're not," Obi-Wan replied. "You are to stay here."

Grim sighed and put her hands up in surrender, "alright, fine," said Grim in defeat. "I won't go along with you." As Obi-Wan walked off, Grim added in a whisper, "that you know of." With that she followed him.

Grim stayed in the back of the ship the entire ride to the planet, and waited until the ship landed before moving from her hiding place. Even then, she waited a moment before exiting the ship and following her master.

The sight of the town they landed in as it lay in ruin and flames broke the padawan's heart.

All of this destruction and death just to lure Obi-Wan into a trap?

Grim felt pity for the corpses she passed, they had simply been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire between Maul's brutal hatred for Master Kenobi.

She shook her head at the sight, feeling bad that she had no tears left to shed for them. After these years of death, it had become too far a common sight. She hated that.

Grim caught up with Obi-Wan who stood in front of a pile of burning rubble, on top of that pile was Darth Maul himself.

Grim almost gasped at the sight of Maul in person but she quickly covered her mouth and hid behind a nearby building.

"Jedi!" Maul shouted at Kenobi. "I have been waiting for you."

"I'm not sure I've made your acquaintance," Obi-Wan replied.

"I am surprised you could've forgotten me so easily, after I killed your master, and you left me for dead on Naboo," Maul remarked.

Grim watched as Obi-Wan's eyes widened in shock, "it is you."

"You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget you. You cannot imagine the depths I would go through to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you," Maul went on.

"That may be so, but I've defeated you before and I can defeat you again," Obi-Wan retorted, igniting his lightsaber.

Maul only laughed in response, "don't be so certain."

Savage was jumping down. Grim used the Force and shoved him back. Rushing in behind Obi-Wan, igniting her own lightsaber. "Hello Master," she greeted him.

Obi-Wan turned around and saw her. "Grim? What are you doing here?" He asked her, surprised.

Savage ran at the two Jedi, one half of his saberstaff ignited. Grim and Obi-Wan both blocked, but the force of the blow shoved them back.

"What do you think? I'm saving you Kenobi," she remarked. Maul jumped down behind them. "Behind you," she told him, moving around to face Maul.

"I believe I told you not to follow me," Obi-Wan replied, as he defended himself from Savage's attacks.

"And you thought I would listen? Come on, how long have you known me now, Master?" Grim asked, a playful smile on her face.

Maul had ignited his lightsaber because of Grim. "You should have listened to him," Maul remarked.

Grim shrugged and twirled her lightsaber, preparing for Maul's attack. "Oh well, too late now," she replied.

Maul went to attack and Grim blocked, being pushed back with the force behind it. Grim and Obi-Wan were touching backs now, as they tried to defend against the Sith they battled against. "I was supposed to do this alone," he told her.

"What, was I supposed to let you have all of the fun?" Grim asked him.

"Oh shut up," said Maul rolling his eyes. This was followed by Grim being punched in the face, knocking her out. Savage did the same to Obi-Wan.

When they woke up, they were in the cargo bay of a ship. Maul was sitting on one of the boxes watching his two captives.

Grim groaned and rubbed her head, "I did not want to get involved in the plot like this."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't have followed me," Obi-Wan remarked.

"Are you kidding? I said like this, I was getting involved no matter what," Grim retorted.

Maul jumped down.

Grim and Obi-Wan jumped back. The padawan put a protective arm in front of Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan looked at her for a moment. It seemed he was going to say something, but he didn't get the chance.

Maul walked over to the two of them. He looked between the Padawan and Obi-Wan. "So Kenobi has his own Padawan now? How wonderful."

He threw her across the room. She hit several boxes and grunted as she hit the floor. Grim glared at Maul.

Savage entered the room as Maul walked over to Obi-Wan. He was about to knock Obi-Wan down when Grim ran at him. Maul used the Force to throw her back.

"Leave him alone!" Grim shouted.

Maul chuckled, turning to look at her. "Why should I, child? Do you know what Kenobi did to me? Has he ever told you that story?" He lifted Obi-Wan up with the Force, choking him.

Grim growled, she looked ready to fight even though she didn't have her lightsaber. "Yeah, he tried to kill you, like he should've." Her hands were wrapped into fists.

Maul threw Obi-Wan at her and the two Jedi fell to the ground. "Padawan, maybe take some advice, don't anger a Sith Lord, especially when you don't have your lightsaber."

"Oh yeah, because you don't manage to anger every Sith Lord to ever live," retorted Grim rolling her eyes.

Obi-Wan helped Grim up. "What do you mean by that?"

"Master, have you met yourself?" she asked.

Before Obi-Wan could respond Maul marched over to them. He grabbed the two Jedi and threw them on opposite sides of the room. Grim groaned as she was thrown into several more boxes.

Before she could get back up she watched as Maul threw Obi-Wan into Savage. Savage turned Obi-Wan around and forced him to his knees. Maul slapped him across the face. "Still as weak as ever."

"Are we talking about Obi-Wan or you?" Grim called from across the room.

Maul threw Obi-Wan into some more crates, and then grabbed Grim with the force while choking her. He threw her into Obi-Wan and the two Jedi collapsed. Grim groaned.

Maul walked over to the two wounded Jedi with his lightsaber ignited. He pointed his lightsaber at the two, "Who should go first?" He began to point his lightsaber at either Jedi, "eenie meenie miney moe."

He used the force and forced Grim over to him as she struggled against his invisible grip. He grabbed Grim's face with one hand and held his lightsaber dangerously close to her in the other.

He kept his gaze on Kenobi as he said, "I will make sure she stays awake to feel every cut, her death will be beyond excruciating, and you will watch, and then when I'm done with her, it will be you. You will suffer as I have suffered."

Grim began to cry as she struggled against Maul's grip, trying desperately to get away, but his grip only tightened.

"Let her go, Maul," said Obi-Wan. "She is not a part of this."

"Master, I know you're the negotiator and all but can you not negotiate right now?" Grim asked as she continued to try and escape Maul's grip. "Because like it or not, I am a part of this," Grim added. She tried to take Maul's lightsaber from him but he caught on and threw her into Obi-Wan, knocking both the Jedi into the crates rendering them both unconscious.

Grim awoke to a slap across the face, and when she opened her eyes she saw that the person who slapped her was-.

"Ventress?" Obi-Wan asked, as Ventress had woken him in the same way.

"It looks like I'm here to rescue you," Ventress told the two Jedi, helping them to their feet.

"Since when did you become the good guy?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Don't insult me," Ventress replied.

"What a lovely sight to wake up to."

"Don't flatter yourself, Kenobi. You've never been much to look at, especially now."

"Can you two please stop flirting in front of me!" Grim cut in.

"We're not flirting!" Ventress and Obi-Wan both argued.

Grim rolled her eyes, "whatever y'all say."

"The witch and the Jedi," said Savage from above.

"Here for our taking," Maul continued, igniting his lightsaber.

Ventress tossed Obi-Wan one of her lightsabers, "I want that back," she told him.

"That's fine," said Obi-Wan. "Red's not my color."

"Again with the flirting?" Grim groaned. "I am right here!"

"Not flirting," they told her.

"And what about my lightsaber? Am I just going to punch a Sith Lord?" Grim asked. "Not that I'm against that."

"If it works," replied Ventress.

"Grim, do not punch a Sith Lord, please." Obi-Wan told her, knowing she was not beyond doing so.

Ventress and Obi-Wan got prepared to fight Maul and Savage.

"No promises," replied Grim, also preparing herself for the fight.

"Ready?" Obi-Wan asked the two.

"Like you even have to ask," Grim and Ventress both replied.

Savage and Maul jumped down with their lightsabers ignited. Grim used the Force and got her lightsaber back before Maul could stop her. She ignited her own blade.

The two Jedi and Ventress battled against the two Sith Lords.

Noticing that Obi-Wan was handling Maul, Grim joined Ventress against Savage helping her. Savage had to block the attacks from the two. Both blades of his saberstaff ignited.

Obi-Wan had managed to get his own lightsaber back, "Ventress! Catch!" he shouted, throwing her weapon back to her.

Ventress caught the weapon and ignited it with her other lightsaber.

Grim noticed Obi-Wan get kicked far back. Grim cringed a little as she thought about how Maul's legs were made of metal. That had to hurt. "I'm going to assist Master Kenobi!" Grim told Ventress.

The Padawan ran to Obi-Wan's side, as he got to higher ground. Maul leapt up to meet them. "Take him together?" Grim asked him.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Of course."

Maul ran at the two Jedi. Grim and Obi-Wan ran to meet him. Their lightsabers clashed together as Maul pushed against the Jedi and the Jedi pushed against the Sith. "Your Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, I gutted him while you stood helpless and watched. How did that make you feel, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan shouted and shoved Maul back. Running at the Sith and attacking him without his usual grace.

"Master!" Grim shouted. She felt the anger rolling off of him. It scared her slightly. Maul kicked Obi-Wan back, knocking the two Jedi into a wall. "He did that on purpose to rile you up, you should know better."

"Your padawan is right, Kenobi," Maul told him. "Your rage has unbalanced you. That's not the Jedi way, is it?"

"Master don't!" Grim warned him.

Obi-Wan didn't listen to her. Grim watched in horror as Obi-Wan charged at Maul again, where Maul easily countered him. He kicked Obi-Wan to the other side and jumped over after him.

Grim jumped after the Sith and the Jedi.

Obi-Wan charged at Maul. Maul stepped to the side and Obi-Wan nearly fell off the edge. Then Maul kicked the Jedi down.

"Obi-Wan!" Grim screamed. She charged at Maul. He again easily side stepped to dodge, then kicked her off the edge as well.

Grim and Obi-Wan stood up behind Ventress. "We're outmatched," said Obi-Wan.

"You want to run?" Ventress asked.

"I learned from watching you," Obi-Wan remarked.

Grim rolled her eyes. "Then let's get to the cockpit," she told the two adults.

"Now!" Obi-Wan agreed.

The three made a run for the cockpit. The two Sith attacked them as they had to defend and dodge. Obi-Wan made it to the door first, "come on!" He shouted.

Grim and Ventress made a run for it, entering the cockpit just in time. Maul and Savage began to try and cut through the door. "Hurry, Kenobi!" Ventress shouted.

"I'm trying!" Obi-Wan shouted back.

"Master!" Grim called.

The ship blasted off, leaving behind the cargo, trapping Maul and Savage in space. Grim let out a sigh of relief.

They were safe for now...but Maul had returned.

Grim now knew they were entering the final year, if it had not yet begun. How much time did the Republic have left?

How much time did the Jedi have left?