Asaj Ventress were hiding in the shadows along with Ashokas twin-sister Zilla.
From their hiding-place, they could see Maul entering towards the temple along with The death-watch, who were a group of Mandalorian terrorist. And that group had decided to follow Maul, because he had won the darksaber in a fight, and was now their leader.
At the other side, coming out from the temple, came they who had decided to defend it.
Skywalker, Kenobi, Yoda, and Windu. Plus a bunch of clone-soldiers.
The four Jedi were all that was left in the temple today, the rest was on vacation, and some perhaps visited their family, even if it were ilegal to do so. But others were sick.
Zilla scanned the big crowd after Skywalker, the one that had, according to her, had brainwashed her sister, and she would make him pay for that.
She drew her breath hard and sharp, fixing her gaze at Ventress who were hiding by her side,
«When are we going to attack?» she asked inpatient.
«Patience, Apprentice.» Ventress told her, «Maul will give the signal. And then we will get up and run.»
Zilla sighed once again, feeling her lightsaber-hilts in place on both of her sides. She saw Maul hold up a hand and his people who followed him, stopped. So did the Jedi on the other side, with their crowd of clones, and it was a moment of silence, before Maul spoke up with a high, and mighty voice,
«If you all surrender to us, no one will die today, and there will be no bloodshed.»
She then heard Skywalker answer in a mocking tone,
«Do you really exept us to surrender?» it was as if he was laughing at him, a strong, ridiculous laugh, «This is our place, Maul. Now get out of here, before we rip you appart.»
Zilla felt anger flow through her by his scoffing words, and she stood up,
«I can’t wait any longer.» grabbing hold on her saber-hilts «I’m going to attack now.»
Ventress widened her eyes,
«No, Zilla, wait…» reaching out her hand to stop her,
But it was allready to late, the Togruta had runned out of the shadows, where now everyone could see her. And she let out a high warcry, and rushed forward towards the only Jedi she wanted to attack: Skywalker. And she turned on her red sabers.
Anakin were startled by surprise by the Togruta-figure who suddenly came out of nowhere, to attack him. In shock he stopped her with the force, before turning on his blue lightsaber, blocking her brutal strike,
«A…Ahsoka…?» he gasped, «What are you doing?» he heard Maul letting out a mighty roar, giving the awaiting command to his Mandalorian-soldiers,
«Attack!» and the Death-watch started flying into the air, shooting at the other Jedi and their clones.
Zilla saw Ventress emerge from the shadows, going after Windu, and Maul went head on for Kenobi.
«Why are you attacking me, Snips?» Anakin yelled at her, «Where did you get the red lightsabers? Answer me.»
Zilla swinged with her saber-form Yuyo, while Anakin used his Djem So. He stared at her, puzzled, as they where fighting off,
«That isn’t your lightsaber-form, Snips.» he shouted through the noise of shooting Mandalorians and clones and clashing sabers, «Where’d you learned that? And when?»
Zilla force-pushed him back, yielding into the dark-side,
«Everything I can, I learned from my Master.» choking him by the force. Anakin gasped for breath, but still holding on to his lightsaber for dear life,
«I… I… didn’t teach you that… A… Ahsoka…» he struggled to say, as he was on the edge to black out.
Zilla Tano gave him a evil smile,
«No you didn’t.» coming closer to him with the lightsaber lifted high, and her hand still stretched out in a force-choking position, «It was Maul. Altogether Maul…»
In a flash, another Togruta figure, jumped down from the rooftop, carrying a green and yellow lightsaber. She landed right in front of her evil Twin-sister, causing her to lose focus,
«Stay away from my Master!» she shouted angrily, looking threathening with her lightsabers held up against her.
Anakin slowly sank down on the ground, before regaining his breath again. He stared in unbelief at the two Togrutas fighting, and just couldn’t believe it. And he rubbed his eyes again and again, before taking up his lightsaber who had fallen out of his hand. But just as he was to follow after the Togrutas who were fighting very intense against each other, and coming farther and farther away from him, Asaj Ventress caught him off guard,
«Well, well, well.» she laughed, in the way like only a nightsister from Dhatomir, could do, «If it isn’t Skywalker himself.» she hissed, «Were you fighting my pet? Hmmm?» She howled her lightsabers against his.
Maul let out a shouting command,
«Retreat! Retreat. Everyone. Back to the ship.»
The Death-watch started flewing away from the temple, as they were shooting blaster-bolts at their enemy.
Both clones and Mandalorians were laying dead on the ground, and there were defeated ones everywhere.
Maul ran past Zilla who still were in a fight with Ahsoka. Ventress jumped up in the air, and ran away from Anakin who were chasing after her. He stopped at the top of the stairs and saw them all running down and away.
«And don’t you ever come back.» he shouted in triumpf.
Zilla called after Maul who were running away with the rest of the crew,
«Master, wait, don’t leave me…» but he wasen’t responding. Nor was he hearing.
Ahsoka knocked out one of her sabers,
«You are not going anywhere.» she sharply said as Zilla saw the Ship of The Death-Watch, leaving the planet. She dropped her one remaining saber to the ground as she realized she allready was defeated, and sank down to the ground before her,
«I surrender. Please don’t turn me in to the authorities…»
Ahsoka looked surprised down at her,
«What did you say?»
But suddenly, Zilla was lifted up into the air by a invisible hand. She struggled to breath, and her hands moved helplessly over her throat.
Alarmed, Ahsoka quickly turned, to see her Master approaching them, angry as a bull, and he held his hand outstretched towards her sister,
«How dare you pretend to be Ahsoka?» he roared, hardening his grip on her through the force.
His Padawan panicked and desperately tried to stop him, «Master, stop, Please…» pulling on his arm, that wouldn’t go down, «She has surrendered to us… stop…» but it was no use. She was unable to keep him from choking her.
As tears began to stream down her face, and she watched her sister nearly blacking out, she wispered, in all hopelessness,
«Anakin…» and put her head in her hands, slowly sitting down.
But at the mention of his name, it was as if he snapped out of something. And he immediately released his grip on the helpless Togruta, who then falled to the ground.
Anakin stumbled back, feeling dizzy to his head.
Ahsoka rushed to her sister’s side and started crying. Wrapping her arms around her.
Anakin silently laid his hand on the Padawan’s shoulder, but she just pushed it away
«Go away, Master.» she sobbed.
«She’s alive, Snips. I felt it.»
«Just go away.»
Anakin turned to Obi-Wan who had been standing there all the time with his arms crossed over his chest, looking kind of cool. And without doing anything to help the sittuation, but leaving it all to his former Apprentice, trusting blindly in his tactics.
«Want a Padawan, Master?» Anakin bursted out with.
Obi-Wan looked at him with confusion,
«What?»
«We have two Togrutas here. One of them must become yours.» nodding to the sadly scene who unfolded before them.
Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head,
«Anakin… she has been with Maul, we don’t know if we can trust her.»
«Well… it seems like Ahsoka trust her.» looking to the scene where his Padawan were crying over an unconscious body, «And I trust Ahsoka, so…»
«Yes, I trust you to, Anakin, but…»
«I know you have wanted a new Padawan for a long time.» Skywalker continued on with, «Now is your chance to get one. Just take her. Take Zilla. Ahsoka would be so happy to.»
Obi-Wan drew his breath,
«Allright, Anakin.» he finally said, letting his hands fall to the side, « But I dosen’t do this for Ahsoka’s sake, I do it because I don’t know any better. And I clearly see that the fallen Apprentice needs help.»
And so they walked towards the scene, where one were grieving, and the other not dying.
Back on Dathomir, Darth Maul was sitting in his chair, while Ventress were going back and forth, before him, troubling her mind,
«Your Apprentice has failed us, brother.» she let out with, «She has joined the Jedi.»
Maul drummed with his fingers together,
«It’s all part of the plan, sister.» he said, remaining completely calm, « She will be our advantage against Kenobi. And our spy inside the order.»
Ventress scratched her chinn,
«Let’s just hope she remembers where her true loyalty lays.»
