Dedicated to impostor_1109

     After finally securing a base – which had been named in Chopper's honor – for the rebel fleet on the planet Atollon, the Force wielders gathered on the Phantom and flew to Malachor.

     As they entered hyperspace, Jedi Knight Kyra Kryze-Kenobi conversed with Captain Rex, "Once we drop out of hyperspace, we'll be going dark."

     "Are you sure about this?" Rex asked, and when Kryze nodded, he sighed. "Kyra, you don't have to go to Malachor alone. I could be there in two rotations."

     When Kyra reminded the clone that she would not be alone, Rex replied, "You know, I could have ordered you to take me along."

     Kyra smirked, "You don't exactly outrank me anymore. If I remember correctly, you were demoted from the rank of commander."

     Rex crossed his arms over his chest, "In my book, experience outranks everything."

     Kyra chuckled, "Then I definitely outrank you."

     Rex laughed before quickly sobering, "May the Force be with you."

     Kyra nodded, and after Rex ended the transmission, Ezra Bridger asked, "Why is Rex so worried? What does he know that I don't?"

     "Malachor has always been off-limits to Jedi," Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus explained.

     "If Malachor is off-limits, why would Master Yoda send us there?" Ezra wondered.

     "I don't know, but I trust Master Yoda," Kanan replied. "There's something here for us. Something to help us beat the Inquisitors."

     "Knowledge," Ahsoka Tano said quietly as the Phantom emerged from hyperspace and descended through the thick clouds of Malachor.

     As they broke through the upper atmosphere, Chopper informed Kanan that a ship was approaching, although he could not tell what the vessel was. As Kanan asked Chopper to track the ship, Kyra glanced down at her lightsaber, which she had clipped to her belt for the first time in six years. Not for the first time, Kyra wondered why Lord Vader had kept her identity a secret. He had known who she was when they fought on Lothal nearly two years earlier, and yet the Empire seemed to be none the wiser about who was behind the Phantom's mask. Kyra was brought back to the present as they followed the unknown ship below the clouds and to a group of towering monoliths, somber sentinels that acted as silent guards on the forbidden planet.

     Kanan set the Phantom down near one of the obsidian structures and instructed Chopper to locate the second ship's position. The shadows that preceded the columns were ink-black, and Kyra suddenly felt an irrational fear that she would fall for all eternity if she accidentally stepped on one of them. The Force wielders walked to the nearest monolith and discovered that text had been inscribed on the giant pillar.

     "This writing—It's a very old form, I can only make out a few words," Kyra said as she took her helmet off and tried to read the ancient language.

     When she saw Ezra reaching out to touch the monolith, she tried to stop him, but it was too late. The writing on the column turned red and the seemingly solid floor gave way, the rebels crashing into the hidden cavern below. Kyra looked for her helmet but was quickly distracted by the ancient Sith temple that loomed off in the distance, the pyramidal structure cloaked in darkness except for its red peak. Small holes in the cavern's ceiling allowed scattered spots of light to reach the grounds below. When Chopper informed the Force wielders that he had picked up the other ship's trail, Kanan led the group to its coordinates.

     "Ahsoka, you said we're here to find knowledge. What kind of knowledge?" Ezra asked.

     "The forbidden kind. To defeat your enemy, you have to understand them," Ahsoka answered as they came upon an ancient battlefield.

     "The ground looks scorched," Ezra noticed. "Whoa, Kanan! Look, a lightsaber. And another."

     The boy activated one of the long-discarded lightsabers, of which there were many, and its green blade fizzled out after a moment. The sabers were not the only items that had been left behind on the battle ground; statue-like remains of deceased combatants were forever frozen in the position they had died.

     "What happened here?" Ezra wondered.

     "It looks like at one time, thousands of years ago, Jedi Knights attacked the temple," Kyra explained. "From what I can tell, nobody won."

     "I hate to break up this history lesson," Kanan interrupted, "but we should keep moving. Remember, if there's a ship, we're not alone down here."

     "Well, if you ask me, this whole planet is a riddle," Ezra stated.

     "So if it's a riddle, what's the question?" Kanan asked as he turned to face his padawan.

     Ezra started to answer, then yelled for everyone to duck as an Inquisitor – the Eighth Brother – came flying down on his spinning, double-bladed lightsaber. Ezra blocked the attack as Kanan, Kyra, and Ahsoka activated their own lightsabers. The Eighth Brother seemed surprised to encounter several Force wielders, for when they rushed towards him, he backed away and launched a volley of explosives in their direction. When the charges detonated, Ezra fell through the floor and into a tunnel, urging the others to stay on top of the Inquisitor when they stopped to make sure he was all right.

     As they chased after Darth Vader's apprentice, who continued to use his lightsaber to glide through the air, Kanan said, "I've never had an Inquisitor run from me before."

     "Maybe it's because he's outnumbered," Ahsoka suggested.

     "He did seem surprised," Kanan agreed. "I don't think he was looking for us."

     "Then who was he tracking?" Kyra asked, breathing hard as they continued to run across the uneven terrain.

     Before either Ahsoka or Kanan could answer, Chopper told the rebels that he had located the advanced TIE fighter that belonged to the Eighth Brother. As the Force-sensitive trio caught up with the Eighth Brother, who was heading for his ship, Chopper hopped into the cockpit and used the TIE fighter's laser cannons to disarm the Inquisitor. The astromech laughed mischievously as the Eighth Brother groaned and tried to reach for his lightsaber, prevented from doing so by the two Jedi Knights and Ahsoka.

     "Chopper, sometimes you do it right," Kanan said with a smile as he handcuffed the disciple of darkness. "You're the fourth Inquisitor we've seen. How many are there?"

     The Eighth Brother scoffed, "More than enough for the three of you. Nothing can save you."

     When Ahsoka asked why the Eighth Brother was on Malachor, the Inquisitor claimed that he was hunting.

     "But you weren't expecting us. Who are you after?" Kyra questioned.

     The Eighth Brother chuckled and said he was chasing a shadow. Before he could elaborate any further, the temple behind them rumbled, its surface glowing with an eerie red light. Kanan instructed Chopper to prepare the Phantom for takeoff as he headed towards the temple with Kyra, Ahsoka, and the Eighth Brother.

     As they approached the pyramid, Kanan asked, "Why do I know Ezra's involved in this somehow?"

     Kyra started to reply but was stopped in her tracks by a presence she had not felt in sixteen years, a dark presence who had kept himself hidden until now.

     "Maul," she whispered, but before they could get inside the temple, the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother joined the fight.

     The Seventh Sister cut through the Eighth Brother's restraints, the third Inquisitor taking his lightsaber back from Kanan before helping his comrades surround the Jedi and Ahsoka. As the agents of light and dark fought one another, the heavy stone doors of the temple opened behind them.

     "Guys, I've brought help!" Ezra shouted as he ran towards the battle.

     When Kyra turned and locked eyes with Maul, she was suddenly ten years old again, transported back to the throne room where the Zabrak had murdered her mother and attempted to turn her to the dark side.

     Even the Inquisitors froze when they saw the abandoned apprentice of Darth Sidious, and after a moment, the Seventh Sister said, "So, the rumors are true, Darth Maul lives."

     "Formerly Darth," the former Sith Lord corrected, "now just Maul."

     "Ezra, get away from him," Kyra said as she pulled Bridger behind her, torn between fighting the Inquisitors or the dark force who had broken her as a child.

     "Kyra, I swear, he's on our side!" Ezra replied, but Kryze shook her head.

     "He only serves his own self-interests," Kyra retorted as Maul stepped between her and Ezra.

     "Perhaps my actions will speak louder than words," he suggested. "It has been some time since we last parted ways, Padawan Kryze. Perhaps you will find that I am a changed man."

     Kyra opened her mouth to argue, but Maul had already ignited his double-bladed lightsaber and charged at the three Inquisitors. The four wielders of the light side stayed where they were, torn between helping Maul or letting him fight the Inquisitors by himself.

     "Why would you come here?" the Seventh Sister wondered as her blade collided with Maul's.

     "He knows of the artifact!" the Fifth Brother answered in Maul's place as his weapon interlocked with Kanan's.

     "The holocron, do you have it?" the Eighth Brother asked Maul as he rushed forward and engaged Ahsoka.

     "You will find out soon enough," Maul replied.

     Kyra was unable to bring herself to fight at Maul's side and slowly pulled Ezra away from the battle, keeping her lightsaber at the ready in case she was needed. Realizing they were outmatched, the Seventh Sister ordered her comrades to fall back, the three Inquisitors spinning the blades of their lightsabers and retreating.

     "Maul, what game are you playing?" Kyra questioned as she reeled on her mother's murderer.

     "The end game, Padawan Kryze," Maul answered. "I am the enemy of your enemy now, and I have my own reasons for wanting the Empire to fall. But we have little time. The one they call Vader will be here soon. His dogs will tell him where we are. Three Jedi and a 'part timer.' Oh, he will come. He will not be able to resist us."

     "Hold on," Kyra said, pointing an accusatory finger at Maul, "there is no 'us.' Dealing with Inquisitors is one thing, Vader is another. Besides, I'm not convinced we're all on the same side."

     "Kyra, we should trust him," Ezra insisted as he held up a Sith holocron. "Look! He and I took this from the temple together! This is why we came here, right? To find out about the Sith. To find a way to beat them. Ahsoka, you said we came here for knowledge."

     "Ezra, there is no way a Jedi can unlock that holocron," Ahsoka replied.

     "But you may unlock the temple itself," Maul countered. "At the top of the temple is a chamber. Connect the holocron to the obelisk within and you can unlock the ancient knowledge of the Sith."

     Kyra arched an eyebrow, "Why are you working so hard to keep us here?"

     When Maul answered that he could not defeat Vader alone, Ezra declared, "I say we stay with him."

     "Yeah? Well, I say we go, so that settles it," Kanan stated, and Kyra immediately agreed with Jarrus.

     Maul scoffed, "Are you such cowards that you would run from this chance to defeat your enemies? Who slaughter your friends...Your family?"

     Kyra charged towards Maul but Ahsoka grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the others.

     "He murdered my mother for no reason other than to get even with my father!" Kyra reminded her, an inner fire lighting a blue flame in her eyes. "I don't care if he's had a change of heart, there is no way I'm helping him!"

     "I know, I know," Ahsoka acknowledged, raising her hands. "But if we have the chance to defeat Vader, I think we should take it. You and I both know what he's capable of, or...was capable of, before he became what he is now. And you're the only one who's faced him more than once in his new form. You have a better understanding of his modified fighting style, of what he can do in his suit."

     "You know?" Kyra asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

     Ahsoka nodded, "On Lothal, in the temple, I was shown what Anakin has become. I think I've known for a while, I've just denied it."

     Kyra quickly hugged Ahsoka, knowing they were pressed for time, then nodded and agreed to help the others unlock the temple. The group made their way back to the temple and Maul placed his hand on the wall, a stone column lowering to act as a lift to the top. Ezra stepped onto the pillar and Maul tried to join him but Kanan shoved him aside. When the lift lowered to the ground again, Kyra stood beside Maul in stony silence, igniting her lightsaber when she saw the Eighth Brother confront Ezra and Kanan. By the time they had reached the top, Ezra was hanging over the edge, the Eighth Brother letting his blade hover near Bridger's neck.

     Kyra helped Kanan to his feet as Maul fought the Eighth Brother and pulled Ezra off the ledge.

     As the three Inquisitors flew to the top of the temple, their lightsabers acting as rotor blades, Kanan said, "Looks like they've figured out our plan."

     "Then we shall alter it," Maul replied. "I recommend that we split up and scale the pyramid from two sides. They will also have to divide their forces."

     "And let me guess, Ezra goes with you?" Kanan asked sarcastically. "No, thanks."

     "It is the logical choice," Maul stated, and Ezra agreed, one again asking the others to trust him.

     When Kanan reluctantly sighed and nodded, Maul Sith informed the Force-sensitive trio that they would find another lift on the far side of the temple. As Maul and Ezra rose to the next terrace, Ahsoka told Kanan that his padawan would be fine.

     "Yeah? How do you know that?" Kanan asked skeptically.

     "Because you taught him," Ahsoka answered.

     They found the other lift, and as the trio rode to the top, they heard lightsabers humming and blaster shots being fired. Before the lift even had time to stop, the Fifth Brother ignited his lightsaber and tried to stab Kanan in the back. Kyra tackled Kanan to the ground, the blade narrowly missing Kenobi's back as Ahsoka sailed through the air and confronted the Fifth Brother. The Eighth Brother joined the battle, the Jedi and Ahsoka maneuvering around the two Inquisitors, each taking turns fighting different opponents as the five combatants parried, thrusted, and stabbed at one another. After a couple of minutes, Maul flew through the air and joined the fight, pushing the two Inquisitors backward.

     Taking a deep breath, Kyra charged at the Inquisitors and fought at Maul's side, slicing the hilt of the Fifth Brother's lightsaber in half. Maul took advantage of the Fifth Brother when he stumbled backwards and stabbed him in the chest before turning his attention on the Eighth Brother, whom Kanan and Ahsoka were currently battling. Kanan landed a glancing blow on the Eighth Brother's hilt, which sparked as the Inquisitor jumped off the temple and tried to retreat, causing him to plummet through the air and fall to the battleground below.

     When Kanan asked Maul where his padawan was, the former Sith countered, "You mean, my apprentice?"

     Maul – who's back had been turned towards the trio – turned and slashed the crimson blade of his double-bladed lightsaber across Kanan's face, instantly blinding him. As Kanan fell to his knees, Maul went for the killing blow, but Kyra stepped in front of Jarrus and brought her blade up to meet the Zabrak.

     As Kyra pushed Maul away from the fallen Jedi Knight, he said, "My apprentice is activating the temple, or more precisely, this battle station, which I shall use to exact my revenge on all my enemies!"

     As a beam of energy emerged from the obelisk, Kyra told Ahsoka to find Ezra and stop him from fully activating the temple.

     Ahsoka ran off as Kyra and Maul continued to fight, the latter declaring, "The power will be mine! Ezra will be mine, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

     When Kyra used the Force to leap backwards, landing on the stairs, Maul asked, "Running away again, Padawan Kryze?"

     "If you want to finish our fight, you'll have to deal with him first," Kyra replied as she nodded towards Kanan, who had gotten to his feet and was wearing the discarded mask of a Temple Guard.

     Without looking back, Kyra turned and followed Ahsoka up the stairs, both women sprinting to the chamber above them. When they reached the obelisk, they found Ezra standing face-to-face with Darth Vader, the Sith Lord's lightsaber ignited as he stood on top of his advanced TIE fighter.

     The man once known as Anakin Skywalker landed in front of Ezra and said, "You have unlocked the secret of the temple. How did you accomplish this?"

     "You're smart, figure it out!" Ezra retorted as he activated his saber and engaged the Sith Lord in combat.

     "No matter," Vader replied as he quickly defeated Ezra, cutting the hilt of his lightsaber in half. "The power within will soon serve the Emperor."

     As Ezra backed away from Vader, the Sith Lord turned, sensing the presence of Kyra and Ahsoka.

     "I was foretold that you would be here," the Dark Lord of the Sith claimed. "Our long-awaited meeting has come at last."

     "I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to," Ahsoka said as Vader deactivated his lightsaber.

     "We need not be adversaries," he stated. "The Emperor will show you mercy if you tell me where the remaining Jedi can be found."

     "There are no Jedi," Kyra argued. "You and your Inquisitors have seen to that."

     Turning back towards Ezra, Vader mused, "Perhaps this child will confess what you will not."

     "I was beginning to believe I knew who you were behind that mask," Ahsoka admitted, "but it's impossible. My master could never be as vile as you."

     "Anakin Skywalker was weak," Vader growled. "I destroyed him."

     Ahsoka closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, "Then I will avenge his death."

     "Revenge is not the Jedi way," Vader reminded her.

     "I am no Jedi," Ahsoka stated as she ignited her white lightsabers and nodded to Kyra, who ran towards Ezra as Tano confronted her former master.

     "I need a lot more training," Ezra said as Kyra pulled the boy to his feet.

     When he tried to grab the holocron, which was embedded in the obelisk, the artifact shot an arc of electricity and sent Ezra flying across the chamber.

     "It takes a master and an apprentice!" Kanan yelled as Chopper led him by the hand.

     When Kanan reassured Kyra that he and Ezra could handle the holocron, she went off to find Ahsoka and Vader. Just as she reached the former master and padawan, Vader used the Force to push Ahsoka off the ledge, sending her falling to the terrace below. As Vader attempted to take the holocron from Ezra and Kanan, Kyra ran up behind the Sith Lord and kicked him in the chest when he turned to face her. As Vader fell, the blade of his saber found Kyra's torso and carved an ugly gash across her abdomen, the Jedi Knight collapsing to the ground as Ahsoka rushed towards her former master. The last thing Kyra saw before the world went dark was Ahsoka cutting Darth Vader's mask in half, as her father had four years ago.

     When Kyra came to, she was in the medbay aboard the Liberator, her torso bandaged and her helmet sitting on the table next to her. When she tried to sit up, someone placed a hand on her shoulder and raised the head of her bed slightly so she would not have to use any of her limited energy reserves. She looked off to her left and found Rex sitting in the only available chair, his grief-stricken expression all too familiar to Kyra. When she asked if Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus were all right, the captain nodded and assured her that they were fine.

     Rex took her hand and started to say, "Kyra, it's...it's..."

     When he faltered and closed his eyes, Kyra Kryze-Kenobi buried her face in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks. Captain Rex pulled her close and the long-time partners grieved over Ahsoka Tano, who had perished on Malachor while confronting Darth Vader, her former master and the Dark Lord of the Sith.