The canyons fell dark as the flames from the explosion diminished and all that was left were the remains of the A-wing, scattered across the ground. The tribal calls of Tuskan Raiders echoed in the distance. Ezra, a bit dazed from the explosion, looked up to see Chopper, nudging at him in a frantic manner.

"BWA BWA BWA! BWA BWA BWA!"

"Yes Chopper, I hear you. OW! Could you not hit me so hard?"

"BWA BWA BWA!"

Chopper was shifting his head from Ezra to the top of the canyon, using his mechanical arms to gesture towards the edge of the ridge.

"BWA BWA!"

"Life-form readings. Chopper, are they Tuskan Raiders?"

"BWA BWA…"

Before he could finish, screams could be heard coming from the top of the canyon. Something animal like, but still, human. The shrill of fear was clearly heard in the screams, before an all too familiar whooshing sound ended the terrified beings. A chill ran down Ezra's spine.

"Maul." How could this be? How did he know I was…

He remembered. Ezra remembered the converging of the Holocrons in the asteroid belt. He remembered the witch magic and the convergence of minds on Dathomir. Now, he and Maul were converging again, at the one place with the one man they were trying to get to; Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This is not right, it's not supposed to be like this! If Maul knows where Kenobi is, then…

Ezra stopped himself. He turned and looked at Chopper, who was quiet for his usual self, all while trying to get his attention, of course. He pondered at the thought.

If this is not where Kenobi is, then why come here, Maul? Why to this lone canyon in the middle of nowhere that I only found because of… the Holocron!

He looked at the piece of Holocron cupped within his hand with a cautious eye. Could the mergence of the Holocrons also have changed who, or what, controls them? He studied the piece, but then, he heard another cry of fear, this time, further away from the ridge.

"C'mon, Chop! We can't let him escape!"

"BWA BWA BWA BWA!"

"Yeah, I know Kanan wouldn't want me to do this, but what other choice do we have!"

Chopper protested and was pointing Ezra in the opposite direction. Ezra sighed in frustration, but cleared his mind and kneeled to meet Chopper's eye line. He set his hands on the old Astromech droid and looked straight into his cybernetic eyes.

"Okay Chopper, I need you to go find me a ship. What ship? Any ship. But I need one ready to take off in case something goes wrong."

Chopper protested again, wanting Ezra to come with him. He pulled at his clothes and was shoving him away from Maul's direction. Ezra looked at him with a stern eye.

"Please Chop. If something happens to me, you need to get out of here and tell the others what happened. And if we make it out of this, you can say how much of a fool I was to everyone."

This caught Chopper's attention, not the last statement, but the fact that Ezra may or may not make it out of this. Ezra got up and looked back at Chopper. He did not want to wait around any longer.

"Good luck, Chop. See you on the other side!"

He bolted towards Maul's direction, not even giving Chopper enough time to protest his objections to Ezra again. Chopper stood there, staring at Ezra as he ran into certain danger, certain death. He saw Ezra start to ascend one of the rock faces. In a desperate attempt to follow Ezra, Chopper activated his boost pack, but it wasn't turning on. He tried again, no use. Chopper scanned through his data and found that his pack had been deactivated, and it could only be reactivated manually. Chopper yelled in frustration, spinning his head and flailing his arms up and down. There was only one other option for the droid, and he didn't like it.

Ezra was just a few feet from the top ridge of the canyon when he stopped climbing and, very slowly, peeked his head over the edge of the canyon wall. He hadn't felt any living thing during the entire trek up, but he would rather have been safe than sorry. On the ridge, Ezra scouted for Maul, scanning the horizon for any trace of life, any subtle movement, but there was nothing.

He lifted his body to the top of the canyon to have a better look, but not a living thing was atop the ridge. All that was seen were the few dead corpses of the Tuskan Raiders, their chests still producing smoke from their blade wounds. He looked in horror, recalling the encounter on Malachor; the bodies of the Sand people a perfect mirror to the body of the 7th Sister, cut down in furious anger, yet still perfect in its precision. Even some of the charred scars were cut down the body in the same vertical motion.

Ezra looked at the sand for any foot trails, drops of sweat, even a single drop of blood from Maul. Nothing. He looked at the horizon, watching the plain for any subtle movement, any sign of life. But still, there was nothing.

How did this happen? Ezra thought, He was just here, I know it, I… He felt something, a chill, a cold.

He is here, but, where?

Something was off about this situation, and it wasn't the fact that there was a murdering maniac on the loose.

He wanted to find Kenobi, but he didn't want to be spotted by him either, right? He looked at the deceased corpses of the Sand People. Then, an old voice returned to him. "You have done well, my apprentice."

Ezra turned around, his eyes wild; fearing Maul was right behind him. Then Ezra realized Maul's true intentions. The murder of roaming Sand People, the secrecy and hiding in the shadows.

Maul was using me to find Kenobi.

He looked down upon the hard rocky sand and cursed at himself for being so naive. Maul didn't want to be noticed, not by Kenobi, but by Ezra; and the fact that he was still hiding now meant he thought Ezra hadn't noticed him yet. He stopped and pondered at that last thought.

But how do I draw him out?

Ezra looked at the piece of Holocron, then back at the charred bodies of the Sand People. He had an idea, a stupid one at that, but it was the only one he could think of. He just hoped he would notice Maul before Maul noticed him.

I feel a disturbance in the force, a tremor.

Maul looked at his piece of the Holocron and saw it begin to glow. It did not radiate as the usual blood red, rather, a soft blue. Its pull did not feel like that of anger, but that of, peace.

There is no peace, foolish Jedi. And now, you will only know pain and death, old Kenobi.

Now that Maul had proof that Kenobi was indeed alive and on Tatooine, he needed only to follow the young padawan and find the Jedi master. The trace seemed to lead him back into the canyon range, which wouldn't be a problem for the stealthy and experienced Maul. In fact, he would use the tall shadows of the canyon walls as an advantage. He looked up at the bright moons of the midnight sky.

Thank you, my apprentice.

It had been hours since the crash, but Ezra did not feel the slightest bit tired, despite having spent much of his time wandering through the canyons to find an advantage point to where he could see Maul, but Maul would not see him. Ezra looked down from the cave where he hid from to see if Maul was approaching, though he saw nothing other than the layered rocks of the canyon walls and a few sparse bushes across the ground. The cave, which lay a couple stories off the canyon floor, gave Ezra a slight edge in trying to spot the former Sith. The cool nighttime winds blew by, and Ezra, warmed only by the robes of a deceased Tuskan Raider, looked at the ancient Jedi relic with concern.

He calmed himself and, using the light side of the Force, activated the Holocron enough to where he could feel the presence of the opposing Holocron. He soon stopped, and set the piece down on his lap, caught his breath, then picked up the piece and did it again. He had done this, repeatedly, over the past half hour, or was it an hour? Ezra could not be for sure just how long he had been doing this. All he knew is that he needed to convince Maul that he was Obi-Wan Kenobi long enough so that he could expose himself. Then Ezra would do what he should have done long ago. The problem was, did he even stand a chance against the former Sith?

The maze that was the canyon ran deep, but Maul would not be moved. He had been following the Holocrons trace, trusting that the boy had found Kenobi and would be still long enough for him to pounce. Though the top most parts of the canyon offered a better view, Maul did not want to reveal himself prematurely, for then Kenobi would surely know of his presence and the element of surprise would be nonexistent. He looked at his piece of the Holocron and reached out with the Force. He wanted to be sure he was following it correctly, as to not be lost in the canyons. He felt it again, a pull to the light. Maul followed without question, his vengeance soon to come.

What would Maul do to me knowing that his own plan was spoiled?

The moons shifted their position across the sky, yet there was still no sign of Maul. At least another hour had to have passed since he started to try gaining Maul's attention, though he couldn't be for sure. Ezra picked up the piece and started again, struggling not to give into anger, not to let it show. If he did, he would have done all this for nothing, and Maul would find another way to seek out Kenobi. He started growing weary, and tired, struggling to even stay awake.

You have to do this, he said to himself, for Kenobi, for the rebellion, for Kanan…

Ezra threw the Holocron down immediately, feeling something burn up inside. An anger, a rage. His hands were trembling and he could barely control himself. Cold sweat was building up around his face, and his breathing became faster and heavy. He tried to slow his breathing as he repeated to himself…

"Not out of anger, not out of emotion. Not out of anger, not out of emotion…"

But it was still there, ever present, and wouldn't go away. Ezra started to panic, his breathing turning into hyperventilation and his mind becoming clouded. He feared that he blew it, fearing that this was all for nothing and Maul would figure out he had been tricked. Fearing that… he thought of Kanan, thought of Sabine, and Hera, Zeb, Chopper, Phoenix Squadron, the Rebellion, his mother, his father, all that they had fought for, would be worthless. His eyesight became foggy and his cheeks grew hot.

"I blew it! For him… for everyone!"

He lost it. Ezra reached for his lightsaber and was about to strike at the piece of Holocron, when suddenly, he stopped. Looking at his hands, he dropped to his knees and fell eerily silent. A single strand of tears ran down the right side of his face.

He wouldn't want this. Kanan, Kenobi… they need better of me. Stay strong, don't give in. Stay strong.

Pressing his back up against the cave wall, Ezra pulled the hood of the Tuskan's old robe over his head and began to meditate. He slowed his breathing and started to relax again.

Stay strong, Ezra. Stay strong.

Maul could feel his presence, one submerged in peace and light, and he hated it. He hated Kenobi more than anyone in the entire galaxy, even more than his former Master, who had betrayed him. Kenobi was his fuel for passion, a passion of anger, of hate. His only goal was to see Kenobi destroyed; to see his dead body laid before him, would bring him the fulfillment of his vengeance, of his revenge.

He approached the cliff-face and looked at its wall, dotted with cracks and dugouts, unable to comprehend how such a once noble Jedi could live in such a desolate place as this. Regardless, he trusted that his plan worked, and that the Holocron would not deceive him. It had never failed him before, and it would not fail him now.

Then it hit Maul, like a rushing gust of wind, he felt the Force more powerful on him than ever.

This is the end for you, Kenobi.

He knew exactly where it came from as well. Just a few hundred yards ahead and about five yards off the ground level. His approach would be stealthy, for it had to be done right. Maul disappeared into the shadows within an instant, following the trail the Force left behind.

Ezra felt a shiver, a cold so powerful that it hit him like shards of ice.

He's close.

Ezra pulled on as many pieces of cloth as he could, concealing his entire body and most of his face; with the exception of an opening around his eyes so that he could see. The Tuskan clothing was very rough and uncomfortable, but it was all that he had to work with. He never owned any Jedi cloaks or desert like clothing, but he remembered what Master Kenobi looked like before going into exile; recalling the static image of him in the Holocron when he sent a warning to the last remaining Jedi. Ezra moved towards the back of the cave, all while constantly keeping an eye on the entrance. He knew it was his one and only way of escape, but if this plan worked, it would have been worth the risk. Sweat beaded his head in anticipation.

There's no turning back now.

Maul was only a few yards from the cave's entrance. He could feel the presence of the Jedi strong enough it was like a thick mist. But something felt, off. Maul knew Kenobi and knew him well, for there was no one he knew better, not even his former master. Despite haven't meeting him in almost two decades, and despite his growing age, this was not the same man he met on Naboo all those years ago.

The Holocron couldn't have deceived me. Perhaps the man has grown more powerful than I anticipated. Surely, it would explain why his presence feels so... young.

He entered the darkened cave, only its entrance lighted by the desert moonlight. Though he could not see the man, Maul felt him through the Force, walking straight towards his direction. He was fueled only by his anger and his rage, the only aspect of himself he knew best. The cave did not run deep, only having a few dozen yards distance from the entrance to the cave's end.

Maul stopped halfway within the cave, and looked straight into the piercing bright blue eyes of the man. His giant desert robe concealed most of his body and his hood covered most of his face. His eyes barely peeking out from underneath the hood. It took no more than a second for Maul to realize he had been deceived.

His eyes are young, too young.

The enraged Maul looked at the boy with a snarling glare, hissing with anger. The boy was sitting upon a rock, and in his hands, a piece of the broken Jedi Holocron.

He stared straight into the boy's eyes.

"You're not Kenobi."