The Cruelest Cut

An alternative take on Clone Wars episode 4.22 "Revenge". What if instead of Ventress, it was Anakin who showed up to help Obi-Wan? Some dialogue has been taken straight from the episode.

CHAPTER 1: A Nightmare from the Past

Raydoria is burning. The soft illumination of the glowing trees is overtaken by the hot reds and deep yellows of hungry flames; the gentle dusk is overshadowed by the thick black of acrid smoke. The settlement is in ruins and Obi-Wan knows, even before he lands his ship, that the only one left alive in the village is the monster waiting for him.

Maul.

But how can it be? How could Maul be alive? Obi-Wan had thought so once before, but had been quickly proven wrong. Although the one known as Savage Opress had been unhinged and dangerous, filled with explosive hatred, he had been a menace wholly separate from the long vanquished Sith apprentice. Still, even now, any Zabrak drags to the forefront of his mind that cursed name, however illogical or unjust it may be.

He hasn't far to go; the road, littered with bodies and lined with gutted houses, ends with the burning heap of destruction. Atop stands the monster.

Maul.

In an instant, Obi-Wan is back in the generator complex, staring at the hated face of his adversary through the red laser barrier. The smell of burnt flesh, the furious beat of his heart, the emptiness in the Force – for a moment there is nothing else. His Master dies again. He is alone.

And then the laser field lifts and Obi-Wan is back in the destroyed village, finding no other words but a wondering, "It is you." He examines the smoldering eyes, the lean red-black upper body, the grotesque metal legs. The creature before him has been broken utterly, has been stitched up with hate and darkness into jagged pieces of flesh and machine.

"You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget you. You cannot imagine the depths I would go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you." There is a manic gleam in Maul's eyes, a fury so deep it is a weapon in itself – it seeks to burn Obi-Wan to the core, yearns to suffocate all the Light from the Force.

But wherever hellhole Maul has spent the last decade, whatever horrors he has subjected himself to or been subjected to, he is not the only one to change. Obi-Wan Kenobi is now a Jedi Master and a General of the Republic, has fought years against darkness, has seen and felt torment and anguish. He is Padawan no more, and neither is he truly alone; he never really was. The Force is all around him, in him.

And so it is with confidence and calmness he says, "That may be so, but I defeated you before, and I can defeat you again." He ignites his lightsaber, moving into a fighting stance. No other world will burn; no more lives will be taken by the Zabrak monster. Obi-Wan will not allow it.

Maul laughs, sharp and terrible. "Don't be so certain."

A flicker of movement, a falling shadow, and another monster drops behind Obi-Wan. The hulking form of Savage Opress shocks him; his surprise reverberates through his mind even as Obi-Wan defends against the beast's ferocious attack. He knows he is at severe disadvantage: Opress is a brutally strong fighter and Maul is now somewhere behind him, ready to strike.

It does not take long. Unbalanced, he is struck to the ground, his lightsaber pulled from him. Before darkness, the bitter sense of failure, one last stray thought I am sorry –

xxx

The stars streak past, blurring into a silvery light. Anakin wills the machine around him to hurtle onwards faster, but no amount of speed is fast enough. The guilt-heavy feeling of urgency and wrongness only increases with every moment he has to spend alone in the cockpit of his fighter, racing to catch up to Obi-Wan. Even the relief at finally arriving in Raydoria cannot lessen the fury Anakin feels at being left behind once again. Obi-Wan is confronting his own personal hell alone, and everything about the situation is wrong and alarming and utterly maddening.

He reaches towards their bond, but the Force is clouded and the strands connecting them lay in a confusing tangle. Master, he tries, and for one heart-stopping moment there is only terrible emptiness, and then, I am sorry – and nothing else.

Anakin lands with a little too much speed next to Obi-Wan's vessel, jumping out of the cockpit before the engines have been shut down. He tells R2 to guard the ships, but doesn't wait for affirmation, running towards the village. His Master is there, and – as usual – in trouble. He doesn't care to count what the tally will be in his favor after this latest rescue.

Almost too late, Anakin arrives to see the hulking cargo ship lift up, knowing instinctively what he has to do. With ease he gathers the Force to him and jumps atop the hull, even as the transport gains more speed and altitude. Surely it says something of his chosen profession that this isn't the first time – or the second or the third – he has to board a ship that is already in flight.

With the help of his lightsaber, Anakin forces his way inside the beat-up starship, every sense seeking for the slightest noise, the smallest sign of life. He doesn't have to search for long; the sounds of raised voices, pained grunts and general rattle and clatter point him towards one of the ship's large cargo holds.

Despite the ever pressing urgency, Anakin knows he needs to find the most advantageous position possible. He finds one on a catwalk high above the cargo hold floor. What he sees below is enough to freeze his blood. The hideous red-black face from his childhood nightmares stalks above Obi-Wan, who lies beaten and weaponless. The Zabrak grins darkly, sure in his victory.

Anakin met Maul only briefly, but he remembers this dark menace, this burning hate. He has seen the yellow eyes and the black-clad body, frighteningly powerful, in countless dreams. Can recall with perfect clarity Qui-Gon's confident assurance, we'll handle this. He remembers the aftermath.

"Anything more to say?" Maul snarls, and Anakin is already thinking, well you asked for it, when Obi-Wan answers flippantly, "I like your new legs. They make you look taller." Anakin cannot help the swell of fondness or the flush of pride: this is his Master. Undaunted and uncowed, an absolute irritant even in the face of insurmountable odds.

Maul is not amused. The Zabrak lifts Obi-Wan up to his feet with the Force, and grips his jaw and cheek with bruising strength. "I will make sure you stay awake long enough to feel every single cut. Your death will be beyond excruciating. You will suffer as I have suffered!" The red blade of his saber is dangerously close to Obi-Wan's face.

It is time to act. There is no way – none – that the raving lunatic is laying a single cut on Obi-Wan. Maul's lightsaber is only inches away from his Master's flesh, but Anakin has the element of surprise on his side, and surely, Obi-Wan has already felt his presence. Together, they can defeat the monster from their past.

Suddenly, the door to the cargo hold slides open. Another familiar Zabrak steps inside and Anakin curses silently and profusely. Things just got a whole lot more difficult.

xxx

Just as Obi-Wan, dangling from a Force-choke hold, in the mercy of two maniacal beasts, thinks that things could not be worse, the universe decides to prove him wrong. Anakin Skywalker lands lightly on his feet behind Savage Opress, lightsaber already ignited, managing to surprise everyone in the cargo hold as is his wont.

For one breathless, minuscule moment, Obi-Wan is precariously torn between two equally strong emotions. Relief wars with trepidation; Anakin's rash rescue attempt evens out the playing field, but raises the stakes hundredfold.

Anakin wastes no time for glib one-liners, attacking Savage Opress without hesitation, the Zabrak barely managing to block the first two powerful strikes. Instinct and countless hours of practice has already made Obi-Wan act: he pushes Maul away with an almost-desperate Force-push and jumps to his feet assessing the situation. He needs a weapon – and sooner rather than later.

Anakin and Opress continue to trade blows, red and blue lightsabers clashing; Anakin's forceful offence has tapered off into a disturbingly evenly matched fight. The yellow-black Zabrak manages to throw Anakin hard against a pile of cargo boxes, advancing quickly upon him. Without thinking, Obi-Wan takes hold of a nearest box with a Force and hurtles it violently against Savage Opress, knocking the beast temporarily down.

On the opposite side of the room, Maul has already pushed himself back to his metal appendage-feet, and he charges at Obi-Wan at full speed, snarling with rage. Obi-Wan raises his hands, gathers the Force, pushing against the attack, but the red blade storms ever closer –

"Master!" The hate-red blade is met with brilliant-blue; Anakin has swooped in to counter the attack. The lightsabers lock and the Zabrak and the young Jedi push against each other; Anakin's expression is a perfect match for Maul's with its fierce grit and blazing ire.

"I know you," Maul barks, mocking. "So the measly slave-pup became a Jedi?"

"Yeah, and this time it is my pleasure to cut you in half!" Anakin growls, separating the blades with a brutal push. Obi-Wan jumps out of their way, chest suddenly too tight, and in the corner, the other monster is already rising and soon they will be in an indefensible position…

A familiar lightsaber glints at Maul's back, beckoning. With something a lot like gratitude, Obi-Wan draws his lightsaber from Maul with the Force, the feel of the weapon in his hands a surety he shouldn't need. He ignites the blade none too soon, meeting the furious blow of Savage Opress just in time to block it inches from his face. The blazing eyes in the yellow-black face meet his own with obvious contempt, but the feeling is wholly mutual. Obi-Wan grins darkly – and puts his lightsaber skills into good use.

The fight takes them from one end of the cargo hold to the other and back again, the exchange of brutal blows favoring neither party. It's hard work, frankly harder than Obi-Wan has gotten used to lately. Slicing simple battle droids and other war machines is not really adequate practice for a proper, all-out, no-holds-barred lightsaber fight. We'll have to make time for sparring again, Obi-Wan thinks, just as Anakin swirls past him, landing in a tangle of limbs against the wall.

With three steps Obi-Wan is in front of Anakin, meeting the hard strikes of two red blades. The Zabraks try to make the best of the sudden upper hand they have gotten, pushing mercilessly forward, until Obi-Wan is hard pressed to defend against both of them.

"Anakin!" He grunts, hoping the boy isn't out for the count, for then they are really in trouble…

"Here." The voice is tight with pain, but so incredibly welcome, and then Anakin is standing shoulder to shoulder with him, his blue blade like a twin of his own, and Obi-Wan cannot help but smile in grim delight.

For a moment they fight as one, easily driving their opponents backwards, every movement a known part of familiar dance. They go from defense to offence, their blades forming one weapon with one mind, giving their enemies no quarter. It feels dangerously close to perfection.

It cannot last.

The moment breaks, and Obi-Wan finds himself up in the catwalk, confronting Maul alone. The nightmare from his past reborn anew. The urge to end the fight – to end Maul – verges on overwhelming.

"Your master, Qui-Gon Jinn – I gutted him while you stood helpless and watched. How did that make you feel, Obi-Wan?"

A haze of red settles over his vision; with a snarl Obi-Wan rushes to meet Maul, beating him back with uneven, vicious strikes. Maul doesn't get to speak Qui-Gon's name, crow about his butchery. The frenzy of his attack is soon over however, when Maul gets the upper hand and kicks Obi-Wan forcefully against a wall.

"That boy – your apprentice – I'm going to gut him too, bleed him dry slowly while you'll get to watch."

Obi-Wan grimaces as the force of Maul's strike reverberates through his arms, seeking to shatter every bone. He pushes firmly back and then they are engaged in a perverse, deadly tug of war with the Force. Faintly, through the screech of the lightsabers' and the pounding of his own heart, he can hear the other two somewhere below: the brutal sounds of battle, the movement of fighting bodies, but Obi-Wan cannot break his concentration even for the smallest of moments to see how Anakin is doing.

"Your rage has unbalanced you. That is not the Jedi way, is it?"

Maul is impossibly strong; Obi-Wan feels his arms straining beyond endurance, the sweat running in rivulets down his face. He gathers the Force for one final push, hurtling it towards his opponent with all his remaining strength. Their lightsabers break apart with a burst of blue lightning and thunder, flinging both the Zabrak and Obi-Wan violently in opposite directions.

Obi-Wan crashes down into the cargo hold floor, dazed, everything in him hurting. For a moment, it seems too hard to get to his feet – then Anakin is at his side, tugging anxiously at his shoulder.

"Master?" His brow is scrunched up in worry. "Get up!" Obi-Wan has a sudden flash of small hands tugging at his robes, impatient to get going, to see everything new and wondrous…

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin half drags, half lifts him to his feet, the urgency in his voice dispelling the last of the confusion from Obi-Wan's mind. He blinks and as his eyesight settles he can see the Zabraks grunting, gathering their strength and picking themselves up from the floor. Their opponents are far from beaten. With a sinking heart Obi-Wan knows what they have to do.

They cannot win this fight. They can only try to survive.