Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.13.3

"How close are they?" Maul asked, fully disregarding Tyrannus. 

Barriss shook her head, grabbing her lightsabers from her belt. "We have seconds before they find us. They've cut us off from our ship as well."

Perhaps Skywalker is with them, he hoped, gripping his lightsaber tighter. Maybe this visit won't be a waste after all! "Stay with me," he told her, and they left the throne room, leaving Tyrannus alone to fend for himself. 

There was no good reason the Jedi would be here unless they had found sensitive information while digging through Sideous's files. If that was the case, then they were here to destroy this temple and kill him. Even if Maul and his Mirialan managed to distract the Jedi, they wouldn't let him escape so easily. They would risk letting the other two go if it meant capturing or killing him. 

Which meant his best chance at survival was to fight alongside the underdog Sith. Maul was clearly mad, but his ramblings suggested that he no longer cared about killing Tyrannus. With any luck, the three of them would be enough to fend off the Jedi that had been sent. 

Barriss followed her master to the front entrance, where the Jedi were waiting patiently. They must have known the Sith would come out to meet them. Either that, or they were intimidated by the Sith temple and didn't want to risk entering. She recognized all of the Jedi that had come: Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Shaak Ti, and-

Luminara. Luminara had come. Had she known Barriss would be there? Anger rose in the young Sith, anger and pain and the slightest hint of fear that she might try to drag her back to Coruscant. Barriss looked to her master, who rested a calming hand on her shoulder before walking out behind the corner they hid behind. Barriss remained at his side, setting her jaw and preparing to face the Jedi she had once called 'Master'. 

While the other Jedi watched carefully as Maul descended the steps of the temple, Luminara's eyes remained fixed on her old apprentice, who glared at her across the distance between them. A fresh wave of guilt washed over her, and more so when she felt the Darkness festering in Barriss. It had grown exponentially since she had escaped from Coruscant. Then, it had been an untamed flame inside her, but now it consumed her mind and was threaded through every fiber of her being. Barriss welcomed it, used it, and was utterly lost to it. Luminara knew there was no hope of saving her this time. Not if she loved the power this much. 

At the sight of the Sith, Windu spoke up. "You were not who we were expecting to meet here," he admitted, pulling his lightsaber and holding it out at them. The other Jedi followed suit, but Shaak noticed that Luminara was not brandishing it whatsoever. She wasn't even in her defensive stance, or any stance. Shaak wanted to nudge her, to snap her out of her daze, but she didn't dare call her out in front of their opponents.

"Oh yes, I know," Maul responded, igniting his own lightsaber while his apprentice followed suit. "You came for Tyrannus, no? The famed apprentice of Darth Sideous himself."

"We did, but I have no qualms about bringing you in as well. As for your apprentice, she is to be executed for treason against the Republic," he reminded them, eying Barriss pointedly. 

Tyrannus, who had taken his sweet time joining the party, walked out to stand by the other Sith. Despise them as he did, they were his only allies at the moment. "A worthy goal to be sure, Master Windu, but you may find it difficult to defeat all three of us." He held his lightsaber in front of his chest, the red light of his blade reflecting off of his eyes. 

The Jedi weren't about to admit it, but Dooku absolutely had a point. The Council had sent the four Jedi to take down one Sith, not three. Their chances had dropped significantly in the past sixty seconds. Still, they did not back down. Adjusting their stances, they prepared to fight, even Luminara, who had finally snapped back into focus. Leaping into the air, the Sith came crashing down on the Jedi. Despite their rivalry, Maul and Tyrannus worked together to attack Windu, Fisto, and Ti, while they left Luminara to Barriss.