A/N: The time has come— Maul and Count Dooku fight to determine who the true Dark Lord of the Sith is. This chapter is gonna have a surprising twist at the end that will send chills down your spine, I guarantee it!

(Coruscant)

Within the Senate Building, senators and Republic military officers were gathered at the behest of Chancellor Amidala. Though it had been weeks since Master Wen and the Lotus Battalion were dispatched to Mandalore, word of the slaughter had finally reached the ears of the Republic and throughout the galaxy.

"How could the Mandalorian pacifists wipe out an entire clone battalion and their Jedi general?"

"We have now started a war with the galaxy's most powerful warrior culture!"

"Because of this fiasco, star systems that are neutral will never look to join us because of what transpired on Mandalore!"

Padmé, seated on the Chancellor's Podium, looked at Jar Jar Binks and Sabé, two of her most trusted cabinet members before rising to address the senators. "Members of the Senate, here me!" The senators momentarily ceased their worries and looked to their new chancellor. "I decided to send our troops and Jedi Master Wen to Mandalore, and they paid a terrible price. But they were sent not to declare war on Mandalore, rather, they were sent to oust a Sith Lord by the name of Maul and the remnants of Death Watch off of the planet."

"Your intentions may have been pure, Madam Chancellor, but the fact remains, the Republic has declared war with Mandalore because of the violation of the treaty we have established with them."

Looking to her right, Padmé's lip curled at the sight of Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, along with Admiral Rampart and Commander Krennic. These Republic officers were known for their fierce loyalty to Palpatine, and since his absence, they have been hellbent on not only strengthening the Republic's military might by whatever means, but they were also conducting business that didn't sit well with Padmé or her vision for the galaxy.

"Admiral Tarkin. I wasn't expecting to see you here at this gathering," narrowing her eyes at Tarkin and his companions, Padmé reassured him of his worries. "I will speak with whoever speaks on behest of Mandalore and tell them that what happened—"

"—was a poor, uncalculated, split-second decision on your behalf, all because you caved into the whims of a pouting Mandalorian boy. Yes, I couldn't agree more," Tarkin said with distaste. "Madam Chancellor, forgive me for not having more faith in you, but you do not know what it takes to win a war. According to the reports of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi during his last, unauthorized trip to Mandalore, Duchess Satine was killed and Prime Minister Almec, who was imprisoned is now the public ruler of Mandalore. After sending an entire battalion of troops to their deaths, I doubt any reassurances you give to the Mandalorian people will not be heard. Nor will any neutral systems that could've been valuable allies to us will not want to join the Republic because of these events."

"Admiral Tarkin, rest assured, I take full responsibility for my actions, and I will not be so hasty to move into action the next time a threat presents itself," Padmé said firmly.

"For your sake, Madam Chancellor, let us hope that is true. With the war progressing, we cannot afford to lose entire battalions of troops at this time. Not only do we find ourselves with the Separatist traitors but now this rogue element— The Shadow Collective believes they can strike at us without repercussions? We must teach these criminals that such brashness cannot go unpunished." Tarkin's words caused most of the senators to roar and bark in agreement, demanding that action would take place.

"As far as we know, this Shadow Collective consists of the galaxy's most powerful criminal syndicates— Black Sun, the Pykes, and the Hutt Cartel. Any action we take must calculated and well planned," Bail Organa spoke up, silencing the uproar. "We have been informed that the Jedi have their task force to put an end to this criminal coalition and bring its leaders to justice, in the meantime, we must focus on ending the Clone Wars."

"Agreed," Mon Mothma spoke up. "The longer this conflict continues, not only will the citizens of our Republic suffer, but countless worlds will suffer as well."

Smiling at her allies, Padmé then addressed the Senate. "We will reach out to the Separatist Senate to discuss peace terms and bring an end to the war. I expect all of you to cooperate and save our galaxy from utter destruction." Seating herself, Padmé gave a soft nod. "Due to the current circumstance and seriousness of this motion, we will take up these matters tomorrow. Until then, the Senate is adjourned." As the Senate began to disperse, Padmé sighed heavily and soon met with her husband, Anakin Skywalker, who had been watching what had transpired.

"What a mess. I thought by sending troops to aid Korkie Kryze, the situation on Mandalore would be sorted, but I should've known better,"

The couple soon entered the Chancellor's Suite while Pamdé's loyal handmaidens kept watch outside, giving the couple much-needed privacy. "You're doing what you believe is right, my love," Anakin reassured her while giving her a warm smile. "Yes, it was unfortunate what happened on Mandalore, and it will cost us a great many systems who could've been allies to the Republic, but when this war is behind, the ends justify the means." Despite being part of the task force to bring Maul and his Shadow Collective down, Anakin tried being deployed into active combat as little as possible so that he could be there for his wife, unfortunately, this was proven difficult especially since the Jedi Council sent him on numerous assignments whether they were related to the war or otherwise.

"Next time I won't be so quick to make such a decision," Padmé sighed as she sat in the Chancellors chair, looking at her husband. "The Shadow Collective's leader, was it the same Sith that killed Qui-Gon Jinn all those years ago in Theed?"

Nodding, Anakin stood beside the window and looked to the city beyond. "We believed he had died during that battle, Obi-Wan cut him in half. But of course, the Sith are not so easily killed," approaching his wife from behind and massaging her shoulders, Anakin smiled as she closed her eyes and sighed lowly as his touch eased the tension she was experiencing. "We'll find him and we'll bring him to justice. But if he resists, I'll make sure that he stays dead this time."

"I hope you're right, Ani,"

(Serenno)

The inner sanctum of Count Dooku's palace was full of lightsaber flashes as the Count of Serenno and General Grievous sparred ferociously. After the duo had escaped Vizsla Keep 09, Dooku had ordered the Separatist leaders and commanders of the droid army to come to his palace in seven rotations so that they could discuss merging all of their battle droids to crush Maul and his criminal empire. Now, these leaders who made up the Separatist Council would be arriving any minute, but before they arrived, the Count wished to spar with his droid general. With each lightsaber strike, both opponents' strikes grew more ferocious, Dooku grits his teeth as he glared back at the cold, murderous eyes of Grievous.

"Stop using the standard attacks, use the unorthodox,"

Grievous obliged his master's request and unleashed a flurry of high-paced strikes that would break most Jedi. Dooku, however, being the magnificent swordsman that he was, applied Makashi, Form II lightsaber fighting style to swat away the Kaleesh cyborg's attacks and press an attack of his own. Before Grievous could thrust his blades in a stabbing motion, Dooku sent his opponent back with a strong Force push, sending Grievous crashing into supply crates and causing him to snarl in frustration. Despite no longer suffering the fragility and weakness of the flesh and despite all the advantages of cybernetics, in the end, Grievous could not use the Force.

"Recover,"

The Count's words caused Grievous to snarl and leap back into combat. Both opponents continued their heated spar. The droid general hacked and slashed while Dooku period and moved like a dance, elegantly moving away from wild swings. "Faster. More intense," obliging his master's request, Grievous increased the speed input and moved like the wind as he sought to beat the Count into submission. Jumping away from the intense, brutal blows of Grievous, the Count soon had enough and was able to disarm the droid general and point his crimson blade at his mechanical servant's throat. "You are dead, General." Looking away in embarrassment, Grievous retrieved his lightsabers and clipped them back to his mechanical waist.

"You lack focus," the Count noted. "Throughout our duel, you have been eyeing my Sith weapon with... a ravenous hunger."

"I wish to claim your Sith opponent's blades as my own," Grievous confessed. "They will become the centerpiece of my collection."

"Don't let your pursuit of trinkets cloud your reality, General," Dooku rebuked firmly. "When we face the Sith pretenders in battle for the final time, we must crush them completely and utterly. Our plans for the galaxy have never been more threatened than now. And unlike Sidious, I will not underestimate Maul or his brute of a brother."

"Then you will pleased to know that I have summoned reinforcements to aid us in this battle,"

"We have more than enough droids to crush the pretender and his rabble—"

"Not droids, my lord, Kaleesh warriors," Grievous corrected before turning to the doors which now opened, revealing elite Kaleesh warriors. "They may be small in numbers, but these warriors partook in the Huk War and are capable against opponents who know the ways of the Force." Before the Count could reply, however, the doors once again opened, revealing three B1 droids.

"Uh, excuse me, sirs?" Count Dooku and General Grievous gave the droids their attention as one of them spoke. "The Separatist Council members have arrived."

"Excellent," Dooku turned to Grievous and his Kaleesh warriors. "Come. Let us not keep our allies waiting."

(Unknown location)

Maul awoke from slumber, only to find himself in darkness. He was no stranger to the dark, however, this darkness made his blood run cold. This darkness was accompanied by the fetid stench of trash, rotting corpses of junkers, and filth. Releasing a shaky breath, Maul realized where he was, he was back in the maze of trash tunnels beneath the surface of Lotho Minor, the same place he had lost his mind and suffered for twelve long brutal years.

"No no no no," Maul muttered in horror. He could then hear a faint snarling in the distance, as well as the metallic clinking of multiple legs. The creature making such noise rounded the corner, its yellow eyes were filled with ravenous hunger and madness. A cold chill ran up Maul's spine as the creature advanced, nearly falling, Maul ran. "No no no!"

"FOOOOOOD!"

The snarls of a rabid creature were approaching fast, as was the metallic clinking of legs that were quickly closing the distance. A set of malnourished, yet strong arms wrapped themselves around Maul, and the dark warrior was thrown against the ground and was face to face with his darker, insane self who was forced to wallow in trash for twelve years. His breath hitched as he looked at what he was when he wallowed down here for so many years, and it terrified Maul greatly.

"Y-You!"

"Me!" The rabid, insane version of himself licked his lips and bore his teeth. "Now, die!" Before Maul could even react, his darker, insane self used two of the metallic legs and drove them into Maul's chest and then moved for the kill, sinking his teeth into his throat, and ripping his esophagus out. As Maul began to lose consciousness, he could see his darker self eating his flesh like a rabid animal before looming over him with an insane smile and then sinking his claws into his eyes, making his vision go black.

(Serenno)

Maul violently woke up from the disturbing nightmare he experienced, panting heavily and wiping away the sweat on his brow. After taking several deep breaths, Maul took in his surroundings and found himself on his newly constructed flagship— Spirit of Vengeance, a Sith warship that was sleek black and bore crimson markings similar to his facial tattoos. His flagship was accompanied by six Black Sun frigates, six Pyke Syndicate Stalker Class Interceptors, over a dozen Hutt Wagna-Class Heavy Frigates, and ten Mandalorian cruisers flanking Maul's flagship as this fleet of warships were en route to Serenno to face Count Dooku on his home planet. Rising from his bed, Maul washed his face and looked at his reflection while growling softly to himself.

"Fear," the nightmare he had was his greatest fear, it represented his greatest failure, and he would not fall so far a second time. "Fear leads to anger..." Maul could feel his blood boiling at the thought of Obi-Wan, he was the reason for his exile and suffering on Lotho Minor, and he swore he would ensure that the Jedi who cut him in two would suffer in ways none could fathom before he took his life. "Anger leads to hate..." Maul's thoughts fell on his Sith rival— Count Dooku, his replacement. Like all those who sought to deny him his destiny, the Zabrak's hate towards the leader of the Confederacy was justified, after all, he was a pretender and had no legitimacy to claim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Because of this, he must die. "Hate leads to power." After getting dressed and fixing his armor on his shoulders and forearms, the half of a Zabrak summoned both the severed half of his old saber staff and the Darksaber, clipping both weapons to his waist and departing his quarters.

In the weeks after achieving a momentous victory over the Republic and Mandalorian renegades on Mandalore, Maul was pleased that his faction was now a force that could rival both the Republic and the Separatists. However, Maul would not attack either faction directly, not when there was still much work to be done. His allies in the syndicates were proving to be very productive; Dryden Vos and each crime boss from Black Sun, the Pykes, and Hutts were not able to broker a deal with Atai Molec, the newly crowned king of the Zygerrian Slave Empire, and bring them into Crimson Dawn. For the first time in galactic history, the criminal underworld was now fully unified under Maul's rule. As a reward for their dedication to bringing the Zygerrians into his empire, Maul gifted portions of the galaxy to each crime boss and had them work to spread their influence. This was a calculated move to keep power-hungry individuals away from his riches, while Maul was sentient to rule his faction, if he could divide the power among his allies while keeping them away from the riches and power he gained, he would.

With the criminal underworld entirely under his control, Maul and his brothers met with the recently freed Separatist leader, Poggle the Lesser, and brought him back to Geonosis after delivering yet another blow to the Republic forces who had a fleet stationed here to keep the bugs in line and ensure they don't produce more droid reinforcements for the Separatists. With his homeworld freed from Republic control, Poggle inquired what Maul wanted in return, while willing to repay the Zabrak in any way, especially since Count Dooku had not only sent agents to rescue him from Republic captivity but also hadn't sent the Separatist armada to retake Geonosis. What Maul wished for the Geonosian people was no small task, he showed the Archduke of Geonosis plans and schematics for his grand super weapon— Blood Star. Poggle revealed that his people had already begun constructing a massive super weapon that the now-late Darth Sidious wanted. After going over the designs of this... Death Star, Maul inquired if the Geonosians could apply what they had already built into his super weapon, and Poggle reassured him that they could. With this reassurance, Maul reached out to the Zygerrian king and purchased a large number of slaves to help the Geonosians and their construction droids work on the Blood Star superweapon. The slaves would be worked day and night, and when they were no longer useful, they would be discarded.

Maul soon reached the hangar bay of his flagship, he found Savage and Feral sparring heatedly. The youngest of the brother trio had not only bled the kyber crystals he won from the Jedi he had killed on Mandalore but he had constructed two curved lightsabers that could be connected on both ends, allowing Feral to wield a curved double-bladed lightsaber if he wished. For a moment, Maul watched his two brothers as they honed their skills with a lightsaber further. These weeks following their victory on Mandalore had been nonstop training in both lightsaber combat, the ways of the Force and Nightsister magicks, but also learning how to merge the magicks of the Nightsister with Sith alchemy. The brothers had continued pilgrimages to long-dead Sith worlds and devouring knowledge and teachings left behind by their predecessors.

"Cease, my brothers,"

Savage and Feral, who were locked in a heated blade lock turned to Maul, obeying their brother and breaking off from each other. Each of Maul's brothers had learned the teachings and abilities of Sith Lords of the past and tried merging those teachings with their abilities. Savage took a great interest in Darth Malgus, a mighty Sith Warrior for his incredible strength and military brilliance and the one who led a bloody attack on the Jedi Temple in the heart of Coruscant. Feral took an interest in the abilities of Darth Zannah, the apprentice of Darth Bane, author of the Rule of Two Sith era, and sought to learn how to merge those abilities with the abilities he possessed. Maul learned what he could from one of the greatest champions of the Sith Order— Tulak Hord, the Lord of Hate. The brother trio only grew stronger in the ways of the Sith, but also in the ways of using sorcery. Because they merged Nightsister magick and Sith alchemy, it resulted in a crimson mist and they would employ this newfound power against their enemies in time.

"We are approaching Serenno, my brothers, we will face the pretender, Dooku in a final battle to determine who has a better claim as Dark Lord of the Sith," Maul looked to his soldiers as they were preparing themselves and gearing up. "This will be a day that will be immortalized in the history of the Sith Order. While Dooku is not as powerful as Sidious was, I will not underestimate the pretender and neither will you."

"Yes, brother," Feral clipped both of his lightsabers on his waist and suddenly frowned.

Sensing his younger brother's worry, Maul narrowed his eyes at him. "Feral. Speak your mind," approaching, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "What worries you?"

"I... I fear that I will be a liability during this final battle with Count Dooku," Feral's confession caused him to look away in shame and embarrassment. "These weeks of rigorous and excruciating training have served me well, yet I fear it won't be enough when we face the Count."

"Unless you take risks, and do what must be done, there will always be limits to your abilities, my brother," Maul counseled. "If you wish to stand by us, you must prove yourself worthy. Apply what you have learned and unleash all of your fear, anger, and hatred on Count Dooku and his mechanical monstrosity, they wish to see us dead and tear down everything we have built." Smiling softly at his brother, Maul gave Feral a firm nod. "You will not be alone, Feral. Together, we will end the pretender, and claim what it is rightly ours!" He emphasized while forming a fist in his free hand.

"Yes, Dooku will undoubtedly focus on you, because he will believe you are the weakest link in our chain. But you must show him you are not weak, far from it," Savage encouraged further. "Maul is right. You will not fight alone, however, you must learn to face powerful adversaries without us, or risk meeting your end."

Pursing his lips, Feral gave a nod in understanding, he knew his brothers spoke the truth. One of Feral's fears was being bested easily, just as he had been by the witch, Asajj Ventress when she came to the Nightbrother village. He swore that he would not be weak ever again and waited for his brothers to rescue him, he would draw his strength and destroy anyone who dared believe him to be weak.

"My lords?"

Turning to see Rook Kast and the other Super Commando leaders approach, Maul gave his subjects their attention. "Yes?"

"We're approaching Serenno, and a massive droid fleet is orbiting the planet. If you wish to rally the troops, now is the time,"

Mandalorian Super Commandos, criminal mercenaries, and militia troops from neutral planets who sported helmets and armor that the Hylobon security guards and mercenaries in Dryden Vos' employ wore gathered to their master as he addressed the ground troops.

"Soon, the galaxy will be remade. By day's end, there will be one true Dark Lord of the Sith— myself or Dooku. Strength, cunning, and determination are many tools in the arsenal of the Sith, and I did not survive twelve years of insanity and wallowing in the filth of Lotho Minor only to be bested by this former Jedi," Maul paced back and forth slowly as he continued. "You all know what awaits us here, the full might of the Separatist Alliance is here, ready to crush us beneath their heels, but we will show them and the galaxy what happens to those who stand in our way. Our numbers have grown beyond our wildest expectations, however, they are not enough to combat the full might of the Confederacy, but we will show our enemies that in the end, numbers mean nothing." Bearing his teeth, Maul growled. "Many will fall this day, but I promise you that you will meet a warrior's end! Should you die, your death will lead toward the end of Count Dooku, and ultimately, the Separatists, without him, the pretender's warlords and supporters will compete for power and leadership, destroying themselves from within, leading us one step closer to ultimate domination. Go, and show the galaxy that we are the new power that will soon control everything!"

"Hurrah!"

The Super Commandos exclaimed before boarding their Kom'rk fighters and transports. Criminal mercenaries of the Black Sun, Pykes, and Hutts finished gearing up and getting into their respective gunships. And the militia troops loaded up their troop carriers and were arming themselves JND-41 percussive cannons and side arms, as well as melee weapons that only skilled combats in hand-to-hand combat wielded.

Maul and his brothers approached a transport ship full of elite Nightbrother warriors whom they had personally trained as a new sect of bodyguards for their family. This order of Nightbrother guards would be known as the Brotherhood. Among these Nightbrothers was Merrin, the young Nightsister who wished to see Dooku and Grievous die in person. As the shuttle took off and exited the hangar bay along with Mandalorian Kom'rk transports and fighters as well as the syndicate forces deploying their fighters and ground troops they were met with a massive droid fleet.

"Lord Maul, we are receiving an incoming transmission from the planet,"

Approaching the cockpit, Maul nodded to the Nightbrother flying the ship to put the transmission through. Soon, the holographic image of Count Dooku appeared before Maul and his brothers.

"Maul,"

"Dooku," seething at the sight of his opponent, Maul soon sneered. "You can hide behind all these droids, but they will only delay the inevitable. You will die today by our hands."

"Our hands?" The Count looked to Savage and Feral. "I know that beast, Savage, but who is the other one?"

"My younger brother, Feral Opress."

Dooku looked back to Maul with distaste. "You would forgo the Rule of Two and take another apprentice?"

"Savage and Feral are not disposable apprentices, because of our bloodline and bond as brothers, we are loyal to each other. The Sith will be reborn through us," Maul clenched one of his hands into a tight fist before pounding it against his chest. "The Rule of Two had proven to be ineffective. True, Darth Bane's methods worked for a time, but that just isn't the case anymore. If the Sith are to take their rightful place as rulers of the galaxy, we must evolve once again."

"Take care, Maul, what you speak is heresy!"

"So said the dead man," Maul replied cooly and ended the transmission with his Sith rival.

The droid fleet soon began to open fire on the Mandalorian and syndicate cruisers and frigates, causing them to take evasive action and return fire. Swarms of Vulture Droids and Droid tri-fighters poured out of the Separatist warships and clashed with the Shadow Collective fighters. Another swarm of droid fighters began targeting the Collective's transports and gunships carrying the soldiers making a break for the ground. Seeing a great many of his forces getting blown into space dust, Maul ordered Mandalorian fighters to protect as many of the troop carriers and gunships so that they could reach the planet.

Eventually, the Dathomiri shuttle touched down where many Separatist shuttles had also landed. As the Nightbrothers disembarked, Maul and his brothers led the pack, but before turning back to Merrin. "You need not join us, Sister Merrin—"

"With respect, Lord Maul, I do," she said firmly. "Dooku and Grievous slaughtered my family, my sisters. I will see him suffer for that." Presenting the wax voodoo doll of the Count, the young Nightsister soon walked to the palace. "Come." Snorting softly, Maul nodded to the Nightbrothers and they followed Merrin. The Collective ground forces soon touched down as well, forming a defensive perimeter at the entrance of the palace. Maul and his brothers approached the Mandalorian Kom'rk transport— The Nightbrother and met with their respective Super Commando leaders.

"You all know what must be done," Maul said to the Super Commando leadership. "While my brothers, Merrin, and our Nightbrothers deal with Dooku and Grievous, you must keep the droid forces at bay for as long as possible."

"Yes, Lord Maul,"

With that said, Maul and his brothers ran into the palace while Rook Kast took command of the ground forces. More Collective gunships and transports arrived, and soon the droids would be here too. Turning to Gar Saxon, Rook gave him a nod. "Take any marksman that you can and get to higher ground," grunting in acknowledgment, Saxon took dozens of Super Commando marksmen and they flew to the top of the palace and spread out. "Bhai, you and Cato set up as many E-Web cannons and have the men form a defensive ring around the gunships." The Suust siblings nodded and got to work. Turning to the syndicate mercenaries and militia forces, she barked out. "Everyone, the droids will deploy ground forces too-- just a matter of time. We can't be far ahead of them. Secure this courtyard." Rook looked to the sky and saw several droid gunships and carriers emerge out of the clouds and approach them. "Alright people, find cover and dig in! Make sure you all have good lines of sight, check your weapons, and prepare for a target-rich environment!" Drawing her blaster pistols, Rook and the others took cover as the droid fighter escort shot at their position, taking out two Collective gunships, and causing large explosions.

As the droids were deployed and advanced, Rook turned to her allies and barked out over the hundreds of marching battle droids and their blaster fire. "Light 'em up!"

While following the routes of the palace provided by Savage in his brief time as Dooku's apprentice, the Dathomirians split up. Maul took his brothers to face Dooku and Grievous, who were no doubt in the inner sanctum of the palace. Merrin and the other Nightbrothers were to await Maul's signal when they were needed.

The brother trio were draped in sleek black robes and were now placing their hoods over their heads. And like shadows, they moved fast thanks to applying the Force to their sprinting, they did not enter through the front door of the palace but rather made their way in. They blended in the shadows while easily evading the squads of BX-series Commandos. Savage, who knew his surroundings led Maul and Feral to Dooku's chambers fairly quickly and without being detected by the droid patrols or surveillance tech. Finally entering Dooku's chambers, the brothers noted how dimly lit the massive chamber was and how eerily quiet it was. Snarling, the brother trio activated their lightsabers, lighting up the room with the color of blood while slowly walking deeper inside the chamber.

"A failed apprentice makes for a foolish master!"

Dooku's voice boomed out from the shadows, causing Maul to growl out. "Rather than confronting us face to face, you lurk in the shadows like a coward," snorting to himself, Maul continued, "I expected nothing less from the likes of Sidious's replacement." He spat out.

"Where is your respect, my horned friend? You are addressing the Dark Lord of the Sith himself!"

Dooku would reply, and his words made Maul's blood boil in outrage while he and his brothers reached out through the Force, looking for their prey.

Maul, while searching for Dooku through the Force would then sense something... familiar about his opponent. Maul was able to look into Dooku's mind and was surprised by what he saw. "You were Qui-Gon Jinn's master," a sinister grin crept across Maul's face as he formulated a plan to draw Dooku out of the shadows. "You didn't train your late Jedi apprentice well enough! I gutted him like an animal and would have mutilated his corpse—"

"You tread on dangerous waters Maul," Dooku would finally say in a cool tone, "Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the greatest students I had the privilege of teaching."

Maul would snort at Dooku's words and then continue to provoke Dooku. "If Jinn truly was the greatest Jedi you taught, then why is he dead?" Grinning wickedly, Maul threw Dooku's earlier words back at him. "A failed apprentice does indeed make for an ever-foolish master. You failed your Jedi student. And you will fail in defeating me and my brothers."

"Enough!"

Dooku would finally emerge from the shadows high in the rafters of his chambers and descend slowly, yet elegantly. Once Dooku's feet touched the ground, he grasped his curved lightsaber and activated his crimson blade while taking on a battle stance. "Shall we commence our dance?" Dooku would inquire with a smirk.

The brothers snarled as they pounced at Dooku, but the Count of Serenno backflipped away from the brother's blades as they came down on where he was previously standing. Dooku then shot a barrage of Force lightning at Savage with his free hand and then lunged at Maul, the red-skinned Zabrak blocked Dooku's strike, and Savage was able to block the Count's lightning with his lightsaber. Dooku would then fall back to a more defensive style while Maul and Savage took on the roles of aggressor, swiping at Dooku with their lightsabers. Flashes of red would cover the room as Dooku seamlessly transitioned from knocking away strike after strike from the brothers. Dooku would then spot an opening, a lack of defense from Feral, as the younger Zabrak tried to match the ferocity of Maul and Savage's advances. Moving swiftly to an offensive position towards Maul, Feral would leap forward, lightsabers at the ready, all too eager to bring Dooku to his knees. But like a dancer, Dooku would duck and roll, holding his lightsaber outwards just enough to strike Feral's leg, leaving a sizeable gash and causing the younger of the trio to fall to a single knee and clutch his wounded leg.

"Feral!"

Dooku would lash out towards the orange-skinned Zabrak, ready to end his life, but Maul would use the Force to push his brother aside just as Dooku's lightsaber would've removed Feral's head from his body. Maul would then jump towards Dooku and again engage the seasoned Sith Lord, but Maul would only be met with Dooku side-stepping his attack and deflecting every strike Maul and Savage threw his way. As Feral struggled to get up, a sinister grin would creep across Dooku's face as pulled out a small trigger of some kind and activated it, causing Maul to cock his head in confusion.

A series of violet electrostaffs would activate, revealing dozens of IG-100 MagnaGuard droids emerging from the shadows and whirled their weapons in hand and advanced on the brothers. Not only that, but the sound of four lightsabers igniting caused the brothers to see Dooku's cybernetic butcher— General Grievous. The Kalessh cyborg would be accompanied by his Kaleesh warriors and he would release a maniacal cackle as he then boomed out. "You will taste no victory today," pointing one of his lightsabers at Feral, Grievous continued to mock them. "Your brother is finished Maul, and you will soon join him in death."

Chuckling, Maul rebuked Grievous. "Don't be so certain," he then gave the signal to the Nightbrothers and Merrin. "Now!" Soon enough, all the MagnaGuards were destroyed simultaneously, revealing the best of the Nightbrothers, while Merrin was prepared to throw Dooku off with the wax doll she possessed. All the Dathomiri Zabraks were armed with Electro-Bisentos, Bilari Electro-Chain Whips, Vibro-Arbir Blades, and Vibro-Voluges. After Feral healed his wound with Nightsister magick, he followed his brother's lead as they stood side by side, awaiting their enemy's move.

Dooku turned to Grievous. "You and your Kaleesh deal with the Nightbrothers," he then looked at Maul and his brothers. "These Sith pretenders are mine to destroy." Not needing to be told twice, Grievous roared as he lunged at the Nightbrothers, his Kaleesh warriors following his lead. The brothers rushed Dooku and the Count soon locked blades with the brother trio.

Back outside, Rook and her Super Commandos led the Collective forces well, their discipline and will to die for the cause motivated their allies to continue the fight. If the Mandalorian's resolve and fighting prowess weren't motivation enough, then Durge was. The hulking Gen'Dai wielded his massive blaster cannon in one hand and one of his blaster pistols in another while mowing dozens of droids. Unfortunately, the droids soon deployed a line of Droidekas and B2 super rocket droids to break the Collective lines while the newly deployed droids advanced behind the Droideaks.

"We're getting ripped to pieces by those Droidekas!" Fife, leader of the Pyke mercenaries barked at Rook who was taking cover. "You got any fancy gadgets to take down their shields?"

"I do," Durge boomed as he pulled out an Ion grenade and hurled it at the lines of advancing Droidekas. As the grenade went off and took down a good amount of the B2 rocket droids and the Droideka's shields, Durge turned to Collective forces. "Now, before their shields recharge!" The Collective troops blasted away, taking down the Droidekas and continuing to do so as Durge continued to hurl Ion grenades at the Droideka phalanx.

More droid carriers and gunships were descending, causing Rook to curse. "We need to stop those carriers and gunships from landing," turning to Bhai and Cato, Rook got their attention and pointed to two unoccupied Basilisk war droids. "Mount up. Take down those droid ships." Nodding, the two siblings soon took to the sky and got to work on clearing the skies.

"We won't be able to hold out forever, Mandalorian!" Fife growled as he shot down several B1 droids before taking cover. "We don't have enough men—"

"Stick with the plan. Hunker down, and fight!" She said with gritted teeth. "We will hold our position and give Lord Maul and his brothers the time they need to kill Dooku and Grievous." Getting out of cover, Rook shot down three BX droid commandos and used one of her wrist rockets to take out six B2 super droids. "Fight on!" She barked out to the Collective forces. "Victory or death!"

The brothers were slaughtering the Kaleesh warriors who challenged them, their skills with vibroswords were commendable, but Maul had enough of dealing with his opponent's underlings. Using the Force to choke the remaining warriors in the air, Savage growled as he hurled his lightsaber at them, decapitating every last one of them. Turning their attention back to Count Dooku, Maul held a hand out as both Savage and Ferall were about to attack.

"Deal with Grievous! Dooku is mine!"

Nodding at Maul's words, Savage and Feral rushed towards the Kaleesh cyborg who was slaying Nightbrothers left and right, with Grievous distracted and his back, Feral took the opportunity to slay his opponent quickly as he leaped in the air and raised his blades above his head and plunged them into his back and began to stab him repeatedly, causing Grievous to roar and buck like a Reek gone made. Feral then ripped out a piece of Grievous armor off of his upper back and plunged the sharp shard into the droid general's mechanical spine before jumping off of him and severing two of his arms. Savage delivered the finishing blow as he charged the Kaleesh cyborg. After severing his remaining two arms, Savage slashed his chest open and ripped out his guts, forcing Grievous to his knees as he hacked and coughed violently. Savage closed the distance as he then began to rip the Kaleesh cyborg's head off. Screaming in sheer agony, the last thing Grievous saw was the pure, unadulterated hatred in Savage's eyes before the hulking Zabrak ripped his head off. Roaring in dominance as he presented the droid general's head to the Nightbrothers, they too roared in their victory over the cyborg butcher. Releasing the now-deceased droid general's head, Savage, Feral, and the Nightbrothers turned their attention to Dooku, who was in a fierce blade lock with Maul.

Despite Dooku's remarkable skill with a lightsaber, Maul was far stronger and more deadly for the seasoned Sith Lord to keep up with, not to mention Dooku wasn't as young as he once was. The sight of Savage and the Nightbrothers advancing and Grievous's mangled corpse caused fear to crawl down Dooku's spine, he was finished. Maul would then strike Dooku across the face with his free fist, causing blood and spit to fly out of his mouth, and at this point, Dooku could feel his old age catching up with him. Not only that, but he noted Merrin using a knife to cut along the wax doll that represented him, Dooku hissed in pain as he felt blood trickling down his face thanks to Merrin's cuts. The Count of Serenno would try to dance away, but the full effect of the darkness would be within Maul. Dooku's every retreat would be blocked by Maul, Savage, Feral, and the Nightbrothers until the Dathomiri Zabraks forced Dooku to a location he could not easily retreat to.

At this point in the fight, Dooku could almost see the darkness coming off of the fury of Maul and his brothers, this very fury was relentlessly smashing Dooku into a corner without pity or mercy. Dooku would then bring his lightsaber upwards in a slashing motion towards Maul, one final attempt to end this duel of the dark side. The strike would not be a direct one, but Dooku's blade would graze Maul's chest, with Dooku's lightsaber held tall, Maul would take hold of his opponent's wrist with his free hand. Maul had been so focused on defeating Dooku that he had not even felt the Count of Serenno's lightsaber cut against his chest. Running out of options, Dooku would then extend his free arm to push Maul away with the Force, one final attempt to save his life. But Maul anticipated this and caught Dooku's arm and proceeded to break it, causing the old man to cry out in pain. Maul would not relent, he then grabbed Dooku's other hand and began to squeeze his wrist to agonizing levels until Dooku's lightsaber fell out of his grasp and onto the floor. Now entirely at the mercy of the Dathomiri Zabraks, Maul then bashed his head into Dooku's, causing the older man to clutch his now heavily bleeding nose and fall to the floor.

Roaring with the heat of victory, Maul grabbed Dooku by the throat and ferociously punched him across the face before tossing the now bloodied Dooku to Savage. The hulking yellow-skinned Zabrak would bash his head into Dooku's as well before landing ferocious blows to the old man's gut with his prosthetic hand before lifting him above his head with ease and slamming him against the floor like a ragdoll. Groaning weakly and struggling to get up, Dooku looked up into the eyes of Feral, who kicked him across the face and began to beat him ruthlessly. The Nightbrother warriors all proceeded to beat Dooku to within an inch of his life, when they ceased their relentless assault on the once-proud Sith Lord, two Nightbrothers lifted Dooku to Maul and his brothers.

Dooku then felt something sharp pierce his spine, causing him to cry out in agony. He looked over his shoulder to see Merrin with a knife embedded in the back of the wax doll she carried. "You feel pain, Dooku? What you feel is a shadow of the pain you have inflicted on my sisters," bearing her teeth at the bloodied, broken Sith Lord, Merrin twisted her knife into the doll and Dooku's cries intensified. "Did you think your massacre would go without repercussion?" She then drove the knife so deep into the back of the doll that Dooku was now crippled, he could no longer walk.

"Mother. Hear me," Merrin suddenly summoned Mother Talzin. "The murderer had been brought to his knees." The spirit of Talzin soon appeared and all the Nightbrothers, including Maul and his brothers, bowed their heads at the witch mother.

"Count Dooku," Talzin sneered before smiling wickedly. "You should've known better than to pick a fight with witches. Now, your life will end here." Looking at all three of her sons, Talzin gave them a firm nod. "Kill him, my sons. Rid the galaxy of his foulness."

"With pleasure,"

The brother trio then drained Dooku of his life essence. Constricted in magical ichor, Dooku was being drained of his power and life, which was feeding the brothers and amplifying their powers. Soon, Dooku became a twisted, hollowed husk as he fell back, dead.

Turning to Feral, Maul gave him a nod. "Gather his head," he then looked to the other Nightbrothers. "The Separatist leaders are here somewhere. Find them, and bring them to me." Bowing their heads, they went in search of the leaders of the Confederacy.

Merrin stood over the now headless corpse of Dooku and spat on it before looking at Maul. "What will you do with that?" Referring to the dead Count of Serenno's head, the Nightsister awaited Maul's response.

"You shall see, Sister Merrin," he said before heading outside.

Maul was greeted by Rook Kast and the rest of the Collective ground forces, despite overwhelming odds, they had held off the droid armies. Their forces in space reported that the droid fleet had withdrawn from the system moments ago, the only forces here were those of the Shadow Collective. They had won the day.

As the weight of this achievement comes to Maul in full force, he looks up to the sky and then into the helmed vizors of his Super Commandos, searing his eyes with the light of the burning flames of droids and their destroyed carriers. Briefly meeting Savage and Feral's gaze, who no doubt felt the monster from within writhing within Maul. To the people of Serenno, the planet was orbiting as it always did, but in truth, it had been disturbed, tugged by black forces into an estranged alignment. In his gut, the monster that had been within Maul when he was still Sidious' apprentice was returning, emerging once more from the darkest depths of Maul and changing him from within fundamentally. The dark side of the Force had sunk its claws into him, fully claiming him as its own, making Maul breathless from both the exertion and the overwhelming surge of power. He had a choice: renounce the monster that threatened to consume him entirely and walk a path where the Sith are no more or surrender himself completely to the dark side and reclaim the destiny he was robbed of after his defeat on Naboo so long ago.

Maul allowed the monster within him to writhe, destroying what was weak and old as he held the Darksaber aloft in victory and looked to his loyal Mandalorians and Collective armies, and fellow Dathomirians as someone new, or rather someone reborn.

"The Sith pretender, Dooku, and his mechanical monstrosity are no more. With their deaths at the hands of my brothers and me, the title of Dark Lord of the Sith belongs to me! I am Darth Maul, once more!" Grinning with glee, Maul gave his followers a rousing speech. "With their deaths, we shall usher in a new era; an era of conquest, prosperity, and unity! From the fires of this crucible, The Shadow Collective is no more, and in its place, Crimson Dawn is born! The galaxy is entering a new era! An era of domination! A time for the Sith and Mandalorians to reign! With Crimson Dawn leading the criminal underworld into an age of prosperity, the resurrection of the Mandalorian-Sith Empire will cleanse this galaxy in fire and blood so that we will rule unchallenged!" Grinning, Maul then pounded his fist against his chest. "We will see our numbers grow as vast as the stars and bring an end to not only the Confederacy of Independent Systems but the Republic, the Jedi, and their slave army, we will await the dawn as we fight to gain total victory, with me, Darth Maul and my brothers Savage and Feral leading you to victory!"

The Mandalorians roared in elation, hailing Maul as Mand'alor the Vengeful. A title unclaimed for centuries, a title reserved for the greatest warrior in the galaxy, a warrior worthy to lead the Mandalorians. The criminal mercenaries and the militia forces serving Crimson Dawn also celebrated in this monumental victory, by playing a role in the end of Count Dooku and General Grievous, they had done what the Jedi and Republic had failed to do.

"I offer you the riches and wealth within Dooku's palace, as tribute," Maul nodded to his syndicate allies. "Go. Take whatever you desire as payment and see to it that you use these riches to invest in your respective syndicates, making them all the more powerful." Not needing to be told twice, the syndicate mercenaries and their leaders began to pillage Dooku's palace of everything value.

"Lord Maul!"

Turning around, the red-skinned Zabrak saw his Nightbrothers bringing out the Separatist leaders. Maul then turned his intense gaze to the shocked Separatist leaders. The scent of their fear was intoxicating, and Maul approached them, both his crimson blade and the Darksaber in his hands as he then looked to Wat Tambor of the Techno Union. "Tell me, with Dooku and Grievous dead. Who do you serve?" The Skakoan couldn't speak, still in shock at the grotesque display he and the others had seen in Dooku's palace. "Who. Do. You. Serve?" He repeated firmly, lifting the Darksaber to the trembling Skakoan's face.

Adjusting the switches on his plated chest, Tambor replied. "We serve each other," gesturing to the Separatist leaders around him, he continued. "And we serve not only our interests but the interests of the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

Laughing, Maul shook his head. "No longer. You serve me and Crimson Dawn. If you wish to prolong your lives, you will serve or you join Dooku and Grievous in death,"

"Never!" Nute Gunray barked out boldly. "We will never serve animals like you."

Savage and Feral bore their teeth, but Maul held them back. "Is this how you all feel?" Eyeing the other Separatist leaders intensely, Maul gestured inside the palace. "You would sooner die than admit my superiority?" The Separatists stood firm, they had made their decision. "Hmmm. Unfortunate." He then nodded to his brothers who smirked as they ignited their lightsabers and began to slaughter the Separatist leaders like animals. While his brothers were killing Dooku's supporters, Maul had his men open the HoloNet and deliver a message that the entire galaxy would see. Before delivering his message, the leader of Crimson Dawn would have Merrin Fetch him the preserved head of Palpatine, and he then had Savage go back to the palace to fetch the head of General Grievous. Each Sith Lord now had the heads of their greatest challenges and would present them to the galaxy, delivering a strong message.

"People of the galaxy, I am Darth Maul, Dark Lord of the Sith. You have all been deceived. In the Clone Wars, all the death and suffering you have seen and endured was caused by one man who has been in control of everything. To the Confederacy, that man was Lord Sidious. To the Republic, that man is Sheev Palpatine..." presenting the severed head of his former master's head, the new Dark Lord bore his teeth, "...all of this needless slaughter and death has been because of this one man who has played you all for fools. Sheev Palpatine, formerly Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, has started this war so that he could ultimately rule the galaxy unchallenged and unrivaled." Savage and Feral soon presented the heads of Count Dooku and General Grievous. "We have done what the Jedi Order and the Republic was too weak to do. With their deaths, the Separatist Alliance has suffered a fatal blow, and without Sidious manipulating both sides of this war as Chancellor of the Republic, the fools of Coruscant will squabble and eat each other alive to elect a strong leader to lead them out of the dark." Tossing his old master's head aside, Maul addressed the galaxy. "I welcome all who long for conquest, freedom from inhibition, and the right to follow their passions— warriors, bounty hunters, and even Jedi who believe your "righteous" order has lost its way. Darth Sidious is gone, his power and resources are mine. We will conquer the galaxy while enemies drown in rivers of their blood."

As Darth Maul's message was transmitted across the known galaxy, used his power to touch the dark side at its purest, Maul touched the minds of every being who followed the ways of the Sith and the dark side, informing such practitioners that he was the Dark Lord of the Sith, and he demanded their loyalty or they would be destroyed.

Drunk with power and euphoria, Maul looked to the skies which bore his his Sith flagship and Crimson Dawn forces to help offload the vast wealth Count Dooku stored in his palace. With the Sidious and Dooku dead, the Rule of Two had died with them. Now, the Rule of Blood would be enforced. A Sith of the same bloodline could rule and those who wish to become Sith themselves would need to pledge unquestioning loyalty to that bloodline or suffer their wrath.

Maul would ensure his bloodline reigned for eternity as he would finally exact his revenge on the Jedi and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Finally, the destiny he had been robbed of was now his.

(Coruscant)

Chaos began to reign supreme on the Republic homeworld, the grotesque and strong message that Maul had delivered shook the people to their core and they feared what the future had in store. Within the Senate Building, it was a blur of shouts and disorder as the senators demanded to know what measures Chancellor Amidala would take in response to this threat.

Mas Amedda and Sly Moore are strangely absent during this...

Within the Jedi Temple, the Council was beyond shocked as Darth Maul's message was transmitted to the Council Chambers. This changed everything. With the Separatist leadership dead and the Sith Lord they had been looking for, who was Sheev Palpatine dead, securing peace between the Separatist Council was of the utmost importance to prevent renegade warlords still loyal to Dooku would attempting to prolong the war. Not only was this a high priority, but also apprehending Darth Maul and his brothers.

The Jedi knew they had made grave mistakes, and now, a mere tip on the scale could mean bringing the galaxy to peace or destruction. And so the Jedi Order moved swiftly to secure the future of the galaxy and ensure that the oppression of the Sith would never return.

(Mustafar)

A Republic shuttle touched down on a secret facility that had once been used by the late Darth Sidious, this facility was one to take Force-sensitive children and train them to become members of the future Inquisitorious. Mas Amedda and Sly Moore disembarked from the shuttle and were greeted by one of Palpatine's long-time confidants, Sate Pestsge. Without having to say a word to each other, the trio made their way inside the facility to enact a secret and dark operation on behalf of their dead master.

Palpatine was no fool, he had rigged the entire galaxy in his favor, and had plans in place for every outcome; constantly changing his plans to suit his needs. In the event of the unlikelihood of his death during the Clone Wars, Palpatine's orders were explicitly clear, if Darth Sidious could not have the galaxy, then none could have the galaxy.

Mas Amedda, Sly Moore, and Sate Pestage would obey their master's commands to the letter. They would enact the contingency Sidious had set in place in an event such as this— Operation: Armageddon. This contingency would be threefold, it would begin with Order 65: In the event of either a majority in the Senate declaring the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) to be unfit to issue orders, or the Security Council declaring him or her to be unfit to issue orders, and an authenticated order being received by the GAR, commanders shall be authorized to detain the Supreme Commander, with lethal force if necessary, and command of the GAR shall fall to the acting Chancellor until a successor is appointed or alternative authority identified as outlined in Section 6. Order 66 would also be enacted, as the clones would dethrone Chancellor Amidala and the Galactic Senate from power, they would execute the Jedi whether they were on Coruscant or every active or inactive battlefront across the galaxy for high treason. Finally, on every Confederate world and fleet, an encoded signal would be activated and the droid army programming would turn, they would be ordered to enact control and martial law on every planet that they captured, Republic or Separatist. And to supersede the order, they would turn on their organic Separatist leaders whether they were commanders, senators, or loyalists to Count Dooku, and slaughter any who defied them, causing chaos and death on an unimaginable scale.

With Sidious in control of the war, there was controlled chaos. But with the puppeteer now removed, and Darth Maul taking his place as Darth Lord of the Sith, there would be uncontrolled chaos. And it would start with Operation Armageddon.

Anarchy would rule supreme.

And in the end, the will of Darth Sidious would be done.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll catch you all in the next chapter!