Hey folks, Grubkiller here.

Just wanted to let you'll know that I'll be re-writing this story.

I'm going to add Darth Maul and the Republic into the story. I'm also going to move this story into the Clone Wars fan fiction archive instead of the Star Wars archive.

This story isn't going to be deleted. It's just going to be rewritten and edited. I'm also going to remove Barriss Offee, for timeline purposes. This story is going to take place before the story she gets freed from prison.

Anyway, thanks for your understanding.

And I hope that you enjoy the rewrite.

Disclaimer: I do not own Clone Wars. So please, don't sue me.

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Clone Wars theme plays.

INTO THE ABYSS! DARTH MAUL HAS CONSTRUCTED A VAST CRIMINAL SYNDICATE KNOWN AS THE SHADOW COLLECTIVE, GATHERING THE GALAXY'S MOST FEARED CRIME LORDS. THE BLACK SUN, THE PYKES, AND EVEN THE MIGHTY HUTTS HAVE ALL FALLEN IN LINE BEHIND THE DARK WARRIOR.

BUILDING A BASE OF OPERATIONS ON THE CORRUPT PLANET OF MANDALORE, MAUL PLOTTED REVENGE AGAINST HIS MANY ENEMIES. BUT MAUL'S LUST FOR POWER AND CONQUEST HAS DRAWN A GREAT ENEMY UPON HIM—HIS FORMER MASTER, DARTH SIDIOUS.

JUDGING MAUL A THREAT TO HIS OWN DESIGNS, SIDIOUS DEFEATED HIS FORMER APPRENTICE, RUTHLESSLY MURDERING MAUL'S BROTHER SAVAGE OPRESS AND LEAVING MAUL BEATEN BUT, CURIOUSLY, STILL ALIVE…

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Undisclosed location in the Outer Rim.

Stygeon Prime.

An mountainous ice planet out in the middle of no where, it was home to a large spire, which served as a prison. Heavily guarded by the Separatist Droid Army, it was known only to a few.

As a heavy blizzard blew snow across the surface, deep inside the gray metal corridors of the Spire, a pair of Super Battle Droids stood guard outside one of the many prison cells. In that same cell, a hooded figure was interrogating a red and black Zabrak, who was suspended by an energy field.

The prisoner panted, as if he was struggling to breath. Then he spoke in a strained, yet visibly enraged, voice.

"It would be wise to kill me," he growled.

The hooded figure merely sneered in response. "Do not mistake the fact that I have allowed you to live for compassion, my former apprentice," Sidious said.

"There is a purpose for everything in the galaxy..." Maul said, "...and a way to destroy it."

Darth Sidious began to chuckle in a low, yet maniacal tone as he placed his hands together. "I see you remember your lessons." He said, somewhat impressed, and amused at the same time.

That's when he felt a familiar presence approaching, just before the door opened with a hiss. None other than Count Dooku walked through the door, who gave a slight bow of his head in the presence of Darth Sidious.

"You summoned me, Master?" He asked.

"Ah, yes. Heheheheh, my Appreantice," he said, making sure to emphasize that little detail right in front of Dooku's captive predecessor. "Come, Count Dooku - Let us leave here. We have much to discuss," he said, turning is back on Maul to leave the cell, with Dooku close behind.

Just before the door to the cell closed, Maul watched them leave, his orange eyes filled with rage and hatred.

"Dooku..."

Darth Sidous and Count Dooku walked through the corridors of the prison, where they carried their conversation with them.

"There are many forces poised against us. To ensure our complete and total victory, we must root out and destroy all of our enemies." Sidious said.

Dooku was somewhat puzzled by what his master was suggesting. "You speak of enemies other than the Jedi?"

Sidious looked off to the side to look at his apprentice. "I speak of that Dathomir Witch - Mother Talzin," he said.

Dooku arched one eyebrow over the other. A sign that he was definitely taken aback. "The reports from General Grievous suggests that she was killed when he invaded Dathomir." He explained, pointing out the hole that he thought he discovered in his master's logic.

"The fact that Maul lives is proof enough that he failed to kill her," Darth Sidious shot back. "My history with the Dathomir witches goes back further than you know." He said, before he started to think back to when Sidious and Talzin first met, when Maul was a child. Darth Plageius, Sidious' master, was actually still alive back then. "Maul came to me as a child - a not-so-appreciated gift from Mother Talzin." Her spite for me runs deep..." Sidious said as the door in front of them opened up. Cold wind blew into the door, hitting their faces with a bitter chill as they walked out onto the landing pad, where a shuttle was docked, guarded by battle droids. "...and the time has come for me to deal with her."

"What would you have me do?" Dooku asked as they walked towards the shuttle.

"Maul has used the underworld to form a base of power. Find out what you can. In the end, we shall use Maul to lead us to Talzin." he said as he walked up the ramp, while Dooku stayed on the pad.

"Why not simply send our armies to Dathomir?" He asked.

Sidious stopped when he was halfway up the ramp, and turned his head over his shoulder to look at his apprentice. "Because such methods cannot defeat a witch that powerful. She must be coaxed into the light, before she is permanently snuffed out."

Dooku nodded his head and bowed it slightly, as Sidious walked onto the ship as it was taking off, leaving the Count to stay behind and carry out his master's will.

On the other side of the prison, a pair of commando droids stood guard on an icy balcony, looking out over the mountainous surface before them. The wind continued to hwl, as snow was blown past them, greatly obscuring their field of vision.

They were completely oblivious to what was happening behind them. A pair of hands reached up behind one droid, before grabbing his neck. The droid's head was ripped out of its sockets, causing wires to swing and sparks to spit out everywhere.

The other droid looked behind him to see a Mandalorian warrior, with red and black armor and with horns on top of his helmet, holding the head of his dead counterpart. He raised his rifle to deal with this new threat, only to be kicked over the icy railing by a second mandalorian, a petite female with burgundy armor, and sent to plummet to the snow covered rocks below.

When the coast was clear, one of the warrior's comm device start to blink and chirp. The male warrior with the horned helmet reached for his device and answered it. A hologram of a blond-haired man emitted from the small holo-projector.

"Commander Saxon. What is your status?" The man asked.

"We tracked the ship carrying Maul to Stygeon. Our scans show that he's being held on level seven." The Mandalorian said.

"Proceed with your extraction. Once you have him, rendezvous with our forces on Zanbar." The holographic figure ordered.

"It shall be done," Saxon said before he cut the transmission, and put his comm device away. Then the two super commandoes proceeded with their rescue mission.

Back inside the spire, in maul's cell, Dooku was interrogating his disgraced predecessor.

"The Hutts have abandoned you, but Black Sun and the Pykes remain loyal," Dooku said, "I want your resources and your sway over the black market."

But Maul didn't answer. He merely deflected the question by asking his own, in a weak and strained voice. "You are Dooku - the Jedi betrayer? I have heard much about you since my rebirth..." he said, "I expected more."

Dooku scowled at Maul, somewhat insulted, but he continued the interrogation. "I'll ask this only once. Give me the names of your underworld leaders and the locations of your Shadow Collective bases."

"Never," Maul hissed. That's when Dooku unleashed a arc of blue Sith lightning on Maul, enveloping him in pain that that made him scream in agony. "NNNGGGAAARRRRGH!"

When Dooku stopped, Maul began to pant heavily. Smoke poured off of his skin from being burned.

"Know that there is nothing that you possess that I cannot take away," Dooku said before he turned away to walk out the door, "I hope our next conversation will be more fruitful."

The door closed behind Dooku, leaving Maul to skulk away in his hopelessness.

Deep inside the fortress, Gar Saxon and Rook Kast were setting charges on one of the power generators on level three.

"Charges planeted," Kast said as she tapped a few keys on her wrist device, linking into the bomb she placed.

Saxon stood behind a wall with her. "Then light 'em up, Kast." He ordered.

She nodded before pressing the detonation key.

The bombs they placed started to beep rapidly. A couple battle droids walked up to them to investigate. They looked at each other, confused. That's when the charges went off, causing the generator, and the two droids, to explode.

All across level three, lights and circuits dimmed out, and the locks on several prison cells deactivated. Cell doors opened, and dozens of prisoners rushed out of their cells, overwhelming the droid guards, who fought desperately to contain the ensuing riot.

"Surrender, prisoners. By order of the Separatist Alliance, you are to return to your cells immediat-LLLEEEEEE!" The droid whined as his head was ripped off by one of the prisoners, who grabbed his rifle and joined the other prisoners in their riot.

The two mandalorians had their distraction. It was now on to level seven.

Count Dooku was in the command center when he heard a boom that rumbled throughout the facility, causing the floor to vibrate beneath his feet. He turned to one of the Droids in the room with him.

"Status Report!"

"Some kind of explosion on level three, Sir," a security droid said, "Alerting security and dispatching a fire crew now!"

"Sir," another droid called out, "Prisoners are escaping from the detention block in that same sector. I'll alert an additional security team." The droid finished as an alarm started to sound all throughout the facility.

As more droids scrambled to their stations, Dooku felt suspicion come over him. "Level three?" he asked, "Hmm. Send a group of Destroyer droids to level seven as well." he ordered, causing the droid officer to snap off a salute before he rushed to relay the Count's order, "If someone is attempting to infiltrate this prison, I have a feeling that's where their real real target lies".

As riot droids moved throughout level three, and locked down the surrounding sectors, they executed any prisoner that refused to return to their cells.

But level seven was where the real action was. Four Destroyer droids rolled out of the corner and unfolded in front of Maul's cell. A group of Super Battle Droids brought up the rear.

They stood guard, waiting for their prey to come to them.

Suddenly, a pair of bolas flew out of no where, before the balls opened up, unleashing a score of small EMP pellets, which fried the circuits of the SBDs, who collapsed to their knees and deactivated.

But the destroyers, being shielded, were unaffected, and began to turn towards the source of the bolas, which was a pair of Mandalorian super commandoes, who charged at them

"Your turn Kast. Take 'em down!" Saxon ordered.

Kast pressed a button on her wrist device, before she bent over. A small rocket launched from her jetpack and flew towards the floor beneath the four destroyers. They all exploded before they even had a chance to fire on the two commandoes.

Saxon rush up to the cell door. He ripped the panel off and then ripped a handful of wires out. Then the door opened. He walked in and fired on the gravity generator that created the field that suspended Maul, who fell to the ground on his knees when he landed.

The commander bent down to help him to his feet.

"Lord Maul, we're going to get you out of here. Can you walk?" Saxon asked.

"I have become indifferent to pain," Maul said as he brushed Saxon away, and got up on his own.

"Droids, incoming!" Last called out, before she began to open fire with her dual pistols on the incoming droids, who fired back. She ducked back inside the cell to avoid getting hit. "They'e still down the corridor."

"Then we have time," Saxon said before he fired down the other end of the corridor, to keep another group of droids distracted.

Maul ran out of the cell, but stayed in cover to avoid the crossfire from the two groups of SBDs and commando droids. "This was your plan?!" He asked.

"You might want to step back, Lord Maul," Saxon said before he bent over and fired his jetpack's missile at the wall.

THOOM!

The ensuing explosion blew out the wall, creating a hole for them to escape through. Saxon looked at a surprised Maul, and pointed to the hole he just made. "This was our plan." he said.

Rook Kast was aiming her pistols down either end of the corridor and firing away at the droids. Then she turned around and pointed her wrist into the fog covered surface and fired a cable with a hook at the end. When the hook disappeared into the fog below, before she detached the cable from her wrist and attached it to the ceiling above her.

Saxon tossed Maul his rifle, who used it to rappel down the cable, while the two commandoes jumped out of the hole and activated their jetpacks midair to rocket off into the fog below.

Back in the tower, the droids looked down into the fog, not knowing what they should do next.

"Should we follow them?" An SBD asked.

The droids all answered.

"Negative."

"Negative."

"Negative."

"Definitely negative."

Suddenly, they heard the whine of an engine. Then they all saw an orange glow appear in the blizzard. When it got closer, they saw what appeared to be a Mandalorian gauntlet fighter. It hovered in front of the droids, who were all suddenly doused in a bright light that came from the fight. They then saw a pair of cannons arm themselves.

"Uh-oh." One of the droids said.

That's when the Mandalorian ship unleashed a barrage of blaster fire that wiped out the corridor and everyone in it. When it was done, the ship's wings downward until they pointed forward, and then the ship flew off into the atmosphere, leaving the frozen hellhole behind.

A single droid, missing an arm and both legs, and sparking badly, reached for his comm.

"Um... bzzk," the droid said before he spoke in a staticky voice, "...it looks like the prisoner has... 'BZZK'... escaped, Sir."

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Later, aboard a Separatist Dreadnought, Grievous' flagship.

Hyperspace.

An alternate dimension that could only be reached by traveling at or faster than the speed of light. Hyperdrives enabled starships to travel through hyperspace lanes across great distances, enabling travel and exploration throughout the galaxy.

At this moment, a Separatist fleet, consisting of Munificent-class star frigates, Recusant-class destroyers, and DH-Omni Support ships, were traveling through the blue tunnel of hyperspace, led by a Providence-class dreadnought, which served as the flagship for the dreaded commander of the droid army: General Grievous.

On the bridge of his flagship, Invisible Hand, the General was conversing with a hologram of his master Count Dooku.

"Maul's ships has been tracked to the planet Zanbar..." the hologram of Dooku said, "...Direct your fleet there and engage him. He's had time to marshal his forces, so be ready."

Sitting in his command chair, the cyborg warrior leaned forward in his seat and groaned before he spoke. "You should have killed Maul when you had him in your custody. I told you, he was too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Do not question the plans of my master," Dooku shot back, raising his voice, "Remember - you must hurt Maul, but not destroy him. Weaken his forces, injure his pride."

Grivous waved his hand, gesturing to his tactical droid to direct the fleet to Zanbar, before he continued speaking with Dooku. "What then, my lord?" Grievous asked.

"Then he will do what any child would. He will cry for help".

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Shadow Collective base, Zanbar.

Zanbar.

A temperate world covered in swampy vegetation and rocky plateaus. It's been used by the Mandalorian terrorist group known as Death Watch for years, used to launch terror attacks on worlds in nearby Mandalorian space. Then it became the birthplace for Darth Maul's criminal syndicate, the Shadow Collective.

So it was the logical next stop for Darth maul after his escape.

After touching down, Maul and his two rescuers walked off of the ship to meet with his warriors, before Commander Saxon presented Maul with a transmission from Mandalore. It was Prime Minister Almec, the corrupt man who Maul chose to lead his puppet regime from Sun'dari.

"Prime Minister Almec." Maul said, somewhat surprised. "I have you to thank for securing my rescue?"

"You released me from prison, Lord Maul. I am simply returning the favor." Almec said, as Gar Saxon reached for an object on his belt and handed it to Maul. "We recovered the Dark Saber from the palace grounds after your capture on Mandalore."

Maul reached for the saber.

The Darksaber was an ancient and unique black-bladed lightsaber created by a man named Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order, over a thousand years ago. The weapon was kept in the Jedi Temple after Vizsla's passing, but members of House Vizsla stole the saber in a conflict with the Jedi and the Republic The Darksaber was passed down, generation to generation, by the Vizsla family, who held onto the weapon even after the pacifist ideals of the New Mandalorians replaced the warrior ways of Mandalore. The saber eventually made its way into the hands of Pre Visla, the leader of Death Watch, ho held it until his fall at the hands of Maul.

"The Hutts may have left you, but Black Sun and the Pykes still remain loyal - as do we," Almec said, "What is your command, Lord Maul?"

Maul ignited the saber and raised it above his head for all to see.

"The war that you have waited your entire lives for is upon us, my brothers! Victory or Death!" He called out.

The assembled warriors raised their fists in the air and started chanting.

"VICTORY OR DEATH!"

"VICTORY OR DEATH!"

"VICTORY OR DEATH!"

Maul smiled. But then he heard a low rumbling noise boom out across the sky. He turned around and looked up, and could see a score of Separatist warships in the low atmosphere above. Red flashes dotted their hulls, and then hundreds of red lasers flew out of the sky, before slamming into the ground.

"We're under attack!" Rook Kast shouted, "Take cover!"

As warriors ducked for cover, Maul simply stood where he was and looked up at the sky, unamused.

Massive explosions blossomed across the surrounding terrain, causing massive fires and columns of smoke to ravage the swamp. Thousands of birds and animals ran away, trying to avoid the flames. More Separatist cannon lasts slammed into the camp itself, destroying several structures, and vaporing dozens of Mandalorian warriors.

When the bombardment finally subsided, and warriors began to pick through the debris and gather the wounded, Rook Kast ran up to Maul.

"Lord Maul. The Separatist have stopped firing, but they're sending dropships to the surface. They'll be hitting any minute." She warned.

Maul turned to her. "Unleash the might of the Shadow Collective upon them!" He ordered, clenching his fists in anger at what the Confederacy just did to his camp.

Rook nodded and ran off to relay the order.

Moments later several Anti-aircraft guns opened fired, unleashing a deadly barrage that blasted several droid fighters out of the sky. A few fighters crashed into one of the 'H'-shaped landing ships, depleting its shields. The Shadow Collective cannons that fired on this unshielded drop-ship and damaged it severely. One of its wings was sheered off by the heavy cannon blasts, causing it to lose balance and spin out of control, before crashing into the swampy surface, causing a powerful explosion.

But the other dropships, having shields, brushed off the blasts like they were nothing, before they pushed on to continue the assault.

Separatist Landing craft, en route to the surface.

Aboard the lead dropship, A super tactical droid named They-Zuka spoke to Grievous.

"The Mandalorians' heavy firepower is causing minor casualties, but they won't be enough to repel the rest of our forces." The droid informed.

"Good. Press the attack and deploy our infantry..." Grievous said, before he leaned over and raised a finger to emphasize his next point, "every last soldier."

Tey-Zuka nodded.

Grievous continued.

"We are not fighting clones this time. These are Mandalorian Warriors. Send in everything we have and let us hope that will be enough, because I can calculate with certainty, based on experience, the odds are stacked against us."

The tactical droid nodded and went to relay the orders.

Grievous leaned back and watched the holo-screen in front of him, just in time to see the first transports landing, deploying the first waves of droids to the surface.

Shadow Collective base.

The droid forces blasted their way through the wall protecting the camp's perimeter, allowing their forces to pour through the gap. droids marched out of the smoke and flames, and came face to face with Maul and his warriors.

Some used their rocket packs to fly over and strafe the droid ranks with blaster and rocket fire.

Others simply stayed on the ground to meet the droid face to face.

Maul was at the front lines in the center of it all, leading his warriors to victory. As the droids and Mandalorians blasted away at each other, Maul charged at the droids, deflecting a storm of fire from a group of destroyer droids. When he was close enough, he jumped high up into the air, over the arcs of fire that were being sent his way. Then he landed in the middle of a large gathering of droids. They were all surprised, and tried to turn around to fire on Maul. But it was too late. Using the force, he unleashed an energy blast that sent all the droids around him flying in all directions. Then he slashed away at the other droids around him, making short work of them with the Darksaber.

As he continued hacking the limbs off of any droid that got in his way, the wind kicked up around him, and he could here the whine of a large engine hovering nearby. After cutting through an SBD, he looked up and saw another CIS dropship. This was one was carrying his latest adversary.

"Maul!" Grievous called out from an open hatch on the dropship, "Your end is at hand."

Maul took up a defensive stance and prepared for what happened next.

Grievous gestured to his electro-staff wielding bodyguards. "Go soften him up a bit."

The guards did as they were ordered and jumped down, surrounding Maul, before they engaged him with their crackling energy staffs. They swung their staffs and clashed with the Zabrak's sword. Maul in turn began to parry their strikes, using the aggressive form VII fighting style to defend himself, while also lash out violently.

But despite his skill, this was far from an easy fight.

But it may still be a short one.

All across the camp, Mandalorian warriors continued to struggle against the droid army. Death Watch warriors continued to fly over the field, using their arsenal of weaponry to attack the droids.

Some used flamethrowers to burn out their circuits, while others used their rocket packs to launch missiles, wiping out more droids, and even taking out vulture droids. Others used their vambraces to deploy sonic blasts that blasted droids to the ground, and some even used their grappling hooks to string up the droids and trip them.

But alas, despite their valiant efforts, Death Watch was being overrun. The never-ending ranks of the droid army continued to pour through the camp, isolating scattered warriors, overwhelming them, and then finally executing them.

One Mandalorian warrior, who had spikes on his helmet, was using his blaster rifle to cut down any droid that he came across. He caught a glimpse of Lord Maul, fighting for his life against several magna-guards.

"You cowards!" He called out, before he started charging and blasting his way through several droids. But then he heard a massive thus behind him, followed by the clanking of mechanical limbs. He turned around and saw what looked to be a metal skelaton, who began to laugh maniacally.

Maul used the force to push one guard back, causing him to slide across the ground. Then, two of the other guards tried to attack him from behind. Maul ducked underneath their blows and slashed his blade through both of their torsos. The forth droid raised his staff over his head and tried to slam it down on top of Maul. But the Zabrak Sith sensed this and force jumped and flipped backwards over the droid, as he landed, he slashed his blade straight down the middle of the droid, cutting him cleanly in two.

As he stood over the destroyed guards, he growled when he saw a familiar figure entering the battle.

The Mandalorian commando continued to fire, trying to tag Grievous with a bolt of plasma. But Grievous continued to dodge the blasts.

"Too afraid to meet me face to face?" The warrior asked in a taunting manner, as Grievous continued to dodge his bolts.

Bu then the General started to zigzag towards the warrior, and when he was close enough, he activated a pair of lightsabers, through the warrior's torso. As the warrior's organs were cut open and cooked, Grievous leaned into the trooper's face. "We can do it this way, if that's what you desire," he said, relishing in this moment.

"Grievous!" He heard someone shout from behind him.

The General turned over his shoulder and saw Maul jumping towards him. He pulled his blades out of the dead trooper and raised them, just in time to protect himself while also catching Maul in a saber lock.

The two warriors stared at each other, past their blades, a look of anger adorning Maul's face.

"I'm more than a match for you!" Maul said.

"Your efforts are useless!" Grievous taunted, "Your army is skilled, but mine is unending." The General then delivered a well placed kick underneath Maul's defenses, kicking him several feet across the ground. When Maul got back up, Grievous gestured to the battle around him. "Look around. Your Mandalorians have been crushed!" Maul looked around, and all he saw were his warriors faltering and being overrun. Those who still fought were gunned down. Wounded warriors who tried to surrender were executed on the spot. "Only my droids remain now. Your battle is already lost!"

"AAARRAAGGHH!" Maul screamed out, frustrated as he looked around at the carnage his enemies have unleashed. Then he heard the sounds of loud rumbling engines. He looked off into the distance, and saw several gray and blue mandalorian bombers approaching, including his red and black one named the Nightbrother. He felt relieved by the sight... but just barely. Then he turned back to Grievous. "We're not finished yet," he said, pointing to his bombers, "My gauntlet fighters have yet to enter the fight."

The Mandalorian bombers flew low over the embattled camp, which was crawling with droids, and dropped their payload. A series of explosions ripped through the droid forces and the camp itself. Several dropships and landing craft were wiped out by the carpet bombing.

Grievous growled as he witnessed the destruction of his ground forces. Then he turned to Maul, split his arms apart, and activated another pair of lightsabers. Maul assumed a defensive stance and prepared to defend himself. That's when two of Grievous' hands started to rapidly rotate, causing the sabers to spin around like blue and green propellers. Maul, being taken aback by this new ability of Grievous', began to inch away. Grievous bagan to laugh maniacally, as his Zabrak opponent began to back away.

"It will be nice to add such a rare lightsaber to my collection," he said of sound of his spinning sabers.

But before he could get close enough to Maul, a red painted guantlet fighter hovered above the ground being Maul. Grievous was surprised by this. Even more so when the ramp opened up and Maul jumped back, boarding the Nightbrother.

"Ha! Not this time, Grievous!" Maul said, before the ship took off. He turned around and walked up not the ship, walking passed Rook Kast.

"Lord Maul - I was afraid we'd lost you," she said, matter of factly.

Maul just waved her off and stormed off, deeper into the ship. "Take us away from here, Kast." He ordered, causing her to run off and carry out his order, "I can no longer stomach the sight of it," he said before the ramp closed after he took one last look at the battlefield.

Then the ship rose above the columns of dark smoke, before rocketing off into orbit, leaving this horrible defeat behind.

Former Shadow Collective camp.

In the aftermath of the battle, amidst the smoking remains of both armies, Grievous was holding a hologram of his master, Count Dooku.

"I have done as you asked," Grievous reported, "I have made Maul bleed. He and his forces are now on the run."

"What were his losses?" Dooku asked.

"Extensive." Grievous said as he looked around at the Mandalorian corpses that littered the ground, and at the destroyed buildings. Then he look over at the piles of dead droids that sparked and smoked. "But in truth, I had all but exhausted my own forces as well."

"Acceptable losses, General. You have done well." Dooku congratulated, "Maul will believe that we are attempting to destroy his power base, and disrupt his syndicate. He must not discover our true intentions."

"The witch, Talzin?" Grievous asked.

"Yes," Dooku confirmed, "My master feels that these attacks will draw her out into the open."

"Why would she risk herself so?" Grievous asked, demanding answers, "What value does Maul hold for her?"

"All in good time, General," Dooku answered. "You will see, all in good time."

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Well folks, that was part 1 of this re-written version of Clash of the Sith Lords.

Chapter 2 will be up soon, so keep an eye out for it. This might become rated M for some sensual moments later on.

Until next time as always, this is Grubkiller, over and out.