There's a lot of exposition in this chapter and I apologize for that.

But I might as well get as much of it as I can out of the way now.

I don't own Star Wars, Mass Effect or Halo.

Darth Maul had plans for his conquest of the multiverse: having gained the allegiance of Death Watch, Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate and the Zann Consortium through a series of threats and well-placed decapitations, the young Sith Lord was well on his way to becoming the ruler of the criminal underworld.

There had been some setbacks, of course. Being manipulated into reviving the Gravemind from his defeat at the hands of the Republic and the Separatists and then being forced to serve that monster, had not been a part of Maul's plan. But if Sidious could adapt his plans to changing situations, so could his former apprentice. The Shadow Collective had prepared dozens of planet-killer weapons and hidden them inside multiple Brethren Moons. During a crucial battle between the Moons and the Republic and the Separatists, the Collective set them off, severely hurting (but not crippling) the Gravemind`s ability to wage war and allowing them to flee.

This had critical benefits for the Sith Lord: Not only did they force the two intergalactic superpowers to leave them be and focus on the larger threat, not only did this act gain him considerable clout in the criminal underworld, and not only did they escape into IDA territory, but Maul had outsmarted the Gravemind in the process. It was beautiful: the Gravemind had been aware of Maul`s traitorous intent since it began, but the Sith Lord had known about that and therefore passed up several ample opportunities to make a move.

Instead, the Shadow Collective had struck after the Gravemind had recovered the capsule he had launched through time that contained pure Flood spores. Thanks to this, the Gravemind's attention was diverted into breeding the Flood back to a sufficient size and keeping that little project a secret from the rest of the Multiverse.

And because his plan had been so perfectly executed, it meant that the Gravemind`s focus was elsewhere, while the Shadow Collective was free to operate unhindered from behind the scenes. Maul's actions had revealed the Flood's return before they were ready, shifting attention away from him, and forcing the superpowers to concentrate on the Gravemind.

However, he still needed allies and territory (if for no other reason than to force them between him, Savage and the Flood) and the best place to find both was in the Terminus Systems. He had contacted Aria T`Loak, the ruler of the trade capital of the Terminus Systems to discuss an alliance between the two crime lords, one that he would prefer to gain with little bloodshed.

This was not out of any sense of morality or decency, as Maul was above such concepts, but rather pure pragmatism: Omega was known to have a lawless population, but Aria was known as the ruler who could best keep the people in line. If she died or abdicated, Omega would be thrown into chaos, and any military force would be hard-pressed to regain the balance of power. The Shadow Collective could do it given time, but that would be a waste of effort and material, when he could simply have the her on his side.

That was why he had agreed to meet her on her station. Maul knew he needed to make a decent impression and argument to get her support, but things got to a head in the negotiations, when she mentioned his involvement with the Flood.

It was those the eyes that unnerved her the most about him. Through her long life, Aria T`Loak had met individuals of many different species, but Darth Maul disturbed her more than anyone she had ever dealt with. What she knew of his personality didn`t help: Raised as a Sith Lord and trained to use the Dark Side of the Force, Maul was a brutally efficient killing machine enveloping a core of absolute rage.

According to rumors he had been cut in half by a Jedi, but pure hatred enabled him to pull through and eventually come to where he was now, sitting across from him on her couch. Aria could tell that he was genuine about his offer just by looking in his eyes, but that wasn`t all she saw. She saw that Maul was prepared to level the station if he was denied and that he would kill her with his bare hands if necessary.

But the thing she could see in Maul`s eyes was pain: several decades worth of pain and suffering. That view made her sick.

Still she hadn`t become the ruler of Omega by being soft. Maul had agreed to most of her terms, but they came to a head when she had mentioned his involvement with the Flood.

"Our time with the Gravemind was not by my choice." he said quietly, with a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

"And how can I be sure that you're no longer indoctrinated or brainwashed?" Aria calmly replied, as her entourage grew tense, prepared to draw their weapons.

"You're suggesting that abomination allowed itself to be mutilated by us?"

"I just want to know where my potential allies stand before I agree to anything." She said warningly. Maul silently glared at her before responding.

"What would help convince you?" He calmly asked. Aria stood up from the couch, so she was standing above him, knowing this would rile him up. She paused for a moment before she answered the lingering question."

"Prove it to me."

At this, Maul smirked, eyes gleaming, causing Aria to wonder if she had pushed his temper too far.

At blinding speed, the Sith Lord leapt up from the couch, and in one fluid motion, drew his darksaber and held the ignited blade against Aria's throat. At the same instant, Aria had drawn her pistol, putting it right to the side of Maul's head.

"Is this enough proof?!" He growled, his voice having grown deeper and monstrous.

Simultaneously, Aria's guards had drawn their weapons, while Savage had ignited his own lightsaber, and the Death Watch soldiers pointed their built in weapons at the guards. For a long moment, no one made a sound, then Aria broke the silence;

"A standoff then."

"This can end with your death, or it can end with us as allies." Maul calmly replied, his tone having shifted into a softer pitch again.

"You really think you can kill me?" Aria asked,

"Do you want to find out?" Maul threatened, edging the blade closer to her neck as she tightened her finger on the trigger.

The entourage and the club tensely watched as Aria and Maul were locked in a death glare.

Eventually Aria blinked first. Pulling her gun away and gesturing to her guards to the same, she said

"We have a deal, access to Omega's resources and facilities in exchange for protection forces, a 10% cut of your business profits, and your help to bring the Eclipse, Blue Suns and Blood Pack under my control once again."

Smiling, Maul deactivated the darksaber and likewise gestured to his escort to stand down.

"Agreed, welcome to the Shadow Collective, Aria T'Loak."

Pulling back, Aria smiled and said, "so let's discuss business. "

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Now I put the Zann Consortium (Empire at War: Forces of Corruption) because I wanted Maul to have a strong military that was privately-owned and Star Wars themed, and they fit the bill perfectly.

I`ll try to add some action in next chapter.