Author's Note: This chapter will contain some things that I imagine will irritate those who stick to the lore more tightly than I do. At the end of this chapter, there will be an explanation piece as to why I chose to go through with what I've written (spoiler-free, of course). If you aren't a by-the-book lore person, relax, enjoy, and read on. If you are one of those lore-sticklers, I invite you to read, come to your own conclusions, and discuss this with me so I can improve.

Secondary Author's Note: So uh…apparently I've been sitting on this chapter for over a YEAR AND A HALF AND I THOUGHT I'D PUBLISHED IT! So I apologize greatly for the wait and I hope you enjoy! The second to last chapter regarding the Recapture of Derylon will be following shortly!

Serenno

Count Dooku's Palace

"And you are certain of the authenticity of this data?" Count Dooku asked the figure before him.

"Yes, Count Dooku, I am entirely certain. I would not dare risk presenting you with such…. significant opportunity if I was not one hundred percent certain of its validity." The figure answered. Dooku narrowed his eyes at the figure; an opportunist and a schemer with little compunction about betraying his allies. Dooku intended to squeeze him dry in the long run.

"Then I believe this is the beginning of a very beneficial partnership between us, my friend." Dooku said, pressing a series of buttons on his terminal. "An appropriate sum has been transferred to your accounts, and when I have further need of your services. Understand this, however: by placing yourself in such a position, I will call on you for more demanding and extreme acts. If you are unwilling to do such acts, please remember that the word of the leader of a major galactic power has more sway than that of a single Republic Senator. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Count Dooku." The Senator said, then cut the call at his end. Dooku returned his attention to the data presented to him; a list of special orders implanted into the clone troopers at the behest of his late master, Darth Sidious. The Senator had wished for Dooku to focus on one of them: Order 66; an order that, when given, convinced the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic that the Jedi were traitors to the Chancellor and the Galactic Senate, and must be eliminated. Of course, Dooku had known in some capacity about this particular order, just never the full details. The Senator, Dooku imagined, wanted him to use the order and renew the war while the Republic was the in resulting confusion.

There was just one problem; he couldn't. It wasn't that he could not give the order to the clones; Darth Tyrannus was a callsign recognized by the clones, just as Darth Sidious had been. The issue was that the timing, the careful planning, and the political maneuvering that he and his master had performed to get to that stage where Order 66 could be used, was gone, destroyed when Sidious had been killed. Dooku had been inspecting the flow of battle with General Grievous on the bridge, briefly leaving his master's side in the observation deck, which ultimately saved his life. But Dooku was never one to pass up such a boon, and he was already formulating a plan; one that would slow down the Republic and further his own vision for the Sith. He still had his old Jedi codes, which worked, and this allowed him to see what was going in and out of the Jedi Archives.

Dooku's train of thought was interrupted by the opening of his door and the metallic stomping of General Grievous' feet. Dooku deemed it prudent to keep the cybernetic general close for the time being, to further refine him and earn his trust. The Kaleesh had become wary of him in the aftermath of the Clone Wars.

"My lord, he has arrived," Grievous said, "he is being difficult, however; he will not enter without his bodyguard."

"Let them come, Grievous; we are two trained warriors with our own bodyguards. They are no match for us." Dooku said, rising from his desk as two MagnaGuards emerged from the shadows behind him.

"Programming is no substitute for years of training and experience," a new voice called from behind Grievous, and another set of metallic legs was heard, "and they are certainly no match for the Death Watch." Grievous stepped aside, revealing a Nightbrother with red and black tattoos across his skin, a simple tunic, and a pair of metal legs. Darth Maul had arrived. "Dooku."

"Maul." Dooku approached the Nightbrother but was stopped by his six Death Watch bodyguards.

"Allow him pass, my friends," Maul ordered, "were this to be an execution, there would be a grander arena for the event."

"Your master speaks truth," Dooku said, "what we speak of today will return the Death Watch and Mandalore to glory."

"You said that to Pre Vizsla too, snake." One of the Death Watch spat; a Mandalorian with a crown of horns on his helmet.

"Calm yourself, Gar Saxon." Maul said, attempting to calm the Mandalorian warrior. Gar Saxon was not calmed, but he stood down, and the Death Watch parted. Dooku extended a hand to Maul, who inspected it cautiously before accepting the hand and shaking it.

"It is good to meet under more…amicable circumstances, Darth Maul." Dooku stated.

"Indeed it is, Darth Tyrannus," Maul agreed, using Dooku's Sith title, signifying he knew where the conversation was going. "Though I must ask, how did you escape our master's destruction?"

"I left his side briefly to inspect the flow of battle over Courscant; to ensure that the Jedi reached our ship intact. That is when the Republic warship's hyperdrive activated and crashed through the aft section and killed our master."

"How strange the hand of fate and the Force are," Maul said, walking past Dooku to the large circular window at the rear of the office, "that on the precipice of triumph, it was ripped away in but an instant."

"Such is the way of the Force. Now, pray tell, why did you abandon Mandalore as you did? Was it not the stronghold of your Shadow Collective?" Dooku asked.

"The Shadow Collective exists wherever our operations extend to. Myself and the Death Watch fled shortly after our master's death; I felt that the tide had turned against us, and that continued resistance against the clones and the former Jedi, Tano, would end in certain defeat." Maul turned back to Dooku, who was following him to the window. "But you did not request my presence so we could reminisce on our master and our past failings. Tell me, for what purpose did you summon me here?"

"An alliance of sorts; to put aside our past conflicts and work together for the goal of all Sith: the destruction of the Jedi." Dooku explained as he joined Maul.

"You seek to reinstate the Rule of Two?" Maul asked, referring to the millennia old Sith tradition of one master and one apprentice at all times.

"I seek to rekindle the strength of the Sith," Dooku stated firmly, "for too long, the master and the apprentice have only just been able to retain their veil of secrecy. Now that we have been dragged into the light, it is time to…expand."

"What do you suggest?"

"The old Sith empires fell time and time again to infighting and petty rivalries; too many powerful Sith dominated the empire at the same time," Dooku explained, "instead of peers, we will have pawns."

"You say 'we'," Maul noted, "but Sith do not share power the way you envision."

"It would not be sharing power; you would retain your criminal network, alongside your personal gains, whilst I control the Confederacy."

"A legitimate face and an illegal front," Maul summarized, "but how do we create an Empire from that? When the Jedi watch our every move?"

"We do what Sith do naturally," Dooku said, moving to his desk and tapping a button, "cause havoc on the galaxy!" A massive holoimage of the galaxy filled the room, covered in tactical readings, status updates, and pending reports. "Are you aware of the terms of the Raxus Peace Accords?"

"Enlighten me."

"One of the terms was that a…select number of CIS leaders were to surrender to the Republic for war crimes willingly committed." Dooku explained. "We agreed to the terms, but the leaders were never intended to be handed over; they have instead fled across the galaxy to cause strife and sew terror across the post-war Republic. Take, for example, General Grievous," he gestured to the cyborg, "during the war he terrorized the Republic in ways no other subordinate of mine ever did. It is my intention to use him as a boogeyman; to ensure that no Core, Mid-Rim, or Outer-Rim world ever feels safe from the renegades."

"Or, Count Carcus Vork; a pompous, haughty noble with a superiority complex like none other. I can always count on him to save his own skin and entangle the Jedi in doing so. He has even recently done so at the planet of Derylon; ensuring the Republic task force sent to stop him cannot abandon the planet without losing its entire populace. And, knowing Master Kenobi, he will never abandon an innocent life." Dooku turned and smiled as both Maul and Grievous growled at the mention of their hated foe. "It is through these renegades that I will shield our true goals."

"And what are these true goals? You have mentioned them but never stated them directly." Maul asked pointedly. Dooku tapped another button and the image of a Jedi Master appeared.

"As I said, I intend to use pawns instead of peers; this is Jedi Master Eno Cordova; a Consular of the Jedi Order. Recently, Master Cordova withdrew a particular holocron from the Jedi Archives…a holocron containing a list of Force Sensitive children." Maul's eyes widened as he began to understand.

"You intend to raise a generation of Sith acolytes." He said in realization.

"Indeed, but a young generation of acolytes would take time that we do not have as of yet," Dooku said, "the holocron is the long term solution, but I have recently obtained the short term solution; tell me, did our master ever tell you of Order 66?"

"No, he did not." Maul said, turning back to Dooku as the older Sith gestured to a datapad. Maul picked it up and read it, his eyes bulging out of his skull. He finished reading and began to laugh maniacally.

"Yes, yes, brilliant-brilliant! Using their own army against them when they least expect it!" Maul cried, jubilant and in awe. Then, his expression switched to one of suspicion and wariness. "But to use it now…"

"I will not use it the way my master intended," Dooku explained, handing him another datapad; a list of Jedi and their respective clone units, "it will be much more…selective. These Jedi are far from the others, communications can be easily cut off, and they will be cut down by their own soldiers…and their padawans shall become our first acolytes."

"And how do you propose that? Jedi are weak in strength but strong in will; it will take a great deal to convince them." Maul argued.

"Pain and suffering are adequate motivators," Dooku said, "I will break them if I must."

"And yet you still have not stated what is it you want of me." Maul said, his annoyance growing. The Death Watch shifted uneasily as they noted their leader's impatience, while Grievous allowed his hands to slink into the depths of his cloak, closing on his lightsabers. Dooku turned to face Maul completely.

"I will give the order to a select number of clone detachments, all of which have Jedi commanders with padawans; you will go and secure the padawans and bring them to the planet Dromund Kaas, a world formerly a part of our ancient Empire."

"As for the clones?"

"Send them to these coordinates," Dooku handed Maul a datapad with the information, "and tell them to await the arrival of Darth Tyrannus."

"And you assume they will not shoot a wanted man of the Republic on sight?" Maul passed the datapad to the Death Watch using the Force, hardly touching the thing.

"I will give the necessary orders, you will not be harmed."

"They will ask questions, of course, as to who pulls their strings."

"And what shall you say?" The two men stared at each other for a moment, silence passing between them.

"That a firmer hand guides their actions, seeks to restore order to a chaotic galaxy, and demands their loyalty."

"A surprisingly true statement."

"But I must ask, what do I gain out of this whole endeavor?" Maul asked.

"General Grievous," Dooku said, the cyborg's head swiveling to look his master in the eye, "the Hutts maintain a small chain of stations and planetary outposts close to Oba-Diah, correct?"

"Yes, my lord; the Republic has a small fleet station in that chain as well." Grievous's eyes darted from Dooku and settled on Maul, realizing what it meant; it was Dooku's part of the deal. "I shall attend to them at once, my master." And without a further word, Grievous stalked out of the room, brushing past the Death Watch without a second glance.

"Like a hound let off his chain." Maul observed.

"Indeed; I intend to refine him for his role to come." Dooku stated. "But now that your interests are satisfied, I ask that you settle your debt." Maul bristled slightly but settled.

"I will take me leave; I will contact you once my mission is complete." Maul stated simply, then turned and left. The Death Watch followed after him, walking backwards until they were clear of the room.

"Do you really trust him?" Gar Saxon asked.

"Trust is not a word that Sith use," Maul answered, "we make alliances and carry through on our ends of the bargain, that is all."

"And after the terms of the bargain are met?" Maul did not answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bracca System

Bracca

The planet of Bracca was not a rich world; it was barely even a hospitable one at that. Dominated by rocky plateaus and perilous falls, the planet was hardly notable for all but one thing: the vast junkyards that dominated the planet's surface. Even before the Clone Wars, the planet had been filled by the countless wrecks of broken starships, with the advent of the conflict, Bracca's importance grew. Shortly before the unfortunate Battle of Courscant, the CIS and the Republic fought over the planet, and the resulting Republic victory.

Despite the end of the Clone Wars, the Republic maintained a presence on the Mid-Rim world; the Iron Battalion and the Republic Venator Albedo Brave. Aboard the ship was the commander, Jedi Master Jaro Tapal, a stern and indomitable Lasat who led the Iron Battalion through thick and thin. There was another Jedi who was supposed to be aboard the Albedo Brave, Master Tapal's…scrappy Padawan, Cal Kestis. But Cal, much to his master's frustration, was nowhere to be found.

Cal was instead on the surface of Bracca, well, "surface" is a loose term when it comes to Bracca. Rather, Cal was hunched over with a welder, standing on the exterior of a wrecked droid core ship, working alongside a crew of scrappers, headphones on, jamming out to a song. A tap on the shoulder made him look up from his work to see his friend, Prauf, standing behind him. Cal removed his headphones.

"Don't want to mess up your groove, Cal, but the boss wants a word." Prauf said. Cal rolled his eyes and took off his mask, heading over to the foreman droid. A moment later he and Prauf were away to do a high-risk maneuver on the hull of a Providence-class. The pair took their separate paths; Prauf taking higher and wider routes while Cal took the more narrow and tight paths. Eventually, they arrived at their destination; a pair of clamps holding a section of the ship together. Just like before, Prauf went high, Cal went low, releasing the clamps on the war-torn ship one at a time. As Cal began to pull himself up, the ship shook.

"That didn't sound good." Prauf said. Cal launched himself onto the exterior of the Providence as it shuddered and groaned, the weight of the released section obeying the laws of gravity.

"Run!" Cal cried, and together the pair took off running, Cal sprinting ahead as the Providence slowly fell into the scrapyard abyss below. The pair barely made it to the edge of the section before it fully disconnected and fell down. Prauf, the slower of the pair, slipped and fell, almost falling after it if Cal didn't grab him. His fall was halted for a brief moment, before Cal began to fall after him, the weight of the Adednedo dragging him down. Cal scrambled with his free hand, clutching a jagged shard of metal to halt their fall.

"Hang on, I got this!" Prauf called, swinging off Cal's arm and landing in a torn open hallway a few meters below. Cal followed suit landing gently on the floor. "That was too close!"

"You're telling me, old timer!" Cal joked, looking down after the falling section.

"I dunno why you bother with this job, kid," Prauf said, "you've got your Jedi business, why do you wanna be down here with us scrappers?" Out of all the scrappers, Prauf was the only one who really knew what Cal was; everyone else thought he was a refugee from the war.

"There's stuff that the Jedi Archives can't teach you," Cal said, still looking down, "stuff I can learn here with you. Like, for example, how long has that ship been there?" Cal pointed down to a long, gunmetal gray ship with a dirty white bird with the figures U-N-S-Cwritten below it. Prauf stared down at the vessel for a moment.

"I've never seen that thing in my life." Prauf answered. "And that's either the blockiest or the ugliest thing I've ever seen…probably both." They chuckled together as Cal's comnlink began to beep.

"Oh no," Cal said, tapping the device, "go for Cal."

"Cal, its Commander Ironsides," the Iron battalion's clone commander said, "General Tapal is requesting your presence on the Brave. There's a Master Evo Cordova that's exiting hyperspace soon."

"How soon?!"

"About five minutes."

"Can you someone to pick me up? I was in the middle of a job when-"

"Easy kid, I already sent a gunship." Ironsides answered. As if on que, an LAAT descended from the sky, the side doors opening to reveal a team of four clones waiting for Cal.

"Been keeping him out of trouble?" One of them called to Prauf. He shrugged.

"As much as I can!" He called back. Another clone gave a thumbs up.

"You know what to do with my share!" Cal called. Cal donated his share to a few of the local aid centers and shelters; no one really wanted to be on Bracca, but not everyone could get off.

"I know; see ya next time!" Prauf said, waving as Cal took a leap into the gunship. The moment Cal was in, it began to ascend, with Cal and Prauf waving goodbye to each other.

"Scrap anything interesting today?"

"Nah, nothing out of the usual, though Prauf and I did see this blocky ship; nothing we've ever seen before!"

"Maybe next time around you'll get to explore it."

"If General Tapal keeps letting him go," a clone sergeant, Burns, interjected, "I heard him saying he wasn't exactly pleased with the drop in training."

"Please, he's never happy with my training." Cal countered, and the five all laughed as the gunship's doors closed. The trip was a short one; the Brave was kept in low orbit over Bracca in case the clones were needed for a peacekeeping action or a group of leftover battle droids cropped up. In the past two months, the Iron Battalion had been called to combat these droids ten times, and more were expected to follow. But, the Republic was following through on its promises to help the beleaguered worlds, so on Bracca, the Iron Battalion would stay.

The LAAT began to slow as it arrived at the Brave, easing down into its appointed landing area. The gunship settled onto the deck and the doors opened, revealing the broad, open space of the Venator's hangar deck, and Master Tapal. Cal had never seen a pleased expression on the Lasat's face, but this look was one of greater irritation. The source of said irritation was obviously Cal's lateness, the reason was the Jedi standing next to him. A man of medium build, with a wreath of white hair encircling his head, and curious brown eyes, Jedi Master Eno Cordova appeared to be the quintessential image of an aged Jedi Master. And Cal was in a dirty scrapper's poncho, with stains from the day's work riddling his attire.

"Good luck, kid." Burns muttered as the red-haired apprentice hurried off the gunship.

"Apprentice," Master Tapal greeted tersely, "this is Master Eno Cordova, our guest."

"Hello, Master Cordova," Cal greeted, bowing quickly and stiffly.

"I apologize for my padawan's appearance; had I known you were coming sooner, he would not be in such a state." Tapal said to Cordova.

"Nonsense, Jaro; my former apprentice and I have returned from many missions and excavations in similar form." Master Cordova said, waving away Tapal's apologies. "If you don't mind me asking, Padawan Kestis, but what do you do down on the surface of Bracca?"

"I work with the engineers and scrappers in the junkyards, learning how to work and how to work with people outside of the Order and the GAR." Cal explained. It had been his idea; a mixture of wanting to learn and wanting to get away from the rigorous training of Master Tapal.

"A wise decision; training in the Temple can only teach a young Jedi so much." Cordova approved. "I hope my visit did not disrupt your…extracurricular training." Cal shook his head in response.

"Master Cordova will be traveling with us back to Courscant," Master Tapal said, "we will be escorting him and his ship, the Ever Seeker, back to the Temple before returning to Bracca."

"Yes, it will be good to return this to the Archives." Cordova said, producing his cargo; a small green holocron from. Cordova extended it to Cal.

"I've heard that you can see memories, reflections of past moments in an objects history. Can you confirm this for me?" Cal somewhat hesitantly took the holocron, bracing himself for the burst that always come with a strong memory. Immediately, he saw the Jedi Archives around him, with Master Windu and Master Cordova facing each other.

"I see you won't abandon your beliefs, Eno." Master Windu said.

"No, Mace, I will not, I have seen it in the Force; the end of the Jedi is coming soon if we do not sway from this path." Master Cordova replied, holding the holocron tightly in his hand. "I am doing what I feel is necessary to save our Order."

"While I disprove of this path, I will not stop you." Windu stepped to the side. "May the Force be with you, Master Cordova."

"And you as well, Master Windu; I pray that the Council will see the light and flee from this path." Master Cordova walked briskly past Windu, making his way towards the Jedi hangars. A moment later, a droid beeped and appeared on Master Cordova's shoulder. "I hope so BD-1; for the sake of the whole galaxy, I hope they do." The memory faded and Cal was brought back to reality as if nothing had occurred.

"You and Master Windu disagreed on taking the holocron from the Archives, but he let you do it anyways. What's in the holocron?" Cal asked Cordova as Commander Ironsides stopped just shy of the three Jedi.

"This holocron contains a list of Force Sensitive children across the galaxy; something I feared would fall into the wrong hands should the Jedi Order fall." Cordova answered. "Which, blessedly, has been averted."

"General Cordova, your quarters on the Brave have been prepared." Commander Ironsides said.

"Ah, thank you Commander. As much as I'll miss the tight quarters of the Ever Seeker, it will be good to rest on a Venator once again." Cordova said. Cal took a quick glance about the hangar deck but saw no personal freighters or Jedi interceptors. Cordova took note of this and chuckled. "My vessel is an Arquitens light-cruiser, dear boy. I imagine it would be a poor fit inside the Brave." Cal and Cordova chuckled. "If you'll excuse me, Master Tapal, I will go to my quarters and settle in for a moment before rejoining you."

"Of course, Master Cordova, I will have my apprentice clean himself up before we have some sparring training." Tapal said.

"Would you mind waiting for me? It has been too long since I had a good sparring match, and my old bones could use the exercise." Cordova asked intently.

"You are more than welcome to; I'm sure Cal could use the rest from my style of combat." Tapal agreed. Cal silently agreed; his master was both aggressive and defensive, switching his styles to force Cal to adapt, which always tired him out.

"Thank you, I will see you shortly." Master Cordova turned to follow Commander Ironsides, then paused a second. "BD, time to go." An excited chirp answered his call, and a short, bipedal droid emerged from a stack of crates, leaping on top of one and startling the clone organizing the area. The little droid scampered over to his master and climbed up the old Jedi, coming to rest on his left shoulder. "One more introduction; this is my loyal and equally curious assistant, BD-1."

"Hi." Cal said, waving to the droid, who bobbed back, warbling a greeting and a compliment. "Thanks, I like it to." Cal answered, dusting off his work poncho.

"Ah, you understand droid binary?" Cordova asked.

"I have to; some of the droids we use to scrap only speak in binary." Cal explained. Cordova nodded.

"Well gentlemen, I will see you shortly." Cordova set off with Commander Ironsides, leaving Cal and Master Tapal with each other.

"I'm sorry for the way I look, Master, I-" Cal began to apologize, but Tapal held up a hand to stop him.

"It was a last-minute order; one of the renegades has recently been moving in the Mid-Rim, and the Council wanted to ensure Master Cordova's safe passage." He said, gesturing for Cal to follow him. The pair exited the hangar deck and began to move towards their quarters. "How was your time spent among the scrappers?"

"Good; I was able to send a double share back with Prauf today to the shelters." Cal said.

"Implying you did a more dangerous maneuver today?" Tapal asked. It wasn't a chiding question, nor a critical one, but one of pure curiosity…which seemed a tad out of place for how Master Tapal normally was.

"Yes, master; we disabled some malfunctioning clamps on a Providence-class. The forward half of the ship ended up sheering off, so Prauf and I had to run to safety. Prauf almost didn't make it, but we were able to land on an exposed deck of the ship."

"'We'?"

"I…tried to pull him up and he ended up dragging me down instead." Cal admitted sheepishly.

"A noble attempt, but remember your limitations," Tapal advised, "remember, trust in the Force."

"Yes master, I'll try to remember that."

"What does Master Yoda say about trying?" Cal sighed.

"'Do or do not, there is no try'." He recited. Tapal nodded.

"I know that I do not show it often, Cal, but I am proud of you; you've come along way since the opening days of the Clone Wars." He said. Cal was speechless, on the inside, he was a whirlwind of confused emotions.

"Thank you, Master, I'm doing my best." He finally forced out clumsily. The two walked in silence for a moment before a question burst to the surface of Cal's mind. "Master, in your travels, have you ever seen starships with a big white bird with the wings pointed up and blocky figures underneath?" Tapal's face tightened as he searched his mind.

"I have seen many ships in the galaxy, but I don't know what you're referring to. What did the ship look like?" He asked after a moment's contemplation.

"Long and blocky, like the figures, and dark gray. Prauf said it was both the blockiest and ugliest thing he'd ever seen before." Tapal chuckled slightly.

"No, I can't say that I have; why did it draw your attention so?" He asked. Cal thought for a moment.

"It seemed….out of place; like it doesn't belong here on Bracca. I didn't see any turbolaser scouring or damage on it. It was just…there." He explained. They were silent for a moment.

"When we have returned from Courscant, we will investigate the ship." Tapal said. Cal stopped in his tracks.

"We, master?" He asked. Tapal turned back to Cal.

"Well of course; we know our ways through Providences, Munificents, and Lucrehulks, but it's rare to find a large ship I don't know of. It will be a learning expedition for us both. Now, come along apprentice, you will clean yourself and make ready for training."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Okay, so, a few controversial things I did in this chapter: Maul leading the Death Watch still, Maul and Dooku's alliance, the obvious UNSC ship on Bracca, and Cal Kestis.

Maul leading the Death Watch still has always been apart of this series since version one, because even in high school I firmly believed that the Death Watch were pale imitations of the Mandalorians of Revan. This isn't a knock at them; their beliefs are a result of four thousand years of being scattered, being used by the Sith, and being hated by the Republic. The Mandalorians don't outwardly hate Jedi, it's more of a Vegeta-Goku relationship; a grudging respect for the other's power and ability, and sticking around to strengthen themselves by fighting them. The Death Watch just seems to hate the Jedi because they've been enemies for God knows how long, hence why they are more willing to have a Sith, someone who claims to hate the Jedi just as much, if not more than they do. But that's my idea.

Now, Dooku and Maul have technically thrown down in other Star Wars media, which I have unfortunately not read, so for those of you who have read that, you're probably scratching your heads as to why they are Dooku would seek out Maul, and then why Maul would accept. Simply put, Sith are manipulative bastards, hence Maul's short but accurate explanation to Gar Saxon. The two at the very least respect each other as fellow Sith, but at the same time, both will be vying for power over the other. Legality can only do so much for Dooku as illegal activities can only achieve so much for Maul, and so they will always battle for power away from their combined actions together. It's not an alliance of trust, but an alliance of opportunity and necessity.

Also, staying with Count Dooku; Order 66. Being real here, the Republic Senate is a place where people will seek power and advantages over the other; that's the unfortunate nature of politics in any organized government. For someone to dig through Palpatine's stuff after he's dead to look for an advantage is not a far-fetched idea, and to pass that along to your nation's enemies for to get in a good word for yourself is also not that far-fetched. As for what Dooku's doing with that, I believe Dooku explained that well enough for me. And yes, it does a have story purpose, keep reading this story to learn more.

The UNSC ship on Bracca is one of a few ways I'm reworking this to include the UNSC earlier on and more integrated with the Star Wars side of this fic. The Battle of Kvaiias in the previous iteration will still exist, but I've included a couple more to speed things along and to satisfy those looking for the Halo side of things. It's not that I like Star Wars more than Halo, it's simply that Star Wars has more media to draw from and I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth…much like Disney.

And lastly, Cal Kestis; firstly, Cal's age is equivalent to his age in Jedi Fallen Order for the sake of the story and a tad more skilled and stronger in the Force than he is due to further training with Master Tapal. I've also advanced their relationship along as well; Tapal's not going to be a hardass all the time because he's more confident in Cal's abilities, hence his gentler attitude.

Secondly, Cal and BD-1 are one of my favorite parings of man and machine, the first being Revan/the Exile with HK-47 (he's still in this btw), Mass Effect's Commander Shepard and Legion, and Titanfall's Jack Cooper and his Titan BT-7274. However, while he is one of my favorites, he's not here just because I like him; he will serve an actual story purpose throughout the fic. Part of this rework is not to throw everything and the kitchen sink in here just because I like it like I did last time, but to select what I love and integrate it in a purposeful, planned way.

Hopefully I explained myself well enough for you guys to understand. Thanks for reading!