Tyrannus sat in the Throne of the Sith, just as tense as he had been for the past few days. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to sneak up behind him and hurt him, even though he was completely alone on Dromund Kaas. All he could think about was his master, dead on the floor of his office of Coruscant. The sight of a lightsaber burning through his chest was seared into his eyes.

Ever since the shock had worn off, the shame of his master's death was eating him alive. His master hadn't even looked at him as he had died. Sideous had only stared at Skywalker, and then at the Sister as she had revealed her true allegiance. It was like Tyrannus wasn't even there, like he hadn't been about to fight the Chosen One. He had been so close, so close to finally killing that nuisance, but at the last minute, the Sister had ruined everything.

No, not the Sister. Tano. She was Tano. Tyrannus had been willing to call her Sister and Inquisitor while she was loyal to the Sith, but she had thwarted their plan and revealed her true colors. The only smile she brought to him now was the knowledge that she had died for her treason, and by Skywalker's hand, no less. Tyrannus wished he could have been there when Skywalker realized just exactly who he had killed, or that he had watched Tano die. He hoped that her death had been long and drawn out and that she had suffered as she took her final breath. She hoped that she had felt as lost and alone as he did even now, rotations later.

Tyrannus had warned his master that she would betray him, and he had doubted her loyalty from the day he had taken her from Coruscant. He hadn't listened, insisting that she would help bring Skywalker down. Maybe she had assisted in doing so, but she had carried out her secret plan all the same, and now he was dead. The Sith Lord who had claimed that he held the power to never die was dead, and Tyrannus was alone.

And now he didn't know what to do. Should he carry out his master's plan, and do what his master had failed to do? Or should he change the plan, or even go with a different one? Should he focus more on politics, and let Grievous take over military operations? Well, not Grievous. Someone else. Or maybe he should let the politicians do what they wanted and dominate the battlefield? For the first time in a long time, he could choose what to do without answering to anyone. He was the Lord of the Sith, after all. No one could tell him what to do.

Or at least that was what he thought. In reality, though, Sideous had conditioned and abused him to the point where Tyrannus no longer knew how to be his own person. Sideous might have been dead, but he had warped his apprentice's mind so much that his death no longer made a difference. The "Lord of the Sith" was still a pawn in a dead man's game.

Tyrannus knew most of his master's plan. He still had no idea that Sideous had intended to replace him, but he did know about Order 66. The clones would kill the unsuspecting Jedi, and the Chancellor would give the reason that the Jedi Order had committed treason and could no longer be trusted. Then he would destroy the Separatist Senate since Palpatine was much more powerful in the Republic Senate, and it would be easier to convince Anakin Skywalker to kill Separatists. Then, without the Jedi to interfere and the Separatists to defeat, Sideous would take over as emperor and turn the democracy into his empire. All of the galaxy would bow before him, and if anyone resisted they would be killed.

It was a good plan, but without Sideous posing as Palpatine, it was no longer an option. If Tyrannus wanted to follow through on galaxy domination, he would have to find a different path. One that didn't require the trust of the Republic. How could he do that?

There was another problem as well. He had no apprentice. The Sith Rule of Two was not fulfilled at this time. Tyrannus needed an apprentice. Not a female, he decided, since both Ventress and Tano had proved unworthy of the title. Women were liabilities, and far too deceptive to be his student, but who? Who should he take on to be his student? Should he turn a Jedi to the Dark Side? Perhaps Kenobi, his apprentice's apprentice. He had offered once before the start of the Clone War, but now his answer might be different.

All the same, it would have to wait. He had other things to attend to.

Maul, no longer a Sith, but no longer weak, sat on the throne of Mandalore. He listened to the reports of rebellion, he instructed the armies to silence the oppressed, but he did so with a smile on his face.

Even though it was him that the Mandalorians were fighting against at the moment, he loved their valiant spirit. It was one of the reasons he had chosen them to be the army he would take up against the Sith when the time came. Sideous would come crashing down, especially if he wasn't prepared. He and his brother, Savage Oppress, had almost succeeded in killing him, but Maul would not fail a second time. Not after he earned the allegiance of Mandalore.

A soldier, someone he didn't recognize, walked up to him and bowed. "Sir, there is news from the Republic."

Maul stood up. "I suppose they have decided to object to my rule?"

"No, sir. It's not an official message."

That was not what he expected. Maul followed the soldier to a small room, which held the main HoloNet portal of the palace. A news clip was hovering above the projector.

Maul pressed play, and two male humans appeared, sitting at a desk.

"This is breaking news from the Senate Building, on Coruscant. The entire system has been in a frenzy since the events from a few days ago, but the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker gave a full report to the Jedi Council this morning, and that report has been given to the public just a few minutes ago. We have Aila Handuras reporting in the Senate Building, with the full story."

The screen switched from the news station to a shot in the lobby of the Senate Building, where a human woman was reporting. Maul didn't recognize her, but it didn't matter to him.

"Yes, as you can see, there is a large buzz going on around me. Senator Padmé Amidala from the Naboo system, a very passionate peace activist in the Senate, just delivered an address summarizing the events of the past thirty-six hours. The news she shared was shocking, but finally gives us a few answers."

Ah, that pesky senator. Up to no good, as usual, thought Maul.

"The evening before the last," Amidala began, surrounded by microphones, "the Chancellor was killed by the Inquisitor." The spectators started clamoring, but Padme held up a hand for silence. "We found out the following morning, however, that he is not who he said he was. Evidence was found that he was not only the leader of the Republic but also the leader of the Separatists at the same time. It turns out, Sheev Palpatine was also the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sideous. The Inquisitor has not committed a crime but has actually prevented a terrible tragedy from happening. She was an ally the whole time.

"I'm afraid that we will not be able to thank her, though. Anakin Skywalker has confirmed that she is dead, and brought several pieces of her armor back, to prove so. He also conducted a DNA scan, and the DNA left on the armor was not recognized in the Republic database. Whoever the Inquisitor was, I'm afraid we will never know, now that she is dead."

"This is very shocking news for all of us, the Senate included. We will be meeting over the next few days to decide what course of action the Republic will take in the wake of these new developments. When a decision is reached, we will alert the public to any impactful changes made. Thank you."

The frame switched one more time, and the female reporter was talking again. "Very shocking news from our beloved senator. We will keep up with this story, and share any developments as soon as they come. Carl, back to you."

The clip ended.

Maul did not speak, but left the room and wandered off on his own. He locked the door to his room and paced.

Palpatine was Sideous, and he was dead. His former master, the Lord of the Sith, was dead. His first thought was finally. His second one was who could have killed him? Who was this Inquisitor?

Maul has heard rumors of the Inquisitor from his soldiers. From what he could tell, she was a second Ventress, but not officially a Sith this time (though technically, Ventress wasn't supposed to be one either). All he knew was that she was a red Togruta with a spinning lightsaber. Maul had never met her before, and it seemed like he would never have to.

How had some nobody managed to kill the Lord of the Sith? How skilled was she that she had outmatched him? Or was it not her saber skill, but something else that had put her over Sideous? Had it been strength? Deception? Betrayal? Had she been working with the Jedi in secret? There were too many possibilities, too many.

Either way, she was dead now, but more importantly, so was Sideous. Tyrannus, or Dooku, whatever he went by, would inherit the Throne of the Sith, but the Rule of Two could not be fulfilled, not yet. If you did not have an apprentice to be the master of, you could not be the Master of the Sith, and the title was up to be challenged for. Technically, any master or apprentice could be challenged and killed, but it would be a lot easier without a protégé involved. On the other hand, if Maul found an apprentice before Tyrannus did, he would have a stronger claim to the Throne than Dooku, or at least an equal one.

Maul had been Sideous' apprentice longer than Tyrannus had, and with an apprentice to be the master of, he would have more power. Not to mention, his army of Mandalorians would definitely give him an edge. Unfortunately, Tyrannus also had the backing of the Separatists, or at least he would, soon. It would have to come down to the challenge. If Maul could beat Tyrannus in combat, he could take the Throne.

First, an apprentice. He needed an apprentice. Asaaj Ventress would definitely be a slap in the face for Tyrannus, but Maul did not know where to find her. He doubted he could turn a Jedi to the Dark Side, so he would have to seek out talent elsewhere, preferably before Tyrannus beat him to it. It couldn't be a child either, they needed to already know how to fight.

Maul looked out the window and smiled. Where else better to begin his search than among the ranks of his people? Where better to start than Mandalore?