Hey folks, Grubkiller here.
Here's part two of this version of 'Son of Dathomir'.
Hope that you enjoy.
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Clone Wars theme plays
CONSPIRACY OF EVIL! DARTH SIDIOUS CAPTURED AND INTERROGATED HIS FORMER APPRENTICE MAUL—AND LEARNED THAT THE WITCH MOTHER TALZIN WAS BEHIND HIS RESURRECTION. AWARE OF TALZIN'S GROWING POWER AS A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY, SIDIOUS DEVISED A PLAN TO USE MAUL TO LURE HER OUT INTO THE OPEN, WHERE HE CAN DESTROY HER.
FREED BY HIS ALLIES, MAUL REJOINED HIS MANDALORIAN ARMY ON ZANBAR, BUT SOON FELL UNDER AN ATTACK BY GENERAL GRIEVOUS, WHO ROUTED MAUL'S FORCES AFTER AN INTENSE GROUND BATTLE.
NOW ON THE RUN, MAUL ATTEMPTS TO REGROUP BEFORE SIDIOUS, GRIEVOUS, AND COUNT DOOKU CAN CLOSE RANKS AROUND HIM…
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Nightbrother, Maul's personal ship, in Hyperspace with the Shadow Collective fleet.
As the Shadow Collective travelled through hyperspace, going wherever this war would take them, Darth Maul sat in his private quarters, meditating. Concentrating with the Force, he tried to reach out to his mother, the Witch of Dathomir herself, Mother Talzin.
"Mother..." he said, seemingly to no one. Then he spoke out again, trying to speak with someone that he hoped was listening, "Mother... I implore you. I seek your guidance."
That's when a searing pain erupted from his chest, which seemed to rip open, allowing a green mist to flow out of him and fill the room around him. He groaned in pain from this sudden occurrence.
"Do not fight me, my child. Become my vessel," a new voice said, in a raspy, yet reassuring voice.
Maul looked up to see a gray skinned woman wearing red robes standing in front of him.
"Speak to me, my beloved Son," Talzin said.
"I have done as you wished. The power that me and Savage amassed Lured your enemy, Sidious. He killed Savage and captured me. But I escaped his grasp." Maul explained, the recounting of his brother's demise making him feel hollo inside.
"We must assume that Sidious allowed you to escape. With Sidious, nothing is as it seems. If we are to avenge Savage, and defeat our enemies, then we must be the same way." Talzin said.
Maul nodded. "You are wise as ever, Mother." Then he continued, recounting more recent events. "Grievous and his army drove us from Zanbar. We are wounded, but alive. What is your guidance?"
"Sidious will expect you to retreat to my protection. We will not do this. Send your forces to Ord Mantell. Your allies - the Black Sun - has a stronghold there. They will gather their strength and prepare to make War against the Confederacy. But you - my son - will go into the Unknown Regions. You may find allies that will compliment your forces perfectly. Our next steps are critical." Mother Talzin said.
Maul lit up slightly. "Wherever it is, will you meet me there, Mother?"
"I will not..." She said, regretfully, "...However, with these new allies at your side, our victory will be total and complete," she said before she disappeared back inside of Mual's torso.
When he was sure that he was alone, he began to mull over what he was told to do. Then he went to the cockpit to direct the fleet on its next move.
Darth Maul stood in the cockpit of his ship, speaking to holograms of Gar Saxon of Death Watch, Fife of the Pykes Syndicate, and Ziton Moj of Black Sun.
"A battle is coming, my brothers..." Maul said, "A battle between the Sith and that which they fear most - us."
"You inspire us all, Lord Maul. But do you truly mean to fight Count Dooku and his Separatist legions?" Moj asked, concerned that Maul was in over his head.
"Their forces are mindless droids, Ziton Moj. Take out their leadership and they all fall down," Maul answered with confidence. He turned his back to his lieutenants and looked out the viewport, deep in contemplation. "These Clone Wars have vastly overextended Dooku and Grievous. They are more vulnerable than they realize."
"And they remain unaware of our true power and numbers," the leader of the Pykes said.
"Precisely, Fife. We can attack them directly," Maul said as he clenched his fist, when he realized that he was much more confident in his success, "It is time for us to go to War. We must attack the Confederacy where they are Vulnerable. And when we have drawn enough attention, we will lure Dooku and Grievous into our net."
"What about you, Lord Maul?" Saxon asked, wanting to know where maul fit into this lan so far.
Maul turned to look at his lieutenant. "I have been meditating on a way to deal with Dooku and his minions, and I reason to believe the solution is somewhere in the Unknown Regions."
Everyone in the room, whether physical or holographic, was taken aback by what Maul just said.
"The Unknown Regions!?" Moj exclaimed, "You want us to go to war with the Confederacy while you go into uncharted space?"
Maul walked up to Moj's hologram, sizing him up.
"I want you to do as I say. Everything will become clear. All in good time. Until then, you will engage the Droid forces. And when I've returned with the means to defeat Dooku, you will be given riches beyond your wildest dreams."
Moj and Fife nodded before their holograms disappeared.
But Saxon's hologram remained.
"Keep them in line while I'm away." Maul ordered.
Saxon nodded. "Yes, Lord Maul."
Rook Kast turned in her chair and began to punch in the hyperspace co-ordinates. Maul looked out the viewport as he watched most of his fleet head into Ord Mantell's orbit, while the rest formed up around the Nightbrother, and prepared to jump as well.
"I hope this mission is worth it, Lord Maul." She said before her co-pilot pushed the lever the powered up the hyperdrive.
"It will be, Kast. Of that I am sure." Maul said.
Although Maul would never say it, he was having doubts as well. Then the stars began to elongate, and the ships were all propelled into hyperspace.
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Invisible Hand, in hyperspace.
As the Separatist armada, comprised of several heavy cruisers, frigates, and supply ships traveled through hyperspace, Grievous was reading the latest reports aloud to Count Dooku, who stood behind Grievous' command chair.
"Our spies report Mandalorian Warships amassing above Ord Mantell..." Grievous said aloud, "...Which only confirms that Black Sun is in league with Maul's syndicate."
"And it is there that he gathers his army, general..." he said as he stepped next to Grievous' chair, crossing his arms, "We cannot strike until we confirm that mother Talzin is there with him."
"Why is this witch so important, my Lord?" Grievous asked, "She has no army - no power compared ours."
Count Dooku glared at Grievous with a stoic scowl, ready to give another one of his famous lectures. "Tallinn is an older, and fouler, creature than you guess, General. her power runs deep. Her teachings - her magic - were once sought out by my Master. They were once allies. Now her meddling could compromise all of our designs. She must be destroyed."
When Dooku was down explaining himself to Grievous, the super tactical droid Tey-Zuka stepped up to them to give his latest report.
"Sir, our reconnaissance droids orbiting Ord Mantell report that several Mandalorian warships have just broken off from the main fleet. Maul's ship was among them."
Grievous and Dooku looked at the droid with interest. "Were they able to tag the ship?" Grievous asked.
"Yes, my Lord. The markings on the ship identify it as the one Maul used to escape Zanbar. We were also able to confirm it's trajectory with the tracker. There aren't any major planets in their path. They are maintaining a steady coarse North-east." The droid informed.
Dooku stepped in front of the command chair, and looked out the viewport, watching the blue vortex of hyperspace waving around them. Then he turned around around to face his subordinates.
"The Witch may be attempting to reach Maul as we speak. Lock onto the tracker we've placed on Maul's and instruct the fleet to follow us. We're going after Maul. And when we find them, you will lock down the region with your fleet. I'll deal with Maul and the Witch"
"What about the rest of Maul's allies?" He asked.
"They made a poor decision when they sided with Maul. Signal our forces into the regions that these forces operate out of. While we pursue Maul, these criminals will be made to feel the consequences of their foolish actions."
Across the galaxy, Shadow Collective forces were getting into position for a serious fight.
Fighters and warships from the different factions were heading into orbit of several planets, while infantry from the major factions, even some sympathetic locals, were getting into position, directed by Super Commandoes from Death Watch, who drilled them into a professional military as best as they could.
That's when hundreds of lasers started to slam into Ord Mantell City, from a Separatist fleet that was in orbit above.
Gar Saxon turned to his warriors "Comrades! The battle we've waited for our entire lives is upon us. Let's go scrap some droids." Saxon said before he raised his fist in the air. "Victory of Death!"
His men raised their fists in the air and repeated Saxon's battle cry.
"VICTORY OR DEATH!"
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Well folks, that was part 2.
Part 3 is when things get more interesting. Keep an eye out for my next update.
until next time as always, this is Grubkiller, over and out.