Have no fear, Grubkiller is here.
Hey folks, here's part 3 of my rewritten version of Clash of the Sith lords.
This is where things start to get interesting. Hope that you enjoy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Clone Wars theme plays.
APPRENTICE ON THE RUN!
AFTER BEING FREED BY HIS ALLIES, DARTH MAUL'S SYNDICATE REGROUPS ON ORD MANTELL AND CONTACTS THE WITCH MOTHER TALZIN, WHO DIRECTS HIM TO TRAVEL INTO THE TREACHEROUS UNKNOWN REGIONS FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THEIR PLAN.
WHILE THE SEPARATISTS LAUNCH A FULL-SCALE WAR AGAINST MAUL'S ALLIES, COUNT DOOKU AND GENERAL GRIEVOUS FOLLOW HIM INTO UNCHARTED SPACE, HOPING TO PUT AN END TO HIS RISE TO POWER ONCE AND FOR ALL...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Uncharted space.
The Unknown regions.
It was a broad term that described any region of the galaxy located beyond the borders of charted space.
But despite the dangers of traveling through uncharted space, such as black holes, supernovas, nebulas, and asteroids, people and civilizations still tried to break through the void and see what lies beyond the borders of known space.
These largely unexplored parts of the galaxy remain a mystery to space travelers, and serve as sources for tales and wonders.
Deep within this great mystery of the unknown, a small Mandlorian fleet of light corvettes, armed cargo freighters, troop transports, and fighter-bombers, was traveling through the sector.
Onboard the lead ship, a Red and black painted gauntlet fighter, the leader of this fleet looked out of the front viewport, while two of his crew members tried to navigate this uncharted region.
So far they had to endure space storms, asteroid fields, and even a black hole. Several ships were already lost, adding to the long list of doomed travelers to this great mysterious void outside the known galaxy.
Rook Kast continued to pilot the ship, just as a giant space worm protrude from a nearby asteroid and bit into an armor freighter. The screams of the crew over the comm cut to static as the ship was crunched between the teeth of the massive creature. Several nearby warships tried to blast the creature's head and pick up survivors, but to little avail.
Kast's co-pilot, a young rookie, gulped nervously as he watched the ship being swallowed. "Uhm, Lord Maul... not that I'm arguing, but... is this really the best course of action?"
"I am certain, soldier. This is where we find the key to defeating our enemies, and getting our revenge. Unless you want to see Mandalore subjugated by Dooku and his pawns? Maul asked.
The co-pilot nodded nervously. "Yes, my lord."
Seconds later, an alarm started to go off throughout the ship. "My Lord, we're picking us several ships heading towards us. They're coming out of hyperspace." Kast said.
"Is it the separatists?" Maul asked.
"No. They're not coming from behind us. They're in front of us." Kast said.
"Battle stations! Raise the forward shields and charge up all weapons." Maul ordered.
As the crew prepared for battle, several warships shot out of hyperspace. Moments later, dozens of fighters swarmed out of the cruisers, but they didn't head towards the Shadow Collective fleet. Instead, they flew around the hulls of the ships, creating a protective screen, which indicated a defensive posture. This gave away their intentions to Maul.
But before he could give any orders, something about these ships was familiar.
Each one was about 800 meters in length and had a wedge-shaped design. The "point" of the forward wedge split down the middle for a third of the length of the ship, forming two prongs.
That's when it donned on Mal that he's seen these ships before, in the history logs and script he remembered reading under Sidious' tutelage.
They were Harrower-class Battlecruisers... which formed the backbone of the Sith Imperial Fleet hundreds, even thousands, of years ago.
"Lord Maul, the lead ship is hailing us." Kast informed.
"Patch it through."
Kast obeyed and pressed a few buttons on the comm-pad. Since they were using ancient comm frequencies, it took a few seconds for the transmission to come through. A hologram of a fair-skinned man, with a bald head, but with dark sideburns that led to a beard face, appeared on the console in front of them.
"Un-identified warships, this is Admiral Hestun. You are trespassing into the territory of the Eternal Sith Empire. You will identify yourselves and your business being here, or we will unleash the fury and might of Imperial Navy."
Maul was frozen in shock for several heartbeats.
His fleet has just run into a remnant of the Ancient Sith Empire. This must've been the potential ally Mother told him about. When it finally registered that he was being threatened with death, he immediately stabbed a button with his finger and answered back.
"This is Darth Maul. Son of Dathomir, former apprentice to Darth Sidious, and leader of the Shadow Collective. We mean you no harm. We wish for an audience with your leaders."
For a moment, the bearded Admiral didn't answer back.
"You are Sith as well? You must be apart of the line of Darth Bane. If that is true, than I should just destroy you now."
"No. I was a member of the Rule of Two lineage... but not anymore. If you let us have an audience with your leaders, then I would like to propose an alliance. If you let us live, I will give you the means to destroy the Rule of Two, and reclaim your rightful place as the rulers of the Known Universe."
No one answered back for several seconds. Then they finally did.
"Very well."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Some time later, Uncharted Space.
A Separatist flotilla was traveling through this sector. Instead of going after Maul like most of the other CIS ships in the region, this small task force was going on an exploration of the unknown regions. Starting off from the Crispin System on the edge of the outer rim, they travelled through hyperspace for several days with Grievous's fleet while in pursuit of Maul, before breaking off to document their findings and update their charts.
Then they dropped out into sub-light speed, and have been launching probe droids in every direction for weeks on end.
They've been hoping to find something worth reporting back.
But for several days, no signs of life.
Sure, the probes would come back and map the region, pointing out different constellations, asteroid belts, and other anomalies, the Separatist still haven't found any concrete proof of lost civilizations.
They were about to give up the search.
That's when one battle droid went to inspect the probe droids that have returned. His job was to check their memory banks, pull out their memory cores, and send them to intel so that the images they took could be reviewed. But for the most part, all the droid and his companions saw were more constellations, more nebulas, more anomalies, and occasionally a black hole or two.
But then they came across the planet.
Wait... a planet? Out here?
The droid technicians gathered around and began to review the images. They saw several more planets and realized that the probe has come across a star system.
The droids also noticed that several other probes that were sent to this area had not come back. They must've been destroyed. In the unknown regions, any number of reasons were responsible for a probe to go offline. But if they went offline because someone wants them destroyed, it means that whoever was in the system didn't want to be discovered.
The droids went to inform their captain, who sent a message to their base back in the Crispin System, where this whole exploration began. The droids that were on the communications deck of a Confederate space station received the message.
It read: 'We've made a great discovery. Contact Count Dooku immediately'.
Invisible Hand, Unknown regions.
"Tell me exactly what you've discovered." Count Dooku asked to the hologram of a Neimodian ship captain, that stood in front of him, Grievous, and Tey-Zuka.
"Sir. One of the probe droids we've sent out returned with images of a star system. Studies indicate that one of the planets support life. I've also looked at some of the reports that you've sent us recently. The tracking device that was placed on Maul's ship has been transmitting from here before the signal was cut out again."
Over the last few days, since the search for Maul started, the entire armada, and the other task forces that branched off, has been following the signal from the device on Maul's ship. But the signal was lost several times before re-appearing again, making it difficult to track him.
But now that they knew of the system that they knew that the signal was now coming from a sector that supported life, they new of Maul's hiding place.
Dooku turned to Grievous. "General. Lock onto the last none location of the signal, and direct the rest of the fleet there. We need to capture Maul soon."
"Yes, master," Grievous said before he pressed a few button and sent the orders out.
Soon, the fleet turned in the direction of the signal, and shot off into hyperspace a few seconds later.
The hunt continues.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kaas city, Dromund Kaas system.
High above Kaas City, the capital of the exiled Sith Empire, stood the Imperial Citadel. This structure was the very center of the Imperial Government. It contained the headquarters of the Ministries of War, Intelligence, and Logistics.
After a number of massive, never-ending conflicts with the Jedi and the Republic, which culminated in their great defeat at Ruusan, remnants of the Sith covertly left the galaxy in a great exodus, where they eventually settled on the remote planet of Dromund Kaas in the unknown regions.
This led to Kaas City's rise from a small settlement into a massive metropolitan area, after conquering the thick, inhospitable jungle that surrounded it.
Ever since they were exiled, the citizens that helped colonize this planet were taught a number of things from the Sith. Among them were Unity, Order, and Allegiance. But one thing stood above the rest.
Revenge.
Revenge against the disorderly Republic and the hated Jedi who defeated them. And because they conquered this new life for themselves, they felt unstoppable.
This civilization was run by a Sith-led Military Junta. They've been running the show ever since, from their headquarters in the Citadel tower, which was also home to many prominent Sith lords.
The Empress of the Sith Empire, Acina, was among them. She was a woman with a tan complexion, with brown hair tied back in a tight bun, and eyes that were orange due to her dark side corruption.
She wore a black and gray wetsuit that her fiancé, an army officer she met when she was just an acolyte, gave her. It was comfortable, and it accentuated her body effectively in all it's womanly glory. One could even make out the nipples on her well formed breasts, had she not been wearing an armored chest plate over her bust. She also wore a skirt that had armor plates over it, covering her voluptuous rump. She also wore high-heeled boots. A dark cape also hung down from her shoulders.
She sat in her throne room with one leg crossed over the other, and grasping the arms rests with her leather gloved hands, surrounded by the Sith high council, and many military leaders, including her future husband, who sat around and studied the hologram of the red and black Zabrak, with robot legs and black robes.
"So, you are a member of the line of Darth Bane?" Acina asked. "...The traitor who deserted our ranks".
"Yes," Maul said, "But I no longer serve that treacherous line of Bane. My former master, Darth Sidious, cast me aside and replaced me. He killed my brother, and he is now after me. I live to see him, and all he has created, destroyed. I believe that an alliance between our two factions will make that happen."
"This Empire has rebuilt itself and has grown with two goals in mind: Revenge against the Jedi and the Republic, and the total reconquest of the galaxy that turned its back on us," Acina said. "A renegade order of Two Sith are hardly a challenge for an entire Empire.
"An exiled remnant of an Empire, you mean?" Maul asked.
Acina frowned.
But Maul continued.
"Heed my warning, Empress Acina. Darth Sidious and Count Dooku have amassed more power than you can possibly imagine. The entire galaxy is within their very fingertips. If you want to reclaim your place as the True Sith and the rightful rulers of the Galaxy, then you will accept my proposal for an alliance."
"And what do you have that I cannot simply take?" Acina asked.
Maul continued to stand there, his hands behind his back, as he looked at the Sith Empress with a stoic, demonic face. Then he answered.
"Knowledge," Maul said, "...and an army of Mandalorians and underworld organizations. You may have an 'Empire', but you wouldn't be able to navigate the galaxy on your own. Plus, with the resources that I possess in the underworld, logistics will not be a problem. And then there's Dooku."
Acina's eyebrows flared up. Then she leaned over in her throne, with her hands clasped together. "Go on." She urged.
Maul continued.
"If we work together, then we can capture Count Dooku. Once we have him, and destroy his forces, we will be able to draw my old master out of hiding, where we will be able to strike him. In the ensuing chaos, the galaxy will be quick to accept your rule. Or, if we kill Dooku, we can blame the incident on the Jedi. The Once we tell the Confederate people of his demise at the hands of the Jedi, the Separatists will be quick to accept your offer of friendship, and revenge against the Republic. And Once the Jedi are dead, and the Republic in shambles, the Sith will rule the galaxy, as it was always meant to. And you, Darth Acina, will not only be Empress of the Kaas System, but also the known galaxy."
Acina smiled behind her clasped hands, imagining the possibility, that she would be the one that would do what her predecessors have failed to do, and conquer the galaxy. But as she contemplated the future, she felt a sudden disturbance wash through her. Her eyes squinted when she felt it.
She looked around and saw some of the other Sith Lords rubbing their heads as they felt the disturbance too.
"You can feel it too, can't you?" Maul asked, causing Acina to look right at him, "The Separatists are already here."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Invisible Hand, in hyperspace approaching Maul's last known location.
Grievous stood in front of the viewport of the bridge, as he watched out over the blue vortex of hyperspace, with his hands clasped behind his back. Dooku sat in the command chair in the center of the ship.
"My Lord, we are coming up on the system where Maul was last located. Exiting Hyperspace in 3... 2..." Tey-Zuka said before the ship dropped out of hyperspace. The ships shot out of hyperspace, and they saw a blue orb coming up on them, surrounded by two smaller orbs that were red.
But as they zoomed closer to the planet, they saw dozens of objects appear as specks in front of them. Grievous thought that maybe it was Maul ragtag fleet of pirates and terrorists. But then the objects got bigger and bigger until they appeared to be battlecruisers.
The Separatist armada dropped speed significantly before returning to sub-light speed, only to come face to face with the large dreadnoughts.
Everyone on the bridge was in complete shock. They didn't see any of Maul's ships. All they saw was something worse.
Harrower-class battlecruisers.
"Evasive action!" Grievous bellowed, as the Invisible Hand continued to slice through space, straight towards a Battlecruiser.
The ship's engines switched to a reverse thrust, nearly throwing everyone forward out of their seats. But it was too late. The dreadnought's momentum carried it forward, and the pointed bow cleaved straight into a battlecruiser. The smaller ship was speared, and explosions started to dot its hull.
Dooku grabbed a hold of the arm rest on his chair, while Grievous' feet dug into the deck to keep him from falling. But Tey-Zuka and several droids went flying into the deck.
An alarm started to blare throughout the ship. But the ship seemed to be in good shape, all things considered. Most of the fleet also exited hyperspace without a hitch. But the same could not be said for some other ships that had come out of hyperspace too far ahead. Two Munificent-class frigates collided straight into other ships and were vaporized completely. A third ship, a Recusant-class destroyer, didn't collide with anything, but was completely surrounded by a fistful of battlecruisers, which ganged up on them with all cannons firing. The ship fought back but was overwhelmed and destroyed.
"Guh, Report!" Dooku demanded.
"Sir, three of our ships have been destroyed. Our shields are down 25 percent. But all other ships are combat ready, and await your word." A battle droid pilot called out.
"Sir, unknown enemy cruisers are forming up and charging weapons." Another one called out.
"Battle stations. Activate our cannons, and divert all power to the forward shields." Grievous barked out.
That's when the first salvo of muzzle flashes began to blink rapidly across the opposing fleet. Dozens of turbo-laser blasts hammered into the shields bows of the Separatist ships, which began to fire back. Both fleets stood face to face, and continued to exchange fire with one another. Ships on both sides suffered extensive damage. One by one, ships on both sides began to disappear in immense fireballs. Star-fighters from both sides continued to zip around each other's fleets, or in the debris fields between them.
It was a bloodbath of epic proportion. But neither side seemed to be willing to withdraw.
As the pure mayhem continued, Count Dooku started to study the enemy ships closely. He knew that they were Harrower-class dreadnoughts. But he didn't know who was piloting them. He suspected that these old ships were brought back into service to supplement Maul's criminal navy.
But such assumptions went straight out the airlock when he zoomed in on the hull of one of the battlecruisers. He saw what looked to be a Hexagon, with arrows pointing out of each side, all inside of a bigger hexagon. The realization hit him hard. At first he thought it was impossible. But then, he looked up at the battle outside, and realized that he wasn't dreaming.
The Sith Empire lived on.
"General, withdraw the fleet." He ordered.
Grievous turned around. He was surprised that his master had ordered him to do such a thing. "What? But my Lord, we can't retreat now. We can break through." He said, trying to reason with Dooku.
"Break through to what? We know very little out this enemy, or what they have to do with Darth Maul. Call off this attack, withdraw to the nearby moon." Dooku ordered.
Grievous let out a low growl. "As you wish, Count Dooku."
Moments later, the Separatist fleet turned around and began to fall back to the nearby moon. The Sith naval forces that remained, were too damaged to pursue. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
When the Separatist Armada took control of the moon, they turned it into a base of operations. They repaired their fleet and landed troops in several locations. They even created bases that would help feed any further incursions into the system.
Meanwhile, the Sith Empire, conceding their front door to the CIS, withdrew back to Dromund Kaas' orbit.
Now, both sides stared at each other, watching and waiting for the battle that was to come.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
War room, Imperial Citadel, Kaas City, Dromund Kaas.
Darth Acina walked into one of multiple bunkers that were underneath the Citadel. This one served as the war room, which was the nerve center for the entire Imperial military. It was bustling with activity, as Officers, Moffs, and Sith Lords chattered about.
Acina, her apprentice, and her bodyguards all walked over to an Imperial Grand Admiral, an obese, bald-headed human named Harridax Kirill, who was looking at a map of the system. It was zoomed in on the sector with Dromund Kaas and it's moons. It showed the location of the Separatist feet near the moon, and the Imperial Home Fleet.
"Grand Admiral, report. What news from orbit?" Acina asked.
The Grand Admiral raised his fist into the air in a salute. "Long Live the Empress," he said before he gave his report, "Your Imperial Majesty, the enemy fleet came right out of hyperspace, around here," he said, pointing a sausage-like finger at a spot between the planet and one of its moons. "And after a glorious struggle that left heavy casualties on both sides, the enemy withdrew, and is now set up above this moon, here. At the same time, our fleet pulled back into orbit." Kirill said, pointing back to Dromund Kaas. "We have the power to drive them out of the system. All I need is your blessing."
"You don't have it... yet," Acina said, to the surprise of the Grand Admiral, "I want you to hold back and gather your strength. We will strike when the time is right."
"Your grace," someone said behind her. Acina turned around to face the new voice. It was an imperial officer, who was presenting her with a hologram of Darth Maul. "Maul wishes to speak with you."
She looked at the small hologram of Maul, which came from the projector in the young officer's hand.
"I was hoping that you've made your final decision." Maul said.
Acina scowled at the holographic Zabrak. "You led them straight here."
"And I can help drive them back, but only if you agree to an alliance." Maul said. Acina scoffed and turned away. "Look..." Maul continued, "My old master has found you. He will not leave you alone forever. He will continue to send forces until you have been crushed. Then he will continue to come after me. I want revenge against my masters, and you want the galaxy on your plate. Let us work together, and we can achieve our goals."
Acina looked down at the ground. Then she looked around at the Impeiral officers. They all looked at her. She caught the gaze of her fiancé, a spec-ops commander named Major Odile Vaiken, who looked back at her. Her angered face relaxed when she saw him. He nodded. She nodded back, and smiled. Then she turned back to Maul.
"Very well. I will help you. On one conditions." She said.
"Of course?" Maul asked.
Acina smiled. "You led the invaders here. So you're going to help us put them in the dirt."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Invisible Hand's observation deck, in orbit above Dromund Kaas' moon.
The hologram of Darth Sidious illuminated the room. He towered over Count Dooku, who had just given him this startling report.
"The Sith Empire, these... exiles you've discovered... you believe them to be in league with Darth Maul?" He asked.
"Yes, master." Dooku said. "We've tracked Maul to this system, and the Imperial forces opened fire on us. We have reason to he is forging an alliance with their leadership."
Sidious groaned softly to himself, as he mulled over what his apprentice has just said.
"If this is true, then this changes everything. Mother Talzin is still a target of ours, but she is no longer out primary concern. This Empire of exiles must be dealt with. They represent a clear and present danger to all of our designs. Call in your reinforcements. it's time for the True Order of the Sith to assert its dominance over this..." he scoffed before he answered, "...embarrassment from the past."
"Yes Master," Dooku said before his master's hologram disappeared.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Well, that was part 3 folks. Hope you enjoyed.
Part 4 will be up soon.
Keep an eye out for it.