A/N: Unfortunately, we're nearing the end of this story, and things are going to get very heated! I won't keep you waiting, onwards!

(Kamino)

The Marauder exited hyperspace and was approaching Kamino. Clone Force 99, accompanied by Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Shaak Ti, along with their students was sent to not only discover a way to break the clones' programming but regain control over them. During the months of chaos and anarchy across the galaxy, Tech discovered that the clones had organic chips built into their genetic code, and after removing his chip and the chips inside his brothers, Tech also learned that these chips contained contingency orders in them, and one of these orders was to eliminate the Jedi. As Clone Force 99 shared this revelation with Chancellor Amidalla and her allies, she had sanctioned an operation to go to Kamino and discover any further evidence to prove that the clones were victims of the late Chancellor Palpatine, or rather, Darth Sidious.

Now, as the Bad Batch approached Tipoca City, Hunter approached the Jedi accompanying him and his brothers. "Once we land, we're going to have to hide you away in some containers and make it seem that we're here for a resupply of rations, explosives, and other supplies," he then continued. "As soon we're inside the city, we'll need to find solid evidence that suggests that some of the Kaminoans are responsible for what's happening right now and we'll need to find a way and shut down the inhibitor chips of every clone, galaxy-wide."

"I already have a plan for that," Tech remarked over his shoulder as he piloted the ship to the nearest hangar bay. "Since Order 66 and other contingency orders had been activated when the late Chancellor Palpatine was already deceased, I suspect that someone was able to replicate Palpatine's voice and broadcast the order to eliminate the Jedi and Senate on from anywhere in the galaxy. We will do the same thing here if all else fails."

"Ha! This is gonna be fun!" Wrecker exclaimed as placed his helmet on top of his head and began opening the supply crates and looking at the Jedi and grinning. "Who's first?"

Once the Marauder landed inside the city, the Bad Batch disembarked and to their relief, none of the clones were stopping to question where they had been or what it was they were bringing into the city. Eventually making it to a nearby armory, the Bad Batch switched their weapons to stun, knocking out their brothers and opening the supply crates for the Jedi to come out of.

"Alright, now that we're inside the city, what now?"

Turning to Maris Brood, Hunter looked to the ceiling and noticed one of the emergency access hatches. "You lot should take that way to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the regs. The rest of us will divide and conquer as we look for strong evidence to prove that the clones are victims of a Sith plot. Tech and I search the Genetics Records Hall, Wrecker and Crosshair will find Lama Su or Nala Se, while the rest of you look for evidence as well. Any questions?"

"What happens if we are discovered?" Sha Koon inquired.

"Don't get killed," Crosshair deadpanned before giving the group a firm nod. "Let's go."

As the group split up, the Bad Batch walked together for the time being, and as they walked past several squads of regs, scores of Kaminoans, and medical droids, they spotted Nala Se heading to her private lab with a young girl by her side.

"Wrecker. Crosshair. Get any information you can out of her."

The two nodded and caught up to Kamino's chief scientist and the girl by her side before the four entered an elevator that led to Nala Se's lab. Once in the lift, both Wrecker and Crosshair raised their blasters at Nala Se, surprising her. "Don't even think about calling the security detail," Crosshair said cooly. "If you want to live, you'll do exactly what we say."

"Nala Se?"

Looking down at the young girl, the chief scientist reassured her. "It's alright, Omega, they won't hurt you."

"Heh, of course not. We're not here for the kid. We're here for you."

Turning to Wrecker, Nala Se gave him a confused look. "Me?"

"We know about the inhibitor chips and their purpose. People all over the galaxy are dying because the regs don't know right from wrong, they're following wrong orders." Pointing his rifle at her temple, Crosshair hissed. "We're here to see if you've got any dirty secrets in that lab of yours. Do you?"

With a neutral expression, Nala Se replied calmly. "Of course, not."

A dry laugh rumbled from his throat, and once they reached her lab, Crosshair jammed his rifle into Nala Se's face. "Everybody's got dirty secrets. We've yet to learn what yours are. Now get moving." Wrecker gave her a firm shove, but not before confiscating her communication devices. "Don't try anything stupid, or I'll happily blow your head off." Crosshair's threat caused Nala Se to glare at the rifleman, but she kept quiet.

Omega, despite being affiliated with Nala Se at the moment, was in awe of the muscle and marksman of Clone Force 99. Her curiosity got the better of her as she spoke up. "Where are Hunter and Tech?" Both Wrecker and Crosshair gave the girl a confused look, causing Omega to give them a worried look. "Are... they dead?"

"No. They're here too." Wrecker reassured her before tilting his head. "You, uh, know who we are?"

"Of course. You're Clone Force 99," gesturing around them, Omega smiled softly. "And this is where you were created. Where I was created."

While Crosshair was going through one of the system terminals, he looked over his shoulder. "You're saying that... you're a clone?" When Omena nodded in confirmation, Crosshair looked at Nala Se. "Who is she?"

"She is the next phase of our cloning program."

"Getting tired of us, are you?" Wrecker quipped with a laugh. Before Nala Se could reply, the terminal Crosshair was running through suddenly beeped, and Wrecker spoke up. "W-What is that?"

"Relax, we haven't been discovered. Not yet, anyway. But I found transmission logs between this hydrosnake and Count Dooku." Blanching at his words, Nala Se tried running off, only for Wrecker to stun her. "How pathetic." Crosshair scoffed at her feeble attempt to flee.

"So, uh, what's your name?" Wrecker asked the young clone.

Smiling, she replied. "Omega," she then gave them a curious look. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"We're here to shut down the inhibitor chips controlling the clones from being mindless killers and collect evidence that some of the key Kaminoans are to blame for what the clones are doing throughout the galaxy," Crosshair then looked over his shoulder at Wrecker. "I've gathered all the evidence of Nala Se and Lama Su conspiring with Count Dooku to turn the clones against the Jedi. Let's go."

"What about her?" Omega gestured to the stunned Nala Se.

"She's a traitor, like Lama Su. We take her with us and let her stand trial for conspiring with our enemies," after transferring the evidence he needed to a data tablet, Crosshair gave Wrecker a nod. "Grab her, and let's go." Before the two left, Crosshair looked to Omega and sighed. "Do, uh, you want to come with us?"

"Really?"

"Well, you can't stay here, unattended. So why not?" Crosshair shrugged before turning to Wrecker. "Any objections?"

"None."

Smiling, Omega raced to the lift with her brothers and let out a silent shriek of joy, being able to embark on an adventure for the first time in her life.

"Hunter, we've got what we needed. That, and we've got a newcomer with us."

"A newcomer?"

"We'll explain later. Have you and Tech found anything?"

"Tech managed to discover plans that the Sith had planned and nobody would even know about it."

"Now all that remains is to wait for the generals and shut down the inhibitor chips," Tech chimed in. "I've been working on this voice modulator for some time now, and I am certain that it will snap our brothers out of the trance they're in."

"We're gonna have some heat on us when they learn we have Nala Se," Wrecker said before chuckling. "But if the regs want a fight, I'll be more than happy to give 'em one!"

"Negative, we can't afford to have the entire city coming down on top of us," Hunter said sternly. "If you can find a way back to the Marauder undetected, take it. We'll regroup with you as soon as we can."

"Affirmative," Crosshair then looked at Omega. "Since you've been here longer than the rest of the clones out in the field, I would bet my credits and say you know a way to get back to our ship without a necessary firefight."

"I do," Omega nodded. "Where's your ship?"

"At landing bay one-tac-one," Wrecker replied. "Why?"

Smiling, Omega took the lead once the elevator reached back to the regular Kaminoan labs and troop barracks. "Follow me." With a nod, Wrecker and Crosshair followed Omega and were able to remain out of sight for the time being. But with Bad Batch, trouble seemed to follow them wherever they went, and it was only a matter of time before they had to fight.

Meanwhile, Hunter and Tech made their way out of the Genetics Records Hall and made their way to the city's communications center so that Tech could broadcast the inhibitor chip shutdown order while using Palpatine's voice to ensure the shutdown. After stunning clones and Kaminoans inside the communications center, the tracker/leader and brains of the Bad Batch accessed the communications array that would be able to broadcast the message Tech would send. As Tech was prepared to send the shutdown order, the doors opened, revealing Kamino security clones with riot shields and blasters aimed at the duo.

"What is it that you believe that you are doing?"

Lama Su, who had been on edge ever since Clone Force 99 had not checked in all these months was finally back here on Kamino to do who knows what. Standing tall, Hunter remarked. "We're here to bring you and all the other Kaminoans who've willing been pawns for the Sith to justice, that, and to shut down the inhibitor chips controlling every clone in the galaxy," looking over his shoulder at Tech, Hunter spoke with gritted teeth. "How long do you need?"

"All I need to do is speak. Hold them off for as long as you can!"

Hunter drew one of his blaster pistols and his vibro-knife, readying himself as the security clones closed in. "You do not need your heightened senses to know that you are outnumbered. Stop this, before something tragic happens," Lama Su pleaded. "I will not ask you again."

Suddenly, the security clones were sent flying and crashed into the walls, rendering them unconscious. Turning around, Lama Su was met with two azure lightsabers in his face. "Prime Minister Lama Su, you are under arrest for crimes against the Republic and conspiring with the Sith to overthrow both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic," Plo Koon declared before speaking in a low voice. "You would be wise to surrender."

As Lama Su raised his hands to surrender, he activated an alarm, alerting all clones to his location. Hunter, who could sense thousands of clones heading their way turned to Tech sharply. "Tech, do it!" Nodding, Tech activated the voice modulator of Palpatine and broadcast the shutdown order on Kamino and galaxy-wide.

"This is Chancellor Palpatine. As of this moment, Order 66, and all other contingency orders are to be shut down, effective immediately. Any soldier who disregards this order will be relieved of duty."

With this simple message now being delivered, it sent a high-frequency pulse into the clones' helmets, causing them all to cry out in agony, clutching their heads as the inhibitor chips were deactivated and they were no longer mind-controlled drones to exact Palpatine's will from beyond the grave.

"What have you done?"

Looking at Lama Su, Tech replied. "I just saved our brothers from the nightmare they had been forced to live for months now," drawing one of his blaster pistols, Tech fired a stunning round into the prime minister, knocking him out. "Oh, and you are under arrest."

(Unknown location)

The Enchantress soared through hyperspace as it made the intergalactic jump to the galaxy that held a Nightsister presence and was summoning Mother Talzin. The voyage had been for several rotations, but the navigational droids informed those on board that they would be reaching their destination in a matter of hours.

Within the elegant vessel's training dojo, Darth Maul and his brothers were engaged in a heated sparring match with Sith Training Droids who had analyzed the fighting styles and techniques of the Jedi Order's finest from recorded battles or otherwise. Each of the brothers was facing what they believed to be the deadliest the Jedi Order had to offer. Savage was facing a shadow of Mace Windu, Maul locked blades with the projection of Anakin Skywalker, and Feral was being beaten down by a mere fraction of the strength that the real Plo Koon possessed.

It was a rigorous and brutal time. But the pain the brothers received from these training sessions only fueled their anger and desire to best these Jedi in combat. The loss of Masters Windu and Koon would be a blow to Jedi, of course, but the brothers knew that if the Chosen One was removed from the game board, then victory was all but assured.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion..." Maul snarled as he struck the training droid's eyes, blinding them, and severed the module of the Jedi's Chosen One in half.

"Through passion, I gain strength..." Savage roared as he seized the module of Mace Windu by the throat and hacked the droid's hands.

"Through strength, I gain power..." Feral hissed as he broke the blade lock with the module of Plo Koon and then severed the droid's legs off and overwhelmed the droid with fatal torrents of crimson Force lightning. "Through power, I gain victory." He exhaled once the droid was nothing but smoking scrap metal.

"Through victory, my chains are broken..." Maul lifted the blinded training droid off its feet and began to crush it, "...the Force shall set me free." Hurling the crushed droid away, the red-skinned Zabrak deactivated his crimson blade and took deep breaths while approaching a basin of water to wash his sweaty face.

Savage approached next and cupped a handful of water to wash his face before growling. "The day will come to face these Jedi in the flesh, and... I fear my strength will not be enough to overcome them."

"You've killed scores of Jedi with little to no training, Savage," Feral stated as he too approached the basin to cool his flushed, heated face. "But time has been our greatest ally, to the both of us. We have been training rigorously day and night as we perfect all forms of lightsaber combat and strengthen our connection with the Force and arcane abilities, whether it's Nightsister magick or Sith alchemy."

"Nevertheless, there are times when I feel as though I am unworthy of being a Sith—"

"Savage. Enough."

Turning to Maul, who was frowning at his words, Savage shook his head. "No. I must say this," looking at his prosthetic arm, the hulking Zabrak flexed the metallic fingers before clenching the open hand into a tight fist. "What if I'm not strong enough to protect either of you when confronted by any of these Jedi?" Remembering how he lost his arm in the first place, Savage felt his blood burn with hatred towards Kenobi. "It was humiliating enough to be defeated and maimed by Kenobi, but what of the Jedi we just fought through these simulations?"

Placing a hand on top of Savage's metallic fist, Maul inquired softly. "Is this your fear, brother? That you are not strong enough to crush those who threaten us?"

Closing his eyes, Savage exhaled shakily before looking Maul in the eyes. "Yes," he then turned to Feral. "I was under the spell of that witch, Ventress, when I took your life. I will not lose you a second time." He then turned back to Maul. "I will not lose either of you."

The brother trio came together, embracing each other while reassuring Savage's doubts and fears.

Although Maul had taught his brothers the ways of the Sith, it was Savage and Feral who taught Maul the ways of a Nightbrother and what that meant. Brotherhood meant everything to the Nightbrothers, and they would defend each other to the death, even if their fellow Zabraks weren't their flesh and blood, they were brothers of Dathomir.

"We will not only best these Jedi, my brother, but we will see that their entire order is ash and dust. That, I promise you."

Maul's firm reassurance gave Savage strength, and after sharing a cathartic moment, the brothers left the dojo, went to their separate quarters, and entered the refreshers to wash away the stench of blood, sweat, and rigorous training before joining the Nightsisters on the bridge of the ship.

Mother Talzin stood at the bridge along with several Nightsisters, among them were Merrin, Asajj Ventress, and a young woman the same age as Merrin, she had lost her lower jaw during the massacre Count Dooku had ordered, she did have a name, but she preferred to be called Deathstick.

"Tracking complete. We have arrived at our destination. Preparing to exit hyperspace."

Heeding one of the navigator droids, the Dathomirians were met with the sight of a massive star whale graveyard. Closing her eyes, Mother Talzin felt the whispers and chants that had been summoning her grow louder as the ship neared the planet. "Take us down to the planet," the witch mother instructed one of the droids piloting her vessel. "I will tell you where to go."

"Acknowledged."

Eventually, the Enchantress entered the planet's atmosphere and sliced through thick storm clouds. The viewport was momentarily clouded by thick rain, but eventually, the ship made it out of the storm and flew past several lumbering statues, Nightsister in origin. Chanting softly to herself, Mother Talzin, who appeared to be in a trance, came back to her senses and pointed to an immense citadel. "That is where we will find who has been summoning me," turning sharply, Mother Talzin beckoned her sons as well as Merrin and Ventress to join her. "I will summon you when you are needed, sister. Remain here." Deathstick bowed her head, acknowledging Mother Talzin's command, and took command for the time being.

As Mother Talzin's shuttle exited one of the hangar bays, it soon touched down on the top of the citadel, where the witch mother of Dathomir and her sons and fellow Nightsisters disembarked and were met by three powerful witches. Now standing face to face with the witch trio of Peridea, the Dathomirians all bowed their heads in both greetings and respect.

"Welcome, children of Dathomir," one of the Peridea witches greeted. "You do our ancestor's credit."

"Thank you, Great Mother,"

"You heard our call to you in the dream?"

With a firm nod, Mother Talzin smiled. "Your visions have guided me across the stars," she then gestured to her elegant vessel looming overhead. "We have come to see you free of this place."

"Long have we waited, sister," another of the Peridea witches sighed happily. "At last, you are here."

The third of the Peridea witches turned to the Sith trio and shuddered. "They reek of Sith," turning to her sons, Talzin looked back to the third witch as she continued. "We have seen the slaughter the Sith have conducted on our sisters on Dathomir—"

"Rest assured, Great Mothers, we killed the Sith who slaughtered the Nightsisters on Dathomir," Maul spoke soothingly. "My brothers and I stand as a new Sith Triumvirate, and we are loyal to our blood and Dathomir."

The first of the Peridea witches tilted their heads curiously. "I sense no deception in you, son of Dathomir. Good." Turning to Mother Talzin, the witch continued. "Within the catacombs of this citadel, there is a sleeping army in stasis pods, we have not the means to prepare this army for departure, hence the reason we summoned you. Will you end our purgatory here so that we can join the rest of our kind on Dathomir?"

"We shall, Great Mothers," Mother Talzin grinned. "We shall."

Smiling to himself, Maul knew with these additional Nightsisters along with the sleeping army they had in the catacombs of this citadel, they would have enough numbers to finally make a move against his enemies.

Everything was proceeding as planned.

(Nar Shaddaa)

The cantina was loud as music boomed throughout the establishment, the exclamation of patrons only served to add further noise, not that any of that bothered Cad Bane, who was reclined at a booth with his feet kicked up on the table and drinking a beverage.

The Duros bounty hunter had managed to escape Republic custody thanks to Mandalorian Super Commandos, and after laying low and taking on several jobs and earning enough credits to buy himself new gear and a new ship he called The Justifier, he was taking a moment to catch his breath before getting back to work. He had been spending this time looking for high-paying jobs, but so far, none of the jobs he saw were worth his time.

"Cad Bane, I presume?"

Looking up to a hulking Gen'Dai accompanied by two enforcers in sleek black and gilded helmets, armor, and clothing, the Duros bounty hunter removed the toothpick in his mouth before sneering. "Who wants to know?" Bane watched as the Gen'Dai seated himself across from him before sliding a holoprojector in his direction.

"Crimson Dawn requires your services."

Laying eyes on the crimson hologram bearing the emblem of Crimson Dawn, Cad Bane looked into the masked eyeslits of the Gen'Dai before him. "And who are you?"

"Durge."

Narrowing his eyes at Durge, the Duros bounty hunter then inquired. "What's the job?"

"I leave Crimson Dawn's leader to explain that."

Reaching for the holoprojector across the table, Durge activated the transmitter, allowing the crimson holographic image of Darth Maul to appear. "Ah, Cad Bane. You remember me, I trust?" The Duros bounty hunter was surprised, to say the least, he had not laid eyes on the Dathomiran Zabrak since he helped him free the Jedi Padawan, Eldra Kaitis from the Xrexus Cartel during the twilight years of the Galactic Republic.

"Heh, that I do. Been a long time. Truth be told, I was shocked by your galaxy-wide transmission. You sent a strong message to the galaxy, show off the heads of the Republic and Separatists' former leaders, and they're gonna be hurtin' for a while," placing his toothpick back in his mouth, Bane tilted his head softly. "To what do I owe this... unexpected pleasure?"

"As Durge told you by now, Crimson Dawn requires your services. Be aware, that you are not alone in this hunt, but you will be working with other bounty hunters to find and eliminate the former members of Chancellor Palpatine's cabinet."

"What's the payout?"

"Triple your usual rate."

Sitting properly now, Cad Bane gave the Sith Lord a curious look. "Finding the late chancellor's in-crowd couldn't have been easy. But then again, you Force users aren't like the rest of us regular folk. Where do I find them?"

"They have been traveling throughout the Core Worlds over the months, but now, my sources tell me that they seek to establish power for themselves in the political arena. You will find these worms on Alderaan."

"And... what about the Republic's new and pretty chancellor? Padmé Amidala?" Bane then smirked. "I can kill her for you too. But that will cost you extra."

Smiling softly, Maul reassured the Duros bounty hunter. "I have plans for Chancellor Amidala, she will die, but on a day of my choosing. And that day is not today." Giving Bane a stern look, the Sith Lord returned their conversation to the assignment. "I have already taken the liberty of transferring half of your payment for this assignment into your accounts. Complete your task with the other hunters, and you will receive the rest of your payment. Don't disappoint me."

As the transmission ended, Cad Bane got up from his booth and tossed a few credits on the table to pay for his drink. Before leaving the cantina, however, the Duros hunter looked over his shoulder, speaking to Durge. "You're more than just a bounty hunter, are you?"

"I've been alive for a very long time," Durge stood up and as he and the enforcers accompanying him were leaving, the Gen'Dai grunted. "Crimson Dawn is the future. And soon enough, the entire galaxy will be under the control of Lord Maul. Serve him, and the rewards will be great."

Snorting softly, Bane then inquired. "What does he offer you?"

"A warrior's death," Durge said firmly. "I've yet to meet an opponent who could best me in combat. One day soon, perhaps. But until then, I live to serve Lord Maul and Crimson Dawn."

As Durge and his men left, Cad Bane snorted softly once more before making his way to the nearest docking bay and boarding his ship. "Todo, get your chassis up here," the Techno-service droid flew into the cockpit as Bane was getting his ship into lift-off.

"We have another job then, do we?"

"Yeah, we're going to Alderaan," Bane then grunted. "Punch in the coordinates."

"Already on it, Mr. Bane."

As The Justifer left the Nar Shaddaa, Bane turned to his droid, waiting for the hyperspace coordinates to be plugged in. Once their route was set, Bane made the jump and took a quick peek at his accounts and found the credits that Maul had sent him, it was a very handsome amount.

"Heh, "serve him, and the rewards will be great," will they?"

Remembering Druge's words, Cad Bane knew his reputation as a bounty hunter was legendary. But if he proved his worth to Maul, he could go a lot further and perhaps earn enough credits to disappear into the stars and retire. But first, he had a job to do, and Cad Bane always got the job done.

(Canto Bight)

A massive freighter came out of hyperspace and arrived at the Outer Rim world of Cantonica, the ship belonged to Sugi arms dealers, and they, like so many of the galaxy's most notorious weapons dealers were coming to the lavish tourist, gambling hotspot of Canto Bight. Supposedly a new criminal syndicate called Crimson Dawn was hosting an exquisite party to introduce themselves to those who wished to conduct business with them.

As the Sugi freighter approached the coastal city, it landed at one of the docking bays. Endente, leader of this Sugi arms dealer group, along with his second-in-command, and a dozen of his companions disembarked from their ship while luging the merchandise they were prepared to sell to Crimson Dawn. The invitation they received, along with all the other arms dealers in the galaxy told them that the party was being hosted at Canto Bight's casino, but the VIP guests were to meet onboard the First Light, residence of Dryden Vos.

Upon reaching First Light, the Sugi entered the ship and were greeted by one of the enforcers inside the vessel. Once approaching the counter, the enforcer spoke up.

"I'll need to check your weapons before going any further."

Reluctantly, Endente and his companions turned over their weapons. Once they had finished disarming, they were allowed access to the lavish party onboard this elegant vessel. All manner of sentient life forms were mingling, interacting, and attempting to broach deals on making their enterprises all the more profitable. Before the Sugi could proceed, one of Dryden Vos' concierges approached.

"Welcome aboard the First Light, Endente," an Imroosian female greeted with a smile. "I am Margo."

The small arms dealer nodded in acknowledgment before taking a drink that had been offered to him. "Yes yes. I am here to conduct business with Dryden Vos. Like many of these people here, I am one of the most notorious arms dealers in the galaxy. And the merchandise I have is quite valuable." He laughed lightly while savoring the drink he had been offered.

"Of course," Margo said in understanding before turning to the nearest enforcer. "Inform Dryden that Endente and the Sugi are here." Nodding, the enforcer left to inform the boss. Turning back to the arms dealers before her, Margo smiled. "Dryden will be with you shortly. He's just finishing with another potential business partner."

Inside Dryden's office, the figurehead of the Dawn removed one of his Kyuzo petars out of the chest of an arms dealer who was brazen enough to try and rob Dryden of some of his most prized possessions and artifacts within his office lounge. Panting heavily as Dryden loomed over the corpse of the arms dealer/thief, the crime boss looked to his enforcers, who had the fallen thief's inner circle at sword-point, and gave them a nod. The enforcers drove their swords into the backs of the thieving scum while being mindful not to leave a mess in the office of their boss.

"Excuse me, sir."

Looking up at the captain of the Hylobon Enforcers onboard First Light, Aemon Gremm, Dryden grunted out. "Yes, what is it?"

"Endente and his Sugi arms dealers have arrived with their merchandise."

Nodding, Dryden turned to the other enforcers and gestured to the thieves they had just killed. "Clean up this mess," he then turned to Aemon, "and you bring Endente and two of his men to me." With a firm nod, Aemon left to fetch the Sugi arms dealers. Turning to one of the attendants, Dryden poured himself a drink, a means of calming himself down from the botched deal/attempted theft of his property from the now-dead thieves he and his men had dealt with.

"I get all worked up. Silly me." With a grin, Dryden laughed dryly. "It's a party, after all."

Setting down his drink, the near-human sat on one of the couches in his office just as Endente and his Sugi entered. Extending his arms out with a grin. "Endente! Welcome aboard my humble abode." Getting up to offer the Sugi a delectable dish. "Colo claw fish, anyone?" Four Sugi accepted and ate while Dryden and Endete sat across from each other. "Now then, down to business," the near-human narrowed his eyes at the small Sugi before smiling softly. "What exactly is this... merchandise that you are offering Crimson Dawn?"

"Heh, it's not just any weapon, I can assure you." Turning to two of his companions, Endente beckoned them to show Dryden what they were offering. As the two Sugi brought the large container closer, Endente cocked his head in question. "You do know what a kyber crystal is, yes?"

"Of course, they're not only what power a Jedi or Sith's lightsaber, but the Guardians of the Whills who operate on Jedha dabble in it, along with the other religious factions on that planet." Looking at the crate, the near-human crime boss got up and watched as the Sugi opened the container, revealing a massive kyber crystal. "I have seen my fair share of these crystals before, but never have I seen one this big." Turning to Endente, Dryden raised an eyebrow. "How did you and your people excavate this crystal?"

Smirking, Endete too got up from his seat. "I'm very good at what I do." He then changed the subject. "Now, you've seen what I have to offer, and now we'll talk about a price that we can settle upon."

"And what price do you believe this hunk of rock is worth?"

"One million credits."

Laughing dryly, Dryden made his way to his desk, retrieving one of his Kyuzo petars, and inspecting the keen edges before looking at Endente with a predatory smirk. "Let me be clear about something. This kyber crystal will be of great value to Crimson Dawn, we're building something so grand that it will leave the galaxy breathless at the mere mention of it. That crystal you have is what will make what we're building so feared," making his way over to the Sugi, Dryden then smiled as he voiced his price. "One hundred thousand credits."

"Bah! This crystal's worth more than one hundred thousand!" Endente scoffed before repeating his price more firmly. "One million credits."

"Why bother speaking of settling on a price that we can work out when you already had such a price in mind in the first place?" Dryden's voice then turned cold as Hoth activated the crimson monomolecular lasers on both edges and pointed the edge mere inches from Endente's face. The other Sugi were about to move against the near-human, but the Dawn's enforcers raised rifles and readied their melee weapons as they too were ready to end the Sugi if they moved against Dryden. "I do admire a man who can settle on a price with confidence, however, out of all the transactions that Crimson Dawn has conducted at this event, your kyber crystal is the one item that is more valuable."

"T-Then why not pay what the crystal is worth?" Endente stammered out.

"Truth be told, I'm not in command of Crimson Dawn, Endente. Its true leader is a very dangerous and very powerful man, one who can squash you like the insect that you are if you attempt to rob him of his money." Before the Sugi could babble some feeble response to that accusation, Dryden continued. "If you wish to conduct further business with Crimson Dawn, you will accept the terms that we set without complaint. If you refuse, well, I can assure you that things will be very unpleasant for you."

Endente considered his options and he knew that if he didn't cooperate with Crimson Dawn's terms, then he and his men would be killed without pity or mercy. Swallowing his pride, the Sugi groaned. "Very well. One hundred thousand credits," he then chuckled nervously, "I trust that you and your fancy enforcers won't stab us in the back once we receive our payment?"

Removing his Kyuzo petar from Endente's face, Dryden smiled. "Nonsense, you and the Sugi are some of the best arms dealers in the galaxy. My superior will have use of you in the future. Although the war between the Republic and Separatists persists, Crimson Dawn is taking advantage of the chaos to take control. If you serve the Dawn and its master well, then you and the Sugi will receive riches beyond your wildest dreams," the near-human grinned as one of his enforcers gave Endente a case containing the payment that was settled upon. "One hundred thousand credits and you keep your life. I'd say that's a good deal, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose so. But if your superior is as powerful as you say, then I suppose I should be grateful that my men and I receive payment at all."

"Wise words. You may yet live to see the fruit of Crimson Dawn's labors," seating himself at his desk chair, Dryden bid them farewell. "Alright, with that, our business has concluded. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening, and attend the party!" Endente nodded and turned to his Sugi with a nod as they left to join the party in the VIP lounge.

Once the Sugi was gone, Dryden inserted his ring into one of the consoles on his desk, closing the windows behind him, and soon enough, the holographic image of Darth Maul appeared.

"Yes?"

"Lord Maul, I am pleased to report that I have acquired the centerpiece for the Blood Star superweapon— a kyber crystal of immense size."

The Dathomirian Zabrak smiled deviously. "Good. You have done well, Dryden," he then gave him his next instructions. "Once your business on Canto Bight has concluded, go to Korriban and deliver the crystal to my Sith loyalists. The super weapon is nearing completion thanks to the slave and droid labor that work night and day to see this weapon come to life."

"It will be done, Lord Maul."

After ending transmission with the Sith Lord, Dryden made his way to the party loomed over the balcony, and observed his guests. With all the business he had conducted, he knew that it would all lead to wealth and prosperity. All he needed to do was continue to serve Maul well, and the benefits would be most considerable.

However, unknown to Dryden Vos, his entire conversation had been overheard by Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. The Jedi had planted a bug on one of the enforcers downstairs by "accidentally" bumping into them. While blending in with the partygoers in the casino, Quinlan was able to find out exactly why Crimson Dawn was conducting business with three galaxy's most notorious arms dealers, it was so that they could obtain the kyber crystal that the Sugi possessed.

With this information, the Jedi Master discretely left the casino and made his way back to his starfighter and spoke to his Astromech droid. "Relay the following message to the Jedi Council immediately." The droid beeped several times before recording the message he wanted to send. "I have learned that Crimson Dawn has purchased a cyber crystal an immense size, and Darth Maul plans on using it for the use of a super weapon known as the Blood Star. We must warn the Republic of this and regain control of the clone army so that we can destroy this superweapon before it becomes fully operational." As he ended the message, the Jedi Master boarded his ship and took off.

A/N: Again, this story is drawing to an end, and things are about to come to an explosive climax! As always, leave feedback, and suggestions, and I'll see you all in the next update!