Darth Maul: A New Dawn (A Swtcw Fanfiction)

Chapter 2: Challenge declared

A/N: Because it's Star Wars month, I had to get this in. A small conflict between Maul and Count Dooku will occur in these coming chapters, a battle to determine who the true Dark Lord of the Sith will be. But enough chat, let's get to it!

(Serenno)

Within the bowels of Castle Serenno, home of the Sith Lord, Darth Tyranus, or Count Dooku, the man himself was inside his meditation chambers when he suddenly felt a great disturbance in the Force. His eyes, which had been closed suddenly snapped open as a gasp of shock parted from his mouth, in his mind was a Force vision, he had seen his master, Sidious, on the planet Mandalore, fighting ferociously against the beast, Savage Opress and his now dead master's former apprentice, Maul, killing Sidious.

"Impossible!"

Reaching out with the Force in an effort to feel Sidious, all Dooku could feel was coldness, the same coldness one would feel from a dead corpse.

Darth Sidious was no more.

"How is this possible!?"

In all his years, Dooku would never believe that one of the most powerful Sith Lords to have ever lived would be bested by two failed apprentices. The prospect was a jest, however, this was no jest, it was reality.

With Sidious dead, it wouldn't be long before these two Nightbrothers would set their eyes on him...

Rising, Dooku made his way to the inner sanctum of his palace, one there, he pulled out a holoprojector, summoning his ally and supplicant-- General Grievous. Soon, the holographic image of the Kaleesh cyborg appeared.

"How may I be of service to you, my lord?"

"General Grievous, I regret to inform you that my master, Darth Sidious is no more," still finding this fact hard to believe, Dooku moved passed it before continuing. "His murderers are two Nightbrothers— Savage Opress and Maul. Together these two overcome the most powerful being in the galaxy, and now I fear they seek to claim the lives of both myself and you."

Bringing one of his fists to his armor-plated face, Grievous coughed violently before snarling. "Let them come! They would be fools to challenge us directly! We command legions of droid armies and Separatists forces that are loyal to us, and what do they have other than their pathetic lives? Nothing!"

"Underestimating these two would be a fatal error, General!" Dooku seethed, causing Grievous to tense and stand straighter. "We know not if Maul and Savage acted alone or if they have amassed outside forces to aid in killing Sidious, but we can leave nothing to chance. Dispatch probe droids throughout the galaxy to see whether or not Maul and Savage are operating alone or if they are amassing forces."

Bowing his head, Grievous then tilted his head. "Is that all, my lord?"

"If the two Sith pretenders wish to claim my life next, I wish to be well prepared. Merge your fleet with my own, and we shall join our armies together to crush this enemy should they be brazen enough to come to my castle," Dooku then spoke firmly. "Do not delay, General. Come to me, here on Serenno, and I shall see your skills further sharpened in preparation for the imminent attack our enemies will conduct."

"As you wish, my lord."

Ending the transmission, the season Sith Lord crossed his arms behind his back and looked out the window of his throne room. The future was no uncertain, of course, he would never have been able to best Sidious and take his place as Dark Lord of the Sith, but now the title would be his once he crushed Maul and Savage under his heel, like the insects that they are.

Before Dooku could make the necessary preparations for dealing with his new rivals for control of the Sith Order and the galaxy itself, he was receiving an incoming transmission, and it was coming from the same bandwidth that his now-dead master had used to contact him. Confused, Dooku answered the incoming transmission and was greeted at the sight of the man who he would be fighting against and the man who had killed his old Jedi apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn.