Campaign against the Shadow Collective

In 54 BBY, on the planet Dathomir, the Dathomirian Zabrak Nightbrother Maul was born to Mother Talzin of the Nightsisters. When Maul was a child, Dark Lord of the Sith Sidious became an ally to Mother Talzin, visiting Dathomir and trading secrets of the dark side of the force with her. Sidious promised to make Talzin his apprentice, however he took and trained her son Maul instead. Talzin swore to get her revenge someday.

Over the years, Sidious trained Maul to become a weapon of the Sith, relentless against his enemies. During Maul's training, Sidious brought him to the Sith world of Malachor to breath in the ashes of his fallen Sith brethren, killed by the Jedi long before. This gave Maul a want for revenge against the Jedi Order. Eventually, in 32 BBY, the Sith enacted their plan for revenge. In the Invasion of Naboo, Maul engaaged into a lightsaber duel with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul successfully killed Jinn, but Kenobi sliced Maul's lower torse off, with Maul falling to his supposed death. Although having lost his apprentice Maul, Sidious continued his plans, gaining a reputation as a good senator for the people of the Galactic Republic. However, Sidious was lacking an apprentice, and thus the Fallen Jedi Count Dooku was made Palpatine's apprentice. Dooku was the leader of an anti-Republic group known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He publicly rejected any opportunity to talk with Palaptine, unbeknownst to the public that Dooku was Sidious' apprentice.

In 22 BBY, Dooku and his droid army fought the Galactic Republic's army of clones on the planet Geonosis in a battle that would mark the start of the Clone Wars. Two years into the Clone Wars, in 20 BBY, Dooku was ordered by Sidious to assassinate his personal sith assassin, Asajj Ventress. Although reluctant at first, Dooku followed through his master's orders. However, Ventress survived the attempt on her life, and returned to her homeworld of Dathomir. Ventress was once a Nightsister, but as a child the clan was forced to give her up to the Siniteen pirate Hal'Sted to protect the clan. Looking for revenge on Dooku, Ventress travelled to the Nightbrother village in order to find an assassin through the Selection. In an assassin, she found Savage Opress, the brother of Darth Maul. Opress was to become the "apprentice" of Dooku as offered by the Nightsisters. However, Opress betrayed both Ventress and Dooku, returning to Dathomir and learning that his long lost brother Maul, lived. Maul lived, stranded on the junk planet of Lotho Minor. Through his hate and will to survive after being nearly killed by Kenobi back on Naboo, he used the Force to hang on to an airvent. He eventually made his was to a trash compactor, bringing him to Lotho Minor.

Upon meeting his brother, Opress brought his brother back to Dathomir, in order to have Maul's mind restored by Mother Talzin. Talzin restored Maul's mind, as well as giving him a set of metal legs made from the wreckage of the battle droids from a massacre of the Nightsisters, enacted as revenge by Dooku. Maul and Opress went on a rampage in a quest for revenge on the Jedi. After a battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master Adi Gallia, and the Ohnaka Gang of criminals, the brothers escaped in escape pods. Floating barely alive, they were saved by the Mandalorian splinter group named Death Watch. They took them to the Death Watch camp on Zanbar, giving Opress a prosthetic arm and Maul new metal legs. Pre Vizsla of Death Watch explained to Maul the malmanagement of the New Mandalorian government. Maul promised Death Watch the ability to retake Mandalore and kill Kenobi. Now an alliance, they travelled the Galaxy offering various criminal syndicates a part in the new criminal alliance. With the allegiance of the Hutt Clan, Pyke Syndicate, and the Black Sun, the Shadow Collective was born.

Having acquired the forces to make a sufficient army, the Shadow Collective successfully seized control of the Mandalorian city of Sundari. Eventually Death Watch betrayed the Collective, driving the criminals away and arresting Opress and Maul. They themselves claimed rule over Mandalore. Escaping from prison, the Sith brothers sought a new ally in Mandalorian Prime Minister Almec. Maul stormed into the Mandalorian throne room, challenging Pre Visla to a duel. Maul defeated Visla, beheading him with the Darksaber, a black-bladed lightsaber owned by the first Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizsla. Maul's victory split Death Watch into two with half staying loyal to Maul, and the other half rebelling against Maul led by Bo-Katan Kryze. Almec was reinstated as Prime Minister, and Maul had taken over Mandalore.

However, scared of Maul's growing power, Sidious traveled to Mandalore in order to end Maul's rule. Maul, Savage, and Sidious dueled in the depths of Sundari. Sidious killed Opress, and disarmed Maul, sparing him as he needed Maul to get rid of Talzin. Sidious kept Maul in the Spire, a prison on the planet Stygeon Prime. Maul was broken out of the prison by his Mandalorian super commandos led by Commander Gar Saxon. This would be mark the beginning of a war that would take place between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Shadow Collective.

Following orders given by Almec, the super commandos brought Maul to the Death Watch camp on Zanbar to rendezvous with his forces. Maul ignited the Darksaber, rallying his army and promising them the war they had waited for their entire lives. A that note, a Separatist navy fleet headed by Grievous began attacking the Shadow Collective forces. The forces had followed Maul to the moon and began invasion. C-9979 landing crafts flew in the skies, and Maul's army began to rain turret fire on the dropships. When the ships landed, the might of the full Separatist droid army was unleashed upon the army, with various waves of droidekas, B1-series battle droids, and B2-series super battle droids.

As Maul sliced through the battle droids, Grievous stood on the landing bridge of his his Providence-class Dreadnought. Promising Maul that the end was soon to come, the General sent four IG-100 MagnaGuards in an attempt to take the Zabrak out. As the battle roared around him, Maul made quick work of the MagnaGuards. One Mandalorian tried to take out Grievous by himself, but was quickly killed by the Kaleesh warlord. It was at this point that Maul and Grievous finally engaged in a lightsaber duel. Eventually, Grievous kicked Maul to the ground. Maul looked around as his army was massacred by the endless forces of droids. In retaliation, Maul had his gauntlet fighters bomb the droid army. Having been picked up by Commando Rook Kast, in his personal gauntlet fighter, the Nightbrother. They escaped as flames engulfed the Death Watch camp. Grievous reported to Dooku that he had made Maul and his forces flee.

Maul meditated while in hyperspace. Maul was met by Talzin via the spirit world, a parallel dimension in Nightsister culture which few Nightsisters could travel. Talzin instructed Maul to bring his fleet to the planet Ord Mantell to gather more strength and forces. Entering the Bright Jewel system, the Shadow Collective fleet landed in the Black Sun stronghold in Ord Mantell City. Maul discussed the war with Ziton Moj of the Black Sun and Fife of the Pyke Syndicate. Meanwhile, Confederate spies reported to Dooku and Grievous that Maul's fleet had landed on Ord Mantell. Dooku reminded Grievous not to attack until they had confirmation that Talzin was with them. As if on cue, ST-series military strategic analysis and tactics droid Tey-Zuka informed them that reconnaissance droids near Dathomir reported a single transport shuttle leaving the planet. Thus, Dooku and Grievous prepared to attack Ord Mantell.

As the transport ship from Dathomir landed on Ord Mantell, a clan of Nightbrothers stepped out, headed by Brother Viscus. Maul met with his brethren, preparing for battle. The Separatist fleet entered out of hyperspace, firing down on the city at the command of Grievous. As Separatist forces landed, the two armies began fighting in the second battle of their war.

Dooku landed his ship at the site of the battle, sending out MagnaGuards to find Maul and Talzin. At that same time, Grievous and Tey-Zuka contemplated where Maul's Mandalorian warships were. Then, Maul sprung a trap on Grievous, attacking his dreadnought and the rest of the droid fleet. As Dooku investigated, Viscus and his Nightbrothers took out his MagnaGuards. They then fought, with Dooku standing outnumbered.

Saxon, a Pyke, and a Falleen hid behind rubble as the seemingly never ending forces of droids continued their slaughter of the Collective. However, a B2 grapple droid punched through the rubble, taking hold of the Pyke. As the space battle continued around them, Maul and Saxon landed on Grievous' dreadnought, with Maul using the Darksaber to cut a whole in the side of the ship. The two entered the bridge of the ship, and Force pushed a group of droids to the side. Maul tackled Grievous and raised the Darksaber to Grievous' throat.

Count Dooku stood his own against the Nightbrothers, sending endless volleys of Force lightning at them. As the droids surrounded the Shadow Collective, they were forced to surrender. However, Maul's takeover of the Providence gunship caused all the droids to deactivate, giving them time to rip apart the forces of the droid army. Dooku used the Force to slam Brother Viscus into the ground. However, before he was able to kill Viscus, he was captured by the survivors of the Collective.

The events at Ord Mantell caught the attention of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order. Via hologram, Jedi Master Mace Windu notified Chancellor Palpatine of the ongoing battles. A Jedi investigation group was sent to Ord Mantell after the battle, including Jedi Masters, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tiplee, and Aayla Secura. Their investigation led them to the finding a Mandalorian super commando helmet, leading them to believe that the battle had taken place between Dooku and the Shadow Collective. The group then prepared to travel to a nearby Mandalorian supply outpost known as Vizsla Keep 09.

Meanwhile at Vizsla Keep 09, having captured Dooku and Grievous, Maul hologrammed Sidious showing him how he had captured the two. Speaking on account of Mother Talzin, Maul reminded Sidious of his history with the Dathomirian witch. Sidious told Maul to kill both of them as he had no use for either of them. Turning off his holocommunications, Maul and Rook put Grievous in the ship's brig while Maul would converse with the Count.

Using Maul as a vessel, Talzin appeared to Dooku through the spirit world. The witch explained her history with Sidious and how he took her son Maul. Talzin asked Dooku to join her and Maul, explaining how Sidous would eventually betray him. While conversing, Commander Saxon notified Maul of incoming Republic ships, with Maul commanding him to block their transmissions. However in the commotion, Dooku used the Force to press a button releasing Grievous from his cell.

The Galactic Republic Navy fleet slowly approached the space station. As the troops prepared for an invasion, the Shadow Collective launched gauntlet fighters. As the rest of the ships engaged in combat, an Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry ship carrying Kenobi, Tiplee, and the 212th Attack Battalion landed in the rings of Phelbos. During the commotion, Grievous slipped out of Visla Keep 09 through an escape pod.

Maul handed back Dooku his lightsaber, teaming up with him in order to escape alive. The Jedi and Sith engaged in a standoff in which Dooku killed Master Tiplee. Rook Kast used the missile on her Z-6 jetpack, rendering Secura and Windu unconscious. Maul, Dooku, Kast, and Saxon escaped in the Nightbrother, living to fight another day. The clone troopers arrested the Mandalorians left at the station and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine demanded to speak with the now conscious Windu. Windu believed that Dooku had been the master of Maul and that the Battle of Ord Mantell had been just a deception. However, Palpatine believed that the battle could spell disaster for the Republic.

En route to Dathomir, Maul was hologrammed by Moj and Fife. They believed that Maul's Collective was becoming his own crusade and named the casualties in which it had cost them. Maul reassured them that the galaxy would soon be theirs for the taking. Landing in the cliffside Nightbrother village, Maul presented Brother Viscus with Count Dooku. Preparing for Mother Talzin's return, Maul escorted Dooku into a large building and placed his hand on a large stone panel where he began to recite a prayer to his mother. Talzin's reflection appeared in the stone and soon her spirit began to emanate from it, possessing the Count. Meanwhile, Sidious and Grievous stayed in orbit above the planet in the Scimitar, a heavily modified Star Courier which Maul had piloted during his apprenticeship to Sidious. Having tracked Count Dooku's signal, Sidious ordered Grievous to jam their communications and bring the ship into cloaking mode. Viscus and the Nightbrothers left to prepare Talzin's chambers while Maul watched as the Count became possessed. Maul explained the process Dooku's body was going through. However, Grievous exploded his way through one of the walls of building, with Sidious in tow.

During the events on Dathomir, Separatist armadas laid siege to Black Sun and Pyke Syndicate forces. Fife and Ziton Moj hologrammed Maul again, but were instead met by Rook Kast. The crime lords demanded to speak with Maul, but Kast instead instructed them to follow their orders. The Black Sun and the Pyke Syndicate both pulled out of the Shadow Collective, leaving Maul and the Death Watch by themselves.

As Maul drew the Darksaber, Dooku's body had become fully possessed by Talzin. The two sides engaged in lightsaber combat, with Maul fighting Grievous and Talzin fighting Sidious. Sidious disarmed Talzin and used Force lightning to electrocute Dooku's body. Having finally gained the necessary energies, Talzin's spirit exited Dooku and she materialized. Meanwhile, a Separatist invasion force appeared in the Dathomir system. Maul force pushed Grievous out the whole in the building's wall. Talzin and Sidious each sent force lightning at each other, the two forces dispersing. Waking up, Dooku added a stream of lightning to help Sidious oppose Talzin. Maul put his hand on his mother's shoulder, offering her his strength. However, the Sith's strength overpowered that of the Dathomirians. Additionally, Grievous had crawled back into the building through the window. In the Nightbrother, Kast and Saxon urged Maul to retreat. Talzin told Maul to leave, however Maul believed that they could both escape. Talzin force pushed Maul away, into his ship in a last stand to protect her son. The two Mandalorians held back Maul as he watched Grievous stab his mother in the heart. As the three escaped in the gauntlet fighter, the invasion fleet landed on Dathomir and destroyed the Nightbrother's village.

Returning to Mandalore, Maul regrouped his Shadow Collective, with the addition of the Crimson Dawn led by Dryden Vos. Maul and forces fought against the invasion force of the Bo-Katan's Nite Owls and the Galactic Republic's 332nd Division, led by Ahsoka Tano, the former Padawan of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Maul was captured by Tano and imprisoned on the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tribunal. While imprisoned on the ship, Darth Sidious ordered the activation of Order 66, a directive order in the behavioral modification biochip of clone troopers that would cause them to attack all the Jedi. In order to ensure her escape, Tano freed Maul from his cell as two shock troopers were about to execute him. Maul travelled to the ship's hyperdrive, which he destroyed using the Force. Exiting hyperspace, the ship was set on a crash collision into a moon. In the ship's hangar, Maul piloted a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, escaping the vessel. The activation of Order 66 marked the end of the Clone Wars and Sidious reformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire, an event which Maul had foreseen. During the Imperial Era, Maul continued his criminal operations under his Crimson Dawn operations. While running his Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, Maul traveled to the planet Damanos to search a in search of Sith artifacts. Maul saw a vision of Grievous, who taunted him about killing his mother during the Second Battle of Dathomir.

Not long after the events of the Second Battle of Dathomir, the surviving Nightbrothers travelled to the Upper Strangled Cliffs where they built a new village within the cliffs. During the activation of Order 66, the Jedi Master Taron Malicos crashed his ship into the Swamp of Sacrifice. Malicos was captured by the Nightbrothers, but escaped and killed Brother Viscus. Malicos usurped control of the Nightbrothers and worked in conjunction with one of the last Nightsisters Merrin. In 14 BBY, Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, who survived Order 66 as well, travelled to Dathomir with his crew aboard the luxury yacht Stinger Mantis. With the help of Merrin, Malicos was buried alive. Merrin then joined the Mantis crew, leaving the Nightbrothers without a leader.

The campaign against the Shadow Collective first appeared in first issue of the four-part Star Wars: Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir series, written by Jeremy Barlow, and illustrated by penciller Juan Frigeri, inker Mauro Vargas, colorist Wes Dzioba, and cover artist Chris Scalf. Son of Dathomir was an adaptation of unproduced scripts from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was part of the television show's sixth production season, as part of The Clone Wars Legacy project. However, the episodes were ultimately canceled after Disney's acqusition of Lucasfilm Ltd. The StarWars.com Databank entry for Count Dooku named the war as the "plot to destroy Darth Sidious."

In the original scripts for the Clone Wars episodes, the war would have included a gladiatorial pit battle against a shatterax monster. Daniel Wallace writer of the Star Wars Insider 149 article in which this was reported, states that this plot point was ultimately cut from the final comic run.