Shadow Collective

This article is about the Shadow Collective. You may be looking for the similarly named Shadow Syndicate.

"During the Clone Wars, a Shadow Collective emerged, uniting much of the underworld. Imagine getting Black Sun, the Pykes and the Mandalorian Death Watch to work together without killing one another. Someone did."

―Mama Stammoch^[15]

The Shadow Collective was a large criminal alliance and rival Sith Order founded during the Clone Wars by the rogue Sith Lord Maul. Partly founded at the behest of Mother Talzin, Maul aimed to threaten the plans of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious as well as to compete with him for galactic power. Among its goals, it sought to defeat both the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic. During the war, Maul rallied the forces of Death Watch, Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Clan, and the Nightbrothers to form a considerable base of power.

The Shadow Collective worked under Maul's vision as he led them to a takeover of Mandalore. Although Maul's ally Pre Vizsla planned only to win back his homeworld, Maul had ambitions to influence the thousands of neutral systems impacted by Mandalore as well as enact a plan of revenge against his former master Darth Sidious. Their alliance ended when Vizsla betrayed Maul, but the renegade Sith later defeated him in single combat, executing him and taking control of Mandalore. However, his empire began to fragment after the Hutts abandoned him, with the Pykes and Black Sun severing ties following their defeat at the hands of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Maul eventually lost control of Mandalore when the Republic laid siege to the planet. However, the Pykes and Black Sun came back and were later joined by Crimson Dawn.

With the Siege of Mandalore, the Shadow Collective was defeated. However, Maul and his remaining followers later reformed the Collective and worked to rebuild their power. Maul eventually rose up to obtain great influence over the Five Crime Syndicates as a mysterious overseer. Crimson Dawn in particular succeeded Shadow Collective and Maul's ambitions after the conclusion of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire.

History

A dangerous alliance

"And what do you seek now, Sith?"
"Fortune and power."

―Pre Vizsla and Maul^[1]

Following the Skirmish on Florrum, which saw the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi defeat Maul and Opress after the pair hoped to take over Ohnaka's gang and base of operations,^[16] the two brothers became stranded in space, where they eventually passed out from lack of oxygen in their escape pod.^[1]

CassiusTea-Eminence — The Mandalorian Death Watch formed an alliance with the renegade Sith brothers Maul and Savage Opress in a bid to take over Mandalore.

They were then discovered by Pre Vizsla, leader of a Mandalorian splinter group known as Death Watch. The two brothers, who were dangerously injured following the events which took place on Florrum, were taken onto Vizsla's starship, upon which they were taken to the Death Watch's base on the moon Zanbar. Maul and Opress awoke inside a tent, with Vizsla and Bo-Katan Kryze, Vizsla's second-in-command, greeted the brothers, inquiring as to who they were. Upon Maul's response as the brothers being Sith, Vizsla acted with hostility due to his dislike of his former ally Count Dooku. Maul told Vizsla that he worked for no man and admitted his hatred for Kenobi, to which Vizsla appeared impressed with. When Maul revealed that he was only a Sith that sought fortune and power, Vizsla told his droids to fix his legs and left.^[1]

The two men later had Cassius tea together in one of the Mandalorian tents. Vizsla explained his struggle against Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, and his people's past as warriors. He also explained how Satine and Kenobi were linked personally and told Maul he believed that fortune brought them together. Maul rose from his seat and said that it was the will of the Force that brought them together, saying that he and Savage could help them reclaim Mandalore, with Vizsla adding that they would punish Kenobi for his trespass into their affairs.^[1]

Bo-Katan stepped in, and offered a counter argument—remembering the time that Death Watch allied itself with Dooku—and how it affected them badly. Maul proceeded to Force choke Bo-Katan and expressed his hopes for an alliance between the Death Watch and the two brothers. He let Bo-Katan go, and Vizsla told Maul that he would put the proposed alliance to a vote amongst his men. Maul smiled and stalked out, returning to his brother. Following Opress' awakening, Maul calmed his brother and informed them of their new alliance, and how they could take advantage with Vizsla. Vizsla then entered and informed the two brothers of his men's favor of an alliance, officially creating the Shadow Collective.^[1]

Recruiting allies

"Your people are strong and powerful, but you'll need an army to free Mandalore."

―Maul begins to tell Pre Vizsla of his vision^[1]

Maul explained his vision to Vizsla, telling him of his plan to gather allies to help them reclaim Mandalore. Vizsla explained that he had supporters already on the planet, but Maul told him that they would start by recruiting the Black Sun. Vizsla said that they were hardly a force to rally with, but Maul told him that they were perfect allies because they could provide them with the resources they needed without the scrutiny of the Republic.^[1]

The newly formed alliance traveled to Mustafar, on which the Black Sun fortress was located. The force was met by a battalion of Black Sun warriors, led by Vigo Ziton Moj, whom Maul noted would serve them well. Maul requested an audience with their leader, to which Moj laughed and said that it was his funeral before leading them into the fortress.^[1]

BlackSunLeaders-Eminence — Maul, Opress, and the Death Watch coerced the galaxy's premiere crime syndicates into an alliance, forming the Shadow Collective.

Maul, Vizsla, and Opress entered the meeting room of the fortress, where Xomit Grunseit and the leaders of Black Sun were assembled. Grunseit and his fellow leaders refused to cooperate with Maul, and so Opress, in a single motion, threw his double-bladed lightsaber down the table, decapitating and killing each and every leader of the Black Sun immediately. Moj, the new de-facto leader, hastily agreed to join the new group.^[1] By joining the Shadow Collective, Black Sun hoped to secure greater profits^[10] and reclaim its power over the planet Ord Mantell, which had become a major site for the Republic Military over the course of the Clone Wars.^[17]

As they began to load supplies onto their ships, Vizsla smiled and said that they had their army now, but Maul brushed him off and said that there was a singular vision behind their scheme. Vizsla countered that it belonged to Death Watch, but Maul said that he lacked clarity and did not understand the depth of their opportunity. Back on Zanbar, members of the Pyke Syndicate—a crime organization dealing mostly with illegally exporting spices and drugs—landed, led by Lom Pyke, who informed Vizsla that he did not wish to oppose the new organization, and conveyed his wishes to join them.^[1] Like the Black Sun, they also hoped that joining Maul would lead to greater profit.^[10]

HuttGrandCouncilHall-Eminence — The leaders of Shadow Collective approach the Hutt Council

A task force, led by Maul, Vizsla, and Opress, traveled to Nal Hutta, a central planet of Hutt Space to meet with the Grand Hutt Council. There, Maul asked the council for control of everything inside Hutt-controlled borders, or their lives would be taken. Upon hearing this, a team of hired bounty hunters, including Embo, Sugi, Dengar, and Latts Razzi began to attack Maul's forces. A large confrontation broke out, forcing Maul, Vizsla, and Opress to retreat. After being pushed back to the landing platform, the trio were reinforced by the Nite Owls and several Death Watch Warriors and began pushing their way back into the Council Chamber. Having forced the bounty hunters into a retreat, Maul interrogated Oruba for the location of the other members. Being dissatisfied that the only location he was given was Jabba's Palace, Maul had Opress kill Oruba.^[1]

Soon afterwards, the Shadow Collective travelled to Tatooine and attacked Jabba's Palace. The Death Watch soldiers were quickly able to cause chaos as they landed and dropped over a dozen armed guards. They soon surrounded the Hutt Council and forced them to join the Shadow Collective. Now with an army, Maul revealed to Vizsla that he was intending to control the criminal underworld after taking Mandalore. Maul then ordered him to send scouts to the capital in advance in order to devise targets in Sundari, the capital of Mandalore, for Vizsla's plan.^[1]

Later, after Maul was captured by the Morubas Crime Family, the Shadow Collective attacked the crime family's stronghold on Bahlah, commanded by Savage Opress. After breaking the supposedly impenetrable walls, they seized the stronghold.^[18]

Taking Mandalore and choosing sides

"Death Watch is here to save you from these intergalactic gangsters that threaten our great city. This is a war, and we will win"

―Vizsla gains public support^[5]

Vizsla's scouts supplied Maul with targets for the Shadow Collective in Sundari and Maul met with the leaders of Shadow Collective. He told the Death Watch to act as the heroes for the Mandalorians as the other groups were meant to cause chaos and undermine their safety under the Kryze. The Shadow Collective traveled swiftly to Mandalore where Maul and Savage led the attacks on the Mandalorian Guard, causing mayhem throughout Sundari. After sufficiently sowing the seeds of chaos, Vizsla and two other Death Watch Warriors flew in to interrupt Satine's speech to the people. Vizsla promised that Death Watch would save them from the threat. As instructed, Vizsla, Bo-Katan, and another soldier led rescue parties for the Mandalorian people. Kryze lost control over her people as they began to side with Vizsla as he appeared to thwart the threats facing them. Satine was then captured and, with the full backing of the populace, Vizsla declared himself Mand'alor.^[19]

VizslaByeBye — Maul defeats Vizsla in single combat and executes him

Now that he had maneuvered himself onto the throne, Vizsla then double-crossed Maul and Opress, saying that he had no desire to continue forward with Maul's vision, because he had what he wanted. The two Zabrak brothers were publicly shown in shackles before being thrown in prison, although they quickly freed themselves. Mandalore's politicians were quickly brought into line, with some joining Vizsla's new rule and the rest being executed. However, Maul approached Satine to learn where the other political leaders were, and after she told him that she and the former Prime Minister Almec were the only ones left, Maul decided to approach Almec. After he revealed his plan to challenge Vizsla to single combat for the mantle of leadership, Almec agreed to become their new puppet leader in the event that Maul defeated him. Maul then challenged Vizsla for his title and Vizsla fought with him until Maul defeated him, beheading Vizsla in front of the other Death Watch members and declaring himself as their new leader. Most of them accepted the duel's outcome. However, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls refused to accept Maul and led a resistance against him, quickly fleeing the palace. Death Watch was then led by Maul, Opress, and the freed Prime Minister Almec. Almec made a speech to the populace, declaring that Satine had assassinated Vizsla and that Vizsla's final command was for him to become the new leader of Mandalore. The Death Watch Warriors loyal to Maul painted their armor red to resemble his appearance and they became known as Mandalorian super commandos.^[19] The Moogan smuggling ring led by Tee Va, which had operated in Sundari in assossiation with Almec before they had been arrested by Satine^[20] in 21 BBY,^[21] also began to once again operate at the city's docks.^[3]

Defeated by Sidious

Displate-MaulvsSidious — Maul and Savage Opress duel Maul's former master

Although Almec's rule did not garner the attention of the Republic, as was Maul's plan, Darth Sidious, seeing his old apprentice as a threat, traveled to Mandalore to confront Maul as the battle for Sundari raged on between Shadow Collective and the Mandalore resistance, led by Bo-Katan. Sidious dueled Maul and Opress, killing Opress and defeating Maul.^[3] Despite Maul's capture and the Hutts abandoning the Shadow Collective, the Pykes and Black Sun remained loyal to Maul. Maul was held at the prison known as the Spire on the planet Stygeon Prime, where he was tortured by Darth Sidious and Sidious' current apprentice Darth Tyranus, more widely known as Count Dooku. The pair tortured Maul in order to find the location of Mother Talzin, who was secretly behind Maul's return and was seen as a threat by Sidious.^[8]

The prison was run by Dooku's government, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite the high security, two of Maul's Mandalorian commandos, Rook Kast and Gar Saxon, were, ordered by Almec, were able to break in and rescue Maul. This was done, and Maul was returned to Mandalorians on Zanbar, however they were quickly found by the CIS. General Grievous attacked the location, and many of Maul's Mandalorian troops were killed in the battle.^[8] However, Maul and his remaining Mandalorians retreated to Ord Mantell on Warships, which was where Black Sun had a presence in Ord Mantell City. After defeating Separatist forces there,^[4] the Separatists attacked Shadow Collective forces at their secret asteroid base Vizsla Keep 09.^[10]

Maul intended to use Dooku to bring about Talzin's complete return to the physical realm, but was thwarted by Grievous and Sidious. Talzin took control of Dooku's body initially, but, after being attacked by Sidious' Force lightning, she elected to exit the Count, now fully whole and returned. Eventually, however, Dooku and Sidious both fired Force lightning at her, and she elected to keep her defense up to protect Maul. As Maul was pulled to safety by his Mandalorians, Grievous fatally stabbed the Nightsister Mother.^[11]

Though Maul escaped Dathomir, Sidious felt that, with Talzin's death, he was no longer a threat to his plans. The Shadow Collective itself had also been disrupted. Both the Black Sun and Pykes had been attacked by the Separatists, leading to both to retract their support. In addition, a Separatist invasion fleet was sent to attack Dathomir.^[11]

Regrouped

"What's going on?"
"Maul just told the syndicate leaders to go into hiding."

―Gar Saxon and Rook Kast^[22]

ShadowCollectiveMandalorianSuperCommandoMeeting-ThePhantomApprentice — Maul having a meeting between the various syndicate leaders of the Shadow Collective and telling them to go into hiding.

Despite the Pykes and Black Sun leaving the Collective,^[11] they eventually rejoined.^[22] Crimson Dawn had also become a member of the Collective by the time of the escape from Oba Diah^[6] and the crime syndicates of Nico Deemis and Looti Vario, based on the^[9] Mid Rim Territories planet^[23] Janix, also joined the Collective at some point.^[9]

When the Siege of Mandalore began after the Battle of Coruscant, Almec had the rest of the syndicate informed of the attack while the Mandalorian super commandos fought off the invading Republic and Mandalorian resistance forces.^[24] Shortly afterward, Almec had been captured by his enemies and was later assassinated by Saxon. Meanwhile, Maul made preparations for the end of the Clone Wars and contacted the Shadow Collective leaders via hologram, ordering them to go into hiding. He revealed to his warriors that the dark side had never been stronger and that the galaxy was about to be remade soon. Maul's forces would soon lose control of Mandalore and Maul was imprisoned after being defeated by former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.^[22] Although the Shadow Collective collapsed after Maul's defeat,^[25] after the execution of Order 66, which Maul had foreseen, he was able to escape from Tano during the turmoil of Order 66.^[26]

In the shadow of the Empire

"I was alone and weak after the tragic events on Mandalore. And I came here to you, my old ally, seeking safe haven. But you tried to kill me. You failed. This is what awaits all those who have betrayed me."

―Maul, to Krim's corpse^[27]

In the aftermath of the Siege of Mandalore, Maul sought asylum from the Pyke Syndicate's new leader, "Illustrious Imperator" Marg Krim, at Oba Diah, but Krim instead tried to assassinate him.^[27]

By some point between 17 BBY and around 13 BBY,^[14] Maul had resurfaced on Janix as he and the sparse remnants of his Shadow Collective—led by Rook Kast—and now including the Nightbrothers Icarus and Scorn, and the droid Spybot—sought to exact revenge on those who betrayed him and rebuild his organization beggining with Nico Deemis and Looti Vario who had abandoned him after the rise of the Empire. Kast's forces raided a bank tower belonging to Deemis who called for a meeting between him and Vario on neutral territory. During the meeting, Deemis accused Vario for the raid which Vario denied and instead countered with the suggestion Maul could be behind it, though Deemis dismissed the thought as he believed Maul to have perished during the Siege of Mandalore, and that even if he had survived, Maul would not come after him of all people. Rook's forces then send in a server droid carrying the head of Deemis' bank supervisor droid leading to a fire fight between Deemis' and Vario's forces during which, Vario killed Deemis before he was arrested by Janix Civil Defense. During his time in custody, Vario became scared of Maul, and was proven correct when Maul and his forces raided the Janix Civil Defense HQ building^[9] and abducted him together with the Padawan Devon Izara who had also been held in Vario's cell tract. Maul threatened Vario and led him set up a meeting between Vario's forces and the Pyke Syndicate, which he then instead attacked, killing all of the Pykes present.^[28] Afterwards, Maul forced Vario to contact Krim and led him travel to his palace on Oba Diah to deliver repayments.^[29] On Oba Diah, Vario unsuccessfully tried to alert Krim who had also already heard rumors about the return of his former master. The Nightbrother Scorn, posing as Maul, then attacked and killed some Pyke enforcers until he was stunned by Vario and brought before Krim's throne. Maul used the distraction to infiltrate the throne room and struck Krim down with his lightsaber, before taking back the leadership of the Pyke Syndicate, instating Krim's captain of the guard, Kalt, as the new leader that answers to him.^[27]

Legacy

SeizeWhatPowerWeCan-SWL90 — Despite its downfall, the Shadow Collective was remembered as a powerful force.

Maul went on to become the leader of Crimson Dawn, using Dryden Vos, and later, Qi'ra, as the figurehead of the group. He resided on Dathomir^[30] and collected various objects from his former conquests, including a portrait of the former Duchess Satine.^[31] Beyond his secret control over Crimson Dawn in specific^[32] as its leader,^[33] Maul retained a great amount of power over the Five Crime Syndicates^[34] despite the collapse of the Shadow Collective.^[25] He would assume the role of a mysterious overseer who kept a tight reign over the five factions, with his orders including not to openly fight with each other and to instead exist as allies.^[34]

After Qi'ra's ascension following Vos's death, Maul told her to come to Dathomir and told her that they would be working much more closely.^[30] Eventually, Maul would be separated from the greater galaxy when he was left stranded on the planet Malachor. Following his escape^[35] in 3 BBY, he would fall in battle with Kenobi on the planet Tatooine in 2 BBY.^[36] Qi'ra, meanwhile, was able to assume command of Crimson Dawn. Much like Maul had with the Shadow Collective, Qi'ra would go onto recruit and ally assorted individuals into her reformed Crimson Dawn for her war against the Sith.^[37] Following the fall of the Galactic Empire, Maul's manipulations over the Shadow Collective became public knowledge.^[38]