The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 358: Death Watch! Darth Maul! Palpatine's Fury!

At that moment, far away at the headquarters of the Megacorp's multiverse base, the company's top executives finally breathed a sigh of relief after witnessing, through Paul's first-person feed, that the crisis on the front lines had been resolved.

Especially Lady Jessica, head of spice research and development—after seeing that the vial of spice she had developed worked effectively, she finally relaxed.

Every spice product Paul used was carefully designed, refined, and improved by her and the Megacorp's scientific team under her direct supervision. When it came to spice formulation, no one was more meticulous and devoted than Jessica. After all, these things were being used on her own son—when it came to his safety and performance, she couldn't afford even the slightest mistake.

With everything proceeding smoothly on Tatooine, Li Ang no longer focused his attention there and instead turned to Lucy with a question about the current situation on Mandalore.

"Reed is doing his best to consolidate power across Mandalore, but he's run into some trouble. The local dark faction known as Death Watch is currently locked in a standoff with Darth Maul."

"That Darth Maul character is demanding a high price—he wants control of all of Mandalore once it's unified."

It turned out that just as Reed had led the Mandalorians in a rebellion and begun organizing a defensive perimeter, the local warlords had crawled out of the shadows to meddle, insisting on being cut in on the deal—otherwise, they'd sabotage the effort.

Upon hearing this, Li Ang frowned slightly and began carefully contemplating his next move.

The so-called Death Watch was actually a separatist faction native to Mandalore. They adhered to the old warrior traditions from the time of Tarre Vizsla, seeing brute strength and valor as the true Mandalorian way. To them, becoming bounty hunters for hire—or worse, serving as slaves under others—was a disgrace to their heritage.

Though Death Watch talked a big game, back during the peak of the Galactic Empire's power, they didn't dare act openly. Instead, they were relegated to operating in the shadows, doing shady deals and illicit business.

Now, they were effectively a terrorist organization. Their activities ranged from assassination and smuggling to outright robbery.

And the one controlling them was none other than Darth Maul.

"Darth Maul…"

Li Ang began recalling what he knew about the man. In his memory, Maul had once been the apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

He gained notoriety during a pivotal battle where he killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, earning fame as a prodigious Sith warrior.

But shortly after, Maul was defeated by Jinn's student, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and was famously sliced in half. If not for his sheer mastery of the dark side and the intensity of his hatred, he wouldn't have survived. In fact, he did survive—returning in a grotesque six-legged spider form fueled by nothing but vengeance.

After the Clone Wars ended and the Empire was founded, Maul struck out on his own, determined to exact revenge on all who had wronged him.

First: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Second: His own former master, Darth Sidious.

Once Obi-Wan had defeated and maimed Maul, Sidious deemed him unworthy. From that moment, Maul was no longer considered an apprentice, and Sidious didn't even bother searching for him. He simply moved on and took Count Dooku as his new student.

According to the "Rule of Two" in Sith tradition, a master could only train one apprentice at a time. By choosing Dooku, Sidious had formally abandoned Maul. That betrayal turned Maul's admiration into hatred.

Now, Maul operated in the shadows, no longer aligned with the Empire yet not openly opposing it either. He was the ultimate opportunist.

That said, Maul was undeniably resourceful. He used brute force and cunning to establish multiple criminal organizations like Crimson Dawn, carving out his own stronghold on Mandalore.

If the Galactic Empire ruled Mandalore by day, then Darth Maul was its shadowy king by night.

Currently, Reed and the Megacorp's elite forces—after killing the Imperial Overseer—had taken control of most of Mandalore. But going up against a local tyrant like Maul in a political chess match was proving far more difficult.

After all, Maul was still a powerful dark-side Force user. To someone like him, an Astartes like Reed was just a big brute who could be taken down with a few swings of a lightsaber—hardly worth a second thought.

Right now, Maul was still calmly negotiating, but no one could guarantee he wouldn't flip the script the moment it suited him. Worse still, he might be recruited by the Empire and turn around to kill Reed himself.

That meant Reed's position was extremely precarious—and he urgently needed backup from the Megacorp.

"We need to kill Darth Maul as soon as possible. We can't allow him to keep stirring up trouble for Reed on Mandalore."

Li Ang made his decision immediately.

In the original Star Wars canon, Darth Maul was nothing short of a madman consumed by hatred—an unpredictable element.

You could offer him all the riches and power in the world, and he'd still turn on you the moment his rage flared up.

Li Ang remembered clearly: this lunatic had switched sides between the Rebels and the Empire multiple times. In the end, he was finally hunted down and killed by Obi-Wan on Tatooine, bringing his story to a bitter close.

Li Ang could still negotiate with opponents like Palpatine—people with ambition, brains, and long-term plans.

But someone like Maul, ruled by emotion? That kind of wild card wasn't worth the trouble. Best to eliminate him early.

"Maul is a Force-sensitive dark-sider. Other than Paul, none of our Astartes can even get close to him in a fight."

Johnny Silverhand shook his head with a sigh.

Reed had already complained to him about how troublesome Maul was. If you wanted to take down a Force-user, you needed someone stronger in the Force.

Unfortunately, when it came to psychic warriors, Megacorp only had one major player: Paul Atreides.

Anyone else wouldn't even make it past Maul's opening move—they'd be dead before they could draw a weapon.

"Scorpion-tail virus, neutron annihilation, matrix overrides… Don't tell me we don't have any tools that can handle him?"

Lucy frowned, unwilling to believe that one Darth Maul could really be such a problem.

"No good," said Jack Wells, shrugging. "Our weapons cause too much collateral damage. It'd be too easy to kill innocent Mandalorians by accident. Even with matrix integration, someone would still need to get close to Maul to make it work."

"And what are we supposed to do? Conventional weapons are completely useless against that monster."

As the execs debated, Li Ang said just one thing:

"Only a Force-user can kill a Force-user."

In truth, Li Ang had already decided who should take Maul out.

There was only one viable candidate: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Send word to Paul. Have him meet with Luke and Obi-Wan as soon as possible. Explain the situation, and convince Obi-Wan to come out of retirement and kill Darth Maul."

"Jack, prepare a warship to escort and support Obi-Wan's transport to Mandalore."

Li Ang had no doubt that once Obi-Wan learned where Maul was hiding, he would travel across the galaxy to eliminate that scumbag with his own hands.

Because the Jedi Master who Darth Maul had killed—Qui-Gon Jinn—was Obi-Wan's teacher, mentor, and father figure.

Obi-Wan would avenge him.

"No problem, boss."

Tatooine.

When Luke Skywalker rushed back to his family's moisture farm, he was stunned to find the area around the front door littered with the corpses of desert stormtroopers.

Worried sick about the safety of his uncle and aunt, Luke drew the lightsaber Obi-Wan had given him and cautiously approached the house, ready for danger to jump out at any moment.

Though Luke still didn't know how to use a lightsaber or tap into the Force at this stage, simply holding it gave him a sense of confidence.

To his surprise, as he moved deeper into the house, he heard laughter coming from the dining area.

There, he found Owen and Beru peacefully eating with Paul and the rest of the rogue squad—completely calm, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Luke froze in disbelief. On his way back, he'd braced himself for the worst—yet here his foster parents were, safe and sound, seemingly oblivious to the carnage outside.

"Luke, you're back," Owen said with a smile. He introduced Paul and his companions and explained that they were the rightful owners of the droids.

"Don't worry, they're not bad people. A squad of stormtroopers came by earlier, but these folks handled them."

Luke almost thought he was hallucinating. Handled them? He'd seen the bodies—those stormtroopers had been sent straight to hell.

Paul stepped up and greeted Luke.

"We're from the Rebel Alliance. We came to retrieve R2-D2 and C-3PO. Any property damage will be fully compensated."

"Ah… about that… I kind of left the droids behind. I'll go get them now."

Luke scratched his head awkwardly—he'd been in such a rush that he'd forgotten all about the droids.

"No rush. Looks like you've met Master Obi-Wan, haven't you?" Owen said, noting the lightsaber in Luke's hand. He figured it was time to tell the boy the truth.

"Yes! He said I have strong Force potential."

Luke smiled, clearly excited.

"That's because your father was an outstanding Jedi Knight. You carry Jedi blood. A small place like this was never going to hold you forever."

Owen took this opportunity to nudge Luke toward the path of destiny.

"This young warrior is also a Jedi. Why don't you join him and leave Tatooine together?"

Luke looked at Paul, wide-eyed and astonished.

"Really? But Master Obi-Wan said there are barely any Jedi left!"

"I draw on a power that's different from your Force, but close enough—I'm a different kind of Jedi, you could say," Paul replied.

He didn't deny the Jedi label—after all, in the Star Wars universe, that title was a vital passport. It was the key to the inner circle, much like how Lu Mingfei relied on his dragon bloodline to get into Kassel Academy in Dragon Raja.

Besides, Paul had received new orders from headquarters: Jack had instructed him to meet with Obi-Wan as soon as possible and convince him to travel to Mandalore to help Reed kill Darth Maul.

Having the "Jedi" identity would help him meet Obi-Wan faster.

Luke, still a novice to the Force, blinked in confusion. He didn't quite understand what Paul meant—Was there really another kind of power out there beyond the Force?

"Let's leave the philosophy for later—we need to get moving," Chani interjected, smoothly shifting the topic. "The Empire could send more troops at any time. I doubt Anyone here wants to die waiting."

[No objections.]

K-2SO immediately voiced his agreement. The tall, black security droid was quick to recognize that this wasn't a place to linger.

Luke didn't object either. He'd mainly rushed back to check on his family, and now that they were safe, he could leave in peace.

"Our droids—where are they?" Captain Cassian asked. He hadn't come all this way just to play the hero—they needed the droids that Leia had left behind.

"They're with Master Obi-Wan. I'll take you to him," Luke replied readily.

As the group prepared to leave, Paul turned to Owen and Beru, who hadn't yet seen the aftermath outside.

"By the way—there's a lot of 'debris' out front. Just a heads-up."

"Also, this place is no longer safe. We've requested a strike team to come evacuate you. Please go with them when they arrive."

"We'll meet again."

Of course, Paul wouldn't just leave Owen and Beru behind to face Imperial retribution.

After clearing out the stormtroopers, he'd already applied for an assault ship to extract them from Tatooine. The Megacorp would later relocate them to a safe, peaceful world in the main universe—complete with fertile farmland and a comfortable life among other farmers.

A far better option than leaving them in this crime-ridden, barren dustball of a planet.

"Take care out there," Owen said, watching Luke and the others leave.

Then he steeled himself, opened the front door, and looked out.

When he saw the piles of stormtrooper bodies stacked like cordwood, he and Beru gasped together.

"Oh my god… no wonder they left in such a hurry!"

Now Owen understood the full gravity of the situation. No matter what story he told, the Empire wouldn't forgive this. If they found out how many troopers had died here, they'd hunt down everyone involved.

"Let's hope that ship arrives soon," Owen said, praying alongside Beru.

——

Coruscant, Capital of the Galactic Empire

At the same time, reports from across the Empire were piling up on Emperor Palpatine's desk—each one more infuriating than the last.

Lately, the number of battles and uprisings had multiplied like fleas on a dog—impossible to get rid of.

If he had known that ruling an empire would be such a hassle, he might've stayed a Republic senator instead. At least back then, he could manipulate everything from the shadows instead of being the lightning rod for everyone's rage.

He glanced at the reports on his desk—first, the Jedha campaign; second, the Scarif debacle; third, the new Mandalore uprising.

When he first heard about the Jedi sighting on Jedha, and Tarkin's use of the Death Star to wipe out the planet, he'd merely winced—regretful but silent. Jedha was a valuable Kyber crystal resource world, and its loss stung.

But then came Scarif, where an unidentified fleet had allied with the Rebels to steal the Death Star plans. That planet was blown up, too.

Tarkin's reckless use of the Death Star was becoming intolerable. Scarif still held crucial data that hadn't yet been transferred.

But the biggest concern was this so-called Megacorp. Where the hell did they come from?

At first, Palpatine suspected the Trade Federation and the Neimoidians of betrayal—funneling support to enemy forces. But after extensive investigations and interrogations, nothing conclusive was found.

So the matter was shelved.

Lately, Palpatine hadn't paid much attention to these regional skirmishes, leaving the work to Tarkin and Thrawn. His focus had been on balancing political interests and managing the Empire's internal factions.

Old Republic senators were growing increasingly defiant, and even former allies like the Neimoidians were starting to make more aggressive demands for trade rights.

These damned merchants had been sucking the Republic dry for decades—and now they were still trying to feed on the Empire.

Though Palpatine had nationalized the Trade Federation, he hadn't touched the Neimoidians' core interests. Pushing them too hard might drive them to open rebellion.

The Scarif incident had nearly convinced him the Neimoidians were behind it, applying pressure through sabotage.

After all, few factions in the Empire had the capacity to build warships—and the mysterious "Megacorp" sure sounded like a front for them.

"How's the recon going in the extragalactic sectors?"

Palpatine rubbed his temples, trying to calm the storm of thoughts. The galactic political scene was chaotic, but he hadn't forgotten about outside threats.

"We've deployed more troops along the galactic rim. The only anomaly so far is a newly discovered recon drone," Thrawn said, presenting a palm-sized device to the Emperor.

It was a Scorpion-Lion micro drone from Megacorp's military tech division. A recent signal disruption had temporarily disabled its stealth functions, allowing Imperial forces to capture it.

Palpatine scowled at the unfamiliar design—so different from the Yuzhan Vong or other known threats.

Clearly, more and more extragalactic civilizations were beginning to take notice of the galaxy.

"Keep monitoring. Report any updates immediately."

Though Palpatine was aware of mysterious powers beyond the galaxy, he dared not send out military expeditions just yet.

Too risky.

Instead, he reinforced the rim defenses with elite forces and high-grade weaponry. If internal rebellion erupted, this border army would become the Empire's last hope of survival.

"Understood," Thrawn replied.

"One more thing—assemble a fleet. Tell Tarkin to hand over control of the Death Star. I'm sick of these fools. The Mandalore uprising must be crushed immediately!"

Palpatine's raspy voice was filled with fury.

The Mandalorian revolt was his greatest source of shame and frustration.

In the Empire's early days, both he and Tarkin believed in harsh suppression to maintain order, thus birthing the infamous "Tarkin Doctrine."

But now, the more they cracked down, the more the flames of rebellion spread—and the more Imperial costs soared.

As a shrewd political veteran, Palpatine knew he couldn't let those costs spiral forever. If things continued like this, the Empire would collapse under the weight of endless war.

So, to give Tarkin time to cool his overheated head, Palpatine decided to temporarily remove him and send Thrawn to clean up the Mandalore mess.

Unless absolutely necessary, the Death Star was not to be used.

"Understood."

Thrawn nodded. As Grand Admiral, he had the experience to handle this with precision—no planet-killing required.

Palpatine waved him off and returned to his thoughts. He still had to juggle the endless power struggles within the Empire.

The uprising on Mandalore had emboldened fence-sitters throughout the Empire. If the chaos continued, this newborn regime might not last long.

——

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