Sith on a plane!

Now to find that leak. Kyp thinks the Council is above suspicion. Ree reminds him that members have been compromised before: remember when Dalt possessed Master Roon? But they can leave that for later if they don’t find something else. They figure they’ll start with the Council chambers.

Sure enough, Oola spots a signal coming from one of the decorations. There’s a listening device hidden in a Naboo sculpture that the Naboo contingent had given the Jedi as a gift. The signal leads back to the Senate building. Oola heads over there with Ree tagging along, and finds it leads to the offices of Dev Miat, the Naboo Senator. Ree tells Luke, who says to leave it there and learn more about Miat. Oola suggests using the bug to pass false information.

Erin tells them that Miat is the leading pacifist in the Senate. He’s the one who’s been blocking actions against the Thule, along with his small but influential clique. He’s been in the Senate almost since it reformed. Oola’s brother says he’s a really wonderful guy. Very idealistic. Even Oola’s brother has trouble imagining him being a traitor.

They decide to sneak in to look around. Disguising themselves as janitors, they find the signal leading to a receiver in the desk of Cyndel Kenar, who’s one of Miat’s aides. She’s in charge of domestic relations for his group, which means she sent the gift. Erin tells them Kenar comes from a prominent Naboo noble lineage. They’ll have to go to Naboo for more, as there’s apparently something odd about her family. Luke suggests they be delicate, since this could impact diplomatic relations.

Interesting place, Naboo. Not only did they follow Severan Telik there, and find a secret lab of the Emperor’s, but Dalt’s also got a base there. Speaking of which, Kedrihm swings by to ask Dalt about it before they go.

Dalt says that he used that base for personal work, not for the Emperor. Also mentions that the Corporate Sector base holds many of his more marketable inventions. Kedrihm comments about how many of their leads head to Naboo. Dalt: “Something about Naboo...” There’s something about Naboo, but he can’t remember. Says the memories are coming back slowly (oh, the memories are coming back? There's something to mark). Anyway, when Kedrihm asks about Palpatine’s people, Dalt says he thinks the Emperor killed all his family. He knows the Kenars a little from diplomatic parties and whatnot: very into history, always involved with the monarchy (Dalt mocks the idea of an elected monarchy, which also has Kedrihm confused, as the language seems to contradict). The Kenars have served as rulers for hundreds of years.

On the way out, Kedrihm swings by Kyp to suggest that they might consider letting Dalt help with Grievous. It’s unlikely to teach him anything new in cybernetics, but it could give him a distraction. Kyp seems inclined to think about it.

On beautiful Naboo, Onna hunts up info on the Kenar family while the others track down Dalt’s lab. Not hard, since he told them where it was. It’s in a big warehouse, housing a Naboo starship. The thing doesn’t work, but the pilot chair features a control helmet that’s an amplifier for Force illusions. The ship’s also rigged to produce multiple false transponder and radar signals: the ultimate camouflage ship. The rest of the place houses similar experiments in using the Force to enhance existing technology. Oddly, there’s nothing the least bit harmful in the entire place. Did Dalt just hang out here…or did he hide the more alarming stuff from prying Naboo do-gooder eyes?

They indeed find a secret compartment in the floor. It’s trapped with an odd gas, and contains a box locked so it can be opened by Dalt’s genetic signature...but only if Dalt’s in a state of heightened distress. The box holds journals, pictures of his family, and his lightsaber. The journal simply holds logs about building the stuff on the ship and the reasoning behind incorporating the Force into technology. They take all that, along with the control headset from the ship.

Catch up to Onna and SARR. They’ve found a picture of a regal older man with his arm around a young Palpatine. The man was Prince of Theed (a diplomatic position concerned with training young people into politics) Teras Kenar, Cyndel’s great-grandfather. After noting that Palpatine got into politics very young, even by Naboo standards, Onna tells them that Teras was a more than upstanding citizen. He died of a heart attack around the age of 60, and was found by Palpatine, who was 20 at the time. Most of the Kenar children died in accidents within the next 10 years. The family nearly died out. After the Emperor was reported dead—within days—Noah Kenar came forward with proof that he was related to the family. He’s Cyndel’s dad. But he died 3 years ago, just before Cyndel entered politics. Again, she’s the one who found the body.

They decide to go talk to Cyndel’s family, presenting it as a research interest. They tell them more about Teras. He was practically idolized in his own time as a saint. Always helping people, doing medical research, concerned with healing skills. They think he would’ve been a doctor if he weren’t a politician. His private library is held at the museum. They check that out and find a secret compartment on the underside of his desk that’s gooey with badness. It holds a vid, which they take to the ship to watch.

The vid shows Teras and Palpatine doing Sithy things. They refer to each other as Plagius (Teras) and Sidious (Palpatine, of course). They’re working on dead bodies, which mostly don’t do anything and which they declare as failures, until one finally gets up, to the horror of the Starwind’s crew. At this, Teras exclaims that it’s “only a step from this to creating life!”

And now it’s obviously time to questin Cyndel. They call Luke and tell him they found Palpatine’s master. “Alive?!” exclaims Luke, sitting up and reaching for his lightsaber. “No, no.” They explain a little; he says to head back and they’ll talk.

On the way, Oola finds that the gas was knockout gas designed to work specifically on Dalt. What is up with this? And Lydia recalls the story about how Anakin Skywalker “had no parents.” What if that was true? What if Palpatine figured out how to...make people?

When they get back, Luke hauls the Council into Kyp’s room to avoid the listening device so he can inform everyone. Kyp’s annoyed by the invasion. They give Dalt his stuff (except the lightsaber and ship thingie). Dalt’s vaguely suspicious, but doesn’t react particularly oddly. Away from him, Z wonders what to do if Dalt tries to kill his clone. Which one should be living as Lexi’s father? Who has the right? What about his family’s opinions?

SARR interrupts: “Alarms all over the Senate building.” Ree breaks for the door, Kedrihm close on her heels. The hubbub is coming from Cyndel’s office. Her desk is cleaned out, the place is a wreck, and two people are dead: one by lightsaber, one burned to ash. The window is shattered. Ree leaps out, Kedrihm behind her, and they both feel a trail of taint in the Force. Not just Dark Side—it feels like Sith.

Oola gets the Senate’s security tapes: Cyndel at her desk, spaced out like a farseeing trance at lunch. She comes to, Force lightnings the aide who comes in with a cheery greeting, pops a lightsaber out of her desk and bisects another, then digs up some things and flees.

Ree traces her to the Naboo consulate. No one answers her hail. Oola says she sees no lifesigns inside, so Ree and Kedrihm hop the fence and go in. Lightsaber marks all over. Oola taps the security tapes there to see that she tore in, killed people, grabbed some stuff, and fled in a speeder. They follow in a second speeder. Her trail leads to the nearest spaceport. Ree grabs the closest official: “Close down the spaceport, there’s a Sith on the loose!” Then they sneak onto the ship Cyndel got onto, tracking her to her suite...where she’s on the ceiling. Attack!

Ree shouts at passengers to get down. Kedrihm helps clear them out while she takes on Cyndel. Ree notes that Cyndel is protecting her backpack excessively. The ship begins to move as they fight, though it was supposed to be stopped. Cyndel tugs away Ree’s lightsaber with the Force, but Ree just pulls out another one and cuts the pack off her. A black book tumbles out.

Meanwhile, Oola can’t stop the ship—-the pilots have control—-so Kedrihm heads toward the cockpit. The door is locked down, maximum security. He squares himself, then tears the door out. The pilots inside are shocked, but won’t stop the ship. ”The lady told us to take off,” they keep saying. Kedrihm can’t break the mind effect, so he simply pulls them away from the console and leaves it to Oola.

Cyndel flees, Ree chases. Oola drives the ship in circles since she can’t make it stop. Cyndel breaks Ree’s borrowed lightsaber, so Ree pulls out another, much to Cyndel’s disgust. Ree comms to Kedrihm about the evil Sith book lying in the compartment. He knocks the pilots out and heads back for it, but when he enters the compartment, the book starts speaking to him, tempting him with promises of knowledge to help his people and stop Thule. He manages to shake it off and drops it into one of Cyndel’s suitcases.

Oola brings the ship back in to land not too far from the spaceport, to Cyndel’s great frustration. She leaps off, Ree following, and they both land on a passing speeder. Ree sets herself to protect the driver.

Oola spots people from the temple heading to the Senate. It occurs to her to wonder how SARR knew so quickly that something was happening. Kyp’s sitting watch on the comm, so she fills him in and he heads toward the spaceport to give Ree backup.

Cyndel cuts the speeder in half, falling away from Ree. Ree grabs the driver and leaps to another speeder, where she shoves him into the passenger seat, then takes off after Cyndel.

Kedrihm gets off the ship when it comes to a stop, but the area’s completely empty and he has a really bad feeling. Someone bad is standing in the shadow of an alley. Someone bad, angry, and Zabrak. He comms Oola: “Oola...I think Drath is watching me.” She tells Kyp, who’s very alarmed for a different reason. He heads back to the temple to check on Anakin.

Cyndel flees into a casino, where Ree follows, warning security that there’s a dangerous person insde.

The case flies out of Kedrihm’s hand. He grabs it again and gets pulled along for the ride, swinging a kick at Drath as he gets close enough. “Do you have a lightsaber?” asks Drath. “Too bad for you.” But he doesn't quite manage to Force lightning Kedrihm.

The casino’s dark and confusing. Ree can’t spot Cyndel at first, till she hears a whistle and turns to see Cyndel standing atop the bar. The bottles of liquor on the shelves behind her shiver into glass splinters and a rain of alcohol, and Cyndel holds out a lit match..which she drops.

Kedrihm attacks, driving Drath backward off the edge of the platform. Neither will let go of the suitcase, so Kedrihm falls with him, coming down feet-first on top of Drath as they land.

Ree trusts the fire suppression system to do its job, gunning for Cyndel instead, throwing her across the room. Oola gets to the casino in time to see Ree cut off Cyndel’s arm with her lightsaber. The shock makes the Sith pass out.

Drath and Kedrihm square off while Z catches up to them, but they keep leaping and rolling off the platforms, so he has trouble keeping up. Drath manages to yank the case from Kedrihm’s hands and leaps down, but Kedrihm follows him and pulls it back. Then Drath knocks him over the edge of the next platform before Kedrihm can get a good grasp on the case, and they both tumble, to coming up fighting over the suitcase. Drath rips the case out of Kedrihm’s hands, sending it flying over the edge as they both lose their grip. Drath makes to leap after it, but Kedrihm kicks him backward. Drath, looking startled, exclaims, “Book!” Kedrihm calls out, “Z, get it!” Z dives, but Drath catches his foot on the way past. Kedrihm punches Drath in the face so he staggers back from Z, but he grabs Kedrihm’Val and they both go over the edge. Leaping for the suitcase, they both snag it at the same time...and Drath thumbs the lock, sending clothes flying and the book tumbling out. As much to get away from the damned thing as anything, Kedrihm Force-pushes Drath over the edge and follows him down, keeping him from getting back up to the book while Z retrieves it. Drath calls Z’s flechette launcher to him, aiming it at Kedrihm’Val, who flips out of the way and drains its energy away. So Drath clubs him with it instead, then tries to Force-grip Kedrihm’Val’s balls...which he just manages to negate (thankfully).

Drath looks up to see Z making away with the book safely tucked back in the suitcase, and shouts, “Are you too much of a coward to face me?” Seeing Z hesitate, Kedrihm calls, “Just think how frustrated he’ll be if you get away with it.” “Coward not to face me!” Drath snarls, seeing Z start to turn away. Z stops again, then says reluctantly, “This thing is important, isn’t it?” He sighs when Kedrihm nods, then Oola calls on the comm, “Z, I need you here!”

Kedrihm tackles Drath to the ground to make sure he can’t follow Z. “Gay,” mutters Drath, but Kedrihm’Val doesn’t care about those sorts of insults, and replies, “Whatever you like,” knowing it’ll irritate him. Of course, that backfires when Drath bites his ear off. Kedrihm’Val snarls in pain, then nerve-pinches him, knocking him unconscious.

About that time, Ree and Kyp get there, having seen the two of them fight-falling down through Coruscant. Ree helps Kedrihm with his ear while he catches his breath. Kyp tells them that no one escaped except for Drath. He’s fairly impressed, actually: the Jedi prison ship holds Force users by essentially depriving them of environment, forcing them into Force hibernation. Drath’s just such a brute that he could endure that long enough to get out.

Safely back at the temple with the evil book and two new prisoners, they have to figure out what to do with the thing. Kedrihm: “Can anyone else hear it talking to them?” Others: “No.” Kyp: “Yes.” They look at him. Oola: “It’s just a ‘you guys’ thing, I guess.” Z asks, “Will it shut up if I threaten it with my stream of justice?” Ree’s aghast, but it does indeed shut up. Which makes it even more creepy, since apparently that means it’s somewhat sentient. So Kyp just lightsabers the blasted thing.

Oola shows off her new droid to Dalt (she converted the destroyer droid into an astromech, but kept it in the same body with an assortment of weapons), who thinks it’s pretty cool. But he wonders what’s with this crew and alarming droids.

The next morning, Kyp is overjoyed about the possibilities for movies. Ree’s all over the news, which talks about almost nothing but how she chased down a Sith in the spaceport. Kedrihm’Val and Z are getting good coverage, too, much to the joy of the producers of the new “Primal Justice” holo-show. Ree still doesn’t like the movies, since she thinks it fosters the wrong impression about Jedi. She’s uncomfortable with the public idolizing them like they can do no wrong. She tells Kyp she thinks that the Jedi should do some community service so that people can get to know them better as people and be less intimidated by them. “Except for Luke,” Kyp says. “Luke is intimidating.”

Onto other business. Kyp tells them that apparently Dooku founded Thule, which may be house Ventress got out there. The old computer core doesn’t hold much else on the Uncharted Territories: just information on Outbound Flight and a bit about the Chiss. There is a bit of interesting data on the Infinity Gate, however. They already know it’s a powerful Architect artifact, but apparently what the Architects used it for was as a power source for their other technology: the planet movers and so on. So, it was on Dathomir, and the Sith tower holds a synchronous position between it and Yavin. Then (other than the old Sith temples) what’s up with Yavin? Kyp doesn’t know.

Well, they need to go to Yavin IV anyway, to talk to the Dathomiri students and see what they can learn from them about Dathomir. Thrawn and the Republic are finally ready to square off with Thule (well, Thrawn’s been ready), so the crew’s job is to keep Thule away from whatever it is they’re actually after. And that probably means Dathomir. So Ree wants to fill in their gaps on what they know about the planet and her aunt’s setup there so they can go in prepared.

Before they leave, Kedrihm asks Dalt about that gunk he got injected with on Abindosan a while back. Why did he keep seeing visions of Darth Maul? Since Kedrihm has no apparent connection with the man, Dalt shrugs it off. “Maybe the Force wanted you to see it.” But Dalt’s “reasonably certain” there aren’t any other side effects he should know about. Though he breaks into a grin as he says it, which Kedrihm doesn’t find to be especially reassuring.

Oola has done alarming things with that droid. Truly alarming, and they probably won’t learn the full extent till they see the thing in action. SARR seems to be accepting it placidly enough. Which is good, because the last thing they need at this point is a droid-fight between a smart ex-destroyer droid and a…a SARR.

Well. Now that all that business is taken care of, it’s off to Yavin IV.