Secrets of the True Sith and Darth Revan

Instead of going straight to Coruscant, they spin back to Zahn to secure the place and call in Republic Security. Oola also notifies DUST of the Chimera's location. They spend some more time looking over the book of prophecies. With more time, they decipher the story of Revan and the Star Forge, and that when he left the galaxy, he intercepted a True Sith fleet and destroyed it. It sent the Sith into retreat and decline, from which they have apparently only recently emerged when they gained a new ruler. Pictures indicate that the remnants of the True Sith have mingled with human blood; they no longer look quite so much like Yoda or any of the statues from the tomb.

It's also notable that some of their servitor beasts are weird, big black clawed things...highly reminiscent of the things they found on Ree's planet some time back. What were they doing there? The crew's first guess is that they were after the Blueprint gate...but they were originally chasing the Sin/Sent team that retrieved the evil lightsaber crystal (which, you'll remember, is now on Coruscant in Jedi custody) and apparently a shard of the Pulse. Which brings us back to the very interesting question of where the Sent/Sin team actually found those.

In other news, it turns out the True Sith have the Chosen One prophecy too. They didn't invade during the Empire because, obviously, Vader was a dangerous and intimidating bastard. If the prophecies can be believed (and they're right about almost everything else so far), they're planning to invade now, despite the fact that Luke is also a dangerous and intimidating bastard. Perhaps they're less concerned because the Republic isn't as battle-ready as the Empire...but Zan reminds them of that Sith space station with the temple to the dark Force-god. Kedrihm'Val wonders if Thule was involved or influenced in this at all, and Ree thinks it might be worth a trip to see if there's anything to be seen there.

They get back to Coruscant. They've got a lot to ruminate on, but life looks to be calm enough to make that dinner with Amidala. In the meantime, Ree tries to catch up on her sleep. When she wakes up, she finds another datapad on the floor, repeating, "Look to the stars."

At dinner, where they're among a crowd of people who find this acceptable dinner conversation, they show Luke the prophecies. While they look over it, R2-D2 starts poking Ree, beeping and refusing to give up until she finally pays attention and realizes that he's indicating the star positions displayed in the prophecy about the True Sith gaining a new leader recently. They're the positions the stars were in during the Battle of Endor. That's when the new ruler was born. Han and Kedrihm'Val both find this ominous, Han figuring that means their spiffy new ruler is probably the Emperor because that's how things tend to work out, and Kedrihm'Val remembering that Darth Plagius was supposed to have come up with a technique to create life.

Ree wonders again why she's the one who keeps getting these messages. Kedrihm'Val points out that she and Luke are the two most active Jedi in the galaxy, currently, and no offense to Luke, but if he's the center of a prophecy about a dark god arising, he's probably not the preferred contact for anyone trying to prevent such a thing. Ree tries to protest, but finally gives in to the logic of that.

Dalt hasn't said much of anything in hours, at least. It's starting to get a bit alarming; when he's silent this long, the next time he opens his mouth, something catastrophic tends to come out. Now he muses that someone cunning but apparently not evil has been sending these visions. SARR guesses perhaps Revan's descendents? Kedrihm'Val suggests it could be one or more of the good True Sith still in operations. Perhaps a network of them? That could explain the seemingly irrationally long distances these messages and visions have been traveling, far further than any living being would feasibly be capable of.

Now they start thinking harder about Revan. He lived 3000 years ago, during the Mandalorian Wars. 2000 years ago, the Jedi formally established the family bloodlines and their coin/holocrons. Oola now reminds them of Ree's holocron. "You can check it when you get back to your room," Luke agrees, "after you read your note." "You're a big help," Ree grumbles at him. "He's a lot like his father," Amidala teases.

Upon which an extremely uncomfortable silence descends, eventually broken by Han making distracting sounds.

After that, they all mutually decide it might be best to move on to lighter subjects for the evening.

The next day, Kyp and Ree meet to chat. She tells him about escaping from Thrawn, which he considers to be a big deal. It's not like it happens often. He gives her a message from home: her family called, because they were gathering stuff for a local exhibit ("Now, don't be mad, but everybody here is pretty proud of you and they wanted to do something nice..."), and they noticed that her old school art projects were missing from where her mother had stored them in the attic.

Thrawn, rather obviously. "How'd they get there?!" Ree wonders, confused. But this explains the Imperial agents they encountered on Reeshome months ago with no explanation why!

Well, not much to be done now. Ree tells the others over breakfast. She doesn't see what Thrawn thinks he'd achieve by looking at her childish art projects. "You are a Jedi," Dalt points out. "By studying your art, he'll learn what your attachments are." A thought occurs to her, and she asks about the others. "I'll call my mom later," Z promises. "We should meet your mother!" Ree tells him. "She sounds remarkable." "She was," Dalt says at the same time as Kedrihm'Val grabs Z. Kedrihm'Val's people don't so much deal in writing and art on permanent surfaces, so it's not really an issue for him.

Though for somebody who knows the language, the Abindosani tattoos that their Force users wear say quite a bit about them. Their purpose is to function as a sort of introduction to other Abindosani, since Ailhan often mingle among different tribes. Of course, Kedrihm'Val hasn't exactly made a practice of running around the galaxy with his shirt off, because he's not especially keen on broadcasting his identity to piles of enemies.

Ree breaks out her holocron to ask it about her family history during the Mandalorian Wars. It tells her the information is classified. On further questioning, it says most of the families were generally aware of the True Sith, and he assumes the monsters that crashed on her planet were an expeditionary force, though it's not sure why they were so far into the galaxy. The historian in the holocron is kind of a jackass, and Oola snipes at him whenever he gives her an opening. "Your Twilek is touchy," it finally complains. "She's not used to computers she can't hack," Ree tells him placatingly. "Haha!" it says to Oola.

When she asks about Revan, it tells her what they already know: Revan went out to stop the True Sith. "Did he have any family?" she asks, hoping to get a lead on somewhere she can look for further information. The holocron freezes up again with, "That information is classified." It doesn't know where he was from, but suggests they might find the information in the old Jedi temple. They do have the old computer core. "Revan was fond of Dantooine," it volunteers, a little wistfully. "It was different then."

Since Ree's holocron isn't terribly helpful, Dalt tries his. His historian--Tal Sent--is a jerk, too. Apparently it pays less attention to its surroundings, because it's startled to learn that the
True Sith are on their way. Revan helped lay the groundwork for the families before he left, Tal says, but the other Jedi didn't trust him. The galactic battle in Ree's vision was, so far as Tal knows, exactly what Revan left to prevent. Perhaps this is a new one. When they ask about the book of prophecies, he says he does know that Revan went to some temple and came back with some papers.

They ask about the Arranda holocron's "classified information," to which Tal drawls, "Oh reeeally." Figuring the holocrons might be able to talk it out, they point them at each other, only to be startled by the cat-fight that ensues. Ree tries to be nice to the Sent holocron, which it finds, apparently, exceedingly infuriating. Ree's holocron is bitchy about her talking to the other holocron at all. When Tal accuses her of being stuck up because of her family, Ree is, as she usually is, extremely humble, driving it to the point of screaming in frustration. "She's always like this," Kedrihm'Val tells it, amused. Dalt's trying not to laugh at the holocrons.

Ree's holocron tells them that no holocron will answer about the origin of Ree's family, and that Revan took those papers because he said that if anyone saw the end of that prophecy, they'd be too prejudiced to stop it. Tal thinks that it was about Luke wrecking the place up in the bad way.

Tired of fussing, Dalt hypnotises Ree's holocron. "Ask it now." It says they used to call her family 'Revan's clan.' "I'm sure it's some coincidence," Ree protests, sending the Sent holocron into spitting fits. And the papers were indeed about Luke. Then, snapping out of the mind-whammy, her holocron is aghast at Dalt circumventing its protections. "You're not supposed to know that until you pass more tests!" "You should tell them they're related," Oola chirps, grinning. The holocrons turn to stare at each other in horror.

They learn more: Revan never had children. "He got more excited by logarithms," Tal snarks. They might try hunting up information on Bastila Shan, who stayed behind and helped the Jedi rebuild. Tal says something sarcastic about Jedi going evil and coming back, to which Dalt replies, "I really can't comment." "Well, you were mind-controlled by ancient aliens!" it tries to defend him. "And he was crazy to start!" Z puts in. Seeing it coming, Kedrihm'Val grabs Z as Dalt opens his mouth: "Mad in the sack...says your mother."

Moving on. Staring curiously at the holocrons, Dalt says he thinks that they must be flawed or damaged somehow to react so hostilely to each other. Either that or they hated each other viciously in life. "Oh, we hated each other!" the holocrons speak up. "You also have to take into account the similarity of their personalities," Oola comments, which again infuriates them. "You take that back!" "See?" says Oola, satisfied. "they said 'we'." Which sends the holocrons into open revolt.

"Can we stop antagonizing them?" Ree requests. Zan laughs.

Moving on again, the holocrons say that any further information on Revan was probably held only by Revan himself. He played things close to the vest. The Arranda holocron, when SARR asks, admits that Ree, too, was prophesied. "Now say, 'Where can we find this person' so I can think you're even dumber than I think you are," grumbles the Sent holocron. Oola can't help herself. "Well, there is Jude." The Sent holocron literally hops with fury.