The End of E'Val

Now to fin an evil clone of a walking Force-sensitive piece of a coral that contains DND of all living things in the galaxy, and Drath, and the Sith artifacts and empty Dark Harvester that he took. It's readily apparent that E-Val is not on Coruscant. Surmising that the easiest way off-planet would be for Drath's Force ghost to possess a pilot and take a ship, they ask Erin to look into that.

Dalt and Oola poke at the full Dark Harvester, but gowhere significant with it. Ree goes through Harth's database for information, and discovers no data on his bases, but some on the Harvesters. She forwards that to Dalt, who speculates: if they put the Zabraks back, will they be Force-sensitive? Dark Siders? They were, after all, tortured, betrayed and sucked into an evil device. He thinks they could let a couple out to see what happens, suggesting they might put them in droid bodies...but of course that could have consequences: "Trapped in an unfeeling shell of metal and wire." Ree believes they should leave the Council and Senate to decide.

Figuring he's the closest thing to an evil mastermind they've got (and often better at it than he's given credit for), Kedrihm'Val asks Dalt what he would do with an E-Val. Dalt thinks he would possess E-Val, use the Dark Harvester on Abindosan's coral, take the Zabraks and drop them into the coral and rule over the planet. So...best to put the Zabraks someplace safe. How about a ship's computer? Dalt suggests the Falcon Oola's skeptical. So Dalt returns to his idea of popping out a Zabrak to see what it does.


Ree has a probe sent toward the Chiss Ascendency, as she's growing concerned about their silence. Kedrihm'Val meditates to see if he can't get a bead on his evil clone. Farseeing gives him a vision of a star field, a base (one of Harth's), Drath in a new body, and E-Val. They have a True Sith ship. He describes the star field to Oola, who recognizes it as the sky of the Hapes Consortium. This is a problem: they're isolationist and detest Jedi. They wouldn't willfully hide Drath, but without evidence, it's the word of the Jedi against 64 planets and a matriarchal culture.

The Council meditates together (including Ree) and receive a vision: chaos in the Temple's halls, people fleeing from the Council chambers. Luke and Kyp locked in lightsaber combat, Luke possessed. Ree herself calling on the comm screen. Han walks through Ree and shoots Luke in the back.

Ree wakes and the whole Council is staring at her. "Well," she says.
"We need a protocol for accessing that holocron that doesn't involve me," Luke says. "Don't look at me like that, Ree. We may need that information." But Kyp stares at him too. On the heels of that thought, Ree shares her idea about building a shielded orbital platform for disturbing stuff.

Kedrihm'Val tells the others about the Hapes Consortium. The necessary clearances are arranged, but "Fun to be you," Luke tells them when he hands them the papers.
"Could be worse," Ree says pointedly.
"Sweet," Oola says, taking the papers. "Just what I've always wanted." Zan and Dalt will be staying behind this time. Zan tells Z to behave.

On arrival, the place is extravagant, a planet designed for kings and queens. This blows CorSec out of the water. They're placed in diplomatic quarters, each in their own suite. Kecrihm'Val notices the courtyard fountain is spooky. Onna explains that it's where they drown royal infants that are considered imperfect.

Ree gets stared at. Apparently the group is recognized. Ree and Kedrihm'Val are disconcerted by the very enthusiastic servants--all male slave-class, and handsome. Z is saddened. They'll have a meeting with the ambassador later that day, and until then are free to explore.

Wandering around, Ree sees people watching Primal Justice. She steps on a datapad as she re-enters her suite. It explains that True Sith ships have homing beacons in order to find or be found by nearby allies in the event of accident. They can be activated by a certain signal...which is also on the datapad. "Thanks, to my mysterious spiritual benefactor," Ree says to the air, then takes the pad to Oola.

At their meeting, the ambassador informs them that they may have a week for their manhunt, and will be expected not to cause too much social upheaval. After the meeting, Z asks, "Any chance of going someplace we can get chick servants? Is everybody around here gay?"
"No," replies Lydia. "They're women."

Activating the signal shows that the ship is hidden at a casino on a resort moon. The transmission stops when they reach the planet, but they manage to narrow it to somewhere around one of the dock/repair quadrants.

They inform the local security of their arrival and purpose. Z is feeling more cheerful around the money, booze, and lounging half-naked women (who are mostly the rich ones, which is fine with him). They're given four security officers to accompany them while Oola narrows the signal down to a warehouse with the Queen's symbol on the doors. The agents tell them it's been locked for ages. The royal family often purchases storage units and property that they just stash stuff in and largely ignore. They're feeling uncomfortable about tangling with royal property. Obliging them in their desire to avoid vandalism, the group searches for another entrance, but there's no sign the building has been opened at all.

On the other hand, some careful searching and scanning reveals a tunnel down on the cliffside that's big enough to admit a ship. They get in that way, and emerge into a cargo bay, on a catwalk about 20 feet above the floor. Sure enough, there's the True Sith ship and the Sith artifacts. A Zabrak (clearly Drath in a different body) stands talking to a familiar Zeltron and examining the ship. They've got five thugs with them. E-Val isn't visible, but Kedrihm'Val can feel him nearby, and can guess that E-Val knows he's here too-

-and then Lydia spins toward the Hapes agents, as they fire at and stun Oola and Onna. Ree throws one agent at one of the thugs below (noting as she does that they're not being mind-controlled), and Z, Lydia, and Kedrihm'Val take the others out.

Ree gets yanked off the balcony with the Force, hit by flying debris, and shot at. Kedrihm'Val leaps off and slam-kicks Drath to break his concentration. Recovering quickly, Ree hits the Zeltron so hard she stuns her. Z snipes thugs from the catwalk while Lydia follows the other Force-users down. Ree turns on Drath as he attacks Kedrihm'Val. Drath knocks them both back and then runs for it, leaping backward into the True Sith ship. Two thugs follow him, and the other that's still standing tries to flee.

Kedrihm'Val pauses briefly to heal himself from the pounding Drath just administered while Ree tells Oola to lock the place down. "What can I hit to make sure the ship can't fly so good?" she asks the Twilek.
"Engines are exposed." Ree makes quick work of them.

Then the ship's turrets activate. Oola uses the signal they were given to shut them down.

But while they were distracted, the Zeltron got back up. She works her whammy on Kedrihm'Val. From his vantage point, Z sees it and tries to knock him down before he can do any damage, but Kedrihm'Val dodges, then lays into him. Good thing Z's armor rocks, because Kedrihm'Val pounds the hell out of it. The Zeltron attacks Ree. While they're occupied, Drath's lightsaber comes flying out of the ship and strikes Oola, who ducks back into cover in the entry passage, knowing better than to try to confront him directly. "Run down that pipe!" Drath shouts at her. "Frreaking Twilek...leave my ship alone!"

Z swings his helmet at Kedrihm'Val, trying to get it on him so it can block the Zeltron's pheromones. He misses with that, but knees the other man in the stomach. Onna joins in, trying and failing to stun him. Then Ree lands a blow on the Zeltron, and Kedrihm'Val tumbles away from the other two to protect her, knocking Ree down. Seeing the opening, Drath leaps down on her from on top of the ship. Lydia charges him. Onna throws itching powder at Kedrihm'Val. The Zeltron attacks Lydia.

Ree takes that opening to hit the Zeltron again, so Kedrihm'Val trips her. Drath swings at Ree, Lydia intercepts, Z tries to get the helmet on Kedrihm'Val again, and Kedrihm'Val dodges him again. And that's what happens in a close-on mass melee with everybody taking attacks of opportunity.

Oola, meanwhile, avoids that whole fiasco and pokes around in the ship.

Ree Force-lights Drath, distracting him, while Kedrihm'Val dodges Onna's and Z's flurry of attempts to subdue or get the helmet on him ("Stop it, Z!" he snaps). Frustrated with his inability to touch the Abindosani, Z turns on the Zeltron with his flechette launcher, which results in three Force-users dripping with gore that used to be a Zeltron.

And E-Val attacks Oola.

The ship gets dragged forward. Z shields a distracted Kedrihm'Val, Drath throws it and then hits the dirt, and Ree grabs the ship. Oola screams for help.

Drath hops back up and runs. Kedrihm'Val kyps up and Force-speeds toward Oola, dodging Drath's other lightsaber, which he'd trapped. Ree does a flip over the ship and she and Lydia hunt Drath. Onna stays to keep watch.

E-Val knocks out Oola then aims a flurry of blows at Kedrihm'Val, who blocks them.

Drath flees out of the facility, leaps up toward a wall then bounces off it back at Ree to attack from above.

Kedrihm'Val and E-Val exchange kicks, punches, and parries. Z slides in behind Kedrihm'Val to grab Oola, but E-Val sweeps her up and bolts. Droids come flying back toward Z and Kedrihm'Val, who Force-shoves them to the side. Drath's cast-off lighsaber starts beeping, and the two of them run for their lives, dodging debris as the tunnel mouth explodes.

Ree has Drath down, tied up, and drugged when she, Lydia, and Onna hear the tunnel explode. The three women consider their next move. Ree worries whether the rest of the Hapan security agents are corrupted, and orders SARR to disable any ship leaving the planet that his sensors register coral on.

Chasing E-Val, the men come out of the tunnel facing a line of security agents. E-Val flips over their heads. Kedrihm'Val just charges through. Z flame-throwers the ones Kedrihm'Val didn't knock down. As they approach the edge of the spaceport, E-Val tosses Oola to two security guards and turns to face off against his double. The guardes run into a nearby hangar.

Kedrihm'Val Force-lights E-Val, who blocks it with a ball of black energy. Kedrihm'Val falters in surprise. "That's new."

Z fires at the security town taking aim at him and Kedrihm'Val. They hear screaming and lightsabers in the hangar, and a lot of blaster fire. "I consider that checkmate," Kedrihm'Val comments, knowing it must be SARR and INON. E-Val nods in acknowledgement. Kedrihm'Val attacks again, but E-Val spins and fires a grappling gun at a departing transport. Kedrihm'Val grabs him. Z flies up, dislodges the grapple, and drops them into a nearby lake.

Surfacing, E-Val tries to force Kedrihm'Val under. Kedrihm'Val pulls out the Force crystal, which his clone knocks out of his hand. He has to go diving for it, so E-Val uses the chance to get to shore and run. Z's been circling and watching, though. He slows E-Val down with a grapple-gun to the kidneys while Kedrihm'Val catches the crystal and catches up.

E-Val tears out the hook and keeps moving, getting behind another company of security guards in order to buy time to heal. Z fights the guards. E-Val mutters something to a guard with a jetpack, who nods and takes off.

Oola wakes, grabs SARR and INON to go after E-Val with the ship.

Kecrihm'Val leaps over the guards, letting Z deal with them. Another exchange of attacks, then E-Val Force-lightnings him.

And then he surrenders. Kedrihm'Val only hesitates briefly before using the Force crystal on him, killing him. And thereby he earns himself a Dark Side point and has to fight not to let the Force crystal be corrupted, because that was pretty cold.

At that's the point at which Ree and the others catch up.

There's no sign of the stolen coral. Chances are E-Val gave it to that security guard. All they've got are ship logs, which say that Drath stopped on Ilum.

And then an uncorrupted Hapan security officer finally shows up, quite apologetic.

With nothing left to do there, they head back to Coruscant with their prisoners. Kedrihm'Val spends the trip feeling kind of lousy, but frankly he doesn't really regret it.

Oola spots a mark on her arm, from a DNA extractor. Figuring E-Val was responsible, she puts an ID chip in herself just in case and then warns her family. Dalt, on the comm, points out that an expert could separate out her parents' DNA and clone them using her blood. They've got a second True Sith ship for Dalt to poke, and the Consortium has two thugs they might be able to get to talk. They check the man Drath is possessing, to make sure he's actually still alive. Nobody's got any bead on the missing coral.

Drath wakes up en route, and bothers Ree about saving the galaxy from the True Sith. Kedrihm'Val reminds them that he's a spirit possessing a man, so he'll be dangerous around people who can be possessed. Drath asks about E-Val and Oola's DNA. "But you don't know where they're going with it?" he asks. "Just remember I told you so when you're holding a decapitated Kyp Durron."