Throughout Bane’s flight to Dxun, he is plagued by visions of Qordis and Kaan who ridicule him for his actions.  He is forced to crash land on the planet and receives several injuries to go along with his mangled ship.  After defeating one of the indigenous creatures, he eventually arrives at the tomb.  After many fruitless passageways, he finds a hidden doorway that has yet to be disturbed.  Inside he finds a Sith Holocron, but as he grabs it he is attacked by parasitic organisms and he barely escapes the chamber.

On Coruscant, Farfalla and Johun meet with Chancellor Valorum to discuss his proposal to disband the Jedi Army of Light since the war is won.  He proposes a new beginning to the crumbling Republic with the Jedi as advisors to the light rather than warriors.  Johun is incensed when Farfalla agrees, but Farfalla explains his position and persuades the Padawan.

From the Holocron, Bane learns that the two parasites attached to him are impossible to remove, but they will provide a protective shell for him as well as feed his dark side energy.  He gains control over a flying beast and rides it out of the atmosphere of Dxun towards the nearby Onderon.

Zannah’s trip was fitful as she could not contain her guilt over the deaths of the ship’s passengers, but she manages to set the ship down in a secluded area.  She is greeted by a rough group of beast riders, but Bane comes to her rescue!  A ferocious aerial battle ensues that leaves Bane covered in blood and his enemies even worse off.  Zannah’s faith is renewed as Bane tells her he is proud of her actions to reach the planet.

After summoning Johun to his quarters, Farfalla tells him that they have located the Star Wake and all aboard have been killed and that the Ruusan Reformations have been passed.  He assigns Johun to Valorum’s personal guard, and although disappointed, Johun accepts the duty.  Farfalla then stuns him by telling him that his is no longer a Padawan but a full Jedi Knight!

Amazingly, Darovit has survived the tunnels with the help of the creatures known as bouncers.  They allow him to heal and help soothe his thoughts of revenge.  He realizes that Rain was actually trying to save him from the Sith that would have killed him.  He knows he will no longer be a Sith or Jedi, but the bouncers offer a third option – a man.

Ten years later…..

On Serenno, Zannah is looking for a young man named Kelad’den who is a freedom fighter against the Republic as well as her lover.  She, of course, is pretending to work in the Republic embassy to gain his trust.  Bane rarely leaves their camp on Ambria as the orbalisks now cover everything but his head, feet, and hands.  As Kel is running late, she thinks back to her early lessons on patience.  Kel eventually arrives to take her to his group’s meeting place.

Back on Ambria, Bane is making his fourth attempt at constructing his own Holocron.  His earlier attempts proved futile and the orbalisks are making this fourth one equally difficult.  Failure eventually wins out and Bane releases his fury.

Kel and Zannah arrive at the meeting room of the Anti-Republic Liberation Front which is headed by a mysterious man named Hetton.  Kel tells them they will kidnap Valorum, the former Chancellor who will be at a secret meeting on Serenno, information Bane had gotten from his network of secret informants.  She has bent Kel’s will to her own and he is able to convince them all to carry out this plan.  Afterwards they split up and she knows she will likely never see him again.

Back at their camp, Zannah sees the remnants of Bane’s rage of failure.  He tells her he expects the rebels to fail, but they are yet another distraction for the Republic and Jedi, further splintering their energy and resources.  She wonders aloud if the orbalisks are poisoning his mind, but he denies it.  She knows she’s planted the seeds of doubt and hopes he will rid himself of the orbalisks.  If she ever has plans to overthrow him, the armor the orbalisks provide will need to be out of the way.

Johun and Tarsus Valorum, the now former Chancellor arrive at Serenno in hopes of persuading the wealthy families to cut off funding to anti-Republic groups.  Johun's respect for the man has only grown during his decade of service.  As they depart the ship, it is destroyed by an explosion and they are attacked by four assalaints.  Johun is able to skillfully fend off the attacks, but when several flee he enters a fearsome battle with a Twi'lek...Kel.  Kel bests him in combat, but Johun grabs him and throws both of them off a cliff.  Only Johun survives the fall to the waters below.