Kerra Holt

Kerra Holt's birth took place in 1050 BBY on the world of Aquilaris Minor, which is located in the Grumani sector. She was the firstborn daughter of Aron Holt, who worked as a skin diver, and Mercia Holt, who was an archaeologist. A significant portion of Kerra's early years were spent on this planet, residing in its main city, Capital Cay. Both of her parents had previously attended the University of Sanbra. Before 1042 BBY, her parents were engaged in a research endeavor aimed at locating the Helm of Ieldis, an ancient Sith artifact that originated from the time of the Great Hyperspace War. One of their research trips led them to the planet Sarrassia, where they established connections with the Grumani Hierophants, who were among the numerous religious groups inhabiting that planet. During this period, the Holt family developed a friendship with Aunt Zoojoo, a Woostoid Grumani priestess, who became a close family acquaintance. On one occasion, Kerra climbed onto the roof of the Great Hall, which resulted in the abbot suffering a stroke. Her parents later reprimanded her for her mischievous behavior.

In 1042 BBY, when Kerra was approximately eight years old, the Sith Lord Odion, who was then fighting under the banner of Chagras, the ruler of the Chagras Hegemony, raided the planet Sanbra and its university. The research team managed to escape offworld, but not before Odion discovered information about the Helm and sought to use it to gain an advantage over his Sith rivals. The Holts and ten other researchers fled back to their home on Aquilaris Minor. There, they planned to meet several Jedi on Aquilaris including the Jedi Knight and activist Vannar Treece. However, Odion obtained intelligence that the researchers were there. He was subsequently given authorization to invade Aqualaris from the Sith matriarch Vilia Calimondra, under the ruse of capturing Treece, a perennial foe of the Sith.

Later that year, Aquilaris was invaded by Chagras Hegemony forces under Lord Odion who wiped out the weak Republic defenses, and slaughtered and enslaved much of the population. By that time, her mother Mercia was pregnant with their second child. During the invasion of Capital Cay, her parents were packing up and preparing to leave, intending to prevent Odion from gaining access to their sensitive research. Her father Aron was seen sporting a blaster pistol in the event that Sith troops stormed their house. They planned to flee to the harbor and escape on a submersible manned by the Seacroppers' Guild. While their house was being besieged by Sith troopers, Kerra was instructed by her mother to flee to the harbor first. Her parents would then meet up with her and they would flee with her childhood friend Joad Kreel and his father into the open seas. Finally, Mercia told her daughter not to come back looking for them and promised that they would join her there.

Kerra successfully reached the harbor, evading Hegemony forces who were looting the city. There, she encountered Joad, who was waiting by his Seacropper Submersible. His father had not returned, and he emphasized the need to leave as Odion had already arrived. By this time, Odion had gained notoriety as a ruthless conqueror. Joad also informed Kerra that he would wait for her to bring her family back so she could escape underwater. Despite Joad's warnings about the danger of returning home, Kerra went back, determined not to be separated from her parents. By then, Odion's troops had captured her parents and the other researchers. To conceal evidence of his secret project and indulge his nihilistic tendencies, Odion ordered the destruction of the entire neighborhood. By the time Kerra arrived at her burning home, all that remained was her father's pistol.

Meanwhile, her friend Joad evacuated the harbor in his submersible alone to escape the Sith rampage and bombardment of the harbor. The two childhood friends would only be reunited several years later.During the subsequent house-to-house fighting that enveloped Capital Cay, Kerra encountered the Jedi Knight Vannar Treece. Initially, she mistook him for an intruder and nearly shot him with her blaster pistol. However, she quickly recognized him as a Jedi and related to him how her family had told her to flee but she went because she did not know where else to go. Taking pity on here, Vannar informed Kerra that he had a starfighter hidden nearby and offered to help escape offworld. He promised Kerra that they would return to Aquilaris when it was safe and that they would make it safe as Jedi.

Following the loss of her entire family, Kerra Holt found solace in Vannar, her rescuer, and the Jedi Order, which became her new adopted family. She then became a Padawan under Treece's guidance and resided on Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Republic, which was primarily concentrated around the Core Worlds and Colonies. Under the care of the Jedi, Kerra had an active childhood. By the age of twelve, she was already coordinating travel arrangements for volunteers. At fourteen, Kerra was assisting in raising funds for Treece's "knight errant" operations into Sith Space. In the three years leading up to 1032 BBY, Kerra had been responsible for equipping Treece's Jedi operations. As a result, Kerra quickly acquired the necessary experience and skills to manage a volunteer paramilitary operation, which proved essential to her work as a Jedi operating as a "knight errant" in enemy territory.

One of Kerra's initial assignments as a Padawan involved dismantling a smuggling ring based in the Core Worlds that was transporting fungi to Coruscant for processing into illegal narcotics. Law enforcement activities like spice interdiction were frequently assigned to Jedi Padawans, as the Jedi and Republic were preoccupied with more pressing matters, such as the centuries-long protracted wars against the Sith and the effects of the Candorian plague. Kerra's experiences during this assignment exposed her to the effects of narcotics on individuals, leading her to conclude that they effectively stripped people of their ability to control their own lives. This experience shaped her negative view of narcotics and drug traffickers later in her career. By 1032 BBY, she had successfully completed her Jedi Trials and become a Jedi Knight.

While the majority of the Jedi Order had retreated to the safety of the Core Worlds to defend against a potential Sith invasion, her Master Vannar continued to conduct hit-and-run "knight errant" operations into Sith Space with the secret approval of Supreme Chancellor Genarra. Vannar's operations were driven by his concern for the plight of the billions of sentient beings living under Sith rule. For these operations, Treece relied on volunteers rather than regular Jedi and Republic military personnel, as both Genarra and the Ministry of Defense were hesitant to commit substantial forces and resources to invading Sith-controlled territories due to the Republic's weakened state. He was also able to exploit a loophole that allowed Jedi Knights sixteen days of free travel anywhere in the galaxy between their regular routine of serving three months in law enforcement patrols and nine months of active service on the Republic's contracting frontiers. As of 1032 BBY, Vannar's missions were the only Jedi activity in the entire Grumani sector.

In 1032 BBY, Treece received crucial information from Gorlan Palladane, an old comrade and former Jedi Knight, indicating that the Sith warlord Daiman had unearthed substantial deposits of baradium – an unstable substance vital for manufacturing weapons, notably thermal detonators – on the agricultural planet of Chelloa. Following the fall of the Chagras Hegemony in 1040 BBY, Lord Daiman had founded an autonomous dominion called the Daimanate, fostering a cult of personality centered on his self-proclaimed status as "creator of the universe". The baradium was being mined from subterranean locations and then transported off-planet for processing at weapons factories situated near the battle lines. Daiman subjected the local population to slavery while he exploited the planet's resources by strip-mining it for the valuable ores.

Given the Jedi's apprehension that Daiman's access to baradium would destabilize the power balance within the Grumani sector, Treece organized a strike force to disrupt the baradium shipments. This operation was designated "Operation Influx," a three-pronged strategy involving covert entry, sabotage, and subsequent extraction back to Republic territory. Recognizing the gravity of Operation Influx, Vannar carefully selected several experienced Jedi who were indebted to him. Among them were the Trandoshan Jedi Knight Mrssk, a veteran of previous Treece missions, and the Quarren Jedi Master Berluk, celebrated within the Jedi Order for his martial prowess. Kerra initially named this mission Operation Deadlock. However, it was renamed Operation Influx when Treece realized that it revealed their clandestine tactic of pitting the Sith Lords against each other. This risked alienating civilian populations under occupation who regarded the Jedi as their saviors, and it could allow the Sith to decipher the Republic's strategy.

For Kerra, this marked her first journey back to the Grumani sector since the Sith invasion that devastated her homeworld eight years prior. Her mentor, Treece, had learned of the baradium operations through his longtime associate and undercover Jedi agent Gorlan Palladane, who headed the Chelloan resistance. Palladane, along with his Rodian mechanic friend Skodo, had utilized a pilfered transmitter to reactivate a hyperspace relay and establish communication with Treece. However, the Sith Lord Odion was eavesdropping on these transmissions and prepared to invade Chelloa. This Sith Lord, driven by nihilistic beliefs, considered the planet's high concentration of baradium to have created an imbalance in the Force, necessitating its destruction.

Vannar's Jedi team journeyed to the planet Oranessan aboard an unmarked Jedi starship. The planet was a polluted, rain-soaked world situated at a strategic hyperlane within the Daimanate. As they approached Oranessan's surface, the Jedi intercepted and downed a Daimanate personnel shuttle. The shuttle was transporting flight crews to the planet's spaceport, where a squadron of Daimanate Heavy-Lift Starcrosser transports awaited departure for Chelloa. These flight crews were intended to operate the massive transports. The shuttle crashed on a hillcrest in the mud flats, and the Jedi swiftly recovered the crew's cloaks and identification badges. During the initial phase of Operation Influx, Kerra was part of a four-member advance team, which also included her Master Treece and the Cerean Dorvin Eltrom, that approached the spaceport where a fleet of the Starcrosser transports were departing for Chelloa.

The four Jedi then encountered a Daimanite contingent consisting of a female ground crew chief and four armed sentries who attempted to punish them for being late to a flight preparation meeting that had occurred twenty minutes earlier. However, the Jedi swiftly dispatched the Daimanite sentries using their lightsabers. Kerra personally eliminated the ground crew chief, seizing her control device and jumpsuit, which would prove useful later. Having acquired the Daimanites' equipment, the four Jedi commandeered an unoccupied Starcrosser transport. Vannar then contacted the rest of the team via comlink to inform them that the target vessel had been secured, that Operation Influx was confirmed, and that they could now rejoin the advance team at the transport.

During a brief exchange with her master Vannar, Kerra reflected on her transition from employing Force Persuasion to lightsaber combat during her confrontation with the ground crew chief. Kerra confessed her discomfort with impersonating a Sith, and Vannar responded that subterfuge was essential for operating within enemy territory. Before leaving Oranessan, Kerra had another brief conversation with the Cerean Dorvin. He inquired whether her choice of a green lightsaber reflected her ambition to become a Jedi Consular like the current Chancellor Genarra. Kerra explained that she had simply selected a lightsaber crystal from the top of a pile, which happened to be green. Dorvin expressed his disappointment with Kerra's decision not to pursue the path of a Jedi Consular. However, Kerra did not believe in adhering to tradition, as she was more focused on rapidly acquiring the Jedi skills necessary to combat the Sith and avenge the invasion of her homeworld.

Before they could depart for Chelloa, the Jedi team faced a new challenge when they discovered that the transport's navigation computer lacked an activation cylinder, a small device required for initiating a hyperspace jump. While the Starcrosser could still take off, it was incapable of entering hyperspace, potentially jeopardizing Operation Influx. Meanwhile, the other transports were already en route to Chelloa. Kerra suddenly remembered that she had neglected to retrieve a dispatch case from the wreckage of the downed personnel shuttle they had destroyed earlier. The case was trapped beneath one of the shuttle's consoles, and she had mistaken it for a personal item. While Republic standard procedure dictated that most flight crews keep their activation cylinders with the ships, the Trandoshan Jedi Mrssk explained to his companions that the Starcrosser lacked one because Daiman's policy required his flight crews to keep them on their persons in order to minimize the risk of desertion by his ground troops.

When Kerra expressed frustration at her failure to retrieve the dispatch case, Treece sympathized with the young Jedi woman, recognizing the impossibility of her accomplishing everything. The Jedi could not travel to Chelloa on their own ship since the planet was heavily guarded by Daiman's forces. Time was running out, as they had only one hour to infiltrate Chelloa and sabotage the baradium shipping before departing for neutral space. Vannar considered activating the fallback plan, which involved flying the transport back to their hidden Jedi vessel and using it to shoot down the Daimanite transports before returning to the Republic. However, this plan had a significant drawback, as Daiman could respond by rerouting other vessels to Chelloa. Kerra opposed this idea and suggested hijacking an ore transport, but Vannar dismissed it due to the ore transports' heavy armament.

Ultimately, Kerra proposed returning to the wrecked shuttle and retrieving the dispatch case. However, Vannar was hesitant, as he did not want to endanger the lives of the Jedi Knights involved. Nevertheless, Kerra remained determined to execute Operation Influx, given the substantial investment of energy, time, and resources already committed to the mission. At that moment, they were interrupted by an announcement from the Sith control tower on Oranessan ordering them to hasten their departure or face punishment. Vannar then instructed the team to implement their fallback plan. He dismissed the idea of walking the several kilometers back to their hidden Jedi ship due to the inclement weather. Vannar also instructed Dolvin to secure all the vessel's hatchways.

However, Kerra defied her master's orders and used her stolen remote control to open the transport's main cargo hatchway as it was lifting off. Donning the fallen ground crew chief's overalls, she then made her way to the spaceport's hangar bay, which housed replacement navicomputers and activation cylinders. Despite flying at low altitude and the transport's external sensors, Oranessan's torrential weather made it impossible for the Jedi crew aboard the transport to detect Kerra. After several minutes, Kerra returned to the departing Starcrosser transport and used her lightsaber as a beacon.

Soaked and exhausted, Kerra climbed back onto the transport's cargo deck, presenting the activation cylinder to her pleased master. Kerra then recounted how she had obtained the activation cylinder by infiltrating the hangar while disguised as a worker. Thanks to her stolen attire and the bustling activity of the day, she was able to avoid detection. When Treece remarked that he thought Kerra hated posing as a Sith, the Jedi woman replied that she hated letting them win even more. With the activation cylinder secured, the Starcrosser transport was now capable of making a hyperspace jump. Having successfully completed the first phase of Operation Influx, the relieved Treece and Kerra exchanged jokes before their journey to Chelloa.

Using a captured cargo liner, the Jedi team infiltrated Jenith's spaceport and quickly overwhelmed Daiman's security guards with the support of the slaves. During the assault, Holt saved Palladane and a group of miners from being roughed up by a group of Daiman's thugs at the South Work Yards. She knocked out a T'surr Daimanate Sith trooper with her lightsaber while Gorlan incapacitated a Human officer. Despite the warm reception from the liberated slaves, Palladane was disappointed that the mission was only a hit-and-run raid as opposed to a full scale invasion of Chelloa. Holt defended her master by pointing that the depleted nature of Republic finance had limited the resources available to the Jedi. Still, Treece planned to evacuate as many slaves as he could on their cargo liner.

The Jedi strike team, employing their purloined Daimanate cargo liner, successfully landed at Jenith's spaceport. During the raid, they rammed a squad Daimanate Sith troopers and destroyed several cargo liners to disorientate their Sith opponents. They then overwhelmed the security guards with the support of the mining workers, many of whom were members of the Chelloan resistance. During the melee, Kerra was keen to display her combat prowess with the lightsaber. However, her Master Treece cautioned her not to be reckless with her life since she had already passed the trials. He then reminded Holt that her job was to reconnoiter with Gorlan Palladane, who was gathering a group of miners in the South Work Yard. She and Palladane's group would then rejoin the main force following the fighting.

Treece also commented to Holt that in the future she could be the charismatic leader running the "hopeless" mission. She responded jokingly that her job was to make the charismatic leader "look good" before parting to go on her assignment. Holt saved Gorlan Palladane and his fellow miners from being killed by a T'surr Daimanate Sith officer, who wanted to kill them as part of a scorched earth strategy to ensure that no opponents could secure Daiman's labor force. She knocked out a T'surr Daimanate Sith trooper with her lightsaber while Gorlan incapacitated a Human officer with his crowbar. Holt then escorted Palladane and his companions to the spaceport. By then the Sith garrison had been overpowered and Treece was being welcomed by a jubilant multi-species crowd of laborers and miners. Vannar and Gorlan reunited and shook each others' hands as close friends. Vannar also introduced Gorlan to Kerra and introduced him as his top secret intelligence source.

Palladane had used his cover as a community leader and relief worker at the spaceport town of Jenith as a cover for his work as undercover field operative for the Jedi Order. However, tensions soon developed when Gorlan noted that the small size of the Jedi taskforce was insufficient to liberate Chelloa. Vannar explained that Operation Influx was not a rescue mission but rather a preemptive strike to sabotage the distribution of baradium and prevent further incursions into the rump Republic. Gorlan criticized Vannar's "filibustering raid" as insufficient in helping ordinary people living under Sith rule. Kerra intervened and defended her Master by stressing that the Vannar was right in asserting that a small tactical raid would keep the Sith deadlocked.

Vannar then took Kerra aside personally and stressed that Gorlan was right but admitted he was unable to help everyone. However, he noted to Kerra that their transport ship still had sufficient space for the dock crew. He ordered her to personally assist Gorlan in helping mobilize anyone willing to flee to Republic Space. Kerra argued that she should be assisting the other Jedi in the demolitions work since she had studied the site from orbit. Gorlan responded that her knowledge of the site's dimensions could also used be used for more peaceful work and stressed that might and mercy were also part of the job.

Kerra concurred and began tending to a wounded Duros laborer. However, they were distracted by the rumble of engines emanating from Squatter's Hill. Daiman's rival and estranged brother Sith Lord Odion had arrived with an attack force comprising of landing ships and a Kinetic corruptor, a massive repulsorlift vehicle capable of harvesting baradium from the surface by igniting it. Earlier, Palladane and the Rodian mechanic Skodo had made contact with the Jedi by using a transmitter to activate a routing station in space. While the Jedi received his transmission, it was also intercepted by Daiman's estranged older brother and fellow Sith Lord Odion, who ruled an independent domain known as the Odionate.

Chelloa's narcissistic ruler Lord Daiman saw himself as the Creator of the universe and all other beings as soulless automatons. Meanwhile, the nihilistic Odion saw himself as the self-appointed Destroyer of life which he saw as an obstacle to finding true peace. While Treece planned to disrupt the shipping operations, Odion wanted to destroy Chelloa because he thought that the high concentration of baradium on Chelloa created an imbalance within the Force. In the ensuing duel, Odion unleashed his Force-sensitive Novitiate acolytes on Vannar's Jedi team. Both Kerra and Vannar expressed surprise at Odion's presence since Chelloa was situated far from the Odionate's supply lines. Kerra attempted to enter the fray and slay Odion in revenge for the destruction and suffering afflicted on her homeworld ten years ago.

However, Vannar reminded Kerra of his previous order to assist Gorlan in evacuating the people and stressed that Daiman would be returning with reinforcements. He ordered her to evacuate Gorlan's people from Chelloa while emphasizing that it was his task alone to deal with Odion. Kerra returned to the freighter only to discover that Gorlan was refusing to leave because he still had a family in Jenith. Gorlan also stressed that there were still sixty thousand people in the slave cities of Chelloa and he was still needed as the de facto leader of the Chelloan resistance. Upon learning this fact, Kerra correctly deduced that Odion was trying to destroy Chelloa since it was too far from his supply lines to defend effectively. She told Gorlan to evacuate while she reentered the fray in an attempt to defeat Odion.

During the ensuing duel, Vannar took on Odion atop an automated repulsorlift platform with the two men goading each other. Meanwhile, the Kinetic corruptor was begin its activation process. Kerra interrupted the duel and attempted to stop the Kinetic corruptor by damaging its cables. However, he stopped her and used the Force to hurl the young Jedi onto the repulsorlift platform. Vannar quickly attended to Kerra and sternly reminded her to resume her original mission before sending the repulsorlift platform back to the spaceport by pressing its control button. By then, the ground had begun shaking with Odion gloating that his baradium experts had discovered how to detonate baradium. Taken by surprise, Treece was impaled by Odion from behind and all of the Jedi team with the exception of Holt were killed in the ensuing magma explosion. This same explosion also killed and wounded many of Odion's cultists, Chelloan workers and Daiman's guards. Kerra was recovered by Gorlan who took her aboard the Starcrosser transport which was protected from the resulting magma flow due to its distance from the site. Vannar's death was sensed in the Force by Kerra, who became the last surviving member of the Jedi mission and was stranded on Chelloa.

As the survivors began tending to the wounded, Lord Daiman arrived on a repulsorcraft. Despite the extensive loss of life and the numerous injuries, particularly burn victims, Daiman displayed indifference and demanded to see Paladane. Palladane pleaded for assistance in treating the wounded, but Daiman was more concerned with understanding how his rival Odion and the Jedi had discovered his clandestine baradium mining operations. When Palladane professed his ignorance, Daiman employed Force choke to strangle the former. However, Kerra intervened and attempted to force Daiman to cease tormenting Palladane at gunpoint.

Amused by her audacity and dismissing her as an insignificant orphan, Daiman released Palladane and made lewd gestures towards her. He mockingly urged her to embrace her anger as a distraction and released her, preoccupied with the threat Odion posed to his ambitions. Showing scant regard for the welfare of his subjects, Daiman ordered them to erect one of his statues in the village square before dismissing the crowd. Later, at his alpine compound above Jenith, he tortured the Rodian worker Skodo with Force lightning in an effort to coerce him into confessing to contacting Odion. Skodo had been discovered with a transmitter, which he and Palladane had used to provide Odion with information about Daiman's baradium operations.

However, Daiman's torture session was interrupted by the arrival of Holt, who engaged him in a duel. She trapped Daiman in a suspension field before engaging in an argument with the temporarily incapacitated Sith Lord. When she criticized his maltreatment of slaves, Daiman countered by reiterating his personal Sith philosophy, asserting that he was the only true living being. To distract Holt, he revealed that his brother Odion was preparing a second attack and that Odion possessed a mobile space station known as The Spike, capable of producing various arsenal, particularly kinetic corruptors. A single kinetic corruptor was capable of igniting the entire planet of Chelloa due to the vast baradium deposits. Daiman managed to break away but Holt had escaped, hijacking one of Daiman's starfighters deployed to attack The Spike.

Perceiving Odion as a threat to his control over baradium extraction on Chelloa, Daiman dispatched a small strike force of Daimanate starfighters in an attempt to disable The Spike. However, his light starfighters were swiftly destroyed by Odion's gunships. Amidst the attack, Holt ejected from her starfighter into space and infiltrated The Spike through an open hatch. Discarding her spacesuit, she disabled a service droid and proceeded to Pod Seventeen, in the vast assembly area. There, Holt overpowered a labor droid known as GAD-3 and reset his motivation center. In exchange for Kerra fixing his robotic arms, Gad-3 revealed that The Spike was dedicated solely to the production of kinetic corruptors and that all floors were decentralized from the main structure for security reasons. Gad-3 then added that Holt should not have come alone.

At that moment, they were interrupted by the arrival of Odion and his Givin second-in-command Jelcho. However, Odion did not sense Kerra or Gad-3 initially, since they were hidden under the catwalk. Odion was preoccupied with using his corruptors to extract Chelloa's baradium deposits. From Odion's conversation with Jelcho, Holt learned that an unidentified informant had supplied the Odionates with intelligence on Daiman's baradium operations. From a recorded transmission, the informant claimed that all of Daiman's mining operations were permanently offline in an attempt to draw Sith attention away from Chelloa. However, Odion dismissed the informant's latest reports as an attempt by Daiman or other parties to undermine his planned baradium operations. Meanwhile, Holt released GAD-3 and sent him back to his station with instructions to open another door when she gave the signal.

Odion then concluded the meeting by ordering all his kinetic corruptors to be prepared for landing on Chelloa in order to harvest all the baradium. Due to the volatile nature of baradium, much of Chelloa would be destroyed and rendered uninhabitable. While gloating of his recent victory over the Jedi, particularly Master Treece, Odion suddenly sensed the presence of an intruder through the Force. In a fit of rage, he ripped apart the catwalk and discovered Holt. He engaged her in a duel. Kerra drew him into a pursuit. Kerra was also pursued by a mob of armed Gamorrean guards, followers of Odion who craved dying in combat. The fighting led the combatants through a series of catwalks to the upper levels of the Spike, the main structure supporting the various assembly lines.

In a verbal confrontation, Kerra told Odion that she had attacked him aboard his space station to drive him away from Chelloa thus saving the lives of thousands of sentients. She also revealed that Daiman's mobile munitions factories were bringing in thousands more slaves by the day. Odion shrugged away Holt's concerns for innocent lives, arguing that all sentients existed only to be killed by him. Due to his nihilistic philosophy, Odion saw himself as the destroyer of all life in the galaxy and embraced death. As he prepared to strike Holt down with his lightsaber, she played her final card by ordering the reprogrammed Gad-3 to open all containment fields, thus opening much of the space station to zero-gravity space. This triggered an explosion that wrecked large areas of The Spike, destroying many labor droids and killing many workers. Further destruction was averted after Jelcho reactivated the emergency shielding. As with all Givin, Jelcho had a tough exoskeleton that could seal all external orifices for protection against depressurization, allowing him to survive in hard vacuum.

In the midst of the chaos, Holt hijacked a construction shuttle, incapacitated the pilot and then fled into space. Meanwhile, Odion ordered his entourage back to his flagship Sword of Ieldis. Understanding his Jedi opponent, Odion knew that Holt would return to confront him. In an ensuing cat-and-mouse race in space, Holt's shuttle engaged Odion's gunship. Anticipating that Holt was going to ram her shuttle into his ship, he ordered his crew to open fire. However, the duel was interrupted by an incoming transmission from Lord Daiman.

In a broadcast beamed live from his headquarters on Chelloa, a visibly enraged Daiman informed Odion that he had captured and subjected Palladane, his informant, to torture. As a consequence of the information breach, Daiman initiated a military crackdown across all mining settlements on Chelloa, with his soldiers laying waste to the Chelloan people's homes. Witnessing her friend's suffering, Holt cut short her mission, initiating a rapid jump to hyperspace. Holt successfully deterred Odion from obliterating Chelloa with his kinetic corruptors by disclosing intelligence concerning Daiman's mobile factories. Odion's Lightning Guard was mobilized for a ground assault, commencing with the seizure of Daiman's foundries situated near the baradium mines. His broader objective was to conquer Chelloa and integrate it into his interstellar domain, the Odionate.

Concurrently, Holt journeyed back to the mining settlement of Jenith to shield Palladane's family from Daiman's vengeance. Her arrival was timely, preventing harm to Gorlan Palladane's family at the hands of a pair of Sith troopers. Upon discovering Palladane's imprisonment, Holt secured passage on one of Daiman's shuttles and infiltrated Daiman's compound, incapacitating the Sith guards and liberating the captives. Kerra extricated the injured Palladane from Daiman's dungeons. Gorlan revealed that his attempts to contact the Jedi using a transmitter had inadvertently drawn the attention of Odion, who intercepted the interstellar transmission. Initially, he perceived Odion's attack as coincidental until Skodo's demise at Daiman's hand.

Sensing Palladane's honorable intentions, she reassured him, affirming that his actions served the best interests of his people. Palladane also disclosed that Odion was deploying a fleet of kinetic corruptors and that Daiman was preparing for a confrontation with his Sith rival. By this juncture, Holt recognized that her primary objective was to evacuate the Chelloan populace rather than eliminate the two Sith Lords, Daiman and Odion. Nevertheless, before departing with Palladane and the village leaders on their shuttle, she personally decapitated all of Daiman's statues as an act of defiance.

Subsequently, Palladane, Holt, and the other village leaders sought refuge in a safehouse within the town of Arboth, where he was reunited with his family. Meanwhile, Holt surveilled the extensive transports ferrying workers to Daiman's mobile munitions plants, discovering they were unoccupied. Concluding that Daiman had no plans to further invest in his mining and industrial ventures on Chelloa, she proposed to Palladane that they utilize the empty transports to evacuate the entire population of Chelloa: 60,000 sentients dispersed across ten mining towns. Aware that Odion intended to seize Chelloa, Daiman had permitted Holt's escape to Odion, thus leaking intelligence regarding the mobile munitions plants. Odion intended to exploit these factories to achieve his own objective of defeating Daiman's faction. Eager to assist a fellow Jedi in what he deemed a noble endeavor, Palladane volunteered his services to Holt and reactivated his lightsaber, reaffirming his commitment to the Jedi Order.

Simultaneously, Lord Odion launched an invasion of Chelloa with a planetary assault force composed of elite Lightning Guards. Subsequent to his earlier duel with Holt, Odion had abandoned his plan to annihilate Chelloa using his kinetic corruptors, influenced by intelligence indicating Daiman was expanding baradium mining operations with mobile munitions complexes. Driven by the desire for an industrial base to support his war efforts, Odion altered his strategy to capturing these factories. However, this maneuver played directly into Daiman's scheme to eliminate both the Jedi and his estranged brother. In actuality, the mobile factories were disguised Kinetic Corruptors designed to incinerate Odion's forces while simultaneously destroying Chelloa's surface, rendering it uninhabitable. As intended, Odion's forces descended onto the surface, overwhelming a poorly-equipped detachment of Daimanate troops. Upon reaching the pyramidal factories, they discovered too late that they were, in fact, Kinetic corruptors. The corruptors triggered an explosion that ignited the volatile gases beneath Chelloa's surface, resulting in the deaths of numerous Odionate and Daimanate combatants. Meanwhile, Daiman and his forces prepared to escape using a fleet of transport ships.

With Daiman's attention diverted, Holt and Palladane orchestrated a mass evacuation of Chelloa's inhabitants by organizing the villagers into teams. These teams infiltrated the spaceport at Arboth and seized control of the transport fleet, subduing the crew and guards. By the conclusion of the operation, they had successfully evacuated the majority of Chelloa's population aboard a hastily-assembled fleet known as the Freedom Fleet. Confronted with imminent death from lava flows triggered by the kinetic corruptors, Odion and his surviving troops sought refuge aboard Daiman's transports at Arboth but were prevented from boarding by Kerra and Gorlan. Having accomplished their objective and with all teams safely aboard, the Freedom Fleet departed into space.

Meanwhile, Holt confronted Odion, taunting him for missing the "flight" and challenging him to conclude their duel. This escalated into a heated lightsaber chase in the upper atmosphere above Chelloa. The Jedi Knight commandeered an airspeeder while her Sith adversary donned a jetpack. Kerra managed to reach one of the ascending cargo liners, but Odion intercepted her. He provoked her by boasting about the killings on Aquilaris, attempting to incite her to attack him. However, this duel was interrupted by Gorlan, who opened one of the entry hatches while secured to a cable. Armed with a lightsaber, Palladane confronted the Sith Lord, driving him toward the engine thrusters, expressing his desire for vengeance. During the confrontation, both men sustained severe burns, but Odion managed to escape due to his jetpack.

Mortally wounded, Palladane crawled back to the entry hatch with Holt's assistance. In his final moments, Palladane remarked that Kerra was dying for the wrong cause while he himself was living for the wrong cause. Kerra pledged to reintegrate the Chelloan people into Republic space, but Palladane reminded her that they were now her people and that she had a responsibility to save billions of other sentients living under Sith oppression. She internalized this message and formulated a new mission: to remain in Sith space and rescue as many individuals as possible.

Following the departure of the Freedom Fleet toward Republic space, Kerra journeyed to Daiman's throne world, Darkknell, disguised as a traveling worker. During her weeks-long voyage, she made stops at various planets housing munitions and weapons factories, which she sabotaged. On one such world, Nilash III, she liberated the enslaved workers and conveyed a symbolically potent message to Daiman by decapitating statues of himself that he had erected there.

Subsequent to the events on Chelloa and Nilash III, Kerra returned to the Grumani sector to wage her campaign against the Sith warlords. Her actions eventually drew the attention of the Sith Lord Vilia Calimondra, the matriarch of the Calimondra family and the de facto administrator of the Sith principalities within that region of the Outer Rim. Kerra primarily focused her efforts on Daiman and Odion, the self-proclaimed Creator and Destroyer of the universe. The Jedi Knight Errant infiltrated Darkknell, the capital of Daiman's princedom. Daiman resided in the planet's largest city, Xakrea, within a sprawling fortress known as Sanctum Celestial, constructed with considerable labor and resources. In Xakrea, Kerra secured employment as a traveling laborer and part-time tutor in the home of the Sullustan Gub Tengo, a reclusive scribe and the grandfather of Tan Tengo, a twelve-year-old Sullustan girl. Due to Gub's preoccupation with altering documents to conform to the new Daimanite alphabet, he delegated the task of educating his granddaughter to Kerra.

Kerra's role as a tutor served as a facade for her plans to destroy the Daimanate Dynamic Testing Facility, also known as "Black Fang," Daiman's premier research think tank for his war efforts. The Jedi hoped to undermine Daiman's war efforts, thereby preventing millions more from succumbing to Sith invasion. While conducting reconnaissance on the site, Kerra discovered the presence of another foreign agent: the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane, an Odionate mercenary secretly employed by Vilia Calimondra. Narsk had previously served as an intelligence operative for various Sith employers, including Odion. He had been tasked by Odion with gathering intelligence on Daiman's starship, Convergence, which was under construction at the Black Fang facility, and subsequently destroying the vessel.

Utilizing a Cyricept Personal Concealment System, Mark VI stealth suit, Narsk infiltrated the testing facility and downloaded the Convergence's technical readouts onto a datapad. After planting several baradium thermal charges on the ship, Narsk exited the facility. However, Kerra spotted him, having deduced his routine since he consistently used the same chamber to store and change into his stealth suit. Kerra sought to acquire the Mark VI for her own use against Daiman. Following a pursuit through the streets of Xakrea, Holt incapacitated Narsk and activated his remote detonator, resulting in the destruction of the testing facility. After a verbal exchange with the Bothan, Kerra stole Narsk's Mark VI and detonator. She then abandoned the Bothan in a garbage bin, where he was apprehended by Daiman's police, the Correctors.

Following the mission, Kerra returned to the Tengo household. En route, she passed a large holographic statue of Daiman surrounded by seven smaller statues. Daiman's holographic figure served as a source of news and indoctrination for his subjects. Kerra observed that Daiman's practice of erecting holographic displays perpetuated the myth of his omnipresence and control over all weather patterns. Her pursuit of the Bothan had led her to the Manufacturers' District, necessitating that Kerra pass by the destroyed Black Fang facility on her way home. During her return, she encountered four of Daiman's sentries, one of whom had been severely burned during the explosion and was subsequently euthanized by his three colleagues. Equipped with the stolen Mark IV stealth suit, Kerra was prepared for the second phase of her mission: assassinating Daiman.

Upon arriving back at the Tengo household, Kerra concealed the stealth suit in the bedroom she shared with Tan. She was confronted by Gub, who inquired about her whereabouts the previous night. Kerra claimed that she had been working at the munitions factory during the wraith-watch shift, the shift devoid of daylight regardless of the season. During the winter solstice on Darkknell, the planet's axis tilted sharply, resulting in a pitch-black third of the daily 24-hour cycle. However, the Sullustan grandfather refuted her claim, stating that one of her colleagues had contacted them, requesting her presence at work in the morning. Gub reminded her that this was not the first instance of her disappearing for the night. Kerra then asserted that she had been on a romantic date and promised that it would not recur. Gub accepted her apology and reiterated that she was contractually obligated to tutor his granddaughter Tan after she completed her work.

Due to Kerra's demanding work schedule, she lacked sufficient time for sleep. Meanwhile, Narsk was captured by Daiman's Correctors and subjected to torture by the Sith Lord. While he admitted to being a spy and having played a role in the destruction of the Black Fang facility, he refused to divulge his true employer. However, Daiman suspected that his brother Odion was involved in the destruction of Black Fang and devised a scheme to lure him into a trap. This involved acquiring an arxeum, a mobile university dedicated to the science of war, from the Ayanos Bactra, a Quermian Sith Lord who ruled the Bactranate and controlled lucrative corporate assets. Daiman had recently authorized one of Bactra's corporations, Industrial Heuristics, to recruit students from Darkknell and other territories under his control—known as the Daimanate—in exchange for the fruits of the students' research. Daiman planned to orchestrate the business transaction on the volcanic planet Gazzari, setting a trap for Odion. Daiman's fleet would then emerge from hyperspace, trapping Odion on Gazzari.

Kerra learned of Daiman's clandestine plot when the Gran Ler-Laar Joom and the Ishi Tib Eraffa —two representatives from Industrial Heuristics—visited the Tengo household. These talent scouts were recruiting youth from across the Daimanate as prospective students for Daiman's new arxeum. Tan attracted the attention of these corporate talent scouts due to her technical proficiency in salvaging old electronics and her mathematical aptitude. They promised the Sullustan girl a better life, where she would be trained to develop a new generation of bombsights for the Daimanite war effort. Due to her impoverished circumstances and limited job prospects on Darkknell, Tan was overjoyed by the offer, viewing it as an opportunity for a better future. For the children and youths conscripted into this project, it entailed relocating to a new home and enduring long-term separation from their families.

With Tan departing, her grandfather Gub no longer required Kerra's services as a tutor and dismissed her. This allowed Kerra to proceed with her mission of assassinating Daiman. For her mission to the Sanctum Celestial, Kerra donned her newly acquired Mark IV stealth suit. She infiltrated the fortress, where Daiman was conducting a holo-meeting with Bactra to discuss the sale of the arxeum and their planned rendezvous on Gazzari. Daiman also had Narsk present at the meeting, albeit restrained within a torture wheel, so that he could eavesdrop on the proceedings and report back to his employer, who would take the bait and fall into his trap on Gazzari. In exchange for the arxeum, Daiman would provide Bactra with the students while granting the Sith Lord's fleet safe passage through the Daimanate to attack Vellas Pavo, a gadolinium-rich planet. Bactra agreed to deliver the arxeum to Gazzari, located on the frontier of Daiman's border with the Odionate.

Kerra witnessed these proceedings and then stealthily exited the auditorium, narrowly avoiding detection by both Narsk and Daiman. Following the meeting, Narsk was taken to a secluded maintenance unit, where he encountered Kerra. As part of the trap, Daiman ordered his Gamorrean guards to loosen Narsk's bonds, enabling him to escape. When Narsk inquired whether Kerra had come to return his stolen property, Kerra replied that it depended on the information the Bothan provided and the speed with which he disclosed it. Narsk agreed to trade the information for his freedom, emphasizing that he was not in the business of assisting Jedi. Narsk quickly revealed that Daiman was traveling to Gazzari on his flagship. When Kerra inquired whether this trip was related to Daiman's dealings with Bactra, Narsk only agreed to disclose this information once she had moved his gyroscopic torture wheel outside. Upon arriving outside the Sanctum Celestial, Narsk reneged on his earlier agreement by demanding that she take him in exchange for revealing the information, adding that his life was in danger because he had made an enemy of Daiman.

However, Kerra refused to cooperate, stating that she did not collaborate with the Sith or their collaborators. After taunting Narsk about his slim chances of survival down the chute, Kerra pushed the captive Bothan and his torture wheel down a long stone trough leading downwards from Daiman's palace. Nevertheless, Narsk survived the fall and emerged in a junkyard. Narsk also managed to reach a spaceport, where he found offworld transport on a freighter bound for a neutral planet in the Grumani sector, a common destination for visitors from the Odionate. After two standard days, Narsk returned to the Odionate. There, he informed Odion about Daiman's deal with Bactra. Most importantly, he also alerted his master to the presence of the Jedi Knight Kerra, which piqued Odion's interest, as he sought revenge against the Jedi woman for seriously wounding him on Chelloa.

As part of his trap, Daiman also invited several mercenaries to the Sanctum Celestial to assist him in executing the ambush. Among them were the Brigadier Jarrow Rusher, Mak Medagazy, Kr'saang the Togorian, and a Nosaurian mercenary. Following his meeting with Bactra, Daiman hired the mercenaries and directed them to Gazzari, where they were to deploy their forces and await Odion's arrival. The mercenaries departed for Gazzari, as did Daiman, unaware that the Jedi Holt, who possessed several baradium nitrate charges stolen from Darkknell, had stowed away aboard his ship, the Era Daimanos, with the intention of assassinating the Sith Lord. Holt, however, was unable to locate Daiman aboard the ship during its journey to Gazzari.

Upon arriving at Gazzari, Kerra Holt disembarked from the Era Daimanos and discarded her Mark VI, which had become ineffective due to the planet's volcanic ash that clung to the suit. Carrying the baradium nitrate in a bandolier she had taken from Ka'hane on Darkknell, Holt proceeded toward Daiman's command dome, intending to use the baradium and the remote detonator to assassinate him. She was spotted by a Nautolan trooper, but swiftly eliminated him by suffocating the trooper with his own head tendril. She retrieved the trooper's rifle and reached the command dome, where she overheard Daiman conversing with his aide, Uleeta. Before Holt could detonate the explosives, however, four transports from Industrial Heuristics arrived and descended into the crater. Within moments, the arxeum landed a kilometer east of the transports. The transports lowered their landing ramps, and the young students inside poured out, heading toward the arxeum. Holt, realizing that the students were being used as bait, resolved to protect them. Cutting down two Daimanite troopers with her lightsaber, she ran toward the students in the valley, but was hindered by a stinging pain in her heart, caused by the arrival of Lord Odion in the system.

Odion had arrived aboard his flagship Sword of Ieldis and was accompanied by Narsh and his Givin navigator Jelcho, whom Kerra had also encountered earlier on Chelloa. Although they found no trace of Daiman's fleet in the system, they did spot about a dozen of Bactra's ships near Gazzari's sun, where they could observe the events on the planet from a safe distance. Although Odion knew that Bactra had just delivered the arxeum, he ordered his fleet not to fire on the Quermian's forces. Instead, his flotilla—which consisted of a quarter of his home fleet—formed an orbital perimeter around the planet and awaited the arrival of his most important weapon, a massive siege tower called the Death Spiral. Once the Death Spiral exited hyperspace behind Odion's fleet, the Sith Lord ordered his Thunder Guard units to their transports. He then boarded his own transport, ordering Jelcho and Ka'hane to come with him.

During the fighting, the Death Spiral inflicted heavy casualties on Daiman's mercenary forces including Rusher's Brigade who would lose most of his troops. Faced with heavy casualties, Rusher ordered a general retreat, using the battalions on either side of the Diligence to protect the ship and the forces returning to it. As planned, the Industrial Heuristics transports carrying the students and the arxeum arrived. The Death Spiral landed between the transports and the arxeum. During the fighting, the arxeum was badly damaged while Daiman's mercenaries tried unsuccessfully to destroy the Death Spiral. Once Odion's ground forces had landed, Daiman's fleet made the hyperspace jump to Gazzari, hoping to trap Odion's forces in the system. On the surface, the members of Odion's Thunder Guard—many on speeder bikes—engaged Medagazy's battle droids, which were charging the valley from the east. Three members of the Thunder Guard on speeder bikes broke off to engage Holt, who was still trying to reach the students. Holt killed the three troopers and hijacked one of the speeder bikes, using it to reach the students. She shepherded them toward the arxeum, where they could use its massive body for cover from the Death Spiral.

Meanwhile, Narsk received a signal from his true master, Vilia Calimondra. The Sith Lord wished for her grandsons to unite against Bactra, who was still observing the battle from space, and she ordered Ka'hane to deliver her message to them. However, the Bothan's comlink was not working due to his proximity to the Death Spiral's energy shield. He managed to convince Jelcho, who was guarding him, to join the fight against Odion while he headed south of the Death Spiral where he hoped to get better reception. However, he waited to deliver the message, as both Odion and Daiman were on the battlefield, approaching each other and preparing for a duel. With both Sith Lords engrossed in the battle, Ka'hane found it unlikely either of them would receive his message.

While trying to lead the students to safety, Holt felt the subconscious suicidal effects of Odion's presence. As she leaped off her speeder bike to impale one of Odion's Vodran troopers, she noticed Daiman's command dome, untouched beneath its raised energy shield. Believing she had left the baradium nitrate just outside the dome, Holt prepared to detonate it, unaware that the bandolier was still slung over her shoulder. She was saved by Tan, the Sullustan student from Darkknell, who distracted Holt and prevented her from detonating the explosives. Holt, suddenly realizing that the bandolier was on her shoulder, saw a speeder bike flying toward her, piloted by Jelcho. Standing her ground, Holt used the Force to telekinetically push the bike to the ground and then knocked the Givin unconscious.

Using her bandolier to secure Jelcho to the bike, Holt jammed the bike's accelerator and sent it flying into the speeder bays of the Death Spiral. Once the explosives were inside the speeder bays, Holt set off the explosives using the detonator she had stolen from Ka'hane, destroying the siege tower. She then led the students to the east, where the laser fire from the Death Spiral had created a path to the top of the ridge. Climbing to the top, Holt encountered Jarrow Rusher and the remnants of his brigade, whose members were now loading their weaponry onto the Diligence. After a lengthy argument, Holt convinced Rusher—who had already lost five-sixths of his forces;to allow her student refugees aboard his ship.

After the destruction of the Death Spiral, Ka'hane was able to deliver Calimondra's message to Odion and Daiman. The two warring Sith factions quickly abandoned their fighting and turned on Bactra's ships, destroying half of the Quermian's flotilla in under a minute. Amidst the fighting, the Diligence, carrying Rusher, Holt, and the arxeum students, made for space. Nevertheless, the Diligence survived the onslaught as Bactra's forces fled to hyperspace, and Daiman and Odion ordered their fleets to invade the planet Jutrand, Bactra's capital. As the forces of all three Sith Lords made for Jutrand, the Diligence, too damaged to continue fighting and carrying over a thousand students seeking refuge from the battle, fled into hyperspace, making six jumps to evade any pursuers.

The journey to Byllura, a trip that would span several days, proved to be a source of considerable stress and discomfort for both Kerra and Rusher, leaving a lasting negative impression on them. Initially, Rusher harbored a dislike for Kerra, viewing her as an eccentric Jedi "knight errant" who ventured into Sith Space to rescue students. More significantly, he saw Kerra and the refugees she brought as an unnecessary impediment to his mercenary endeavors. Rusher's primary desire was to transport the refugees to a suitable location for immediate disembarkation, after which he could focus on repairing the Diligence and replenishing its depleted ammunition and munitions. The significant losses suffered on Gazzari also necessitated the recruitment of additional mercenaries to bolster his ranks.

A census conducted by Rusher's shipmaster, Ryland Dackett, revealed a total of 1,717 individuals aboard the Diligence. In contrast, Rusher's original crew of three thousand had dwindled to a mere 560 survivors, organized into two battalion-sized units known as Team Ripper and Team Zhaboka. The sheer volume of student refugees created a severe overcrowding situation, as the ship lacked sufficient facilities and accommodations to house everyone comfortably. Overwhelmed by the recent battle, Rusher delegated the responsibility of managing this crisis to Kerra and his newly acquired Duros recruit, Beadle Lubboon.

The majority of the crew displayed hostility or indifference towards the newcomers, compelling Kerra to enlist the assistance of older students in caring for the younger refugees. Kerra's efforts were further hampered by a shortage of refreshers, as the former liner had been designed primarily for male Devaronians. The diverse mix of species among the student body also contributed to instability, given the significant physiological and cultural differences between individuals from various worlds. Unbeknownst to Kerra, Vilia was able to track her location via her stolen Mark IV stealth suit, which remained connected to an internal information network.

During the voyage, Kerra approached Ryland Dackett, the shipmaster, at the solarium, presenting him with a list of demands on behalf of the refugees. Dackett listened attentively before offering to intercede with Rusher in his private cabin. During their meeting, Dackett and Rusher discussed the critical shortage of beds resulting from the influx of refugees. While the Diligence still possessed adequate food supplies, Dackett emphasized that even rationing would be insufficient due to the sheer number of refugees. Unlike typical mercenaries, the students had nothing to offer in exchange for their passage, leaving the ship's resources strained. Both men concurred on the need to find a place to offload the refugees, with Rusher even contemplating drastic measures such as ejecting them through the airlock or poisoning them. Dackett then highlighted the escalating tensions between Rusher's Brigade and the newcomers.

At that moment, Kerra entered Rusher's cabin and reiterated her demands and concerns directly to him. Irritated by the Jedi's requests, Rusher excused himself, claiming a need to use the refresher in the adjacent room. However, the refresher served as a concealed accessway leading to a ladder that ultimately connected to a wardroom. For the next three hours, Rusher entertained his men by recounting tales of past battles. Upon discovering his deception, Kerra confronted him, brandishing his walking stick. During a subsequent walk through the corridors, Rusher inquired about her activities in Sith Space, prompting her to discuss her work under her Jedi Master, Vannar Treece. As Kerra shared details of her Jedi missions in Sith Space, Rusher's attitude towards her cause softened. In turn, he provided more information about the Diligence.

Returning to the matter at hand, they discussed the refugee crisis. Kerra criticized his willingness to abandon the passengers and expressed her distrust of someone with a history of working for the Sith. Rusher countered that he had no other options, as the Republic had closed all its branch offices in the Outer Rim. He also revealed that the Diligence had made six hyperspace jumps since leaving Gazzari but had failed to find a suitable port. Kerra voiced her concerns that Daiman sought the children for his "military-industrial brain trust" and would continue to pursue them. Rusher dismissed this, arguing that Daiman was too preoccupied with fighting Odion to concern himself with the children.

Growing increasingly frustrated, Kerra suggested traveling to the Republic. Rusher then consulted his Mon Calamari navigator, Ishel, regarding a route to the Republic. While a lane existed to Daiman's transport center near Chelloa, Kerra rejected this option, determined to avoid Sith Space at all costs. With the Republic having shut down all subspace communication relays in Sith Space, reliable information on safe hyperspace routes was scarce. After reviewing a list of hyperspace routes displayed on a holographic screen, Rusher identified one leading to Byllura, a planet purportedly unaffiliated with any major power. Kerra initially hesitated, as Byllura was located farther from the Republic than Gazzari, and there were unconfirmed reports that it was controlled by a Sith domain known as the Dyarchy. However, Rusher insisted that they had little choice.

While limited information existed regarding Byllura's political landscape, rumors suggested that it was a Sith principality ruled by children, with a regent governing on their behalf. According to a friend of Rusher who had visited the planet, they had been in power for at least five years. These rumors proved to be accurate. Byllura served as the primary territory of the Dyarchy, a Sith realm ruled by Quillan and Dromika, the younger siblings of the deceased Chagras, the former leader of the Chagras Hegemony. These Sith twins possessed a strong connection to the Force, with Quillan exhibiting powerful farsight abilities and Dromika capable of issuing hypnotic commands that compelled obedience. Under the guidance of their Regent, Saaj Calician, the twins utilized their Force powers and a network of enslaved Celegians to exert direct control over the inhabitants of the Dyarchy, effectively turning them into thralls.

As the Diligence entered Byllura's atmosphere above its capital city, Hestobyll, Kerra and Jarrow were relieved to encounter no resistance. Rusher received landing permission via commset from an unidentified individual known as "Deep Voice," who was later revealed to be the Celegian "One." Upon arriving at their designated hangar platform, they were surprised to find no welcoming committee. Believing Byllura to be a safe haven devoid of Sith influence, an optimistic Jarrow ordered the crew to deploy the cargo ramps, allowing the refugees to disembark. Jarrow attempted to lead the refugees off the ship, but Kerra intervened, insisting on conducting a thorough reconnaissance of the area, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive probe of the surrounding city rather than a mere observation of the platform.

This sparked a disagreement between the young Jedi Knight and the Brigadier. Citing a datapad entry on Byllura, Jarrow argued that Hestobyll offered adequate shelter for the refugees and showed no signs of danger. Kerra countered that they lacked sufficient intelligence on who truly controlled Byllura, accusing Jarrow of disregarding the refugees' well-being. Jarrow retorted that the refugees were an inconvenient burden. Ultimately, they reached a compromise: Kerra would be granted one hour to conduct a proper recon probe of Hestobyll in exchange for returning the refugees to the Diligence.

However, these events were detected by the enslaved Celegian "One," who transmitted the information to Calician. While Calician was aware of the ship captain's willingness to offload his passengers on Byllura, he grew suspicious of a potential threat to the Dyarchy when an unidentified person (later identified as Kerra) instructed the student refugees to reboard the ship. Suspecting a Daimanate ploy, Calician dispatched a contingent of Unifiers to investigate the Diligence under direct orders from Dromika, who was in turn being telepathically controlled by her twin brother Quillan. Nevertheless, Calician viewed the arrival of the Diligence as an opportunity to accelerate his plans for galactic domination, starting with several of Daiman's undefended systems. He then ordered the Dyarchy Fleet to prepare for hyperspace departure.

While Kerra conducted her reconnaissance of Hestobyll, Rusher remained aboard the ship. Despite Rusher's orders for the passengers to stay on the vessel, the Sullustan girl Tan sneaked off, determined to follow Kerra, whom she idolized. In response, Rusher sent the Duros Lubboon to retrieve her. During her reconnaissance, Kerra encountered individuals of various species, including Duros, Caamasi, Ithorians, and Sullustans, all of whom ignored her. When Kerra attempted to communicate with an Ithorian man and an elderly Duros couple, they responded only with mute indifference. At that point, Jarrow contacted her via comlink, informing her that they had received another transmission from "Deep Voice" on the commset, stating that the Byllurans had seen the refugees on the platform and were sending assistance to address their situation. The refugees would supposedly be "directed to a center for assigning quarters."

Aware of Sith relocation tactics, Kerra expressed surprise that the local authorities had learned of their plight and cautioned Jarrow to exercise caution, as they were in unfamiliar territory. Kerra's situation was further complicated when she discovered that she was being followed by Tan, who in turn was being followed by Lubboon. The three then proceeded towards a nearby crowd heading towards a massive hexagonal silo. Kerra encountered a Duros man and quickly deduced that Byllura was under Sith control, with its inhabitants being directly manipulated by the Sith. Before she could contact Rusher via comlink, she sensed an alien entity ordering the crowd of Dyarchy Fleet workers to commence loading operations and deliver the Celegians to their assigned vessels.

Immediately, Kerra witnessed the crowd surging towards the hexagonal complex. Amidst the ensuing chaos, Tan and Beadle became separated from her. At that moment, several red-clad Force-sensitive enforcers known as Unifiers, whom she dubbed "Scarlet Riders," arrived on the scene. When Kerra witnessed the same Ithorian she had encountered earlier echoing the same commandments uttered by the Unifiers, she quickly realized that the planet was being controlled through mental manipulation by unidentified Force-users. The Celegians formed a telepathic network that relayed these commands, while the scarlet Unifiers enforced the rules using Force persuasion. Meanwhile, Beadle and Tan were swiftly captured by the Unifiers, who took them aboard one of their airspeeders.

In an attempt to rescue Tan and Lubboon from Sith captivity, Kerra ignited her lightsaber and engaged the Unifiers in combat, killing several of them in the ensuing melee. She then pursued the scarlet Unifiers through the streets of Hestobyll, commandeering an airspeeder. Kerra also managed to warn Rusher in time to bring most of the refugees back aboard the Diligence, just minutes before the arrival of another party of Unifiers dispatched to the spaceport. The Unifiers captured several members of Rusher's crew, including shipmaster Dackett and Prenda Novallo, who had been performing external repairs on the ship on the landing platform. However, Rusher and the crew managed to repel the attackers. After eliminating the Scarlet Riders, he rescued his captured crew. With the Dyarchy's fleet launching into space from their underwater hangar bays beneath Hestobyll's reflection pools, Rusher ordered the Diligence to sea, away from the chaos.

Meanwhile, Kerra continued her pursuit of the scarlet Unifiers through the streets of Hestobyll, even hijacking an airspeeder. During an aerial dogfight, she collided with an airspeeder piloted by a Rodian Unifier, resulting in a physical altercation in which the Rodian was thrown to his death in the streets below. During this encounter, Kerra sensed that the Rodian lacked the skills to operate the airspeeder and was being controlled by an unknown force. Her pursuit eventually led her to The Loft, a mushroom-shaped retreat located atop a mesa opposite the harbor. During the flight, Kerra noticed a network of Celegians positioned at strategic locations stretching from The Loft to the city, forming a continuous telepathic communication network used to mentally subjugate the Bylluran population through Force suggestions.

Meanwhile, Calician became aware of Kerra's presence through his telepathic network. The twins viewed Holt as a threat and ordered the Krevaaki to protect them, then took direct control of his mind via the Force. Using her hijacked airspeeder, Holt infiltrated The Loft's airspeeder hangar bay. She then proceeded to the chamber where One was held, persuading the aged Celegian to cease transmitting messages on behalf of the Dyarchy, disrupting the communication network. She also instructed One to send Tan and Beadle to the hangar for later retrieval. Under the influence of the twins, Calician headed to One's chamber and attacked Holt, wielding six lightsaber-batons, which he twirled from his tentacles. Driven by the twins, he launched himself at her in a nihilistic rage, nearly rupturing One's tank, which would have released a poisonous gas and killed both him and Holt.

He regained some control over his body, but Holt outmaneuvered him, singeing his facial tentacles and severing one of his limbs from his middle carapace. He felt no pain due to the twins' influence and realized that Holt was too powerful for him, as his withered mind could not access memories of fighting Jedi while being dulled by Dromika's mental manipulations. He ceased fighting and offered to lead Holt to the twins, who resided in a penthouse at the top of The Loft, and she accepted. Upon arriving in the twins' quarters, several nanny droids attacked Calician and Holt in an attempt to defend the twins.

However, Holt brushed them aside, and Calician introduced her to the twins. Using the Force, Dromika pinned Holt down and commanded Calician to attack the Jedi with his blade. Calician resisted, wanting to fight Holt himself, free from the twins' mental influence. During their brief distraction, Holt broke free and severed one of Calician's leg tentacles. She then engaged the twins in a mental battle, using telepathy to hurl objects across the room. During the fight, Kerra realized that Quillan was using his sister Dromika as a puppet to carry out his commands.

The duel was interrupted by the arrival of the Diligence, which used its heavy frontal gun emplacement to breach the penthouse windows. Rusher had already rescued Tan and Beadle, who had escaped from the palace hangar bay in an airspeeder. In the ensuing chaos, Kerra kidnapped Quillan and brought him aboard the Diligence, fleeing an enraged Dromika, who had grabbed one of Calician's lightsabers. Once aboard the Diligence, Quillan threw an infantile tantrum, unable to sense his sister through the Force. Meanwhile, a distraught Dromika fell into a comatose state, unable to distinguish between a physical presence and a Force emanation. Rusher was initially angry with Kerra for bringing a Sith aboard, even an adolescent, due to his strict policy of not taking Sith Lords as passengers.

The capture of Quillan and the incapacitation of Dromika had significant consequences for the Dyarchy on Byllura. Deprived of its twin rulers, the highly centralized fiefdom rapidly descended into anarchy. The other Celegians on Byllura followed One's example and refused to transmit telepathic messages, causing a breakdown of the entire telepathic network. Their rebellion disrupted the Dyarchy's manufacturing efforts, leading to explosions in major construction facilities and the destruction of several battleships in dry dock. With the collapse of the Dyarchy's telepathic network, the population emerged from their mentally induced thralldom and regained their former cognizance and autonomy. Riots erupted across Byllura's major centers, including Hestobyll, as the inhabitants vented their rage on the old order.

Calician rushed to The Loft's communications center and sent a transmission to the Diligence to inquire about Quillan's well-being. With Dromika still in a coma, Calician urged Kerra to kill Quillan in revenge for the slavery he had endured. In return, Kerra secured Calician's agreement to free the remaining Celegians. As the Diligence exited Byllura's upper atmosphere, the Dyarchy was invaded by a fleet of Arkadianate warships led by their older sibling and Sith Lord, Arkadia Calimondra. Arkadia's warfleet quickly neutralized the Dyarchy's battleships and captured the Diligence in their tractor beam projector. Ultimately, Byllura fell, and the Dyarchy was absorbed into Arkadia's territories.

Unbeknownst to Kerra and Rusher, Vilia had been tracking their movements using Narsk's stolen Mark IV suit. Aware that they were heading to Byllura, she reassigned the Bothan spy to work for her granddaughter, Arkadia. Narsk was present during the Arkadianate's occupation of Hestobyll and witnessed Calician's execution, which he accepted peacefully. The Sith Lord had planned to annex Byllura to eliminate the minuscule Dyarchy. She also claimed to care for her younger siblings, Quillan and Dromika, and insisted that she had come to overthrow Lord Calician's tyranny and integrate the Byllurans into her "enlightened" Arkadianate. Unlike other Sith Lords, Arkadia invested heavily in social programs for her citizens and professed to care for their well-being. She implemented universal education through a system of schools called Promisoriums and a policy of frequently rotating her citizens through different jobs to broaden their experience.

Upon arriving in the Byllura system, Arkadia immediately contacted Kerra and Rusher, offering assistance and providing coordinates to her capital world of Syned, a remote icy planet on the fringes of the Grumani sector. In contrast to her previous encounters with the Sith, Arkadia was warm and welcoming towards Kerra and Rusher. Kerra admired some of the Sith Lord's personal qualities, including her frankness and rationality. However, she noted that Arkadia was the warlord of yet another eponymous empire, a common practice among Sith in the Grumani sector, where warlords named their empires after themselves. Despite Arkadia's friendly overtures, Kerra remained distrustful of the Sith woman due to the long-standing animosity between their respective Force-using groups. During the journey to Syned, Kerra criticized Rusher for accepting Arkadia's offer, suggesting that they could have dropped out of hyperspace mid-journey.

Rusher remained unmoved, arguing that prematurely exiting hyperspace could have resulted in a collision with Arkadia's flagship, the New Crucible. He also reminded Kerra that she had to accept that every place in the Grumani sector was controlled by some form of Sith. Finally, Rusher urged patience, suggesting that they assess the Arkadianate before passing judgment. Upon entering Syned's atmosphere, they passed two tractor beam generators in orbit before disembarking at the spaceport on the outskirts of Calimondretta, an underground city that served as Syned's main settlement and Arkadia's headquarters. After donning spacesuits due to Syned's thin atmosphere, the two parties met on the icy surface.

During this meeting, Arkadia was warm and hospitable towards her guests, offering shelter for the refugees aboard the Diligence. She also requested custody of Lord Quillan of Byllura. Kerra was initially hesitant until Arkadia revealed that Quillan was her brother and expressed concern for his well-being. Kerra and Rusher presented Quillan, who remained in a semi-catatonic state, accompanied by the teenage Sullustan girl Tan Tengo and the Duros mercenary Lubboon. Arkadia then took her visitors on a tour of her capital city, Calimondretta. Syned had been recently colonized, and Arkadia's city had been constructed within a series of interconnected ice calderas.

Compared to other Sith worlds like Darkknell and Byllura, Calimondretta and its citizens appeared more prosperous and cleaner. During the tour, Arkadia praised her guests for "making history" by helping her defeat the Dyarchy. She complimented Kerra, remarking that she was a destabilizing influence wherever she went in Sith Space. She also attributed her recent victory to Quillan's reliance on a physical link to maintain his power, which made him vulnerable to attack. While touring Calimondretta's streets, Kerra had a brief reunion with the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane, whom she had previously overpowered and helped escape during a mission to Darkknell, the capital of the Daimanate.

Kerra and Rusher learned that Narsk was an independent operator who had worked for several different Sith Lords and was "currently" employed by Arkadia. Narsk provided a brief report on the ongoing Arkadianate occupation of Byllura. He also revealed that Quillan's twin, Dromika, remained on her mountaintop home but was now in Arkadianate custody. Arkadia stated that she had arranged for the twins to be permanently separated due to their strong Force connection. With Dromika free from Quillan's domination, Arkadia hoped that she could have a better life. Arkadia justified the execution of Regent Calician on the grounds that he had manipulated Quillan and Dromika to further his own ambitions of galactic domination.

Arkadia complimented Kerra for inadvertently aiding the Arkadianate by being a destabilizing force wherever she went in Sith Space. Meanwhile, Narsk demanded that Kerra return his Mark IV stealth suit. However, Kerra mentioned that the suit was in Tan's possession, and Rusher assured the Bothan that he could retrieve it after they had transported the students to Arkadia's capital. Arkadia then sent Kerra on a tour of Calimondretta with the Herglic tour guide Seese, hoping to win her over. From Seese, Kerra learned about daily life within the Arkadianate. While she appreciated Arkadia's socially progressive policies and the absence of violent coercion, Kerra felt uneasy about the policy of rotating people through different occupations throughout their lives. Meanwhile, the Sullustan student Tan was completely captivated by Arkadia's charismatic personality and "utopian" society, particularly its well-run Promisoriums. Due to her impoverished upbringing in the Daimanate, Tan had limited exposure to other parts of the galaxy. At one point, the teenage Sullustan hugged Arkadia, pleasing the Sith Lord but causing Kerra to wince.

Arkadia saw this as an opportunity to promote a favorable image of her realm by inviting Tan to tell her friends aboard the Diligence about the supposedly 'good life' awaiting them in the Arkadianate. Arkadia also sent one of her Twi'lek assistants, Warmalo, to help Rusher replenish his food supplies for the refugees. Rusher was surprised by the wide variety of food available within the Arkadianate. Sensing that the Twi'lek had outlived his usefulness as a cargo worker, Arkadia reassigned him to a new position as the director of metallurgical operations on Syned. When Kerra questioned whether the Twi'lek had any training in metallurgy, Arkadia simply replied that Warmalo had the same grounding she expected from all her people. She added that he had been working on the same assignment for three months and thought he could do more.

Arkadia justified her rotational policies on the grounds that she wanted to instill flexibility and versatility in her subjects. She also claimed that constant renewal was necessary to ensure that a Sith Lord's rule lasted forever. Kerra quickly recognized that her policy of rotating everyone was an insurance policy that preserved her rule. Her more skilled subordinates never became rivals because they were constantly assigned new tasks to maintain their position in society. While Arkadia offered sanctuary to all the refugee students on Syned, Kerra still distrusted the Sith Lord. She sensed that Arkadia wanted to utilize her services in exchange for guaranteeing the safety of her student refugees. In Rusher's case, Arkadia was not interested in recruiting mercenary groups like Rusher's Brigade because she considered their thinking too narrow. Finally, Arkadia departed to prepare for a meeting at her museum in Calimondretta.

While Kerra remained aloof and suspicious of Arkadia, Rusher was completely taken in by Arkadia's personality and utopian policies. He revealed that the Arkadianites had offered to provide a large icecrawler to transport the Diligence and all its passengers to Calimondretta, where they would be given refuge. He also argued that they should remain on Syned since they lacked reliable hyperspace routes to safely return to the Republic. Kerra then criticized Rusher for his willingness to work for different Sith Lords. This led to a heated argument between the two erstwhile allies, with Kerra arguing that Rusher should focus on working for the people. Rusher responded that he had to care for the lives and well-being of his crew and passengers. One of Arkadia's Citizen Guards interrupted their conversation to summon Kerra to a meeting at the museum. Meanwhile, Rusher was instructed to wait outside for a meeting at Arkadia's Museum once he had finished working with the Arkadianate engineers. Kerra sensed that Arkadia had not asked for anything yet but has only given in. Before leaving for the meeting, Kerra instructed Rusher to look after the kids and his crew.

While they were inside Arkadia's museum, Arkadia engaged in conversation with Kerra, who was both her guest and traditional adversary. Their initial discussion centered on a meticulously crafted branding instrument showcased there, made by a solitary artisan who had dedicated three decades to the craft. This artisan was subsequently forced out of business by a Republic-based enterprise that could reproduce the tools at a mere fraction of the cost. Overwhelmed by shame, the artisan ended her own life by plunging into the ocean. Arkadia, after damaging the branding tool, proposed that devoting one's entire existence to a single pursuit was essentially a recipe for stagnation and eventual irrelevance.

In response to Kerra's assertion that Arkadia's governing principles were leading her populace to their demise, Arkadia countered by observing that the Galactic Senate was likewise heavily influenced by commercial interests. While these interests generated employment opportunities, they offered no guarantees, as the Republic's capitalist system allowed for competition and technological advancements to flourish without concern for those whose livelihoods were disrupted. Kerra countered that the citizens of the Republic chose to confront these challenges. Arkadia defended her own system by arguing that, at the very least, her people were informed of impending changes. According to the Sith Lord, change within the Arkadianate was purposeful and served a specific objective, which, incidentally, was her own. Although Kerra considered Arkadia to be misguided, she had to admit that Arkadia's reasoning was sound. Arkadia then challenged Kerra to reconsider her deeply ingrained beliefs that all Sith were inherently murderous villains, adding that such a mindset would be an impediment to effectively governing a galaxy.

Kerra demanded the release of the captive students, but Arkadia declined, stating that she would not sacrifice the lives of those under her control to gain the trust of an outsider Jedi. However, she extended an offer of refuge to them and claimed to possess something of significant value to the Jedi woman. Acknowledging that Kerra had ventured into Sith territory to oppose the Sith and aid those under their dominion, she correctly deduced that Kerra sought an explanation for the internal conflicts plaguing the galaxy. Arkadia added that she required Kerra's assistance, but first, she needed to unveil something unknown to anyone outside Sith space: the Bequest. Before delving into the Bequest, Arkadia detailed the intricate family dynamics of the Calimondra lineage and the complex histories of the two Charge Matricas, a secret concealed from all but the Sith dynasty. Arkadia proceeded to inform Kerra about the ongoing power struggle within the Calimondra family, spearheaded by her grandmother and the family's matriarch, Vilia Calimondra.

Back in 1066 BBY, Vilia's seven offspring had engaged in a competition known as a Charge Matrica to inherit her assets, a challenge now being replicated by her grandchildren. Daiman and Odion were the sons of Vilia's daughter Xelian, while Arkadia, Quillan, and Dromika were the offspring of Vilia's son Chagras. Following her seven children's declaration of war against one another, Chagras had emerged as the victor, only to die mysteriously, leaving no clear successor to Vilia's legacy. Consequently, the grandchildren were now undertaking the same challenge as their parents, vying to impress the Sith matriarch by engaging in conflict with each other or eliminating external threats such as Lord Bactra or Saaj Calician, the Dyarchy's regent. Following the briefing, Arkadia permitted Kerra to observe the proceedings, provided she remained concealed in the shadows. She cautioned the Jedi Knight that she would be forced to eliminate her if her presence was detected.

The Bequest was conducted via hologram, enabling each participant to attend the meeting regardless of their location throughout the Grumani sector. The pylon projecting these holographic images also functioned as a star map. At the center of the pylon stood a holographic representation of the Sith family matriarch, Vilia Calimondra, who congratulated her descendants on the termination of the Quermian Sith Lord Ayanos Bactra, the ruler of the Bactranate who had outlived his usefulness to the Calimondra family. She then distributed the territories of the former Bactranate among the Sith Lords Daiman, Odion, Lioko, and Malakite—the four warlords situated closest to the former Bactranate. During the bequest, Daiman acquired Bactra's corporate assets, including Industrial Heuristics and its associated enterprises. While Daiman was pleased with his acquisition, Odion protested, asserting his rightful claim to the company, given its location in Jutrand, the former Bactranate capital that had fallen under the Odionate. In an attempt to appease Odion, Vilia allowed him to retain Jutrand but stipulated that he grant the company's executive staff sufficient time to relocate to Daimanate territory.

However, an infuriated Odion retorted that he would rather eliminate the staff than allow them to fall into the hands of his estranged younger brother, whom he despised. As a concession, Vilia proposed to compensate Odion's loss by dispatching two legions of Trandoshan slave warriors from her own forces to bolster Odion's army. These forces would arrive in the Odionate within three days, coinciding with the departure of the Industrial Heuristics staff to the Daimanate. Odion reluctantly agreed, but the tension between the two brothers persisted, influencing the politics of the Grumani sector. After Vilia completed the distribution of Bactra's remaining corporate assets among her grandchildren, the meeting shifted its focus to Arkadia's recent annexation of the Dyarchy.

Arkadia explained that she had taken the former Dyarchy's twin rulers—Quillan and Dromika—into her custody. The catatonic Quillan was brought into the Bequest in a hover chair, completely unaware of the ongoing proceedings. Vilia expressed concern for the well-being of her younger grandchildren. Arkadia assured her that they were being well cared for and that she had kept them separated. Vilia granted Arkadia complete jurisdiction over Byllura and the former Dyarchy territory. Arkadia and her grandmother discussed the future of the two dysfunctional Sith twins, agreeing that it was best to keep them apart for their own safety. Dromika remained on Byllura, but the catatonic Quillan required more specialized attention, and Arkadia suggested that Vilia was best suited to provide it.

While Vilia was initially surprised by Arkadia's request, she agreed and requested that the teenaged boy be brought to her secure residence. For the sake of secrecy, Vilia insisted on transmitting the coordinates via a secure channel. She commended Arkadia for her efforts, praising her intelligence and reasoning. Following the conclusion of the Bequest, Kerra confronted Arkadia about the power dynamics within the Calimondra family, expressing her astonishment that Matriarch Vilia possessed the authority and influence to compel her grandchildren to cease their infighting. Kerra then questioned why the various Sith warlords did not collaborate more frequently. Arkadia explained that any cooperation among members of her Sith family was fleeting, often lasting no more than ten minutes. She attributed her grandmother's significant leverage to her own conquests and her various marriages to deceased husbands who had died under suspicious circumstances. Given Vilia's vast wealth, military strength, and corporate holdings, she was able to maintain control over her descendants by distributing favors to keep them engaged in the political arena. Due to the immense stakes involved, Arkadia explained that no one wanted to fail the Charge Matrica and disappoint their grandmother.

Arkadia then attempted to enlist Kerra as an assassin, revealing that this was the true purpose for bringing her to the Bequest. As part of the plan, Kerra would serve as her personal courier, transporting Quillan to Vilia, and then assassinate the matriarch of the Calimondra family. While acknowledging Vilia as her grandmother, she attributed the endless conflict within the sector to the former's alleged madness. Arkadia attempted to justify her conspiracy to assassinate her grandmother by arguing that Vilia was so consumed by power that she orchestrated the Charge Matrica to prevent the emergence of a successor. Arkadia resented the fact that her grandmother had been subtly encouraging her descendants to attack each other. She dismissed the bequests as a charade designed solely to exacerbate the competition within her family. Finally, Arkadia alleged that Vilia may have been involved in the fatal poisoning of her late father Chagras, who had succumbed to a potent neurotoxin that overwhelmed his healing abilities.

Arkadia explained that she was unable to carry out the assassination herself, as her grandmother had numerous secret retreats and her bodyguards maintained close surveillance on familiar presences. As a Jedi Knight, Kerra was her preferred choice, as Jedi assassins were known for being discreet operatives. Finally, she attempted to exploit Kerra's personal feelings by claiming that Vilia had authorized the invasion of her homeworld, Aquilaris Minor, sensing that the young Jedi woman was a guerrilla operative dedicated to protecting the common people and fighting for justice against the Sith warlords. However, Kerra unequivocally rejected Arkadia's offer, stating that she was a Jedi and would never work for a Sith. Kerra's refusal angered the Sith Lord, who activated her double lightsaber and ordered her Citizen Guards to imprison the Jedi woman in the dungeons.

After departing the museum, Arkadia confronted Jarrow Rusher. She demanded that the refugee passengers aboard the Diligence be immediately transported to Calimondretta. An icecrawler awaited at the southern garage bay to transport the vast troop ship and its student passengers to the settlement's main atrium. She promised that she would only then allow Rusher and his mercenaries to leave Syned, providing him with a set of secure coordinates on a datapad. In reality, she intended to eliminate them by sending them on a one-way trip to the Nakrikal Singularity, a black hole. When Rusher inquired about Kerra and offered to take the Jedi offworld, Arkadia replied that she would receive the same treatment as any Jedi in Sith Space: death. Due to the historical animosity between the two Force-wielding orders, the Sith Lord was unwilling to allow an enemy Jedi to wreak havoc in her domain, as she had done previously in the former Dyarchy. Arkadia also intended to interrogate the Jedi woman for any intelligence about the Republic and other Sith warlords before personally executing her. Finally, Kerra would be executed by exposure to the neurotoxin Chagras's Blood, which Arkadia intended to deploy as a military bioweapon.

Kerra's prison, known as the Impound, resembled a large data processing center where inmates were housed in narrow cells that resembled stacked cabinets. The Impound's prisoners were regularly questioned by interrogator droids that hovered on floating platforms. Each cell was equipped with bright interior lights and high-pitched sound systems designed to cause maximum discomfort. These visual and auditory systems operated alternately at irregular intervals, maintaining the inmate in a constant state of stress. Despite her predicament, Kerra refused to cooperate with her interrogators and remained resolute. The interrogators questioned her about basic information pertaining to the Republic and the Jedi Order. For Kerra, this confirmed an earlier report from Treece that the Sith Lords seemed to know very little about the Republic and Jedi.

With Kerra unwilling to serve as her assassin, Arkadia instead enlisted the services of Narsk and tasked him with transporting Quillan to their grandmother's secure location. In exchange for his services, Narsk persuaded Arkadia to pressure Brigadier Rusher into returning his stolen stealth suit. Unbeknownst to Arkadia, Narsk had always been secretly in the service of Vilia Calimondra, his true master. While the Bothan had not been present at the family bequest with Arkadia and Kerra, he had received an encoded signal from Vilia through his embedded implant, warning him to be wary of his current employer. Through unknown means, Vilia had sensed that her eldest granddaughter posed a threat to her rule. After receiving his latest orders, Narsk convinced Rusher to defy Arkadia's orders, claiming that they would endanger his crew. After briefly outlining plans for an escape from Syned, involving explosives and sending one of his crew to retrieve Narsk's stealth suit and Kerra's lightsaber, Narsk provided Rusher with part of the hyperspace coordinates to a jump-point in uncontrolled space that would lead to another hyperspace lane heading to the Republic. He promised to give the other half of the coordinates to Kerra on the condition that she helped create a distraction that would allow both parties to escape the Arkadianate.

Unaware of Vilia's secret counter-plot, Arkadia had a modified shuttle prepared for a single hyperspace jump to her grandmother's top-secret destination at Embarkation Station 7. She explained to Narsk that his primary mission was to assassinate Vilia. As the Bothan lacked the Force abilities and lightsaber combat skills of a Force-wielder, Narsk's weapon would consist of a remote-controlled series of pods containing the deadly neurotoxin Chagras's Blood. These neurotoxins had been harvested from Synedian algae, a flora indigenous to the planet Syned. Upon arriving on Vilia's world, he would slip out of the vessel unseen, shadowing Quillan. Once he located both Quillan and Vilia, he would activate the nerve toxins hidden in the chair, eliminating both targets and plunging her empire into anarchy. Arkadia hoped to capitalize on this chaos by annexing other territories, thus furthering her larger ambitions of galactic dominance.

Given that the planned assassination of Vilia would destabilize the Grumani sector's political order, she had assembled several military parties to exploit the ensuing chaos by launching strategic attacks on the Arkadianate's neighbors. As part of her expansionist blitz, Arkadia planned to deploy the nerve toxin known as Chagras's Blood to suppress any resistance. She intended to use the inmates at the Impound, including Kerra, as test subjects prior to its operational deployment. During the meeting, Lubboon arrived in an environment suit, carrying Narsk's stealth suit within his pouch. Rusher had sent Lubboon to deliver both the stealth suit and Kerra's lightsaber, knowing that the cumbersome Duros would not arouse Arkadia's suspicion. The Duros had managed to smuggle the lightsaber past Arkadianate security by concealing it within the left arm of his spacesuit. Feigning an injury to his left arm from a fall, Lubboon was permitted by Arkadia to depart for the infirmary for medical attention.

Following the meeting with Arkadia, Beadle also left for the infirmary, feigning an allergic reaction to the algae. There, Narsk obtained Kerra's lightsaber from Lubboon and infiltrated the Impound using his stealth suit. After breaking Kerra out of her prison, he convinced the Jedi woman to help her create a diversion that would allow both the Diligence and Narsk to escape the Arkadianate, claiming that he was working for someone opposed to Arkadia's plans. In exchange for agreeing to this task, which Rusher was already involved in, the Bothan also provided Kerra with the remaining half of the hyperspace coordinates. However, Kerra and Narsk were unable to free the remaining prisoners at the Impound, as they had already been exposed to the deadly Chagras's Blood and quickly succumbed to its effects within minutes. When Kerra asked why Narsk had spared her life despite working for Vilia, Narsk replied that he had no orders to kill her before departing on a turbolift.

Meanwhile, Rusher upheld his end of the bargain by hijacking the icecrawler and loading it with two artillery cannons. Rusher and his mercenaries then infiltrated Calimondretta, bypassing security before launching their assault on Patriot Hall. Arkadia's Citizen Guards were caught off guard and suffered significant casualties. Much of the city's interior was damaged during the fighting, and the protective outer barrier was destroyed, exposing the city to Syned's frigid climate. During the second phase of the attack, Ryland Dackett flew the Diligence towards the spaceport. There, he released one of the warship's massive cargo assembly pods, destroying one of the tractor beam emitters and several Arkadianate warships. These warships were equipped with shells containing the nerve toxin Chagras's Blood and had been prepared for a blitz raid on Arkadia's neighbors in the event that Vilia was successfully assassinated. Satisfied with his work, Rusher then used his encrypted comlink to issue Arkadia an ultimatum: release the Jedi woman Kerra or face destruction.

Meanwhile, Narsk capitalized on Rusher's diversionary attack to escape Syned with Quillan. Prior to escaping, he replaced the hoverchair containing the nerve toxin with the original one from Rusher's ship. With the technicians distracted by the fighting, the Bothan then persuaded one of the mechanics to load Quillan and his hoverchair aboard the modified shuttle designated for the mission. After strapping himself into the hidden engine compartment, Narsk departed the hangar bay and sent a signal to the droid pilot in the shuttle's cockpit. When the ground crew attempted to prevent the shuttle from departing, Narsk detonated the neurotoxin system, which quickly killed them. However, his ears and Mark IV stealth suit were permanently damaged by the loud sound of the accelerating engines. Thus, Narsk fulfilled Vilia's orders to thwart Arkadia by foiling her granddaughter's assassination plot.

After escaping the Impound, Kerra headed towards Patriot Hall via the underground hallways. Upon encountering two Citizen Guards, Kerra deliberately attracted their attention by activating her lightsaber and provoking them into a fight. Kerra's escape coincided with Rusher's attack on Patriot Hall, and she was caught in a crowd of workers fleeing to Reflection Prospect, a large public square. Amidst the pandemonium, an inexperienced Houk Citizen Guard began firing indiscriminately into the crowd, killing the two Citizen Guards who had been pursuing Kerra. Kerra swiftly eliminated the Houk Citizen Guard with a blaster taken from one of the fallen Guards. Unlike soldiers employed by other Sith states, the Arkadianate's Citizen Guards were not Sith aspirants but rather ordinary sentient beings devoted to or conscripted into the Sith Lord's military-industrial complex.

After dispatching a second Citizen Guard, Kerra headed towards a grotto facing Patriot Hall where several enemy snipers and guards had taken position. Kerra attempted to use her blaster to puncture a tube of Synedian alga alight in order to release its nerve toxin by-product, but the cylinders were protected by a material tougher than transparisteel. Consequently, Kerra resorted to using her lightsaber to deflect the Citizen Guard's blaster bolts but was unable to penetrate their electromesh tunics, which cushioned the blaster shots. The shooting was interrupted by the arrival of Lord Arkadia, who ordered her men to cease firing and deploy thermal detonators into Reflection Prospect. When one Guard pointed out that there were civilians and guards still below in the plaza, she curtly replied that they were doing their job and ordered her Guards to do theirs.

Kerra Holt survived the explosion caused by Arkadia's thermal detonators at Reflection Prospect, but many civilians and soldiers were killed or wounded by friendly fire. With her escape route to Patriot Hall blocked by debris, Kerra headed to Arkadia's museum in an attempt to find a way out. However, she encountered the Sith Lord Arkadia, who was wielding her double-bladed lightsaber. She was both bewildered and angered by Kerra's successful escape from the Impound but reiterated that it would end there. Kerra parried with Arkadia, but the novice Jedi Knight was unable to match the lightsaber dueling skills of the Sith Lord. The two Force-wielders also taunted each other, with Arkadia deriding Kerra as a Padawan, while the Jedi Knight labeled the Sith Lord a petty dictator.

Arkadia was angered by this comparison, asserting that the Arkadianate was an enlightened regime. Kerra retorted by asking what "enlightened Sith" would want to kill their grandmother. Arkadia charged towards the Jedi Knight with her lightsaber, but Kerra moved out of the way. Arkadia then launched another offensive, deploying the Jar'Kai sword-fighting style, forcing her Jedi opponent to retreat backwards. Arkadia remarked that she had been a fool to expect a Jedi to do her "dirty work" but expressed her confidence that her Bothan spy had already left to assassinate her grandmother and brother. Kerra criticized Arkadia for her willingness to use her own brother as collateral damage.

However, their duel was interrupted by the Diligence releasing its second cargo pod assembly on the remaining tractor beam emitter. The resulting impact unleashed an avalanche of explosives and ice, destroying the southern walls of the museum and exposing it to Syned's thin atmosphere. With Arkadia distracted, the Jedi woman knocked her over with her legs. A bruised but furious Arkadia attempted to advance on Kerra. After Kerra taunted the Sith Lord about her homicidal plans, Arkadia merely expounded her personal worldview: "there could be only one Sith and no Jedi."

Before Arkadia could pounce on Kerra, Rusher ordered his gunners to fire a precision shot at the museum, creating a hole in its roof and allowing Kerra to escape to the surface. From Lubboon, the Brigadier had learned that his erstwhile ally was still in Calimondretta. Due to a sensor tag attached to her lightsaber, Rusher was able to trace the signal to Arkadia's museum near the planet's surface. After sending the Diligence to fly over the museum and confirm it was a large dome, Rusher and his mercenaries positioned one of their artillery cannons on a sled and then fired a precision blast at the museum. Kerra was able to escape and also stole Arkadia's double-bladed lightsaber. However, Kerra quickly fell unconscious due to a lack of oxygen. Rusher soon spotted Kerra lying on the frigid surface of the planet and had the Diligence pick her up. After recovering Kerra, Rusher and his men returned to the Diligence, leaving their artillery guns behind as they were too heavy to transport offworld.

After Kerra regained consciousness, Rusher explained that the Jedi woman had gone for a long walk without her spacesuit. He then described how he had destroyed Arkadia's museum with a precision shot to enable Kerra to escape. Rusher then recounted the details of their escape from Calimondretta, including how he had used a hijacked icecrawler as a trojan horse. For Rusher, the assault on Calimondretta marked the first time that his forces had ever been deployed inside a building. He also explained that the attack had been used to coerce Arkadia into releasing Kerra or enabling her to escape. Rusher then recounted how he had personally carried Kerra back to his ship, adding the comment that she was heavier than she looked due to her muscular frame. Due to his bad leg, Rusher had to use Arkadia's stolen twin-bladed lightsaber as a makeshift walking stick to maintain a perfect lurch ratio for that mission. During an earlier argument, Kerra had broken his original walking stick.

Jarrow Rusher also mentioned to Kerra that her student refugees had been joined by several hundred Arkadianate defectors. These defectors had taken advantage of the fighting to don environmental suits and flee Calimondretta. They fled across the ice to the Diligence and begged to be let aboard. One of these refugees was the Twi'lek Warmalo, the supply clerk who had earlier helped Rusher restock the Diligence's food supplies before being promoted to a metallurgist. However, Warmalo did not regard this as a promotion, and he and the other refugees had grown tired of Arkadia's system of rotating her subjects throughout different jobs to maintain her grip on power. Thus, they were desperate to escape to the Galactic Republic. Since Rusher's Brigade had used up all their ammunition and left behind their cannons, there was now enough space to accommodate approximately 2,200 refugees.

Rusher also related how their attack had destroyed part of Arkadia's neurotoxin operation, sabotaging her efforts to launch an expansionist campaign in the event that her grandmother was assassinated. Since Rusher had jettisoned the cargo pod clusters, the Diligence was back to being a spaceliner again for the moment. While Rusher's engineer was unhappy with the damage inflicted on the starship during the fighting, Rusher was pleased that they had managed to escape with the rest of the ship still intact. Finally, Rusher revealed that they were now using hyperspace coordinates given to them by Narsk to travel back to the Galactic Republic. Earlier, the Bothan spy had scrawled half of these coordinates on Rusher's arm and the other half on Kerra's arm. Unlike Arkadia's coordinates, Narsk's ones led to a jump-point in neutral space, which led to a hyperspace route that led directly to the Republic.

Upon reaching the Republic, Rusher planned to disembark the refugees, who would then be resettled in "greener pastures." Rusher also planned to embark on a spending spree in the Republic to upgrade the ship's systems and recruit more mercenaries and materiel to rebuild his mercenary operation. In return, Kerra shared the top-secret information she had learned from Arkadia about the Calimondra family and the second Charge Matrica. Kerra persuaded Rusher to provide her with a recorder in exchange for using her connections to arrange for the Brigadier to have an audience with Supreme Chancellor Genarra. Rusher also joked that he hoped he could barter the information for enough funds to refit the Diligence with four new cargo clusters instead of two. The mood among the refugees had improved after news of their final journey to the Republic was announced. Kerra reported that the Sullustan Tan was so excited that she had been unable to sleep.

Rusher also informed Kerra that the Duros recruit Lubboon, along with several of the former student refugees, were keen to remain aboard the Diligence as members of Rusher's Brigade. Many wanted to join the mercenary force as a means of liberating their families from Sith rule in the future. Kerra also shared with Rusher how she had evacuated 63,000 refugees during the Chelloan affair. As a gesture of goodwill, Rusher finally offered to drop Kerra off on Tramanos on their way to the Republic so that she could continue her mission. He also remarked that should the Jedi woman ever choose to hire the Diligence, he might offer her a reduced rate. With hope finally in sight, Kerra rested while planning her next move against the Sith.

Her subsequent objective became the world of Aquilaris, now under the control of the Sith. Kerra, having been forced to evacuate as a refugee a decade prior, always held a strong desire to free the planet from the grip of Lord Daimain. An opportunity arose when she picked up a plea for help from a member of the Seacroppers' Guild. Simultaneously, the Hutt crime boss Zodoh also set his sights on Aquilaris, aiming to extend his businesses in slave trading and munitions into the Grumani sector. This sector had transformed into a Sith stronghold ever since the Republic Dark Age compelled the Galactic Republic to seek refuge within the Core Worlds. Zodoh had engineered a fleet of Stormdrivers, which were capital ships fitted with weaponized vaporators. These vaporators were designed to extract moisture from planetary atmospheres, releasing it as intense storms and floods. Zodoh planned to use Aquilaris as a proving ground for these new superweapons, hoping to intimidate his Sith rivals into submission.

Rapidly, Zodoh's fleet overwhelmed Daiman's military presence in Capital Cay, a coastal city on Aquilaris. Within mere moments, Zodoh's forces obliterated the artillery defenses, compelling the Daimanate garrison to retreat. Amidst this pandemonium, Holt infiltrated Capital Cay aboard a food transport and assassinated the garrison commander. Upon reaching the Seacropper Guild's living quarters, she encountered her longtime acquaintance, "Old" Padgett. Holt then made an attempt to evacuate the enslaved individuals onto her passenger transport. However, a significant number of the slaves displayed indifference and apathy towards their liberation, having become dependent on Deluge, an addictive spice utilized as a food substitute. With the fishing submersibles and eel traps rendered unusable, the seacroppers were unable to fish, leading many to succumb to drug-induced stupor. Kerra managed to cross paths with Joad Kreel, a Human male she knew from the past. He informed Holt that she was wasting her time, revealing that the distress signal was sent with the desperate hope of a spacer delivering more of the addictive substance. Having exerted her efforts only to discover the prisoners' apathy, Holt grew even more frustrated by their perceived lack of will to fight.

During their argument with Kreel, a lightning strike from one of Zodoh's Stormdrivers interrupted them. Having gained local atmospheric control over Capital Cay, the Stormdriver began to unleash a torrent of floodwater, sweeping the remnants of Daiman's garrison into the surrounding sea. As it moved over the bay, Holt attacked the Stormdriver, firing her blaster pistol at the machine in a desperate attempt to halt it. However, Captain Jenn Devaad's squadron of Fire Lotus-class starfighters from Grace Command, a pro-Republic humanitarian organization based on Alderaan, arrived and rescued Holt. Despite the Republic's withdrawal from many of the outer regions, Devaad's Death Squadron had persevered in their fight against the Sith and other threats. Opting not to expend more firepower and having achieved his goals on Aquilaris, Zodoh ordered a strategic retreat back to his fighter carrier, the Voracious, which was stationed in the Aquilaris system.

After the battle concluded, Grace Command eliminated the remaining Daimanate forces on Aquilaris and freed the population. Devaad pledged that the Republic would dispatch additional food and medical supplies to the populace. However, Grace Command was actually a covert operation orchestrated by Baron Lemayne with the sole purpose of weakening the Sith's war efforts. Grace Command's strategy involved destabilizing Sith-controlled worlds by distributing the Deluge drug among their inhabitants. Their approach was to "liberate" Sith-held territories and then withdraw, allowing Sith forces to regain control. As a result, the Sith's military personnel would also become addicted to Deluge, rendering them ineffective. Despite its controversial nature, Lemayne's tactic achieved some success in diminishing Sith resistance to the Republic.

Unaware of this conspiracy, Kerra welcomed Captain Devaad as a new ally in her fight against the Sith. Convinced by the apparent good deeds and intentions that Devaad was undertaking to alleviate the suffering in Sith-occupied space, Kerra successfully persuaded Devaad to permit her to pilot one of the starfighters, identified by the call sign Devil Seven. This became possible because the fighter's pilot, Yades, was scheduled to return to Alderaan with the transport crew. Devaad outlined the squadron's plans to depart from Aquilaris the following day on a mission to escort the transport ship Mother Grace to its hyperspace jump point. Subsequently, the squadron would proceed to Heptooine to attack Sith Lord Malakite's garrison stationed there.

Before embarking on the mission the next day, she encountered her old friend Joad squatting outside the spaceport. He revealed that the starfighter pilots had forcibly evicted the Seacroppers from their barracks, which aroused Holt's suspicions. Joad also attempted, without success, to inform Kerra about Grace Command's malevolent intentions towards the Aquilarians. Joad tried to dissuade Kerra from leaving, while Kerra attempted to alleviate his concerns by assuring him that the most severely addicted individuals were being transported away on Mother Grace for detoxification on Alderaan. Kerra perceived Joad's reluctance to seek medical treatment as a symptom of brain damage resulting from excessive Deluge consumption. She promised that the Alderaanian doctors would send assistance back to Aquilaris. As Kerra departed for her starfighter, Joad could only lament his failure to reveal the truth about Devaad's mission.

Following the departure of Mother Grace into hyperspace, the starfighters flew to the outer reaches of the Aquilaris system, where they encountered Zodoh's Intruder-class starfighter. During the ensuing pursuit, Devaad revealed her past to Kerra, explaining that she and her comrades in Death Squadron harbored a grudge against the Hutt lord, as he had enslaved them years prior. Death Squadron comprised the last survivors of a doomed Republic Navy task force that had ventured into Sith territory. After enduring five years of captivity, Captain Devaad and her comrades managed to escape and vowed to hunt down Zodoh. However, Kerra cautioned against recklessness, pointing out that this skirmish was not part of their original plan and that Zodoh might be attempting to lure them into a trap. Devaad responded by criticizing Kerra for her lack of enthusiasm. Kerra's suspicions were confirmed when they stumbled upon Zodoh's flagship, the Voracious. In reality, Zodoh had intended to lure Death Squadron into a trap, and the Republic fighters were immediately attacked by the Voracious and its escort of Intruder starfighters.

Simultaneously, Zodoh's fleet of Stormdrivers emerged from hyperspace. When Jenn expressed her surprise at Zodoh's decision to deploy tactical weapons on the intercom, Zodoh replied that the Stormdrivers were merely a means of removing the Sith from their conquered domains without needing to commit substantial resources. Holt quickly realized that Zodoh intended to unleash artificial rain on Aquilaris, to which Zodoh responded that his scientists had discovered that a network of Stormdrivers was capable of submerging an entire world in water. Death Squadron immediately attacked the Stormdrivers, but their efforts were futile, as the Stormdrivers possessed defensive systems for flight configuration. The Republic starfighters were unable to inflict significant damage, and several starfighters were destroyed by enemy fire. While Jenn was determined to harm Zodoh's forces, Kerra realized that Death Squadron was both outnumbered and outgunned. She also concurred that Zodoh had advance warning of Death Squadron's arrival.

On the intercom, Devaad attempted to dissuade Kerra from her plan by claiming that any evacuation efforts would be futile, as Daiman had recalled his cargo transports to Oranessan. By tolerating the existing stalemate between the Republic and the Sith, Devaad was willing to sacrifice Aquilaris as part of the broader objective of defeating Zodoh and the Sith. Unable to reconcile their differences, Kerra disengaged from the dogfight, citing her desire to survive so that she could rescue the people of Aquilaris from Zodoh's impending deluge. Ultimately, Kerra was proven correct, as the Voracious deployed a tractor beam projector that ensnared the remnants of Death Squadron, with the exception of Kerra. Captain Jenn and her crew were taken captive by the Hutt Lord, who had her pilots tortured in an attempt to coerce Devaad back into his service. In exchange for seizing the remaining Deluge spice, which was marked as orange food containers, he offered to release her and her squadron-mates.

Meanwhile, Kerra returned to Aquilaris, where she attempted to persuade the planet's inhabitants to evacuate to higher ground. She encountered significant discouragement and apathy from the workers, compounded by logistical challenges. The airspeeders were vulnerable to stormy conditions, while most of the boats had been destroyed by the Sith occupiers. Her friend "Old" Padgett added that the Seacroppers' Guild had ceased operations due to the drug-afflicted state of its members and that their submersibles were in a deteriorated condition. When Holt inquired about the underwater harvester stations, Padgett added that they were in a decrepit state. In exasperation, Kerra lamented that everyone would perish together. Nevertheless, she managed to convince Padgett and the others to evacuate the barracks before the storm arrived. Meanwhile, a frustrated Kerra went to visit the docks, where she encountered a dejected Joad, cowering in the command deck. The two had a brief conversation about their childhood and their separation during the Sith invasion.

Kerra attempted to persuade Joad to assist in repairing the submersible, but he remained despondent and uncooperative, stating that he had died when his family died. Finally, he instructed Kerra to take back the time-locked food crate provided by Grace Command, as he no longer wished to live. In a final outburst of frustration, Kerra kicked the food crate, only to discover that it contained the narcotic Deluge spice, which Grace Command was supposedly meant to treat. Kerra quickly realized Grace Command's true intentions. Heading back to the barracks, she encountered Captain Jenn coercing the other Aquilarians into gathering all the orange food crates containing Deluge. She was attempting to save her fellow starfighter pilots by delivering Grace Command's remaining storage of Deluge to Zodoh the Hutt. Kerra overpowered Jenn with her Force powers and attempted to reason with her, but to no avail. Jenn also revealed the existence of Lemayne's Operation Deluge. Fixated on saving her comrades, Jenn refused to assist Kerra in evacuating the Aquilarian people, whom she derided for not fighting for themselves. Following Jenn's departure in a shuttle, Zodoh's Stormdrivers unleashed an artificial flood, causing widespread damage and fatalities throughout the planet.

While contemplating in his submersible, Joad reconsidered his attitude towards Kerra. Realizing that Kerra intended to help him and their people, Joad regretted his hostility. He also recalled his knowledge of operating the submersible. As a symbolic gesture, he threw his Deluge capsules into the sea in Kerra's presence and pledged to assist her in the evacuation efforts. However, instead of accompanying her, Joad dived into the stormy sea to reactivate the submersible's engines. Kerra was taken by surprise and was forced to continue alone in her efforts to evacuate a group of refugees to Tarrah Hill, the highest point on Aquilaris. With her starfighter overloaded with survivors, Kerra and the refugees were forced to seek shelter in a derelict building on Tarrah Hill. By that time, the Stormdriver fleet had been disrupted during an escape attempt from the Voracious by Captain Devaad.

At that moment, Joad surfaced his submersible and helped evacuate the refugees into its spacious hulls. When Padgett pointed out that the submersible did not have enough room for all the evacuees, Joad offered to evacuate the refugees to an underwater harvesting station. The submersible would then make several trips to ensure that as many civilians as possible could survive the deluge. Joad reiterated that he needed manpower to help open the sea tunnels. Padgett replied that there were several Seacroppers among the refugees who would be able to assist with this operation. By the next morning, Joad and Kerra had helped evacuate thousands of refugees to safety underwater. As Aquilaris Minor was not a densely populated world, the death toll was not catastrophic. Kerra also reunited with Captain Devaad, who had escaped from Zodoh in a stolen starfighter. She had abandoned Grace Command's agenda of inundating entire worlds with Deluge and realized the need to aid civilian populations in Sith Space. After Jenn revealed that Zodoh was planning to unleash the Stormdrivers on Darkknell (a heavily populated world and the capital of the Daimanate), Kerra and Joad embarked on a mission to stop the Hutt crimelord. Meanwhile, Joad and Padgett continued their evacuation operations.

Zodoh's fleet blockaded Darkknell, overwhelming Daiman's understaffed defense force. Within hours, much of the planet was submerged in flood waters, causing widespread damage and numerous deaths. Daiman was caught unprepared and off-guard, as he had purged more than half of his defense force due to the Deluge drug epidemic. Meanwhile, Daiman's remaining forces were engaged in protracted conflicts against his Sith rivals. Despite worldwide broadcasts by the Sith Lord attempting to reassure his subjects, Daiman was effectively powerless against the onslaught. The Southern Reservoir was unable to cope with the denudation and burst its banks, flooding Daiman's palace. An exasperated Daiman could only vent his rage against his estranged older brother Odion for allowing Zodoh to attack his realm. Still, the 'Creator of the Universe' boasted that he possessed inconceivable resources everywhere.

While Zodoh's victory appeared almost complete, he had underestimated Kerra and his old nemesis Jenn Devaad. They infiltrated Zodoh's fleet by piloting a stolen twin-seater Hutt starfighter. Based on her time aboard the Voracious, Jenn had correctly deduced that the Hutt lord's flagship contained a command center with a massive data processor for coordinating the Stormdriver fleet. They flew the starfighter into the hangar bay of Zodoh's flagship, and Kerra was able to disembark and infiltrate the vessel. The Jedi Knight swiftly eliminated Zodoh's guards and made her way to the data processing chamber, a massive dome in the heart of the Voracious. Meanwhile, Jenn harassed Zodoh's starfighter defenses. Kerra located her quarry only to be surprised by Zodoh, who had donned his armor and jetpack. Having surprised her with electrical lightning, he then engaged the Jedi Knight in a duel using a Mandalorian vibroblade. To place his foe at a deliberate disadvantage, Zodoh also deactivated the artificial gravity field and activated his jetpack.

Following a one-sided battle, Zodoh had the young Jedi woman locked in a neck grasp. However, before he could deliver a killing blow, he was interrupted by Jenn's starfighter, which shot a hole through the command dome, exposing the ship to zero-gravity. The ensuing explosion triggered a series of blasts that destroyed the Voracious in a firestorm. Zodoh was blasted into space but survived, as his Hutt physique was tough enough to withstand zero gravity. Meanwhile, his two Jedi foes escaped into hyperspace. With the destruction of the Voracious, the Stormdrivers were unable to coordinate their global storm and were presumably disabled or destroyed by Daiman's defense forces, who were able to regroup and reform their formations. Zodoh was subsequently captured and executed by Daiman, who appropriated one of his own Stormdriver devices to dehydrate the Hutt.

With the retreat of the Stormdrivers, the storms and flooding subsided, and the landscape began to dry up. Following Zodoh's demise, Kerra and Jenn returned to help Joad in the evacuation efforts. Having misled the Sith into believing that the planet was still completely submerged, Kerra, Joad, and Jenn planned to use Aquilaris as a major base for shuttling refugees out of Sith Space. Having stopped consuming Deluge, Joad was gradually recovering and reverting to his normal self, much to Kerra's delight. Jenn also planned to sabotage Operation Deluge by misleading her superiors into shipping their supplies to Aquilaris. En route, the drugs would be dumped into space, and she would return with a shipload of refugees. While Joad had been unable to persuade Kerra from leaving Aquilaris to continue her anti-Sith crusade, he did not display any further animosity towards the Jedi Knight and accepted that everyone had different roles in serving the greater good.

Kerra Holt departed Aquilaris aboard her Fire Lotus starfighter, a gift from Captain Devaad. Having "saved" Daiman from defeat at Darkknell, she had earned his grudging respect and admiration. Consequently, she was able to establish contact with him and solicit his assistance in eliminating Odion, for whom both shared a mutual dislike for different reasons. Kerra sought to avenge the devastation of her homeworld and to discover the whereabouts of her parents. Meanwhile, Daiman sought to punish Odion for indirectly aiding Zodoh during the Aquilaris campaign. With Daiman's acquiescence, she was able to infiltrate Tergamenion disguised as a factory worker. Tergamenion was a bleak factory world and police state controlled by a highly efficient security apparatus of holograms, allowing Daiman to monitor his subjects' every movement and conversation. Unlike other Daimanate worlds, there was no underground resistance movement on Tergamenion, and its inhabitants lived a life of unending, rigorous labor.

Daiman obtained intelligence regarding the presence of an Odionate agent named Wayman, a Claimer who had infiltrated Daiman's security forces. With Daiman as her control agent, Kerra posed as a Force-sensitive factory worker named "Mercy" who would feign an escape attempt and then be apprehended by Wayman. As the plan involved diving from a high-rise building, Kerra was equipped with a jetpack as a safety precaution. As planned, Kerra attempted to escape from a factory and established contact with Wayman, who detected her Force-sensitivity and altered her records in the worker database to indicate that she was deceased. Wayman succeeded in recruiting "Mercy" by appealing to her alleged desire to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of Daiman. He offered to train her as a dark side-using Novitiate. As a test of her abilities and enthusiasm, he instructed her to make her own way to Odion but also provided her with a signaling device that she could use upon arrival at her destination. "Mercy" complied, and he departed on a speeder bike.

She then conversed with a hologram of Daiman, who had been monitoring the conversation while posing in his hologram mode. Daiman commented on his omnipresence, to which Kerra responded that he was deranged and questioned her decision to cooperate with Daiman. In response, Daiman boasted of his omnipotent power to know the past, present, and future, claiming that this was why Kerra was working for him. Kerra disagreed and emphasized that this partnership was merely a temporary "alliance of convenience." Daiman also claimed that he had prophesied a great tribulation in the future originating in Odion's realm.

With their briefing concluded, Kerra, under the alias "Mercy," departed in her starfighter for the Odionate. There, she was inducted into the Novitiate and sent on a mission to Skarpos, a part of Sith Lord Malakite's realm known as the Menagerie. During the Battle of Skarpos, the Odionate forces suffered heavy casualties when several Novitiates and Thunder Guard members were killed in a tar pit ambush by Malakite's Mutates, individuals subjected to Sith alchemical experiments that twisted their minds and bodies. "Mercy" was horrified when several Novitiates and Thunder Guardsmen charged to their deaths in the blazing tar pits. She attempted to turn back Odion's forces and even tended to a wounded acolyte. Her concerns angered her commanding officer, Beld Yulan, who berated her for her unwillingness to die. However, Wayman intervened on her behalf and criticized Yulan's suicide wave tactics as a contributing factor to the prevailing inexperience among Odion's forces. He defended "Mercy," expressing that he had high hopes for the young woman but advised her to follow Yulan's orders on future occasions due to his senior position in Odion's hierarchy.

He then informed "Mercy" and the other surviving Novitiates that Lord Odion had reassigned "Mercy's" team for a significant assignment to recover the Helm of Ieldis. Wayman ordered Yulan's fleet to meet Odion at his new capital of Jubalene, formerly part of the defeated Bactranate. Yulan commented that he would arrive there but first needed to stop at Vanahame to replenish his arms supplies. "Mercy" then inquired about whether Jubalene had any data centers, feigning enthusiasm for pursuing Odion's teachings. Wayman confirmed her question while praising her devotion. At Jubalene, he and "Mercy" were present with Odion during a combat duel pitting three Duros bankers against a rancor. The Duros had been duped into embracing Odion's nihilistic teachings and believed that they could embrace death by tackling a fully grown rancor. With Odion encouraging them "to end the pain," the three bankers entered a berserker rage and attacked the rancor with spears. Ultimately, their efforts proved futile, and they were devoured by the beast in the presence of a satisfied Odion, who commented that even Lord Bactra's bankers could be used for his own purposes when properly motivated.

Odion also added that he savored the deaths of individuals who had willingly embraced death, as it strengthened the dark side. He also expressed his annoyance towards life energies that glowed through the light side of the Force. While other Sith could tolerate it, he attempted to block it and saw death as a relief. Kerra was also present when Odion discussed his plans to reopen Project Pandemonium, which aimed to recover the ancient Sith war relic, the Helm of Ieldis. Lord Ieldis was a Sith Lord who lived before the Great Hyperspace War and had created the helm to transform sentient beings into mindless killers. The trail last ended at Sarrassia, and the project was suspended as the planet was part of the Bactranate, a rival Sith domain. With the annexation of the Bactranate, Odion revealed his intentions to invade Sarrassia and reclaim the relic.

Wayman's team, including Kerra, was assigned the task of continuing the research where the trail had ended, beginning with the material available in his data center at Jubalene. At that point, Odion sensed a familiar presence in the room but could not discern who it was. However, Kerra escaped further notice with the arrival of Yulan, who had returned from Vanahame rearmed and refreshed for the invasion of Sarrassia. While Odion and Yulan departed to watch several of Bactra's former attorneys fighting a gundark at the arena, Wayman confided to Mercy about his discomfort that Odion favored Yulan and thus kept him alive. He also expressed that he sensed a great emptiness in the force emanating through Odion's spirit. After Wayman left to join the others at the arena, Kerra took advantage of the opportunity to browse through the computer. Kerra had carried a locket of her parents throughout her childhood and wanted to discover their whereabouts and fate. She placed the locket onto the computer's scanner and quickly discovered that her parents had been captured by Odion's forces on Capital Cay and dragooned into Project Pandemonium. This discovery further convinced her to travel to Sarrassia with the Sith to ascertain the fate of her parents.

During the Sarrassia invasion, Mercy's squad descended in a squadron of attack ships, subsequently utilized to transport Grumani prisoners. These prisoners were categorized based on their species' unique abilities, with children being traumatically separated from their parents. Kerra would eventually discover that the Odionate housed all the children in a network of monasteries where they underwent indoctrination. Under the direction of the Twi'lek Doyan, the Novitiates were then sent to Mount Diligence alongside a Sith trooper detachment, where several Grumani Hierophants were defending a cave. They had established a defensive trench, and some were armed with lightsabers. During a close-quarters battle, Kerra attempted to prevent Doyan, another Sith acolyte, from killing a Hierophant. However, Yulan witnessed this and ordered his artillery to fire upon all combatants, resulting in friendly fire that killed and wounded several of his own soldiers. Yulan then rebuked Mercy for her perceived weakness and reluctance to sacrifice herself in battle. Mercy retorted that Yulan's artillery had nearly annihilated his own troops, adding that Odion would be greatly displeased if the mission to locate the Helm of Ieldis was jeopardized by the deaths of its members. Yulan muttered that Odion could simply find more Novitiates and then proceeded to assess the situation on the ground. He promptly realized that his friendly fire had killed or injured several Sith troopers.

Subsequently, one of Yulan's officers informed him that his Sith troopers had secured the cave entrance, eliminating the defending priests who were making a final stand. Yulan speculated about the cave's contents and instructed Mercy and her companions to investigate, expressing his desire to return to Vanahame while he still remembered its location. While inside the cave, Kerra became separated from the other Novitiates and discovered a hidden passage activated by the symbol on her mother's pendant. She found a temple separated by an underwater river and was immediately ambushed by Aunt Zoojoo, an alien Hierophant who initially mistook her for a Sith acolyte. However, Aunt Zoojoo quickly discerned Kerra's true nature as a light-sider despite her Sith attire. Later, at the underground temple, Zoojoo revealed the last known location of her parents and confirmed that the Helm of Ieldis was actually on Skarpos.

Zoojoo also disclosed that her parents had conceived a younger sibling during their captivity. Their meeting was interrupted by Yulan and several Sith who breached the chamber using explosives. In a panic, Zoojoo triggered an explosion that collapsed the temple, killing herself but preventing the Sith from obtaining crucial information. Yulan and his group managed to escape the collapsing cave. Mercy then emerged, and Yulan questioned her reasons for speaking with Zoojoo. Mercy claimed she was merely gathering intelligence and revealed that the Helm was on Skarpos, ordering Yulan to transport them there since he was responsible for their travel. Yulan complied and began arranging for hyperspace travel to Skarpos, which was currently under siege by Odion's forces. Kerra could only mourn the loss of Zoojoo, a family friend, but vowed to continue her search for her parents.

On their way to Skarpos, Yulan's fleet made a stop at Vanahame. Driven by a desperate desire to locate her parents, Kerra pretended to be zealous and devoted to Odion's cult, attempting to commandeer a transport vessel for herself. Her commander, Doyan, stopped her, scolding her for rejecting camaraderie and reminding "Mercy" that they were working together to find the Helm. The Kubaz Glenk had also vanished on Sarrassia, leading the other Novitiates to believe he was trying to find the Helm first. By this time, Yulan's warship, the Gravedigger, had been refueled, and Mercy was sent to the underground basement beneath the base to inform Yulan. There, she discovered a vast Odionate cloister, a massive planet-sized orphanage where captive children were indoctrinated and transformed into soldiers and laborers for Odion's cause.

She encountered Yulan, who explained the origins of the Cloisters and shared his own history. Kerra learned that Yulan had once been a Mandalorian mercenary who had embraced Odion's dark side teachings after his children died from the Candorian plague. From his experiences, Yulan concluded that life was meaningless and that the only escape was to embrace nothingness. Hoping to find her younger sibling, Kerra also inquired about information on the captives, only to learn that the Cloister kept no records. After their stopover, Yulan's fleet returned to Skarpos, where they established a fortified camp beneath the Morbollon Mesa.

The Novitiates conducted a gravimetric scan of the mesa, revealing extensive interior tunnels located thirty meters from its plateau. They began preparations to explore the mesa, but their work was interrupted by the arrival of Lord Malakite and an invasion force seeking to reclaim Skarpos from Odion. Malakite's forces included swarms of winged Night-Soarers who attempted to overwhelm Yulan's troops but were repelled by artillery fire. The fighting was further complicated by the arrival of Odion's estranged brother and rival, Daiman, accompanied by the deceitful Glenk. Glenk was actually a Daimanate agent who had infiltrated the Novitiates and was relaying information about the Helm to his master. Daiman's starfighters bombarded the Odionate camp and Malakite's troops, causing significant damage. In the resulting chaos, Mercy saved General Yulan from a fiery death.

Yulan ordered Mercy and her comrades to proceed to the top of the Mesa in a repulsorcraft while his artillery and infantry held back the invading armies. They soon reached the opening in the mesa, and Mercy leapt into the cave, where she found Grumani stonework on the walls. All the Novitiates could sense the dark side energy emanating from the Helm's presence. Before her comrades could join her, "Mercy" used her red Sith lightsaber to damage one of the skiff's engines, causing it to crash. Doyan and the other Novitiates managed to hold on and expressed their anger at "Mercy's" betrayal, vowing to find her no matter how long it took. Meanwhile, Kerra activated her green Jedi lightsaber and entered the cave. She entered a hallway where she discovered her mother Mercia Holt's satchel. Hoping they were still alive, Kerra entered a chamber only to find a pile of rocks and earth. She was quickly struck from behind with Force lightning by Odion, who had arrived on a personal shuttle. He quickly revealed "Mercy" as Kerra before telling her that he had already claimed the Helm for himself.

Odion disarmed Kerra and took her prisoner. She was taken to the top of the mesa, where she was reunited with General Yulan and her former Novitiate comrades. Meanwhile, Yulan's soldiers explored the underground network of caves and tunnels, while Odion's sages confirmed that the relic was indeed the legendary Helm of Ieldis. Despite his success, Odion expressed frustration that he did not know how to use the Helm. When Kerra taunted Odion, suggesting he find a waste disposal unit to wear instead, her former Novitiate leader, Doyan, offered to kill Kerra, expressing disgust that a Jedi had infiltrated their ranks. In response, Odion remarked that he would have had her entire squad of Novitiates slaughtered had he not known Kerra's presence ever since she entered the Odion. However, he had intentionally allowed her in because he wanted her to lead him to the Helm of Ieldis.

He also revealed more details about the events on Aquilaris Minor ten years prior: that he had captured her parents, Aron and Mercia Holt, because of their research on the Helm. Odion also revealed that the Claimer Wayman had been monitoring Kerra's movements, reporting the information back to him. Meanwhile, Yulan and his troops emerged from the cave. They reported finding some camping supplies and two Human skeletons that had been crushed during an explosion. Yulan also discovered a necklace that belonged to Aron and Mercia, confirming the deaths of Kerra's parents. Overwhelmed by this discovery, Kerra succumbed to grief and anguish, activating the Helm of Ieldis. Odion then used the Helm to transform her anguish into destructive dark side energy.

The Helm of Ieldis immediately affected the three massed armies, driving all the combatants into a homicidal rage. Within minutes, the combatants descended into a murderous rampage, killing their own comrades indiscriminately. Daiman himself narrowly survived an assassination attempt by Glenk. In the ensuing scuffle, he fought off Glenk and struck him with Force lightning, causing him to fall to his death beneath the Morbollon Mesa. With their armies in total disarray, Daiman and Malakite were forced to flee the battle while they could still resist the Helm's powers. Under the Helm's influence, the three armies brutally annihilated each other. Odion's rivals, Daiman and Malakite, narrowly escaped with their lives as their own forces turned against them. Following the successful demonstration of the Helm, Odion and his entourage departed Skarpos on the Gravedigger, taking a captive Kerra with them.

Despite his initial hostility towards Kerra, Yulan, one of her enemies, came to grudgingly respect her for risking her life by infiltrating the Odionate to find her parents. Toward the end of the journey, Yulan would spend time with Kerra in her holding cell. He expressed his surprise that Odion had given so much attention to a young woman, admitting that he had expected a great and powerful general. An exhausted Kerra replied that she was not feeling at her best and that the strain of her missions had left her very tired. When Yulan asked if she had come all the way from the Republic to find her parents, she replied that it was not part of her original plan but admitted she was hoping there was the slightest chance they were still alive.

Kerra lamented her failure to anticipate that Odion's spies were monitoring her. Yulan expressed sympathy, stating that she had still taken such a risk to find her parents. During the meeting, Kerra also expressed her desire to find her lost younger brother or sister, whom she believed was incarcerated in one of the Odionate cloisters. She explained to Yulan that this was going to be her next search but conceded that she did not expect to have to do it alone. Yulan then explained the real purpose for his visit: a data storage device had been recovered from the wrecked mesa chamber. His master, Odion, had viewed it privately and had ordered Yulan to bring it to Kerra in person.

It turned out that the holorecording was a message from Kerra's late parents to Vannar or any other Jedi involved with the University of Sanbra on the Ieldis study. Four years after the Massacre of Aquilaris, her parents had finally recovered the Helm of Ieldis on Skarpos. Following their capture by Lord Odion, the couple had been forcibly conscripted into Odion's Project Pandemonium. The Holts had intended to bring the Helm to the Jedi and the Galactic Republic for safekeeping but were unable to do so since the planet was besieged by warring Sith factions. By that stage, the Holts had run out of food, and there was a permanent Sith presence outside the Morbollon Mesa. To prevent the Sith from finding the Helm, the couple made the fateful decision to blow themselves and the chamber up in a last-ditch attempt to deny the Sith access to the Helm.

Before their deaths, Mercia lamented that she would never meet her younger child. She also left a farewell message for Kerra, wishing her good luck. They explained that they were sacrificing their lives for the good of all the children in the galaxy. They also reiterated that they still loved her and had never given up on the possibility that she had survived. Following the end of the transmission, Yulan conceded that the Holts had only feigned devotion to Odion's death cult. He added that they thought Kerra had died, lost everything, and sacrificed themselves on the chance that other people's children would be hurt. He surmised that they had no one to live for but they died for everyone else. For a Sith devotee like Odion and Yulan, this did not make sense.

Without showing any malice, Kerra disagreed and argued that her parents' sacrifice had made perfect sense. For her, their sacrifice signified that if death could have a meaning, then life must have a meaning as well. Shortly after their meeting, the Gravedigger landed on Vanahame. Upon landing, Kerra asked if Odion had wanted more anguish to feed on, adding that Yulan could tell his master it would not work on her. Yulan replied that Odion may have just wanted her to understand the Helm's potential. Upon realizing they had landed on Vanahame, Kerra reached the conclusion that Odion had come to the Cloister to harness the misery and sadness of the inmates within the planet-sized orphanage. By using the Helm to tap into these negative emotions, Odion's powers would thus be unlimited.

On Vanahame, Kerra Holt was taken into Odion's throne room, where she was bound to a Y-shaped platform. Meanwhile, Odion and his followers made preparations for an apocalyptic showdown that would end all life in the galaxy, beginning with the Grumani sector. Odion's Novitiates, particularly Wayman and Doyan, expressed enthusiasm in wanting to end their lives in this dark side ritual. By then, Odion's Sith family had discovered his nihilistic ambitions and the Helm's deadly powers; Matriarch Vilia managed to convince her feuding family members to set aside their differences and launch an attack on Odion before he could fully activate the Helm of Ieldis' powers. Vilia also attempted to communicate with her grandson in a desperate attempt to reason with him, but Odion ignored her transmission, determined to make himself the ruler of the entire universe.

Wayman had also installed subspace links that would transmit live footage of locations targeted by the Helm to Odion's throne room for his master's entertainment. Odion attempted to provoke Kerra by asking if she wanted to view her parents' holorecording again, but she responded by telling him that she wished his enemies would come after him. Odion rebuffed her snide remark, telling her that he was ready for any attack from his relatives. Odion then gave the signal to his controllers to switch off all the lights within the Vanahame cloister. To activate the Helm's powers, Odion needed negative emotions like fear and despair to project the Helm's Force-induced homicidal rampages. For the first time, the Vanahame cloister was plunged into darkness, throwing all the children into a state of fear and panic.

While Odion and his Novitiates reveled in the tormented state of the children, Kerra and Yulan were disgusted. While Yulan held an important position within Odion's hierarchy, he had grown disillusioned with his master's needless sacrifice of lives and sadism. Yulan explained to Kerra that the cloister's lights had never been switched off before, adding that Odion needed anguish to power the Helm and that even the worst forms of physical abuse devised by adults were nothing compared to the frightened state of the children. Before donning the Helm, Odion taunted Kerra by telling her that she had missed her opportunity to accept the dark side willingly. Since she was not a true Novitiate, Kerra would only be allowed to watch the death ritual unfold. Odion also added that Kerra's anguish was only enough to make him happy.

Confronted with Odion's apocalyptic conspiracy, Kerra attempted to reason with Yulan. She tried to persuade him to use his starship to destroy Odion's facility from space, adding that the Cloister should be safe since its vacuum was sealed. Citing her mother's last words, Kerra reiterated that they could not allow Odion's scheme to continue. When Yulan asked if she was willing to die to save people she did not even know, Kerra acknowledged that she did not want to die but stressed that she wanted to save the child captives in the cloister and all the children in the galaxy. She also argued that while droids could not accomplish anything when they were shut off, people could accomplish something good even in death. Kerra managed to convince Yulan that the lives of the galaxy's people mattered by stressing that his children mattered even if they were long deceased.

As the Helm's energies were still building up, Yulan took the opportunity to excuse himself from Odion's ceremony by asking for permission to go down to the cloister so that he could add his own energies to the Helm. Due to Yulan's track record of unwavering loyalty to his master's cause, Odion was willing to grant this request. However, Yulan was actually intending to disrupt the Helm's powers by freeing the child captives. After Yulan's departure, Odion commenced the ritual by beginning with a credo of his nihilistic beliefs before exhorting his followers into a death match through the Helm's powers. The Helm also had an immediate effect on the wider Grumani sector, with entire planets descending into killing frenzies. The Calimondra armada was also affected by the Helm's dark side powers, with several warships opening fire on each other. Odion's rival Daiman was also forced to unleash Force lightning against several of his maddened crew.

Giving in to her anger, Kerra was able to use the Force to break her chains. She then grabbed a Sith lightsaber and attempted to attack Odion but was stopped by her former mentor Wayman, who reminded her that he had claimed her for Odion once and demanded that she give up. When Kerra refused to submit, Wayman punched her in the head, causing her to fall down. Meanwhile, Yulan entered the cloister control room, where he overpowered the two operators and seized the controls, switching all the lights in the Cloister back on. This had the immediate effect of ending Odion's murderous rampage since the children's feelings of relief nullified the negative emotions that had powered the Helm of Ieldis. At that same moment, Yulan was preparing to inflict a final death blow on Kerra while Odion was preparing to unleash all the children's energies on the entire galaxy, an act that would bring about armageddon on a galactic scale.

Yulan's actions had an immediate effect on changing the course of the battle. While Odion was overwhelmed by the children's newly-found joy, Kerra took the opportunity to kill Wayman by impaling him with her lightsaber. By the time Odion had realized what was going on in the Cloister, Yulan had released the children from their bubble prisons. As the children rejoiced in their freedom, this sudden surge of positive emotions caused the Helm to overload, creating a firestorm that consumed Odion. In his final moments, Odion tried to bargain for his life with Kerra, begging her to save him from his enemies by taking him back to Jubalene, where his burns could be treated.

Kerra refused, stating that Odion had nearly destroyed all life in the universe while wishing for the collapse of his empire. She also added that his death was an "eye for an eye" for her parents' deaths. Out of desperation, Odion mentioned that he could help Kerra find her long-lost younger sibling if she saved him. Unwilling to trust Odion at his word, Kerra rejected his offer, stating unequivocally that all the children within Odion's cloister orphanages were her brothers and sisters. Following Odion's death, Kerra was joined by Yulan and the liberated children, who had "adopted" the former General as their father. With the disintegration of the Odionate due to invasion by Odion's Sith family, Kerra and Yulan made strenuous efforts to liberate as many of the cloisters as they could.

While they succeeded in evacuating thousands of children onto transport ships, the pair were unable to reach all of the twelve cloisters since other Sith forces, including the Daimanate, had occupied different parts of the former Odionate. While Kerra and Yulan were unable to reunite all the children with their parents, Kerra offered to bring their parents to them. She was also at peace with herself for discovering the fate of her parents and avenging their deaths. Before parting, Yulan shook hands with his former enemy and commended Kerra as the real Claimer who had given him a new purpose in life. Without Kerra, Yulan admitted he would have been as good as dead. After wishing farewell, Yulan departed at the helm of a fleet of transports carrying the children to the Republic. Meanwhile, Kerra stayed behind in the Grumani sector to continue her personal crusade against the Sith.

Kerra Holt possessed a stubborn and determined spirit, her dedication to the Jedi stemming less from a deep-seated love for their ideals and more from deeply personal motivations. Her fierce opposition to the Sith was deeply rooted in her childhood trauma of witnessing the destruction of her family and home on Aquilaris at the hands of Lord Odion. The Aquilaris Massacre instilled in her an enduring hatred for this Sith Lord, driving her to thwart his schemes. This fueled her decision to join the Jedi Order as a means of seeking retribution against the Sith. Initially, Kerra held a simplistic, black-and-white view of the world, but her perspective softened and became more complex as she experienced life in Sith space firsthand, encountering its nuances and contradictions.

She demonstrated quick thinking and adaptability, evident in her decisive actions at Oranessan, which prevented Operation: Influx from failing before it even began. In fact, the entire operation was her brainchild. She had so impressed her mentor, Vannar Treece, by managing logistics for his previous missions from the Temple, that he entrusted her with developing a plan to strike against Daiman. Operation: Influx marked her first field mission, where she quickly gained a reputation for her impulsive behavior.

Kerra also possessed natural leadership qualities, which she utilized to aid in the evacuation of civilians on both Chelloa and Aquilaris. She displayed a selfless concern for assisting other sentient beings, particularly non-Force sensitive civilians trapped in Sith Space. Due to her childhood experiences, Kerra always maintained a compassionate heart for helping those less fortunate than herself, even when her assistance was not always reciprocated. During the Aquilaris campaign, her selflessness clashed with the self-centered perspective of Republic Captain Jenn Devaad, who believed that only those who helped themselves deserved assistance.

Despite her general hatred for the Sith, she occasionally found herself willing to collaborate with one Sith Lord against another. Kerra thus adhered to the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Following the Battle of Darkknell, she conspired with Lord Daiman against his brother Lord Odion, as both shared grievances against the latter. In this instance, she viewed the narcissistic Daiman as the lesser evil compared to the nihilistic Odion, whose destructive tendencies were considered a threat to the well-being of the galaxy.

Like most Jedi Knights, Kerra Holt was skilled in lightsaber combat and wielded a green lightsaber. She was capable of facing a wide range of opponents in melee combat, including Sith Lords, Hutts, and non-Force-sensitive individuals. Kerra also possessed the ability to use the Force to levitate both objects and people, as demonstrated when she lifted three refugees on Aquilaris from the floodwaters onto a submersible. She was also experienced in hiding her presence with the Force, able to stand in Odion's presence without him recognizing her. Outside of combat, Kerra was proficient in piloting various vehicles, including starfighters, cargo transports, and even airspeeders.

The name Kerra is a shortened form of Knight Errant, initially used as a placeholder by John Jackson Miller. Kerra's last name was inspired by the Andy Holt Apartments, where Miller resided for a summer. Kerra Holt was first introduced as the main character in the new Star Wars: Knight Errant comic series, which debuted with the release of Knight Errant 0 during Celebration V from August 12–15, 2010. She served as the primary perspective character in the series' first story arc, Star Wars: Knight Errant: Aflame, which ran from October 13, 2010, to February 16, 2011. Her backstory was developed by John Jackson Miller, while the character was drawn by artist Ivan Rodriguez, inked by Belardino Brabo, and colored by Michael Atiyeh. She also appeared as a key perspective character in Miller's tie-in short story, Star Wars: Knight Errant: Influx, which debuted on October 19, 2010.

She later appeared as one of the three main perspective characters in Miller's tie-in novel, Knight Errant, which was first released on January 22, 2011. Kerra continued to play a key role in the second story arc, Star Wars: Knight Errant: Deluge, which ran from August 17 to December 21, 2010. In the first four issues, she was drawn by Iban Coello, inked by Sergio Abad, and colored by Atiyeh. In the fifth issue, however, she was drawn by David Daza. She continued to play a major role in the story plot of the third story arc, Star Wars: Knight Errant: Escape, which ran from June 13 to October 10, 2012. Within this story arc, she was drawn by Marco Castiello and Andrea Chella, inked by Vincenzo Acunzo, and colored by Atiyeh.