Mission to Ruul (Clone Wars)

Following the Battle of Lianna, Yoda and Mace Windu, who were present at the battle, received information from Tholme and Quinlan Vos concerning Jedi who had dissented and refused to participate in the Clone Wars. Sora Bulq had united the four leaders of these dissidents—Sian Jeisel, K'Kruhk, Rhad Tarn, and Mira—and they had gathered at Bulq's decaying family estate on Ruul. They consented to a meeting, but insisted that a Council member who could speak for the entire Jedi Order be present, specifically Mace Windu. Windu made the choice to attend.

During the report's presentation, Windu and Quinlan Vos engaged in a practice fight. As the mock duel neared its end, Windu suggested that Vos not restrain himself. This prompted Vos to execute a forceful maneuver that Windu identified as a Vaapad technique, leading him to swiftly conclude the sparring session. When questioned, Vos stated that Sora Bulq had taught him the maneuver during his retraining, though Bulq had not mentioned Vaapad.

Before Windu departed for Ruul, Yoda advised him to view Bulq with the unbiased perspective of a 'child's eye'. Windu agreed to contemplate this advice.

Mace Windu's arrival on Ruul occurred at night, two days later. Sora Bulq greeted him, claiming he had joined the dissidents due to his sorrow over the numerous Jedi deaths at the Battle of Geonosis, believing that preserving the Republic was not worth their sacrifice. However, he declared that he remained undecided and would simply listen and meditate. When Windu inquired about Quinlan Vos's knowledge of Vaapad, Bulq asserted that he had only taught Vos the basics of Vaapad as a test, and had stopped there when Vos passed.

Windu soon encountered K'Kruhk, who was meditating beneath a waterfall, and Sian Jeisel, who was using her lightsaber to clear a path to the estate's main house. Bulq, accompanied by Rhad Tarn and his former Padawan, Mira, soon joined them. As their meeting commenced, Rhad Tarn quickly adopted an extreme stance, advocating for the Jedi to join the Confederacy. Mira, on the other hand, favored diplomacy, taking a more moderate position. When asked about his stance, Bulq quietly sided with Tarn, contradicting his earlier statements to Windu.

As the meeting ended, the Jedi dispersed to rest and meditate. Windu followed Bulq to the main house, questioning him about his change in position. Bulq simply stated that his mind and heart were overwhelmed and that he would walk the estate's paths to reflect. He then bid Windu good night and left.

While Bulq was walking around the estate, Asajj Ventress suddenly attacked him. While the two dueled, Mira spoke with Jeisel before going for a walk herself, expressing her unease. During her walk, she stumbled upon Ventress and Bulq's fight, arriving just in time to witness Bulq being incapacitated by a light cut to the throat. She cried out to the other Jedi, attacking Ventress by telekinetically throwing a barrage of rocks at the Dark Jedi as she leaped towards her. Ventress easily repelled Mira's attack and inflicted a fatal wound on the Jedi, even as Bulq warned her to run.

At that moment, the other Jedi arrived and attacked Ventress, but the Dark Jedi easily defended against their assault. When Mace arrived and demanded Ventress identify herself, Ventress broke off from the duel and replied I am your humble servant, Mace Windu. I trust you're pleased. She then vanished, having successfully confused the Jedi. Rhad Tarn quickly accused Windu of bringing the assassin with him, arguing that no ship could land on Bulq's estate without Bulq's knowledge, and Windu's ship was the last to arrive. Windu denied the accusation and left to locate and confront the assassin.

After Windu departed, Rhad remained convinced that the assassin was allied with Windu and followed the Jedi Master, hoping to find evidence to support his suspicion. As Rhad pursued Windu, Bulq instructed K'Kruhk and Jeisel to follow him while he carried Mira's body back to the house.

During his search for Ventress, Windu discovered the Dark Jedi's ship and had a sudden realization. After the Jedi Master left, Rhad came upon the scene.

He demanded that Ventress reveal herself, and the Dark Jedi complied, attacking Rhad. As they fought, Ventress mocked and provoked the young Jedi, causing his already volatile emotions to spiral into a rage that clouded his judgment. Ventress exploited this, encouraging Rhad to embrace his anger, ultimately turning the Jedi to the dark side of the Force. When asked to join Ventress, Rhad deactivated his lightsaber and accepted.

At that point, Jeisel and K'Kruhk arrived, pleading with Rhad not to listen to her, but it was too late. Declaring that he was not weak and would not be a Republic pawn, Rhad reactivated his lightsaber and attacked them alongside Ventress.

Meanwhile, Bulq arrived at the main house, placing Mira's body on a stone slab and apologizing to her lifeless form. Suddenly, Mace Windu confronted him. Windu revealed that he had realized Bulq was allied with Ventress, as no ship could land on Bulq's estate without his knowledge, meaning Bulq was aware of Ventress' ship. Windu continued, mentioning Bulq's change in opinion during the meeting and stating that by viewing Sora Bulq with a 'child's eyes', he realized that Bulq had turned to the Dark Side.

Bulq did not deny it, and both ignited their lightsabers. Bulq revealed that during their development of Vaapad, he had become fascinated by the Dark Side and had secretly explored it. He also revealed that after the Battle of Geonosis, which had disgusted him, Dooku had approached him. He claimed that the Sith Lord had shown him that the Republic would only change if the Jedi initiated that change by taking over the Republic. He had planned to use the dissident Jedi to create a schism and encourage more Jedi to join the Confederacy, but Windu's revelation had forced him to alter his plan.

Bulq now intended to kill all the Jedi, including Windu, and claim that Windu had attempted to kill them. He believed that due to his influence within the Order, many Jedi would believe him, allowing him to still create his schism. Windu quickly pointed out that he was still alive. Bulq simply stated that this would soon be rectified and attacked his former friend. As they engaged in a Vaapad-fueled sword fight, Windu commented that it was a mistake to expose Bulq to Vaapad. Bulq countered by claiming that he had perfected Vaapad, harnessing all its inherent potential. Believing himself to be a master of the style, Bulq was confident that Windu could not defeat him, just as the other Jedi could not defeat Asajj Ventress.

As they fought, Bulq and Windu sensed death and pain, prompting Bulq to declare that regardless of who won, Windu had ultimately lost, as their deaths were inevitable. Windu agreed and swiftly ended their duel, slamming Bulq against the wall and causing rocks to fall on the surprised duelist. Windu quickly left to save the others.

Sadly, Bulq's prediction seemed to be materializing; with Rhad Tarn's assistance, Ventress was easily holding off the Jedi. While Ventress fought K'Kruhk, Jeisel was relentlessly pushed back by an enraged Tarn, despite her pleas. Tarn seemingly defeated Jeisel with a powerful Force Push, disarming the hapless Devaronian. Declaring that he had chosen his path, just as he had chosen to kill her, Rhad raised his lightsaber to Jeisel's throat, preparing to end her life. Suddenly, Jeisel retrieved her lightsaber and ignited it into Rhad's torso, tragically ending the fallen Jedi's life.

As Jeisel finished Rhad, K'Kruhk and Ventress continued their fight. When K'Kruhk expressed his desire to spare Ventress's life, the Dark Jedi scoffed and incapacitated the Whiphid by striking him across the head with her lightsaber hilt. Jeisel then attacked Ventress, attempting to save K'Kruhk. However, Ventress easily deflected her attack, kicking the Jedi aside. Turning to K'Kruhk, she raised her blade to finish him.

However, at that moment, Windu arrived, attacking Ventress, prompting the Dark Jedi to join her twin lightsabers into a double-bladed lightsaber. Despite her skill with the weapon, she was unable to match Windu. Forced to the cliff edge, she turned and leapt off, landing on the back of a hovering droid that whisked her away.

As K'Kruhk and Jeisel regained their footing, Windu explained that Bulq was allied with Ventress, and their earlier fight had been a deception. Their skepticism quickly vanished when they were attacked by Sora Bulq's droids. Fighting their way to Windu's ship, the survivors escaped.

After their escape, Windu decided to speak with the dissident Jedi represented by K'Kruhk, Jeisel, Tarn, and Mira, informing them of the truth and warning them about the danger posed by Sora Bulq. Following that, Windu stated that the dissident Jedi could make their own decisions.

K'Kruhk chose to return to the temple, stating that he would encourage others to do the same. Believing Sora Bulq to be evil, he concluded that whatever Bulq served was also evil and must be opposed.

Sian Jeisel remained uncertain about her next steps, stating that she would not join the Separatists after Bulq's actions, but still had reservations about the Republic.

With the failure of his plot to discredit Mace Windu and the subsequent exposure of his true allegiance, Sora Bulq lost his potential as a double agent. His retraining of Quinlan Vos was also questioned. However, the Separatists gained a fully capable new servant.