Mission to the Maw

Around 43.5 ABY, a number of Jedi Knights previously stationed at Shelter within the Maw during the Yuuzhan Vong War began experiencing a mysterious psychosis that caused them to perceive familiar individuals as impostors. Consequently, tensions escalated between the Jedi Order and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, as the Alliance decided to encase the afflicted Jedi in carbonite, while the Jedi Order preferred to retain the affected Knights for study within the Jedi Temple. Simultaneously, Grand Master Luke Skywalker faced trial and exile from Coruscant and the Jedi Order for neglecting his duty in failing to prevent his nephew Jacen Solo's descent to the dark side during the recent Second Galactic Civil War. He subsequently embarked on a quest with his son, Ben, to ascertain the cause of Solo's fall. Their investigation ultimately led them to the Mind Walkers—beings employing a Force technique known as Mind Walking to disassociate their minds from their bodies, enabling them to enter a realm they termed beyond shadows—at the Sinkhole space station within the Maw.

Concurrently, the Lost Tribe of Sith, descendants of a group of Sith marooned on the isolated planet Kesh millennia ago, deployed a strike team to retrieve the Sith Meditation Sphere Ship—who had aided the Tribe in constructing an armada over the preceding two years before abruptly abandoning the Sith—and to kill the Skywalkers, thereby clearing the path for an invasion of the galaxy. The strike team's objective initially took them to a planet within the Maw, where they encountered a formidable entity known as Abeloth, who possessed control over the world's lethal plants and had also coerced Ship into her service. Meanwhile, the Skywalkers perceived Abeloth beyond shadows, later speculating that she might be the source of the Jedi Order's psychosis. Upon discovering the Skywalkers' presence on Sinkhole Station, Abeloth permitted Ship to return to the Sith, who had endured significant losses to the planet's carnivorous plants. The Meditation Sphere then transported the surviving Sith to Sinkhole Station, where the strike team ambushed the Skywalkers. However, only one member of the strike team, the Sith apprentice Vestara Khai, survived the encounter with the Jedi.

The Skywalkers tracked Khai to the planet Dathomir, where they discovered her under the protection of the Raining Leaves, a clan of Dathomiri Witches. Khai, in turn, had contacted the Tribe, informing them of her location. The Sith dispatched a substantial fleet of ships to Dathomir to retrieve Khai and capture a group of Nightsisters, a faction of dark side witches. The Sith Lord Viun Gaalan led a contingent of Sith to the surface and captured the Nightsisters, but while Khai went to retrieve one last witch, Gaalan was confronted by the Skywalkers and their Force-sensitive companion, Dyon Stadd. The Jedi dueled and defeated the Sith, although Gaalan managed to escape. The Skywalkers took Khai hostage and, with Stadd, prepared to depart Dathomir, only to be confronted in orbit by the Sith fleet, consisting of eleven ChaseMaster frigates under the command of High Lord Sarasu Taalon.

Unexpectedly, the Sith refrained from attacking; instead, Taalon proposed a joint alliance to eliminate Abeloth. Taalon falsely claimed that the Lost Tribe's own apprentices were experiencing the same psychosis affecting the Jedi Knights. Luke Skywalker, initially skeptical and hesitant, ultimately accepted Taalon's offer. In reality, the Sith intended to force Abeloth into their service before betraying and killing the Jedi. Also present with the Sith fleet was Khai's father, the Sith Saber Gavar, whom the Skywalkers permitted to board their ship, the Jade Shadow, for a private conversation with his daughter. Gavar spoke in the Keshiri language, urging Vestara to exploit her attraction to Ben—and his to her—to gather information or even turn him to the dark side. He also revealed that the Sith's alliance was a deception, although he withheld their specific plans. The Jedi recorded the conversation, and Luke later transmitted the recording to the protocol droid C-3PO for translation.

Luke Skywalker sought assistance from his longtime acquaintance, the entrepreneur Lando Calrissian, to navigate the Maw. Although he and his son had successfully traversed the Maw in the Jade Shadow during their previous visit to Sinkhole Station, Luke was concerned that not all of the frigates would withstand the perilous journey. Calrissian responded that he could provide a Colossus I Beta Series asteroid tug, the Rockhound, but noted that he would require approximately two weeks to prepare the vessel. Luke implored Calrissian to expedite the process, as he wished to minimize his time in the company of the Sith. The allied group then decided to travel to the planet Klatooine in the Si'Klaata Cluster, where the Skywalkers intended to replenish the depleted supplies of the Jade Shadow while awaiting Calrissian's arrival.

Shortly after their arrival on the planet, Taalon's second-in-command, the Keshiri Leeha Faal, informed him about the existence of the Fountain of the Hutt Ancients—a sacred natural formation of wintrium situated in the Derelkoos Desert on Klatooine—and he became fixated on acquiring it. Meanwhile, Ben and Vestara accompanied Stadd to the surface to restock their supplies, where Stadd succumbed to the psychosis, commandeered a speeder bike, and fled toward the Fountain. Ben and Vestara prevented him from entering the Fountain's technology-restricted area, but all three were apprehended by Klatooinian guards and taken to the Detention Area in Treema, Klatooine's capital city. Due to their juvenile status, Ben and Vestara were detained until their parents, Luke and Gavar, arrived to secure their release. The Skywalkers also took custody of Stadd and placed him under heavy sedation aboard the Jade Shadow.

Soon after, Luke received a transcript of the Khais' conversation on the Jade Shadow from C-3PO, revealing elements of their treachery. Luke promptly shared the script with Ben, who was deeply disturbed by it. Luke deemed the Sith too dangerous—particularly Vestara, given her relationship with Ben—to remain with them at Klatooine and decided to relocate the fleet to await Calrissian just outside the Maw. After Luke informed Calrissian of the decision, Taalon persuaded the Grand Master to allow him to leave two frigates behind, the Starstalker and the Winged Dagger, under the pretext of awaiting any potential problems at Klatooine. Taalon then promoted Faal to the position of Captain of the Winged Dagger, replacing Captain Syndor, and secretly instructed her to retrieve a wintrium sample from the Fountain of the Hutt Ancients.

The Sith and Jedi fleet, excluding the Starstalker and the Winged Dagger, departed Klatooinian orbit and headed toward the Maw. Faal relayed Taalon's orders to Vyn Holpur, captain of the Starstalker, who, along with his crew, executed their mission and successfully obtained wintrium samples. However, they were attacked by Klatooinian guards wielding primitive weapons such as swords and arrows. Despite the loss of one Sith Saber to an acid weapon, the Sith managed to repel the Klatooinian guards. Meanwhile, Calrissian arrived at the planet with the Rockhound and spoke with Faal, who informed him that they could resume their mission as soon as her crew completed their pre-flight checks.

Suddenly, however, the Hutts—who had entered into a treaty with the Klatooinians thousands of years previously, promising protection over the Fountain in exchange for the Klatooinian species' permanent servitude—arrived in-system with several ships. The Hutt forces apprehended the Starstalker and the Winged Dagger just as Jedi Knight Jaina Solo arrived in her StealthX starfighter. Solo, who had hoped to assist the Skywalkers, had initially intended to bring a full Jedi strike team with her, but the rest of the Jedi had been trapped when Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala had authorized a Mandalorian siege of the Temple. Solo was hailed by Calrissian and boarded the Rockhound, and the two were shortly thereafter requested by Klatooinian Chancellor Darima Kedari to mediate the situation between the Hutts, Klatooinians, and Sith.

During the hearing, it was determined that the wintrium samples taken by the Sith were missing. Faal accused Holpur and his crew of acting independently during the raid, and although Solo and Calrissian knew she was lying, they could not prove it, as Holpur himself supported her lie. After considering the issue and hearing from each side, Solo and Calrissian declared Holpur and his crew guilty of violating the Fountain; the entire crew of the Starstalker was thus sentenced to death under Klatooinian law. The mediators then announced that although the Hutts had failed to prevent the violation of the Fountain, they had done everything within their power to protect it, thus upholding the treaty. The ruling came too late, however—Klatooinains across the planet had already begun to riot and revolt against their Hutt rulers, resulting in a violent planetwide uprising. Solo and Calrissian then departed the planet with Faal and the Winged Dagger and rendezvoused with the Skywalkers and the rest of the Sith fleet just outside the Maw.

Upon the Rockhound's arrival just outside the Maw, Luke Skywalker met with Solo and Calrissian aboard the tug. There, they informed him of the incident on Klatooine, as well as the increasing tensions between the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance, including Daala's recent siege of the Jedi Temple. Solo also offered Luke her assistance on the mission; he accepted, even though such cooperation with another Jedi bordered on violating the terms of his exile. Upon his return to the Jade Shadow, Luke contacted Taalon, informing him that he was aware of the incident at the Fountain and blaming the High Lord for instigating the resulting uprising, although Taalon insisted that Holpur had acted on his own. Luke then requested that the fleet stop at Sinkhole Station before continuing on to Abeloth's homeworld, hoping to find helpful information there.

After arranging the formation in which the ships would travel under the protection of the Rockhound, the fleet entered the Maw, passing safely through Stable Zone One between two black holes. However, as the procession approached Sinkhole Station, the Skywalkers realized that they could no longer sense the Mind Walkers. After nearly colliding with a piece of debris, the Skywalkers concluded that the Station had been completely destroyed.

While most of the fleet remained clear of the debris field, two ChaseMaster frigates advanced into the remnants of the station. The Rockhound employed its tractor beams to attempt to intercept the frigates, successfully stopping one. However, it failed to prevent the other ChaseMaster from colliding with the debris and being instantly obliterated. As the Rockhound moved the frigate it had saved away from the debris field, Vestara and the Skywalkers deduced that Sinkhole Station had been built to contain Abeloth, but that she had grown so powerful that she had been able to destroy it. The allied fleet then decided to proceed directly to Abeloth's planet.

Upon their arrival, Vestara and Ben sensed and recognized the presence of the Sith Meditation Sphere Ship. Concerned that Abeloth might attempt to free Stadd, the Skywalkers sent Vestara back to check on the psychotic Force-sensitive. Meanwhile, Abeloth had indeed been calling to Stadd, urging him to find her. However, when Khai arrived, she began to deceive Stadd—she falsely claimed that they were all impostors, but reasoned that this meant she was not truly a Sith. She asserted that she was opposing those who had replaced the Jedi, claiming that everyone serving as an impostor for a Sith was doing so willingly. Stadd remained unconvinced, but she insisted that—since the Sith were associated with Ship, and Ship was serving Abeloth—it was logical that the Sith were also serving her. Khai then inquired if Stadd would lead the Sith to Abeloth, and he agreed. She administered an antidote to his sedative and used the Force to tamper with the monitoring machine, making it appear as though she had given him an extra dose of the sedative. Khai then instructed him to feign unconsciousness if the Skywalkers came to check on him, promising to return and unlock his stun cuffs when the time was right.

Meanwhile, as the Jade Shadow made its entrance into the planetary atmosphere, during their descent they flew past the Eternal Crusader. This derelict vessel, once belonging to the Sith strike force tasked with assassinating the Skywalkers, remained abandoned in its orbital position. Upon landing the Jade Shadow, the Skywalkers came to the stark realization that each location they had witnessed while in the realm beyond shadows at Sinkhole Station corresponded directly to a tangible place on Abeloth's world. Subsequently, Vestara and the Jedi convened with Gavar, Taalon, and Faal. Luke proposed the use of Mind Walking as a method to pinpoint Abeloth's location. Taalon gave his consent and instructed Gavar and Faal to accompany Luke beyond shadows. Ben, on the other hand, remained behind to watch over his father's physical form and to keep an eye on Vestara. However, upon her return to the Jade Shadow, Vestara resumed her communications with Stadd, informing him of Luke's intention to use Mind Walking to locate Abeloth. She suggested that he seize the opportunity to escape while Ben was preoccupied with monitoring his father.

In the realm beyond shadows, Luke found himself with Gavar, Taalon, and Faal at the Lake of Apparitions, a lake that allowed glimpses of deceased individuals in the water's surface. Luke cautioned the Sith about the hazards of straying within the lake, warning that a misstep would result in a fall into the Depths of Eternity, a place of no return. Following this warning, the group proceeded toward the Mists of Forgetfulness, a fog-laden area across the lake where Luke had previously encountered Abeloth during his earlier journey beyond shadows. As they navigated the lake, Luke stumbled but was steadied by Gavar. Shortly after, Faal lost her footing and fell. Despite her quick recovery and attempt to stand, she was suddenly seized by the hands of her numerous deceased adversaries and pulled into the Depths of Eternity. Aboard the Winged Dagger, Faal's physical body underwent spasms, and her brain activity ceased, resulting in the ship's command reverting to Syndor.

Taalon expressed intense anger at Faal's demise, but he insisted that they continue their mission. Luke, however, hesitated to proceed into the mists, recalling the warning from the spirit of his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, during his previous venture beyond shadows. Although he had not yet seen her in the lake on this current trip, he called out softly for her, and she materialized. Luke briefly spoke with Mara, revealing that he had sensed her presence aboard the Jade Shadow throughout the mission, finding comfort in her supposed presence. However, Mara denied being with him, stating that the presence he had sensed belonged to someone else. Luke was taken aback, realizing that the presence he had perceived was a deception orchestrated by Abeloth. Mara cautioned him that Abeloth was never as she appeared, and as she faded back into the lake, Luke informed Taalon that they needed to immediately evacuate the realm.

Upon their return to the Jade Shadow, while Ben engaged in conversation with Vestara, Stadd abruptly leaped up and made a dash for the exit. Ben swiftly called out to Vestara, urging her to stop Stadd, but instead, she simply moved aside, allowing him to escape. Luke then regained consciousness in his physical body, and Ben recounted the events that had just transpired. As the Skywalkers confronted Vestara, she disclosed that she had convinced Stadd that she was on his side. She had learned from him that he knew the location of Abeloth. While she had been assuring Stadd that the Sith were supporters of Abeloth, she had secretly attached a tracking device to him, enabling them to follow him to Abeloth. When Ben questioned why she had not shared her plan with them, she responded that she doubted the Jedi would trust her. Vestara and the Skywalkers then arranged to meet with Taalon and the other Sith to pursue Stadd.

In the meantime, Stadd discovered that the planet's dangerous flora were refraining from attacking him, granting him unrestricted movement across the terrain. He sensed Abeloth's presence within a volcano situated near the beach where the Sith and Jedi convoy had landed. Upon locating Abeloth inside a cave within the volcano, he was overwhelmed by her allure, as well as his own desire for her. They exchanged a few words, drawing closer to each other, and Stadd expressed his wish to be with her. Abeloth responded that he would be with her for as long as she lived, which would be for eternity. She then began to drain Stadd's life force, inflicting excruciating pain upon him and finally causing him to recognize her true nature. Stadd felt his body wither away, and as Abeloth continued to consume his energy, she informed him that he had served her well and that they would soon become one. However, Abeloth then sensed the approaching Sith and Jedi and fled, leaving Stadd to die.

The Skywalkers and twenty-two Sith warriors—including Taalon and the Khais—tracked the homing beacon to the cave, although two of the Sith were killed by the planet's plant life along the way. Taalon expressed skepticism that Abeloth was in the cave, reasoning that it was too obvious a location, given Vestara's initial encounter with her there. Nevertheless, the allies decided to investigate the cave to ascertain whether she was present. Upon entering, they found only Stadd lying on the cave floor, barely alive. Awakening, Stadd apologized to Ben for his actions, revealing that he was now aware of Abeloth's treachery and was able to resist her influence on his mind. Stadd recounted the events that had befallen him, explaining that Abeloth had sensed their approach and had escaped through a tunnel at the back of the cave. Stadd and two Sith remained behind at the cave entrance, while the rest of the allied forces ventured into the tunnel.

As they reached the tunnel's end, Luke instructed the group to pause briefly before igniting their lightsabers and charging into the ruins of a courtyard enclosed by towering walls. Luke sensed Abeloth's presence but could not see her. After calling out to her, she announced her presence and materialized behind him. She then deceived Luke by assuming the guise of his former lover, Callista, professing her love for him. He was shocked but quickly resolved to help her separate herself from the dark side. However, she instead expressed a desire to transform Luke into someone like herself. Recalling his wife's assertion that Abeloth was never as she appeared, Luke recognized that the figure was not Callista. He realized that Abeloth had completely consumed Callista—as she had attempted to do with Stadd—and he refused to aid her. Enraged by his refusal to join her, Abeloth prepared to attack Luke. However, while the two had been preoccupied with each other, the Sith had begun to weave a control web—a Force technique they had acquired from their captured Nightsisters.

Meanwhile, Jaina Solo had detected the presence of the Sith Meditation Sphere Ship, recognizing it from her encounter at the asteroid known as the Home during the Second Galactic Civil War. Having learned from Luke that Ship had aided the Lost Tribe of Sith until Abeloth's influence had taken over and forced the Meditation Sphere to serve her, Solo believed Ship to be an enemy of the Jedi and resolved to attack the vessel. Piloting her StealthX, Solo located Ship in orbit and initiated communication with the Meditation Sphere through the Force. Ship confirmed that it was indeed working with Abeloth, having been programmed to obey the strongest will. Solo then launched a shadow bomb and used the Force to direct it toward Ship. However, Ship employed the Force to snatch the bomb from her grasp and redirect it aside, before turning its weapons on her.

Back on the surface, Taalon, the Skywalkers, and the Khais charged at Abeloth, who used the Force to seize Vestara by the throat, lifting her off the ground and shaking her violently. Vestara attempted to unleash Force lightning upon her attacker, but Abeloth simply used the Force to redirect the lightning back toward the Sith apprentice. Simultaneously, large, white roots covered in spikes erupted from the ground and impaled Vestara multiple times. Ben swiftly came to her rescue, severing the roots with his lightsaber before carrying Vestara to safety, away from the battle. After examining her wounds and determining that none of them had struck anything vital, he prepared to leave her and rejoin the fight. However, Vestara grabbed him, managing to convey that the spikes were poisonous, and Ben began to search through his belongings for something to aid the injured Sith.

In the midst of the conflict, Abeloth was repelling her attackers—Luke, Taalon, Gavar, and two other Sith—with Force lightning and her telekinetic abilities. Suddenly, Abeloth disappeared, causing her five attackers to inadvertently engage each other. One of Gavar's strikes accidentally sliced through a fellow Sith, and Luke had to use the Force to leap out of the way of the lightsaber's follow-through. Hearing Abeloth's laughter, the survivors quickly separated, finding their target at the far end of the courtyard. She continued laughing as the four attackers rushed toward her, but as they encircled her and intensified their assault, they began to wear her down. Suddenly, Gavar feigned a strike at Abeloth and then redirected the blow toward Luke, even as the other Sith present—who had been weaving the control web—tightened the web and dropped it down on Abeloth.

In orbit above the planet, Solo continued to duel Ship. It had taken Solo two attempts to prevent the Meditation Sphere from redirecting her shadow bombs, and she was now resorting to using her laser cannons, successfully landing several hits on Ship. However, Ship's return fire was effective, forcing Solo to evade in her StealthX. The Jedi Knight sent her starfighter into a roll and maneuvered underneath the Meditation Sphere, where the Sith vessel had not yet deployed any weapons. Solo launched a volley of torpedoes, but the Sith Meditation Sphere suddenly sprouted cannons along its bottom, unleashing heavy fire upon Solo's craft. Her StealthX began to spiral uncontrollably, and Solo struggled to regain control.

Back on the surface, Ben noticed the Sith's betrayal and shouted a warning to his father, who barely managed to block Gavar's attack. Vestara began to insist that she needed Ben's help, but he leapt away and attacked Gavar from behind, knocking him off balance. Ben quickly pressed the attack on Gavar, furious at the Sith's treachery, but Gavar's counterattack slashed through his tunic, grazing the flesh beneath. As Gavar continued his onslaught, Luke turned back to fight Abeloth, who was struggling to resist the attempts of the other Sith to trap her in the control web. Ben allowed his anger to make him reckless, and he was again forced to leap away from Gavar's stroke. Gavar urged the young Jedi to use his anger and hate against him, but this had an adverse effect, serving only to calm Ben.

As the two continued to duel, the Sith Tribe's web was successfully suppressing Abeloth's powers. Luke, however, was using his own Force powers to attempt to destroy Abeloth, and, watching the battle transpire out of the corner of his eye, Ben found that his father was gaining the upper hand. His spirits lifted, Ben renewed his attack on Gavar, pushing the Sith Saber back and causing Gavar to worry that he might not win their duel. Suddenly, Abeloth unleashed a massive shock wave, sending all of the Jedi and Sith present flying and heading for the tunnel. Luke recovered first, charging back up through the tunnel, with Ben and the Sith following shortly behind him and Vestara behind them.

Abeloth retreated to the cave at the tunnel's entrance, where she found Stadd and the Sith. She swiftly eliminated the Sith, consuming their life energy and leaving their bodies intact. Abeloth then turned to Stadd and began to finish draining his life energy, but Luke then arrived, causing Abeloth to project the image of Callista and move the phantom projection toward Luke. She pleaded with him to understand that she was, in fact, Callista, and that she still loved him, but Luke suddenly realized that the projection was neither Callista nor Abeloth. Skywalker quickly thrust his lightsaber into what appeared to be Stadd's body. The projection of Callista recoiled, and what appeared to be Stadd's body writhed, its voice crying out as Ben and the Sith arrived on the scene. Luke ignored Ben's protest and the Sith's shouts, watching as what had appeared to be Stadd's body morphed into Abeloth's true form. Abeloth began to gather her power for one final assault of dark side energy, but Luke felt her die halfway through it.

In orbit above the planet, Solo's StealthX sustained a direct hit on one of its engines, although she managed to regain control of the spinning starfighter in time to avoid the next volley of torpedoes fired by Ship. She ordered her astromech droid, Rowdy, to target Ship, but the droid responded that the targeting array was damaged—and after taking another hit, Rowdy added that the targeting display was offline. As Ship acquired a target lock on the StealthX, the Sith Meditation Sphere suddenly turned and fled—with Abeloth's death, her power no longer compelled Ship to obey her will. Confused by Ship's abrupt departure, Solo decided to return to the Rockhound to gather any news.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Jedi Master and healer Cilghal—who was caring for the psychotic Jedi Sothais Saar, Turi Altamik, and Kunor Bann—discovered along with her Twi'lek aide, Jedi Knight Shul Vaal, that all three of the Jedi suddenly appeared to be free of their psychosis. Cilghal and Vaal were cautious, suspecting that the three might be attempting to deceive them, but Cilghal decided it was worth the risk to determine if they were truly cured. She entered Saar's cell, as he had been ill the longest of the three, and spoke with him. He revealed that he remembered his actions after succumbing to the psychosis and was ashamed of them, and that he no longer believed the unaffected Jedi were impostors. After conducting several tests on each of the three recovered Jedi, Cilghal reported her findings to Jedi Master Kenth Hamner, who was serving as acting Grand Master in Luke's absence.

Upon returning to Abeloth's planet, Luke instructed Ben to immediately take Stadd, whom they found unconscious nearby, back to the Jade Shadow for medical attention. When Gavar began to suggest that he would take Vestara with him to his ship, Taalon interrupted him, emphasizing the need to examine Abeloth's body. Luke added that they should also investigate Abeloth's cave and the locations he had seen beyond shadows, as well as determine Abeloth's true nature. Luke then proposed that they send Calrissian, Solo, and the Sith fleet off-planet, leaving only Taalon, the Khais, and the Skywalkers to continue the investigation into Abeloth. Taalon agreed to the terms, and Ben escorted Stadd and Vestara back to the Jade Shadow. Ben later contacted Solo and informed her of Luke's decision. Although Solo was initially reluctant to leave, she recognized the need for her and Calrissian to spread the word about the Lost Tribe of Sith and Abeloth. After Solo and Calrissian exited the Maw in the Rockhound, they discovered that they had emerged from their hyperspace jump far off course. Solo and Calrissian soon discovered that a sabotage droid, impersonating Calrissian himself, had been issuing orders to the ship's droid crew. Solo suspected that the Sith Tribe had sneaked the sabotage droid aboard in an attempt to prevent them from revealing any further information about the Sith to the galaxy, although further evidence suggested they had fallen prey to simple piracy. Solo flew out in her StealthX to confront their assailants and discovered that they were indeed Sith. After escaping with Calrissian and reporting to the Jedi Council, they learned that the Sith Tribe had been ambushing vehicles throughout the galaxy for use in their Sith armada, deducing that the Sith were preparing to launch their campaign for galactic domination.

Meanwhile, the Sith and Jedi allies soon discovered that Abeloth had somehow switched bodies with Stadd, thus surviving while Stadd had perished. Abeloth summoned Ship back to the planet, and the vessel, feigning allegiance to the Tribe, transported the allies to the Pool of Knowledge—a location that Luke had visited while beyond shadows at Sinkhole Station—to search for Abeloth. There, Ben realized that Ship had brought them there so that Abeloth could steal one of their ships and escape. Meanwhile, Taalon saw the Throne of Balance in the pool, upon which sat an unknown Jedi queen. He demanded to know her identity, fearing that she might prevent the Sith from claiming their place as rulers of the galaxy. When the Jedi refused to answer, Taalon decided to dive into the pool himself. The scene quickly descended into violence, and Luke collapsed the grotto upon the Sith and fled. The Sith survived, and Taalon assaulted Vestara before sending her to catch up with the Skywalkers to spy on them, in an attempt to make it appear as though she had been attacked by the High Lord and her father but had escaped. Back at the beach where they had landed their vessels, the Jedi discovered that Abeloth had stolen the Jade Shadow. When Vestara arrived, Luke did not fall for her deception—even when Taalon arrived and attacked her. He fired on Taalon and Gavar Khai with his blaster before further slowing their advance with a thermal detonator, and allowed Vestara to accompany them as the Jedi departed the planet in Taalon's shuttle, the Emiax. Their journey took them to the Force-sensitive faction known as the Fallanassi on the moon Pydyr. Meanwhile, Taalon, having been immersed in the Pool of Knowledge, began to transform into the same type of entity as Abeloth. The Sith and Jedi eventually found Abeloth hiding on Pydyr and once again confronted her.

The mission to the Maw served as a central plot element in Fate of the Jedi: Allies, the fifth book in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series, penned by Christie Golden and published on May 25, 2010. The events of the mission also resolved the issue of the Jedi succumbing to the mysterious psychosis induced by Abeloth, which had been a prominent plot thread in the first four books of the series. A minor inconsistency exists regarding the number of Sith who remained behind with Stadd before the final battle in the cave. On page 305 of Allies, Taalon nods to two Sith, instructing them to stay with Stadd. However, on page 319, the text mentions three Sith who had stayed behind with Stadd. The final battle of the mission was later depicted in The Essential Guide to Warfare, a sourcebook released on April 3, 2012. Later that year, the battle was mentioned in The Essential Reader's Companion, another sourcebook published on October 2.