Showdown on Ruhnuk

Following the assault on the Spirit of Vengeance II, Shae Vizla dedicated herself to locating Heta Kol, intending to resolve their conflict with the death of one or the other. Her search began on Mek-Sha, where she interrogated Indigo, the leader of the local Dar'manda. Indigo, while not directly involved in the attack, acknowledged the involvement of his organization, explaining that the Dar'manda had expanded to include multiple leaders with independent operations, though they still reported her location and strategies to the Alliance. Ultimately, she pinpointed Heta's location on Ruhnuk, but chose not to risk exposure. Instead, she informed the Commander of her discovery and traveled to Odessen to formulate an attack strategy.

On Odessen, the Alliance Commander convened with Shae Vizla. Shae briefed them on the intel she had gathered concerning Heta Kol. Despite observing her fighting techniques, Shae was unable to determine Heta's past clan affiliations, even though her style was distinctly Mandalorian. Shae then revealed that the Hidden Chain operated on Ruhnuk and that Jekiah Ordo and her fleet were on standby. She proposed that she, the Commander, and Rass Ordo infiltrate Ruhnuk to pinpoint the main base.

Upon their arrival at Ruhnuk, the strike team was forced to make an emergency landing after Shae had to avoid a probe droid. Shae then took on the task of slicing the probe droids to discover the source of their signal, while Rass prepared the landing zone for the arrival of additional troops. Upon reaching a droid workshop, Shae and the Commander found two technicians employed by Dar'manda. Shae killed one, while the Commander dealt with the other, but not before the latter revealed that the Hidden Chain had a communications relay station capable of bypassing the storm's interference. With this new information, Shae and the Commander returned to Rass to devise a revised plan.

In the meantime, Rass Ordo had received Mandalorian reinforcements in the form of Akaavi Spar and Torian Cadera just as the Commander and Shae returned. Rass informed them that he might have a lead on the location of the relay station. He suggested that Shae and the Commander proceed to the relay station, while the others secured their position. At the relay station, Shae and the Commander encountered Sa'har Kateen, who had disappeared after the capture of Darth Malgus on Elom, on a holocall with Ri'kan Kateen. Shae demanded that Sa'har reveal Heta's location, while the Commander attempted to reason with Sa'har about Darth Nul's artifact. Shae then opened fire, giving Sa'har an opportunity to escape from the pair. Shae and the Commander neutralized the relay station and then set out to find Heta Kol.

Shae and the Commander entered a compound, and Shae decided to investigate. Suddenly, the doors shut, and the Commander was incapacitated by four sonic weapons wielded by Dar'manda leader Bask Sunn. Heta Kol, Ri'kan Kateen, and a contingent of Hidden Chain members then confronted them. Heta revealed that Sa'har had informed her about the relay station and the Commander's involvement, stating that his efforts regarding the Padawan were futile. Heta continued to berate the Commander, who remained helpless due to the sonic disruptors, until Shae arrived. Shae challenged the leader of the Hidden Chain to a one-on-one duel, which Heta accepted. Heta then escorted Shae to the battle arena, leaving the Commander to Ri'kan, who ordered two Dar'manda members to eliminate them.

As the two Dar'manda members were escorting the Commander through the compound, Rass Ordo intercepted them, allowing them to kill the soldiers. The Commander, still recovering from the effects of the sonic disruptors, informed Rass of the situation. They proceeded through the compound, splitting up when Rass requested that the Commander oversee the duel while he contacted Jekiah and their fleet.

In the arena, with the Hidden Chain as spectators, Heta Kol arrived and initiated a speech about a Mandalorian weapon of devastating power: the banner of Clan Cadera. Heta announced that when Mandalore the Vindicated declared his allegiance to the Sith Empire, Jicoln Cadera and his clan rebelled. Heta's parents were part of this uprising, which was ultimately defeated. She claimed that the late Mandalore turned the Mandalorians into obedient puppets of the Sith, just as Shae had done with the Alliance, while ironically unaware that Jicoln and his group wanted to support the Galactic Republic instead. Heta then declared that the banner of Clan Cadera remained a symbol of shame and a bloody reminder of treachery. She concluded her speech by stating that they were Mandalorians, the greatest warriors in the galaxy, and that they would fight their enemies by destroying the Hidden Chain's obedience to Mandalore, after which Heta burned the banner of Clan Cadera.

Heta then announced that she would destroy the Mandalorians by exposing their weakness, challenging Shae Vizla to face her. Shae responded loudly, expressing her enthusiasm and labeling her opponent a "pretender." Heta and Shae faced each other and were presented with Beskar short swords as their primary weapons. The arena fell silent as the Hidden Chain began their chant, striking their armor and stomping their feet. The duel commenced, with both fighters using all of their weapons but primarily striking with the Beskar sword. When Shae gained the upper hand, she suddenly felt almost paralyzed due to a secret trick by Bask Sunn, who used a sonic disruptor. Heta capitalized on this, pressing her attack, but Shae managed to hold her off as best she could.

The Commander, who was present and witnessing the duel, noticed Bask Sunn's treachery and confronted him. Bask Sunn revealed that Heta was unaware of his scheme, as he needed Heta to win to secure a substantial profit. He attempted to persuade the Commander to leave the disruptor as is, promising to withdraw Dar'manda from the Hidden Chain and support the Commander's faction in the war. He also alerted the Commander to the arrival of Heta's fleet, to which the Commander responded by alerting Mandalore's fleet. The Commander destroyed the weapon and dealt with Bask, freeing Shae and allowing her to overpower Heta and win the duel in the sight of the Hidden Chain. However, the duel was interrupted by the arrival of both fleets and Shae's Mandalorian reinforcements, who engaged the Hidden Chain, initiating the battle.

Mandalore the Avenger's forces, led by Jekiah Ordo, and assisted by Rass Ordo and Akaavi Spar, invaded the arena to confront the Hidden Chain, while both fleets engaged each other in orbit. Jekiah's priority was to protect Shae Vizla, who was left incapacitated, while eliminating the enemy. Meanwhile, Torian Cadera moved to assist the Commander against the Hidden Chain and make their way to Shae Vizla's position. Ri'kan attempted to eliminate the opposition before noticing Rass Ordo's presence, citing it as his lucky day, to which Rass also acknowledged his enemy. Rass attempted to fend off Ri'kan with his blaster rifle and was initially successful, but when the weapon ran out of ammo, Rass was then wounded by Ri'kan using his large vibrosword, prompting the intervention of the Commander, who easily overpowered Ri'kan until Sa'har arrived to save her brother by Force pushing the Commander away, only for the two to escape in an Eternal Empire shuttle.

Heta then attempted to finish off Shae, who recovered, and was able to fend off Heta's attacks and managed to land a striking blow to Heta, who was forced to retreat in the shuttle, with Shae angrily declaring that this was not over. The battle concluded with the Hidden Chain escaping Ruhnuk to an undisclosed location, leaving only Mandalore's forces in the arena and in orbit, and Jekiah ordering the fleet not to pursue the enemy. Jekiah and the Commander rallied to Shae Vizla and assisted her off Ruhnuk, while Torian observed the destroyed banner of Clan Cadera in shock.

Shae Vizla was then taken to a medical facility, attended to by medical droids. Akaavi Spar and Torian Cadera stayed with her, while Rass and Jekiah remained outside to inform the Commander of Ri'kan's past vengeance against Clan Ordo, as well as his involvement in the death of their sister. Jekiah then suggested they go to Mandalore, which Akaavi and Torian excused themselves from. They discussed that Shae's victory over Heta was spreading throughout the galaxy and that Shae was unwilling to disclose that Heta unknowingly cheated via Bask Sunn's sonic disruptor and that her hunt was still in-progress.

Elsewhere, the Hidden Chain's fleet emerged from hyperspace, visibly damaged from the battle. Ri'kan and Sa'har met with Heta on the bridge of a ship and discussed the duel. Ri'kan stated that, regardless of the results, it would only help their cause, as Shae could only leave the duel and planet with the aid of her army. Heta retorted that they had lost their base of operations as a result and must prepare for war even whilst retreating. Ri'kan stated he knew of how to further help Heta and revealed that Sa'har, much to her shock as she disclosed that knowledge in secret to only Ri'kan, was aware of the location of a weapon that even the rogue, now captured, Sith Lord Darth Malgus greatly coveted, and Sa'har held the key to it. Heta was intrigued by this and ordered Ri'kan not to disturb them as Heta left with Sa'har to converse in secret, much to Ri'kan's frustration.

Though the bulk of the Hidden Chain were forced off Ruhnuk, remnants, led by Kur Ha'rangir, stayed behind to sabotage Ruhnuk's infrastructure, as well as gather their resources. Most of Shae Vizla's forces had since withdrawn from Ruhnuk, so Lane Vizla was assigned to prevent the remaining Hidden Chain soldiers finding a way to retake Ruhnuk. Meanwhile, Kur became engrossed in a hunt for Basilisk droids, much to the irritation of his peers, who objected to the diverting of forces to his excavation project. With Kur distracted and without Heta and Ri'kan to keep the disparate groups in line, the various Mandalorian groups turned to infighting, actively trying to kill off their Dar'Manda colleagues to avoid paying them, undermining the Ash'ad due to looking down on them and their desire to preserve Mandalorian lore, and disparaging their commander, Rubassa, for what they saw as attempting to curry favor with Heta. Arla Ha'rangir commanded Ha'rangir troops in repairing parts of the water treatment plant, which annoyed those under her as she had previously ordered them to destroy the very things they were now being rushed to repair.

If Torian Cadera was killed previously in Knights of the Eternal Throne then he will not be present in the storyline, otherwise he is present and makes it a personal vendetta against the Hidden Chain due to the theft of the Clan Cadera banner.

When the player is confronted by Heta Kol she will refer to them accordingly to their class:

• Jedi Knight and Jedi Consular - Heta will refer to them as jetti. [2]
• Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor - Heta will refer to them as dar'jetti. [2]
• Bounty Hunter and Smuggler - Heta will state that they are different from the usual hired guns. [2]
• Imperial Agent and Republic Trooper - Heta will state that they are different from the usual cannon fodders. [2]

During the duel between Heta Kol and Shae Vizla, the player takes notice of Bask Sunn using a weapon to hinder Shae Vizla, without Heta's knowledge, so that Bask can gain a huge profit over Shae's defeat and he gives the player three options on how to proceed regarding the duel:

• Disable the weapon for light side points - Shae Vizla overpowers and defeats Heta Kol in front of the Hidden Chain. Bask will then attempt to hurt the player to which the player can either knock him out or kill him. When the battle is over, Rass states that word of Mandalore's victory is spreading thus solidifying her leadership and hurting Heta's cause. [2]
• Turn the weapon on Heta Kol for dark side points - The Commander knocks Bask Sun and then points the sonic disruptor on Heta who is suddenly unable to move freely, and Shae manages to defeat her, but the Hidden Chain does not acknowledge the victory and neither does Shae. Bask will then attempt to hurt the player to which the player can either knock him out or kill him. The aftermath is nearly identical as in the light side playthrough but with Shae commenting on the Commander's lack of honor despite the goal being achieved. [2]
• Leave the weapon as it is for dark side points - Shae will lose the fight and Bask Sunn promises to have Dar'manda not only leave the Hidden Chain but also support the player's faction in the war. Saboteurs have the modified option where they leave the machine but tell Bask Sunn to support the opposing faction (Republic for Imperial saboteurs and Empire for Republic saboteurs) instead to his confusion to which he agrees to regardless. In the aftermath of the battle, Rass states that many clans have heard of Shae's defeat and therefore have begun to join the Hidden Chain with others rallying by Shae's side. Shae noticed that something was amiss and asked the Commander if anything was amiss to which they keep the details to themselves. [2]