Vindication, the tenth story arc featured in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic book series, unfolds with dramatic intensity. See the main article for more details.
To secure the Covenant's exposure to the Jedi Council, Xamar bargains for complete immunity for Krynda Draay, promising Tokare and Lamar that she will not be punished for her role in the Circle's misdeeds. Accepting these terms, the Council plans a raid on the heavily guarded Draay Estate, populated by Jedi loyal to the Covenant. Prior to the assault, Xamar, Carrick, and Hierogryph are dispatched to extract Krynda. Carrick, disguised as a Sith and concealing his lightsaber within a replica of the Muur Talisman, accompanies Xamar as he escorts his "prisoners" into the Estate. However, Haazen denies Xamar access to Krynda, opting instead to personally inspect Carrick. Carrick creates a diversion, enabling Xamar to disable the Estate's defenses, paving the way for the Order's attack. Haazen, however, uncovers Carrick's ruse, triggering "Vindication," a pre-arranged uprising of Covenant Jedi against the Order. Under Haazen's command, Covenant Jedi sabotage communications at the Jedi Temple, pilfer Sith artifacts from the Temple's vaults, transport them to the Draay Estate, and fortify the compound against the Council's approaching forces.
Draay is horrified as Haazen reveals his manipulation, explaining that her Council seat provided the Covenant with crucial access. Haazen then seizes control of the Swiftsure's systems, commandeering the Vanjervalis Chain and ordering the Republic fleet to bombard the Draay Estate's bridge. This act results in Xamar's death, fulfilling the Khil Jedi Master's role in the Rogue Moon Prophecy. As the Estate is engulfed in flames, Haazen sheds his robes, revealing his disfigured body and the numerous Sith artifacts integrated into his being, proclaiming the fulfillment of the Prophecy of the Five. Haazen then reflects on his past: his service to Barrison Draay, his training alongside Barrison and Krynda Hulis, and his heartbreak when Krynda chose Barrison as her husband. Failing to become a Jedi Knight, Haazen was seduced by the Sith, leading him to betray Barrison during the Sith War, an act that left him severely maimed. Rebuilt by the Sith, he later assisted Krynda Draay in establishing the Jedi Covenant, manipulating the organization from the shadows to further his own ambitions.
Lucien Draay's attempts to attack Haazen are thwarted by the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger, which renders its wearer untouchable unless permission is granted. Haazen elucidates his interpretation of the Prophecy of the Five: Q'Anilia represents the light in the darkness, Hierogryph is the one from the darkness who stands in the light, Carrick is the one for the light, and Haazen himself stands apart from all, while Draay is destined for darkness. Envisioning parallel armies of Jedi and Sith under his command, Haazen plans to use Carrick and Draay as his lieutenants. Q'Anilia rushes to protect Krynda, followed by Hierogryph, but Lucien, wielding the red-bladed lightsaber given to him by Haazen, prevents Carrick from intervening. Lucien, consumed by rage, pursues Carrick through the Estate. Upon reaching Krynda's chambers, Lucien finds Q'Anilia distraught over her teacher's apparent demise. The Miraluka has ingested poisoned wine, committing suicide as she foresaw. In her dying moments, Q'Anilia realizes that Hierogryph is the one foretold by the Rogue Moon Prophecy: he murdered Raana Tey, stole Feln's lightsaber, and wears the red space suit from the vision. As Q'Anilia dies, Hierogryph discovers that Krynda is not dead but entombed in an oubliette, similar to the one Morne was placed in on Jebble.
The battle between Lucien and Carrick is interrupted by Hierogryph's arrival with the dying Krynda, whom he freed from the oubliette. Krynda is horrified to learn that her son murdered the Padawans. She foresaw the Massacre shortly after Lucien reported the Rogue Moon Prophecy, but she suffered a stroke and Haazen imprisoned her in the oubliette, forcing her to relive her vision of the massacre repeatedly. Lucien attempts to justify his actions by claiming he was protecting her, but as she dies, Krynda admits her teachings were flawed and implores her son to face the future with humility. Enraged by his mother's death, Draay succumbs to the dark side and attacks Hierogryph, blaming him for Krynda's demise. Carrick defends Hierogryph, pleading with his former teacher to break free from Haazen's control. His words resonate with the distraught Jedi Master, who finally agrees to help Carrick. Meanwhile, Haazen slays the Covenant Jedi who deliver the Temple's Sith artifacts, and he watches as Hierogryph, pursued by Draay, enters the courtyard. Draay and Carrick clash once more over Hierogryph, but Carrick seemingly kills Draay when the Jedi Master is crushed beneath a falling statue of Barrison Draay.
To Hierogryph's astonishment, Carrick kneels before Haazen, pledging his loyalty in exchange for halting the bombardment of Coruscant. However, Carrick suddenly seizes Haazen's arm, claiming a vision of the future, and as Haazen hesitates, Carrick severs Haazen's prosthetic arm bearing the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. Haazen retaliates with Force lightning, hurling Carrick towards Hierogryph. To Haazen's surprise, both Carrick and the Snivvian are propelled into the sky, away from the compound. Draay emerges from the rubble, revealing that the fight was a ruse to approach Haazen. Using Haazen's severed arm, which controls the Republic fleet, Draay orders the fleet to obliterate the Draay Estate, killing the now vulnerable Haazen. Carrick and Hierogryph, meanwhile, land safely in a vat of sludge far from the Draay Estate. In the aftermath, the Republic and the Jedi Order conceal the events of Vindication, attributing it to a Mandalorian terrorist plot. Only the families of the slain Padawans are informed of the true events. The Order clears Carrick and Hierogryph's names by paying off their bounties, and Malak is sent back to the Revanchists with a warning against further interference in the war.
Hierogryph decides to depart Coruscant with Slyssk after presenting Jarael with Carrick's Padawan braid, assuming Carrick will be Knighted. However, Carrick surprises his friend by declining the Order's offer, choosing instead to partner with Hierogryph and Jarael in a venture the Snivvian dubs Cargryph Capital Management. Unbeknownst to the Republic and the Jedi, Draay survives the destruction of the Draay Estate thanks to the Gauntlet of Kressh, retreating to a moon he had previously acquired as a private sanctuary. Deeply affected by his encounter with the dark side, and blinded in the Estate's destruction despite the Gauntlet's protection, Draay decides to merge his parents' philosophies on the moon of Draay 2, forming a true Covenant of Jedi dedicated to surviving the prophesied doom rather than preventing it.