User:Jensaarai/Exar Kun

'''Same basic rule as always: no touchy without my go ahead. I welcome suggestions on the talk page, but please leave the article itself alone. I know I have probably made a whole laundry list of typos and I will get to them.''' Jensaarai 09:36, January 25, 2011 (UTC)

Opening
"I, too, had my questions. Every battle I have with fallen Jedi like you answers them. You betray everything you were taught. You betray yourselves. You are faithless..."

- K'Kruhk

The Dark Acolytes were a loosely organized group of Dark Jedi active during the Clone Wars. Gathered and recruited by the former Jedi Master turned Sith Lord Count Dooku, the Acolytes served the Confederacy of Independant Systems essentially as their counterparts to the Jedi Order. The Acolytes functioned as anything from assassins to spies to military leaders, but all operated primarily as Dooku's enforcers. Most of the members would become casualties of the war, and the organization itself would be essentially dissolved with Dooku's death.

Overview
"You will have to deal with them if you are going to get close to Dooku. He sets one against the other, but they will unite against a perceived common threat to their position. Approach them carefully."

- Tholme



The Dark Acolytes were a group of Dark Jedi recruited by Count Dooku and his Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. They operated as Dooku's enforcers, and served as anything from military commanders to personal bodyguards for the Count himself.

Many of the Acolytes were former Jedi, having defected to the CIS due to their frustrations with the corrupt Galactic Republic. However, many members were previously undiscovered Force-sensitives that Dooku found and trained himself. While not true Sith in their own right, and therefore not a violation of the Sith Rule of Two, certain members of the acolytes were provided with training in certain aspects of Sith power. A notable example of this is Asajj Ventress' training in the Sith Quey'tek meditation.

Dark Acolytes often used Sith Enforcer battle tanks on the battlefield. Each of these craft were armed with a pair of supercharged blaster cannons and two missile launchers. Though effective in one-on-one attacks, Dooku insisted that they travel in groups of three for improved effectiveness. All of the Acolytes were provided with red synth-crystals for their lightsabers; Quinlan Vos was notably provided with the crystal originally used by Darth Andeddu.

Artel Darc


Artel Darc commanded the CIS forces on Dagu, where he enslaved the Rybet inhabitants. His activities drew the attention of the Republic, and a military force led by Shaak Ti attacked Dagu. Darc led his forces against the Republic, and battled Shaak Ti blade-to-blade on the battlefield, but was ultimately cut down by the Jedi Master.

Asajj Ventress
Asajj Ventress was arguably the most prominent member of the Dark Acolytes, even recieving an introduction to Darth Sidious. A Dathomirian sold to Rattataki slavers, Ventress became a powerful warlord on the blood-soaked world. When Count Dooku arrived onplanet during the weeks preceding the Clone Wars, Ventress challenged him, impressing him with her lightsaber skills despite being soundly beaten. She operated primarily as a military commander and even an administrator, being frequently teamed with Durge and leading military campaigns on Ohma-D'un and Teth, to name a few, and being given control of the Swamp gas production facility on Queyta, though her primary vocation was as an assassin and spy.

Trained by Dooku, Ventress was even made privy to certain Sith techniques, such as the Quey'tek meditation. Her increasing power eventually caused Darth Sidious to view her as a threat, and he ordered Dooku to execute her. Dooku disguised this execution behind punishment for failure, and Ventress only barely escaped. Returning to her original homeworld of Dathomir, she was nursed back to health by the Nightsisters, and began seeking vengeance against Dooku. Recruiting three of her fellow Sisters, she travels to Dooku's stronghold on Serenno and attempts to assassinate him. Dooku manages to fend her off, though he remains ignorant of her identity. Opting for a new tactic, she recruits the Zabrak Nightbrother Savage Opress to infiltrate the Dark Acolytes and aid her against Dooku. The plan failed utterly, as an enraged Opress turned against both his masters, and an unaided Ventress was forced to flee Dooku's wrath.

Asajj Ventress eventually resurfaced on Boz Pity, in a CIS-held medical base. Obi-Wan Kenobi, convinced that Ventress was still alive despite all evidence to the contrary, had been obsessively hunting her across the galaxy. He discovered her within the base during the Republic invasion of the world, and Dooku essentially sicced her on him. As she fell on Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in blind rage, she was again abandoned by Dooku as he moved to flee the planet. Attempting to rejoin her master, she was gunned down on Dooku's orders. Still alive, Ventress was then mortally wounded by Anakin Skywalker when she moved to attack Kenobi. She apparently died in the arms of her nemesis, providing the Republic with intel on the CIS before expiring, even acknowledging that Kenobi may have been right about her potential redemption. However, her death was only a ruse; she had used Sith-meditation techniques to still her bodily functions; and she hijacked the Republic medical transport her "corpse" was stowed on and disappeared for parts unknown.

Dark Acolyte Trio
The Dark Acolyte trio were a group of anonymous acolytes who participated in the Battle of Geonosis. Their origins and identities were unknown. During the battle, they helped cover Dooku's retreat by guarding the ground entrance to the Count's private hangar. Piloting Sith Enforcer battle tanks, they came into conflict with Mace Windu, and all three perished, but they succeeded in delaying him long enough for Dooku to escape.

Doppelgängers of Dooku


It is unknown how these replicas of Dooku came into being, whether as a Cloning experiment or a Force-based construct/illusion, but they served as members of the true Dooku's acolytes. Compared to the genuine article, these replicas served largely mundane purposes, one being assigned to guard Wat Tambor's C-B3 cortosis battle droid factory on Metalorn, while another was stationed at Dooku's homeworld of Serenno. Both were slain by Anakin Skywalker, who eventually killed the real Dooku.

Kadrian Sey


When the Clone Wars began, the Jedi Kadrian Sey essentially vanished, failing to report to Coruscant following the Battle of Geonosis. One of Dooku's earliest known recruits, Sey served as a personal bodyguard for the Count, alongside Tol Skorr. She and Skorr enjoyed a tense relationship, being set against one another by Dooku, but both would unite against a percieved threat to their position. She accompanied Dooku to Tibrin alongside Skorr, Quinlan Vos and Sora Bulq, for negotiations with the Ishi Tib leader, Suribran Tu. Dooku inquired Sey's opinion regarding what to do with the compliant Tu, and Sey recommended leaving him in power to provide administrative continuity. Dooku ultimately opted for Vos' argument that the sell-out Tu could not be trusted, and executed him on the spot. Kadrian Sey and Tol Skorr were tasked with clearing away Suribran Tu's corpse, and mounting his severed head somewhere highly visible to let the jubilant Ishi Tib see that the dictator was dead.

Sey apparently had some expertise in torture, applying this talent upon the captured Shylar while Dooku interrogated her. Afterwards, she accompanied Dooku to Kiffu as part of his entourage while he negotiated with the Sheyf Tinte Vos. The Sheyf was uncooperative, and negotiations quickly soured. As the Acolytes present with Dooku fought their way towards Tinte Vos, Quinlan Vos stepped in to protect his aunt, revealing himself as a Republic agent. Kadrian Sey was cut in half by the Jedi.

Karoc and Vinoc
Karoc and Vinoc were twin brothers in service to Count Dooku. They were both stationed to protect the Cortosis droid foundry on Metalorn. Unfortunately, they were confronted by Anakin Skywalker, who defeated both in the ensuing lightsaber duel.

Nikkos Tyris
An Anzati, Nikkos Tyris was a former Jedi Knight believed lost during on Baltizaar during a battle against the Bando Gora. In truth, Tyris and his followers travelled to Susevfi, where they began experimenting with Sith techniques and knowledge away from the prying eyes of the Jedi. These Darksiders would call themselves the "Jensaarai", the "hidden followers of truth" in the ancient Sith language. During the Clone Wars, Tyris was approached by Dooku, who offered to provide him with access to a Sith holocron stolen from the Jedi Temple in exchange for his services.

There is little information on Tyris' activities on behalf of the CIS during the war, but sometime after the Battle of Praesitlyn, his Dark Jedi training ground on Susevfi was discovered by the Jedi. A three-Jedi strike force comprised of Nejaa Halcyon, Ylenic It'kla, and "Desertwind" attacked the structure Tyris had based his group within. Tyris squared off with Halcyon, taking advantage of his lack of telekinetic abilities and running him through. However, Halcyon used the last of his strength to drain the energy from Tyris' lightsaber and used the Force to break every bone in Tyris' body, killing him. The release of dark side energy caused by Tyris' death destroyed his complex, killing all but four of his apprentices. His apprentices would go on to reform the Jensaarai, free of Tyris' dark influence.

Quinlan Vos
Quinlan Vos was dispatched by Tholme to infiltrate Dooku's Dark Acolytes; a double-agent in the enemy camp. While he was welcomed with open arms, Vos was relegated to errands and more mundane assignments, and confronted Dooku about this. Dooku aquiesed, and provided Vos with lessons in the Dark Side, while Vos used his newfound favor to gather information. Dooku was apparently pleased with Vos' performance, and requested his assistance in negotiating with the Sheyf Tinte Vos about establishing a CIS base on Kiffex. Vos accompanied Dooku there, alongside Kadrian Sey and Tol Skorr. Negotiations with the Sheyf quickly soured, and Dooku and the acolytes present attacked her guards in a move to assassinate her. Quinlan Vos reached his aunt first, ostensibly to kill her, but in truth to protect her. He turned on Kadrian Sey, cutting her down and revealing his status as a double agent. Fleeing the scene with the Sheyf in tow, Vos was quietly pursued by Dooku, who revealed that he had known all along that he was a spy. Quinlan Vos was disarmed by Dooku, who then provoked him into amplifying his psychometric abilities with the Dark Side of the Force, and reading information directly from Tinte Vos' mind. Quinlan learned of her role in the death of his parents, and murdered his aunt in a blind rage. His turn to the Dark Side no longer an act, Quinlan Vos was fully accepted into the fold.

Quinlan Vos and Tol Skorr became rivals within the acolytes, jockeying with one another for Dooku's favor. When tasked with retrieving the Holocron of Heresies on Korriban, they competed, and Vos prevailed, presenting the Holocron to Dooku. Dooku, pleased with Vos' performance, presented him with Darth Andeddu's synth-crystal for his lightsaber, before dispatching him to assassinate Senator Viento on Coruscant. Still in denial about his turn to the Dark Side, and obsessed with finding Dooku's Sith master, Vos mistook Viento to be the second Sith Lord. Enraged to discover that Viento was just another political assassination, Vos was informed by Dooku that it was yet another test, as he knew that Vos hadn't yet completely embraced the Dark Side. Vos was eventually utilized in a scheme to infiltrate the Jedi Order as a CIS triple agent, supposedly being hounded by Tol Skorr and Asajj Ventress, who had been kept in the dark about the scheme to give Vos added credibility. He was aided by Kenobi, and after fighting for the Republic at the Battle of Rendili, he was brought before the Jedi Council for judgement. He was accepted back into the Jedi Order.

Vos' position as a Separatist agent would eventually be applied during the Siege of Saleucami. While fighting for the Republic, he secretly provided the CIS with intelligence. However, his efforts were hindered by the commanding General Oppo Rancisis' tendancy to memorize battle plans, only revealing the information as he executed it. While meeting with the Separatist command, he was ordered to hunt down and kill Tholme, who had infiltrated the base months prior and was engaged in a campaign of sabotage. Vos apparently killed Tholme, and found himself in overall command of the Republic forces, as Rancisis had been assassinated by Sora Bulq. In an act of betrayal against the Separatists, Vos sent Aayla Secura to plant charges in the geothermal power center below the base, and struck back against his fellow Acolytes. With help from Tholme, who had faked his death during their duel, Vos killed Tol Skorr and Sora Bulq.

Saato
Saato was a Dathomiri Witch recruited by Dooku. During the rise of the Cortosis droids, Saato was sent to Tatooine to capture Raala Ponchar, a Galactic Republic spy whom had learned more about this new menace to the galaxy. She did this with relative ease, and imprisoned the spy in the dungeons from Jabba Desilijic Tiure. With the aid of Aurra Sing, she tried to halt the advance of Anakin Skywalker who had been sent to the planet to search for Ponchar. Sing first tried to stop him near Mos Espa, but Saato had to step in to save the bounty hunter in front of Jabba the Hutt's palace. She managed to subdue Skywalker by force choking, him. After he had passed out, she left him in the same cell as Ponchar.

Unfortunately, she had severely underestimated the powers of the Chosen One. Anakin managed to easily escape Jabba's dungeons and had managed to retrieve the information that Ponchar carried. As he escaped by stealing a skiff from the Hutt, Saato commandeered one of her own, and shot Skywalker down on his way back to his Jedi Starfighter near the Great Pit of Carkoon. Deciding to take care of Skywalker once and for all, she engaged in a fierce battle with the Jedi. In the duel that followed, only the Chosen One walked away victoriously.

Savage Opress
Effectively recruited as a replacement for Asajj Ventress after Darth Sidious ordered her execution, Savage Opress was a Zabrak born into the Dathomiri Nightbrothers, essentially as a slave to the Nightsisters. Reinforced by Nightsister "Shadow Magic", Opress was presented to Dooku obstensibly as a new apprentice, but in truth as an agent of the vengeful Asajj Ventress. Opress' initial assignment was the seizure of the Devaron Temple of Eedit, a task Opress completed with brutal efficiency.

Greatly satisfied with Opress, Dooku immediately took him under his wing, training him as a true Sith apprentice. Opress was trained to wield a Double-bladed lightsaber, following in the footsteps of his kinsman, Darth Maul, and engaged in numerous sparring sessions with Dooku. Despite Opress' obvious battlefield effectiveness, his lightsaber technique was sorely lacking, and he was bested many times. Dooku began to focus his lectures on the use of passionate Hatred to achieve power, brutally torturing Opress with Force lightning. Opress was assigned with capturing King Katuunko of Toydaria, and cut a brutal swath through Katuunko's guards. However, upon apprehending the King, Opress was confronted by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and in the heat of the battle, killed Katuunko.

Presenting Katuunko's corpse to Dooku, Opress was viciously tortured by his enraged master, who had wanted the King alive. It was then that Asajj Ventress revealed herself, and Opress' status as an agent was revealed. The two banded together against Dooku, but Opress was handily subdued by Dooku's use of Force lightning. Enraged by the callous insults of both his masters, Opress turned on Ventress as well. As he attacked both Dooku and Ventress, the two retreated, and he was again confronted by Kenobi and Skywalker before he could pursue. He drove the Jedi back with his offensive frenzy, eventually reaching the hangar bay of Count Dooku's frigate. However, he was forced to break off when the battle droids stationed in the hangar attacked him, having been informed of his treachery. He destroyed them all before fleeing onboard a solar sailer docked in the bay.

Sev'rance Tann
Sev'rance Tann was a Chiss female who left Chiss Space to become a Dark Acolyte and general in the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars. Hailing from Csilla in the Unknown Regions, she became one of few Chiss to leave her people during her time, along with her lover Vandalor, both becoming agents of Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY. Dooku taught Tann the use of the dark side of the Force, and she became one of his most trusted underlings. When the war broke out, Tann fought at Geonosis and later commandeered the Kaer Orbital Platform for Separatist use. When Dooku learned of the new Republic technology known as the Decimator, Tann was ordered to locate the weapons and steal them for the CIS to use.

After winning battles on Tatooine, Eredenn, and Alaris Prime, Tann stole the Decimators from the Republic and prepared them for Separatist use. She then launched an ambitious attack on Sarapin, on Dooku's orders, capturing one of the most heavily fortified planets in the galaxy and leaving many Core Worlds in darkness as a result, having destroyed the planet's geothermal generators. Tann was then sent to oversee Decimator construction on Krant, but was pursued by Jedi Master Echuu Shen-Jon, whose Padawan Tann had killed at Geonosis. After Shen-Jon destroyed the Decimator-producing foundries, Tann kidnapped his new Padawan, Naat Reath, and fled. Later, in a final confrontation in a CIS stronghold in the heart of the Krantian forest, Shen-Jon killed Tann. Although Tann had been a successful commander, she had lasted just a month in the Clone Wars.

Sora Bulq
Thought dead during the Battle of Geonosis, Sora Bulq emerged accompanying Tholme to Bakura. There, they both confronted Dooku, himself having just fled Geonosis and fresh from an engagement with Yoda. Despite the advanced skills of both Jedi, they were overcome. Taken and treated for his injuries by Dooku, Bulq was swayed to his cause and recruited into the Acolytes. He rescued the wounded Tholme and returned to the Jedi Temple as an enemy agent, and was tasked with creating a schism within the Jedi Order. He retreated to his family home on Ruul and gathered about him other wayward Jedi with concerns about the war. He invited Mace Windu to his home supposedly for a meeting, but in truth to make him appear an aggressor and assassinate him. Windu realized the nature of the scheme and confronted Bulq, who confirmed it before attempting to kill Windu himself. Windu incapacitated Bulq and broke off to rescue the other Jedi from Bulq's co-conspirator, Asajj Ventress. Bulq's use as a double agent was effectively squandered, but the CIS gained a capable new field agent, and Bulq became one of the most prominent of Dooku's acolytes.

Becoming one of Dooku's lieutenants and advisors, also served as a member of his guard on Antar 4. After Suribran Tu was executed on Tibrin, Bulq was tasked with taking charge of the government until a new one was established, as well as killing everyone in Tu's inner circle. Afterwards, Bulq was given control of the Morgukai Cloning operation on Saleucami, recruiting numerous Anzati assassins to train the Nikto warriors. As Dooku's attention was required elsewere, Bulq was given free reign to operate as he saw fit. When Quinlan Vos attempted to reject the Dark Side of the Force and betray the acolytes, aided by Tholme, Bulq focused on Tholme while Tol Skorr engaged Vos. His twisted by the Dark Side, Bulq felt that having saved Tholme's life on Bakura had entitled him to take it now, and he very nearly did, but Vos intervened. The duel between the two raged back and forth across the CIS command center, but Vos ultimately prevailed, slicing through Bulq's shoulder.

Tol Skorr
A former Jedi, Tol Skorr was shot down by pirates above Korriban, but was rescued by Dooku. Developing a strong loyalty to his savior, Skorr followed Dooku unquestioningly ever since, even leaving the Jedi Order and defecting to the CIS. A loyal member of the Acolytes, Skorr served primarily as one of Dooku's bodyguards, alongside Kadrian Sey. Set against one another by Dooku, the two enjoyed a tense relationship, though as Tholme noted, they would unite against a perceived threat to their positions.

After Kadrian Sey's death, Quinlan Vos became Skorr's primary nemesis within the Acolytes, the two jockeying for position in Dooku's eyes. Both were sent to the surface of Korriban to retrieve Darth Andeddu's Holocron of Heresies, and Skorr was outmaneuvered by Vos, and only survived thanks to a disappointed Dooku's intervention. When Vos was dispatched by Dooku to infiltrate the Jedi Order, Skorr was teamed with Asajj Ventress and sent to retrieve him, kept in the dark about the nature of the assignment in order to make Vos' redefection appear more convincing. With Obi-Wan Kenobi's help, Vos escaped them, and Skorr and Ventress were afterwards retrieved by General Grievous.

Tol Skorr was ultimately assigned as Sora Bulq lieutenant when the latter was given command of the Morgukai Cloning operation on Saleucami, leading the CIS forces on the ground during the Siege of Saleucami. Made aware of the nature of Quinlan Vos' assignment, Skorr served as one of his contacts among the CIS forces, delivering Dooku's summons. When Vos finally sought to reject the Dark Side and quit the Dark Acolytes, Skorr fought him, relentlessly taunting Vos about how he was deceived by Dooku. Spurred into anger, Vos sent Skorr plummetting into the lava pits below the CIS-held geothermal power station that served as their base.

Trenox


The Dark Acolyte known as Trenox was involved in the Coruscant Insurrection, helping Dooku command the CIS forces during the battle. Encountering Anakin Skywalker, Trenox fled from him into the Coruscant underlevels. He encountered and threatened Dexter Jettster, though the Besalisk managed to evade him, and Trenox was again confronted by Skywalker within a Club. After a brief duel, Trenox opted to flee again, escaping on a speeder bike. Trenox accompanied Dooku into the Jedi Temple, and again was confronted by Anakin Skywalker. This time, Trenox stood his ground, and the two fought long against one another. However, Trenox was ultimately cut down.

Quinlan Vos' infiltration


Frustrated by the mundane tasks he was being set to, Vos travelled to Antar to confront Dooku about this. Arriving at the entrance to Dooku's stronghold, Vos was confronted by Tol Skorr and Kadrian Sey. Perceiving him as a threat, the two drew their lightsabers and attacked him. Vos easily held them off, though the scuffle alerted Sora Bulq, who intervened. Bulq escorted Vos to meet with Dooku. Vos presented his case that he was being wasted on mundane tasks while "lesser skilled Jedi" performed the important jobs. Dooku countered that the other acolytes had earned his trust, unlike Vos, though he agreed to give him a chance. Dooku first demanded that Quinlan's abilities and skillsets be evaluated, and sharpened if need be. As Vos left the chamber, Sora Bulq counciled that Vos' inherent darkness made him potentially useful.

Vos was provided with a number of lessons in the dark side of the Force, all the while using his psychometric abilities to gather intelligence, learning of Dooku's negotiations with the Kiffu Guardians. During a sparring match with Dooku, Vos' fighting skills were heavily critisized by Dooku, who gave him a sound beating. Immediately afterwards, Dooku had travelled to Tibrin, which had just been captured by the Confederacy. Accompanied by Vos, Sora Bulq, Tol Skorr, and Kadrian Sey, Dooku negotiated with the Ishi Tib leader, Suribran Tu. Tu was compliant, though Dooku turned to his acolytes for council on what to do with him. Kadrian Sey recommended keeping him in power to ensure administrative continuity, while Quinlan Vos called for his removal, questioning his trustworthiness and citing that leaving a tyrant in power only demonstrated a lack of meaningful difference between the Republic and the Confederacy. After pressing Vos for his reasons, Dooku opted for his argument, and executed Suribran Tu on the spot. Sora Bulq was given control of the local government, Skorr and Sey were tasked with clearing away Tu's body and placing his head on display for the local populace. Quinlan Vos was given a completely different task; intercept the duplicitous Falleen Senator Zurros at The Wheel and assassinating him.

Over the course of the six days that Quinlan Vos was off-planet, another Jedi infiltrator, Shylar, was found out and captured. Taken to the dungeon level of one of Dooku's strongholds, she was mercilessly tortured by Kadrian Sey while Dooku quietly interrogated her. Vos entered the dungeon, supposedly with Zurros' head, but only with his topknot. Vos revealed that he had only intimidated Zurros rather than killing him, stating that Dooku would only have to start over with Zurros' replacement, where the Senator now knows what will happen if he bungles again. Dooku was apparently pleased with Vos' actions, valuing intelligence. Dooku then told Vos about his negotiations with the Kiffu guardians, planning to establish a CIS base on the prison planet Kiffex, but experiencing resistance from Sheyf Tinte Vos. Dooku wanted Quinlan to accompany him.

Subjugation of the Kiffu Guardians


Arriving on Kiffu with Quinlan Vos, Tol Skorr, and Kadrian Sey in his entourage, Dooku negotiated with Sheyf Tinte Vos. The proceedings quickly soured when Sheyf Vos revealed her intent to use the post-war confusion when the Clone Wars ended to gather power for herself. Dooku ordered his acolytes to attack her guards and assassinate her. The battle was already slanted in favor of the Dark Acolytes when Dooku decided to demonstrate his power, blasting numerous members of the Sheyf's guard with Force lightning. The acolytes began competing with one another to reach the Sheyf first. Quinlan Vos overleapt the competition and seized his aunt, lightsaber raised, only to turn and cut down Kadrian Sey when she moved to attack. Revealed as a Republic agent, Quinlan Vos grabbed hold of Tinte and fled the scene. Dooku ordered Skorr to finish mopping up the remaining guards while he quietly pursued Vos.

Within the Guardian complex, Quinlan Vos attempted to convince his confused and enraged aunt to gather the Kiffu clans to resist Dooku, but was interrupted by the Count himself. Dooku revealed that he had known all along that Vos was a Republic agent. As he and Vos crossed blades, Dooku deduced the infiltration to be Tholme's plan, and explained that he wanted Vos to continue serving as a spy, but serving Dooku instead of the Jedi. Vos refused, and Dooku subdued him with the Force before telling him to ask Tinte the truth about his parents death. Dooku further pressed Vos to augment his psychometric abilities with the dark side of the Force and literally read the information from Tinte. Quinlan Vos learned that Tinte Vos had sacrificed his parents to Anzati as part of a deal. Returning the enraged Vos' lightsaber to him, Dooku encouraged him to strike down the Sheyf, and Vos complied.

Now certain that Quinlan Vos' conversion to the dark side was no longer an act, Dooku took him under his wing and accepted him fully into the Dark Acolyte fold.

The Retrieval of the Holocron of Heresies


Count Dooku eventually became aware of the location of the Holocron of Heresies, though whether this was due to his own researches, or if he was informed by Darth Sidious is unknown. Whatever the case, he travelled to Korriban with Quinlan Vos and Tol Skorr, dispatching them to retrieve it. The mission quickly became a competition between the two, with Skorr lying in wait for Vos to retrieve the Holocron, using the secret paths he discovered during his previous visit to get the drop on Vos. However, Vos countered by guiding a Tuk'ata Sith hound into the fray and effectively siccing it on Skorr, retaking the holocron in the confusion. Vos fled up a large shaft towards the roof of the Sith temples where the Holocron was hidden, with Skorr in close pursuit. Vos reached the ramp of the ship hovering above first, and kicked Skorr back down the shaft. Tol Skorr would have died then and there had Dooku not intervened, levitating Skorr back up to the ship with the Force.

Dooku voiced his disappointment in Tol Skorr while the latter raged at Vos about the outcome of their contest, though Quinlan dismissed this, reasoning that the only thing that mattered was that Dooku had the holocron. Dooku acknowledged that Quinlan Vos was rapidly becoming the most reliable of his lieutenants. Vos accompanied Dooku to one of his strongholds as a guest, and even had the Holocron of Heresies displayed to him. Dooku and Vos engaged in a brief discussion about the Sith, during which Dooku denied the rumors that he was a Sith Lord. Dooku then presented Vos with a gift; the Darth Andeddu's synth-crystal. He also gave Vos another mission; to travel to Coruscant and perform an assassination.

The Assassination of Senator Viento


Quinlan Vos was provided with only a small amount of information, and was led to believe that the target was Darth Sidious. Infiltrating a Senate gathering disguided as his dead uncle, he was given the target's identity by Dooku via communicator. Waiting until Viento had returned home and went to sleep, Vos infiltrated his apartment, dodging the security systems and the notice of the target's bodyguard; Jedi Master K'Kruhk. As Vos moved to finish Viento, the ozone stench of his lightsaber alerted K'Kruhk to his presense. Vos was momentarily stalled by the Jedi's intervention, though he quickly cut down Viento, only to be shocked to discover his target's true identity. Vos moved to escape, with the Jedi in close pursuit. Khaleen Venz was supposed to pick him up, but she was a no-show, and Quinlan was left to with K'Kruhk to contend with. Landing atop a cargo tram below the apartment, Quinlan and K'Kruhk scuffled before Vos blasted him aside with a Force push.

Meeting Dooku at the rendevous point, he learned that Khaleen had been prevented from picking him up by Tol Skorr, acting on orders from Dooku. When he revealed to Dooku that he mistook Viento for a Sith, Dooku pointed that out as his mistake, and made clear that this was just a political assassination, and another test for Vos. Dooku pointed out that while Quinlan had turned to the dark side, he had not yet embraced it, and he had disappointed Dooku. Dooku departed Coruscant with Tol Skorr.

Quinlan Vos' subsequent missions


Operating as Dooku's enforcer, Quinlan Vos was dispatched by the Count to execute Kh'aris Fenn. Fenn had used credits allocated by Dooku to facilitate a takeover of Ryloth to instead pursue a personal vendetta against the Jedi, hiring Bounty hunters from the Crimson Nova guild. The Crimson Nova had been brought to heel by the Jedi, and Fenn's identity had been discovered. Vos, masquerading as Rh'ajah Fenn, delivered Dooku's message, and execution order. Revealing his identity, Vos handily subdued Fenn as he attempted to defend himself before igniting his lightsaber through the Twi'lek's chest. Vos decapitated Fenn's corpse, taking the head as proof of kill to Dooku, and leaving a recording of the incident as the scene as a warning to others. The Jedi who happened upon the scene later were appalled by Vos' cruelty, and the obvious pleasure he took in the deed.

Quinlan was later dispatched to Honoghr to retrieve the Scientific Instrument Package for the CIS bioweapon Trihexalophine1138, an aggressive defoliant that had been released on the lush world during a battle in orbit. He happened upon his former Jedi padawan, Aayla Secura, and one of her surviving clone troopers, Bly, being attacked by the Noghri natives as they moved to take the SIP for the Republic. He intervened and gunned down the Noghri, and offered to work with them. Despite initial tensions with Bly, they advanced quickly through the Rakatan temple the Noghri had hidden the SIP within, evading the traps and overcoming the Noghri in their path. Guiding Secura and Bly to his escape ship, the Skorp-Ion, Vos made his play, offering them safe-passage off-world in exchange for the SIP. Secura and Bly resisted, and Bly was quickly subdued while Vos crossed blades with his former student. Secura was eventually brought down, and Vos demanded she hand over the SIP. She refused, and Vos prepared to kill her, but hesitated. As he paused, he was fired at by Bly, who had recovered. Opting to retreat, Vos leapt aboard the Skorp-Ion and fled, without the SIP.

The Infiltration of the Jedi Order


Dooku conceived of a plan to infiltrate the Jedi Order, dispatching Quinlan Vos to return to them, pretending to redefect back to the Republic. For added credibility, he sent Asajj Ventress and Tol Skorr to retrieve him, intending them to fail but keeping them in the dark about the nature of the mission. Vos fled to the deserted science vessel, Titavian IV, and sent a Jedi distress signal. He repaired his ship and was scrounging the Titavian for supplies when Ventress and Skorr found him. The call for aid was answered by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who boarded the Titavian and found Vos being harassed by Ventress' attack droids. Kenobi decided to aid his former friend, and helped Vos escape the droids. When Kenobi pressed him about his activities, Vos claimed that he was still a Republic agent in the enemy camp. As Kenobi and Vos searched through the Titavian they were again set upon by Ventress' droids, who herded them to Ventress and Skorr themselves.

While Skorr attacked Vos, Ventress fixated on Kenobi. Skorr managed to subdue Vos, though Kenobi evaded Ventress and released a Rancor from it's onboard holding pen, effectively siccing it on Ventress and Skorr. While they broke off to deal with it, Kenobi rescued Vos. Vos was sent out it Kenobi's one-man starfighter to retrieve his own ship, the Skorp-Ion, while Kenobi delayed Ventress and Skorr. However, Kenobi was forced to contend with the Rancor as well, as Ventress managed to dominate it. Kenobi made it to the hangar, where he was attacked by Skorr aboard his own ship. Leaping atop Ventress Rancor mount, Kenobi kicked her off and killed the beast before retreating to an overhead catwalk. Ventress pursued him and attacked, but was forced to break off when Skorr fired on the platform. Unfortunately, Skorr was himself shot down by Vos aboard the Skorp-Ion, allowing Kenobi and Vos to flee. However, Ventress had placed a tracer aboard Vos' ship, allowing her to track Vos. Despite this, the retrieval was a failure, and adding insult to injury, Ventress and Skorr were in turn retrieved by Grievous. Kenobi brought Vos before Master Saesee Tiin just prior to the Battle of Rendili, and Vos was disarmed and encarcerated. However, during the battle, power surges aboard the Republic flagship from the battle damage allowed Vos to escape and retrieve his weapons. Taking a Jedi starfighter, Vos joined the Republic forces. Vos' aid proved instrumental to the Republic victory.



Afterwards, Quinlan Vos was brought before the Jedi Council for judgement, with Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Tholme testifying on his behalf. Quinlan Vos was accepted back into the Jedi Order. During the latter stage of the trial, Anakin Skywalker stole away to receive a message from Padme Amidala, his secret wife. Asajj Ventress, who had arrived on-planet in pursuit of Vos and Kenobi, decided to attack him instead. Ventress declared that first she would kill Amidala to torture Skywalker, before killing him. Skywalker attacked her, and the two battled back and forth across the deserted Coruscant rooftop. Ventress managed to slash at Skywalker's face, leaving him with his distinctive facial scar next to his right eye, though she was subdued by Skywalker's brutal retaliation. Entangled in a mess of electrified wires, Ventress was dropped off the side of the building. Despite her injuries, Ventress would survive to fight another day. Kenobi would later visit the Coruscant underlevels beneath the site of the duel, and see the scavengers and and slum-dwellers who missed limbs and sported lightsaber burns, victims of Ventress' escape.

The Kidnapping of Rotta the Hutt


The Confederacy of Independant Systems began looking to gain control of all the hyperspace lanes to the Outer Rim, and were looking to deal with the Hutts to get them. However, they didn't trust Jabba Desilijic Tiure to side with them, so Dooku began plotting with Jabba's uncle, Ziro Desilijic Tiure, to kidnap Jabba's son, Rotta the Hutt, to force his hand. On the off-chance that Jabba appealed to the Republic for help, Dooku dispatched Asajj Ventress to delay the only two Jedi who would be available to help; Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ventress took command of the CIS forces on Christophsis, where Kenobi and Skywalker were leading the Repulic campaign. She enlisted the disgruntled Clone sergeant, Slick, as a Confederacy agent, and he began supplying them with intel on the Republic forces. When the Republic forces became aware of a spy in their midst, Kenobi and Skywalker travelled to the Confederacy command center to attempt to discover his identity. However, while Slick was discovered by the Clones, he used the Jedi's absense to engage in a sabotage campaign, destroying the Republic gunships and weapon depots. The Jedi confronted Ventress within the command center, though the duel was ultimately little more than a stalling tactic, and the Jedi learned too late the identity of the spy. They also beheld the arrival of CIS reinforcements.

While the Jedi moved to lead their diminished forces against the CIS reinforcements, Ventress departed for Tatooine, kidnapping Rotta personally. Rotta was taken and ensconsed in a CIS-controlled B'omarr monastery, guarded by Ventress and a large force of battle droids. When Republic forces led by Anakin Skywalker and his new padawan, Ahsoka Tano, arrived, Ventress allowed them to gain entry into the monastery and retrieve the Huttlet, recording the event with a her personal spy droid, 4A-7. The droid then edited the footage to make the Jedi treatment of Rotta appear abusive before sending the recording to Dooku on Tatooine, who presented it to an infuriated Jabba the Hutt. Ventress called in droid reinforcements before moving to retrieve Rotta from the Jedi, pursuing Skywalker and Tano deeper into the monastery as they made their way to a secondary landing platform at the rear of the complex. She managed to head the Jedi off in an abandoned Hutt throne room - the monastery was formerly Hutt-controlled - before they fled into a Rancor pit below the chamber. As Ventress battled the Jedi, the Jungle rancor kept within the chamber attacked them, and Skywalker outmaneuvered her, and Ventress was nearly crushed under the beast's bulk. Escaping the beast, Ventress pursued the Jedi to the landing platform, left with only Tano to contend with while Skywalker attempted to break in a native Can-cell. Ahsoka didn't last long against Ventress' fury, and she only survived because Skywalker intervened with his new steed. Skywalker and Tano escaped to a nearby landing platform with a ship landed on it.



Forced to rely on the CIS air support to shoot down Skywalker, and allow Dooku to twist the story he told Jabba and make the Republic look responsible, Ventress then went to deal with the newly arrived Kenobi. Luring Kenobi deeper within the monastery, Ventress engaged him. Kenobi simply fended off Ventress, all the while prodding and enraging her, and it wasn't until they reached the outer ramparts of the monastery that Ventress understood that Kenobi was simply stalling her, preventing her from taking direct command of the CIS forces and buying time for Skywalker to escape into hyperspace. Ventress broke off and reported to Dooku, who had her deliver a false message to Jabba that Skywalker had killed Rotta. On Tatooine, Skywalker and Tano split up, Tano delivering Rotta to Jabba's palace while Skywalker acted the decoy. Taking matters into his own hands, Dooku confronted Skywalker out on the Dune sea, and the two crossed blades. Dooku managed to cut open Skywalker's weighted backpack, that supposedly contained Rotta, only to discover the ruse, though he was unsurprised and prepared, having left a trio of IG-100 MagnaGuards as Jabba's palace to ambush Tano. Skywalker broke off to rescue her, as Dooku planned, expecting the MagnaGuards to kill Tano while Skywalker confronted Jabba. The plan nearly worked, save for the fact that Tano defeated the droids and returned Rotta to Jabba. Dooku departed Tatooine and reported to Darth Sidious, who was largely unconcerned with the outcome of the scheme, having arranged it as a win-win situation.

The Rescue of Nute Gunray


During a "diplomatic" mission to Rodia, Nute Gunray had gotten himself captured by Padme Amidala and Jar Jar Binks, and he was ensconsed aboard the Star Destroyer Tranquility for transport and interrogation. Both Dooku and Darth Sidious were aware that the cowardly Neimoidian wouldn't last long under Jedi interrogation, so Dooku sent Asajj Ventress to either free Gunray, or silence him. Sidious was initially against the plan, Ventress' numerous failures having eroded his faith in her, though he ultimately approved the scheme. Dooku reminded Ventress that this mission had no margin for error, and her credibility was on the line. As the Tranquility went under way, a number of CIS boarding pods appeared and latched onto the ship, deploying a force of Super battle droids and Ventress. While the droids distracted the security forces aboard the vessel, Ventress executed a Clone survivor in the hangar and made off with his vambrace, using the built-in comlink to moniter the communication chatter, and she infiltrated the engine room, planting numerous explosives throughout the chamber. To get the attention of the Jedi, Ventress aggressively broke into the Tranquility detention level and attacked the guards, and engaged Ahsoka Tano. The duel was cut short by the arrival of Luminara Unduli, who had been leading the security forces against the droids. Ventress triggered the explosives in the engine room and fled the detention level, with Unduli in close pursuit. However, Tano was ordered to remain behind and guard Gunray.

In the ruined engine room, Unduli and Ventress fought in earnest. Luminara provoked Ventress into a rage when she critisized the Acolytes dueling skills, and Ventress got the better of her, pinning her under a series of industrial pipes. As Ventress moved to finish Unduli, Tano arrived and drove her off before freeing Unduli. The two Jedi worked together against Ventress, as Ventress had planned, and she signalled her agent, the Senate Commando Faro Argyus to make his move in the absense of the Jedi. Argyus had been a longtime agent Dooku's, operating as a CIS sleeper agent. Argyus killed the other guards and freed Gunray, and the two hijacked a small frigate in the Tranquility's docking bay. Ventress outmaneuvered the Jedi and rendezvoused with the frigate in a Republic escape pod. Unfortunately for Argyus, Ventress killed him in a fit of hubris after he slighted her, though Gunray was unconcerned. The Republic would attempt to track down Gunray and recapture him, tracking the Republic frigate used for his escape, but Dooku expected such a move, and lured the Jedi to Grievous' castle in the Vassek system, both as a trap and a test for Grievous himself.

Creation of the Morgukai Shadow Army
Seeking to establish a viable counter-measure to the Republic's clone army, the CIS recruited one of the last remaining Morgukai, Bok, using him as the template for a new clone army. Sora Bulq was given control of this operation, with Tol Skorr operating as his lieutenant. To train the Morgukai clones, Bulq recruited Anzati assassin teachers from Anzat. The necessary cloning facilities were constructed in the magma chambers beneath the capital city on Saleucami, also doubling as the training ground and all powered by the geothermal power stations also built into these catacombs. The clones and their instructers were all equipped with Cortosis alloy blades, to allow them to combat Jedi, though the source of these weapons is unknown. According to the assassin trainer Rath Kelkko, the Morgukai clones adapted quickly to the Anzati methods and techniques, though he noted that proper mastery required years.



However, Sora Bulq's frequent trips to Anzat to recruit trainers for the army alerted the Jedi to something amiss, and the Jedi Tholme and Aayla Secura were sent to investigate. Tholme followed the trail to Saleucami, and after witnessing Bulq and his cohorts reporting to Dooku within the Morgukai cloning facility, he contacted the Jedi and informed them of the situation. However, Bulq sensed his presense and attacked the Jedi. As the Dark Acolyte battled back and forth with his former comrade, he revealed the circumstances of his conversion to the dark side of the Force, and his reasons for saving Tholme's life then. In his rage-addled state of mind, Bulq stated that having saved Tholme's life then gave him the right to take it now. Tholme, aware that he couldn't defeat Sora Bulq, opted to evade him and lose himself in the maze of passages and catacombs that made up the cloning facility. Bulq was forced to contend with Tholme's campaign of sabotage while he prepared for the impending Republic invasion.

Concurently with these events, Quinlan Vos pursued his obsession with finding the "second Sith", coming into conflict with the Anzati assassin Saje' Tasha. However, Vos was forced to set aside his quest when he was selected by Master Oppo Rancisis to be his second in command during the upcoming Siege of Saleucami, his intimate knowledge of both Anzati and Morgukai being judged invaluable. Darth Sidious, who had had a personal interest in Quinlan Vos for many years, expected the Jedi's obsession with finding him to bring about his turn to the dark side.