Tholme/Legends

"Your own death you do not fear, but the death of others is hard for you. It has never been easy for you to let others close; feelings can mean pain. Instead, you take refuge in your intellect. That has always gotten you in trouble."

- Zao

Tholme was a Jedi Master during the last years of the Galactic Republic, who served in both the Stark Hyperspace War and the Clone Wars. After completing his Jedi training, Tholme served as Jedi Watchman of the Kiffu sector, where he came across the young Jedi hopeful Quinlan Vos. Sending him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Tholme relinquished his Jedi Watchman status in favor of training Vos. Several years later, after Vos's training had been completed, a mishap occurred in which Vos lost his memory. When he had partially regained it, Tholme took it upon himself to help the wayward Jedi, and even took up Vos's former Padawan, Aayla Secura, as his own.

During the Separatist Crisis and subsequent Clone Wars, Tholme set up a spy network with Vos, hoping to glean information from the upper echelons of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After sustaining grievous injuries from Count Dooku himself on Bakura, Tholme masterminded the plan to have Vos infiltrate Dooku's inner circle of Dark Acolytes. However, Vos turned to the dark side in earnest, and began participating in highly damaging Separatist activities against the Republic. In the meantime, Tholme participated in several Republic engagements, on worlds such as Devaron, where he was injured by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and Saleucami where he would turn Vos back to the light and the Republic. He was able to evade Order 66 and the subsequent Great Jedi Purge along with his lover, the Neti Jedi T'ra Saa, and took refuge on Kashyyyk, hidden from the new Imperial occupation. He eventually died, and was given a funeral pyre on Anzat.

Jedi Watchman of Kiffu
"He's a little old, but I think I can convince the Council to allow it."

- Tholme, on Quinlan Vos

Tholme, a Human male, was a Force-sensitive and a member of the Jedi Order, where he found recognition as a healer. He was able to complete his Jedi training, but instead of immediately pursuing standard Jedi activities, Tholme decided to initially follow an alternate path. On Anzat, he sought out the highly acclaimed Anzati master Akku Seii, who proceeded to teach him the art of the Anzati assassins. Tholme excelled in his training, picking up the skill to mask his presence entirely in the Force, which allowed him to feign death. In addition to those talents, he became proficient at espionage and stealth, traits that would be put to use many a time during his Jedi career. At some point after his Anzati training was complete, Tholme enlisted Seii again, this time in his hunt for the Anzati assassin Katichak. He was eventually able to hunt down Katichak and successfully complete his mission.

Tholme was appointed by the Jedi High Council to serve as Jedi Watchman of the Kiffu sector, where he would oversee the goings on of the populace, and be on the lookout for potential Jedi. During his time there, he became good friends with the Kiffar Sheyf Kurlin Vos, and maintained a cordial relationship with the Guardians of the sector. Kurlin's distant cousins, Pethros and Quian Vos, had a Force-sensitive son, Quinlan. Knowledge of Vos's high midi-chlorian count had evaded Tholme, and by the time he had deemed Vos suitable for Jedi training, he was older than the average candidate. To complicate matters further, Tinté, Kurlin's sister, demanded Vos to stay on Kiffu and be trained as a Guardian. As a compromise, Kurlin requested that Quinlan stay on Kiffu, but be trained by Tholme. Tholme allowed this, and began training the boy in the basic Jedi arts, stepping down from his role as Jedi Watchman.

For several years, Tholme persisted with his instruction of Vos. Tinté, however, was displeased with the compromise, and sought to claim Quinlan for her own purposes. She made a deal with a group of Anzati who had come to Kiffex in search of the legendary Dark Jedi Volfe Karkko. She encouraged their destructive ways, and allowed their murder of the prisoners held in colonies on the planet. Eventually, they demanded more of Tinté, namely in the form of a blood relative. While Tholme was absent from Kiffu on a mission, she had them murder Pethros and Quian, in the hopes that their deaths would force Tholme and the Jedi to hand over custody of Quinlan to her.

Quinlan's psychometric abilities allowed him to glean memories and visions from objects just by touching them. When Tinté presented Quinlan with the Clan Vos emblem that Quian had worn during the Anzati attack, the young Jedi experienced his mother's death, which sent him into a state of shock. He screamed for three days, until Tholme arrived to comfort him and bring him back out of his state. Kurlin was disgusted with Tinté's actions, and Tholme convinced him that only orthodox Jedi training would allow Quinlan to master his talents and use them properly. The Sheyf agreed, and Tholme took the boy to the galactic capital Coruscant for proper training at the Jedi Temple. There, he took Quinlan as his first Padawan. Tholme's Watchman duties were filled by T'ra Saa, a Neti Jedi whom Tholme knew very well. His initial reports on the matter of Quinlan's traumatic experience excluded select details for the boy's own safety.

The training of Quinlan Vos
"Things escalated."

- Tholme, explaining what had happened on Thyferra during the Stark Hyperspace War

Tholme and the other Jedi were able to cure Vos of his ailment, though the memory of his ordeal would remain with him forever. The Jedi on Coruscant often commented on the darkness they sensed in Vos, and believed that it might trouble him in the future. The Council eventually dispatched Tholme on a mission involving tracking a dealer of interdicted beasts, such as wampas. He deduced that Clan Secura was involved in the illegal activities, and so journeyed to their homeworld of Ryloth with Vos to investigate. While discussing the matter with brothers Pol and Lon Secura, Vos wandered off to follow a disturbance he had felt from Aayla Secura, Pol's and Lon's niece. He discovered the illegally held creatures during his wanderings, and saved Aayla, from who he sensed a degree of Force-sensitivity. Tholme's mission was inadvertently complete, and he tested Aayla's midi-chlorian count at Quinlan's request. Her count was sufficiently high, and she was taken back to Coruscant.

When the smuggler Iaco Stark's actions against the Trade Federation on the Outer Rim attracted the attention of the Republic, the Jedi were appointed to intervene. On Thyferra, an alazhi processing plant exploded, causing a galaxy-wide bacta shortage. The Trade Federation was one of the few conglomerates that dealt in the substance, and so when Stark's ships began raiding them, they were able to sell it off at greatly inflated prices. Jedi Master Tyvokka, who was in charge of the Jedi team, suspected that the explosion was part of a ruse to deliberately lower bacta supplies, and turn profits for the Federation. He, along with the Council, decided to send Jedi to investigate. Tyvokka settled upon Tholme, due to his highly regarded espionage and subterfuge skills. Vos accompanied Tholme to Thyferra, where they began exploring the ruins of the Xucphra Corporation bacta refinery. Judging by the age of the wreckage, Tholme deduced that the explosion was, as Tyvokka had suspected, a Federation/Xucphra ruse. The investigation almost ran to its conclusion without incident, but the two Jedi were forced to do battle with HKB-3 hunter-killer droids on their way out.

Meanwhile, on Troiken, the Stark Hyperspace War had broken out, and was escalating rapidly. Journeying to a Thyferran city, Tholme eavesdropped on a meeting between Federation head Hask and Xucphra director Adol Bel. It confirmed his and Tyvokka's suspicions about the ruse, but he was attacked by a security droid before he could progress further. With Vos's help, he tried to escape the city, but was pursued by more of Xucphra's droids. The pair eventually found refuge in a sewer, but with their presence known, they found further movements on Thyferra difficult.

Tholme and Vos were able to gain passage off the planet on a bacta freighter, but the ship was seized by Stark's forces, and redirected to Troiken. Tholme decided to deny Stark the use of the bacta, and destroyed the craft with explosives. Coincidentally, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, were present at the same time, escorting Senator Valorum and Adi Gallia off-planet and away from the combat zones. Jinn took Tholme and Vos back to Mount Avos, where Jedi Master Plo Koon and Senator Ranulph Tarkin's Republic Army had taken refuge. Tholme was saddened by the news of Tyvokka's death during the war's opening confrontation, but Vos took the news even harder. He went off, seeking solitude, but stirred the mountain's challat eaters in his explorations. He was only saved thanks to the intervention of Kenobi. Tholme, along with Jinn and Koon, sealed off the challat eater cave from the rest of the encampment as a safety precaution, and then prepared for the Fourth Battle of Qotile.

Koon understood that the continued fighting would do nothing but whittle down the Republic's numbers, and so he prepared to take alternate action. He organized a Jedi meditation circle in the hopes that he would be able to communicate with his niece on Coruscant, Sha Koon. With the aid of Tholme, Vos, Jinn, and Kenobi, Koon was able to do so, and requested the support he needed to keep his men alive. As a result, Koon then planned for and executed the Fifth Battle of Qotile. Tholme and Vos infiltrated the Raptor, the flagship of the Stark Commercial Combine, in order to broadcast the patch to the navcomputer virus that had stopped hyperspace travel and had allowed Stark to cripple Tarkin's fleet at the opening of the conflict. Jinn and Kenobi were able to secure the patch from the Combine Headquarters, which allowed Tholme and Vos to execute their part of the mission. In addition, Vos decided to disable the shields of the Raptor, making the space battle easier for the Republic relief force. The conflict was won, with hyperspace travel restored, and Stark's organization destroyed.

The Anzati of Kiffex
"I'm surprised you do not know me, Quinlan Vos. After all, for a long time, you were my Padawan."

- Tholme

Vos eventually became a Jedi Knight, and Tholme sent him off with his blessing. Later, the Kiffar took Secura as his Padawan learner, and the two roamed the galaxy on missions for the Council. A few years after the Invasion of Naboo, both Vos and Secura were captured and drugged by criminals. The incident resulted in complete amnesia for both. Due to her Twi'lek physiology, Aayla was eventually able to reclaim her memory, but Vos was not as successful. The ordeal had left him changed, and despite re-training by both Jedi Councilman Mace Windu and Master Sora Bulq, the Council was troubled by the increased level of darkness in him. Vos was subsequently dispatched by the Council to Kiffex at his aunt Tinté's behest, where he was to investigate the massacre of a security compound. The Council also warned him of a disturbance in the Force in the system, as reported by Master Saa. Despite sending Vos alone, the Council had little faith in his abilities to properly execute the mission, and so dispatched Tholme to watch over him. Tholme also followed Vos to Kiffex because of his own suspicions about Tinté's request for Jedi assistance.

As Tholme had suspected, Vos was driven to near-madness by the memories of the Anzati that he gleaned from objects in the abandoned compound. He had no direct memory of Tholme, but recognized him from the files he had studied. Also at the compound was the Devaronian bounty hunter Vilmarh Grahrk, who had aided Vos immediately after the memory loss incident. The trio set out from the compound to the town of Deadend, where they were attacked by a group of thugs. Despite Vos's memory loss, the two Jedi fought in perfect unison, disarming the guards before making a smooth and relatively unnoticed entry into the locale. In Grahrk's secret lair, Tholme taught Vos more about his past, specifically, Tinté's manipulation of him as a child. Vos, who experienced his mother's death for a second time in his visions, began to hallucinate, seeing Tholme as one of the Anzati killers. Enraged, he attacked his former Master, who in turn quickly subdued Vos by pushing him into a pile of junk. Vos was sobered, but the visions served to heighten his suspicions of Tinté's actions.

The Force drew Tholme and Vos to the Black Hole cantina, where they met the blind wandering Jedi Master Zao. Zao was subsequently set upon by thugs, which prompted Tholme and his former Padawan to intervene. Eventually, the bar fight turned into an all-out battle, when a pack of feral Anzati arrived unexpectedly. Even more shocking to Vos than the surprise attack was the identity of the Anzati's leader&mdash;lost Jedi Aayla Secura. Secura and her Anzati were beaten back and able to escape, but Vos was enraged at the fact that he had been played for a fool by Tholme and the Council. Tholme, attempting to defuse the situation, assured Vos that it was pure coincidence.

Meanwhile, Grahrk had located a stash of vacated speeder bikes, with which the Jedi and the Devaronian pursued Secura. During the chase through the Kiffex swamps, Vos's speeder was destroyed, and he was captured by the Anzati. T'ra Saa, Tholme's replacement as Jedi Watchman, arrived and saved him, reuniting him with Tholme, Zao, and Grahrk. Tholme was pleased to see Saa, a Jedi he had admired, respected, and been good friends with even before her appointment to the role of Watchman of the Kiffu sector. Saa had been dispatched from Coruscant, where a holocron had revealed information about Volfe Karkko, the fallen Jedi who had drawn the Anzati to Kiffex. Karkko, an Anzati himself, had been imprisoned on Kiffex by a team of Jedi Masters, and Tholme correctly deduced that Secura must have reawakened and freed him. Though Saa's mission was to bring Vos back to Coruscant, she understood his need to save Secura, despite Tholme's concerns that Vos's previous "experience" with Anzati would cloud his judgment. Nevertheless, he continued to follow Vos, and the four Jedi set off for Karkko's temple. Grahrk, however, decided to leave the Jedi, and make his own way offworld.

All the way to the temple, the group was harried by the Anzati on their bathwa mounts. As they got closer, the resistance to their efforts multiplied, until, at the doorway of the ancient structure, the Jedi were surrounded by Anzati. Vos was able to escape, however, and entered the temple alone. He swayed Secura back to the light, and rekindled her Jedi memories, but Karkko, displeased, intervened and attacked Vos. Tholme sensed that Vos was losing the battle, both with Karkko and the dark side, so he, Saa, and Zao, joined together to strengthen him through the Force. Vos dispatched Karkko with one strike, and rescued the injured Secura. At that moment, the Guardians of Kiffex began their orbital bombardment of the Anzati temple, but the Jedi were saved due to the timely return of Grahrk in his ship, the Inferno. Tholme's mission was complete, but Vos, having been influenced by Zao, decided to roam the galaxy, and let the Force guide him. As Secura's training had not been completed at the time of her amnesia, Tholme took up the task of training her instead.

The training of Aayla Secura
"I swear to you&mdash;I will find a way to get you home safely. No matter what it takes, you have my word. The word&mdash;of a Jedi!"

- Tholme, to Nat Secura

Most of Secura's training had been completed by Vos, and it was only Tholme's responsibility to "fill the gaps." The Council dispatched them to Ryloth, to mediate the fallout following the death of Pol Secura. Tholme had Secura disguise herself as a slave girl and infiltrate Twi'lek Clan Council member Ro Fenn's headquarters. Fenn was facing the penalty of exile, due to the fact that he had been part of the Ruling Clan during Pol Secura's death, as per the Ryloth tradition of cleansing an entire Ruling Clan when one member died. Secura picked up on the fact that Fenn, in a bid for clemency, was planning to have Lon's child, Nat Secura, kidnapped and used for leverage. As Fenn's agent, none other than Vilmarh Grahrk, left the building, Secura realized that Nat's kidnapping was imminent and informed Tholme, who was at the Secura estate.

As time was of the essence, Tholme rushed into Nat's bedroom, only to find two Morgukai warriors, Tsyr and Bok, dragging the boy away. Tholme engaged Tsyr in combat, but was distracted by Bok's interfering blaster fire. Taking advantage, Bok incapacitated Tholme, and continued his escape. Despite the best efforts of Nat Secura's guards, the two Nikto stole away into the night. Tholme, though injured, gave chase, and tracked the kidnappers to the Inferno. He stowed away on the craft, and ordered his apprentice to track him. This proved to be a mistake, when the Inferno hardwired droid pilot, NT 600, detected Tholme's transmission, and alerted the Morgukai to his presence. Not willing to enter into a fight for fear of injuring the nearby Nat, Tholme surrendered.

Secura's senses, however, did not guide her to the Inferno destination, Kintan. Instead, the Force led her to Ord Mantell, where she chanced upon her former Master, Quinlan Vos. Understanding that this was not a coincidence, she enlisted Vos's help, and used other methods to discover Tholme's location. Meanwhile, Tholme was being tortured by Kh'aris Fenn, the mastermind of the plan, and his droid, AX/RX. Unable to escape, Tholme endured grievous injury and pain, until he used the Force and his Anzati skills to slip into a near-death coma. To the droid, Tholme was, for all intents and purposes, dead, and his "corpse" was thrown in a cell with young Nat. The Twi'lek was not only afraid of his fate, but of the fact that he did not have his father's blessing and love. Tholme talked with the boy, and imbued a sense of hope in him, resolving to get him out of his predicament by any means necessary.

After several days, AX/RX received his orders to terminate both Tholme and Nat, as Lon Secura had not given in to the demands of the Fenn Clan. Tholme was, again, severely electrocuted, but was saved by Secura, who, along with Vos, had infiltrated Fenn's compound. Tsyr was killed by Vos, and Bok was supposedly dispatched by Secura, allowing Tholme and the boy to safely escape to a nearby ship. Vos and Secura joined them, and the group departed Kintan. Although Kh'aris Fenn escaped retribution on Ryloth, Ro Fenn was sentenced to roam the Bright Lands forever.

Upon returning to Coruscant, an unorthodox ceremony was held. The upper echelons of the Jedi Council were apprehensive as to whether or not they should promote Vos to the rank of Jedi Master, but Tholme was able to convince them that he deserved the title. The Jedi Council assembled in a small room in the Jedi Temple, and two promotions were made. First, Quinlan Vos was bestowed with the title of Jedi Master. Second, Aayla Secura was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight. Watching proudly on as his two students progressed along the Jedi path, Tholme and the Jedi looked forward to a brighter future.

Confronting Dooku
"I am not afraid of death. I will not join you."

- Tholme, to Dooku

When Count Dooku declared the formation of the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Raxus Prime in 24 BBY, many of the Jedi acted with apathy, or distanced themselves from the crisis. Tholme, however, with the aid of Vos, set up a spy network, which he would use to inform the Jedi exclusively. Despite the deep penetration of Tholme's network, he and his cohorts were unable to predict the Battle of Geonosis and the ensuing outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY.

What Tholme and his agents were able to predict, however, were Dooku's movements. Along with Sora Bulq, Tholme waited on Bakura for the arrival of the Count, and the opportunity to launch his ambush. However, Dooku, now a Sith Lord, was able to defeat both Jedi Masters with ease. Blasting Bulq with Force lightning, Dooku turned on Tholme, stabbing him in the right shoulder and gouging out his left eye. Even when gravely injured, Tholme did not give in to temptation, and would not ally with Dooku. In response, Dooku brought the ceiling down on Tholme, crushing his leg and leaving him for dead. In reality, Tholme had slipped into his Anzati "death-trance," to avoid Dooku's further attention.

It took days for Tholme to free himself, and he wandered the halls of Bakura for much longer. He was close to death when Bulq, who had survived, discovered him, and helped him to safety. In spite of his actions, Bulq had actually secretly defected to the Confederacy, and turned to the dark side. His aid of Tholme served only to make him appear innocent in the eyes of the Republic. Tholme received a cybernetic eye to compensate for his loss, but refused to have an artificial leg installed, citing that he would rather not be made into something that he was not. Instead, he procured a cane for himself, preventing him from engaging in more active duty.

Subterfuge
"Well, I must say, you played that part appallingly well, Aayla."

- Tholme

Realizing that the war would be won not on the battlefields, but behind the scenes, Tholme began concocting an elaborate scheme with which to infiltrate Count Dooku's cabal of Dark Acolytes. The tool with which to execute this scheme was Tholme's former Padawan, Quinlan Vos. This choice caused concern amongst Council, as they believed Vos's darkness that they had always felt could compromise his activities. Nevertheless, Tholme stuck with his choice of Vos, and using his spy network, prepared to insert his former apprentice into an opportune position for infiltration.

Intelligence gained during Vos's initial penetration into the criminal underworld allowed the Republic to prepare for the impending Battle of Kamino. Tholme later attended the funeral of Jedi Cei Vookto on the ravaged plains of Lianna following the battle that had raged there, along with Vos and several other Jedi. He provided Mace Windu with intelligence about a group of Jedi on Ruul who were conscientious objectors to the war, and who refused to return to Coruscant to take up arms. Acting on this, Windu decided that he would journey to Ruul to settle the matter, and bade that Vos inform the objectors. Tholme then instructed Vos to journey to Brentaal IV. On Ruul, Windu discovered that Master Sora Bulq had turned to the dark side and aligned himself with the Confederacy.

On Brentaal IV, an engagement eventually broke out, resulting in a Republic victory. In order to gain the trust of the Confederacy and Dooku in particular, Tholme had the Council dispatch Agen Kolar, with the pretense of trying to rein in Vos. In turn, Vos had maintained the appearance of selling Republic codes to the Confederacy, although the codes themselves were outdated. Kolar, however, was told that the codes were current and genuine, and was led to believe that Vos had truly turned traitor. Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, and Tholme believed that the deception was necessary for Vos's defection to appear convincing. Vos was able to escape, but his partner, Khaleen Hentz, was apprehended by Kolar's men.

Tholme was later given a recorded message from Vos, intended for Aayla Secura, in which the Kiffar admitted that he had defected to the Confederacy and instructed Secura to forget about him. Tholme presented the message to Secura, who wanted to go after her former Master, but Tholme advised against such an action. In spite of his injuries sustained on Bakura, Tholme was dispatched with Masters Kit Fisto, T'ra Saa, Secura, and An'ya Kuro, otherwise known as "the Dark Woman," to Devaron, where Senator Elsah'sai'Moro had recently been assassinated. The assassination confirmed the Republic's suspicions about Devaronian raiders who were plundering Republic war supplies. Disguising himself as "Miles Croft," a veteran of the Stark Hyperspace War and negotiator for "Tuulaa Doneeta," (actually Secura), head of Ryloth Ventures, Tholme and his retinue entered Montellian Serat with great pomp and circumstance. Their cover was blown, however, when the Senator's assassin, former Jedi Aurra Sing, identified the third visitor, "Saba," as the Dark Woman, her former Master.

While Aayla infiltrated the upper echelons of Devaronian culture, Tholme and the Dark Woman investigated old smuggler bases to the south of Montellian Serat. When venturing into one of the caves, the pair set off a bomb placed by Sing. When Fisto could not raise them, he alerted Secura. She ventured toward their location, and engaged in a prolonged and violent lightsaber duel with Sing. As the two former Padawans of the trapped Jedi battled outside, Tholme slipped both himself and the Dark Woman into his Anzati "death-trance," and waited for rescue. Eventually, it was Saa who freed them from the rubble, though both required treatment in a bacta tank.

Complications
"Stop. Do not lie for Quinlan to me. Ever. You might think you're protecting him, but you could doom him. Do you understand?''" "''Better than you ever will."

- Tholme and Khaleen Hentz

Finally, Vos entered Dooku's inner circle wholesale. Tholme instructed him to not attempt to destroy the Count, as it would ruin his cover if he failed. At the same time, Tholme enlisted the help of Khaleen Hentz, who had been held in Republic custody. He needed a trustworthy go-between to keep him up to speed on Vos's movements. Hentz performed her duties to the letter, but little did Tholme suspect that Hentz was in fact a Confederate informer, who had been working for Dooku ever since the Separatist Crisis, as a counter to Tholme's own networks.

However, Vos fell too deep into his role. In order to prove his loyalty to Dooku, he killed a Republic Senator, Viento, though he personally believed the man to be the second Sith Lord that the Jedi had been hunting since Geonosis. Yoda and Mace Windu believed that Vos had truly fallen to the dark side, and requested that he be pulled from his mission, but Tholme was staunchly opposed, pointing out that Vos had chosen not to kill his unwitting pursuer, K'Kruhk, in an earlier confrontation, and was still reporting his intelligence gatherings. Grudgingly, Yoda and Windu approved the continuation of Tholme's scheme, but with heightened reservations.

At some point in the past, Tholme had entered into a relationship with T'ra Saa, in the belief that the two of them were above the pettiness of attachment. During the Battle of Null, Saa was severely injured by Confederate mercenaries while defending a makeshift Republic hospital, and sustained major burns. Tholme maintained a vigil beside her bacta tank on New Holstice. There, he was met by Secura, who began discussing Vos's fall to the Confederacy. Tholme admitted to Secura that he had masterminded Vos's "defection," and that the Kiffar had in fact been going deep undercover&mdash;although he now feared that Vos had indeed fallen to the dark side. Tholme determined that he would need to confront his former apprentice, and discover whether or not his fall was genuine. He acknowledged Secura's need to lead her troops into battle, and promised to call upon her if Vos had indeed fallen. Saa eventually recovered enough to be returned to Coruscant for rehabilitation.

Vos eventually returned to the Republic, and explained Tholme's plan to the rest of the Jedi&mdash;rationalizing the necessity for the high level of secrecy over the past years. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, had been aided by Vos at the Battle of Rendili, and believed that he had truly had the Republic's interests at heart. Tholme still held reservations about Vos's allegiance, but was pleased to see his return.

The Siege of Saleucami
"He's still alive and causing them grief. It's his way."

- Quinlan Vos, on Tholme

Vos's return also provided a wealth of Confederacy information for the Republic. One such nugget of intelligence detailed several trips that Sora Bulq had made to Anzat. Realizing that he had kept his hands "too clean" throughout the war, and spent too many of his own agents, Tholme himself resolved to infiltrate the Anzati and discover the meaning of Bulq's travels. He finally had a cybernetic leg installed, so he would be able to perform to the best of his abilities, and subsequently enlisted the help of Aayla Secura and her clone trooper unit, the 327th Star Corps as backup.

Tholme was able to make contact with his old teacher, Akku Seii, who was not willing to talk without testing Tholme's abilities. He sent a select group of his own students against Tholme, who was able to defeat them with ease. Seii answered Tholme's questions in such a way as to imply the facts while not technically revealing them himself; from this, Tholme understood that Bulq had indeed been using the ancient Anzati's services and that many teachers had already left. Meanwhile, at an Anzat spaceport, Secura downloaded the logs of Bulq's ship, and was confronted by what appeared to be Bok, the Morgukai warrior who had been a part of the plot to kidnap Nat Secura several years before.

Bulq's logs, and fresh information extracted from the Confederate assassin Saljé Tasha on Coruscant by Vos, guided Tholme and Secura to Saleucami, where they were met by their old friend Zao. However, this time Zao was not so willing to help, and let Tholme traverse his own path alone but not before informing him of the catacombs beneath Saleucami's surface. After some extensive investigations of the goings on in the capital city, Tholme discovered cloning chambers in the caves underneath the city, with which the Confederacy was cloning Morgukai warriors, trained by Anzati, to aid their war effort. He alerted Secura, and then ventured deep into the catacombs. He tried to make contact with Secura again, but was ambushed by several of the clones. Tholme dispatched them, before he was confronted by Bulq, his former ally on Bakura. After a brief duel, realizing that he could not beat the superior swordsman, Tholme caused a diversion and retreated out of the reach of the Confederacy. However, he did not leave the caves, and began performing sabotage on the Confederate installation wherever possible.

For five months, Tholme caused the Confederacy grief, damaging their cloning operations and dampening progress. The Republic had been waging war outside the catacombs for nearly as long as Tholme had been fulfilling his task as a saboteur, desperately trying to get through to stop the cloning operation once and for all. Both of Tholme's former Padawans, Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, were a part of the substantial Republic force, and while Tholme had the utmost faith in Secura's abilities, he feared for Vos and his conflicted allegiance. He was still secretly operating undercover, and Tholme knew that Vos's indecisive actions could damage the Republic's efforts later.

On a precipice overlooking a river of fire, Vos confronted Tholme. Convinced that Sora Bulq was the second Sith Lord, Vos pleaded with Tholme to join him and end the war. Tholme knew that Bulq was but a Dark Jedi, and would not go along with Vos's quest for revenge. Angered, Vos attacked Tholme, and entered into a lightsaber duel with his former Master. Eventually, the younger man got the better of Tholme, and held him at saber point. Knowing that Vos would not hesitate to strike him down, Tholme once again feigned his death by appearing to plummet into a pool of lava. Now unfettered, Vos strode into the Confederate compound, and declared his true allegiance&mdash;the Republic, and the Jedi. Tholme made his return in conjunction with Vos's declaration, and helped him battle the Morgukai clones. Secura, at the same time, laid charges with which to destroy all the cloning tanks. Bulq, enraged at the double-cross, viciously attacked Tholme, while Vos kept Tol Skorr, another of Dooku's acolytes, at bay. Tholme was bested in his duel, but Vos saved him from Bulq's killing blow, and in turn slew the Dark Jedi.

The Siege of Saleucami had succeeded, and Dooku's plans for a Morgukai army crushed, due to Tholme's five months of sabotage. After the battle, Vos declared his plans to leave the Jedi Order following the Clone Wars, as he had conceived a child with Khaleen Hentz, and wished to take care of the baby. Tholme respected his decision, and was glad that Vos had finally acknowledged the dark side's presence within him.

The end of the war, and the Jedi
"The Jedi Order is shattered. So many were lost, Aayla among them&hellip;"

- Tholme

Even after the Siege of Saleucami, Vos's intelligence from Dooku's Dark Acolytes proved useful. The Jedi Council was hot on the trail of the real second Sith Lord, but they needed clues as to locations he had used for his schemes and machinations. Information passed on to the High Council by Tholme identified the abandoned LiMerge Power building in The Works on Coruscant as one such location. Although the information was reliable, and the Jedi did follow it up, the subsequent Battle of Coruscant prevented further investigations.

Tholme and T'ra Saa were able to escape Order 66, in which Jedi across the galaxy were gunned down by the clone trooper battalions they commanded on the fields of battle. During the pan-galactic massacre, Tholme and Saa were on Nar Shaddaa, meeting up with Vos's lover, Hentz. They stayed with her, and had no knowledge of Order 66 until the newly formed Galactic Empire began announcing the deaths of other Jedi. Vos had been in the presence of his troops on Kashyyyk when the order went through, and was gravely injured. However, help came from an unlikely source: Vilmarh Grahrk. He helped Vos survive the attacks, and for eight months, Vos stayed with Grahrk as he recovered from his wounds. In time, Tholme, Saa, Hentz, and her child, Korto Vos, were reunited with Quinlan on Kashyyyk, and the small group of survivors stayed hidden, far from the prying eyes of Palpatine's New Order. Eventually, Tholme passed away. His long time companion, T'ra Saa, was later said to have taken root in meditation at the site of Tholme's funeral pyre on Anzat.

Personality and traits
"We share respect for the old ways, you and I&mdash;and more. You have seen the corruption, as I have. There must be change. Embrace it! Join me!''" "No, Count. We do not share the same beliefs''&mdash;or so many Jedi would not have perished in the arena."

- Dooku and Tholme

Tholme was a firm believer in the old ways of the Jedi, as noted by Count Dooku during their duel on Bakura. Although Dooku tried to sway Tholme from serving the Republic, the Jedi Master was resilient, staying true to his beliefs even while held at Dooku's swordpoint. However, Tholme was not averse to bending the rules to fit the situation. He did not technically break the Jedi Code by entering into his relationship with Master Saa, but he did enter territory usually frowned upon by the upper echelons of the Jedi Order.

Tholme was very proud of his two students, and would often defend their actions. When the Jedi Council suspected that Quinlan Vos was slipping too far into the veil of the dark side, Tholme would always come to his defense, citing a multitude of reasons as to why his "Dark Acolyte" operation should continue. To this end, Tholme was also highly protective of his machinations and plans, and was loath to see them abandoned. He also felt deep regret for his actions, or lack thereof. When Saa was severely wounded at Null, he kept a dedicated vigil beside her bacta tank, blaming himself for her injuries, despite the fact that he could not have helped her. He lamented the possible fall of Vos to the dark side, and was disappointed by his fanatical devotion to the murder of Sora Bulq, but this was offset, again, by his pride in Secura, his second apprentice.

Tholme disliked cybernetics, and initially refused to have enhancements installed on his shattered leg, preferring to limp rather than be a machine. Eventually, he swallowed his pride in favor of taking a more active role in the war, as he felt he had sent too many people to their doom instead of getting his own hands dirty.

Powers and abilities
"I cut myself off entirely from the Force. You no longer felt me in the Force and assumed I was dead&mdash;which is what I desired."

- Tholme

Due to his Anzati training, Tholme's skills included combat, espionage, subterfuge, and manipulation. Unlike most Jedi, Tholme was more of a mastermind of events, rather than a diplomat or a warrior. His talent with the Jedi mind trick was considerable, as was his ability to shield his presence in the Force. Tholme would frequently slip into his "death-trance" when the tide of a conflict turned against him or he found himself on the wrong end of a trap. For the most part, his Jedi powers were put to waste during the Clone Wars following his maiming at the hands of Count Dooku, but during the Outer Rim Sieges, his Anzati skills came to the fore, when he harried the production of Morgukai clones through sabotage.

Tholme wielded a single-bladed lightsaber with a green blade. His skill with a lightsaber often came into question because of his tendency to resort to deception when the tide of a duel turned against him. However, he proved proficient enough to survive duels with both Sora Bulq and Count Dooku, who were considered among the greatest swordsmen during that time. Dooku himself praised Tholme's dueling skills, and respected the Jedi Master's choice to follow the more traditional arts, such as fencing, rather than purely train to deflect blaster bolts like many other Jedi of that age did. Another of Tholme's skills was healing&mdash;his aptitude for which earned him official recognition as a Jedi healer.

Behind the scenes
Tholme was created by John Ostrander and debuted in the Star Wars: Republic story arc Darkness. He would appear in most "Quinlan Vos" Republic arcs to follow, but only as a supporting character. All of Tholme's comic renderings, bar one, have been created by Jan Duursema. The exception was in The Stark Hyperspace War, where Tholme was drawn by Davidé Fabbri. Outside of Star Wars comics, Tholme has been illustrated by Chris Trevas for the reference book Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force. Ostrander has stated that Tholme's name and characterization are inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. As a play on Tholme's inspiration, his alias of "Miles Croft" is derived from the name of Holmes' older, smarter brother, Mycroft Holmes. Tholme's death was later confirmed in Star Wars: Legacy 25: The Hidden Temple, Part 1, although when he died remains unclear.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Republic: Darkness
 * Star Wars: Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
 * Star Wars: Republic: Rite of Passage
 * Star Wars: Republic 49: Sacrifice
 * Jedi: Mace Windu
 * Star Wars: Republic 54: Double Blind
 * Jedi: Aayla Secura
 * Jedi: Count Dooku
 * Star Wars: Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows
 * Star Wars: Republic 65: Show of Force, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Republic 68: Armor
 * Star Wars: Republic 71: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, Part 3
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume 5: Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju
 * Star Wars: Republic: Trackdown
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars: Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Star Wars: Republic 81: The Hidden Enemy, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Republic 82: The Hidden Enemy, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Republic 83: The Hidden Enemy, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Star Wars: Legacy 25: The Hidden Temple, Part 1