Confrontation on Ambria

"I am Master Tho'natu of the Jedi. We're here to help you.''" "''No! You'll never get me! No! No! No!"

- Tho'natu and Darovit

The Confrontation on Ambria was a very short duel on Ambria in 990 BBY between the failed Jedi Padawan Darovit and Jedi Master Tho'natu. During the Duel on Tython, where a group of Jedi engaged the last two remaining Sith Lords, reigning Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Bane had suffered life-threatening injuries. His apprentice, Darth Zannah, took Bane to the healer Caleb on Ambria, who refused to heal the dying Dark Lord unless Zannah turned him in to the Jedi Order. Zannah accepted Caleb's demands and sent word to the Jedi that a Sith still lived, only to betray and murder him after his part of the bargain was upheld. Setting a trap for the Jedi, Zannah used the Force to drive her cousin, Darovit, insane, and furnished him with a lightsaber.

When a team of fourteen Jedi, led by Tho'natu, arrived on Ambria to arrest the last surviving Sith Lord, they were attacked by the insane Darovit, who was cut down seconds. Believing the Sith had finally been eliminated the from the galaxy, the Jedi left the planet. Though the encounter lasted no more than three seconds, it had a lasting effect on the galaxy, as the Sith would remain hidden from the Jedi for nearly a millennium, until they finally rose again with the power to take over the galaxy.

Prelude
"Bane's time is running out. You have to decide.''" "''Tell Caleb I agree to his demands."

- Darovit pleading for Zannah to save her master and return to the light

A group of Jedi led by Valenthyne Farfalla tracked Darth Bane and Darth Zannah to Tython, where they engaged the two Sith Lords in a duel. Though the Jedi were defeated, some of the orbalisks that formed Darth Bane's armor were killed by his own Force Lightning during the duel. They released deadly toxins into his body, toxins for which no antidote was known. His apprentice, Darth Zannah, took him on board the Loranda, along with her cousin Darovit—who had accompanied them to Tython. They flew to Ambria, where Zannah found the healer named Caleb, who had saved Bane's life ten years earlier during the New Sith Wars. At the time, though, Bane had forced Caleb to heal him by threatening the man's daughter. Fearing that Bane would return and threaten her again, Caleb had sent his daughter away, making her move to another planet and change her name. That way it would be impossible for anybody to track her down, and not even Caleb knew where she was. Zannah attempted to force Caleb to heal Bane, but he resisted her torture, saying he would only heal Bane if Zannah called in the Jedi to arrest her Master.

Zannah was hesitant at first, for there was still much for her to learn from her master. If she turned him over to the Jedi, there was a good chance many secrets of the Sith that he had not yet revealed to her would be lost forever. But if she knew that if she did not send the message, then Bane would certainly die, and the secrets would definitely be lost forever. Darovit pressured her to save Bane's life, join the Jedi when they came, and turn away from the dark side of the Force. Realizing that she really had no choice, she gave in to Caleb's demands.

Caleb healed the Dark Lord, and Bane finally regained consciousness. When Zannah told her master what she had done, he expressed his anger, and told her to kill him rather than allow him to fall into the hands of the Jedi. Instead of killing him, however, Zannah devised a plan. She killed Caleb and used her skills in Sith Alchemy to drive her cousin insane, so that he would attack the Jedi when they arrived.

The confrontation
"A Sith Lord still lives. he killed five Jedi on Tython. He is now on Ambria, under the care of a healer name Caleb. He is badly injured and helpless."

- Zannah's message to the Jedi

Zannah hid herself and her master in a small trapdoor inside Caleb's hut, and hid their presences in the Force, so that the Jedi would not find them. A team of fourteen Jedi arrived on Ambria in the Jedi Shuttle Light of Truth to take the Sith into custody. They were led by the Twi'lek Jedi Master Tho'natu. The Jedi found the cut-up corpse of Caleb outside the healer's shack. Moving towards the shack, Tho'natu called out that they had arrived and were there to help. Darovit emerged, screaming and brandishing the golden lightsaber of the recently fallen Jedi Lord Valenthyne Farfalla. Darovit attacked Tho'natu and the other Jedi, and they fell upon him, killing him in seconds.

Aftermath
"One day I will surpass you. And on that day, I will kill you. But that day is not today."

- Zannah to Darth Bane

Recalling that Jedi Master Farfalla had used a golden lightsaber, Tho'natu guessed that Darovit was the Sith Lord that had killed the Jedi on Tython. Noticing Darovit's missing hand, he guessed that Darovit had been grievously injured and had come to Caleb for help. He inferred that the healer had sent the message to the Jedi shortly after Darovit's arrival, but Darovit had found out, and, once healed, had killed Caleb in retaliation. The Jedi, mistakenly convinced that they had finally destroyed the last of the Sith, took Caleb's remains to Coruscant for a proper burial and left the Loranda for the junkers. Zannah and Bane escaped a few days later on the starship, and Bane expressed his approval of Zannah's actions.

Zannah's actions would allow the Sith to remain hidden from the Jedi for nearly a millennium, allowing them to grow in power until they were strong enough once more to take on the galaxy, first in the Invasion of Naboo, and later in the Clone Wars, Great Jedi Purge, and the Galactic Civil War.

Behind the scenes
The Confrontation on Ambria was created by Drew Karpyshyn for his 2007 novel, Darth Bane: Rule of Two. He chose this event to be the final encounter between the Jedi and Sith that led to the belief, presented in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, that the Sith had been eradicated from the galaxy. It also served as furher demostration of Zannah's devotion to the dark side and the death of Darovit.

Appearances

 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two