Force psychosis

"Once you were with me, here in the Maw. Once you were all with me. Now you are apart, but one by one, you are all awakening. And once awake, you can hear my call, and come to me."

- Abeloth

This psychosis was a mental disease that began affecting several young Jedi during the time following the Second Galactic Civil War. The disease caused mental deterioration in the individual's brain which manifested itself as a paranoia resulting in the belief that everyone that the being knew&mdash;except for other affected beings&mdash;was an impostor. Several of these subjects were captured by the Jedi Order to be studied, and it was found that the Jedi who developed this psychosis were able to display rare Force powers that Jacen Solo had learned, but the affected Knights could not have learned themselves. However, another afflicted Knight, Bazel Warv, showed the ability to alter the density of matter, a power that Solo never possessed.

Members of the Mind Walkers&mdash;a group of Force-sensitives living at Sinkhole Station in the Maw&mdash;contracted the same disease and experienced similar symptoms before joining the group. However, after living at the station and traveling to a realm of the Force known as beyond shadows, their paranoia was replaced with a belief that nothing was real except for the Force itself. Eventually, Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, allied themselves with a group of Sith and embarked on a mission to the Maw to destroy Abeloth. Despite the attempt of the Sith to betray them and force Abeloth to serve them, Skywalker apparently killed Abeloth, and the beings who had been affected by the psychosis were then instantly cured. However, Abeloth was not actually dead.

Rise of the psychosis in the Jedi Knights
"Valin, I'm going to call your father now.''" "No, you're not. You know what you're going to do instead?" "What?" "You're going to tell me what you've done with my mother!"

- Mirax Horn and Valin Horn, upon the onset of the psychosis in Valin

Abeloth used her influence over the minds of Force-sensitives to draw them to her in the Maw, so that she could feed off of their life energy and strengthen herself. She used her powers to make the Force-sensitives believe that only the Force was real, thus making them believe that everyone who had not fallen under her influence was an impostor.

The Jedi Knight Seff Hellin fell under her influence and was the first Jedi to be noted by the New Jedi Order for acting strangely. Later, the Jedi Knight Valin Horn contracted the psychosis, and he was apprehended by his father, Corran, and mother, Mirax. He later escaped, however, and was finally apprehended by the Jedi Order after a long manhunt. The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, however, decided that Horn was too dangerous to be confined in a normal prison, so he was encased in carbonite and placed in the Armand Isard Correctional Facility. Hellin discovered Horn's presence there and attempted to rescue him, but he was instead captured by Darkmeld&mdash;an organization formed by Jaina Solo to counter Chief of State Natasi Daala's anti-Jedi policies. Jedi Master Cilghal then began to conduct a secret study of the disease in Hellin in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Shortly after, Valin's sister, Jysella Horn, also contracted the disease, and after dueling with fellow Knights Bazel Warv and Yaqeel Saav'etu, she was captured by Galactic Alliance Security forces. Natua Wan, a Falleen Knight, also fell under Abeloth's influence and was apprehended by Jedi Knight Radd Minker, Solo, and Solo's mother, Leia Organa Solo. Wan was also brought to the Temple to be studied.

After studying Hellin's brain, Cilghal discovered that he had been experiencing dreams while he was awake. It was also found that several of the affected Knights were also able to display rare Force powers that Jacen Solo had possessed and that the Knights could not have learned themselves. Additional research found that the symptoms of the disease could be lessened if the victim was cut off or isolated from the Force for extended periods of time. This revelation led some healers to suggest that the disease may have been transmitted through the Force itself. It was noted by Cilghal that all those who were affected with the disease had been stationed on Shelter in the Maw during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Rising tensions with the Galactic Alliance
"He [Sothais Saar] ran into Jedi Master Cilghal, dueled with her briefly, and was flattened like a bug. She commandeered a passing commercial speeder and took him back to the Temple. The Coruscant Security officers I dispatched to the Jedi Temple are there now and have issued an order to the Jedi. They must turn over Jedi Saar within the hour or there will be consequences.''" "Will there be consequences?" "''Oh, yes. Defninitely, yes."

- Chief of State Natasi Daala, to her aide, Wynn Dorvan; regarding Sothais Saar and the upcoming Mandalorian raid on the Jedi Temple

After being isolated inside an ysalamir-induced Force bubble, Hellin began showing signs of recovery. Meanwhile, Saav'etu and Warv also contracted the disease, although Warv was able to recognize Organa Solo as a non-impostor for a brief time. The two Knights were captured by Jaina, Leia, Imperial Remnant Head of State Jagged Fel, and Han Solo. A Galactic Alliance Security force under the command of Captain Atar attempted to arrest the two psychotic Jedi, but Fel and the Solos managed to get the Jedi to safety. It was also noted that Warv was able to alter the density of matter, a power which Solo never displayed. Later, Warv, Saav'etu, Wan, and Hellin were smuggled offworld to Shedu Maad in the Hapes Cluster in order to escape conviction by the Galactic Alliance. A group of Jedi and press also gained access into the Galactic Alliance Security blockhouse where the Horn siblings were being held. They found the Horns' carbonite blocks suspended over a fish tank in the executive offices of the building, garnering sympathy for the Jedi from the public.

Meanwhile, exiled Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben Skywalker, had embarked on a quest to learn more about the cause of Darth Caedus' fall to the dark side of the Force. Their journey led them to Sinkhole Station, a space station in the Maw that was home to a group of Force-sensitives known as the Mind Walkers. There, they found that Jedi Knight Qwallo Mode&mdash;who had disappeared during a mission in 42 ABY and was since presumed dead&mdash;had also been inflicted with the psychosis. However, he recognized the Skywalkers, rather than believing them to be impostors. They interacted with the Mind Walkers, who possessed the ability to separate their minds from their bodies in order to travel in a realm of the Force known as beyond shadows. The Skywalkers both traveled in the realm, where they saw Abeloth. Ben later conjectured that Abeloth was causing the illness.

Shortly after, a Chev Jedi Knight, Sothais Saar, developed the psychosis while reporting to Wynn Dorvan, Daala's personal aide, in the Senate Building. After escaping to the Senate Plaza, Saar was confronted by Cilghal, who captured him before Coruscant Security Forces could arrive. The Security Forces attempted to force the Jedi to hand Saar over, but the Jedi refused. In retaliation, Daala sent several Mandalorians to attack the Jedi Temple.

Abeloth's defeat
"I am&hellip;delighted beyond words to report that all three of the ill Jedi appear to have made a full recovery.''" "What? All of them? How?" "I'm not sure, but it seemed to happen to all of them simultaneously. We've run test after test; all three seem to be back to their old selves. My best guess is that, somehow, Master Skywalker was successful in his quest to find a cure. Master Hamner?" "That's wonderful, wonderful news, Cilghal. News we sorely needed. News...I'' sorely needed. Thank you."

- Jedi Master Cilghal and Grand Master Kenth Hamner

Later, when the Sith allied themselves with the Jedi in an effort to eliminate Abeloth, they traveled to Klatooine to restock on supplies before embarking on their mission. There, the Force-sensitive Dyon Stadd succumbed to the psychosis while planet-side with Ben Skywalker and the Sith apprentice Vestara Khai. He was captured and taken into custody aboard the Jade Shadow. Meanwhile, several more Jedi on Coruscant began to develop the psychosis, including the Human Jedi Kunor Bann and Turi Altamik, prompting Cilghal to write a report on the psychotic Jedi, presenting her worry that the number of Jedi developing the illness was rapidly increasing.

While Bann had been captured inside the Jedi Temple, Altamik had managed to escape the Temple and lead a chase that was caught on holocam by journalist Javis Tyrr before she was finally captured by the Jedi. The Galactic Alliance began demanding for the custody of Altamik and Saar, and when the Jedi refused to turn the two over, Daala ordered a Mandalorian siege of the Jedi Temple. The Jedi, trapped inside the Temple, began to run low on supplies, including the medications they were using on their psychotic captives. However, Leia Solo used the Force to compel some rodents into service, and used them to sneak in supplies to the Jedi Temple.

Meanwhile, as the Sith and Jedi continued on ther mission to the Maw, they found Abeloth on a planet in the Maw. There, Khai pretended to help Stadd by allowing him to escape his confinement aboard the Jade Shadow, but in reality she had placed a homing beacon on him. The Jedi and Sith followed him to Abeloth's cave, where they found that Abeloth had drained his life force and then fled deeper into the cave. Stadd, however, had realized that Abeloth was not what she claimed to be, and although he still felt as though he were surrounded by impostors, he realized that this was based solely on her influence, and thus knew it was a lie. The Jedi and Sith finally found Abeloth, but she took on the presence of Callista Ming and pretended to be Skywalker's long-lost lover. He realized that it was a lie, however, and attacked Abeloth. During the ensuing skirmish, Skywalker apparently killed Abeloth, resulting in the termination of her induced psychosis and the instant cure of all affected beings. Cilghal reported the sudden cure of Saar, Altamik, and Bann to acting Grand Master Kenth Hamner. Abeloth, however, had not actually died.

Symptoms
"Jedi Saar, I suspect I know what you are experiencing.''" "What have you done with Master Cilghal?" "''I know how this conversation progresses. There is no point to it. You cannot be reasoned with."

- Cilghal and Saar, shortly before their duel

The symptoms of the psychosis included a general paranoia, accompanied with the belief that everyone had been replaced by impostors, except for other similarly affected beings. Moreover, the infected Jedi were able to instinctively use rare Force powers which they did not have before contracting the disease. Several Mind Walkers experienced similar symptoms before joining the group at Sinkhole Station, where they came to believe that nothing was real except for the Force. This explained the paranoia of supposed impostors, although the belief also eased their paranoia&mdash;Mode and the other Mind Walkers did not believe the Skywalkers to be impostors. Another symptom was the belief that Abeloth and the other affected beings were the only truthful, trustworthy beings in the galaxy. While affected, Stadd felt that Abeloth desired him, and he viewed her as beautiful until the moment he came into true contact with her, when she began to draw upon his life energy and he realized that her influence had been a lie.

Infected beings

 * Mind Walker Feryl
 * Mind Walker and former Jedi Knight Seek Ryontarr
 * Mind Walker Rhondi Tremaine
 * Mind Walker Rolund Tremaine
 * Mind Walker and former Jedi Knight Qwallo Mode
 * Jedi Knight Seff Hellin
 * Jedi Knight Valin Horn
 * Jedi Knight Jysella Horn
 * Jedi Knight Natua Wan
 * Jedi Knight Yaqeel Saav'etu
 * Jedi Knight Bazel Warv
 * Jedi Knight Sothais Saar
 * Jedi Knight Kunor Bann
 * Jedi Knight Turi Altamik
 * Force-sensitive Dyon Stadd

Behind the scenes
This psychosis first appeared briefly in the novel Millennium Falcon. It later played a significant role in each of the first five novels of the Fate of the Jedi series.

Appearances

 * Millennium Falcon
 * Outcast
 * Omen
 * Abyss
 * Backlash
 * Allies

Notes and references
Psicosis de la Fuerza