Skirmish at Sinkhole Station

This skirmish was a small battle during 43.5 ABY. Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker had embarked on a quest to find out what had caused Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side of the Force that eventually led him and his son, Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker to find the Mind Walkers at Sinkhole Station in the Maw. Meanwhile, a strike team consisting of members of the Lost Tribe of Sith was sent to recover Ship, a Sith Meditation Sphere, and hunt down Luke Skywalker. While the Skywalkers were staying among the Mind Walkers at Sinkhole Station, the strike team followed Ship to a planet in the Maw inhabited by a being called Abeloth. Abeloth discovered that the Skywalkers were present in Sinkhole Station and allowed the Sith to travel there to capture the Jedi. The surviving members of the Sith strike team arrived just as the Skywalkers returned from "Beyond Shadows", and ambushed them.

The Skywalkers escaped the initial confrontation only to be ambushed by Sith Master Yuvar Xal, Sith Saber Baad Walusari, and Sith apprentices Vestara Khai and Ahri Raas. Xal and Raas, however, had planned to betray the others in an attempted coup to take over the command of the strike team from Khai's master, Lady Olaris Rhea. They attempted to kill Walusari and Khai as they attacked the Skywalkers, however, their betrayal was unsuccessful. Khai then killed Xal, and Raas was killed by one of the Skywalkers. The battle continued until only Khai and Rhea remained alive fighting the two Jedi. Rhea was finally killed, and Khai, realizing she was no match for the Jedi, saluted them and fled. The Skywalkers allowed her to escape in order to follow her to her home in hopes of discovering the home of the Sith.

Prelude
"Luke Skywalker has done much to fight the Sith, the dark side. He was at one point the last Jedi, and now he has re-created the Order with hundreds of them. And now, somehow, he has broadcast his presence into the Force. And we can take him down."

- Lady Rhea

After Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker was put on trial and exiled from Coruscant for dereliction of duty in 43.5 ABY, he and his son, Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, embarked on a quest to find out what may have caused Jedi Knight-turned-Sith Lord Jacen Solo to fall to the dark side of the Force. After spending time with the Hidden Ones on Dorin and the Aing-Tii on a planet in the Kathol Rift, their journey led them to seek out the Mind Walkers in the Maw. The Jedi found the Mind Walkers at Sinkhole Station, which appeared to be a miniature version of Centerpoint Station. There, the Mind Walkers began to teach the Skywalkers how to go "beyond shadows" by separating their minds from their bodies.

Meanwhile, Ship, a Sith Meditation Sphere, had left the planet of Kesh where it had spent the last two years helping the planet's Lost Tribe of Sith develop a new Sith armada. The Tribe, having recently felt Luke Skywalker's presence in the Force when he came in contact with the Codex, sent a strike team led by Lady Olaris Rhea to recover Ship and eliminate the Grand Master. The team tracked Ship to a planet in the Maw, where they eventually met Abeloth, a female being of great strength in the Force. The planet's plants and wildlife proved deadly to the Sith, disposing of them until, eventually, there were only fifteen left. Abeloth pretnded to help the Sith search for Ship and stay safe, while actually preventing Ship from returning to them. However, Abeloth was also present beyond shadows, and after she discovered the Skywalkers' location, she allowed the Sith to leave the planet for Sinkhole Station. However, she determined that the Tribe should capture the Jedi and return with them to Kesh, as opposed to killing them.

After returning from beyond shadows the Skywalkers began nourishing their bodies, which had weakened due to the fact that Ben had spent a week in the realm, and Luke's mind had been separate from his body for several weeks. The Skywalkers then proceeded to question one of the Mind Walkers, Rhondi Tremaine, about the validity of their trip, questioning the existence of ghosts of the deceased Jedi Anakin Solo, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Jacen Solo which they had seen in the Lake of Apparitions. The Skywalkers also began to draw theories about the mental illness befalling Jedi Knights, as well as a mysterious woman which they had seen beyond shadows, who was actually Abeloth. While discussing this, they heard a detonation nearby, from where Ben had locked up Tremaine's brother, Rolund Tremaine. As Ben began to go check on Rolund, a scarlet lightsaber was thrust through the entry hatch, impaling the back Rhondi Tremaine's head.

Ambush
"Ben, who the black empty void is that?"

- Luke Skywalker, as the Sith began to cut through the enry hatch

As four red lightsabers beagn to cut through the hatchway, Luke cut open an escape route from the room they were in. Upon leaving the room, Luke decided he would attempt to take one member of their ambushers hostage, in order to learn about this new threat. Attempting to make a run for their Horizon-class star yacht, the Jade Shadow, the Skywalkers hid in an equipment cabinet, positioning a gas cylinder full of azetal gas. Luke then ordered Ben to hide his Force presence and wait for his signal. As the attackers neared the Skywalkers' position, an attacker attempted to subdue Luke with a concealed parang, upon which Ben pounced, and attempted to impale his father's attacker, but to no avail. Instead Ben used the Force to hold out the attacker's hand, which instead of catching the parang, was cut off from her body. After dodging several attacks, Ben and Luke were flanked by Sith pelting the room with blaster fire. As the Skywalkers retreated, they plunged the gas canister down the hall, and opened fire on it, which effectively subdued three of their pursuers.

Attempted coup
"Now!"

- Yuvar Xal, giving the order to attack the Skywalkers

Rhea had ordered her Sith apprentice, Vestara Khai, and a Sith Saber, Baad Walusari, to keep a watch on Sith Master Yuvar Xal and his apprentice, Ahri Raas as she believed they would attempt to betray her during the battle. Xal, Raas, Khai, and Walusari were stationed at a junction chamber that the Skywalkers would have to pass in order to reach the Jade Shadow, planning an attack with stun grenades and fragmentation grenades. Seeing their targets approach with lightsaber and blaster in hand, Khai and Walusari, tossed their grenades at the Skywalkers, but Xal and Raas quickly pushed them back at them before tossing their own stun grenades. Rhea had anticipated this move, however, and had given Khai and Walusari false grenades to throw first. One of the Skywalkers appeared to be incapacitated, but before Xal could attack him, Khai unsheathed her shikkar and hurled the blade into Xal's solar plexus, then broke off the hilt and watched Xal die. The Sith Master screamed in agony, and Raas was distracted long enough for the Skywalker he had been attmpting to subdue to kill him with his lightsaber.

Khai realized that the Skywalkers had actually faked their incapacitation, and had actually escaped the effects of the stun grenades. A storage hatch clamped down on Walusari's arm. Luke then approached Khai, mocking her ignorance of the Jedi, stating that they can resist stun grenades. Khai then lashed out with her parang, and managing to cut him across the cheek and nose. Unbeknownst to her, however, Luke had intended to let her do this, so that he could track her using a blood trail. Luke then incapacitated her out with a blow to the face, and took her with him and Ben towards the Jade Shadow.

Escape
"Hey, Ben?"'' "Dad, what's wrong? You don't sound so good." ''"I'll survive, if you hurry."

- Luke and Ben Skywalker

They ran into more attackers, however, which they countered by pouring blaster fire in their direction. He managed to kill several more Sith, by puncturing their vac suits or simply vaporizing them. As they approached the hangar, Vestara managed to free herself, and along with Lady Rhea, quickly boxed Luke in and began dueling him. After several minutes of fighting, Luke managed to gain the upper hand when both Sith were distracted by a show of light nearby, which was Ben opening fire on Ship from the Jade Shadow. Luke seized the opportunity by cutting off Rhea's leg and arm, and then quickly decapitated her. Upon killing the elder Sith, Luke immediately anticipated a counter attack from Vestara, who, realizing she was outmatched, saluted Luke with her scarlet lightsaber&mdash;to which Luke responded with a nod&mdash;and fled in a dilapidated yacht.

Aftermath
Luke allowed Vestara to retreat so that he could recover, and follow her at his own pace, now have a tracking beacon on Khai in the form of his blood. Ben realized that their attackers were of the Sith, his evidence being that Ship, with whom he was acquainted himself, was in the installation at the time of the ambush. Luke and Ben then plan to track the mysterious Sith apprentice to her next location, and have a chance of uncovering this new strain of Sith, Abeloth, Jacen's downfall into Darth Caedus, and the mysterious illness plaguing the Knights.

Behind the scenes
This skirmish was created by author Troy Denning for the third novel in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series, Abyss, released on August 18, 2009. The event served as the climax of the novel, as well as the death of three established characters in the series: Ahri Raas, Yuvar Xal, and Olaris Rhea.

Appearances

 * Abyss