SYNOPSIS
Having abandoned the Temples of Korriban, Exar Kun lands on the fourth moon of Yavin in search of information on the long dead sith magician Naga Sadow. Encountering a tribe of Massassi warriors —descendants of Sadow's Sith alchemy— Kun is assaulted by their primitive weapons which he is unable to block with his Force powers due to his choice for the Dark Side. Unable to defend himself, he succumbs to the numerous warriors and is finally knocked unconscious. Emerging from twelve years of solitude, the Massassi priest, Zythmnr, instructs the warriors to take him to the Temple of Fire.

The spirit of Freedon Nadd, shunned by Exar Kun, watches these events unfold, disappointed at Kun's lack of Dark Side use.

On the Jedi library planet of Ossus, Master Ood presents Ulic Qel-Droma with the definitive history of the Empress Teta System written by the warrior Empress herself in her 175th year. Nomi is still not convinced that infiltrating the Krath is the best course of action, but Ulic rebuffs her. Master Odan-Urr shows Ulic a Sith Holocron about an ancient Jedi that thought he could best understand the mysteries of the Sith from within. However he was easily seduced and ended up murdering his own Master.

Ulic is angered by the Masters warnings, not understanding them, and worries that only he will commit to destroying this enemy that killed his Master Arca.

Ulic meets with his brother Cay who asks his brother to allow him to come along, or not go at all. Cay has a bad feeling about the whole affair. Ulic assures his little brother and tells him they be laughing soon enough.

The next morning, Ulic boards his captured freighter to disguise himself as a smuggler. He tells Nomi the same things he told Cay, to not follow him. They kiss passionately and he departs. What Nomi cannot realize is the next time she sees him, he will be changed beyond her imagination.

Back on Yavin IV, Exar Kun is held captive within the Great Temple of Fire during a ceremony in which the Massassi elders release a giant purple worm-beast originally created by Sadow's Sith alchemy.

In Cinnagar, the ruling city of the Empress Teta system, Ulic's arrival does not go as unnoticed as he expected. Satal wishes to kill him, but Aleema sees use in his presence, and hopes he will reveal himself at the public executions the next day.

The next day, Aleema executes a Carbonite trader. Her next victim, Farng, retrieves a knife from the crowd and leaps at the Sith queen while trained assassins emerge from the crowd to revolt against the Krath rule. Ulic jumps in and kills the assassin, unaware that Aleema has orchestrated the entire revolt, wishing only to draw out the Jedi.

Exar Kun is being crushed by the alchemical Sith creature, while the spirit of Freedon Nadd speaks to him and urges him to snatch the amulet the Massassi priests have set out. Speaking in strange Sith tongues, the amulet soars through the air towards him, magnifying and concentrating his rage a hundred-fold. He blasts Massassi and creatures around the temple, searing the flesh on his arm, but feeling none of the pain. He manages to destroy the Sith creature, but is troubled that he was barely able to contain the power. Consumed by the power, Kun grabs the spirit of Freedon Nadd and vanquishes him forever.

On Cinnagar, having drugged Ulic, Satal and Aleema discuss their plans when Freedon Nadd reaches out with his last energy to warn them. He tells the Krath that Exar Kun has achieved power without limit and is a pretender to the Sith legacy. The real power of the Sith rests with the Krath and Qel-Droma!