SYNOPSIS
In the Senate, Chancellor Palpatine answers questions that the war has gone on too long and cost too many lives. He agrees, as he confesses that a personal Jedi friend of his has dies in the war. As to how long the war will continue, he promises it will last until the enemies have been destroyed, lest all the lives that have been lost have been done so in vain.

A few days prior to Palpatine's speech, Master Ronhar Kim is under heavy fire on Merson, where they appear to have been expecting the invasion. His Clone Commander Dox reports on the mission, before Master Kim calls "upstairs" to his fleet commander, Captain Pellaeon who cannot help, and in fact is prepared to evacuate the system in order to save his ships. Kim's padawan Tap-Nar-Pal orders him to stay, but lacks the proper authority to do so. Kim orders Tap to leave with Pellaeon, but he chooses to ignore the order.

The padawan decides instead to drop his Jedi starfighter into the atmosphere and strafe the enemy near Kim's position. As Kim screams for him to abort, Tap's fighter is struck by a missle from a hailfire droid and he crashes in a spectacular explosion into the surface of the planet.

Ronhar Kim pauses to praise the life of his padawan before order Commander Dox to die well as they charge outnumbered toward the enemy. The Jedi is blasted apart by battle droid fire and dies alone on the fields of battle.

Three days before the death of Ronhar Kim, Count Dooku receives a private message from his master, Lord Sidious ordering him to send all available forces to wipe out the Republic Army on Merson. A Jedi plans to sniff him out, but they will destroy him instead.

Five days before that evil communiqué is sent, in a garden on Coruscant, Ronhar Kim discusses the possibility of using a Jedi test to discover the Sith Lord Dooku spoke to Obi-Wan about during the Battle of Geonosis. Palpatine scoffs at the suggestion, stating that many Senators would refuse on principal to submit to such a test. Tap suggests that if Palpatine were to go first, then maybe the Senate would follow. Palpatine muses this over, telling the Jedi not to mention this to any others, lest the Sith get wind of the plan, and he will contact them after they return from Merson.

Kim and Tap discuss the events that lead them here, and Tap asks how it was that Kim saved the Chancellor's life. Kim recalls that day, ten years earlier when he was speaking to the newly elected Supreme Chancellor. On their way to another meeting Senator Viento interrupts them and warns them of an imminent attack on Palpatine's life. He suggests that the Senate guards may not be enough and mentions that he and others think the Chancellor should have a private guard.

This occurs seconds before the two Senate guards ostensibly protecting the Chancellor, turn on him and attack. They are quickly cut down by the fast reflexes of the Jedi, and before the sole surviving guard can be questioned he takes his own life with a strange syringe. A syringe which is familiar to no one but Ronhar Kim.

Twenty years earlier, Ronhar Kim is visiting the dead body of his father, Vidar Kim. He recalls the events leading up to this in which Kim and his father argued over his leaving the family to become a Jedi. Later he visits with his father, now a Senator from Naboo, is asking his son for some preferential treatment in return for a favor. Neither spots the assassin sneaking up on the air car until it is too late.

Vidar Kim and the driver are killed and Ronhar knocks the assassin to the ground. The assassin then takes his own life using a strange syringe.

Back in the place of mourning, Ronhar is approached by Palpatine, the replacement Senator from Naboo. They chat about the nature of fate, and the bloodlines they follow. Kim wonders what would have happened if he had followed in his fathers footsteps. Palpatine says he cannot say, but maybe if they, the Jedi and the Politician, can form an Alliance, then maybe they can help each other and the Republic understand the Jedi better.

They shake hands on it.