"Jag, make sure the cloak is on when we get out of hyperspace," Jaina told him. "We wanna get the drop on the Sith, you know."

"Got it," Jag replied as he set to work.

A few moments later, the sight provided by the viewport provided by them reverted from the blue tunnel of hyperspace to the star-studded blackness of real space. There, hundreds of miles before the Harla was the A-wing that was the only other vessel to escape the explosion of Talon Karrde's now-destroyed base, and it was now boarding a medical frigate.

"You think we should continue following them, or just take out their engines, board them, and question them after we kick their asses?" Jag asked his wife.

"I'd say follow them so we can find out who their masters are," Jaina said, "but since we gotta tell Mom and Dad about the Sith's likely involvement with the recent Killik crisis, we're already off track as it is. So let's question them here."

"You sure you don't wanna figure out who their masters are?" Jag asked. "That seems like a pretty big thing that'll help the Order."

"Don't worry, honey," Jaina said, "I already got a plan for us to get back on that after we tell Mom and Dad..."

.

"We can see that those among the Chiss and Jedi parties have grown weary with this debate," ThurThul stated after several hours of discussion in the throne room. "Shall we leave it here for the rest of the day and pick it up tomorrow?"

"I believe that is most wise," Leia agreed before looking to Formbi. "Do you feel that it is best, Ambassador Formbi?"

"As much as I want to resolve this dispute for the Phalanxes, rest is a good idea," Formbi said before standing up from his seat.

"Excellent," ThurThul stated as everyone else began standing up. "We have already prepared rooms for you to slumber for the night."

"Rooms?" Formbi asked suspiciously.

ThurThul looked at him curiously. "Of course; it is common courtesy in a debate that may very well last for several days, is it not?"

Formbi glared at the leader of Thuruht. "How do you know this debate will last for days?"

"We are not exactly sure," ThurThul stated evenly, "but for this occasion, we believed that it was best if this debate were to last for days."

"How courteous of you," Formbi replied just as evenly. "But if you don't mind, my party and I would prefer to return to the blockade for the next twenty-four hours."

"Please stay," ThurThul pleaded in his monotonous tone. "We would feel that it would be an insult if you turned down our offer of hospitality."

"With all due respect," Formbi began, "given the circumstances of this debate, I believe that it would be, quite frankly, safer if I return to the rest of the Chiss fleet."

"You believe that we would dare do something as assassinate you while you and your party slept, Ambassador?" ThurThul asked, his tone starting to sound bitter.

"It is a possibility that we must take into consideration," Formbi said. "That, and the fact that you had betrayed the trust of the agreement facilitated between our species years ago, I can't be entirely sure if your hospitality would, in fact, open up any attempts on my life. And any member within any of the Phalanxes would be a fool to fall for something like that, even if your offer of hospitality was genuine."

ThurThul and Formbi began staring each other down for several seconds in dead silence, filling the room with tension as to what the former would respond with.

"Very well," ThurThul ultimately said. He then turned to the Solo party. "What about you, Jedi Solo? Would you turn down our offer of hospitality?"

"I think that would be best, no offense," Leia said.

"Thank you," Han and Allana both managed to whisper into Leia's ear.

ThurThul sighed. "What a shame. I wish we could make this easier."

Before anyone could ask ThurThul what he meant, the sound of several lightsabers sounded outside the throne room. Everyone turned to the source of the sound, which was the room's exit. The double doors that made up the room's only entrance and exit opened up, revealing six young alien Jedi Knights with their blades alight.

From left to right, the first Knight was a female Duros named Rigall Brarun, who carried a pink-hued lightsaber. The second Knight was a male Rodian named Qwert who carried a green-bladed lightsaber to appropriately match his skin hue. The third Knight was a female Bothan named Kolir Hu'lya whose blade shined blue. The fourth Knight was a male Cerean named Marr Idi-Shael, whose yellow-bladed lightsaber was passed onto him by his former Master, Jaden Korr. The fifth Knight was a female Sullustan named Zierra Zuban, whose blade glowed purple. And lastly, the sixth Knight was a male, green-bladed-saber-wielding Gran named Jaips Greeq.

And all bore down on the Solo and Chiss parties with unyielding, threatening glares.

"The missing Knights!" Leia exclaimed before whirling on ThurThul. "You captured them and placed them into your hive mind, didn't you?"

"They are now part of Thuruht," ThurThul stated simply. "Just as you will all be very soon."

"You lied to us!" Formbi shouted at the leader of the nest as he and his guards whipped out their charrics from their holsters and aimed it for him. "Stay where you are and we won't..."

Formbi trailed off as a wall of non-Joiner Thuruht members quickly formed a wall in front of their Joiner king, blocking him from any potential harm that the lethal charric bolts would provide.

"Neither you nor your meager Ascendancy can prevent the return of the Colony, Ambassador," ThurThul interrupted, "nor can it stop the power that will ensure the galaxy's protection from Abeloth's own return!"

And with that, the hive-minded Jedi Knights, excluding ThurThul, charged for the Solos and the Chiss with their Killik brethren.