Episode 2: Something Rotten in Omar
After escaping the Separatist forces at Arcuuna the Light of Reason heads along a little-explored hyperspace route to the fringe world of Omar. Since the navicomputer is inoperable it is up to Master Oona Dio’s Force sense to guide the ship safely to its destination. The damaged databanks aboard hold very little information, but E’tan is able to recall a few details – that it is an out-of-the-way place that’s not aligned with either the Republic or the Separatists, and that the locals follow a religion that forbids droids and other advanced technology. Still the place does have a spaceport, however meager, so the Light must land and seek assistance.
They are greeted by High Hierophant Aldermaan and the Church Elders. They are not wanted here – Omar is a neutral world. But Master Dio turns out to be quite persuasive. The Light will be allowed to stay for emergency repairs. They will have supplies brought and medical aid will be given to the wounded. But they must stay aboard the ship and not attempt to leave or interact with anyone. Meanwhile another ship, a largish transport named the Sixth Star, lands and starts disembarking its cargo – refugees from the war who have come to Omar to start new lives. The Durois crew seems to be well known to the locals and not subject to the same restrictions as the Light of Reason.
Meanwhile E’tan has snuck away from the ship. Catching a cab, driven by one Dirk Strider, he heads to the city – Orlist, the capital of Omar. The place turns out to be a sad affair, a very affluent and well-kept city center, great estates in the old sea-cliffs and surrounding hills, and massive slums as far as the eye can see. He arranges for accommodations and takes trip to see the Temple Hill, the seat of religious power. Seeing the great robed statues that line the way to the Great Cathedral he gets this nagging feeling that he should know who they are (they are the likenesses of the Jedi Founding Fathers).
That very night Master Dio has a Force vision alerting her to a great evil. She decides to send her apprentices undercover into the city. All save Jax who will remain with her aboard the Light. E’tan and E Leet go with Dirk Strider to see a local religious leader, while Janna and Navik decides to look into the priesthood, the church and the history of Omar’s founding.
Dirk takes the two Jedi to see Josh'ah Dest, a local Durosi religious leader. He fills in a lot of gaps – telling them that all is not well on Omar. That the current regime is quite oppressive and not very pious. That Omar was settled by war-weary refugees led by equally war-weary Jedi, leading to the world’s peculiar pacifist religion. While they are speaking to him Omarite Templars move in to arrest Josh’ah – his vocal opposition to the regime will no longer be tolerated, and definitely no talking to outsiders. The Jedi flee while Josh’ah is arrested. But his captivity is short-lived as E’tan and E Leet join with Dirk to liberate him before he can reach Temple Hill.
Returning to the hotel they find a handful of Durosi mercenaries waiting for them in the main hall. Wasting no time the Jedi draw sabers and go on the offensive. Soon the villains all lie dead. This prompts the Jedi to go looking for Hedja Mooh and his cronies. They find his Seacliff apartment and break in there. Another fight ensures, in which the Jedi capture Mooh’s lieutenant Rara Nimpo. Unfortunately she doesn’t know when to quit and is killed before she can reveal anything. A starfighter attack on the apartment puts an end to that line of investigation.
Meanwhile Janna and Navik have snuck onto Temple Hill and recorded a most revealing meeting between Hedja Mooh and High Hierophant Aldermaan. The High Hierophant is demanding that something be done with the Oracle. Her visions are turning increasingly hostile to Aldermaan’s rule and he wants her replaced with someone more docile. Only he cannot act openly against her, or he would lose all legitimacy. So Mooh must go there and seize her. Janna sends word to Master Dio, who takes an airspeeder and heads downtown to pick up her Jedi. Then they set course of the mountain monastery of the Oracle.
The airspeeder is intercepted halfway by two Durosi starfighters dispatched from the Sixth Star. After some near-death acrobatics by E’tan he manages to seize control of one fighter and shoot the other one down. The rest of the trip is rather less eventful, until they spot the Sixth Star parked on the platform outside the Monastery. Shrouded by the Force they lands safely and quickly take out the guards Mooh has left outside. Quickly they make their way inside and start looking for the Oracle.
Inside the situation is chaotic. Encouraged by the words of the Oracle the monks have put up a spirited resistance against Hedja Mooh’s crew. And the monastery itself is a warren of old passages and hallways. The Jedi and their troopers make their way to the Oracle and secure her. Then the situation changes for the worse – contact is lost with the Clone sentries outside, and Oona can feel the Dark Side approaching. Ordering her apprentices to carry the oracle to safety Master Dio confronts the Sith. E’tan, headstrong as ever, does not listen and joins the fight. But he is not yet a Padawan, much less a true Jedi, and his feeble skills are no match of the Sith. Finally E’tan heeds his master, hobbling after the others, injured, but alive.
While Master Dio keeps the Sith occupied E Leet and E’tan escort the Oracle out of the temple. And about time – in the skies above Separatist Vulture droids are getting ready for a bombing run. E Leet jumps into the cockpit of the captured Durosi starfighter and takes off to confront the enemy while the injured E’tan leads the Oracle and the remaining clones board the air speeder. E Leet buys enough time for the airspeeder to get away, but he cannot prevent the Separatists from blowing up both the temple and the Sixth Star – presumably with both the Sith and Master Dio still inside! Later turns out the Sith defeated Master Dio, then spirited her away by way of another exit before the bombs fell.
Due to Separatist air supremacy the Jedi are forced to dump their vehicles and hide. They hide in the bush while the Separatist land their droid legions and seize control over Orlist. Making their way down-river they finally manage to contact the Light of Reason. It has not been destroyed at all. It fled the spaceport as soon as the Separatist ship appeared, and then hid beneath the surface of the ocean.
A period of healing and waiting follows, but eventually the Separatist warships move on. But they have badly miscalculated the fighting spirit of the Omarites. Learning that the Oracle is safe and that Aldermaan is a villain they rise in rebellion and defeat both the droid garrison and the Templar forces. Josh'ah Dest becomes the new High Hierophant and Dirk Strider leader of the Omarite Militia. The Omarites ask that the oracle accompany the Jedi to Coruscant, where she can be tested and taught – and petition for Omar to join the Republic.