Battle of Zakuul The Battle of Zakuul was the final engagement of the revolt against the Eternal Empire of Zakuul , after which the Eternal Empire ceased to exist . After the decisive assault on Odessen in which the Eternal Empress Vaylin was killed , the Eternal Fleet was left without a leader and reverted to its original function of exterminating all complex life in the galaxy . The Eternal Fleet warship s began bombarding Dromund Kaas , several Core Worlds including Coruscant , and Zakuul , which was also blockaded to protect the Eternal Throne . Realizing that the Throne needed an occupant to keep the Fleet docile , the Alliance departed to Zakuul with their fleet , the " Gravestone " at its helm . Shield upgrades based on Iokath schematics allowed the " Gravestone " to breach the blockade and engage the Eternal Fleet , while the Alliance Commander traveled down to the surface along with Arcann and Senya Tirall . The three of them made their way to the Spire , receiving unexpected assistance from Indo Zal and his Zakuulan rebels , and eventually reached the Eternal Throne room . The Commander claimed the Throne , which pacified the Fleet , but immediately afterwards Valkorion revealed his ultimate goal to eradicate the Commander ' s mind and take possession of their body as his new vessel , shocking them into nothingness . The Commander awoke inside their own mind , wearing Valkorion ' s form in a subconscious attempt to save their identity from being erased . Locating the mental image of Dramath ' s holocron , the Commander regained their identity , after which Valkorion manifested and summoned Vaylin ' s spirit , placing her under his spell and commanding his daughter to destroy the Commander . The Commander used the holocron to free Vaylin from her father ' s mind control , at which point Arcann has joined them inside the Commander ' s mind and convinced Vaylin to join them against Valkorion . All three of them attacked the Immortal Emperor , but Valkorion destroyed the holocron , claiming that nothing was able to stop him . However , since his spirit was now bound to Vaylin ' s and shared her weakness , the Commander used Vaylin ' s mental conditioning to turn the tables on Valkorion and weaken the Emperor for a killing blow , putting an end to his millennia - long existence . With the Immortal Emperor gone for good and the Eternal Fleet under their control , the Commander then proclaimed the age of the Eternal Alliance , unifying the military of Zakuul and the Eternal Fleet with the cause of the Alliance as a new galactic power . Prelude . After Eternal Empress Vaylin was killed during the assault on Odessen , the remaining Eternal Empire forces on Odessen surrendered to the Alliance , ending the battle on the ground . However , Vaylin ' s death also left the Eternal Throne empty , causing the Eternal Fleet ' s GEMINI captains to go rogue and revert to their most primal function - exterminating all complex life in the galaxy . Eternal Fleet warship s left Odessen ' s orbit and began bombarding heavy populated worlds including Dromund Kaas , Coruscant and the other Core Worlds , and Zakuul itself . The Eternal Fleet had also established a blockade around Zakuul , blasting any ships that attempted to land or leave , protecting the Eternal Throne in a ray shield , while also laying fire to the Spire itself , with entire buildings collapsing and bodies lying in the streets . The people of Zakuul had not yet received news of the Empress ' death , with some speculating that she was the one who ordered the slaughter , while others correctly assumed that Vaylin was dead and the Eternal Fleet had gone mad . Vaylin however was not completely gone , as in the moment of her physical death , Valkorion absorbed her spirit into the Alliance Commander ' s body which he already occupied , giving the Immortal Emperor the key to conquer his host ' s mental defenses . Meanwhile , since claiming the Eternal Throne was the only way to stop the destruction , the entire Alliance leadership boarded the " Gravestone " and departed for Zakuul . The Commander also ordered Lana Beniko to bring with them Dramath ' s holocron which they recovered on Nathema and which , they hoped , could be used as a weapon against Valkorion . The battle . The " Gravestone " , protected by the Alliance fleet , dropped out of hyperspace in orbit of Zakuul , which was completely blockaded by Eternal Fleet warships . However , the " Gravestone " had an advantage in form of upgrades that were installed based on schematics obtained on Iokath and provided a boost to the vessel ' s shields , allowing them to withstand a concentrated fire from the Eternal Fleet and break the blockade , after which the " Gravestone " then began firing the omnicannon , destroying multiple warships with each shot . The Alliance Commander prepared to head down to the surface , and former Emperor Arcann and his mother Senya Tirall volunteered to accompany them in an escape pod , which the three of them used to land in the Garden of Izax as fire and destruction reigned around them . They then made their way towards the Spire , along the way engaging skytrooper s and Knights of Zakuul , who did not yet know that the Empress they were serving was dead . At the entrance to Eternal Throne Spire , the Knights blocked their way with a Tyth ' s Gauntlet , but Indo Zal and Zakuulan rebels unexpectedly showed up to provide support , destroying an Eternal Empire Walker with a rocket launder . Fighting their way through waves of security , the Commander , Senya and Arcann eventually reached the turbolift that led directly to the Eternal Throne . After entering the room for the first time in almost a year , Arcann was taken aback at seeing his old Throne and , feeling the need to atone for his past crimes , offered it to the Commander , proclaiming them a more worthy Emperor than he ever was . The Commander claimed the Throne , which send a shock through their body and send a signal to the Eternal Fleet , which had immediately gone silent all across the galaxy , stopping the bombardments before reaching truly horrific casualties . Valkorion ' s trap . However , as soon as the Commander was on the Eternal Throne , Valkorion turned on them and revealed his true goal , forcing the Commander to kneel and proclaiming his desire to eradicate the Commander ' s mind and take possession of their body , after which he shocked them into nothingness . At this point the Throne room was breached by attacking skytroopers , forcing Senya and Arcann to hold their ground before they could be of help . The Commander awoke inside the abyss of their own psyche , wearing Valkorion ' s form in a subconscious attempt to save their identity from being completely erased . Traversing the bizarre mindscape , the Commander cleansed their corrupted memories , which revealed the thoughts and motivations Valkorion had while inhabiting their body . Locating a mental representation of the Holocron , the Commander regained their identity , causing Valkorion to manifested in his usual form , intending to finish the work of destroying his vessel ' s consciousness . The Commander resisted and Valkorion summoned Vaylin ' s enslaved spirit , dominating her will and commanding his daughter to destroy the Outlander . The Commander battled Vaylin in the mental mindscape and prevailed , but Valkorion easily restored her spirit , after which the Commander used the representation of the holocron to free Vaylin from her father ' s mind control . At this point , Arcann has joined them inside the Commadner ' s mind by meditating at the physical holocron still located in the Throne room . The Commander and Arcann convinced Vaylin to join them against Valkorion , and the three of them attacked the Immortal Emperor . After toying with them for a while , Valkorion destroyed the holocron , claiming that nothing was able to stop him . However , since his spirit was now bound to Vaylin ' s and shared her weakness , the Commander used Vaylin ' s mental conditioning to turn the tables on Valkorion and rob the Emperor of his own strength . With Valkorion overpowered and weakened , Senya joined her children in the Commander ' s mind and together the family watched the Immortal Emperor ' s final words and moments , until the Commander put a final end to his millennia - long existence . Aftermath . After Valkorion ' s essence was destroyed , the Commander , Senya and Arcann found themselves back in the Eternal Throne room , where Arcann was able to confirm that he no longer felt his father ' s presence , who was gone for good . Senya then opened a system - wide holochannel for the new owner of the Eternal Throne , who made an address towards the galaxy and proclaimed an age of the Eternal Alliance . In the following days , the Alliance had established complete control over the Eternal Fleet and what remained of Zakuulan military force , appropriating its vehicles and recruiting the personnel for the armed force of the new Eternal Alliance , which had grown from a small - scale insurrection to become one of the major galactic powers alongside the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire . For a while , the other governments were busy with recovery efforts on the world that suffered from the Eternal Fleet bombardment , but before long , both were preparing for a renewal of open scale war , put on hold since the Eternal Empire conquest . The Eternal Alliance had relocated the Eternal Throne from the Spire to Odessen , where it was installed in the Alliance base , issuing the Commander ' s new orders directly to the Eternal Fleet . Behind the scenes . Several aspects of Chapter IX : The Eternal Throne can play out differently , depending on player ' s past choices . Either Vette or Torian Cadera are killed by Vaylin on Odessen during Chapter VIII : End Times while the player has to choose which one to save ; the survivor will show up on the " Gravestone " before the battle and during the Eternal Alliance celebration at the very end . Likewise , either Aric Jorgan or Kaliyo Djannis can be killed or exiled by player during " " Chapter XIII : Profit and Plunder , in which case they will not show up during the battle . If the player previously killed or exiled Koth Vortena , Hylo Visz will take his place as the captain of the " Gravestone " , piloting the vessel and using the upgraded shields to breach the blockade around Zakuul . If the player previously killed Arcann and Senya Tirall , Theron Shan and Lana Beniko will accompany them to the Eternal Throne room instead , although the spirits of Arcann and Senya will still show up to help player defeat Valkorion . If during Chapter VI : The Dragon ' s Maw played had ordered Indo Zal to lead Zakuulan rebels into fight instead of taking to safety , Indo will still show up to provide assistance , but will mention that the rebels have lost their faith in the Alliance . If Arcann was killed without achieving redemption , both his and Vaylin ' s spirits will be absorbed by Valkorion and ordered to attack the player , who will free them with Dramath ' s holocron and convince them to join their side , despite having killed them both . If during Chapter VII : Into the Void player has kept Lord Dramath imprisoned in his holocron , his spirit will show to assist the player , confronting his son , killer and tormentor . After defeating Vaylin ' s spirit , Dramath will attack Tenebrae , piercing his defense as the cost of his life , finally achieving oblivion after centuries spend between life and death . If previously killed on Voss , Senya will still appear in the player ' s mind to help finish Valkorion , though her lines and actions will be exactly the same as in the outcome where she remains alive and enters the player ' s mind via holocron . After Valkorion is defeated , player can address the galaxy as a peacekeeper in a Light Side option or as a new Emperor in a Dark Side option . In the Light Side option , people of Zakuul are left free to rule themselves and the Eternal Fleet is transformed into a peaceful armada delivering refugees and supplies to help the galaxy rebuild after the war . In the Dark Side option , Zakuul explicitly surrenders to the Alliance control , while the Eternal Fleet is used as a deterrent to keep the other galactic powers from challenging the Eternal Alliance . This choice affects several lines and cutscenes during subsequent events on Iokath and Umbara .