Mission to Ruul (War of the Ring)

|prev=*Battle of Lianna
*Battle of Teyr
|conc=
|next=Battle of Pengalan IV
|name=Mission to Ruul
|image=
|conflict=War of the Ring
|objective=Investigate reports of defecting Jedi
|date=April 27th, 1981 (13:8)
|place=Ruul
|result=Sora Bulq is revealed to have turned to the dark side and joined the Separatists.
|side1=Jedi Order
|side2=Dark Acolytes
|commanders1=
|commanders2=
|ppl1=*High General Aragorn
*K'Kruhk
*Sian Jeisel
*Mira †
*Rhad Tarn † (as Jedi)
|ppl2=*Sora Bulq
*Jinx
*General Rhad Tarn † (as Dark Acolyte)
|casual1=*Mira
*Rhad Tarn (proselytized)
|casual2=Rhad Tarn
}}
Investigating reports of defecting Jedi, Aragorn headed on a Mission to Ruul.
==Prelude==
In the aftermath of the Battle of Lianna, the Jedi present; Bilbo Baggins and Aragorn; received a report from Tholme and Quinlan Vos regarding dissident Jedi who had refused to participate in the War of the Ring. The four leaders of the dissidents (Sian Jeisel, K'Kruhk, Rhad Tarn and Mira) had been united by Sora Bulq and had gathered on Ruul at Bulq's deteriorating family estate. They agreed to a meeting, but requested the presence of one of the Council members who could speak for the entire body, specifically Aragorn. Aragorn decided to go.
During the presentation of the report, Aragorn and Quinlan Vos engaged in a sparring match. However, towards the end of the mock duel, Aragorn advised Vos not to hold back. This spurred Vos to unleash a vicious maneuver that Aragorn recognized as a Vaapad technique, prompting him to bring a quick end to the sparring session. When questioned about it, Vos claimed it was a maneuver taught to him by Sora Bulq during his retraining, although Bulq said nothing about Vaapad.
Before Aragorn left for Ruul, Bilbo advised him to look at Bulq with a 'child's eye', free from preconception. Aragorn agreed to meditate on this.
==The Mission==
===The Meeting===
Aragorn arrived on Ruul at night two days later, and was greeted by Sora Bulq, who claimed he had joined the dissidents out of grief over the death of so many Jedi at the battle of Isengard, feeling that the preservation of the Republic was not worth their deaths. However, he stated that he had not made up his mind one way or the other, and said he would simply listen and meditate. When questioned by Aragorn about Quinlan Vos' knowledge of Vaapad, Bulq claimed he had trained Vos in the basics of Vaapad as a test, and when Vos passed it, Bulq went no further.
Aragorn shortly met with K'Kruhk and Sian Jeisel, the former meditating under a waterfall, the latter clearing a path to the main house of the estate with her lightsaber. They were shortly joined by Bulq, who was accompanied by Rhad Tarn and his former padawan, Mira. As they began their meeting, Rhad Tarn quickly took the extremist position, advocating that the Jedi join the Confederacy, whereas Mira claimed the middle ground, favoring diplomacy. When questioned about his position, Bulq quietly sided with Tarn, in contradiction of his earlier statements to Aragorn.
As the meeting adjourned, the Jedi departed to rest and meditate, while Aragorn followed Bulq to the main house, questioning him about his change of position. Bulq simply said that his mind and his heart were full and went to walk the paths of the estate to think. Bidding Aragorn good night, he departed.
===Jinx' intervention===
As he strolled about the estate, Bulq was suddenly ambushed by Jinx. While the two fought, Mira spoke with Jeisel before strolling about herself, saying she felt uneasy. As she walked about, she stumbled upon the battle between Jinx and Bulq, just in time to see Bulq brought down by a light cut to the throat. Calling out to the other Jedi, she attacked Jinx, telekinetically hurling a flurry of rocks at the Dark Jedi as she leapt at her. Jinx easily held off Mira, and delivered a mortal wound to the Jedi even as Bulq warned her to flee.
With that, the other Jedi arrived and attacked Jinx, though the Dark Jedi easily held off their assault. When Aragorn arrived and demanded Jinx' identity, Jinx broke off from the duel and replied I am your humble servant, Aragorn. I trust you're pleased. She promptly disappeared, her task of confusing the Jedi accomplished. Rhad Tarn quickly accused Aragorn of having brought the assassin with him, as no ship can land on Bulq's estate without Bulq being aware of it, and Aragorn's ship was the last to arrive. Aragorn denied this and left to find and deal with the assassin.
After Aragorn left, Rhad remained convinced that the assassin was in league with Aragorn and followed the Jedi master, hoping to find proof of this. As Rhad ran off in pursuit, Bulq told K'Kruhk and Jeisel to follow him while he took Mira's body back to the house.
During his search for Jinx, Aragorn found the Dark Jedi's ship, and had a sudden realization. After the Jedi master departed, Rhad stumbled upon the scene.
Demanding that Jinx reveal herself, the Dark Jedi obliged, attacking Rhad. As they battled, Jinx taunted and goaded the young Jedi, causing the already fiery Jedi to become consumed with rage, blinding his reason. Jinx took advantage of this and encouraged Rhad to call on his rage, managing to turn the Jedi to the dark side of the Force. When asked to join Jinx, Rhad extinguished his lightsaber and accepted.
With that, Jeisel and K'Kruhk arrived, pleading with Rhad not to listen to her, but it was too late. Stating that he was not weak and would not be a Republic pawn, Rhad reignited his lightsaber and attacked them alongside Jinx.
====Revelation====
Meanwhile, Bulq arrived at the main house, laying Mira's body on a stone slab and apologizing to her inert form. Suddenly he was confronted by Aragorn. Aragorn revealed that he had realized that Bulq was in league with Ventress, as no ship could land on Bulq's estate without him being aware of it, so Bulq had to know about Jinx' ship. Aragorn went on and mentioned Bulq's change of opinion during the meeting and stated that by looking at Sora Bulq with a 'child's eyes', he realized that Bulq had turned to the Dark Side.
Bulq didn't deny it, and the two produced their lightsabers. Bulq revealed that during their development of Vaapad, he had become fascinated by the Dark Side and had secretly delved into it. He also revealed that after the Battle of Isengard, which had disgusted Bulq, he was approached by Saruman the White. Stating that the Sith Lord had shown him that the Republic would only change if the Jedi made that change, i.e, took over the Republic. He planned on using the dissident Jedi to start a schism and get more Jedi to join the Confederacy. But Aragorn's revelation had resulted in a change of plan.
Now Bulq planned on killing all the Jedi in addition to Aragorn and claim that Aragorn attempted to kill them. Because of his influence in the Order, many Jedi would believe him and he would still get his schism. Aragorn quickly pointed out that he was not dead yet. Bulq simply said that this would be soon corrected and attacked his former friend. As the two engaged in a frenzy of Vaapad fueled swordplay, Aragorn stated that it was a mistake to expose Bulq to Vaapad. Bulq countered with his belief that he had perfected Vaapad, harnessing all that was inherent in it. Believing himself to be a master of the style, Bulq believed that Aragorn could not defeat him, just as the other Jedi could not defeat Jinx.
As they fought, Bulq and Aragorn felt the death and pain, prompting Bulq to state that with their inevitable deaths, it didn't matter which of them won, Aragorn had ultimately lost. Aragorn agreed with this, and brought a swift end to their duel, slamming Bulq against the wall and causing a number of rocks to fall on the surprised duelist. Aragorn quickly departed to save the others.
===Fight and Flight===
Sadly, Bulq's prediction seemed to be coming true; with Rhad Tarn's aid, Jinx was easily holding off the Jedi. While Jinx battled K'Kruhk, Jeisel was viciously driven back by an enraged Tarn, despite her pleas. Tarn seemingly defeated Jeisel with a massive Force Push, disarming the hapless Devaronian. Stating that he had chosen his path, just as he has chosen to kill her, Rhad brought his lightsaber to Jeisel's throat and prepared to finish her. Suddenly Jeisel retrieved her lightsaber and ignited it into Rhad's torso, bringing the fallen Jedi's life to a tragic close.
As Jeisel finished Rhad, K'Kruhk and Jinx fought. As K'Kruhk expressed his desire to spare Jinx' life, the Dark Jedi scoffed at it, bringing the Whiphid down by slamming her lightsaber hilt across his head. Jeisel then attacked Jinx, attempting to save K'Kruhk. However, Jinx easily fended off her attack, kicking the Jedi aside. Turning to K'Kruhk, she raised her blade to finish him.
However, at that moment, Aragorn arrived, attacking Jinx, prompting the Dark Jedi to join her twin lightsabers into a double-bladed lightsaber. However, despite her skill with the weapon, she was unable to compete with Aragorn. Driven to the cliff edge, she turned and leapt off it... onto the back of a hovering droid that spirited her away.
As K'Kruhk and Jeisel regained their feet, Aragorn explained that Bulq was in league with Jinx, their earlier fight being a sham. Their skepticism was quickly erased when they were attacked by Sora Bulq's droids. Fighting their way to Aragorn's ship, the survivors made their escape.
==Aftermath==
After they escaped, Aragorn resolved to speak with the dissident Jedi represented by K'Kruhk, Jeisel, Tarn and Mira, and let them know the truth, and warn them about the danger posed by Sora Bulq. After that, Aragorn said the dissident Jedi could make their own choice on the matter.
K'Kruhk decided to return to the temple, and stated that he would encourage others to do the same. Believing Sora Bulq to be evil, he saw that which Bulq served to be evil, so it must be opposed.
Sian Jeisel remained unsure of what to do, saying she would not join the Separatists, after what Bulq had done, but still held objections against the Republic.
With the failure of his scheme to discredit Aragorn, and his subsequent loss of cover, Sora Bulq lost his potential as a double-agent. His retraining of Quinlan Vos was also called into question. However, the Separatists gained a fully capable new minion.
==Appearances==
*Jedi: Aragorn 
==Sources==
*Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*
*Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
==Notes and references==
Category:Missions
Category:Duels