Through pain, suffering and the power of the dark side, Sith apprentice Teneb Kel has learned the nightmarish truth about Exal Kressh and the Children of the Emperor. Now he's faced with the challenge of turning that knowledge into a deadly weapon, and defeating an enemy who nearly killed him once already. The final confrontation between Teneb, Maggot and Exal approaches, as war rages across the galaxy!
Upon awakening on Lenico IV, Kel is confronted by the Jedi Master Jerbhen Hulis, who is also seeking Kressh, and the two ally briefly to rescue the surviving colonists and salvage the parts Kel needs. The Sith assassin then pursues Kressh to Korriban, where Kressh has given the Republic inside information so that they will attack the planet and she can infiltrate the Sith Academy to destroy the machines the Emperor will use to create his "children." Kel and Kressh battle once again in the depths of the Academy, and Kel emerges victorious, but he kills Maggot after the Abyssin overhears their discussion of the Emperor's plans in order to keep them secret. When he returns to the Dark Council, Kel blackmails the Council into making him a Darth—Darth Thanaton—in exchange for the knowledge of the Emperor's children.