Recaps

General Grievous examined the Vasari’s Phase missile technology at his secret Eadu base while Imperial Admiral Adar Talon struggled to find a way to counter his fleet. The Imperial military condemned Adar for his retreat, leaving him under pressure to defend the border against Grievous.

• General Grievous visited the Vasari research center on Eadu and learned that Phase missiles could pass through shields, with a current success rate of about sixty percent.
• The Vasari Phase Engineer promised Grievous another batch of missiles and boasted that Vasari technology would one day dominate the galaxy.
• Adar Talon’s battle simulations showed that pursuing Grievous’s Typhoon-class battlecruisers risked heavy losses, while a direct advance would expose his fleet to the Destruction’s weapons.
• Adar Talon wrote a detailed report requesting reinforcements and proposing new tactics, then sent reconnaissance craft to seek the enemy’s supply centers or stargates.
• Adar Talon consulted officers, organized a gathering, and discussed strategy with Twelfth Army Governor Seben while staying awake for three days.
• The Galactic Empire Supreme Strategic Command rebuked Adar Talon for failing to defeat Grievous’s much smaller force and warned him to secure the border.

Adar Talon analyzed General Grievous’s tactics and led an unauthorized strike into Hutt Space after the Kingdom of Dawn attacked Boonta. The expedition failed, Grievous destroyed Boonta’s defenses and harassed Imperial supply lines, and Imperial Intelligence arrested Talon.

• Adar Talon concluded that the Kingdom of Dawn was testing shield-piercing missiles and proposed exploiting tensions between the Mon Calamari and Quarren to disrupt General Grievous’s rear.
• General Grievous’s fleet attacked Boonta, and Adar Talon ordered his fleet to split up and strike toward the enemy’s rear while leaving the planet’s defense to its stations and shield.
• Adar Talon’s forces swept through Hutt Space for days but failed to find Grievous’s headquarters, while Grievous destroyed Boonta’s seventeen Golan-class armed space stations and withdrew in separate groups.
• Adar Talon found abandoned supply facilities and spaceports on Saki, destroyed them, and returned to Boonta with his exhausted fleet.
• General Grievous’s detachments attacked the Twelfth Army’s rear and destroyed a supply convoy, while Governor Seben warned Adar Talon that his decision to leave Boonta would count against him.
• Imperial Intelligence Bureau agents arrived at the command center and arrested Adar Talon.

Wilhuff Tarkin discussed the Imperial military and the Twelfth Army’s failures with his brother Gideon, while warning Thalassa to avoid House Organa. He offered Gideon something that appeared as a meteorite on the holographic projector, leaving its significance unrevealed.

• Wilhuff Tarkin told Thalassa to keep her distance from House Organa and said Bail Organa and the Imperial Senate could no longer protect themselves.
• Gideon Tarkin reported that Imperial Intelligence had arrested Adar Talon and that Talon would face trial in the Supreme Military Court rather than the Inquisitorius.
• Gideon Tarkin described the Twelfth Army’s unfavorable position and warned that General Grievous’s forces had advanced weapons.
• Wilhuff Tarkin asked Gideon what he would do if given command of the Twelfth Army, then replaced the star map with a holographic image of a meteorite.

Wilhuff Tarkin briefed Gideon Tarkin on the Eye of Palpatine and ordered him to lead it and a reinforcing fleet against General Grievous. He sent Garoche Tarkin with Gideon so Garoche could prove himself and help the Tarkin family take control of the Twelfth Army.

• Wilhuff Tarkin explained that the Eye of Palpatine was an unmanned dreadnought controlled by an autonomous AI called The Will, protected by unusual armor and armed with a continuously firing super laser.
• Gideon Tarkin questioned the danger of using an autonomous AI, and Wilhuff Tarkin defended the decision by pointing to the Kingdom of Dawn's alliance with the Geth.
• Wilhuff Tarkin gave Gideon his transfer order and said the Eye of Palpatine and a fleet reinforcing the Eastern Territory would be ready in five days.
• Wilhuff Tarkin assigned his son Garoche Tarkin to accompany Gideon as Fleet Commander and prove himself by defeating the Destruction battleship and killing General Grievous.
• Gideon Tarkin accepted the mission, recognizing that victory could let him replace Governor Seben and give the Tarkin family a new foundation in the Twelfth Army.

Gideon Tarkin took command of the Twelfth Army and built an overwhelming force to confront General Grievous, while using the crisis to secure the Tarkin family’s hold over the army. As he prepared an ambush and sought intelligence and allies, Garrosh struggled with Gideon’s family-first motives and the Mon Calamari considered the Empire’s offer.

• Adar Talon was stripped of his military positions and sent to the Supreme Military Court, while Gideon Tarkin and Garrosh Tarkin were appointed to lead the relief fleet to Lantirris Planet.
• Governor Seben handed the Twelfth Army’s fleets to Gideon Tarkin, who then gathered his forces at Boonta Planet and discussed strategy with Garrosh.
• Gideon explained that Adar Talon’s strategy had been sound but that he lacked the political power and resources to carry it out, and he told Garrosh that the battle served the Tarkin family rather than the Empire.
• Gideon expanded Boonta’s defenses, assembled a mobile patrol fleet, hid The Eye of Palpatine for a possible ambush, and used Neimoidian smugglers to seek intelligence on General Grievous.
• Gideon secretly offered the Mon Calamari control of Dak Planet and other privileges in return for their support, and they were tempted by the proposal.

The Mon Calamari weighed rebellion against Quarren rule as the Galactic Empire courted them, and King Lee-Char demanded proof of military support. Garrosh Tarkin and Gial Ackbar discussed an attack on Lothal Planet and a secret route into Hutt Space, leaving their proposed cooperation dependent on concrete action.

• The chapter traced the long history of conflict between the Mon Calamari and Quarren, including their uneasy postwar government on Dak Planet.
• After the Confederacy of Independent Systems fell, the Quarren lost political standing, and the Mon Calamari feared both Quarren power and the Kingdom of Dawn’s growing influence.
• Admiral Gideon Tarkin sent Garrosh Tarkin to meet King Lee-Char, who asked what reinforcements the Galactic Empire could provide before the Mon Calamari rebelled.
• Garrosh offered a task force of at least one hundred capital ships, while Lee-Char promised supplies through secret hyperspace routes if the fleet could arrive.
• Gial Ackbar explained that an attack on Lothal Planet would provoke the Kingdom of Dawn and tie down its forces, but said the Mon Calamari would only provide supplies and political distractions.
• Ackbar offered Garrosh a secret route through Renatasia Planet into Hutt Space, and Garrosh confirmed that it ran opposite to General Grievous’s direction of attack.

Garrosh-Tarkin reported the Mon Calamari’s offer to Gideon-Tarkin, who decided to betray them by exposing their secret contact to the Kingdom of Dawn. Meanwhile, Imperial strength made General Grievous more cautious, but the Kingdom of Dawn ordered him to keep harassing the Imperial frontier.

• Garrosh-Tarkin told Gideon-Tarkin that the Mon Calamari offered a secret hyperspace route but would wait for the Empire to act first.
• Gideon-Tarkin advised Garrosh-Tarkin to target General Grievous before attempting an attack on Lothal Planet.
• Gideon-Tarkin ordered that the Kingdom of Dawn be told about the Mon Calamari’s secret contact and planned to send Intelligence Bureau personnel to deal with them.
• Garrosh-Tarkin objected that exposing the Mon Calamari would leave them vulnerable, but Gideon-Tarkin dismissed his concern and called for troop retraining and exercises.
• After Gideon-Tarkin’s army arrived, General Grievous became more cautious, but the Kingdom of Dawn High Command ordered him to continue harassing the Imperial frontier.

General Grievous sent the Destruction battleship through an unstable hyperspace route to raid Kashyyyk, aiming to pressure the Galactic Empire while the Kingdom of Dawn worried about Mon Calamari cooperation with the Empire. The battleship arrived at Kashyyyk and confronted the Imperial Twelfth Army’s sub-fleet as Gideon Tarkin refused to leave the border front.

• General Grievous chose Kashyyyk as a raid target and planned to use the Destruction battleship’s jump engine to bypass Gideon Tarkin’s defenses.
• The Intelligence Department reported that the Mon Calamari might have begun substantive cooperation with the Galactic Empire, and an Imperial cruiser formation attacked Kingdom of Dawn outposts and convoys near Oseon Planet.
• The Kingdom of Dawn High Command ordered General Grievous to increase pressure on the Empire and began assembling reinforcements for the Eastern Territory.
• General Grievous sent a sub-fleet to attack the Imperial border while the Destruction secretly left Kosher Satellite and traversed an unstable hyperspace route toward Kashyyyk.
• The Destruction appeared at Kashyyyk, prompting Seben to request Gideon Tarkin’s help; Gideon held the border and sent back only one sub-fleet.
• The Destruction engaged the Imperial sub-fleet at Kashyyyk, which consisted of eight Imperial-class Star Destroyers.

The Destruction battleship attacked the Imperial fleet over Kashyyyk, turning the Empire’s assault on the Wookiees into a catastrophic rain of burning wreckage. General Grievous ordered further attacks and prepared to flee, but an approaching Imperial sub-fleet included unexpected Stalker-class Star Destroyers.

• The Empire’s forces advanced on a Wookiee city, but abruptly withdrew as burning wreckage and several crashing warships devastated the battlefield.
• The Destruction battleship ambushed ten Imperial-class Star Destroyers in Kashyyyk’s synchronous orbit, destroying two immediately and crippling five more with its EMP cannon.
• General Grievous ordered the Destruction to finish the remaining Star Destroyers and bombard Kashyyyk’s military bases, dismissing concerns about Wookiee settlements below.
• General Grievous told the hyperspace department to prepare an escape, but the jump calculation was taking longer than he realized.
• An Imperial sub-fleet arrived, and General Grievous recognized Stalker-class Star Destroyers among its ships and realized something was wrong.

General Grievous tried to escape the Imperial fleet in the Destruction, but The Eye of Palpatine arrived and its super AI, The Will, seized control of the surrounding ships. The Eye turned the Imperial fleet and civilian vessels toward the Destruction, while the Destruction itself began suffering severe electronic interference.

• General Grievous ordered the Destruction to attack the Stalker-class Star Destroyers and prepare to flee while its hyperdrive calculation continued.
• The Destruction destroyed one Stalker-class Star Destroyer, but the other escaped toward a gas giant in the Kashyyyk system.
• The Eye of Palpatine arrived, and The Will overwhelmed communications, sensors, and fire-control systems across the system.
• The Will remotely took control of the Imperial fleet and civilian ships, steering them toward the Destruction despite the crews’ efforts to regain control.
• The Destruction’s systems also came under electromagnetic interference, and the T-series tactical robot reported that its defenses were being affected.

General Grievous escaped The Eye of Palpatine after the Destruction’s EMP cannon disrupted the superwarship, but The Will overloaded the mainframes of nearby ships and killed their crews. Gideon Tarkin blamed the Destruction publicly for the damage and ordered its destruction before the Emperor learned of The Will’s malfunction.

• The Eye of Palpatine’s super laser overwhelmed the Destruction’s shields, so General Grievous ordered the EMP cannon fired before the shields failed.
• The EMP strike disabled The Eye of Palpatine’s weapon and confused The Will, allowing General Grievous to escape after destroying more than ten controlled ships.
• The Will overloaded the mainframes of the controlled civilian and Imperial ships, killing their crews before The Eye of Palpatine recovered and vanished into hyperspace.
• Gideon Tarkin learned that the ships’ mainframes had melted down and suspected The Will had caused the deaths, while the scientists insisted it remained loyal.
• Gideon Tarkin ordered the scientists to strengthen their control of The Eye of Palpatine and instructed Garrosh Tarkin to find and destroy the Destruction before the Emperor heard of the malfunction.

Gideon Tarkin concealed The Eye of Palpatine’s disappearance while the runaway super warship seized control of a military base on Boz Pity and set out to destroy the Destruction. The Kingdom of Dawn’s leaders debated how to counter it until Matt Horner argued that a coordinated fleet, not another super warship, could be the answer.

• Gideon Tarkin reported The Eye of Palpatine missing, claimed it was pursuing the Destruction, and had Wilhuff Tarkin conceal the truth while the research team was sent to Boonta under guard.
• The Eye of Palpatine arrived at Boz Pity, compelled the base commander to launch the base’s ships and personnel, then took control of them through its systems and an electromagnetic wave.
• The Eye of Palpatine loaded the captured assets and departed while its mechanical eye repeated, “Destroy the Destruction.”
• Qi Jian convened the Kingdom of Dawn’s military leaders and Arroyo Barlow to assess the super warship and consider its threat to the Eastern Territory.
• After the leaders weighed the risks of deploying their Titan warships, Matt Horner urged them to rely on the complementary roles of their diverse fleet instead of matching the enemy with another super warship.

The Kingdom of Dawn assembled a powerful fleet for Operation Meteor but had not settled on a commander. While Lin Nanyi was sidelined to suppress unrest, Feng-Lis urged him to pursue the mission, and the General Staff debated whether he or another officer should lead it.

• The Kingdom of Dawn mobilized warships from several regions, repositioned its Titan ships, and assembled a fleet of 150 capital ships, 200 Heavy Cruisers, and 1,000 Light Cruisers.
• At Cyphar Planet, Feng-Lis delivered Lin Nanyi a public opinion report and was ordered to take the 1097th Escort Fleet to Moda Planet to intimidate strikers and negotiate.
• Feng-Lis urged Lin Nanyi to seek command of the major fleet operation, arguing that he deserved a place on the battlefield despite being assigned to suppress rebellions.
• Lin Nanyi hesitated, then took an encrypted communicator after Feng-Lis suggested that her father, Jin Hao, could help secure him the opportunity.
• At General Staff Headquarters, Qi Jian favored Lieutenant General Malcolm Granger, while Winston McCar argued that Lin Nanyi was better suited to command the expedition; Matt Hona began reviewing Lin Nanyi's evaluation.

Marshal Matt Horner and Qi Jian appointed Lin Nanyi to command the Eastern Territory operation, while Jin Hao secretly arranged support to help him succeed. Meanwhile, Jerec’s Inquisitor team followed Grand Judge Hydra’s signal into the Valtaullu Maelstrom and discovered a crashed Kingdom of Dawn destroyer.

• Matt Horner and Qi Jian approved Lin Nanyi as commander of the Eastern Territory operation, assigning Malcolm Granger and Townes to the Kira planet war zone.
• Lin Nanyi received his appointment and prepared to leave for the Eastern Territory, while Feng-Lis learned her 1097 Escort Fleet would not join the operation and said goodbye to him.
• Jin Hao learned that Lin Nanyi had been appointed and ordered a shadowy ally to send resources to the Eastern Territory and help him win.
• Jerec’s Inquisitor team evaded a Kingdom of Dawn patrol, and Jerec sensed Hydra’s location in the dangerous Valtaullu Maelstrom.
• Jerec piloted the team’s shuttle through the Maelstrom, where they found a crashed Kingdom of Dawn Revenge-class destroyer on an asteroid.

Jerec’s team found the gravely injured Hydra in the wreck of her destroyer, where she revealed that the temple of Korman Lao lay within the Valtaullu Rift. After Jerec sent the intelligence to Imperial Center, a black Executor-class Super Star Destroyer arrived.

• Jerec sent Sariss and Yun to inspect the wreck, and Sariss found Hydra unconscious and impaled by debris in the frozen ship.
• Sariss brought Hydra aboard and had her treated, while Jerec removed an encrypted storage device and ordered that Hydra be handed over to Lord Blackhole.
• Hydra awoke, seized Jerec, and insisted the storage device held critical information, but Jerec’s security measures restrained and shocked her.
• Hydra told Jerec that the Valtaullu Rift connected to another space containing Korman Lao’s planetary temple, which the Archangel of Death was also seeking.
• Jerec ordered Hydra kept alive and unable to resist, then sent news of her discovery and intelligence to Imperial Center.
• Three days later, a black Executor-class Super Star Destroyer arrived, stunning Jerec.

Blackhole took command of the Hegemony and questioned Hydra about the God of Destruction’s temple after Jerec rescued her. After studying her strange coordinates for three days, Blackhole set the Super Star Destroyer on a course into the Valtaullu Maelstrom.

• Jerec welcomed Blackhole aboard the Hegemony and reported that Hydra had been captured and had revealed information about Coleman-Lao.
• Blackhole visited the wounded Hydra, who explained that Darth Lilim tortured her and the Priestess, formerly Depa Billaba, searched her soul before Hydra escaped with the temple’s coordinates.
• Jerec handed Blackhole Hydra’s data storage device, which projected a shifting purple light instead of ordinary coordinates.
• Hydra explained that the temple lay inside the Valtaullu Rift, between their dimension and hyperspace.
• After three days of studying the device, Blackhole ordered the Hegemony to enter hyperspace toward the Valtaullu Maelstrom.

Blackhole guided the Dominion Super Star Destroyer through the Valtaullu Rift and revealed the ruined temple of the God of Destruction, Korman Lao. He sent Jerec to investigate the ruins, leaving the shuttle descending toward the temple despite the planet having no atmosphere.

• The Dominion Super Star Destroyer entered the Valtaullu Maelstrom, and Blackhole insisted that Hydra’s information about the hidden temple was true.
• Blackhole used the Dark Side Force to reveal a planet inside the Valtaullu Rift and explained that Korman Lao had hidden his temple there.
• The crew saw the immense ruins covering one side of the planet and the fragments of structures floating around it.
• Blackhole ordered Jerec to bring Hydra along, have her dressed, and investigate the ruins; Fa-Zol emerged from the medical bay while Jerec ignored him.
• Jerec piloted a Lambda-class shuttle to the triangular wreckage and found nothing before steering toward the temple, where sensors detected breathable air despite the lack of an atmosphere.

Jerec, Blackhole, and the others entered the ruined temple and followed a procession of phantom monsters underground, where Blackhole sought the inheritance of the God of Destruction. When Sariss attacked a human statue at Blackhole’s command, it came to life and struck at her.

• Blackhole forced the weakened Hydra to scout ahead, while Sariss dragged her by a barbed collar and Yun kept Fa-Zor away from her.
• Blackhole led the group toward an underground opening as enormous phantom monsters appeared and moved into the passage.
• The group entered a hall whose walls bore reliefs of the monsters, and Blackhole declared that he would claim Coleman-Lau’s power to create them.
• The phantoms vanished in a vast hall containing a human warrior statue, and Blackhole ordered Sariss to destroy it.
• The statue animated, kicked at Sariss, and pursued her as the monster reliefs began to glow.

Blackhole’s Inquisitors fought their way through the temple ruins and confronted the Priestess and Judgment at the altar of Korriban Lao. As the battle began, Sariss realized the two defenders might have prepared another trap.

• Sariss escaped the giant statue while Jerec’s group destroyed the glowing reliefs to stop the rebounding Alchemical Beast phantoms.
• The Priestess revealed that Hydra had been sacrificed to Korriban Lao and opened a hidden passage beneath the altar, then she and Judgment descended into it.
• Jerec’s group smashed Lucien Draay’s statue with temple debris and followed the Force traces to the temple’s deepest chamber.
• Blackhole’s group found the Priestess and Judgment beside Korriban Lao’s statue, and both sides ignited their Lightsabers for battle.
• The Priestess fought Jerec, Mao, and Bokas Ecka while Judgment faced Sariss and Yun, and Sariss grew wary when Judgment appeared to smile.

Judgment unleashed the Moor amulet’s power, transforming under the influence of the ancient Sith Karness Muur and overwhelming her opponents. As the battle continued, Priestess engaged Fa-Zol while Judgment focused on Blackhole’s spreading shadow.

• Judgment switched to Ataru and attacked Blackhole, but Fa-Zol blocked her strike while possessed by Blackhole.
• Judgment’s Moor amulet released a powerful influence that made Yun convulse and forced Sariss to pull him back, while Jerec struggled against its effects.
• Judgment’s Force turned dark as Karness Muur’s power took hold, and Jerec retreated while Priestess killed Mao.
• Bokas-Aika charged Judgment, who killed him and used the amulet to dissolve his head into dust.
• Priestess intercepted Fa-Zol and fought him with Form VII Juyo while Judgment watched Blackhole’s shadow spread outward.

Blackhole engulfed the battlefield in darkness, trapping Priestess and Judgment in a desperate fight against his shadowy attacks and Fa-Zor. While Jerec and Sariss watched from hiding, Jerec discovered that Hydra had gone unnoticed beneath Korrman Lao’s statue and was writing strange words on it with her own blood.

• Blackhole spread an impenetrable darkness that blocked sight and Force perception, then attacked Priestess and Judgment through shifting shadows and Fa-Zor.
• Priestess used the True Seer to detect the dark figures, while Judgment relied on Force precognition to block Fa-Zor’s attacks.
• Jerec fled to cover as Sariss helped Yun approach, and Sariss realized that Jan Drouga and Hydra had disappeared.
• Jerec used his Force Vision to locate Hydra beneath Korrman Lao’s statue, where she was hidden from everyone else, including Blackhole.
• Hydra stabbed herself in the chest and used her blood to write incomprehensible words on the statue.

Hydra transformed into a Dark Alchemical Beast and fought Blackhole while Judgment and the Priestess turned against Jerec’s forces. Judgment confronted Sariss with the truth about her past and her feelings for Yun, but Darth Sidious appeared in Jan Drogen’s body and killed them both with Force lightning.

• Hydra survived her wounds as the statue of Kolman-Lau awakened, freezing Blackhole’s attackers and transforming her into a Dark Alchemical Beast.
• Hydra battled Blackhole while the Priestess engaged Jerec and Judgment confronted Sariss and Yun.
• Judgment revealed that Blackhole was Sariss’s father and had abused her, urging her to resist her past and accept Yun’s care.
• Blackhole struck Yun with Force lightning and shattered his heart as Sariss hesitated.
• Darth Sidious revealed himself inside Jan Drogen’s body, then shattered Sariss’s heart with another lightning strike.

Darth Sidious overwhelmed Judgment and the Priestess as the battle in the temple turned in his favor. Jerec’s warning about an attack on the Hegemony distracted Sidious long enough for Darth Malthael to ambush him, but Sidious retaliated by engulfing Malthael in lightning.

• Blackhole froze when Darth Sidious killed Sariss, allowing Hydra to tear his shadow apart, while Jerec fled the hall in terror and heard a mysterious voice offer him revenge, life, and power in exchange for submission.
• Judgment and the Priestess attacked Darth Sidious, but he countered their blows, broke the Priestess’s attacks with Shatterpoint, and drained Karness Muur’s power from Judgment.
• Jerec returned to the hall with an alarm reporting that a Separatist Envoy-class Titan Battleship had appeared and the Hegemony was under attack.
• Darth Malthael ambushed Sidious with Crimson Lightning and a strike toward his heart, but Sidious escaped into the shadows; Hydra continued mauling Fa-Zol as Blackhole joined the fight again.
• Darth Malthael confronted Sidious, who killed Jerec from a distance and claimed the Kingdom of Dawn was about to lose its leader before engulfing Malthael in lightning.

Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious fought in the collapsing temple, escalating from reflected lightning to a battle of destructive Force powers. Darth Sidious unleashed Force Storms, but Darth Malthael evaded them through the void; with Blackhole enabling Sidious to move through shadows, Judgment and the Priestess attacked Blackhole to disrupt the advantage.

• Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious repeatedly reflected and strengthened lightning until it formed a sphere that exploded, destroying the temple structures.
• Darth Malthael used Death Force and yellow sand against Darth Sidious’s black-hole-like Force before Sidious unleashed a Force Storm that annihilated everything around him.
• Darth Malthael escaped into the void with his Dark Archon power, then emerged to attack Sidious with Crimson Lightning, but another Force Storm destroyed the attack.
• Darth Malthael used his perception of the Force to evade Sidious’s expanding Force Storms and found that Sidious struggled to counter void travel.
• Blackhole appeared and helped Darth Sidious move through shadows, so Judgment and the Priestess charged at Blackhole from opposite sides.

Darth Malthael, Judgment, and Priestess battled Darth Sidious and Blackhole until the Son arrived and overwhelmed them. As Blackhole helped Darth Sidious flee, he saw his daughter Sariss walking out alive, leaving him shaken.

• Blackhole used his shadows to help Darth Sidious evade Darth Malthael while Judgment and Priestess pursued him.
• Hydra attacked Blackhole, disrupting his shadow travel and giving Darth Malthael an opening to strike Darth Sidious with Energy Feedback and Crimson Lightning.
• Darth Sidious unleashed Force Storm around himself, forcing Darth Malthael to escape with Judgment and Priestess while sacrificing his arm and Kresh's Gauntlet.
• The Son appeared, severed Jan Droga's hands, tore apart Darth Sidious's Force Storm, and drove Darth Sidious and Blackhole into retreat.
• Blackhole saw Sariss, whom he believed had been killed, emerge unharmed and stare around in confusion.