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The two figured that any Sith Lord who was powerful enough to control and manipulate the Senate would have to have a markedly high midichlorian count. Testing each Senator might lead the Jedi to discover the Sith Lord or at least scare him or her enough into making a mistake that would reveal his or her identity. The two presented their plan quietly before Chancellor Palpatine, but Tap-Nar-Pal felt that discussing it with Jedi Master Yoda or Mace Windu would have been more prudent. But Ronhar Kim had been a close friend and confidant of Chancellor Palpatine for the better part of thirty years. And while Tap-Nar-Pal voiced his objections about not including Masters Yoda or Windu first, Ronhar assuaged his concerns, telling him that despite his insight, he lacked the experience for these delicate matters. The Jedi Master advised Tap-Nar-Pal to trust in his jugement.

But Tap-Nar-Pal and Ronhar could not have believed what they were asking of the Chancellor. The irony of the situation was that Chancellor Palpatine was indeed the very Sith Lord the Jedi were looking for. Palpatine had simply built the trust and friendship between Ronhar in order to have a thirty year window looking into the inner workings of the Jedi Order. Palpatine tried to argue against the plan on the basis that the political ramifications would be catastrophic, that no Senator would agree to be tested as such. When Ronhar suggested that Palpatine step forward to be the first tested in order to set an example, the Sith Lord knew the time had come to sever his relationship with his old “friend”.

Buying time by asking Tap-Nar-Pal and Ronhar to let him consider the politics of the idea, the Sith Lord's opportunity came when Tap-Nar-Pal and Ronhar Kim were assigned to lead the battle on Merson. As Palpatine was Darth Sidious and essentially controlling the war, he was able to play both sides and warned Count Dooku of the impending attack. Additionally, he ordered Dooku to dispense of the Jedi attempting to seek him out. When Tap-Nar-Pal and Ronhar Kim arrived at Merson, they faced a Separatist force five times larger than what they expected.

Tap-Nar-Pal stayed in orbit to assist the Republic Navy under the command of a young Captain Pellaeon, while Ronhar Kim led the ground troops. Outnumbered, the two fronts were effectively cut off from each other and took heavy losses. The orbital ships could not assist the troops on the ground as they has their own problems to deal with. Soon it became a choice of withdrawal or complete annihilation, and the Captain was not a stupid man. When the order for evacuation came, Tap-Nar-Pal would not accepting leaving the men on the ground behind.

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