Question about Tholme's "death" in CW Volume 8

When Tholme appeared to die when the rocks he was standing on fell into the magma on Salecumi, I stared at those couple panels for a good long time trying to figure this out.

Are we meant to believe that the rocks simple collapsed, or that Tholme 'Forced' the rocks to collapse, or that Quin is responsible for the "death", either by using the Force to collapse the rocks under his former master, or by hacking them out from under him with his saber? I'm a big fan of DS Quin, and given how ready he was to kill Tholme a few panels earlier, this seems rather possible, but he hesitated to kill him (which saved his bacon later on), which lends credence to one of the first two options, but it seems to detract from the whole scene if Quin hesitates, not sure he wants to kill his former master, and the pathway crumbles, 'killing' him anyways. I kind of like the idea that Quin doesn't want Tholme's death on his mind, so allows the magma to kill him instead (although I can't picture Quin assuaging his guilt via semantics)

And while I'm thinking about CW8, does it seem unlikely to anyone else that Sidious (aka the Head of the Republic) and Dooku (the Head of the CIS) could sneak off and have a meeting anywhere? I mean, Palpatine should be using his executive authority to win the war, not taking a 'vacation', and if he left Coruscant in his Sith getup, I would think that would arrouse suspicion. Conversely, I doubt that the leader of the Separatists would be able to waltz right into the Chancellor's vicinity. Maybe I'm just crazy, but I think that would have been more appropriate as a holo-conversation.

 

Pfft! Pfft, I say, without the Sadow spittle. I saw Bok die in Rite of Passage, sinking into a veritable river of magma. No way he could have jumped clear. And yet he just turns up later, no explanations given. I did not like that.

I did not like that at all.

Still, the flexible mind is a sneaky mind. Still, I'll know better when I read the comic.

 

I figured they collapsed on their own, although I could definitely see Tholme doing it himself. It would also make his survival slightly less unbelievable.

Also, Sidious and Tyranus did it before at the end of AOTC, and they've been shown to do it since. Dooku isn't really micromanaging the whole war, and he seems to have no problem getting onto Coruscant.

 

I was under the impression Quin did it. Collapsing on their own is too convenient, and Tholme causing them to collapse sucks. Quin did it because making people fall off of high things is a cooler way to kill people, not a way to escape through semantics.

Palpatine doesn't spend all his time in the office, and his higher up aids know that he's got shady business on the side, so I'm sure there's not trouble involved in Palpatine getting away for a while. And Dooku knows who his master is, so he doesn't have to carry his Sith crap around all the time.

 

Wasn't Sate Pestage known for being notoriously iron fisted when it came to scheduling meetings with Palpatine? Perhaps it was because the Sith told the man to keep people out of his office for a few hours so he could sneak off and meet with the leader of the enemy faction secretly and plot the downfall and replacement of the democratic republic? I can imagine the day planner for that entry. 1300-1600 Late lunch, substantive debate, privacy required.

 

Labyrinth of Evil also gives Palpatine a secret chamber beneath 500 Republica, so he can easily reach his Sith hideout in The Works when he's supposedly tucked up in bed or in the 'fresher.

 

Gee the Chancellor's been in there for a long time. What'd he have for lunch? I'm staying away from that stuff. I mean, I've taken hyperspace trips to Saleucami that were shorter than that. Think we should call a doctor?

 

If you're willing to accept that Palpatine had enough "me" time to be a Sith Lord at all, the idea that he'd occasionally be able to slip away for an evil meeting or two isn't that implausible.

 

The Lord Palpatine is ever portrayed as all knowing, all cunning, some pill-popping Roger Ramjet. I'm finding it hard to read him lately with such repetitive characterisation, I admit.

 

Didn't Tholme as much as state, when he showed up, that he'd caused the collapse? He said that either Quinn would kill him, or he'd be forced to kill Quinn, so he faked his death. The point of the comic is that Quinn is right on the edge of the dark and light. I couldn't see him murdering his former Master, then just waltzing back into camp and pretending everything was okay.