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Walter Jon Williams2002 – Del Rey28 years after The Battle of YavinSite Rating =
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SPOILER ALERT: This Will Spoil The Plot of the Book!
Inside the Millennium Falcon, Leia and Han are just about to make the jump to hyperspace when Leia swears she feels a touch from Jacen. They are transporting an Imperial Officer back to Imperial Space.
On Mon Calamari, the new home to the Republic, an election of a new chief of state is nearing. Luke Skywalker meets with Senator Fyor Rodan and they discuss Rodan’s position on the Jedi. While he does not agree that they should be turned over to the Yuuzhan Vong, he does question the need for them in such close proximity and interaction with the government. He also is opposed to the formation of a new Jedi Council which Luke is pursuing. Luke returns to the apartment that he and Mara are sharing with the Solos. He talks to her about the four potential candidates for Chief of State when he is touched by Jacen. He knows this is going to be a turning point.
Acting on a tip, Jaina Solo has been waiting outside of Obroa-skai on a rumor that Shimrra, the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong will be coming that way. Just as Lowbacca begins complaining about his impatience Jaina realizes several ships are entering the system. The ships are numerous, and one is clearly a larger in the Yuuzhan Vong fleet and very likely the ship of Shimrra. Behind Jaina awaits a huge New Republic armada under the command of Keyan Farlander. The plan about to be executed was designed by Jaina herself and played upon on her knowledge of the Vong war strategies of attack. Her plan includes the use of decoy dovin basal’s that will cause the ships to attack each other and Danni Quee’s yammosk jammers, which will cause disruptions in the their communications. As the jammers are engaged all the New Republic ships break their current track and head directly for Shimrra’s ship. While the jammer was effective for a few moments, it ultimately fails. As the New Republic tries another maneuver Jaina blasts her decoy dovin basal’s that attach to many of the ships that fly by. The dovin basal’s work and the coralskippers begin attacking each other. Suddenly Jaina realizes that there are two separate yammosks and they were only jamming one of them. She instructs the fleet to begin jamming the new signal and this time the plan works. Jaina gives the signal for all ships and began attacking Shimrra’s and they open fire. As the Vong turn back to help their mothership, the Republic signals its backup fleets including the Hapans commanded by Tenel Ka. The Hapans land the final decisive blows and destroy the flagship. In the elation that follows, however, they learn that Shimrra was not onboard.
Still in their escape craft from Coruscant, Jacen tells Vergere that he was able to touch Luke, Mara, and Jaina briefly through the Force. She tells him they are about to enter a New Republic world space that may be prone to shoot them out of the sky as an enemy craft.
Shimrra and his familiar, a shamed one named Onimi, arrive on Yuuzhan’tar greeted by tens of thousands of Yuuzhan Vong including Nom Anor.
Senator Cal Omas reports to Luke and the others that Rodan gave the same speech he gave to Luke to the entire Senate. They’re trying to come up with a way to reestablish the Jedi Council without it being viewed as a threat to the Senate. Luke recommends that the new Jedi Council have six members from different governing bodies and then six Jedi. Suddenly he is again touched by Jacen. Luke also senses Vergere’s presence and realizes she has Force abilities. Luke comes out of his trance and tells the others that Jacen is an escape pod and they must rescue him.
Shimrra holds courts to discuss the conquest of the galaxy. Tsavong Lah proclaims victory, but Shimrra is less impressed saying that Lah has wasted many of their own kind in the battles. Because so many of their reserves have been depleted, Shimrra borders Lah to cease offensive actions for the time being. Shimrra takes an intelligence report on the upcoming Chief of State election and he orders Nom Anor to kill Cal Omas. Shimrra then asks who is to blame for the catastrophe of the world brain and Nom Anor tries to blame Lah and Vergere. Much to his happiness, the priest Harrar comes to his defense. They decide that the true villain in is indeed Vergere, but Shimrra speculates that her work over the last fifty years with the Vong is a masterpiece of deception. The high priest Jakan gives a report that many shamed ones and workers have been secretly meeting and worshiping Jedi and not the true way. Jaina and Jacen are thought to be gods and now they are also worshiping someone called The Ganner. Despite Jakan’s request that they hunt down and kill all heretics and keep workers separate from any infidel slaves, Shimrra overrules and says there is no need to disrupt manufacturing during wartime. The final report comes from the Master Shaper that is working on Yuuzhan’tar. Shimrra is enraged at the continuous failures that have taken place there and orders the shaper executed. Nom Anor wonders if Shimrra’s power isn’t similar to that of the Force.
Luke and Mara watch as a tractor beam brings Jacen’s craft inside the New Republic Annex. Luke senses that a turning point has come and Jacen’s destiny will be the key to winning the war. Jacen Solo exits the craft a much older and wiser looking person than when they last saw him. Mara asks Vergere about her tears, but Vergere doesn’t want to give up that secret. Jacen tells them that she is a Jedi from the Old Republic and has been living with the Yuuzhan Vong. When Luke questions her, she is still unwilling to speak further. Jacen and Vergere meet with the now retired Admiral Ackbar, but also they are told that New Republic intelligence to must debrief both of them for allowing them to walk about.
Han and Leia meet with Grand Admiral Pellaeon of the Imperial remnant. Pellaeon passes on the news that Jacen is safe and allows them both to send him a message. Leia requests the Imperial maps of the Deep Core, a closely guarded secret; in return the New Republic will give them the key to Yuuzhan Vong communications. While he does agree to the exchange, he is less receptive to them forming an alliance to help rid the galaxy of the Vong. He tells her that the Moff Council is interested in retaining any world’s it helps retrieve from the Vong for the Empire.
After infiltrating a heretical group of shamed ones and workers, Nom Anor encounters Onimi off the main road far away from Shimrra’s palace and decides to follow him. He follows him to a shaper complex that is heavily guarded. Inside he learns the Shaper Nen Yim has been working on heretical projects under Onimi’s watch and therefore the gods that Shimrra speaks of are most likely false as well.
After being summoned back, Farlander and Jaina meet with Kre’fey. After commending both of them on the battle, he lets Jaina know that Jacen has returned. Kre’fey also tells them that Bothawui has now declared all out war on the Vong, a state of war that they’ve only reached two other times in their history, both ending in the total extermination of their enemies species.
Cal Omas announces his candidacy for Chief of State as well as his plan for a new Jedi Council.
Luke questions Vergere about leading Jacen into captivity so many times and not helping him escape sooner. While Luke’s patience with her grows thin and he chastises her methods, through their conversations he begins to see her words have true meaning. She asks the same question she asked of Jacen. If the Yuuzhan Vong are alive and all life is in the Force, are the Vong the problem or is it Luke’s and the Jedi? After getting a briefing on the Senate vote, Luke returns and sends Jacen on vacation before returning to Vergere to continue their discussion on the Vong’s place in the Force and whether emotion, such as anger and passion are really to be avoided as Luke suggests or to be understood and used wisely as Vergere.
Luke meets with Lando Calrissian and Talon Karrde about some rumors that Rodan has ties to smugglers. Lando and Talon devise a plan that will help Cal’s campaign. Karrde also shows him a small droid that will be able to eavesdrop on the Vong as well as seek any of them out who are in disguise.
Luke, Mara and Jacen again meet with Admiral Ackbar who tells them that he’s been working on a strategic plan for the war and after hearing Jacen’s information he now believes that victory is possible.
While training with her Twin Suns squadron Jaina overhears a distress signal and heads out to give assistance. Upon arrival she is engaged by numerous coralskippers. After seeing reinforcements for the coralskippers, Jaina is forced to make a hyperspace jump in retreat, but at that moment a fleet of A wings comes in to rescue them.
Luke returns to talk to Vergere and asks her how she was able to conceal her identity from the Vong. She demonstrates by having him attempt to attack her using his mind and he is not able to do so despite being able to slightly since her presence in the Force. She tells him that she makes her awareness as small as a molecule therefore making her very difficult to hit. Luke realizes this is also how she rearranges her tears to become whatever she wants. She tells Luke that she hopes that others will be able to learn if they are willing to. She also asks him why he is not permitting the Jedi to release their aggression on the Vong and Luke says that he knows how easy it is to be tempted down the Dark Side. Luke says he feels responsible for any of their negative actions. Vergere mocks Luke and insists his ego is governing his actions and ideas. He is not responsible for the actions and fates of all of his students anymore than Yoda is responsible for Luke cutting off Darth Vader’s hand. Luke gets frustrated and angry he realizes that is what she was hoping for. She asks him if the darkness in his anger was from him, from her, or from the Force. Luke wonders if lack of self-knowledge is be part of the Dark Side, why was Palpatine dark when clearly he had self-knowledge? She says that some people simply invite the darkness in. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from anger or other emotions. The Force finds what’s inside you already. Luke leaves and recommends to her captors that she be released and walks out to the planet’s surface with his mind full of new thoughts.
Lando and Talon meet in secret with several Senators and record the conversations as each of them accepts bribes in return for government contracts for their new droids.
Mara is on her first hunt testing out the droids as they look for Vong infiltrators. She discovers a female traitor and follows her as she leaves a payment for informant in the Senate Security Council. After a bit of work she is able to map out the network of infiltrators.
Admiral Kre’fey gives a passionate speech to all the members of the military that have gathered. He wants them to know that they will soon be crushing the Vong into oblivion. Jaina meets with Kre’fey after his speech, and he tells her that he will be giving her a two-week break from the war to go to Mon Calamari to see Jacen and her family. But while there she needs to convince Luke and Leia to bring many Jedi back so she can use them in Force meld attacks against the Vong.
Mara follows the infiltrator to a marina where she inspects some of the ships. A second Vong warrior enters and joins the first as they go into a submersible. Mara picks up a submersible of her own to follow them. She follows them onto the other side of the underwater city and realizes in horror that they are planning an assassination attempt on Cal. She uses her own sub to ram them. They are able to torpedoes at her, but she tricks them and the torpedoes eventually follow back to the Vong sub, destroying it. She alerts Luke and they move Cal to their quarters.
The next day Cal is elected to Chief of State with 85% of the vote, and his first order of business is to establish a new Jedi Council.
After another embarrassing failure on Yuuzhan’tar, Tsavong Lah wishes to take on a decisive battle with the New Republic. Shimrra, however, is not interested until Nom Anor joins Lah’s side.
Cal and Luke discuss who the initial nominees for the Jedi Council will be. Kyp Durron is on the list. Rodan tells them that he will have nothing to do with the government or any councils that they may wish to try to appoint him to.
After Jacen does some relaxing and shopping he sits down with Luke to discuss the Yuuzhan Vong. He tells Luke that he doesn’t hate the Vong anymore than you hate a child who was raised poorly and acted out. He also tells Luke that he was able to form a mental telepathy bond with creatures while he was kidnapped. He neglects to tell Luke however that he was still in contact with the World Brain on Coruscant and has influenced it to create havoc in small but annoying ways.
Jacen and Danni Quee go to a tropical part of the island to relax and talk. She tells him that she’s currently unemployed, but that several other scientists have made an interesting discovery. While most of the Vong genetics are similar to theirs, one strand is unique to every organism in the Yuuzhan Vong galaxy. After another trip the next day, they return and Jaina is waiting for them in his apartment. She is only able to stay for a moment and must report to Luke about a previous request. That night Jacen is awoken by his parents and after a joyful reunion, the Solo’s move into a new apartment together.
Cal and his inner circle, including Luke, meets with Admiral Ackbar who gives a rundown on the state of the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong, including noting that the New Republic has killed almost a third of their warriors. He points out all the standard traits of a warrior and counts them all as a unified weakness because of their predictability. He recommends setting a trap that will bring them into a battle very soon while they are weak. Due to an influx of young, untrained pilots, he recommends they attack Vong worlds that are thin on protection, and then build up to the large-scale attack. The other part of Ackbar’s plan entails only defending three or four planets that are vital to their salvation and letting the rest fall. The timetable is three months.
The first Jedi Council, or High Council as it is now named, is called to order. Kyp announces that Lowbacca and the Wookies have discovered a way to use dovin basals to pull Vong ships out of cyberspace the way they’ve been doing to the New Republic. Many question why Luke has changed his mind into a more aggressive stance and he explains he has learned some new lessons from Vergere. Despite Kyp’s warnings about younger Jedi being tempted by the Dark Side, Luke says, as Vergere has, that they must trust in their training and they have given all the warnings they can. They wonder what to do with some of the Jedi apprentices who have spent a lot of time in battle and decide that many will become Jedi Knights – the first of the New Jedi Order. And so it happens that inside an auditorium, after remembering those Jedi that had fallen in the war, that nine new Jedi Knights are crowned including Jacen, Jaina, Tahiri, Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka.
After two months of skirmishes and battles it becomes obvious that Jacen has the ability to know when to attack and where to move and becomes the chief tactician on the bridge of a capital ship.
Ackbar’s plan is taking shape. He has found several moons around Ebaq in the core and he hopes that the Jedi will act as bait to trap the Vong in the system and turn it into a killing zone.
At the next High Council meeting, the unique Yuuzhan Vong gene is revealed as well as a weapon that will lead to the annihilation of all Vong life within a month. Luke is obviously completely opposed to the weapon, known as Alpha Red. The council has a heated argument including whether Alpha Red could eventually mutate and kill everyone. The Council votes the plan down, but Cal overrules them and wants to continue with the project. Luke returns to tell Mara the news and Vergere overhears the conversation.
Later Mara and Luke are called to Cal’s office and are told that Vergere sabotaged the Alpha Red project. They obviously believe that she is still working for the Vong. Since it will take 3-4 months to reestablish the project, Luke knows that he has three months to win the war using Ackbar’s plan.
Vergere contacts Jacen through the Force and requests a secret meeting during which she reveals what she’s done to Alpha Red. Since she is now on the run, she asks for his help in returning to his ship in secret and he agrees.
Luke meets with Han and Leia and convinces Han to take charge of all the smugglers and their ships that have been brought in for the attack.
On Ebaq 9, the tiny moon that will be used in Ackbar’s plan, Jaina is little bit confused about why she’s being asked to dig holes in its surface. After safely hiding Vergere in his quarters, Jacen heads to Ebaq 9 to meet Jaina. Although initially questioning the logic of the plan, the two begin to realize the reason for the holes they are digging.
Using some of his contacts, Nom Anor receives the fake information that the new government as well as the Solo twins will be at a new location. He tells Shimrra that they are ripe for destruction.
Jaina is awoken for what she thinks is another drill, but quickly learns that the Vong are attacking and they have brought voxyn with them.
The battle begins and the New Republic uses some surprising tactics that gain some small victories against the Vong’s outnumbering attack. The casualties begin to mount; however, as the Vong armada begins overwhelming them. Jaina sends word through the Force that help is needed, and soon help arrives as the New Republic back up begins jumping in from hyperspace.
Tsavong Lah looks on as he repositions his forces that still overwhelmingly outnumber his foes.
Many light-years away, several New Republic ships litter the hyperspace routes with tens of thousands of mines.
In the battle, New Republic ships make some radical course changes and Tsavong Lah realizes he may be in danger as his ship is trapped between two squadrons.
As Han and Leia lead the Smuggler’s into the battle, Jacen puts them into position. Leia can sense that Jaina is in trouble
Tsavong Lah begins to question Nom Anor’s intelligence reports as more New Republic forces emerge at the orders of Kre’fey. Realizing that his life is in grave danger, Nom Anor escapes to hide among the working class until he can devise a new plan. Rage flows through Tsavong Lah, and using an unexpected maneuver, he takes his fleet and heads directly for the moon hoping to find Jedi there to kill.
Jacen realizes Lah’s plan and contacts Han and Leia and tells him to get moving to intercept the squadron. Realizing he just sent his parents on a perilous mission he runs for his own X wing to help out. Vergere tries to stop him from leaving, but he refuses. She says this is not his destiny but he will have to live with the consequences.
Jaina also knows the surprising move the Vong are making. General Farlander contacts her and says they must wait it out in the tunnels they dug beneath the planet as the original plan had intended.
The smugglers fleet is making some headway, but they’re still vastly outnumbered. They’re only trying to slow down the Vong until help arrives.
Tsavong Lah is thrilled that his new tactic is working and orders that all other squadrons return to Yuuzhan’tar while he and his squadron head down to the service for a Jedi hunt. Lah then hears word that some of his retreating fleets were yanked from hyperspace by interdictors and were met by the thousands of mines left along the route, destroying over a third of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. Those on the ground are dying by the hundreds as other mines kill them. Tsavong Lah baits the Jedi and requests they all come to the surface and Jacen returns the message saying he’ll accept the request.
As Jaina and the others hide in the tunnels, they can hear the Vong breaking through the walls. Tsavong Lah supposes that the only reason Jacen would come to the surface was to protect his sister. He splits his forces up to look for each twin.
Jacen can feel the voxyn hunting him and he turns to run deeper into the tunnels. He uses a grenade and blows up many pursuers, but they still move in on him.
The Vong are finally able to breach the tunnels and the voxyn tears in and attacks the Jedi. While the Jedi are eventually able to kill it, warriors are pouring in right behind them. The Jedi bring the ceiling down to block the path and head deeper inside. Jaina sends the non Jedi down one tunnel while she leads the Jedi down a different path to draw the voxyn. She reaches out to find Luke.
While deciding his next move, Luke receives Jaina’s message and the two decide on a plan that would fly an X wing down the main shaft to her location. Luke tells the other Jedi to prepare for a land battle against overwhelming odds.
Vergere contacts Tsavong Lah and mocks him that she has been a Jedi living among them undetected for fifty years. Lah invites her to the Jedi hunt and she begins heading towards the surface.
Inside the tunnel Jacen realizes that he is quickly going to be cornered in the ever shortening tunnels and decides to make his stand. His anger raging at his own mistakes, he unleashes force lightning on his attackers. He turns and is surprised to see Vergere standing next to him.
An A wing stolen by Vergere crashes into the tunnel and sends out a huge firebomb that sucks out all the air from the tunnels. Within seconds, the Vong pass out and within a few minutes they all die. Because Jaina is so far in the tunnels, she has enough time to get her helmet on before the air is sucked away. Jacen on the other hand is able to create a force field around himself that preserves the air in his vicinity. Vergere scolds him for following his emotions into this predicament, but in the end he was able to save his sister. Suddenly Jacen realizes that since Vergere was not incased in his force field, she is actually dead!
Since it’s too hot for humans to head into the fiery shaft, Luke sends down various droids to bring supplies and medical attention to the survivors. As a medical droid inspects Jaina and her companions, Tsavong Lah, who had survived with a mask on, kills the droid and begins attacking them. He is able to disarm them and trap them against the ground with Jaina using Lowbacca’s lightsaber for defense. Using the Force to retrieve her own weapon she slams it through the Warmaster’s throat!
After regrouping at Kashyyyk, Cal decides it’s time to rethink the government’s role as well as a possible name change from the New Republic to something else. Luke assures Jacen that the Alpha Red project will only be a last resort. Jaina takes a much needed vacation. And Shimrra, after giving a rousing speech to his beleaguered leaders, hears from Onimi that perhaps the war is already lost.
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Major Characters |
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Admiral Ackbar
Nom Anor Tsavong Lah Cal Omas Onimi Shimrra Luke Skywalker |
Mara Jade Skywalker
Han Solo Jacen Solo Jaina Solo Leia Organa Solo Vergere |
Why Should You Read This Book? |
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| The tide is certainly turning towards the New Republic. | |
Good Moment |
Bad Moment |
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The Jedi Induction Ceremony
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The Death of Vergere
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Previous Novel |
Next Novel |
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