Greg Keyes 2003 – Del Rey 28 years after The Battle of Yavin Site Rating =  Buy Now From Amazon.Com

SPOILER ALERT: This Will Spoil The Plot of the Book!

After gathering all the known information regarding Zonama Sekot, Nom Anor, disguised as the prophet Yu’shaa, proclaims he’s had a vision of a planet where Shamed Ones rule and Shimrra is no longer in charge.

On Dagobah, Tahiri is attacked by several Shamed Ones of the Yuuzhan Vong.  As they approach to speak with her, Vong Warriors leap from the trees and began attacking the Shamed Ones, and Tahiri comes to their defense.  While most are killed, a scout remains.  With his final breaths, he recounts to Tahiri that his mission was the finding planet that was prophesized by the Prophet Yu’shaa that would be home to the Shamed Ones.  Tahiri promises to take help them complete this quest.

Back in action, Wedge Antilles is leading the attempt to liberate Fondor for the Galactic Alliance.  Unfortunately, Duro was sacrificed in the process causing many to be disgruntled.

Onimi meets with the heretic shaper, Nen Yim.  He takes her to a secret place where a living ship not built by the Vong awaits her.  He tells her keeping its existence is of utmost secrecy, but that Shimrra wishes her to analyze it.  After working on the ship, Nen Yim briefs Shimrra on her findings.  She tells him that at the cellular level it similar to their own ships despite the fact that it does have that its own engines and not dovin basals.  Shimrra is not pleased with this and wonders whether the infidels have stolen their secrets and have twisted them into this abomination.  Nen Yim says it’s shocking that there could be similarities between their ships and this at such a minute level.  She continues by telling him that the planet the ship came from is in itself alive, but he dismisses that as lies as the planet she speaks of is dead.  She also tells him that they already have weapons to use against this, but they’ve never used them before for anything else.  Shimrra tells her that they must be a gift from the gods.  Secretly, Nen believes that the weapons exist because the Yuuzhan Vong had encountered this world some time in the past.

In secrecy, Nen meets with the priest Harrar.  He wonders why someone so favored by Shimrra that most do not know she exists would meet with him.  She asks him about the commander that brought back the mystery ship.  Harrar asks is she is familiar with the prophet of the Shames Ones and his proclamation that a new world is coming soon, but Nen knows nothing of it.  She wishes Harrar will help smuggle her out and help her find this Zonama Sekot, and Harrar says that he profit may succeed where he would fail.  A messenger makes his way to the Prophet a.k.a. Nom Anor regarding Nen Yim’s request. While he does question her motives, he proclaims to his followers that he and the Jedi will work together to free Nen Yim and her find the New World.

Tahiri returns and tells Han and Leia her tale.  They think she is making a rash move, and take her to meet Kenth Hamner who is filling in during Luke’s absence. He tells them about the insurrection that is boiling within the Vong.  Corran Horn joins them as they watch a message from the Prophet asking for them to take him along to Zonama Sekot to see his prophecy for himself.  Corran and Tahiri take up the mission and head to Yuuzhan’tar to find Yu’shaa.

Corran and Tahiri eventually reach their landing spot, but not before taking enough abuse that they know they’ll need to find a new ship to leave.  The find an old garbage shoot and encounter a Warrior who reveres them as one who killed Shedao Shai and the one that has been shaped.

As the Prophet enters, Tahiri realizes that he’s wearing a mask.  He tells them that their mission is to take a shaper to Zonama Sekot, not himself.  Corran and Tahiri ask several probing questions about this change of plans but the Prophet tells them that Shimrra fears the planet intensely.  After a private discussion, the two Jedi decide to take up the task.  The Prophet tells them that his people will provide a distraction to draw any of the warriors away, but Corran has a different plan.

They are able to make it into Shimrra’s palace, and the Prophet tells them he’ll meet them later on.  The distraction begins with a large explosion on the side of the building and hoards Shamed Ones begin attacking the warriors.  Then four Shamed Ones disguised as Jedi   enter the fray and run off with nearly all the warriors in hot pursuit.  Tahiri and Corran are able to get inside Tahiri’s knowledge of Vong passwords.  The Jedi fight their way into Nen Yim’s laboratory where she is waiting and helps them kill off the remaining warriors.  With horror, however, she recognizes Tahiri and assumes she’s come to kill her.  Tahiri tells her that although she would like to see will not – for now.  As they are fighting, Tahiri is poisoned so Corran picks her up and takes her towards the ship.  Once in the mystery Sekotan ship they are accompanied by the Prophet and Harrar and Nen Yim at the controls.  Vong ships try to keep them from leaving, and Corran realizes that Nen has never flown a ship before!  Corran takes the controls and heads to hyperspace as Nen cares for Tahiri.

Feeling better, Tahiri wakes up and they discuss what’s coming next.  Corran says he has no intention of taking them to Zonama Sekot since Harrar and Nen Yim were not part of the plan.  The Vong suggest that they go to the planet meet with the Jedi that are already there negotiating in hopes of bringing a joint venture that will help everyone.  Corran is against it, but Tahiri is favor.  Corran, although not pleased that she contradicted him, admits privately to Tahiri that while he’s telling them they’re going to Mon Calamari, in reality they are going to Zonama Sekot.

After several days in hyperspace, they are caught by and Imperial interdictor.  Fearing destruction, Corran admits to the Vong their true destination.  Nen Yim uses a trick that allows them to escape and continue on.  Tahiri and Nen Yim have a discussion about both of their belief systems.  Tahiri supposes that perhaps the Force is what is behind the Vong gods; while Nen dismisses it she appreciates the insight.  Nen then tells them that she believes the ship’s dovin basals are dying.

After a few more jumps the dovin basals continue to get worse, and Nen is not exactly sure why.  Tahiri says that it’s because as they get closer to Zonama Sekot the Force connection with that planet is slowly rejecting the non-Force Yuuzhan Vong pieces that are attached to the ship.  They decide to give it one more jump to see if they can get into the system, and then they can get help once that there.

Still on Mon Calamari, Han and Leia learn that the Holonet is under attack and stations across the galaxy are no longer operational.  Unfortunately, Wedge learns of the outage as he begins his liberation assault on Bilbringi.  For his fleet, which includes Jaina and Jag Fel, there will be no backup since they are unable to reach them.

After a rough finish and with little life remaining the dovin basals, Corran is able to bring the ship into Zonama Sekot’s gravity pull. The ship begins to take itself on a landing course, but without real means to slow their descent.  As they near the surface, the Jedi reach out with the Force just a moment and are able to slow down just enough.  Upon stepping onto the surface, all three Yuuzhan Vong are all jolted with this incredible feeling.  The Prophet proclaims that this is the planet they’ve been searching and for Nen to start experimenting immediately.

Nom Anor ponders how to handle the discovery of a planet that he didn’t believe was real and how it can fit into his return to power.  To her great surprise, Nen encounters a tree that is a direct descendent of a Vong plant that has been extinct for thousands of years. She’s not quite sure how to explain this and discusses it in depth with the Prophet.  The two are both quite excited about the possibilities and Prophet suggests he help her with her studies and she allows him to hold onto her data collector.

As Corran and Harrar explore the planet for Luke, they encounter three massive hyperspace cones.  Harrar does not understand them and Corran is in no mood to educate him.

Harrar returns and he and Nen have an in-depth discussion about her findings that all life on the planet works together to keep everything in balance, as opposed to the Vong way where every species looks out for itself and for its own betterment.  She has been unable to determine what makes this happen and Tahiri volunteers and that is simply the Force.  Nen believes that because Tahiri is part Vong and part Jedi would have a unique insight into what this planet is about.  Tahiri says she’s been giving it thought, and she’s come to the conclusion that this is the Yuuzhan Vong home world!  Nen is aghast at the suggestion and says that future research will refute this statement.  Harrah and the Prophet, however, began to ponder the possibility.

They go their separate ways and Nom Anor returns to the hillside and sees the hyperspace cones.  He is taken aback by them as they are large enough to move an entire planet.  He makes contact with a relative and him to take his villip to Shimrra personally.  Overnight he makes contact with Shimrra and tells him that Nen Yim and Harrar are plotting against him and that he has been captured by the Jedi and is just now able to escape and learns they are on Zonama Sekot.  He tells Shimrra to only send a couple of ships to handle the situation because by the time they arrived he will have killed the planet with information he stole from Nen Yim.

When Corran tells Tahiri that he and Harrar are setting off for the hyperspace drives she snaps back that she doesn’t want to baby sit any further.  They argue, and Tahiri, in a fit of emotion, begins crying and says what she really needs is a new teacher to help her guide this new personality she’s created.  She wants Corran to be that teacher and he accepts as long as Luke agrees.

Tahiri returns to find Nen working very hard on an experiment to prove or disprove this so-called Force connection.  The explanation includes a bit of information as to the shaping that was done on Tahiri’s brain.  Tahiri asks whether Riina was a real being and after describing many of her memories Nen stunned to realize that the memories Tahiri has are her own!  Overwhelmed by this knowledge and the information she was learning from the planet, Nen goes off alone to meditate.  She believes that she’s tapped into the memories of everything that’s happened on the planet and she thinks he knows the solutions to all of their problems.

Unseen above them, Nom Anor heads off after Nen Yim.   She is basking in the revelations she has just discovered when Nom Anor steps up behind her.  She talks of the truth and in turn he reveals the truth that of who is really is.  She attacks him, but he is able to poison her.  He takes a rock and smashes her head several times and steals her data collector.  Tahiri finds her on the ground and with Nen’s dying breath she reveals the Prophets true identity and his plans to kill the planet.

Coming to the aid of Wedge’s forces, Han and Leia arrive.  Twin Suns squadron is under heavy attack and head towards an asteroid field only to encounter a hidden station.  She lands and is taken hostage by the criminals running it who hope to fend off any Vong attacks.  Han, Leia, and Jag come to her aid and the station along with Wedge’s fleet jump to hyperspace and abandon the mission.  Pash Cracken and Judder Page are among those left behind and Pellaeon’s son is killed.

At the hyperspace cones, Corran tells Harrar what they really are and they find a tunnel that leads towards the planets core and to the communications hub of the drives.  Back in disguise, Nom Anor follows Corran and Harrar and takes the life down as they are heading back up.  Upon reaching the bottom he begins looking for the components that will allow him to destroy the planet.  Upon leaving the hyperdrive area they run into Tahiri who tells them of Nom’s deception.

With only minor difficulty, Nom Anor finds his target and injects something that will mean the end of the planet.  He makes contact with the Vong ships overhead and they tell him that they will be sending a transport for him in the next few hours.

Leaving Tahiri at the top to wait in case Nom returns, Corran uses the Force and some extra padding to slide down a power cord to the basement since Nom had disabled the lifts.  Nom hears Corran hit the ground nearby and makes a run for the lift knowing that Tahiri is probably waiting up top for him.  He makes it to the top and shoots poison at her.  She dodges, but falls off balance and he shoves her over the railing!  Tahiri uses the Force to draw herself to the cable that Corran had used.   She’s able to stop herself, but with only her bare hands that are now terribly injured.  After knocking out Harrar, he takes Tahiri’s dropped lightsaber and severs the power to the elevator Corran is taking.  Nom doesn’t get far as Harrar catches him from behind and tackles him.

Using a battery backup Corran finally reaches the top and helps Tahiri as well.  They head after Nom Anor, but they can sense through the Force that whatever his plan was, he had already done it.  They see a shuttle heading down towards the service and race towards it.

They arrived just ahead of the shuttle and Nom knows it will be too late for him and he takes off running through the woods.  Tahiri catches him with a huge drop kick and retrieves her lightsaber.  She threatens to kill or torture him unless he tells them what he’s done to the planet.  Suddenly the planet shutters and they are all launched into the air allowing Nom to escape yet again.  As they chased after him Vong warriors hold them off as he hurries onto the ship.  As the Jedi are surrounded suddenly, the Jade Shadow appears and starts blasting the warriors and Luke and the others appear to help them.  Tahiri takes off for the shuttle and makes it just behind Nom Anor and the door closes behind him.  Suddenly a huge pillar of light appears from the hyperspace cones and the ground rumbles.

As Nom Anor looks on, the planet along with the Widowmaker and the Jade Shadow blasts into hyperspace and disappears!

Seeking shelter in the Jade Shadow, Corran and Tahiri begin to recount their tale when Sekot in the form of Nen Yim walks into the room. Sekot tells them that it has taken on the memories of Nen Yim and all that she did on the planet.  Sekot tells them that the planet was infected with a virus that was supposed to destroy the core of the planet but it was neutralized.  This hyperspace jump was unplanned, but not a major problem as the planet was slowly coming back under control.  Tahiri feels bad about bringing Nom Anor to Sekot, but others say that everyone was partly to blame for the situation.  Sekot tells Tahiri that because Nen Yim was there the information that she brought and the questions that were raised during their discussions will prove to be invaluable and perhaps the most important questions Sekot will ever address.

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