Aaron Allston 2002 – Del Rey 27 years after The Battle of Yavin Site Rating =  Buy Now From Amazon.Com

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

Coruscant has fallen to the Yuuzhan Vong only a few weeks earlier.  Above the planet Borleias, several Vong ships see a New Republic fleet jumping out of hyperspace.  The New Republic ships began launching x-wings at the command of Wedge Antilles on board the flagship Star Destroyer Mon Mothma.  Luke is leading the attack with remnants for ships now leftover from squadrons lost on Coruscant. As Luke, Mara Jade, and Corran Horn engage the coralskippers, they realize that they’re heading back towards Mon Mothma.  Instead of pursuing they allow the mother ship to finish the fight.  After successfully fighting off the next batch of skips they head towards the landing zone.

On the surface, Lando Calrissian leads his droid troops into the battle, each with a message taunting the Vong.  The Vong unleash a new huge creature into the battle.  Luke and the others try to distract the beast from the transport as the human troops enter the battle.  Lando encounters some engineers who use their explosives to kill the beast.

Wedge visits the surface and surveys what’s left of the New Republic facility.  He finds a suitable location and gives instructions to make the landing zone and set parameters around it.

Wedge, whose family is still missing after Coruscant, gathers many of the main generals and commanders together to discuss their next plan.  Wedge divvies up duties to many of the people gathered there.  Danni Quee is in charge of Vong technology.  Luke is in charge of Special Forces and Mara is placed in charge of intelligence.  They hope to restart the biotech lab on the planet as well as give the New Republic fleet time to regroup.

Viqi Shesh has been arrested and taken before Tsavong Lah.  She is to be executed, and then tossed into a pit where creatures will devour her entire body.  Viqi tries to continue her usefulness and avoid termination by giving Lah information that he is being betrayed by the shapers.  Lah’s hand is being rejected by his body, so she uses this as proof the shapers are working against him.  The story is only a guess on her part, but Lah decides to investigate her claims.

Wedge is awoken by a transmission coming from a group of ships claiming to be the New Republic Advisory Council.  One member of the Council, Senator Pwoe, has now been promoted to Chief of State.  He is no friend to the Jedi.  He gives new military orders that Wedge is to hold Borleias until the New Republic regroups and can use it as a base to retake Coruscant.  Wedge politely declines and reels off a list of demands that must be met in order for him to obey the orders.  The Council says this could be treason, but Wedge will not bend.  Mara explains to Luke that the council is lying to them and Wedge is trying to get as much backup and support as he possibly can so when they are eventually cut off by this new council they will be able to continue to survive and fight.  The council reluctantly agrees to terms and leaves.  Wedge again meets with his top officials as they now that they realize that the New Republic has given up on any hope of winning the war.  Wedge proposes that they form a new Rebel Alliance.  Only those that they’d be willing to give their life for should be admitted into this new secret alliance.  While the New Republic hits large Vong targets, the rebels will go after weaker targets and try to crumble them from the outside.  He hopes to use special tactics to trick the Vong for later victories.

Luke Skywalker contemplates the fact that it’s taken twenty five years to build up a family.  Now Anakin is dead, Jacen missing, and Jaina is on a path that can lead to the Dark Side.  Han and Leia are trying to set up a network for the Jedi and find their missing children.  He has a vision of a cave and of a dark presence that is near him.  He follows this dark presence into what was once a city and is now covered in algae.  Fruit forms on the trees and then drops to the ground in the form of beings that are entrenched in the Dark Side.  He is awakened by Ben and Mara and he tells her that there’s a Dark Side power growing on Coruscant.

A New Republic historian shows holograms of what is taking place on Coruscant and is identical to Luke’s vision.  The Yuuzhan Vong are systematically destroying everything on the planet.  Hundreds of millions have been killed in the process.  The historian and cameraman Tam ask to remain with this new alliance to document the history of the ongoing adventures.  Danni Quee takes a liking to Tam, but Tam is being controlled against his will by the Vong and makes a report back to them.

Wedges awoken by Garik “the Face” Loren, the leader of a covert intelligent group called the Wraith Squadron.  Face also brings Wedge’s family.  He immediately promotes his wife, Iella, to the head of intelligence so Mara Jade can work with Luke on Special Forces.

Not long afterwards, a Vong fleet arrives in the system.  Wedge uses the opportunity to lure the Vong into a false confidence by letting them take over a moon in the system.  Unfortunately, the Falcon jumps right into the middle of the plan and Wedge is forced to launch a full attack to save them.  While they are successful, they know that a large scale attack will be forthcoming.  After landing, Han and Leia are welcomed into the new Rebel Alliance.

Viqi Shesh talks with Tam and tells him to befriend Danni Quee and then start helping with small electrical problems around the station.  He should try to set up other members of the insider group that Luke and Wedge don’t fully trust yet to create paranoia among them.

After a strange meeting with a priest, Tsavong Lah begins to suspect that Viqi Shesh’s allegations may be correct.

Luke suggests to Mara that he head to Coruscant since his visions are getting more intense and more frequent.  Iella tells Luke that her intelligence group is planning a trip and they are welcome to come along.

After the recent defeat, Tsavong Lah asks his father, the legendary Czulkang Lah who has been an instructor for many years, to lead the assault.  His father agrees, but only if he can remain in command after he is successful.

Jaina, Kyp and Lowbacca land outside the new rebel base and are met warmly.  Luke greets Kyp who somewhat surprisingly returns the sentiment.  Luke mentions that Kyp seems different.  The group retells the events on Hapes as Jagged Fel, Wedge’s nephew, enters the room.  Jaina asks if she can form her own Force driven squadron and Luke volunteers his own Twin Sons squadron.  Both Jag and Kyp surprisingly agree to fly under Jaina.

Jaina takes her new squadron out into space for a few practice runs.  They are successful although Jag taunts Jaina that he can predict her movements despite not having Force abilities.

Czulkang Lah is shown photos of the new rebel base as well as learning of Jaina’s new status as a leader among the Jedi.  He also learns of a new ship formation they are using.

Jaina meets with two Wraiths, a man named Sharr and a Gammorean named Piggy, who want to discuss psychological warfare against the Vong.  Sharr and Piggy take her on top of a building and they begin discussing that they need to convince the Vong that Jaina is in fact the trickster goddess Yun-Harla herself.  They give her various instructions on how to do this and Jaina realizes that everyone’s going to think she’s just stuck up.

The Wraiths meet with Luke to discuss tactics.  Face takes him to an area where they can meet in private.  They show Luke a pod that a person can ride from space to the surface along with a suit worn by the person to protect them further.  Luke isn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect, but thinks it may be the best way to sneak onto Coruscant’s surface.

All the various squadrons of fighters including Jaina’s Twin Sons, along with the Star Lancer or pipe fighters and scatter throughout the system.

Tam reports to Shesh that his work is progressing and he has attached remote bug to track Jaina Solo.

As Vong Interdictors arrive, it becomes obvious that the plan is to capture Jaina not destroy the weapons.  Wedge sends help, but it may be too late.

Jag sets a trap to get them to safety and destroy the Interdictor at the same time.  The plan works, but he is sent off course and damaged severely.  All other Twin Sons ships jump back to base but Kyp and Jaina remained behind.  As Jaina goes back to save Jag, Wedge Antilles himself orders her to return to base.  Kyp tries a daring move to save Jag.  Using the Force, he pulls the Interdictor’s so it is swallowed by its own dovin basal.  By this point, back up arrives and all three return to base.

As the ambush to capture Jaina begins, the Star Lancer is fired and travels all the way to Coruscant and hits the Vong worldship but it only has minor damage.  Because of Tam’s espionage, that Danni Quee and Iella allow, the Vong mistakenly believe that they have been hit by a device that uses a Vong lambent crystal the size of a Vong warrior.  Tsavong Lah is enraged by the thought of this and orders his father to immediately destroy the base.  Czulkang Lah disagrees, but is overruled by his son.

Back at the base, Jag asks to speak to Jaina privately.  Jaina expects to get a stern scolding for her tactics as a leader but instead Jag asked why she did it.  She says she doesn’t want him to leave like everyone else.  He says he won’t and they embrace and kiss.  Jag goes and tries to smooth things over with Wedge for Jaina’s action.  Wedge agrees to let her by with a pass and comments that they make a Rebel pilot out of Jag yet.

Wedge and others watch as many different Vong groups begin to circle the planet in preparation for an invasion.  Wedge sends only scouts to find out what’s happening, but in reality he’s waiting for them to attack them at the base itself.  He hopes to surprise them with a plan he calls the Emperor’s Hammer.

Lando tells Luke that he wants to be a major part of the new initiative.  He doesn’t want people to forget what a good pilot he is and he’s especially enjoys the fact that they’re playing a trick on the Vong.  He says that’s sweeter than any wealth he can accumulate.  Luke agrees and the assault team gear up.

As the alarm sounds, Jaina and her pilots run to their ships and she encounters Tam who is near death.  He tells her about his mission, knowing of course she won’t believe him, including that he took the bug transmitter off her ship.  As he lies dying, he puts a data card on his chest hoping that it will be found after he is dead.

As the Vong Ships near the planet, Wedge’s plan takes shape.  Jag, Kyp and Jaina do some tricky work to hold up the Vong by destroying several of the beasts that are approaching.  Afterwards, Wedge contacts them and orders them, much to Jaina’s dismay, to fallback.

Lando and Luke’s team descend towards Coruscant.  Lando pretends to radio a group on the ground for pick up as a distraction.  As they come under fire, he presses a button that releases several small explosions to make it appear that their ship is exploding from the inside, but in reality they have just released the Special Forces team in their pod suits. After relaying a safe message back to Wedge, he takes a severe hits and the ship begins to fall apart.  Lando’s copilot, 1-1A, helps them both escape as the ship explodes.

While Luke doesn’t particularly enjoy the ride down, the pods are successful.  Nothing is recognizable on the surface of Coruscant.

Back on Borleias, Jaina finally realizes that Wedge has been doing his best to keep all their squadrons in a straight line by making her pull back and then reinforcing others.  They are all called back to inside the kill zone.  As they enter the kill zone, Star Destroyers from orbit (à la the Emperor’s Hammer) begin raining down fire upon all the Yuuzhan Vong attackers.

Czulkang Lah looks on in disgust.  He blames Nom Anor for the failure to not know the Star Destroyers power as well as for not knowing that twins are commonplace in this galaxy.  He orders a withdrawal.

Jag meets up with Jaina and tells her that Lando is throwing a party since he returned safely from Coruscant and the two go off together.

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