James Luceno 2001 – Del Rey 33 Years Before The Battle of Yavin Site Rating =  Buy Now from Amazon.Com

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

Dofine, a Neimoidian commander, is taking financial advantage of the Dorvalla mines for money.  They are attacked by the Nebula Front, a terrorist group.

Captain Cohl, Rella, Boiny and a band of infiltrators enter the Neimoidian ship and take the bridge demanding the aurodium ingots that are on board.  They have a thermal detonator set to detonate in one hour. What no one knows is that two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, have also made their way on board.

Cohl steals the cargo from the ship and departs unaware that the Jedi have placed a tracking device as well as a thermal detonator on his ship.  Cohl is forced to dump the stolen cargo just before the ship is destroyed.  In the process they also helped shake the Jedi from their trail.  The Federation ship explodes minutes later and Cohl and friends are considered destroyed.

Nute Gunray, another Neimoidian, thinks he can turn this defeat into a victory in the long term for the Trade Federation.

Back on Coruscant, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum is worried about the many problems that are plaguing the Republic.  He is seeking the council of Senator Palpatine from Naboo.  Based on the recent attack, The Trade Federation has asked to be allowed to add more droid defenses.  Palpatine persuades Valorum to agree to their request in attempts to gain Republic control over some of their trade routes through taxation.

Qui-Gon reports to the Jedi Reconciliation Council that he has a contact in the Nebula Front that said a radical wing of the Front has hired terrorists like Cohl.  Qui-Gon reveals he thinks Cohl is still alive.

Gunray meets with other members of the Federation Council where he repeats his thought that a victory will rise from the loss of their ship.  The others are nervous about Gunray’s new partner that he meets only through hologram and known to them as Darth Sidious, The Dark Lord of the Sith.  Sidious reveals that the plan is to win sympathy in the Senate for the Trade Federation by telling the Nebula Front about certain cargo like the ingots.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan learn from Jedi Master Luminara Unduli that Cohl had been betrayed years earlier and he had turned from hero to mercenary.

Cohl and friends have been hiding in the wreckage from the explosion.  Some of them want to claim the ingots and take off.  Cohl says that won’t be happening.  They attempt to land on Dorvalla but are intercepted and crash land killing several on board.  They are rescued by Cohl’s ship, the Hawk-Bat.

In the Senate, it is decided that a summit will be, where delegates from the Trade Federation can meet openly to offer their solutions.  Valorum says he will attend the summit, to be held on Eriadu.

Havac, the leader of the Nebula Front, accepts the stolen ingots from Cohl and then proposes a way for Cohl and his crew to make a load of money. Rella isn’t convinced.

In response to the threat of taxation, Nute Gunray and the Neimoidians make preparations to equip their ships with defenses and form a new droid army that is controlled by a central computer.

As it turns out, Havac knows Palpatine, and the two meet.  Havac expresses his dismay at the summit on Eriadu without the invitation of the Nebula Front.  Palpatine says he should instead look to the Trade Federation as the enemy not Valorum.  Havac agrees and gives the stolen ingots to him to be used to “influence” senators.

Jedi Master Adi Gallia tells Qui-Gon that Cohl is still alive.  She takes him to update Valorum on his suspicions.  On their way, they encounter a large group of protestors outside Valorum’s residence.  Several protestors make an attempt on the Chancellor’s life as he makes his way out of the building.  Qui-Gon and Adi fend off the attacks, but Valorum is wounded in the process.

Palpatine goes to visit the Valorum in the Senate Medcenter.  They discuss the news that Nebula Front was apparently behind the assassination attempt.  Palpatine suggests getting the Jedi involved for assistance with the upcoming summit.  Valorum agrees.

Sate Pestage, using a password given to him from Palpatine, slices into the computer of Senator Orn Free Taa and implants some hidden information.  The hope is that Orn will “discover” this information and feel compelled to tell many others when the time is right.

Qui-Gon consults with the Jedi Council (including Jorus C’baoth) about his concerns that the attack on Valorum was only made to look like it was carried out by the Nebula Front.

Valorum suggests to Yoda and Mace Windu that they send Jedi to accompany him on the trip to Eriadu.  He also asks that they may be needed to contain the Nebula Front at their secret bas on Asmeru.

Cohl meets with the Havac and Cindar.  He tells them that Remma has left him.  They ask him to assemble a team to assassinate Valorum during the summit.  They tell him they planned the attack on Coruscant only as a way to scare Valorum into inviting the Front to the summit.  Since it didn’t work, they want to finish the job.  They also promise to keep the Jedi busy and out of his hair.  Cohl agrees to the job.

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and several other Jedi travel to Asmeru. Saesee Tiin negotiates a landing with the Front.  The deal turns into a trap as the minefield surrounding the planet begins to detonate and the ship carrying the Jedi is caught in a tractor beam.  They manage to escape and crash land on the surface and are held by the Nebula Front who hope to persuade Valorum to invite them to the summit.  They encounter a slave on the planet who offers to help them through a secret escape.  The escape route also turns out to be a trap.

The Jedi Council sends reinforcements to Asmeru.

The battle on Asmeru turns in favor of the Jedi.  The slaves turn and attack the Front. Moderate members of the Front also join the Jedi. They have been persuaded by a Bith spy that had previously sent information to Qui-Gon regarding Cohl’s theft of the ingots. He leads a group of Front members that were not in agreement with the Front’s new radical actions.  Not long after, Republic ships appeared to save the day.  As the Bith lays dying he informs them that the Front has something else planned with Cohl.  Qui-Gon wants to follow Cohl to Karfeddion, where the plot supposedly starts.  The other Jedi don’t agree.  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan take the Hawk-bat and decide to look into it for themselves anyway.

As Cohl looks for assassins, Remma returns to his crew.

While on Eriadu, Valorum stays in a home of friend to Palpatine, the Lieutenant Governor Wilhuff Tarkin.

Orn Free Taa presents evidence to Bail Antilles that relatives of Valorum stand to make a huge sum of money should taxation start in the trade routes.

On Karfeddion, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pose as Front members.  They encounter Cindar and they battle him without their light sabers.  He is killed, but not before they learn the job Cohl is on involves “extermination work”.

Cohl, Rella, Boiny, Havac, and the others smuggle themselves into the summit areas.  Havac yells at them for allowing the Jedi to learn of their plans.  Havac attempts to kill them for their mistakes.  Cohl, Rella and Boiny are seriously injured in the attack and left for dead.  Havac goes to meet the assassins to go over the plan for the attack using a holoprojector.  He tells them that they will not be taking the kill shot.  Instead, a battle droid, the same as those used by the Trade Federation, will kill Valorum.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan learn that Cohl’s ship has been discovered on Eriadu, but he has not been seen.

Rella is the only casualty of the attack.  Cohl is visibly upset, but vows to avenge her death.  They discover the holoprojector and a droid’s retraining bolt.  Cohl begins to understand the scope of Havac’s plot.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan find Rella and the others killed in the assault.  Qui-Gon realizes that Havac is setting up a diversion.

Lope, one of Havac’s men, leads the assassins into position.   They fear they have been discovered when patrols begin flying unusual patterns overhead.  They launch a missile on the ship that Qui-Gon, Ki Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan and others were in.  They avoid the missile and land on the roof and begin taking laser fire.  After several tense moments, they capture the six terrorists.

Disguised as members of the Stark Hyperspace Conflict, Cohl and Boiny sneak into the summit building.

Palpatine tells Orn Free Taa that Naboo’s King Veruna has left the throne.

Nute Gunray has received a new battle droid.  He had just earlier learned from Darth Sidious that some strangers would be delivering the droid to him at the summit.  He was not to ask questions about it.

Cohl and Boiny spy on the Trade Federation panel.  They can see the droid with the missing restraining bolt.  They look for Havac and remember that before joining the Front he was a member of the media and was likely in the media booths high overhead.

Up in the booth, Havac tells his partners about the misleading clues he’s left for the authorities.  He tells one of them to be sure and kill the shooter after the event to tie up any loose ends.

As Cohl and Boiny head for Havac they are intercepted by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.  The Jedi tell them they are eager to meet Havac, but Cohl tells them they are better off destroying the droid that his infiltrated the summit instead.  Cohl tells them that the droid can be controlled by command and not a central computer.

Obi-Wan goes to tell Saesee Tinn about the news of the droid.  Tinn tells him to go to the Trade Federation control center and attempt to shut down all the droid

Qui-Gon single handedly disarms Havac and his men.  He tells them that a shooter has the remote to activate the assassin droid.  Qui-Gon and Boiny go to find the shooter and Cohl holds the others at gunpoint.

Gunray is unexpectedly called back to his ship to handle a situation.

Boiny and Qui-Gon search the rafters of the building.  The assassin shoots Boiny in the chest and attacks Qui-Gon.  Using his lightsaber, Qui-Gon slashes at the supports and sends the shooter sliding off the end of the walkway and down towards the summit floor.  The Trade Federation Directorate activates a force field to protect them.

In the media booth, Cohl and Havac argue over the seemingly failed attempt to kill Valorum.  Havac laughs and tells him Valorum is not the target.  Cohl realizes that the attack is on the Trade Federation Directorate who are unknowingly trapped in a force field.  Havac makes a break for the holocam that will trigger the attack.  He and Cohl fight over the blaster and the camera.  Cohl is shot, but manages to return fire and kill Havac before he succumbs to his injury and dies.

The battle droids turn on their masters and kill all the members of the Trade Federation Directorate.

A large cover up over the attack continues for many months until the investigation.  Qui-Gon wonders how Havac could have gotten the droid to the Neimoidians in the first place.  He also wonders how fortunate it was for Gunray that he was not around.  The source that called him away in the nick of time was never discovered.

Palpatine speaks with Queen Amidala of Naboo, the newly elected ruler.   She introduces him to Captain Panaka, the new chief of security.  They discuss the impending vote on taxation.  Palpatine promises to vote in the best interest of Naboo.

Valorum and Palpatine discuss what is to be done for taxation and the Trade Federations request to upgrade their weapons.  Palpatine suggests that they are allowed to do so as a gesture of good will once taxation has been instituted.  Valorum promises to come to the aid of Naboo if it is ever needed.  Taxation is later ratified by the Senate.

Valorum is investigated by Bail Antilles based on information from Orn Free Taa.  Apparently one of his companies will make a great deal of money with the new taxation bill.  The problem grows when it is learned that the company has been financed with aurodium ingots that correspond precisely with the amount of ingots stolen from the Trade Federation some time earlier.

Valorum’s credibility is weak and several Senators, including Taa, look to capitalize on this by placing a true bureaucrat as the vice chancellor.  Taa tells them that Palpatine suggested Mas Amedda.  Taa also suggests that they work to get Palpatine installed as the new Chancellor.

The Jedi Council are growing wary of the impending darkness that appears to be spreading across the galaxy.  They wonder if the balance is tipping to the dark side.

Darth Sidious contacts Viceroy Nute Gunray and tells him to begin amassing an army.  He has a test in mind for this army.  In an attempt to protest the new taxation they should embark in a trade blockade of Naboo.

Comments

“Cloak of Deception” was also the first EU novel I ever read, so I suppose my rating my be higher than others.

The book’s central story is strong. It has direct ties to the films, and for someone new to the novels as I was when I initially read the book, that was a big selling point (and still is).

Darth Sidious is clearly my favorite character, not only in the books, but in the films as well. He appears here mostly as Palpatine, but he has several key moments that are shadowed with hidden agendas that are excellent. The book itself sets up numerous events of The Phantom Menace, including the militarization of the Trade Federation, the blockade of Naboo, and Palpatine’s eventual appointment as Supreme Chancellor.

Simply put, the Sidious mastery of manipulation is full on in the novel. It makes me wish even more that at some point the tale of young Sidious is told to us.

Poor Finis Valorum. I didn’t particularly care for the character in TPM. He seemed so weak and listless that I could never understand how he came to power in the first place. Cloak does a good job of showing how he went from respected leader to the mere puppet we see later on. Some of his many conversations with Palpatine, who unfortunately is his closest confidant, set up his demise later on. There is also a interesting segment about his attempts to live his life as Jedi despite not having any Force abilities in his family line.

When Qui-Gon Jinn dies in TPM, in many ways, the fate of the galaxy went with him. Qui-Gon was ahead of his time. Yoda demonstrates this in Empire as his teachings sound very similar to what Qui-Gon way of thinking. The Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan relationship is fleshed out nicely here. The dynamic of their interaction as Master and Padawan is probably much more the tradition model than we saw in the films with Obi-Wan and Anakin. We learn about their initial meeting and how Obi-Wan came to be under Qui-Gon’s guidance. I’m still disappointed that Qui-Gon’s ghost didn’t appear to Yoda onscreen in Revenge of the Sith. Great character all around, and this book only expands on his personality.

There are some nice cameos and bit parts here. The inclusion of Tarkin was a pleasant surprise. He certainly plays more than a passing importance to the story. On my first read through I had yet to read Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, but during my reread for this review it certainly made me smile to read the brief cameo by Jorus C’baoth. Several well known Jedi also have supporting roles.

Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book more for those that are fans of the Prequel storyline particularly seeing some of the early groundwork laid for the events in Episode 1.

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