The Hand of Thrawn - Book 1: Specter of the Past

Author: Timothy Zahn
Cover Artist: Drew Struzan

Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Release Date: November 3, 1997
Media Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-553-09542-0

Era: New Republic
Timeline: 19 ABY

Once the unquestioned master of countless solar systems, the Empire is tottering on the brink of total collapse. Once commanding an invincible armada of Star Destroyers, its fleet has been reduced to a skeleton force. Day by day, neutral systems are rushing to join the New Republic coalition. But with the end of the war in sight, the New Republic has fallen victim to its own success. An unwieldy alliance of races and traditions, the confederation now finds itself riven by age-old animosities.

Princess Leia struggles against all odds to hold the New Republic together. But she has powerful enemies. An ambitious Moff Disra leads a conspiracy to divide the uneasy coalition with an ingenious plot to blame the Bothans for a heinous crime that could lead to genocide and civil war. At the same time, Luke Skywalker, along with Lando Calrissian and Talon Karrde, pursues a mysterious group of pirate ships whose crews consist of clones. And then comes the most startling news of all: Grand Admiral Thrawn—believed to be dead for ten years—is reported alive. The most cunning and ruthless warlord in Imperial history has seemingly returned to lead the Empire to triumph.

As Han and Leia try to prevent the unraveling of the New Republic in the face of this fearful and inexplicable threat from the past, Luke sets out to track down the rogue pirate ships. To do so, he will team up with Mara Jade, with whom he will share his growing mastery of the Force and the ever-present threat of the dark side. All the while, lurking in the shadows is the enigmatic Major Tierce, a disciple of Emperor Palpatine, sharing his long-dead master's lust for power, schooled in the devious stratagems of Thrawn himself, and armed with his own dark plans for the New Republic and the Empire.

The New Jedi Order - Book 21: The Unifying Force

Author: James Luceno
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: November 4, 2003
Media Types: Hardcover, paperback
Pages: 529
ISBN: 0345428528

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 29 ABY

The novel, set in the final year of the Yuuzhan Vong War, begins in the Yuuzhan Vong prisoner-of-war camp on the planet Selvaris where a Jenet named Thorsh and three Bith memorize a code mathematically encrypted on a smuggled computer chip, courtesy of the Ryn Network. The four prisoners escape but are soon chased down by Yuuzhan Vong security patrols. The chase kills two of the Bith while the last one is captured. Thorsh, however, is saved by the crew of the Millennium Falcon, and he is taken back to the Galactic Alliance in order to give out the mathematical code. Translated by a Givin among the Alliance, they find out that the prisoners on Selvaris are due to be publicly sacrificed on Yuuzhan'tar, the captured Coruscant and planetary capital of the Yuuzhan Vong. The Selvaris system is also the rendezvous point for the Yuuzhan Vong's prison transfer convoy, so the Galactic Alliance's plan is to save most, if not all, of the prisoners at the planet. The reason that the Galactic Alliance sees to saving the prisoners of this particular convoy is because the likes of Captain Judder Page and Major Pash Crackenare needed to lead and rally other planets against the Yuuzhan Vong. Commander Malik Carr, overseer of the prisoner-of-war camp, fails to divulge this information from the captured Bith as he uses a tkun to strangle him to death for the mathematical code in front of the other prisoners.

Though the rescue attempt goes well enough despite a battle erupting as a result, several prisoners are shipped off to Yuuzhan'tar nevertheless. Meanwhile, the Millennium Falcon is greatly damaged in the conflict by specialized Yuuzhan Vong ships, coercing it to make a random hyperspace jump that places it in the Caluula system. Here, it turns out that the system's inhabitants have been fending themselves off against the Yuuzhan Vong for several weeks since the disruption of the HoloNet thanks to the Vong's adaptability in their biotechnology. Nevertheless, despite the fighting, the crew aboard Caluula Orbital agree to fix the Falcon up. And though Han and Leia Organa Solo help out in the space station's last stand against the Vong, they eventually escape to ship their load of freed prisoners back to the Galactic Alliance, despite the fact that some of them, such as Pash Cracken, have decided to stay behind in order to keep fighting the Vong. Later on, however, the Alliance finds out that Caluula had willingly surrendered in the fall of its space station, but asked the Vong to allow scientists on the planet because of a natural phenomenon called the Nocturne of the Winged-Stars, which occurs quite rarely on the world. Han and Leia, with several other accomplices—Meloque, Wraw, Kyp Durron, and Judder Page—arrive on the planet disguised as scientists and meet up with two other spies, Ferfer and Sasso, to help them kill Caluula's yammosk, which appears to prove crucial to the Yuuzhan Vong's plans in attacking the Galactic Alliance capital world of Mon Calamari (in reality, this is merely a ploy for tactical purposes on the Vong's behalf).

The team members, however, are intercepted by specialized Vong patrols, with both spies killed, and Han, Leia, and the others are captured and are taken to be executed at the yammosk. But the Yuuzhan Vong on the planet, commanded by Commander Carr, along with the yammosk and all the rest of their artificially grown biots, mysteriously die off just as Lando Calrissian, Talon Karrde, and Shada D'ukal arrive to rescue Team Meloque. Kyp theorizes that the Vong on Caluula died because of an earlier deployment of the Alpha Red pathogen on the world. Wraw confirms this, saying that he was sent here to report on Alpha Red's effectiveness; this explains why Caluula had willingly surrendered in the first place. Han, Leia, and most of the others find this to be a potential galactic catastrophe because Alpha Red could even harm and/or kill other life across the galaxy, just as the indigenous life, notably the winged-stars, on Caluula had suffered, which also explains the hindering of the Nocturne that had been noticed earlier. The situation is compounded by the fact that if they wipe out the Yuuzhan Vong, then they will be committing genocide, an act not beneath the Vong themselves. It is all the more unfortunate for them as a specialized Yuuzhan Vong ship on Caluula had made takeoff—its crew fully aware of what they are harboring—in order to report back to Yuuzhan'tar so that they can warn the Elite high command there of the pathogen. The group, most of them emotionally weary of what will be done, proceed to return to the Galactic Alliance just as the forces ofits military at Mon Calamari are fighting the invading armada.

Elsewhere, the living planet of Zonama Sekot is still traveling via hyperspace for the Coruscant system since the events of the previous novel, The Final Prophecy. The characters taking refuge in the planet's caves and other safety features—Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, his wife and fellow Jedi Mara, Jedi Knights Jacen Solo, Corran Horn, Tahiri Veila, Tekli, Saba Sebatyne, Force-sensitive scientist Danni Quee, and the astromech droid R2-D2—recover the Yuuzhan Vong Priest Harrar, who was thought dead in his confrontation with the treacherous Nom Anor back in the previous novel. Since then, Harrar had lost faith in his religion after discovering the connections between his speciesand the living planet. This was originally discovered by the late Vong Master Shaper Nen Yim, who was killed by Nom Anor in order to prevent her from stopping him from trying to malfunction Zonama's hyperdrive cores and subsequently killing it in the process (the latter had failed, obviously). Sekot comes to recognize Harrar by his species via the encounter that it had with the Vong a few decades earlier. Because of Sekot's recognition of the Vong, it explains to the characters, through its possession of Magister Jabitha Hal, that the original Yuuzhan'tar back in the Yuuzhan Vong's home galaxy had stripped the species of their Force-sensitivity. The reason for this was because the ur-Vong were becoming a violent race who craved war and brutality, which was what led to their hatred for mechanical machines as they fought the opposing droids that invaded their galaxy. So the ur-Yuuzhan Vong's original homeworld had seen fit to cut them off from the Force. This caused them to experience great pain, as they had lived in symbiosis with the original Yuuzhan'tar, rendering them unable to contact the Force or be detected in it ever again. This was among one of the reasons that the Vong hold pain and death as such an essential part in their religion, because, when they were cut off from the Force, they realized that pain and death were the only other forms of living symbiosis that they could achieve. Thus, the ur-Vong had cemented this new way of life into their religion by creating gods who look so positively upon their creations as those creations embrace what all living beings must suffer in life and more. And when the ur-Yuuzhan Vong had devastated their own galaxy as a whole in the Cremlevian War, they were forced to journey into the Intergalactic Void in search of another galaxy for them to conquer and live in, thus leading into the eventual invasion of this galaxy. Meanwhile, Jacen Solo experiences the return of the voice that told him to "stand firm" at Duro three years earlier, along with the vision of failing to catch the lightsaber tossed to him by his uncle Luke. From this, Jacen begins to wonder if he will make the right decisions in the near future against the Yuuzhan Vong.

On Vong-shaped Yuuzhan'tar, Nom Anor is accepted back into his species' society by Supreme Overlord Shimrra Jamaane, who also promotes the former outcast to the rank of Prefect of Yuuzhan'tar. This promotion was influenced under the mistaken belief that Nom Anor had killed Zonama Sekot. But unfortunately for him, he still has to bare the existence of High Prefect Drathul, who is secretly a Quorealist, a member of the forbidden party who believes that Shimrra's late predecessor, Quoreal, was killed dishonorably by the current Supreme Overlord, and that Quoreal was right about refusing to conquer the galaxy. Drathul is vaguely aware of Nom Anor's lack of faith in the Vong religion and in Shimrra's competency as the Supreme Overlord. So the High Prefect tries to use this as leverage in order to coerce Nom Anor into being a Quorealist. And what is even worse for Nom Anor's return to Vong society is that his own Jedi heresy, which he conducted as Yu'shaa, Prophet of the Shamed Ones, continues to stand strong by the will of the Shamed and worker castes even without his leadership, thanks to his once-trusted aide, the Shamed warrior Kunra. This is evident as the heretics break up the sacrifice of the Alliance captives, saving many of them, including Major Cracken, even at the cost of some of their own lives. And even with Shimrra demanding the deaths of many heretics and potential heretics alike, the Jedi heresy still stands strong. All of this simply adds to the list of problems that Shimrra and the rest of Yuuzhan'tar are going through with the World Brainstill making unpleasant activities to disturb the Yuuzhan Vong high command in spite of Shimrra's attempts to tame it, the rumors that the Supreme Overlord is growing mad with power, and that loss to the Galactic Alliance is inevitable. One of the few things guaranteeing Shimrra's position in power is his own royal guard of Slayers, genetically modified warriors designed not only to protect him loyally, but also specialized to kill Jedi (they also pilot the specialized ships seen by Han and Leia in the Selvaris and Caluula systems, as well as being responsible for Ferfer and Sasso's deaths and Team Meloque's capture on Callula).

Eventually, Zonama Sekot arrives in the Coruscant system, coinciding with Nom Anor's false prophecy to the heresy from the previous novel as it appears in Yuuzhan'tar's skies. This coerces Warmaster Nas Choka to recall his armada from their winning battle against the Galactic Alliance at Mon Calamari to Yuuzhan'tar. It also distorts the mainstream social hierarchy of the species and causes great joy in the Shamed Ones and workers for bringing their oppressive rulers down. Shimrra even seems to go insane, as Nom Anor sees from the demands that the Supreme Overlord makes to the highly placed officials at his command. This apparent insanity is further proven when Shimrra, who believed that the Yuuzhan Vong no longer need their gods, whether or not the deities actually existed, tells Nom Anor that he declares open war on Yun'o (the gods), even though it was likely that Shimrra never really believed in the gods throughout the course of his reign, while he tells the rest of the Elite that it is time to prove themselves independent of Yun'o. The Dread Lord explains himself by saying that Yun'o fear that they will lose their own power over the Yuuzhan Vong as the species gain their independence from the deities; pitting Zonama against the Vong is just one final test to see if the species is worthy of ruling the galaxy, and, as Shimrra announces, the galactic invaders have already been provided the means of killing the living planet thanks to the Alpha Red-infected Slayer ship (since Zonama's biology is closely related to the Yuuzhan Vong and their creations' own biology, it can kill the living planet). Suspicions to Shimrra's insanity further increase when he orders the deaths of all potential future Supreme Overlords meant to replace him when it was time for his reign to end, and to put an end to worshiping all gods but Yun-Harla in order to provoke anger from the other deities, as part of the declaration of open war. But despite these suspicions, these orders from the Dread Lord are successfully carried out as he also demands for the deaths of all the rioting heretics, which the warriors begin enacting loyally. Meanwhile, as the Galactic Alliance loses its great Admiral Gial Ackbar from old age, its military passes through Vong defenses at the captured planet of Corulag after a victorious battle, making it possible for an advance on Yuuzhan'tar.

Soon, the Galactic Alliance forces finally arrive at Yuuzhan'tar, and Shimrra telepathically orders the World Brain to destroy Yuuzhan'tar so that if the Yuuzhan Vong lose against the Alliance, they will not have Coruscant to reclaim. As a result, Nom Anor, realizing the full extent of Shimrra's insanity when the World Brain begins enacting this order, returns to his guise as Yu'shaa the Prophet and sides with the heretics and their Alliance allies against Shimrra's order. All of this marks the beginning of the final battle of the Yuuzhan Vong War. And while the Galactic Alliance forces duel the Vong fleet in space, on Yuuzhan'tar, around Muscave, and at Zonama Sekot, Han, Leia, and Harrar lead a mission aboard the Millennium Falcon to either convince the World Brain to cease its efforts of trying to destroy Yuuzhan'tar or kill it. But they are then captured by Yuuzhan Vong forces led by Drathul, and Han, Leia, Harrar, C-3PO, R2-D2, Cakhmaim, and Meewalh are taken by them in order to be executed at the Well of the World Brain as sacrifices to the creature. Meanwhile, Mara Jade Skywalker, Tahiri Veila, and Jedi Master Kenth Hamnerfight alongside the heretics and their Alliance allies against Shimrra's forces, and Tahiri comes into contact with Nom Anor. She captures him and holds him for Mara to come over so that the latter can see it her way as to how he should be punished for all of the wrong that he had committed throughout the war. However, Nom Anor escapes Tahiri's grasp and flees, but Mara chases him down into an abandoned building. After a brief fight between the two of them, Mara defeats and nearly kills Nom Anor for giving her the coomb spore virus years earlier and for all of the other misdeeds for which he had given the Jedi and the late New Republic during the invasion. But the false Prophet pleads for mercy, telling Mara that he had changed as Yu'shaa; he also knows that even if his species wins the war, Coruscant could never be Yuuzhan'tar; and finally, killing Nom Anor would be an act of vengeance, of the dark side of the Force, which would greatly break Mara's son, Ben's, heart. So, even though Mara does not believe a word he said, she spares him for others to decide his fate after the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar, assuming that the Galactic Alliance will win. He also tells her that Shimrra had ordered the Alpha Red-infected Vong ship, transferred from Caluula, to Zonama Sekot, as it is set to kill the living planet. So the Jedi and heretics travel to the Well of the World Brain to save Han, Leia, Harrar, and the others from being executed and subsequently warn the Galactic Alliance forces about the Alpha Red-infected Vong ship headed for Zonama Sekot. The latter situation is all for naught as that ship successfully evades the Alliance and Zonama's defensive forces to arrive at the living planet. Despite this, Drathul's forces are overwhelmed at the Well of the World Brain, even by backup traditional warriors who have seen the error of Shimrra's ways, while the High Prefect himself is strangled to death by Nom Anor, being that they were obvious personal enemies.

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker and the Solo twins, Jacen and Jaina, set off to kill Shimrra and bring the war to its end with his death on the Galactic Alliance's victory. With Captain Judder Page and his Katarn Commandos, Luke and the Solo twins travel to the Dread Lord's Citadel via the Sacred Precinct in order to assassinate the Supreme Overlord. Jacen, thanks to the mental connection that he made with the World Brain, breaks Shimrra's own telepathic connection over the planet-controlling dhuryam and convinces it to cease its destruction of Yuuzhan'tar. This prevents Han, Leia, and Harrar from killing the World Brain (Han, Leia, and Harrar's hostage, Master Shaper Qelah Kwaad, had told them that it would be impossible to sway the dhuryam of Shimrra's commands). Jacen also convinces the Yuuzhan Vong biots, Sgauru and Tu-Scart, who are nicknamed the Biter and Beater respectively by the Vong, into helping him, his uncle, and his sister enter the Citadel. While Page and the Katarn Commandos storm the lower levels of Shimrra's Citadel, Luke and the Solo twins battle their way through Vong warriors as they travel up the mountainous worldship. During this time, Luke seemingly surrenders himself to the Force, letting it engulf him so that he is an unstoppable force of nature which no Yuuzhan Vong can counter, and which neither Jacen nor Jaina can comprehend visually or through the Force as their uncle.

Eventually, Luke, Jacen, and Jaina arrive at Shimrra's private coffer (which acts as an emergency evacuation ship for the Supreme Overlord) at the top of the Citadel and the Jedi proceed to kill the Dread Lord. But Shimrra is joined with his guard of Slayers and he sends them to duel Luke, Jacen, and Jaina. Then the Citadel begins to sway and tip in all directions, making the Jedi think that the World Brain is doing this in order to help them combat the Slayers, but the battle becomes all the more difficult for both parties because the swaying and tipping is affecting both groups' performances against each other. In the end, though, the Slayers are all killed in combat against the three Jedi despite the special Yuuzhan Vong warriors' efforts thanks to their opponents' awesome skills with their lightsabers, combat training, and the Force. However, after apparently forcing his Citadel to stay put in its regular placement because of the mental connection that he has with it, Shimrra knocks Jacen unconscious when the latter tries to attack him, knocks away his lightsaber, and begins to suffocate Luke with his special amphistaff, the Scepter of Power. Then the Supreme Overlord prepares to kill Luke by utilizing the lightsaber of the late Anakin Solo(the lightsaber was collected by the Yuuzhan Vong after Anakin died at the Mission to Myrkr two years earlier, and which was brought to Shimrra after the late Ganner Rhysode used it against the galactic invaders prior to his own death around the same year). Disregarding the Vong's hatred of mechanical technology by harboring Anakin's lightsaber in order to show Luke how it feels to be fighting something that is part of, or at least bears similarities to, their society, Shimrra reflects on his species' battle against Zonama Sekot, the living planet that they feel should be sacred to them, but was thrust into fighting them by their enemies and, apparently, their gods (even though the Vong's sacred texts stated that attacking a galaxy with a living world in it was sacrilege anyway). Meanwhile, Jaina follows the Supreme Overlord's Shamed familiar, Onimi,, into the control section of the coffer. At the bottom of the semi-staircase leading to the coffer's controls, the familiar knocks her unconscious via poison in his fang and then mounts her in between statues of two Vong deities on the vessel's bridge.

Back with the confrontation between Luke and Shimrra, Luke manages to reclaim Anakin's lightsaber from Shimrra's grasp, despite being poisoned by the Scepter of Power, so he could cut the Scepter of Power into pieces with both his and his late nephew's lightsabers, preventing the Scepter of Power from cutting off his air supply any further, and uses both Jedi weapons in his hands to decapitate the Supreme Overlord. The Jedi Master then collapses from the poison injected into his system by the Scepter, and then he throws Anakin's lightsaber to Jacen, who woke up from being knocked out by Shimrra. But Jacen misses the lightsaber, reflecting the vision that returned to him on Zonama Sekot of failing to catch the weapon. Despite this, Jacen is sent by the faltering Luke to retrieve Jaina.

On the bridge of the Citadel's coffer, Jaina wakes up to Onimi, who reveals that he was actually the real Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong ever since Shimrra seemingly ruled the species. Onimi believes that the Jedi are the avatars of the Vong gods, with Jaina being Yun-Harla, the Trickster goddess, which she used as a persona in the latter half of the invasion as psychological warfare against the Vong. This supports Onimi's motivations as he explains that he was once a Shaper who fused his brain with yammosk tissue in order to gain knowledge for what he discovered to be the empty eighth cortex of Shaper science. The eighth cortex was meant to find a way to save the Yuuzhan Vong from the decades of violence against each other as they crossed the Intergalactic Void in order to arrive in the galaxy. Onimi, in his goal of trying to find a way to save his people via the yammosk fusion to hisbrain, became a Shamed One for this. He then blamed Yun'o, especially Yun-Harla, for his afflictions in their motivation for retaliation against the Shaper who was trying to divulge their divine knowledge. However, Onimi found that he had regained the Yuuzhan Vong's lost connection to the Force (mistaking it for power from the gods, however), and then used it to manipulate Shimrra via mind-control into invading the galaxy. Behind the scenes, at Shimrra's throne, Onimi was the one who really led his species into the invasion, as he previously confirmed, and he originally thought that the war was just a test by Yun'o assigned to him and his species in order to see if they were worthy of the worlds that the galaxy had provided. But as the war went on, Onimi later evaluated that the gods wanted to destroy him and his rule with Shimrra acting as his puppet, and thus, destroy the Yuuzhan Vong as a whole. He asserts that Yun'o would not want one with such power to be stronger than they were if this was the reason that their creations were losing the war, especially with the living planet of Zonama Sekot now among those battling the Vong. Since these events have transpired, Onimi had lost his mental hold on what was left of Shimrra's psyche because he had been preoccupied with defeating the Yuuzhan Vong's enemies, which was what brought upon the false Supreme Overlord's "insanity," as Nom Anor observed as the final battle of the Yuuzhan Vong War begun. It is also revealed by the real Supreme Overlord that he was responsible for the swaying and tipping of the Citadel. Onimi performed this by using the mental connection that he had with it, which was obviously greater than Shimrra's, in order to increase the chances that the Slayers had in winning the battle. Now, even with the presence of Zonama Sekot, Shimrra's death, and the fall of Yuuzhan'tar, Onimi believes that he will be able to become a god with Zonama's destruction via Alpha Red. He has now gone so insane that he plans to wipe out every single living being and thing in the galaxy.

Before Shimrra's coffer launches under Onimi's command, the Jedi, the Yuuzhan Vong heretics, their traditional Vong captives, and some of the Galactic Alliance soldiers and commandos involved in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar arrive at the Citadel. As Captain Page and his commandos return to the surface to meet up with their allies, their mission in the lower levels of Shimrra's Citadel successful, a division of the worldship's arriving party investigates the upper levels of the Citadel, where they find Shimrra's decapitated form and Luke dying. Mara then takes Luke aboard the Millennium Falcon for healing, while Harrar announces to the heretics and their traditional Vong allies and captives that Shimrra is dead, which enhances the joy of those who were against Shimrra, while those still loyal to the false Supreme Overlord are either in a state of surrender or disbelief. Meanwhile, Nom Anor, who is shocked with Shimrra's demise, leads Han and Leia aboard the launching coffer in order to search for the Solo twins, and then the evacuation ship launches. And as the vessel reaches for space above Yuuzhan'tar, Jacen arrives on the ship's bridge and confronts Onimi, who senses in him the "divine glow" of Yun-Shuno, the Pardoner goddess of the Shamed Ones, and the betrayer of everything that the real Supreme Overlord has "set out to create." Meanwhile, Warmaster Nas Choka disbelieves the reports of Shimrra's death, especially when he sees the coffer launch from Yuuzhan'tar, mistaking it for riding under the control of the false Supreme Overlord.

After the voice that told him to "stand firm" returns to Jacen one last time, having him realize that it came from his late grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, Jacen launches into a fight against the Supreme Overlord. And the young Jedi Knight who started out in the war as a doubtful and hesitant individual manages to achieve oneness with the Force in order to "fight without fighting," countering and throwing off Onimi's actions at every turn without making a single misstep or mistake in the combat himself, fulfilling the request made by his grandfather. The Supreme Overlord does his best to fight off his opponent with martial prowess, the poisonous toxins which he uses inside his own body, and the Force, but to no avail. Jaina attempts to help Jacen against Onimi through the Force, but the former communicates to her with the energy source that they share as Jedi to save her power in order to recuperate herself from the Supreme Overlord's fang poison. Then Jacen realizes that he could not catch the lightsaber in either his vision or in real life because he is the lightsaber who will defeat Onimi, the true Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, the darkness of everything that the invaders stand for. The Jedi Knight then becomes too powerful for his opponent to fight off, and then Jacen uses the Force's pure energy to pin Onimi to the bulkhead at the latter's back; as a result, Jacen effectively defeats the one responsible for bringing about the whole war in the first place.

Shortly after, Han, Leia, and Nom Anor come aboard the bridge to see Jacen's victory, and they find that he has seemingly aged by five years, erasing any trace of his childhood—an event which, coupled with the backdrop of stars and fighting space forces shown from the evacuation ship's transparent hull, burns into Leia's memory and will remain with her until the end of her life. Meanwhile, thanks to Jacen's Force energy fixing the Supreme Overlord of his Shamed deformities, Onimi has been shapen properly again. But, because his disfigurements were the result of his individual gain of the Force in the first place, the loss of the deformities and the Force also results in the loss of control over the poisons in his own body. As a consequence, the Supreme Overlord slides down along the bulkhead behind him and dissolves into a puddle of foul hydrocarbons. Onimi's liquid remnants are then sucked in by the yorik coral deck of the vessel like a stain, marking the end of the true Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Following Onimi's death, the coffer starts to die off because of the connection that it had with him, now severed thanks to his passing. The process of the vessel's own death begins as Shimrra's Citadel on Yuuzhan'tar explodes because of the same reason. Jacen picks Jaina up off the Vong statues which Onimi put her in between, explaining that he refused her help against the Supreme Overlord so that she could use it to heal herself, confirming what he already told her through the Force. Then Nom Anor tries to kill the Solos for the misdeeds that they have given him by nearly tricking them into going into a garbage chute, making them think that it was an escape vessel known as ayorik-trema. But because of Jacen's Vongsense, he detects Nom Anor's treachery and prevents the deaths of his family and himself by providing this information to all those present. Nom Anor desperately tries one last attempt to escape them by using his plaeryin bol in order to shoot poison out at Jacen and use a device, disguised as a finger on his hand, to depart. But Jacen uses a Force technique taught to him by the late Vergere on rendering Nom Anor's poison barren in terms of its intended effects in order to transform it into water, thereby saving himself. At the same time, Leia stops Nom Anor from escaping by quickly cutting off the hand from which he tried to pull the device with her lightsaber, immobilizing him. After Jacen tells him that it did not have to be this way, Nom Anor proclaims that it did, because he fit in neither with the native galactic society for his hatred of the Force or the Yuuzhan Vong for his atheism. Regardless, he is offered by Han to escape the dying evacuation ship when the Solos enter the real yorik-trema anyway. But Nom Anor finds that since the Yuuzhan Vong have lost the war, he does not want to have any part of what is to come, and that he will die with Onimi, as they were "both alike." So he pushes Han aboard the yorik-trema with the latter's family, then leaves himself aboard the dying evacuation vessel as it explodes above Yuuzhan'tar, displacing nearby Yuuzhan Vong battleships in its wake. This ends the life of Nom Anor, the Vong agent responsible for approximately half of the war as the Solos survive in the escape vessel, which is picked up by the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Mara, and which has the dying Luke aboard. Jacen then uses his mother's tears and his own to heal Luke, and the Jedi Master quickly recovers from Shimrra's amphistaff poison. The Solos and the Skywalkers then reunite in a bittersweet embrace, while C-3PO and R2-D2 watch on, with Threepio telling Artoo that he envies over what joy humans must feel in times like these.

In the wake of the destruction of Shimrra's coffer, with Warmaster Choka witnessing this event, he knew then that the Supreme Overlord died with it (which is technically true, since Onimi was the one who really led the Yuuzhan Vong into the war). Now, for the first time in the history of the species, the Yuuzhan Vong are without a Supreme Overlord. Seeing that they have lost under the belief that their species had lost Shimrra as the species' conduit to their gods and that their deities had turned against them, Choka ordered all of his forces in the galaxy to either surrender to the Galactic Alliance, keep on fighting for their own sakes, or commit suicide, officially heralding the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War. As for the Alpha Red-infected ship, Zonama Sekot managed to repel it before the vessel could arrive at the living planet. The rest of Alpha Red is destroyed by the Galactic Alliance, considering that it is no longer needed. Director of the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service Dif Scaur, for his actions in creating Alpha Red with the Chiss Ascendancy, is quietly forced to resign by Alliance Chief of State Cal Omas and is replaced by Belindi Kalenda. Sekot also brought down all warships in its immediate vicinity—both the Alliance's and the Vong's—down to Zonama's surface, getting rid of the invaders' weapons and halting the entire battle around it. And after the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar, the Peace Brigade is disbanded and Choka makes a deal with the Galactic Alliance at the Sekot Accords; the species will be spared, in spite of the invasion that they had caused, which resulted in 365 trillion native galactic deaths, and the Vong will be brought to Zonama Sekot. During this time, Sekot realizes that it is the seed of the original Yuuzhan'tar, and, taking on the form of Vergere, it shares this information with Luke, Jacen, and Harrar, which is something that the Yuuzhan Vong themselves will soon come to realize.

After Choka and his remaining obedient forces collect all other remaining Yuuzhan Vong forces across the galactic invasion corridor for Zonama—especially those who have not heeded Choka's orders to agree to the Sekot Accords. The living planet then takes the remaining Vong in the galaxy and travels into hyperspace. From this hyperspace jump, Zonama Sekot disappears back into the Unknown Regions so that the Vong will be safe from vengeful galactic denizens, such as the Bothans, who still have their ar'krai declared against them. On the planet Zonama, and by the intelligence Sekot, the once-violent species will learn the meaning of peace and regain their connection to the Force. Joining Zonama Sekot and the Vong are the likes of Danni Quee, Tekli, and Tahiri Veila, because Danni and Tekli want to study the living planet while Tahiri, being half a Vong because of her fusion with her Riina Kwaad personality, wants to help the species regain the Force and become peaceful. The Galactic Alliance also automatically reclaims Yuuzhan'tar as Coruscant as part of their victory, rebuilding what the Vong have destroyed and keeping some of what they introduced to the planet for vanity reasons, including the World Brain, a sign of compromise that even Bothan Admiral Traest Kre'fey appreciates. Though it would be unlikely that Coruscant could be properly habitable within any foreseeable amount of time, the citizens of the galaxy are optimistic. In the meantime, the Galactic Alliance relocates their capital to Denon as Coruscant heals thanks to the Galactic Alliance and help from Vong Shapers that Zonama Sekot didn't take off with. Admiral Kre'fey, meanwhile, is promoted to Supreme Commander for his heroic efforts in rescuing Coruscant from the enemy's clutches, replacing Sien Sovv.

Luke announces that coinciding with the war's end is the beginning of the New Jedi Order's belief of the Unifying Force, which combines both the light and dark sides into a perfect harmony. This belief also allows the Jedi to embrace the idea that the best way to serve the Force is to act accordingly to their consciences and, for all those who wish it, stay out of the affairs of the Galactic Alliance in the postwar galaxy. Jacen, in the aftermath of achieving oneness with the Force in his fight with Onimi, decides to go off on a sojourn throughout the galaxy in order to study numerous beliefs and theories about the Force, train under them, and find out which Force belief will be the most appropriate for him to follow now that the war is over. Meanwhile, Imperial Remnant Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, as a token of his gratitude to the Galactic Alliance for helping the Remnant fight back against the Yuuzhan Vong, gives Han and Leia the Alderaanian moss painting, the Killik Twilight, which Han and Leia lost to Grand Admiral Thrawn 21 years earlier when the recently-married Solos were on a mission to Tatooine. Cherishing it as one of the few remnants of her destroyed homeworld, Leia is especially thankful to Pellaeon for giving her the memorabilia. Jaina is forced to finish her relationship with Colonel Jagged Fel because of Jag's duties to the Chiss and Jaina's duties to the rest of the galaxy, though Jag promises that whenever he can, he will visit Jaina as a galactic ambassador of the Chiss Ascendancy.

The novel, and the series, finishes with many of the characters, including Jacen before he leaves for his sojourn, going back to Kashyyyk in order to honor the late Chewbacca, who gave his life early in the war at Sernpidal so that Han and Anakin Solo, along with many other inhabitants of the planet gathered aboard the Millennium Falcon at the time, could live when the Praetorite Vong, the specialist—and treacherous—advance force of the extragalactic invaders, destroyed the world. Han plants Anakin's lightsaber on Chewbacca's memorial so that if another threat like the Yuuzhan Vong were to arise in the galaxy ever again, as Luke announces, someone worthy of Chewbacca's honor and courage will take the weapon and conquer that potential menace. The characters then have a celebratory feast, finding humor and relief in the fact that, once again, the galaxy is at peace.

The New Jedi Order - Book 20: The Final Prophecy

Author: Greg Keyes
Cover Artist: Terese Nielsen

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: September 30, 3003
Media Types: Paperback
Pages: 305
ISBN: 0345428757

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 28 ABY

A subplot to the novel details the Second Battle of Bilbringi of the Yuuzhan Vong War, including Wedge Antilles and Jaina Solo's involvements, such as her story in being captured by the likes of the pirate known as Erli Prann.

On Yuuzhan'tar, Nom Anor's underground Jedi heresy cult is steadily losing faith in him as Yu'shaa the Prophet because of his failed attempts at bringing Supreme Overlord Shimrra down. However, Nom Anor remembers from his late agent Ngaaluh that Shimrra greatly fears an alleged living planet known as Zonama Sekot. Therefore, as Yu'shaa, Anor declares to his Shamed followers that on the day of Shimrra's downfall, a great planet will appear in the skies of Yuuzhan'tar to herald the end of the traditional Yuuzhan Vong way of life for the betterment of the Shamed Ones. Anor's followers are pleased with this news, and coinciding with Anor's false prophecy, he learns that Master Shaper Nen Yim is examining the starship brought back from Zonama Sekot, and learns that the starship has biological components, like a Yuuzhan Vong ship, as well as mechanical components, like one of the galaxy's own starships. So Nom Anor, still in his guise as Yu'shaa, makes a deal with Nen Yim: after he contacts Tahiri Veila to rescue the both of them from Yuuzhan'tar, they will all go to Zonama Sekot to learn the nature of the planet. This also coincides with Yim's dealings with the priest Harrar, who is secretly against Shimrra's order, and also wants to go to Sekot to see if Yu'shaa's prophecy of it bringing Shimrra's order down is true.

Tahiri, on the planet Mon Calamari, receives Yu'shaa's message to extract him and Nen Yim from Yuuzhan'tar and bring them to Zonama Sekot. Tahiri accepts, and takes Corran Horn with her. Despite short notice of Harrar's joining on the voyage to Sekot, all five of them escape the Yuuzhan Vong capital planet and go to the living planet via the ship that Nen Yim was studying that came from the latter world. Once they arrive on Sekot, the ship dies, and the five of them begin to study the planet, with the three Vong members formally renouncing their species' violent ways to defeat Shimrra. Tahiri and Nen Yim also realize that the memories implanted into the former by the late Mezhan Kwaad actually came from Nen Yim.

Eventually, Nen Yim comes to realize of Zonama Sekot's nature. However, Nom Anor realizes that if he can somehow find a way to kill Zonama Sekot and return to Shimrra in his favor for bringing the living planet's end, then he will be redeemed in the eyes of the traditional Yuuzhan Vong. So he then kills Nen Yim and travels into the planet's depths to sabotage its hyperdrive capabilities to end its life. But Yim lives long enough to tell Tahiri of Nom Anor's intentions, and dies in her arms. Tahiri, Corran and Harrar try to stop Nom Anor, who manages to sabotage the living planet. Nom Anor evades Tahiri and Corran, and gets into a brief confrontation with Harrar, ending with Harrar being knocked off a cliff, his fate being presumed dead. Then, as Sekot appears to be dying off, the Yuuzhan Vong escort vessels, whom Anor had earlier called via his creche-cousin Phaa Anor prior to his mission of sabotaging Sekot, arrive to take Nom Anor back to Shimrra so he can be promoted back into the traditional Vong society. Tahiri and Corran are saved by Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jacen Solo and Saba Sebatyne to be taken into a bunker. Here, it turns out that Sekot has managed to fix itself of Anor's machinations, and it heads for hyperspace. Its ultimate destination—Yuuzhan'tar.

The New Jedi Order - Book 19: Force Heretic 3 - Reunion

Authors: Sean Williams; Shane Dix
Cover Artist: Jon Foster

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 2003
Media Types: Paperback
Pages: 390
ISBN: 0345428722

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 28 ABY

With Ngaaluh at his side, Nom Anor, still in his guise as the Shamed Ones' Prophet Yu'shaa, gets many inferences into Supreme Overlord Shimrra's court, and realizes that the heresy Nom Anor organized is becoming a threat to the Yuuzhan Vong way of life on Yuuzhan'tar. And, taking advantage of this, Nom Anor decides to use Ngaaluh to report lies to Shimrra about certain enemy colleagues of Nom Anor. These lies state that Nom Anor's antagonistic colleagues were corrupt and supporting the Jedi heresy, and the lies pass successfully well in Anor's enemies' eliminations. ButShoon-mi Esh, one of Nom Anor's most trusted assistants, turns on Nom Anor and tries to kill him with a band of other heretics because Shoon-mi knew that Anor didn't care about all those who died for the heresy, and so Shoon-mi is aiming to establish another heresy to overthrow Shimrra. But the Shamed warrior Kunra, another trusted ally of Nom Anor's, saves him from Shoon-mi and the betraying band of heretics, and Nom Anor kills Shoon-mi in retaliation.

On Onadax, Goure Conor told Jaina and her party to go to next after the Battle of Bakura, the plan to reestablish contacts ends badly. But Droma makes it out and gets to Han and Leia and tells them that the Yuuzhan Vong have been attacking certain planets in the Outer Rim to stop contacts between Mon Calamari and the Unknown Regions, and the next target is the starless planet of Esfandia. Jaina, Han, Leia, Droma and Jagged Fel all arrive to Esfandia just in time for the Yuuzhan Vong to attack the planet, but the Galactic Alliance forces are backed up by the Imperial Remnant. So while the Alliance and Remnant forces battle against the Vong above Esfandia, Han, Leia, Droma and C-3PO all go down to the planet to find the Esfandia Long-Range Communications Base. But the Millennium Falcon accidentally kills several of Esfandia's natives, dubbed the "Cold Ones" by the Communications Base inhabitants, the former being ectoplasmic species that are the only thing alive on Esfandia. Han and his company realize about the ignorant massacre they accidentally caused, thanks to help of understanding them by C-3PO, and establish trust between them and the Cold Ones by saving them from a Yuuzhan Vong orbital bombardment. And with that, the Cold Ones lead the Falcon over to the Communications Base. There, Commander Ashpidar tells them that things are going bad because everyone figured out that there is a traitor among them who works for the Vong, since the Base team found a villip within their station. And on the top hit list of suspects is a suspicious Noghri named Eniknar.

Meanwhile, Tahiri, still in her coma, is having a mental lightsaber duel against Riina Kwaad that she cannot win because they are one and the same, and Riina chips away Tahiri's sanity by reminding her about how guilty she felt after she moved on with her life from Anakin Solo's loss. But Jaina, who left the Battle of Esfandia, joins Tahiri in aForce-meld to battle against Riina. However, after Tahiri learns that Jaina is trying to help, Tahiri manages to finally defeat Riina by mentally joining with her. Hence, Tahiri finally comes out of the coma as a new person, who is a blend of the Jedi she once was but has the toughness and loyalty of a Yuuzhan Vong. Hence, she decides to help in the Battle of Esfandia by tricking the Vong in their attack for the Communications Base. The battle goes sour for the Vong, and the surviving leaders destroy themselves in a vain attempt at a suicide run against the Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant forces they are fighting. And with that, communication between Mon Calamari and the Unknown Regions is safe, and Eniknar, who notably sacrificed himself in order to further the Battle of Esfandia in the Alliance and Remnant's favor, turns out not to be the traitor after all. The traitor turns out to be an Ugnaught named Tegg, who is captured and arrested.

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Danni Quee, Saba Sebatyne, Soron Hegerty andTekli all find Zonama Sekot finally. And after a Yuuzhan Vong battle force is defeated by Sekot's forces, Luke and his company are taken in by the planet's power and are introduced to the Ferroans, a people who worship Sekot yet are unkind to outsiders such as Luke and his accomplices. And Jacen figures out that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke's father and original Jedi Master respectively, were here many years before. Luke and his company meet Sekot's Magister, Jabitha Hal, who explains that she was a friend of Anakin's all those years beforeand begins to discuss with them to get Sekot to join the Yuuzhan Vong War to finally end it.

One night, the group is attacked, and Danni is captured, by a group of rogue Ferroans and Jacen and Saba follow them to the point where they allow themselves to be captured by the Ferroans and taken to their leader, Senshi. But afterward, just after they meet Senshi, the rogue Ferroan band leave and are trapped by a group of boras trees that go rogue and try to attack the group. But Jacen calms them down through the Force. Meanwhile, Luke coerces Sekot not to destroy the sole surviving member of the Yuuzhan Vong battle group and lets it get away so the living planet wouldn't succumb to the dark side of the Force. Sekot then contacts both Jacen and Luke at the same time—to Jacen, the planet appears as Jacen's late master, Vergere, and to Luke, Sekot appears as his father, Anakin. Sekot asks the both of them if they really want it to join the war. Jacen, through his own conscience, believing he doesn't want to be responsible for the extinction of the Vong, says no, but Luke, for the sake of the galaxy, says yes. Sekot agrees to Luke's terms and gets the entire planet ready for a hyperspace jump back to known space.

On Yuuzhan'tar, Nom Anor witnesses Shimrra reveal that Ngaaluh is a traitor to his court. Watching this event unfold, Nom Anor is horror-stricken when he sees through the villip connection that Ngaaluh has that she kills herself by slitting her throat before she could be executed. Her body is dumped with the corpses of Anor's dead rivals, and with Ngaaluh dies the best chance of overthrowing Shimrra.

The New Jedi Order - Book 18: Force Heretic 2 - Refugee

Authors: Sean Williams; Shane Dix
Cover Artist: Jon Foster

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 29, 2003
Media Types: Paperback
Pages: 432
ISBN 0345428714

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline:  28 ABY

Nom Anor is disguised as Yu'shaa the Prophet on Yuuzhan'tar, perfecting his praise of the Shamed Ones'heresy against Supreme Overlord Shimrra during each of his appearances. Meanwhile, he is trying to find a suitable spy to enter Shimrra's courtroom, but all attempts have failed, and these failures have been leading to the decreasing amount of faith in the heresy. However, Nom Anor finally meets Ngaaluh, a prieste ssof Yun-Harla who has entered into Nom Anor's sanctuary to team up with him and bring Shimrra down. She does not believe that the Yuuzhan Vong War is worth serving Shimrra, and agrees to play a spy for Nom Anor in entering Shimrra's throne, since the Supreme Overlord still trusts her.

In the Unknown Regions, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Danni Quee, Saba Sebatyne and Tekli, along with some help from the Imperial Remnant, have been searching for the living planet Zonama Sekot. Now traveling with the Imperial xenobiologist Soron Hegerty, the group arrive at the planet Munlali Mafir. Luke, Jacen, and a squad of stormtroopers led by Imperial Lieutenant Stalgis land on the planet in an Imperial shuttle and are met by a tribe of native Krizlaw. Upon Luke’s request, the Krizlaw tell the travelers that Zonama Sekot visited their star system years ago and stayed for months during which great environmental disasters befell them. When Luke attempts to explain how the environmental issues befell them, the Krizlaw grow enraged and attack the Jedi and Imperials. Unable to effect the two minds of the Krizlaw with mind-tricks the group is forced to flee with the Krizlaw pursuit. During the retreat, Hegerty is severely wounded, requiring medical attention, all but one of the stromtroopers are killed and the remaining one was eaten by a Jostran, and the other members of the envoy mission manage to escape in their shuttle. En route back to the Jade Shadow, a patrol of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force arrives to meet them. The patrol is led by the female Chiss Commander Irolia, who demanded to quickly meet with Luke. After a heated discussion in which Irolia questioned the motives of the Imperial/Jedi expedition, she gives them a disk with instructions to the planet Csilla where they need to be approved of being allowed within Chiss territory. They then travel to Csilla to find library records of where Zonama Sekot might be hiding now. But Luke and his company only have two days to look through the whole library to search for systems in the Unknown Regions that have gained any planets all of a sudden in the last fifty years. And along the way, Jacen meets and befriends Wynssa "Wyn" Fel, daughter of Soontir Fel and Syal Antilles Fel, and sister of Jagged Fel, all of whom are trusted allies of the Chiss. But when rogue Chiss who believe that Soontir is more of a danger to the Chiss because of allowing Luke and his company access to Chiss records, they try to kidnap Wyn. However, thanks to Jacen, Wyn is saved and Luke and the rest of his party manage to unveil the rogue Chiss to the Chiss High Council. Because of this, Luke and his company are granted an extended access into Chiss records for their search for Zonama Sekot. But Jacen begins to lose hope in finding Sekot until he guesses that the living planet might actually be hiding as a moon. The search party for the living planet take note of this and decide to look for systems that have actually gained moons in a quick amount of time in the past fifty years, and they estimate that Zonama Sekot must now be orbiting the gas giant Mobus. So Luke and his party depart Csilla and go to Mobus.

Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel and Tahiri Veila all arrive at Bakura to try to bring the planet into the Galactic Alliance in the Yuuzhan Vong War. But Bakura is going through a revolutionary stage right now—the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium's former slaves, the P'w'eck, have decided to consecrate the planet by the permission of the Bakuran government, lead by Prime Minister Molierre Cundertol. But Cundertol has just recently been kidnapped, and all the blame is being directed to Malinza Thanas and her group of rebels who don't believe the P'w'eck should consecrate Bakura. Immediately, though, Cundertol returns from an escape pod from a ship that explodes once it reached the Bakura system and explains how he managed to overpower his kidnappers and return just as Malinza has been arrested for her accused crime of having the Prime Minister kidnapped.

However, it turns out that Cundertol had actually betrayed the planet to the actual Ssi-ruuvi Imperium to be put into ahuman replica droid. Meanwhile, one of Cundertol's assistants, Blaine Harris, had also secretly been working with Malinza but would betray her by killing all of the important figures before the Keeramak completely consecrates the planet. Harris would do this by bombing certain areas of the arena where the consecration will take place in, including Cundertol's area. Elsewhere on Bakura, Jaina unwittingly brakes Malinza out of prison after hearing her side of the story concerning Cundertol's kidnapping. Jaina is brought by Malinza to her rebel group, but they are all betrayed and brought to Harris by Malinza's Rodian member, Salkeli. Meanwhile, Tahiri meets the next Ryn contact,Goure Conor, to help crack down Cundertol's betrayal. Tahiri, thanks to Han and Leia, learns that the inner conflict that had been bothering her since before she left with Jaina and everyone else from Mon Calamari was that it came from Riina Kwaad. Riina was the Yuuzhan Vong persona implanted by the late Master Shaper Mezhan Kwaad which had been suppressed thanks to help from the late Anakin Solo, who had been Tahiri's one true love and had died on the Mission to Myrkr to destroy the voxyn. Ever since Tahiri had moved on from grieving from Anakin's loss, her guilt over Anakin's death, and the guilt of moving on from it, dragged Riina back into her life. So Tahiri separates herself from Han and Leia and buries herself into cracking down Cundertol's betrayal with Goure. This all leads to Tahiri and Goure saving Jaina, Malinza and her rebel group and defeating Harris and Salkeli. But the bomb which will kill many in the arena will go off soon, so Tahiri heads off in a vain attempt to stop it. It explodes before she can deactivate it and Harris's plan succeeds, and Cundertol appears to be among the dead. Nevertheless, the Keeramak still consecrates the planet despite the bombing, and the second Ssi-ruuvi invasion on Bakura begins. As it turns out, the P'w'eck were still the Ssi-ruuk's slaves. However, just as the Galactic Alliance are about to lose the Battle of Bakura, the P'w'eck turn on the Ssi-ruuk and bring victory to the Alliance in the end. The Keeramak is also shot dead by his P'w'eck aide, Lwothin. Cundertol also reveals he is alive and executes Harris by shooting him, but his betrayal to Bakura with the Ssi-ruuvi is figured out so he tries to flee. After a brief fight with Jaina who unsuccessfully tries to stop him, he goes off and Jaina figures out that Cundertol was a Human Replica Droid, since she had cut off his arm with her lightsaber at the end of the fight.

But Cundertol's failure does not go unpunished when the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium general he meets up with reveals that he was actually a Yuuzhan Vong and uses a remote on Cundertol to pause his body long enough for the Yuuzhan Vong to kill him. Meanwhile, back on Bakura, it is revealed that when the bomb in the arena went off, Tahiri did manage to survive by putting a Force bubble around herself, but she went into a coma immediately afterwards. As for Goure, he told Jaina and her party the next location they should go to, which is Onadax, in order to reestablish contact with the rest of the galaxy for the Galactic Alliance.

The New Jedi Order - Book 17: Force Heretic 1 - Remnant

Authors: Shane Dix; Sean Williams
Cover Artist: Jon Foster

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: February 4, 2003
Media Type: Paperback
Pages: 413
ISBN: 0345428706

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 28 ABY

The novel opens up with Saba Sebatyne arriving atBarab I and finds that it has been completely destroyed without a single survivor by the Yuuzhan Vong. Saba duels in a space battle with a group of coralskippers in Barab I's orbit, defeats them and takes out a large, organ-like ship which is also by the Vong. The organ-like ship spills out its contents into six-pointed stars and Saba realizes that the ship had carried her people. She had effectively helped the Vong into endangering her own species.

Three months later, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Tekli and Danni Quee all decide to leave Mon Calamari to search for the lost living planet of Zonama Sekot. Jacen believes that the living world can help theGalactic Alliance win the war against the Yuuzhan Vong based on what his late tutor Vergere in the previous novel. Luke decides to take Saba along to deal with the grief of killing her own species. Their first stop: Bastion, capital of the Imperial Remnant. Meanwhile, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel and the rest of Twin Suns Squadron with a small Galactic Alliance fleet go on a mission to reestablish contacts in the Unknown Regions, starting with Galantos, home of the Fia, for the Alliance. Leia chooses Tahiri Veila to come along after she blacks out on Mon Calamari and no one, not even Tahiri, knows why, although when Tahiri called Jaina before she blacked out, she screamed out insanely that the late Anakin Solo was trying to kill her.

On Yuuzhan'tar, after his failure to the Yuuzhan Vong with the Battle of Ebaq 9, former Executor Nom Anor is hiding in the underworld of the Vong home planet in order to avoid being killed or captured by the warriors that Supreme Overlord Shimrra dispatched to kill him. Along the way, Nom Anor comes across a Shamed One named Vuurok I'pan who tells Nom Anor about a group of rising Shamed Ones and workers who intend to establish a new Vong religion that will look up to the Jedi as saviors  and Nom Anor is taken to the group. He begins his established trust with them and also plans on how to get his reputation back without getting killed by Shimrra's forces.

Luke, Mara, Jacen, Danni and Saba all arrive at Bastion to find that it is being attacked by the Yuuzhan Vong. The Imperial forces that survived the attack flee to Yaga Minor and Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon is presumed deceased after the attack. However, the Chimaera, Pellaeon's flagship Star Destroyer, makes it to Yaga Minor almost completely destroyed and it is revealed Pellaeon is in a coma after the attack. Fortunately, Pellaeon is saved by Tekli who gets him out of the coma in a bacta tank, but Pellaeon will have to remain in the tank for quite some time before he can fully recover from the injuries of the attack. However, Pellaeon still becomes part of the plan to stop the next Vong attack, via an internal earpiece, and everyone agrees to lead the next battle between the Imperial Remnant and Vong to the planet Borosk.

On Galantos, while Han, Leia and Tahiri are living in one of Al'solib'minet'ri City's suites, and Jaina and Jag are in orbit with the rest of Twin Suns Squadron with the Pride of Selonia, Tahiri wanders off and comes to a suite with a totem of the Vong god, Yun-Yammka, the Slayer. A group of Fian guards come for Tahiri and she confronts them with her lightsaber, but before any real violence can break out, she faints again. Meanwhile, after hearing about this, Jaina takes two of Jagged's Chiss pilots to N'zoth, home of the Yevetha, to investigate as to why they are not planning an attack on the Fia. But when they arrive, they find that it has been destroyed by the Vong, and a surviving Yevethan pilot, who sends a message to the three pilots about how the Vong are the greater species than the Yevetha, self-destructs his own ship, killing one of the Chiss pilots and sending Jaina and the surviving Chiss pilot back to Galantos. The Vong then arrive to attack.

At Borosk, the showdown between the Empire and the Vong begin at the still-bacta-encased Pellaeon's command. Jacen finds out who are the Vong and Peace Brigade infiltrators in the Empire are and gathers them into a meeting in one room. The Vong warriors battle Jacen and die with the help of a group of stormtroopers while the Brigaders are arrested and Saba notices a slaveship, an organ-shaped ship she saw back on Barab I, and decides to send in a Katana fleet Dreadnaught, naming it the Braxant Bonecrusher, as bait for the slaveship to take in her and Danni so they can save the people inside the ship. The plan works, and Danni sends in a group of YVH mouse droids to poison the two Vong stationed at the console of the slaveship. After a while, the poison works on the Vong, and Saba cuts a hole at the slaveship that frees her, Danni and the surviving captives with the hardening blorash jelly protecting them from the vacuum of space. The Star Destroyer Widowmaker, with Jacen in command, saves Danni, Saba and the slaves.

Eventually, the Vong invasion at Galantos is repelled by Galactic Alliance forces and it is revealed that the Ryn are now spies secretly looking in on Yuuzhan Vong operations after an agent is helped by Tahiri off of Galantos. The Ryn agent tells Han, Leia and Tahiri to send the party's accompanying Galactic Alliance forces to the next planet that has been out of communications with the Galactic Alliance: Bakura.

Back at Borosk, the Empire wins its showdown against the Vong invasion force and repels them away from Imperial space. Pellaeon fully recovers from the bacta tank and declares that the Imperial Remnant officially join the Galactic Alliance. At first, the Moff Council extremely disagree with this notion, but after Pellaeon convinces them that it will help repel another future Vong invasion, they all agree. Moff Kurlen Flennic still doesn't agree with the official truce to be declared, and even pulls a blaster on Pellaeon to emphasize his point when he loses support from the rest of the Council. After Flennic is repelled by stormtroopers, Pellaeon gives him the choice of incarceration for his treason or to be pardoned and agree on the alliance between the Galactic Alliance and the Empire. Flennic chooses the latter and he is pardoned by Pellaeon for his treason, but Pellaeon emphasizes that this event will never be forgotten. With that, Luke, Mara, Jacen, Danni and Saba depart the Empire with help from the Imperial Remnant's very ownWidowmaker, commanded by Captain Arien Yage, and xenobiologist Soron Hegerty tags along to study Zonama Sekot. The characters all head for Chiss space to continue their search for the living planet.

On Yuuzhan'tar, Nom Anor, disguised as a separate Yuuzhan Vong individual, escapes death from Vong warriors when nearly all the members in the camp that he is being sheltered in are killed. The only surviving member with him is Kunra, a Shamed warrior. Then they meet Shoon-mi Esh, a Shamed Intendant. The three decide to revive the Jedi heresy that the Shamed Ones are living by and Anor establishes a new identity known as Yu'shaa, the Shamed-worker prophet.

The New Jedi Order - Book 16: Ylesia

Author: Walter Jon Williams

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: September 2002
Media Type: E-book
Pages: 121
ISBN: B00006JTFT

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 28 ABY

RIPE FOR THE PLUCKING.

That's Jedi Knight Kyp Durron's opinion about the planet Ylesia, home base of the so-called Peace Brigade, a group of traitors dedicated to hindering the war efforts of the New Republic and hastening the ultimate victory of the merciless Yuuzhan Vong. Kyp's plan calls for a lightning-fast strike, backed with overwhelming force, to destroy the Brigade's offensive capabilities and teach prospective traitors that betrayal carries a heavy price. But young Jacen Solo, still bearing the scars of his imprisonment by the Yuuzhan Vong, has a better idea: a daring raid into the heart of Ylesia's capital, with the objective of capturing the Brigade's top leaders—-including the newly sworn-in President, Thrackan Sal-Solo, cousin to Jacen and his twin, Jaina.

But unknown to the Jedi and the New Republic forces, Supreme Overlord Shimrra of the Yuuzhan Vong has dispatched reinforcements to the Ylesia system. Instead of a swift surgical strike, Jaina, Jacen, Kyp, and their comrades are about to find themselves locked in a desperate battle for survival, with the odds stacked against them and time running out….

The New Jedi Order - Book 15: Destiny's Way

Author: Walter Jon Williams
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: October 1, 2002
Media Type: Hardcover, paperback
Pages: 451
ISBN: 0345428749

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 28 ABY

The story opens to Han and Leia Organa Solo flying through space in the Millennium Falcon while they are shipping Imperial officer Vana Dorja to the planet Bastion and work out a deal with Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. The deal consists of getting the Imperial Remnant back into the Yuuzhan Vong War on the New Republic's side. Leia then experiences a flash in the Force that feels like her son, Jacen's, presence. Leia tells Han that Jacen might be alive after all, which inspires some hope in both the Solos. However, while riding to Bastion, the Millennium Falcon gets pulled out of hyperspace by adovin basal mine and is confronted by several coralskippers. Nevertheless, Han rides the Falcon around and close to the mine in a battle that destroys nearly every coralskipper, then Han, Leia and Dorja are saved from the remnants by Jagged Fel and a group of Chiss clawcraft.

The novel shifts to Obroa-skai where Jaina Solo leads a strike force against a giant Yuuzhan Vong worldship belonging to the Vong leader, Supreme Overlord Shimrra. The battle first starts off as an advantage for the New Republic forces, but it soon becomes a stalemate until Hapan Battle Dragons, led personally by Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo of Hapes, turn the tide of the battle for the New Republic's favor and destroy the worldship. However, it turns out it didn't belong to Shimrra, and that it was actually the worldship commanded by Supreme Commander Komm Karsh, who is second rank to Warmaster Tsavong Lah. And during the battle, Jaina experienced a little flash in the Force that felt like her twin brother, Jacen's, presence, like how Leia felt at the beginning of the novel.

The book later reveals that after the fall of Coruscant and the operation at Borleias, the New Republic moved its assets and its Senate to the planet Mon Calamari. Pwoe, who replaced the late Borsk Fey'lya as Chief of State of the New Republic, was vetoed out as the ruler and the Senate began a vote for Chief of State, with Fyor Rodan in the lead as being voted. Those of the New Jedi Order are trying to help Rodan's opponent, Cal Omas, into being voted so he can establish a new Jedi Council. Luke Skywalker feels Jacen's presence, and says out loud, "It's the turning point." Meanwhile, Jacen Solo and Vergere, piloting Nom Anor's stolen coralcraft from their escape from Yuuzhan'tar, are heading for Mon Calamari, and before their arrival, Vergere tells Jacen about how and why she joined the Yuuzhan Vong.

Vergere reveals that 57 years earlier, she was a Jedi Knight in the Old Republic Jedi Council. She was sent to investigate a strange alien group known as the Far Outsiders, which would later become known as the Vong, and went to a mysterious planet called Zonama Sekot which had all kinds of life, particularly plants and vegetation. The Vong attacked Sekot and resulted in a grand scale battle which led to the death of its Magister Hal. Vergere later met with the Vong that were attacking Sekot and she was angered by the fact that she couldn't sense them in the Force when she met them. However, she saw how the Vong valued life in their own perverse way as one of the Vong had an avian pet similar to Vergere. She then fooled the Vong by displaying her powers and saying it was the power of Zonama Sekot. The Vong were pleased that they found a living planet, and decided to go back to their own galaxy to collaborate on the full scale invasion of the galaxy. But instead of going back to the Jedi Council and report this to the Old Republic, Vergere decided to go with the Vong and study them in their own galaxy. However, before she left, she left a message for Sekot to display to any Jedi who went to Sekot to find her about the Far Outsiders. As for Sekot, it turned out that the planet had repulsorlifts that let it travel further to the edges of the galaxy. Vergere states it is unknown if any Jedi received her message (this is revealed in the novel Rogue Planet when Anakin Skywalker received this message when he and his Jedi Knight Master Obi-Wan Kenobi went to find her on Sekot). Vergere says that because of her choice to go with the Vong, she started the galactic invasion by the Vong.

Jacen and Vergere come to Mon Calamari and Jacen reunites with his friends and family in a vacation given by Admiral Traest Kre'fey on the water planet while Vergere is detained by New Republic Intelligence to see if she is a spy for the Yuuzhan Vong, especially considering that she had aided Elan's failed plot to destroy the Jedi in Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial. All of Jacen's friends and family, including Jaina, Luke, Mara Jade Skywalker, Han and Leia, all hate Vergere for torturing him back in Traitor. Vergere also reveals she avoided revealing her Force potential to the Vong yammosks by using her mastery in Force potential to hide her Force abilities and even rearrange molecules for different purposes, which is how she created her healing tears that cured Mara of her coomb spore disease earlier in the series. The wise old Jedi even gives Luke her opinion that the Yuuzhan Vong actually do exist in the Force, but they are out of every Force-sensitive's perception to sense them. It is also revealed that Danni Quee and her team of scientists have found a DNA pattern that all Vong-formed life, even the Vong themselves for that matter, share that makes them invisible from the Force. Commander Dif Scaur of the Republic used this knowledge with the Chiss early in the war to create a secret project called Alpha Red, which is an airborne virus that will only kill the Vong and all the life they created with their bioengineering.

Meanwhile, on Yuuzhan'tar, after Jacen's manipulation of the planet's World Brain, the Vong themselves are having trouble adapting to their new environment. The Bothans have declared ar'krai, a total state of war, against the Vong, meaning the Bothans won't stop killing the Vong until the invaders are all dead to the last individual, and until the very name of the Vong species be wiped from history. Nom Anor's agents learn that if Cal Omas is elected Chief of State of the New Republic, he will support the New Jedi Order that will make a bigger threat for the Vong. So Anor sends two of his agents to assassinate Omas, but the plot is foiled by Mara Jade Skywalker who happened to have been investigating for Vong infiltrators using YVH technology from Lando Calrissian and Talon Karrde of the Smugglers' Alliance. Lando and Karrde also manage to blackmail most of the Senate into cancelling their votes for Fyor Rodan and make them vote for Cal Omas by threatening them into revealing their corruption to the public. With Omas now Chief of State, he manages to make the military on good terms with the Senate since the military was planning on mutiny against the New Republic for all the losses that they have taken in the war. The Jedi Council is also reestablished with half the members Jedi and the other half good trusting members from the Senate and military, so it is established as the High Council. At this time, Scaur reveals his Alpha Red project, and former Admiral Ackbar, now old and dying with Winter Celchu taking care of him, returns with a plan to wipe out the Vong.

Han and Leia's attempts at getting the Imperial Remnant to join with the New Republic fails in one meeting with Admiral Pellaeon. Supreme Overlord Shimrra is heavily displeased with the discomforts created by the World Brain, has Master Shaper Ch'Gang Hool executed for his incompetence, and is angered by Tsavong Lah at the heavy casualties the Vong took in the war so far. So he tells Lah to have the Vong hold back on major offenses until they can repopulate properly for warriors, and have all warriors sixteen years or older reproduce. The Shamed Ones and workers are also beginning to have a new blasphemous faith against the Vong by believing that the Jedi will be their saviors. Hence, Nom Anor begins to investigate the blasphemous religion while Shimrra states that the Shamed Ones should learn that the Jedi won't save them, but if they won't listen, they should be killed on contact. Anor later learns, during his investigation, that everything that Shimrra ever stood for was a lie and that the Vong are fighting for a false cause.

Jaina manages to train the rookies that have decided to join the fight against the Vong very well, and when Ackbar reveals his plan to destroy the Vong, he finds out about a hidden Imperial fortress in the Deep Core of the galaxy known as Tarkin's Fang in the Ebaq system. On the gas giant of Ebaq's ninth moon, Ebaq 9, there is an old abandoned factory the Empire was saving up in crucial times in its war against the Rebellion more than two decades earlier. Ackbar plans to lure the Vong there using bait they can't resist in capturing or killing. Later, Cal Omas decides that Jaina, Jacen and all the other Jedi who survived the Mission to Myrkr (not including Ganner Rhysode, who died in the previous novel) be promoted to full Jedi Knights in a public ceremony for their actions in the war. Those who died at Myrkr, including Anakin Solo, are remembered, and every one of the Jedi apprentices are knighted, especially Jaina, whom Luke declares the Sword of the Jedi, the bravest Jedi ever. After all the Jedi are knighted, Vergere learns of Scaur's Alpha Red project and sabotages it, then escapes Mon Calamari to an unknown location. Vergere's sabotaging is realized by New Republic Intelligence, and Jacen is called through the Force by Vergere to Kashyyyk. Vergere asks for Jacen's help to find a place in the galaxy where the New Republic can't find her, but this plan is foiled when Jacen realizes that it is now the new Jedi Knights' top priority to find Vergere and capture her. And while Jacen keeps Vergere's presence a secret from everyone else, he leads Admiral Kre'fey's fleets into battle and tries to teach Tahiri Veila how to sense Yuuzhan Vong since she was captured and experimented by them back on Yavin IV. Jaina, Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne, as well as their pilot teams are placed on Ebaq 9 as bait for the Vong.

Meanwhile, Nom Anor, disguising himself as a worker on Yuuzhan'tar, figures out that the eighth cortex of Vong-life shaping doesn't exist and Supreme Overlord Shimrra demanded for Nen Yim and a team of her shaper caste to actually create the eighth cortex. Also, the New Republic finds out it has Vong spies among them so they trick Nom Anor's agents into making them think that the Vong aren't being baited at Ebaq 9. Fooled by this deceit, Anor promises Shimrra if the Vong are lead into a trap that will result in an epic catastrophe, Nom Anor will die. So five large squadrons, lead by Tsavong Lah himself, attack Ebaq 9, but during the resulting battle where Jaina's forces fight back, they are aided by the Smugglers' Alliance, lead by Han and Leia, and other New Republic divisions. While Luke Skywalker persuades Garm Bel Iblis into joining the Battle of Ebaq 9 from Fondor, a large portion of the Vong forces are destroyed in the battle, and Tsavong Lah realizes if he keeps on having the Vong fight the New Republic, they will all die. Meanwhile, Nom Anor becomes aware of the results of the battle from Yuuzhan'tar and escapes from impending doom he promised Shmirra, killing his superior, High Prefect Yoog Skell in the process.

Back on Ebaq 9, Lah commands most of his remaining members of the squadrons to attack Ebaq 9, with the other Vong to retreat to preserve their lives for the future of the war, as the voxyn he brought with him to the battle tell him about Jedi being on the moon. The New Republic does its best to hold the Vong off the moon, but the invaders get through and hunt down Jaina, Lowbacca and Tesar, as well as all the surviving pilots in their squadrons that made it out of the battle alive. Most of Tsavong Lah's retreating ships are killed by New Republic forces participating outside the battle. Jacen, who leads the Force-meld into Vong battles on Admiral Kre'fey capital ship, the Ralroost, realizes about Jaina's danger and goes against Kre'fey's orders to fly to the moon to help Jaina and her comrades escape. Vergere fails to stop Jacen from taking his X-wing to the moon, and Tsavong Lah invites all Jedi to join in the hunt on the moon while all non-Jedi will be killed by the Vong forces if they proceed to the moon. Jacen safely lands, bringing the odds to 10,000 Yuuzhan Vong vs. 4 Jedi, and is hunted down by Vong forces. However, while Bel Iblis and his forces arrive in the battle, Vergere, knowing Jacen wouldn't survive in the hunt, steals an A-wing from theRalroost and crashes it onto Ebaq 9, destroying its air supply immediately and killing nearly every Yuuzhan Vong on the moon, as well as herself in the resulting explosion of the A-wing. This is after she convinced Lah that she wasForce-sensitive. But before she died, she created a Force projection of herself to Jacen to warn him about the resulting loss of air supply, so he builds a Force bubble around him that gives him his oxygen and after talking to the projection, he realizes Vergere is dead. Meanwhile, Jaina, Lowbacca, Tesar and several New Republic pilots survive the air loss by quickly activating their vacuum suits.

Tsavong Lah is the only Vong survivor of the air loss thanks to his personal guards who protected him and hisgnullith from the thousands of suffocating warriors. They put an ooglith cloaker on him to save him from cold and air loss. He falls unconscious but soon wakes up, wounding Lowbacca and sticking Jaina, Lowbacca and Tesar inblorash jelly, resulting in a fight between Jaina and Lah. The battle ends as Jaina defeats and kills Lah by impaling her lightsaber through his throat while Tesar treats Lowbacca's wounds. Later, a few days after the Battle of Ebaq 9, while the New Republic reformed itself into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, Jaina is the last to return to the newly-formed Galactic Alliance and reunites with her friends and family. Her last words in the novel are, "Being the Sword of the Jedi really stinks." The final scene of the book has Shimrra place a death mark on Nom Anor for the Yuuzhan Vong to hunt him down and kill him after the disaster at Ebaq 9, and the novel finally closes with Shimrra and his Shamed underling, Onimi, laughing maniacally after they both realize they have to redouble their efforts in defeating the natives of the galaxy since Ebaq.

The New Jedi Order - Book 14: Traitor

Author: Matthew Stover
Cover Artist: Steven D. Anderson

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 30, 2002
Media Type: Paperback
Pages: 252
ISBN: 034542865X

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 27 ABY

The story opens with Jacen Solo being tortured aboard a Yuuzhan Vong ship. He receives frequent visits from Vergere, who betrayed him to the Yuuzhan Vong after he killed the voxyn queen at the end of the Mission to Myrkr. Vergere begins showing Jacen that there is no dark side of the Force and that the "dark side" is rather the full power of the Force. During this time, Vergere helps the Vong shape Jacen into one of their own. This process is observed by Executor Nom Anor.

Eventually, Jacen is sent to a Yuuzhan Vong seedship, the seedship being for the purpose of forming a new planet for the Vong to have as a home. Jacen is given the task of tending to the non-Yuuzhan Vong workers developing the ship into a planet, and he begins to have a belief that the cruel non-Vong workers need to die after the death of a Devaronian, which those workers caused, who was assisting Jacen in an assignment. At the beginning of his stay on the seedship, Jacen is implanted with a slave seed in his chest by Vergere to connect him with one of the dhuryam of the seedship. During the course of this bond, the dhuryam realizes Jacen cannot be broken and forced into doing work, so the dhuryam resorts to a mutual partnership with Jacen.

Soon more Yuuzhan Vong forces arrive at the seedship in order to select one of the dhuryam for a World Brain. The dhuryam would then be able to have complete independence in controlling a Yuuzhan Vong-formed planet, in a ceremonial ritual. But Jacen refuses to join the ceremony. The dhuryam he is bonded to then allows him to take control of the immature amphistaffs and wear them as armor as he goes through the seedship and causes a great massacre that kills Yuuzhan Vong and non-Yuuzhan Vong alike, and further, he makes all the other slaves attack the Vong with immature weapons, which turns out to be as much a danger to them as it is to the Yuuzhan Vong. Jacen reaches the dhuryams and kills all of them save the one he is bonded to, for when he is about to kill that one, Jacen believes he sees his late brother Anakin telling him not kill the dhuryam because of their partnership (all appearances of Anakin Solo here are ambiguous as to whether or not they are real or illusion). Vergere convinces Jacen not to kill the last dhuryam, and he falls unconscious.

When Jacen wakes up, he finds he is on the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld of Yuuzhan'tar, and thanks to Vergere, who aids him on his trek to the city capital, he realizes it was once Coruscant, now captured by the Yuuzhan Vong. Jacen learns that he can sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force, a result of the slave seed Vergere had implanted in him on the seedship to make him obey the Yuuzhan Vong. He uses this "Vongsense" to escape Yuuzhan Vong forces on Coruscant. After a confrontation with the Yuuzhan Vong, Jacen and Vergere travel underground on Yuuzhan'tar to get underneath what was once the old Jedi Temple that was destroyed after the fall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire. Vergere questions Jacen further as to who he is, while blinding him in the dark of the underground. Jacen states proudly that he is a Jedi, and Vergere tells him that it was all a game and that Jacen has lost. She reveals that he is surrounded by Yuuzhan Vong with Nom Anor. Jacen slips into unconsciousness and unleashes the dark side of the Force upon Vergere and the Yuuzhan Vong. When confronted by a wounded Vergere about it afterward, she argues that there is no difference between the light and the dark sides of the Force: they are both the same.

Jacen, shocked at this revelation, leaves Vergere to discover who he is and chases after what he believes to be the spirit of Anakin. However, this is a hallucination and Jacen unwittingly enters a cavern beast. Inside the belly of the gargantuan animal, he hears a voice, crying for help. He tries to shut it out, believing it to be another hallucination. Then, to his horror, he realizes that it has a presence in the Force. He tries to rescue the girl crying for help, but to no avail. But when he unleashes the hate inside himself, he uses the dark side to rescue the child. This confuses him and draws his mind back to Vergere's teachings: that the dark side was simply the Force's unleashed potential. He discovers more survivors, refugees of the conquest of Coruscant. He assumes that they, too, were drawn in by illusions and false hopes. Through his confusion, though, he also finds anger and rage. The refugees have a rule: whoever arrives last in the beast would be sent to feed its ravenous hunger. The girl arrived last, and she was undergoing an execution. The survivors and, most enraging to Jacen, the girl accuse him of being the last and then try to send him on his way to the stomach. Enraged, he draws on the anger he feels and uses the Force to make the animal believe that humans are poisonous, triggering it to forcibly eject all of them. Bereft of their shelter, the survivors would most likely die from Coruscant's many dangers. Lost and confused, he leaves them and goes on.

Jacen then arrives at the Solo's now ruined apartment and is saddened by how much things have changed, his home and his life now a perversion of its former self. Shortly after his arrival he is visited by what he thought to be (and may have been) Anakin's spirit. This also challenges his thoughts on the Force. The apparition of Anakin engages in the playful banter they had once shared, and Jacen tells him of the things he has done, and also his confusion. Jacen also asks Anakin whether he is real or an illusion. Anakin counters, asking Jacen if there is a difference, saying that life, like the Force, is all one and that there is no difference, akin to Vergere's earlier teachings. Jacen then thinks that Anakin really is an illusion and tries to shut him out, falling into a deep depression. Vergere arrives and wakes him, once again challenging Jacen's beliefs. They are soon joined by Nom Anor and his entourage of warriors, who confront Jacen, saying that they believe him to be an avatar of Yun-Yammka, offering him Anakin's lightsaber if he would convert to the Yuuzhan Vong religion. Jacen agrees, although Nom Anor is unaware at this time that he is lying.

The rest of the story reveals that Ganner Rhysode has been searching for Jacen due to rumors of him being alive. On a New Republic camp ship that keeps refugees from the Yuuzhan Vong war, Ganner finally confronts Jacen and the Yuuzhan Vong forces and is captured. After Ganner's capture, he is sent to Yuuzhan'tar, and Jacen reveals he has not really converted to the Yuuzhan Vong ways and that he is simply acting. The Yuuzhan Vong do not know whether or not they can trust Jacen to be an avatar, and Nom Anor now knows that Jacen is acting. However, they still bring Jacen and Ganner to the Well of the World Brain where the Galactic Senate once met. Jacen and Ganner lock themselves in, their plan being that Jacen would destroy the World Brain that used to be the dhuryam he was partnered with at the seedship (after Jacen killed all the rest of the dhuryams, his partner was selected to be the World Brain on Yuuzhan'tar) while Ganner would then escape. However, Ganner tells Jacen he will sacrifice himself so that Jacen will be able to kill the World Brain in time. Ganner confronts all the Yuuzhan Vong warriors who come his way after Jacen gives him Anakin's lightsaber and kills nearly all of them in combat, but he dies himself from the wounds inflicted upon him. Meanwhile, Jacen does not kill the World Brain, but convinces it not to make things imperfect for the Yuuzhan Vong in order to teach them compromise in the course of their invasion of the galaxy. Vergere, in the meantime, manipulates Nom Anor into revealing the location of his personal escape ship that would let him escape in case trouble came to Yuuzhan'tar. Vergere betrays Nom Anor and lets biological lifeforms trap him while she and Jacen escape to become a third party of themselves in the Yuuzhan Vong War as they head back to the New Republic.

The New Jedi Order - Book 13: Enemy Lines 2 - Rebel Stand

Author: Aaron Allston
Cover Artist: Dave Seely

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: May 28, 2002
Medie Type: Paperback
Pages: 3666
ISBN: 0553713027

Era: New Jedi Order
Timeline: 27 ABY 

Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Tahiri Veila have arrived on the recently-captured Coruscant, and on the planet they find a genetically-engineered monstrous Irek Ismaren masquerading as Lord Nyax. Nyax, his mind having been replaced almost entirely with electronic parts, is bent on opening a Force nexus located beneath the old Jedi Temple. Meanwhile Tsavong Lah, taking Viqi Shesh's advice to heart, discovers a conspiracy amongst members of the shaper caste and of the priest caste who plan to control him through manipulation of his implant. With the help of shaper Nen Yim, Tsavong Lah discovers the traitors involved, and executes them.

Han and Leia Organa Solo are traveling to sectors of the galaxy that are most likely to join the Yuuzhan Vong in order for leniency for their own planets, people, and especially governments. Han and Leia's goal is to make contact with secret resistance cells on each planet in order to support them in making sure that their governments won't align with the Vong, and that they'll also be able to fight the invaders. One particular journey to Aphran IV gets them locked away in a prison cell, which forces C-3PO and R2-D2 to help them escape. Han and Leia fight past the forces holding them and they escape, with the government of Aphran IV unlikely to join the Vong.

Back on Borleias, Wedge Antilles continues to operate the defenses there, holding Czulkang Lah's forces off for the majority of the events and increasing Yuuzhan Vong sentiment that both Jaina Solo was the physical manifestation of one of their Trickster goddess Yun-Harla, and that the pipefighters were capable of being utilized as a superweapon to attack Coruscant's defense fleet.

Luke, Mara, and Tahiri were able to kill Nyax with the help of Wraith Squadron, but not before he was able to open the Force nexus he'd been after. Following Nyax's death and during the strike team's escape from Coruscant they confronted Viqi Shesh, who had been sent to the planet to help capture them. At the same time Denua Ku, the dying Yuuzhan Vong warrior who'd led the Yuuzhan Vong warriors to find the Jedi on Coruscant, caught up with her. Shesh committed suicide to avoid being captured and, most likely, killed by either side.

Upon returning to Borleias the strike team found the Lusankya in a state of horrible disrepair, though this was ultimately part of General Antilles's plan. Using the pipefighters to distract Czulkang Lah's forces from the true weapon, Lusankya was smashed into the Domain Hul worldship, executing Operation Emperor's Spear and fulfilling the objectives Antilles had set for himself and the Borleias defense crew in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.

The New Republic abandoned Borleias following their defensive victory, though they had ultimately gained the government a great deal of time with which to plan their next moves and alliances, exactly what then-Chief of State Pwoe had instructed the fleet to do.