Chapter Summaries

Darth Malthael appeared on Planet Disashi, where he destroyed Imperial forces and demonstrated power enough to seize control of Star Destroyers. Dunn Vesex mobilized against him, but Malthael escaped before a larger Imperial fleet arrived with the High Inquisitor and Arden Lyn.

• Darth Malthael controlled nearly a thousand Imperial Stormtroopers, crushed TIE fighters, and dragged an Aquatens-class light cruiser into the ground on Planet Disashi.
• Dunn Vesex learned that Tang Xiao had appeared on Planet Disashi and ordered a blockade, fleet mobilization, and help from the Imperial Inquisitorius.
• Gillard Perine sent Imperial-class Star Destroyers to attack, but two formations totaling ten ships went missing, leading Dunn Vesex to fear Tang Xiao might come for him on Planet Palin-Minor.
• Darth Malthael used Red Comet One's Force stealth to take control of seven Star Destroyers, then escaped in the fighter.
• A larger Imperial fleet arrived at Planet Disashi and destroyed the seven controlled Star Destroyers, while the High Inquisitor and Arden Lyn stood aboard its lead ship.

The High Inquisitor and Arden Lyn tried to draw Archangel of Death into a delay while Imperial forces responded to another attack in the Northern Territory. On Dathomir, Darth Sidious met Gethzerion and asked her to help kill Darth Malthael, warning her that he controlled a terrifying corpse.

• The High Inquisitor concluded that Archangel of Death had appeared on Planet Disashi to draw Imperial attention and said the Imperial side needed to hold him back.
• An officer reported that Akuria Planet had come under an attack like the one on Planet Disashi, and the High Inquisitor ordered a blockade and demanded the Lila Super Star Destroyer.
• Darth Sidious arrived on Dathomir and entered the blood-red Sacred Tree, where Mother Talzin warned that it would consume him.
• Gethzerion revealed herself as the giant tree itself and recognized the visitor as Darth Sidious, whose body was withering inside it.
• Darth Sidious asked Gethzerion to cooperate against Darth Malthael and warned that Malthael controlled a powerful corpse; Gethzerion asked whether it was a bald, deathly pale man.

Darth Sidious sought Gethzerion’s help against the Archangel of Death, but she killed him after agreeing to provide a single-use treasure. Meanwhile, Darth Malthael evaded the Lila outside Akuria Planet, and the chapter ended with news that Planet Genk had come under attack.

• Darth Sidious and Gethzerion discussed the Force’s Trinity before he asked her to help kill the Archangel of Death.
• Gethzerion agreed to help in exchange for command of the Galactic Empire’s fleet in the Mandalore star sector and gave Darth Sidious a gemstone that would summon her once.
• Mother Talzin and Gethzerion killed Darth Sidious beneath the Sacred Tree, and Gethzerion vanished underground.
• Arden Lyn and the High Inquisitor used the Lila and their Force senses to pursue Darth Malthael, while Marines fought undead creatures aboard the ship.
• Darth Malthael escaped the battle, and Arden Lyn and the High Inquisitor learned that he had broken through the blockade.
• A communications officer reported that Planet Genk had come under attack.

With Palpatine missing, the Galactic Empire weakened under Rebel attacks and internal power struggles while Mon Mothma and her allies prepared an assault on Ord-Pardron. The plan’s first major crisis broke out when Ukio’s defense forces rebelled, forcing the Thirteenth Army to mobilize.

• Palpatine’s absence left Imperial factions competing for power as Rebel Alliance X-wings struck Imperial bases and sank seven Star Destroyers.
• Mon Mothma and Garm Iblis argued over a plan to attack Ord-Pardron, and Mon Mothma revealed that K Fleet would join the operation.
• Bail Organa told a disguised ally at the Alderaan banquet that mercenaries and funding were ready, while the ally urged him to advance a proposal to disband the Thirteenth Army.
• Queen Borja Organa displayed a rare Killik carapace as Bail Organa’s mysterious visitor slipped away from the banquet.
• On May 9, 9BBY, Ukio’s Planetary Defense Forces seized the capital, executed the Imperial Planetary Governor, and declared independence under their Defense Fleet Commander.
• The Thirteenth Imperial Army gathered at Ord-Pardron to suppress the Ukio revolt.

On May 10, 9BBY, the Kingdom of Dawn launched a massive offensive against the Galactic Empire’s northern defenses. The attack overwhelmed a hyperspace outpost and destroyed its crew, while General Trench ordered the fleet toward Bilbrin Planet.

• Veneto monitored a hyperspace outpost along the Northern Defense Line as a vast fleet emerged nearby.
• A giant warship captured the outpost with a tractor beam, then a Divinity-class battleship destroyed it with an X-ray blast, killing Veneto and the other soldiers.
• General Trench ordered his fleet to advance at full speed and sent frigate formations to destroy the Empire’s border Interdictors.
• Imperial alarms sounded across several planets as the Kingdom of Dawn’s main fleet began its attack, targeting Bilbrin Planet.

Imperial commanders prepared for the Separatist fleet’s advance as Gillard Perine divided forces between Bilbrin, Dantooine, and the northern front. The Archangel-class Titan warship emerged at Bilbrin and opened fire, beginning the Third Northern Territory Campaign.

• Imperial hyperspace outposts detected a large enemy fleet heading toward Bilbrin, and Horst Strege ordered the planet’s defenses activated.
• Gillard Perine learned the Separatist fleet would reach Bilbrin within an hour and ordered the Imperial forces to prepare for combat.
• Perine told Strege to hold Bilbrin for at least three days, reinforced Lila against Tang Xiao, and dispatched forces toward Dantooine.
• After reports that a Separatist fleet had appeared at Dantooine, Perine ordered ground reinforcements there and prepared the main fleet to advance on Ord Mantell.
• The Archangel-class Titan warship emerged from hyperspace near Bilbrin and fired on the Imperial Third Sub-fleet.

The Kingdom of Dawn’s Archangel-class Titan Warship led a small fleet into battle against Admiral Holst-Strege’s Imperial Third Sub-fleet near Bilbrin Planet. As the Archangel activated its Phenomenon Generator and called reinforcements through a Hyperspace Beacon, the first arriving ship was the Ankollon-class Titan warship Taowu.

• The Archangel-class Titan Warship destroyed dozens of Bilbrin’s armed asteroids, then came under fire from the planet’s defenses.
• Admiral Holst-Strege ordered the Third Sub-fleet to attack the Kingdom of Dawn fleet before reinforcements arrived and maneuvered his Praetor Mark II-class flagship to avoid the Archangel’s main gun.
• The Archangel began charging its Doomsday Weapon, but Imperial sensors detected hyperspace fluctuations, and Holst-Strege realized it was deploying a Hyperspace Beacon.
• Holst-Strege ordered another assault, while the Archangel activated its Phenomenon Generator and led the Kingdom of Dawn ships forward under strengthened shields.
• The first reinforcement emerged from hyperspace: the Ankollon-class Titan warship Taowu.

The Galactic Empire launched a massive assault on the Archangel Titan warship at Bilbrin Planet, hoping to stop the Kingdom of Dawn from taking the strategic chokepoint. As the Archangel came under mounting pressure, Taowu arrived and deployed a Fleet Shield that protected it from further torpedo strikes.

• Admiral of the Navy Holst Strege committed the Imperial fleet to a full-scale attack and sent TIE Advanced fighters and TIE bombers against the Archangel.
• Imperial fighters launched Proton Torpedoes from close range, damaging the Archangel’s armor after its Deflector Shield was breached.
• The first reinforcements guided by the Hyperspace Beacon arrived as the Ankollon-class Titan warship Taowu.
• General Trench ordered the Archangel to steady its formation and turn to port despite reports of torpedo impacts and shield failure.
• Taowu activated its Fleet Shield, adding a pale-green protective layer around the Archangel and blocking the bombers’ remaining torpedoes.

General Horst Strege chose to continue attacking Bilbrin despite the arrival of the Taowu and the Emissary’s devastating firepower. As the Imperial fleet’s full strength threatened to overwhelm the Kingdom of Dawn forces, General Trench brought in two Eternal-class Super Carriers and launched their new-generation fighters.

• Horst Strege ordered the Imperial fleet to keep attacking rather than retreat, while maneuvering his flagship away from the Emissary’s Doomsday Weapon.
• The Imperial formation grew to roughly four hundred capital ships, but the Taowu shielded the Emissary as it destroyed enemy vessels and repaired its damage.
• Two Divinity-class battleships, seven Hell-Angel Class Battlecruisers, and two Durov-class Battlecruisers arrived as reinforcements, followed by more Kingdom of Dawn ships.
• The Phenomenon Generator’s effects faded, allowing the Imperial fleet to unleash its full firepower as both sides suffered mounting losses.
• General Trench judged that the Kingdom of Dawn formation had stabilized and summoned two Eternal-class Super Carriers, whose arrival launched the new-generation fighter formations.

Two prototype Eternal-class Super Carriers entered the Bilbrin Planet battle and transformed the fighter engagement with their protected, enhanced launches. After the Kingdom of Dawn destroyed most of the Empire’s first fighter wave, two Divinity-class battleships arrived and General Trench ordered the Doomsday Weapon to charge.

• The two prototype Eternal-class Super Carriers arrived, shielded their launch bays with their towering islands, and sent hundreds of fighters into battle.
• The Kingdom of Dawn’s Sabre-class fighters caught the returning Imperial formation and destroyed more than 700 fighters while suffering only a little over fifty losses.
• Holst Strege ordered the surviving Imperial fighters to scatter, launched 800 reinforcements, and sent anti-air gunboats and heavy cruisers to support them.
• The Kingdom of Dawn fighters regrouped and moved toward the Imperial capital ships as General Trench reorganized his fleet.
• Two more Divinity-class battleships arrived, and General Trench ordered the Doomsday Weapon to begin charging.

Admiral Horst Strege faced mounting losses as Kingdom of Dawn reinforcements threatened Bilbrin, while reports revealed simultaneous battles on Dantooine and Ord Mantell. When the Archangel Titan’s Doomsday Weapon split into beams and destroyed dozens of Imperial ships, Strege ordered a suicidal counterattack, leaving his flagship exposed in a gap in the fleet.

• Horst Strege learned that YSS-1000 Sabre-class fighters had overwhelmed his formations and that Kingdom of Dawn reinforcements were restoring the Archangel Titan’s defenses.
• Gillard Perine reported that the Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn were fighting on three fronts: Bilbrin, Dantooine, and Ord Mantell.
• Strege ordered damaged ships to withdraw into a second defensive line, then began pulling back when the Archangel Titan’s main cannon charged.
• The Archangel Titan fired its Doomsday Weapon in dozens of beams, destroying roughly twenty-nine Imperial-class Star Destroyers and badly disrupting the Imperial formation.
• Strege ordered a suicidal task force to attack the vulnerable Titan, then discovered that his flagship lay inside the newly opened gap in the Imperial fleet.

Ander Viking’s plan enabled the Kingdom of Dawn fleet to break through the Galactic Empire’s defenses and destroy General Horst Strege’s flagship. The Empire retreated to Bilbrin Planet’s outer orbit, while General Trench continued the offensive and left Thrawn’s eventual arrival to Ander Viking.

• Horst Strege recognized that the Emissary Titan warship’s Doomsday Weapon had opened a gap in his formation and ordered his fleet to restore its fire network.
• Two hundred and fifty Ravasa Fighters charged through the gap, broke past Imperial light cruisers, and attacked Strege’s Archon MK-II-class flagship.
• Horst Strege ordered an orderly retreat as the Ravasa Fighters overwhelmed his flagship.
• Twenty Calamity-class battlecruisers emerged from hyperspace and struck the flagship with Particle Beam Lances while cloaked Viking fighters fired 180 Proton Torpedoes at its engines.
• The Archon MK-II-class battlecruiser exploded, killing Horst Strege, and the Galactic Empire fleet withdrew to Bilbrin Planet’s outer orbit.
• General Trench said the defeated commander was not Thrawn, and Ander Viking said he would recognize Thrawn when he appeared.

The Galactic Empire reevaluated its weakening position after the Kingdom of Dawn killed Horst Strege and attacked Bilbrin Planet, while Dunn Vesex and Darth Vader resisted the Imperial Supreme Strategic Command’s demands. The chapter left the Empire also struggling to contain the Rebel Alliance’s uprising on Ukio, which threatened Rishi and nearby worlds.

• The Kingdom of Dawn killed Horst Strege during its attack on Bilbrin Planet, spreading defeatism through the Galactic Empire’s military.
• The Imperial Supreme Strategic Command ordered Dunn Vesex to hold Bilbrin Planet, but Dunn said defeat was unavoidable and that he needed to preserve his fleets for a second defensive line.
• Dunn Vesex ordered Gillard Perine to continue attacking Ord Mantell Planet as the Kingdom of Dawn summoned more warships away from that front through the Archangel Titan warship’s Hyperspace Beacon.
• Tang Xiao remained occupied by the Lila Super Star Destroyer while Arden Lyn and the High Inquisitor protected its crew from his Death Force.
• Darth Vader ignored the Imperial request to lead Death Squadron in an assault on Fondor Planet.
• The Rebel Alliance captured Ukio’s Planetary Administration Hall, killed its Imperial officials, and pushed the Thirteenth Army to send its remaining fleets to suppress the uprising before Rishi was threatened.

After the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Thirteenth Imperial Army, Emperor Palpatine returned and announced that he would lead an expedition against Tang Xiao and the Kingdom of Dawn. Isanne Isard revealed that Imperial officials and military personnel had aided the Rebels, and Palpatine turned his attention to purging the Empire’s upper ranks.

• Gial Ackbar ambushed the Thirteenth Army’s returning fleet and destroyed eighteen Imperial-class Star Destroyers and thirty-four Victory-class Star Destroyers, bringing the army down.
• Palpatine returned to the Imperial Senate, suspended its sessions during the Northern Territory Campaign, and announced an Imperial Celebration and his plan to fight Tang Xiao personally.
• Darth Vader delayed Death Squadron’s attack on Fondor Planet, while Gideon Tarkin proposed blockading Dak Planet and Dunn Vesex pressured Gillard Perine to attack Ord Mantell.
• Isanne Isard gave Palpatine a list of officials suspected of treason and reported that Imperial intelligence sources and military collaborators had helped the Rebel Alliance defeat the Thirteenth Army.
• Palpatine ordered Darth Vader to postpone the Fondor attack for a week and return to help identify spies within the Empire’s leadership.

Palpatine staged a lavish Emperor’s Celebration on Coruscant and appointed twelve Imperial Marshals, provoking confusion across the Empire because his choices defied expectations. The chapter ended with Imperial factions recognizing that the appointments were designed to balance power and keep the Marshals dependent on Palpatine.

• After returning, Palpatine ordered Sate Pestage to continue preparations for the Emperor’s Celebration, which incorporated the budget and decorations intended for a funeral.
• Palpatine denounced the Kingdom of Dawn and the Rebel Alliance in a speech, then watched Imperial forces parade through Coruscant.
• Palpatine appointed Joseph-Grunger, Miltin-Tarkel, Oswald-Tessik, Ruffan-Digorinus, Niel-Declan, Martio Batch, Demetrius-Zaarin, Peccati Syn, Ishin-Il-Raz, Danetta Pitta, Afshin-Makati, and Orman-Tagge as Imperial Marshals.
• Imperial dignitaries were shocked that the twelve appointees included few established military leaders and excluded figures such as Wilhuff Tarkin and Gideon Tarkin.
• Observers concluded that Palpatine had selected representatives of different factions who lacked independent power, ensuring they depended on him.

Palpatine’s twelve marshal appointments formed a loyal circle outside the Empire’s established factions, and Oswald Tessik gained command of the First System Army’s civil and military authority. Tessik deployed a powerful reserve fleet to Anax Planet to watch the war in the Northern Territory, leaving the Empire ready to strike at the Kingdom of Dawn’s invasion fleet.

• Palpatine appointed twelve capable marshals to build a circle of power independent of the Navy, the New Order Maintenance Committee, and technical officials.
• Trachta and Bartam died in their failed assassination plot, leaving the First System Army’s governorship vacant until Oswald Tessik became marshal and governor.
• Tessik gained control of the First System Army and access to the Guardian, the Reaper, and potentially Palpatine’s flagship, the Dominion.
• On May 22, Tessik led the Guardian and his main fleet from Coruscant to Anax Planet to serve as a reserve force and monitor the Northern Territory war.

Orman Tagge celebrated his appointment as Imperial Marshal, gaining greater authority over the Tagg Star Sector while deepening his conflict with Silas Tagge. He turned to the suspected espionage at Tagge Company headquarters, but Kadan said he had sensed no Force presence.

• Orman Tagge returned to Tepasi as an Imperial Marshal, and the Tagge family celebrated his appointment and command of the Devastator.
• Orman Tagge gained greater influence over the Tagg Star Sector as planets and Sector Governors accepted his authority, while Silas Tagge's allies criticized the cost of the appointment and fleet.
• Silas Tagge's supporters began returning to Orman Tagge's side, but Silas resolved to resist because Orman would not forgive him.
• After waking from the celebrations, Orman Tagge cleaned and donned his Marshal's uniform, then made capturing and publicly executing Silas his priority.
• Orman Tagge contacted Kadan about possible spies at Tagge Company headquarters, and Kadan said he had sensed no Force presence and suspected ordinary espionage.

Orman Tagge enlisted Imperial Intelligence to investigate the Force-related split within Tagge Company as the Empire faced military defeats and a covert hunt for Rebel agents. Meanwhile, Kilik Swarms attacked the edge of Chiss territory, prompting Qiyala to seal the border and seek aid while Abathur suspected the Empire’s nearby fleet had triggered the attacks.

• Orman Tagge dismissed Kadan, who refused to involve the Dark Prophets in the Tagge Company dispute.
• Isanne Isard assigned Wullf Yularen to investigate Tagge Company, and he prepared to question Silas Tagge on Druckenwell.
• The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Galactic Empire’s Thirteenth Army and captured Bilur, prompting Darth Vader to assemble a fleet at Denon to retake Ord Pardron.
• Isanne Isard and Second Sister began a covert investigation into Rebel operatives within the Empire.
• Abathur learned that Kilik Swarms had attacked five planets on the edge of Chiss territory, where people might have been assimilated into Joiners.
• Qiyala sealed the Chiss border and requested aid from the Kingdom of Dawn, while Abathur reported that an Imperial fleet had appeared nearby shortly before the attacks.

Sefrans Tann learned that the Kilik Swarm’s Joiners could not be cured and that destroying a hive would only stop their spread, so she took command of the Chiss defense effort. Equipped with signal-blocking helmets, she led a fleet to Jorib Planet to investigate the missing Imperial fleet and search for a hive.

• Abathur told Sefrans Tann that Joiners spread rapidly, could not be cured, and would remain part of the Kilik Swarm even if their hive was destroyed.
• Governor Shien Morabito warned Sefrans Tann that the Imperial fleet had vanished near Jorib Planet, whose moons and asteroids could conceal Kilik nests, and gave her tested signal-blocking helmets.
• Morabito said the Protoss were sending reinforcements and warned that conventional ship sensors could not reliably detect the Kilik Swarm.
• Three days later, Sefrans Tann confirmed that the helmets blocked the hive’s biological-wave signals and set out with twenty capital ships and one hundred cruisers.
• At Jorib Planet, Sefrans Tann ordered her fleet to conduct a thorough scan.

Sefrans-Tann sent Marines to investigate a crashed Victory-class Star Destroyer on Nogu Satellite, where Ye Chuan’s team discovered evidence of the Kilik Swarm and encountered bugs inside the wreck. The Marines called for support as more creatures rushed toward them through the darkness.

• Sefrans-Tann sent 200 fighters to scan Jorib Planet’s satellites, and one found a crashed Victory-class Star Destroyer on Nogu Satellite.
• Sefrans-Tann dispatched 500 Marines in CMC-300 powered armor, and Ye Chuan divided them between the wreck and a temporary camp.
• Ye Chuan’s group found a breach marked by green material and learned that two Proton Torpedoes had destroyed the ship’s armor and reactor.
• Ye Chuan’s Marines spotted and killed a giant bug inside the wreck, then heard more creatures approaching from the passageways.
• Ye Chuan ordered a retreat and called for support as the rear guard advanced and requested reinforcements from Sefrans-Tann.