Chapter Summaries

After Phineas Valorum’s impeachment, Sheev Palpatine maneuvered toward the Chancellorship while Darth Pregas foresaw Anakin Skywalker’s future and plotted with Darth Malthael. Hego Damask II publicly backed Palpatine, but a hidden figure watched their gathering as rival Sith schemes converged.

• Phineas Valorum was impeached, and Sheev Palpatine, Bail Antillis, and Ainlee Tim emerged as candidates to replace him.
• Queen Amidala left Coruscant for Naboo with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker accompanying her.
• Darth Pregas foresaw Anakin as a future figure of the Dark Side and summoned Darth Malthael to wait near the Taldani Spire Building.
• Darth Malthael learned from Darth Tenebrus that the Proto-Body implanted in Pregas had been reactivated.
• Hego Damask II publicly supported Sheev Palpatine, then hosted him at the Taldani Spire Building, where the two secretly regarded each other as enemies.
• A cloaked figure watched Palpatine and Pregas from atop the spire.

Darth Sidious tried to kill Darth Pregas, but Pregas survived and nearly defeated him. Sidious then revealed that medical droid 11-4D had poisoned Pregas, leaving his master collapsing as the chapter ended.

• Darth Sidious short-circuited Darth Pregas's breathing mask with Force lightning and confessed that he had manipulated his master's plans and resented his treatment.
• Darth Pregas revealed he could breathe through a temporary respirator, destroyed Sidious's hand with the reverse effect of Life Force, and knocked him down with a vase.
• Darth Pregas explained that a loss of his ability to perceive fate on Hypori had made him reconsider the dangers around him, and he moved to cripple Sidious rather than kill him.
• Darth Pregas began losing strength and collapsed to one knee as Sidious revealed that medical droid 11-4D had injected neurotoxin into his mask.

Darth Pregas fought Darth Sidious while neurotoxin weakened him, and Darth Malthael chose to send Darth Tenebrus into the Taldani Spire Building. Tenebrus’s attack left Pregas drained just as Sidious struck him with lightning.

• Darth Pregas and Darth Sidious clashed with Force lightning as Pregas struggled against the neurotoxin in his breathing mask.
• Darth Sidious claimed he had bought off the Echani Sun Guards, while Pregas insisted High Captain Thull Ulan was loyal to him and gunfire erupted outside.
• Darth Malthael weighed whether to intervene, then ordered Darth Tenebrus to kill Pregas rather than risk losing everything.
• Darth Tenebrus agreed and flew toward the Taldani Spire Building as fighting spread inside.
• Darth Tenebrus lunged at Pregas, whose returning foresight warned him of death as his Force drained away.
• Darth Sidious seized the opening and unleashed a concentrated lightning strike at Pregas.

Darth Sidious confirmed Darth Pregas’s death and sensed another Sith Lord near a launch tower, while arranging to conceal Pregas’s murder. The Galactic Republic’s Chancellor election began on Coruscant, where Bail Antillis’s reform speech drew little support.

• Darth Sidious shattered Pregas’s corpse after sensing sorrow in the Dark Side, then learned from Newt Gunray that the Naboo invasion had failed and Darth Maul was dead.
• Darth Sidious sensed another Sith Lord near a launch tower and suspected Pregas had left a final move behind.
• Echani Sun Guards told Palpatine that Tor Ulan had escaped after the guards dealt with Pregas’s stubborn followers.
• Palpatine ordered the Sun Guards to clean up Pregas’s body and said he had chosen a place for its final resting place.
• The Galactic Senate began electing a new Chancellor, and Bail Antillis’s call for reforms won little support beyond a few Mid Rim planets.

During the Galactic Republic leadership vote, Orn Free Taa split the Rim Faction and rallied senators behind Sheev Palpatine, leaving Ainlee Tim in disarray. Francis Underwood then unexpectedly challenged Palpatine, using damaging information to disrupt his momentum and steady the fractured opposition.

• Bail Antillis, Ainlee Tim, and Sheev Palpatine presented their governing platforms before the senators voted.
• Ainlee Tim gained thirty percent support while Bail Antillis received less than ten percent and Sheev Palpatine received around twenty percent.
• Orn Free Taa backed Sheev Palpatine, prompting many Rim Faction senators to abandon Ainlee Tim and splitting the faction.
• Francis Underwood told Claire Underwood he wanted to become one of the people shaping political deals, then announced his challenge to Palpatine's candidacy.
• Francis attacked Palpatine with damaging information, and the shaken Rim Faction senators regained their resolve as the situation stabilized.

Francis Underwood used Palpatine’s past failures and his own political maneuvering to weaken Palpatine’s position before supporting his election as Chancellor. Palpatine won overwhelmingly, then unsuccessfully tried to recruit Francis as Vice Chancellor, leaving their rivalry poised to continue.

• Francis accused Palpatine of being unfit to lead and then declared that he would never run for Chancellor if his allegations were cleared.
• Francis defended his right to speak and publicly endorsed Palpatine, prompting Senator Tim to withdraw and support Palpatine as well.
• Palpatine revealed corruption evidence against Tim, but the delayed disclosure had little impact after Tim had withdrawn.
• Palpatine suspected Francis was connected to the mysterious Sith Lord and considered killing him, but dismissed assassination as too risky.
• Palpatine won the Chancellor election with 69 percent of the vote while the Rim Faction Senators abstained.
• Palpatine proposed Francis for Vice Chancellor, but Francis declined, and the two exchanged polite words that concealed their mutual hostility.

Queen Amidala allied with the Gungans and launched a desperate plan to retake Naboo, while Xiao Guanghua commanded the Trade Federation droids against them. The battle spread across Theed and Naboo’s orbit, where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi faced Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker’s fighter unexpectedly joined the attack on the droid control ship.

• Queen Amidala asked Rugor Nass to ally with Naboo’s humans, and he agreed to send Gungan troops against the Trade Federation.
• Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Rugor Nass planned a diversion at Theed while teams targeted Nute Gunray, the landing pads, and the droid control ship.
• Rugor Nass sent one hundred thousand Gungans toward Theed, and Xiao Guanghua took command of the Trade Federation’s first wave and routed them with tanks and transports.
• Queen Amidala and the resistance captured Nute Gunray and Rune Haako in the royal palace but became trapped by arriving droids.
• Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi confronted Darth Maul as Naboo pilots seized N-1 starfighters and attacked the droid control ship in orbit.
• Anakin Skywalker and R2-D2 accidentally activated another N-1 starfighter, which flew toward the droid control ship on autopilot.

Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi fought Darth Maul in Theed City while Anakin Skywalker destroyed the Trade Federation’s command ship from the cockpit of an N-1 starfighter. With the droids shut down, the Gungan army surrounded Xiao Guanghua, who realized too late that Tang Xiao had warned him to stay away from the battle.

• Darth Maul lured Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi into the power plant, separated them with laser barriers, and killed Qui-Gon Jinn.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled Qui-Gon Jinn’s Lightsaber to himself and cut Darth Maul in two, sending him into the power plant shaft.
• Anakin Skywalker piloted an N-1 starfighter into the Luukri-Hok-class freighter and destroyed its energy core with two Proton Torpedoes, killing Doltay Dofine.
• The freighter’s destruction shut down the Trade Federation droids, ending Xiao Guanghua’s encirclement of the Gungan army.
• Xiao Guanghua tried to flee with his T-850 bodyguards, but the Gungans destroyed them and surrounded him beneath a tree.

After Palpatine announced the Republic’s victory on Naboo, Tang Xiao punished Xiao Guanghua and traveled to Bal'demnic to confront Edra Kestis. He defeated her Lightsaber and saw that her Kyber Crystal had become streaked with red, while Edra accused him of corrupting her.

• Palpatine announced the Trade Federation’s defeat on Naboo and declared that Naboo would be his first destination as Chancellor.
• Tang Xiao berated Xiao Guanghua for being captured, stripped him of his Army General position, and ordered Baron Helmut Zemo to convene the Fourth Civilization Supreme Power Summit.
• Tang Xiao flew the Sith Infiltrator to Bal'demnic and used the Force to shatter the boulder sealing the mine entrance.
• Tang Xiao fought Edra Kestis, whose blood-red eyes and ferocious attacks revealed her growing madness.
• Edra’s Lightsaber broke, exposing a Kyber Crystal streaked with red, and Tang Xiao subdued her with pain through the Force after she accused him of corrupting her.

Tang Xiao returned from Korriban with Darth Tenebrus’s body and brought Edra Kestis to the Fourth Civilization’s power summit. Before the summit began, he demoted Xiao Guanghua and introduced Xian Hui and Cheng Shitao as new army leaders.

• Tang Xiao defeated Darth Pregas, tormented Edra Kestis, and took her aboard the ship with him.
• Tang Xiao placed Darth Tenebrus’s body in a Bacta tank and enabled him to communicate through a terminal, promising to share Pregas’s research.
• Tang Xiao ordered Edra to accompany him to the power summit, then checked the newly unlocked Legendary Class and noted two candidates he needed.
• Tang Xiao entered the summit with Edra and announced that Xiao Guanghua had been demoted for serious disciplinary violations.
• Xian Hui and Cheng Shitao reported for duty as the new Army General and Army Lieutenant General.

Tang Xiao introduced Army General Xian Hui and Nuclear General Cheng Shitao as new Deputy Commanders of the Army, then announced that he had taken control of Damask Holdings Group after Hego Damask II's death. Semir was honored with Tang Xiao's surname as the chapter ended with the Fourth Civilization preparing to expand its power.

• Army General Xian Hui and Nuclear General Cheng Shitao entered and were welcomed by Tang Xiao as the Army's new Deputy Commanders.
• Tang Xiao introduced Semir Tonis to the assembled officials.
• Tang Xiao revealed that Hego Damask II had died and that Damask Holdings Group was now under his control.
• Tang Xiao credited Semir with planning the takeover for three years and said the group's resources would free the Fourth Civilization from its constraints.
• Tang Xiao granted Semir his surname, making him Semir Tang, and Semir praised Tang Xiao for predicting Hego's death.

Tang Xiao reviewed Damask Holdings Group’s assets and financial problems, appointed new leaders for several companies, and ordered the Fourth Civilization to prepare for war against the Galactic Republic. The chapter ended with full-scale war preparations beginning.

• Semir Tang explained that the Fourth Civilization had taken control of Damask Holdings Group after Hego’s death and described its companies, mines, and Ragnarok-class Titan warship project.
• Semir Tang warned that the group faced a severe deficit and proposed selling bad assets to attract rivals while he consolidated control.
• Tang Xiao revealed that Semir held delegated authority over Damask Holdings Group under a secret identification system designed to conceal the Governor’s identity.
• Tang Xiao appointed Glosse Shelbia and Xu Yan as chairmen of Fourth Group and United Mining Group, and introduced Kent Walters as Hiigaran Aerospace Group’s new executive director.
• Tang Xiao announced that the Fourth Civilization would prepare to fight the Galactic Republic and ordered full-scale war preparations to begin.

Dooku confronted the Jedi High Council over Qui-Gon Jinn’s death and the Order’s decisions, then left the Jedi Order and returned to Serenno as Count Dooku. On Naboo, humans and Gungans formed an alliance, the Gungans joined the Republic, and Qui-Gon was mourned at a funeral.

• Dooku demanded that Mace Windu explain why Qui-Gon Jinn had died after being sent to Naboo with too little support.
• Windu defended the Jedi Order’s decisions, while Yoda urged Dooku to control his anger and seek the root of the problem.
• Dooku declared that he was leaving the Jedi Order, surrendered his lightsaber, and said he would return to Serenno as Count Dooku.
• Dooku formally inherited his family’s title, and the Jedi Order later honored him among the Lost Twenty.
• Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and Jedi leaders visited Naboo, where Queen Amidala and Ruu-ger Nass announced an alliance between humans and Gungans.
• Palpatine welcomed the Gungans into the Republic and presented Ruu-ger Nass with the Nebula Trophy before leaders gathered for Qui-Gon Jinn’s funeral.

The Galactic Senate debated the trials and sanctions following the Trade Federation’s invasion of Naboo, while Chancellor Sheev Palpatine cast Outer Rim supporters of the Trade Federation as corrupt. As Outer Rim senators grew isolated, Francis Underwood of Dawn Star Planet stepped forward.

• Sheev Palpatine demanded war-crimes charges and heavy compensation for Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, and Xiao Guanghua, but the hearing stalled amid arguments over Naboo’s treaty and Xiao Guanghua’s role.
• Rosana Goodes denied that Xiao Guanghua had commanded the droid army, provoking Jar Jar Binks, and the Republic released the three men after their detention period expired.
• Xiao Guanghua left Coruscant aboard Nute Gunray’s ship, while Sheev Palpatine proposed sweeping sanctions against the Trade Federation and Fourth Group.
• Lott Dod and Rosana Goodes remained in the Senate to contest the sanctions as Sheev Palpatine accused pro-Trade Federation senators of corruption.
• Ainlee Tim and other Outer Rim senators recognized their growing isolation, and Francis Underwood of Dawn Star Planet stepped forward.

Francis Underwood built support among Outer Rim senators by challenging Palpatine over policies that harmed the region, while Palpatine struggled to counter him without disrupting his own plans. After Darth Sidious berated Newt Gunray over the Trade Federation’s defeat at Naboo, Gunray sought Glosse Shelbia’s help and agreed to attend the launch of a Fourth Group cruiser and order ships.

• Francis Underwood used Palpatine’s treatment of the Outer Rim to attract senators, with Ainlee Tim leading those who aligned themselves with him.
• Francis repeatedly challenged Palpatine in public, while Palpatine resented him but could not easily stop him.
• Darth Sidious berated Newt Gunray for losing the Battle of Naboo and threatened his usefulness, then ended their call without explaining how he would help.
• Newt Gunray contacted Glosse Shelbia, who dismissed the Republic’s ability to threaten the Fourth Group and urged him to speak with Francis Underwood.
• Glosse invited Gunray to the maiden flight of the Revelation-class light cruiser, and Gunray agreed to attend and order fifty ships.

Count Dooku left the Jedi Order and learned from Nute Gunray that Darth Sidious had orchestrated the Naboo crisis. Meanwhile, Fourth Group unveiled its Revelation-class light cruiser, prompting Gunray to order 100 ships.

• Count Dooku told Palpatine he was leaving the Jedi Order and would return to Serenno to pursue their shared goal of saving the Republic.
• Nute Gunray informed Count Dooku that Darth Sidious had planned the crisis and used Darth Maul as his apprentice, and Count Dooku agreed to inform the Jedi Order.
• Gross Shelby announced the Revelation-class light cruiser at a press conference near Nashadda and signed a licensing agreement with Kent Walters of Hiigaran Aerospace Group.
• The Revelation-class cruiser demonstrated overwhelming firepower, speed, and maneuverability compared with ships available on the black market.
• Nute Gunray placed an order for 100 Revelation-class light cruisers, making a fortune for Fourth Group and Hiigaran Aerospace Group.

The Revelation-class light cruiser sparked an arms race among major shipbuilders as the Fourth Group’s sales surged. Meanwhile, Sheev Palpatine revealed his identity as Darth Sidious to Count Dooku, who secretly advanced the Clone Army plan and set out to meet Master Dias on Felucia.

• The Fourth Group rejected major shipbuilders’ requests to buy Revelation-class cruisers, prompting Kuat Drive Yards, Corellia Engineering Company, and Rendili StarDrive to begin competing light cruiser projects.
• Sheev Palpatine told Count Dooku that he was Darth Sidious and invited him to Coruscant for a private meeting.
• After Dooku left, Palpatine gloated over Darth Pregas’s corpse and vowed to destroy the Republic and establish his own empire.
• Count Dooku deleted records of Kamino and thirty-five other planets from the Jedi Archives.
• Count Dooku learned that Master Dias had signed the Clone Army contract and that Jango Fett had provided a genetic sample.
• Count Dooku told Master Dias he would come to Felucia to help with the Neimoidian spice smugglers.

Count Dooku killed Sifo-Dias, became Darth Tyranus, and helped conceal the Clone Army’s existence. As Palpatine strengthened his security forces, Dooku publicly called on the Outer Rim Territories to resist the Republic’s rule.

• Count Dooku confirmed Sifo-Dias’s identity at the Felucia crash site and killed him while Neimoidian pirates watched.
• Darth Sidious named Count Dooku his apprentice and granted him the Sith title Darth Tyranus.
• The Neimoidian leader kept Sillman captive as leverage and sent spice to Dryden Vos in the Corellian system.
• Palpatine concealed the circumstances of Sifo-Dias’s death and used an armed strike to justify creating the Chancellor’s Guard.
• Count Dooku denounced the Republic on Luks Major Planet and urged the Outer Rim Territories to reject its rule.

Tang Xiao inherited Hego-Damask II’s Ragnarok-class Titan project and used the Givin’s research to rapidly advance the Fourth Civilization’s technology. He then unveiled two new escort warships and planned ten droid-crewed fleets to protect the civilization’s mining sites and trade routes.

• Tang Xiao sent Professor Chi Jianjun and his team to Yag'Dhul, where the Givin had analyzed the Ragnarok-class Titan’s technology.
• Professor Chi Jianjun’s team delivered the broader Trader Emergency Coalition technical data, and Tang Xiao learned that the Givin had already analyzed 70% of its technology.
• In February 31 BBY, Count Dooku visited Dawn Star Planet, spoke privately with Tang Xiao, and attended the maiden flight ceremony for two new warships.
• Professor Chi Jianjun’s Percheron-class Light Carrier and Garda Flak Frigate entered service, giving the Fourth Civilization ships suited to escort duties.
• Tang Xiao planned ten escort fleets, using B-1 battle droids for most crews and Vulture droid fighters aboard the carriers.

Tang Xiao reorganized his administration and recruited Professor Mordin Solus by offering his people a home on an ocean moon. The chapter left Mordin agreeing to awaken and help Tang Xiao.

• Tang Xiao and Baron Zemo discussed Count Dooku’s attempt to recruit them and agreed to let the Confederacy grow while withholding their own allegiance.
• Tang Xiao told Zemo to have Ni Yongxiao recruit hackers and investigate the Bith, then appointed Madam M as Head of Intelligence to infiltrate the Galactic Republic.
• Tang Xiao visited the hibernation chambers and asked the dormant Professor Mordin Solus for help, though Mordin said their original agreement did not permit it.
• Tang Xiao offered to let Mordin’s people settle on an ocean moon in the Endor system, and Mordin accepted the proposal.
• Tang Xiao announced that he would arrange Mordin Solus’s awakening.