Chapter Summaries

Darth Malthael and his companions found the hidden entrance to Lucien Draay’s tomb and entered by surrendering to a Force-guided vortex. Inside, Malthael identified the first trial as one of trust and led the group toward the only passage.

• Tur Ulan located the tomb entrance beneath a dust mound, and Justin Levis explained why the mound would continually reform.
• Darth Malthael rejected blasting or digging into the mound and used the Force to create a vortex that drew the group inside.
• Malthael allowed himself to be pulled into the vortex, and the Fourth Legion soldiers followed through the concealed entrance.
• Malthael found a domed hall containing a towering statue of Lucien Draay and explained that the entrance tested trust in the Light Side and one's companions.
• Tur Ulan questioned whether the passage was a trap, but Malthael said Jedi would not harm the innocent and led the group onward.

Darth Malthael and the Fourth Legion encountered a massive Force-powered robot guarding the passage to Lucien Draay’s tomb. After Malthael disabled the robot and opened the sealed passage, Kresh’s Gauntlet came into view, and he approached it.

• A Fourth Legion soldier triggered a mechanism, sealing the passage as Lucien Draay’s statue transformed into a giant robot.
• The Fourth Legion attacked and dodged the robot, while Darth Malthael used the Force to save the soldier from being crushed.
• Malthael sensed that the robot was powered by the Force and discovered its hidden shutdown button, then disabled it.
• Malthael opened the passage with his Lightsaber after Justin Levis found the boulder still blocking their way.
• Malthael saw Kresh’s Gauntlet floating before a coffin and walked toward it through Lucien Draay’s decorated tomb.

Darth Malthael awakened Lucien Dray’s spirit in the ancient temple and told him how the Sith were using the Republic’s civil war to destroy the Jedi Order. Lucien condemned Malthael’s research and ordered him to leave, but Malthael believed they would meet again.

• Darth Malthael studied the murals and learned how Lucien Dray had defeated Hassen, sealed away Kresh’s Gauntlet, and built the temple on Drai II to house his unfulfilled plan to restore the Jedi Covenant.
• Justin Levis warned that inactive droids were hidden beneath the chamber’s pillars, and Darth Malthael cautioned the group not to touch anything before summoning Lucien Dray’s spirit.
• Darth Malthael healed Levis’s cut with the Life Force and told Lucien that the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems were locked in a Sith-engineered civil war led by Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus.
• Lucien Dray questioned how a Sith could lead the Republic and despaired that he could no longer see the future through the Dark Side’s veil.
• Lucien Dray rejected Malthael’s explanation for leaving the Jedi Order, declared he would kill Malthael for seeking Immortality, and ordered him to leave; Malthael smiled and predicted they would meet again.

Darth Malthael left Lucien Draay’s tomb without taking the gauntlet and arranged for allies to guard Drai II while he pursued the secrets of another temple. Meanwhile, Fourth Civilization forces threatened Kinyen as Sefrans Tann and Darth Lilim seized three Extractor prototypes from a Republic research center on Ereldon.

• Darth Malthael told Tul Ulan that Lucien Draay’s lost temple might hold Force technology and that Draay could be tempted by the chance to return to life.
• Darth Malthael summoned allies to guard Drai II, and three ships arrived with a flashlight-headed robot that accepted his terms and began building a base.
• On May 30, 22BBY, Lin Nanyi’s Fleet B captured Chalcedon and blockaded Noe-Ha-On, threatening Kinyen and the Republic’s 19th Legion.
• Governor Sulama sent two-thirds of the 19th Legion’s fleet to Carl and turned the vacation destination into a military base.
• Sefrans Tann and Darth Lilim raided the Republic research center on Ereldon, where the retreating Republic forces abandoned three Extractor prototypes.

Sefrans Tann led a fleet to attack the Wookiee colony on Alaris satellite, hoping to seize the planet and its technology before the Galactic Republic could respond. As the space battle began, her transport cruisers headed for a landing while Darth Lilim remained out of the fight.

• Sefrans Tann learned that three Extractor tank prototypes were shielded by passwords, then ordered them taken by tractor beam and directed her forces toward Alaris satellite.
• Sefrans Tann brought twenty Diamond-class transports and an escort fleet through hyperspace to the Kashyyyk system.
• Sefrans Tann arranged her fleet around the two space stations guarding Alaris and ordered the Revelation-class cruisers and Revenge-class destroyers to attack.
• The Wookiee commander launched fighters, and Sefrans Tann ordered the Diamond-class transports to begin landing despite the incoming fighters.
• The Wookiee pilots attacked the Republic-facing fleet while Garda Flak Frigates maneuvered against them, and Darth Lilim asked whether she should join the fight.

Sefrans Tann took command of the Separatist assault on Alaris satellite and broke through the Wookiees’ island defenses. Joel Drakas arrived with reinforcements after Rukrollo Island had fallen and the Wookiee forces had suffered heavy losses.

• Joel Drakas reported Darth Lilim’s threat to Master Yoda and received permission to seek reinforcements while waiting for Master Shen-Jon.
• The Separatist fleet landed its droid army on a deserted island after the Wookiees repelled its first landing attempt.
• Sefrans Tann flew to the surface, killed a T-series tactical robot, and ordered an assault on Rukrollo Island.
• Two damaged Diamond-class transport cruisers smashed through the Wookiee defensive line as droids landed and fought across Rukrollo Island.
• Joel Drakas arrived in Alaris satellite’s orbit and learned that Rukrollo Island had fallen and the Wookiees had lost a space station and many fighters.

Darth Lilim attacked Joel Drakas's transport fleet with her stealth Wraith fighter, destroying a transport ship full of Republic soldiers before landing on Alaris satellite. Joel pursued her, and the chapter ended with her taunting him to come after her.

• Joel Drakas ordered his troops to land on Alaris satellite while the Separatist fleet held its formation in space.
• Darth Lilim's stealth Wraith fighter attacked the transport fleet, and Joel launched his Delta-7 to pursue her.
• Darth Lilim taunted Joel over the public channel and fired Gemini missiles at the transports while evading his attacks.
• Darth Lilim destroyed a transport ship carrying Republic soldiers as it descended toward Alaris satellite.
• Darth Lilim landed on the deserted island occupied by the robot army, and Joel vowed to kill her as she invited him to follow.

As the Separatists pressed their assault on Chendrrl Island, Joel Drakas convinced the Republic and Wookiee commanders to launch an offensive against the enemy base. He ordered a cautious advance intended to surround the droids until Master Shen-Jon arrived.

• Sefrans Tann's droid Legion attacked Chendrrl Island with thousands of droids and Nest Spider battle mechs, forcing the Wookiee defenders back.
• Darth Lilim returned to the command center, exchanged taunts with Sefrans Tann, and went to watch the fighting from a tree.
• Joel Drakas urged the allied commanders to attack the Separatist base while much of its force was away from the island.
• Joel Drakas overruled the proposal to wait for Master Shen-Jon and ordered an immediate, cautious attack to surround the enemy and hold until the Jedi arrived.

The Republic and Wookiee forces attacked Sefrans Tann’s Droid Legion on Alaris satellite, struggling against its prepared trench defenses. As Joel Drakas pushed forward, reports arrived that several other islands were under attack, and Sefrans prepared to begin her next move.

• More than two hundred Wookiee ornithopters escorted Republic transports toward the Droid Legion’s island, but Diamond-class cruisers forced them to withdraw and land on the shore.
• Joel Drakas led Republic troops and Wookiee soldiers against B-1 droids entrenched across the island, while TX-130 tanks and Clone Troopers struggled to advance through the five-kilometer defense network.
• Darth Lilim watched the battle from a tree and doubted that Joel could defeat Sefrans Tann’s forces.
• Republic officers reported attacks on Lamituk, Tayriiwook, and Lavavarok Islands, shocking Joel Drakas.
• Sefrans Tann watched from her command center and declared that the show was about to begin.

Sefrans Tann used amphibious DSD1 Dwarf Spider battle mechs to attack the communications relays on three Wookiee-held islands while Republic forces focused on her main droid army. Joel Drakas realized the machines could also threaten the deserted island’s defenses, and collapsed as Tann sensed his fear.

• Darth Lilim mocked Sefrans Tann, who explained that she had anticipated the Republic’s response and expected Joel Drakas to risk everything next.
• Joel Drakas learned that amphibious Dwarf Spider battle mechs were climbing the cliffs of Lavavarok, Talviwook, and Lamituk islands.
• Joel Drakas realized the mechs had likely been carried underwater from Diamond-class transport cruisers and were targeting the communications relay stations.
• Joel Drakas ordered a retreat, then understood that amphibious mechs might be approaching the deserted island and collapsed.
• Sefrans Tann sensed Joel Drakas’s fear and smiled as he understood her tactics.

Sefrans Tann’s layered defense turned the Republic landing on Alaris into a trap, as hidden amphibious droids and reinforcements struck from the rear and front. Joel Drakas gave in to rage and charged into the droid lines while Sefrans calmly approached to claim him.

• Hidden DSD1 Dwarf Spider battle mechs opened fire from the shallows and devastated the Republic transports.
• Sefrans Tann’s 2,000 concealed amphibious Dwarf Spiders, returning droids from Rukrollo Island, 100 Vulture droid fighters, and 20,000 frontal droids attacked the Republic force.
• Joel Drakas realized Sefrans had lured the Republic into fighting on her chosen defensive battlefield.
• Drakas killed a soldier who tried to stop him, then charged into the droid formation and cut down its units.
• The 1,000 Clone Troopers followed Drakas through the breach, while Sefrans walked through the gunfire toward him.

After the Confederacy cut communications across Alaris satellite, Sefrans Tann defeated the Republic and Wookiee forces and captured the Extractor research facilities. She secured the project’s prototype codes and data, then activated three Decimator prototypes.

• The Confederacy destroyed all five communications stations, leaving the Republic forces on Alaris satellite unable to coordinate.
• Joel Drakas charged Sefrans Tann, but she effortlessly blocked his attacks and taunted him over his failures.
• Darth Lilim dismembered Joel Drakas and urged him to embrace the dark side, but he refused and attacked her until she killed him.
• Sefrans Tann ordered the droids to leave no survivors, and the fighting ended with the Confederacy occupying Alaris satellite.
• Sefrans Tann seized the Extractor facilities, prototype unlock codes, and experimental data.
• Sefrans Tann entered a Diamond-class transport cruiser and activated the engines of three Decimator prototypes.

Sefrans Tann tested the Extractors and saw them destroy a fortified research building as the Clone Wars spread to new fronts. After learning that Count Dooku was on Rhen Var pursuing ancient Sith relics, Tang Xiao decided to awaken a Legendary Class Protoss to help secure the Force technology he needed to challenge Darth Sidious.

• Sefrans Tann killed the captured Wookiee scientists after they attacked her, then ordered the Extractors tested and prepared for deployment.
• The Extractors fired on the Lavavarok Island research institute, pierced its fortified main building, and brought it crashing down.
• The Republic attacked Atraken Planet, General Grievous captured Exkar Planet, and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker tracked a Separatist fleet toward Rhen Var.
• Count Dooku offered Tang Xiao Gran forces and warships as compensation for his fleet's losses, and revealed that he was commanding operations on Rhen Var.
• Tang Xiao realized Dooku was searching for ancient Sith relics and concluded that Force technology was essential to defeating Darth Sidious.
• Tang Xiao chose to awaken a Legendary Class Protoss, accepting the risks of negotiating with an entire species.

Tang Xiao met Zekrath, leader of the Shelak Tribe, after the Protoss awakened and learned that Zekrath had accepted his invitation to work together for the Protoss’ survival. The meeting ended with Tang Xiao warning that he would destroy the Protoss if they threatened his own survival.

• Tang Xiao waited for the awakened individual, and the medical center reported that the guest had spent an hour grooming himself before leaving.
• Zekrath entered Tang Xiao’s office and greeted him telepathically as a powerful dark lord.
• Tang Xiao asked how Zekrath had sensed his dark power, and Zekrath explained that he had seen the truth of survival beneath Tang Xiao’s false dream.
• Zekrath said he would work with Tang Xiao to restore the Protoss to their former glory, despite disliking Tang Xiao’s power.
• Tang Xiao threatened to make the Protoss disappear if their existence endangered his survival.

Tang Xiao and Zekrath reached a cautious agreement: the Shelak Tribe would help him excavate and study the Jedi Covenant temple, and Tang Xiao would revive some Protoss. Zekrath left to rest and awaken his people, while Tang Xiao considered how the Shelak Tribe could advance his research and oppose Darth Sidious.

• Zekrath agreed to cooperate with Tang Xiao in exchange for his assistance and the future revival of some Protoss, beginning with the Shelak Tribe.
• Tang Xiao demonstrated his Force powers and explained the Light Side and Dark Side, while Zekrath compared them to Protoss psionic powers and cautioned that emotional control could also control the mind.
• Tang Xiao told Zekrath he wanted to study the Force and ancient Force technology, and explained that he sought power without suppressing his emotions or becoming ruled by desire.
• Zekrath agreed to help excavate and study the temple after resting and awakening some of his people.
• After Zekrath left, Tang Xiao reflected on the Protoss’ pride and concluded that the Shelak Tribe’s scholarship and hostility toward Darth Sidious suited his plans.

Tang Xiao brought the awakened Shelak Tribe Protoss to Drai II and arranged their research and future settlement, while Zekrath questioned his alliance with the Geth. Tang Xiao then entered Lucien Drai’s tomb, where the old man confronted him over the excavation of his temple.

• Tang Xiao awakened twenty Master Class Shelak Tribe members and Taarim, then gave the Protoss Lightsaber manufacturing methods and Kyber Crystals.
• Tang Xiao brought Zekrath and the other Protoss to the space station around Drai II, where Zekrath questioned his alliance with the Geth.
• Tang Xiao explained that he would do anything to survive the Dark Overlord and arranged for the Geth to support the Protoss’ research.
• Tang Xiao promised to establish a Protoss colony on Thonner and cultivate five hundred Protoss, while planning to limit their access to resources there.
• Tang Xiao entered Lucien Drai’s tomb, and Lucien accused him of excavating the temple without permission; Tang Xiao pointed him toward a holographic television.

Darth Malthael claimed Kresh's Gauntlet and declared that he would rebuild the Jedi Covenant as the Twilight Covenant, while Lucien Dre bound his soul to the artifact to witness what came next. In a vision within Darth Malthael’s soul, Old Man Lucian met Edra Kestis and helped her face her lost younger self.

• Darth Malthael told Lucien Dre that he would fight Darth Sidious, seek Immortality, and establish the Twilight Covenant.
• Darth Malthael took Kresh's Gauntlet, absorbed its Dark Side power, and learned that Lucien Dre had disabled the temple defenses and revealed how to control the Temple Guardian droids.
• Lucien Dre entered Kresh's Gauntlet as a golden gemstone, explaining that he wished to witness Darth Malthael's future.
• Edra Kestis awoke in a dark, empty place and found a crying child who was her younger self.
• Old Man Lucian appeared, told Edra Kestis that the place was her own heart, and offered to help the child find her way home.

Edra Kestis recovered from an unclear episode and learned that Sefrans Tann had secured support for a raid on Sarapin, while Tang Xiao prepared for the next stage of his plans after the Alaris satellite victory. The chapter ended with Tang Xiao arriving at Kef Bir Planet, where the growing Selurite and Kig-Yar populations worked across its artificial islands.

• Edra Kestis awoke aboard the flagship, unable to remember what had happened after Joel Drakas's death, and noticed a flash of golden light in the Kyber Crystal in her chest.
• Sefrans Tann gained Count Dooku's approval for her plan to attack Sarapin, and General Grievous agreed to send an elite assault fleet that would withdraw after the defenses were breached.
• Tann berated Edra Kestis for her failures against Jedi Knights, but Edra vowed to kill the next one she encountered.
• After learning that Tann's task force had captured the Alaris satellite and the Extractor prototype, Tang Xiao warned Edra to protect Tann from Jedi Knights.
• Tang Xiao traveled to Kef Bir Planet and saw that Selurites and Kig-Yar had grown into populations of over one million and two million, respectively, and were working under a refined division of labor.

Tang Xiao learned that Professor Modin needed Kyber Crystal to advance research on Particle Beam Lances, so he decided to obtain it through war and plunder. He set his sights on Christophsis and began arranging an offensive, leaving the planet as his target.

• Professor Modin told Tang Xiao that Kyber Crystal was crucial to the Extractor research and a possible breakthrough in Particle Beam Lance technology.
• Tang Xiao concluded that war and plunder were the only practical way to secure enough Kyber Crystal, and Professor Modin said the Selurites would join the coming offensive.
• Tang Xiao contacted General Trench, learned the Christophsis attack had been postponed while his fleet recovered from Geonosis, and said he wanted the planet.
• General Trench warned that Christophsis lay in Corporate Alliance territory and that taking it would require Passel Argente's cooperation, but offered a covert plan.
• Tang Xiao contacted Lin Nanyi with instructions and chose Christophsis, a major source of Kyber Crystal, as his target.

General Trench urged Corporate Alliance chairman Passel-Argente to attack wealthy Christophsis before the Galactic Republic recovered, arguing that the opportunity was worth the risk. After seeing Christophsis’s financial records, Passel-Argente sought fleets from the Semirians and the Retail Clan despite Tinari-King’s warning that the assault was impossible with their forces tied down elsewhere.

• General Trench proposed attacking Christophsis while the Galactic Republic was still weakened by its defeat.
• Passel-Argente warned that conquering Christophsis would be costly and that the Corporate Alliance had few warships left after Geonosis.
• General Trench gave Passel-Argente Christophsis’s financial records and suggested seeking a fleet from the Semirians.
• Passel-Argente reviewed the records and asked Tinari-King how many fleets remained available.
• Tinari-King said no fleets were free and declared an attack on Christophsis impossible.
• Passel-Argente ordered Tinari-King to contact the Semirians and arrange a personal discussion with the Retail Clan.