Chapter Summaries

Ploo-Koon and Clone Commander CC-3636 tried to survive the Malevolence’s attack and rescue other escape pods. After receiving Ploo-Koon’s distress call and locating him near Naboo, Anakin defied orders and insisted on rescuing him himself.

• The Malevolence destroyed Ploo-Koon’s warship, and Ploo-Koon and CC-3636 planned to save nearby escape pods before the droids found them.
• Padmé Amidala showed Anakin a distorted distress call, and Anakin recognized Ploo-Koon’s voice and identified the Abregado system as his location.
• Anakin told Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, and Master Windu that Ploo-Koon needed rescuing, but Windu warned that the Republic could not risk more fleets against the superweapon.
• Anakin argued that he would go to rescue Ploo-Koon himself, despite Windu reminding him that he was confined to Naboo.
• Sheev Palpatine urged Anakin not to go, while Anakin remained determined to save Ploo-Koon.

Anakin and Padmé reached the Abregado system and discovered the Malevolence among the wreckage of the Republic fleet. As Vulture droids searched for survivors, Anakin found Ploo Koon through the Force and raced to rescue him.

• Padmé insisted on accompanying Anakin to confront the Separatist superweapon, and Rock Johnson joined them aboard the shuttlecraft.
• General Grievous learned that two hunting teams had lost contact and ordered the Fang to turn around and search for survivors.
• Anakin, Padmé, and Rock Johnson arrived in the Abregado system, spotted the Malevolence, and entered the wreckage to find Ploo Koon without alerting Republic command.
• Vulture droid fighters began searching the wreckage, and Anakin used the Force to locate the still-living Ploo Koon.
• Anakin took control of the shuttlecraft and destroyed four approaching Vulture fighters, drawing the attention of the other nearby droids.

Anakin Skywalker rescued Master Ploo Koon and the Clone Troopers from the wreckage field, then escaped Malevolence’s EMP and reached hyperspace. After learning the Republic had discovered the warship, Count Dooku ordered General Grievous to destroy a medical station near Naboo and contacted Governor Tang.

• Anakin piloted the shuttle through the wreckage, rescued Master Ploo Koon and several Clone Troopers, and narrowly avoided Malevolence’s EMP before escaping into hyperspace.
• Master Ploo Koon reported Malevolence’s capabilities and hyperspace data to Master Windu and Master Yoda, who ordered the Republic to prepare to destroy it.
• General Grievous told Count Dooku that a shuttle had escaped and Malevolence’s secrecy was lost; Count Dooku rebuked him and ordered him to destroy a medical station near Naboo.
• Count Dooku contacted Governor Tang after assigning Grievous the mission.

Tang Xiao and Count Dooku agreed to reveal the Malevolence and bring the Plague into the Separatist order of battle, while the Republic struggled to find a way to counter the super warship. At the Jedi Temple, Luna Dream and Luna Illusion asked to join the operation against it.

• Count Dooku proposed transferring command of the Malevolence to General Sefrans Tann, and Tang Xiao agreed.
• Tang Xiao persuaded Count Dooku to publicize the Malevolence and the Plague, while privately telling Helmut Zemo that he only wanted to protect the Plague.
• Republic scientists concluded that defeating the Malevolence would require an enormous new warship or a massive fleet, and Chancellor Palpatine urged the Jedi to find a solution.
• Master Windu and Master Yoda agreed to seek a way to stop the super warship after hearing Palpatine's appeal.
• Luna Dream and Luna Illusion overheard Depa Barris and Master Windu arguing over Jedi conduct in war, then asked to join the operation against the Separatist super warship.

The Confederacy celebrated the Malevolence’s victories as General Grievous led it toward a Republic medical base in the Lundria system. Anakin Skywalker and Plo Koon received reinforcements for their mission, including the unsettling Dream Sisters, whom the Jedi Order had sent to help capture the super battleship.

• Confederacy broadcasts of the Malevolence’s destruction of Republic ships fueled public support for the war and drove sales of war bonds and Malevolence replicas.
• General Grievous crippled a Republic escort fleet near Lundria and prepared to attack the medical space station, while Count Dooku ordered him to return to Port Pament afterward for repairs.
• Anakin Skywalker and Plo Koon arrived with three Hunter Class Battlecruisers, where Ahsoka Tano and Admiral Wullf Yularen greeted them.
• Ahsoka introduced the Dream Sisters, whose arrival alarmed Anakin and Ahsoka but pleased Plo Koon.

Anakin-Skywalker led a bomber formation to intercept the Malevolence at Lundria and exploit a weakness in its weapon system. After fifteen Y-wing bombers struck the connection point of its Directed Energy Pulse Cannon, the battleship suffered widespread damage, leaving its fate unresolved.

• Anakin-Skywalker proposed using agile bombers to destroy the Malevolence’s bridge and eliminate General Grievous.
• After the Malevolence attacked a convoy near the Kaliida Nebula, Anakin identified the Lundria system as its likely destination and planned a shortcut through the Balmorra Run.
• Tang Xiao and Helmut-Zemo learned that the Malevolence had gone to Lundria and anticipated that its destruction would benefit their plans for the Plague.
• Anakin-Skywalker led fifteen Y-wing bombers, the Dream Sisters, and other fighters through the Malevolence’s heavy fire while the sisters created confusing fighter illusions.
• Anakin-Skywalker ordered the bombers to fire as the Malevolence charged its Directed Energy Pulse Cannon, and all fifteen torpedoes struck the cannon’s connection point.
• The cannon’s energy dissipated, and explosions and fires spread across the Malevolence after its exposed energy conduits turned into vulnerabilities.

Anakin’s attack crippled the Malevolence, and Republic battlecruisers arrived to join the assault as General Grievous sought help from Count Dooku. Darth Sidious ordered Dooku to enlist the Archangel of Death, and Tang Xiao prepared to leave while directing Edra Kestis to set a course for Shadda-bi-Boran.

• Anakin destroyed the Malevolence’s energy pulse cannon, but Grievous’s damaged ship remained dangerous as its droids restored turrets and attacked the bombers.
• Three Hunter Class Battlecruisers emerged from hyperspace and repeatedly struck the Malevolence’s bridge, prompting Grievous to order the ship to escape and request reinforcements.
• Grievous asked Count Dooku for help, and Dooku told Darth Sidious that the Malevolence was in grave danger.
• Darth Sidious ordered Dooku to get the Malevolence out of battle and suggested that the Archangel of Death intervene.
• Dooku asked Tang Xiao to contact the Archangel of Death, and Tang Xiao agreed while preparing a T-850 double.
• Tang Xiao asked Edra Kestis where the Plague was, then told him to calculate hyperspace coordinates for Shadda-bi-Boran as Tang Xiao set out to meet him.

Darth Malthael sent the Plague Titan warship to Trigalis Planet to make a spectacular opening while the Republic focused on Malevolence. Plague fired its enormous cannon at Spaceport 6, leaving the fate of the spaceport’s occupants unknown.

• Darth Lilim reported that Plague had reached Shadda-Bi-Boran, and Darth Malthael ordered the warship to jump to Trigalis Planet.
• Darth Malthael told Darth Lilim that his goal was a spectacular opening, not to defeat the Republic 15th Army outright.
• Trigalis Planet’s defense center detected a hyperspace arrival and discovered that a single giant Separatist warship had appeared.
• The Republic commander ordered reinforcements and evasive maneuvers when Plague aimed at Spaceport 6.
• Plague fired its massive cannon at Spaceport 6, and its blinding beam was the last sight everyone there saw.

Darth Malthael’s Plague Titan warship annihilated Trigalis’s command station and devastated the planet’s defenders. He then threatened to destroy the planet unless the Republic and Separatists stopped attacking the Malevolence, leaving them five minutes to decide.

• Darth Malthael fired a massive projectile that destroyed Space Station No. 6 and shattered the defenders’ resolve.
• Darth Malthael ordered scattershot loaded, then fired a barrage that destroyed more than half of Trigalis’s ships and fighters.
• The Plague overwhelmed Trigalis’s defenses, leaving its planet shield and eight remaining spaceports unable to threaten the warship.
• Darth Malthael identified himself as the Archangel of Death and claimed the Malevolence as his weapon in a broadcast to Trigalis, the Republic, and the Separatists.
• Count Dooku questioned Malthael’s claim, while Sheev Palpatine warned Master Yoda and Master Windu that Malthael was a grave threat.
• Darth Malthael demanded that attacks on the Malevolence cease or he would destroy Trigalis, giving the Republic and Separatists five minutes to choose.

As Darth Malthael held Trigalis Planet hostage to force the Jedi to stop pursuing Malevolence, the Jedi Council ordered the attack to continue despite the threatened deaths of hundreds of thousands. Obi-Wan Kenobi sent the Jedi to board the damaged warship, leaving Plo Koon in command of the fleet.

• Three Hunter Class Battlecruisers pursued the damaged Malevolence, while General Grievous struggled to restore its shields and prepare a hyperspace jump.
• Plo Koon concluded that the Separatists had used Shada-bi-Brown’s gamma-ray streams to conceal the Plague Titan warship before its surprise attack on Trigalis Planet.
• Master Windu, Master Yoda, Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, and the Jedi debated whether to keep attacking Malevolence while Darth Malthael threatened Trigalis Planet.
• Luna-Huan and Luna-Meng supported continuing the attack, and Master Yoda and Master Windu ordered the Jedi to proceed; Obi-Wan Kenobi relayed the order as the negotiation countdown ended.
• Darth Malthael ordered the Plague Titan warship to fire, destroying Outer Spaceport 3 on Trigalis Planet, while the Jedi intensified their assault on Malevolence.
• Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luna-Meng, and Luna-Huan prepared to board Malevolence, and Master Windu left Plo Koon in command.

Darth Malthael destroyed Spaceport No. 2 on Trigaliss and used the Plague Titan to draw in the Galactic Republic’s 15th Army forces. Darth Lilim and the stealth fighters massacred the disorganized attackers as Darth Malthael prepared to leave.

• Darth Malthael relied on the Dream Sisters to help ensure the Fang-class battleship was destroyed, while reflecting on their mysterious talent and motives.
• Darth Malthael ordered the Plague Titan to fire on Spaceport No. 2 on Trigaliss, then had the battle footage sent to Confederacy of Independent Systems news networks.
• The Galactic Republic’s 15th Army sent more than a hundred warships and fighters to attack the Plague Titan.
• Darth Malthael sent Darth Lilim and one hundred Wraith fighters to destroy the attackers while the Plague Titan bombarded them.
• Darth Lilim and the stealth fighters wiped out the disorganized Republic force, and Darth Malthael ordered his crew to prepare to leave.

The Jedi and Clone Troopers boarded the Malevolence and fought their way toward its hyperdrive, forcing General Grievous to flee as the battleship was lost. Darth Malthael’s Plague escaped Trigalis and pledged to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems, while leaving Count Dooku’s question about Darth Sidious unanswered.

• Luna Dream and Luna Phantom’s illusions distracted the Malevolence’s droid defenses while Clone Troopers and Jedi boarded the battleship.
• Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, the Dream Sisters, and the Clone Troopers seized a cargo train and headed for the Malevolence’s hyperdrive.
• General Grievous ordered the ship to jump to hyperspace, but a malfunction made the calculation time jump to 88,761 hours and 48 minutes, so he escaped in his Soulless One fighter.
• The Republic’s 15th Army arrived at Trigalis after Darth Malthael’s Plague destroyed the spaceports and warships, and the Plague escaped into hyperspace.
• Darth Malthael confronted Count Dooku over the Malevolence’s destruction, pledged the Plague to the Confederacy, and refused to discuss his connection to Darth Sidious.

The Malevolence crashed into Lundaria after Anakin Skywalker’s altered navigation data caused its repaired hyperdrive to miscalculate. As the Republic prepared to confront the Plague, Darth Sidious ordered Count Dooku to destroy it, revealing that he wanted it gone simply because he disliked its name.

• General Grievous escaped the Malevolence while the Jedi Knights fled, and droid mechanics repaired the ship’s hyperdrive.
• Anakin Skywalker’s changes to the navigation computer sent the Malevolence crashing into uninhabited Lundaria.
• News of the Plague and the Trigaliss massacre spread through the Republic, prompting Sheev Palpatine to convene an urgent meeting.
• Lila Blythex argued that Kuat’s proposed Super Star Destroyer could defeat the Plague, while Master Windu and Master Yoda warned that the Separatists would adapt.
• Darth Sidious attacked Count Dooku through the Force and ordered him to destroy the Plague, then said he simply disliked its name.

Count Dooku questioned Sidious’s control over the plan and demanded that General Grievous prove himself after losing the Malevolence. Meanwhile, Tang Xiao chose to send the Plague to Kato-Neimoidia to help the Trade Federation break the Republic’s blockade, despite the risks.

• Count Dooku crushed his communicator and challenged Sidious’s authority over the plan.
• General Grievous promised to redeem himself with surprise attacks on Anoth and Bakura.
• Qi Jian reported on the Fourth Civilization’s campaigns against the 19th Army and the Republic’s threat to Kinyen.
• Matt Horner proposed striking Terminus Planet, while Sefrans Tann argued for attacks on Ryloth or Kato-Neimoidia.
• Tang Xiao rejected the Staff Department’s safer recommendation and chose Kato-Neimoidia, offering the Plague to the Trade Federation until it broke the blockade.

The Fourth Civilization imposed brutal rule on Hoth Planet, using the Beast Legion and constant surveillance to crush resistance and force residents to display loyalty. A daily military procession left Hoth’s frightened civilians standing beside the streets, compelled to welcome their occupiers.

• Tang Xiao sent ten thousand Beast Legion soldiers from Thonner Planet to suppress resistance on Hoth Planet, ordering them to deal with resisters as they pleased.
• The Fourth Civilization subjected Hoth’s human residents to surveillance, forced labor, propaganda broadcasts, and compulsory daily viewing.
• The Fourth Civilization’s Public Health Department began building Central Excrement Collectors across Hoth’s cities using prisoner labor.
• B-1 battle droids, assault tanks, and armored vehicles marched through Hoth’s capital as residents were forced to line the streets and wave flags.
• A frightened mother held her crying child and clutched a Fourth Civilization flag as the procession passed.

The Fourth Civilization struggled to contain Lothal’s resistance and the Lottan Smuggler Fleet’s raids while Tang Xiao rejected orbital bombardment and ordered Ewok troops to suppress the guerrillas. Huang Yehao’s force established a landing zone as Ewoks disappeared into the jungle to begin fighting.

• The Lottans resisted the Fourth Civilization’s invasion and used their Smuggler Fleet to harass supply lines, with Wilhuff Tarkin secretly providing supplies and Lin Nanyi helping Matt Horner contain the raids.
• Lothal’s government surrendered after the Fourth Civilization threatened to destroy its cities, but its scattered army continued preparing for a prolonged guerrilla war.
• Qi Jian asked Tang Xiao for authorization to bombard Lothal’s jungles, but Tang Xiao instead ordered Ewok troops to crush resistance and punish the families of resisting soldiers.
• Huang Yehao and Fourth Civilization troops landed on Lothal, while Ewok soldiers jumped from transports into the jungle and scattered gunfire began.

Ewoks attacked a Lottan jungle camp on Lothal as its commander prepared raids against Separatist positions in Chiron City. The attack began with poisoned arrows, leaving the Lottans’ plans and forces under sudden assault.

• The Lottan Commander briefed his troops on coordinated raids against Chiron City Hall, the spaceport, and the barracks.
• An unseen attacker watched a Lottan Sentinel and killed him with a poisoned arrow after he reported that his post was clear.
• The attackers simultaneously struck all twenty-eight hidden sentry posts less than a second after their all-clear signals.
• The Lottan Commander continued his briefing as the camp’s soldiers were suddenly felled by a barrage of poisoned arrows.

Ewok forces ambushed and wiped out the Lottan jungle troops, while Huang Yehao’s unit moved from battlefield support to enforcing order in Chilon City. The chapter ended with Cummings confronting the arrest of a dead rebel’s wife and children for forced labor.

• A white-feathered Ewok warrior led an attack that killed nearly four hundred Lottan soldiers and used their command post’s map to coordinate attacks across the jungle.
• Ewoks harassed the remaining hidden Lottan troops with poison arrows and waited for nightfall while human soldiers provided artillery, air support, and medical aid.
• Huang Yehao’s unit received orders to enter Chilon City, maintain order, and arrest rebels after the jungle operation ended.
• Selurite intelligence officers gave Huang Yehao a list of alleged rebels, and he divided his company into ten arrest squads.
• Cummings broke into an apartment and found a woman and two boys; Huang Yehao ordered their arrest because the woman’s husband, rebel Joss, had been killed and the family was to be sent to the mines.
• Huang Yehao told the stunned Cummings that this was war.

By September 22BBY, resistance on Lothal and Hoth had largely ended, and the Fourth Civilization began reshaping its defenses while consolidating its occupied territories. Tang Xiao prioritized a risky plan to strike Kato Neimoidia and win over Nute Gunray, while the chapter left Wilhuff Tarkin looming as a future threat.

• Huang Yehao and Cummings fought repeated Lottan uprisings as resistance weakened from armed attacks to improvised weapons, and order eventually returned on Lothal and Hoth.
• The Fourth Civilization shifted its defenses from Planet Kaal toward Kinyen, where it began building an Agonev-class star base using salvaged Republic station wreckage.
• Fleet A occupied Manfarr, but Shanpan Spaceport could not support large-scale operations, so Matt Hona pulled two-thirds of his fleet back while the Fourth Civilization abandoned an immediate attack on Terminus Planet.
• Tang Xiao chose Sefrans Tann's plan to surprise-attack Kato Neimoidia, hoping Darth Malthael could use the operation to frighten Nute Gunray into joining his faction.
• Lin Nanyi stationed Fleet B on Gerrenthum to protect the route toward Eriadu, while Tang Xiao focused on consolidating occupied territory and keeping future threat Wilhuff Tarkin in mind.

The chapter outlines Eriadu’s political and military history and the Republic 18th Army’s worsening position after Suluust seceded and the 19th Army lost its fleet at Bespin. Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rejects Sheev Palpatine’s order to attack Dawn Star Planet without major reinforcements, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• A droid riot at Eriadu’s Commerce Summit undermined Phineas Valorum, reshaped corporate alliances, and helped Wilhuff Tarkin advance his political career.
• Wilhuff Tarkin reorganized and expanded the Sesenna Sector’s military before it became the Republic 18th Army.
• The 18th Army repelled a CIS attack at Agomar Planet, but Suluust later seceded, exposing Eriadu to a semi-encirclement.
• The Republic 19th Army lost more than a hundred Hunter Class Battlecruisers in its failed offensives against Bespin Planet, making the Fourth Civilization a more direct threat to the 18th Army.
• Sheev Palpatine ordered Wilhuff Tarkin to destroy Dawn Star Planet, and Tarkin demanded 500 Hunter Class Battlecruisers before attacking.
• Sheev Palpatine cut off the communication without answering Tarkin’s demand.