Chapter Summaries

Ploo-Koon, Jax Pavan, and Jing Fang tried to contain the crisis on Rendili, but the Urlan family's forces attacked the Planetary Shield control center while the Planet Defense Fleet remained inactive. Aboard a Dreadnought-class cruiser, Arden Lyn discovered that hostile soldiers were still operating and fought her way toward the flagship.

• Ploo-Koon told Jing Fang and Jax Pavan that the Archangel of Death's strange Dark Side power had injured him and protected Daman-Lopez from interrogation.
• Ploo-Koon sent Jing Fang to secure the Planet Defense Fleet and Jax Pavan to track the Archangel of Death, then set out for treatment as news arrived that the Urlan family's forces were attacking the Planetary Shield control center.
• More than five thousand Rendili Planet Defense Force soldiers attacked the control center as fighting spread to orbital-defense bases and spacecraft, while the Planet Defense Fleet stayed docked and ignored Republic orders.
• Arden Lyn crossed a Dreadnought-class cruiser toward the hangar to investigate Captain Jess Darlen's situation and reach the flagship.
• A group of soldiers demanded that Arden Lyn declare loyalty to the Republic or Rendili, then attacked her with electroshockers and a blaster pistol; she killed them and concluded that the Separatists were making another move.

Aden-Lin discovered a coordinated mutiny that had seized warships across the fleet and realized she might need to reach the bridge to escape. Meanwhile, Tang Xiao married Adele Ulan on Rendili, leaving her overwhelmed as he departed to deal with someone in the Planet Defense Fleet.

• Aden-Lin found that mutineers had killed, imprisoned, or forced the crew to join them and had kept the captured warship silent and motionless.
• Aden-Lin killed the guards at the sealed Hangar Platform and realized the flagship Mersel-Keber might also be locked against her, so she turned toward the bridge.
• Tang Xiao and Adele Ulan married at the Urlan family estate in a small ceremony attended mostly by family members.
• Tang Xiao kissed Adele Ulan before the guests, and she trembled and cried as she struggled to accept the marriage and its burden on her family.
• Tang Xiao told Adele Ulan to rest and left to deal with someone in the Planet Defense Fleet, while she remained dazed among the departing guests.

After marrying Adele Ulan, Tang Xiao left to secure the Rendili Planet Defense Fleet while Bangjila Ulan convened the Shipwrights' Conference to bring Rendili StarDrive into the Confederacy of Independent Systems. When the shipyard owners resisted, Bangjila trapped them in the hall and unleashed destroyer droids.

• Tang Xiao hastily held his wedding to Adele Ulan, then headed to the Planet Defense Fleet to keep it under his control.
• Bangjila Ulan worked to secure support at the Shipwrights' Conference so he could take control of Rendili's orbital defense platforms.
• Bangjila told the shipyard owners that Rendili would resist the Galactic Republic and join the Confederacy of Independent Systems through Adele Ulan's marriage to Tang Xiao.
• The shipyard owners loudly objected, and some tried to leave the conference hall.
• Bangjila revealed that the doors were blocked, then summoned destroyer droids to surround the shipyard owners.

Bangjila-Ulan massacred the Shipwrights' Conference and used the killings to seize control of Rendili Planet's orbital defenses. He left the surviving Ulan loyalists to activate the defense platforms in preparation for a possible invasion.

• Bangjila-Ulan decided to kill the shipyard owners at the Shipwrights' Conference because he knew they would not join his rebellion.
• After the massacre, more than three hundred shipyard owners and managers entered the venue, including Ulan loyalists and replacements for some of the dead.
• Bangjila-Ulan declared that Galactic Republic agents had sabotaged the conference and formed a Rendili StarDrive Temporary Emergency Committee.
• Bangjila-Ulan ordered the committee to activate all twelve orbital defense platforms and prepare to repel an invasion.
• The chapter described Rendili Planet's defensive lines and the firepower of its FireStar-class stations and Golan I platforms.

Bengila Urlan secured the loyalty of several Rendili defense platforms and began purging rivals while the Planet Defense Fleet descended into a struggle between Republic supporters and Rendili StarDrive forces. Jedi Knight Jing Fang was attacked when he tried to board the fleet, but bounty hunter Arden Lyn offered him a way to survive.

• Bengila Urlan rallied five of Rendili’s twelve defense platforms to his side and ordered purges of families opposed to the Urlan family.
• Jing Fang approached the Planet Defense Fleet flagship Mesel-Kebir, but no one answered his request to board.
• Captain Jesse Darlen told Darth Malthael that he had nearly secured the Mesel-Kebir while fighting continued aboard the fleet’s ships.
• Darth Malthael ordered Jesse Darlen to keep the fleet in place, then told him to shoot down Jing Fang’s shuttle.
• Jing Fang evaded fire from the Mesel-Kebir as another cruiser attacked the flagship, and Arden Lyn urged him to reach her ship.

Jing Fang reached the Lars and learned that crew mutinies had overtaken much of the Rendili fleet, likely through clones replacing soldiers who had taken leave. He and Arden-Lyn decided to attack the flagship Messer-Kaibel, but Jesse-Darlen ordered the fleet to destroy the Lars.

• Jing Fang found corpses aboard the Lars and learned from surviving soldiers that Arden-Lyn had killed hundreds of mutineers and seized the warship.
• Jing Fang met Arden-Lyn on the bridge, where she estimated that at least two-thirds of the fleet faced crew mutinies.
• Arden-Lyn connected the mutinies to Jesse-Darlen's order allowing soldiers to return to Rendili for leave, and Jing Fang realized they may have been replaced by clones.
• Arden-Lyn proposed destroying the flagship Messer-Kaibel to encourage resisting ships to join them, and the Lars's remaining gunners fired on it.
• Messer-Kaibel broke away from its berth, and Jesse-Darlen ordered the fleet to concentrate fire on the Lars, calling it traitorous.

Arden Lin triggered resistance across the fleet by announcing that Jedi Knights were coming, then left Jing Fang to rescue the Republic loyalists while she infiltrated the Messer-Kabel. The chapter ended as she opened a maintenance passage into the flagship.

• Arden Lin announced that Jedi Knights were coming to save the fleet, then told Jing Fang she cared only about retaking it and left in a V-19 fighter.
• Jing Fang escaped his damaged warship as the Messer-Kabel and two Dreadnought-class cruisers fired on it, while soldiers on other ships began opening their hangars and calling for help.
• Jing Fang flew toward a Victory I-class Star Destroyer, and Arden Lin mocked his choice before heading for the Messer-Kabel.
• Arden Lin evaded the flagship’s defenses, used the Force to reach its outer armor, and entered a maintenance device she had prepared earlier.
• The device unlocked a maintenance passage, and Arden Lin entered the Messer-Kabel.

Arden Lyn fought her way onto the Messer-Kable’s bridge and confronted Darth Malthael, who tried to stop her by invoking Xendor’s revival. She seized him by the throat, but he countered by spreading a life-draining Force through her wrist.

• Arden Lyn crushed a maintenance robot, restored the compartment’s pressure, and headed toward the bridge through signs of fighting.
• Arden Lyn caught and crushed a blaster bolt when Separatist soldiers attacked her.
• Jesse Darlen saw Arden Lyn advancing on the surveillance feed, and Darth Malthael ordered him to leave in an escape pod.
• Arden Lyn entered the bridge and asked where Jesse Darlen had gone, while Darth Malthael said he had sent him away.
• Darth Malthael mentioned reviving Xendor, prompting Arden Lyn to seize him by the throat.
• Darth Malthael grabbed Arden Lyn’s wrist and sent a decaying Force into her that began consuming her life force.

Darth Malthael confronted Arden Lyn and warned her that Darth Sidious had lied about resurrecting her husband, Xendor. After Arden Lyn attacked and overwhelmed his clone, she paused to consider Malthael’s warning and admitted she had no reason to put all her hopes in Sidious.

• Darth Malthael’s Death Force was blocked by Arden Lyn’s Kash-Mer talisman, and he explained what the ancient artifact was.
• Darth Malthael told Arden Lyn that Xendor had died long ago and that Darth Sidious had lied about being able to resurrect him.
• Darth Malthael revealed that he was Darth Pregas’s other apprentice and claimed he could demonstrate the Resurrection Spell, while Arden Lyn demanded proof.
• Arden Lyn attacked Darth Malthael, blocked his Lightsaber with Force energy, and battered his clone as he urged her not to trust Sidious blindly.
• Arden Lyn stopped after sending Darth Malthael crashing into a console and conceded that relying entirely on Darth Sidious made little sense.

Arden Lyn forced Darth Malthael to stay aboard the ship and contact Darth Malthael while the battle for Rendili continued. At the Planetary Shield Control Center, hired mercenaries arrived and began turning the fight against the Republic defenders.

• Arden Lyn stopped Darth Malthael from leaving and demanded that he bring Darth Malthael to answer her.
• Darth Malthael weighed the threat posed by the Jedi Knights and Arden Lyn, then agreed to wait and contact Darth Malthael.
• Darth Malthael ordered the ship’s crew to resume combat duty and arranged for Captain Jesse Darlen to leave.
• Rendili Rebel Forces failed to breach the Planetary Shield Control Center despite their numerical advantage.
• Mercenaries hired by Rendili StarDrive arrived and attacked the control center, beginning to turn the battle.

Jax Pavan helped Rendili’s defenders hold the Planetary Shield control center while battles raged across the planet. As Darth Malthael sensed a powerful Light Side presence entering the system, he realized Master Yoda had arrived.

• Mercenaries and Rendili Rebel Forces stormed the Planetary Shield control center, and Jax Pavan crashed in on a stolen Speeder to lead the Republic defenders inside.
• Jax Pavan used the Force to barricade the control room doors and rallied the surviving soldiers to hold out for reinforcements.
• B-1 battle droids captured an anti-orbital weapons base near Rendili Planet’s south pole, after which Rebel soldiers moved in to take control.
• Fighting and propaganda continued across Rendili Planet as both sides sought control of the Planetary Shield and the Planet Defense Fleet.
• Darth Malthael sensed a vast Light Side presence enter the Rendili system and recognized it as Master Yoda.

Master Yoda confronted Darth Malthael on the flagship Messer Kebel, determined to stop the Sith Lord despite his weakened condition. After Yoda saw through Malthael’s false existence, he prepared to fight him and Arden Lyn.

• Darth Malthael learned Master Yoda had arrived on Rendili Planet and ordered the ship’s hatch opened.
• Darth Malthael tried to persuade Arden Lyn to help kill Master Yoda by appealing to her desire to resurrect her husband and destroy the Jedi Order.
• Master Yoda boarded the flagship Messer Kebel, stopped the Rendili Rebel Forces soldiers’ blaster fire, and knocked them unconscious.
• Master Yoda reached the bridge and confronted Darth Malthael and Arden Lyn.
• Darth Malthael urged Master Yoda to let him resist Darth Sidious, but Yoda ignited his Lightsaber and declared that he had seen through Malthael’s false existence.
• Master Yoda identified Arden Lyn as an ancient Dark Jedi Knight and said she would face judgment alongside Darth Malthael.

Master Yoda confronted Darth Malthael on Rendili, but Arden Lyn revealed that Malthael was a decoy and killed him. As Yoda and Arden prepared to fight, Palpatine sensed the clash from Coruscant, and an unknown man awakened from a medical pod on Rendili.

• Darth Malthael introduced Arden Lyn and invoked the ancient Legions of Lettow, but Master Yoda rejected his attempt to distract him.
• Master Yoda overpowered Darth Malthael and severed his disguised Lightsaber, then demanded to know where the real Darth Malthael was.
• Arden Lyn revealed that she had no need for a decoy, pierced Darth Malthael's chest with her mechanical arm, and discarded his dying body.
• Chancellor Sheev Palpatine learned that Tang Xiao was on Rendili and that Master Yoda had gone there, then sensed Light Side and Dark Side Force eruptions and laughed.
• An unknown man emerged from a medical pod on Rendili and mocked Lord Jing for being defeated by two old men.

Darth Malthael emerged from stasis and unleashed Death Force that transformed workers and a spaceport into an undead wasteland. Still short of mastering his power, he turned toward the Planetary Shield control center while reflecting on the friendship he had lost with Cun Te.

• Darth Malthael’s Death Force spread through a factory, killing workers and turning them into undead.
• Darth Malthael recognized that he still needed to complete the ritual in the Valley of the Dark Lords to fully master the Death Force, and he named Darth Sidious and Marka Ragnos as enemies.
• Darth Malthael contacted Cun Te, who admitted that he had chosen the factory location and accepted the harm it would cause for the Fourth Civilization.
• Darth Malthael thanked Cun Te but could not say goodbye before crushing the communicator, realizing their friendship had ended.
• Darth Malthael left the undead spaceport aboard a shuttle and headed for the Planetary Shield control center while Master Yoda and Arden Lyn fought elsewhere.

Master Yoda and Arden Lyn fought aboard the crippled Dreadnought-class cruiser Messel-Kabel, wounding each other before the ship’s destruction interrupted their duel. Arden Lyn escaped toward the hangar, while Yoda used the Force to stabilize the warship and steer it away from battle.

• Master Yoda attacked Arden Lyn with his Lightsaber, and she blocked his blows with the Iron Hand Technique.
• Arden Lyn shattered Yoda’s Lightsaber, while Yoda struck her abdomen and both fighters were wounded.
• Master Yoda prepared to unleash a powerful Force attack, but explosions rocked the Messel-Kabel and sent the ship tumbling.
• Arden Lyn retrieved her backpack, put on a helmet, and fled across the collapsing hull toward the hangar.
• Master Yoda used the Force to restore the ship’s position and Gravity Generator, then operated the controls to steer it away from battle.

At the planetary shield control center on Rendili, Jax Pavan discovered that Darth Malthael had turned the Republic soldiers into walking corpses. Malthael revealed that he had killed Jax’s father, Lorn Pavan, and goaded Jax into fighting him.

• Jax Pavan fortified the control room and promised the soldiers that he would fight beside them until reinforcements arrived.
• Dax restored the surveillance system, but Jax saw the rebels retreating and then spotted a black-cloaked figure on the feed.
• The control room’s lights and equipment exploded, and Dax and the other Republic soldiers became walking corpses that attacked Jax.
• Jax destroyed the corpses as Darth Malthael watched, and the metal doors rusted away until Malthael stood in the doorway.
• Jax accused Darth Malthael of killing his master, Evan Piel, and Malthael revealed that he had also killed Jax’s father, Lorn Pavan.
• Darth Malthael urged Jax to draw his blade as rage consumed him.

Darth Malthael burned Jax Pavan with Death Force and confronted Master Pro-Koon, who arrived to save him. Pro-Koon resisted Malthael’s attacks and threw Jax out of a window, but Malthael vanished and reappeared behind him.

• Jax Pavan charged Darth Malthael, but Malthael attacked him with Force lightning and revived corpses.
• Darth Malthael burned Jax Pavan with gray flames and accused him of ignoring clues about the war and his father’s droid, I-5YQ.
• Master Pro-Koon arrived, extinguished the flames, and challenged Darth Malthael while Jax weakly urged him to run.
• Pro-Koon absorbed and returned Malthael’s lightning, but Malthael transformed it into Death Force, shattering Pro-Koon’s Lightsaber.
• Darth Malthael spread black mist and summoned decayed arms that wounded Pro-Koon, who threw Jax Pavan through a window to save him.
• Darth Malthael appeared behind Pro-Koon and said Pro-Koon would become another shadow in Jax’s heart.

Master Yoda tried to withdraw his forces from Rendili as the rebellion spread, but the planet’s shield trapped Republic forces outside and he sensed Master Ploo Koon’s death at Darth Malthael’s hands. He ordered a retreat to await reinforcements, then headed toward the shuttle carrying Malthael.

• Master Yoda subdued the Rebel soldiers aboard the Star Destroyer and saw Separatist-controlled warships and defense platforms overwhelm the Republic fleet.
• Master Yoda ordered the warship to land on Rendili, but he felt Ploo Koon’s grief and learned that the planetary shield had sealed the planet off.
• Through the Force, Master Yoda witnessed Darth Malthael kill Ploo Koon with a blood-red bolt of lightning.
• Master Yoda resolved to preserve his forces for the Jedi’s remaining hopes, including Anakin Skywalker and the Dream Sisters.
• Master Yoda ordered his fleet to rendezvous with Jing Fang and withdraw, then headed toward the hangar as a shuttle carrying Darth Malthael left Rendili.

Darth Malthael confronted Arden Lyn aboard a Victory I-class Star Destroyer, but his attempt to demonstrate the Resurrection Spell failed when his Death Force turned a crewman into a zombie. After a brutal fight, he left Arden alive and ordered droids sent to seize the warship, as dazzling white light flashed near Rendili Planet.

• Darth Malthael detoured around Master Yoda and flew to the Victory I-class Star Destroyer where Arden Lyn was trying to take control of the ship.
• Arden Lyn's crewman turned into a rotting zombie, and Darth Malthael appeared on the bridge to face her.
• Arden Lyn questioned whether Darth Malthael could resurrect her husband Xendor, and he admitted he needed to go to Korriban before he could use the spell.
• Darth Malthael attacked with Death Force, while Arden Lyn shattered his storm and struck him with the Iron Hand Technique.
• Darth Malthael's blood-red lightning shattered Arden Lyn's mechanical arm, but her punch wounded him; he spared her and ordered droids sent to take the warship.
• A dazzling white light flashed through space around Rendili Planet.

Darth Malthael and the Ulan family secured more than half of Rendili StarDrive’s fleet as Republic reinforcements arrived, leaving both sides preparing for a larger battle. Arden Lyn escaped aboard a V-19 fighter, while Malthael let her go.

• Darth Malthael ordered Bangjila Ulan to ready the fleet and defenses behind the Planetary Shield as Republic reinforcements arrived.
• Darth Malthael sent the wounded Arden Lyn to the medbay, while both sides withdrew their warships and regrouped.
• The Ulan family retained seven Victory I-class Star Destroyers and sixty-two Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers, while the Republic captured five Victory I-class Star Destroyers and forty-eight Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers.
• The Republic’s Second Systems Army returned to defend Scipio, so Sheev Palpatine assembled another fleet for Rendili.
• Darth Malthael received B-1 battle droids for his flagship, but Arden Lyn faked her death and escaped in a V-19 fighter.
• Darth Malthael chose not to pursue Arden Lyn and prepared to face the coming battle.