Recaps

Huang Yehao and Cummings realized the counterattack had been meant to draw the Indjori Zombies together, and Huang suspected the military planned an orbital bombardment. They used grenades to slip through the town, but a zombie seized Cummings as they tried to escape through a house.

• Huang Yehao and Cummings took shelter in a house after the Indjori Zombies blocked their route and realized the counterattack had failed.
• Huang Yehao reasoned that the instructors had ordered them to draw the zombies together and warned that the virus might spread through contaminated food or contact.
• Huang Yehao suspected the military would use orbital bombardment and devised an escape plan using Cummings's grenades to lure the zombies away.
• Cummings threw grenades to divert the zombies while Huang Yehao led them through the town.
• An Indjori Zombie burst from a house, wrapped its tentacles around Cummings, and dragged him inside as Huang Yehao fired at it.
• Cummings threw Huang Yehao his backpack and hurled a grenade into the zombie's mouth.

Edra Kestis embraced her role as a Jedi Knight and rushed to rescue survivors during the zombie outbreak, while Fourth Legion soldiers deployed to hunt the Indjori Zombies. Edra found a room filled with butchered soldiers and heard a survivor crying for help.

• Edra Kestis killed an Indjori Zombie and told Huang Yehao and Cummings to stay while she went to rescue others, but Huang Yehao and Cummings fled.
• One hundred Fourth Legion soldiers arrived by transport aircraft, and Tur Ulan sent Justin Levis and the others to disperse through the city.
• Justin Levis killed a mutated zombie with his M-22 Eviscerator and tore off its tentacle when it attacked again.
• Edra Kestis rescued five soldiers and then rushed toward gunfire, believing her Jedi strength and purpose had returned.
• Edra Kestis entered a room filled with mangled bodies and heard someone weakly calling for help.

Edra Kestis tried to rescue infected survivors, but the G-Virus turned them into grotesque monsters, leaving her overwhelmed and fighting her way through the zombies. Elsewhere, Justin Levis rescued several Fourth Civilization soldiers from a house.

• Edra Kestis crossed a bloody pile of bodies to reach a wounded soldier, who had been infected with the G-Virus and could not be saved.
• The wounded soldier mutated into a monster fused with nearby corpses, and Edra cut him apart with her Lightsaber.
• Edra fled through the town, killing the dead soldiers as they reanimated, then returned to find the five soldiers she had saved had become zombies.
• Justin Levis killed the zombies outside a house and rescued several Fourth Civilization soldiers hiding inside.

Justin Levis and the Fourth Legion rescued soldiers from Indjori Zombies in Masano City, while Edra Kestis displayed her dangerous power with a Lightsaber. As the survivors gathered at the town exit, Levis returned to search for more people, and Shen Yuanhao faced the Indjori Elder Council with a cover story about the outbreak.

• Justin Levis led the Fourth Legion through Masano City, killing Indjori Zombies and escorting rescued recruits toward the outskirts.
• Huang Yehao and Cummings fought off zombies with four recruits until Levis's squads arrived and eliminated the attackers.
• Edra Kestis cut through another horde with her Lightsaber, laughed that she would protect everyone, and then went off on her own.
• Levis directed Huang Yehao's group to wait at the town exit and returned to the city, challenging Huang Yehao to follow if he could fight like him.
• Shen Yuanhao told the Indjori Elder Council that virus-carrying Rork-Mankirs from Dawn Star Planet had attacked Masano City.

After the Masano City outbreak, Shen Yuanhao used fabricated evidence and Dawn Star Planet’s concessions to prevent the crisis from becoming a diplomatic conflict. Tang Xiao moved ahead with the T-Virus program and reconsidered how he would keep powerful Legendary figures aligned with the Fourth Civilization.

• Shen Yuanhao convinced the Indjori Elder Council that mutated Indjori and Rolk-Mangirs had caused the Masano City disaster, and that Dawn Star Planet would not pursue the matter.
• The Fourth Legion sent 100 soldiers to eliminate the zombies in Masano City, killing more than 2,000 at the cost of three lives.
• Of the 400 recruits and 10 instructors sent for training, 317 died, 45 were severely wounded or disabled, and 48 returned with all their limbs; Huang Yehao and Cummings later failed their desired service examinations.
• Tang Xiao saw the T-Virus program begin under Annette Birkin after William Birkin’s death and pursued his plan to create controllable Indjori warriors.
• Tang Xiao recognized that Legendary figures required shared interests and goals, not merely authority, to remain committed to the Fourth Civilization.

In 29BBY, Palpatine consolidated his political support while Francis Underwood built influence among Mid Rim and Outer Rim planets ahead of the next Chancellor election. Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth began promoting Outbound Flight, claiming he could navigate the Unknown Regions’ chaotic hyperspace routes.

• Palpatine used the Clone Army project to win Kuat Planet’s loyalty through a 7-billion-credit contract with Kuat Drive Yards.
• Palpatine let Mas Amedda and other political factions believe they could influence him while secretly recording their weaknesses and favors.
• Francis Underwood campaigned among Mid Rim and Outer Rim planets rather than courting the Inner Rim, leading Palpatine to suspect a long-term plan.
• Jorus C'baoth lobbied for Outbound Flight to explore and colonize the Unknown Regions.
• C'baoth claimed he could travel through the Unknown Regions’ tangled hyperspace routes.

Palpatine used Mas Amedda to launch Jorus Tholme’s risky Outer Rim Exploration Program, while the Fourth Civilization advanced its warship development and concealed the Hiigaran-class battlecruisers’ progress from Darth Sidious. The chapter left the Republic’s expedition underway and the Fourth Civilization preparing new ships for production.

• Palpatine learned about Jorus Tholme’s proposed hyperspace routes through the Unknown Regions and saw an opportunity to use the plan for political gain.
• Palpatine persuaded Mas Amedda to support Tholme’s Outer Rim Exploration Program, and Mas Amedda pressured corporations to fund six Dreadnought-class cruisers and an expedition of fifty thousand pioneers.
• Kaint Walters reported that the Hiigaran-class battlecruiser design was finalized, and Tang Xiao ordered two ships sent to the Kuna Cluster instead of the Endor system.
• Nute Gunray funded a major expansion of Golden Nyss Shipyard, while Tang Xiao and Gunray arranged to mislead Darth Sidious about the battlecruisers’ construction schedule.
• The Cooperative Alliance completed development of the Sova-class Carrier and began preparing its production lines for prototype construction.

The Fourth Civilization expanded and modernized its navy while Tang Xiao built ties with Count Dooku and corporate giants without joining Dooku’s alliance. After hundreds of planets rejected the Republic’s tax bill, Palpatine condemned the movement and threatened sanctions.

• The Fourth Civilization introduced the Sova-class Carrier and supporting vessels, retired older warships, expanded its navy, and began replacing ultraviolet lasers with X-ray weapons.
• Tang Xiao pursued crystal imports from Christophsis and signed trade agreements during several visits to the planet.
• In June 29BBY, Count Dooku visited Dawn Star Planet and urged Tang Xiao to join an alliance of Outer Rim planets, but Tang Xiao declined while agreeing to strengthen ties with corporate giants.
• More than 500 planets refused to recognize the Galactic Republic’s tax bill, and Dawn Star Planet, Semirres Planet, Yag'Dhul Planet, and other friendly planets followed a day later.
• Chancellor Sheev Palpatine condemned Count Dooku and threatened sanctions against planets that refused to pay taxes.

Jabba’s war against the Calamity Legion intensified as Tang Xiao’s allies entered the conflict, while Sheev Palpatine won reelection and revealed himself as Darth Sidious. Darth Malthael gave San Hill the plans for a Behemoth-class battlecruiser and directed him to Tang Xiao, who prepared to show him Heige Damask II’s legacy on Dawn Star Planet.

• Jabba used Yuri Orlov’s T-24 airspeeders to destroy a Calamity Legion convoy, killing Bosa Broderick Shale, and Magtan Scar retaliated by bombing a village before escaping into the desert.
• Tang Xiao arranged for Alok Besadi to hire Titan Security Company, and the Ironfang arrived at Tatooine with five CR-70 frigates, escalating the proxy war.
• Sheev Palpatine won reelection, then exposed Mas Amedda’s corruption and revealed to him that he was Darth Sidious, forcing him to swear allegiance.
• Darth Malthael showed San Hill the Behemoth-class battlecruiser plans and told him to give them to Tang Xiao, explaining their plan to use the coming war against Darth Sidious.
• San Hill contacted Tang Xiao, who said he was authorized to show him Heige Damask II’s legacy and invited him to Dawn Star Planet to see the completed project.

Tang Xiao showed San Hill the advanced industry and growing prosperity of Dawn Star Planet and the United Mining Group. He then demanded that San Hill abandon his frigate and travel with him in an escape pod before seeing Teacher Heige's legacy, leaving San Hill to weigh the danger against his past encounter with Darth Malthael.

• San Hill arrived in the Endor system, and Tang Xiao showed him Dawn Star Planet's population, technology, agriculture, and industries.
• Tang Xiao showed San Hill the United Mining Group's expanding mining operations, escort fleets, and fighter purchases.
• San Hill concluded that Dawn Star Planet's prosperity rested on real technology and industrial strength, and guessed that its people shared a clear purpose.
• Tang Xiao told San Hill to leave a false message, board an escape pod with him, and let his frigate depart unattended.
• San Hill hesitated over trusting Tang Xiao but recalled that Darth Malthael had spared his life before.

Tang Xiao used visions of Darth Malthael to deepen San Hill’s fear and secure his loyalty before bringing him to the Titan warship Plague. San Hill vowed to resist Darth Sidious and then questioned whether Darth Malthael could be trusted.

• San Hill and Tang Xiao escaped aboard a pod as their communications frigate entered hyperspace, and the Red Comet captured them.
• San Hill experienced terrifying visions of Darth Malthael killing him, while Tang Xiao used his fear to strengthen his hold over him.
• Tang Xiao explained that San Hill’s loyalty grew from his connection to Darth Plagueis and the legacy Plagueis had left behind.
• The Red Comet arrived at the Ragnarok-class Titan warship Plague, which Tang Xiao said had been built from ancient data discovered by Hego Damask II.
• San Hill declared that the InterGalactic Banking Clan, the Muuns, Damask Holdings Group, and Plague would resist Darth Sidious, then asked Tang Xiao whether Darth Malthael could be trusted.

Tang Xiao and San Hill formed an alliance against Darth Sidious and boarded the Titan warship Plague to test its Doomsday Cannon. After the cannon destroyed an asteroid, Dawn Star Planet and the InterGalactic Banking Clan secretly agreed that the Clan would join the Cooperative Alliance.

• Tang Xiao told San Hill that only Darth Malthael or Darth Sidious could survive, and San Hill agreed to follow Malthael's warning while keeping Count Dooku in play.
• Tang Xiao explained that Darth Sidious had used the Eriadu Commerce Summit terrorist attack to bring Nute Gunray under his command, and San Hill gave Tang Xiao data for the Behemoth-class battlecruiser.
• Tang Xiao and San Hill boarded the Plague and ordered its 3,500 crew members to prepare the Titan warship for its first hyperspace jump.
• The Plague jumped to the barren IU-3346199 system, where Tang Xiao ordered the Doomsday Cannon fired at a nearby asteroid.
• The Doomsday Cannon shattered the asteroid and turned its fragments to lava, while Dawn Star Planet and the InterGalactic Banking Clan secretly agreed that the Clan would join the Cooperative Alliance.

In 27BBY, Sheev Palpatine consolidated power by exposing and crushing corrupt political factions, while Francis Underwood adapted by publicly targeting corruption himself. Meanwhile, the Outer Rim Exploration Program set out for the Unknown Regions, and Hutt Gaddula Besadi’s forces overwhelmed Jabba’s defenses around Mos Eisley City, leaving Jabba unable to hold on.

• Sheev Palpatine used Mas Amedda’s weaknesses to force his submission, then exposed political factions and blamed them for the Republic’s worsening problems while presenting himself as a champion against corruption.
• Francis Underwood shifted from opposing Palpatine to denouncing corrupt officials, forcing Palpatine to act against several political puppets he had hoped to protect.
• Jorus C'baoth led six Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers and 50,000 colonists toward the Unknown Regions, unaware that Palpatine had planted agents to sabotage the expedition.
• Hutt Gaddula Besadi’s forces, led by Magtan Scar and equipped with powerful armored vehicles and aircraft, attacked the outskirts of Mos Eisley City.
• Jabba’s T-24 airspeeders and mercenary forces proved unable to stop the Caladanian mercenaries and their combined arms, and Jabba could no longer hold on.

Titan Security and Caladanian forces attacked Jabba’s stronghold after defeating his air support, but Jabba surrendered before Hakimi could reach him. The Grand Hutt Council intervened to protect Jabba, ending the assault.

• Big Boss watched Titan Security’s forces destroy Jabba’s airspeeders and said Yuri Orlov had supplied Jabba with shoddy vehicles.
• Big Boss told Gaddula that the Hutts would not let Jabba die as Hakimi led Caladanian warriors toward Jabba’s palace.
• IG-41 spotted the infiltrators, killed three Caladanian warriors, and pinned the rest down with blaster fire.
• Hakimi sent three volunteers to attack IG-41 with sticky grenades, and their explosions destroyed the robot.
• Caladanian warriors killed the people who fled the palace, but Big Boss ordered Hakimi to withdraw because Jabba had surrendered and the Grand Hutt Council had intervened.

After Jabba lost Tatooine to Gaddula and the Besadi kajidic, Kiliak forced him to accept the Desilijic kajidic’s political defeat. Gaddula celebrated her victory while Darth Malthael secured Alok Besadi’s cooperation and told him to wait five years.

• Kiliak told Jabba that the Desilijic kajidic had to relinquish one of its two Grand Council seats to the Besadi kajidic, and Jabba left the palace vowing to return.
• Jabba smashed his protocol droid in a rage before crawling out of the palace.
• Gaddula celebrated her victory in Jabba’s seat as Magtan Scar watched and considered his ambitions for the Calamity Legion.
• Darth Malthael told Alok Besadi to develop Tatooine and offered him a chance to pursue greater power through cooperation.
• Alok agreed to consider working with Malthael, who told him to wait five years and warned him not to lose Tatooine in the meantime.

Count Dooku expanded the Separatist Movement by winning support from Outer Rim planets and major corporations, while Sheev Palpatine publicly called for peace without taking substantial action. With corporate funding secured, Dooku organized secret shipbuilding projects and other military preparations, leaving the Separatists increasingly ready for war.

• Hundreds of Outer Rim planets rejected Galactic Republic taxes, and Count Dooku drew major corporations into the Separatist cause with promises of profits and privileges.
• Sheev Palpatine publicly urged the Separatists to negotiate but took no substantive action, seeking to preserve his image as a defender of peace and unity.
• Count Dooku secured the Quarren's support on Mon Calamari and arranged for the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps to build Divine-class destroyers on Parmant.
• Count Dooku persuaded the Trade Federation to fund the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser and Shu Mai and Passel Argente to back the Defiant-class light destroyer project.
• The Technological Alliance supplied technical support, the InterGalactic Banking Clan supplied funds, and the Fourth Group worked with the Trade Federation on Hiigaran-class battlecruisers and Wraith fighters.

Ni Yongxiao punished three criminal leaders after learning that the Hutt Kiliak Desilijic had used them to bait the raiders, then sent a woman to kill Ecto. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and their companions arrived on Nashadda to investigate the red Lightsaber wielder responsible for a massacre.

• Ni Yongxiao learned that Kiliak Desilijic and Ecto had manipulated the criminal leaders, but ordered all three killed and had his agents deal with Ecto.
• A hooded woman watched Ecto celebrate in a guarded high-rise, then burst inside with a red Lightsaber.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker arrived on Nashadda with two companions to investigate the red Lightsaber wielder.
• The shortest companion ordered the group to capture the suspected Sith and bring them to the Jedi Temple.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Evan Piel, Anakin Skywalker, and Jax Pavan investigated a massacre on Nal Hutta and found signs of powerful, chaotic Dark Side Force. After Kiliak Desilijic pointed them toward the gang leader Ni Yongxiao, they prepared to meet him cautiously.

• Evan Piel warned Anakin Skywalker that the mission to investigate a killer who had slaughtered seven hundred people was too dangerous for rash action.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi brought Anakin Skywalker, Jax Pavan, and Evan Piel to Nal Hutta, where Anakin paused at advertisements for the Bonta Night Speeder Championship on Dawn Star Planet.
• The Jedi inspected the wrecked venue and identified traces of powerful, disorderly Dark Side Force at the massacre site.
• A protocol droid speaking for Kiliak Desilijic directed the Jedi to investigate Ni Yongxiao.
• Anakin Skywalker described Ni Yongxiao as a gang leader tied to Fourth Group, and Obi-Wan Kenobi told Anakin and Jax not to cause trouble.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Evan Piel confronted Ni Yongxiao over the massacre, but left without learning who was responsible. After Ni Yongxiao’s fugitive escaped to kill Kiliak, Evan and Anakin sensed a powerful Dark Side presence and rushed to pursue it.

• Obi-Wan Kenobi and Evan Piel accused Ni Yongxiao of involvement in Ecto’s massacre, but Ni denied responsibility and warned them not to probe his mind.
• Ni Yongxiao’s gang members and Destroyer droids surrounded the Jedi, who withdrew without a fight.
• Evan Piel sensed that Ni Yongxiao had encountered the Dark Side, and Obi-Wan concluded that its influence had spread through the Outer Rim Territories.
• Ni Yongxiao learned that the woman in his hideout had escaped to kill Kiliak and ordered his men to withdraw, saying the Governor had arrangements.
• Evan Piel and Anakin Skywalker sensed a powerful Dark Side presence, and Anakin ran after it as Obi-Wan, Evan, and Jax Pavan followed.

Anakin pursued a frightened, powerful woman through Nal Hutta and fought her until Obi-Wan Kenobi and Evan Piel arrived. Evan identified her as Edra Kestis, but an attack on their cargo ship interrupted the fight and left Jax Pavan badly wounded.

• Anakin chased the cloaked woman to the H3 storage district, where she revealed herself as a Twi'lek and attacked him with a red Lightsaber.
• The woman overwhelmed Anakin with Force attacks and Form IV Ataru until Obi-Wan Kenobi and Evan Piel arrived to fight her.
• Evan recognized the woman as Edra Kestis, a Jedi apprentice believed to have died in a pirate attack eight years earlier.
• Edra rejected the name and fought on, but Obi-Wan and Evan forced her to retreat.
• Laser fire struck the cargo ship overhead, and Evan caught the injured Jax Pavan as the ship exploded and fell.
• A voice from the sky accused the Jedi of ganging up on a little girl.

Darth Malthael appeared and fought Obi-Wan Kenobi, Evan Piel, and Edra Kestis, overwhelming the Jedi with his lightsaber skills and Death Force. As Kiliak Desilijic’s men opened fire, Malthael killed Evan Piel but was struck by numerous blaster bolts.

• Darth Malthael arrived aboard a red spacecraft and revealed that Darth Maul had not been worthy of being his apprentice.
• Malthael attacked Evan Piel while Obi-Wan Kenobi faced Edra Kestis, and Malthael used sinister spirits to pressure the Jedi.
• Anakin Skywalker joined the battle, but he and Evan Piel struggled to withstand Malthael’s attacks.
• Kiliak Desilijic ordered his men to fire on everyone in the fight, filling the area with blaster bolts and explosions.
• Malthael exploited Evan Piel’s distraction to sever his head, while more than a dozen blaster bolts struck Malthael.

Darth Malthael killed Master Evan Piel and pursued Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and the wounded Jax Pavan, but they escaped amid chaos among the bounty hunters. Malthael and Edra Kestis fought their way out, while the attack on Kiliak Desilijic sparked a Republic-Hutt crisis that Sheev Palpatine used to deepen the rift between them.

• Darth Malthael killed Master Evan Piel, and Obi-Wan Kenobi fled with Anakin Skywalker and the injured Jax Pavan.
• Kiliak Desilijic's gunmen attacked Malthael and Edra Kestis, but resentful spirits possessed them and threw their forces into chaos.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Jax Pavan escaped on a speeder while Malthael and Edra attacked the bounty hunters' ships.
• Edra Kestis boarded Kiliak Desilijic's ship and nearly killed him before Malthael caught her and ordered their escape.
• Alok Besadi blamed the Jedi Order for the attack, and the Grand Hutt Council protested and closed trade routes through Hutt Space.
• Sheev Palpatine negotiated with the Hutts on the Republic's behalf, easing their anger while leaving the rift between them intact.

After learning that Evan Piel had died, Jax Pavan grieved while Anakin Skywalker went to meet the Jedi Council. Anakin encountered the prank-loving Dream Sisters on the way, and the chapter ended as the Council discussed Jax’s training and the Sith Lord’s return.

• Jax Pavan awoke in the hospital and wept after Anakin told him that Evan Piel had died.
• Anakin gave Jax a color-changing polonium crystal and left to answer Master Yoda’s summons.
• Luna-Illusion startled Anakin with an illusion of a giant python, while Luna-Dream teased him.
• Depa Barris punished the sisters for using their illusion technique and confined them for three days.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi offered to train Jax alongside Anakin, but Master Windu objected and Master Yoda redirected attention to the Sith Lord’s return.
• Anakin and Depa Barris entered the council chamber as Obi-Wan reported to the Jedi High Council.

The Jedi High Council discussed Master Evan Piel’s fall and the growing threat of a newly arisen Sith Lord, focusing suspicion on Dawn Star Planet and the Fourth Group. Shaak Ti proposed investigating through the volatile Kuna Cluster.

• Master Windu reviewed the Jedi Order’s recent losses and warned that the Dark Side was growing stronger.
• Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi described Edra Kestis’s subordination to the Sith Lord and the Lord’s contempt for Darth Maul.
• Master Yoda and Obi-Wan connected the Sith’s possible origins to an eleven-year-old disturbance, Dawn Star Planet, and events involving Ni Yongxiao.
• Coleman Trebor recalled Dawn Star Planet’s cooperation with the Jedi, while Depa Billaba praised the Dream Sisters’ Force potential.
• Shaak Ti argued that Edra Kestis’s strength suggested the new Sith Lord was exceptionally dangerous and proposed infiltrating the Kuna Cluster to investigate Dawn Star Planet.

The Jedi Council assigned Master Shen-Jon to investigate Dawn Star Planet, while Anakin wondered about a robot from his past and Jax Pavan received his father’s wiped robot. Meanwhile, Palpatine and Count Dooku intensified the Separatist crisis, leaving the Republic facing open confrontation by 24BBY.

• Master Windu and Master Yoda approved Shaak Ti’s proposal to send Master Shen-Jon to investigate the possible Sith Lord on Dawn Star Planet, and Windu proposed Kit Fisto for the High Council.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi refused Anakin’s unspoken wish to go to Dawn Star Planet, while Anakin thought about the robot that had protected him on Tatooine and its resemblance to a Fourth Group model.
• Jax Pavan received a robot labeled as his father Lorn Pavan’s, but its memory core had been wiped, prompting him to question the circumstances of his father’s death.
• Sheev Palpatine secretly tracked the growth of the Clone Army and used criminal syndicates, corporate exploitation, and hardship in the Outer Rim to strengthen the Separatist Movement.
• Count Dooku persuaded desperate Outer Rim planets to join the Separatists through corporate aid and harsh treaties, while Palpatine formed the Loyalty Committee to lobby planets to remain with the Republic.