Recaps

Darth Malthael revealed how Darth Sidious could use Nute Gunray’s droid shutdown switch to end the war, seize power, and make the Confederacy’s leaders scapegoats. He then revealed his identity to Gunray as Tang Xiao.

• Darth Malthael explained that Nute Gunray had installed an emergency shutdown command in newly manufactured battle droids and that Darth Sidious could use it to end the war abruptly.
• Darth Malthael described how Darth Sidious would exploit the war to centralize power, eliminate the Jedi Order, and become Emperor.
• Darth Malthael threatened Nute Gunray with a Lightsaber and asked whether he should destroy the shutdown switch.
• Darth Malthael explained that after victory, Darth Sidious would blame and dispossess the Confederacy’s leaders to reward the industrial oligarchs.
• Darth Malthael revealed his face, and Nute Gunray recognized him as Tang Xiao.

Tang Xiao pressured Newt Gonrey into choosing whether to support his attack on Cato Neimoidia, arguing that the war was Gonrey’s only path to survival. As the Plague charged the Republic fleet, Darth Lilim realized Sefrans Tann might also be gambling on Gonrey’s decision.

• Tang Xiao revealed to Newt Gonrey that he knew Darth Sidious was Sheev Palpatine and warned that the Trade Federation would be discarded if it lost the war.
• Tang Xiao told Gonrey that his fleet’s support was essential to the attack on Cato Neimoidia and left him to choose.
• Gonrey ordered his aide arrested and thrown out, then shut down the droids aboard his warship and transferred to another ship.
• Gonrey ordered the droids aboard his former warship destroyed.
• At Cato Neimoidia, Sefrans Tann ordered the Plague to charge the Republic fleet and hold its main cannon’s fire until he gave the order.
• Darth Lilim questioned Tann’s risky plan, then suggested he was gambling on the Trade Federation fleet’s cooperation.

Sefrans Tann led the Plague in an assault on the Republic’s 7th Fleet near Cato Neimoidia, using its main cannon and new Viking fighters to inflict heavy losses. As the fleet regrouped and attacked the Plague, Nute Gunray received Darth Sidious’s order to destroy it.

• Darth Lilim teased Sefrans Tann about proposing the raid to win their master’s favor, and Tann launched 100 Vulture droid fighters at the Republic fleet.
• After the Republic’s flagship was destroyed, the Plague fired a scattershot that annihilated at least a thousand fighters and badly damaged more than ten small warships.
• The Plague launched Wraith and Viking fighters, which used stealth and Ripwave missiles to destroy three CR-70 corvettes.
• The Republic’s new commander reorganized the 7th Fleet and brought its largest ships to bear, while Sefrans Tann drove the Plague forward and waited to fire its main cannon.
• Darth Lilim took off from the Plague in a purple Elite Class Viking fighter as the Republic fleet encircled the warship.
• Darth Sidious ordered Nute Gunray to destroy the Plague, despite Gunray believing it had come to relieve the siege of Cato Neimoidia.

Nute Gunray reluctantly obeyed Darth Sidious and ordered Tokkuz’s fleet to support the Plague at Kato Neimoidia. The Trade Federation’s surprise attack disrupted the Republic’s 7th Fleet, allowing the Plague to strike its second flagship with its Hypermatter Railgun.

• Darth Sidious ordered Nute Gunray to destroy the Plague, but Gunray feared Darth Malthael and argued that the ship was essential to the Separatist forces.
• Sidious insisted that destroying the Plague would advance his plan and promised Count Dooku would not harm Gunray, so Gunray reluctantly agreed.
• Gunray ordered Tokkuz to send the Kato Neimoidia defenders to support the Plague.
• Tokkuz’s fleet attacked the Republic’s 7th Fleet from behind, destroying five Corellian gunships and damaging an Aquatens-class Light Cruiser.
• As the Republic fleet split its forces to face both attacks, Sefrans Tann ordered the Plague’s main gun to fire at the 7th Fleet’s second flagship.
• The Plague’s Hypermatter Railgun hit the Commander-class Dreadnought while its shields were weakened.

Plague destroyed the Republic 7th Fleet’s command ships and helped the Trade Federation’s Guardian Fleet overwhelm the disorganized Republic forces at Kato-Neimoidia. After the fleet’s defeat, Nute Gunray feared that Lord Sidious would kill him, but Tang Xiao assured him he was still useful.

• Plague’s overloaded main cannon shattered a Commander-class Dreadnought’s shields and blasted a massive hole through its center.
• The Guardian Fleet launched Vulture fighters and Hyena-class droid bombers, overwhelming the 7th Fleet as its command structure collapsed.
• Plague attacked with its other weapons while the Republic fleet failed to damage it, and the crippled Commander-class Dreadnought eventually broke in two.
• Nute Gunray contacted Tang Xiao and panicked over disobeying Lord Sidious’s orders.
• Tang Xiao told Nute Gunray that Lord Sidious would not kill him yet because doing so would bring him no benefit.

After the Plague Titan destroyed most of the Republic’s 7th Fleet at Kato Neimoidia, Nute Gunray sought Tang Xiao’s protection. Tang Xiao pushed him to approach Count Dooku, aiming to turn Dooku against Darth Sidious, while the chapter ended with Dooku watching the Confederacy celebrate the victory.

• Nute Gunray saw that the Plague Titan had devastated the Republic’s 7th Fleet and begged Tang Xiao to save him from Darth Sidious.
• Tang Xiao told Nute to seek out Count Dooku and reveal that Sidious had ordered him to destroy the Plague, but he had refused.
• Tang Xiao explained to Helmut Zemo that he wanted Count Dooku to break free of Sidious and that revealing Palpatine’s identity too soon would leave them facing Sidious alone.
• Tang Xiao boarded the Red Comet and flew toward Hoth Planet as a new storm gathered.
• Nute Gunray went to Serenno and confessed to Count Dooku that he had cooperated with the Plague to destroy the Republic’s 7th Fleet.
• Count Dooku activated a news broadcast celebrating the victory at Kato Neimoidia and showing the wreckage of the Republic fleet.

Count Dooku warned Nute Gunray that destroying Plague would make him a public enemy and urged him to seek Darth Sidious’s forgiveness. Sidious attacked Nute for failing to destroy Plague, but Count Dooku argued that killing him could expose Sidious’s grand plan.

• Count Dooku explained that Plague had become the Confederacy of Independent Systems’ spiritual pillar, so destroying it would turn Nute Gunray into a sinner in both the Confederacy and the Galactic Republic.
• Nute Gunray told Count Dooku that Darth Malthael had ordered him to help win the war and had threatened to kill him, while claiming he had been unprepared when Plague appeared over Cato Neimoidia.
• Count Dooku gave Nute a communicator and persuaded him to ask Darth Sidious for forgiveness.
• Darth Sidious appeared, learned that Plague had destroyed the 7th Fleet, and used the Dark Side Force to choke Nute before throwing him into a table.
• Count Dooku told Darth Sidious that killing Nute could expose his grand plan and suggested that Nute was incapable of carrying it out.

Fourth Civilization assembled a large fleet and mechanized ground force on Hoth Planet to launch a rapid assault on Terminus Planet. As Darth Malthael arrived at the base, he explained to Nute Gunray that his survival depended on the Confederacy and hinted that Count Dooku might not remain its leader.

• Fourth Civilization gathered 50,000 personnel, droids, armored vehicles, and a powerful fleet on Hoth Planet for the attack on Terminus Planet.
• Admiral Matt Horner took overall command of the operation, while Major General Xiao Guanghua commanded the ground forces; Green Beatty and Aiden Ward also joined the campaign.
• Darth Malthael arrived at Hoth Planet in the Red Comet, where Xiao Guanghua came to receive him.
• Nute Gunray complained that Count Dooku had not protected him from Darth Sidious, and Darth Malthael said Gunray had never been in real danger.
• Darth Malthael told Nute Gunray that his fate depended on the Confederacy of Independent Systems, then asked what would happen if Count Dooku were no longer its leader.

Darth Malthael secured Newt Gunray’s cooperation and prepared the Fourth Civilization’s forces to seize Terminus. That evening, a group of cloaked believers arrived at the planet’s capital, where their purpose remained unclear.

• Darth Malthael told Newt Gunray that the Separatists depended on their corporate backers and hinted that Gunray could replace Count Dooku, then spared his life.
• Xiao Guanghua reported that Admiral Matt Horner’s fleet was in position, while the troop transports were detouring after a Republic outpost detected them; Darth Malthael insisted that Terminus must be taken soon.
• Darth Malthael inspected the armed forces and supplies at the base, including a sealed warehouse bearing the Umbrella Biopharmaceutical Group emblem.
• The chapter described Terminus Planet’s neutral status, criminal networks, and covert trade, including Wilhuff Tarkin’s purchases of military supplies with Sheev Palpatine’s support.
• A starship landed near Fermos City, and its cloaked passengers headed into the city after a man warned a spaceport administrator not to interfere with the believers.

Ni Yongxiao’s altered Death Stick scheme provoked chaos on Terminus Planet, giving Dawn Star Planet a pretext to attack. The battle began with airstrikes and a clash between fleets, but hidden Terminus Planet spaceports launched Z-95 Headhunters as Matt Horner faced threats in orbit and on the planet.

• Ni Yongxiao’s Brainless Ones spread violence across Terminus Planet using altered Death Stick, while cheap Death Stick flooded the black market.
• A Dawn Star Planet inspection ship accused Terminus Planet of harboring Bando Gosa and aiding the Galactic Republic, and the riots exposed a warehouse full of Republic blaster rifles.
• Tang Xiao’s Dawn Star Planet fleet blockaded Terminus Planet, but Terminus Planet abandoned neutrality and declared it would fight alongside the Galactic Republic.
• Matt Horner ordered Vulture fighters and Hyena bombers to attack Terminus Planet’s spaceports, destroying twenty-seven before suspending the bombing when Republic warships arrived.
• Matt Horner’s fleet exchanged fire with ten Hunter Class Battlecruisers as he ordered reinforcements and prepared to land troops.
• Terminus Planet’s hidden spaceports launched large numbers of Z-95 Headhunters, leaving Matt Horner’s staff unsure whether to continue the bombing or confront the Republic fleet.

Matt Hona continued fighting the Galactic Republic fleet despite High Command's order to retreat, believing the Fourth Civilization needed Terminus Planet to open another strategic route. The Republic fleet assembled a numerical advantage and launched an assault as Matt ordered his ships to fight to the death.

• Matt Hona recognized the Republic's hidden fighters as a trap but ordered his fleet to ignore the planet and engage the Republic warships.
• Twenty Aquitenes-class light cruisers joined the battle, and Matt Hona withdrew beyond Terminus Planet's gravitational field to form a fleet battle line.
• The Fourth Civilization fleet exchanged fire with the Republic, whose forces continued arriving, including Dreadnought-class cruisers, Invincible-class battleships, and other ships.
• The assembled Republic fleet launched a fresh wave of fighters and advanced in wedge formations while Matt Hona's ships defended and the Sova-class Carriers fell back.
• Matt Hona refused High Command's order to withdraw and requested permission to continue the offensive, declaring that Terminus Planet was essential to the Fourth Civilization.
• Matt Hona ordered every ship to fight to the death, and the operations staff officer joined his declaration: "I am the Calamity!"

The Fourth Civilization reinforced its fleet and drove the Galactic Republic ships into retreat, then began landing troops on Terminus Planet. Its first three thousand soldiers established a foothold, officially beginning the ground invasion.

• Three Luukri-Hok-class battleships emerged from hyperspace, and Matt Hona ordered the Kohl-class Battlecruisers to charge their Hypermatter Railguns.
• Darth Malthael, Green Betty, and Aiden Ward joined the battle as Vulture droid fighters launched from the Luukri-Hok-class battleships.
• Matt Hona's synchronized salvo crippled two Invincible-class heavy cruisers, while the Kohl-class Battlecruisers suffered heavy damage from Republic fire.
• Fourth Civilization fighters and ships forced the Galactic Republic fleet to retreat as C-9979 transports carried troops toward Terminus Planet.
• Banshee Fighters bombed ground defenses, and the first three thousand Fourth Civilization troops landed and established positions on Terminus Planet.

The Fourth Civilization and Galactic Republic fought a costly space and ground battle over Terminus Planet as both sides rushed in reinforcements. With the Republic’s army approaching Fermos City, Glin Betty and Aiden Ward joined Major General Xiao Guanghua’s command and prepared to support the Fourth Civilization’s flanking force.

• Matt Hona directed the Fourth Civilization fleet to defend its three Luukri-Hok-class battleships as the Republic launched a second offensive, and the arrival of Garda-class ships and Martha-class heavy cruisers forced the Republic fleet to retreat to a moon.
• The Fourth Civilization advanced toward Fermos City with droids and mechs while its rapid assault force destroyed seventeen hidden Republic spaceports or supply bases.
• Republic gunships and Z-95 Headhunters attacked Fourth Civilization positions south of Fermos City, but Goliath Mechs helped repel them as the two armies began fighting on the ground.
• Glin Betty and Aiden Ward arrived at Major General Xiao Guanghua’s field command center and learned that Republic reinforcements and air raids threatened the advance.
• Glin Betty and Aiden Ward departed in their Viking fighters to assist the flanking force and try to cut off Republic Army reinforcements.

Darth Malthael and Matt Hona launched a major attack on the Republic fleet at Terminus Planet, destroying its flagship and killing its commander, but fresh Republic reinforcements arrived. On Eriadu, Wilhuff Tarkin ordered every available warship to Terminus Planet, escalating the battle further.

• Matt Hona reported that the Fourth Civilization fleet had repaired enough ships to attack, and Darth Malthael ordered his fighter loaded with Proton Torpedoes so he could strike the Republic flagship.
• Darth Malthael piloted Red Comet at extreme speed through the Republic formation while the Fourth Civilization fleet engaged the enemy.
• Matt Hona timed a Hypermatter Railgun barrage to overload the Republic flagship’s shields, allowing Darth Malthael’s Proton Torpedoes to hit its bridge and energy core.
• Darth Malthael transformed Red Comet and killed the surviving Republic commander, then escaped as Republic fire severed one of the fighter’s legs.
• Matt Hona ordered the Fourth Civilization fleet to press its attack, but five Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers and one Inquisitor-class battleship arrived as Republic reinforcements.
• Wilhuff Tarkin ordered every available Republic warship to Terminus Planet.

On the thirty-fourth day of the battle on Jabiim, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and their allies argued over how to stop Alto Stratus while the rain crippled the Republic forces. Before they could launch their planned offensive, the Jabiimi National Army attacked their camp with droids and armed Kig-Yar.

• Anakin Skywalker sent an infected Clone Trooper to seek treatment from Obri despite the soldier's concern that she was exhausted.
• Alpha-17 and Olys Gillman urged the Jedi to consider killing the rebel leadership, but Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin rejected the plan.
• Alpha-17 reported that Alto Stratus was camped at Razor Coast, and Master Selius said the Republic would have to retreat if it could not capture him there.
• The commanders prepared a final offensive, but IG-227 Hailfire droid missiles struck the Republic camp before it could begin.
• B-1 and A-series battle droids, armed Kig-Yar, OG-9 Homing Spider Droids, and IG-227 Hailfire droids attacked the Clone Troopers.

The Jabiimi National Army broke the Republic Clone Army’s defensive line after a ten-hour battle, killing Master Selius and leaving Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker missing. Alto Stratus then drove his exhausted forces toward Cobalt Camp, hoping to destroy the weakened Republic headquarters before reinforcements arrived.

• Obi-Wan Kenobi organized the Clone Troopers’ defense and ordered units to restore contact as the Jabiimi National Army and Separatist droids attacked.
• Alto Stratus led the Jabiimi National Army through a costly assault, while Kig-Yar forces fled and the Selurites fought more cautiously.
• The Jabiimi National Army broke the Republic defensive line after ten hours, and Master Selius destroyed several IG-227 Hailfire droids before Asajj Ventress killed him.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi went missing, and Anakin Skywalker lost contact with the northern-flank forces.
• Alto Stratus ordered his exhausted army to march on Cobalt Camp, while Ulu Ulix stood watch before him as the final battle approached.

Anakin Skywalker returned to find Cobalt Camp devastated and unleashed a massacre on the Separatist forces who had desecrated the dead, then rallied the surviving Republic troops. When Republic reinforcements arrived, he was ordered to evacuate and abandon Jabiim, leaving Orliss Gillmun and the remaining Jabiim soldiers furious and betrayed.

• The Jabiimi National Army overran Cobalt Camp in a bloody close-quarters battle, killing Jedi Master Laiska and many Republic defenders.
• Anakin found Elara and Master Laiska among the desecrated dead, lost control, and slaughtered the Separatist soldiers and droids scavenging the battlefield.
• Anakin rescued the retreating survivors and joined Clone Commander Alpha-17 and Orliss Gillmun, then learned that Laiska had failed to kill Alto Stratus and that Jabiim had declared independence.
• A Consular-class cruiser arrived carrying orders from Chancellor Sheev Palpatine to evacuate Anakin and the Clone Army, not to reinforce the surviving defenders.
• Gillmun protested the abandonment and ordered the Republic to leave its ship behind, but Anakin disarmed the Jabiim soldiers with the Force and boarded the cruiser.

Darth Malthael learned that the Jabiim Campaign had ended and ordered his followers to support Jabiim’s new government and reconstruction. He prepared to leave the Terminus battlefield as Matt Horner reported Republic reinforcements and a recovered Jedi Knight’s body.

• Darth Malthael learned from Ulu Ulix that the Republic had withdrawn from Jabiim and ordered him to help Alto Stratus and strengthen their presence there.
• Darth Malthael and Lucien Draay discussed the Chosen One’s fall, Darth Sidious, and Malthael’s plans for a future wife and children.
• Darth Malthael told Matt Horner he would leave the battlefield to keep his connection to Dawn Star Planet secret.
• Matt Horner reported that the Republic fleet had recovered to forty ships, including a threatening Prosecutor-class battlecruiser, and planned to seize Terminus’s moons for orbital defenses.
• The medical department informed Darth Malthael that the body of the Jedi Knight he had shot down had been recovered and taken to the medical bay.

Darth Malthael recalled how he and his allies fought off seven Jedi Knights, killing five and forcing the survivors to retreat. At the medical center, he identified one of the dead as Jedi High Council member Adi Gallia and resurrected her.

• Darth Malthael and the two Dark Followers fought seven Jedi Knights in space after Republic reinforcements arrived at Terminus Planet.
• Matt Hona drove back the Republic fleet, and Fourth Civilization warships supported Darth Malthael's dogfight.
• Darth Malthael's forces used missile bombardment to trap the Jedi fighters in radiation clouds, destroying three Delta-7 fighters and damaging the others.
• Darth Malthael destroyed another Delta-7 fighter, then killed the strongest Jedi Knight with his Lightsaber after blocking her attack with Kresh's Gauntlet.
• The surviving Jedi retreated, and Darth Malthael later recognized the dead Jedi as Master Adi Gallia.
• Darth Malthael used a Resurrection Spell of the Life Force on Adi Gallia's corpse.

Darth Malthael examined the Jedi in the body bags, resurrected a severed Jedi Master, and tortured her while trying to turn her to the Dark Side. As Adi Gallia’s Force energy surged in the next room, he expected to gain two more Dark Followers.

• Darth Malthael found that two Jedi could not be resurrected and a fourth Jedi’s Force ghost self-destructed.
• Darth Malthael resurrected the blonde Jedi Master whose body had been severed at the waist.
• The Jedi Master screamed as the Resurrection Spell made her relive the agony of her fatal injuries.
• Darth Malthael used the Force to hold her down and urged her to embrace the Dark Side, but she resisted.
• Darth Malthael ordered medical droids to inject the Jedi Master with adrenaline and sent the other Jedi Knights’ corpses away for Chlamydiae culture fluid.
• Darth Malthael watched Adi Gallia’s Force energy surge and anticipated gaining two more Dark Followers.

Darth Malthael reflected on the Fourth Civilization’s shortage of Force-sensitive allies before confronting the captured Adi Gallia. Unable to break her resolve through torture, he ordered her confined for future experiments aimed at achieving Immortality.

• Darth Malthael considered how Darth Sidious and Count Dooku held advantages in power and influence, while the Twilight Covenant remained a small training group.
• Darth Malthael entered the ruined treatment room and found Adi Gallia weakened but still defiant.
• Adi Gallia attacked Darth Malthael, but resisted his control and refused to yield despite repeated beatings and healing.
• Darth Malthael threatened to send Adi Gallia to Abola Island for experiments, and she vowed he would accomplish nothing.
• Darth Malthael ordered T-850 bodyguards to lock Adi Gallia in the dungeon, then left Siri Tachi to her torment.

Darth Malthael visited the corpse-filled prison district on Kessel, where Casal Fogg had been transformed into an Abomination using the Drayer Virus and a corrupted Kyber Crystal. He activated the Dark Side Force within the monster, revealing that the crystal had become part of its body.

• Darth Malthael arrived on Kessel, where he had imprisoned Casal Fogg and his family after massacring half the planet's surviving residents.
• Casal Fogg had been forced to choose the victims and was later transformed into an Abomination through Sith Alchemy and the Drayer Virus.
• Darth Malthael entered the prison district, which was filled with the rotting corpses of the massacre's victims.
• Darth Malthael found Casal Fogg, now a nearly three-meter-tall monster feeding on corpses, and explained the origins and dangers of the Drayer Virus.
• Darth Malthael activated the Dark Side Force, causing a red glow to shine inside Casal Fogg's body where the swallowed Kyber Crystal had become part of it.

Darth Malthael transformed Casal-Fogg into a virus-driven monster called The Enlightener and sent him toward Terminus Planet. Meanwhile, the Fourth Civilization’s fleet was trapped in an escalating war of attrition, and Matt Hona suspected Wilhuff Tarkin was behind the trap.

• Darth Malthael used the Force to move the Kyber Crystal inside Casal-Fogg and then infected him with the Drayer Virus using Murakami orchids.
• Casal-Fogg devoured the corpses of his wife and children, then grew stronger as Darth Malthael repeatedly struck him with Force lightning.
• Darth Malthael named the transformed Casal-Fogg The Enlightener and had the surviving prisoners fit him with heavy armor and inhibitor injectors.
• Darth Malthael said he had spread information about The Enlightener through the underground black markets and ordered him to accompany him to Terminus Planet.
• Matt Hona recognized the Republic’s reckless battle strategy as Wilhuff Tarkin’s and urged the Fourth Civilization commanders to break through the trap by committing more strength.

The Fourth Civilization Army launched an assault on Republic positions at the Kilin Wasteland, where both sides traded heavy artillery and air strikes. Huang Yehao’s troops charged through the defenses, but AT-XT walkers appeared as their advance came under fire.

• Major General Xiao Guanghua led 15,000 Fourth Civilization troops and droid forces in an offensive near Fermos City.
• A Banshee Fighter squadron attacked Republic artillery, and its last pilot destroyed five AV-7 self-propelled artillery pieces before crashing.
• Huang Yehao led Fourth Civilization soldiers out of M-650 Mammoth Armored Personnel Carriers and ordered them to charge the Republic positions.
• Republic fire destroyed two Vulture Vehicles and an M-650 Mammoth, forcing Fourth Civilization soldiers to take cover.
• Huang Yehao’s troops spotted AT-XT walkers in the Republic positions.

Huang Yehao’s company broke through Republic positions after he disabled an AT-XT and AAT tanks and airdropped droids joined the assault. The company withdrew to regroup, but Huang Yehao learned that the overall battle was going poorly and that Hill 1103 would be their next objective.

• Huang Yehao charged an AT-XT with a rocket launcher, disabled one walker, and was rescued when AAT tanks destroyed the remaining AT-XTs.
• AAT tanks and Mammoth vehicles drove into Republic positions while Cummings’s mortars destroyed E-WEB emplacements, forcing Clone Troopers to retreat.
• APOD-33 transports dropped B-1 and B-2 droids behind the Republic line, and Huang Yehao ordered his soldiers to advance alongside them.
• Huang Yehao’s company pushed more than three thousand meters into Republic lines before withdrawing to regroup as other Fourth Civilization units arrived.
• Huang Yehao learned that only seven locations had broken through and that his next mission, after two hours of rest, was to capture Hill 1103.