Recaps

Thrawn apologized to Dunn-Vesex for using Parlin Minor and Iron Moon as part of his strategy against Sefrans-Tann, then urged the governor to send his newly arrived reinforcements. The battle hinged on whose reinforcements arrived first, and Dunn-Vesex prepared to confront Tann’s weaker fleet near Parlin Minor.

• Dunn-Vesex accused Thrawn of risking Parlin Minor and causing six million deaths on Iron Moon, and threatened to send him before the Imperial Military Tribunal.
• Thrawn admitted his command was wrong, offered to resign, and explained that he had used the strategy to counter the Emissary Titan warship.
• Thrawn told Dunn-Vesex that Sefrans-Tann was trying to open a hyperspace passage while his forces attacked the Titan and delayed her reinforcements.
• Thrawn said the battle’s outcome depended on whose reinforcements arrived first and asked Dunn-Vesex to engage the older ships Tann had left near Parlin Minor.
• Dunn-Vesex said his fleet could defeat Tann’s remaining warships and agreed to act.

Dunn-Vesex attacked the understrength forces at Parlin-Minor while Thrawn’s fleet struggled to prevent the Archangel Titan warship from opening a hyperspace route. The battle left Sefrans-Tann’s Northern Fleet scattered across five fronts and Thrawn’s exhausted fleet fighting desperately to keep the Titan and its reinforcements at bay.

• Dunn-Vesex ordered his final Defense Fleet to attack the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sub-fleets at Parlin-Minor, and three Commander II-class Dreadnoughts opened fire.
• Sefrans-Tann ordered the Second Sub-fleet to wait for a hyperspace route and the Third Sub-fleet to return to Parlin-Minor, but unstable lanes delayed its arrival by two or three hours.
• The battered First Fleet continued to lose ships around the Archangel Titan warship despite the Titan’s reinforcements.
• Thrawn recognized that his strategy had split Sefrans-Tann’s Northern Fleet across five separate forces, leaving each battlefield short of ships.
• Thrawn committed his fleet to stopping the Archangel Titan warship, activating every Interdictor and pushing four Stalker-class Star Destroyers’ gravity well projectors to maximum output.
• The Archangel Titan warship fought Thrawn’s fleet in direct combat and electronic and hyperspace warfare as its navigation system tried to establish a stable route.

Sefrans Tann led the Archangel Titan warship against Thrawn’s fleet while planning a strike on the Imperial ships maintaining the artificial gravity wells. Thrawn prepared to counterattack, but the Archangel activated a Phenomenon Generator that weakened Imperial shields and strengthened its lasers.

• The Archangel destroyed Imperial ships while Thrawn used the Lila and rotating Star Destroyers to absorb its attacks, bringing his losses to more than fifty Imperial-class Star Destroyers and over four hundred smaller vessels.
• General Trench identified four special Imperial Star Destroyers as the sources of the gravity wells, and Sefrans Tann ordered a surprise attack on one while the remaining First Fleet ships prepared to withdraw.
• Sefrans Tann advanced toward the heavily defended left flank with two Oracle-class battleships and activated the Phenomenon Generator instead of attacking the weakly guarded right flank.
• Thrawn read Tann’s maneuver as a cautious attempt to destroy a Stalker-class Star Destroyer, ordered his fleet to encircle her, and expected Dunn Vesex’s reinforcements to arrive soon.
• The Lila reported rising cosmic radiation and increased shield energy consumption, then the Archangel fired distinct yellow lasers that destroyed a Victory II-class Star Destroyer.

Sefrans-Tann’s Archangel Titan warship tore through Thrawn’s fleet but could not hold out until the Kingdom of Dawn’s reinforcements arrived, leaving the battle a costly draw that amounted to a crushing defeat for her. Afterward, General Trench took command, confined Sefrans-Tann for her safety, and began reorganizing the Northern Territory’s defenses.

• Sefrans-Tann used the Archangel Titan warship’s Phenomenon Generator to destroy two Stalker-class Star Destroyers and inflict severe losses on Thrawn’s fleet, but the generator shut down before her reinforcements arrived.
• Thrawn’s fleet withdrew as the Second Sub-fleet reached the battlefield, while the heavily damaged Emissary was escorted back into formation and Dunn-Vesex’s fleet departed.
• Both sides suffered enormous casualties and lost many warships, and the Archangel Titan warship and Lila Super Star Destroyer required lengthy repairs.
• General Trench took command, had B-1 battle droids confine Sefrans-Tann to prevent her from harming herself, and returned to Makito to reorganize the Northern Territory’s defenses.

Thrawn returned to Parin-Minor Planet after fighting Sefrans Tann’s forces to a draw, but the Empire treated his victory as a crime. Governor Dunn Vesex’s officers stripped Thrawn of his rank and ordered him to stand trial.

• Thrawn’s battered fleet arrived at Parin-Minor Planet after its successive campaigns and its costly battle against Sefrans Tann’s superior forces.
• Rael Bentin celebrated the victory, but Thrawn warned him that trouble was coming.
• Dunn Vesex’s fleet and the Lila Super Star Destroyer met Thrawn’s returning ships in silence.
• The Lila locked its fire-control radar onto the Chimaera, and Thrawn ordered his crew to lower shields and power down their weapons and engines.
• Thrawn left the bridge, straightened his uniform in the hangar, and waited as Clone Troopers took control.
• An Imperial Navy colonel stripped Thrawn of his admiral’s rank and ordered him sent to the Northern Territory Military Court on seventeen charges.

Dunn-Vesex was celebrated for defeating Sefrans-Tann’s fleet, while Thrawn was stripped of his rank and arrested over the losses of Iron Moon and Bilbrin Planet. The chapter ended with Dunn hailed across the Empire as the Northern Territory God of War.

• An Imperial officer blamed Thrawn for Iron Moon’s destruction and Bilbrin Planet’s peril, and Thrawn urged the Empire to suppress the resistance on Bilbrin.
• Rael-Benting defended Thrawn’s authority and challenged Dunn-Vesex’s right to arrest him, but Clone Troopers beat Rael and seized Thrawn.
• The Battle of the Twin Heroes was remembered as Dunn-Vesex’s victory over Sefrans-Tann and her Titan warship.
• Imperial Center celebrated Dunn-Vesex as a hero and called him the Northern Territory God of War.

Dunn Vesex secured Imperial approval for Thrawn’s trial and Gillard Perine’s return to the Northern Territory, while the Empire celebrated Dunn as a hero. The Kingdom of Dawn also hailed Sefrans Tann’s campaign as a victory, and she returned to Dawn Star Planet to receive the baton of Fleet Admiral.

• Dunn Vesex submitted a battle report crediting himself with the victory and requested Gillard Perine’s transfer back to the Northern Territory, and the Imperial Center and Wilhuff Tarkin approved.
• Palpatine accepted Dunn’s report and ordered Thrawn transferred to the Supreme Military Court, where he would face the Northern Territory’s seventeen charges.
• The Galactic Empire publicly praised and rewarded Dunn Vesex, making him famous as the Northern Territory God of War.
• The Kingdom of Dawn reported that Sefrans Tann had captured Fondor and Bilbrin, bombarded Iron Moon, and fought Imperial fleets before withdrawing from Parlin Minor.
• Sefrans Tann returned from the Northern Territory as Trench took over command, and she was set to receive the baton of Fleet Admiral on Dawn Star Planet.

The Kingdom of Dawn and the Galactic Empire halted their major offensives after exhausting years of military reserves, while both sides used propaganda to claim success. The chapter leaves their forces preparing for another campaign as a tense standoff develops around Bilbrin Planet.

• The Kingdom of Dawn and the Galactic Empire traded propaganda claims about their victories and blamed each other for civilian deaths and military defeats.
• Gillard Perine returned to the Northern Territory, held Parin-Minor and Bilbrin Planet, and committed more ground troops to suppress Bentiras San-Skar's guerrillas.
• The Kingdom of Dawn retook Ord Mantell Planet, abandoned Ithor Planet, and began building a Stargate near Ord Mantell.
• The Chiss territory sent its first fleet to Ansion Planet and began supplying commanders and advisers to the Malarian Alliance.
• The Malarian Alliance began constructing a Stargate between Ansion Planet and the Chiss territory, while its fleet prepared to station on Dorin Planet.
• General Trench sent part of his fleet to Bilbrin Planet, where both sides fought to supply their ground forces and harass enemy transports.

Both the Kingdom of Dawn and the Galactic Empire halted their offensives across several fronts as they consolidated their positions and weighed their resources. The chapter leaves the Eastern Territory locked in a stalemate, with General Grievous relying on guerrilla warfare until more planets join the fight.

• Major General Bentilas San Skar dispersed his 2.4 million troops among underground bases on Bilbrin Planet and planned to wear down Major General Vos Parker's Imperial forces through guerrilla attacks.
• General Trench kept the Northern Territory in a defensive posture while the Kingdom of Dawn waited for the Archangel Titan to finish repairs.
• Army General Ling Liang held Fondor Planet as Darth Vader stabilized his defenses, while The Givin and the Vaxians prepared to reinforce and move Yag'Dhul Planet.
• Sefrans Tann drove Imperial forces from the Southern Territory, and the Kingdom of Dawn made Tatooine a permanently free port while General C continued fighting the Thirteenth Army.
• General Grievous fought the larger Imperial Twelfth Army in the Eastern Territory and waited for The Givin and former Confederacy planets to commit to war.

The chapter explained why General Grievous could only wage guerrilla war against the Galactic Empire, as Oruba-Goresla’s support for the conflict was opposed by the other powerful Hutt families. It then described the chaos in the Mandalore star sector, where autonomous systems, pirates, and Mandalore’s declaration of autonomy destabilized the region.

• General Grievous avoided aggressive moves after the fighting on the Northern Territory and Fondor Planet fronts subsided, while he served as a military advisor on the Eastern Territory front.
• Oruba-Goresla rebuilt the Hutt Grand Council as an advisory Elder Council, but the Goresla Family retained decision-making power as the Besadi and Desilijic families dwindled.
• Marlo-Kunnarac and Zieta-Anjiliac opposed war with the Galactic Empire and warned Oruba-Goresla against forcing the proposal through the Elder Council.
• Oruba-Goresla assembled a volunteer fleet under the banner of protecting Hutt commercial interests and handed it to General Grievous, leaving the Goresla Family as his campaign’s only backer.
• The Mandalore star sector remained chaotic, with thousands of systems demanding autonomy while still seeking aid from the Galactic Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn.
• Mandalore ended its former division and declared autonomy as pirates operated across the sector’s complicated hyperspace routes.

Gal Saxon unified Mandalore and won recognition from both the Galactic Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn, while each power tried to secure influence over his government. Bo-Katan Kryze and Jango Fett refused to oppose him, and Mandalore’s growing cooperation with the Empire left the sector appearing to drift closer to it.

• Gal Saxon united Mandalore, proclaimed himself Grand Duke, and reignited Mandalorian national consciousness.
• The Galactic Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn recognized Gal Saxon and funded Mandalore’s reconstruction because neither could rule the sector directly.
• The Galactic Empire cultivated warlords under Gal Saxon, while the Kingdom of Dawn continued trying to enlist Bo-Katan Kryze against him.
• Bo-Katan Kryze rejected the Kingdom of Dawn’s proposal, and Jango Fett supported her refusal to undermine Gal Saxon.
• Gal Saxon signed mutual aid and commercial agreements with both powers, but the Empire offered deeper cooperation than the Kingdom of Dawn.

Matt Horner returned to command the Kingdom of Dawn’s Navy and confronted the kingdom’s military and economic crisis after Operation Zero failed. He visited the defeated Sefrans Tann in prison and ordered her to write a detailed battle report if she wanted a chance to see Tang Xiao.

• On Sui Planet, Matt Horner told Mira Han he had accepted a return to service because he wanted to understand war and prevent deaths, and he departed for the Kingdom of Dawn.
• Sefrans Tann returned to Dawn Star Planet and was appointed Fleet Admiral, then disappeared from public view.
• The Kingdom of Dawn announced Matt Horner’s reinstatement as Commander of the Navy while the war with the Galactic Empire raged across several fronts.
• Matt Horner assessed the damaged fleet, the failed Operation Zero, and worsening domestic tensions, then met with Daphne Clement and Harry Seldon to discuss new economic and war policies.
• Matt Horner visited Sefrans Tann in the palace dungeon and gave her a month to prepare a detailed battle report, threatening to deny her a chance to see Tang Xiao if she failed.
• Sefrans Tann hesitated, then took the holographic projector Matt Horner had thrown into her cell.

Matt Hona and Qi Jian discussed Sefrans Tann’s defeat by Thrawn and considered a new strategy against the Galactic Empire. At Fondor Planet, the Kingdom of Dawn struggled to control the world after Alexia Ashford claimed it and transformed it with the T-Veronica Virus, while Tang Xiao remained missing.

• Matt Hona and Qi Jian discussed how Tang Xiao had driven Sefrans Tann to challenge Thrawn, and how Thrawn defeated her with an improvised hyperspace ambush called Thrawn’s Pincer.
• Matt Hona said Operation Zero had failed and hinted that he and Hari Seldon were developing a new plan for a swift campaign against the Galactic Empire.
• Qi Jian and Matt Hona discussed Ander Viking’s exceptional talent, while Matt Hona objected that he was still too young to take part in the war.
• Alexia Ashford occupied Fondor Planet with her T-Veronica brood nest, infecting most of its population and producing billions of mutant creatures that overwhelmed the planet’s battle droids.
• Daphne Clement asked Alexia Ashford to stop the virus from destroying Fondor Planet’s industrial capacity, but Alexia refused to discuss a solution without Tang Xiao.
• The Kingdom of Dawn failed to locate Tang Xiao, and Alexia Ashford said Fondor Planet would remain as it was while he was absent.

The Kingdom of Dawn accepted Alexia Ashford’s control of Fondor Planet and reorganized its forces around the captured industrial world. As Darth Lilim closed in on the starving Hydra, Alexia ambushed Hydra and claimed her as a test subject.

• The Kingdom of Dawn High Command decided to preserve Alexia Ashford’s position on Fondor Planet and use its robots and transformed engineers for industrial production.
• Fondor Planet began manufacturing Stargate components, while the core was secretly built on Planet Kaal and the Stargate was scheduled for completion in January 9BBY.
• On April 7, 10BBY, Matt Horner reorganized the military into Northern and Southern Theaters, placed Ling Liang over the Southern Theater and Trench over the Northern Theater, and ordered the Malarian Alliance into the war effort.
• Darth Lilim pursued the exhausted Hydra through Fondor Planet’s metal storage area, where Hydra made a desperate attack but was impaled by a mutated vine.
• Alexia Ashford captured the unconscious Hydra as a test subject, prompting Darth Lilim to claim that Hydra belonged to her.

Tang Xiao returned to Mortis and persuaded the dying Father to give him a key to the Son’s resting place, intending to become the Son and kill Darth Sidious. The Daughter agreed to accompany him as they flew toward the Land of the Everlasting Sleep.

• Tang Xiao found Mortis collapsing and learned from the Daughter that Father was nearing death.
• The Daughter brought Tang Xiao to the monastery, where Father’s weakened power barred their entrance.
• Tang Xiao told Father that killing Darth Sidious and becoming the Son was the only way to restore balance to the Force.
• Father warned that the Dark Side would corrupt Tang Xiao, but gave him a heavy stone key after Tang Xiao said the Daughter could stop him if he lost control.
• Tang Xiao convinced the Daughter to accompany him, and they flew toward the Land of the Everlasting Sleep.

Tang Xiao returned to Mortis and tried to use Death Force to resurrect the Son, hoping to claim the power that could help him oppose Darth Sidious. After touching the Son, he was struck by immense power and information as the Daughter waited outside with the Dagger of Mortis, prepared to intervene.

• Tang Xiao asked the Daughter about Olegar and learned that she believed he belonged neither to the Milky Way Galaxy nor possibly to their universe.
• The Daughter opened the tomb building with the key, and Tang Xiao found the Son's body inside.
• Tang Xiao revealed to Lucien Draay that he intended to resurrect the Son and take his power, while Lucien warned him about the danger of the Son's lingering consciousness.
• Tang Xiao touched the Son's forehead and was hit by an overwhelming surge of power and information.
• The Daughter sensed terrifying Dark Side Force pouring from the building and gripped the Dagger of Mortis, ready to rush inside.

On Mortis, Tang Xiao survived his attempt to control the Son’s power and left with the Son’s body as the planet collapsed, while the Daughter agreed to go with him. The story then shifted to the Ayrou homeworld, where a priest reported that the messenger of the Great Bird Spirit God had arrived.

• The Daughter explained that the Father’s death left the Force’s future in the hands of life across the galaxy, and the Son warned that the powerful would dominate amid the ongoing war.
• The Son’s pain drove him to reunite with Tang Xiao, who insisted that controlling the power could bring him immortality and help him kill Darth Sidious.
• Tang Xiao carried the Son’s body to the ruined monastery as Mortis collapsed, and the Daughter agreed to accompany him despite warning that his solution did nothing for the balance of the Force.
• The narrative described how the Ayrou built an empire from Maya-Kovel Planet, enslaved other species, and later lost their dominance to Dawn Star Planet and the Fourth Civilization.
• A priest entered the Planetary Governor’s office in Maya City and announced that the messenger of the Great Bird Spirit God had descended.

Rubeck and the High Priest discovered that the Great Bird Spirit God's statue was transmitting a clear message and plans for a cloning chamber, so Rubeck agreed to try building it. Meanwhile, Tang Xiao and his hostile “daughter” appeared in the royal palace, where he summoned Adele and said he wanted a third son.

• The High Priest told Rubeck that the Great Bird Spirit God had ordered the Ayrou to help complete a warship.
• Rubeck went to the temple altar and saw the statue transmitting a clear message that included a large set of data.
• The High Priest said the data described a cloning chamber built inside a warship, and Rubeck agreed to try manufacturing it.
• Tang Xiao and his “daughter” appeared in his office, splitting his desk in two during their arrival.
• Tang Xiao summoned Adele and told her he wanted a third son.

Tang Xiao returned from Mortis and secured the “son’s” corpse in a stasis chamber while the “daughter” remained at the capital. After reviewing the Fourth Civilization’s military setbacks, he prepared to convene the Supreme Military Council and decide Sefrans Tann’s fate.

• The “daughter” watched Tang Xiao and Adele-Ulan, then left to meditate atop the Civilization Monument after Tang Xiao asked her to go elsewhere.
• Judgment delivered a stasis chamber, warned Tang Xiao that the “daughter” posed a grave threat, and reported that Olegar had behaved obediently while showing interest in Mandalore.
• Tang Xiao placed the “son’s” corpse in the stasis chamber and ordered Judgment to work with Peggy Carter and the National Security Bureau to eliminate internal threats.
• Tang Xiao reviewed reports of defeats at Arkania Planet and the Battle of the Twin Heroes, as well as Operation Zero being halted, then summoned Qi Jian.
• Qi Jian reported that Sefrans Tann had been stripped of her military positions and imprisoned after her disastrous defeat; Tang Xiao vowed she would regret her failure.

Tang Xiao's government committed the Kingdom of Dawn to further wartime mobilization and planned Operation One, while Daphne Clement presented Hari Seldon's economic reform to address the worsening domestic crisis. The reform proposed redefining the Kingdom's currency around rare substances extracted by Matter Unloaders from neutron stars.

• Tang Xiao's military conference approved more war taxes and bonds, expanded military recruitment and production, encouraged private fleets, and ordered all fronts to take a defensive posture.
• Tang Xiao assigned Marshal Matt Horner to refine Operation One, which aimed to destroy Death Squadron, the Empire's Northern Fleet, and its 12th Army in the Eastern Territory.
• Daphne Clement introduced the Hari Seldon Reform as unemployment, fiscal strain, food disputes, and rebellions threatened to deepen the Kingdom of Dawn's economic crisis.
• Hari Seldon proposed replacing the Kingdom's failing currency system with one founded on rare neutron matter extracted by Matter Unloaders.

Hari Seldon established Neutron Steel, an armor material made from neutron-star matter, as the backing for the Kingdom of Dawn's new currency. The plan relied on the military guaranteeing exchanges and on the Kingdom's expanding warship program to sustain demand.

• The InterGalactic Banking Clan (M) blockaded the Mensua Nebula while smelting ships began extracting neutron-star matter from the Matter Unloader.
• Arroyo Barlow and his engineering team examined the material and developed Neutron Steel, a new warship armor stronger than Durasteel.
• Hari Seldon proposed backing the new currency with Neutron Steel, redeemable at exchange points and accepted by Kingdom of Dawn warship component factories.
• The Kingdom of Dawn military agreed to guarantee the currency, while the Central Bank planned electronic credit currency and limited physical Neutron Steel coins.
• The Supreme Military Command estimated the Kingdom would need at least 100,000 capital ships to secure the galaxy, creating sustained demand for Neutron Steel.

Hari Seldon’s currency reform backed Kingdom of Dawn Currency Number Four with Neutron Steel and cut the Kingdom’s financial and trade ties to the Galactic Empire. Tang Xiao then turned to the threat posed by Grand Admiral Thrawn and concluded that Sefrans Tann could not defeat him.

• The Kingdom of Dawn established Neutron Steel reserves and issued individually coded ingots as the backing for Currency Number Four.
• The Kingdom of Dawn announced it would stop holding Galactic Empire credits, require foreign trade to use Currency Number Four, and stop recognizing Imperial credits after one year.
• The Kingdom of Dawn imposed high tariffs on Galactic Empire products, while the currency split threatened to force Rebel Alliance organizations to choose which side to support.
• Tang Xiao considered Grand Admiral Thrawn the Kingdom of Dawn’s nearly insurmountable military obstacle.
• Tang Xiao judged Sefrans Tann incapable of defeating Thrawn because her arrogance and emotional reactions left her vulnerable to her enemies.

Tang Xiao judged Sefrans Tann's command abilities and concluded that her failures and fear of Thrawn had shattered her confidence. He tortured her for three days, then ordered her to resume serving him and conquer the galaxy, leaving her terrified but fanatically devoted.

• Tang Xiao reviewed Sefrans Tann's past defeats and concluded that her reputation as an invincible commander had begun to fade.
• Tang Xiao entered Tann's cell and tortured her with a lightning whip for three days, preventing her from fainting or dying.
• Tann awoke in Tang Xiao's bedroom, and he reminded her that she belonged to him and would suffer for any further failures.
• Tang Xiao told Tann he would forgive her defeat by Thrawn but demanded that she conquer the Milky Way Galaxy for him.
• Tang Xiao kissed Tann roughly, and the terror in her eyes gave way to fanaticism.

On Bothawui’s independence anniversary, the Bosa’s break from the Galactic Empire stood amid a wave of uprisings and planetary autonomy declarations across the galaxy. The Rebel Alliance emerged as a force capable of eluding both the Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn, though how it wielded that power remained unknown.

• The Bosa used the Empire’s war against the Trade Federation to establish an independence administration on Bothawui and later sever ties with Imperial rule.
• Bothawui publicly declared independence and neutrality, prompting the Galactic Empire to send ten Imperial-class Star Destroyers that vanished without a trace.
• Palpatine sent Inquisitorius judges to investigate Bothawui, but uprisings had already spread across thousands of Outer Rim systems.
• More than two hundred planets within the Kingdom of Dawn also responded to the Declaration of Freedom and asserted autonomy.
• The Rebel Alliance’s operatives evaded the Kingdom of Dawn’s intervention fleet, demonstrating their ability to affect both major powers.

The “Declaration of Freedom” ignited uprisings across the galaxy, challenging the authority of the Galactic Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn. Both governments struggled to contain the movement, which was supported by Rebel Alliance infiltration and growing military capabilities.

• The “Declaration of Freedom” called for planetary autonomy and blamed Tang Xiao and Palpatine for dragging planets into war.
• The Galactic Empire and the Kingdom of Dawn dispatched fleets, arrested propagandists, and launched campaigns against the declaration, but their efforts achieved little.
• A Rebel Alliance trap destroyed or captured an Imperial fleet, while a leak allowed liberals to evade the Kingdom of Dawn fleet.
• Uprisings, strikes, sabotage, and attacks spread across the galaxy, and evidence suggested that the Rebel Alliance had infiltrated both governments and could produce large warships.
• On April 17, 10BBY, a Kingdom of Dawn transport fleet carrying rare metals was hijacked after its escort commander contacted Rebel Alliance operatives.
• The Galactic Empire's Aldhani vault was robbed of more than a billion in hard-currency credit ingots.