Chapter Summaries

Darth Vader launched a costly assault on Kato Neimoidia, opening a brief breach in the planetary shield so Clone Force 99 and other special operations units could land. The chapter ended with Hunter organizing the survivors and sending the units to their separate missions.

• Darth Vader waited until two hundred special operations units, including Troop 99, had deployed before ordering the Imperial fleet to attack.
• The Trade Federation unleashed its orbital defenses and hidden warships, but Darth Vader concentrated Imperial fire on one point and opened a breach in the planetary shield at the cost of more than twenty capital ships.
• An Acclamator-class assault ship and ten Victory II-class Star Destroyers entered the atmosphere, and the assault ship launched its Orbital Drop pods before being destroyed.
• Hunter led Clone Force 99 out of the pods, ordered Crosshair to establish a sniper position, and counted the nine members of his squad.
• Hunter identified the other survivors as members of Special Operations Squads 118 and 47, told them to reorganize if needed, and ordered all units to prioritize survival and carry out their missions.

Clone Force 99 escaped through Kato Neimoidia’s jungle while Tech hacked the Trade Federation’s communications from the doomed Acclamator-class assault ship. The ship crashed after the Nox completed the transmission, and Tech mourned the soldier who stayed aboard to help him.

• Tech warned Troop 99 to take cover as Vulture droid fighters swept toward the orbital drop site.
• Tech tried to hack the Trade Federation’s military channel while the Nox continued transmitting data from the Acclamator-class assault ship.
• Hunter ordered Troop 99 to run as Valkyrie-class frigates struck the Acclamator with H.A.L.O. cluster missiles.
• Tech urged the Nox to escape, but she stayed aboard until the progress bar reached 100% and the ship’s reactor exploded.
• Tech received the Trade Federation’s communications and learned the enemy planned to attack a factory.
• Hunter and Crosshair comforted Tech as he grieved that the Nox had followed orders instead of saving herself.

The Bad Batch changed plans on Kato-Neimoidia after learning the Trade Federation was importing a mysterious shipment, while Darth Vader investigated how the Federation obtained large quantities of weapons. Crosshair discovered that the shipment included Scorpion Annihilator Droids.

• Tech reported that the Trade Federation had eliminated at least seventy-six Imperial squads, and Hunter argued that attacking the orbital defense cannon would be nearly suicidal.
• Hunter persuaded the squad to leave the drop zone and investigate the coded shipment called “Christmas Present,” despite Crosshair insisting they follow General Vader’s orders.
• Darth Vader learned that the Trade Federation’s weapons might be Separatist-era arms smuggled through the Empire’s black market and ordered an investigation through the Hutt.
• Crosshair spotted a concealed transfer station unloading cargo and recognized three combat robots as Scorpion Annihilator Droids.

Hunter's squad discovered that the Trade Federation was receiving equipment and military advice from Titan Security Company while investigating its forces on Kato-Neimoidia. On Dawn Star Planet, Tang Xiao refused to send troops to aid Nute Gunray but offered guarantees and other support in exchange for the Trade Federation's cooperation.

• Crosshair spotted activated Scorpion Annihilator Droids and Titan Security Company mercenaries unloading supplies for the Trade Federation, and Hunter ordered the squad to avoid the droids and investigate who had sent them.
• Tech reported that the Trade Federation had 170 confirmed legions on Kato-Neimoidia, while the squad discussed the danger of attacking Bridge City and Tech focused on finding a lead connected to a “Christmas present.”
• Tang Xiao told Nute Gunray that the Duchy of Dawn would not send troops and reminded him that the Trade Federation had already received the maximum aid he was willing to provide.
• Tang Xiao gave Nute Gunray a document guaranteeing the Trade Federation's position in listed Wealth Worlds, industrial worlds, and client worlds when the Duchy's fleet entered the Core Worlds.
• Tang Xiao cited financial assistance, warship technology, a new headquarters on Makito, and permission for Neimoidians to transit through Rendili as benefits, then asked what he expected in return.

Tang Xiao forced Nute Gunray to sign over the Trade Federation to the Duchy of Dawn, setting off a political and economic confrontation with the Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, Hunter and the Bad Batch attacked a Titan Security Company supply train on Kato-Neimoidia and destroyed it before withdrawing.

• Tang Xiao told Nute Gunray that the Trade Federation would be brought under state control, and Gunray signed the nationalization agreement.
• On October 24, 12 BBY, the Trade Federation announced its relocation to Makito and accepted the Duchy of Dawn's controlling 51% stake.
• The Duchy of Dawn declared that it would protect the wealth stored on the Wealth Worlds, prompting the Galactic Empire to threaten it and impose trade sanctions.
• The Duchy of Dawn answered the Empire's sanctions with equivalent measures as the dispute escalated.
• On Kato-Neimoidia, Hunter and the Bad Batch fought Titan Security Company forces and destroyed a supply train with planted bombs.

Clone Battalion 99 escaped after sabotaging another Trade Federation shipment on Kato-Neimoidia and sought to uncover who was supplying the weapons. On Tatooine, a heavily guarded Goresla Family base held vast stocks of weapons and vehicles for shipment to the Trade Federation.

• Clone Battalion 99 vanished into Kato-Neimoidia’s jungle after its attack destroyed much of a shipment and droids pursuing salvage.
• Tech intercepted a transmission showing that the Trade Federation wanted more weapons and that a contact would soon arrive on Kato-Neimoidia.
• Hunter ordered Tech to learn the details of the operation and identify who was secretly supplying weapons to the Trade Federation.
• On Tatooine, the Goresla Family controlled a guarded base near Mos Espa Port, with Titan Security Company fighters and droids protecting it.
• B-1 battle droids loaded the base’s enormous stockpile of weapons and military vehicles into cargo containers for transport.

Yuri Orlov prepared a weapons shipment for the Trade Federation while worrying that its ties to the Duchy of Dawn would expose him to the Galactic Empire. Tang Xiao defended taking control of the Trade Federation as a way to delay the Empire until Operation Zero was complete.

• Yuri Orlov’s B-1 Battle Droid damaged blaster rifles while loading them, and Yuri shot the droid and ordered the loss recorded as routine.
• Yuri learned that Nute Gunray wanted more weapons and Scorpion Annihilator Droids, and he agreed to seek black-market weapons from Crimson Dawn before returning to Dawn Star Planet.
• Yuri’s assistant warned that the Trade Federation’s declaration tying it to the Duchy of Dawn made Yuri’s shipments riskier, and Yuri ordered the new hyperspace route tested quickly.
• Qi Jian warned Tang Xiao that taking control of the Trade Federation risked a confrontation with the Galactic Empire.
• Tang Xiao said the Trade Federation would buy time for Operation Zero and ordered Ling Liang to continue military exercises on Eriadu to distract the Empire.

The Galactic Empire isolated the Trade Federation through military pressure, propaganda, and the seizure of its assets, while resistance movements across the galaxy grew more organized. On Kato Neimoidia, Darth Vader’s surviving special-operation troops gathered intelligence and weakened defenses, bringing him closer to launching a general offensive.

• The Galactic Empire restored routes to isolated Outer Rim worlds and violently suppressed the uprisings there, while rebels went underground and began organizing across the galaxy.
• Major corporations accepted the Empire’s assurances and divided up Trade Federation assets, including Vulpter and Arakyd Industries.
• The Galactic Empire and the Duchy of Dawn staged military exercises against each other, but neither sent forces to fight directly over the Trade Federation.
• The Galactic Empire blamed the Trade Federation for high prices and created the Public Transportation Department, leaving the Federation isolated.
• Darth Vader sent more than two hundred elite units, including Clone Force 99, on Orbital Drops onto Kato Neimoidia to sabotage the planet’s defenses.
• Surviving troops destroyed key facilities and gathered extensive intelligence, while reinforcements strengthened Darth Vader’s fleet and prompted him to consider a general offensive.

The Empire’s special forces crippled the Trade Federation’s orbital defenses on Kato-Neimoidia, allowing Darth Vader’s fleet to breach the defensive line and besiege the planet’s shield. Meanwhile, the Arden Lin squad tracked the mysterious arms dealer Santa Claus to Tatooine.

• Tech reported that the Trade Federation planned a major arms deal with a mysterious seller called Santa Claus, and Hunter sent the intelligence to Imperial Intelligence rather than risk attacking the shipment.
• Hunter received Squad 197’s plan to disable the Trade Federation’s aerospace command center and joined the operation despite the risk to the special forces campaign.
• On January 16, the special operations forces destroyed the command center’s power systems and communications antenna, and Darth Vader ordered the Imperial fleet to attack.
• With the orbital defenses unable to coordinate, Darth Vader’s fleet defeated the installations one by one and breached Kato-Neimoidia’s orbital defensive line on February 7.
• The Arden Lin squad landed on Tatooine and reported that they had located Santa Claus’s trail and were tracking him.

Arden Lyn and her disciples attacked Yuri Orlov’s loading base to arrest him for illegally supplying the Trade Federation, while his guards and droids failed to stop them. Arden captured Yuri after destroying his escape ship, but an unseen shooter revealed that someone had ordered him killed rather than taken alive.

• Yuri Orlov hired ships to transport military supplies to Kato-Neimoidia, then tried to escape when Imperial Inquisitors attacked his base.
• Arden Lyn, Hora, and Sok stormed the base, while Jing Fang took out the Ghost Agent snipers.
• Assistant Jones attacked Arden with a Scorpion tank, but Arden stopped its shell with the Force and killed Jones by smashing the tank’s cockpit.
• Arden destroyed Yuri’s escape ship, killed the Ghost Agent guarding him, and arrested Yuri for his crimes.
• Arden blocked a bullet fired at Yuri, and Jing Fang confronted another Ghost Agent who had stayed hidden to prevent Yuri from being captured alive.

Jing Fang and Arden Lyn killed Ghost Agents and found Yuri Orlov dead after he poisoned himself, but his final weapons shipment escaped. Tang Xiao learned that Arden Lyn had tracked Yuri down and suspected the Trade Federation’s disorder had exposed his location.

• Jing Fang killed the Ghost Agent, while Arden Lyn told Yuri Orlov that Tang Xiao had ordered his death if the mission went badly.
• Yuri Orlov recalled his early journey with Tang Xiao, then died after smoking a poisoned cigar and pointed Arden Lyn toward the departing ships carrying his final weapons shipment.
• Arden Lyn, Jing Fang, Hora, and Sok regrouped; Arden Lyn declared their mission complete and ordered the recovery of Santa Claus's corpse and the Ghost Agents' bodies.
• Salatan Morse informed Tang Xiao that Arden Lyn had found and attacked Yuri Orlov's base, and Tang Xiao angrily questioned how she had tracked him down.
• Salatan Morse suggested that intelligence may have been intercepted amid the chaos on Kato Neimoidia, where Darth Vader's sabotage operations had disrupted supply lines.

Tang Xiao grieved Yuri Orlov’s death and vowed to avenge him, while Vitaly Orlov left Mandalore to preserve his brother’s supply network. Bo-Katan Kryze continued preparing the Night Owls for Mandalore’s coming conflict.

• Tang Xiao recalled Yuri Orlov’s contributions to the Fourth Civilization and vowed that Ardan Lyn would pay for his death.
• Vitaly Orlov learned that Yuri had been killed by the Galactic Empire and mourned his brother.
• Vitaly told Bo-Katan Kryze he would leave Mandalore to protect the weapons supply line Yuri had maintained, though he would not become an arms dealer.
• Bo-Katan agreed to Vitaly’s departure and reaffirmed the Night Owls’ policy of secretly building strength while staying out of the struggle between the Restoration Army and Pre Vizsla.

Mandalore edged toward civil war as Bo-Katan Kryze secretly built her strength, Jango Fett returned with the Mandalorian Restoration Army, and Pre Vizsla prepared to defend his rule. Vitaly Orlov left for Nashadda to seek Yuri Orlov’s legacy, while an officer reported Mandalore’s crisis to Master Windu at Tangrene.

• Vitaly Orlov appeared before Bo-Katan Kryze, analyzed Pre Vizsla’s rule, and advised her to build her forces and wait for the hidden enemy to act.
• Jango Fett returned to Mandalore with more than twenty True Mandalorian warriors and an unnamed warrior in Unit 117 armor, then declared the Mandalorian Restoration Army.
• Pre Vizsla branded Jango Fett a traitor and hid on Concordia, while Bo-Katan secretly resisted his orders and Mandalore neared anarchy.
• Vitaly Orlov departed for Nashadda to search for Yuri Orlov’s legacy and prepare to help Mandalore face civil war.
• At Tangrene, an officer told Master Windu that Mandalore was probably on the brink of civil war.

Mace Windu and the Blood Knights debated whether to intervene as Pre Vizsla prepared for a purge on Mandalore, but they chose to wait and keep tracking Sefrans Tann. Ki-Adi-Mundi then told Windu that someone named Olegar was looking for him.

• An officer told Mace Windu that Pre Vizsla had gathered more than three million soldiers on Concordia and appeared to be preparing a worldwide purge.
• The Blood Knights argued over intervening in Mandalore, noting that Sefrans Tann's supercarriers were elsewhere but warning that her fleet remained dangerous.
• The Blood Knights discussed finding a Mandalorian proxy, considering Bo-Katan Kryze and Satine Kryze, and learned that someone besides the Rebel Alliance was backing Pre Vizsla.
• Mace Windu ordered the Blood Knights not to intervene yet and to continue gathering intelligence on Sefrans Tann without acting rashly.
• Ki-Adi-Mundi reported that the Rebel Alliance denied involvement in Mandalore's internal affairs and said someone named Olegar was looking for Mace Windu.

Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi discussed Olegar, who had come at Tang Xiao’s request, before the chapter traced how the Clone Wars and the Jedi Order’s military role damaged its standing. The chapter ended as Sheev Palpatine’s decree allowing Orbital Bombardment with a Jedi commander’s signature began splitting the Jedi Order.

• Mace Windu questioned Ki-Adi-Mundi about the unfamiliar Olegar, who had come seeking help at Tang Xiao’s request.
• Ki-Adi-Mundi’s prestige and political connections made him the Blood Samurai’s second-in-command and its main contact with the Rebel Alliance.
• Sheev Palpatine established the Grand Army of the Republic under the Military Creation Act and placed Jedi Knights in command of its forces.
• The Jedi Order’s battlefield losses and responsibility for wartime destruction brought criticism and tied the Jedi to political and military affairs.
• Sheev Palpatine permitted Orbital Bombardment if a Jedi Knight Commander signed off, pushing the Jedi Order toward a schism.

The Jedi Order split over the use of Orbital Bombardment and the revelation that Sheev Palpatine was Darth Sidious, leading Mace Windu to found the Blood Samurai. Years later, Windu grew wary when an Alliance contact told him that Olegar had come at Tang Xiao’s request, since he still wanted revenge on Tang Xiao.

• Jedi Knights divided over whether victory justified Orbital Bombardment, while Mace Windu backed the extremists after his injuries and Yoda’s withdrawal from the war.
• After learning that Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was Darth Sidious, Mace Windu led the Second Systems Army and extremist Jedi Knights toward the Mandalore star sector to build a base against him.
• Sefrans Tann defeated Windu’s fleet, and Order 66 later devastated the Jedi Order; surviving Jedi regrouped as the New Jedi Order while Windu’s followers became the Blood Samurai.
• The Blood Samurai secretly cooperated with surviving Separatist forces and supported resistance movements through assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and terrorist attacks.
• Mace Windu became vigilant after an Alliance contact reported that Olegar had come to meet him at Tang Xiao’s request, and he suspected he might have been exposed.

Mace Windu agreed to meet Tang Xiao’s mysterious contact, Olegar, after learning the message concerned Haruun Kal. Aboard Olegar’s warship, Windu encountered the terrifying Protoss and demanded to know his purpose.

• Ki-Adi-Mundi told Mace Windu that Tang Xiao’s message concerned Haruun Kal, prompting Windu to agree to meet the sender.
• Mace Windu traveled to the Yavin System and met Olegar aboard a Deceiver-class destroyer.
• Mace Windu sensed Olegar’s immense Force power and noticed the diverse crew working together under what he suspected was mind control.
• Olegar revealed himself as a Protoss and the Soul of Vengeance, then asked whether Windu was a Son of Haruun Kal.
• Mace Windu confirmed he had been born on Haruun Kal and demanded that Olegar state his purpose.

Mace Windu endured a vision of Haruun Kal's Dreamscape and decided to travel to the planet, hoping to rescue Luna Dream and Luna Illusion. Meanwhile, unrest on Mandalore continued to worsen as Jango Fett's forces captured cities, leaving Pre Vizsla with war as his only option.

• Mace Windu told Ki-Adi-Mundi that Olegar was an immensely powerful Protoss who had mind-controlled the crew of his ship.
• Mace Windu experienced a nightmare of Haruun Kal's Dreamscape, but used Shatterpoint and his Lightsaber to break the illusion.
• Ki-Adi-Mundi told Mace Windu that his meditation had lasted two days and that Olegar had already left.
• Mace Windu ordered a ship prepared for Haruun Kal and asked Ki-Adi-Mundi to contact Shaak Ti about Luna Dream and Luna Illusion.
• Mace Windu ordered the Blood Knights to hold off on acting in Mandalore until its civil war began.
• Jango Fett's Mandalorian Restoration Army captured cities as opposition to Pre Vizsla grew, forcing Pre Vizsla toward war.

Pre Vizsla imposed martial law, declared the Kryze family traitors, and proclaimed himself True Mandalor as Mandalore’s people resisted his rule. After a day of demonstrations, Death Watch and public security forces opened fire on the crowds and sealed the cities, leaving the civilian population under a lethal crackdown.

• On January 29, 11 BBY, Pre Vizsla imposed martial law, confiscated weapons and property, rationed supplies, and ordered residents into compulsory labor.
• Bo-Katan Kryze disavowed Pre Vizsla’s order, resigned as Grand Duke, and escaped after Death Watch fought the Night Owls sent to arrest her.
• Pre Vizsla denounced the Kryze family, ordered a manhunt for Bo-Katan Kryze and Satine Kryze, and proclaimed himself True Mandalor, with a coronation planned for February 30.
• Pre Vizsla demanded that residents return home and demonstrate support for his New Deal, prompting mass protests while public security forces stood aside.
• After the deadline passed, Death Watch and public security forces attacked demonstrators with gunfire, while soldiers barricaded streets and threatened to execute anyone outside.

Jango Fett and the True Mandalorians fought Death Watch and Mandalore's Public Security Department forces while John-117 sabotaged their corvette from within. After the corvette crashed and Pre Vizsla's fighter squadron approached, Jango, Resoth, and John-117 escaped into a valley.

• Jango Fett and the True Mandalorians attacked Public Security Department soldiers, but a corvette arrived and bombarded them.
• Jango Fett ordered the warriors to launch rockets at the corvette, but its shields held as Death Watch warriors joined the fight.
• A Z-95 Headhunter bought by Pre Vizsla crashed into the corvette's engine exhaust, and John-117 boarded the damaged ship.
• Jango Fett killed a Death Watch warrior in close combat, while Resoth broke another warrior's elbow and shot through his armor joint.
• John-117 destroyed the corvette from within and escaped as it crashed, while Jango's fighters finished off a fallen Death Watch warrior.
• Jango Fett, Resoth, and John-117 used the mountains to escape as Pre Vizsla's fighter squadron approached.