Chapter Summaries

Tang Xiao visited the Protoss homeworld on Drai II, where Zerakas told him the Protoss had decided to join the war against the Galactic Empire. The Protoss also agreed to turn General Grievous’s soul into a Purifier, and they demonstrated the Phoenix fighters they planned to deploy.

• Tang Xiao arrived at Drai II and saw the expanding Protoss and Geth settlements, their new city, and its administrative pyramid.
• Zerakas explained how the Protoss were using Purifier technology with the Geth and returning fallen Zealots to new bodies, but said Sola-A and Oola-Khan could not return because their souls had been burned in the Dark Archon merger.
• Zerakas told Tang Xiao that the Twilight Council had voted to send Protoss and Geth Purifiers into the war against Darth Sidious and the Galactic Empire.
• Tang Xiao entrusted General Grievous’s soul to the Protoss, who sent his remains to the Soul Nexus so he could train before receiving a new Purifier body.
• Zerakas announced plans to send a Phoenix fighter squadron first and ten aircraft carriers later, then showed Tang Xiao Phoenix fighters lifting and destroying a tank.

Tang Xiao secured a major military commitment and political agreements from the Protoss and Geth Purifiers, then traveled to Planet Kaal to meet the Vasari as they prepared for war. He found a vast, brutalized society and a powerful fleet gathering, with the Vasari poised to pursue conquest if they believed he was dead.

• The Protoss agreed to send eight carriers, fighters, warriors, vehicles, drones, and reconnaissance craft into battle, while the Geth Purifiers committed a fleet and ten million combat units.
• Tang Xiao and the Protoss agreed to expand production and raw-material sources, establish a new Protoss homeworld, and develop Warp Gate technology; the Kingdom of Dawn gained representation on the Twilight Council.
• Tang Xiao left for Planet Kaal after concluding the negotiations, while General Grievous's treatment and rebirth still required three months.
• Tang Xiao arrived above Planet Kaal and saw vast orbital construction surrounding the Vasari homeworld.
• The Vasari had enslaved Planet Kaal's natives, expanded their population and industry, and expressed interest in turning Taris into a hive world.
• Tang Xiao learned that the Vasari had begun assembling a powerful fleet and might launch their own wars of conquest if they confirmed his death.

Tang Xiao returned to Planet Kaal and confronted High Priest Shadi Li over the Vasari’s plans to invade Kinyen, then ordered the fleet to launch a counteroffensive against the Galactic Empire in the Northern Territory under General Trench. He intended the region’s powerful forces to check the Vasari, and the chapter ended with Grandison presenting the fleet’s 2,000-meter Keltu Destroyer.

• Tang Xiao arrived at Planet Kaal, where the Vasari welcomed him with an extravagant ceremony and Shadi Li presented their assembled fleet.
• Tang Xiao lifted Shadi Li into the air and rebuked him for planning to conquer Kinyen without his approval.
• Tang Xiao considered the Vasari a potential threat and chose to counterbalance them with the forces in the Northern Territory, including the Geth and General Trench.
• Tang Xiao ordered the Vasari to break through the Galactic Empire’s Northern Territory defensive line and threaten its financial center, with General Trench commanding the campaign.
• Shadi Li accompanied Tang Xiao to review the fleet, where Grandison introduced the 2,000-meter Keltu Destroyer.

Tang Xiao assessed the Vasari fleet’s Keltu Destroyers and planned to use them in a Northern Territory counteroffensive against the Galactic Empire’s financial core. He assigned Kelslak to report to General Trench and returned to Dawn Star Planet to prepare the final weapon against Thrawn.

• Tang Xiao examined the Keltu Destroyer and Skarovas Enforcer, whose weapons and jamming systems were designed to overwhelm enemy capital ships.
• Tang Xiao planned to lead the Commerce Guild, Geth, and Vasari fleets from an Archangel-class Titan Warship in a strike against Scipio and the Galactic Empire’s financial core.
• High Priest Shadi Li introduced Kelslak as the Vasari Grand Strategist, but Kelslak offered only destruction, slaughter, and extermination as his approach to the Northern Territory campaign.
• Tang Xiao discussed coordination with Shadi Li, warned the Vasari not to harm the Kingdom of Dawn’s people, and sent Kelslak to report to General Trench.
• Tang Xiao returned to Dawn Star Planet to prepare a secret weapon intended to deal with Thrawn.

Tang Xiao prepared a full-scale counteroffensive against the Galactic Empire and inspected the training of gifted children on Dawn Star Planet. He found that Ander Viking had learned to face Thrawn’s unpredictable command style, then agreed to let Ander travel with friends, including Tang Xing.

• Tang Xiao planned simultaneous campaigns in the Northern and Eastern Territories, assigning Chariot and Priestess to the Eastern front while preparing to lead the Northern offensive himself.
• Tang Xiao and Helmut Zemo visited the training center, where its director explained how gifted children were screened and taught using brainwave simulation devices.
• Tang Xiao watched Ander Viking finish a simulation and learned that he had lost 278 battles against a program modeled on Thrawn.
• Ander explained that his ten victories came from exploiting the simulation’s patterns, while his later losses helped him confront an opponent with no predictable limits.
• Tang Xiao praised Ander and offered him a reward, and Ander asked to travel with several friends, including Tang Xing.
• Tang Xiao warned Ander that he considered Tang Xing trash but ultimately agreed to the trip.

Tang Xiao recognized Ander Viking’s growth through his simulated battles against Thrawn and decided he could become Thrawn’s natural enemy. Thrawn was then summoned from his prison to meet the Emperor.

• Tang Xiao arranged for Tang Xing to tour Dawn Star Planet with Ander Viking and reflected on his children’s prospects.
• Tang Xiao reviewed Ander Viking’s simulations against Thrawn and explained how Ander had learned by challenging his own understanding of Thrawn.
• Tang Xiao concluded that Ander Viking, not Sefrans Tann, could truly contend with Thrawn.
• An Imperial officer summoned the imprisoned Mitth'raw'nuruodo to meet His Majesty the Emperor.

As the Empire prepared to appoint twelve marshals, Isanne Isard seized control of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau in a sudden purge. The chapter ended with her consolidating power after executing her father, Armand Isard, on treason charges.

• Rumors spread that Emperor Palpatine would hold a grand celebration and appoint twelve marshals, prompting Core Worlds aristocrats to compete for the positions.
• The Empire’s depleted and disbanding Legions appeared likely to determine the twelve marshal appointments.
• After “Blackhole” Koronar disappeared and was classified as retired, Armand Isard moved to take control of the fractured Imperial Intelligence Bureau, aided by his daughter, Isanne Isard.
• Isanne Isard arrived with Imperial Guards, read the Emperor’s decree, and arrested Armand Isard for treason, including leaking intelligence that led to the destruction of The Eye of Palpatine.
• Armand Isard was executed without a trial, and Isanne Isard took over the Bureau, appointing Wullf Yularen to lead its Internal Organization Bureau and promoting her own loyalists.

The Galactic Empire’s power shifted after Blackhole’s retirement, while the Empire expanded its fleets and developed new fighters and capital ships to counter the Kingdom of Dawn. Orman-Tagge received praise for the military advances, but he still pinned his hopes on the Death Star.

• Palpatine disbanded the original Inquisitorius and merged it into the Imperial Inquisitorius, while Latinal-Tobin refused to serve under Arden Lyn because he had severed her arm.
• Blackhole’s retirement weakened the Dark Followers, shifted influence toward the military and political establishment, and led Palpatine to withdraw from public meetings as his health deteriorated.
• The Empire concealed The Eye of Palpatine’s destruction, presented its retreat from Boonta as a victory, blamed the Mon Calamari and Rebel Alliance, and sent Arden Lyn to rescue Garrosh-Tagge.
• Three Executor-class Super Star Destroyers—the Guardian, Iron Fist, and Reaper—entered service as the Empire continued building its fleet.
• The Empire developed the TIE Defender, TIE Phantom, and TIE Avenger fighters, alongside the Bellator-class and Assertor-class dreadnoughts.
• Orman-Tagge earned Palpatine’s praise for the Empire’s weapons programs but remained focused on completing the Death Star.

Orman Tagge visited Scarif to arrange the DS-1 battle station’s weapons system, but Wilhuff Tarkin refused to cooperate and asserted control over Tarkin’s battle station. Tagge left for the construction site and faced the prospect of needing Tarkin’s station to meet Emperor Palpatine’s deadline, while Tarkin planned to make him yield command of the completed Death Star.

• Orman Tagge arrived at Scarif and met Wilhuff Tarkin to discuss installing Tarkin’s battle station as the DS-1’s weapons system.
• Tarkin rejected Tagge’s experts, refused to release Galen Erso, and mocked the DS-1 project as an inadequate hollow metal ball.
• Tarkin’s Stormtroopers and Death Troopers surrounded Tagge’s guards, then allowed Tagge to leave after Tarkin ordered them not to mistreat him.
• Tagge redirected his cruiser to the site of Tarkin’s battle station, a massive structure nearing completion in the outer reaches of Scarif.
• Tagge recognized that the DS-1 could not meet Palpatine’s deadline without Tarkin’s weapons system, while Tarkin intended to make Tagge yield his claim to command.

Orman Tagge conceded to Wilhuff Tarkin that he would deliver the Death Star main body and support Tarkin's battle station, then vented his fury in private. Meanwhile, the Tagge Sector fell into disorder under Felix Tagge, who tortured a captive Adelaide Tagge before discovering Silas Tagge arguing with an apparent second Felix.

• Orman Tagge recognized that Tarkin had gained the advantage over command of the Death Star and promised to deliver its main body and provide the Cutting-Edge Technology Alliance's support.
• After Wilhuff Tarkin ended their call, Orman Tagge struck the bulkhead and resolved to keep Tarkin as an ally against Darth Vader.
• Felix Tagge argued with a representative of Difano Planet and saw that more than 2,800 planets in the Tagge Sector had slipped out of his control.
• Felix Tagge went to the dungeon and tortured a captive called Adelaide Tagge before ordering a medical droid to heal her.
• Felix Tagge returned to his office and found Silas Tagge arguing with another apparent Felix Tagge, then protested when the double insulted Silas.

Felix Tagge saw a false version of himself provoke Silas Tagge and then experienced visions of Adelaide Tagge in the dungeon, while everyone else insisted he had been alone. He found himself surrounded by evidence that his experiences were imaginary, then saw two young girls standing behind him.

• Felix Tagge chased Silas Tagge to the elevator, where Silas struck him and rejected his plan to blockade rebellious planets.
• Felix Tagge went to the dungeon and thought he saw Adelaide Tagge in her cell before she vanished.
• Felix Tagge confronted the guards, who said no woman had ever been held in the dungeon.
• Felix Tagge watched surveillance footage showing him alone, behaving obscenely, and accused the guards of falsifying it.
• Felix Tagge heard snickering and turned to see two young girls behind him, one in red and one in blue.

Felix Tagge was trapped in a terrifying vision, while Silas Tagge’s anger toward Orman Tagge grew and he learned that Urrrk Tagge had been discharged from the military. The chapter left Silas facing the consequences of Orman’s feud with Wilhuff Tarkin.

• Felix Tagge saw guards flee and was left alone with another version of himself and two mysterious girls.
• Felix was transported to a dungeon, where the other Felix approached him with a bloodstained whip.
• Silas Tagge recalled Orman Tagge’s past abuse and became consumed by rage over losing the Tagge Sector Governor position to Felix.
• Urrrk Tagge confronted Silas about threatening to kill Orman, and Silas denied remembering what he had said.
• Urrrk told Silas that Wilhuff Tarkin had discharged him from the military because of Orman.

Urrrk Tagge told Silas that Orman’s Death Star plans had cost the family money and influence, and urged him to resist their elder brother. After Silas rejected him, Felix called Tagge Company’s highest-level conference, and Silas prepared to expose Orman publicly.

• Urrrk told Silas that Tarkin had removed him from the military rolls after Orman sought command of the Death Star, threatening the Tagge family’s military ambitions.
• Urrrk accused Orman of endangering the family with the costly Death Star project and the loss of the Tagg Star Sector, then declared that he would resist him.
• Silas angrily ordered Urrrk out, and Urrrk left after warning that Orman cared more about power than the family.
• Silas considered the risks of Orman’s negotiations with Tarkin and brooded over losing the Tagg Star Sector governorship to Felix.
• Felix called Tagge Company’s highest-level conference, and Silas ordered his staff to bring out the materials he had prepared against Orman.

Felix Tagge disrupted Tagge Company's emergency council, claiming an impostor had imprisoned him and that an intruder was inside the company. Silas Tagge discredited him using dungeon surveillance footage, while Marr Scandal left the meeting after sensing a faint disturbance.

• Felix Tagge arrived late with guards and Marr Scandal, declared the council meeting a trap, and claimed an enemy had infiltrated the family.
• Silas Tagge challenged Felix's story, and Marr Scandal said the matter required investigation.
• Felix opened the dungeon surveillance footage, but Marr Scandal stopped him from deleting it and projected a recording of Felix behaving obscenely in the cell.
• Felix insisted the footage was fake, but Silas blamed him for the security failure and declared judgment on his actions.
• Silas asked Marr Scandal to leave the internal company matter to the family, and Marr destroyed the projector before departing.
• Marr Scandal sensed a faint ripple in the Force as he exited and turned to look toward its source.

Silas Tagge’s accusations against Felix Tagge initially failed, but Adelaide Tagge secretly guided him to expose the Death Star project’s concealed financial crisis and provoke an uproar within the family. As Adelaide and Luna prepared to flee, Grand Judge Latinal Tobin entered the venue.

• Silas Tagge accused Felix Tagge of mismanaging the Tagg Star Sector and letting Adelaide escape, but Felix defended himself with the elders’ support and cited the Emperor’s decree.
• Silas tried to claim the Death Star project had gotten Urrrk Tagge expelled from the military, but Urrrk denied ever telling him that or visiting him the day before.
• Silas presented a confidential financial report and, prompted by Adelaide, explained how the Death Star project had concealed massive overspending and pushed Tagge Company toward collapse.
• The elders and officials erupted in anger over the report, and Silas fled the venue as Adelaide realized the extent of the financial damage.
• Luna warned Adelaide that someone worse had arrived, and Grand Judge Latinal Tobin entered the venue.

Grand Judge Latinal-Tobin imposed a lockdown on Tagge headquarters while Silas Tagge fled with help from a mysterious voice and Adelaide Tagge and Sanya Tagge hid from the investigation. The Luna sisters prepared to confront Latinal-Tobin, and Adelaide proposed drawing his escorts away so they could fight him alone.

• Latinal-Tobin arrived at Tagge headquarters, killed an executive who challenged his authority, and ordered everyone to remain inside while he investigated the spy infiltration.
• A mysterious voice urged Silas Tagge to escape, and Silas left through a window intending to reach the Tagge fleet on Druckenwell planet.
• Latinal-Tobin found a crystal sculpture in Silas's office, learned that Adelaide and Silas were missing, and ordered a search of Domina Tagge's residence.
• Latinal-Tobin's search angered Domina Tagge, while Felix Tagge watched the residence get ransacked.
• Sanya Tagge, Adelaide Tagge, Luna-Huan, and Luna-Meng discussed killing Latinal-Tobin, and Adelaide offered to draw away his escorts so the sisters could fight him.

Adelaide Tagge and Luna Dream set a trap to draw Felix Tagge away while Luna confronted Grand Judge Latinal Tobin with Force illusions. Tobin fought through the illusions but became trapped in a flower field that made him dangerously drowsy, and the chapter ended as he cleared the flowers to reveal a stone path.

• Adelaide Tagge planned to lure Felix to the western section with out-of-control security droids while Luna Dream kept Latinal Tobin occupied.
• Felix learned Adelaide was among the droids and rushed to capture her, while Latinal Tobin went after a hidden Force-sensitive.
• Latinal Tobin became trapped in a looping corridor filled with reanimating, mutating corpses, but he attacked them with his Lightsaber and Force powers.
• Latinal Tobin recognized the illusion as the work of the Dream Sisters and followed a rift into a sea of red flowers.
• Latinal Tobin fought off the flowers’ unnatural drowsiness, then cut through the Lycoris radiata and uncovered a stone path.

The Dream Sisters killed Grand Judge Latinal-Tobin by trapping him in an illusion of Darth Vader, then sent an impostor in his place while Sanya-Tagge prepared to confront Orman-Tagge. In hyperspace, Silas-Tagge discovered that his supposedly dead brother Cassio-Tagge was alive and planned to stop Orman.

• Latinal-Tobin followed a stone path through the Dream Sisters’ illusion and fought an imagined Darth Vader, ultimately driving his Lightsaber into his own chest.
• Luna-Dream and Luna-Illusion watched Latinal-Tobin die in the residential district while Sanya-Tagge learned they could proceed with their plans against Orman-Tagge.
• An impostor posing as Latinal-Tobin left Tagge Company headquarters and ordered Mal-Scandal to arrest Orman-Tagge when he returned, before Mal-Scandal received confirmation of the real Grand Judge’s death.
• Silas-Tagge discovered that Cassio-Tagge was alive aboard the transport and heard him accuse Orman of murdering their mother and sacrificing the family for power.
• Cassio-Tagge urged Silas to oppose Orman, arguing that removing him would better serve the Empire than allowing his ambitions to continue.

Cassio Tagge persuaded Silas Tagge to challenge Orman Tagge and put Silas in command of a fleet at Druckenwell. Orman was left isolated as the company split into opposing camps, and civil war loomed.

• Cassio Tagge told Silas that Orman had betrayed him and the family, then urged him to build support while Cassio served as his combat adviser.
• On April 30, 9BBY, Silas arrived at Druckenwell with a masked Cassio and took control of the planet's escort fleet and restored Separatist warships.
• Silas publicly accused Orman of financial fraud, demanded an investigation and his removal, and drew support from factions that had been waiting on the sidelines.
• Orman returned to Tepasi, found himself without reliable backing, and reported Silas to the Imperial authorities, who did not intervene after Silas reaffirmed his loyalty to the Empire.
• Orman began assembling his own fleet as the conflict within Tagge Company neared open civil war.

The Kingdom of Dawn assembled its nationwide fleet at Makito Planet as Tang Xiao arrived to lead its largest offensive yet. General Trench outlined the defensive preparations and strategic containment needed before the campaign, ending with Druckenwell planet highlighted as a target of concern.

• The Kingdom of Dawn and Geth gathered thousands of warships at Makito Planet while shifting forces from other fronts to prepare for a major operation.
• Dunn Vesex ordered Gillard Perine to fortify the Northern Territory, especially Parin Minor Planet, as the Galactic Empire braced for the Kingdom of Dawn’s fleet.
• Tang Xiao arrived aboard the Emissary with Ander Viking and the shackled Sefrans Tann, and General Trench and corporate leaders greeted him.
• Tang Xiao took command aboard the Emissary while Ander Viking, General Trench, and their staff prepared to coordinate the coming offensive.
• General Trench reviewed the Kingdom of Dawn’s defenses and containment plans, then highlighted Druckenwell planet on the strategic map.