Chapter Summaries

Darth Malthael attempted to unite the Dark Side Force and Death Force by claiming kingship over the undead in the Sith Academy on Korriban. As the undead seized him, he took the final step toward the academy’s summit, but the result of the ritual remained unknown.

• Darth Malthael summoned thousands of undead and began climbing the Sith Academy’s stairs to break its divide between Sith and slaves.
• Darth Malthael resisted the academy’s Sith will and the dead’s mental pressure as Dark Side Force and Death Force compressed into a power of his own.
• Darth Malthael’s body rapidly aged and withered as he struggled toward the top floor.
• Hundreds of thousands of undead filled the academy and formed a pyramid, reaching for Darth Malthael.
• Dried hands clamped onto Darth Malthael’s calves as he took the final step.

Darth Malthael completed his Death Force ritual atop the Sith Academy pyramid and headed for the Valley of the Dark Lords to conquer the ancient Sith spirits. Darth Sidious waited in his path, setting the stage for their confrontation.

• Darth Malthael completed the ritual, fusing Dark Side Force and Death Force and gaining the power to drain life and raise the dead.
• The undead fell silent and dissolved into sand as the storm stopped and sunrise shone on Darth Malthael atop the pyramid.
• Darth Malthael left his old Lightsaber behind and walked toward the Valley of the Dark Lords, with the sandstorm following him.
• Darth Malthael summoned two ancient Sith Swords from beneath the sand as he approached the valley.
• Darth Sidious appeared in Darth Malthael's path and called him the Archangel of Death, Tang Xiao.

Darth Malthael confronted Darth Sidious and fought him in a fierce duel, using Kresh's Gauntlet to defend against Sidious's superior swordsmanship. The chapter ended with Sidious shattering Malthael's Sith Swords and severing both his hands.

• Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious revealed that they had known each other's secrets and laughed before launching their attack.
• Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious exchanged hundreds of strikes as their blades and Force powers clashed.
• Darth Sidious gained the upper hand and taunted Darth Malthael, who used Kresh's Gauntlet to block a strike.
• Darth Malthael attacked with both Sith Swords, but he sensed danger and raised them to defend himself.
• Darth Sidious shattered both Sith Swords and severed Darth Malthael's hands.

Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious faced off with their full Force powers after Sidious severed Malthael’s hands and Malthael regrew them. Marka Ragnos urged Sidious to kill Malthael, and the chapter ended as Sidious’s Blackhole-like power and Malthael’s Death Force sandstorm collided.

• Darth Sidious cut off Darth Malthael’s hands and Sith Swords, but Malthael forced him back with a Force barrier and regrew his arms with yellow sand.
• Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious summoned opposing manifestations of power: Malthael’s wailing sandstorm and Sidious’s light-devouring darkness.
• Marka Ragnos appeared and urged Darth Sidious to kill Malthael in exchange for a place among the Sith Lords.
• Darth Malthael mocked Sidious for serving the Sith Lords’ remains, and Sidious retaliated with Force lightning and his surging darkness.
• Darth Malthael dissolved the Force lightning with gray mist and sent his Death Force sandstorm against Sidious’s Blackhole-like power.

Darth Malthael fought Darth Sidious on Planet Korriban, draining Sidious’s lifespan before Sith spirits intervened and allowed Sidious to survive. Malthael returned to Endor and ordered Helmut Zemo to prepare for Essence Transfer.

• Darth Malthael and Darth Sidious clashed with their Force powers, and Malthael’s Death Force began draining Sidious’s life despite Sidious’s defense.
• Darth Sidious weakened as Malthael sent a sandstorm filled with skeletal corpses and wraiths against him.
• The spirit of Marka Ragnos and dozens of other Sith spirits intervened, blocking Malthael’s attack and saving Sidious.
• Darth Malthael thanked Sidious for ten years of lifespan, threatened the spirits, and vanished in a sandstorm.
• Darth Malthael arrived at Endor and warned Helmut Zemo not to approach before ordering him to prepare for Essence Transfer.

Darth Malthael recovered in a new body after completing only half of his ritual, leaving his Death Force fused with the Dark Side but without the power of a demigod. As Tang Xiao, he received reports about rising tensions in the InterGalactic Banking Clan and General Kalani’s planned executions and release on Onderon.

• Darth Malthael examined his new body and recognized that his ritual on Planet Korriban had been interrupted by Darth Sidious and the Sith spirits.
• Darth Malthael reflected that he had absorbed only about ten years of Darth Sidious’s life force, while his own Dark Side Force and Death Force had fully merged.
• Darth Malthael decided to forge a new Lightsaber and continue training, then anticipated that Darth Sidious would suffer when Order 66 began.
• Helmut Zemo reported that San Hill had returned to Muunilinst and that Muuns and humans in the InterGalactic Banking Clan were increasingly at odds, with the Galactic Republic applying pressure.
• Helmut Zemo reported that the Geth had attacked Namadii Planet but then turned back to clash with the Republic’s Eighth Army instead of advancing toward Scipio.
• Helmut Zemo told Tang Xiao that General Kalani would execute forty-seven Rebel Alliance-linked criminals, including Mina Bontri, and announce former King Ramses Dundup’s release on Onderon; Tang Xiao welcomed the news.

General Kalani killed Onderon's regent, Sanji Rush, after he refused to release former King Ramses Dundup. Tang Xiao and Count Dooku approved the move as Dundup was freed, while they turned their attention to Mina Bontri's fate.

• Sanji Rush rejected General Kalani's demand to release Ramses Dundup and ordered General Akhenaten Tandin to send the Royal Guard and execute Dundup.
• When Sanji Rush's time to reconsider ran out, General Kalani's B-2 Super Tactical Droids shot and killed him inside the Unifar Temple.
• General Kalani reported Sanji Rush's death to Count Dooku and Tang Xiao, who approved the execution and discussed Onderon's future leadership.
• Tang Xiao said Ramses Dundup would be released as an ordinary citizen, leaving it up to him whether he pursued the throne.
• Count Dooku suggested that he and Tang Xiao continue watching together, saying he was interested in Mina Bontri's fate.

Mina Bontri was executed after taking responsibility for her son Lux’s betrayal, while Lux fled in despair and the Rebel Alliance realized it had misjudged him. As Anakin and Ahsoka left Onderon, they confronted the likelihood that Republic intervention would leave the planet’s fate in outsiders’ hands.

• General Kalani began the public trial, and Mina Bontri admitted to leaking intelligence to the Rebel Alliance while taking sole responsibility.
• Lux Bontri watched from the crowd, grieving as his mother urged him to continue on his chosen path before Count Dooku ordered her execution.
• Stila Gerrera’s companions learned that Lux had disappeared into the crowd, and Stila insisted they keep searching for him.
• Count Dooku and Tang Xiao discussed Mina’s death, while Sola Gerrera watched the execution from a hidden corner.
• Anakin Skywalker regretted trusting Lux’s intelligence and proposed reporting the situation to the Galactic Republic, while Ahsoka Tano questioned whether Republic intervention would deprive Onderon of control over its own fate.

General Kalani imposed military rule on Onderon and released Ramses Dundup, while the Galactic Republic prepared to invade the planet under Anakin Skywalker. Anakin accepted the mission after Palpatine backed him, then visited his mother Shmi on Naboo and found her body showing signs of death.

• General Kalani announced Sanji Rush’s death, established a military government on Onderon, and released Ramses Dundup.
• Ramses Dundup told General Tandin that he would not reclaim the throne and warned that the Republic fleet was coming.
• Chancellor Palpatine ordered Anakin Skywalker to lead the 501st Legion in capturing Onderon, and Anakin agreed.
• Palpatine secretly encouraged Anakin to visit his mother on Naboo before the invasion.
• Anakin arrived at the estate and found Shmi Skywalker in a wheelchair, appearing dead and covered in livor mortis marks.

Anakin Skywalker confronted Tang Xiao about his mother’s condition and learned that Tang Xiao had revived her after finding her dead. Tang Xiao began explaining that the revival had succeeded but also failed, leaving the truth about Shmi’s state unresolved.

• Anakin Skywalker confirmed that Shmi’s body had stopped functioning and that her memories had not changed in ten years.
• C-3PO and Rock Johnson told Anakin that Shmi had died before Tang Xiao arrived, and Rock Johnson said he had turned away two visitors.
• Anakin used a hidden chip to contact Tang Xiao, who taunted him about his mother, the cost of her care, and the events on Onderon.
• Anakin demanded to know what Tang Xiao had done to Shmi, and Tang Xiao said he had found her dead and tried to revive her using his studies of the Life Force.
• Tang Xiao told Anakin that he had succeeded in reviving Shmi but had also failed.

Tang Xiao explained his supposed plan to restore Shmi Skywalker and demonstrated his powers over life and death to Anakin. He asked Anakin to become his apprentice, promising to help him conquer life and end sorrow and separation.

• Anakin accused Tang Xiao of turning his mother into an undead monster, and Tang Xiao claimed Shmi’s soul had survived inside her dead body.
• Tang Xiao told Anakin that completing Essence Transfer would let him move Shmi’s soul into a new body, though he privately knew it would not restore her mind.
• Tang Xiao demonstrated healing and decay on a mouse, claiming he had inherited his master Darth Pregas’s research into life and death.
• Tang Xiao hinted that Darth Pregas was Anakin’s foster father and said he could not yet explain what had happened twenty-two years earlier.
• Tang Xiao asked Anakin to become his apprentice and promised to teach him how to conquer life and overcome sorrow and separation.

Anakin Skywalker rejected Tang Xiao’s offer to become his apprentice and save Shmi, then comforted his mother as she relapsed into memories of Tatooine. Meanwhile, the Republic launched its invasion of Onderon, and Fan Ke secretly maneuvered the Geth toward an InterGalactic Banking Clan fleet near Makito.

• Tang Xiao tempted Anakin with the promise of the Life Force and the power to save those around him, but Anakin refused and destroyed the communicator with a Force impact.
• Anakin found Shmi unharmed, apologized to her, and wondered what Tang Xiao had meant by calling Darth Pregas his foster father.
• On January 28, 20 BBY, the Republic ordered an assault on Onderon, appointing Anakin overall commander of a force that included Ahsoka Tano, Jax Pavan, Luminara Unduli, and Barriss Offee.
• General Kalani prepared to defend Onderon with reinforcements from Dawn Star Planet and the Fourth Group, beginning the Siege of Onderon.
• Fan Ke learned that his fleet had successfully lured part of the Geth fleet into pursuit and ordered the ships toward Makito to draw the Geth into battle with the InterGalactic Banking Clan’s escorts.
• Longo challenged Fan Ke over his secret, unauthorized plan and warned that Master Sass might cause trouble when he returned.

Fan Ke and Longo discussed the Republic’s plans to seize control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan while Geth forces drove a Republic fleet toward Makito. At the Banking Clan summit, Glosse Shelbia defended the Fourth Group’s place in the Muun faction’s crisis talks.

• Fan Ke told Longo that weakening the Separatists and taking over the InterGalactic Banking Clan took priority over the Geth, and Longo remarked that the Republic had gained an army and power from the war.
• A Republic fleet retreated from a Geth attack, then its commander abandoned the launched fighters and sent the capital ships into hyperspace.
• The Republic fleet emerged near Makito, the site of the InterGalactic Banking Clan headquarters.
• San Hill convened the Clan’s Muun faction summit with the Core Five and Glosse Shelbia representing the Fourth Group.
• After a Core Five member questioned the Fourth Group’s presence, Glosse argued that its interests aligned with theirs in defeating the Scipio faction and restoring the Clan’s unity.

Glosse-Shelbia attended the InterGalactic Banking Clan’s crisis summit as a representative of the Fourth Group, whose technology and industry the Clan relied on. Although the Clan believed it controlled the Fourth Group, Tang Xiao secretly controlled it and had used the Clan’s resources to build the Fourth Civilization.

• A member of the Core Five argued that the Fourth Group and the InterGalactic Banking Clan had become inseparable partners and that the Group’s support was crucial.
• Co-chairman San Hill backed Glosse-Shelbia’s right to attend, citing the Clan’s 21% stake and the Fourth Group’s value to the Clan.
• Tang Xiao had originally transferred all Fourth Group shares to Hego Damask II, who invested heavily in the company before his death.
• After Hego’s death, Tang Xiao regained control of the shares and arranged for San Hill to hold 21%, while the Damask Holdings Group retained a nominal majority.
• Tang Xiao, San Hill, and Glosse-Shelbia were all loyal to Tang Xiao, leaving him in actual control of the Fourth Group despite the Clan’s belief that it controlled most of its shares.
• The InterGalactic Banking Clan funded the Fourth Group’s growth in exchange for technology, while the Group reinvested most of its profits into developing the Fourth Civilization.

Glosse Shelbia warned San Hill and the Core Five that Rush Clovis and Sheev Palpatine could use an impeachment over the Banking Clan’s ties to the Separatists to seize control. The Core Five realized that beginning the Co-Chairman election could leave San Hill and the Clan defenseless.

• A member of the Core Five provisionally agreed to let the Fourth Group attend the summit, and Glosse Shelbia pledged its support to the Core Five and San Hill.
• San Hill said Rush Clovis would win the next Co-Chairman election, while Lot Dodd explained that Palpatine had persuaded senators to support the Human faction on Scipio.
• The Core Five discussed buying votes and holding the election early, but Glosse Shelbia insisted San Hill would lose whenever voting began.
• Glosse Shelbia warned that Palpatine could use Rush Clovis to accuse the Core Five of secretly funding the Separatists and trigger an impeachment under the Banking Clan’s own procedures.
• The Core Five realized that if they were arrested, San Hill would lose the election and the Banking Clan could fall under Palpatine’s control.

Glosse-Shelbia warned the Core Five that Sheev Palpatine and Rush Clovis could use a Republic audit and internal impeachment proceedings to expose their secret funding of the Separatists. The Core Five remained trapped on Scipio because leaving the vaults would cost them their positions, leaving them cornered by the approaching investigation.

• Glosse-Shelbia explained that the Republic's shift from merchant influence toward powerful elites had deepened divisions within the InterGalactic Banking Clan and enabled Sheev Palpatine to back Rush Clovis.
• Glosse-Shelbia learned that the Core Five were still on Scipio, where the Clan's vaults were located, and challenged them for staying there.
• Glosse-Shelbia predicted that Republic representatives would arrive with an order from Sheev Palpatine to audit the Clan's accounts and inspect its vaults.
• San Hill explained that the vaults' cash flow could expose the Core Five's secret funding of Count Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems.
• The Core Five refused to leave Scipio, saying that surrendering control of the vaults would cost them their positions and install replacements they would not accept.

San Hill proposed using the Geth to erase evidence of the Banking Clan’s schemes by luring them to Scipio through a secret route. Near Makito, a Republic fleet’s plan to attract the Geth began to succeed.

• Glosse Shelbia and San Hill convinced the Core Five that they had only three days before the Republic sent representatives to Scipio.
• Glosse told the Core Five that attempts by Cad Bane and Salarian special forces to assassinate Rush Clovis had failed because a Jedi Knight protected him.
• San Hill offered the Geth as a solution, and he revealed the Banking Clan’s secret route from Makito to Scipio.
• The Core Five’s Number One recognized that San Hill intended to lure the Geth through the route, using Fan Ke’s Republic fleet as bait near Makito.
• Sixty-four Geth ships emerged from hyperspace near Makito and attacked Fan Ke’s fleet as the Republic ships raced toward the planet and broadcast distress calls.

San Hill used the Geth attack on Makito to lure and destroy a Republic fleet while arranging a larger Geth assault on Scipio. On Caladan, Sass Tiin continued evading a joint Geth and Caladanian hunt as he searched for intelligence to transmit.

• The Geth and the InterGalactic Banking Clan Defense Fleet ignored each other and attacked the Republic detachment at Makito, while Republic officers realized the distress call was a trap and failed to warn others.
• San Hill told the Geth to bring more forces to Makito and then launch a surprise attack on Scipio to prevent Darth Sidious from gaining the Muuns' financial support.
• The Geth agreed to send seventy warships and three hundred thousand units, and San Hill marked Makito targets for them to destroy.
• Master Sass Tiin killed Caladanian soldiers and Geth units at an outpost, but found no useful intelligence and exposed himself to the pursuit again.
• Sass Tiin hid from patrolling Geth forces as he continued searching Caladan for information and a way to send it offworld.

Sass Tiin learned that General Dilar was on Caladan Planet and believed Dilar could help him transmit intelligence about the Geth to the Galactic Republic. Disguised as a Caladanian warrior, Sass Tiin reached Haima Port and used the Force to join a patrol heading toward Dilar’s barracks.

• Sass Tiin survived a dangerous search by Geth and Caladanians, then learned through telepathy that General Dilar was on Caladan Planet.
• Sass Tiin concluded that Dilar might possess classified Geth intelligence and access to hyperspace communications equipment.
• Sass Tiin made a beast-bone mask and traveled to Haima Port, avoiding suspicion and keeping away from the Geth.
• Sass Tiin used the Force to confuse a Caladanian patrol, blended in with its members, and headed with them toward Dilar’s barracks.

Sass Tiin learned that Caladanians blamed the Galactic Republic for their suffering and supported Dawn Star Planet, while celebrating the Geth’s destruction of the Harkonnen. After slipping into the barracks district, he concluded the Geth were an existential danger and resolved that intelligence about them had to be sent out so they could be destroyed.

• Sass Tiin spoke with Caladanian patrolmen, who described their hardship and vowed to fight alongside Dawn Star Planet against the Galactic Republic.
• The patrol captain and other patrolmen blamed the Republic for Caladan’s suffering and said Fourth Group and Titan Security had helped their people rebuild.
• Sass Tiin recalled how the Republic and Jedi Order had mishandled the Caladanian-Yamrii war, making the Caladanians’ hostility their own fault.
• The patrolmen celebrated the Geth capturing the Harkonnen capital and revealed that the Geth were combat droids produced by Count Dooku.
• Sass Tiin slipped away from the patrol into the barracks district and reflected on the Geth’s stealth, intelligence, and creativity.
• Sass Tiin decided that information about the Geth had to be sent out and that they should be destroyed before the Separatists were dealt with.