As Luke Skywalker works with Zonoma Sekot to end the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, a subset of the Vong race to win the war – at any cost necessary.
Decades ago, Jedi Knight Vergere was sent to the planet known as Zonoma Sekot to investigate the planet. As she traveled to the Sekot, she was intercepted by Yuuzhan Vong warships. These warships were an advance force, scouting out the known galaxy in an effort to present a message to Vong leadership about the viability of invading the planet. Vergere, in an effort to save her life, went with the Vong, acting as a sort of unofficial ambassador of this galaxy. Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker investigated Zonoma Sekot, learning both of some cataclysm that affected it and biological – living – technology. Anakin builds a new starship out of the biological material, and the Jedi leave. But the planet doesn’t leave the galaxy, and tries to lie in secret, away from the ones who hurt it.
Now, Luke Skywalker has learned of Zonoma Sekot and has located the living planet. It seeks out revenge on the Vong for the damage they caused it, but Luke is able to persuade it against that call for revenge. Even more, the planet has been persuaded to work with the Jedi. But the Jedi aren’t the only ones who have found the Sekot: so have the Yuuzhan Vong. Nom Anor, one of the original scouts who infiltrated even the Galactic Empire, where he interacted with the Royal Guards Carnor Jax and Kir Kanos (from the Dark Horse Crimson Empire duology), has a plan to become the head of the Yuuzhan Vong army – and their religion. After Nom Anor’s failure, he was exiled by the Vong war master Shimrra. Anor, trying to regain some of the status that he had before his exile, has become the head of a “heretical cult” in the Vong, leading Shamed Ones across the galaxy to stand up against “orthodox” Vong leadership. Part of their plan is to team up with the Jedi – something completely anathema to the core of Yuuzhan Vong beliefs. By working with the Jedi, Anor claims that he will give the Shamed Ones, other Vong exiles, respected status among the Vong once again. The key to regaining their status? Destroying warmaster Shimrra. Anor’s plan is essentially two-fold: he first makes a prophecy that says that the Vong will lose on the day that a planet appears in the horizon, and by destroying the planet that Shimrra fears, which will give him the ultimate leadership of the Vong.
In light of this, Nom Anor repeats a trip he made decades ago, bringing another Vong to Zonoma Sekot. This other Vong, Nem Yim, plans to kill Zonoma Sekot, inflicting further damage on the planet but pretends to be working with Anor. On Coruscant, which they call Yuuzan’tar, Nem Yim and Nom Anor reach out to Tahiri Veila for extraction, as is entirely within Anor’s cult’s beliefs. Tahiri leaves Mon Cala along with Corran Horn to extract the two Vong and go to Zonoma Sekot together to, they think, find a solution to the problem of the main Yuuzhan Vong army. Tahiri and Corran believe that these Vong are on their side, thinking that they can use the Vong’s anti-Shimrra viewpoint to take down the Vong. This isn’t the first time that Vong forces have ended up helping, as Vergere “helped” Jacen before, and even alerted the Jedi to an antidote that would fight off even the worst toxins. It seems as if there is a strong contigent of Vong who are now against the invasion, and not just Shamed Ones. They think that these two are the continuing cracking of Vong culture. If the Vong and Jedi can make a true alliance, one which they believe that the Vong are 100% behind, it might spell the end of the war. They see these Vong as the only way to truly infiltrate the Vong. Unfortunately, they are wrong, and are walking into a trap that seems to work almost entirely in the Vong’s favor.
Unfortunately, no one acts as the others expect them to. Nem Yim’s plan the entire time was to destroy Zonoma Sekot, and is successful in carrying out some damage against the planet. Tahiri Veila is able to defeat Yim, despite not being able to fully protect Sekot. Nom Anor’s true plan is also revealed: he wants to destroy the planet, not save it. If he can destroy the planet, he believes that he will be elevated above Shimrra. He believed that the Jedi were his only path off Yuuzhan’tar, and uses them mostly as a ride, believing himself able to stop them. He continues the damage on Sekot and calls in Vong reinforcements which would bring him back to the Vong’s leadership, facing Shimrra directly. Though Zonoma Sekot is not dead, as Anor promised it would be, it looks to be on the verge of death, which the orthodox Vong accept as enough reason to bring Anor back into the fold.
But the most important thing: Zonoma Sekot is convinced to travel with the Jedi, including Grand Master Luke Skywalker, to the core of the galaxy. There, the galaxy can be unified again, if Zonoma Sekot can be restored to the Vong…
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!
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