A decisive new tool against the Yuuzhan Vong is brought to bear – will it be enough to turn the tide of the war as the Vong turn their sights on the Jedi?
Nineteen years before the destruction of the Empire’s dreaded Death Star, the Sith Lords Darth Sidious and Darth Vader unleashed their most potent attack on the Jedi, wiping out almost the entirety of the Order in one day. For the next twenty years, Vader scoured the galaxy for remaining Jedi, killing whomever he could find. His son, Luke Skywalker, rebuilt the Jedi Order, searching the galaxy with similar fervor to bring as many into the reborn Order as he could. Now, the Yuuzhan Vong are carrying out their own massive strikes on the Jedi Order after two Jedi crippled the Vong’s war effort. After opening himself back up to the Force, Jacen Solo freed his mother, Leia Organa-Solo, from Vong prisoners, and crippled their leader.
Now, another Solo child stands on the precipice. Young Anakin Solo has had to make many tough choices in the dangerous war against the Yuuzhan Vong. On a mission with his father to Sernpidal, he was forced to leave Rebel hero Chewbacca to be smashed by a moon, pulled out of its gravity by Vong forces. Later, Anakin would be called on to reactivate the dead Centerpoint Station, which his uncle would use to attack the Vong…and unfortunately, New Republic forces and allies. As Anakin continues to participate in the war against the Vong, he starts to make extremely bold and dangerous choices, which carry him to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. When he learns that the Vong are targeting the Jedi, and carrying out a wave of executions across the galaxy, Anakin races them to Yavin IV to save the Jedi Praxeum there. Unfortunately, he does clash with the Peace Brigade, a band of fighters who are essentially vigilantes fighting with both Jedi and New Republic forces, so when he gets to the Jedi, he’s not early enough to save all of them. The moon is lost to Vong forces and the surviving Jedi are saved by smuggler-turned-friend Talon Karrde.
One of the Jedi is not killed, only captured: Tahiri Veila. Here, the Yuuzhan Vong’s plan for the galaxy is made a bit more clear. With Tahiri in hand, the Vong seek to reshape everything, physically and mentally. First, they seek to terraform Yavin IV, and the rest of the galaxy, letting nature once again rule the planets that have been taken over by sentient species and their mechanical devices. With the terraforming, the Vong hope to see the planets turn into lush jungles covered in plants and biological species.
Unfortunately, bold and brash Anakin stops listening to sense, but might be seen as taken in with some of that good old-fashioned Solo luck. Anakin and Tahiri were students together in the Praxeum, and driven by intense guilt for losing Chewbacca and the disaster with Centerpoint Station, Anakin races against his best sense to rescue Tahiri. Unfortunately, his bold streak is met with disaster. In the skirmish to rescue Tahiri, he loses his lightsaber and is almost killed. He is saved at the last minute by a Shamed Vong, who was physically deformed to be visibly exiled to a caste called the Shamed Ones. As a Shamed One, Vua Rapuung is forced away from the Vong battle machine, and he seeks revenge. In saving Anakin, he hopes to use the young Jedi to get revenge on the Shaper who shamed him. This turns out to work in Anakin’s favor: the Jedi is able to learn quite a bit about Vong culture, and even challenge Rapuung on how he lives as a Vong. But more importantly, he gains a crystal for his lightsaber that restores the weapon to full functionality…and even a little bit more. This crystal actually allows Anakin to sense the Vong, even if not extremely clearly. This new “sense” of the Vong gives Anakin an edge none of the other Jedi have.
Anakin and Tahiri are able to uncover heresy among the Vong ranks, showing that one of the Yuuzhan Vong Shapers is essentially a Vong-atheist. Anakin and Tahiri are able to escape with the help of Corran Horn, Booster Terrik, and Talon Karrde. The Jedi now have two new tools against the Vong: insider knowledge of their culture and a way to sense them. But now Anakin and Tahiri are wanted by the Peace Brigade and the Vong…and no Jedi is safe from the destruction that is to come…
Legendary Travel Tips:
-This book is part of the Edge of Victory duology, and it is followed by Edge of Victory II: Rebirth.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!
Legendary Adventures
The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime | Dark Tide Duology | Agents of Chaos: 1 – Hero’s Trial / 2 – Jedi Eclipse | Balance Point
Essential Legends Collection: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction | Darth Bane: Rule of Tw0 | Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil | Darth Plagueis | Shatterpoint | Kenobi | Rogue Squadron | Rogue Squadron: Wedge’s Gamble | Heir to the Empire | Dark Force Rising | The Last Command