When the tide of the war against the Yuuzhan Vong seems to turn in favor of the New Republic, it may be time to get back to the basics, Rebel Alliance-style. Join the Legendary Adventures as we journey behind Enemy Lines.
The massive onslaught of the Yuuzhan Vong has reached the Core. Ever since their first foray into the galaxy at ExGal, the Yuuzhan Vong have slowly made their way into the Core of the galaxy. After conquering or practically destroying important worlds like Ithor and Bothuwai, the Vong have had an almost uninterrupted sweep into Coruscant. After a massive onslaught, and the death of New Republic leader Borsk Fey’lya, Coruscant has fallen. But the New Republic has not been without its own sort of victories. Despite heavy losses, like the Wookiee hero of the Rebellion, Chewbacca, and Anakin Solo, the youngest child of Jedi Knight and Senator Leia Organa and New Republic General Han Solo, the Vong are losing their iron grip on the galaxy. Recently, figureheads in the Vong leadership have been destroyed; secrets weapons like the voxyn have been cut off at the source; and their fleet suffered massive loses due to the Centerpoint Station.
Hoping to keep the momentum going forward, the New Republic launches a new assault on the flanks of the Vong’s territory, hoping that their attention being focused on the Core would leave some places in their army vulnerable to attack. A massive strike force, including Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, Jaina Solo, and many other Jedi and pilots, arrive at Borleias. With so many talented Jedi and pilots, and including a contingent of Yuuzhan Vong Hunter droids from Lando Calrissian, the New Republic is able to take the battle. The battle is hard fought, and Wedge sees himself as a sort of lynchpin in securing that victory. Unfortunately, the New Republic does not react to the victory the way that Wedge would prefer. In fact, it seems like a large contingent of the galaxy is almost moving toward a somewhat grudging acceptance of Vong rule. This forces Wedge to create a new intelligence agency, one that’s designed to keep the spirit of the Rebellion alive. This intelligence agency would be a tight knit group designed to create and spark anti-Vong sentiment across the galaxy, hoping to create even more allies in the fight against the Vong.
As the Imperial Remnant and New Republic work closer together, they even start to share some tricks. Wedge Antilles lets a rumor leak – a manufactured rumor, of course – that the New Republic is developing a super weapon to use against the Vong. This superweapon, Starlancer, is rumored to be able to strike through hyperspace to destroy Vong worldships. This is false, but not because there isn’t a plan. In an attack on Borleias, Wedge uses the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya as a battering ram, killing key political figures within the Vong structure.
One key component of this plan is Jaina Solo. In the same raid on the Yuuzhan Vong warships that took the life of Anakin Solo, Jacen Solo was captured and presumed dead. With almost everyone assuming that both Solo boys were killed, Jaina is isolated in the thought (what she thinks is knowledge) that Jacen is still alive. This drives her into the arms of pilot Jagged Fel, heir to an Imperial legacy. She also embraces the fact the Vong see her as an incarnation of their Trickster goddess, after beating them with clever tactics and renaming a stolen Vong ship after the goddess. This causes her to learn more subterfuge and causes her to stand with the new Intelligence agency.
Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker senses a growing disturbance in the Force on Coruscant. Of course, this cannot be related to the Vong, as they do not register in the Force. Lando helps Luke, Mara Jade Skywalker, Tahiri Veila, and Wraith Squadron land on Coruscant despite the Vong invasion. The planet has been terraformed, the massive city-planet overrun with trees and plants, restoring the planet more to its original state. There, they learn that Coruscant is being terrorized by a creature seemingly out of Corellian legend: Lord Nyax. Lord Nyax, as a concept, but the terrifying man is not. Instead, his real name is Irek Ismaren, the son of a former Imperial Hand, and he has some connection with the Dark Side of the Force. Maybe the most frightening element of his charade as “Lord Nyax” is that he wields cybernetic enhancements, which allow him to wield up to eight lightsabers – and he is proficient in both the use of the Force and lightsaber combat. Nyax does kill some Vong, but the Jedi decide to finish him off. After Tahiri’s torture at the hands of the Vong, she learned to hide herself from the Force, and she uses that skill to help best Nyax.
So, in a way, it seems as if the tide is turning toward the New Republic. But deeper things stir across the galaxy as the captured Jacen Solo is opened to new viewpoints…
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 | Edge of Victory: 1 – Conquest | Edge of Victory: 2 – Rebirth | Star by Star | Dark Journey
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