Cover Artist: Drew Struzan

Han Solo has been captured by the Yevethan forces, Princess Leia is besieged by members of the Senate who think she needs to be replaced and Chewbacca is helping his son complete the passage from childhood and adulthood. When Chewbacca learns of Han's situation, he ends his son's rite of passage early and prepares to go fulfill his honor debt. When he explains his plan to go alone, he is convinced otherwise and is joined by four other family members, including his son. Luke Skywalker and the Fallanassi woman Akanah are preparing to enter the Koornacht Cluster in their quest to find the rest of the Fallanassi people. Unfortunately for Akanah, she hasn't been as truthful as she should have been and Luke has become suspicious of her and her motives. Lando Calrissian and his team are aboard the Telkon vagabond as it escapes from its first encounter with the Prakith. As it drops out of hyperspace again, they discover that it was followed by another Prakith ship the causes it crippling damage before it is destroyed itself by the vagabond. After this latest encounter, C-3PO manages to activate Lando's beckon-call, which activates the Lady Luck's slave circuits, bringing their only reinforcements with it. Unfortunately, by the time they arrive, the vagabond has completed enough repairs and is gone again. After a good talk with Mon Mothma, Leia finally decides what it is that she needs to do with the senate. Invoking her powers as president, she places the senate on hold by formally declaring war on the Yevetha, telling the senate that if they still want to replace her they will have to do it after Nil Spaar has been dealt with. Finally having the authority to do what is necessary, Etahn A'baht begins his campaign against the Yevetha and demonstrates why he was given the command position he holds. Luke and Akanah arrive at J't'p'tan where they discover the Fallanassi hiding the H'kig inhabitants of the planet by using an impressive illusion. The leader of the Fallanassi refuses to even confirm that Luke's mother was ever one of them, but before he leaves he convinces them to help him try to defeat the Yevetha without more blood being spilled. At the Yevetha homeworld, Chewbacca and his team execute a daring plan that lands them on Nil Spaar's flagship where Han is being kept prisoner. As they rescue him, he demands that they try and rescue all the other prisoners, only to find that he is the only prisoner. the others escaped long ago with the help of a Fallanassi woman who sacrificed herself so they could go free. Han and Luke arrive at the Fleet at roughly the same time, and A'baht, Luke and the Fallanassi devise a plan to try to intimidate the Yevetha into giving up. One short hop back to the Yevetha homeworld finds Spaar happy to fight back, but an uprising amongst the Imperial slaves robs them of all their stolen Imperial ships. Unfortunately, the Yevethan refuse to back down and are roundly defeated all through the Koornacht Cluster. As the Imperial ships are taken back to the Empire, Nil Spaar is placed in an escape pod and dropped into hyperspace to die. Back at the Fifth Fleet, Luke receives a message from Admiral Drayson that informs him of where he can find his droids. Before he leaves though, Akanah admits to him that she deceived him all along. She never knew his mother. Her plan was to try and get him to join the Fallanassi, but she took the wrong route. Luke travels to where the Teljkon vagabond is resting and manages to get himself and a team on board by using a Fallanassi technique he picked up so he can rescue Lando and his team. While there they discover that the whole purpose of the ship is to allow the apparently extinct Qella race to be reborn on their home planet. Luke helps the ship to begin the process, and then hides it from any stray traveler who might pass by. He then returns to Coruscant, realizing that it isn't yet time for him to leave the Galaxy behind, he has living family that needs him.

I found that each book in this series got progressively better. I didn't particularly like the first book, the second was all right, and this one was somewhat enjoyable to read. We get to see most of the main characters learn something about themselves and they each grew in some way. Overall it wasn't a bad ending to the story.