Cover Artist: Steven D. Anderson

After Jacen Solo's capture by the Yuuzhan Vong over Myrkr, he is placed in the Embrace Of Pain. Occasionally when he is granted relief, he is greeted by Vergere who speaks to him very cryptically. After one of these conversations, she cuts him off from the Force so that he can't rely on it for strength. The result is that almost everyone who knows him comes to believe he is dead because they can no longer sense him. After some time with the Embrace Of Pain, Jacen has learned that pain can't control him and he is taken to another chamber where he is implanted with a coral seed and made to work with a dhuryam as a slave. He uses his empathy with living things to become a medic for his dhuryam's force of slaves, allowing it to thrive. When it comes time for one dhuryam to be chosen as the World Brain for the vongformed Coruscant, Jacen kills all the other dhuryams before he is rendered unconscious by Vergere, ensuring that his will be the one used to control the new ecosystem. Jacen awakens to find himself and Vergere hiding on the planet, so he sets off to find his family's home. He eventually encounters the Yuuzhan Vong, led by Nom Anor, and manages to find the Force again, using dark side powers to escape. Finally, as he sits in the kitchen of his home, he is found one more time by Vergere and Nom Anor and makes the decision to work together with them for now. Meanwhile, Ganner Rhysode has been hearing rumors that Jacen may be alive, and by following those rumors he is captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and Jacen and taken back to Coruscant. Jacen convinces him that there is something important he can help with before he dies, and so Jacen leads him to the home of the World Brain. They have only a few minutes, so Jacen goes to talk to the World Brain and Ganner goes to the doorway to buy him some time. Ganner ends up defeating hundreds of Yuuzhan Vong soldiers before he is killed by falling rubble as he collapses part of the facility. This allows Jacen to convince the World Brain to introduce problems into the world, hoping to teach the Vong about compromise. He then makes his escape, taking Vergere with him.