AUTHOR'S NOTE
Back in 2012, when I heard Disney bought the right to everything Star Wars, my first thought was: 'There goes the EU.' And I knew that, no matter what Disney did with the franchise, their new stories would never mean as much to me as the universive and characters I already knew. Troy Denning's 'Crucible' tried to give the Big Three movie character some kind of send-off, and I was hoping Christie Golden's planned 'Sword of the Jedi' trilogy would come out before Disney rebooted the EU and give some kind of closure to Jaina Solo, Ben Skywalker, and all the 'next generation' characters I very literally grew up with. No such luck. Those characters, those stories, were stuck in forever-limbo while Disney moved on to other things and so did most of the audience. But when you grow up with someone, it's hard to just let go, and its worse seeing them stuck in limbo.
It took me a while to remember that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Or in this case, if you want it done at all.
So this is my 'Sword of the Jedi' trilogy. This is one person's attempt at a grand finale to the Legends EU and especially the heroes of the New Jedi Order. I wrote it for myself, for the closure, and only recently thought somebody else might want to read it too. It not only continues the story after the 'Fate of the Jedi' series, it also draws together story threads from other parts of the saga and wraps them all together: the new Wraith Squadron introduced in Aaron Allston's last X-wing book, Boba Fett and the Mandalorians, the Legacy comic series, even the prequels. It goes back to old haunts and brings back characters that haven't been seen in a while and some you probably never thought you'd see again. Each installment is novel-length and the last volume ended up longer than the other two combined (because if you're writing a grand finale, you might as well make it pretty damn grand).
'Star Wars' has always been a family saga, especially in the original movies, and I wanted to focus on that element here. This is a trilogy about sons and daughters and especially brothers and sisters, and one pair of twins most of all. It's a story about remembrance, revenge, and, ultimately, redemption. It's about moving on.
If a few people find this half as satisfying to read as it was to write, well, I guess things worked out in the end.
DEDICATION
To Matthew Woodring Stover
Keep inching, wherever you are.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Myri Antilles, Wraith Squadron (human female)
Syal Antilles, captain, Starless (human female)
Bren Aref'ja, True Victory leader (Bothan male)
Natasi Daala, Imperial ex-admiral (human female)
Vilath Dal, shaper (Yuuzhan Vong male)
Dician, Sith scientist (humanoid female)
Miranda Fardreamer, True Victory agent (human female)
Jagged Fel, commander, Trinity Fleet (human male)
Wynssa Fel, captain, Celestial (human female)
Fy'lyor, captain, Chimaera (Twi'lek female)
Viull "Scut" Gorsat, Wraith Squadron (Yuuzhan Vong male)
Harrar, high priest (Yuuzhan Vong male)
Bardan Jusik, "Gotab," ex-Jedi and healer (human male)
Vestara Khai, Sith apprentice (human female)
Darth Krayt, Dark Lord of the Sith (human male)
Traest Kre'fey, retired admiral (Bothan male)
Qelah Kwaad, former shaper (Yuuzhan Vong female)
Maal Lah, True Honor warmaster (Yuuzhan Vong male)
Danni Quee, magister (human female)
Voort "Piggy" SaBinring, Wraith Squadron (Gamorrean male)
Venku Skirata, Mandalorian warrior (human male)
Ben Skywalker, Jedi Knight (human male)
Jaina Solo, Jedi Master (human female)
Jacen Solo, deceased Jedi and Sith Lord (human male)
Jesmin Tainer, Wraith Squadron (human female)
Tahiri Veila, former Jedi Knight (human female)