Book 5: The Emperor's Plague

The book starts out with the kids coming out of bacta after their ordeal on Ryloth. Each of the kids is reunited with their family members, and Jacen and Jaina are informed that the next day the YJK shall address the New Republic senate to address concerns. The senate hearing does not go well, where basically the YJK are admonished for their actions as being reckless and ill advised-- (I cover this in the story) the solution they reach is to send a diplomatic envoy consisting of Luke, some senators, Sirra, Lusa, Kur.

Zekk convinces Raynar to come with him to find Bornan Thul, and the other YJK afraid that something would happen, surreptitiously follow as backup. There are some interesting scenes with Jaina and Zekk that shows just how much the two care for one-another--as Zekk and Raynar depart they joke around about how Zekk needs to be around to rescue Jaina.

Zekk and Raynar are able to reach Bornan Thul who escapes his ship with the much-coveted module, but in an intense fight between Boba Fett, another bounty hunter named Shakra they are almost destroyed--and are saved by the other YJK. It ends up that in an attempt to make sure that the threat was legit, Bornan Thul had visited the Plague depot. Consequently, when Boba Fett sliced into his navicomputer during the fight he was able to extract the location of the storage facility. Boba Fett immediately gives this information to Nolaa Tarkona, who urges her men to "delay [the New Republic Inspection Team] until we can unlash our final solution" (49). (On an aside, that quotation creeped me out b/c they are drawing a small parallel to the annihilation of six million Jews during the Holocaust)

The twins, Zekk, Raynar, Lowie and Tenel Ka along with Bornan Thul send a message for reinforcements to the Bornaryn Fleet (encoded of course) and go ahead to the plague depot where they proceed to set charges at structurally weak points to blow up the place. The central chamber contains diseases against any species, not only humans. Meanwhile the arrival of Nolaa Tarkona and her armada presents more problems, as her tactical team is able to land on the depot and remove the main detonator from the central plague area. Raaba, who has been left in charge of the Armada notices the Lightening Rod and the Rock Dragon and warns her leader of the YJK's infiltration. The two groups fight, with Jaina, Tenel Ka and Jacen making an escape to the Rock Dragon after setting off a charge in the subsidiary dome. As they lift off they are confronted by the DA armada, but are relieved when half the New Republic Fleet headed by Han Solo arrives in system. A battle ensues, where the New Republic Forces force the DA into retreat.

On the depot, Lowie is engaged in a battle with the Trandoshan Cossk, and is rescued from the sealed chamber by the reprogrammed IG-88 who is looking for Bornan Thul (who he has been programmed to protect). At the central chamber Zekk and Raynar watch Nolaa Tarkona and Bornan Thul fight with her henchman shooting up the area not only contaminating the chamber but also forcing the failsafe's to seal the area. Despite this Tarkona escapes, but Thul realizes that, having been exposed to the plague's he has to stay behind and will ensure the detonation of the explosives. He convinces Raynar to leave, and tells IG-88 to save his son. IG-88, a distraught Raynar and Zekk run to the Lightening Rod where they meet up with a redocked Rock Dragon and a newly hired Boba Fett (hired by Tyko Thul to save Bornan). Together they use the Force to push themselves off the depot before it explodes.

As the battle goes on, the disease ridden Tarkona has escaped on the Rising Star (piloted by Raaba) and sends a message to the retreating DA which causes them to turn around and attack in a crazed frenzy. She also tries to urge Raaba to take her friends help and land on one of the convoy's thus contaminating the NR fleet. Throughout the fight, Raaba has been seeing things that have horrified her, and this is the last nail in the coffin--so instead of plotting a course she jumps to lightspeed, after sending one final message to Lowbacca. The battle is quickly won as the Bornaryn fleet arrives to help mop up what is left of the DA armada.

Parallel to all of these events is the New Republic Inspection team on Ryloth. In essence, they are shown around by the Devaronian Kambrea who shows a sterilized and cleaned up version of the facility. One of the last stops is the docking bay where Sirra punches open a medical crate, to show the envoy's the weapons hidden inside. "Chaos breaks loose" and they all fight, with a senator and Kambrea dying. The fight ends with Kuar taking a stand and stopping everything admonishing the aliens for shedding alien blood.

The aftermath is interesting. Han and the fleet destroy the depot, and Boba Fett leaves, once again between jobs, making a comment about not understanding how people can fight for a cause. Raynar and Lowie both grieve the loss of friends and family, while Zekk is having to reexamine, once again his chosen path. Before all this though, the children go back to Coruscant where for weeks, they welcome ambassador after ambassador from the former DA planets back into the New Republic. They create the Cooperative Council of Independent Planetary