Summary of YJK Arc III: The Black Sun Trilogy

Trouble at CloudCity

The book starts out with a scene that I do a POV/extension of in Post 3.2 where basically Jaina, Tenel Ka, Lowbacca go to meet Raynar and Lusa for a swim—they're disappointed that Zekk and Jacen chose to hang out with Anja Gallandro instead. While she lacks Force powers (aka not a Jedi, despite the lightsaber) Luke decides that she can stay as a special favor to Han. It is obvious that both Tenel Ka and Jaina are not ...happy with the lack of attention they are getting from both boys.

Lando arrives and invites the kids to Bespin where he and a friend, Cojahn are investing in an amusement park called SkyCenter Galleria. They all decide to go and take Anja along. The girl has a huge chip on her shoulder, she doesn't like Han, wants to hate the YJK and goes out of her way to be rude to Lando and Jaina. It is only after Jacen tells her to try that she makes an attempt at being civil. When the group arrives at Cloud City they find that Cojahn has been killed, the cause a perceived suicide.

Disheartened by this tragedy, Lando takes the kids through some of the rides, and than agrees to let the YJK investigate. They observe some Thranta's, bird-like beasts from Alderaan, who perform acrobatics with riders in the clouds before retiring for the night. The next morning the group meets, and Anja is late. Lando casually comments how she shows tell-tale signs of someone abusing Andris Spice. She storms off after the group confronts her—after confirming the suspicion.

On Ord Mantell we find out more of Czetheros' plan. We learn that he was involved with the arms supplying on Anobis (unbeknownst to Anja) and he's annoyed that she hasn't dealt with the Solo family yet. He thinks about the various areas where he has installed Black Sun's slimy fingers: Spice, Arms dealers, gambling—and in place to cause unrest on many planets. He decides that he must eliminate the Solo twins and places the order accordingly.

On Cloud City after some digging the YJK/Lando find out that Cojahn booked a band—Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, who started and then abruptly disappeared the day of Cojahn's death. Lando, Jaina and Zekk go off to Clak'dor VII (the Bith homeworld) to look for the band. Before they leave, Anja comes and apologizes (she's had a chance to take another dose of Andris). On Clak'dor VIII the group finds out that Cojahn's death wasn't a suicide, he was being threatened by the Black Sun who is very much a presence on Bespin.

Meanwhile, Lowbacca, Jacen and Tenel Ka are following leads of their own. After messing around for some time they follow a mysterious Ugnaught—at first Anja is with them but then she leaves, confused and needing more spice. In the search for answers Lowbacca, Jacen, and Tenel Ka, find themselves entangled in the underlevels of Cloud City and in a fight in an area similar to the ESB scene they get dropped into one of the trash dumps. Lowbacca grabs one of the antenna to stop them from falling and manages to grab Tenel Ka's arm. But as she doesn't have another arm to grab Jacen she tries to catch him with her leg, only to watch with horror as his sweat slicked hands cannot find purchase. He plunges into the mists beneath the city...Thinking him dead, Lowbacca and Tenel Ka (who has some very well written passages about her feelings and how much Jacen's friendship meant to her) stumble grief stricken and injured to Anja (another one of my POV changes that you see is based on their meeting of Anja after their near death experience).

Jacen, on the other hand falls for a long time (apparently tries to contact Jaina/TK but can't focus enough to do this—another sign of his needing practice still!) but is rescued by a Thranta rider named M'kim who gives another POV of Cojahn's death, basically saying it was not a suicide. He was unable to reach Cojahn in time to save him, but saw the killers—one of which was a man with green hair and a red optical eye (Czetheros!). Quickly he goes back and is reunited with Tenel Ka (who for once is tres emotional and runs and hugs him with joy (can you tell I'm a TK/J fan?), Lowbacca, and Anja and the group from the Bith's homeworld. They find out that Czetheros had the security cameras doctored to hide his presence on Cloud City.

What follows is another attempt by Czetheros to kill the YJK (Anja went to him to warn him to be careful, and to beg for more spice which he says she'll get later.) There's this huge fight where Anja changes her mind and fights with them. TK and Jacen fly around on thranta's to escape and end up having to fight some of the velkers (predators of C. City). In the end everyone comes out unscathed.

Another POV scene that I added/extended the beginning to is near the end where the group recoups after the fight by watching the Thranta show. They go back to Yavin IV where they find out that Czetheros has disappeared, and Anja is forced to reevaluate her life choices. Does she really care about Gallandro's murderer when she had never met her father in the first place? Also cut off from her spice source she is moody, isolated and refuses company. So this book ends with a closer idea of the Black Sun's existence, and a very, very confused Anja Gallandro.