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Synopsis:
At long last, Garos IV is almost
within the reach of the New Republic – and vice versa.
For Alex Winger, the moment of truth – when she must
reveal her true loyalties to her father – is at hand.
But she has bigger problems, for it seems the Empire has
put a Dark Jedi named Jaalib Brandl in charge of the
evacuation of Garos – possibly the man who led the
attack that destroyed her former life as Alex Turhaya,
and probably the “dark man” she is seen torturing
her in her nightmares. After an acting performance,
Governor Winger introduces Alex to Jaalib. Brandl draws
Alex and Winger to a safehouse when the hangout Chado’s
Pub is blown up by what he claims were Rebels or
underground members – but Alex senses was really him.
In the safehouse, Alex puts down her father’s curses
against the resistance for the bombing – and finally
reveals herself to be one of them. She leaves him to
consider her words, only to be lured out of the
safehouse by Brandl. He reveals to her that he blew up
the pub as a message to the Empire; that he no longer
wants any part of them or this war. In addition, the way
he will set that separation in stone is to kill Alex and
her father. He cuts her arm deeply with his lightsaber,
then laughs as the nearby safehouse explodes –
Governor Winger is dead, he says, but he now has other
plans for the Jedi wannabe. She staggers back to the
destroyed safehouse, to find her father still alive but
horribly wounded. She can not help him, and Brandl will
not help him. Given no other choice, Alex gives herself
over to the Dark Side to heal her foster father. With
that horrible act, Brandl leaves her and Governor Winger
on Garos as the New Republic finally arrives…
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