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Synopsis:
The deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, and
victory at the Battle of Endor by no means spelled the
end of the Empire. In the aftermath, the New Republic
has faced a constant struggle to survive and grow. And
now a new threat looms: a masterpiece of Alderaanian
art, lost in transit after the planet’s destruction
has resurfaced on the black market. Offered at auction,
it will command a handsome price. But its greatest value
lies in the vital secret it conceals: the key to a code
used to communicate with New Republic agents deep
undercover within the Empire. Discovery of the key by
Imperial forces would spell certain disaster. The only
option is recovery and Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO
have been dispatched to Tatooine to infiltrate the
auction.
But trouble is waiting when they arrive: an Imperial
Star Destroyer is orbiting Tatooine on the lookout for
Rebels; a mysterious stranger at the auction seems to
recognize Leia; and an Imperial officer’s aggressive
bidding for the Alderaanian painting could foil the
Solos’ mission. When a dispute erupts into violence,
and the painting vanishes in the chaos, Han and Leia are
thrust into a desperate race to reclaim it, before
Imperial troops or a band of unsavoury treasure-peddlers
get there first.
Dangerous as the chase is, for Leia it leads into
especially dark territory. Already haunted by the
spectre of her infamous father, and fearful that his
evil may infect future generations, she has suffered a
disturbing Force-vision of Luke turning to the dark
side. As she battles beside Han against marauding TIE
fighters, encroaching stormtroopers, and Tatooine’s
savage Tusken Raiders, Leia’s struggle with the
warring emotions inside her culminates in the discovery
of an extraordinary link to the past. And as long-buried
secrets and truths at last emerge, she faces a moment of
reckoning that will forever alter her destiny and that
of the New Republic.
The paperback version also includes a
copy of the e-book A Forest
Apart by Troy Denning.
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