***"Within twenty-four standard hours we will sit firmly astride the
communications link that connects the worlds of the Republic. . . . Our
control will be a dagger thrust directly at Coruscant. This is the move
that will win the war for us."
With these ominous words, Pors Tonith, ruthless minion of Count Dooku,
declares the fate of the Republic sealed. Commanding a Separatist
invasion force more than one million strong, the cunning
financier-turned-warrior lays siege to the planet Praesitlyn, home of
the strategic intergalactic communications center that is key to the
Republic's survival in the Clone Wars. Left unchallenged, this decisive
strike could indeed pave the way for the toppling of more Republic
worlds . . . and ultimate victory for the Separatists. Retaliation must
be swift and certain.
But engaging the enemy throughout the galaxy has already stretched
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's armies to the limit. There is no choice
but to move against the surging waves of invading battle-droids on
Praesitlyn with only a small contingent of clone soldiers. Commanding
them will be Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon-hand-picked by the Council for
the do-or-die mission. And at his side, skilled young starfighter pilot
Anakin Skywalker, a promising young Jedi Padawan eager to be freed of
the bonds of apprenticeship-and to be awarded the title of Jedi Knight.
Shoulder to shoulder with a rogue Republic army officer and his
battle-hardened crew, a hulking Rondian mercenary with an insatiable
taste for combat, and a duo of ready-for-anything soldiers, the Jedi
generals take to the skies and the punishing desert terrain of occupied
Praesitlyn-to bring the battle to the Separatist forces. Already
outnumbered and outgunned, when confronted with an enemy ultimatum that
could lead to the massacre of innocents, they may also be out of
options. Unless Anakin Skywalker can strike a crucial balance between
the wisdom born of the Force . . . and the instincts of a born
warrior.***
