The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo's shocking
transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth Caedus has cast a damning
pall over those who wield the Force for good: Two Jedi Knights have
succumbed to an inexplicable and dangerous psychosis, criminal charges
have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile, and power-hungry
Chief of State Natasi Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to
undermine the Order's influence within the Galactic Alliance.
Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a desperate mission
to uncover the truth behind Jacen's fall to the dark side-and to learn
what's turning peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers
will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the Kathol Rift and
bargaining with an alien species as likely to destroy outsiders as deal
with them. Still, there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the
catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate. Stricken by the
same violent dementia that infected her brother, Valin, Jedi Knight
Jysella Horn faces an equally grim fate after her capture by Natasi
Daala's police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another
deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting Jedi Grand Master
Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala's iron will-at the expense
of the Jedi Order.
But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the past, a Sith
starship crashed on an unknown low-tech planet, leaving the survivors
stranded. Over the generations, their numbers have grown, the ways of
the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast approaching when
this lost tribe of Sith will once more take to the stars to reclaim
their legendary destiny as rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands
in their way, a name whispered to them through the Force: Skywalker.
