{"product_id":"rebirth-star-wars-legends-isbn-9780345446107","title":"Rebirth: Star Wars Legends","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e Star Wars \u003ci\u003eepic continues its dazzling space odyssey in The New Jedi Order–as Luke and Mara, Leia and Han, and others battle the mighty enemy from beyond the galactic rim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe brutal Yuuzhan Vong are scouring the universe for Jedi to slaughter. With no help from the divided New Republic, the Jedi stand alone against their seemingly invincible foe. Han and Leia Organa Solo risk deadly consequences with their controversial tactics to bolster the Jedi resistance. After uncovering a new Yuuzhan Vong menace, Anakin and Tahiri find themselves wanted for murder by the Peace Brigade. To avoid capture, they jump into hyperspace . . . and into trouble far graver.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHunted by the Yuuzhan Vong, wanted as criminals by the New Republic, and with unrest stirring within their own ranks, the Jedi find peril everywhere they turn. But even in the midst of despair, while the most fiercest battle of all looms on the horizon, hope arises with the  birth of one very special child. . . .\u003cb\u003eGreg Keyes\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Meridian, Mississippi to a large, diverse, storytelling family. He received degrees in anthropology from Mississippi State and the University of Georgia before becoming a full-time writer. Greg writes, cooks, and fences foil in Savannah, Georgia, where his wife Nell is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Under the name J. Gregory Keyes, he is the #1 bestselling author of the \u003ci\u003eAge of Unreason\u003c\/i\u003e series, featuring \u003ci\u003eNewton's Cannon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Calculus of Angels\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Unreason\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Shadows of God\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Blackgod\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Waterborn\u003c\/i\u003e. Greg is currently hard at work on \u003ci\u003eThe Briar King\u003c\/i\u003e, the first book of a new fantasy series.\u003ci\u003eChapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You've had worse ideas, Luke,\" Mara Jade Skywalker\u003cbr\u003ereluctantly admitted, nodding her head back so the sunlight fell on her face and her deep red-gold tresses\u003cbr\u003etrailed behind her. Posed that way, eyes closed, framed against the blue line of the sea, her beauty closed\u003cbr\u003eLuke's throat for a moment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMara's green eyes opened, and she looked at him with a\u003cbr\u003esort of wistful fondness before arching a cynical brow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Getting all fatherly on me again?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No,\" he said softly. \"Just thinking how ridiculously\u003cbr\u003elucky I am.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hey. I'm the one with the hormone swings. You aren't\u003cbr\u003etrying to one-up me, are you?\" But she took his hand\u003cbr\u003eand gave it a squeeze. \"Come on,\" she said. \"Let's walk a\u003cbr\u003ebit more.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You sure you're up to it?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What, you want to carry me? Of course I'm up to it. I'm\u003cbr\u003epregnant, not hamstrung. You think it would be better for\u003cbr\u003eour kid if I spent all day lying around sucking on oorp?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I just thought you wanted to relax.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Absolutely. And this is relaxing. Us, all alone, on a beautiful\u003cbr\u003eisland. Well, sort of an island. Come on.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe beach was warm beneath Luke's bare feet. He had\u003cbr\u003ebeen reluctant to agree to going shoeless, but Mara had insisted\u003cbr\u003ethat's what one did on a beach. He found, to his surprise,\u003cbr\u003ethat it reminded him pleasantly of his boyhood on\u003cbr\u003eTatooine. Back then, in the relative cool of early evening--\u003cbr\u003eone of those rare periods when both blazing suns were\u003cbr\u003enearly set--sometimes he would take his shoes off and feel\u003cbr\u003ethe still-warm sand between his toes. Not when Uncle Owen\u003cbr\u003ewas looking, of course, because the old man would launch\u003cbr\u003einto an explanation of what shoes were for in the first place,\u003cbr\u003eabout the valuable moisture Luke was losing though his\u003cbr\u003esoles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor an instant, he could almost hear his uncle's voice and\u003cbr\u003esmell Aunt Beru's giju stew. He had an urge to put his shoes\u003cbr\u003eback on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOwen and Beru Lars had been the first personal casualties\u003cbr\u003ein Luke Skywalker's battle against the Empire. He wondered\u003cbr\u003eif they had known why they died.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe missed them. Anakin Skywalker may have been his\u003cbr\u003efather, but the Lars had been his parents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I wonder how Han and Leia are doing?\" Mara wondered\u003cbr\u003ealoud, interrupting his reverie.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm sure they're fine. They've only been gone a few\u003cbr\u003edays.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I wonder if Jacen should have gone with them?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Why not? He's proven himself capable often enough.\u003cbr\u003eAnd they're his parents. Besides, with half the galaxy after\u003cbr\u003ehim, it's better he stay on the move.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Right. I only meant it makes things worse for Jaina. It's\u003cbr\u003ehard on her, doing nothing, knowing her brother is out\u003cbr\u003efighting the fight.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I know. But Rogue Squadron will probably call her up\u003cbr\u003epretty soon.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sure,\" Mara replied. \"Sure they will.\" She sounded far\u003cbr\u003efrom convinced.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You don't think so?\" Luke asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No. I think they would like to, but her Jedi training\u003cbr\u003emakes her too much of a political liability right now.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"When did the Rogues ever care about politics? Has\u003cbr\u003esomeone said this to you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not in so many words, but I hear things, and I'm trained\u003cbr\u003eto listen to the words behind the words. I hope I'm wrong,\u003cbr\u003efor Jaina's sake.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer feelings brushed Luke in the Force, running a troubled\u003cbr\u003eharmony to her assertion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Mara,\" Luke said, \"my love, while I'll believe you\u003cbr\u003ewhen you say picking up parasites on a strange beach is\u003cbr\u003erelaxing--\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Nonsense. This sand is as sterile as an isolation lab. It's\u003cbr\u003eperfectly safe to walk barefoot. And you like the feel of it.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If you say so. But I forbid any more talk about politics,\u003cbr\u003eJedi, the war, the Yuuzhan Vong, anything like that. We're\u003cbr\u003eout here for you to relax, to forget all of that for a day or so.\u003cbr\u003eJust a day.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe narrowed her eyes at him. \"You're the one who\u003cbr\u003ethinks the whole universe will collapse unless you're there\u003cbr\u003eto keep it spinning.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm not pregnant.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Say something like that again, and I'll make you wish\u003cbr\u003eyou were,\" she said, a bit sharply. \"And by the way, if we do\u003cbr\u003ethis again, it's your turn.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We'll play sabacc for it,\" Luke responded, trying to\u003cbr\u003ekeep a straight face but failing. He kissed her, and she kissed\u003cbr\u003ehim back, hard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey continued along the strand, past a rambling stand\u003cbr\u003eof crawling slii, all knotted roots and giant gauzy leaves.\u003cbr\u003eWaves were beginning to lap on the beach, as they hadn't\u003cbr\u003eearlier, which meant they were on the bow side of the\u003cbr\u003e\"island.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt wasn't an island at all, of course, but a carefully landscaped\u003cbr\u003epark atop a floating mass of polymer cells filled with\u003cbr\u003einert gas. A hundred or so of them cruised the artificial\u003cbr\u003ewestern sea of Coruscant, pleasure craft built by rich merchants\u003cbr\u003eduring the grand, high days of the Old Republic. The\u003cbr\u003eEmperor had discouraged such frivolity, and most had been\u003cbr\u003edocked for decades and fallen into disrepair. Still, many\u003cbr\u003ewere still in good enough shape to refurbish, and in the\u003cbr\u003eyouth of the New Republic, a few sharp businessmen had\u003cbr\u003epurchased some and made them commercial successes. One\u003cbr\u003esuch person, not surprisingly, had been Lando Calrissian, a\u003cbr\u003elongtime friend of Luke's. He had offered Luke use of the\u003cbr\u003ecraft whenever he wished it. It had taken Luke a long time\u003cbr\u003eto call in the offer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was glad he had done it--Mara seemed to be enjoying\u003cbr\u003eit. But she was right, of course. With everything that was\u003cbr\u003ehappening now, it was hard not to think of it as a waste\u003cbr\u003eof time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut some feelings could not be trusted. Mara was showing\u003cbr\u003enow, her belly gloriously rounded around their son, and\u003cbr\u003eshe was suffering from all of the physical discomforts any\u003cbr\u003ewoman did in that situation. Nothing in her training as an\u003cbr\u003eassassin, smuggler, or Jedi Knight had prepared her for this\u003cbr\u003ecompromised state, and despite her obvious love for their\u003cbr\u003eunborn child, Luke knew physical weakness grated on her.\u003cbr\u003eHer comment about Jaina might just as well have been\u003cbr\u003eabout herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd there were other worries, too, and a pocket paradise\u003cbr\u003ewasn't likely to help her forget them, but at least they could\u003cbr\u003etake a few deep breaths and pretend they were on some distant,\u003cbr\u003euninhabited world, rather than in the thick of the\u003cbr\u003ebiggest mess since before the Empire had been defeated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, strike that. The Empire had threatened to extinguish\u003cbr\u003eliberty and freedom, to bring the dark side of the Force to\u003cbr\u003eascendance. The enemy they faced now threatened extinction\u003cbr\u003ein a much more literal and ubiquitous sense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo Luke walked with his wife as evening fell, pretending\u003cbr\u003enot to be thinking of these things, knowing she could feel he\u003cbr\u003ewas anyway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What will we name him?\" Mara asked at last. The sun\u003cbr\u003ehad vanished in a lens on the horizon, and now Coruscant\u003cbr\u003ebegan to shatter the illusion of pristine nature. The distant\u003cbr\u003eshores glowed in a solid mass, and the sky remained deep\u003cbr\u003ered on the horizons. Only near zenith did it resemble the\u003cbr\u003enight sky of most moonless planets, but even there was a\u003cbr\u003ebaroque embroidery of light as aircars and starships followed\u003cbr\u003etheir carefully assigned paths, some coming home,\u003cbr\u003esome going home, some merely arriving at another port.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA million little lights, each with a story, each a spark of\u003cbr\u003esignificance in the Force that flowed from them, around\u003cbr\u003ethem, through them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo illusion, here. All was nature. All was beauty, if you\u003cbr\u003ehad eyes willing to see it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I don't know.\" He sighed. \"I don't even know where to\u003cbr\u003estart.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It's just a name,\" she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You would think. But everyone seems to believe it's important.\u003cbr\u003eSince we went public with the news, you wouldn't\u003cbr\u003ebelieve how many suggestions I've gotten, and from the\u003cbr\u003estrangest places.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMara stopped walking, and her face reflected a sudden\u003cbr\u003eprofound astonishment. \"You're afraid,\" she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe nodded. \"I guess I am. I guess I don't think it's 'just a\u003cbr\u003ename,' not when it comes to people like us. Look at Anakin.\u003cbr\u003eLeia named him after our father, a gesture to the person that\u003cbr\u003ebecame Darth Vader, as a recognition that he overcame the\u003cbr\u003edark side and died a good man. It was her reconciliation\u003cbr\u003ewith him, and a sign to the galaxy that the scars of war\u003cbr\u003ecould heal. That we could forgive and move on. But for\u003cbr\u003eAnakin, it's been a trial. When he was little, he always\u003cbr\u003efeared he would walk the same dark path his grandfather\u003cbr\u003edid. It was just a name, but it was a real burden to place on\u003cbr\u003ehis shoulders. It may be years before we learn the full consequences\u003cbr\u003eof that decision.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"For all that I admire your sister, she is a politician, and\u003cbr\u003eshe thinks like one. That's been good for the galaxy, not so\u003cbr\u003egood for her children.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Exactly,\" Luke said reluctantly. \"And whether I like it\u003cbr\u003eor not, Mara, because of who we are, our child will inherit\u003cbr\u003epart of our burden. I'm just afraid of placing an extra one\u003cbr\u003eon his shoulders. Suppose I named him Obi-Wan, as a\u003cbr\u003esalute to my old Master? Would he think that means I want\u003cbr\u003ehim to grow up to be a Jedi? Would he think he had to live\u003cbr\u003eup to Ben's reputation? Would he feel his choices in life\u003cbr\u003econstrained?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I see you've thought a lot about this.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I guess I have.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Notice how quickly this takes us back to the things you\u003cbr\u003esaid we weren't supposed to talk about?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh. Right.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Luke, this is who we are,\" Mara said, stroking his\u003cbr\u003eshoulder lightly. \"We can't deny it, even alone on an island.\"\u003cbr\u003eShe dipped her foot in the wavelets lapping onto the\u003cbr\u003ebeach. Luke closed his eyes and felt the wind on his face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Maybe not,\" he admitted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"And so what?\" Mara said, playfully kicking a little\u003cbr\u003ewater on the cuff of his pants. But then her face grew serious\u003cbr\u003eagain. \"There is one very important thing I want to\u003cbr\u003esay, now, before another second passes,\" she informed him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What's that?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm really hungry. Really, really hungry. If I don't eat\u003cbr\u003eright away, I'm going to salt you in seawater and gobble\u003cbr\u003eyou up.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You'd be dissapointed,\" Luke said. \"It's freshwater.\u003cbr\u003eCome on. The pavilion isn't far. There should be food\u003cbr\u003ewaiting.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLuke and Mara ate outside at a table of polished yellow\u003cbr\u003eSelonian marble while the blossoms around them chimed a\u003cbr\u003equiet music and released fragrances to complement each\u003cbr\u003ecourse. Luke felt ridiculously pampered and a little guilty,\u003cbr\u003ebut managed to relax somewhat into the mood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the mood was broken during the intermezzo, when\u003cbr\u003ethe pavilion's protocol droid interrupted them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Master Skywalker,\" it said, \"an aircar is approaching\u003cbr\u003eand requesting admittance through the security perimeter.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You have the signal?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Most assuredly.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Transfer to the holostation on the table.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"As you wish, sir.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA hologram of a man's face appeared above the remains\u003cbr\u003eof their meal. It was human, very long, with aristocratic\u003cbr\u003efeatures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Kenth Hamner,\" Luke said, a sense of foreboding\u003cbr\u003epricking up his scalp. \"To what do we owe this pleasure?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe retired colonel smiled briefly. \"Nothing important.\u003cbr\u003eJust a visit from an old friend. May I come aboard?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat's what his words said. His expression, somehow,\u003cbr\u003econveyed something altogether different.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Of course. Link to the ship's computer, and it will land\u003cbr\u003eyou somewhere appropriate. I hope you like grilled nylog.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"One of my favorites. I'll see you soon.\"\u003cbr\u003eA few moments later, Hamner appeared from one of the\u003cbr\u003eseveral trails leading to the pavilion, accompanied by the\u003cbr\u003edroid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You two make me wish I was young again,\" Hamner\u003cbr\u003esaid, smiling, looking them over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We're not so young, and you're not so old,\" Mara\u003cbr\u003ereplied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHamner offered her a short bow from the waist. \"Mara,\u003cbr\u003eyou're looking lovely as ever. And my deepest congratulations\u003cbr\u003eon your upcoming event.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thank you, Kenth,\" Mara returned graciously.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Have a seat,\" Luke said. \"May I have the droid bring\u003cbr\u003eyou something?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A cold drink of a mildly stimulating beverage perhaps?\u003cbr\u003eSurprise me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLuke sent the droid off with those rather vague instructions\u003cbr\u003eand then turned to Hamner, who was now seated.\u003cbr\u003e\"You didn't come here just to congratulate us, did you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHamner nodded sadly. \"No. I came to give you a heads-up.\u003cbr\u003eBorsk Fey'lya has managed to secure an order for your\u003cbr\u003earrest. The warrant will be served about six standard hours\u003cbr\u003efrom now.\"","brand":"Random House Worlds","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303680659685,"sku":"NP9780345446107","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345446107.jpg?v=1767735502","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/rebirth-star-wars-legends-isbn-9780345446107","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}