{"product_id":"cloak-of-deception-star-wars-legends-isbn-9798217093618","title":"Cloak of Deception: Star Wars Legends","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom \u003c\/i\u003eNew York Times\u003ci\u003e bestselling author James Luceno comes an all-new \u003c\/i\u003eStar Wars\u003ci\u003e adventure   that reveals the action and intrigue unfolding directly before Episode I\u003c\/i\u003e: The Phantom   Menace\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mired in greed and corruption, tangled in bureaucracy, the Galactic Republic   is crumbling. In the outlying systems, where the Trade Federation maintains a stranglehold   on shipping routes, tensions are boiling over—while back in the comfort of Coruscant,   the hub of civilized space and seat of the Republic government, few senators seem   inclined to investigate the problem. And those who suspect Supreme Chancellor Valorum   of having a hand in the machinations are baffled—especially when Jedi Master Qui-Gon   Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi foil an assassination attempt on the Chancellor.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With the crisis escalating, Valorum calls for an emergency trade summit. As humans   and aliens gather, conspiracies sealed with large sums of money run rampant, and   no one is entirely above suspicion. But the greatest threat of all remains unknown   to everyone except three members of the Trade Federation who have entered into a   shadowy alliance with a dark overlord. While the trio will be content with more money   and fewer problems, Darth Sidious has grander, far more terrifying plans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It is   a time that tests the mettle of all those who strive to hold the Republic together—none   more so than the Jedi Knights, who have long been the galaxy's best hope for preserving   peace and justice. Yet despite their most valiant efforts, the meeting will explode   into fiery chaos beyond everyone's worst fears . . .\u003cb\u003eJames Luceno \u003c\/b\u003eis the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of the \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e novels \u003ci\u003eMillennium Falcon, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Cloak of Deception, Labyrinth of Evil,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as the New Jedi Order novels \u003ci\u003eAgents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, The Unifying Force, \u003c\/i\u003eand the eBook \u003ci\u003eDarth Maul: Saboteur\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the author of the fantasy novel \u003ci\u003eHunt for the Mayan Looking-Glass\u003c\/i\u003e, available as an eBook. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and youngest child.The four walls of Finis Valorum's office, at the summit of the\u003cbr\u003egovernmental district's stateliest if not most statuesque edifice, were\u003cbr\u003emade of transparisteel, paneled by structural members into a continuous\u003cbr\u003eband of regular and inverted triangles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe city-planet that was Coruscant--\"Scintillant Orb,\" \"Jewel of the\u003cbr\u003eCore,\" choked heart of the Galactic Republic--spread to all sides in a\u003cbr\u003ewelter of lustrous domes, knife-edged spires, and terraced\u003cbr\u003esuperstructures that climbed to the sky. The taller buil-ings resembled\u003cbr\u003eoutsize rocketships that had never left their launch pads, or the\u003cbr\u003ewind-eroded lava tors of long-dead volcanoes. Some of the domes were\u003cbr\u003eflattened hemispheres perched on cylindrical bases, while others had the\u003cbr\u003elook of shallow, hand-thrown ceramic bowls with finialed lids.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStriations of magnetically guided sky traffic moved swiftly above the\u003cbr\u003ecityscape--streams of transports, air buses, taxis, and limousines,\u003cbr\u003ecoursing between the tall spires and over the mesureless chasms like\u003cbr\u003eschools of exotic fish. Instead of feeding, however, they were the\u003cbr\u003efeeders, distributing the galaxy's wealth among the greedy trillion to\u003cbr\u003ewhom Coruscant was home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs often as Valorum had beheld the view--which was to say, nearly every\u003cbr\u003eday of his now seven years as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic--he had\u003cbr\u003eyet to grow indifferent to the spectacle of Coruscant. As worlds went,\u003cbr\u003eit was neither large nor especially rugged, but history had transformed\u003cbr\u003eit into a uniquely vertical place, a vertical experience more common to\u003cbr\u003eocean than atmospheric life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum's principal office was located in the lower level of the\u003cbr\u003eGalactic Senate dome, but he was generally so swamped by requests and\u003cbr\u003ebusiness there that he reserved this lofty perch for meetings of a more\u003cbr\u003eprivate nature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePale hands clasped at his back, he stood at the bank of transparisteel\u003cbr\u003ewindows that faced the dawn, though daybreak was hours behind him. He\u003cbr\u003ewore a magenta tunic that was high-collared and double-breasted, with\u003cbr\u003ematching trousers and a wide cummerbund. Southern light, polarized by\u003cbr\u003ethe transparisteel panels, flooded the room. But Valorum's sole guest\u003cbr\u003ehad taken a seat well out of the light's reach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I fear, Supreme Chancellor, that we face a monumental challenge,\"\u003cbr\u003eSenator Palpatine was saying from the shadows. \"Frayed at its far-flung\u003cbr\u003eborders and hollowed at its very heart by corruption, the Republic is in\u003cbr\u003egrave danger of unraveling. Order is needed, directives that will\u003cbr\u003erestore balance. Even the most desperate remedies should not be\u003cbr\u003eoverlooked.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough such opinions had become the common sentiment, Palpatine's\u003cbr\u003ewords pierced Valorum like a sword. The fact that he knew them to be\u003cbr\u003etrue made them all the more difficult to hear. He turned his back to the\u003cbr\u003eview and returned to his desk, where he sat heavily into his padded\u003cbr\u003echair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAging with distinction, Valorum had a receding cap of shorn silver hair,\u003cbr\u003epouches under piercing blue eyes, and dark, bushy brows. His stern\u003cbr\u003efeatures and deep voice belied a compassionate spirit and questing\u003cbr\u003eintellect. But as the latest in the line of a po-litical dynasty that\u003cbr\u003estretched back thousands of years--a dynasty many thought weakened by its\u003cbr\u003euncommon longevity--he had never been fully successful at overcoming an\u003cbr\u003einnate patrician aloofness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Where have we gone wrong?\" he asked in a firm but sad voice. \"How did\u003cbr\u003ewe manage to miss the portents along the way?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine showed him an understanding look. \"The fault is not in\u003cbr\u003eourselves, Supreme Chancellor. The fault lies in the out-lying star\u003cbr\u003esystems, and the civil strife iniquity has engendered there.\" His voice\u003cbr\u003ewas carefully modulated, occasionally world-weary, seemingly immune to\u003cbr\u003eanger or alarm. \"This most recent situation at Dorvalla, for example.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum nodded soberly. \"The Judicial Department has re-quested that I\u003cbr\u003emeet with them later today, so they can brief me on the latest\u003cbr\u003edevelopments.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Perhaps I could save you the trouble, Supreme Chancellor. As least in\u003cbr\u003eterms of what I've been hearing in the senate.\" \"Rumor or facts?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A bit of both, I suspect. The senate is filled with delegates who\u003cbr\u003einterpret matters as they will, regardless of facts.\" Palpatine paused,\u003cbr\u003eas if to gather his thoughts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProminent in a kind if somewhat doughy face were his heavy-lidded,\u003cbr\u003ewatery blue eyes and rudder of a nose. Red hair that had lost its youth\u003cbr\u003ehe wore in the provincial style of the outlying systems: combed back\u003cbr\u003efrom his high forehead but left thick and long behind his low-set ears.\u003cbr\u003eIn dress, too, he demonstrated singular allegiance to his home system,\u003cbr\u003efavoring embroidered tunics with V-shaped double collars and outmoded\u003cbr\u003ecloaks of quilted fabric.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA sectorial senator representing the outlying world of Na-boo, along\u003cbr\u003ewith thirty-six other inhabited planets, Palpatine had earned a\u003cbr\u003ereputation for integrity and frankness that had set him high in the\u003cbr\u003ehearts of many of his senatorial peers. As he had made clear to Valorum\u003cbr\u003ein numerous meetings, both public and private, he was more interested in\u003cbr\u003edoing whatever needed to be done than in blind obedience to the rules\u003cbr\u003eand regulations that had made the senate such a tangle of procedures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"As the Judicial Department is certain to tell you,\" he began at last,\u003cbr\u003e\"the mercenaries who assaulted and destroyed the Trade Federation vessel\u003cbr\u003eRevenue were in the employ of the Nebula Front terrorist group. It seems\u003cbr\u003elikely that they gained access to the freighter with the complicity of\u003cbr\u003edockworkers at Dorvalla. How the Nebula Front learned that the freighter\u003cbr\u003ewas carrying a fortune in aurodium ingots has yet to be established. But\u003cbr\u003eclearly the Nebula Front planned to use the aurodium to finance\u003cbr\u003eadditional acts of terrorism directed against the Trade Federation, and\u003cbr\u003eperhaps against Republic colonies in the Outer Rim.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Planned?\" Valorum said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"All indications are that Captain Cohl and his team of assassins\u003cbr\u003eperished in the explosion that destroyed the Revenue. But the incident\u003cbr\u003ehas had wide-ranging repercussions, nevertheless.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm well aware of some of those,\" Valorum said, with a note of disgust.\u003cbr\u003e\"As a result of continuing raids and harassment, the Trade Federation\u003cbr\u003eplans to demand Republic intervention, or, failing that, senate approval\u003cbr\u003eto further augment their droid contingent.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine made his lips a thin line and nodded. \"I must confess, Supreme\u003cbr\u003eChancellor, that my first instinct was to refuse their requests out of\u003cbr\u003ehand. The Trade Federation is already too powerful--in wealth and in\u003cbr\u003emilitary might. However, I've since reassessed my position.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum regarded him with interest. \"I'd appreciate hearing your\u003cbr\u003ethoughts.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, to begin with, the Trade Federation is made up of entrepreneurs,\u003cbr\u003enot warriors. The Neimoidians, especially, are cowards in any theater\u003cbr\u003eother than commerce. So granting them permission to enlarge their droid\u003cbr\u003edefenses--slightly, at any rate-- doesn't concern me unduly. More\u003cbr\u003eimportant, there may be some advantage to doing so.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum interlocked his fingers and leaned forward. \"What possible\u003cbr\u003eadvantage?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine took a breath. \"In exchange for honoring their re-quests for\u003cbr\u003eintervention and additional defenses, the senate would be in a position\u003cbr\u003eto demand that all trade in the outlying systems would henceforth be\u003cbr\u003esubject to Republic taxation.\" Valorum sat back in his chair, clearly\u003cbr\u003edisappointed. \"We've been through all this before, Senator. You and I\u003cbr\u003eboth know that a majority of the senate has no interest in what happens\u003cbr\u003ein the outer systems, much less in the free trade zones. But they do\u003cbr\u003ecare about what happens to the Trade Federation.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, because the shimmersilk pockets of many a senatorial robe are\u003cbr\u003ebeing lined with graft from the Neimoidians.\" Valorum snorted.\u003cbr\u003e\"Self-indulgence is the order of the day.\" \"Undeniably so, Supreme\u003cbr\u003eChancellor,\" Palpatine said tolerantly. \"But that, in itself, is no\u003cbr\u003ereason to allow the practice to continue.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Of course not,\" Valorum said. \"For both my terms of office I have\u003cbr\u003esought to end the corruption that plagues the senate, and to unravel the\u003cbr\u003eknot of policies and procedures that thwart us. We enact legislation,\u003cbr\u003eonly to find that we cannot implement it. The committees proliferate\u003cbr\u003elike viruses, without leadership. No fewer than twenty committees are\u003cbr\u003eneeded just to determine the decor of the senate corridors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The Trade Federation has prospered by taking advantage of the very\u003cbr\u003ebureaucracy we've created. Grievances brought against the Federation\u003cbr\u003elanguish in the courts, while commissions belabor each and every aspect.\u003cbr\u003eIt's little wonder that Dorvalla and many of the worlds along the Rimma\u003cbr\u003eTrade Route support terrorist groups like the Nebula Front.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"But taxation isn't likely to solve anything. In fact, such a move could\u003cbr\u003eprompt the Trade Federation to abandon the outlying systems entirely, in\u003cbr\u003efavor of more lucrative markets closer to the Core.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thus depriving Coruscant and its neighbors of important outer system\u003cbr\u003eresources and luxury goods,\" Palpatine interjected, seemingly by rote.\u003cbr\u003e\"Certainly the Neimoidians will see taxation as a betrayal, if for no\u003cbr\u003eother reason than the Trade Federation blazed many of the hyperspace\u003cbr\u003eroutes that link the Core to the outlying systems. Regardless, this\u003cbr\u003ecould be the opportunity many of us have waited for--the chance to\u003cbr\u003eexercise senate control over those very trade routes.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum mulled it over briefly. \"It could be political suicide.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh, I'm well aware of that, Supreme Chancellor. Proponents of taxation\u003cbr\u003ewould suffer merciless attacks from the Commerce Guild, the Techno\u003cbr\u003eUnion, and the rest of the shipping conglomerates awarded franchises to\u003cbr\u003eoperate in the free trade zones. But it is the appropriate measure.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum shook his head slowly, then got to his feet and moved to the\u003cbr\u003ewindows. \"Nothing would cheer me more than getting the upper hand on the\u003cbr\u003eTrade Federation.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Then now is the time to act,\" Palpatine said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum kept his gaze fixed on the distant towers. \"I could count on\u003cbr\u003eyour support?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine rose and joined him at the view.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Let me be frank about that. My position as representative of an\u003cbr\u003eoutlying sector places me in an awkward situation. Make no mistake about\u003cbr\u003eit, Supreme Chancellor, I stand with you in advocating central control\u003cbr\u003eand taxation. But Naboo and other outlying systems will undoubtedly be\u003cbr\u003eforced to assume the bur-den of taxation by paying more for Trade\u003cbr\u003eFederation services.\" He paused briefly. \"I would be compelled to act\u003cbr\u003ewith utmost circumspection.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum merely nodded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"That much said,\" Palpatine was quick to add, \"rest assured that I would\u003cbr\u003edo all in my power to rally senate support for taxation.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum turned slightly in Palpatine's direction and smiled lightly. \"As\u003cbr\u003ealways, I'm grateful for your counsel, Senator. Particularly now, what\u003cbr\u003ewith troubles erupting in your home system.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine sighed with purpose. \"Sadly, King Veruna finds himself\u003cbr\u003eenmeshed in a scandal. While he and I have never seen eye to eye with\u003cbr\u003eregard to expanding Naboo's influence in the Republic, I am concerned\u003cbr\u003efor him, for his predicament has not only cast a pall over Naboo, but\u003cbr\u003ealso over many neighboring worlds.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum clasped his hands behind his back and paced to the center of the\u003cbr\u003espacious room. When he swung to face Palpatine, his expression made\u003cbr\u003eclear that his thoughts had returned to issues of wider concern.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Is it conceivable that the Trade Federation would accept taxation in\u003cbr\u003eexchange for a loosening of the defense restraints we have placed them\u003cbr\u003eunder?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine steepled his long fingers and brought them to his chin.\u003cbr\u003e\"Merchandise--of whatever nature--is precious to the Neimoidians. The\u003cbr\u003econtinuing assaults on their vessels by pirates and terrorists have made\u003cbr\u003ethem desperate. They will rail against taxation, but in the end they\u003cbr\u003ewill tolerate it. Our only other option would be to take direct action\u003cbr\u003eagainst the groups that are harassing them, and I know that you're\u003cbr\u003eopposed to doing that.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum confirmed it with a determined nod. \"The Republic hasn't had a\u003cbr\u003estanding military in generations, and I certainly won't be the person to\u003cbr\u003ereinstate one. Coruscant must remain a place where groups can come\u003cbr\u003etogether to find peaceful solutions to conflicts.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe took a breath. \"A better course would be to allow the Trade\u003cbr\u003eFederation adequate protection to defend itself against acts of\u003cbr\u003eterrorism. After all, the Judicial Department can't very well suggest\u003cbr\u003ethe Jedi dedicate themselves to solving the Neimoidians' problems.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No,\" Palpatine said. \"The judicials and the Jedi Knights have more\u003cbr\u003eimportant matters to attend to than keeping the space lanes safe for\u003cbr\u003ecommerce.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"At least some constants remain,\" Valorum mused. \"Just think where we\u003cbr\u003emight be without the Jedi.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I can only imagine.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValorum advanced a few steps and laid his hands on Palpatine's\u003cbr\u003eshoulders. \"You're a good friend, Senator.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePalpatine returned the gesture. \"My interests are the interests of the\u003cbr\u003eRepublic, Supreme Chancellor.\"The Essential Legends Collection","brand":"Random House Worlds","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233033203941,"sku":"NP9798217093618","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/cloak-of-deception-star-wars-legends-isbn-9798217093618","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}