{"product_id":"invincible-star-wars-legends-legacy-of-the-force-isbn-9780345477477","title":"Invincible: Star Wars Legends (Legacy of the Force)","description":"No war can last forever. Now, in the long and punishing battle between the defiant champions of the New Jedi Order and the juggernaut that is the Galactic Alliance, the endgame is finally at hand. With so much lost–and nothing less than the course of the future still at stake–there can be no turning back. No matter the consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe rebel cause is losing ground under the twin blows of Admiral Gilad Pellaeon’s assassination and the death of Mara Jade Skywalker. At the same time, having gained the support of the Imperial Remnant and its ruthlessly efficient forces, the Galactic Alliance, with the extraordinary power and dark brilliance of newly ascendant Sith Lord Darth Caedus at its helm, may be unstoppable. Tormented and torn between the call of duty and the thirst for vengeance, Luke has searched the Force and beheld an unspeakable vision of the galaxy enslaved under tyranny more monstrous than even Palpatine’s. Now it seems that the last, best hope lies in mobilizing the scattered Jedi for one decisive search-and-destroy mission. The objective: eliminate Darth Caedus. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s a plan that will be as difficult and dangerous to execute as it is daring. For Caedus is a scion of both the Skywalker and Solo bloodlines whose command of the Force surpasses even that of his grandfather\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDarth Vader. There is only one who is bound by destiny to stand against him in what will surely be a duel to the death, only one with an outside chance of bringing down the dark lord who was once Jacen Solo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFailure is not an option. The furious final moments between power and peace are here, and whoever confronts Darth Caedus will decide the outcome–and the fate of those left standing.Troy Denning is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost, Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star, the Star Wars: Dark Nest trilogy: The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen, and The Swarm War, and Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest and Inferno, as well as Pages of Pain, Beyond the High Road, The Summoning, and many other novels. A former game designer and editor, he lives in western Wisconsin with his wife, Andria.What’s the difference between a lightsaber and a glowrod? A lightsaber impresses girls!\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Jacen Solo, age 14 \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eshortly before he cut off Tenel Ka’s arm in sparring practice\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHE HAD MADE A FEW MISTAKES. CAEDUS COULD SEE THAT NOW.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe had fallen to the same temptation all Sith did, had cut\u003cbr\u003ehimself off from everything he loved–his family, his lover, even his\u003cbr\u003edaughter–to avoid being distracted by their betrayals. He could see\u003cbr\u003enow how blinding himself to his pain had also blinded him to his\u003cbr\u003eduty, how he had begun to think only of himself, of \u003ci\u003ehis \u003c\/i\u003eplans, of \u003ci\u003ehis\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003edestiny . . . of \u003ci\u003ehis \u003c\/i\u003egalaxy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSelf-absorption.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat was the downfall of the Sith, always. He had studied the lives\u003cbr\u003eof the ancients–such greats as Naga Sadow, Freedon Nadd, Exar\u003cbr\u003eKun–and he knew that they always made the same mistake, that\u003cbr\u003esooner or later they always forgot that they existed to serve the galaxy,\u003cbr\u003eand came to believe that the galaxy existed to serve \u003ci\u003ethem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd Caedus had stepped into the same trap. He had forgotten\u003cbr\u003ewhy he was doing all this, the reason that he had picked up a lightsaber\u003cbr\u003ein the first place and the reason that he had given himself over to the\u003cbr\u003eSith, the reason that he had taken sole control of the Galactic Alliance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo \u003ci\u003eserve.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus had forgotten because he was weak. After Allana had betrayed\u003cbr\u003ehim by sneaking off the \u003ci\u003eAnakin Solo \u003c\/i\u003ewith his parents, his pain\u003cbr\u003ehad become a distraction. He had been unable to think, to plan, to\u003cbr\u003ecommand, to read the future . . . to \u003ci\u003elead. \u003c\/i\u003eSo he had shut away his feelings\u003cbr\u003efor Allana, had convinced himself that he was not really doing this\u003cbr\u003efor her and the trillions of younglings like her, that he was doing\u003cbr\u003ethis for destiny–for \u003ci\u003ehis \u003c\/i\u003edestiny.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt had all been a lie. Even after what Allana had done, Caedus still\u003cbr\u003eloved her. He was her father, and he would always love her, no matter\u003cbr\u003ehow much she hurt him. He had been wrong to try to escape that.\u003cbr\u003eCaedus needed to hold on to that love \u003ci\u003ewhatever \u003c\/i\u003eit cost him, to cling to\u003cbr\u003ethat love even as it tore his heart apart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause that was how Sith stayed strong. They \u003ci\u003eneeded \u003c\/i\u003epain to keep\u003cbr\u003ethe Balance, to remind them they were still human. And they needed\u003cbr\u003eit so they would not forget the pain they were inflicting on others. To\u003cbr\u003emake the galaxy safer, \u003ci\u003eeveryone \u003c\/i\u003ehad to suffer–even Sith Lords.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd so there would be no angry outbursts when he confronted\u003cbr\u003ethe Moffs over their unauthorized adventures, no demonstration killings,\u003cbr\u003eno Force chokings or threats to have his fleets attack theirs, no\u003cbr\u003eintimidation of any sort. There would be no consequences at all, for\u003cbr\u003ehow were they to know of the worrisome things he had been seeing in\u003cbr\u003ehis Force visions lately–the Mandalorian maniacs and the burning asteroids,\u003cbr\u003ehis uncle’s inescapable gaze–if he failed to \u003ci\u003etell \u003c\/i\u003ethem? Whether\u003cbr\u003eblunder or master stroke, the taking of the Roche system was as much\u003cbr\u003ehis doing as the Moffs’, Caedus saw now, and he was beyond punishing\u003cbr\u003eothers for his mistakes. Starting today, Darth Caedus was going to\u003cbr\u003erule not through anger or fear or even bribery, but as every true Sith\u003cbr\u003eLord should, through patience and love and . . . pain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus finally crested the winding pedramp he had been ascending\u003cbr\u003eand found himself looking down a long tubular tunnel coated in\u003cbr\u003ethe gray-yellow foamcrete the Verpine reserved for their royal warrens.\u003cbr\u003eAt the far end–guarding one of the shiny new \u003ci\u003ebeskar\u003c\/i\u003e-alloy blast\u003cbr\u003ehatches that had done absolutely nothing to stop the Remnant’s\u003cbr\u003eaerosol attack–stood a squad of white-armored stormtroopers. Their\u003cbr\u003egray-striped shoulder plates identified them as members of the Imperial\u003cbr\u003eElite Guard, and the two tripod-mounted E-Webs set along the\u003cbr\u003ewalls suggested they were serious about preventing unauthorized access\u003cbr\u003eto the chamber beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe stormtroopers were still turning in his direction, no doubt\u003cbr\u003etrying to decide whether the single black-clad figure striding toward\u003cbr\u003ethem was anything to be alarmed about, when Caedus raised a gloved\u003cbr\u003ehand and made a grasping motion. The squad leader raised his own\u003cbr\u003ehand as though returning the greeting–then was knocked off his feet\u003cbr\u003eas both E-Web supply cables tore free of the power generators and\u003cbr\u003ecame flying down the corridor with weapon and tripod bouncing\u003cbr\u003ealong behind them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe remainder of the squad swiftly moved to firing positions,\u003cbr\u003edropping to a knee in the middle of the corridor or pressing themselves\u003cbr\u003eagainst the tunnel wall, and brought their blaster rifles to their\u003cbr\u003eshoulders. Caedus sent a surge of Force energy sizzling down the corridor,\u003cbr\u003ereducing the electronic opticals inside their helmets to a blizzard\u003cbr\u003eof static. They opened fire anyway, but most of the bolts went wide,\u003cbr\u003eand those that did not Caedus deflected with the occasional flick of a\u003cbr\u003ehand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was still ten paces away when the squad leader pulled his helmet\u003cbr\u003eoff and, bringing his weapon to bear, began yelling for the others\u003cbr\u003eto do the same. Caedus raised his arm, catching the leader’s bolts on\u003cbr\u003ehis palm and deflecting them harmlessly down the tunnel. As the second\u003cbr\u003eand third man prepared to open fire, he flicked a finger toward the\u003cbr\u003eleader’s blaster and sent it spinning into them. It slammed the second\u003cbr\u003eman into the wall and knocked the third’s weapon from his hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus summoned the leader forward with two fingers, using the\u003cbr\u003eForce to bring the astonished soldier flying into his grasp.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I have no intention of harming anyone beyond that door,” Caedus\u003cbr\u003esaid, making his voice deep and commanding. “But I have no time\u003cbr\u003eto waste, so I won’t hesitate to kill \u003ci\u003eyou \u003c\/i\u003eor your men. I trust that won’t\u003cbr\u003ebe necessary?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eThe sergeant’s eyes bulged as though his throat were actually\u003cbr\u003ebeing squeezed shut–which it was not–and his face paled to the\u003cbr\u003ecolor of his armor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“N-n-no, sir. N-not at all.” The sergeant motioned for his men to\u003cbr\u003elower their weapons. “S-s-sorry.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“No apologies necessary, Sergeant,” Caedus said. “Obviously, you\u003cbr\u003ehaven’t been informed of the new chain of command.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus set the sergeant’s boots back on the tunnel floor, then\u003cbr\u003eturned to look at each of the others in the squad. He made it appear\u003cbr\u003ethat he was requiring each man to look into his yellow eyes, but actually\u003cbr\u003ehe was Force-probing their emotions, looking for any hint of\u003cbr\u003eanger or resentment that suggested there might be a hero in the\u003cbr\u003egroup. He was down to the last two when he sensed a fist of resolve\u003cbr\u003etightening inside one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Don’t do it, trooper,” he said. “There aren’t enough good soldiers\u003cbr\u003ein the Alliance as it is.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fist of resolve immediately began to loosen, but the trooper\u003cbr\u003ewasn’t too surprised to say, “With all due respect, \u003ci\u003eColonel, \u003c\/i\u003ewe’re \u003ci\u003enot\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eAlliance soldiers.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not yet.” Caedus gave him a warm smile and turned toward the\u003cbr\u003eblast hatch, presenting his back to the entire squad. “My escorts will\u003cbr\u003ebe along shortly. Don’t start a firefight with them.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen he felt the squad leader motion the hero and everyone else\u003cbr\u003eto lower their weapons, Caedus nodded his approval without turning\u003cbr\u003earound. Then he circled his hand in front of the blast door, using the\u003cbr\u003eForce to send a surge of energy through its internal circuitry until a series\u003cbr\u003eof sharp clicks announced that the locking mechanisms had retracted.\u003cbr\u003eA moment later, a loud hiss sounded from inside the heavy\u003cbr\u003ehatch, and it slid aside into the wall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus stepped through without hesitation and found himself\u003cbr\u003elooking down on a sunken conference pit where a couple dozen\u003cbr\u003eImperial Moffs–most of the survivors of the slaughter aboard the\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBloodfin\u003c\/i\u003e–were rising to their feet, some reaching for their sidearms\u003cbr\u003eand others looking for a place to take cover. Across from them, a small\u003cbr\u003eswarm of insectoid administrators from other Verpine hives squatted\u003cbr\u003eon their haunches, their shiny heads cocked in confusion and their\u003cbr\u003emandibles spread wide in an instinctive threat display.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“No, please.” Caedus extended his arms toward the Moffs and\u003cbr\u003emotioned for them to return to their seats–using the Force to compel\u003cbr\u003eobedience. “Don’t get up on my account.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Moffs dropped almost as one. Most landed in the chairs they\u003cbr\u003ehad been occupying, but a couple missed and landed on the floor. Several\u003cbr\u003eof the aides standing behind the Moffs’ chairs were pointing holdout\u003cbr\u003eblasters in his direction, looking to their superiors for some hint as\u003cbr\u003eto whether they should open fire or stand down. Caedus swept his arm\u003cbr\u003eup and sent them all flying out of the conference pit onto the surrounding\u003cbr\u003eservice floor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m afraid this will be a confidential conversation,” he said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Leave us.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the aides did not instantly obey, he gestured at one of those\u003cbr\u003ewho had been pointing a blaster at him and sent the man tumbling out\u003cbr\u003ethe hatch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Now.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe remainder of the aides scrambled for the door, many without\u003cbr\u003ebothering to stand. Caedus watched them go, his attention divided\u003cbr\u003ebetween them and the Moffs, ready to pin motionless anyone who\u003cbr\u003eeven thought about raising a weapon. Once the aides were gone, a\u003cbr\u003esimple glance was all it took to send the Verpine administrators scuttling\u003cbr\u003eafter them, leaving him and the Moffs alone with a single huge\u003cbr\u003eVerpine with age-silvered eyebulbs and a translucent patch on her thorax\u003cbr\u003ewhere the carahide was growing thin. She showed no inclination to\u003cbr\u003erise from her position at the far end of the conference table, where she\u003cbr\u003elay stretched along a heavily cushioned throne pedestal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Jacen Solo, where will the hives ever gather the wealth to settle\u003cbr\u003eour account?” The Verpine spoke in an ancient, thrumming voice that\u003cbr\u003eseemed to resonate from the very bottom of her long abdomen. As the\u003cbr\u003eHigh Coordinator of the Roche system’s capital asteroid, she was effectively\u003cbr\u003ethe hive mother and chief executive officer of her entire civilization,\u003cbr\u003eoutranking even the Verpine’s public face, Speaker Sass Sikili.\u003cbr\u003e“First, you rescue us from the Ancient Ones, and now you come with\u003cbr\u003eyour fleet to send away the whiteshells. Welcome.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Thank you, Your Maternellence. But the name now is Caedus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDarth \u003c\/i\u003eCaedus.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe hive mother inclined her head. “We have heard you went\u003cbr\u003ethrough a metamorphosis. It is hard to believe you were just a larva\u003cbr\u003ewhen you saved us before.” She unfolded an age-curved arm and gestured\u003cbr\u003eat the Moffs. “The hives will be happily rid of these wasps. Proceed.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I wish it were that simple,” Caedus said. He turned his attention\u003cbr\u003eto the Moffs, who were studying him with expressions ranging from\u003cbr\u003eimpatience to annoyance, depending on whether they were brave, astute,\u003cbr\u003eor just plain foolhardy. “But you’re misinterpreting our presence.\u003cbr\u003eMy fleet and I aren’t here to \u003ci\u003efree \u003c\/i\u003ethe Roche system–we’re here to\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ehold \u003c\/i\u003eit.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was difficult to tell who was more outraged, the mandibleclacking\u003cbr\u003ehive mother or the grumbling Moffs. Caedus raised his hand\u003cbr\u003eand–when that failed to produce quiet–used the Force to muffle the\u003cbr\u003eclamor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs soon as he could be sure of making himself heard again, he said,\u003cbr\u003e“This will be best for everyone. The conquest of the Roche system has\u003cbr\u003egiven it a significance far beyond the value of its munitions factories.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe hive mother raised her thorax off her couch and demanded,\u003cbr\u003e“What significance? The hives are neutral! We have nothing to do with\u003cbr\u003eyour war.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You have been selling munitions to all sides–and profiting handsomely,”\u003cbr\u003einterrupted a combat-trim Moff with close-cropped gray\u003cbr\u003ehair. “That makes you a legitimate target.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Moff Lecersen makes a good point,” Caedus said. “And I \u003ci\u003edid\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ewarn you that the Mandalorians lacked the strength to protect you.”\u003cbr\u003eBefore the hive mother could argue, he turned to Lecersen. “But the\u003cbr\u003eMoff Council should have consulted with me before acting. There\u003cbr\u003ehave been indications in the Force all along that this invasion would be\u003cbr\u003ea mistake.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Because you want the Roche munitions factories for yourself ?”\u003cbr\u003escoffed a youthful Moff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus recognized him from intelligence holos as Voryam Bhao.\u003cbr\u003eWith his honey-colored complexion, curly black hair, and a sneering\u003cbr\u003eupper lip just begging to be ripped off his face, he looked even\u003cbr\u003eyounger than the twenty-three standard years listed in his file.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Spare us your dark prophecies, \u003ci\u003eColonel \u003c\/i\u003eSolo,” Bhao continued\u003cbr\u003eboldly. “Everyone at this table sees what you’re trying to do.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bile began to rise in Caedus’s throat, but he reminded himself\u003cbr\u003eof his resolution and resisted the urge to snap the young Moff’s\u003cbr\u003eneck–as he had Lieutenant Tebut’s not so long ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInstead, he said in a calm, durasteel voice, “You really should listen\u003cbr\u003emore carefully, Moff Bhao.” He made a dipping motion with his\u003cbr\u003eindex finger, and Bhao’s head sank toward the table as though he were\u003cbr\u003ebowing. “It’s Caedus now. \u003ci\u003eDarth \u003c\/i\u003eCaedus.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf Bhao’s older peers were amused, they did not show it–not even\u003cbr\u003ein the Force. They simply glared at Caedus, and another of the\u003cbr\u003eMoffs–this one a round-faced man with a roll of red neck-flab hanging\u003cbr\u003eover the collar of his buttoned tunic–shook his head in open disapproval.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We are all aware that you are very powerful in the Force, Darth\u003cbr\u003eCaedus,” he said. “But you seem to be forgetting that \u003ci\u003ewe \u003c\/i\u003eare quite\u003cbr\u003epowerful in our own right. If not for us, that catastrophe at Fondor\u003cbr\u003ewould have been the end of you \u003ci\u003eand \u003c\/i\u003ethe Galactic Alliance.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Nor do we need to \u003ci\u003econsult \u003c\/i\u003ewith you about anything,” Moff\u003cbr\u003eLecersen added. “The last I checked, the Empire was an \u003ci\u003eally \u003c\/i\u003eof the\u003cbr\u003eGalactic Alliance, not its territory. We don’t need your permission to\u003cbr\u003econduct our operations . . . and we surely don’t need your fleets to\u003cbr\u003ehold what we take.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus brought his anger under control by reminding himself that\u003cbr\u003ehe \u003ci\u003edeserved \u003c\/i\u003esuch a rebuke. He had not failed at Fondor because of\u003cbr\u003eNiathal’s treachery, or his admirals’ lack of boldness, or even because\u003cbr\u003eof Daala’s surprise attack. He had failed because of his own blindness,\u003cbr\u003ebecause he had allowed his anguish over Allana’s betrayal to make him\u003cbr\u003earrogant and selfish and vindictive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd then, once his thinking had cleared, he began to see how the\u003cbr\u003esituation must look to someone who did not have the Force. To someone\u003cbr\u003ewho could not look into the future and see Luke hunting him\u003cbr\u003edown, or see Mandalorian maniacs bursting from walls and asteroids\u003cbr\u003eburning as bright as stars, Caedus’s assertion might be hard to believe.\u003cbr\u003eWithout such foresight, it might be easy to convince oneself that this\u003cbr\u003elonely cluster of rocks could not be as important as all that–that the\u003cbr\u003ebalance of an interstellar war could never hinge on what was about to\u003cbr\u003ehappen \u003ci\u003ehere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a moment’s silence, Caedus said, “You don’t believe me.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis tone was more disappointed than angry. “You think this is about\u003cbr\u003espoils.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLecersen exchanged suspicious glances with several of the other\u003cbr\u003eMoffs, then asked, “You don’t really expect us to believe you came out\u003cbr\u003ehere to \u003ci\u003eprotect \u003c\/i\u003eus, do you?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaedus had to stifle a laugh. While he hadn’t been thinking of it\u003cbr\u003ein those terms, he realized that was \u003ci\u003eexactly \u003c\/i\u003ewhat he was doing here–\u003cbr\u003eprotecting the Moffs and their crucial fleets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I suppose that \u003ci\u003edoes \u003c\/i\u003esound absurd.” Realizing that only events\u003cbr\u003ethemselves would convince the Moffs of his sincerity, Caedus turned\u003cbr\u003eand started toward the exit. “The truth so often does.”The explosive conclusion to the Legacy of the Force series New York Times bestseller","brand":"Random House Worlds","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299748597989,"sku":"NP9780345477477","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345477477.jpg?v=1767730160","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/invincible-star-wars-legends-legacy-of-the-force-isbn-9780345477477","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}