Despite his acceptance of the Sith ways, Darth Vader is shocked to find the Empire-and himself-complicit in an evil he thought he had put behind him . . .

A Separatist freedom fighter deals with the realization that the sacrifice made by his brothers-in-arms has been for nothing-and that their families are paying the price for their resistanceÖ

The crew of a smuggler's ship is forced to take sides in a conflict they have sought to avoid--and which has already changed the course of all their lives.

The dawn of the Empire plunges the galaxy into dark times, and every direction leads to danger!

• Moving into the new, unexplored territory of the time period immediately following Revenge of the Sith.

• References the events in the Del Rey novel Dark Lord.