Shadows of the Empire


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Composite summary

The Battle of Hoth






Search for Boba Fett


On the Executor, Vader is contacted by Palpatine who chastises him for his failure to capture Luke on Bespin. He then orders Vader to conclude shipping arrangements of the Death Star plans with the Black Sun crimelord Prince Xizor, a discussion which Xizor oversees being a guest to the Imperial Palace. Xizor realizes that this young Skywalker who is hunted by the Emperor and Vader, might be related to Vader. On his way out, Xizor explains to Guri, that he intends to kill Luke and discredit Vader, while improving his prestige. Guri has made her arrangements with bounty hunters and Xizor is ready to meet Jabba.

Above Tatooine, Boba Fett who carries Han Solo' carbonite block, exits hyperspace but discovers that a signal beacon -installed when he was on Cloud City- was activated; he has a dangerous encounter with IG-88D who intended to claim the bounty of Solo. Fett energizes the inertial dampers and finds himself behind the IG-2000, and Slave I responds with a barage of fire; Fett having sustained some damage, is forced into hiding. While Fett thought that IG-88D was destroyed, the droid managed to limp off to Ord Mantell to search for spare parts for his ship in the planet's scrapyard.


Meanwhile Luke and Leia have already move on Tatooine, and reside in the abandoned hut of Ben Kenobi. Leia has a nightmare, remembering the capture of Han and their last kiss. Outside, Luke had performed a Jedi mind trick to the guard of a circus tent, and practiced his abilities on the acrobat string, while contemplating his training with Yoda, the Force, and meeting with Vader.






When Lando Calrissian learned from Dash that Fett is on Gall, he told Leia and Chewie to wait for him in the Mos Eisley cantina. After Leia was harassed by several males, but defended by Chewie, Lando showed up with Threepio and Artoo and told about Rendar's findings.

On Coruscant, Vader met Xizor and had a diplomatic debate. Xizor attempted to look superior and more polite than Vader. Finally, the two arranged 300 ships from Xizor Transport System (XTS) for the construction of the Death Star on Endor.


Luke is in Kenobi's hut on Tatooine attempting to construct a new lighsaber following a book left for him by Ben, and ponders his memories from him, and the adventures in Cloud City.

Later, Xizor walked in a luxury hall while a man, Hoff, made an assassination attempt against him; Xizor managed to kill him single-handedly. The event is watched by Palpatine and Vader. It is suspected that Palpatine orchestrated the attempt, only to test Xizor.


Luke is visited by Lando, Leia, Chewie and the droids, who tell him that Fett was tracked; while thinking on how to get there and approach the bounty hunter, Chewie proposed to ask help from the Rebellion.

On Coruscant, Xizor is in a meeting of Black Sun "Vigos". Several agents are present, Durga the Hutt, Kreet'ah the Kian'thar, Clezo the Rodian, Wumdi the Etti, Perit the Mon Calamari, Green the Human. Knowing that Green's ambitions and network of double agents, Guri strangles him, intimidating the other Vigos, in order to make a point that Xizor does not tolerate ambitious cooperatives. When the meeting is concluded, Xizor summons Jabba to meet him.


Vader is naked in his medical chamber and ponder his meeting with Luke. He attempts to Force-heal a part of his body and succeeds but the satisfaction cuts his tie with the Dark Side and the healing collapses.

As Luke continues tampering the lightsaber jewel, his friends stay in the hut. Lando arrives bringing confirmation by Rendar that Slave I is on Gall.

Xizor meets Jabba who came from Tatooine. Jabba confirmed that Solo was an affiliate to Skywalker, and his delivery was delayed. Xizor supposed that Luke would be after Fett sooner or later. He orders Guri to put out the information that the bounty hunters after Skywalker would be advised to locate Boba Fett.

Meanwhile, the rebels are on board the Millennium Falcon on their way to Gall's moon, Kile, as Chewie plays a game with Threepio (probably dejarik), and Lando makes an attempt to prepare "Giju stew" for dinner.

The Battle of Gall


The Falcon enters the Gall system and they contact Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles and they soon Luke, Leia, Lando and Chewie meet the Rogue Squadron on Kile and are reintroduced to Dash Rendar. Wedge briefed the new arrivals on the layout of the Imperial base and two Star Destroyers, each with a wing of starfighters. Skywalker proposed that he and Rogue Squadron would attack, drawing off the defending TIE fighters, while Rendar led the Millennium Falcon and its crew to Fett's ship to retrieve Solo.



Vader is in his castle and trains on lightsaber fight with an ASP droid; he feels that the slight ache in his shoulder where Luke had cut through his armor during their fight was feeling better.

Meanwhile the Rogue Squadron attacks the Star Destroyers above Gall, and Luke hones his Force skills during the dogfight; the Falcon follows the Outrider on the planet. Rendar dares Lando's piloting skill, as Lando tells to Leia about Rendar's past.


On Coruscant, Xizor has just ended the relationship with his until-then mistress, and goes to dine at Menarai, one of the restaurants he owns.

Meanwhile Luke and the Rogues fought one of the Star Destroyers. Dix Rivan was killed, and the second Star Destroyer started to approach. To avoid Imperial sensors, the Outrider and the Falcon flew few meters above the trees and then to the Grand Trench.

Lifting out of the canyon after passing the sensor station, Rendar led the group towards the shipyard where Slave I was. Less than a minute away from the target, however, Rendar bid them farewell and left. Cursing, Leia and Lando man the turrets to fend of the TIEs as they approached Fett.



On Kile, the Rogues examine Wes' Artoo and realize it was malprogrammed by an agent. Rendar arrived on the base explaining to Luke and Wedge that he had been forced to withdraw in the face of greatly superior numbers, had only been paid to lead them to Fett, not to engage in fight. On Gall, the Falcon, having sustained too much damage and seeing that Slave I takes off, retreats. Eventually Luke and Wedge find that Janson's droid had been programmed by their technician.


The mechanic is shot by Wedge saving Luke's life. As Luke welcomes Leia, Lando and Wedge investigate her account and discover 10,000 credits paid by dummy corporations, tracing to Saber Enterprizes, a front organization for the Empire's secret undercover antiespionage operations. They believe that she was paid by Vader.

Meanwhile Xizor sends Guri to a meeting with Ororo transportation, a rival to Black Sun, and arranges a second meeting with Vader.

On Kile, Leia decides to make contact to an underground organization in the hopes of finding out who who wants Luke dead. Unfortunately she decides to make contact with the Black Sun, unaware that Xizor is the one who does. Leia also asks Luke to go to follow Fett on Tatooine, not knowing that Xizor expects so; she also secretly hires Rendar to follow and protect him.



Palpatine sends Vader and Admiral Okins to Vergesso and destroy the "Rebel" base, an order which is a setback to Vader's plans to watch over Xizor.

Hunting the Assassins












On Coruscant, as Vader expresses his concerns on giving the Death Star plans to the Rebels, Palpatine says that he knows best. (according to the comic)


Leia gets tired waiting for Black Sun and Avaro explains that it's not up to him. Xizor tells Guri to send the route of Suprosa to their Bothan double agent, before going to Rodia.




On Coruscant, as Vader expresses his concerns on giving the Death Star plans to the Rebels, Palpatine says that he knows best (according to the novel).



Capture of the supercomputer





























As the Falcon leaves the field and is ready for hyperspace, three dozens of TIEs come in. The ship enters hyperspace in the nick of time for Tatooine.

Vader is angered that his prey was lost. He then ordered to bomb a 'suspected Rebel base' on one of the Kothlisian moons.




After an intense seductive experience with Xizor, Leia is reinforced by Chewbacca who shows her microphones and cameras; she then instructs him to escape and notify Luke. Meanwhile Vaders returns to Coruscant and reports to the Emperor about the loss of Skywalker. He mentions that Xizor might be the one who wants him dead. Palpatine gives him a leave to look for Skywalker.



Luke and Lando receive a message from Chewie and head for Coruscant where they meet;

Lair of the Dark Prince


The Falcon lands on Coruscant and Luke tells the droids to wait for his messages. Lando's "business associate" who owed him a favor, allows them to hide the Millennium Falcon in a warehouse in the Hasamadhi district. They hid in a building and dress up as beggars. They start to move for the Southern Underground of Coruscant.

Meanwhile as Xizor is having a bath preparing for Leia, he receives a call from the Emperor about to leave for Endor. He inquires Xizor about his interest on Skywalker, which he denies.

Luke and Lando visit a maglev station and decide to neutralize two stormtroopers and steal their uniforms; meanwhile Leia waits in her room thinking about Xizor's advances and receives a rich plate. Luke and Lando dressed as stormtroopers, leave the station and continue their journey.

Palpatine departs for Endor for three weeks and leaves the Imperial tasks to Vader, who is content that he will have the freedom to take care of his personal enemies.


Lando guides Luke to Spero's shop who would help them. There they meet Chewie who recognizes them. He tells that Spero is tied up in back; in case anybody spotted Chewie coming in, they wouldn't think he was helping. He also told that Black Sun wants Luke dead.

Suddenly the trio are attacked by 4 unknown men. As they retreat to the back of the shop, Dash Rendar shows up and saves them. As he explains that he wanted to take revenge for his disaster, Vader's agent brings evidence that a freelance agent bribing the Rebel crew chief to kill Luke.

Xizor talks to Leia and he reveals that he let Chewie escape, and she is but a bait to have Luke come to him.

As the Rebels go to hide in an abandoned hotel building, Xizor is informed by Guri that the Falcon has been detected and Luke is probably on the planet. He then proceeds to his appointments with Sendo, Mayli Weng, Bentu Pall Tarlen, Wendell Wright-Sims and the representative from the Jewelers' Guild.


In their hiding place, Luke changes clothes to a black cloaked attire, and contacts Leia through the Force, who understands he is on the planet for her, and stronger. Vader also senses his presence.




Xizor and Guri arrive at the security node. From the destroyed sensors Xizor deduces they are on level 17 and takes the turbolift to 20 and wait for them. There the quintet, as explain to Leia that they plan on reaching level 50, meet Xizor, who attempts to shoot at Luke, who stops the beam with his lightsaber. Guri throws a heavy chair at them, shot by Chewie. Xizor and Guri retreat and call the guards. Chewie breaks the door into an office as Luke protects them. They arm themselves with thermal detonators.

Luke exits threatening Xizor with the TD, who orders them leave without interference. Lando however throws a timed TD in a garbage chute next to him, leading to the recycling bins in the sub-subbasement. Chaos erupts causing everyone to frantically panic and scatter out of Xizor's palace.


As the rebels take the lift to level 50, Luke gives Lando back the TD. The team gets past frightened bunch of people who seek to abandon the doomed building. They followed Lando who remembered the way to the platform, but Luke was stopped with Guri who challenged him in an unarmed fight.

Luke fights with Guri and successfully evades her attack, hearing Ben's voice and being guided by the Force, but also distracted by Leia who was shouting for him. Seeing everything in stretched time, he throws Guri down, who dares him to destroy her. Luke offers her to follow them and eventually be reprogrammed, but Guri denies, letting him leave.

The five make it outside to the platform, as Xizor arrives to the top level with his personal express turbolift and boards his personal ship, the Virago, being surprised at how its faithful guards still lingered to it. After a minute to bring all the systems online, he flies away the doomed palace. A few hundered meters away, he sees an old freighter flying clumsily towards him (the Falcon) which he evades, and flies to his skyhook, complete with corvettes, frigates, hundreds of rebuilt surplus fighters to continue his revenge.

The rebels see the Falcon coming in, as Threepio hits and shatters a Doppler sensor array. On his tension, Luke notices a pair of paragliders and for a moment considers escaping with those, should Threepio take too long to land the ship. Eventually Threepio manages to stabilize the ship above them and open the hatch; looking behind, Luke and notices that one paraglider is missing; presumably Guri escaped. Lando with Dash man the cabin in time and fly away as they see the palace collapsing.


As Xizor flies away, he guesses that the ship he encountered was of the Rebels' and orders his commander to destroy or disable it, but he also mumbles to himself the name 'Skywalker'. In the meantime Vader's officer intercepts the transmission and delivers it to Vader, who understands that Xizor neglected his order and is still after his son.

Dash had completed the jet onto his ship (complaining all the while about how bad the borrowed suit smelled) and dared Luke to race to the jump spot, when unmarked StarVipers and corvettes start attacking them. Chewie and Leia man the Falcon's guns.

Black Sun commander report to Xizor, that the described Corellian freighter has been located and engaged, but Dash makes the surprise and the Outrider returns fire protecting the Falcon, while Luke struggled to avoid both enemy fire and hitting the civilian vessels around.

Suddenly one of the attackers explode in front of the Falcon; it was Wedge, just arrived with a dozen of the Rogues, complying to Leebo's distress call.

Meanwhile Xizor inquired why his navy still hadn't stopped the enemies; they outnumber the X-wings 20 to 1, and his frigates are standing by in case they get past the corvettes and fighters, not knowing that Vader is on the bridge of the Executor, minutes before coming in range and speaking with him.

The Rebels are overwhelmed by the ships, still outnumbering them 15 to 1, not having room to run or maneuver. 3 X-wings have been lost and the net was closing in.

Vader then commands to deploy a dozen TIEs against the fray, which, to the Rebels's surprise, take out two of the unmarked attackers. Vader then contacts Xizor and tells him that he has 2 minutes to recall his vessels and surrender to his castle. Xizor never responds and as the the deadline closes, Vader hears to Xizor's commander demanding permission to offer their surrender. Then, he commands the Executor to destroy the skyhook.

The Rebels wait for the debris to clear before reaching the jump point, but again Dash jokingly dares Luke to follow him. The last thing his friends see of the Outrider is a big block of the skyhook closing to it, and an actinic flare of light. The Outrider was gone, not knowing that Dash had secretly hyperspaced out of their view.

Now Luke, Leia with Lando, Chewie and the droids are found in a secret Rebel asteroid base. Wedge delivers a message from the Bothans for Dash, saying that the Bothan loss in the earlier capture of the Suprosa was not his fault: the bomb was an indestructible diamond-boron-armored missile and Dash had no way stopping it from destroying the Bothan ships. Luke and his friends all feel sorry about Dash, thinking him for a dead hero. He then says that his next move will be to rescue Han, even if that means entering Jabba's palace.


In the Emperor's most private sanctum, Vader apologizes to Palpatine disobeying him, but the Emperor's replies that he was all the time aware of Xizor's schemes, working for his own personal ambitions. Xizor was presumed dead, and they should not fear the next Black Sun leader who will be equally dangerous. The plan to ensnare the Rebels was as the Emperor has forseen, since the new Death Star will draw them in.

On Tatooine, Jabba interrogates Jix about the death of his henchman and the unauthorized call from his palace. Then Fett's arrival is notified. He fools the stalking bounty hunters with a disguised Zuckuss and a covered up 4-LOM that would seem to be himself and a carbonite block speeding away from the Slave I. The real Fett gives the actual carbonite block of Han to Jabba, and he receives his payment.

Meanwhile, Luke, Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO are back on Tattooine and prepare to rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. Luke with Leia are outside Ben's hut; he prepares his holographic message to Jabba and puts his lightsaber into R2.

Dash Rendar has escaped the skyhook via a jump to hyperspace and decided to stay low for a while. He remarks that it is good to be known as a martyr while still being alive.

Vader is on board the Executor recollecting his memories of Xizor and the plans to capture Luke on his way to the Death Star, right before the Return of the Jedi begins.




  • Suprosa in the Trading Card has an appearance wholly different from all other appearances in the comic and games. The novel identifies Suprosa as a a Corellian freighter although canon established it is a Mobquet medium transport; Mobquet is not Corellian
  • In the novel Leia wears a green dress given to her by Xizor, in the comic it's blue
  • In the novel Luke and Lando steal Stormtrooper outfits until Dash gives Luke the dark outfit he is seen with in the beginning of RotJ. In the comic Luke wears his normal outfit however Lando wears the top part of a Stormtrooper uniform although no explanation for this is given in the comic.
  • In the comic, the appearance of Falleen's Fist differs from all other appearances, being red and vertical, lacking the long shafts that extend from its core.
  • In the game, Dash's role in the battle above Coruscant was entering the shafts of Falleen's Fist and destroy the skyhook's reactors, causing it to explode. He is 'killed' by failing to exit the tunnel in time. In the novel, the skyhook is destroyed by the Executor fire, and Dash is 'killed' later, hit by exploding debris. In both cases, Dash has secretly hyperspaced away, preferring to be remembered as a dead hero.
  • Guri in the Trading Cards appears wearing a yellow outfit (based on early designs by Jon Knole); in the comic she wears a red-grey dress.

Other trivia

  • The novel slips in two THX 1138 references.
  1. Lando says it once escaping from Gall.

External links