The Hive Star Wars Legends Short Story

“Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi strides—and soars and plots and duels—again in this stirring new addition to the Star Wars saga. . . . This splendid adventure yarn offers a gut-wrenching surprise on nearly every page and a knock-the-socks-off ending.”—Publishers Weekly When the economically depressed government of Ord Cestus threatens to sell incredibly deadly battle droids to the Separatists, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine dispatches a team led by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to the planet. Their mission: to halt the deal. A peaceful resolution is preferable, but if all else fails, the Republic will not hesitate to demonstrate the consequences of disloyalty by launching a full-scale attack—wiping out not only the means of biodroid production but countless lives as well. The prospect of such a slaughter only fuels Obi-Wan’s growing suspicions about the sinister path the Republic seems to be taking. Facing a crisis of conscience, Obi-Wan must find the wisdom and strength to prevent a bloodbath and safeguard the Republic—while abiding by the ancient code to which he has pledged his life.

WHAT LIES BENEATH Dispatched as a Republic envoy to the Outer Rim planet Ord Cestus—in a bid to halt the sale of potentially deadly “bio-droids” to the Confederacy—Obi-Wan Kenobi finds himself enlisted in a mission more desperate, and dangerous, than diplomatic. The once self-contained world has long since been co-opted by unscrupulous offworlders, whose plunder of a vital natural resource has enabled the rise of a powerful corporation that controls the economy. Ord Cestus’s native population, the X’Ting, are now mere second-class citizens in their own society. Enter the Jedi Knight, with news that a legal technicality has turned the tables—and the corrupt forces with a stranglehold on Ord Cestus are now at the mercy of the X’Ting. Circumstances, however, are more dire than the Republic suspected. In the wake of a devastating plague, the X’Ting’s benevolent rulers are dead, and the once tightly knit race has splintered into battling factions. Reunification can only come with the rise of new royals, whom all X’Ting are bound by blood to serve. But the eggs that will spawn those sovereigns lie out of reach, secured in a secret chamber and booby-trapped by those whose knowledge died with them in the plague. Now, to salvage a people’s destiny, Obi-Wan will risk a veritable descent into hell: braving the unknown horrors in the forgotten depths of an alien world, on a perilous quest from which none who went before have ever returned. BONUS: This short story features an exclusive author interview—plus an excerpt from Steven Barnes’ Star Wars novel, The Cestus Deception.

Like father, like son . . . Growing up in the shadow of his heroic father, Lumpawarrump, son of Chewbacca, feels tremendous pressure to match his father’s daring exploits. Chewie’s life-debt to Han Solo keeps him from returning home, and without the steadying influence of his father, Lumpy is unfocused and out of control. So Chewie’s wife decides that a visit to Coruscant is in order. It’s the perfect opportunity for the family to bond—and for Chewbacca to teach his son some much-needed life-lessons. But when Lumpy’s eagerness to impress his father leads to direct disobedience, Chewie is forced into an extreme pursuit that will lead him into Coruscant’s dangerous underlevels–and to a secret as shocking as it is deadly. . . . BONUS: This original novella includes an excerpt from Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal and an interview with the author.

A dazzling new short story featuring Darth Maul, merciless apprentice of evil . . . On the distant planet Dorvalla, precious ore is mined by two competing companies: InterGalactic Ore and Lommite Limited. Neither rival suspects that they are central to a sinister plot masterminded by Darth Sidious, Lord of the Sith, himself. Dispatched by Sidious on his very first solo mission, Darth Maul infiltrates Lommite Limited. There, his unique gifts of deception and subterfuge will set off an explosive chain of events that could destroy both companies, leaving them ripe for takeover by the Trade Federation. But a vengeful Lommite Limited Manager with his own thirst for retaliation against InterGal could blow Maul's cover--and all of Sidious's fiendishly layed plans . . . BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Star Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter.

As the forces of darkness threaten to engulf the galaxy, one last defiant spark remains. . . . Though the Yuuzhan Vong were victorious in their savage conquest of the planet Duro, they failed to extract sensitive information from Leia Organa Solo, who now barely clings to life after enduring the enemies' torture. Unless she receives medical attention soon, the badly wounded Princess and former head of the New Republic will surely die. Pursued by bounty hunters, Han Solo begins a race against time, only to find his urgent pleas for help rejected by planet after planet, as the Jedi are blamed for the continuing fight against the seemingly invincible aliens. Desperate, the Solos decide on a suicide mission. They must reach Coruscant, the New Republic's strife-ridden capital where traitors, appeasers, and assassins now share the same goal as the fierce Yuuzhan Vong: kill all Jedi... BONUS: This short story also features an excerpt from Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest.

On the surface, it seems like just another routine contract for Boba Fett and his Mandalorian commandos, but the mystery client who hires them to start a small war is more dangerous than any of them can possibly imagine. When the Yuuzhan Vong invasion force sweeps into the galaxy, the Mandalorians find they’re on the wrong side–fighting for an alien culture that will bring about the end of their own. Now Fett has to choose between his honor and the survival of his people. Since he’ s a practical man, he’s determined help the resistance beat the Yuuzhan Vong—even if it means working with a Jedi agent. Trouble is, no one trusts a man with Fett’ s reputation. So convincing the New Republic that they’re fighting on the same side is a tall order. Denounced as traitors, Fett’s Mandalorians need to stay one step ahead of their Yuuzhan Vong paymasters–and the Republic who sees them as collaborators with the most destructive enemy the galaxy has ever faced. . . . BONUS: This original novella includes an excerpt from Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact and an interview with the author.

Dispatched by the Republic to the planet Ord Cestus, where deadly battle droids are being manufactured, Obi-Wan Kenobi finds his diplomatic efforts to keep the droids out of Confederacy hands thwarted by a secret adversary, a situation that forces him to team up with a clone soldier. 100,000 first printing.

A Star Wars debut in which Han Solo and his new friends embark on a daring rescue mission just after the destruction of the first Death Star.