Author Country United States Series Legacy of the Force | Cover artist Jason Felix Language English Subject Star Wars | |
Bloodlines is a 2006 Star Wars novel by Karen Traviss, the second book in the Legacy of the Force series. It takes place in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe, about 35 years after Return of the Jedi. It was followed by Troy Denning's Tempest.
Plot summary
Civil war continues amidst the Galactic Alliance, as terrorism by Corellians on Coruscant forces the Alliance to create even more repressive laws. Many families find themselves divided, including the Solos and Skywalkers: Han Solo's Corellian roots put him at odds with his brother-in-law Luke Skywalker, who is dedicated to the Jedi.
Han and Leia Solo's son, Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, continues on the path to becoming a Sith, believing that this is only way for him to save the galaxy. Following the example of his grandfather Anakin Skywalker, he hopes to acquire full Sith knowledge and still avoid becoming another Darth Vader. However, per Sith tenets, to achieve his full Sith ranking he must "immortalize his love", or kill those he loves the most: in his case, his former lover Tenel Ka and their daughter Allana. While wracked with doubt and sorrow, Jacen decides that the sacrifice is necessary. Bounty hunter Boba Fett's daughter, Ailyn Vel, is caught smuggling military-grade weapons onto Coruscant, and Jacen interrogates her to determine her target. She resists, and Jacen kills her. Fett resists killing Jacen in revenge, realizing that Jacen is going over to the dark side of the Force, which will turn his family and friends against him and ultimately inflict more pain than death.
Meanwhile, Luke and his wife Mara fear for their son, Ben, who seems to be following his mentor Jacen on his destructive path. Shaken by the deaths of two people in a raid, Ben begins to distrust Jacen's teachings.