Invincible (Star Wars novel)

Story

With Darth Caedus ruling both the Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant, the Jedi Coalition is now desperate to overthrow the Sith Lord by any means necessary. As the events of the novel proceed, with the protagonists attempting to find a way to kill Caedus whenever they get the chance, the entire Second Galactic Civil War culminates to a confrontation over the Coalition's base, prompting the Battle of Shedu Maad. Caedus is distracted by the fact that the Imperial Moffs had manufactured a nanovirus programmed to kill Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo and her daughter with Caedus, Allana. Jaina Solo, now prepared to face and kill her brother, confronts him in one final lightsaber duel aboard his capital ship, Anakin Solo. Caedus tries to warn her about the nanovirus, going so far as to sheathe his lightsaber in the face of an armed opponent. Jaina believes that he is attempting to trick her, however, and slams the door shut when Caedus tries to leave, forcing him to fight. The duel continues, with the siblings inflicting serious injuries on each other until Jaina finally cripples Caedus by severing his Achilles tendon. She attacks with a final strike which Caedus cannot block in his current condition, but which also leaves her open to a retaliatory strike. However, instead of taking advantage of the opening and killing his sister, Caedus chooses to use the last instant of his life to reach out to Tenel Ka through the Force and warn her of the danger posed to her and Allana. Jaina realizes what he is trying to do an instant before her lightsaber cuts into him, too late for her to stop the killing strike. Jaina is overcome with guilt, having realized too late that her brother had good left in him after all.

In the aftermath, Ben Skywalker redeems Tahiri Veila of Darth Caedus' darkness, and the Galactic Alliance Guard is disbanded. Luke Skywalker installs Jagged Fel as the Head of State of the Imperial Remnant, and Tenel Ka Djo announces that though she survived the Moffs' nanovirus attack, her daughter didn't. However, in reality, Allana did survive, and Tenel Ka lied about her death so that she wouldn't be targeted for assassination. Former Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala takes Caedus' place as the Galactic Alliance's Chief of State. Jaina realises that even though Caedus' dream of a New Order died with him, his actions had resulted in the formation of a more unified galaxy - meaning that, one way or the other, Caedus had accomplished what he had set out to do. The novel, and the series, ends with Jaina welcoming Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo's adopted daughter, "Amelia Solo" (Allana in disguise), into the family.

Dramatis personae

Reception

Invincible reached number five on the New York times bestseller list on June 1, 2008.