While Marvel's comics provide a second look at Darth Vader's solo adventures in new canon, the books still see the powerful Sith Lord as just a sidekick to other characters. So it was in Tarkin”, so it will be in the recently announced sequel to Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn, and it was a little different only in Paul Kemp’s The Sith Lords.
The news that two main figures of the Galaxy arrive on the planet Ryloth - the Emperor and his right hand Darth Vader - seriously stirred up the local militia. Chama Syndulla, who had been fighting for the freedom of the Twi'lek home planet for many years, decided to put everything on the line for the chance to kill both of them and end the tyranny of the Empire. The ending of the book is predictable, from what then will the intrigue be built in this case?
The announcement of the book had a very cool description of the book, which promised to be a "police procedural about the Sith." It sounds intriguing, the imagination builds a lot of interestingly played situations from on-air serials. And the book shatters them to smithereens: it's not about that at all.
The reader needs someone to empathize with. Villains in the person of Sidious and Vader are not well suited for this role (no matter how sorry you are for Anakin), and stealing imperial officers are not very suitable for the image of curious heroes. To solve the problem that has arisen, the lion's share of the book is given to Syndulla and his fighters. This is not the first time Chum has appeared in the field of view of fans, besides, his daughter, Hera Syndulla, is one of the main characters of "Rebels". So the choice can be considered successful. There is only one significant "but" in this decision. When buying a book "Lords of the Sith", readers are not counting on a story about how hard it is to be a rebel on Ryloth. Yes, this part of the story pleases with great scenes, such as the attack on the Star Destroyer, which delivers high-ranking guests to the planet. The planned attack begins already in orbit, and this is the most exciting scene in the book. A buoyant start quickly breaks down into the slow pace of land-based adventures that can easily be described as a game of cat and mouse.
But it is in this part that the best scenes with Vader and Palpatine are shown. Despite the ostentatious respect for each other, both understand that sooner or later their relationship will end in a duel, from which only one will emerge victorious. Nevertheless, Palpatine continues to train his wounded student, because Vader is the most dangerous weapon in his hands. Meanwhile, his student thinks more than once or twice, did he choose the right moment to kill the teacher? But every time he stops, because Palpatine perfectly understands his every step. It is easy to guess that Palpatine is the winner every time in such ping-pong, forcing Skywalker to analyze almost every phrase spoken by the teacher. It sounds boring, but in fact it creates the very tension that gives the book intrigue. At the same time, this is perhaps the best way to find out who Anakin became on the dark side of the Force.
Star Wars
Sith Lords
Jen, Riordan, Lady Dee and Sloane.
love you all
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wrote this book during the most difficult period of my adult life, which would not have been possible without Shelly Shapiro. Shelley, thank you for your patience.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
It has been eight years since the Clone Wars devastated the galaxy. The Republic ceased to exist, and the Empire dominates in its place. All power is in the hands of the Emperor, the secret master of the Sith, who, along with his apprentice, the powerful Darth Vader, reigns supreme over the galaxy, using the resources of a gigantic Imperial war machine.
Any dissent is suppressed, and only memories remain of freedom - all in the name of peace and order. But here and there, pockets of resistance begin to smolder and flare up, and the hottest of them is the Free Ryloth movement, led by Cham Syndulla.
After many small acts of sabotage against the Imperial forces controlling their planet, Cham and his fellow rebels make a risky attempt to strike the Empire in the deathblow and plunge it into chaos, striking at the heart. Their target is Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader...
CHAPTER FIRST
When he finished meditating, Vader opened his eyes. From the mirrored wall of the sealed black transparistal meditation chamber, his own pale, fire-wracked face stared back at him. Without a neural connection to the armor, he fully felt the stumps of his legs, his crushed hands, the constant pain that pierced his body, which he was only glad of. Pain fueled his hatred, and hatred fueled his Strength. Once, when he was a Jedi, he meditated to find peace in his soul. Now he strove to sharpen his own anger like a sharpened weapon.
He stared at his own reflection for a long time. The wounds disfigured and broke his body, but perfected his spirit and strengthened his connection with the Force. In suffering, inspiration was born.
An automatic hand held his helmet and visor above his head, ready to fall on him like doom. The visored eyes that had inspired fear in so many were no match for his real eyes, which blazed amidst the sea of scars with rage that was firmly restrained. The accessory respirator he never parted with covered his mangled mouth, and the sound of breathing echoed off the walls.
Calling on the Force, he activated his automatic arm. It descended, and the metal and plasteel of the helmet and visor surrounded his head, the shell in which he existed. He gladly felt the painful sting as the helm's neural needles dug into the flesh at the back of his skull and neck, fusing his body, mind, and armor into an interconnected whole.
Man and machine became one, and Vader ceased to feel the absence of legs and arms. The pain in the body also disappeared, but the hatred, like the rage, did not go anywhere. They never left him, and the stronger the anger, the more he felt connected to the Force.
By force of will, he ordered the on-board computer to connect the main respirator to the auxiliary one and seal the helmet around his neck. He was at home again.
Once upon a time, the armor had seemed hateful and alien to him, but now he realized that he had always been doomed to wear it, just as the Jedi had always been doomed to betray their principles. From the very beginning, he was doomed to a duel with Obi-Wan and a defeat at Mustafar, which taught him a lot.
The armor separated him from the galaxy and everyone around him, made him special and unique, freeing him from the needs and cares of the body that had once been his curse, and allowing him to focus solely on his relationship with the Force.
He knew that others were horrified by this, and he liked it. Their fear became a tool with which he achieved his goals. Yoda once told him that fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering. But Yoda was wrong. Fear is a tool by which the strong command the weak. Hatred is the source of true Power. The power of the strong over the weak did not lead to suffering, but to order. By its very existence, the Force established the right of the strong to rule over the weak. Force established order. The Jedi never understood this, and so they were destroyed. But Vader's teacher understood everything, as did Vader himself. And that's why they were strong. That is why they ruled.
It has been eight years since the Clone Wars devastated the galaxy. The Republic ceased to exist, and the Empire dominates in its place. All power is in the hands of the Emperor, the secret master of the Sith, who, along with his apprentice, the powerful Darth Vader, reigns supreme over the galaxy, using the resources of a gigantic Imperial war machine.
Any dissent is suppressed, and only memories remain of freedom - all in the name of peace and order. But here and there, pockets of resistance begin to smolder and flare up, and the hottest of them is the Free Ryloth movement, led by Cham Syndulla.
After many small acts of sabotage against the Imperial forces controlling their planet, Cham and his fellow rebels make a risky attempt to strike the Empire in the deathblow and plunge it into chaos, striking at the heart. Their target is Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader...
STAR WARS™: Lords of the Sith
Copyright © & ™ 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.
Used Under Authorization.
Translation from English Kirill Pleshkova
Serial design and cover design Victoria Manatskova
The publisher thanks the Guild of Archivists JC for help in preparing the publication.
Jen, Riordan, Lady Dee and Sloane. love you all
Thanks
I wrote this book during the most difficult period of my adult life, which would not have been possible without Shelly Shapiro. Shelley, thank you for your patience.
Paul S. Kemp
Star Wars. Sith Lords
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
It has been eight years since the Clone Wars devastated the galaxy. The Republic ceased to exist, and the Empire dominates in its place. All power is in the hands of the Emperor, the secret master of the Sith, who, along with his apprentice, the powerful Darth Vader, reigns supreme over the galaxy, using the resources of a gigantic Imperial war machine.
Any dissent is suppressed, and only memories remain of freedom - all in the name of peace and order. But here and there, pockets of resistance begin to smolder and flare up, and the hottest of them is the Free Ryloth movement, led by Cham Syndulla.
After many small acts of sabotage against the Imperial forces controlling their planet, Cham and his fellow rebels make a risky attempt to strike the Empire in the deathblow and plunge it into chaos, striking at the heart. Their target is Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader...
Chapter first
When he finished meditating, Vader opened his eyes. From the mirrored wall of the sealed black transparistal meditation chamber, his own pale, fire-wracked face stared back at him. Without a neural connection to the armor, he fully felt the stumps of his legs, his crushed hands, the constant pain that pierced his body, which he was only glad of. Pain fueled his hatred, and hatred fueled his Strength. Once, when he was a Jedi, he meditated to find peace in his soul. Now he strove to sharpen his own anger like a sharpened weapon.
He stared at his own reflection for a long time. The wounds disfigured and broke his body, but perfected his spirit and strengthened his connection with the Force. In suffering, inspiration was born.
An automatic hand held his helmet and visor above his head, ready to fall on him like doom. The visored eyes that had inspired fear in so many were no match for his real eyes, which blazed amidst the sea of scars with rage that was firmly restrained. The accessory respirator he never parted with covered his mangled mouth, and the sound of breathing echoed off the walls.
Calling on the Force, he activated his automatic arm. It descended, and the metal and plasteel of the helmet surrounded his head and visor, the shell in which he existed. He gladly felt the painful sting as the helm's neural needles dug into the flesh at the back of his skull and neck, fusing his body, mind, and armor into an interconnected whole.
Man and machine became one, and Vader ceased to feel the absence of legs and arms. The pain in the body also disappeared, but the hatred, like the rage, did not go anywhere. They never left him, and the stronger the anger, the more he felt connected to the Force.
By force of will, he ordered the on-board computer to connect the main respirator to the auxiliary one and seal the helmet around his neck. He was at home again.
Once upon a time, the armor had seemed hateful and alien to him, but now he realized that he had always been doomed to wear it, just as the Jedi had always been doomed to betray their principles. From the very beginning, he was doomed to a duel with Obi-Wan and a defeat at Mustafar, which taught him a lot.
The armor separated him from the galaxy and everyone around him, made him special and unique, freeing him from the needs and cares of the body that had once been his curse, and allowing him to focus solely on his relationship with the Force.
He knew that others were horrified by this, and he liked it. Their fear became a tool with which he achieved his goals. Yoda once told him that fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering. But Yoda was wrong. Fear is a tool by which the strong command the weak. Hatred is the source of true Power. The power of the strong over the weak did not lead to suffering, but to order. By its very existence, the Force established the right of the strong to rule over the weak. Force established order. The Jedi never understood this, and so they were destroyed. But Vader's teacher understood everything, as did Vader himself. And that's why they were strong. That is why they ruled.
He rose to his feet, hearing his own loud breathing and seeing a huge dark reflection in the wall.
With a wave of his gloved hand and a mental command, the walls of the egg-shaped meditation chamber at the center of his private quarters aboard the Ravager went from mirror to transparent. A large porthole behind them overlooked the galaxy with its countless planets and stars.
Now he understood that it was his duty to rule them all. Such was the unequivocal will of the Force. Existence without proper authority led to chaos and disorder. Force—invisible but omnipresent—was the instrument by which order could and should be brought about, and not at all through harmony or peaceful coexistence. This was the Jedi's approach - stupid and misguided, which only provoked more chaos. Vader and his master brought order in the only way the Force demanded, through conquest, forcing chaos into order and bending the weak to the will of the strong.
The history of Jedi influence in the galaxy has become a history of chaos and the frequent wars that it has engendered. The history of the Empire was to be the history of forcibly established peace and imposed order.
The intercom chimed, announcing an ongoing call. The holo projector brought up an image of Captain Luitt, the white-haired commander of the Ravager with a hump on his nose.
“Lord Vader, incident at the shipyards of the Lesser Yaga.