The Galactic Alliance is reeling from civil war. The Jedi are at risk. And the Sith are on the rise....
The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo's shocking transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth Caedus has cast a damning pall over those who wield the Force for good: Two Jedi Knights have succumbed to an inexplicable and dangerous psychosis, criminal charges have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile, and power-hungry Chief of State Natasi Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to undermine the Order's influence within the Galactic Alliance.
Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a desperate mission to uncover the truth behind Jacen's fall to the dark side -- and to learn what's turning peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the Kathol Rift, and bargaining with an alien species as likely to destroy outsiders as deal with them. Still, there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate. Stricken by the same violent dementia that infected her brother, Valin, Jedi Knight Jysella Horn faces an equally grim fate after her capture by Natasi Daala's police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala's iron will -- at the expense of the Jedi Order.
But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the past, a Sith starship crashed on an unknown, low-tech planet, leaving the survivors stranded. Over the generations, their numbers have grown, the ways of the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast approaching when this lost tribe of Sith will once more take to the stars to reclaim their legendary destiny as rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands in their way to dominance, a name whispered to them through the Force: Skywalker.
In 41 ABY the Sith Dician and her ship Poison Moon are orbiting the planet Ziost, having followed a Sith Meditation Sphere called Ship instead of destroying Alema Rar, the Home, and the Millennium Falcon. Dician attempts to convince Ship to come with her to the One Sith, but Ship refuses, believing them to be too weak for choosing to hide from the galaxy.
Ship eventually arrives on Kesh, where a stranded Lost Tribe of Sith remain isolated from the rest of the galaxy. Ship takes special interest in Sith Tyro Vestara Khai and offers to teach her in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Several days later Vestara is called into the Circle Chambers before the Circle of Lords. She tells the Lords that she and Ship shared their thoughts. The Lords then reveal that they will use Ship to learn more about the Sith, and also use Ship to fly offworld. Vestara is made Sith apprentice to Lady Rhea and will also fly and be trained by Ship. Ship then reveals to the Lords that the Sith do not rule the galaxy and are very few in number. This revelation completely shatters the Lost Tribe's long-held belief that the Sith have ruled the galaxy for thousands of years.
Two years later, in 43.5 ABY, Jysella Horn is still attempting to get over the loss of her brother Valin, who has been encased in carbonite after contracting a mysterious illness. While in the New Jedi Temple with Jedi Master Cilghal, Jysella is suddenly stricken with the same illness. Now believing that everyone is an imposter, she flees and is pursued by other Jedi. During her escape, Jysella begins to flow-walk (an ability she should not possess, which was also harnessed by the late Jacen Solo) and she is able to avoid capture based on what she sees in the future. She escapes the Temple and battles Bazel Warv and Yaqeel Saav'etu, two of her closest friends. However, she is caught by GA security. Chief of State Natasi Daala arrives and announces that Jysella will be encased in carbonite alongside her brother.
Meanwhile, on the Jade Shadow, Luke Skywalker and his son Ben continue their journey to gather information about Jacen Solo's five year sojourn. Cilghal contacts them and informs them about the recent events. Luke is concerned that each Jedi who has contracted the illness has displayed Force powers that they hadn't learned, and furthermore, powers that Jacen had possessed. Luke speculates that Darth Caedus may have flow-walked into the past and planted a kind of "Force bomb" that would trigger the illnesses if he did not succeed in his quest for power during the Second Galactic Civil War. Luke and Ben decide to travel to the Kathol Rift in order to find the Aing-Tii, a xenophobic species with strange time altering Force powers. Jacen was known to have visited these beings, and the Skywalkers suspect that this is where he learned to flow-walk.
Once the Skywalkers reach the Rift, they encounter an Aing-Tii ship. After receiving directions, Luke and Ben arrive at a small moon and find an Aing-Tii craft waiting for them. The lone Aing-Tii presents them with a challenge: to communicate with him via the Force. While using the Force, the Skywalkers are shocked to find that the monk shines in it just as brightly as Luke, but the Aing-Tii's presence differs from any other Force-user that they have felt before. The encounter is too much for Ben, and he is forced to give up. Luke, however, maintains contact for quite some time and passes the test. They learn the Aing-Tii's name is Tadar'Ro. Tadar'Ro gives them the coordinates to the Aing-Tii homeworld.
Arriving at the coordinates, the Skywalkers find it is a rocky and mostly barren world. They are greeted by the Aing-Tii with a mixture of aggression, welcome, and neutral disinterest. Tadar'Ro tells them via an Aing-Tii translation device that the monks' peaceful society is being torn in two. Recently, a prophet who had made many accurate prophecies proclaimed that Those Who Dwell Beyond the Veil (god-like figures in the Aing-Tii religion) would return in his lifetime, then he died. This has led to much controversy, which is tearing apart the Aing-Tii's society. Tadar'Ro agrees to tell the two humans about Jacen's visit, teach Luke the ability to teleport objects using the Force, and teach Ben the ability to flow-walk. In return, the two Skywalkers must collect relics, various sacred artifacts that have a residue of Force power in them and ordained by Those Who Dwell Beyond the Veil to be collected, but the Aing-Tii are culturally forbidden from touching them.
Back on Coruscant at the Livestock Exchange and Exhibition, the Solo family and Jedi Knights Radd Minker and Natua Wan are all attending. Han and Leia also wish to search for a pet for Allana. After viewing the tamer animals Allana decides she wants to see the more ferocious and dangerous creatures. As they enter the exhibit holding the dangerous species, Wan suddenly contracts the same mysterious Force illness that has presented itself in the Horn children and Seff Hellin. The Falleen Jedi flees to the command center of the station and locks all of the doors of the dangerous animal exhibit. She starts to retract the bridges over the cages leading to the doors and opens the animal pens. One spectator is injured and a child is almost eaten by a boar-wolf. He is saved by Leia, who in turn chases Wan, who throws her voice using the Force, another ability of Jacen's. Leia, Jaina, and Radd engage Wan and render her unconscious. Unfortunately for the Jedi, much of what happened was recorded by journalist Javis Tyrr.
Tyrr is also able to sneak a device into the lower areas of the Temple and get a recording of Seff Hellin's imprisonment there. Tyrr broadcasts both of these events on the HoloNet. Daala immediately demands a meeting with the Jedi, where she both humiliates them and tries to detain Hellin and Wan. The Jedi refuse but grant the GA full access to the two Jedi so a cure can be found. In return each of the Jedi who had been in on this plot, namely those involved in Darkmeld, has to be named and interviewed on the HoloNet. The exception is Tahiri Veila who had resigned so Jaina did not give her name in. That night Jaina returns very tired to her quarters and finds Jagged Fel waiting for her. Jag then asks Jaina to marry him, which she happily accepts.
On the Aing-Tii homeworld, the monks are becoming restless and Tadar'Ro decides that even though the Skywalkers are not ready, they must travel to the Embrace, a series of caverns where the relics are stored. The Aing-Tii hope that the two humans will be able to discover an item that would solve the species' problems. After a two day hike the trio arrive at a cave. Inside the Skywalkers find thousands upon thousands of items.
On Kesh, Vestara Khai has flown and learned from Ship, as have many others. The Lost Tribe of the Sith have destroyed various ships and then repaired them. They have now acquired the equivalent of a small fleet. Vestara has been put on the Eternal Crusader under her master Lady Rhea. While hauling back two new ships Rhea feels a great presence in the Force at the same time as Luke touches a relic called the Codex.
Inside the Embrace, Luke is temporarily stunned after the Codex enhanced his powers tremendously. He says afterward that he felt a disturbance in the region of space called the Maw and that he and Ben must travel there. Upon returning to the surface the Skywalkers stand in front of the Aing-Tii crowd and tell them that though they have learned much, none of the relics have said anything that can guide the species. Therefore, the Aing-Tii must decide on their own whether to believe that the prophet was right; to accept the new beliefs that time was pre-ordained or return to the old ways. Though briefly enraged, the Aing-Tii finally accept the advice and step closer to filling in the rift between them. Luke and Ben express gratitude to Tadar'Ro and tell him they were going into the Maw. The monk warns them against it and reveals that Jacen also touched the Codex and felt a disturbance. The Skywalkers are warned of the Mind Drinkers who dwell there. But before the Skywalkers leave the planet, Ben goes to the spot where Jacen was taught to flow-walk. He finds that even though his late cousin was not his dark side self yet, he was inevitably going down that path, and there was nothing that Ben could do to stop it. Though experiencing great emotional pain at having failed to seek closure over his cousin falling to the dark side, Ben rejoins his father as they lift off in the Shadow, not knowing exactly what awaits them in the Maw.
On Kesh the leaders of the Lost Tribe of Sith discuss Luke Skywalker--they had all felt his presence when he touched the Codex and his Force powers were tremendously magnified. Lady Rhea describes her experience and how the Grand Master had felt alone and unprotected. Vestara suddenly cries out, feeling Ship abruptly leave Kesh. The Lords' discussion ends as they decide to track down and recapture Ship rather than dedicate their fleet to stopping Luke.
On Coruscant Allana opens up for the first time after the excitement at the Exhibition. She expresses her wish for a nexu cub that had lost its mother to Leia in the fray.
Tahiri Veila is sitting in her apartment contemplating the events of the past few days when she hears a knock at her door. She opens it to find armed GA officers who declare that she is under arrest for treason and murdering Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon two years earlier.
- On page 204, Jaina Solo's name is incorrectly spelled as "Jaini".
- On page 64, Ben Skywalker's eyes are incorrectly referred to as green.
- On page 99, Manarai Mountains are misspelled as "Manari Mountains".
- In the preview of Omen included in Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, Barv was identified as a Gamorrean. This was changed for Omen, however, in which he is identified as a Ramoan.
- On page 227 (paperback edition), Wynn Dorvan refers to Allana Solo as Jaina's "niece" when he's supposed to say "adopted sister".
- This novel marks the Lost Tribe of Sith's first appearance in a full-fledged novel, and they would continue to be primary antagonists for the rest of the series.
- This is the only Christie Golden novel in Fate of the Jedi to not include Abeloth—however, Ship's departure from Kesh is a direct result of Abeloth calling to him from her prison world.
- ISBN 9780345509123; June 23, 2009; Del Rey; US hardcover