Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel, the fourth book in the Republic Commando series, saw its release in September of 2008. It marked the initial time that a Republic Commando novel was generally available in hardcover format. However, the UK edition was exclusively a paperback. This paperback version became available on May 19, 2009.
Following the intense battles depicted in Hard Contact, Triple Zero, and True Colors comes the grand finale of Karen Traviss's compelling Republic Commando series, a New York Times bestseller. As this war-torn period draws to a close, a shocking power grab is poised to stun the entire galaxy... and trigger events that will reshape fates and echo throughout history.
Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach a dramatic climax, the ultimate outcome remains uncertain: will the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) prevail, or will the Separatists emerge victorious? Regardless of the victor, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones, such as the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads, as well as the infamous rogue Advance Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs.
With Republic forces stretched thin and casualties rising, the last thing these weary warriors need is the revelation that Chancellor Palpatine has vast, secret clone armies held in reserve. Sergeant Skirata, a mentor figure to the clone commandos, refuses to stand by while Palpatine sends them to their deaths. Skirata begins plotting the clones' escape from the GAR, but his valiant effort will be futile unless he can find a way to reverse the clones' accelerated aging.
Caught in the deceptive schemes of their leaders and embroiled in life-or-death battles, the disillusioned Null ARCs and Commandos fight with all their might, determined to secure victory over the Seps and save the galaxy.
However, even the most formidable weapons may not be enough to overcome the true danger. And nothing can prevent the cataclysmic horror that will be unleashed when Palpatine utters the ominous words "The time has come. Execute Order 66". In other words: Kill all Jedi.
With their faith in the Republic and their loyalty to their Jedi allies pushed to the limit, how will the members of Omega and Delta squads react to the most infamous command in galactic history? All the thrilling action, suspense, and intrigue of Karen Traviss's Republic Commando series come to life in Star Wars: Order 66.
As the Clone Wars continue their destructive path across the galaxy, stretching the resources of the Jedi Order and the Grand Army of the Republic as they wage war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Kal Skirata, along with his adopted clone trooper sons from Omega Squad, Delta Squad, and the Nulls, and Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan, make plans to desert and seek refuge on the planet of Mandalore, where they hope to live peaceful, civilian lives.
While Skirata persists in his search for a solution to halt the clone troopers' accelerated aging, complications arise when Etain finally confesses to Darman that her son, Kad Skirata, is also Darman's child. Darman feels deeply betrayed by both Etain and Skirata for concealing Kad's existence from him, leading to a violent outburst where Darman physically assaults Skirata, who, acting as the clone's father figure, does not retaliate, allowing Darman to vent his pent-up anger.
In a parallel development, Ordo weds Besany Wennen, whose clandestine activities of spying into Republic files are beginning to attract unwanted attention. The Gurlanins go so far as to frame one of Besany's associates, Jilka Zan Zentis, for the hacking incidents in an attempt to protect Besany. Fortunately, Walon Vau, Ordo, and Wad'e Tay'haai orchestrate Zentis's rescue by deceiving the prison guards at her detention facility, convincing them they are authorized to transfer her.
Bardan Jusik is also formulating a plan to liberate Dr. Ovolot Qail Uthan, who was captured by Omega Squad almost three years prior on Qiilura. Skirata and Mereel have been subtly influencing various groups of scientists to investigate specific cells within the clones' genes, aiming to discover a method to grant the clone troopers normal life spans. They believe that Uthan possesses the expertise to synthesize all of this fragmented research.
On Coruscant, Etain is contemplating leaving the Jedi, even rejecting the option of joining a more lenient group of Jedi who have chosen to support the war, contrary to the mainstream Jedi Order's stance. She believes that such a compromise would be superficial and would fail to address the underlying issues that prompted Bardan Jusik to abandon the Order in the first place. Darman eventually forgives Etain and Skirata for keeping Kad a secret, and he begins to bond with Etain and his son. The situation becomes increasingly perilous for Skirata as he is branded a wanted fugitive by order of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine for stealing the late Ko Sai's clone data. Atin also enters into marriage with Laseema, who is caring for Kad on Etain's behalf while she is away on Coruscant.
Meanwhile, Skirata's son, Tor Skirata, gets in touch with Kal, informing him that he and his brother, Ijaat, have not heard from Skirata's daughter, Ruusaan (who has not signed the Mandalorian divorce contract that legally separates parents and offspring), for several months. Skirata deduces that Ruu has been taken prisoner of war by the Republic because she was working for the Separatists. Fi Skirata, Spar, and Sull pose as prison authorities to facilitate Ruusan's release, with Bardan acting as a fellow prisoner who can identify Ruu. Following her liberation, Ruu expresses profound gratitude to her father for securing her freedom and reuniting her with the family.
Darman and the rest of Omega, along with Delta, begin to encounter clones who lack the rigorous training and combat coordination that they possess. They also hear rumors that it never rains on Kamino. These observations align with new intelligence provided by Besany, indicating that Palpatine is producing a new batch of clones on Centax-2 using Spaarti cloning cylinders, which can generate fully mature clones in less than a year without accelerated aging. Skirata's group begins to fear that these less-trained clones might supplant the highly skilled Kamino clones. Skirata sets a date for their final defection from the Republic and their departure from the Clone Wars - 1,090 days after the Battle of Geonosis.
Later, Etain leads the Mission to Kashyyyk with Delta Squad, 1,070 days after the Battle of Geonosis. However, the mission culminates in tragedy for Etain and Delta when Sev is lost and presumed dead. Etain and Delta are recalled by orders directly from Grand Master Yoda, even though they all desperately want to rescue Sev, especially Scorch, who nearly defies the order and attempts to go after Sev. Scorch's grief over Sev's loss intensifies his transition from a comedic character to a tragic hero, exemplified by his vengeful killing of Separatist terrorists at a Republic outpost after they bombed the building where the clones were stationed, resulting in numerous clone deaths and injuries.
On the same day that Sev goes missing, the Separatists launch an invasion of Coruscant, where Omega Squad and thousands of other clones, including the newly bred clones from Centax 2, engage in combat against the battle droid and droid starfighter forces unleashed on the planet's surface. The battle rages for five days, during which Skirata and his clone sons surmise that Palpatine's newly manufactured clones were intended for the defense of Coruscant in anticipation of a Separatist invasion of the Republic capital planet. They even exploit the chaos of the battle as a cover to liberate Uthan from prison, and they also free Arla Fett, the mentally unstable sister of Jango Fett. The battle concludes when General Grievous withdraws from the conflict to return to Utapau. Subsequently, as Etain is being extracted from Kashyyyk, she sends a message announcing her official resignation from the Jedi Order and accepting Darman's marriage proposal via comm. However, as Skirata's defection date approaches, Chancellor Palpatine issues the chilling command to clone troopers across the galaxy, a directive that cannot be disobeyed: "Execute Order Sixty-six." All clone troopers are ordered to immediately eliminate their Jedi commanders.
In the aftermath, the Jedi are relentlessly hunted, and many are killed, with only a few managing to survive. However, most of these survivors are eventually tracked down and killed by the newly proclaimed Galactic Empire, which Palpatine establishes with himself as Emperor. The Jedi Temple is stormed by clone troopers, led by Darth Vader, resulting in the deaths of numerous Jedi and the Temple's destruction by fire. Arligan Zey, who manages to escape the assault on the Jedi Temple despite sustaining severe injuries, is discovered by Captain Maze shortly after Ordo enters Zey's office to erase incriminating evidence from the Republic mainframe to prevent Skirata's group from being tracked by Palpatine's New Order. Zey reveals that Palpatine is a Sith Lord, a fact previously unknown to Maze. Ordo explains that the Sith are similar to the Jedi but hold diametrically opposed views. Maze then questions why the Jedi were unable to sense Darth Sidious's dark side presence. Zey then instructs Maze to kill him, and the captain, despite his reluctance, complies.
Meanwhile, Etain, now officially no longer a Jedi, secretly lands on Coruscant and disguises herself as an ordinary citizen while Skirata and the clones begin searching for her as their departure to Mandalore draws near. The group finds Etain amidst a congested pedestrian area that has been cordoned off by clones to identify any fugitive Jedi attempting to cross the bridge. The situation escalates into violence when the clones realize that there are Jedi within the crowd. The identified Jedi, with the exception of Etain, defend themselves with their lightsabers and engage the clones in combat. However, Etain intervenes to protect a random clone from a lightsaber strike by one of the Jedi, just as the Padawan was about to kill the trooper. Etain is immediately killed by the lightsaber strike, leaving Darman in shock as Niner is wounded by one of the Jedi, suffering a broken spine that leaves him paralyzed.
Skirata is overcome with grief and rage following Etain's death and Darman's shock, and he attacks the Jedi, killing them all. Darman and Niner are both evacuated by a medical LAAT/i and disappear. Jaller Obrim subdues Skirata with a tranquilizer and takes Etain's body away with the rest of Skirata's defecting group back to Mandalore.
With the exception of Darman, Niner, Boss, Scorch, Fixer, and Sev (still MIA on Kashyyyk), the remainder of Skirata's group finally settle on Mandalore just as the Clone Wars finally end. Etain's funeral is held, with her cremation. Skirata posthumously adopts Etain as his daughter and decides to preserve her ashes for Darman in the event that they are ever able to locate him. Walon Vau hints at his intention to travel to Kashyyyk to search for Sev (claiming he will be studying trees, a statement that is clearly disingenuous). Arla Fett is gradually recovering her mental health, and Dr. Uthan agrees to develop a cure for the clones' accelerated aging. Later, Skirata resolves to create a monument dedicated to all the clone troopers who perished in the Clone Wars, with Etain being the only non-clone to be represented in the memorial.
One of the pilots who worked alongside Etain during her second mission on Qiilura while she was secretly pregnant with Kad, Nyreen Vollen, approaches Skirata, informing him that she has two Jedi in her care - one of whom is nicknamed Scout - and a Kaminoan Jedi. Skirata agrees to take them in.
On Coruscant, the fates of Darman, Niner, Boss, Scorch, and Fixer are revealed - they have become Imperial Commandos serving Palpatine's new empire, and Niner has been healed and is once again fit for combat. Darman also suppresses his former self, the one who loved Etain, his brothers, and Skirata as a father, in favor of his new identity as Imperial Commando Darman. The novel concludes as the Empire arrives on Mandalore to assert its dominance.
Meanwhile, Fenn Shysa, the Mandalorian who attempted to persuade Spar and Fi to assume Boba Fett's position as Mandalore, meets with Palpatine's forces to negotiate a deal. The final scene of the novel depicts Skirata comforting Kad, who senses the Imperial forces' malevolent intentions, mirroring Skirata's earlier act of consoling Darman after the clone physically assaulted Skirata for concealing Kad's existence. It also echoes a scene from fifty years before the Battle of Geonosis, when Kal was Falin Mattran, a Kuat boy who had recently lost his parents and was being raised by a Mandalorian named Munin Skirata, who calmed Kal down when he first took on the mantle of Kal Skirata to stop his nightmares of his parents' deaths.
Both General Etain Tur-Mukan and Jilka Zan Zentis are mistakenly identified as male in the dramatis personae.
In the Republic Commando video game, 01/425 is the individual who informs Delta Squad of the order to retreat despite Sev's disappearance. However, in the novel, these lines are attributed to Quinlan Vos' Forward Air Controller. There are also significant differences in the subsequent dialogue and actions of Delta Squad's members after the order is given compared to the video game's depiction of the scene, especially concerning Scorch.
- ISBN 0345506189 ; September 16 , 2008 ; Del Rey
- ISBN 9780593726068 ; February 6, 2024; Random House Worlds; Trade Paperback [3]