Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks

Zare Leonis, a new entrant at Lothal's Imperial Academy, is committed to maintaining the facade of a model cadet. However, he secretly harbors a rebellious agenda, aiming to expose the Empire and find his missing sister. Fortunately, his tech-savvy girlfriend, Merei, stands by him, ready to assist in any way possible, even if it involves interacting with criminals in the city's most dangerous areas. Meanwhile, Zare faces a formidable adversary in Lieutenant Curahee [sic], who seems determined to push him to his limits. Follow these defiant cadets as they risk everything to challenge the imposing Empire.

Following an evaluation by Sergeant Currahee, Zare Leonis gains admission to Lothal's Imperial Academy and begins an initial training program. During this program, Leonis and his fellow recruits endure rigorous early morning exercises and constant criticism from Currahee, known for her intense demeanor and demanding training style. He finds himself assigned to Unit Aurek, a four-member cell within Squad NRC-077. Leonis establishes positive relationships with fellow cadets Jai Kell and Pandak Symes, but experiences friction with Nazhros Oleg, a cadet with an inflated ego. Throughout the orientation, Leonis endeavors to support Symes, but is unable to prevent his departure from the Academy. Leonis also forges an unexpected bond with Lieutenant Chiron, a just Imperial officer who becomes his mentor and tries to expedite the investigation into the vanishing of his sister, Dhara Leonis.

While attending the Vocational School for Institutional Security, Leonis's girlfriend, Merei Spanjaf, puts her hacking skills to use, attempting to infiltrate Lothal's Imperial data network to uncover information about Dhara. Encountering an obstacle, Merei befriends a Pantoran student called Jix Hekyl, who advises her to acquire a snooper, a program designed to record and transmit data to an external source, while also self-deleting. Hekyl connects Merei with Bandis Yong, an acquaintance from his past, who then introduces her to the Gray Syndicate, a criminal organization led by Yahenna Laxo. Laxo consents to provide Merei with the snoopers in exchange for her services as a courier.

Having come through his orientation, Leonis commits to continuing his mission to locate his sister, all while maintaining the appearance of a dedicated Imperial cadet. As Leonis and his fellow cadets progress in their training, they face a series of challenging evaluations within a specially designed facility known as the Well, which can be remotely reconfigured to simulate various obstacle courses. Throughout his initial term at the Imperial Academy, Leonis's dedication to team unity clashes with Oleg's selfish tendencies. Later on, Leonis receives a visit from Captain Piers Roddance, who cautions him and Lieutenant Chiron against interfering with the official investigation into Dhara's disappearance. However, Leonis suspects that Imperial authorities are concealing the truth surrounding his sister's vanishing. Despite earning the respect of his fellow cadets and the approval of his superiors, Leonis fears losing sight of his original purpose for being at the Academy.

Later in the term, a transfer cadet named Dev Morgan joins Unit Aurek. Morgan demonstrates exceptional physical abilities during the assessments in the Well, leading Leonis to suspect foul play. After Leonis, Kell, and Morgan secure the top three positions in an assessment, they are rewarded with assignments at the Imperial Headquarters on Lothal. Leonis uses this opportunity to monitor Morgan, discovering that he is a rebel operative tasked with stealing a decoder from Agent's office, which holds valuable information. Recognizing their shared hidden agendas for joining the Academy, Leonis and Morgan form an alliance and collaborate to steal the decoder.

In the meantime, Merei, having successfully acquired her snoopers, sets her plan in motion. Disguised as a Phelarion School student selling raffle tickets for a school fundraiser, Spanjaf infiltrates the Transportation Ministry's headquarters and plants the snoopers in various locations throughout the building. Following the data breach, Merei realizes that she requires a decoder to gain access to the Imperial Security Bureau's (ISB) data network on Lothal. Her plans to hack into the Imperial data network are further complicated when Merei discovers that her parents, Gandri and Jessa, who are data security experts, have been assigned to investigate the data breach at the Transportation Ministry. After learning of Leonis's alliance with Morgan, she persuades Morgan's rebel contacts to provide her with the decoder after they have finished using it. Using the decoder, Spanjaf hacks into the ISB's data network.

While their combined efforts to steal the decoder prove successful, Morgan learns that the Inquisitor has taken an interest in Kell and intends to visit Lothal to evaluate him. Fearing that the Inquisitor intends to abduct Kell in a similar manner to Dhara, Leonis and Morgan convince Kell to flee with them. While traveling in an AT-DP walker, Leonis and Kell execute their plan, hijacking the walker after incapacitating the driver and Oleg. After overcoming the Academy's defenses, the three rebellious cadets breach the Academy's blast doors, where they are picked up by Morgan's rebel associates. However, Leonis makes the decision to stay behind in order to locate his sister, Dhara.

In the aftermath of the rebel attack on the Imperial Academy, Leonis avoids suspicion by claiming that he attempted to resist the rebel infiltrators. As a result of his supposed efforts to protect the Academy, Leonis receives commendation from his Imperial superiors, including Lieutenant Chiron. Later, he is summoned to a meeting with the Inquisitor, who questions him about his knowledge of Morgan and Kell. In the hope of finding his sister, Leonis pretends to be Force sensitive and claims to have a connection with her. Subsequently, he is contacted by Merei, who reveals that Dhara had been recruited into a clandestine Imperial program known as Project Harvester, which is based on the planet Arkanis and linked to the local Imperial Academy. Meanwhile, Spanjaf faces a serious issue when she learns from her parents that one of the snoopers failed to self-delete, enabling Imperial authorities to trace the intrusion.

The Rogue Cadet was the initial working title for the book.

The majority of events in the book are based on the Star Wars Rebels episode "Breaking Ranks," penned by Greg Weisman. The events preceding this occur before the episode, followed by a short epilogue.

• ISBN 9781484716441 ; March 3 , 2015 ; Disney–Lucasfilm Press ; US paperback [2]
• ISBN 9781484717011 ; March 3, 2015; Disney–Lucasfilm Press; US eBook [3]