Star Wars: Empire Volume 1: Betrayal is a collection in trade paperback form, encompassing issues 1 through 4 of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series.
Leading up to the events shown in Star Wars: A New Hope, as the Death Star nears completion for its initial mission, a group of ambitious Grand Moffs and Imperial Officers initiate a risky scheme: assassinating Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader to take over the Empire!
The conspirators begin their plot when news of a "Jedi" appearing on a remote planet draws Vader away from Palpatine. However, the conspirators' ambitions quickly turn on each other, and the galaxy itself isn't enough to satisfy them all. Their plans are further complicated by the actions of the bounty hunter Boba Fett. And, naturally, they might have severely misjudged the intelligence of their main target: Emperor Palpatine!