The inaugural issue of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Fall of the Sith Empire comic book miniseries, a part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, is titled Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire 1. Kevin J. Anderson penned the story, Dario Carrasco, Jr. handled the illustrations, and Dark Horse Comics released it on June 18, 1997.
The storyline "Desperate Measures" unfolds within the issue, depicting the commencement of the Sith's conquest targeting the Republic.
The entire galaxy is at stake as the Sith Empire amasses its forces for a decisive battle. Their objective is clear: to obliterate the Republic. With a formidable number of Sith masters in their ranks, achieving this goal seems within reach. As Naga Sadow prepares his fleet for the impending assault, an unlikely individual, Jori Daragon, emerges as a potential threat to their entire campaign. She lacks Jedi training, military experience, or a history of combat. Instead, she's an explorer, charting hyperspace routes, who inadvertently stumbled upon the Sith's plans. And she may very well be the Republic's last hope.
Jori Daragon, piloting her starship Starbreaker 12, barely avoids colliding with a Koros battleship as she exits hyperspace above Koros Major. While starfighters pursue her, Jori attempts to alert the Cinnagar Space Traffic Control tower about the Sith Empire. However, they dismiss her warnings and treat her as a fugitive. Upon landing, Cinnagar authorities arrest Jori for a range of offenses, including grand theft, firing on Cinnagar security vessels, property damage, and fraud.
Meanwhile, on Khar Delba, Gav Daragon observes the slaves of Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow toiling to repair the damaged decoy fortress. Recognizing Gav's humble background, the Sith Lord presents him with several jewels as a gift. Soon after, numerous Sith Lords from across the Sith Empire arrive to pledge their loyalty to Dark Lord Sadow, who then proclaims his intention to conquer the Galactic Republic.
Despite his difficult past, Gav feels uneasy about the prospect of bringing death and destruction to his home. Sadow attempts to reassure Gav by arguing that the Republic is an oppressive regime and that life will improve under the Sith Empire's rule.
Upon returning to Cinnagar, Jori endeavors to alert the local authorities, but they disregard her warnings as mere fantasy and confine her to a detention center. Jori spots her former Hutt guardian Aarrba, who is angered by her perceived betrayal of his kindness and dismisses her claims as lies. The Cha'a merchant Ssk Kahorr seizes the Starbreaker 12 as partial compensation for the losses incurred by the Daragons' actions. Jori desperately tries to convey that the Starbreaker 12 contains the coordinates to locate her brother, but her pleas are ignored.
Simultaneously, at Empress Teta's palace, Jedi Knight Odan-Urr reflects on his and Empress Teta's unsuccessful meeting on Coruscant. His fellow Knight Memit Nadill informs him that the Empress has requested his presence for a meeting. The Empress then informs him that his Master Ooroo has arrived to assess his students.
Odan-Urr expresses to his master that he has been preoccupied with his duties as a Jedi Knight and longs for the peaceful days of his training. Ooroo advises his apprentice that a Jedi must cultivate both action and knowledge. He shares that he too has been experiencing visions of a threat originating beyond the Republic's borders. Ooroo assures Odan-Urr that he is not alone in sensing this impending danger. Ooroo foresees an approaching war that will traverse the very fabric of hyperspace.
Empress Teta showcases to Master Ooroo her proactive measures to maintain her forces in a state of readiness by ensuring that armaments factories and shipyards remain operational. While Coruscant chooses to disregard this threat, she pledges to fight for the honor of the Republic and to prevent the Koros system from falling to an external enemy.
Imprisoned in the Cinnagar Detention Center, Jori makes futile attempts to warn her guards and fellow inmates about the Sith Empire, but her warnings are met with indifference. The warden instructs her to make her story entertaining due to the overwhelming number of war crimes trials awaiting processing. Jori laments her decision to leave her brother Gav.
Returning to Khal Delba, Naga Sadow rallies his Sith Lords in preparation for their imminent invasion of the Republic. Ludo Kressh's flagship returns to Naga Sadow's decoy fortress. Kressh uses a holoprojector to contact the Sith Lords and accuses Sadow of treason, claiming that he will lead them to their downfall. Sadow instructs his reluctant apprentice, Gav, to press a button on the wall. Upon doing so, Kressh's ship erupts in a fiery explosion, presumably killing him. Believing his rival to be dead, Sadow reveals to Gav that he had planted a tracer on the Starbreaker 12 as part of his strategy to invade the Republic.
- UPC 761568952919; June 18 , 1997 ; Dark Horse Comics ; First printing [1]
- (No UPC) ; June 1997; Dark Horse Comics; American Entertainment Exclusive [2]
- (No UPC) ; November 10 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics ; Digital edition [3]