The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial

The New Republic is crumbling under relentless attacks from an unstoppable alien force. Numerous planets have either been taken over or utterly destroyed, and even the Jedi Knights have suffered defeat. During these extremely difficult times, the honorable Chewbacca passes away, having lived and died as a hero. A heartbroken Han Solo is left to pick up the pieces of his shattered existence before losing everything he holds dear: his friends, his family, and his beliefs.

Han refuses assistance from Leia or Luke, reverting to his former solitary self as he seeks to escape the anguish of his partner's death through adventure... and vengeance. Upon discovering that a former smuggling associate is now working as a mercenary for the enemy, he embarks on a mission to expose the traitor. However, Han's investigation uncovers an even greater threat: a devious plot targeting the very core of the New Republic's resolve and capability to fight – the Jedi.

Now, Han must confront his inner struggles and, with the assistance of an unexpected new ally, honor Chewbacca's sacrifice in the only way that truly matters: by proving himself worthy of it.

The Yuuzhan Vong War intensifies for the New Republic as the Yuuzhan Vong continue their march toward Coruscant, the New Republic's central world, after their latest capture of the knowledge-planet Obroa-skai. Adding to the crisis, some citizens of the galaxy begin to side with the Vong, forming a group known as the Peace Brigade. Seeing the Jedi as a major obstacle, the Vong decide to deploy Priestess Elan and her assistant/pet, Vergere, to pose as defectors from the Vong. Their mission is to infiltrate the Jedi ranks and unleash a deadly spore that will kill both her and everyone around her, an order she is compelled to carry out against the Jedi.

Concurrently, Han Solo, grieving over the loss of Chewbacca, isolates himself from his loved ones and returns to a solitary life. In his travels, Han encounters an old smuggling partner named Roa (whose wife, Lwyll, perished due to the Vong). Roa claims to have information about someone deeply involved in the Vong's schemes, a person known to neither Han nor Roa as Reck Desh, another former ally of Han's who was close friends with Chewbacca. Consequently, Han and Roa arrange a meeting with a contact named Fasgo at a space station located at Ord Mantell. There, Han becomes embroiled in a conflict with a mercenary named Bossk, an old adversary of Han's who harbored a deep hatred for Wookiees, and therefore, Chewbacca. Han, Roa, Fasgo, and Bossk are then taken to a prison, but they are later freed by Boss Bunji, a smuggler who had a past association with Han and felt indebted to him for saving his business through the death of Jabba the Hutt over two decades prior.

Around the same time, Elan and Vergere intentionally allow New Republic forces to capture them on Wayland. Staged attacks there and later on Ord Mantell are designed to convince everyone that Elan and Vergere have genuinely switched their allegiance to the Republic. However, during the Battle of Ord Mantell, Vong forces capture Roa and Fasgo. Han manages to escape the planet's space station with several other individuals and Droma, a member of an alien species known as the Ryn, who are revealed to be universally despised throughout the galaxy. Following the fake attack on Ord Mantell, the refugees and New Republic survivors from the battle, including Han and Droma, board the Queen of Empire, a luxurious pleasure yacht bound for Bilbringi. Unbeknownst to them, Elan and Vergere have also boarded the ship, planning to unleash the spores and kill all the Jedi present when the ship arrives at Coruscant and Elan attempts to negotiate a false treaty with the New Republic and the Jedi.

As the journey progresses, Han and Droma begin to develop a bond of friendship. Later, the Vong's schemes to defeat the Jedi are disrupted when a spy within the New Republic, who is later exposed as Senator Viqi Shesh, genuinely believes that Elan and Vergere are defectors, just like the rest of the Republic. She tips off the Peace Brigade, and a team led by Reck Desh invades the Queen of Empire to capture Elan and Vergere and return them to their Vong masters. However, the Vong are quickly alerted to this development, leading to a battle for control of the ship between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong. After Desh and his troops seize Elan and Vergere, the Brigade strike team members succumb to Elan's spores. When Han and Droma arrive to rescue the two "defectors," Han realizes that Elan and Vergere are still loyal to the Vong. Elan attempts to use more of the spores to kill Han, but he is saved by a device on a survival tool given to him by his youngest son, Anakin, which Chewbacca had created years earlier. The device provides Han with breathable air, protecting him from the spores. Consequently, Elan dies alone, failing in her mission to destroy the Jedi. Vergere provides Han and Droma with some of her tears, claiming that they can heal Mara Jade Skywalker's disease, which was caused by the Yuuzhan Vong and is slowly killing her. Vergere then escapes.

Following the battle on the Queen of Empire, Han commits to helping Droma reunite with his family, who are among the many New Republic refugees fleeing from the Yuuzhan Vong.

• ISBN 9780345428608 ; August 2000 ; Del Rey ; US paperback [1]
• ISBN 9780345480385 ; March 19 , 2005 ; Del Rey; US paperback, re-release [3]
• ISBN 9780307795533 ; June 28 , 2011 ; Del Rey; US eBook [4]