The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, penned by Sean Williams, is a novelization inspired by the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, hitting shelves on July 20, 2010. The initial mention of the book occurred on November 10, 2008, when Sue Rostoni announced, "A novel is planned to coincide with the game's launch, and that's the extent of the current details." A sneak peek of the book was included in Clone Wars Gambit: Siege. Marc Thompson lends his voice to the audiobook version.
Tassaa Bareesh, a Hutt crime lord, orchestrates an auction that attracts attention from all corners of the galaxy. Representatives from both the Republic and the Sith Empire are in attendance, alongside a Jedi Padawan on an investigative mission, a disgraced trooper expelled from the Republic's Black Star Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian (Dao Stryver) with ulterior motives. However, the Republic's representative is not who he appears to be, the Empire's delegate is a merciless Sith apprentice, the Jedi Padawan is committed to doing what's right but fears his inability, the trooper seeks to restore her honor, and the Mandalorian consistently stays one step ahead of everyone.
None of these individuals—invited or otherwise—intend to participate in the auction. Instead, their objective is to pilfer the prize, secured within an impenetrable vault: two scorched pieces of a destroyed star cruiser, one of which supposedly holds the key to the wealth of an entire planet.
However, the truth surrounding the treasure is perilous and potentially lethal. Ultimately, Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire, must unite in an unprecedented alliance, a feat that no amount of manipulation from either side could achieve: to collectively confront a formidable threat capable of annihilating the galaxy…
In the expanse of Wild Space, the Auriga Fire has just seized control of the vessel Cinzia. Aboard the Auriga Fire, Captain Jet Nebula faces a mutinous uprising led by his Rodian first mate Shinqo, which Nebula swiftly suppresses, restoring order among Shinqo and his followers. The crew of the Auriga Fire attempts to board the Cinzia after relaying their intentions via the communications net. However, upon detecting a sudden energy surge emanating from the Cinzia, Nebula redirects the Auriga Fire away from the other ship, resulting in the Cinzia's obliteration. The Fire's crew scans the remaining wreckage, deducing that whoever initiated the destruction of the ship believed the cargo to be of such significance that they were willing to sacrifice their own lives and vessel. During the scan of the wreckage, they discover something of note.
Deep within the underlevels of Coruscant, Jedi Padawan Shigar Konshi, recently embittered after the Jedi Council denied his request to undergo the Trials for Knight status, is carrying out a mission for the Order. He notices a violent altercation unfolding inside a nearby warehouse and resolves to investigate. Simultaneously, former Republic trooper Larin Moxla approaches the same warehouse, where she confronts Dao Stryver, the Mandalorian warrior and sole survivor and instigator of the conflict. Konshi and Moxla engage Stryver in a brief skirmish, from which the Mandalorian manages to escape. However, the Padawan and former trooper decide to collaborate in their pursuit of Stryver, aiming to decipher the meaning behind his references to the Cinzia and Lema Xandret.
Eldon Ax, a Sith apprentice who recently failed a task given to her by her master Darth Chratis a Sith Lord, approaches the Sith world of Dromund Kaas, on her way to Kaas City. Ax's failure stemmed from an encounter with Dao Stryver, who apprehended her, questioned her about the Cinzia and Lema Xandret, and then released her unharmed, allowing her to continue her journey. Ax informs Darth Chratis of this encounter, and Chratis takes her to Dromund Kaas's Imperial data mine to reveal the significance of Stryver's inquiries. Chratis discloses that Lema Xandret is Eldon Ax's mother, who attempted to shield her from the Sith upon discovering that Ax, then known as Cinzia Xandret, possessed Force-sensitivity. The ship's name was derived from Ax's true identity, and, as revealed in the novel's prologue, it was destroyed in Wild Space. The Sith's investigation into the Cinzia revealed its involvement in an auction hosted by the Hutts on Hutta; the nature of the auction's contents remains unknown, particularly given the ship's destruction. Chratis decides to lift the memory block he implanted in Ax's mind during her childhood, which was intended to suppress memories of her family. This is to further Chratis's investigation regarding the whereabouts of Lema Xandret herself. Despite the resurgence of memories, Ax is unable to recall the location of her mother or other family members, nor the significance of the cargo aboard the Cinzia before its destruction.
Meanwhile, Ula Vii, a spy within the Republic working for the Sith Empire, uncovers information about Lema Xandret and the Cinzia. The Hutts have recovered what was believed lost in the ship's explosion, along with information about its planet of origin. Its cargo may be just as or less important than where it came from, as it could tip the balance between the Republic and the Empire in terms of planets and resources. This information is relayed to his Imperial superiors, aiding Ax and Chratis in their quest to uncover the purpose of the Hutt auction.
Consequently, four factions converge on Hutta in pursuit of the Cinzia's cargo: Shigar and Larin, Vii and his Republic guard detail, Ax and Chratis, and Dao Stryver. These groups clash violently, resulting in an attack by a swarm of hexagonal droids. Although the droids are destroyed, Stryver absconds with the Cinzia’s navicomputer. Ax salvages memory hardware from one of the destroyed hexagonal robots, potentially leading to the Cinzia’s point of origin. Shigar and Larin must contend with Tassaa Bareesh, the primary Hutt auctioneer, in the aftermath of the violence that spilled over into her palace due to the competing interests surrounding the Cinzia’s contents. Shigar strikes a deal with Bareesh, allowing him and Larin to depart and continue their journey. Accompanied by Bareesh's guards, Jet Nebula, and Ula Vii, Shigar retraces the origin of the hexagonal droids by sensing their history through the Force via touching one of their destroyed corpses.
These three groups pinpoint the planet of origin of the hexes, Sebaddon, located near a black hole on the edge of the galaxy. The hexes appear too powerful to stop, so the present fleets of the Republic and the Empire, who came with the other parties, have no choice but to team up and destroy the droids; otherwise, the hexes could multiply to a point where they would easily take over the galaxy. Despite the tensions between the two fleets, the alliance succeeds in defeating the hexes as Ax and Shigar's master, Satele Shan, unintentionally kills a clone of Ax who had been unknowingly allowing the hex army to take countless lives. Ax takes control of the hexes herself, commands them to successfully kill her hated master Darth Chratis, and then allows the remnants of her dead mother to lead the droids to destroy themselves in the lava of Sebaddon. The alliance is broken, the Republic and the Empire go back into conflict, and the primary characters' lives change for the better for each of them.
In the epilogue, Dao Stryver locates Jet Nebula in a cantina on Tatooine, having searched for him since the Sebaddon incident. Jet reveals that he knows that Stryver had intentionally led all parties involved towards the conflict at Sebaddon to assess the strength of both the Republic and the Empire. Stryver is revealed to be a female Gektl Mandalorian. She intended to take Jet's droid, Clunker, away from him due to Clunker's ability to decode both Republic and Imperial codes. Before Stryver has a chance to try and take Clunker, Nebula, with the help of other patrons in the bar, subdues Stryver and disappears. Stryver awakes later and realizes that she respects Nebula and admits to herself that she believes him to be a worthy opponent.
The eight central figures listed in the Dramatis Personae are modeled after the eight distinct character classes featured in the 2011 Star Wars: The Old Republic video game.
- ISBN 9780593600597 ; August 15 , 2023 ; Random House Worlds ; US trade paperback, The Essential Legends Collection edition [7]