Star Wars, Book One: The Glove of Darth Vader; The Lost City of the Jedi; Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge

Introduces the characters in the Star Wars universe that used the dark side of the Force, those that supported the evildoers, and those that stood up for the right side. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the Rebel Alliance have fought valiantly against the evil Galactic Empire. Together they have kept alive the hopes for freedom, and helped restore the ways of the Old Republic with its wise Senate and noble line of Jedi Knights. But now a new threat awaits the Alliance. Within the evil Empire, the surviving Imperial warlords have been fighting among themselves for power. No one knows who will seize control, but the Prophets of the Dark Side have foretold that soon a new Emperor will arise, and on his right hand he shall wear an indestructible symbol of evil.

Contents:
* 1)The Glove of Darth Vader [Star Wars: Jedi Prince • 1] (1993) / short fiction by Hollace Davids, Paul Davids: After the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor, the Galactic Empire is left without a true leader. The Supreme Prophet Kadann has prophesied that the next leader of the Empire would wear the indestructible right hand glove of Darth Vader, so Imperial senator Timothy Barclay sends Captain Dunwell to find the glove. The Rebel Alliance and the Senate’s Planetary Intelligence Network, hoping to find information on the new emperor, send C-3PO and R2-D2 to the planet Kessel. There they discover Grand Moff Hissa introducing Trioculus, who claims to be Palpatine’s son, as the heir to the Empire. Although he manages to trick his followers by seemingly producing Force lightning, he demands that his advisors find the glove so he can cement his power. After much searching and no clues on the glove’s whereabouts, Captain Dunwell, the head of the Whaladon Processing Center on Mon Calamari, contacts him to inform him that he has found the glove, deep underneath the ocean. By chance, Luke Skywalker and Admiral Ackbar, after picking up the droids from Kessel, bring them to Mon Calamari to download the information that R2-D2 found. Although the whaling ship is destroyed and Captain Dunwell killed, Luke is unable to stop Trioculus from obtaining the glove and becoming the new emperor. As he parts ways with Luke, Trioculus swears he will destroy him.

* 2)The Lost City of the Jedi [Star Wars: Jedi Prince • 2] (1993) / short fiction by Hollace Davids, Paul Davids: After an attempted assassination by the Empire trying to blow up Luke’s X-wing fighter, he has a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan tells Luke of the secret Lost City of the Jedi hidden beneath the rainforests of Yavin 4. Unknown to Luke at the time, the city is home to a 12-year-old boy named Ken, who is called the “Jedi Prince”. In the city, with the vast databanks on the computers, Ken learns the history of the Jedi and the Rebellion from his only companions, his caretaker droids. As Luke is searching the forests he meets a mysterious healer, Baji. With Baji, he searches the forests, eventually encountering Ken, who had run away from the droids. Before he is questioned further, his caretaker droid Dee-Jay finds him and helps him vanish in a puff of smoke. Luke, more determined to find this city, returns to get help from the rest of the Rebels. Meanwhile, Emperor Trioculus has a meeting with Supreme Prophet Kadann. Kadann tells him that he is not the true son of Palpatine, but still gives him the blessing of the Prophets. He also tells him of the Lost City of the Jedi, where the Jedi Prince lives, saying that this prince could end Trioculus’ reign. Able to infiltrate the Rebel’s meeting with an explosive device, he demands that they reveal to him the location of the city. When they refuse, he readies the device’s explosion, while still taking in the beauty of Princess Leia. As Luke stops the explosion, Trioculus starts his second plan: to raze the forests in order to find the entrance. During this implementation, he suddenly goes blind and orders the capture of the healer, Baji. Baji tells him that when he uses the power of Vader’s glove, he is injuring his nerve endings, causing blindness and his body to rot. Baji tells him of a cure, but it can only be found in his hut, which is about to be destroyed by the fires. Unable to stop his troops, Trioculus rushes into the hut, and saves the cure, but is badly burned and scarred. As the Rebels attempt to stop the troops, Luke finally finds the city. With the help of the droids at the weather-controlling center, he creates a rainstorm to put an end to the fires. Ken decides to leave with Luke and join the Rebels in their fight leaving the city and his caretakers. Without finding the city, Trioculus leaves the planet, vowing to destroy all of the Rebels except Leia, whom he would make his queen.

* 3)Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge [Star Wars: Jedi Prince • 3] (1993) / short fiction by Hollace Davids, Paul Davids: In order to help Ken become accustomed to the world outside of the Lost City of the Jedi, Luke brings him to Tatooine to experience the “Droidfest.” Although they are attacked by Tusken Raiders and bounty hunters hoping to get the reward Trioculus set for Ken, they manage to escape to Bespin with Han Solo’s housewarming gift, a housekeeping droid named Kate. Meanwhile, Zorba the Hutt, the father of Jabba, upon learning of his son’s death, flies to Cloud City in order to claim Jabba’s casino. Although the governor, Lando Calrissian, who has taken over the casino, refuses the claim, he agrees to bet the city and the casino on a game of sabacc. With Zorba marking the cards in an ultraviolet paint that only Hutts can see, Lando lost the city and left after warning Han and Leia. After a series of mishaps, Leia is captured by Trioculus’s guards and brought to his factory on the planet and Ken is captured by Zorba. When Zorba learns that his son’s murderer is in the custody of Trioculus he proposes a trade. Trioculus, however, won’t give up his queen, and although has his stormtroopers ready to aid him, is defeated by Zorba’s police force. Ken, however, is able to escape his jailers through a use of a Jedi mind trick and is reunited with Han. Luke is also able to rescue Leia and all are taken aboard the Millennium Falcon before Zorba destroys Trioculus’s factory. Thinking that Leia was killed, he taunts Trioculus before freezing him in carbonite. The rebels leave the planet with Han wondering if he’ll ever be able to ask Leia to marry him.

Jedi Prince young-readers series
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