is a Star Wars Legends novel written by Jeff Grubb, set in 19 ABY note .Jedi apprentice Toro Irana succumbs to an inexplicable rage that sends him falling forty stories to his death during a mission. Jedi archivist Vander Zuma is sent to investigate the causes of his student's death, and to continue Toro's mission.
What follows is a murder-mystery novel involving Hutt clans, spies, revenge-hungry Rodians and spice traffic.
This book provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Reen Irana and Angela Krin, most of the time.
- Awesome by Analysis: Mander.
- Badass Bookworm: Mander, of course. He's an archivist after all.
- Chekhov's Skill: in an early flashback, Toro uses a dangerous move in a practice duel, forcing Mander to come up with a counter really fast. During the lightsaber duel at the climax of the book, Mika uses exactly the same move, thinking that no Jedi could possibly come up with an effective counter to such an unusual technique in time. No Jedi, except the one who taught the technique's inventor…
- Combat Pragmatist: snagged your lightsaber in your clothes? Roll out of the way until you get it out… backwards. Oh well, just use it to punch the bad guy in the gut then.
- Dead Guy Junior: Reen and Eddey's brand-new ship, the New Ambition, named after the recently blasted-to-bits-then-crashed Ambition.
- Disney Villain Death: how Mander disposes of Parella the Hutt.Mander: We had a falling-out.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Popara the Hutt is genuinely concerned by his son's disappearance, which is apparently a rare trait among the Hutts.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Mika can't understand why the Jedi won't join him.
- Expecting Someone Taller: many people mention that Mander looks too normal to be a Jedi.
- Fantastic Racism: Hutts vs. Bothans is often alluded to, and Humans vs. everyone else shows up on Endregaad.
- Insistent Terminology: Mander is an archivist, not a librarian.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Popara the Hutt's death. Huge body goes boom, sending internal organs flying everywhere.
- Jedi Mind Trick: Mander uses it twice. The first time is to take care of a small-time drug dealer on Endregaad. The second time is to prove to Angela that Mika used one on her.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: the Corporate Sector Authority is almost entirely made of these.
- The Plague: planet Endregaad suffers from one.
- Powered Armor: worn by a Hutt, of all people. It has a lot of features, but nothing against unplanned falls from great heights.
- Revenge Before Reason: the Bomu clan of Rodians. Also, Zonnos after Popara's death.
- Sibling Rivalry: Zonnos lets Mander know that if he doesn't find Mika alive… that's okay, too.
- Sickly Green Glow: Varl, the Hutt homeworld.
- Shoot the Hostage: Mander's solution when Zonnos takes Reen hostage. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy with the decision.
- Technical Pacifist: Mander is even more adverse to fighting than most Jedi. He's still moderately good at it, though.
- Unstoppable Rage: a drug-induced one starts the story. As it happens, it's one of the main effects of the drug Tempest.
- The Voiceless: most of the time, everyone’s first impression of Eddey Be'ray. He's not mute, he just doesn't speak much to people he doesn't know and trust.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Mika's tactic.
