As the last surviving Sith, Darth Bane promulgated a harsh new directive: the Rule of Two. Now he is ready to put his policy into action, and he thinks he has found the key element that will make his triumph complete: a student to train in the ways of the dark side. But there is one who is determined to stop Darth Bane: Johun Othone, Padawan to Jedi Master Lord Hoth, who died at Bane's hands in the last great Sith War.--From publisher description....

It's five years after Return of the Jedi. The Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starlfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the Emperor's warlords has taken command...

On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root. It is troubling enough to warrant investigation by ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor's favor, the formidable pair seem unlikely partners. Now they find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side. There they will be doubly challenged-- by a test of their allegiance...