Knightfall

Knightfall is a novel which is a part of The Vesal Chronicles (TVC), documenting the life of Jedi Master Jeden Vesal. The novel details the experiences of Jeden, Koses and the 44th Special Forces Division before, during and after Order 66 and the formation of the Jedi Order.

Synopsis
The story begins where Attrition ended, with Jeden and Nightingale Squad racing towards Coruscant as the Battle of Coruscant is raging, with the intention of rescuing Jeden's former master, San-Ha-Vin, after he is captured by droid forces of Colonel Judra, a Neimodian Separatist. The Squad make it to Judra's ship and are able to defeat Judra's droids on the bridge, rescuing Vin and capturing the Colonel. Upon arriving back to the hangar, Jeden and Vin are confronted by Darth Krasor and his new apprentice, Xolem Jiskar. Krasor appears to have survived the blast that wiped out his Order on Korriban, and challenges Jeden to one final duel. It isn't long before Jeden outdoes Krasor again, before performing a Force melt with Krasor, trapping him in a trance and learning of what Nelox did to him. Xolem becomes enraged, killing Krasor and overpowering Vin and Jeden, before Koses arrives and duels Xolem, killing him, breaking down when he realises that he has taken a life for the first time. As the Squad and the Jedi head back to Coruscant and the Battle dies down, Jeden learns that Count Dooku is dead at the hands of Anakin Skywalker.

On Coruscant, Jeden helps Koses recuperate from his breakdown, and meets with Master Yoda in the Temple. Jeden then meets with Liko Eil, explaining to Liko that he has sensed something troubling, fearing that the Order and the Temple are in danger. He gives Liko a datachip, which could transfer the information held in the Jedi Archives to the Phantom, warning him to use it should an emergency occur. Despite Liko's reluctance, he agrees, and says farewell to Jeden. Jeden then meets with Vin, learning that Vin is dying from old age, though Vin warns Jeden not to mourn him, as it is destined to happen. Jeden spars with Koses shortly after, and it comes to the attention of the Jedi in the Temple that Koses is a highly skilled duelist, as much so as Master Yoda, who compliments the Padawan, while Jeden informs Kit Fisto of Vin's old age. Koses is knighted as a Jedi Knight the next morning.

Upon returning to the Phantom, Jeden tells Koses of the strange dreams and senses he has had, causing him to become anxious of an attack against the Jedi. Jeden also learns that because of the discovery and defeat of General Grievous, he has been ordered back to Coruscant by Mace Windu, but decides to disobey the order due to his fears. Not long after, Jeden receives a call from Liko on the bridge of the Phantom, learning that the Temple is being attacked by Anakin Skywalker and Clone troopers, later revealed to be those of the 501st. As the call is taking place, Jeden and Koses turn to find the Clones of the 44th pointing their weapons at them, led by Nightingale Squad. In a stirring speech, Jeden explains to the Clones that they have been deceived, and tells them that their loyalty shouldn't be dictated by a single order. Sting, finally opening up, and removing his helmet for the first time, convinces the Clones to lower their weapons, just as Jeden says goodbye to Liko for the last time. However, Liko succeeds in transferring most of the Archives to the Phantom.

Overwhelmed, Jeden retreats to his quarters, leaving Koses to take control. Nightingale Squad rally to keep the Clones secure while Koses leads Sharp Squadron in destroying a recon station that could expose the position of the now-AWOL Division. Jeden and Koses then speak to Senator Bail Organa, who tells them what happened on Coruscant, and fortunately reveals that Yoda and Obi-wan Kenobi are safe and in his care. At the same time, the new 'Empire' is unaware of the 44th's loyalties, and so the Clones can still monitor which Jedi have and haven't been 'terminated'. Learning that Master Vin is still alive, Jeden sets out to find Vin on Coruscant, and is accompanied by Sting. On the way, Jeden and Koses speak with Yoda and Kenobi, and promise to cause a distraction for the two Masters while they infiltrate the Jedi Temple. Jeden and Koses arrive on Coruscant successfully and track down Captain Rex of the 501st, who went AWOL and aided Vin and his Younglings in escaping the Temple after Rex learned of Order 66 with the death of Fives. They find Vin in an abandoned house, and Jeden says his farewell to his mentor before Vin passes away from old age. In the escape with Vin's body, Rex confronts Commander Fox, who led the crackdown of Jedi on Coruscant, resulting in the death of both Clones, and Jeden uses the Force to rip apart the alleyways of the suburb they are in, killing dozens of Clones and providing their escape. The two Jedi then create a Jedi funeral for Vin on Mygeeto, Vin's homeworld, before returning to the fleet.

In the aftermath of Order 66, the Division encounters many problems. Phoenix has a near-breakdown over the thought of killing Jeden, his best friend, and isolates himself from Nightingale Squad, while Fen becomes overwhelmed by the situation and has to be comforted by Sting and Twenty. Lion, however, is worse, assaulting Anhal on the bridge of the Phantom before secluding himself from the rest of the Division, and without Phoenix to pull him back, the Clones are left without their two prized commanders, causing Koses and Sting to take command. Anhal, meanwhile, plans to attack a Clone convoy carrying military supplies and rations, insisting that if the Division goes into hiding, it needs them, to the protest of Sting, who insists that it will cause too many Clone casualties. Jeden ends the debate by ordering the attack, and the 44th stage an attack on two Acclamator-class cruisers. Twenty and Wraith use the reactor of one of the cruisers to launch an EMP, disabling both ships before they can call for help. Koses and Sting attack the bridge of the flagship with a squad of Clones, and end up recruiting dozens of defectors from the ship's crew, though the rest have grown to fear the Empire, and refuse to join them.

Back on the Phantom, the Division work to mend their issues. Nightingale Squad inform Koses of their past, telling him that a rogue Kaminoan made them immune to the instant effects of mindlessly obeying Order 66, and stating that many other Clones could be the same, as well as telling him that they are placing more trust in Koses than Jeden, since Jeden may still be shaken and reckless from Order 66. Jeden learns from Yoda of the plan Yoda and Kenobi have: Yoda will travel to Coruscant to try and kill Palpatine, now Darth Sidious, while Kenobi will track down and either redeem or defeat Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader, as a last-ditch attempt to save the galaxy from the Empire. Jeden expresses his wish to help, but Yoda dismisses him, telling him that should him and Kenobi fail, the deaths of more Jedi will be even worse. Jeden complies, and so waits for news. Phoenix, now brought back to reason by Jeden, confronts Lion, and with the help of Twenty, finally shows the light to Lion. Also, Jeden dreams of Gini again, leading to a prophetic nightmare that leads him to believe that Gini is still alive and safe. The Division soon learn from Senator Organa that Yoda and Kenobi have failed. Vader is grievously injured, and his situation is unknown, but Sidious remains alive. Not only this, but Vader has children through Senator Padme Amidala, whom he had an affair with, though Amidala dies in childbirth. Kenobi and Yoda state their intention to go into exile, and Jeden finally reveals to Organa that he hopes to contact as many Jedi as possible for a certain reason.

Jeden is giving the code from Master Yoda that accesses the personal holocron of every Jedi of rank Padawan or above, which they carry with them for life. Jeden makes contact with all living Jedi through the holocron, and explains what must be done. For those alone, they must hide and go into exile, shutting off all communication, even to other Jedi. Those in small groups of Jedi must remain together and also hide, but keep contact with Senator Organa or Jeden. Large gatherings, or those with large groups of loyal soldiers under their command like Jeden and Koses must work to eliminate threats to the Jedi, and wear away at the Empire in covert, guerilla warfare, until a time comes for full-blown war against the Sith. He lastly states that dark times are ahead, but that the Jedi will return, before saying farewell to the Jedi Order. He says separate goodbyes to Kenobi and Yoda before they head into exile, before the Division shuts off all external communication save that to Organa.

6 months later, while the fleet is roaming away from hyperspace lanes, they pass by Yavin 4, the ancient moon that housed thousands of tombs of ancient Sith Lords. Jeden feels a familiar presence on the moon and intends on traveling there, though Koses convinces Jeden to let them go together. Arriving on Yavin 4, Jeden leads Koses to one of the Sith tombs, and the two Jedi are confronted by a blonde-haired woman wielding a blue lightsaber, with pale skin and yellow eyes. Jeden recognizes the woman as Gini, before Gini entrances Jeden, using his feelings for her to cloud his mind completely, putting him in shutdown. Koses, unaffected by this, duels Gini and knocks her out after a short fight, noticing the dark side effects on her appearance vanish rapidly, and causing Jeden to awaken. Koses and Jeden take Gini's unconscious body back to the Phantom, and Jeden is by Gini's bedside when she awakens. He discovers that Gini doesn't remember anything since she first arrived on Yavin 4 16 years before, and Jeden informs her of the events after her self-exile, including the Clone Wars and Order 66. Gini, though overwhelmed by the news, agrees to remain with the Division, realising that the Jedi need to survive, and she and Jeden share a kiss.

Main Characters

 * Jeden Vesal - Jedi Master and supreme commander of the 44th Special Forces Division, and one of the leaders of the Jedi-in-exile
 * Koses Lik-Har - Jedi Knight and former Padawan to Jeden, second-in-command to Jeden as commander of the 44th
 * Commander Phoenix - Highest-ranking Clone of the 44th, commander of Nightingale Squad
 * Sting - One of the members of Nightingale Squad, temporary leader of Squad
 * Wraith - Member of Nightingale Squad
 * Twenty - Member of Nightingale Squad

Side characters

 * Lion - Second highest-ranking Clone of the Division and close friend of Phoenix
 * Admiral Anhal - Commander of the 44th's naval forces, only non-Clone and non-Jedi in the Division
 * Senator Bail Organa - Republic Senator of Alderaan and close accomplice to the Jedi-in-exile
 * Master San-Ha-Vin - Jedi Master and teacher, former master of Jeden
 * Fen - An officer on the bridge of the Phantom, Nightingale Squad's tactical support and Anhal's second-in-command