Product Description

The Clone Wars rage on. As insurgent Separatists fight furiously to wrest control of the galaxy from the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine cunningly manipulates both sides for his own sinister purposes.

Torrent Company’s Captain Rex agrees to temporarily relieve Anakin Skywalker of Ahsoka, his ubiquitous–and insatiably curious–Padawan, by bringing her along on a routine three-day shakedown cruise aboard Captain Gilad Pellaeon’s newly refitted assault ship. But the training run becomes an active–and dangerous–rescue mission when Republic undercover agent Hallena Devis goes missing in the middle of a Separatist invasion.

Dispatched to a distant world to aid a local dictator facing a revolution, Hallena finds herself surrounded by angry freedom fighters and questioning the Republic’s methods–and motives. Summoned to rescue the missing operative who is also his secret love, Pellaeon–sworn to protect the Republic over all–is torn between duty and desire. And Ahsoka, sent in with Rex and six untested clone troopers to extract Hallena, encounters a new and different Jedi philosophy, which shakes the foundation of her upbringing to the core. As danger and intrigue intensify, the loyalties and convictions of all involved will be tested. . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29032 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-19
• Released on: 2009-05-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780345508997
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Karen Traviss is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of three previous Star Wars: Republic Commando novels: Hard Contact, Triple Zero, and True Colors; three Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novels: Bloodlines, Revelation, and Sacrifice; as well as City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, The World Before, Matriarch, Ally, and Judge. A former defense correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, Traviss has also worked as a police press officer, an advertising copywriter, and a journalism lecturer. Her short stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, On Spec, and Star Wars Insider. She lives in Devizes, England.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One


JanFathal has been a loyal member of the Republic for as long as I can remember. Let’s not allow a little thing like internal strife to get in the way of that. I’m afraid the Fathalians’ wish for democratic change will have to wait until the war is over, because right now we need to keep that planet. –Armand Isard, Director of Republic Intelligence 

ATHAR, CAPITAL OF JANFATHAL, OUTER RIM 

The dust that blew in from the plains was pale gray, as fine and as clogging as ferrocrete powder. 

It was a small wonder that the locals kept their windows and doors tightly shuttered at this time of year. Hallena kept her kerchief over her mouth and nose, but the dust still managed to work its way into her eyes. Her vision blurred; blinking didn’t clear it. She was forced to shelter in a doorway on the main square while she tried to rub the stuff out of her eyes. 

Now she understood why the Athari were so prone to spitting in the streets. They were very good at it, too–accurate, discreet, and almost elegant in their technique. Since she’d arrived a few days ago, Hallena had learned to dodge the streams and even manage an occasional well- aimed squirt of her own. Fit in. Go gray–blend in with the population, like you’ve been here all your life . . . 

It was just like wine- tasting in a smart Coruscant tapcaf, except the flavor filling her mouth was the flat mineral bitterness of dust coating her tongue, not a rich, fruity Ondo Lava– Is this stuff toxic? 

Swirl. Lean a little. Aim. Spit hard. 

Hallena put a bit of force behind it. Sometimes it was more difficult than it looked. She was aware of someone walking toward her, head lowered against a steady wind that never seemed to drop, and then she realized why Gilad always warned her when they sailed his personal yacht to test the wind direction before dumping liquid overboard. 

Splat. 

“Aw, terrific,” said a male voice. “Lady, can’t you even spit straight?” 

She had to shield her face with her hand. Sharper, bigger fragments of dust stung her eyes. Her gaze traveled up from a dark, wet patch on the leg of a pair of tan pants to the indignant face of their owner. 

“Sorry.” She was careful to maintain the right accent. “Let me clean that up.” 

“You looking for the carpet shop?” 

Ah. She knew the response she had to give. She felt better already. 

“I hear it’s closed midweek.”

The man was in his forties, thin- faced and balding. He stared into her eyes for a moment, then winked. The simple code had been confirmed. This was her contact. 

“Galdovar,” she said. It probably wasn’t his real name, and she didn’t care if it was or not. All that mattered was that he was the man she was supposed to meet; and that was all she was going to trust. He wasn’t a random stranger she’d spat upon. Trust didn’t come easy in her line of work. Trust got you killed. That was why she placed it solely in herself, and why her hand was still resting on the blaster hidden in the folds of her coat. “You’d better be, anyway.” 

“I am, so at least I got my pants ruined by the right woman. Come on. Let’s get inside.” He indicated the far end of the deserted road with a discreet nod of his head, then looked down at the damp patch on his leg. “Original way to identify yourself, Agent Devis.” 

“No, I really did miss the spot,” she said. Now it worried her that she hadn’t been alert to anyone following her or watching her. It was basic intelligence procedure, as unconscious as breathing; situational awareness. “How long have you been watching me?” 

“A few minutes.” 

Stang. If he’d been a sniper . . . 

But he wasn’t, and she was fully alert after a moment’s lapse. The building at the end of the road was an office complex with shops and tapcafs. As they entered, the world changed; the deserted streets full of swirling dust that made Athar look like a ghost town gave way to bustling life conducted wholly behind shuttered doors. Athari citizens went about their business under cover during the windy weeks of late autumn. 

“Up the stairs,” Galdovar said, gesturing with his thumb. 

“Second floor. Union offices.” 

Hallena blended seamlessly into the bustle of Fathalians. She spoke Basic with a convincing Athari accent, and–like most of them–her skin was black and her hair dressed in neatly coiled plaits. Nobody had any reason to suspect she was a Republic spy, sent to infiltrate. 

She’d been in Athar for less than a week. The place wasn’t quite the same picture that the intelligence briefing had painted. Places seldom were. 

“In here?” Hallena gestured, one hand still deep in her pocket. 

“In there,” said Galdovar. 

“After you.” 

No, she wasn’t that dumb. 

The doors parted and she followed him into a routinely time- worn office with pleekwood desks and shelves that had seen better days. The interior doors, though, looked as if they’d been smashed down and repaired; two of the panels were bright new wood, devoid of any patina or termite scarring. 

“Burglars?” she asked. “Or are you just slack on building maintenance?” 

“Got to look the part,” Galdovar said. “And we know exactly how a union office should look after the authorities have raided it, don’t we?” 

He was one of those who normally did the raiding. She had to concede the point. Sounds of movement behind the repaired door made her check automatically for a way out if this meeting turned out not to be one she’d bargained on. The only place she felt safe these days was on a Republic warship, and not just because of Gilad; the entire galaxy was in turmoil. The front line didn’t end at planetary boundaries, or sometimes even within families.

 Hallena walked into a small back office filled mainly by a battered table. If it hadn’t been for the two heavily armed men sitting at one side of it–she could spot the outlines of weapons as well as anyone–she might even have swallowed the cover story about this place being an administrative office for the Union of Fabricants, Plastoid Molders, and Allied Trades, Local 61. 

“Well, well,” she said. Their eyes locked on hers as if they weren’t entirely sure she was genuine. “Unity is strength, people, power to the workers, and all that. So what have you got for me?” 

The younger of the two men raised a bleached- blond eyebrow. He didn’t offer any introductions. “I’m glad you’re getting into character,” he said sourly. “We think the people you’re looking for are these two.” 

He shoved a holoimage projector across the table, flicking his thumbnail against the controls to activate an image. It was a snatched shot of a man and a woman caught in midstride as they hurried toward a speeder; early thirties, heads covered by factory workers’ caps, like thousands of other laborers in the city. 

“Merish Hath and her boyfriend, Shil Kaval,” he said. “The usual troublemaking variety of malcontent.” 

Hallena studied the image. The JanFathal police couldn’t just pick them up and make them disappear, like they usually did. The Regent had held absolute power for thirty years; he wasn’t going to get a hard time from his judges because he’d had them all jailed some years ago. But pieces in this particular puzzle were missing. 

It was her job to find them. 

“We’d like this sorted,” said the younger man. The stark contrast of his eyebrows against his ebony skin was hypnotically weird; and he was obviously more senior in the hierarchy than he looked, or else he was just massively arrogant. “We don’t want a few million droids landing in our backyard uninvited. The troublemakers we’ve been monitoring have been a lot more active in the last few weeks, like they’re preparing for something.” 

“Maybe your Regent should concentrate on building a proper army instead of blowing his budget on internal security.” Hallena took the holoimager and transferred the image to her own device. The more she saw of some of the Republic’s allies, the less weight she gave their strategic value. “So can you get me into their circle, or not? What’s my cover identity?” 

“Well, Sister Devis–” 

“Tell me you haven’t used that name . . .” 

Blond Brows sucked his teeth, clearly annoyed at the interruption. “We might be a long way from Coruscant, ma’am, but we’re not country bumpkins. Your ID says Orla Taman. You’re a union convener from Nuth, which is far enough away to explain why you’re not one of their little cabal, and you’ve been in...

Customer Reviews

Excellent complement to the cartoon series
Del Rey is publishing a series of five tie-in novels to accompany the highly successful Clone Wars cartoon series, which kicked off in the fall of 2008. Authorial duties are rotating between two Karens: Karen Traviss, notable Star Wars author with a penchant for clones and Mandalorians, kicked things off with an excellent novelization of the feature film. Karen Miller, a newcomer to the Expanded Universe, followed up with Wild Space, a harrowing but overlong tale of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa journeying through the galaxy in search of a Sith planet. Now Traviss delivers the third novel, No Prisoners, coupling an intriguing exploration of differing Jedi philosophies with a juicy dose of clone and battle droid action.

One striking feature of the three novels published to date in this particular mini-series is the juxtaposition of their serious and introspective tone with the light-hearted adventure of the TV show. I appreciate that the authors are working to deepen the EU by not simply offering shallow tales of Jedi heroics. At times I find it a bit challenging to marry the TV show to these stories in my mind, but overall this is a great strategy and sometimes makes me see the TV episodes in a new light. For example, clone officer Captain Rex is given a meaty and provocative role in No Prisoners. He wrestles with some fundamental issues concerning the role of the clone army, what their purpose is in life, and whether there is any hope for them to be something more. These themes will be familiar to readers of the superb Republic Commando series, also by Karen Traviss, but playing them against the adventurous fun of the cartoon made them more poignant than ever, at least for this reader.

Beyond the intellectual examination of Rex and his clone squad, there are many intense action sequences scattered throughout. One particularly vivid scene involves the clones rescuing one of the main characters who is being held hostage. The pace at which they take over the situation and Rex's brutally firm leadership make for compelling reading. Traviss deftly paints the clones as a military force to be reckoned with and the saga is all the richer for it.

Readers of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy will be interested to know Captain Gilad (new first name!) Pellaeon is a featured character in No Prisoners. In fact, his forbidden relationship with intelligence agent Hallena Davis and what he's willing to do to save her from danger is the prime driver of the plot. Their relationship echoes the forbidden marriage of Anakin and Padme. Pellaeon is portrayed as a smart and capable officer. Arguably, he is portrayed as TOO smart and capable: I found myself picturing the old, experienced, post-Thrawn-and-Daala Pellaeon more than a young officer making his way through the ranks. There are an awful lot of years between the Clone Wars and the Thrawn Trilogy in which he doesn't seem to have grown much, but still, it's a treat reading his interactions with Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex.

Another place where the book veers tonally away from the show is in its treatment of Ahsoka. Many characters here are surprised or even shocked that a half-dressed fourteen-year-old has been given a leadership role. Pellaeon even forces her to change into military-issue clothes in an awkward little scene. Ahsoka also undergoes some mental turmoil when she is introduced to a rogue sect of Jedi who permit relationships and do not fear attachment. These Jedi, led by Master Djinn Altis and featuring Callista Masana from the Bantam novels, go against many of the precepts she was raised to unthinkingly accept.

These challenges to Ahsoka's beliefs (and later in the story, to Anakin's as well) underscored a theme I see woven through the Traviss stories. She seems to favor book characters over movie ones, and her anti-Jedi Order viewpoints are a strongly recurring motif. While there are times I feel she is excessively weakening characters like Ahsoka to demonstrate the Order is rotting from within, I do appreciate that she is willing to introduce and flesh out alternative views of the prequel era. She is correct that many people would likely have more negative views of the Jedi than we as movie viewers tend to, and certainly there is fertile ground to be plowed with the bred-to-fight and enslaved clone army. So while I don't always agree with the viewpoints she espouses, I value them highly.

No Prisoners presents a balanced mix of philosophical musings about the nature of clones, Jedi, and warfare with gripping action sequences and a fast-paced storyline. Karen Traviss has made quite a mark on the Expanded Universe and shows no signs of letting up, and I am pleased Del Rey is open to publishing stories such as hers that don't necessarily toe the line of the other media including the cartoon. No Prisoners is highly recommended.

Solid Star Wars Fare
Karen Traviss has yet to write a Star Wars book I didn't enjoy. She's got a good sense of how to treat soldiers in words. By that I mean she can present them in a way that's real without seeming contrived.

The story itself is typical: a routine mission gets a whole lot more interesting when the Seps decide to move in on a ripe for revolution sort of planet. Anakin's caught a bit out of the loop, but he rejoins his men to help them fight to live to see another day. Anakin's padawan gets to see plenty of action and grapple with questions of Jedi morality and Code. A shiny new crew of clones get down and dirty while tangling with the tinnies.

The part I found most enjoyable was getting to see a bit more into Gilad Palleon's life. So far, we've seen him as an Imperial Admiral and then an honorable old war veteran trying to hold his people together. Now, we get to see him as a dashing young captain with an untested ship and trusty crew.

Marc Thompson's got a wonderful voice, and the book sounds just as lovely as it reads. I highly recommend grabbing the audio CD of this book, after you finish reading it of course.

Worth the read
Karen Traviss has to be one of the best Star Wars authors out there. She really captures the characters well without all of the overly technical descriptions some authors have. If you have not read her Republic Commando novels do so NOW. She specializes in Mandalorian's and Clone Troopers, and of course Boba Fett as well.

This book focuses on Comander Rex, a familiar character from the Clone Wars cartoon, and of course Asoka. Its a quick read that an give you a little more insight into the characters then the cartoon..