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It is 16 years after Star Wars: A New Hope (12 years after the Emperors demise in Return of the Jedi). Most of the remnants of the old Empire have been defeated and the New Republic has settled into a semi-complacent bureaucracy with Princess Leia as its President. More and more, the politicians and nay-sayers are questioning the expense of maintaining a strong military, and many seem to forget the trials so recently passed through on the way to this stability, or the need for vigilance to maintain it.

Into this lazy political infighting, steps the Yevetha, an advanced race once subjugated by the Empire, now seemingly seeking a peaceful co-existence with the New Republic, but whose motives are immediately guarded and suspect. Are the prolonged negotiations their leader, Nil Spaar, engages in with Princess Leia merely a delaying tactic in preparation for something sinister? The Yevetha suffered mightily at the hands of their Imperial over-lords, but is Leia being blinded by sympathy for a fellow victim of Imperial excess? To whose advice should Leia harken..Admirals and Generals who have a vested interest in the upkeep of a strong fighting force, or Senators from worlds tired of contributing credits to the fleets upkeep, and leery of any centralized power seated on Palpatines former ruling planet?

Meanwhile, several other plot-lines begin sending threads weaving out from Coruscant:

Luke, in the midst of a meditative retreat (a remove quite vexing to his friends and family, in fact), encounters a woman, Akanah, who claims to know something of Luke and Leias mother. She convinces Luke to accompany her in her search for the lost people amongst whom Lukes mother is supposedly hiding.

At the same time, Lando Calrissian, Lobot (Landos cyborg administrator from Bespin), and the droids R2D2 & C3P0, are enjoined by New Republic military intelligence to co-ordinate with a task force investigating a mysterious "ghost ship" found roaming in the less-frequented recesses of the galaxy. Is its purpose benign? Does it possess untold weaponry and nefarious intent?

And Chewbacca is off with the Millenium Falcon to visit his family on Kashyyyk.

Book Two picks up on all story-lines pretty much right where Book One left off. The Yevetha become more and more aggressive in their aims..no more uncertainty as to which side of the good-guy/bad-guy fence theyre on now, and Princess Leia must deal with the Yevetha encroachment on the one hand, and juggle politicians trying to unseat her on the other.

Luke, continues his travels with Akanah in search of the people she calls the Fallanassi, who may or may not know something of Luke and Leias mother. As their journey progresses, Luke finds that he must unlearn some of his assumptions about the Force specifically, and the universe in general, all the while trying to determine if Akanah can be trusted.

Lando, Lobot, R2D2, and C3P0 are now trapped aboard the ghost ship. As they struggle to survive, they work to figure out the ships secrets: Is it sentient? Is it friendly? Who built it and sent it out to wander the galaxy? What is its purpose? How do they get off ?

And Han, as Leias eyes-and-ears with the New Republic Fleet, undertakes a dangerous mission as a spy in the heart of Yevethan Space.

An interesting side-note: Unlike almost all the other Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, Shield of Lies is written almost like three separate novelas..starting with a "Lando" segment, then a "Luke" segement, and lastly, a "Leia" segement. Each very strong, and at this juncture in the trilogy, mostly unconnected plot allowed to stand alone in its third of the book.

And now it all comes together.

The Yevetha are really, really nasty pieces of work, and now there is absolutely no doubt. The Empires occupation may have given them some cause for paranoia as a species, but they have over-reacted in a seriously vicious and xenophobic manner. With Han Solo being held captive by the Yevetha, Leia is forced to choose between her duty as President of the New Republic and her love for her husband. And even as she makes the traumatic choice of Republic over family, political maneuvering in the Senate calls her loyalties into question, and voices are raised demanding her resignation.

Meanwhile, Luke is still wandering the galaxy with the woman, Akanah, in search of the race of people known as the Fallanassi, who might harbor or know of Luke & Leias mother. Their wanderings draw them into the main story-line as their search brings them to the heart of the Korrnacht Cluster.home of the Yevetha.

Chewbacca, off on Kashyyyk to participate in his sons coming-of-age ceremony, hears of Hans capture, and races with the Millenium Falcon (loaned to him in Book One) into the main plot in an effort to rescue Han.

Lando Calrissian, still trapped on board the mystery ship with Lobot, R2D2, & C3P0, races against time and stray Imperials to figure out the ships purpose and protect its powers and secrets from those who would use them for ill.

On to the interview!