Battlefront: Twilight Company

Battlefront: Twilight Company is a canon novel written by Alexander Freed, which is based on the video game Star Wars Battlefront. It was released by Del Rey on November 3, 2015.

Publisher's summary
'The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.' 

''Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless stormtroopers—bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises—are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.''

''Leading the charge are the soldiers—men and women, human and nonhuman—of the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, better known as Twilight Company. Hard-bitten, war-weary, and ferociously loyal to one another, the members of this renegade outfit doggedly survive where others perish, and defiance is their most powerful weapon against the deadliest odds. When orders come down for the Rebels to fall back in the face of superior opposition numbers and firepower, Twilight reluctantly complies. Then an unlikely ally radically changes the strategic equation—and gives the Alliance’s hardest-fighting warriors a crucial chance to turn retreat into resurgence.''

Orders or not, alone and outgunned but unbowed, Twilight Company locks, loads, and prepares to make its boldest maneuver—trading down-and-dirty battle in the trenches for a game-changing strike at the ultimate target: the very heart of the Empire’s military machine.

Plot summary
13 years after the end of the Clone Wars, on the planet Crucival, we meet a young man named Donin as he is participating in his very first battle as a member of one of the planet’s belligerent clans.

9 years later, we find ourselves on the planet Haidoral Prime. Here we are introduced to Twilight Company, also known as the Alliance 61st Mobile Infantry. Twilight is the vanguard of the Alliance military, the unit that is sent in first to clear a path and establish a beachhead for the regular alliance military. They have been on Haidoral Prime for 18 months, and the fighting on the planet is winding down.

A tradition of the unit is to organize recruitment events where locals can come and join the company in an effort to replace their losses. We also meet Namir, a sergeant with the company. He is at the open recruit evaluating potential recruits. They take almost anyone who is willing to contribute, unless it can be determined they are an Imperial spy.

Namir and his squad are called away from the event and sent on a mission to infiltrate one of the last Imperial strongholds on the planet, the governor’s mansion. Captain Micha Evon, the company’s commanding officer, is concerned about rumors that the governor and her staff have taken civilian hostages.

Namir and his squad infiltrate the mansion and make their way to the governor's office. Here they find a group of Imperial officers and a rough looking woman who claims that she is a captive. A firefight breaks out and all the Imperials are killed. Additionally, it turns out the the woman claiming to be a captive is the governor herself. In an unexpected move, she requests asylum with Twilight Company. Unsure of what to do, Namir stuns her and takes her with them.

We take a side trip to Sullust where we meet a woman named Thara Nyende. She is sneaking supplies into her uncle’s cantina in an effort to help the local miners stay on their feet. As she leaves for work, we find out that she is actually a Stormtrooper.

After returning to the Rebels, we find that they have left Haidoral Prime and returned to their corvette, the Thunderstrike. They interview the governor, whose name we find out is Everi Chalis, and in exchange for the protection of Twilight Company, she offers up her vast knowledge of Imperial logistics. She claims to have a vast working knowledge of the Empire’s supply system, as she was trained by Count Denetrius Vidian himself.

In the mean time, Namir makes his rounds of the new recruits or “fresh meat” that opted to join the company. He pays special attention to a young girl known as Roach.

3 days later the Thunderstrike suffers an attack. As the ship is being hammered by Imperials, Namir realizes the governor is locked away in an airlock that is being used as a makeshift brig. As he makes his way there, the ship takes a bad hit. He fights through the resulting fires and eventually arrives at the brig/airlock somewhat worse for wear and saving the unconscious guard from the fire.

The governor is still inside, unscathed. With fires raging outside, they barricade themselves in the brig/airlock, which can only be opened from the outside, and begin to talk. Chalis opens up on her thoughts on the Empire and Darth Vader.

They escape the attack and Namir recovers from his injuries. He also finds out Captain "Howl" has decided that they will indeed take Chalis up on her offer and grant her asylum. The war is going poorly for the Rebellion, they need the information she has to strike a blow at the Empire.

Leaving the Rebels behind, we travel to the Imperial planet of Carida where semi-retired Captain Tabor Seitaron is pulled from his comfortable life of teaching and put on the trail of the governor.

Soon after, Twilight receives new orders. They are to land on the planet Coyerti, a polluted world known for the Imperial's manufacturing of chemical weapons and other poisons. Once here, they are to defend to local indigenous population from the Empire as they are supporters of the Rebellion and unable to protect themselves during their short mating season. Despite most of the company becoming partially poisoned and a battle with an AT-ST, they succeed and return to the Thunderstrike. Namir finds Roach hiding in a cargo bay. He assumes she is suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress given that this was her first true combat mission. It turns out she is a recovering spice addict and is going through withdrawal. He sits with her through the night.

The Thunderstrike continues to be harassed by the Imperials. It is believed this is due to the presence of the governor. Despite this, her debriefing continues. She promises to deliver an immensely detailed mapping of the Imperial supply network. Twilight assaults a convoy of Imperial transports. Some elements of her map are corroborated and it is believed she can be trusted, at least with regard to the information she is providing. It is decided that the best course of action is for her to meet with Alliance High Command.

In the wake of the transport assault, a funeral is held to mourn the loss of Twilight soldiers in that operation. After this funeral, Governor Chalis and Namir have another conversation about his position in the galaxy and the planet he came from. It turns out Namir is the kid we have been following back on Crucival in our flashbacks to the past. The governor commiserates with Namir, as she also came from a backwater world. She also begins discussing plans for her future with the Rebellion. Namir is surprised at her openness with him and feels this is the first honest conversation they have had.

Back with the Imperials, Captain Tabor prepares his Star Destroyer for the hunt. He also meets his Imperial overseer for this operation, Prelate Verge, a young man who holds a position in the Emperor’s court. While Tabor commands the ship, Verge is nominally in charge of the overall mission.

The governor, the Captain, and Namir travel to meet with high command on Hoth. While they are there, the Empire begins its attack on Echo Base and begins the battle of Hoth. Namir joins the ground battle. When he is given the opportunity to escape, he turns it down and makes his way to the command center to get Captain Evon. Namir finds Chalis dragging the Captain who has a severe head injury and is unconscious. Instead of taking her seat on the first transport scheduled to leave the base in the event of an attack, Chalis has stayed to make sure that Captain Evon could escape the base. They find out Vader's shuttle has landed. The governor becomes afraid as she is convinced the entire Imperial raid has happened to capture her. It turns out she is wrong. Namir’s group encounter Vader and he defeats them easily. He is about the kill the governor, asking her where Skywalker is, but before he can finish, he hears that his troops have located the Millennium Falcon. He force throws the governor against the wall and leaves. This is the last thing that Namir sees before blacking-out due to injury.

When he wakes up, Namir finds the governor, both of them are injured but alive. The Captain and the rest of the other two group members have been killed. They find a ship and launch from Hoth, using the governor’s imperial codes to narrowly escape the blockade of Star Destroyers.

All the while, a battle rages on the Thunderstrike, which has been infiltrated by Imperials. Brand, a former bounty hunter and long time company member leads the charge to retake the ship. While the battle rages, Tabor’s Star Destroyer jumps in from hyperspace and begins broadcasting messages saying all they want is the governor.

The ship escapes the Imperials but is damaged. They set down on a planet to undergo repairs. Namir and the governor return and the company begins to deal with the death of the Captain. The governor is crushed by the fact that Vader was not on Hoth to find her. After talking with Namir, she starts to get her senses back. A few days pass and Chalis takes charge, coming up with a plan.

The manhunt for the Rebel leadership has spread the Empire’s resources thin. This has opened an opportunity to strike at the Core Worlds, specifically, the shipyards at Kuat. She also suggests a series of preparatory raids to pull more ships and troops away from the shipyards.

They begin to put the plan into action, with Namir begrudgingly taking temporary command. Over the next few missions, he realizes the best way for him to honor the Captain is to command the company. He continues to be unsure, but Chalis keeps reassuring him and acting as his closest adviser. This relationship also places her in a position of authority within the company.

Meanwhile, Captain Tabor Seitaron deciphers the pattern of attacks devised by Chalis. The Imperials prepare quick assault groups for attacks on three worlds, including Sullust, that are most likely to be next in an attempt to catch the company.

The company lands on Sullust and quickly takes the Inyusu Tor mineral processing facility, which is situated on a volcano. It is a major victory, as the facility provides 10% of the planet’s raw manufacturing materials. They prepare to move on to their next target, Malastare. This will be the last stop before the final assault on Kuat.

As the Thunderstrike attempts to land on the planet, it is ambushed by the Imperials who have caught up with them again. The corvette is shot down and the survivors are now stranded on Sullust. They immediately begin to fortify the ore processing facility they just captured. Namir leads a team to the wreck of the Thunderstrike to search for survivors.

Returning with a group of survivors, he realizes the company is looking to him for leadership. He argues with Chalis. He feels that the Empire has now figured out their pattern and can predict they will be striking at Kuat. She is not convinced. She tells him she will take responsibility for long range planning if he will focus on getting the company off of Sullust. She decides the best course of action is to contact the Sullustan resistance; She, Namir, Roach, and three others make their way into the city of Pinyumb to do so. They met at a safe house which soon falls under attack. Namir is caught in a blast and is knocked out.

He comes to and finds himself captured by two stormtroopers, one of which is Thara Nyende. They are in turn ambushed by the resistance. Namir escapes and finds himself holed up with the resistance and a group of civilian refugees. He tends to their wounds with his meager medical supplies.

After talking with the Rebel cell members and its leader, Nien Nunb, he realizes they are in no position to help Twilight. He talks with them through the night and returns to Twilight with a bold plan.

He realizes he has been leaning on the governor too much. In an impassioned speech to his former squad, he decides that they should abandon the goal of Kuat and focus instead on helping the resistance on Sullust, a much more noble goal which keeps with the spirit of the Rebellion. They agree in principle, but Gadren, a huge, wise and multi-armed squad member says he would like to get the governor’s opinion on this, as they have come to respect her.

He goes to tell the governor of his decision and finds her ordering soldiers around directly, taking command of the company. Before he can speak, she pulls a blaster on him and directs him out of the room. He has no choice but to obey. That is, until Gadren sees the situation and grabs her. Her time in command is over.

The company digs in and prepares for the assault. Despite taking losses, they repel the Imperials fairly easily. The governor escapes on a speeder bike after a near miss from Brand’s sniper rifle.

Verge and Tabor move their Star Destroyer, the Herald, into position in the atmosphere for orbital bombardment. They do not want to destroy the facility as it is valuable. They notice a shuttle leaving the planet, it turns out it is the governor. They capture it and bring it aboard. As usual, she tries to weasel herself out of her bad situation.

It is actually a trap for the imperials. The governor detonates ion-mines on the shuttle, causing a power blip in the ship's propulsion system. Since they are in the atmosphere, the destroyer starts going down.

Verge orders the ship to ram the facility. Tabor disagrees and begins arguing with him. The governor tackles the Prelate and begins fighting him ferociously. Eventually, Captain Tabor pulls his blaster, shoots Verge and orders all power to engines to save his ship and crew. Since there are no witnesses, Chalis convinces Tabor to blame the shooting of the Prelate on her.

With the departure of the Star Destroyer, the battle rages on the surface but eventually dies down. Despite the odds, Twilight has won the day. Among others, Roach dies in the battle. They salvage what they can from the Thunderstrike but are left depleted, at about 1 / 3 strength.

Pinymub reverts to civilian control with Twilight providing temporary security. With so many imperial prisoners, many of them are released under supervised work programs. Varrah works at her uncle's cantina. She is not motivated to rejoin the stormtrooper legion despite her continuing loyalty to the Empire.

Contemplating what to do next, Namir, now officially Captain of the company, comes across a message left by the governor. In it, she says goodbye and that she could have won the day if he had trusted her.

On the governor’s part, survivor that she is, she finds herself safe and taking steps to create a new life for herself, she wants to live on a backwater world where she can't be found and can be an artist again, she remembers what Namir had said about Crucival and sets coordinates for the system.

Namir keeps the message to himself as he is embarrassed that he misses Chalis. A funeral is arranged for the fallen, a eulogy is said for each member of the company, including droids, and one for the Thunderstrike. Despite his misgivings about the tradition, he decides to hold an open recruit on Sullust. After a slow start, many people arrive to donate their services to the company that saved them. Twilight Company lives on.

Development
In April 2015, Del Rey first alluded to a Battlefront tie-in novel at their booth at Celebration Anaheim, indicating a Fall 2015 release. Alexander Freed, the book's author, confirmed the title shortly thereafter via his Twitter account. The novel was one of several featured in a sampler released by Del Rey at Celebration. Freed later revealed that he was asked to write the book based off his previous short stories with Del Rey.

Editions

 * ISBN 9780345511218; November 3, 2015; Del Rey; US hardcover
 * ISBN 9781101884775; November 3, 2015; Del Rey; US eBook
 * ISBN 9781101884768; June 28, 2016; Del Rey; US paperback