Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse

Apocalypse by Troy Denning is the ninth and final novel in the Fate of the Jedi series. It was released on March 13, 2012. At the end of the book, it has an introduction to X-wing: Mercy Kill and Scourge. The audio version is narrated by Marc Thompson.

Back cover
There can be no surrender.

There will be no mercy.

It’s not just the future of the galaxy at stake—

It’s the destiny of the Force.

Internal flap
''In the stunning finale of the epic Fate of the Jedi series, Jedi and Sith face off—with Coruscant as their battlefield. For the Sith, it’s the chance to restore their dominance over the galaxy that forgot them for so long. For Abeloth, it’s a giant step in her quest to conquer all life everywhere. For Luke Skywalker, it’s a call to arms to eradicate the Sith and their monstrous new master once and for all.'' ''In a planetwide strike, teams of Jedi Knights take the Sith infiltrators by swift and lethal surprise. But victory against the cunning and savage Abeloth, and the terrifying endgame she has planned, is anything but certain. And as Luke, Ben, Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag, and their allies close in, the devastating truth about the dark side incarnate will be exposed—and send shock waves through the Jedi Order, the galaxy, and the Force itself.''

Plot summary
The novel begins with Jedi Knights Raynar Thul, Lowbacca, Tekli, and their accompanying protocol droid C-3PO visiting the Celestial Palace, located on an unnamed world within the Maraqoo sector, specifically in the Reo system. There, the Jedi and C-3PO meet with the Killik hive nest of the Thuruht in order to meet with its queen. They ask the queen what they know about Abeloth, as she seems to be connected with the ancient and mythical beings once known as the Celestials, which the Killiks claimed to have worked for eons earlier; the Thuruht nest had even imprisoned Abeloth on the unknown world themselves. When the Thuruht queen asks why the Jedi want to know about Abeloth, Raynar informs her that Abeloth is on the loose in the galaxy and the Jedi Order doesn't know where to find her. The Thuruht nest begin performing their duties in a rush, and C-3PO translates for the Jedi Knights that they are doing this because, according to the queen, the End of Times has come.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, the Jedi begin their secret invasion of the planet in order to free it from the covert control of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. They enter the planet, with the likes of Jaina Solo and the Horn siblings, Valin and Jysella, getting past the security checks, which are led by undercover Sith. However, Yaqeel Saav'etu and Yantahar Bwua'tu get into a bit of trouble when they are sniffed out by a Sith, Captain Suhale, forcing one of their colleagues, Bazel Warv, who had arrived with Seff Hellin and Vaala Razelle, to pretend to be a spicer in order to save their lives. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that there is no actual evidence that any of them were Jedi, BAMR News cites this as the operations of a Jedi drug cartel.

Elsewhere on Coruscant, Luke Skywalker, his son Ben, and recently-defected Sith Tyro, and now current Jedi apprentice, Vestara Khai also run into a Galactic Alliance Security patrol, led by the Sith named Ruku Myal. But Luke manages to outwit Myal by dimming the lights of the plaza they're in and forcing him to unleash his lightsaber. This allows Vestara to kill the Sith by using the Force to plunge his own shikkar into his body. Luke uses the Force to make sure the shikkar kills Myal quickly before he, Ben, and Vestara leave during the confusion.

Since his capture by the Sith, Wynn Dorvan had been tortured for weeks by Abeloth herself, who, as a disguise, is leading the Galactic Alliance as the latest Chief of State, Rokari Kem, and who has so far been unable to coerce any information from him regarding the Jedi Order's whereabouts. Regardless, she manages to slowly coerce him over to her side as she also looks to him on advice on matters such as bringing Imperial Lieutenant Lydea Pagorski back into Imperial space. When Abeloth elects not to, she absorbs Pagorski's being into herself.

Prior to their upcoming attack on Coruscant, the Jedi send out a widespread message over the HoloNet, asking all Sith to surrender or die. Many Sith elect to fight, but are quickly killed in the process. Meanwhile, as Ben and Vestara are sent to distract Sith High Lord Ivaar Workan, posing as Senator Kameron Suldar, Vestara secretly gives out her identity to her fellow Sith just so she and Ben can get closer to Workan. As a result, Ben and Vestara are held hostage while Luke and the other two Jedi in the strike team against Workan, Seha Dorvald and Doran Sarkin-Tainer, invade his office. In the ensuing battle, Vestara, not wanting Workan to be captured alive&mdash;since his continued existence would lead to an interrogation where he would reveal how he figured out that Ben and Vestara were spies, and thus reveal Vestara's true intentions&mdash;tricks the other Jedi to simply shoot Workan dead as he duels Luke. Ben is the one who kills Workan by shooting him in the head.

Elsewhere, at Ossus, Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo participates in a Hapan flotilla to help in the evacuation of Jedi from the planet from preying Sith. With Tenel Ka is her daughter, Allana, who was left in her care since her grandparents, Han and Leia, are now participating in the Jedi evacuation as well. Allana has a vision of the nests of the Barabel Jedi in the bowels of the New Jedi Temple being attacked, and she panics, wanting to save the Barabels' hatchlings but without compromising her promise to Tesar Sebatyne and the other Barabel Jedi to her mother. Tenel Ka reminds her daughter that, in her desperate haste to act upon the visions she receives, she must remember that how she takes it is more important than the actions she actually takes, which reminds Allana of how her late father, Jacen Solo, failed to realize that.

Upon the realization that the Sith are unlikely to overtake Coruscant, she caused seismic activity on the planet that resulted in the deaths of billions before fleeing back to her planet, taking Vestara and Ben with her. Luke and Darth Krayt later traced her back to the planet, and destroyed her avatar bodies as she was preparing to place Vestara and Ben in the respective essences that corrupted her to recreate her family before she was ultimately killed by Luke and Krayt in the Realm Beyond Shadows.

Continuity
This novel marks the return of the Killiks since their previous appearance in Troy Denning's Dark Nest Trilogy.

Apocalypse also marks the first large-scale mention of the Mortis story arc, and the return of the Ones.