Hour of Judgment
| Author: | HandofThrawn45 |
|---|---|
| Length: | 642 pages |
| Source: | FF.net |
| Publication Date: | December 15, 2018 |
| Timeline Placement: | 5 ABY |
| Canon Tier: | F |
| Preceding: | Following: |
|---|---|
| Empire of Ashes: Fear | X-Wing: Rogue Squadron |
Hour of Judgment is a fan fiction novel written by HandofThrawn45 (also known as Gregory O. Scott). It was first published on fanfiction.net on December 15, 2018. The novel is set in 5 ABY, directly after Empire of Ashes: Fear, and serves as a bridge between the X-Wing comic series and the X-Wing series of novels.
Synopsis
A year has passed since the Emperor's death. Ysanne Isard struggles to hold the Empire together and the New Republic is hunting her elite Grand Admirals. Meanwhile, Imperial fighter ace Baron Soontir Fel has defected to Wedge Antilles' Rogue Squadron. The former enemies are drawn together by the need to save one woman from Isard's vengeance: Syal Antilles, Fel's wife and Wedge's sister.
Fel, Wedge, and Isard all search for Syal, but another party is closest to finding her: the rogue stormtrooper unit called the Hand of Judgement. Before this epic tale of war, politics, and espionage is over, the Republic will be forced to reckon with three legendary Grand Admirals. Soldiers on both sides will make the final judgement of where their loyalties lie.
Plot summary
In the Corellian system, Grand Admiral Grant observes the battle between Grand Admirals Grunger and Pitta, pondering whether to interfere. As the fleet Ysanne Isard has given him to bring the two Grand Admirals to heel is smaller than either of their forces, Grant elects to remain on the sidelines. Wedge Antilles and New Republic fleet command are watching the battle via a feed from a recon X-wing in the system, aware that a secret New Republic commando unit has inserted an agent onto Grunger's flagship Aggressor. That agent, Sheer Valeen, is feeding telemetry from Aggressor directly into the targeting computers of Pitta's Torpedo Sphere, enabling it to precisely target Grunger's forces. As a result, Aggressor is crippled and Grunger rams it into Pitta's Torpedo Sphere in a last act of revenge, destroying both vessels and killing both Grand Admirals. Afterwards, Grand Admiral Grant gives the survivors a ten-minute ultimatum to surrender to him or be destroyed; within the first minute, many commanders accept the ultimatum.
In the aftermath of the battle, New Republic command decides to target the two remaining Grand Admirals in Isard's service: Grant and Makati. Soontir Fel, who recently defected to the New Republic and is now flying with Rogue Squadron, is brought in to give his perspective on the two Grand Admirals. Admiral Drayson reveals that Rogue Squadron's next mission will be a raid on the Ubiqtorate base at Boudolayz, alongside commandos from the secret unit Alpha Black. Afterwards, Drayson, General Cracken and Admiral Ackbar briefly discuss Fel's loyalty, and Cracken reveals that New Republic Intelligence has not yet been able to find Fel's wife Syal Antilles Fel. Returning to his quarters, Drayson finds Alpha Black commander Reyan Dey'rylan at his desk, and they discuss the unit's track record in killing Imperial Grand Admirals as well as their secret plans for Grant and Makati, which include assassination as an option.
Development
Gregory O. Scott drew inspiration for Hour of Judgement from a long-standing gap in Star Wars Legends lore concerning Baron Soontir Fel. Fel, an Imperial ace and defector, never had his reunion with his wife and reenlistment with Thrawn's Empire of the Hand depicted, despite Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole reportedly working on a version of the story in the '90s. Scott sought to tell this untold tale, while also incorporating the rogue stormtrooper squad from Zahn's Allegiance and Choices of One.
In addition to exploring Fel's story, Scott introduced two of the Empire's lesser-known Grand Admirals, Afsheen Makati and Octavian Grant, who were only described in source material. Grand Admiral Makati is reimagined as a tragic hero, while Grand Admiral Grant takes on a more antagonistic role. These characters, alongside Thrawn, allowed for an exploration of the Empire’s internal politics and military strategies.
The narrative blends elements of war, espionage, and politics, weaving together numerous threads from the Legends Expanded Universe. It acts as a bridge between the X-wing comics and novels, serving as a third installment about the Hand of Judgment while also functioning as a prequel to both the Thrawn Trilogy and I, Jedi.
Appearances
Characters
- Gial Ackbar
- Wedge Antilles
- Feylis Ardele
- Avan Beruss
- Korlo Brightwater
- Willham Burke
- Tycho Celchu
- Airen Cracken
- Reyan Dey'rylan
- Hiram Drayson
- Sho-tev Ekhrine
- F-4GR
- Syal Antilles Fel
- Soontir Fel
- Borsk Fey'lya
- Kasck Fre'leir
- Octavian Grant
- Taxtro Grave
- Xarcce Huwla
- Ysanne Isard
- Wes Janson
- Jerec
- Ardus Kaine
- Jekk Karr
- Hobbie Klivian
- Daric Larone
- Afsheen Makati
- Saberan Marcoss
- Mitth'raw'nuruodo
- Mon Mothma
- Dagon Niriz
- Leia Organa
- Joak Quiller
- Leonia Tavira
- Devin Torres
- Van Tyrac
- Nrin Vakil
- Sheer Valeen (mentioned only)
- Winter