** spoiler alert ** Working my way through the Legacy of the Force series.

This is the mid-point of a nine-book series in the Star Wars expanded universe, which makes it hard to talk about without getting super-spoilerific. So, you've been warned.

In sum, it's forty years since the Battle of Yavin where Luke Skywalker blew up the original Death Star. Since then, the New Republic displaced the Empire. Han and Leia are married and have children. Luke is now the head of the new Jedi Council and he and his wife Mara have a son, Ben Skywalker. Then, in the New Jedi Order mega-series of novels, the galaxy endured an invasion by a race of religious fanatics called the Yuuhzan Vong and now the New Republic has become the much more fragile Galactic Alliance. In response to the Alliance's increasing demands for military support from member worlds, the Corellian System has declared independence. This has put a strain on the relations between the Skywalkers and the Solos, with Han and Leia support his home world even as Luke and Mara support the Alliance. This has also put Han and Leia on the opposite side with their twin son and daughter, Jacen and Jaina.

Jacen in fact has risen to be head of the GA's secret police and is in charge of rooting out Corellian terrorists and rebels. In pursuing his goal, Jacen takes an increasingly heavy handed approach, much to the dismay of nearly all of his relatives.