No sooner has Darth Vader's funeral pyre burned  to ashes on Endor than the Alliance intercepts a  call for help from a far-flung Imperial outpost.  Bakura is on the edge of known space and the first to  meet the Ssi-ruuk, cold-blooded reptilian invaders  who, once allied with the now dead Emperor, are  approaching Imperial space with only one goal; total  domination. Princess Leia sees the mission as an  opportunity to achieve a diplomatic victory for the  Alliance. But it assumes even greater importance  when a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to Luke  Skywalker with the message that he must go to  Bakura-or risk losing everything the Rebels have fought  so desperately to achieve.Kathy Tyers is the author of the Firebird series (Firebird, Fusion Fire,Crown of Fire, and Daystar)and stand-alone science fiction (Shivering World, Crystal Witness, and One Mind’s Eye). She has also written several original Star Wars stories, including the New York Times bestselling novel The Truce at Bakura. She lives in southwestern Montana.On an outer deck of a vast battle cruiser called the Shriwirr, Dev Sibwarra rested his slim brown hand on a pioneer's left shoulder. "It'll be all right," he said softly.  The other human's fear beat at his mind like a three-tailed lash.  "There's no pain. You have a wonderful surprise ahead of you."  Wonderful indeed, a life without hunger, cold, or selfish desire. <lS)