Written by some of today’s leading science fiction writers, these tales sweep us into a world where the only laws are cunning, force, and power—and only the bravest, craziest, and deadliest dare to tread. Here mercs and smugglers, gangsters and warriors fight toe to toe, side by side, and behind each other ’ s backs in the backwaters of a universe ripped apart by war. On Zelos II a man and a woman are held prisoner in a dark cell, each fighting in their own way for survival at the hands of Imperial captors—and a chance for escape that could cost one of them their life. On the tortured landscape of Ryloth, Fenig Nabon awaits a ship of women warriors to complete a dangerous deal: the smuggling of a troupe of dancers to the homeworld of the Hutts—only to get more than she bargained for. And in a stunning novella written especially for this collection by Hugo Award–winning, New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, Senator Garm Bel Iblis, believed dead at the hands of an Imperial assassin, teams up with Hal Horn in a duel against the Empire’s most dangerous agent. At stake are the plans for a terrifying new weapon called the Death Star—and the fate of both the Empire and the New Republic. Including these stories of intergalactic derring-do: “Interlude at Darkknell” by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole “Jade Solitaire” by Timothy Zahn “Gathering Shadows” by Kathy Burdette “Hutt and Seek” by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl “The Longest Fall” by Patricia A. Jackson “Conflict of Interest” by Laurie Burns “No Disintegrations, Please” by Paul Danner “Day of the Sepulchral Night” by Jean Rabe “Uhl Eharl Khoehng” by Patricia A. Jackson “The Last Hand” by Paul Danner “Simple Tricks” by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl Yet another Star Wars Tales collection, Tales from the New Republic rescues a sheaf of stories that never saw publication in West End's now-kaput Official Star Wars Adventure Journal , with the addition of a tag-team novella by Star Wars fiction demigods Timothy Zahn (Hugo-winning author of Specter of the Past) and Mike Stackpole (founding member of the Rogue Squadron). This above-average anthology delivers on the same promise as other Tales collections, fleshing out hidden details in the Star Wars universe, with notable appearances by Mara Jade, Senator Garm Bel Iblis, Hal Horn, Talon Karrde, Kyp Durron, and the book's only true heavy-hitter--Boba Fett, in a fun, comic-book style frontal assault on a not-so-invincible Imperial garrison. The stories prove to be winners for the most part, with a good mix of old-hand authors and new bloods, but the Zahn-Stackpole collaboration is undoubtedly the star of the show. --Paul Hughes Interlude at Darkknell PART 1   by Timothy Zahn   Senator Bel Iblis?”   Garm Bel Iblis looked up from his datapad, frowning with the subtle tension of prespeech jitters. The man standing in the doorway was the assistant director at the Treitamma Political Center, charged with the responsibility of smoothing any obstacles that might impede the firm step and stalwart tread of an exalted member of the Imperial Senate.   Or so the gentleman had gravely explained upon Bel Iblis’s arrival this afternoon. Clearly the Anchoron reputation for flowery speech and genteel decorum had found a focal point here at the Treitamma.   Which was going to make the bluntness of his speech tonight all the more shocking. The dark truth about Emperor Palpatine and his secret agenda for his newly established Empire …   He shook his head briefly in annoyance. Assistant Director Graskt was still waiting patiently, and here he was letting his mind drift. It showed just how seriously this speech—and the situation it represented—had taken over his every waking thought. “Yes, AsDir Graskt, what is it?” he asked.   “A gentleman from your staff has just arrived from Coruscant,” Graskt said, stepping forward and holding out a datacard. “He asked me to deliver this to you right away.”   “Thank you,” Bel Iblis said, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling as he reached across the desk and took the datacard. Sena would never send a package to him without making sure the courier had his private comlink frequency. The fact that there had been no calls concerning any such arrivals …   He slid the datacard into his datapad. There was nothing on it but a single line: “Meet me at the northeast exit. Urgent. Aach.”   “Will there be a return message, Senator?” Graskt asked.   “No, that’s all right,” Bel Iblis said, long experience in the political arena enabling him to keep the sudden tension out of his voice and face. Aach was the code name of a special messenger from Bail Organa, a messenger the Alderaanian viceroy used only for top-level Rebel Alliance business.   “Would you like to speak with the gentleman?” Graskt persisted. “I asked him to wait at the main entrance.”   “That won’t be necessary,” Bel Iblis said. The last thing he could afford w