"Lourna Dee is not a villain. She's not a hero. She's a survivor. The former Tempest Runner, wanted by both her Nihil allies and the Republic, has evaded imprisonment and death from both groups more times than she can count. But even Lourna cannot outrun the mysterious blight that devours everything wherever it appears. And Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil, has announced that only he knows the secret to stopping it. Desperate, the Republic and Jedi turn to Lourna with an offer: help the Jedi stop the blight, and in return, Lourna will have a clean slate and the chance to decide her own future. Teamed with Avar Kriss and Keeve Trennis, the same Jedi who once hunted her, Lourna leads the search for the Nihil's chief scientist, Baron Boolan, the only being who may have answers to the mystery of the blight, as well as Marchion Ro's true plans. Lourna weighs the Republic's offer of true freedom against her own instincts for survival as her team heads deeper into Nihil territory, straight toward the very dangers Lourna has worked for so long to elude. And when the opportunity arises to face off against Marchion Ro himself, even Lourna Dee may be willing to sacrifice everything to fulfill a quest for revenge." --