BioWare and LucasArts&mdash;creators of the hugely popular Star Wars:&#174; Knights of the Old Republic&#174; video game&mdash;have combined their storytelling talents and cutting-edge technology for an innovative new massively multiplayer online role-playing game that allows players to create their own personal Star Wars adventure 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. Now #1 New York Times<i> </i>bestselling author Sean Williams brings the world of the game to life in his latest novel, <b>Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance.</b><br><br>Tassaa Bareesh, a matriarch in the Hutt crime cartel, is holding an auction that&rsquo;s drawing attention from across the galaxy. Representatives of both the Republic and the Sith Empire are present, along with a Jedi Padawan sent to investigate, a disenfranchised trooper drummed out of the Republic&rsquo;s elite&#160; Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian with a private agenda. But the Republic&rsquo;s envoy is not what he seems, the Empire&rsquo;s delegate is a ruthless Sith apprentice, the Jedi Padawan is determined to do the right thing and terrified that he can&rsquo;t, the trooper hopes to redeem her reputation, and the Mandalorian is somehow managing to keep one step ahead of everyone.<br>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; <br>None of these guests&mdash;invited or uninvited&mdash;have any intention of participating in the auction. Instead they plan to steal the prize, which is locked inside an impregnable vault: two burned chunks of an exploded star cruiser, one of which may hold the key to the wealth of an entire world.<br><br>But the truth about the treasure is dangerous and deadly. And in the end, Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire, must do something they&rsquo;ve never done before, something that all the agents of good and evil could never make them do: join together to stop a powerful threat that could destroy the galaxy.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>