Star Wars: Ahsoka

He turned and strode back to his ship. No one else had disembarked, and as he stalked through the corridor, his agents scattered out of his way. They were all afraid of him, which he liked rather a lot. They didn’t know exactly what he was, only that he was implacable and cruel. His kind was new to the galaxy, a fresh weapon for the dark side to wield. His agents must follow his every order as though the Emperor himself had given it. That sort of power made him feel very strong.

“Set a course back to base,” he said. He took his lightsaber off its mounting on his back and held the rounded handle almost lovingly. It wasn’t the first one he’d ever carried, but it was the first he’d borne in service of his new master, and he liked the viciousness of the design.

“And inform Lord Vader that we have found evidence of another survivor.”

Acknowledgments

I first told Josh Adams, agent extraordinaire, that I wanted to write a Star Wars book on December 3, 2014, at approximately 9:03 AM (which is when I e-mailed him a really vague proposal). He called not ten minutes later, very excited, and has remained my staunchest supporter throughout.

Emily Meehan and Michael Siglain matched that early enthusiasm and never left me hanging while we waited for updates (which goes a long way to maintaining an author’s sanity, I have to say).

MaryAnn Zissimos sent me that GIF of Mark Hamill with a cat when I needed it the most.

Jennifer Heddle is an editor I’d hoped to work with, AND I GOT TO. She is amazing. (My Star Wars spelling is terrible, you guys. I had to double-check “Hamill” just now. But Jen got me through all of that and even more, because: see above re: amazing.)

I can’t believe I get to thank Pablo Hidalgo, Dave Filoni, and the rest of the Lucasfilm Story Group, but here we all are. They know so much, and they take everything so seriously, and that is just so great. Also, I made them laugh! Twice! (Sorry about that thing with the [redacted for spoilers].)

Finally, I need to thank all the people I COULDN’T tell about this book: Emma, Colleen, Faith, and Laura, who usually read everything I write; Friend-Rachel and Cécile, who I flat out ignored for most of March because I couldn’t take it anymore (we’ll talk about Rebels when I’ve calmed down, I promise!); my whole family (though I think I could have told my dad everything and he STILL would have thought I was talking about Star Trek); but most important, my brother EJ, who got me into this mess in the first place.

About the author

E. K. JOHNSTON (Emily Kate Johnston) is the acclaimed author of A Thousand Nights; Exit, Pursued by a Bear; The Story of Owen; and Prairie Fire. She had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. When she’s not on Tumblr, she dreams of travel and Tolkien. Or writes books. It really depends on the weather.

Copyright

© & TM 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Cover illustration by Wojtek Fus

All rights reserved. Published by Disney • Lucasfilm Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney • Lucasfilm Press, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.

ISBN 978-1-4847-0567-4

Visit the official Star Wars website at: www.starwars.com.