YMMV / The Truce at Bakura

• Complete Monster:
  • Palpatine is revealed to have made a deal with the alien species called the Ssi-ruuk: In exchange for Ssi-ruuk technology, Palpatine would give the Ssi-ruuk numerous worlds and thus millions if not billions of humans which could be used for entechment.
  • Entechment specialist Firwirrung is the master of the Ssi-ruuk Entechment process, agonizing transfer of Life Energy and souls into Ssi-ruuk machinery until the victim burns out after endless suffering. Firwirrung is the adoptive master of Force-sensitive boy Dev Sibwarra, using him to entech others with torture and brainwashing with the promise of enteching him as well. Gleeful about advancing his status, Firwirrung plans to construct tools to entech countless others from a distance.
  • Sh'kti'th, aka Bluescale, is the ruling class head of the Ssi-ruuk Bakura invasion. Involved in Dev's painful brainwashing and manipulation, Bluescale oversees the entechment of countless innocents while plotting to use Bakura as an invasion to kill and entech thousands of other systems. Plotting to use Luke Skywalker for his powerful energy in their machines, Bluescale also has many innocents enteched and plots to completely overrun Bakura for his own glory.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Commander Thanas, the professional and fairly sympathetic Imperial officer, became the best-liked character original to the novel in spite of really playing a rather small role.
• Nightmare Fuel: The whole entechment thing. Draining the life forces of living beings and prolonging their agony to use the energy to fuel the Ssi-ruuk's machines.
• Older Than They Think: Probably the Star Wars first novel to feature mysterious alien invaders from beyond the known galaxy. Though even so, there were prior ones in the licensed comics and RPGs.
• Rooting for the Empire: This is the eventual result: heroic Imperials (except for Governor Nereus, anyway).
• Tear Jerker: The entire last chapter, basically. Dev dies, but finally cleansed of Ssi-ruuvi taint, having focused on healing his spirit instead of his body. Luke feels him Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence through the Force. Gaeriel comforts Luke over the loss, but then the two part ways, Gaeriel feeling her place is to stay with Bakura, and Luke is (naturally) needed elsewhere.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: Of all Luke's potential love interests in the EU, Gaeriel is closest in character to Leia. Both young, headstrong politicians with very firm beliefs that they don't stray from easily, though Gaeriel is a little more flexible than Leia and lacks most of Leia's Action Girl qualities. She could thus be seen as Luke's "rebound girl" after he realizes Leia is his sister.

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