Not long after, the attack begins with more ships than anyone had imagined.  The Solo children work as a team and hold their own in battle, but are eventually overwhelmed and decide to enter the asteroid belt to attempt to lose their pursuers.  Through the Force, Anakin binds the siblings together so they can work as one unit.  It works well, but the connection is overwhelming and is broken.  Jacen and Jaina escape, but Anakin makes a random jump to hyperspace to avoid destruction.  Luckily, the attackers retreat from the system.  Jacen begins to rethink his solo training methods and that perhaps Anakin’s ideas of Jedi as one unit are more worthy.  As Anakin floats alone, he thinks that Jacen’s more mental view of the Force would have helped him during the escape.  Leia feels him through the Force and are able to find him.

Mara and Luke return to Dubrillion and they learn, through a captured fighter, that the ship is actually alive.  They also learn of Chewbacca’s death.

The group determines that they must get to Helska and go beneath the ice.  Lando has a ship that will do the trick.  C-3PO translates information and learns the ships are called coralskippers, and he also leaves little doubt that the Vong are from outside their galaxy.  The Solo children decide that they are a better fit to fly the mission to Helska instead of the adults.  They sneak off and send a message to their parents that they should focus on flying the flight and the space battle.  Luke actually agrees with them.  They take every ship they can find and head off to Helska.

Upon arrival as Helska, Jacen, wearing the cloaker suit, uses Lando’s ship to descend into the ice.  He senses a cry for help on the planet.  He leaves the ship and swims under the surface until he finds a group of Yuuzhan Vong that take him to Danni and Miko.  Once inside Jacen realizes that Danni was the source of the cry.  He uses his lightsaber to kill many of the captures, but Miko is killed in the process.  Danni and Jacen return to the ice ship and head off the planet.

The others arrive with the fleet and the Battle of Helska 4 begins!  The New Republic ships make early strides but are soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of coralskippers they are up against.  The Rejuvenator is destroyed.  Anakin realizes that the coralskippers are able to work together in an amazing fashion.  He also understands that they are devoid of the Force.  The New Republic calls for a retreat and they jump to hyperspace after collecting Jacen and Danni.

Danni tells them all she knows about the Yuuzhan Vong.  They decide that the yammosk, they now know as the war coordinator, is the key to guiding all the Yuuzhan Vong ships and  that only by destroying it can they be successful.  Anakin hopes to use the energy of the yammosk as its downfall.  They use shield ships to help increase the evaporation on the planet and freeze the yammosk.  They quickly return to Helska begin that attack anew.  The shield ships begin having their effect as several coralskippers begin flying into each other.  Luke is in his X-Wing very close to the planet, but Han speeds away before the planet is destroyed.  He realizes that he is doing the exact same thing Anakin did on Sernpidal!  He wasn't thinking only of himself, it was for all those on board his ship.  Eventually the entire planet of Helska explodes under the intense pressure, and Luke flies out just in time!

Despite the victory, Mara’s illness is worsening.  She plans to go off alone and try to use the Force to heal herself.  Luke wonders again if all these recent events are connected to her illness.

Leia decides she should return to the Senate and begin to ensure that leaders of the New Republic understand the significance of the battles that are surely ahead.

Nom Anor, the only survivor of the Yuuzhan Vong defeat, has set up base on another planet that is rife with hatred for the New Republic and he has every intention to make things even worse while preparing for the next Vong invasion.

Han returns to Sernpidal to mourn Chewbacca before having to break the news to his family.  He reflects that he once felt his family and friends lived in a bubble where no harm can affect them, but that feeling has been replaced with dread.