Coruscant Nights III : Patterns of Force Coruscant Nights III : Patterns of Force is the third installment of the by Michael Reaves , released on January 27 , 2009 . A preview of the book was published in " " . At the end of the book is an introduction to " " , the first novel in the " " series . Publisher ' s summary . After the Empire ' s bloody purge of the Jedi , one lone Knight still fights for those who can ' t , unaware that he ' s about to be swept into a cataclysmic battle against the Master of Darkness himself . " Throughout the galaxy , a captured Jedi is a dead Jedi , even in Coruscant ' s most foul subterranean slums , where Jedi Knight Jax Pavan champions the causes of the oppressed with the help of hard - nosed reporter Den Dhur and the wisecracking droid I - 5YQ . But Jax is also involved in another struggle - - to unlock the secrets of his father ' s death and his own past . " " While Jax believes that I - 5YQ holds some of those answers , he never imagines that the truth could be shocking enough to catapult him to the frontlines of a plot to kill Emperor Palpatine . Worse yet , Darth Vader ' s relentless search for Jax is about to end . . . in triumph . " " The future looming over the valiant Jedi and his staunch pals promises to be dark and brief , because there ' s no secret whatsoever about the harshest truth of all : Few indeed are those who tangle with Darth Vader and live to tell the tale . " Plot summary . As the story opens , Jax Pavan , Den Dhur , I - 5YQ , Dejah Duare and Haninum Tyk Rhinann are assisting Pol Haus with his investigation into the murder of a Toydarian spice dealer . Some time later , Jax has a dream of being in the Jedi Temple on the day that Anakin gave him a pyronium nugget for safekeeping . The dream alters from how it happened , with Anakin giving a cryptic message in a deep voice , before his image shifts into a horribly burned version of himself , the shock of this causing Jax to awaken . He reveals to I - 5 how odd it is for the Force to have altered a memory in a dream , rather than having a prescient dream as he has heard of before . Jax and I - 5 then hear someone at the door , and Jax opens it to reveal Tuden Sal , who has been sent by Whiplash to find Jax . I - 5 is not at all happy to see Sal , and holds him at laserpoint . Den walks in on this scene as I - 5 explains his and Sal ' s history , with Jax realizing that Sal was the man that his father Lorn Pavan entrusted the Sith holocron and I - 5 to years prior . Sal apologizes for his actions , revealing that immediately after Lorn ' s death , he fell prey to a hostile takeover of his business holdings that was engineered by then - Senator Palpatine . He sent his family off - world after a kidnap attempt was made on one of his children , then joined the Whiplash in an effort to battle the Empire . When he met Laranth Tarak and learned of I - 5 ' s existence , Sal formulated the plan that he is now presenting : for I - 5 to assassinate Emperor Palpatine . Rhinann rejects the plan as too risky , Den points out that I - 5 is a much older model of droid than would likely be seen in Palpatine ' s company , and Dejah voices the opinion that if the plan fails , it would likely focus Palpatine ' s attention on the Whiplash . She also argues that Jax could be killed if his role in the plot is found out , with I - 5 observing that perhaps it is Jax ' s responsibility to train new Force - sensitives , and therefore not be involved in the assassination attempt . I - 5 finally says that he wants to hear everyone ' s opinions before making his decision , but he will give Jax ' s view the most weight . Jax , however , says that he doesn ' t know what his answer will be . Elsewhere , Kajin Savaros , an untrained human Force Adept , is living a marginal existence on the streets of Coruscant , attempting to stay alive while avoiding the Inquisitorius , Darth Vader ' s personally trained Jedi hunters . This is problematic for Kajin , because he was never properly trained in how to control the Force , and his emotions cause it to build up inside him , making him need to use it to relieve his anger . He senses an Inquisitor near him as he steals some food , but manages to stay hidden and make his escape . Meanwhile , Inquisitor Probus Tesla , who has been tracking Jax , is given a new assignment by Vader , to focus on finding I - 5 instead . Disappointed , Tesla nevertheless promises to find the droid . Rhinann , meanwhile , has learned that Tesla has been narrowing his search for Jax to an uncomfortable proximity , and finally decides that he has overstayed his welcome , setting up transportation for the next day , regardless of whether he has obtained the bota plant extract or not . Jax finds himself wondering why Laranth left the group months prior , but before he can devote too much thought to it , he senses a strong Force presence and heads toward it . Tesla and Laranth , who are both in the area , have felt it too , with Jax meeting up with Laranth on the way to its source . Tesla arrives at a huge , malfunctioning repulsor field expecting to find Jax , but instead finds Kajin . Tesla chases Kajin down a tunnel , and they struggle against each other with the Force . To Tesla ' s amazement , Kajin is able to literally tear out a piece of repulsor field energy and hurl it back at him , almost knocking him completely out of the passage . He challenges Kajin verbally , then fires a bolt of Force lightning at him when Kajin rebuffs his offer to join the Inquisitorius , but the lightning interacts with the unstable repulsor field and arcs back on Tesla , injuring him severely . Jax and Laranth find Kajin when he exits the area , and Jax brings the teen back to the groups dwelling intending to train him in the ways of the Force . Upon Dejah ' s entry , Laranth abruptly leaves to make a report to the head of Whiplash , while Jax and Dejah talk about Kajin ' s abilities . Den tells I - 5 privately that he believes Dejah is manipulating Jax . Rhinann observes most of this and worries that perhaps Kajin is a plant to find Jax and the others , then accelerates his plans to leave Coruscant , with or without the bota extract . Jax begins Kajin ' s training the next day , trying to work through the problems caused by Kajin ' s anger , and Rhinann begins his inquiries by asking I - 5 about the vial ' s location , though I - 5 is cryptic in answering him , saying that he does not want Rhinann to have any information that Vader would want , in case Rhinann should be captured . Near the end of the day , Pol Haus visits the group , and reveals both that he knows Jax is a Jedi and that Vader has taken a personal interest in finding the rogue Force - sensitive who injured an Inquisitor . Haus claims to want to find Kajin and get him to one of the surviving Jedi that he believes exist , saying that the easiest way would be to tell Vader that Kajin was killed in an accident that left no physical evidence . When Haus leaves , Jax asks Dejah and I - 5 for their opinions on Haus , with Dejah saying she sensed no malice from him and I - 5 saying that if Haus is an enemy , he has the ability to have all their means of offworld passage watched . Jax brings Kajin out to talk with him , but is confused when the teen disappears from his Force sense even though he can still see him . This happens again moments later , and when Jax asks how he is doing it , Kajin claims to not be doing anything . When he steps closer to one of Ves Voltte ' s light sculpture s , Jax and Dejah both lose any Force or empathic sense of him . Dejah becomes upset and leaves the room , with Rhinann following her , and I - 5 theorizes that the crystal - based power source of the sculpture shunts the Force from being sensed . Jax wonders about using an enclosure made of the sculptures to contain Kajin ' s abilities from detection , while in the meantime , Rhinann has learned that Dejah believes Ves knew of the sculptures ' properties and used them to hide his true feelings from her . She is stung by the realization , and Rhinann makes a token attempt to comfort her , also telling her about the bota extract in an effort to learn from her if she knows who has it . Rhinann then questions Den about the location of the extract , who claims not to have it , with Den and Dejah later talking about who actually does have it , deciding that they can ' t be sure what I - 5 has done with it . Back at the groups dwelling , Kajin ' s anger gets the better of him and threatens to expose him to the Inquisitorius before Jax manages to calm him down . Jax learns that Kajin feels angry at Palpatine , blaming him for his parent ' s decision to send him away from the Inquistorious squad that was on their planet . Den and I - 5 have gone to set up a departure for an Ortolan refugee through the Underground Mag - Lev and Den questions I - 5 ' s reasons for not rejecting Sal ' s assassination plot outright . Den questions I - 5 about the bota , but before they can continue the conversation , I - 5 spots a group of Inquisitors moving towards the area where they felt Kajin ' s power emanating from . Jax asks Dejah if Kajin can be moved to Ves Volette ' s studio , where there are more light sculptures , and Dejah grudgingly gives her permission , even after learning that it may be necessary to modify the sculpture ' s waveforms . Jax dispatches Rhinann to find a way to get Kajin to the studio , while I - 5 and Den see the Inquisitors enter the groups residential area . I - 5 disguises himself as a Koorivar , with Den pretending to be a real estate agent , so as not to draw the Inquisitors attention . When they reach the conapt , they disguise Kajin as the Koorivar and send him , I - 5 and Den to the speeder that Rhinann has hired . Kajin sees one of the Inquisitors and panics , trying to remove the disguise before they ' re airborne , and Jax is forced to reveal himself in the Force to draw the Inquisitors attention , then he abandons the dwelling and makes his way to Volette ' s studio normally . Laranth arrives at the studio after Kajin , I - 5 and Den arrive , and through her they learn that the sculptures also make it difficult for her to sense when Kajin actively uses the Force inside their fields . Jax and Laranth try to further modify the sculptures so that they will shield more of Kajin ' s power , but Haus contacts them , telling Jax that soon ' the client ' - - referring to Vader - - will take matters into his own hands if Haus fails to give him any information . Jax asks Laranth to set up a meeting with Thi Xon Yimmon , the head of Whiplash , and asks her opinion about Sal ' s plan . When Laranth demands to know if Jax cares what she thinks , Jax assures her that he does , with Laranth saying that he didn ' t seem to care when he left her in the medcenter after she was injured during the battle with Aurra Sing . Jax begins to respond , but they halt the conversation rather than have it in front of Kajin . Finally done modifying the sculptures , Jax has Kajin attempt to deflect fire from a training remote . Realizing that Kajin is only using the Force to increase his reaction time , Jax blindfolds him and tries to instruct him in how to use the Force to anticipate the attacks . Kajin succeeds in blocking several shots , but then gets hit and lashes out in anger , almost killing Jax with the duraluminum pole he ' s using instead of a lightsaber . Jax calms Kajin down , and Kajin apologizes for his actions , begging Jax and Laranth to teach him how to restrain himself . The rest of the exercise passes without incident , and after Kajin goes to sleep , Jax and Laranth discuss his training . Jax finds himself wondering if he should ask Laranth to rejoin the group , when I - 5 , Den and Dejah return from sending the Ortolan refugee offworld . Laranth leaves , saying that she will set up the meeting with Yimmon , and I - 5 asks that the group now vote on Sal ' s plan . Den and Rhinann vote against it , while Dejah has changed her mind , and now votes for it . Jax still hasn ' t made up his mind , but promises I - 5 that after he speaks with Yimmon he ' ll have an answer . Jax then goes to meet Laranth at a bar so they can meet Yimmon . While waiting for her , he considers her attitude and actions in several instances , including the brief moment of emotional intimacy they shared months prior , when she was injured . He questions whether he ' s let himself be manipulated by Dejah , then Laranth arrives . She asks him if he ' s alright , and Jax says he ' s realized that he ' s been cocky , and has made a serious mistake . Laranth offers the opinion that everyone makes " that kind of mistake once in a while . " Jax again senses a connection , but he hesitates and the moment passes . They get up and leave under the pretense of a romantic interlude , and Laranth takes Jax to Yimmon ' s lair . Laranth begins to leave , but Jax asks her to stay . He finds out from Yimmon that Haus is one of the original Whiplash operatives , and that Yimmon also considers Sal to be a trustworthy member of the group . Jax then reveals that Sal wants I - 5 to assassinate Palpatine , which neither Laranth or Yimmon knew about . Jax says that he believes Sal ' s primary motive is vengeance , and Yimmon then questions if this is also Jax ' s reason . Laranth supports the plan , but Yimmon questions how assassinating Palpatine would make Jax and his group any different from the Empire . Jax thanks Yimmon for his advice and leaves . Jax returns to the group and tells them that he can ' t give his approval of the plan , which Dejah disapproves of . Jax goes to contact Haus , and Jax apologizes to I - 5 , saying that he wishes his father was there to advise him . This activates a recording Lorn made for Jax just before his attempt to recover the Sith holocron from Darth Maul , where Lorn says that he never considered himself a hero , but felt he owed it to Darsha Assant , the Jedi who sacrificed her life to save him and I - 5 , and because he wants Jax to be proud of his father . Jax realizes that his father was a hero , and decides to go ahead with the plot to assassinate Palpatine . Jax wonders if perhaps by killing Palpatine there can be a Jedi Order that allows the Jedi to have families , then he and I - 5 head back to the abandoned conapt to get a piece of equipment from the sculpture they left there . While Jax and I - 5 are out , Rhinann and Dejah take Kajin outside for a walk , but the Inquisitors locate them . Jax and I - 5 return to the studio to find Dejah , Rhinann and Kajin gone , and Haus shows up for their rendezvous . Kajin tells Dejah and Rhinann to run , then attempts to make his way past the Inquisitors . Laranth finds him and accompanies him , but soon their path is blocked by Tesla . Laranth suddenly arrives on the scene , and fires at Tesla . But at the same time , Kajin has Force - pushed Tesla away , and Laranth ' s shots detonate a vehicle , causing a panic on the street . Kajin , Laranth , Jax and the Inquisitors battle , with Jax crippling one before Laranth kills him . Kajin faces off against Tesla , but both he and Jax see the third Inquisitor attacking Laranth from behind . Kajin hurls a massive Force push against him , disintegrating the man and saving Laranth , but allowing Tesla to escape . Tesla is amazed by the teen ' s skill , and also realizes that he somehow sensed I - 5 in the Force . Back at the studio , Dejah apologizes for taking Kajin outside , saying she was afraid that Haus would arrive while Jax was gone and try to take Kajin . Haus asks if they should send Kajin to Yimmon , and then the group realizes that Den is gone , having intended to head back to Sullust earlier . Jax tells I - 5 that he can sense him , and that this means I - 5 wouldn ' t be able to get close enough to Palpatine to assassinate him . Tesla makes his report to Vader and is surprised by Vader ' s telling him that one of Jax ' s group is a double agent , and that capturing Kajin is what will be needed to have Jax , I - 5 and the bota extract as well . Laranth goes to take Kajin to Yimmon , while Jax and I - 5 meet with Sal and inform him that I - 5 somehow generates a Force signature . Sal is determined to carry out the plan , and tries to figure out some way for I - 5 to kill Palpatine anyway , but the only way I - 5 would no longer show up in the Force would be if his programs were stripped down to his basic level , which I - 5 points out would make it impossible for him to kill Palpatine , as it is only his modifications that allow him to kill people . Sal then raises the prospect of I - 5 assassinating Palpatine during the next Senate debate in two days time , with Jax accompanying a disguised I - 5 while himself disguised as an Inquisitor . On their way to Yimmon ' s , Laranth and Kajin are drugged and captured by Inquisitors , and Jax has a Force - induced nightmare that worries him enough to go see Kajin . Before he can leave , Yimmon contacts them , saying that Laranth and Kajin were ambushed and taken . Yimmon realizes this means someone who had knowledge of some Whiplash activities must have informed the Inquisitors , but unlike Jax , he doesn ' t believe it was Haus . Jax alters the plot , changing it from an assassination to a rescue . Kajin wakes up in a nondescript room , not having any memory of who or where he is . When he heads out into the main area , he meets Tesla , who tells him that Jedi attempted to kidnap him . Kajin decides that must mean he is a Sith and Tesla tells him he is one of the most promising Inquisitorius recruits . Jax , in his Inquisitor disguise , manages to get close enough to the ISB Central Office to sense that Laranth is being tortured , but he cannnot sense Kajin . He returns to the others and tells them this , and is surprised when Dejah says they should try and rescue Laranth . Jax decides to offer himself to Vader in exchange for Laranth and Kajin , intending to perhaps play Vader against Palpatine by using the bota extract as a bargaining chip . Rhinann sets up a conversation with Vader where Jax offers to turn I - 5 and the bota over to him in exchange for Laranth and Kajin , to which Vader seemingly agrees . Afterward , Vader tells Kajin he was the one that rescued Kajin from the Jedi and shows him the restrained Laranth , causing Kajin to react with anger . I - 5 , Dejah and Rhinann arrive at the ISB and are escorted by Inquisitors , one of whom is Jax in disguise , to an abandoned docking chamber control room , faced by the still - bound Laranth , Vader , Palpatine and Kajin . Rhinann wonders why I - 5 doesn ' t go on with the plan and fire at Palpatine , before realizing that Palpatine is only a holograph , which promptly disappears . Vader asks Dejah who has the bota , and she replies that she doesn ' t know , and then reveals that one of the inquisitors is actually Jax in disguise . Jax is upset by this and by her reasons for betraying them - - a sensual addiction to the energy given off by Force Adepts , which , when she couldn ' t manipulate Jax into providing her , was indulged by Tesla . Vader demands the bota , telling Jax that if he hands it over , he will let Laranth go . He then demonstrates his willingness to kill them all by momentarily torturing Laranth with the Force , which Jax uses as a distraction to reactivate I - 5 ' s personality . Vader again demands that Jax order I - 5 to turn over the bota , but I - 5 replies that he doesn ' t have it , firing his lasers at Vader , who blocks them . Vader admits fascination with the fact that he can sense I - 5 ' s emotions , then threatens to kill Jax and Laranth if I - 5 doesn ' t give him the bota . Jax catches Laranth ' s gaze and she signals to him that she has the bota vial , but Vader loses his patience and hurls Jax against the wall . Laranth tells Vader that she has the vial and gives it to him , then Vader asks Jax to " return " the pyronium nugget Anakin gave him years previously . Jax does so , and Vader also demands the Sith holocron , which I - 5 informs him they no longer have . Vader reveals that the bota combined with the pyronium will " purify and exponentially increase " his connection to the force , and that the Holocron contained instructions on exactly how to do this . Vader , however , is confident that he can figure it out without the Holocron , and pours the contents of the vial into a receptacle on his chest plate . A frightened Tesla steps forward , but Vader says it is merely an analysis , before he is overcome by the power of the Cosmic Force , causing him to toss out Force energy in random directions . One blast shatters the control room window , a chair pins I - 5 to the wall , and the energy surges short out Laranth ' s bonds , letting her rush to Kajin ' s side . Dejah attempts to get close to Vader but is hurled into a wall and killed . Another Force blast kills the other Inquisitor , and when Laranth and Jax are both unable to use the Force to contain Vader ' s power , Jax draws his lightsaber and heads toward Vader , only to be met by Tesla , before Tesla is caught by another burst and thrown into a pile of debris . Jax finds himself face - to - face with Vader , and hears Vader say " You can ' t . " When Vader is momentarily distracted by the opening of the room ' s doors , Jax slashes at him , his lightsaber bouncing off the bubble of Force energy hard enough to cause Jax ' s arm to go numb . Laranth calls for Jax and he sees Yimmon , Sal , Den and other Whiplash operatives , heavily armed , coming into the room . Sal tries to get Kajin , who is frantically trying to reach Vader , and is then grabbed by a tendril of Force energy as Vader heads toward the blasted - out window . Jax pursues them , only to be caught himself by another loop of energy . Rhinann , enraged that the bota extract is gone , hurls himself at Vader and attempts to damage his breathing apparatus , which distracts Vader enough to lose his grip on Kajin and Jax . Rhinann lunges at Vader and they fall out of the window to the hangar , with Rhinann feeling the Force at last as he dies . They realize that Tesla has vanished again , then run as Vader ' s power erupts again and begins to destroy the control room . In the aftermath , I - 5 is repaired and upgraded with several new weapons , while Den admits that he stayed because he now thinks of Coruscant , rather than Sullust , as his home . Jax and Laranth try to restore Kajin ' s memories , but when they are unable to , Yimmon suggests sending him to the planet Shili , where the mysterious healers known as The Silent can help him recover , though it is unclear if Kajin will ever use the Force again since Vader removed his memories of it . After Kajin leaves , Laranth tells Jax that Dejah ' s betrayal wasn ' t his fault , but Jax aruges that he should have anticipated her actions , that he was so certain that the Force allowed him to counteract her pheromone discharges and empathic gifts that he let himself be fooled . He brings up the moment that he and Laranth shared in the medcenter , only for Laranth to dismiss it as the past . Jax refuses to do so , however , and he and Laranth again share their feelings for each other through the Force . Neither of them are sure what is meant by their feelings , and they decide to hold off on any romance for the time being . Laranth questions why Jax wagered that the bota would affect Vader that way , and he says it was a combination of the bota being twenty years old and Vader not being prepared for the power surge he experienced , although he does not mention that Vader ' s aura and his comment about " returning " the pyronium have led him to suspect that Vader is Anakin . Jax tells Laranth that he doesn ' t think Vader is dead , but that he intends to stay on Coruscant , working with Whiplash , regardless . Arriving back at their new residence , Den introduces them to a Mirialan named Chan Dash who has come to them for assistance . Suddenly , Jax is hit with a connection to the Force unlike any he has ever felt , a momentary resonace with the Cosmic Force . He realizes that with the bota gone , the only way this could have happened is by the Force itself granting him the moment , and that what it means is that he was where he is meant to be . Jax then asks the Mirialan how they can help . Continuity . On page 285 , Jax Pavan states that I - 5YQ has carried the bota " for two decades , " despite the fact that the droid acquired the vial only a couple years earlier from Padawan Barriss Offee at the end of the Battle of Drongar . The cover of the novel depicts Pavan facing off against Vader in a lightsaber duel . However , though they meet in battle , they do not duel lightsaber - to - lightsaber . In Chapter 18 , Sullustan is misspelled as " Sullistan . " Similarly , in the final paragraph of the book , Mirialan is misspelled as " Mirelian . " Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the cover variations of " Coruscant Nights III : Patterns of the Force " :