Servants of the Empire : The Secret Academy Servants of the Empire : The Secret Academy by Jason Fry is the fourth and final junior novel in the " " series . It was released on October 6 , 2015 . Publisher ' s summary . " What if you uncovered a conspiracy that reached to every corner of the Galactic Empire — and you were the only one who knew about it ? This action - packed conclusion to the Servants of the Empire tells an original story of intrigue , espionage , and coming of age , all set in the world of " Star Wars Rebels " . " Plot summary . Zare Leonis , an Imperial cadet who is secretly seeking to free his kidnapped sister , the Force - sensitive Dhara Leonis , from Imperial custody , has achieved his goal of entering the Arkanis Academy , having received a transfer from Lothal . He knows that somewhere here , the Empire is holding his sister . However , he remains in great danger , as the Grand Inquisitor , the powerful being who kidnapped his sister , suspects him of being a traitor to the Empire . As Leonis begins his training at the Arkanis Academy , he learns that failure to perform academically can have real and deadly consequences for students there . Shortly after his arrival , he learns from Lieutenant Chiron , who has also been transferred from Lothal ' s Academy for Young Imperials , that the Inquisitor is dead , killed by a group of rebels . Chiron wants Leonis to investigate a secretive group at the Arkanis Academy known as the Commandant ' s Cadets , created by the academy ' s leader , Commandant Brendol Hux . Doing so turns out to be key in getting the access he needs to get to his sister . But just when finally gets in , an old friend who has been captured by the Empire reveals him as a traitor . Meanwhile , Leonis ' s girlfriend on Lothal , Merei Spanjaf , is feeling the tightening grip of the Empire . Having escaped the influence of the Gray Syndicate , whose leader was killed in an Imperial assault , she still wants to rescue the poet Holshef . She decides that the only way to save him is to get him off - world and seeks the help of Old Jho , a shop merchant with anti - Imperial sympathies that she ' s come to know through her activities with the Gray Syndicate . He agrees to help , but Spanjaf soon learns that the situation is much more dire . The Empire is coming closer to discovering her illegal activities by the minute and she also learns that on Arkanis , Leonis has been scheduled for execution . Evading a bounty hunter and Imperial forces , she , Holshef , Jho , her parents and Leonis ' s parents flee the planet . On Arkanis , Leonis is condemned to death by firing squad and offered a last meal , delivered by the individual of his choice . He chooses the old friend who betrayed him , Beck Ollet , certain that he can break through the Empire ' s conditioning inflicting on him via its Project Unity operation . When Ollet smells the jogan fruits that Leonis chose as his last meal , he recalls how the Empire destroyed his family ' s orchards and called those who resisted them traitors . He and Leonis escape and set out to rescue Dhara . They are soon joined by Spanjaf and a group of rebels known to them as " the Spectres . " Together , the group infiltrates the secret Area Null and frees Dhara Leonis , escaping thanks in part to Dhara ' s own Force power s . The group then escapes to Garel , where Dhara wraps her parents in an embrace , asking them to never let go . Development . Author Jason Fry considered his work on " The Secret Academy " " fun " in comparison with that of " " , which he considered " torture to write . " The book uses the narrative idea of beginning with a section of the story featuring Zare Leonis , then switching to Merei Spanjaf before bringing the two characters together . Fry had considered the idea for " Imperial Justice " , but rejected it . For " The Secret Academy " , however , Fry felt these intercuts allowed the reader to feel the separation and anxiety between Leonis and Spanjaf . During the creation of the story , Fry received a note from the Lucasfilm Story Group regarding the death of the Grand Inquisitor , which presented a challenge , but also allowed Fry to play the aspect that some of what helped Leonis succeed was luck . One aspect of the story that was a lucky break for Fry himself was the character of Brendol Hux . Fry was presented in 2014 with a synopsis of in preparation for the reference title " " . He was struck by how young the character of Armitage Hux was and saw an opportunity to introduce his origins . He ran the idea up the chain , expecting a " no " response , but wrote as fast as he could after receiving a " yes . " He felt the idea succeeded on two fronts as it spurred interest in the book prior to the release of the film and knew that after the film ' s release , new readers would see the Commandant ' s Cadets as a real threat . Fry intended the planet of Arkanis as something new for " Star Wars " , a water - logged world like something out of a Gothic tale . Colonel Julyan ' s lessons that reference " Star Wars " Legends material were pulled largely from " The Essential Guide to Warfare " and supplementary material . Continuity . The title includes what is described as a short journey from Lothal to Arkanis , however , the journey is not short and this mistake was made due to author Jason Fry ' s incorrect remembering of Lothal being near Kessel . Fry has stated that he intended for the planet of Gesaral Beta to be where it rains razors of glass on Ania Solo in Dark Horse Comics ' " Star Wars Legacy " series , however , he never explicitly said so within " The Secret Academy " . He further stated that he would " " leave it to Wookieepedia to work out the canonicity " . " As the information does not appear within the novel itself and is not approved by the Lucasfilm Story Group , it cannot be considered canon .