Servants of the Empire : Rebel in the Ranks Servants of the Empire : Rebel in the Ranks is the second junior novel in the " Star Wars Rebels " " " young readers series . The book was written by Jason Fry and was released on March 3 , 2015 . The title details Zare Leonis entering the Imperial Academy on Lothal as a Cadet to seek the truth regarding the disappearance of his sister , Dhara . Meanwhile his girlfriend , Merei Spanjaf , seeks information via her own skills in hacking data systems and dealing with shady characters . Publisher ' s summary . " As a new student at Lothal ' s Imperial Academy , Zare Leonis does everything it takes to pass as a model cadet . But secretly , he is a hidden enemy among Imperial loyalists , determined to discover the truth about his missing sister and to bring down the Empire . Luckily , he has his tech - savvy girlfriend Merei by his side , willing to help him however she can - even if it means dealing with criminals in the shadiest parts of Capital City . In the meantime Zare must face down a dangerous foe of his own : Lieutenant Curahee [ " sic " ] , who seems bent on pushing Zare to his breaking point . Join these rebellious cadets as they risk it all to take on the fearsome Empire . " Plot summary . After being evaluated by Sergeant Currahee , Zare Leonis is officially accepted into Lothal ' s Imperial Academy and embarks on an orientation course . During the orientation course , Leonis and the other recruits have to take part in many early morning drills and are frequently berated by Currahee , who is known for her fiery temper and harsh training methods . He is assigned to Unit Aurek , a four - member cell in Squad NRC - 077 . While Leonis gets on well with fellow cadets Jai Kell and Pandak Symes , he and the other recruits have an acrimonious relationship with Nazhros Oleg , a self - centered cadet . During the orientation period , Leonis does his best to look out for Symes but is unable to prevent him from withdrawing from the Academy . Leonis also develops an unlikely friendship with Lieutenant Chiron , a fair - minded Imperial who becomes his mentor and attempts to speed up the investigation into his sister Dhara Leonis ' disappearance . While attending the Vocational School for Institutional Security , Leonis ' girlfriend Merei Spanjaf uses her hacking skills to try and hack into the Imperial data network on Lothal in order to find information about Dhara . Reaching a stonewall , Merei befriends a Pantoran student named Jix Hekyl who recommends that she obtain a snooper , a program capable of recording information and transmitting it to an outside source . These programs are also designed to delete themselves . Hekyl puts Merei in touch with one of his old school mates named Bandis Yong , who then introduces her to the Gray Syndicate , a crime syndicate headed by Yahenna Laxo . Laxo agrees to supply Merei with the snoopers in return for her becoming his courier . Having survived his orientation program , Leonis resolves to continue his mission to find his sister while maintaining the facade of being a loyal Imperial cadet . As Leonis and his fellow cadets advance in their training , they undergo a series of tough assessments within a purpose - built facility called the Well , which can be remotely configured to simulate a variety of obstacle courses . Over the course of his first term at the Imperial Academy , Leonis ' desire to maintain team spirit clashes with Oleg ' s self - centered streak . Later , Leonis is also visited by Captain Piers Roddance , who warns him and Lieutenant Chiron not to interfere with the official investigation into Dhara ' s disappearance . However , Leonis suspects that the Imperial authorities are covering up the truth behind his sister ' s disappearance . Despite winning the respect of his fellow cadets and the praise of his superiors , Leonis worries that he would forget his true reason for being at the Academy . Later that term , a transfer cadet named Dev Morgan joins Unit Aurek . Morgan displays physical exceptional abilities during the assessments in the Well ; leading Leonis to suspect that he is cheating . After Leonis along with Kell and Morgan win the top three places in an assessment , they are rewarded by being assigned to work at the Imperial Headquarters on Lothal . Leonis takes the opportunity to keep an eye on Morgan and discovers that he is a rebel infiltrator who is on a mission to steal a decoder from Agent Kallus ' office , which contains valuable information . Both sharing ulterior motives for joining the Academy , Leonis and Morgan develop an alliance and work together to steal the decoder . Meanwhile , Merei , who has successfully obtained her snoopers , decides to put her plan into action . Posing as Phelarion School student selling raffle tickets for a school fundraiser , Spanjaf infiltrates the Transportation Ministry ' s headquarters and plans the snoopers at various locations throughout the building . Following the data breach , Merei realizes that she needs a decoder to access the Imperial Security Bureau ' s data network on Lothal . Her plans to hack into the Imperial data network are further complicated when Merei discovers that her parents Gandri and Jessa , who are data security experts , have been assigned to investigate the data breach at the Transportation Ministry . After learning of Leonis ' alliance with Morgan , she convinces Morgan ' s rebel associates to give her the decoder after they have finished using it . Using the decoder , Spanjaf hacks into the ISB ' s data network . While their combined efforts to steal the decoder are successful , Morgan learns that the Inquisitor has taken an interest in Kell and is planning to visit Lothal to test him . Fearing that the Inquisitor is planning to kidnap Kell in the same way that he kidnapped Dhara , Leonis and Morgan successfully convince Kell to escape with them . While riding in an AT - DP walker , Leonis and Kell put their plans into action and hijack the walker after stunning the driver and Oleg . After braving the Academy ' s defenses , the three rebellious cadets managed to breach the Academy ' s blast doors where they are picked up by Morgan ' s rebel associates . However , Leonis volunteers to stay behind in order to find his sister Dhara . Following the rebel attack on the Imperial Academy , Leonis managed to escape suspicion by claiming that he tried to resist the rebel infiltrators . Due to his purported efforts to save the Academy , Leonis is commended by his Imperial superiors including Lieutenant Chiron . Later , he is summoned to a meeting with the Inquisitor , who proceeds to question him about his knowledge of Morgan and Kell . In the hope of finding his sister , Leonis feigns Force sensitivity and pretends that he has a bond with his sister . Later , he is contacted by Merei who reveals that Dhara had been inducted into a secretive Imperial program known as Project Harvester , which is based on the planet Arkanis and connected to the local Imperial Academy . Meanwhile , Spanjaf encounters a serious problem when she learns from her parents that one of the snoopers had failed to delete itself ; allowing the Imperial authorities to track the intruder . Continuity . The majority of the books ' events are adapted from the " Star Wars Rebels " episode " Breaking Ranks " which was written by Greg Weisman . The content before this takes place before the events of that episode and it is followed by a brief Epilogue . Development . The book carried the working title of " The Rogue Cadet " .