Brought to a sinister and beautiful world called ''Byss'', Luke Skywalker finds himself the prisoner of ''Emperor Palpatine'', now triumphantly alive!

As the villainous Emperor explains to Luke, it was to Byss that his living energy was transported when his diseased and corrupted body was destroyed by Darth Vader. On Byss he took a new ''clone body'' – as he had ''many times before''.

Once restored to physical life, the Emperor allowed the civil war to rage on while he quietly and patiently rebuilt his forces, preparing a massive final blow against all who would deny him everlasting dominion over the Empire!

Even now, as Luke appears to fall under the Emperor's ever-expanding power, massive engines of destruction are inflicting death blows to the floating cities of Calamari, long-standing allies of the Rebel Alliance...

In response to Admiral Ackbar's urgent commands, the Rebel Destroyer ''Emancipator'', together with an armada of Frigates and Star Cruisers, makes the hyperspace jump to the Calamari water world, ready to engage the Emperor's ''World Devastators''!