Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader begins in the final hours of the
Clone Wars, just before the implementation of
Order 66 as depicted in
Revenge of the Sith. When a contingent of
clone troopers on the planet Murkhana refuses to open fire on
Jedi masters Roan Shryne and Bol Chatak, along with Padawan Olee Starstone, the Jedi with whom it has fought alongside during the war, Emperor
Palpatine orders
Darth Vader to investigate the matter. Vader's query soon becomes a hunt for the fugitive Jedi, and takes him back to
Coruscant, and from there to
Alderaan and
Kashyyyk. During the course of Vader's search, the whereabouts of several characters from
Revenge of the Sith, including
Bail Organa,
Princess Leia,
R2-D2, , and
Chewbacca are revealed. The beginning of Vader's partnership with
Grand Moff Tarkin is also depicted. Much of Vader's role in the book concerns the internal conflict he undergoes as he tries to shed his former identity as Anakin Skywalker and relearn to master
the Force. Palpatine intends for these early missions that he sends Vader on to be as much about learning what it means to be a
Sith as they are about consolidating the rule of the nascent Empire. The final chapters depict the beginning of the Imperial
enslavement of the
Wookiees of Kashyyyk, featuring Chewbacca. The epilogue depicts
Obi-Wan Kenobi on
Tatooine learning that Vader is alive. Fearing for safety of the infant
Luke Skywalker, whom he is watching over, Kenobi communes with the spirit of his late master
Qui-Gon Jinn, who tells him that Luke will learn his father's identity when the time is right and will even go on to confront him. In addition, Vader will never return to Tatooine, as it represents a past the Sith lord wants to forget forever. The book establishes that the galaxy's general public believes that Anakin Skywalker perished in the attack on the
Jedi Temple (which Skywalker led as Darth Vader). ==Behind the scenes==