The Golden One — Deborah Chester

Here is an epic set in a far distant universe--a saga of faraway planets and of races strange and more fantastic than any ever seen on our world. Yet their struggles are universal: for justice, for freedom, for peace. Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles is a sweeping trilogy that will transport you to another time, and to another place where a legend is about to be born.

For centuries, the kingdom of the beautiful, reptilian Viis flourished. But time, plague, and their own short-sighted arrogance have taken their toll, and an empire that once ruled scores of systems is now concentrated on one decaying homeworld.

But Sahmrand Kaa--ruler of the Viis--is not concerned. He has just purchased a new pet for his daughter. The animal is an Aaroun--a lower creature with sharp teeth and mottled fur, one of many kept by the Viis as slaves. Unknown to the Kaa, however, is the true importance of this "pet."

History will name her Ampris the Exile. Leader of the Great Emancipation. Conqueror of the Viis.