Polygon has shared an exclusive excerpt from "Edge of the Abyss," the second novel in Rebecca Roanhorse's Reign of the Empire trilogy, which explores the years of Imperial occupation leading up to the events of "A New Hope." The trilogy follows key Rebellion figures Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and Saw Gerrera, filling a gap in Star Wars spin-off media by focusing on ground-level political and military resistance rather than Jedi and Sith storylines familiar from other tie-in works.

Published by Random House Worlds and set a year before "Andor," the novel picks up after thirteen years of Imperial rule, with a festival attack at Inusagi triggering events the characters can no longer ignore. It also reveals the Empire is radicalising the younger generation, including Mon's and Bail's teenage daughters, Leida and Leia. The excerpt depicts a tense clandestine meeting between Bail and Saw Gerrera on Alderaan, arranged through a coded exchange at a nondescript shop, as the pair reunite to discuss the fallout from the Blossom Festival and the losses they have suffered.