Books like Star Wars - The Hive by Steven Barnes

Obi‑Wan Kenobi, dispatched as a Republic envoy to the Outer Rim world of Ord Cestus, is tasked with preventing the sale of potentially deadly bio‑droids to the Confederacy. The planet’s once‑self‑contained society has been overrun by off‑world profiteers, exploiting a vital natural resource and giving rise to a powerful corporation that dominates its economy. The native X’Ting, reduced to second‑class citizens, face further peril after a devastating plague kills their benevolent leaders. With their society fractured into warring factions, the X’Ting can only hope for reunification under new royalty. The eggs that will produce these sovereigns lie protected in a secret chamber, guarded by booby‑traps designed by those whose knowledge vanished with the plague. Obi‑Wan must venture into the planet’s forgotten depths, confronting unknown horrors, to secure the eggs and restore the X’Ting’s destiny. The mission evolves from mere diplomacy into a desperate struggle against corruption, danger, and the remnants of an ancient threat, challenging the Jedi to protect a people in peril.

First publish date: 2004