In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace , Palpatine tells Amidala that the Chancellor has little real power…he is mired down by baseless accusations of corruption. A manufactured scandal surrounds him. In this prequel novel, which takes place shortly before the events of The Phantom Menace , Valorum struggles with his fall from power. As part of this struggle, he has the Jedi Council send some Jedi Knights to a political hotspot, in the hopes of solving a problem and reconsolidating his power.