As the toy and collectibles market flourishes with renewed interest in the Star Wars universe, the upcoming release of Random House Worlds’ Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen is particularly noteworthy. This prequel novel not only expands on the iconic franchise but also introduces complex characters that will resonate with collectors and fans alike, opening up a myriad of collectible opportunities—from themed merchandise to character-driven toy lines.
Scheduled for release on February 3, this title takes an unexpected turn, centering around the enigmatic figure of Jaylen Vrax rather than the anticipated protagonist, smuggler Kay Vess. The focus on Vrax and his interaction with the formidable bodyguard droid ND-5 presents a fresh narrative angle that expands the depth of the Star Wars canon.
The excerpt provided offers a gripping introduction to Jaylen’s harrowing experience immediately following a devastating attack on his family’s compound. Readers witness the chilling reality he faces, the loss of loved ones, and the awakening of his transformative journey through the criminal underworld. Here is a glimpse from the novel:
JAYLEN HAD NO memory of the actual explosion happening—how it looked, how it sounded, the aftermath, none of it.
Instead, he awoke at the property’s hangar bay, a cliffside structure overlooking the beach. He opened his eyes to find ND-5 standing over him.
“You’re conscious,” the droid said. The words came over a constant ringing in his ears, a tangible sign that the bomb had indeed gone off. “You should remain flat. Though I shielded much of the explosion from you, the residual impact of such a force has likely thrown off your body’s sense of equilibrium.”
“How long . . .” he started, but even moving his jaw muscles hurt. “How long ago?”
“The explosion occurred two hours and seventeen minutes ago. The dining room is currently on fire. From what I can tell, the fire is still at the center of the structure, though it will eventually spread. The material compounds in the walls have slowed it down.” ND-5 turned his head, like he could see all the way over there. “It is surprising that no emergency support has come.”
“Everyone in there,” Jaylen said, and even though ND-5 told him to stay flat, he propped himself. “Did you kill them? Are they all dead?”
“Yes and yes.”
The droid’s voice came out so clinically, so cold—an affirmation without any of the weight behind it. Dead. His parents and relatives, as flawed as they were. The guests—they didn’t deserve this.
A heavy sigh came, and the very process of blowing air out of his lungs caused a burning tickle. His life as he knew it ended several weeks ago. He supposed that life was going to end regardless, whether the Empire brought the company down or he had ascended to CEO. Both of those marked a dramatic shift. But this?
This was different.
This was cold-blooded murder.
“You killed them,” Jaylen said, adrenaline surging in him, helping him upward. He staggered to his feet, stiff pain in every muscle. “You killed them,” he repeated.
“I have already acknowledged that.”
Jaylen’s plan had worked. Which meant that it would have worked had Roisem and Nnytyl stopped arguing, stopped causing chaos so he could give the restraining bolt to A1-A1. He could have passed the hardware over, then come up with some distraction for the protocol droid to mount the restraining bolt.
But now, everyone was dead—because they just wouldn’t listen. And that notion burned Jaylen in a different way than when he thought about Sliro.
“No, you don’t understand. You killed them. They didn’t have to die. The Empire took everything from us. And now you’ve taken everything from me. Why? Why would you do this?”
ND-5 looked at Jaylen like he was asking for directions into town. “I executed orders according to my programming.”
“Oh, so that’s it? You’re just an assassin that kills whoever you target?” Jaylen threw a pointed finger at the droid, though doing so caused him to wince.
“Yes. That is how droids operate.”
Jaylen wanted to scream. If his body could support it, he probably would have. Some sort of primal release felt necessary at this point. Instead, he swayed on his feet, nausea rolling in his stomach. “What happens now?” he asked quietly. “I can barely move.”
“The shock wave struck you. I was able to protect you from only the shrapnel. The noise and pressure have likely given you a concussion. You have soft tissue damage from the impact as well.” ND-5 walked over and put out a long thin arm to support him. “You will need some time to heal. We will use this guest’s shuttle. They do not need it anymore.”
Even as Jaylen moved with ND-5’s help, he couldn’t stifle the laughter coming through. “This is madness. How do I know you’re not just going to kill me next?”
“This restraining bolt is telling me to serve you. That has the highest priority in my directive sequence.”
“It’s as simple as that, huh?” Jaylen replied in a dry voice. “You droids. You’re so binary.”
“It does not need to be any more complex than that.” In the distance, sirens clashed with the sound of oncoming thunder. “For now, I await further instructions from you.”
That was exactly what Jaylen meant by binary. “So I could just tell you to leap off a cliff and you would?”
“Yes.”
Jaylen believed the droid. He had no reason not to. He could tell ND-5 to do anything, including shutting himself down—hell, he’d blasted his own chest to follow Jaylen’s directive.
“Well,” Jaylen said slowly, “why shouldn’t I do just that?” He was only musing, but the thought soon rolled into a real, grounded question. He could choose to give the order. Or he could choose to stay quiet. “How would you assess the current situation?” he asked, as if he were chatting with A1-A1 in the garden cottage.
“Emergency vehicles will be here shortly. I can commandeer this shuttle. You will likely need seven to ten days for physical recovery. In addition, they will think you are dead.”
Jaylen paused, feeling the ground beneath his feet. In the distance, he saw that ND-5 was right: The lights of emergency shuttles finally hovered above the compound. “Who is ‘they’?” he asked with a laugh.
ND-5 stood silent, though his head tilted ever so slightly. From the exposed innards of the droid’s upper body, Jaylen heard mechanisms and electronics struggling to work. “I do not know. That information must have resided in the part of my memory core that is now damaged.”
Part of Jaylen wanted ND-5 to dismantle himself in the most violent way possible. But he let that impulse pass for one simple reason:
A BX commando droid was valuable as a protector. And a servant.
Jaylen needed both right now. Someday, he might scrap him. But not now. Because everything about Jaylen’s personal galaxy had just reset. This thing, this droid, had taken everything from Jaylen. And now ND-5 would help give him a new life.
Reprinted from Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen. © 2026 by Lucasfilm Ltd. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.