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 & reconsolidating his power."