Dark Force Rising | Chapter 17 | The Lost Holocron

The Lost Holocron

Chapter 17 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.

The Story So Far

In the twilight of the Galactic Civil War, both sides are hurting for warships, and a fleet of long-lost dreadnaughts has been found; Talon Karrde believes he has uncovered the location of the Katana Fleet. He has been awaiting the opportunity to make his payday, but unknown to him someone else has started selling the ships to an independent Corellian faction.

While waiting over Endor, Leia Organa Solo blacks out when she experiences a Force echo left by the death of the Emperor. She, Chewbacca, and C-3PO leave the Millennium Falcon over Endor to travel to the Noghri Homeworld with Khabarakh. She hopes to negotiate a truce by leveraging her pedigree as Darth Vader’s daughter, the Noghri’s original (and seemingly more honourable) master. The current Imperial leader, Grand Admiral Thrawn, loomed over Honoghr as a reminder of the Noghri’s failure to yet capture Organa Solo. That was until Imperial Intelligence identified the Millennium Falcon over Endor.

Mara Jade is an ex-Imperial high-level operative that was connected though the Force directly to the Emperor. After his death, she disappeared from Imperial space and eventually came under the employment of smuggler Talon Karrde. After reluctantly harbouring Luke Skywalker from the Imperials on Myrkr, the subterfuge culminated in a showdown to suppress Imperial intel reaching Thrawn, but the Grand Admiral is not lightly deceived. Karrde's entire operation was forced to go on the run.

Chapter 17

Mara collects Karrde’s ship impounded from the Obrigado-Rae spaceport freed by Wedge on behalf of Han Solo. As she leaves, she is intercepted by a Star Destroyer. To avoid detainment, she dons her old Imperial demeanour, identifying herself with a high-level Imperial recognition code and demanding to be taken to the Grand Admiral himself.

To her horror, their rendezvous is over Endor. In Thawn’s chambers aboard the Chimera, Thrawn thoroughly verifies her previous identity as the Emperor’s Hand. Dodging the question of her return to the Empire, Mara experiences a psychic echo of the Emperor, demanding that she kill Luke Skywalker. Thrawn seeks information about Skywalker's escape from the planet Myrkr, but Mara deflects again to offer information about the Katana Fleet in exchange for immunity. Mara overplays her hand and Thrawn reveals she was only one of many Hands. He grants her eight days to return with the location of the Dark Force.

As the Millennium Falcon is brought aboard, Pellaeon and Thrawn discuss the reemergence of the Katana Fleet. They know it has been found independently by at least two parties. Thrawn has no interest in actually honouring Jade’s offer, instead ordering the Chimaera to track her back to Karrde’s hideout. In pursuit of the ex-Emperor’s Hand, they reroute Niles Ferrier to track down Solo and Calrissian to interrupt the possible merger of the two Rebel groups.

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