Specter of the Past
Encyclopedia
Specter of the Past is the first of the two Hand of Thrawn novels by Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is the author of nine Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, including seven novels featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn: the Thrawn Trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, Outbound...

. Chronologically, it is the fourth (of five) in the Thrawn series.

Setting

Specter of the Past is set in 19 ABY, ten years after the events of The Last Command, and six years prior to those of Vector Prime
Vector Prime
Vector Prime is a science fiction novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore and published in 1999. It is the first installment of the New Jedi Order series set in the Star Wars universe.-Summary:...

.

New Republic

  • Luke Skywalker
    Luke Skywalker
    Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...

  • Han Solo
    Han Solo
    Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...

  • Leia Organa Solo
  • Borsk Fey'lya
  • Wedge Antilles
    Wedge Antilles
    Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original Star Wars trilogy. Antilles, also called the "greatest ace" pilot in the Rebel Alliance, also appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and is the lead...

  • Corran Horn
  • Garm Bel Iblis
  • Lando Calrissian
    Lando Calrissian
    Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...

  • Chewbacca
    Chewbacca
    Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...

  • C-3PO
    C-3PO
    C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...

  • R2-D2
    R2-D2
    R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...


Plot

The Galactic Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...

 is continuing its slow but steady crawl towards non-existence. Ten years have passed since Grand Admiral Thrawn was killed, and Admiral Pellaeon is ready to admit defeat. He convenes a meeting with the Moffs to present his plan, but is met for the most part with unenthusiasm. Pellaeon then visits various Imperial outposts in order to gain support, and attempts to arrange a meeting with General Bel Iblis to discuss surrender.

One of the opposers to Pellaeon's proposals, Moff Disra, formulates a plan to use an actor, Flim, to impersonate the Grand Admiral Thrawn, in the hopes that Thrawn's "return" will cause uncertainty and disunity within the New Republic. With the aid of Major Grodin Tierce, Disra manages to convince several Imperial officers that his imposter "Thrawn" is genuine.

The New Republic
New Republic (Star Wars)
The New Republic is a government in the fictional Star Wars universe.When the Rebel Alliance re-established the Old Galactic Republic after the downfall of the Galactic Empire, it became known as the New Republic, just as the original Galactic Republic had become known as the Old Republic by that...

, in the meantime, is seeing its share of internal dissension and bad blood. Disputes have erupted between various factions within the Republic. Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker travel to the Core Worlds
Core worlds
Core worlds or core planets often exist in works of science fiction, especially space operas. They are usually at the center of the galaxy or of colonized space, occasionally both. Core worlds are densely populated with long histories, advanced technology, and/or highly-developed culture. The...

 to settle a contention between Diamal and the Ishori. While there, Luke witnesses an attack upon New Republic ships by a pirate band, and sets out on the pirates' trail. He follows them to their base, and after he manages to escape a cleverly-laid trap, the pirates sabotage the base and flee. Mara Jade comes to Luke's rescue; Luke then goes to a medical center to recuperate. While there, he has a vision of Mara Jade in which he sees her dead.

On Bothawui, Leia and Han attempt to deal with a controversy that has arisen over the Caamas Document, which implicates the Bothans in the genocide of the Caamasi people. Imperial agents incite mob activity, and the blame is mistakenly laid on Han. The peoples of the New Republic begin to take sides over the altercation.

Mara, meanwhile, meets up with Karrde, Corran Horn, and Booster Terrik aboard the Errant Venture. Shortly afterward, they are surprised by the appearance of a ship, similar in appearance to a TIE fighter
TIE fighter
TIE fighters are fictional starfighters in the Star Wars universe. Propelled by Twin Ion Engines , TIE fighters are depicted as fast, fragile starfighters produced by Sienar Fleet Systems for the Galactic Empire...

, but of a severely modified design. The ship vanishes almost as soon as it arrives; Mara decides to follow it using the vector from its hyperspace jump. She tracks it to an alien planet, where all communication with her is suddenly lost. Luke learns of this from Karrde, and, worried by his vision, follows after her.

Pellaeon, at the rendezvous point for meeting with Bel Iblis, comes under attack by ships bearing the insignia of the Corellian Defense Fleet. His officers believe that Bel Iblis is behind the attack, but Pellaeon proves this wrong by pulling one of Bel Iblis' own stunts against the attackers, surprising and destroying them. Pellaeon then settles down to wait until Bel Iblis arrives.
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