The Lost Holocron

Chapter 29 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.
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## The Story So Far ##
Grand Admiral Thrawn has been plotting the downfall of the Rebellion. Since his return from the Unknown Region, he has discovered the Emperor’s Wayland Storehouse of technological prototypes. Taking ysalamiri from Myrkr, they discovered clone Jedi Joruus C’baoth and made an alliance; C’baoth’s battle meditation to augment the Imperial warfront, in exchange for the capture of Force-sensitives Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo. Thrawn claimed the technology held within Mount Tantiss and established a new Imperial military outpost.
Warships are in short supply between the two factions, and with the re-emergence of the Katana Fleet, both superpowers race to find it. The New Republic joins forces with Karrde’s Smugglers and Garm Bel Iblis’s Rogue Rebel Faction in the final hours of the race. They arrive too late to claim the entire Katana Fleet, but manage to repel the Imperials from possessing the last fifteen ships (including the Flagship, the Katana itself) by ramming one of the dreadnaughts into Imperial Star Destroyer Peremptory. Thrawn and C’baoth’s alliance has been an unsteady one, and at that critical point C’baoth used his unnerving Force-powers to coerce an audience to renegotiate their agreement, having forced Thrawn to send the now-destroyed Peremptory in his stead.

## Chapter 29 ##
Luke uses the Force to achieve the impossible task of locating Mara among the debris of the space battle. She is barely alive and rushed to a medical frigate by Karrde's people. Luke wonders why she was so important to save. Although already on his way back to the Katana, Han radios to hasten his return. They look down at the dead Imperial soldiers of the boarding party, suddenly understanding how the Empire plans to crew their new dreadnaught fleet.
Elsewhere aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn and C'baoth bristle over their current alliance. To place himself in a position that he cannot be overlooked or discarded, C'baoth declares himself overseer of the Mount Tantiss Project: the Imperial Spaarti cloning operation.

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Chapter 28 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.
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## The Story So Far ##
Grand Admiral Thrawn has an alliance with Joruus C’baoth. Multiple failed attempts by the Empire to capture Luke or Leia have left C’baoth impatient.
Han and Lando discovered a Rebel splinter cell led by Garm Bel Iblis with six dreadnaughts of the Katana Fleet. He gave them the location of the dealer who sold them their ships, but Thrawn tracks them, extracting the contact first.
Talon Karrde, freed from Imperial detainment by Luke and Mara, provides the location of the Katana Fleet to the New Republic. Fey’lya took command of the recovery mission, but anticipating the politicking, Karrde sent Mara and Leia to rally other teams.
Upon arriving, Luke directed their team towards the flagship Katana. Fey’lya’s ship Quenfis is not far behind. With the arrival of the Imperial Star Destroyer Judicator, and in a bout of verbal manoeuvring, Karrde has Fey’lya unknowingly announce his cold disposition of military lives. Captain Virgilio has him removed from command, deferring to Leia.
The Chimaera is called for backup, but the untimely arrival of C’baoth forced Thrawn to send the Peremptory in their stead.

## Chapter 28 ##
Gold Squadron joins Rogue Squadron, commencing the Battle for the Katana Fleet. Wedge leads a partially-successful engagement against the boarding assult.
Aboard the Katana, the defenders booby trapped the hallways leading out of the hangar and give ground to overwhelming Imperial numbers. Luke can sense something is amiss with the boarding party troopers. Through the Force, he senses their movements, so Luke and Han look for a way to slow their progress while Lando and Chewbacca fall back to the bridge.
From aboard the Judicator, Captain Brandei is still waiting for Peremptory to support, but the tide of the battle is not looking fortuitous. As he orders the Judicator into combat range, Karrde's smugglers drop out of hyperspace behind them.
With her specialist knowledge of Imperial hardware, Mara is able to blind the Star Destoryer, allowing the smugglers a free run at its underside. Mara radios with Karrde, morose in her assessment that a second Star Destroyer would spell disaster.
Bel Iblis arrives unexpectedly, tipping the calculations in the New Republic's favour. Leia enthusiastically accepts his aid, and Bel Iblis uses the ion cannons of his dreadnaughts to enfeeble the Judicator. Having completed a sensor scan of the Fleet, Karrde points out that there are only fifteen of the original two-hundred-odd ships left.
The Peremptory drops out of hyperspace, splitting the New Republic front, outgunned despite the six dreadnaughts from Bel Iblis. Mara is hit and forced to eject, her ejection in line with the ion bombardment. She loses all electronics, including life support, and blacks out.
Back on the Katana, Luke senses Mara is lost, frustration building. He spaces the Stormtroopers by destroying the anteroom to the bridge. Luke champs at their lack of recourse. Han makes a last ditch effort to take remote control of the a single functional dreadnaught and uses it to ram into the Peremptory, sealing victory. Acknowledging defeat, Brandei orders the retreat.

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Chapter 27 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.
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## The Story So Far ##
Karrde has been sitting on the location of the Katana Fleet for many years, waiting for the most profitable opportunity to sell this knowledge. Unwittingly betrayed by Mara Jade, Thrawn captured the smuggler to extract the coordinates.
Even after the death of the Emperor, Mara is compelled to enact his revenge upon Skywalker, but he is the only person she could ask for help. She found him having  followed C'baoth's call. They clashed with the mad Jedi and left him unconscious at his castle. Together, they freed Karrde and set course for Coruscant.
Thrawn has also been tracking a splinter faction lead by Garm Bel Iblis. Bel Iblis had acquired six of the Katana dreadnaughts, and after meeting with Han and Lando, gave them a contact for his supplier. Not careful enough, they were tracked by ship thief Niles Ferrier. The Empire intercepted and made away with the supplier.
On Coruscant, Fey'lya stalled a full-blown recovery effort in favour of an investigatory team. Knowing that the clock is running down, Karrde sent Mara to regroup their organisation and had Leia commission a rogue team to arrive ahead of Fey'lya’s hand-picked one.

## Chapter 27 ##
Luke, Han, Lando, Chewbacca, and Wedge arrive at the coordinates. Luke guided by the Force, directs the boarding party to the fleet’s flagship and namesake, the Katana. Luke and Han lead one team to the bridge, while Lando and Chewbacca head another to engineering. The Katana is eerily pristine, but in spite of that, the sublight drives are inoperable, indicating a cumbersome recovery operation.
Fey’lya, Karrde, and Leia arrive in the command suite aboard the Quenfis. From the bridge, Captain Virgilio hails Han to surrender and turn themselves into their custody. Han encourages Wedge to back down before cutting his own comm.
It’s at this moment that the Imperial Star Destroyer Judicator drops out of hyperspace, immediately launching their own boarding party. Rogue Squadron moves to engage, but Fey’lya demands Captain Virgilio to prepare to retreat. Before Leia can add her voice, Fey’lya cuts the intercom to the bridge and presses his authority; brandishing a blaster for emphasis.
On the Katana, Han fires a single, deterring turbolaser lance before the batteries overload. Without recourse, they regroup towards the hangar to repel the incoming Imperials.
Aboard Quenfis, Fey’lya admonishes Leia for her sentimentality for soldiers. Karrde drops a surreptitious message for Leia to turn on the intercom. She uses her Jedi powers to activate every comm unit while Karrde sets up Fey’lya to confess his political self-interest. With Fey’lya’s cold denouncement of the lives of soldiers, Captain Virgilio orders the Quenfis to full battle readiness, and has him placed under guard.
The Chimaera is waiting at a nearby staging area when it receives the engagement report from the Judicator. Before they can jump to assist, C’baoth arrives, demanding to speak with Thrawn. The Peremptory is ordered to go in the Chimaera’s stead. Pellaeon and Thrawn share quiet concerns that C’baoth is becoming ungovernable.

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Chapter 26 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.

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## The Story So Far ##

The long-lost Katana Fleet has been rediscovered and claims the fleet will determine the temperature of the War for years to come. Years before as a navigator, Talon Karrde happened upon the fleet in deep space, but didn’t suspect that Captain Hoffner also recognised their chance discovery.

The New Republic is in disarray as political infighting is stoked by suspicious financial. Admiral Ackbar is placed under arrest, charged with treason, and his political rival, Borsk Fey’lya, has been actively chasing the political opening.

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade head to Coruscant with Karrde intending to reward the New Republic with his knowledge for liberating him from Imperial capture. 

But the Grand Admiral knows of an independent Corellian faction whom were sold six Katana dreadnaughts by Hoffner. Han and Lando, unknowingly tracked by Niles Ferrier. Han and Lando are barely able to escape with their lives as the Imperials bombard the luxury casino among the reefs of Pantalomin and extract Hoffner.

Leia has made a covert embassy to the Noghri homeworld and uncovered the manipulations of the Empire to keep the Noghri people enslaved. She promised to return with haste, bringing materials they would need to expand their agriculture.

## Chapter 26 ##

With everyone at Coruscant, an emergency council meeting has been called; Mon Mothma, Fey’lya, Han, Leia, and Luke, in attendance as Karrde discusses the handover of the Katana Fleet. Despite multiple lines of evidence, Fey'lya is highly  resistant to the validity of the Dark Force.

 Leia raises the idea of sending an investigatory team to verify the authenticity of the intel. Without obvious objection, Fey’lya agrees to talk to Admiral Drayson and requisition an appropriate team to be sent in the morning.

Karrde gives Leia a look before announcing his intention to retire for the night. Mon Mothma disbands the meeting and Han pursues Fey’lya into the halls, leaving Leia to follow Karrde. Han's conversation with Fey’lya is unsuccessful.

In the guest quarters, Mara dwells on her waning vendetta. When Karrde returns, he gives one data card to Mara, instructing her to rendezvous with their group at the Katana Fleet; also requesting slicer Ghent sent to Coruscant.

Leia arrives and Karrde requests a fast, long-ranged craft for Mara to take off-world; and he suggests another tech team leave before the official party. Karrde impresses Leia that his actions are not one of allegiance, but of gratitude and to ensure the continued independence of his group.

Leia agrees, receiving a second data card and takes Mara to acquire a Y-wing. They work quickly through the night to muster another group headed by Han and Luke, accompanied by Wedge and Rogue Squadron. By morning, they are spaceward.

The Bothan is outraged. He petitions Mon Mothma for an arrest warrant for Solo and Skywalker and declares himself head of the mission. Karrde agrees to have him along, but reminds him that until the Katana Fleet has been claimed, Karrde has authority over the fleet.

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Chapter 25 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn. 

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## The Story So Far ##

The long-lost Katana Fleet has been rediscovered and, at this critical period in the twilight of the Galactic Civil War, whoever claims the fleet will determine the temperature of the War for years to come. Han Solo and Lando Calrissian have met with an independent Corellian faction, whom were sold six of the Dark Force warships. Not willing to outright join the New Republic but understanding the tensions that exist, they give the location of their seller, a hapless gambler who frequents the underwater casino on Pantalomin.

Niles Ferrier is a professional ship thief that has been lifting warships for the generous bounty offered by the Empire. He also has a contentious history with Lando. More recently, Lando has thwarted Ferrier from stealing Republic ships at Sluis Van, and was involved in pressuring Ferrier into facilitating a currency exchange at New Cov.

After running afoul of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ferrier and his crew are under threat of death to locate information on what the Admiral knows to be the Katana Fleet. Ferrier lures Han and Lando into a meeting in order to place a tracker on their craft.

With Imperial Intelligence investigating a connection to smuggler Talon Karrde’s past and Han and Lando’s projected course from Ferrier, the Empire is confident they have triangulated where and who the hapless gambler is that knows the location of the Katana Fleet.

## Chapter 25 ##

Among the coral reefs of Pantalomin, Han and Lando have searched the eight exquisite gambling halls of Coral Vanda in search of the Senna’s contact. As they are about to flog their professional prides to lure in a desperate gambler, they see one of Niles Ferrier’s cigarras. It doesn’t take any effort to spy the ship thief himself standing in a doorway and he signals for them to follow.

High above, aboard Chimaera, Thrawn and Pallaeon oversee the bombardment of the coral reef to force the luxury cruiser to surface.

As turbolaser fire rains into the surrounding water and the Vanda is thrown into disarray, Han is grabbed by Ferrier’s Defel into a liquor storeroom and separated from Lando. Despite Han’s attempt to bargain, Ferrier is adamant to let Lando be killed in the ensuing firefights and make good on his deal with the Empire. He leaves Han guarded by his Defel to close the deal. When the ship rocks again under the assault from above, Han shoves a crate at the Defel and ignites the alcohol that has been spilt everywhere. It is a short-lived distraction, but enough for him to escape.

Han meets up with Lando who has found himself targeted by the many men Ferrier had planted around the ship. The odds are overwhelming, and they struggle with the reality of having been outmanoeuvred. With the mission in shambles, they abandon ship.

From one escape pod among many bobbing on the ocean, Han and Lando watch the Imperials make away with their prize. It is of little consolation that they will be able to forewarn the Republic of the imminent threat.

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Chapter 24 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.

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## The Story So Far ##

Leia captured one of her attempted Noghri abductors on Kashyyyk. In the interrogation, the operative Khabarakh identified her as Lord Vader’s heir. Leaning on his people’s reverence for Vader, Leia offered Khabarakh his freedom in exchange for an embassy on his home planet.

Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO go to Endor in the Millenium Falcon. They transfer to Khabarakh’s ship and he takes them to the devastated world of Honoghr. They try to avoid Imperial detection but Khabarakh’s ship is confiscated. After analysis reveals Wookiee hair throughout the ship, Khabarakh is taken into Imperial custody for treason, then left in the capital of Nystao. The Imperial Grand Admiral mysteriously disappears, so Leia plans to break into Nystao and escape with Khabarakh.

During her stay, the Khim’bar Maitrakh shares the history of the Noghri people and how they came to be in the service of the Empire after a calamitous space battle wreaks planet-wide ecological collapse. Chewbacca's estimations of the decontamination effort place the disaster at the height of the Galactic Civil War, and Leia feels guilt at the untold collateral damage caused by their struggle against the Empire.

## Chapter 24 ##

Leia is more-or-less prepared to steal Khabarakh out of Nystao. Leia is too busy to heed C-3PO’s concerns over an unusually curious decon droid. The Maitrakh tells of when her fisrtsons were conscripted by the Empire, revealing that Khabarakh is not her third-born son, but her great-grandson; meaning the calamity happened during the Clone Wars almost half a century before! Indignant, Leia is determined to bring it directly before the Dynasts.

She orders Chewbacca to test the khlom-grass. The Maitrakh leaves herself to send word ahead. They leave the village by speeder under the cover of night. A large congregation follws them from each village they pass.

They are brought to the Grand Dukha. Dynast Vor’corkh is defiant to allow an alien interfering with their politics. Leia calls her lightsaber forth with the Force to demonstrate her authority as the mal’ary’ush. Dynast Ir’khaim and a supermajority of dissenters call to hear Leia’s proclamations.

Leia holds up the analysis of the supposed khlom-grass to show that they are genetic forgeries created by the Empire and that the decontamination effort a ruse.

An overly-curious decon droid is skulking behind the Grand Dukha. Leia orders its capture in exchange for proof. The droid is no match for the Noghri hunters. She opens the droid to reveal an espionage droid and a tube of decon fluid. With one drop, the plant shrivels up, demonstrating the true function of the decon droids.

Vindicated, the Dynasts agree to a cover story of Khabarakh's escape. Leia promises to return with more herbicide for the imitation khlom-grass. To save precious time season’s end, Leia decides to return straight for Coruscant, intending to leave the Falcon in orbit around Endor. 

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Chapter 23 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn. 

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## The Story So Far ##

As the war drags on, both the Empire and New Republic are in need of warships. Before the Clone Wars, a fleet of two-hundred ships known as the Katana Fleet went missing in interstellar space. Smuggler Talon Karrde knows where to find them. 

Han Solo and Lando Calrissian have met with the leader of a Corellians. Even without convincing the faction to join the New Republic, they are given a new lead on the warships. They are on their way to Pantolomin, tailed by ship thief Niles Ferrier.

Grand Admiral Thrawn has little respect for ex-Imperial Mara Jade. He tricked her into leading his flagship Chimaera to capture Karrde for interrogation. After being dismissed, Mara is determined to liberate Karrde with the help of Luke Skywalker, leveraging her hard-coded Imperial backdoor to query Skywalker’s location and the Chimaera’s flight schedule for the next few days.

On Jormark, Luke Skywalker has been training with an old Jedi Master, Joruus C’baoth. Unknown to Luke, C’baoth is actually a clone of the original Jedi Master. When Mara arrives to ask for Luke’s help under the protection of an ysalamir, C’baoth’s oppression through the Force is uncovered. After a brief struggle, C’baoth is neutralised and left in his castle. Luke sends R2-D2 to Coruscant, while Mara and Luke head to Wistril to intercept the Chimaera during a resupply.

Disguised as a supply ship, Mara and Luke infiltrate through to the detention centre and liberate Karrde. A report of a crashed Skipray Blastboat with a dead ysalamir alerts Thrawn to the possibility that they have been boarded, and after discovering Karrde’s escape, he orders the Chimera on high alert.

## Chapter 23 ##

The turbolift stops as the Chimera goes on alert for intruders. Mara disables the other Imperials in the car and Luke cuts them out into the turbolift shaft. With Karrde, they make their way to find Mara a terminal to hamper their would-be captors.

In the maintenance room, they discover that the central computer has been shut down. They neutralise a reconnaissance team and head back into the shafts. Based on their location, Karrde suggests they make their escape through the less-obvious starship deep storage area.

From damage reports via comm that clearly indicate the weapon profile of a lightsaber, Thrawn knows that Skywalker is working with Mara Jade. Thrawn predicts that with Karrde in charge of the escape, and orders a squad of stormtroopers be sent to guard the Millenium Falcon in deep storage.

Luke runs upon the Falcon and orders Karrde to commandeer it while he gets Mara back aboard. In a flurry, they make their escape, safely making the jump to Coruscant. 

Pellaeon is irate, but between the data from Imperial Intelligence digging into Karrde’s past and Ferrier’s report pointing to the Pantolomin system, Thrawn is confident that Karrde will stall the Republic's arrival to the Katana Fleet long enough for them to get there first.

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Chapter 22 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn. 

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## The Story So Far ##

As Mara reclaimed one of Talon Karrde’s impounded ships, she was captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer. Declaring herself to be the Emperor’s Hand, she is taken to talk directly with Grand Admiral Thrawn. She offers a trade of Karrde’s knowledge of a long-lost fleet of warships — the Katana Fleet — for organisation-wide immunity within Imperial space. 

Thrawn insincerely accepts the offer and sends Mara on her way with a tracker to locate Karrde and extract the information himself. He declared to Captain Pellaeon that Jade is a deserter, not worthy of the Empire. Talon Karrde was captured, awaiting torture for his information about the Katana Fleet. Deceived into being party to his capture, Mara Jade is loath to ask for the help of Luke Skywalker in freeing Karrde from Thrawn’s flagship Chimaera. Her previous position as a direct agent of the Emperor still leaves her with permanent access into Imperial databases.

## Chapter 22 ##

Disguised as a cargo shuttle, Mara and Luke land aboard the Chimaera. After confirming they have a few hours before they will be released, Luke uses his lightsaber to cut through their own hull and the decking into the flight prep area.

Luke steals three flight suits to blend in as they make their way to the detention area. While Mara leverages her backdoor access into the Star Destroyer’s main computer, Luke makes his way through the garbage compactor to the detention level. 

Between the shift changes, Luke releases Karrde from his cell. Karrde is sleep-deprived but otherwise in fair condition to make the escape back through the garbage compactor. They meet back up with Mara and make it all the way to the elevator without being discovered. Mara suspects they have enough time to seal the hull of their stolen cargo shuttle before they get clearance to leave.

On the bridge, Captain Pellaeon is overseeing the bridge deflector control overhaul as Thrawn walks in to hear a final report for the evening. A report from Endor prompts Thrawn to assign the appropriated Millenium Falcon to deep storage. Pellaeon shares another report from the surface where a dead ysalamir piques their interest. From the design of the ysalamir nutrient frame, Thrawn divines that they have been boarded. A call to the detention area confirms Karrde’s escape and he orders a ship-wide lockdown — and suspecting that Mara possesses hardwired access codes, orders the shutdown of the Chimaera’s main computer.

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Chapter 21 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.

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## The Story So Far ##

Mara Jade’s life as the Emperor’s Hand was destroyed when Luke and Vader defeated the Emperor. She is still haunted by dreams of a violent assassination. Despite her mortal grudge against Skywalker, Mara was forced to help him escape Imperial capture on Myrkr.

Thrawn tricked Mara into leading his flagship straight to Karrde’s hiding place. While aboard, Mara used hardwired access codes to get information that would aid her in freeing Karrde and find the one person she thinks can help her: Skywalker.

Luke has come to Jormark to submit to the teachings of a presumed Jedi Master, hoping to gain knowledge to help rebuild the Jedi Order. He both feels his own studies are incomplete, and is intimidated by the task of passing this knowledge on to a new generation of Jedi. Already, his efforts to teach Leia highlight the these difficulties. They both seem the target of multiple Imperial abductions and have been forced into the defensive.

Master C’baoth is not the exemplary Jedi that he would have hoped to find, and Luke finds it hard to accept his philosophy. Under almost constant fatigue and after another disappointing instruction, Luke is sent by C’baoth to his chambers, so that the older Jedi may surreptitiously repel an inbound Mara.

## Chapter 21 ##

With the repulsorlift damaged, Mara stabilises the Skipray in a controlled glide. Activating the sublight drive at the last minute, she puts her craft down in the crags of the mountain, though not as close to the summit as she would have liked. She shoulders her ysalamir and begins to ascend the mountainside. She doesn’t make it two metres before R2-D2 intercepts her in Luke's X-Wing. Sliding back down to the Skipray, she tells R2 that she has come to warn Luke of C’baoth’s allegiance to the Empire, and the droid agrees to take her the rest of the way up.

In a clearing at the edge of the mountaintop castle, the mad Jedi Master is waiting. C’baoth wants to keep Luke to himself, but Mara feels confident to take him under the protective bubble of her ysalamir and with C’baoth at blasterpoint. C’baoth boasts of his prophetic power, gloating that one day Mara will submit herself to him willingly.

Allerted by a disturbance in the Force, Luke arrives. Luke doesn’t seem to need convincing to help Mara in her quest to release Karrde. C’baoth dismisses Mara’s intentions, belabouring the grand importance of his mentorship. Seeing Luke’s tiredness, she moves closer — and as the bubble of the ysalamir’s influence covers Luke, he awakens from the influence of the Jedi Masters.

The mad Jedi lashes out to subdue his would-be mentees, but in the ensuing clash, Luke’s X-wing is forgotten and R2-D2 uses the laser cannons to knock the Jedi Master unconscious. While Mara wants to execute the treacherous old Jedi, Luke stays her hand. He instead delivers the old man back to his castle, believing that he could one day be healed of his madness.

Luke sends R2 back to Coruscant with his X-wing and journeys with Mara to infiltrate the Chimaera and free Talon Karrde.

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Chapter 20 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn. 

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## The Story So Far ##

As the last of the Jedi and the first of the New Order, Luke is overwhelmed with the responsibility upon his shoulders. He faces expectations from the New Republic, the various peoples of the galaxy, and himself, under the shadow of the mythology of the Jedi. His sister is pregnant with twins, and so far his difficulties teaching her do not bode well for his future niece and nephew.

C’baoth is the clone of a long-dead Jedi Master in the days of the Old Republic. He made a deal with Thrawn to assist the Empire in their military operations in exchange for the delivery of Force sensitives. During a skirmish over Nkllon, C’baoth contacts Luke, urging him to seek him out; unaware of C’baoth’s true nature, Luke heeds the beckon but many setbacks delayed their meeting.

Mara Jade is an ex-Imperial operative with a grudge against Skywalker; her Imperial career was tied entirely to the Emperor, and with his assassination her entire life crumbled. After years of struggle, she integrated with Karrde’s smuggling organisation, becoming his protege after six months.

Luke and Mara’s worlds collide on Myrkr where they have to work together to avoid Imperial detection. She revealed to him her previous life as the Emperor’s Hand and her deep-seated animosity for him.

For having helped Skywalker escape the Imperials, Karrde’s organisation must evade the Empire. Mara is intercepted and is taken to negotiate with Thrawn. She divulges that Karrde holds information about the location of a long-lost Katana Fleet. Thrawn tricks Mara into bringing the Empire down on Karrde’s head, resulting in his capture. Thrawn offers Mara a position in his new Empire, but she is perturbed that Karrde might believe her to have betrayed him. She feigns a pledge of loyalty to Thrawn, but leaves to seek Skywalker to help free Karrde.

After many incidents, Luke arrives on Jormark. On his way, he has encountered new expectations and responsibilities for a Jedi. C’baoth is not the exemplary Jedi that he would have hoped to find, but nevertheless submits himself to this seemingly senile Jedi’s teachings.

## Chapter 20 ##

C’baoth and Luke give their council to the people of Jormark. C’baoth is dissatisfied with Luke’s progress under his tutelage; they have some fundamental differences in point of view. C’baoth sees the universe as jealous and unwelcoming, while Luke has felt respected and hopeful. C’baoth seems suddenly overcome with exhaustion and sends Luke to retire for the evening.

Mara awakes from her recurring nightmare of the Emperor’s final moments as she exits hyperspace. During Mara’s approach from orbit, she experiences an eerily similar sense of exhaustion herself. Remembering her flight trainer’s warnings against inattention and fatigue, she chides her own carelessness.

Or is it her carelessness?

As she approaches her ysalamir at the back of the craft and finds herself beyond C’baoth’s influence. On her final approach, her ship is pelted by rocks. Her repulsorlift is knocked out and the skipray plummets to the ground.

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