Heir to the Empire: Star Wars Legends (The Thrawn Trilogy)

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this essential Star Wars Legends novel the first ever to take place after the events of the original trilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn makes his debut on the galactic stage.

Five years ago, the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and drove the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor s warlords, Grand Admiral Thrawn, has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made a vital discovery that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build.

Leseprobe:

CHAPTER 1

Captain Pellaeon? a voice called down the portside crew pit through the hum of background conversation. Message from the sentry line: the scoutships have just come out of lightspeed.

Pellaeon, leaning over the shoulder of the man at the Chimaera s bridge engineering monitor, ignored the shout. Trace this line for me, he ordered, tapping a light pen at the schematic on the display.

The engineer threw a questioning glance up at him. Sir . . . ?

I heard him, Pellaeon said. You have an order, Lieutenant.

Yes, sir, the other said carefully, and keyed for the trace.

Captain Pellaeon? the voice repeated, closer this time. Keeping his eyes on the engineering display, Pellaeon waited until he could hear the sound of the approaching footsteps. Then, with all the regal weight that fifty years spent in the Imperial Fleet gave to a man, he straightened up and turned.

The young duty officer s brisk walk faltered; came to an abrupt halt. Uh, sir He looked into Pellaeon s eyes and his voice faded away.

Pellaeon let the silence hang in the air for a handful of heartbeats, long enough for those nearest to notice. This is not a cattle market in Shaum Hii, Lieutenant Tschel, he said at last, keeping his voice calm but icy cold. This is the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Routine information is not repeat, not simply shouted in the general direction of its intended recipient. Is that clear?

Tschel swallowed. Yes, sir.

Pellaeon held his eyes a few seconds longer, then lowered his head in a slight nod. Now. Report.

Yes, sir. Tschel swallowed again. We ve just received word from the sentry ships, sir: the scouts have returned from their scan raid on the Obroa-skai system.

Very good, Pellaeon nodded. Did they have any trouble?

Only a little, sir the natives apparently took exception to them pulling a dump of their central library system. Th e wing commander said there was some attempt at pursuit, but that he lost them.

I hope so, Pellaeon said grimly. Obroa-skai held a strategic position in the borderland regions, and intelligence reports indicated that the New Republic was making a strong bid for its membership and support. If they d had armed emissary ships there at the time of the raid. . . .

Well, he d know soon enough. Have the wing commander report to the bridge ready room with his report as soon as the ships are aboard, he told Tschel. And have the sentry line go to yellow alert. Dismissed.

Yes, sir. Spinning around with a reasonably good imitation of a proper military turn, the lieutenant headed back toward the communications console.

The young lieutenant . . . which was, Pellaeon thought with a trace of old bitterness, where the problem really lay. In the old days at the height of the Empire s power it would have been inconceivable for a man as young as Tschel to serve as a bridge officer aboard a ship like the Chimaera. Now

He looked down at the equally young man at the engineering monitor. Now, in contrast, the Chimaera had virtually no one aboard except young men and women.

Slowly, Pellaeon let his eyes sweep across the bridge, feeling the echoes of old anger and hatred twist through his stomach. There had been many commanders in the Fleet, he knew, who had seen the Emperor s original Death Star as a blatant attempt to bring the Empire s vast military power more tightly under his direct control, just as he d already done with the Empire s political power. The fact that he&rsquo