Short Story
First published in
Star Wars Adventure Journal #7:

This story is included in:

Outbound Flight

Synopsis:
An alien named Mitth'raw'nuruodo (exiled by his own people) runs a group of Imperial soldiers from the Victory class Star Destroyer 'Strikefast' (who was chasing smuggler Booster Terrik) in circles on a backwater planet just inside the Unknown Regions, killing troops, blowing up a TIE Fighter, and using both the environment and stolen technology to make a mockery of the troops. Impressed, Captain Voss Parck invites Thrawn to join the Republic fleet. Emperor Palpatine (who had twice tried to bring Thrawn over to the Empire before) stifles his xenophobia to allow this talented man in and provide private Academy schooling.

Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 1 month after Revenge of the Sith (19 years before the Battle of Yavin).

Related Stories (in chronological order):

• Revenge of the Sith
• Mist Encounter
• A New Hope
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Command Decision by Timothy Zahn
• Side Trip by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole
• Return of the Jedi
• Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
• Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
• The Last Command by Timothy Zahn
• Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn
• Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn