Star Wars, Vision of the Future

The Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera  slid through the black of space, its only companion the silent gas giant world of Pesitiin far below.

Admiral Pellaeon was standing at the forward viewport, gazing out at the dead planet, when Captain Ardiff arrived on the bridge. "Report from Major Harch, Admiral," he said briskly. "All damage from that pirate attack has been repaired. Your ship is back to full fighting readiness."

"Thank you, Captain," Pellaeon said, carefully hiding a smile. In the thirty hours since the failed attack on the Chimaera, Ardiff had gone from believing it to be a raid by New Republic General Garm Bel Iblis, to suspicions that it had been engineered by dissident Imperial elements, to similar suspicions involving similarly dissident Rebels, and was now apparently convinced that a pirate gang was responsible.

Of course, in all fairness, Ardiff had  had the past thirty hours to cogitate on his theories. The techs' preliminary report on the debris from that destroyed Kaloth battlecruiser had certainly influenced his thinking, too. "Anything new from the patrols?"  Pellaeon asked.

"Just more negatives, sir," Ardiff said. "Still no indications of activity anywhere in the system. Oh, and the sensor-stealthed assault shuttle you sent on the attackers' escape vector also just checked in. Still no trace."

Pellaeon nodded. As expected, really--anyone who could afford to buy and fly a battlecruiser usually knew a few tricks about hiding it. "It was worth a try," he told Ardiff. "Have them try one more system; we can transmit that far without relays. If they haven't picked up the trail by then, order them back."

"Yes, sir," Ardiff murmured.

Even without looking, Pellaeon could sense Ardiff's hesitation. "A question, Captain?"  he prompted.

"It's this communications blackout, sir," Ardiff said. "I don't like being so completely out of contact this way. It's like being blind and deaf; and frankly,

Timothy Zahn is one of science fiction's most popular voices, known for his ability to tell very human stories against a well-researched background of future science and technology. He won the Hugo Award for his novella Cascade Point and is the author of sixteen science fiction novels, including the bestselling Star Wars(r) trilogy Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command; the novels Conquerors' Pride, Conquerors' Heritage, and Conquerors' Legacy; and three collections of short fiction. Timothy Zahn lives in Oregon.

Praise for the Star Wars(r) novels of Timothy Zahn:

Specter Of The Past:

"Zahn returns splendidly to the ranks of Star Wars authors...absorbing reading. Label this one 'not just for Star Wars fans'--for sure!"
--Booklist

Heir To The Empire:

"Moves with a speed-of-light pace that captures the spirit of the movie trilogy so well, you can almost hear John Williams's soundtrack."
--The Providence Sunday Journal

Dark Force Rising:

"Zahn has perfectly captured the pace and flavor of the Star Wars movies. This is space opera at its best."
--The Sunday Oklahoman

The Last Command:

"Filled with characteristic Star Wars technology and cosmic battles...the detail and plot development far exceed what are possible in a two-hour movie."
--The Indianapolis Star