Cover Artist: Drew Struzan

While Princess Leia is on an unofficial vacation on Wayland, Han Solo takes Luke Skywalker to mediate a dispute between the Diamal and the Ishori. While there, they fight off an attack by pirates and Luke senses an old threat aboard the pirate ship in the form of clones. On Wayland, a Devaronian uncovers a data disk that implicates the Bothans in the destruction of the Caamasi home planet. In the remains of the Empire, Admiral Pellaeon convinces the Imperial Moffs that it is time to begin peace negotiations with the New Republic. They reluctantly agree, so Pellaeon sends a messenger to Garm Bel Iblis requesting to open communications with him. Moff Disra has a plan that he implements behind Pellaeon's back involving a fake Grand Admiral Thrawn. He sends a Star Destroyer out to intercept Pellaeon's messenger and then sends three other Star Destroyers out to hide in the Bothawui system until they are needed. Luke tracks down the clones to a pirate base where he is then trapped. He escapes the trap but then needs Mara Jade's help to escape the base before it is destroyed. As they escape they notice an unusual fighter that runs away before they can get any real information off of it. Luke then continues to track down the clones while Mara ends up following another of those strange fighters to a little known system. In order to bring the true guilty parties in the Caamasi incident to justice, Talon Karrde is persuaded to track down an old acquaintance named Jorj Cardas who may have an intact copy of the Caamasi document, and he persuades Luke to track down Mara who has gone missing in the Nirauan system. Pellaeon reaches the system where he is to meet with Bel Iblis and is attacked by pirates who are disguised as Corellians. He realizes that someone is trying to prevent his meeting, so he decides to wait for 2 more weeks before giving up.