The novella "Side Trip" was the first collaboration between Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole. The novella consists of four parts, parts one and four being written by Zahn and parts two and three written by Stackpole. Parts one and two were originally published in the Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 by West End Games in February 1997 and parts three and four were originally published in Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 by West End Games in May 1997. The full story was later compiled in the Short Story Anthology Tales from the Empire which was published by Bantam Spectra in November 1997. It was also available online via Hyperspace.
Plot summary
Traders Haber Trell and Maranne Darmic and their freighter the Hopskip carrying Rebel Alliance contraband, is intercepted by the Imperial Star Destroyer Admonitor. Its smuggler crew is not subjected to inspection, but is rather forced by Captain Niriz to take aboard bounty hunter Jodo Kast, who supervises them on an Imperial assignment. They are to deliver a cargo to Corellia.
Following Kast's bewildering instructions, the crew draws the attention of Black Sun criminals, as well as Corellian Security Force agents Hal and Corran Horn. The Horns, posing as traders, agree to help the Hopskip crew, but Hal and half the crew – Captian Trell and Rathe Palror – are kidnapped by Black Sun. Kast agrees to help Corran free them. Kast's mercurial actions are part of an elaborate plot to set up Black Sun mobster Zekka Thyne for a fall. Corran is able to free his father as well as the captive Hopskip crewers and capture Thyne.
Imperial stormtroopers led by Colonel Veers, tipped off that Thyne is harboring Rebel contraband, attack Thyne's compound. The Hopskip crew, meanwhile, return to the space lanes, none the wiser that their original cargo has been fitted with Imperial tracking devices, which will lead the Empire to Derra IV. The disruption in Black Sun operations is meant to create a distracting grievance for Prince Xizor – something that pleases Darth Vader. He thanks Kast – or, rather, the genius Imperial tactician hiding behind the Mandalorian armor: Grand Admiral Thrawn. His victory also gains the Chiss Admiral a substantial favor from Darth Vader: command of his Noghri Death Commandos.
Continuity
Between the events in this short story and the novel Choices of One (2011), it would appear that the Empire owed its triumph at the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) to Grand Admiral Thrawn. It was his handiwork that narrowed the search for the Rebel base to ice planets, his intelligence that led to the disastrous defeat at Derra IV that ensured the Hoth Rebels would be ill equipped, and his recommendation to Vader to place Veers in command of his ground forces. In exchange, Thrawn was given access to Vader's Noghri death commandos, who were not described in this story but would figure prominently in the Thrawn Trilogy (1991-1993).[1]
Media
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Appearances
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Notes and references
External links
Side Trip, Part I on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)- Side Trip, Part II on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)
- Side Trip, Part III on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)
- Side Trip, Part IV on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)
