Specter of the Past Star Wars Legends (The Hand of Thrawn) [Paperback]

USTimothy Zahnis the author of more than forty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novellas, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for best novella. Zahn is best known for hisStar Warsnovels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance,Choices of One,andScoundrels), with more than four million copies of his books in print. Other books include the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.Slowly, silently, its lights a faint glitter of life amid the darkness, the Imperial Star DestroyerChimaeraglided through space.

Empty space.  Oppressively dark space.  Long, lonely light-years from the nearest of the tiny islands that were the star systems of the galaxy, drifting at the edge of the boundary between the Outer Rim worlds and the vast regions of territory known as Unknown Space.  At the very edge of the Empire.

Or rather, at the edge of the pitiful scraps of what had once been the Empire.

Standing beside one of theChimaera's side viewports, Admiral Pellaeon, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, gazed out at the emptiness, the weight of all too many years pressing heavily across his shoulders.  Too many years, too many battles, too many defeats.

Perhaps theChimaera's bridge crew was feeling the weight, too.  Certainly the sounds of activity going on behind him seemed more muted than usual today.  But perhaps it was merely the effect of being out here, so far from anywhere at all.

No, of course that had to be it.  The men of theChimaerawere the finest the Fleet had to offer.  l£¼