WEG40131 - Star Wars D6 - The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook.pdf - D6 - dziobak110

Foreword

by Timothy Zahn

It was just after four o'clock on November 6,1989, and I was three days into writing my first novel for my new

publisher, Bantam Books, when the phone rang. It was my agent. "Tim," he said after the usual pleasantries, "we

have a very interesting offer here."

So began my involvement with Star Wars. Or rather, so began my professional involvement. My personal

involvement had begun some twelve years earlier, as I sat open-mouthed in a crowded theater watching that

Imperial Star Destroyer roll inexorably past overhead.

I saw Star Wars about twelve times. I then waited eagerly for The Empire

Strikes Back, and after that for Return of the Jedi. When the trilogy was over

and there were no signs of more to come, I put my enthusiasm into mothballs

and moved on to other things.

And now, suddenly, here on a Monday afternoon, Star Wars was back, not

in movies but in books. And those books were being offered to me.

I wandered around the house for the next couple of hours, lost in a fog of

excitement, anticipation, and panic, wondering if I could possibly come up

with a story that would do justice to George Lucas's vision. By the next day,

I had enough of the plot worked out to figure I could at least take a shot at it.

I spent the rest of November writing up an outline for the three books and

submitted it to Bantam. It took Bantam and Lucasfilm several months to work

out their contract and then get my outline approved, but by May I was able

to begin the actual writing. I charged on ahead, happy as a clam.

And then, in early July, I got a box from West End Games. It seemed that

Lucasf ilm had decided I ought to coordinate with their Star Wars role-playing

game background stuff. Stuff which, not being a gamer, I'd never heard of.

Once again I set off wandering around the house, this time growling and

grumping. Here I was, eleven chapters into the book and suddenly there was more research to be done. Finally, I

cooled down and started actually reading through the material.

And you know what? The stuff was pretty darn good.

That was my introduction to West End Games. I've been working with them ever since: vetting the sourcebooks

they've created from my books, writing original stories for The Official Star Wars Adventure Journal, and

occasionally sticking my oar in on a game or two. Along the way I've had a lot of fun, been given the opportunity

to stretch into new professional directions and — most importantly — made several good friends.

But then, that's really a major part of what has made these new Star Wars books so successful, as the movies were

before them: the chance to visit again old friends like Han, Luke and Leia, while making new ones along the way.

So come on in and make yourself at home. Or as Han might say, "Didn't we just leave this party?"

Timothy Zahn

December 13, 1995

Introduction

Field

Work

"Hey, Polio, wait up!"

The young Devaronian, Polio Tipn, turned to-

ward the loud voice crashing through the university

arboretum — and winced as he recognized the

source of the commotion.

"You know, the arboretum is supposed to be a

quiet area, Herg," Tipn grumbled; Herg had an un-

canny knack for driving Polio to distraction with

sarcastic comments. Herg seemed to pride himself

on badgering Polio constantly — of course he was

an arrogant young native of Coruscant.

"Hey, I just wanted to know why the History

Department's bright star had to stay after class,"

Herg said with a smirk. "Lemme guess: the mainte-

nance droid broke down and you had to sort out

Na'al's notes, right?"

"For your information, Professor Na'al asked me

to assist him with some research."

"Wow. I'm riveted" Herg said. "Let's see, he prob-

ably wants you to do something really exciting like

digging through the old Imperial records in the

palace. Or sorting his laundry. Something really

important."

"Yeah. Something important," Tipn snapped. He

was getting edgy standing around amid the trees

and flowers of the arboretum; patience was not a

common trait among Devaronians. "Listen Herg, the

professor asked me not to discuss this with anyone.

So drop it, all right?"

"Right. Top secret, I'm sure. I'll find out anyway,

you know," Herg said, his smirk widening, "'cause I

can just watch you digging through moldy old

datacards and flimsies. It'll be fun to watch you

slave away for the greater glory of the university."

"Guess again, hotshot," Tipn flashed a feral grin

of his own. "You won't be seeing me do anything. As

of tomorrow, I'm on a leave of absence for field work.

Enjoy the mid-term exams."

Tipn turned on his heel and left Herg — speech-

less for once — in his wake.

"Polio," Na'al had said, after the students had

filtered out of the room, "I've been very pleased with

your work, and you have a natural aptitude for this

kind of work. That's why I have to ask you to assist

me on a very ... sensitive matter.

"As you know, a few years ago I stepped down as

head of New Republic Council Research to take this

teaching position," Na'al continued, "but I still have

some ties to the government."

"Yes sir," Tipn said. "I understand that you still

speak to Mon Mothma and Leia Organa Solo occa-

sionally." Tipn held the upper echelons of the New

Republic government in awe, particularly people

like Organa Solo and Jedi Master Skywalker. It was

Na'al's familiarity with the heroes of the Rebellion

that had led Tipn to his current field of study. Maybe

someday, he thought, I'll get to meet Skywalker, too.

"Mon Mothma has asked me to investigate some

unusual reports from some equally unusual quar-

ters," Na'al continued, "adjacent to Minos Cluster in

fact. Normally I would have declined — and the

Force knows Rivoche and the kids aren't wild about

my leaving — but after hearing Mon Mothma out, I

think it is important, maybe even vital, that we look

into it."

"'We?'" Tipn was startled; he had expected the

professor would ask him to perform some minor

research, or maybe handle a lower-level class of

students for a day. Actually accompanying Na'al

during whatever investigation he was about to un-

dertake shocked the young Devaronian.

"That's right, Polio," Na'al grinned, "I'd like you to

come along. For two very important reasons: First,

you are an excellent researcher, and I need a good

pair of eyes and a sharp mind with me; and second,

I'm a little old to be hopping around the Outer Rim

like an overzealous kid. Someone watching my back

would be exceedingly helpful. 'Sides, my wife

wouldn't let me go if someone didn't come with me.

The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook

Introduction

"Make no mistake, this will be dangerous" Na'al

concluded, "and I won't blame you if you don't want

to come along."

"I'm in," Tipn replied.

"Good," Na'al smiled warmly at his pupil. "Here's

some of the preliminary research; before we hop the

shuttle tomorrow, I want you as familiar as possible

with this material."

heard of. And remote wasn't even the word, he

thought. This Exocron place wasn't even on the

official star charts.

The Devaronian sifted through the datapads and

flimsies Professor Na'al had given him. They looked

like his original notes on Grand Admiral Thrawn's

campaign, he thought. / can't believe I'm reading

these; they're actually a piece of the New Republic's

history. He glanced over at his bedside chronom-

eter, groaning when he saw how late it was. / also

can 't believe / have to read all of these before the

shuttle leaves.

With a mental sigh, the young historian accessed

the file marked "Thrawn" and began to read.

Finished with his packing, Polio relaxed on his

bunk for a moment. Tomorrow, he would be on a

shuttle, bound for some remote system he had never

The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook

This sourcebook is a companion to the novels Heir to

the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command,

providing comprehensive, detailed information about

the people, places and events from this thrilling three-

book cycle, as well as illuminating a great deal of

"hidden history" not revealed in the novels. This infor-

mation was originally printed in Heir to the Empire

Sourcebook, Dark Force Rising Sourcebook and The Last

Command Sourcebook. These three books have been

collected in one volume for ease of reference, and all

have been updated to be compatible withStar Wars: The

Roleplaying Game, Second Edition.

The Heir to the Empire Trilogy Sourcebook contains a

collection of entries on the many subjects presented in

the novels, including updates on the main characters,

as well as details about new characters, places, equip-

ment, vehicles and tactics, in order to tell "the story

behind the story."

If you have not read the novels, it is strongly sug-

gested that you do so now. Since Timothy Zahn in-

cludes several unexpected plot twists and surprises,

you may spoil the story for yourself by reading the

sourcebook first.

Now, grab your blaster and warm up your X-wing,

because the Star Wars saga continues ...

The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook

Chapter One: Thrawn's Campaign

Chapter One

Thrawn's Campaign

Excerpt from a report prepared by Polio Tipn for Voren

Na'al, former Head of New Republic Council Research

(retired). This report was prepared nearly 10 years after

the destruction of Mount Tantiss.

defeat was quiet enough: an Elomin task force in the

Obroa-skai region was destroyed after an unorthodox

Imperial data raid. While the loss of an entire task force

was by no means a laughing matter, the New Republic

Provisional Council saw no cause for serious alarm.

The next move indication of a new Imperial offensive

became apparent when Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and

Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker were attacked by aggres-

sive alien commandoes while on a diplomatic mission

to Bimmisaari. None of the group could identify their

alien assailants. The quick thinking of Captain Solo and

the Force-augmented abilities of Jedi Skywalker helped

these heroes avoid capture by their enigmatic attack-

ers.

After the attempted abduction on Bimmisaari, the

group returned to Coruscant — the capital planet of the

New Republic — over Leia's protests. While Captain

Solo was within his rights to evacuate an area that

housed a hostile alien force, there was considerable

damage to the diplomatic mission to Bimmisaari as a

result. This damage and the breach of security that led

to Captain Solo's decision to leave Bimmisaari gave

added ammunition to Councillor Borsk Fey'lya to use

against his political rival, Admiral Ackbar.

The next assault came shortly after the mission to

Bimmisaari. A coordinated series of hit-and-fade at-

tacks on the planet Bpfassh and two other star systems

showed the New Republic that the Empire was again

mobilizing. In response to these unorthodox attacks —

attacks which were apparently designed to cause mas-

sive damage — a New Republic relief mission was

dispatched to help coordinate repair efforts. The mis-

sion was led by Leia Organa Solo and her husband, and

was centered at the Sluis Van shipyards.

At Sluis Van, the first rumors about "Joruus C'baoth"

reached the New Republic. Wedge Antilles, the leader

of the now-infamous Rouge Squadron, reported to Leia

and Han that a long-lost Jedi Master had been sighted

on the remote planet Jomark. Shortly after passing this

information on, the group was again attacked by myste-

rious, grey-skinned aliens — the same species that

ambushed them on Bimmisaari.

An Overview of Grand Admiral

Thrawn's Campaign

Grand Admiral Thrawn was undeniably one of the

most capable, cunning soldiers the Emperor com-

manded. He was also one of the biggest enigmas in the

Imperial military: a non-human given high rank in an

intolerant, human-dominated regime; a brilliant tacti-

cian who studied the customs and thought patterns of

the peoples he conquered, yet whose own mind was

unknown to those around him.

Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic have

been well documented, and this report is by no means

a comprehensive analysis. The chaotic events of the

period are somewhat contradictory, due in large part to

the confusion that followed after Thrawn's death. How-

ever, by examining the records of the period, I believe

I have constructed a fairly accurate overview of this

most dangerous period in the New Republic's history.

— Polio Tipn

First Rumblings

The early stages of Grand Admiral Thrawn's cam-

paign against the New Republic began roughly five

years after the Battle of Endor. The New Republic, still

in its infancy, was struggling to establish itself as the

legitimate galactic government. No longer facing a mili-

tary campaign, the New Republic turned its attention to

the development of trade routes and shipping lines to

furnish badly needed supplies to worlds that had been

devastated during the galactic civil war. Political

struggles within the New Republic government were

still minor, but growing. All in all, the New Republic was

experiencing some severe growing pains, but the war

against the Empire appeared to be won.

The first indication that the Empire was far from

The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook

WEG40131 - Star Wars D6 - The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: