Choices of One Choices of One is a novel by Timothy Zahn , released on July 19 , 2011 . It is set three months after " Allegiance " , and takes place before the events in . Its first working title was Choices ; this was changed to Hand of Judgment and then to the current title . The hardcover edition contains a preview of " Riptide " , while the paperback also contains a preview of " Scoundrels " . The paperback version was released on June 26 , 2012 . " Choices of One " took Zahn three months to write . Publisher ' s summary . Hardcover . Back cover . The fate of the Rebellion rests on Luke Skywalker ' s next move . < br > But have the rebels entered a safe harbor or a death trap ? Internal flap . " From # 1 " New York Times " bestselling author Timothy Zahn comes a brand - new " Star Wars " adventure , set in the time between " A New Hope " and " The Empire Strikes Back " and featuring the young Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Princess Leia Organa , and the beloved Mara Jade . " " Eight months after the Battle of Yavin , the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base . So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras sector proposes an alliance , offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva , Luke , Leia , Han , and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal . " " Mara Jade , the Emperor ' s Hand , is also heading for Candoras , along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment . Their mission : to punish Ferrouz ' s treason and smash the Rebels for good . " " But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals , a wild card is waiting to be played . " Plot Summary . Part One . 8 months after the Battle of Yavin : Close to the Empire ' s border with the Unknown Regions , the Imperial Star Destroyer " Chimaera " takes on an illustrious passenger , Lord Odo , a member of the Imperial Court on a confidential mission for the Emperor . Commander Gilad Pellaeon , the " Chimaera " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s third bridge officer , is immediately suspicious : Lord Odo is masked at all times , his clothing is tagged with false bio - markers that deliberately obscure the ship ' s sensor s as to his true species , and his " entourage " consists only of his shuttle pilot , Sorro . The " Chimera " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s captain , Calo Drusan , says they have little choice but to accept Imperial Center ' s orders , but Pellaeon privately resolves to unravel the mystery . On an unnamed planet , Han Solo , Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia assist a Rebel commando team in a successful information raid on a mining operations center , hoping to identify an isolated system to locate the Alliance ' s next base ( having been forced to evacuate the Yavin system after its discovery by the Empire ) . After the raid , Han complains to General Rieekan that he wasn ' t told about the true purpose of the mission until afterwards . Rieekan counters that Han was told as much as he needed to know , and if he wants greater responsibility , that will mean accepting an officer ' s commission - an awkward proposition , since Han still hasn ' t yet formalized his loyalty to the Alliance . Rieekan invites Han and Luke to sit in on Leia ' s meeting with Vestin Axlon , a former regional governor on Alderaan , who confides that Bidor Ferrouz , the Imperial Governor of Candoras sector in the Outer Rim , is offering the Alliance a base in his sector ' s capital , the Poln system . A quick survey by Alliance analysts has confirmed that it is an ideal location , with enough activity to disguise any Alliance communications and movements in or out , a large set of unused caverns on the outer moons , and enough distance from the Core Worlds to give them advance warning of any approaching Imperial attack - so ideal , Rieekan remarks , that Ferrouz ' s offer is either " " a great opportunity or an extremely obvious trap . " " As to Ferrouz ' s reasons , Axlon explains that he fears an imminent invasion by Nuso Esva , an alien warlord in the Unknown Regions who has been growing more and more aggressive , but Ferrouz ' s appeals to Imperial Center for reinforcement have been ignored . Axlon has already volunteered to meet with Governor Ferrouz and finalize the deal , and Rieekan asks Han and Chewbacca to convey him to Poln Major in the " Falcon " . In private , Axlon asks Luke to come along on the mission , though separate from and unknown to Han and Chewie . Luke protests that he is attached to the Alliance ' s Starfighter Command , but Axlon insists that he needs someone with Luke ' s burgeoning Jedi abilities to help verify Governor Ferrouz ' s offer . Luke reluctantly agrees . Elsewhere , Mara Jade , Emperor ' s Hand , completes her latest mission for her master , executing a corrupt Imperial judge . She reports to the Emperor via the Force , and he gives her next assignment : investigating Governor Ferrouz ' s suspected treason . Reviewing the data on the Poln system , Mara sees how defensible it is , despite Candoras Sector ' s limited resources , and reasons that she is going to need help , though she dislikes co - opting other Imperial personnel , especially personnel she has not worked with before . Smiling grimly , she realizes that she knows exactly the right men for the job . . . Three months after deserting from the Star Destroyer " Reprisal " , the Hand of Judgment - former Imperial Stormtroopers Daric LaRone , Saberan Marcross , Joak Quiller , Taxtro Grave , and Korlo Brightwater - have visited a lot of planets and helped a lot of oppressed and needy people , but their resources of arms and money are starting to run out . LaRone , their unofficial leader , grimly accepts that they have enough left to manage one last vigilante mission , maybe two , before they have to find somewhere to settle down and hide . He decides to take the Hand to Pickerin . However , as soon as they step off the ramp , they are incapacitated by a stun gas grenade . They regain consciousness in binders , being gloated over by Bok Yost , the " victor " of a rigged election on Elegasso who guessed that the Hand was on its way and created the situation on Pickerin to lure them there . Yost ' s gloating is cut short when Mara appears , dispatches Yost ' s private mercenaries , and " suggests " that he step down and hold another election - an honest one this time . After Yost flees , Mara frees the Hand , takes them back to their ship and tasks them with her latest mission . LaRone and the others are aware that they have little chance of refusing , but , remembering their exposure of Barshnis Choard on Shelkonwa , realize that the mission to Poln Major is a chance to make their last mission a significant one for the people of the Empire . In another part of the Outer Rim , Emperor Palpatine is reviewing the plans for his latest project with Senior Captain Thrawn , who suggests several measures to make the site of the project ' s shield generator impregnable . Slyly , Palpatine says doing so would defeat the whole purpose of the trap he is laying for the Rebel Alliance . Turning the discussion to other matters , Thrawn warns that Nuso Esva ' s growing aggression indicates a planned incursion into Imperial space , and he needs at least six more Star Destroyers to effectively deal with him . Palpatine says the Fleet doesn ' t have that many to spare , but if the rumors that Esva is courting the Alliance are true , then Lord Vader may be willing to lend the services of his task force , since his sole occupation is hunting the Rebels down . Thrawn ' s companion , Jorj Car ' das , who is piloting their shuttle , privately does not wish to be anywhere near a possible confrontation between Thrawn and Vader . Part Two . On the approach to Poln Major ( and much to Axlon ' s consternation ) , Han quickly spots Luke ' s Z - 95 Headhunter shadowing the Falcon , and the three meet up at the spaceport . While Axlon drags Luke to his first meeting with Governor Ferrouz , Han and Chewbacca decide to pose as prospectors and investigate some of Poln Minor ' s abandoned mines , to see if they will make a suitable base for the Alliance ( or if the whole offer is just a carefully laid trap ) . To his surprise , they meet up with Leia , and Colonel Airen Cracken , who are leading an advance survey team sent secretly to Poln Minor for the same purpose . To their mutual surprise , one of the side caverns yields a cache of weapons , equipment and vehicles that will keep them armed and supplied for months , if not years . Luke accompanies Axlon to his first meeting with Governor Ferrouz , where his limited Jedi senses do not sense any overt deception from the man , but only the expected tension , with a strange undercurrent of betrayal - though of whom by who is unclear to him . Axlon , after asking for Luke ' s impression , takes this in stride . Luke is further surprised when Axlon says he will be meeting with the governor in his own office the next day , and he would like Luke to watch the palace from the street - especially since there are rumors that an Imperial Agent has been sent to deal with the Governor , and the Agent carries a lightsaber . Mara and the Hand of Judgment land on the planet and likewise reconnoiter the palace . While doing so , LaRone is drawn into a dispute over supposedly faulty merchandise between two bickering alien groups , and manages to diffuse the tension by exposing the complainant as a fraud . The grateful merchant introduces himself as Vaantaar , a Troukree . LaRone admits that he has not heard of that species , and Vaantaar confides that they inhabit a planet in the Unknown Regions - he and his fellows are refugees , since their world was conquered and their people enslaved by Nuso Esva . He insists on giving one of his knives as a gift to the Hand - the blade , though alien in origin , is of superb quality , and Brightwater cannot resist it . Under Lord Odo ' s direction , the " Chimaera " stops in orbit over Poln Major , and Lord Odo confirms that the incoming transports are , in fact , Rebel Alliance ships . But Pellaeon is surprised when Drusan says they have strict orders not to interfere yet , instead they depart on a prearranged course into the Unknown Regions . Unknown to anyone aboard the " Chimaera " , Thrawn and Car ' das are shadowing its movements , aboard Car ' das ' s small , customized freighter , the " Lost Reef " . Spooked by the sudden appearance and just - as - sudden departure of the Star Destroyer , Leia and Cracken ask Han to head to one of Poln Minor ' s spaceport hangouts and see if any smugglers there can apprise them of the readiness state and armaments of Poln Major ' s limited system defenses ( an undermanned and under - equipped Golan I orbital defense platform and the " Sarissa , " an equally undermanned Dreadnaught - class heavy cruiser ) - in case the rebel transports have to make a hasty escape from the system after all . After some grousing , Han agrees . In a tapcaf , he is approached by an old acquaintance who recognizes him and says someone on the planet is recruiting techs to calibrate and install Caldorf VII interceptor missile s on small , heavy starfighter - class ships . Han is alarmed , knowing that someone in the system is intending to use those missiles for something other than giving them to the Rebellion . Trying to stall for time , he says he needs to call in his partner , and is even more alarmed when Leia appears , pretending to be an expert missile tech . The two of them take an extended ride on a speeder bus to a cavern where a group of mercenaries are outfitting the ships . Leia guesses that , despite the length of the ride , they are actually not far from the cavern where the Rebel team is working . With little difficulty , the Hand of Judgment manages to insert themselves into the rotating stormtrooper contingents at the palace , and slip Mara in as a street criminal awaiting interrogation . In a private suite reserved for the interrogators , she examines the governor ' s records and is disheartened to find irrefutable proof of his treason - that not only has he communicated directly with the Rebel leadership , but a large group of Rebels are on the planet at the moment , at the governor ' s invitation . Mara grimly resolves to do her duty the next day . Part Three . Mara enters the Governor ' s office on Axlon ' s heels , pretending to be his assistant for the Palace staff , then ejects Axlon from the room . When she confronts Ferrouz , his reaction surprises her : he offers no defense for his actions , he only asks that she rescue his wife and daughter after she has executed him . She asks him to explain , and Ferrouz tells her that Nuso Esva ' s agents kidnapped his family three weeks ago , and blackmailed him into making overtures to the Alliance - though Ferrouz doesn ' t know if Esva is actually working with the Rebels , or has some other scheme in mind . Sensing that Ferrouz is telling the truth , Mara tells him to continue with the scheme , while she tracks down his family . When she emerges from the office , Axlon appears taken aback that Ferrouz is still alive . Before he can go inside , all hell breaks loose : a squad of armed mercenaries storm the office suite , forcing Mara to evacuate Ferrouz and Axlon out through the Governor ' s private escape tunnel . At the same time , outside the Palace , another mercenary posing as an agitator yells to the crowd outside the gates that Ferrouz is dead - and before Luke can react , seizes the lightsaber from his belt , ignites and holds it aloft , and names Luke as the Rebel " hero " who has killed the Governor . Luke grabs back his lightsaber and escapes with the help of Brightwater , who was keeping an eye on the mob , but the damage is done . Mara takes a shortcut through the sewer tunnels under the Palace and emerge in the basement of the Whistling Wind tapcafe , where she rendezvous with the Hand of Judgment . Though told that the deal with Ferrouz was a set - up , Axlon refuses to abandon him , and Mara grudgingly agrees to allow him and the other Rebels a few hours to escape the system , accepting that they have been duped as much as Ferrouz and are not complicit in the kidnappings . She tells the Hand to keep Ferrouz and Axlon safe from other would - be assassins , while she returns to the Palace to identify the traitor inside the Palace who must have assisted in the abductions . When LaRone makes contact with Brightwater , Axlon insists on speaking with Luke and ordering him to their location to help defend the Governor . Luke , despite hearing from Chewbacca that Han and Leia have disappeared , feels he has no choice but to obey . After Axlon shuts off the comlink , Marcross asks a question : how did the agitators know that the Governor was supposed to have been killed by a lightsaber ? More to the point , how did they know exactly when the " assassination " was supposed to have happened ? Without warning , Axlon draws a small hold - out blaster and shoots Grave , Marcross , and Quiller , though not fatally , forcing LaRone to lower his weapon . Axlon says he is still a peaceable man , like any Alderaanian , so he won ' t kill any of them unless they force him to - excepting Governor Ferrouz , whose death is crucial to the whole plot . LaRone tries to distract Axlon from the others by asking what that plot is . Axlon says it is simple : Nuso Esva is arranging a trap over Poln Major for his arch - nemesis , Senior Captain Thrawn ; once Thrawn has been defeated , with Axlon and the Alliance ' s help , Esva will bring his considerable fleet ( not to mention his military genius ) onto the side of the Rebels . The fact that Thrawn was the " real power " behind Grand Moff Tarkin ' s decision to destroy Alderaan only makes Axlon that much more proud to have helped Esva destroy him . LaRone and the Hand scoff that Tarkin didn ' t take orders from anyone except Palpatine , and Axlon has been lied to . Axlon counters that , as a show of good faith , Esva has already forced Ferrouz to transfer a large portion of the sector ' s military supplies to the caverns , for the Alliance ' s use . This talking has distracted Axlon just long enough for Brightwater to toss his Troukree knife to Quiller , who , though wounded , is able to ambush Axlon and kill him . Although the tapcaf is hardly defensible , LaRone knows that with three wounded comrades , they cannot make their way to anyplace safer for the time being . Since Grave needs immediate access to a bacta tank , LaRone has the bright idea of comlinking Chewbacca at the spaceport and asking him to convey the smaller model from the Hand ' s ship to the tapcaf ( a feat of strength only a Wookiee can accomplish on his own ) . LaRone also conveys the grim news about Axlon ' s treachery to Luke , and ( via Chewbacca ) to Cracken and the rest of the Rebel team . With Axlon exposed , the mercenaries outfitting the missile ships try to ambush Han and Leia , who just manage to steal the speeder bus , escape the caverns , and rendezvous with a squadron of X - Wings sent by Cracken to retrieve them . Part Four . Mara re - infiltrates the Governor ' s Palace and interrogates Major Pakrie , a security officer who confesses to helping Esva kidnap the Governor ' s family , but swears he doesn ' t know where they are now . In disgust , Mara knocks him unconscious , then ascends to the administration offices and confers with Ferrouz ' s deputy , General Ularno , who she confirms to be an honest man . Uncertainly , he asks whether he is required to issue Directive 417 , a recent imperative from Imperial Center that a sector - wide distress call be broadcast to any Imperial forces , in the event a Governor is assassinated by the Rebellion . Mara hedges , telling him to issue the call , but with the proviso that Ferrouz is injured , but not dead . Under Lord Odo ' s direction , the " Chimaera " arrives at the site of a battle between Senior Captain Thrawn ' s forces ( under the command of Captain Parck ) and Nuso Esva ' s Eastern Fleet . Lord Odo orders them to disengage and jump to the Poln system , but Captain Parck refuses , since Thrawn ' s forces are subject to a different chain of command . In the midst of this debate , the distress call from Poln Major arrives , and Parck concedes that he has no choice but to obey Directive 417 . Lord Odo orders the " Chimaera " to return to the Poln system immediately , to ensure that they can timely assist Parck ' s forces . A second , more careful examination of the Governor ' s underground safe room makes Mara realize that the Governor ' s family were being held there , and have recently been moved via another secret tunnel , which she follows to the mercenaries ' hideout . Luke , conscious of his duty to help rescue innocent people , catches sight of the one of the mercenaries , Stelikag and follows him to the same location . Knowing that they need backup , LaRone has Brightwater fetch Vaantaar and his Troukree confederates , who are honored to assist any victims of Nuso Esva . Quiller gives the aliens a crash course in stormtrooper weaponry and tactics , but their wait is cut short when Governor Ferrouz , determined to reduce the forces holding his family for Mara ' s benefit , makes a call for aid to Major Pakrie , knowing it will draw the mercenaries into an attack on the tapcafe . Han and Leia confer with Cracken . Now that they know they have been duped , they need to exit the system immediately , but Cracken admits that they have been delayed by the loading of the military hardware - doubtless that was Nuso Esva ' s intention in giving it to them . Once they are ready to lift off , there is every chance that their transports will be intercepted and destroyed , either by Esva ' s missile ships , or the Imperial defenses in orbit . With a little ingenuity , Leia manages to deduce the location of the cavern where the missile ships are being prepared , which will give Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron a chance to destroy them with their newly - acquired T - 47 airspeeders . That only leaves the Imperial space station and Dreadnaught , and Han comes up with an idea : he can board the Golan , using Axlon ' s Imperial pass from Ferrouz , and posing as an ISB officer . Hopefully , this will confuse the station ' s crew long enough for Han and Chewie to get the drop on them - since the Golan is severely undermanned , Han and Chewie will only have to overpower about 300 Imperial crewers , instead of over a thousand . To Leia ' s astonishment , Cracken approves the scheme . The Hand of Judgment and their Troukree allies succeed in fighting off the first assault on the tapcafe , drawing in a second , this one launched by Esva ' s own elite troops . This attack is also beaten off , but at the cost of one of the Troukree ' s lives , who sacrifices himself to shield LaRone from blaster fire . Part Five . When the " Chimaera " arrives in the Poln system , Lord Odo does not answer the ship ' s intercom , and Captain Drusan irritably sends Pellaeon to fetch him . While Pellaeon is riding the turbolift , the ship is rocked by internal explosions and most of the crew is disabled by hidden gas bombs . Pellaeon grabs a breath mask from the lift ' s emergency kit and staggers back to the bridge , where he finds most of the crew unconscious and Captain Drusan dying , shot at close range by a blaster bolt . Pellaeon is shocked to hear Drusan admit that he knew " Lord Odo " was a fraud , but endorsed his presence aboard the " Chimaera " because Odo - in reality Nuso Esva himself - promised him a crushing victory over the Rebel Alliance that would secure his promotion to Admiral . Thrawn makes contact from aboard the " Lost Reef " , and tells Pellaeon there isn ' t a moment to lose . Under Thrawn ' s direction , Pellaeon stalks " Lord Odo " down his pre - arranged escape route and stabs him in the neck with a syringe from the bridge medpac , injecting a fatal air embolism . But then he removes " Odo ' s " mask and sees Sorro , who dies smiling , knowing that his family ( being held hostage by Esva ) can no longer be used as insurance for his obedience . Pellaeon returns to the bridge as Nuso Esva ' s voice hails over the ship ' s intercom , mockingly asking him , and Thrawn , if they really thought it would be so easy to capture him . Pellaeon reports that the " Chimaera " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s sensors have detected Esva ' s shuttle escaping , but they have a more immediate problem : the helm controls have been destroyed , and the Star Destroyer is locked on a collision course with the Golan defense platform . Parck ' s forces are too far away to help , and are fully engaged with a force of Esva ' s " Firekiln " - class heavy cruisers . Esva informs Thrawn that he has presented him with an impossible choice : he will have to order either the station , or the Star Destroyer , to open fire on the other , to prevent both being destroyed . Either way , Thrawn will be irredeemably disgraced , and his career and reputation ruined . Han and Chewbacca have bluffed their way aboard the Golan , just in time to see the " Chimaera " locked on its collision course . Han orders the baffled crew members to load the station ' s tubes with all the proton torpedoes they can - they do not have enough ordnance to destroy the " Chimaera " , but the force of the launches might be enough to rotate the Golan partially out of the way . Thrawn , as usual , comes up with another solution : using the " Chimaera " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s tractor beams , Car ' das pilots the " Lost Reef " as a tugboat - though small , it has just enough engine power to nudge the " Chimaera " off course and avoid the collision . Esva tells Thrawn that they haven ' t beaten him , he ' s prepared for all eventualities . He signals the missile ships to launch , emerging behind the " Chimaera " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s field of fire . Han , aboard the Golan , makes a decision that surprises even himself : helping the Imperials is counterintuitive , but it is not hard for him to see that Esva is the real villain of this particular episode of the war . He sends an emergency signal to Cracken , telling him to pull Wedge and the other attackers out of the cavern , then orders the crew to launch their newly - loaded torpedoes at the emerging missile ships , destroying them before they can clear the atmosphere . Furious , Esva signals again and the remainder of his Eastern Fleet jumps into the system , outnumbering and outgunning the Imperial Star Destroyers by at least six to one . This is what Thrawn has been waiting for : he issues his own signal , and Lord Vader ' s Death Squadron - six battle - hardened Star Destroyers , led by the Super Star Destroyer " " " Executor " " , " arrive . In the ensuing space battle , Esva ' s Eastern Fleet is broken and routed . Mara and Luke , from opposite sides of the cavern , take advantage of the distraction provided by the Hand of Judgment to attack the mercenaries and rescue the Governor ' s family . Though aware of each other ' s presence , the two only see each other from a distance , neither knowing that they will meet again nine years later . Mara , exercising her authority as Emperor ' s Hand , clears Ferrouz of the treason charges against him . In Governor Ferrouz ' palace , Vader angrily confronts Thrawn , insisting that Thrawn promised to deliver the Rebellion ' s leadership to him in exchange for Vader ' s assistance in defeating Nuso Esva . Thrawn calmly responds that Vader was not specific about who he wanted captured , and Thrawn has the next best thing : Ferrouz ' s technicians have catalogued the military hardware that the Rebels took away with them , from which Thrawn has deduced that their base will be relocated to a world that is both isolated and intensely cold . There are only a handful of such worlds in the galaxy , and Vader should have no trouble tracking them down . Grudgingly satisfied , Vader departs . Aside , Thrawn thanks Car ' das for his help , and says he is now free to seek out the possible cure for his illness - but if he feels like it , he might visit Wroona , where Sorro ' s family is being held hostage , and try to rescue them . Thrawn himself must return to the Unknown Regions immediately , to continue the pursuit of Esva , who has at least two more fleets of equal size to the one that was just destroyed . Mara returns to the Hand ' s Suwantek freighter , but finds no trace of them , and no clue where they might have gone . This gives her a pang , but she is interrupted by a telepathic message from her master , with her next assignment . She prepares to return to Imperial Center , privately debating whether to return the Suwantek to the ISB , or keep it for her own use , and hoping against reason that she will see LaRone and the others again someday . Vaantaar and the Troukree have spirited the Hand of Judgment off Poln Major and aboard the Star Destroyer " Admonitor " , as Thrawn resumes command . Thrawn says he is aware of their desertion from the Empire , but instead of punishing them , he offers them a new position within his nascent empire . The Troukree , and many other victims of Esva ' s tyranny , proudly serve Thrawn ' s empire as soldiers , but Thrawn believes they can become even better , given the right training masters . LaRone and the Hand have demonstrated not only their excellent combat skills , but also their integrity , their loyalty to their comrades , and their ability to accept fighting alongside non - humans - the last quality being somewhat lacking among the " Admonitor " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s current stormtrooper contingent . Realizing that they are being offered a home , a purpose , and a worthy cause to serve , LaRone and the others accept . Grave proposes that they name their new unit the 501st , since " " they ' re supposed to be the best . " " After the Rebels have successfully evacuated the Poln system , Han presents himself to General Rieekan , who says Han ' s quick thinking on Poln Major tremendously impressed Cracken , and has confirmed what Rieekan already knew : that Han is a born leader , and definitely has a great future with the Rebellion , " if " he decides to join up . With the feeling of having been maneuvered into a corner , Han agrees to accept a commission in the Rebel Alliance as a Lieutenant . Appearances