Outbound Flight ( novel ) Outbound Flight is a novel written by Timothy Zahn . Originally slated for an October 25 , 2005 release , the hardcover book was not published until January 31 , 2006 by Del Rey . The two pictures featured inside the novel were illustrated by A . J . Kimball . It was released in paperback almost exactly one year later on January 30 , 2007 and includes the short story " Mist Encounter " . " Outbound Flight " tells the story of the mysterious Outbound Flight Project mentioned in " Heir to the Empire " and " Survivor ' s Quest " , both by Zahn . Zahn intended them to resemble the original trilogy and prequel trilogy in format , with the latter being made first . Characters featured in the novel include Palpatine , Chiss Expansionary Defense Force Commander Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo ( Thrawn ) , Jorj Car ' das , Jorus C ' baoth , Lorana Jinzler , Kinman Doriana , Obi - Wan Kenobi , and Anakin Skywalker . Previews of " Outbound Flight " are available in " Jedi Trial " and " " . Publisher ' s summary . Hardcover . Back cover . On an epic voyage far beyond the Republic , the Jedi will confront their most extraordinary enemy — and test the limits of honor and sacrifice against their most devastating challenge … . Internal flap . " It began as the ultimate voyage of discovery — only to become the stuff of lost Republic legend … and a dark chapter in Jedi history . Now , at last , acclaimed author Timothy Zahn returns to tell the whole extraordinary story of the remarkable — and doomed — Outbound Flight Project . " " The Clone Wars have yet to erupt when Jedi Master Jorus C ' baoth petitions the Senate for support of a singularly ambitious undertaking . Six Jedi Masters , twelve Jedi Knights , and fifty thousand men , women , and children will embark — aboard a gargantuan vessel , equipped for years of travel — on a mission to contact intelligent life and colonize undiscovered worlds beyond the known galaxy . The government bureaucracy threatens to scuttle the expedition before it can even start — until Master C ' baoth foils a murderous conspiracy plot , winning him the political capital he needs to set in motion the dream of Outbound Flight . " " Or so it would seem . For unknown to the famed Jedi Master , the successful launch of the mission is secretly being orchestrated by an unlikely ally : the evil Sith Lord , Darth Sidious , who has his own reasons for wanting Outbound Flight to move forward … and , ultimately , to fail . " " Yet Darth Sidious is not the mission ' s most dangerous challenge . Once underway , the starship crosses paths at the edge of Unknown Space with the forces of the alien Chiss Ascendancy and the brilliant mastermind best known as " Thrawn . " Even Jedi Knight Obi - Wan Kenobi , aboard Outbound Flight with his young Padawan student , Anakin Skywalker , cannot help avert disaster . Thus what begins as a peaceful Jedi mission is violently transformed into an all - out war for survival against staggering odds — and the most diabolical of adversaries . " " Timothy Zahn ' s unique mix of espionage , political gamesmanship , and deadly interstellar combat breathes electrifying life into a " Star Wars " legend . " Paperback . It began as the ultimate voyage of discovery , only to become a dark chapter in Jedi history . Now acclaimed author Timothy Zahn returns to tell the whole extraordinary story of the remarkable — and doomed — Outbound Flight Project . " The Clone Wars have yet to erupt when Jedi Master Jorus C ' baoth petitions the Senate for support of an ambitious mission : to contact intelligent life and colonize undiscovered worlds beyond the known galaxy . But the government bureaucracy threatens to scuttle the expedition before it can even start — until Master C ' baoth foils a murderous conspiracy plot , winning him the political capital he needs to set in motion the dream of Outbound Flight . " " Or so it would seem . The evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious has his own interests in Outbound Flight . Yet even he is not the mission ' s most dangerous challenge . Once underway , the starship crosses paths with the forces of the alien Chiss Ascendancy and the brilliant mastermind known as " Thrawn . " Thus what begins as a peaceful Jedi mission is violently transformed into an all - out war for survival . " Plot summary . Five years after the Battle of Naboo , a smuggler ' s freighter , the " Bargain Hunter " is fleeing trouble with its crew of three : Captain Dubrak " Rak " Qennto , Maris Ferasi and a very young Jorj Car ' das . They are on the run from Progga the Hutt , and to escape , Car ' das punches in random hyperspace coordinates that send the ship into the Unknown Regions . Progga ' s ship manages to follow them , and Progga calls the " Hunter " on the comm , believing that they ' ve made an intentional jump to a secret cache of treasure , and they ' re going to lead him to it . Before anything else can happen , the " Hunter " is captured by a flotilla of unknown ships . Progga ' s ship , though larger and more heavily armed and armored than any one of the unknown ships , is utterly destroyed when he tries to fight back . Aboard the flagship , the smugglers are introduced to Commander Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendancy Fleet , who generously offers to repair their ship and and send them on their way , provided they can bear with him and be his guests during the flotilla ' s patrol cruise deeper into the Regions . The story then shifts to Coruscant , where Jedi Master Jorus C ' baoth and his Padawan , Lorana Jinzler , interrupt a meeting between Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his aide , Kinman Doriana . Yet again , C ' baoth demands more funding for his proposed Outbound Flight Project , insisting that its importance outweighs any of the other petty problems the Republic is facing . Doriana suggests a compromise : if C ' baoth can resolve a mining strike on the planet Barlok , it will free up enough immediate funds to finish the project . After C ' boath and Lorana leave , Palpatine orders his aide to keep an eye on C ' boath , to make sure that his well - known arrogance doesn ' t cause him to do something foolish . On returning to his apartment to pack , Doriana makes a call to his real master , Darth Sidious , who has already ordered him to prepare to travel to Barlok . After C ' baoth demands , and receives , permission from the Jedi Council to travel to Barlok , Master Mace Windu orders Obi - Wan Kenobi and his Padawan , Anakin Skywalker , to Barlok for the same reason : to keep an eye on C ' baoth . Back in the Unknown Regions , Commander Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo is taking the opportunity to learn more from his guests , teaching them his language , and vice - versa . When he says that the Chiss have a low view of smugglers , Maris objects that they are actually privateers - mercenaries employed to steal supplies and food for oppressed peoples - a somewhat fanciful lie that Qennto sold Maris on a while ago . Qennto privately regards the alien Commander as a naif , but Car ' das is quick to discern that Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo is actually very cunning and dangerous . The young officer sees something similar in Car ' das , and the two begin spending so much time together that the Commander allows Car ' das to call him by his " core name , " Thrawn . In an unexpected skirmish with one of the Chiss ' s most deadly enemies , the Vagaari , Thrawn is badly wounded , though the battle goes in their favor . The flotilla limps home , and the three smugglers are introduced to Thrawn ' s brother , Thrass , a political official of some importance , and Admiral Ar ' alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force . On Barlok , C ' baoth and Lorana meet up with Obi - Wan and Anakin . C ' baoth leaves Lorana with the other two Jedi while C ' baoth goes to arrange the negotiations to resolve the mining dispute . In his absence , the other three Jedi , through a series of chance encounters , discover a plot to sabotage the negotiations by some disgruntled workers ( egged on by a disguised Doriana ) . When the negotiations start , the saboteurs launch a missile that only C ' baoth is powerful enough in the Force to stop . Seeing his power , the council members are scared enough to quickly resolve the conflict . Between the sudden cash flow caused by the mining resolution , and his new prestige as a Jedi hero , C ' baoth quickly receives the necessary funds to finish Outbound Flight , and immediately begins organizing a group of Jedi Masters and Knights , and civilian colonists to travel to the Unknown Regions . Lorana is ambivalent about whether she wants to leave her home behind , but while walking around the Jedi Temple , she is confronted by one of the workers , whom she has caught staring at her . It turns out that he is Dean Jinzler , her brother . As she was taken from her family as a baby like all Padawans , she never had the chance to know him , but she is shocked and hurt when he vents his jealousy of her . Dean believes that their parents always overlooked him because of her , simply because of the " accident " of her being a Force - sensitive . When he turns his back on her and walks away , Lorana decides that she has nothing in this galaxy worth staying for , and can ' t wait to leave on Outbound Flight . Before leaving , C ' baoth asks for , and receives , permission to promote her to Jedi Knight . Obi - Wan and Anakin also agree to accompany the voyage for at least part of the way . When the titanic vessel is finally launched into space for its long journey toward the outside of the galaxy , Doriana checks the crew and passenger manifest and informs Darth Sidious . Sidious is pleased at first , but becomes enraged when he learns that Anakin is aboard , and orders Doriana to get him off the vessel immediately . Then he reconsiders , saying he will do so himself , while Doriana departs for his main mission . Doriana , under the alias " Commander Stratis , " rendezvous with Trade Federation Vicelord Siv Kav , commanding a battle fleet powerful enough to destroy Outbound Flight , waiting at the edge of the galaxy . Aboard Outbound Flight , C ' baoth appears to be taking the opportunity to transform his ship into his own personal vision of what he believes the Jedi Order , and by extension , the entire galaxy , should be . His decisions encompass every aspect of the passengers ' lives , right down to the décor of the common rooms . Additionally , he orders that the colonists ' children be sorted for Force - sensitives , who should immediately be separated from their parents . Midway through the voyage , Palpatine meets the vessel personally , saying he has an urgent diplomatic errand for Obi - Wan and Anakin . They depart with the Chancellor , playing no further part in the events to come . Meanwhile , the Chiss fleet , under the command of the recovered Thrawn , stumbles on the Trade Federation battle fleet . Though massively outgunned , Thrawn remains calm , and tells the fleet that they are trespassing into Chiss space . Kav arrogantly orders his forces to wipe out the tiny Chiss fleet . With some technical advice from Car ' das , coupled with his own innate tactical genius , Thrawn devastates the Trade Federation fleet utterly , leaving Kav no choice but to surrender . Seeing an opportunity where the Neimoidian does not , Doriana pleads with Thrawn to let them carry out their original mission , going so far as to initiate a direct conversation between Lord Sidious and Thrawn . Sidious explains that Outbound Flight , and the Jedi , are a grave threat to the Republic – specifically , because Outbound Flight ' s path will take them directly into the projected home of an immensely powerful and hostile alien empire ( though unnamed , the clear implication is that they are the Yuuzhan Vong ) . Sidious ' s agents discovered the existence of this empire some years ago , and since then he has been doing his best to prepare the Core Worlds for the invasion he believes is inevitable . If Outbound Flight reaches the aliens first , the invasion may come too soon . Thrawn appears to take Sidious seriously , and agrees to help Doriana and Kav destroy Outbound Flight . Car ' das , becoming increasingly worried that Thrawn is holding him hostage , escapes the Chiss fleet in a small ship , but is captured by the Vagaari . Car ' das shares everything he knows to prevent his own death , and the Vagaari become very interested upon learning about the Trade Federation ' s battle droid technology – despite their spacefaring capabilities , the Vagaari have almost no droid technology , and the idea of a manufactured army of remote killers is immensely appealing to the aggressive race . The Vagaari commander decides to return to the Trade Federation fleet and take their technology . When Outbound Flight finally makes it to the edge of the galaxy , Thrawn , much to Doriana and Kav ' s consternation , insists on giving the vessel the opportunity to turn back . He meets with C ' baoth and Lorana aboard the ship , and warns them that a Sith Lord is planning to destroy them . But in his arrogance , C ' baoth disregards Thrawn ' s warnings and sends him back to his ship . As the two sides prepare for battle , the Vagaari arrive . Sensing their hostility , the Jedi aboard Outbound Flight band together in a telepathic link to confuse the Vagaari . But Thrawn takes advantage of their distraction to open fire on both hostile forces . After severe damage has been inflicted on the vessel , C ' baoth gives in entirely to his rage and falls to the dark side , choking Thrawn through the Force . Rather than let such a valuable officer be killed , Doriana orders the fleet to drop a lethal radiation bomb into the vessel ' s bridge , killing C ' baoth and all the other Jedi on board , except Lorana . The Vagaari receive a sound thrashing at Thrawn ' s hands , and are forced to retreat , but not before Car ' das escapes their ship . Because Chiss military doctrine is harshly against the use of preemptive strikes , Thrawn is immediately reprimanded by his superiors , and recalled to Chiss space . While he is preparing to return home , Thrass and Car ' das investigate the heavily damaged Outbound Flight , and find Lorana . Knowing that the vessel cannot remain intact in space for much longer , Thrass orders Car ' das to rejoin Thrawn , while he and Lorana attempt to pilot the vessel to a nearby planet . As they near the planet , the vessel begins to roll out of control , meaning the side of the ship where the majority of the survivors are trapped will crash first . Lorana and Thrass , despite their differences , see the choice before them and make it together : they must stay in the ship ' s command console and steer the ship so that their side crashes instead . They prepare to die together , hoping only that they succeed in saving lives , and Lorana intones , " May the Force be with us . " Thrawn releases Car ' das , Qennto and Maris and reveals to Car ' das that he had been feeding his suspicions to send him to the Vagaari , with the intent of luring them to their destruction . Thrawn wishes them well , and then prepares to face his own exile as punishment for his actions . Kav insists that Thrawn cannot be allowed to live , since he knows too much about Lord Sidious . Doriana agrees , but , when he and Kav meet face - to - face with Thrawn , realizes that a being as unique and useful as Thrawn must not be killed . Kav , with his wounded pride , then attempts to kill Thrawn himself , but ends up killing himself with a ricochet from his own hold - out blaster . Then Thrawn reveals why he believed Sidious : because the Chiss have indeed encountered the aliens the Sith Lord is preparing for , and know even better than Sidious how much of a threat they pose . The Chiss calls these aliens the " Far Outsiders . " Thrawn then sends Doriana back to his master , confident that they will meet again someday . Qennto , Maris , and Car ' das depart in their repaired ship , each of them a little richer ( financially and figuratively ) for their experience , but also uneasy about their unnerving encounter with the master strategist , Thrawn . Behind the scenes . On page 311 , never is misspelled as ever . According to " The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels " , dreadnaughts have six sublight drives while on the cover of this novel they only have five . Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the different cover variations of " Outbound Flight " .