Moving Target : A Princess Leia Adventure Moving Target : A Princess Leia Adventure is a junior novel that was released as part of the book series . The novel , written by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry , follows the adventures of Prince ss Leia Organa between and . It was published by Disney – Lucasfilm Press on September 4 , 2015 , and comprises 240 pages . Description . " Prince ss Leia returns in an all - new adventure ! " " In this story , set between " " and " " , Princess Leia must lead a ragtag group of rebels on a treacherous decoy mission against the evil Galactic Empire . " Plot summary . The story begins shortly before " The Force Awakens " , with General Leia Organa reluctantly recording her memoirs . She is reminded of a particular mission she participated in the time between " Empire " and " Jedi " . As she tells the story , we go back to that time . We find Leia on her flagship , a Nebulon B frigate named the " Remembrance " . It is under attack by Imperial forces . The ship escapes the battle at the cost of one of their escorts . The main goal of this small flotilla is to protect Leia , as she is a high priority target for the Empire . The best way to keep her safe is to keep her moving . The fact people die just to keep her safe bothers her very much . In the wake of the battle , C - 3PO informs Leia that Mon Mothma has ordered a gathering of the rebel leadership on the planet Zastiga . They recruit Nien Nunb and his ship , the " Mellcrawler " , to ferry her to the meeting . Arriving on the planet , she attends the meeting only to find out that the Empire is building another Death Star above Endor . In an effort to come up with a plan , the meeting goes late into the night , the result of which is the basic plan for the Battle of Endor . They decide the Rebel fleet will mass near Sullust to take advantage of a secret Imperial hyperspace lane which will get them to the Outer Rim much faster than otherwise possible . Leia suggests an additional aspect to the mission . In an effort to distract the Empire from the massing Rebel fleet , Leia will take a small team to various planets and lay message beacons summoning Rebel ships to rendezvous at Yellow Moon in the Corva system , far from Endor . Mon Mothma is uneasy , but says she ' ll think on it . Later that night , Mon Mothma visits Leia . After a deep discussion about Leia ' s motivations and state of mind , the mission , codenamed Operation Yellow Moon , is approved . The next day the Rebels quietly leave the planet . Leia meets her crew at the " Mellcrawler " . In addition to Nunb as the pilot , she has recruited Kidi Aleri as comm tech ; Antrot , the " tinkerer , " as their engineer ; and commando Major Lokmarcha as personal protection for Leia . She explains their mission , leaving out the detail that the codes used to encrypt the beacon messages have been broken by the Empire . Their first stop is the planet Basteel . They meet their contact , a man named Yoff , in his underground home . He informs them the best place to set their beacon is through a complex network of tunnels connected to his chimney . They climb into the tunnel system and plant the beacon near the surface . After a harrowing climb , an encounter with hostile creatures , and a close call with some patrolling TIEs , they escape on the " Mellcrawler " . As things settle , Kidi comes to the realization that the codes they ' ve used have been cracked . The crew discovers a Star Destroyer is now in orbit of Basteel and is subjugating the planet . Though the point of their mission , Leia feels immense guilt . Their next stop is Sesid , a water world . After buying awful vacation clothes , they rent a boat and plant their beacon on the slopes of a volcano . On their way back , their boat is chased by Imperials . They are rescued by a local pirate band , who prove to be their contacts on the planet . Once again successful , Sesid soon suffers at the hand of the Star Destroyer " Shieldmaiden " . The crew makes way to the primitive agricultural planet Jaresh and sets another beacon . They learn the local population is going to publicly denounce the Empire . Leia tries but fails to convince their leader against this . Her uneasiness finally too much to bear , Leia reveals the true nature of their mission to her crew . She devises a plan to defend the local populace , and they fight off the Empire . Leia knows they will return , but the locals are comfortable with their choice . According to the plan , their mission is now complete . However , Leia cannot live with abandoning any Rebel ships who respond to their beacons . She decides they will go to Yellow Moon to warn off anyone who shows up . They succeed but are captured by the " Shieldmaiden " . The crew is imprisoned and prepared for interrogation . Lokmarcha sacrifices himself , allowing Leia and the others to escape . They make their way back to the landing bay . Before the rendezvous , Leia had ordered Antrot to rig the " Mellcrawler " to explode . He realizes that the bomb will not cause enough damage to disable the Star Destroyer so he runs off , sacrificing himself to save the other three . Leia , Nien and Kidi steal the Imperial shuttle " Tydirium " and escape amidst a space battle . Rebel ships that have rendezvoused at Yellow Moon are attacking the " Shieldmaiden " in an effort to defend Leia . She is able to flee , but at the cost of more life . Leia contacts Luke . New intel on Han has been discovered ; he is on Tatooine . They begin to organize a rescue . Back in the present , Leia closes out her story . Major Ematt lets her know that news has come in from Poe on Jakku .