Allegiance ( novel ) Allegiance is a novel by Timothy Zahn , set approximately five to six months after the Battle of Yavin . It was released on January 30 , 2007 in hardcover and on December 26 , 2007 in paperback along with a preview of " " . Luke Skywalker , Leia Organa , Han Solo , Chewbacca , and Mara Jade are the main characters , with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine making a few , yet major appearances . As the title would suggest , the book ' s subject is , according to Zahn , " . . . three different people and groups with allegiance issues . " A sequel , " Choices of One " , was released in July 2011 . " Publishers Weekly " summary . The following information , reported to be from Publishers Weekly , is currently appearing on such sites as Amazon and Barnes & Noble . Five idealistic but fed - up Imperial stormtroopers led by Daric LaRone share the stage with young Rebel Alliance crusaders Han Solo , Princess Leia Organa , Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca in this politically fraught but still rollicking early years Star Wars adventure from Hugo - winner Zahn ( Star Wars : Outbound Flight ) . Emperor Palpatine ' s favorite Sith , Darth Vader , has a new rival , the 18 - year - old Countess Mara Jade Claria , whom Palpatine has schooled in the Force to assume the special agent role of " Emperor ' s Hand . " Zahn depicts the intrepid Rebel quartet and the turbulent development of the Alliance while revealing the Human faces behind the stormtrooper armor of Daric and company , who become unexpected allies of Han and friends once the troopers are on the run after killing a superior officer . The author also underscores Mara Jade ' s tough - girl charm and blossoming Imperial clout against the background of Palpatine ' s dedication to Imperial domination and his insidious influence on his minions . This episode will please fans wondering about events between the first and second movies in the original " Star Wars " trilogy . Publisher ' s summaries . Back cover . When the battle lines are drawn , and the enemy engaged , pledging your loyalty may mean laying down your life . … Inside flap . Never before has the incendiary mix of action , politics , and intrigue that has become Timothy Zahn ' s trademark , been more evident that in this new " Star Wars " epic . On the heels of the stunning events chronicled in " Star Wars : A New Hope " , the newly minted heroes of the Rebellion — fledgling Jedi Luke Skywalker , smuggler turned reluctant freedom - fighter Han Solo , and Princess Leia Organa , a bold leader with a world to avenge — must face the harsh realities of the cataclysmic conflict into which they have so bravely plunged . From this point forward , legends will grow , treachery will abound , and lives will be irrevocably altered , in the long , hard fight to counter the fist of tyranny and restore hope to a galaxy too long in darkness . The destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance was a decisive blow against the Empire , but Palpatine and his monstrous enforcer , Darth Vader , are no less of a threat . The brutal extermination of Alderaan not only demonstrated the magnitude of their murderous power , but served as a chilling testament to their resolve to crush the Rebel uprising . Standing against them , Skywalker , Solo , and the Princess remain uncertain opponents . Luke is gifted and brave , but unschooled in the power he possesses . Han has doubts about waging someone else ' s war — and his contentiousness is one more burden for Leia to bear as she struggles to help keep the Rebellion alive . The three have been sent to mediate a dispute between Rebel Alliance factions in Shelsha Sector — agitating matters by forcing Han to deal not only with pirates , but with his more dreaded enemy , politics . At the same time , Mara Jade — all of eighteen and years away from her fateful meeting with Luke — is serving her evil master , Palpatine , well in her role as the Emperor ' s Hand : tracking suspected treachery in the Empire to what may be high places — while trying to stay out of Darth Vader ' s way . But the Rebels will prove to be only one of the Empire ' s concerns . For Imperial Stormtrooper Daric LaRone , his faith in the Empire shaken by the wanton destruction of Alderaan , will commit a sudden and violent act of defiance , and take four other enforcers with him , in a desperate bid to elude their masters ' wrath . Each of these fateful actions , whether sanctioned , secret , or scandalous , will expose brutality and corruption , spur upheavals destined to shake the Empire to its core , and shape momentous events yet to come . Plot summary . Five to six months after the Battle of Yavin , Daric LaRone and other stormtroopers from the " Reprisal " were on Teardrop carrying out a mission meant to subjugate the planet ' s populace . Believing that they are sympathizers of the Rebellion , civilians were ordered executed by the Reprisal ' s command staff . However , the Rebels , including Han Solo aboard the " Millennium Falcon " , had already fled . Despite this being unknown to LaRone and his squadron , it was clear that the individuals they were ordered to destroy had no affiliation with the Rebel Alliance . Feeling that exterminating innocent civilians goes against the oath that he swore to protect citizens of the Empire , LaRone and his team tactfully refused to obey the order by ostensibly missing the targets when firing . Meanwhile , Mara Jade was on one of her first missions as the Emperor ' s Hand . She uncovers evidence of Moff Glovstoak ' s embezzling , but also realized that some of the priceless artworks that she found in the Moff ' s possession are missing , possibly taken by Rebels or pirates . She received permission from Emperor Palpatine to investigate the issue further and began her search . In the midst of her mission , she uncovered that a group of pirates are planning on attacking a group of Imperial military transports . Returning to Yavin 4 , Han Solo began to question his allegiance to the Rebel Alliance to the dismay of his friend and co - pilot , Chewbacca . This is in stark contrast to Luke Skywalker , whose sympathy for the cause only seems to deepen with each mission . In the middle of Han ' s ruminations , it was brought to his and Luke ' s attention that pirate attacks on Alliance supply lines were becoming a major irritation for the Rebellion . Originally , Han , Luke , and Chewbacca were going to accompany Princess Leia Organa on a mission to Shelkonwa , but instead were reassigned to investigate the pirate attacks . Back on the " Reprisal " , Daric LaRone was confronted by Major Drelfin from the Imperial Security Bureau ( ISB ) for Larone ' s apparent refusal to follow orders . A scuffle arose which resulted in Drelfin being killed by LaRone in self - defense . Realizing that they are now fugitives , LaRone and the other Stormtrooper witnesses , Taxtro Grave , Saberan Marcross , Joak Quiller , and Korlo Brightwater , stole Drelfin ' s ISB ship and fled the " Reprisal " . During a trip to Drunost to buy supplies , a swoop gang attack compelled the squadron to defend civilians , who in an odd twist of fate actually turned out to be members of the Alliance . Leaving Drunost , they journeyed to Janusar to finish their purchases , only to find that it was under the control of a corrupt militia with links to pirates . The five rogue stormtroopers feel obligated to stop the corruption . After their resounding success in liberating the citizenry from their corrupt leaders , they dubbed themselves the Hand of Judgment when asked for details regarding their unit designation . With the militia defeated and justice restored to Janusar , they returned to Drunost . Serendipitously , Han , Luke , and Chewie met up with their contact on Drunost , unaware that the Hand of Judgment was also there . Luke helped stop a bank robbery , using his lightsaber in the process , getting the attention and curiosity of the Hand of Judgment . This led LaRone and his squad to follow them to where the Rebels had planned to ambush a group of pirates . After the " Falcon " and the Hand of Judgment defeated the pirates , the ex - Imperials and Rebels worked out an uneasy partnership . Leia , who was on Shelkonwa trying to unify three Adarian resistance groups , met with Administrator Vilim Disra , who had allegedly wanted to join the Alliance . However , seeing much personal gain in turning Leia over to the Empire , and specifically Darth Vader , Disra shuts down the spaceports , starts a massive manhunt for Leia , and contacts Imperial High Command . Leia goes to ground , posing as a tapcafe waitress and waits for a chance to slip out . Mara , on the other hand , boards a pirate ship and kills or subdues its crew as it attacks a military transport . Calling for help from the " Reprisal " , she boards the Dreadnaught and borrows two ISB stormtroopers to help her pilot the military transport back to the pirate base on Gepparin . Captain Kendal Ozzel , thinking she is onto him due to the five deserters , aids her , but also takes the " Reprisal " to Gepparin to attack the base . Mara had infiltrated the pirate base when her ISB stormtroopers betray her , causing the whole base to also attack her . Just as she defeats most of the pirates who haven ' t fled , the " Reprisal " attempts to kill her by blasting the base . The Hand of Judgment and their Rebel companions have also tracked the pirates to Gepparin , and the " Reprisal " attacks them also . Thanks to stunt flying by Chewie in the " Falcon " , the two ships escape after tricking Ozzel into going to the Alderaan system . Mara Jade , relieved of the attack , takes a pirate ship to journey to Shelkonwa after seeing a transmission from the pirate base to the governor ' s office there . However , the Hand of Judgment and the " Falcon " also journey to Shelkonwa , the Rebels to rescue Leia and the Hand to find the pirate connection . Mara Jade meets up with Darth Vader in orbit and informs him of her intentions . Landing on the planet , she is attacked by an AT - ST controlled by a pirate named Caaldra . The Hand of Judgment comes to her aid , leaving Han , Luke , and Chewie to find Leia . Mara commandeers the five men to take down the AT - ST and advance on the governor ' s palace , correctly believing Governor Barshnis Choard to be a traitor to the Empire . Han , Luke , and Chewie meet up with Leia and escape the planet while Mara and the Hand of Judgment take down Choard . Mara , although she later learns the story of the deserters , pardons them and tells them to discontinue their actions . The ex - stormtroopers leave the planet as the Rebels escape in the " Falcon " back to the Rebellion . Behind the scenes . Both parts of the dust jacket that indicate the publishing era have the novel placed in the Rise of the Empire era . This is incorrect , as it should be in the Rebellion era . This error was , however , corrected in the paperback re - release . According to Timothy Zahn in a TheForce . net interview , the most significant change that he was forced to do in his original " Allegiance " story by Del Rey and Lucasfilm Ltd . was to shorten some of the interactions between Mara Jade and Darth Vader with some dialogue edited out . Although an outside summary identified the Emperor ' s Hand as " Countess Mara Jade Claria , " the book itself made no reference to " Countess Claria " being anything but an alias used by Mara Jade in the course of her professional duties . The appearance of Stacy in this novel was an homage to the fan film " Pink Five " .