Survivor ' s Quest " Survivor ' s Quest is a novel written by Timothy Zahn , published in 2004 by Del Rey . The paperback version of this book includes the short story " Fool ' s Bargain " also by Timothy Zahn , that was previously available only in eBook format . Narration for the audio version of " Survivor ' s Quest " was performed by Jonathan Davis . Setting . Survivor ' s Quest is set in 22 ABY , three years after the events of Vision of the Future and three years before those of Vector Prime . Publisher ' s summary . Hardcover . A dangerous mission to salvage a piece of Jedi past threatens to make Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker history … . " Sometimes it seems a Jedi ' s work is never done , and Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker know this only too well . Despite the bond they share in the Force , after three years of marriage the Jedi Master and his wife are still learning the ropes of being a couple — and struggling to find time together between the constant demands of duty . But all that will change when they ' re united on an unexpected mission — and must pool their exceptional skills to combat an insidious enemy … and salvage a part of Jedi history . " " It begins with a message from a surprising source : Nirauan , the planet where Thrawn , dangerous disciple of Emperor Palpatine , once held sway … and from which Luke and Mara barely escaped with their lives . The message itself is shocking . After fifty years , the remains of Outbound Flight — a pioneering Jedi expedition viciously destroyed by Thrawn — have been found on Nirauan . Now , the fiercely honor - bound aliens who reside there wish to turn over the remnants of the doomed mission to the New Republic . Accepting the gesture will mean a long voyage into the treacherous cluster of stars where the thousands of souls aboard the Outbound Flight vessel met their grim fate . But it may also mean something more … something that has stirred an inexplicable sense of foreboding in Mara . " " Whatever may await , the Skywalkers will not face it alone . Joining them on the strange and solemn journey are an officer of the post - Palpatine Empire , escorted by a detachment of Imperial stormtroopers ; a party of diplomats from a gentle alien species that reveres the fallen Jedi for saving them from bloodthirsty conquerors ; and a New Republic ambassador who harbors his own mysterious agenda . " " Soon enough , suspicion , secrecy , and an unknown saboteur run rampant aboard the isolated ship . But it is within the derelict walls of Outbound Flight itself , buried for half a century on a desolate planetoid , where the gravest danger lies . As the marooned hulk yields up stunning revelations and unexpected terrors to its visitors , Luke and Mara find all they stand for — and their very existence — brutally challenged . And the ultimate test will be surviving the deathtrap carefully laid by foes who are legendary for their ruthlessness … and determined to complete the job Thrawn began : exterminating the Jedi . " Paperback . " After fifty years , the remains of Outbound Flight — a pioneering Jedi expedition viciously destroyed by the alien warlord Grand Admiral Thrawn — have been found on the planet Nirauan . The beings who reside there wish to turn over to the New Republic the remnants of the doomed mission . Accepting the gesture will mean a long voyage into the treacherous cluster of stars where the thousands of souls aboard the Outbound Flight vessel met their grim fate . " " Embarking on the strange and solemn journey , Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker are unaware that the gravest danger lies within the derelict walls of Outbound Flight itself . As the marooned hulk yields up stunning revelations and unexpected terrors , Luke and Mara find all they stand for — and their very existence — brutally challenged . The ultimate test will be surviving the deathtrap carefully laid by foes who are legendary for their ruthlessness … and determined to complete the job Thrawn began : exterminating the Jedi . " Plot summary . The novel opens with a meeting between Talon Karrde and Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker . Karrde ' s people had earlier picked up an urgent transmission , addressed to Luke , coming from Admiral Voss Parck on the planet Nirauan . Before the message could be passed on , however , it had been stolen by a member of Karrde ' s own organization , one Dean Jinzler . Fearing that the message might be somehow connected with the unknown menace Parck and Baron Soontir Fel had warned them about two years previous . Luke and Mara decide to head out to Nirauan . There , they learn that the message had in fact come from Chiss Aristocra Chaf ' orm ' bintrano ( or " Formbi " ) . The Chiss have found the remains of the pioneering Jedi expedition , Outbound Flight project , which had been mercilessly destroyed by Grand Admiral Thrawn many years previously . Now the Chiss wish to hand over their find to the New Republic , and Luke and Mara join the odd group , which includes a squad of stormtroopers from the 501st , a remnant of an alien people , the Geroons , who owe a strange debt to the people of Outbound Flight , and a false New Republic Ambassador , all of whom will visit the site of the tragedy . As they voyage on the " Chaf Envoy " deeper into Chiss space , through a treacherous cluster of stars known as the Redoubt , Luke and Mara grow more uneasy . Occurrences of sabotage and theft only serve to deepen their suspicions . On top of that , Mara begins to feel torn between her duty to the New Republic and her troubled respect for the Imperial Remnant . The expedition reaches its destination : the remains of the Dreadnaughts that made up the Outbound Flight project . Not only are the ships fairly intact , but Mara can sense life . There are survivors , possibly hundreds of them . Suddenly , everything comes together in a whirlwind of events . The supposedly peace - loving Geroons are revealed to be the bloodthirsty Vagaari , who desire revenge against the Chiss and Outbound Flight for their defeat at the hand of Grand Admiral Thrawn years before . Luke , Mara , the Chiss , the Imperials , and the embittered survivors must now work together against the Vagaari if any of them are to come out alive . They manage to defeat the Vagaari , who in turn sabotage the " Chaf Envoy " and commandeer one of the Dreadnaughts . The Vagaari then head back through the Redoubt to attack the Chiss command center , leaving Luke , Mara , and the others practically stranded . Following the welcome discovery of a Delta - Twelve Skysprite , however , Luke and Mara are soon pursuing the rogue Dreadnaught . They catch up to it and make their way aboard . They find out that the main Vagaari " colony ship " is actually a starfighter carrier that is beginning to overwhelm Chiss defenses . Using a fake signal , Luke and Mara trick the Vagaari into believing the Dreadnaught to be a friendly ship . However , Luke and Mara use the Dreadnaught under their control after a showdown with a droideka and the fanatical Vagaari Estosh , to aid the Chiss fighters and to defeat the other Vagaari forces . The survivors are entrusted into the care of the Empire of the Hand , and Luke and Mara finally have time to settle down and enjoy their marriage . But one disquieting thought occurs to Mara : the whole affair , resulting in a resounding victory for the Chiss , feels too much like something orchestrated by Thrawn , a master at manipulating his allies and enemies alike . When Luke objects that they ( inadvertently ) killed the clone of Thrawn beneath his base on Nirauan , Mara counters that it was possible , even likely , for Thrawn to have prepared other clones and scattered them around the Unknown Regions . Behind the scenes . The book was intended to be a counterpart to " Tatooine Ghost " , featuring Mara Jade and Luke instead of Han and Leia . Zahn also intended " Survivor ' s Quest " and the semi - prequel " Outbound Flight " to resemble the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy in format ( with the former being made first ) . Zahn named the 501st Legion after a worldwide organization of fans , and the book was dedicated to them . The edition was titled " Rozbitkowie z Nirauan " - " Survivors from Nirauan " . This title has been referred to as the worst of all " Star Wars " books published in . The cover ' s image of Luke portrays him as Mark Hamill appeared before his reconstructive surgery . Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the different cover variations of " Survivor ' s Quest " .