Handoff Handoff is a short story by Timothy Zahn . The story , which features Mara Jade , Zakarisz Ghent and Talon Karrde , was originally published in " Star Wars Gamer 10 " in 2002 and was made available on on June 2 , 2004 . The story takes place on the Mid Rim planet of Chibias and tells of the first meeting between Jade and Ghent . Plot summary . Mara Jade attends a symphonic concert on the benighted Mid Rim world of Chibias . In the lobby of the concert hall , she encounters a confused youth detained by two security personnel and a uniformed Human identifying himself as Imperial Counselor Raines , a member of Governor Egron ' s staff . Shortly before the security personnel are to search the youth , Mara observes Raines slip an incriminating datacard into the side pocket of the kid ' s backpack . Pretending to be the Director of Offworld Special Events , Mara intervenes on the youth ' s behalf . After ushering the foursome into a side - room , she physically overpowers the three men and escapes with the youth to her modest hotel room . At her hotel room , Mara learns the youth ' s name is Ghent and that he was summoned to Chibias by an unknown person at the governor ' s palace . After examining the planted datacard , Mara concludes that Raines attempted to frame Ghent with stolen government secrets . Instructing Ghent to remain at her abode , Mara surreptitiously travels to the walled palace of Governor Egron and , using an Imperial recognition code , bluffs her way past the wary guards . Inside the palace , she meets a bruised Counselor Raines . Mara unnerves him with her knowledge that there is no such person known as Counselor Raines in Imperial records . She demands to know why he attempted to plant incriminating evidence on Ghent . Raines reveals to Mara that his true name is Markko and claims that he is an unofficial attache to Governor Egron . Egron requires the skills of an expert slicer to decode a Rebel computer system . Egron employed Markko to slice the computer core , but Markko was unable to finish the job by himself . Markko summoned Ghent to Chibias and attempted to blackmail him into helping to slice the computer system . If Ghent can slice it , the Imperial forces can clear the Rebel insurgents out of that entire region of space . Mara agrees to help Markko and persuades him to hire Ghent for two thousand credits per hour . After leaving the palace , she realizes that Markko has assigned two henchmen to follow her . After confusing her pursuers , she tails the two henchmen to a side street two blocks short of the palace . A minute later , the two men disappear through the front door of a large private residence . Secretly entering the residence , Mara is captured by Markko and his men . Markko informs his captive that he is an Alliance Intelligence agent and his residence is the headquarters of a Rebel cell . Unfazed , Mara insists that she is an independent contractor with no political affiliations . After reiterating that Ghent will slice the computer for Markko , Mara leaves the residence . An hour and a half later , Mara and Ghent arrive at the governor ' s palace where they are greeted by Markko and a bodyguard of stormtroopers . They are escorted to a private room with the computer core . Moments later , they are welcomed by Governor Egron . When Ghent slices the computer , Mara realizes the computer core actually contains the control codes of a Star Destroyer and that Ghent is expected to decrypt the control node . She has been hoodwinked and Egron is a traitor to the Empire who plans to sell those codes to the Rebel Alliance . Creating a diversion , Ghent and Mara attempt to flee the palace , but Markko , accompanied by Governor Egron , corners Mara and Ghent . Mara dispatches Egron , shooting him in the chest , while Markko takes Ghent hostage . Mara , however , decides that her work is done — she had only come to the palace in order to eliminate an Imperial traitor , not go on a killing spree . Mara offers to allow Markko to go free , as long as he releases the captured Ghent . Markko agrees to Mara ' s terms , and the stand - off is peacefully resolved . After exiting the palace grounds , Mara and Ghent decide to go their separate ways . Before leaving the planet , Ghent is intercepted and recruited by Talon Karrde , a smuggler . Behind the scenes . The cover illustration by " Star Wars " comics veteran artist Dave Dorman shows Jade and Ghent escaping from pursuing stormtroopers through a hallway marked by a forest of columns supporting distinctive red and white patterned arches . Dorman drew the architecture of the hall as a direct homage to of the city of , in Andalucia , southern Spain . The building , an outstanding example of the of the 9th to the 15th centuries , is today a UNESCO , and one of the most visited sites in Spain .