Side Trip

The novella, Side Trip, was the first collaboration between Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole and was published in the compilation of short stories, Tales from the Empire; it is also available on Hyperspace. The novella consists of four parts, parts one and four being written by Zahn and parts two and three by Stackpole.

Synopsis
Smugglers Haber Trell and Maranne Darmic and their freighter the Hopskip, while smuggling arms for the Rebels, are captured and threatened by the Empire into assisting a helmeted figure, who claims to be the notorious bounty hunter Jodo Kast, in catching his prey on Corellia. It is all part of a devious plan by Admiral Thrawn that includes the son-and-father team of CorSec investigators Hal and Corran Horn, who are working undercover to nail the infamous Corellian warlord Zekka Thyne. But one slipup can get them all killed.

In the end, Thrawn's plan succeds and allows him to track down the smugglers to the Rebellion's new base, Derra IV, using tracking devices hidden in the smuggler's shipments of blasters. His victory also gains the Chiss Admiral a substantial favor from the Dark Lord.

Characters

 * Maranne Darmic
 * Corran Horn
 * Hal Horn
 * Rathe Palror
 * Churhee's Riflemen
 * Grand Admiral Thrawn
 * Zekka Thyne
 * Haber Trell
 * Riij Winward

Locations

 * Borkyne
 * Corellia
 * Coronet
 * Derra IV
 * Shibric
 * Tatooine
 * Mos Eisley
 * Tramanos
 * Yavin

Ships / Vehicles

 * Admonitor
 * Hopskip