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The Last Command: Book 3 (Star Wars Thrawn trilogy) (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy) by [Timothy Zahn]

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Timothy Zahn

The Last Command: Book 3 (Star Wars Thrawn trilogy) (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy) Kindle Edition

by Timothy Zahn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Book 3 of 3: Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy

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The epic story that began with Heir to the Empire reaches its dramatic conclusion in this essential Star Wars Legends novel.

The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han Solo and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack, while Princess Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins.

The Republic has one last hope-sending a small force into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines. There a final danger awaits, as the Dark Jedi C'baoth directs the battle against the Rebels and builds his strength to finish what he already started: the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

Print length

519 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Cornerstone Digital
Publication date

27 Aug. 2020
File size

3154 KB
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Synopsis

Luke and Leia face personal danger as they defend themselves and the newborn Jedi twins against the twisted ambitions of the Dark Jedi C'baoth. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than forty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novellas, and four short fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for best novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor's Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than four million copies of his books in print. Other books include the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1
 
Gliding through the blackness of deep space, the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera pointed its mighty arrowhead shape toward the dim star of its target system, three thousandths of a light-year away. And prepared itself for war.
 
&;All systems show battle ready, Admiral,&; the comm officer reported from the portside crew pit. &;The task force is beginning to check in.&;
 
&;Very good, Lieutenant,&; Grand Admiral Thrawn nodded. &;Inform me when all have done so. Captain Pellaeon?&;
 
&;Sir?&; Pellaeon said, searching his superior&;s face for the stress the Grand Admiral must be feeling. The stress he himself was certainly feeling. This was not just another tactical strike against the Rebellion, after all&;not a minor shipping raid or even a complex but straightforward hit-and-fade against some insignificant planetary base. After nearly a month of frenzied preparations, Thrawn&;s master campaign for the Empire&;s final victory was about to be launched.
 
But if the Grand Admiral was feeling any tension, he was keeping it to himself. &;Begin the countdown,&; he told Pellaeon, his voice as calm as if he were ordering dinner.
 
&;Yes, sir,&; Pellaeon said, turning back to the group of one-quarter-size holographic figures standing before him in the Chimaera&;s aft bridge hologram pod. &;Gentlemen: launch marks. Bellicose: three minutes.&;
 
&;Acknowledged, Chimaera,&; Captain Aban nodded, his proper military demeanor not quite masking his eagerness to take this war back to the Rebellion. &;Good hunting.&;
 
The holo image sputtered and vanished as the Bellicose raised its deflector shields, cutting off long-range communications. Pellaeon shifted his attention to the next image in line. &;Relentless: four point five minutes.&;
 
&;Acknowledged,&; Captain Dorja said, cupping his right fist in his left in an ancient Mirshaf gesture of victory as he, too, vanished from the hologram pod.
 
Pellaeon glanced at his data pad. &;Judicator: six minutes.&;
 
&;We&;re ready, Chimaera,&; Captain Brandei said, his voice soft. Soft, and just a little bit wrong. &;
 
Pellaeon frowned at him. Quarter-sized holos didn&;t show a lot of detail, but even so the expression on Brandei&;s face was easy to read. It was the expression of a man out for blood.
 
&;This is war, Captain Brandei,&; Thrawn said, coming up silently to Pellaeon&;s side. &;Not an opportunity for personal revenge.&;
 
&;I understand my duty, Admiral,&; Brandei said stiffly.
 
Thrawn&;s blue-black eyebrows lifted slightly. &;Do you, Captain? Do you indeed?&;
 
Slowly, reluctantly, some of the fire faded from Brandei&;s face. &;Yes, sir,&; he muttered. &;My duty is to the Empire, and to you, and to the ships and crews under my command.&;
 
&;Very good,&; Thrawn said. &;To the living, in other words. Not to the dead.&;
 
Brandei was still glowering, but he gave a dutiful nod. &;Yes, sir.&;
 
&;Never forget that, Captain,&; Thrawn warned him. &;The fortunes of war rise and fall, and you may be assured that the Rebellion will be repaid in full for their destruction of the Peremptory at the Katana fleet skirmish. But that repayment will occur in the context of our overall strategy. Not as an act of private vengeance.&; His glowing red eyes narrowed slightly. &;Certainly not by any Fleet captain under my command. I trust I make myself clear.&;
 
Brandei&;s cheek twitched. Pellaeon had never thought of the man as brilliant, but he was smart enough to recognize a threat when he heard one. &;Very clear, Admiral.&;
 
&;Good.&; Thrawn eyed him a moment longer, then nodded. &;I believe you&;ve been given your launch mark?&;
 
&;Yes, sir. Judicator out.&;
 
Thrawn looked at Pellaeon. &;Continue, Captain,&; he said, and turned away.
 
&;Yes, sir.&; Pellaeon looked at his data pad. &;Nemesis &;&;
 
He finished the list without further incident. By the time the last holo image disappeared, the final check-in from their own task force was complete.
 
&;The timetable appears to be running smoothly,&; Thrawn said as Pellaeon returned to his command station. &;The Stormhawk reports that the guide freighters launched on time with tow cables functioning properly. And we&;ve just intercepted a general emergency call from the Ando system.&;
 
The Bellicose and its task force, right on schedule. &;Any response, sir?&; Pellaeon asked.
&;The Rebel base at Ord Pardron acknowledged,&; Thrawn said. &;It should be interesting to see how much help they send.&;
 
Pellaeon nodded. The Rebels had seen enough of Thrawn&;s tactics by now to expect Ando to be a feint, and to respond accordingly. But on the other hand, an attack force consisting of an Imperial Star Destroyer and eight Katana fleet Dreadnaughts was hardly something they could afford to dismiss out of hand, either.
 
Not that it really mattered. They would send a few ships to Ando to fight the Bellicose, and a few more to Filve to fight the Judicator, and a few more to Crondre to fight the Nemesis, and so on and so on. By the time the Death&;s Head hit the base itself, Ord Pardron would be down to a skeleton defense and screaming itself for all the reinforcements the Rebellion could scramble.
 
And that was where those reinforcements would go. Leaving the Empire&;s true target ripe for the picking.
 
Pellaeon looked out the forward viewport at the star of the Ukio system dead ahead, his throat tightening as he contemplated again the enormous conceit of this whole plan. With planetary shields able to hold off all but the most massive turbolaser and proton torpedo bombardment, conventional wisdom held that the only way to subdue a modern world was to put a fast-moving ground force down at the edges and send them overland to destroy the shield generators. Between the fire laid down by the ground force and the subsequent orbital assault, the target world was always badly damaged by the time it was finally taken.
 
The alternative, landing hundreds of thousands of troops in a major ground campaign that could stretch into months or years, was no better. To capture a planet relatively undamaged but with shield generators still intact was considered an impossibility.
 
That bit of military wisdom would fall today. Along with Ukio itself.
 
&;Intercepted distress signal from Filve, Admiral,&; the comm officer reported. &;Ord Pardron again responding.&;
 
&;Good.&; Thrawn consulted his chrono. &;Seven minutes, I think, and we&;ll be able to move.&; His lips compressed, just noticeably. &;I suppose we&;d better confirm that our exalted Jedi Master is ready to do his part.&;
 
Pellaeon hid a grimace. Joruus C&;baoth, insane clone of the long-dead Jedi Master Jorus C&;baoth, who a month ago had proclaimed himself the true heir to the Empire. He didn&;t like talking to the man any more than Thrawn did; but he might as well volunteer. If he didn&;t, it would simply become an order. &;I&;ll go, sir,&; he said, standing up.
 
&;Thank you, Captain,&; Thrawn said. As if Pellaeon would have had a choice.
 
He felt the mental summons the moment he stepped beyond the Force-protection of the ysalamiri scattered about the bridge on their nutrient frames. Master C&;baoth, clearly, was impatient for the operation to begin. Preparing himself as best he could, fighting against C&;baoth&;s casual mental pressure to hurry, Pellaeon made his way down to Thrawn&;s command room.
 
The chamber was brightly lit, in marked contrast to the subdued lighting the Grand Admiral usually preferred. &;Captain Pellaeon,&; C&;baoth called, beckoning to him from the double display ring in the center of the room. &;Come in. I&;ve been waiting for you.&;
 
&;The rest of the operation has taken my full attention,&; Pellaeon told him stiffly, trying to hide his distaste for the man. Knowing full well how futile such attempts were.
 
&;Of course,&; C&;baoth smiled, a smile that showed more effectively than any words his amusement with Pellaeon&;s discomfort. &;No matter. I take it Grand Admiral Thrawn is finally ready?&;
 
&;Almost,&; Pellaeon said. &;We want to clear out Ord Pardron as much as possible before we move.&;
 
C&;baoth snorted. &;You continue to assume the New Republic will dance to the Grand Admiral&;s tune.&;
 
&;They will,&; Pellaeon said. &;The Grand Admiral has studied the enemy thoroughly.&;
 
&;He&;s studied their artwork,&; C&;baoth countered with another snort. &;That will be useful if the time ever comes when the New Republic has nothing but artists left to throw against us.&;
 
A signal from the display ring saved Pellaeon from the need to reply. &;We&;re moving,&; he told C&;baoth, starting a mental countdown of the seventy-six seconds it would take to reach the Ukio system from their position and trying not to let C&;baoth&;s words get under his skin. He didn&;t understand himself how Thrawn could so accurately learn the innermost secrets of a species from its artwork. But he&;d seen that knowledge proved often enough to trust the Grand Admiral&;s instincts on such things. C&;baoth hadn&;t.
 
But then, C&;baoth wasn&;t really interested in an honest debate on the subject. For the past month, ever since declaring himself to be the true heir to the Emperor, C&;baoth had been pressing this quiet war against Thrawn&;s credibility, implying that true insight came only through the Force. And, therefore, only through him.
 
Pellaeon himself didn&;t buy that argument. The Emperor had been deep into this Force thing, too, and he hadn&;t even been able to predict his own death at Endor. But the seeds of uncertainty C&;baoth was trying to sow were nevertheless starting to take hold, particularly among the less experienced of Thrawn&;s officers.
 
Which was, for Pellaeon, just one more reason why this attack had to succeed. The outcome hinged as much on Thrawn&;s reading of the Ukian cultural ethos as it did on straight military tactics. On Thrawn&;s conviction that, at a basic psychological level, the Ukians were terrified of the impossible.
  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

It is five years after the events of the Return of the Jedi. The fragile New Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has not only rallied the remaining Imperial forces but has driven the rebels back with an abdominable new technology: clone soldiers.

Hopes are dim as Trawn mounts a final seige against the Republic. While Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a wary alliance of smugglers in a last-ditch attack against the Empire, Leia keeps the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. But the Empire has too many ships and too many clones to combat. The Republic's only hope lies in sending a small force, led by Luke, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines.

There a final danger awaits. The dark Jedi C'baoth schemes in his secret fortress, directing the battle against the rebels, nursing his insanity, and building his strength to finish what he had already started - the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

An odyssey of fast-paced action, stunning revelation, and the final confrontation, The Last Command spans a galaxy in flames - a tale that will conclude in this third and last instalment as Good and Evil battle 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

d Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the Empire, while Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. Overwhelmed by the ships and clones at Thrawn's command, the Republic has one last hope--sending a small force, led by Luke Skywalker, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines. There a final danger awaits, as the Dark Jedi C'baoth directs the battle against the Rebels and builds his strength to finish what he had already started: the destruction of Luke Skywalker. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B086QHT85Z
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornerstone Digital (27 Aug. 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3154 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 519 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 81,070 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 49 in Star Wars
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- 725 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction eBooks

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3,026 ratings

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Timothy Zahn

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Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award-winning author of more than forty original science fiction novels and the bestselling Star Wars trilogy Heir to the Empire, among other works. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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3 star		4%
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Jack

Well written and has a (mostly) good ending

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2020

Verified Purchase

This isn't just for the last command but for the trilogy as a whole, this is some of the best Star wars writing you can find on the market. What a trilogy, I haven't been this thrilled by star wars content since Revenge of the sith (maybe even Jedi fallen order)or in any media. It continually impressed and threw surprises at me whenever I read, whether it's with the new characters or the known characters we already love.
The story rounds itself off very well, every arc felt satisfying when it ended and it was more interesting with the descriptive writing, you knew exactly what every character was going through in detail and actually cared. There was bits that were obviously foreshadowing the future in legends, whether it's Luke and Mara or Palpatines plans.
Although I praise this book series immensely, I have to say, they did my boy Thrawn dirty. A character as well written and attention grabbing as him should not have gone out like that...in general I was wishing Thrawn would live through it, a character such as him should have won out in the end but sadly it never came to be.
A brilliant story throughout, I don't regret buying as I thought I would, The new Jedi order novels are my next target and I hope they won't disappoint.

One person found this helpful

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the third and final entry in the Thrawn saga

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2017

Verified Purchase

This is a well-written and entertaining Star Wars story, set a few years after the events seen in Return of the Jedi. The rebels have been victorious, and set about building a New Republic. Meanwhile the defeated Empire has sought to bring together its remaining remnants, under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn - who serves as a central antagonist of this novel.

This is the third and final entry in a trilogy of books; it follows on from Star Wars - Volume 1: Heir to the Empire and Star Wars - Volume 2: Dark Force Rising . These were the initial instalments of the Star Wars Extended Universe, as represented canon while George Lucas owned Lucasfilm. Disney have sought to re-write what's known as "canon" - nonetheless this book, as with many others of the Extended Universe, is well worth a read. If you're a fan of the original trilogy of films then I recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

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Raumschiff

An OK third book with a disappointing finish

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 June 2017

Verified Purchase

An overall nice finale to the original Thrawn trilogy, and overall I enjoyed it, however - and it feels like quite a big however - It does end rather abruptly with what feels like little closure.

Without being too spoilerific, the final battle starts out well for the Imps, goes a little wrong, then suddenly they are in retreat and it's over. No middle ground, just a seemingly spontaneous rout. I re-read the chapter in case I'd missed a page or two, but that was it - quite disappointing after being invested in the story. Several loose ends are left dangling. It gave me second thoughts about The Hand of Thrawn two-book series, as Zahn seemed to be bored with it.

One person found this helpful

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Barryjmcdonald

A Must For Anyone Who Loves The Original Movies.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2021

Verified Purchase

I never saw myself as someone who'd read Star Wars fiction, but these books from Mr. Zahn took me way back to my childhood watching the original and best Star Wars movies. A must for anyone who loved that series of films.

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Charlie Dalley

CHECK DIMENSIONS OF BOOK IF BUYING AS PART OF SET

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2020

Verified Purchase

The book is complete, but the version I received is dimensionally smaller than the other 2 in the series. Item bought as gift and as such I cannot speak to the quality of the story, merely leaving this review with a star off for the difference in Format.

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tony ellis

Perfection in a galaxy far, far away

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2021

Verified Purchase

A brilliant alternative conclusion to the Skywalker saga compared to the jumbled and nonsensical sequel trilogy of films. Of course if you like the films and just are curious about the expanded universe (EU) I can highly recommend this.

One person found this helpful

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F. Tennant

A great series of books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2020

Verified Purchase

Well this was great fun to read and worth adding to my digital collection.

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cameron

Its easy one of the best storys in the expanded universe

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2017

Verified Purchase

All tho its no longer canon thanks to Disney for killing the franchise. Its easy one of the best storys in the expanded universe. It reads perfectly like a movie like a movie. great book must read for any star wars fan. I would recommend reading heir to the empire and dark force rising first. 10/10

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The Last Command: Book 3 (Star Wars Thrawn trilogy) (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy) Kindle Edition

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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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Product details

About the author

Timothy Zahn

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