The novel follows a younger Thrawn during his time serving in the Chiss Ascendancy.
It was released on April 27, 2021.
It follows Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendacy: Chaos Rising and is followed by Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil in the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy.
Tropes in this book include:
- Big Bad: The mysterious Jixtus, who first made himself known at the end of the previous novel, is orchestrating the events of this one behind the scenes, acting through Haplif and the other Agbui. At the end he is revealed to be a Grysk, as that race seeks to subvert and destroy the Chiss Ascendancy.
- Broad Strokes: More details are revealed about the incident with the Vagaari and the death of Thrass. Apparently, it also involved a large ship from Lesser Space (Chiss name for Republic space) that vanished before it could be appropriated by the Chiss. In addition, there are even references to the Vagaari using human shields to keep others from firing on their ships.
- Enemy Mine: Continued from Chaos Rising, Thurfian and Zistalmu are still working together to find a way to bring Thrawn to heel for his Military Maverick tendencies.
- Famed In-Story: Thrawn is starting to get a reputation as an art connoisseur. This proves vital to saving the Ascendancy from civil war, as he notices just in time the connection between the jewelry and the Sunrise refugees.
- Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: Jixtus's plan boils down to convincing three of the Great Families that there is a valuable mine on an unclaimed planet. These families then send their warships to secure the planet and will come to blows. Each of the families is allied with a Ruling Family, who would be forced to come to their aid and plunge the Ascendancy into civil war.
- He Knows Too Much: Haplif is forced to kill a young Chiss traveler who deduces that Agbui are touch-telepaths and have been using this ability to manipulate their Chiss contacts. For similar reasons, Jixtus order the destruction of the two Nikardun outposts that might know about Sunrise.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Just as Haplif is about to escape scot-free, he is confronted by Lakphro, who had not trusted him from the beginning, and ends up dead.
- Man Behind the Man: The first book had Yiv the Benevloent and the Nikardun Destiny as the Big Bad. This book reveals the Nikardun were working for the Grysks, specifically Jixtus. The Nikardun are only viewed by the Grysks as warriors and are exterminated by the Grysks after their usefulness ended.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The Xodlak Patriel Lakooni. While Lakuviv views her as a gloryhound, Lakooni saw through the holes regarding the Agbui and the nyix mine, and refused to pursue it. Unfortunately, Lakuviv wasn't as savvy and forced the issue at gunpoint.
- The Remnant: Despite General Yiv the Benevolent being defeated by Thrawn and imprisoned by the Chiss, the Nikardun Destiny continues to cause trouble through the Unknown Regions, albeit as a splintered force that is a shadow of its former self.
- Trauma Button: Haplif's "daughter" is triggered by the sound of a jacket zipper, which happens to sound like artillery shells in flight.
- Unexpected Successor: After the Mitth Patriarch dies, the family selects Syndic Prime Thurfian as his successor, whose previous highest aspiration in life was to become Speaker.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: When Thrawn arrives to a planet where there have been hints of Vagaari presence, he is greeted by a hostile-sounding leader who threatens Thrawn with battle. However, Thrawn quickly figures out that the leader is being held hostage by the Nikardun, so he and the leader stage a mock fight, all to allow Thrawn to destroy the ship with the Nikardun on it. The plan hinges on both sides understanding what's going on.
