11 ABY. Operation Shadowhand has failed. Palpatine and his throneworld of Byss have been destroyed by the New Republic. The various Imperial Warlords have been broken, with only a small handful of factions hanging on by a thread. Admiral Natasi Daala, oblivious to the state of the Empire, remains isolated with her four Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Her isolation is interrupted by the entrance of an indiviual who had managed to navigate the hazards of The Maw.