Handoff

On the dimly lit Mid Rim world of Chibias, Mara Jade is present at a symphonic performance. While in the concert hall's lobby, she notices a perplexed young man being held by a pair of security guards, as well as a Human in uniform who identifies himself as Imperial Counselor Raines, an associate of Governor Egron's staff. Just before the security officers are about to search the young man, Mara sees Raines discreetly place an incriminating datacard into the side pocket of the youth's backpack.

Mara, feigning the role of the Director of Offworld Special Events, steps in to assist the youth. After leading the group of four into a nearby room, she uses her physical skills to subdue the three men and flees with the young man back to her modest hotel room.

Once at her hotel room, Mara discovers that the youth's name is Ghent, and that he was called to Chibias by an unknown figure within the governor's palace. After inspecting the planted datacard, Mara deduces that Raines was trying to frame Ghent using stolen government secrets. She instructs Ghent to remain in her room while she secretly makes her way to Governor Egron's fortified palace, where she uses an Imperial recognition code to deceive the suspicious guards and gain entry. Inside the palace, she comes face to face with a bruised Counselor Raines. Mara unsettles him by revealing her knowledge that no such person as Counselor Raines exists within Imperial records. She then demands to know the reason behind his attempt to plant incriminating evidence on Ghent.

Raines then tells Mara that his real name is Markko, and that he is acting as an unofficial attache to Governor Egron. Egron requires the expertise of a skilled slicer to decipher a Rebel computer system. Egron hired Markko to slice the computer core, but Markko was unable to complete the task alone. Markko summoned Ghent to Chibias in an attempt to blackmail him into assisting with slicing the computer system. If Ghent succeeds in slicing it, the Imperial forces will be able to eliminate the Rebel insurgents from that entire region of space.

Mara consents to assist Markko, convincing him to hire Ghent for two thousand credits per hour. After departing the palace, she notices that Markko has assigned two henchmen to follow her. After losing her pursuers, she follows the two henchmen to a side street located two blocks away from the palace. Moments later, the two men disappear through the front door of a large, privately owned residence.

Mara secretly enters the residence, only to be captured by Markko and his men. Markko informs his captive that he is an Alliance Intelligence operative and that his residence serves as the headquarters for a Rebel cell. Undeterred, Mara maintains that she is an independent contractor with no political affiliations. After reiterating that Ghent will slice the computer for Markko, Mara departs 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 containing the computer core. Shortly after, they are greeted by Governor Egron himself.

As Ghent slices the computer, Mara realizes that the computer core actually contains the control codes for a Star Destroyer, and that Ghent is expected to decrypt the control node. She realizes she has been deceived, and that Egron is a traitor to the Empire who intends to sell those codes to the Rebel Alliance.

Creating a distraction, Ghent and Mara attempt to escape from the palace, but Markko, accompanied by Governor Egron, confronts Mara and Ghent. Mara eliminates Egron by shooting him in the chest, while Markko takes Ghent as a hostage. However, Mara decides that her task is complete — she had only come to the palace to eliminate an Imperial traitor, not to engage in a killing spree. Mara offers to let Markko go free, provided that he releases the captured Ghent. Markko agrees to Mara's terms, and the standoff is peacefully resolved.

After leaving the palace grounds, Mara and Ghent decide to part ways. Before departing the planet, Ghent is intercepted and recruited by Talon Karrde, a smuggler.