Chapter 1 introduces the commanders of the Chimaera, an Empire ship under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the only non-human ever to be granted the title by the Emperor. His second-in-command is Captain Pellaeon. The Chimaera is one of the ships remaining after the defeat of the Empire by the Rebellion as portrayed in the film, Return of the Jedi. The Rebellion, now organized and called the New Republic, has had more victories since, driving the Empire into further reaches of the galaxy—but the Empire fights on.

Pellaeon informs Thrawn of the return of their sentry ships, which the crew discovers are being pursued by ships manned by the New Republic. Thrawn determines the cultural origin of the fleet’s commander, which allows him to choose a battle formation that the commander would struggle against.

In the aftermath, Thrawn reveals that he has gained another piece of the puzzle he is after, and instructs the fleet to split before meeting at the planet Myrkr. When Pellaeon questions him, Thrawn reveals that the puzzle he is trying to solve is the complete destruction of the Rebellion.