Penned by Timothy Zahn, "Jade Solitaire" is a short story featured in the anthology Tales from the New Republic. Bantam Spectra released the anthology in December of 1999. The story unfolds prior to 18 ABY and recounts Mara Jade Skywalker's acquisition of her impressive vessel, the Jade's Fire, which makes appearances in both Star Wars: The Corellian Trilogy and Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology. Furthermore, the story details how the Togorian female H'sishi became a member of Talon Karrde's crew.
Originally, "Jade Solitaire" was intended for publication in Star Wars Adventure Journal 17. However, the Adventure Journal ceased publication before the story could be published.
Ja Bardrin, a wealthy industrialist, seeks Mara's assistance when his daughter is abducted by Chay Praysh, a Drach'nam pirate. To ensure Mara's cooperation, Bardrin holds Mara's crew hostage, threatening their lives unless she rescues his daughter. He also insists that Mara recover the luxury yacht his daughter was aboard when she was captured, if possible.
Mara allows Praysh's pirates to capture her and pretends to be meek, leading them to place her with their female slaves at their secret base on Makksre. After several days of performing mundane tasks, she locates and befriends Bardrin's daughter, Sansia, and a Togorian female named H'sishi. The three women devise a plan to escape, battling their way to the pirates' hangar and fleeing in Sansia's captured ship, the Winning Gamble.
The Gamble meets with Bardrin's ship just outside the system, which, to Mara's astonishment, is now under the control of her employer, Talon Karrde. He explains that he grew concerned when Mara and her crew disappeared, quickly located them, and overpowered Bardrin and his thugs.
Sansia scolds her father for his delayed rescue attempt, but Mara reveals a more sinister truth: Bardrin intentionally arranged for her capture by the pirates because the Gamble possesses a sophisticated hidden sensor package that recorded valuable data about Praysh's base and business dealings. Bardrin intended to retrieve the data when the ship (and, incidentally, Sansia) were returned to him.
Enraged, Sansia decides to gift the Gamble to Mara. Bardrin cannot object, as Karrde is unwilling to let him off the hook for threatening Mara and his crew.
Later, alone with Karrde, Mara announces her intention to take a leave of absence from the organization to gain experience running her own business. Thrilled at the prospect of owning her own ship, free and clear, for the first time, she renames it the Jade's Fire.