Continued ...
The smuggler boss helped track the trail to Chazwa, where the clone cylinders had been transported long ago before being moved to another planet. Thrawn's Lancer frigate found and attacked the Wild Karrde -- and smuggler Samuel Tomas Gillespee's ship, Kern's Pride -- but the battle was short. Karrde and Gillespee escaped to Trogan, where they hoped to find information about cloning at that planet's infamous cantina, the Whistler's Whirlpool. Unknown to the group of high-profile smugglers who were meeting with Karrde, one of their group, Niles Ferrier, was Thrawn's spy.
Despite harassment from Imperials and Ferrier's attempt to discredit Karrde, the smugglers all eventually reconvened at Kijarna. They agreed with Karrde that the smugglers would do better throwing their lot -- and their firepower -- in with the New Republic. After aiding Princess Leia Organa Solo in getting to Wayland and helping to destroy Mount Tantiss and the Spaarti cloning cylinders, Karrde flew to Bilbringi. There, in a heated space battle, he was joined by the other smugglers. The cluster of new spaceships helped him turn the tide for the New Republic, and the Imperials fled, defeated.
Following the Battle of Bilbringi, the smugglers decided to formalize and solidify their support of the New Republic. They formed a smugglers' guild, which, over the next two years, would become the Smugglers' Alliance. Karrde decided to retire, turning his operations over completely to Mara Jade.
While Jade and the Smugglers' Alliance aided the New Republic when they could, Karrde basically disappeared. He called Mara at prearranged times to talk to her, but his home base was mobile. Karrde said it was because he feared a bounty on his head. Mara knew better. She knew that Talon Karrde, the most dashing smuggler baron in the galaxy, just wanted to escape from the bother and fuss of his old life. He would live as a private citizen for a time, but Mara knew that one day, Talon Karrde would be back in business.
Mara was right. Not long after his "retirement," Karrde went back into business again, retaking control of the operations from Mara Jade. Jade went off to train at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy, so Karrde appointed Aves to replace Mara as his second-in-command.