The history of the Chimaera began around the Battle of Endor. The most notable character to serve aboard the Chimaera, was a man named Gilad Pellaeon. Pellaeon served aboard the Chimaera for his service in the Empire, and during the Battle of Endor, took over when the former captain was killed. Serving as executive officer, Pellaeon gave the order to retreat after the disabled Executor blew up with the second Death Star. The Chimaera served as the second command ship, and Pellaeon called the Imperial forces to their rendezvous point. The Chimaera then took part in many Imperial attacks, ranging from Grand Admiral Thrawn's attacks on the New Republic, all the way until the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. It then served in Admiral Daala's Maw Irregular Fleet.
The Battle of Endor
During the Battle of Endor, the Chimaera was designated the reserve command ship. When the Executor crashed into the Death Star II, the Chimaera became the flagship of the Imperial Navy during the battle. The Chimaera took many hits during the battle, killing off the captain of the ship, allowing for then Executive Officer Pellaeon to take command of the ship. When the Death Star blew up, he ordered all Imperial forces to retreat to the rendezvous point. From there, the Imperial forces broke up, with captains and admirals such as Admiral Harrsk taking portions of the fleet with them, to develop into Warlords, while Pellaeon led the loyal Imperial forces back to Coruscant, where they were placed under the command of the Imperial Council.
Post Battle of Endor
After the Battle of Endor, Pellaeon served as captain of Chimaera. The Chimaera continued under the direction of the Imperial leader, with the Chimaera taking action under Ysanne Isard, until her defeat over Thyferra. After the fall of Isard, Pellaeon continued fighting for the Empire, though never took full control of the fleet. He was a well respected officer, and the Chimaera became one of the most efficient Star Destroyers in the Imperial Fleet.
Five years after the defeat at Endor, the Chimaera went into the Unknown Regions, investigating a signal that Captain Pellaeon had received over the ship's most secure holoprojector. When they traced the signal, Pellaeon met an alien named Thrawn, who said he was an Imperial Grand Admiral. Thrawn took command of the Chimaera, and made it his personal flagship. Soon after, Thrawn began to re-unite some of the Imperial forces to make strikes against the New Republic. Thrawn and the Chimaera were also responsible for unleashing a massive wave of panic across the New Republic, with his hit and fade tactics. He then found and captured most of the legendary Katana Fleet, and from there on, made full on assaults on the New Republic.
The Chimaera was the flagship of Thrawn's fleet. It coordinated all of the attacks, and led as the spearpoint in more assaults than it didn't. While Thrawn did not waste his personnel like Lord Vader, he did see fit for a few executions of crew members when they did a job that was not to his highest standards. However, Thrawn knew how to boost the already highly efficient crew of the Chimaera to even higher standards.
Thrawn was killed aboard the Chimaera, by his personal bodyguard Ruhk, a Noghri commando, during the Battle of the Bilbringi Shipyards. Once again, Pellaeon was second in command, and had to order the Imperial forces to retreat.
Thrawn's Private Command Room
Aboard the Chimaera, when Thrawn first took over, the Chimaera's former Officer Luxury suite was converted into Thrawn's private Command Room. It was an exact duplicate of the command room from where Pellaeon was most of the time. Thrawn's room, however also had holoprojectors inside the suite, bringing holographic maps and other projections before Thrawn to help him plan out his campaigns. When not formulating strategies, Thrawn would be using the same holoprojectors to look at species' artwork to figure out psychological weak points, to help formulate his attacks.
The Hand of Thrawn Affair
19 years after the Battle of Yavin, the Hand of Thrawn affair broke out, in which Moff Disra of the Imperial Capital of Bastion formed a ploy to take over the Imperial Remnant, by using a highly talented con artist named Flim, and a stormtrooper clone with some of Thrawn's tactical genius named Tierce. The Chimaera was once again Pellaeon's command ship, only now Pellaeon was the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Remnant, and the Chimaera was once again the flagship. Pellaeon went all around the Imperial Remnant aboard the Chimaera after he decided to open peace talks with the New Republic. All of the top remaining officers approved, and Pellaeon then set out to the Pestiin system, where he awaited New Republic general Garm Bel Iblis.
The Chimaera was attacked by pirates that Moff Disra had hired, the Cavrilhu Pirate gang, but was able to fend them off. Pellaeon then waited, after hearing rumors that Grand Admiral Thrawn had returned, and began setting plans to visit Moff Disra again. Right as he was about to leave, the Millenium Falcon pulled into the system, and Pellaeon sent an escort from the Chimaera to escort in the Falcon, with Princess Leia Organa Solo aboard. They began the initial peace talks aboard the Chimaera.
After proving Disra was dealing traitorous deals, and that Tierce was an unstable clone, Pellaeon continued with his peace offering, and aboard the Chimaera, the peace between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic was formed.