Reading Heir to the Empire

[Peelee]

I'll tell you this straight out, I did not suspect the potted plants. An automated system became a possibility as soon as they mentioned the random transmissions,but I didn't think about it. So Durkon was right, the trees were plotting against us all.

That's exactly what Winter wants you to think!

[DataNinja]

I'll tell you this straight out, I did not suspect the potted plants. An automated system became a possibility as soon as they mentioned the random transmissions,but I didn't think about it. So Durkon was right, the trees were plotting against us all.

The really nice thing is that this doesn't come out of nowhere. The trees had been built up, but it was subtle enough to just fall under 'standard Star Wars alien worldbuilding' on a first read.

[deuterio12]

Spoiler: Digression into Force Sensitivity, Midichlorians, etc.

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Force Sensitivity seems to a cocktail of multiple factors, including genetics, spirituality, and discipline/training, plus an element of random chance.

The top tier (Yoda, Emperor) are strong in all three aspects.

Anakin had superb genetics, but lacked spirituality and possibly training. Obi Wan had lesser genetics, but better discipline and spirituality, which left him able to defeat him.

Leia has good genetics, but didn't train, so she's not as powerful as Luke.

Chirrut had spirituality and training, but didn't have the genes.

Being born special didn't stop Anakin from getting the tar kicked out of him by superior fighters, even with his super high midichlorian count. Being the Chosen One didn't help.

I don't really get the objection to midichlorians, it has never meant bloodline is all that matters.

Spoiler

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The Jedi Order took Force-sensitive children at a very young age (typically until the age of three, but preferably earlier) to start training them to become Jedi. A notable exception to this was Anakin Skywalker, who was accepted for Jedi training when he was just under 10 years old, which would ultimately prove to be the downfall of the Jedi.

So yeah, training's quite important too... But not all the training and spirituality in the world will help you become a jedi if you lack the right genetics in the first place. The jedi order had people whose main job was looking for force-sensitive babies, aka before any training or spirituality, they wanted mid-chlorians. If you're just somebody highly trained and spiritual, the jedi will tell you to go look somewhere else, while if you just have really high mid-chlorian count they'll take you in all risks be damned.

Case in point Luke also barely had any training, but thanks to being a force-sensitive was still able to do impossible shots in a space fight. Experienced Luke is even stronger, but inexperienced Luke already was a force to be recognized.

[hamishspence]

Re ysalamiri, wasn't it a plot point in Book 1 that Luke couldn't use the Force at all while on the Planet due to the ysalamiri everywhere? So how to Force using predators function in that same forest?

It may be a case of co-evolution - the ysalamari evolved force suppression fields as a defence - the vornskrs evolved ways of using the force better passively, even within such fields - the fields getting better and the tracking ability getting better simultaneously over the millennia.

The 20th Anniversary version of HTTE had this to say, on the suppression field, and Thrawn's "push back the Force" description of it:

10: I caught more grief for this one than even the hot chocolate incident. The complaints mostly focused on the idea that the Force is created by living beings, and that it can’t be “pushed back” in the way I described, certainly not from other living beings.
Note, though, that I didn’t say that was the case. Thrawn did, and contrary to popular belief Thrawn doesn’t know everything.
What’s actually happening—and we’ll see it in action later—is that ysalamiri simply suppress the level of the Force to something below the threshold that Jedi can access. It’s a fine distinction, but an important one.
Still, the bottom line for Jedi—and more important for C’baoth—is basically the same. Thrawn can therefore be excused for perhaps oversimplifying his explanation.

[tiornys]

It may be a case of co-evolution - the ysalamari evolved force suppression fields as a defence - the vornskrs evolved ways of using the force better passively, even within such fields - the fields getting better and the tracking ability getting better simultaneously over the millennia.

Supporting this, remember how the vornskr's went wild focusing on Luke when he and Mara were stranded.

[Cikomyr]

You know, with the whole "the Force is a Living Will" or "the Force is Destiny", i wished there had more.. mundane(?) impact to the Ysalamaris than "Jedi antimagic field".

Either I would see the Force somehow plot to remove these things.. or maybe everyone's sixth sense/natural luck/Destiny Convenience are completely shut down when inside an Ysalamari field. The Force might plan and plot things to happen, like the incarnation of Destiny, but the Ysalamari act as a Destiny-breakers akin to Siona in Emperor-God of Dune; someone who can disrupt the flow of the future because she is never seen by foretellers.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Three transports unleash their dust, and actually end up finding one of the asteroids, which is impressive progress really. A second asteroid (I think) hits one of the transports, but the fleet can't catch it. Still, 1/22 is pretty good on the first day of scanning. The crippled transport crashes into the shield and disintegrates,which triggers a memory of another one for Winter, which she doesn't elaborate on.

...Except they don't know that - the Alliance thinks that there are up to 287 asteroids. They suspect that some of the launches are fakes, but they don't know how many.

Spoiler: Upcoming Plot

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They don't find out until Karrde tries to land, and they refuse to open the shields for him. They inform him that they have managed to clear out 21 of the set (Thwarn destroyed the first one), and he informs them that that's how many there were. He has to give them the evidence before they let him in.

[Blackhawk748]

The really nice thing is that this doesn't come out of nowhere. The trees had been built up, but it was subtle enough to just fall under 'standard Star Wars alien worldbuilding' on a first read.

I really love that, the trees get mentioned but you think its just (in some cases literal) window dressing. But no, the bloody trees are Imperial spies, and i love it!

[russdm]

...Except they don't know that - the Alliance thinks that there are up to 287 asteroids. They suspect that some of the launches are fakes, but they don't know how many.

Spoiler: Upcoming Plot

Show

They don't find out until Karrde tries to land, and they refuse to open the shields for him. They inform him that they have managed to clear out 21 of the set (Thwarn destroyed the first one), and he informs them that that's how many there were. He has to give them the evidence before they let him in.

Spoiler: Warning: Error Detected In Previous Spoiler

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Thrawn made 32 asteroids that he put cloaking devices on. They destroy 31 and Thrawn blew up one as well.

[Peelee]

An effective way might be to have his actions speak for themselves. His plan re the Shipyards was a legitimately good one that made him look dangerous without the need for him to be constantly contradicting his subordinate and the narrative pointing out how much better he is than the imperials in almost every scene he's in.

Oh man, then you're going to love

Spoiler

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when you find out that he's constantly cloning the best troops the Empire has so that the military will be terrifyingly better.

Heheh, well played, I now get to wonder whether this is sarcastic or not (don't clarify)

I was rereading somewhere around here for reasons, and I realized this is one the spoilers you can totally open now if you want. It's not clever or funny or anything, it just amused me that I can now clarify.

[pendell]

I really love that, the trees get mentioned but you think its just (in some cases literal) window dressing. But no, the bloody trees are Imperial spies, and i love it!

Not just that.

The plot point is that the trees vibrated due sound right? Shaking, in a sense?

Then Leia had a literal epileptic trees theory , and it was right! That's what separates the outstanding writers from the merely passable.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Spoiler: Warning: Error Detected In Previous Spoiler

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Thrawn made 32 asteroids that he put cloaking devices on. They destroy 31 and Thrawn blew up one as well.

Nope - Sapphire Guard and I are correct. I looked up the details when I made my posting::

Spoiler

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Pellaeon checked the figures. "Two hundred eighty-seven," he told the Grand Admiral.

"I presume all twenty-two actual asteroids are out?"

"Yes sir," Pellaeon confirmed. "Most of them in the first two minutes. Though there is no way of knowing if they've taken up their prescribed orbits."

Spoiler

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"We've found and destroyed twenty-one," she told him. "That's twenty-two gone, counting the one the Imperials destroyed to keep us from capturing it. But our battle data indicates he could have launched as many as two hundred eighty seven"

...It is possible that they changed the numbers in a later revision, but Sapphire Guard and I appear to be reading the same one.

[Peelee]

Nope - Sapphire Guard and I are correct. I looked up the details when I made my posting::





...It is possible that they changed the numbers in a later revision, but Sapphire Guard and I appear to be reading the same one.

Thanks, I was wondering if I was also misremembering.

[Fyraltari]

Nope - Sapphire Guard and I are correct. I looked up the details when I made my posting::





...It is possible that they changed the numbers in a later revision, but Sapphire Guard and I appear to be reading the same one.

russdm's RPG personnality test result makes that funnier than it should be.

[Manga Shoggoth]

russdm's RPG personnality test result makes that funnier than it should be.

Ale's well that ends well, you mean?

[Sapphire Guard]

If I were uncharitable, I would expect that Thrawn made that promise secure in the knowledge that Delta Source would be gone before he had to follow through, simply because while it's an ingenious spying method, it's impossible to conceal forever. But making the promise is a sign of favour, and Thrawn wants competent people working hard for him.

The timing is certainly coincidental if not.

Spoiler: midichlorians etc

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So yeah, training's quite important too... But not all the training and spirituality in the world will help you become a jedi if you lack the right genetics in the first place. The jedi order had people whose main job was looking for force-sensitive babies, aka before any training or spirituality, they wanted mid-chlorians. If you're just somebody highly trained and spiritual, the jedi will tell you to go look somewhere else, while if you just have really high mid-chlorian count they'll take you in all risks be damned.

Case in point Luke also barely had any training, but thanks to being a force-sensitive was still able to do impossible shots in a space fight. Experienced Luke is even stronger, but inexperienced Luke already was a force to be recognized.

Luke was already an accomplished pilot, it's an extension of his existing skills. Absent training, all he (and probably Anakin) becomes is a very skilled pilot. And that's the absolute high water mark of midichlorian count.

Anakin was refused, high midichlorian count at all, until Obi Wan was bound by Qui Gon's dying promise and was going to train him anyway, outside Council authority if necessary.

Chirrut can still do impossible things without the genes, you just can't reach as high a peak.

That's exactly what Winter wants you to think!

Well, she is the main spy hunter ;)

Then Leia had a literal epileptic trees theory , and it was right!

I'm not sure the phrase existed when this was written.

It may be a case of co-evolution - the ysalamiri evolved force suppression fields as a defence - the vornskrs evolved ways of using the force better passively, even within such fields - the fields getting better and the tracking ability getting better simultaneously over the millennia.

Possibly, but there's a lot of questions that could be asked about that, like why the vornskrs are drawn to hunt Force sensitives. Is Thrawn oversimplifying his explanation, or is he wrong? That being the case, I'd expect Luke's senses to be more 'fuzzy' than 'gone', but it's not something I'm hung up on.

I was rereading somewhere around here for reasons, and I realized this is one the spoilers you can totally open now if you want. It's not clever or funny or anything, it just amused me that I can now clarify.

Hmm. You know, I don't think we've seen Clones in super effective action yet. The main advantage seems to be that C'Baoth can operate them via remote control.

Anyway...

CH18: Mazzic is coming to Karrde's meeting, and he's bringing two escort fighters. Ferrier is here, uninvited by Karrde. He's not trusted, but they can't get rid of him without causing a scene. He gets called downstairs by the guards, and instricts Ferrier not to leave. His crew believe they've spotted an intruder. They search the ship, and find nothing. But in case he's wrong, Karrde sets a guard just in case.

He arrives back at the conference table to see Mazzic has arrived in force with an armed squad. He wants to hold the meeting in the Wild Karrde. Scanning the faces around, Karrde can see that Ferrier is visibly smirking, and realises what his wraith intruder must have done.

The guard detail that has just been set is uneasy, but Mazzic sees through it. He does get him to leave his bodyguards behind, though. They find the datacards, and look through them re the Imperial assault from before. They find it, and Karrde tries to talk his way out.
de
Notably, these people are completely confident that Thrawn wouldn't waste troops in a failed attack.Odd, considering how the consensus generally is that they can't predict what he does. Ferrier's not good at the politics of this, and lets slip the Lieutenant's name before anyone mentions it.Further questioning does him no favours, and he's forced to bring out a thermal detonator to quiet things down. The wraith watches the other ship captains while Karrde is brought at gunpoint to the bridge. He flashes the external lights to draw attention, then takes off as requested. He lands near Ferrier's ship, and calls down to his wraith, who has since been taken out by the other ship captains. He leaves anyway, wraps the parked ships in a net... but Mazzic's fighters are still hiding nearby.

Great chapter all round. The smugglers and the Noghri are my favourite parts of these books, I think. There's a real 'trick-countertrick-countercountertrick' flow that's missing in some of the other arcs.

[russdm]

I just seem to recall Thrawn and P discussing something in the number of 32 is all. Maybe it's earlier in the series? or in the next set of Thrawn books? I know forty two relates to the answer to the question of everything/etc.

Or maybe another pair of people were discussing something that 32 at some point in the book/trilogy. I thought that it was in there somewhere.

I may be confusing it for another book that has the number, rather than any of the Thrawn trilogy books. Or something in the new canon.

[Jallorn]

Possibly, but there's a lot of questions that could be asked about that, like why the vornskrs are drawn to hunt Force sensitives. Is Thrawn oversimplifying his explanation, or is he wrong? That being the case, I'd expect Luke's senses to be more 'fuzzy' than 'gone', but it's not something I'm hung up on.

I'm not sure, I might be misremembering or completely made it up, but I have some little piece of my brain telling me that some other novel said that the vornskrs were originally create by Sith Alchemists? Although even if not, why not consider that animals could naturally develop the ability to sense through the Force, and use it to hunt? The Force is a natural phenomenon, after all.

And as far as the Ysalamiri, my explanation, and this is headcanon I definitely made up just this instant, is that they work like wave cancelers, like noise canceling headphones. They have some innate, natural way of detecting waves in the force and can send out a counter wave, a valley for every mountain, smoothing it out. The Force is still present, it's just utterly silent, as if it weren't there at all.

After all, the Force is an energy field. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds us together. And Jedi sense disturbances in the Force.

[pendell]

Anyway...

CH18: Mazzic is coming to Karrde's meeting, and he's bringing two escort fighters. Ferrier is here, uninvited by Karrde. He's not trusted, but they can't get rid of him without causing a scene. He gets called downstairs by the guards, and instricts Ferrier not to leave. His crew believe they've spotted an intruder. They search the ship, and find nothing. But in case he's wrong, Karrde sets a guard just in case.

He arrives back at the conference table to see Mazzic has arrived in force with an armed squad. He wants to hold the meeting in the Wild Karrde. Scanning the faces around, Karrde can see that Ferrier is visibly smirking, and realises what his wraith intruder must have done.

The guard detail that has just been set is uneasy, but Mazzic sees through it. He does get him to leave his bodyguards behind, though. They find the datacards, and look through them re the Imperial assault from before. They find it, and Karrde tries to talk his way out.

Notably, these people are completely confident that Thrawn wouldn't waste troops in a failed attack.Odd, considering how the consensus generally is that they can't predict what he does. Ferrier's not good at the politics of this, and lets slip the Lieutenant's name before anyone mentions it.Further questioning does him no favours, and he's forced to bring out a thermal detonator to quiet things down. The wraith watches the other ship captains while Karrde is brought at gunpoint to the bridge. He flashes the external lights to draw attention, then takes off as requested. He lands near Ferrier's ship, and calls down to his wraith, who has since been taken out by the other ship captains. He leaves anyway, wraps the parked ships in a net... but Mazzic's fighters are still hiding nearby.

Great chapter all round. The smugglers and the Noghri are my favourite parts of these books, I think. There's a real 'trick-countertrick-countercountertrick' flow that's missing in some of the other arcs.

Which brings us back to the point about military genius; Thrawn had a plan to eliminate Karrde and the datacards were no doubt flawlessly doctored by Imperial Intelligence, but he was dependent on Niles Ferrier to carry it out. And Niles, as we should have been warned when Thrawn and Niles had discussed the plan after Thrawn grabbed Mazzic and let him go, is simply too stupid to pull off this kind of intrigue.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Fyraltari]

Ferrier lets slip the Lieutenant's name before anyone mentions it.

I like that forgetting he has more info that the opposing party is a constant thing with Ferrier. I know there was another instance of this but I especially remember that this is exactly how the Good GuysTM learned Thrawn's name: Ferrier's stupidity.

Which brings us back to the point about military genius; Thrawn had a plan to eliminate Karrde and the datacards were no doubt flawlessly doctored by Imperial Intelligence, but he was dependent on Niles Ferrier to carry it out. And Niles, as we should have been warned when Thrawn and Niles had discussed the plan after Thrawn grabbed Mazzic and let him go, is simply too stupid to pull off this kind of intrigue.

Something I really like about these books is the contrasts Emperor/Vader vs C'Baoth/Thrawn.

In this case, Thrawn loses because he tolerated failures (and even outright betrayals, looking at you Mara Jade strangling him) in his underlings and associates. Vader would have just choked the fools.

EDIT: It is like Thrawn refuses to get rid of anyone who could have any use to him in the future even when the risks/gains ratio is far too high.

[pendell]

All Ferrier had to do was 1) Have the Defel slip in the card into Niles' files. 2) Sit down and shut up. That's it. Mazzic and the others would have killed card without Niles putting his oar in, but he just wouldn't leave well enough alone. Too much ego to sit passively, not enough brains to be be the puppet master.

We've got some werewolf game veterans reading this; am I the only one who is reminded of those dynamics in this scene? Ferrier makes me think of a first-time wolf, just a little too eager to start a bandwagon on a villager, letting slip knowledge that a villager shouldn't know.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[The Glyphstone]

Regarding the ysalamiri, I took a peek at WalkingCarpetPedia, which says

Ysalamiri did not actually negate the Force; since all existence was infused with Force energy, this would not be possible. Rather, they projected a bubble inside which users were unable to exert any influence over the Force. A single bubble measured up to 10 meters in diameter; large groups of ysalamiri could extend their collective bubble by kilometers, but only in great numbers.

[Fyraltari]

Regarding the ysalamiri, I took a peek at WalkingCarpetPedia, which says

WalkkingCarpetPedia. With two "k".

[hamishspence]

Regarding the ysalamiri, I took a peek at WalkingCarpetPedia, which says

That slightly understates things - people outside the bubble cannot affect things inside the bubble, even if their own powers still function perfectly for everything else.

Hence C'baoth's Force Lightning not entering the bubble when he shoots it at Thrawn.

[The Glyphstone]

That slightly understates things - people outside the bubble cannot affect things inside the bubble, even if their own powers still function perfectly for everything else.

Hence C'baoth's Force Lightning not entering the bubble when he shoots it at Thrawn.

I could still see that meeting the criteria, if you interpreted Force powers like Lightning being an extension of the wielder's Force control across a distance, rather than an independent effect. Basically in D&D terms, Force Lightning is Evocation and the Ysalamir effect is an Antimagic Sphere. You could still use the Force to levitate a rock and fling it at someone inside a bubble, but not sense, lightning, or mind control them.

[Fyraltari]

And as far as the Ysalamiri, my explanation, and this is headcanon I definitely made up just this instant, is that they work like wave cancelers, like noise canceling headphones. They have some innate, natural way of detecting waves in the force and can send out a counter wave, a valley for every mountain, smoothing it out. The Force is still present, it's just utterly silent, as if it weren't there at all.

After all, the Force is an energy field. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds us together. And Jedi sense disturbances in the Force.

I support this.

I could still see that meeting the criteria, if you interpreted Force powers like Lightning being an extension of the wielder's Force control across a distance, rather than an independent effect. Basically in D&D terms, Force Lightning is Evocation and the Ysalamir effect is an Antimagic Sphere. You could still use the Force to levitate a rock and fling it at someone inside a bubble, but not sense, lightning, or mind control them.

Yeah Force Lightning doesn't behave like actual lightning anyway so i might as well not be made of electricity altogether.

[Sapphire Guard]

Although even if not, why not consider that animals could naturally develop the ability to sense through the Force, and use it to hunt? The Force is a natural phenomenon, after all.

Absolutely, but if the reflex is used to hunt ysalamir, wouldn't they be drawn to absences of the Force rather than Force wielders? On myrkr, that's going to just lead you to another vornskyr, and you have a fight on your hands instead of a meal.

It's not bad or wrong, just feels a bit strange to me.

Re Ferrier, a bad card is better than no card, Thrawn didn't have another way into that meeting. The Defel was spotted by Karrde's security, which put Karrde's guard up and gave him enough breathing room to cast doubt on Ferrier. One thing I did like was that while Ferrier's no politician, he's still a good ship thief and his getaway plan was pretty solid.

Oh, one more thing... why is under the table mercenary work logged in the Imperial records, and how could Lieutenant Kosk not hear that the local garrisons were under strict orders to leave the meeting alone?

CH19:

On Wayland, R2 is stuck in tree roots. Luke is cutting vines, which they've learned is a good way to trigger random encounters. This time it doesn't happen, but there's some suspicious whistling. Recently, the predators are ignoring the party, which is weird. Han decides to find out what happened to a vacant nest, and finds the bird with a knife in it not far away, killed in flight with a single stab. Either C'Baoth is having the natives clear them a path, or they've got hidden Noghri backup. I seem to remember Noghri also being difficult to sense through the Force, did I imagine that?

R2 gets stuck again before nightfall, and they call a halt. Mara and Luke sense minds, which then leave. Not a great sign. Emperor Palpatine's ghost swings by for his usual heartwarming message, and Luke decides to give Mara a crash course in Force skills before they arrive at the mountain.

In the war room, Wedge is called for a meeting. He talks to a colleague who has just been pulled from a recently defeated system. The Clones are a force to be reckoned with in combat, apparently.

The meeting starts. The rebels need a Crystal gravfield trap to clear the asteroids from Coruscant, so they're going to get one. There's a lightly guarded one at Tangrene they've been making moves towards, and a heavily guarded one at Bilbringi they're actually going to take.

Leia wakes to a Force vision of Mara and Luke. It's important, but will wait until morning.

CH20:

After a successful battle, Pellaeon receives a report about the Rebel preparations for Tangrene.

Karrde's people have reported the Rebels Tangrene attack for a CGT. So he decides to go for the one at Bilbringi during the other battle. Um...oops. They talk shop and have Ghent check on the battle plans.

In Coruscant, Admiral Drayson picks up on the 'shooting through shields' trick and the cloaking, thanks to Karrde's data. Leia resists the urge to blame Fey'lya for losing the Katana fleet.

Drayson points out that Karrde is drawing on a new republic credit line. Not sure if that's a real one or Ghent's work. Mon Mothma retroactively authorises it.

Winter takes a call, and passes on the co-ordinates for Wayland. But they can't do anything about it because Bilbringi prep is under way.

...Really? This is a Galactic Republic, and they can't fight two battles at once? While I just finished defending the scale of the war, that's very strange.

Fey'lya, speaking for the first time in weeks, points out that Wayland is far more important than relieving the siege of Coruscant, but is overruled. Leia suspects an ulterior motive because this is Fey'lya, even though he is absolutely correct.

Rukh jumpscares Pellaeon as is traditional, even though Pellaeon is getting incredibly tired of it by now. Thrawn is viewing Admiral Akbar's early work as an artist, and works by Bel Ibliss, and from it concludes the Rebels real plan, exposing Tangrene as a feint.

Sigh. It's stuff like this that makes Thrawn uncompelling. The book refuses to allow him to be wrong, even to the point of just dropping the Rebel plans into his mind without any information to draw the conclusion. People with actual precognition and mind reading powers in this setting have to work harder than that to discern their enemies' intentions. There are other ways he could have learned this if it's necessary for him to discover the feint.

[Jallorn]

Absolutely, but if the reflex is used to hunt ysalamir, wouldn't they be drawn to absences of the Force rather than Force wielders? On myrkr, that's going to just lead you to another vornskyr, and you have a fight on your hands instead of a meal.

It's not bad or wrong, just feels a bit strange to me.

I don't think that's the order of things. I think the vornskr learned to hunt through the force, detecting life by its disruption, and one species, that became the ysalamiri, learned to hide their presence in response. There's no reason to believe that there aren't other animals the vornskr primarily hunt, after all. And, sure, Star Wars likes their mono-climate planets, but perhaps the region of Myrkr our characters were on has lots of ysalamiri, but there's other climates and other regions where they don't thrive so well.

[Keltest]

I don't think that's the order of things. I think the vornskr learned to hunt through the force, detecting life by its disruption, and one species, that became the ysalamiri, learned to hide their presence in response. There's no reason to believe that there aren't other animals the vornskr primarily hunt, after all. And, sure, Star Wars likes their mono-climate planets, but perhaps the region of Myrkr our characters were on has lots of ysalamiri, but there's other climates and other regions where they don't thrive so well.

Pretty much this. They use the Force as an additional sense, which is their primary sense while hunting. What the ysalamiri do basically shuts down feedback from that sense. It doesn't cripple them, but it does make them go after other prey that doesn't functionally blind them.

[hamishspence]

Groups of ysalamiri reinforce each other, creating larger bubbles. Luke doesn't get his Force-senses back until they are in orbit over Myrkr.

This would suggest that the vornskrs are always in ysalamir fields (hence Luke being unable to use the Force while fighting the vornskrs that are drawn to him).

Hence my conclusion that the field does not suppress a vornskr's Force senses as much as it does a Jedi's - the co-evolution has meant that the vornskrs are able to overcome the field, at least partially.