Battle in the Turkana system
- "Your mission became entangled in an elaborate Imperial plan of deception and misdirection. However, the information you have given us is an added victory for the Alliance."
- ―Admiral Gial Ackbar to Keyan Farlander
The Battle in the Turkana system was a Rebel attack against the Imperial corvette Talon near Turkana. It was Keyan Farlander's first mission. The Rebels captured the corvette and a copy of a top secret Imperial document.
Prelude
- "Do we take the transport when we leave, destroy it, or abandon it?"
"Carry out the mission objectives and retreat immediately. We want as few casualties on this mission as possible. And we don't want any complications. Just hit hard, hit fast, and get out!" - ―Captain Charger and Admiral Gial Ackbar
Alliance Intelligence agents noticed that the Galactic Empire was taking precautions to make Talon look unimportant and that it actually contained important cargo, though whether this was information or a passenger was unclear. However, Darth Vader himself was known to be on the move and it was believed that he may, possibly, have been onboard. They also learned that it would be traveling to Celanon City with a skeleton crew and would have minimal escort. It was scheduled to be making a brief stop near Turkana.
The Battle
- "Storm Leader to all units. Any of you X-wing jockeys got a spare R2?"
- ―Storm Leader to the Rebel pilots
The Rebel Alliance put together a strike force to attack the ship. The attack was led by the Nebulon-B frigate Liberator, supported by X-wings from Red and Blue Squadrons and Y-wings from Gold Squadron. Involved in the attack were Captain Charger and Cadet Keyan Farlander, flying his first mission as wingman to Lieutenant Hamo Blastwell in Red Squadron.
While Blue Squadron's X-wings assisted Liberator in engaging defending TIE Fighters, the Y-wings used their ion cannons to disable Talon. The ship was then boarded by Storm Unit with Red Squadron protecting their transport from any TIEs that made it past Blue Squadron. Needing an extra R2 unit, Storm Unit asked if any pilots had one to spare. While Storm Unit fought against defending stormtroopers, Farlander and his R2 unit worked their way to the bridge where they deactivated any remaining turbolaser batteries and began downloading data from the ship's computer. He also relieved the Imperial commanding officer of some disks which he was attempting to destroy, killing the officer in the process, before leaving the ship.
In order to make a quick escape before Imperial reinforcements could arrive, the Rebels left Talon where it was.
Aftermath
- "Let me show you what your heroism has recovered for us. It's an Imperial Military Specifications report. Ultra Top Secret."
- ―Mon Mothma to Keyan Farlander
Although Vader had not been aboard, the documents recovered proved to contain important information. These documents included a copy of the top secret Imperial document, Technical Specifications: Spacecraft of the Imperium and the Rebel Alliance, detailing specifications of both Imperial and Rebel spacecraft and providing the Rebels with insight into the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.
After the mission, Keyan Farlander met Admiral Gial Ackbar and Mon Mothma who made him a lieutenant for his heroism during this mission which happened only thirteen days after he had joined the Rebellion.
A simplified version of the mission was later ported to a holosimulator for training for young pilots.
Appearances
- Star Wars: X-Wing (First appearance)
- The Farlander Papers
Sources
- X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide
- X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
1995 Topps Star Wars Galaxy Series 3