Skirmish on Cantros 7

The Skirmish on Cantros 7 was a preliminary skirmish of the Nagai-Tof invasion of 4 ABY

Buildup
After being foiled at the Battle of Kashyyyk, the Nagai Commander Knife decided to hire a mercenary to inflict more damage on the Alliance of Free Planets. Knife contacted the Cantrosian Durne to stir up trouble in the Cantros system. Durne was incredibly successful. He infiltrated two separate groups of Rebels on the planet of Cantros 7, eventually becoming the head of both groups' intelligence networks.

In this position, Durne was able to control what information reached each separate group. To incite violence between the two, Durne informed both groups that the other one was working for the Galactic Empire. Afraid of any threat, the opposing sides readily accepted Durne's lies, carrying out deadly strikes on each other, never suspecting the truth of the situation. Durne even stopped communication which was slowly reaching other worlds far from the Rebellion's headquarters. Neither group became aware that Palpatine had died at Endor due to this manipulation.

It was this situation that the Rebel heroes, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo came across when they witnessed an X-wing piloted by the Cantrosian, Minka being hunted down by three Y-wings. Although the three Rebels were suspicious that two types of crafts working for the Rebellion were fighting each other, they helped the outnumbered X-wing, shooting down the Y-wings in the Millennium Falcon

Battle
After confronting Minka about the situation, Luke, Leia, and Han returned to Cantros 7 to investigate the situation. No record of Imperial involvement in the Cantros system had ever been documented, which made the apparent threat of the Empire baffling. The three Rebels talked with Durne, but still filling his role as a Nagai agent, he only served to blur the points of contention. Alongside Minka and her sweetheart Sami, Luke, Leia, and Han decided to fly to the other side of the planet and investigate the so-called Imperials.

On arrival, however, Luke, Han and Sami were captured by the opposing group of Cantrosians. Leia and Minka were able to discreetly escape, tailing the captors party back to their base. As captives of the opposing side, Luke, Han, and Sami quickly learned Durne's role in the conflict, witnessing his position as head of intelligence for the other side. Durne tried to cover up the whole situation by declaring the three Rebels spies and tried to quickly execute them. Luckily, Leia and Minka who had quietly entered the base were able to stop action, and Leia blasted Durne's weapon out of his hand.

Unfortunately, the shot convinced the opposing Cantrosians that they were dealing with real Imperials, and they opened fire on Leia and Minka. A shoot out ensued, but Leia was able to release Luke, Han, and Sami from their bonds. As the blasterfire intensified, Durne decided to seize an open opportunity. Realizing that the opposing Cantrosians would certainly continue the fight if he secretly assassinated their leader, Durne prepared to fire on Niru, the voice of reason in the opposing group. Unfortunately for Durne's plans, Luke sensed the devious action, blocking Durne's shot with his lightsaber. The blast was reflected back at Durne striking him in the arm. The opposing Cantrosians witnessed the Jedi saving their leader, and immediately stopped the fighting.

Aftermath
Although Durne tried to escape the battlefield, Niru was quick enough to trip him up, and he went sprawling to the ground. The Cantrosians took Durne prisoner and tied him up, promising to make sure that he answer a lot of questions about his actions. Leia was able to explain to the opposing Cantrosians the terrible plan which Durne had enacted, and the two Cantrosian groups had a tearful reconciliation.

Although both sides had killed plenty of their brothers, they promised to work together to form a bond of friendship. With the catastrophe halted, Leia, Han, and Luke returned to the Alliance of Free Planets for their next assignment. It was not until much later that the group would discover Commander Knife to have been the originator behind the plot.

Appearances

 * ''Star Wars 93: Catspaw