Assault on an Imperial outpost

"Signal intelligence just finished decryption on a batch of Imperial transmissions broadcast before what was left of their fleet turned and ran. The good news is that they're in total chaos. The bad news is that we've got an Imperial holdout on the far side of the moon and they're dug in, waiting for any opportunity to counterattack. Seems no one told them they lost."

- General Han Solo, to the Pathfinders

Following the Battle of Endor, a Rebel Alliance strike team known as the Pathfinders carried out an assault on an Imperial outpost on Endor. The outpost was manned by Imperial holdouts who were looking for an opportunity to counterattack after the Galactic Empire was defeated during the Battle of Endor. Not wanting to leave a battalion of Imperials behind on the moon, General Han Solo led the strike team in an assault on the base. The group emerged victorious and brought with them Imperial intelligence stating that the Empire still had plans after the Battle of Endor. Contrary to what the Rebellion had hoped, and although the Empire was in chaos following their shattering defeat on Endor, the intelligence meant that the Galactic Civil War was not yet over.

Prelude
"The Emperor has made a critical error, and the time for our attack has come."

- Chancellor Mon Mothma of the Rebel Alliance, before the Battle of Endor

During the later stages of the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched a massive attack against its wartime enemy, the Galactic Empire, over the forest moon of Endor. Their objective was to destroy the Death Star II, an Imperial battle station capable of destroying entire worlds, and kill Darth Sidious, the ruler of the Galactic Empire. The Alliance Fleet assaulted the Death Star and the Imperial fleet over Endor, while General Han Solo of the Rebellion led a team known as the Pathfinders onto the surface of Endor to destroy the generator powering the Death Star's shields. The strike team was assisted by the planet's native species, the primitive Ewoks, along with whom they were able to overwhelm the Imperial troops on the moon and destroy the generator. The battle in orbit led to the death of the Emperor and his chief enforcer, Darth Vader, as well as the battle station's destruction.

The battle's end saw the retreat of most Imperial forces from Endor, however one outpost remained on the far side of the moon from where the Rebels were located. The Rebels themselves regrouped on the surface in order to celebrate in Bright Tree Village, the home of the Ewoks who helped them defeat the Empire. Many Rebels celebrated their victory, including Rebel pilot Shara Bey and her husband, Pathfinder Kes Dameron.

The attack
"The Ewoks did us a good turn, and General Madine feels&mdash;and I agree&mdash;that it would be rude to leave a company of bucketheads in their backyard. So we're going to finish this, once and for all."

- General Han Solo, to the Pathfinders

The morning after the Battle of Endor, Solo reassembled the Pathfinders and told them that, while the Empire was in complete chaos after their loss, the Rebels had discovered the Imperial outpost on the far side of the moon. Knowing that the Imperial holdouts were looking for an opportunity to counterattack against the Rebel Alliance, and not wanting to leave Imperials on the planet for the Ewoks to contend with alone, Solo and Alliance General Crix Madine determined that the Pathfinders would attack the outpost. Solo outlined the plan for the Pathfinders, which was to hit the base as hard as they could with limited air cover, and Bey volunteered to be the pilot that provided air support.

Bey piloted the Rebel soldiers to the base, bringing the transport in hot in order to mask their approach. Once the ship was above the base, the Rebels opened fire on the troops on the ground, including stormtroopers and an All Terrain Scout Transport. The Imperial troops were quickly overwhelmed, and the Pathfinders disembarked from the transport in order to fight the Imperials head on. They fought their way towards the base while Bey continued firing on the outpost with the ship, taking out its defenses. They remained in the base for some time, while Bey kept the ship parked outside of the outpost as night began to fall.

While inside, the Pathfinders found a great deal of data in the Imperial computers. They returned to the transport once they were finished analyzing it, bringing with them information about Imperial communications traffic and even plans that the Empire had for after the Battle of Endor. This information led Solo to one conclusion: the war was not yet over.

Behind the scenes
The assault on the Imperial outpost on Endor was depicted in the 2015 comic book Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part I by Greg Rucka, with art by Marco Checchetto. The comic tells the story of the events immediately following the film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing series.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part I