TIE Experimental Project

The TIE Experimental Project was a starfighter research project begun by Imperial Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin.

Project overview
The project was initiated in order to develop TIE craft capable of being piloted remotely, probably with the final goal of slaving them to a battle computer. Under the leadership of Director Lenzer, the project, was based at Research Station Obsidian, and initially involved using pilots aboard modified Escort Transports flying the starfighters by remote control. These Escort Transports would attempt to remain outside the combat zone, while computers recorded and analyzed the starfighter pilots performance for later incorporation into the AI systems of fully automated fighter craft.

Investigation by the Liberty
The Rebel Alliance became aware of the project after receiving numerous reports of strange craft conducting raids on commercial shipping in the Vilonis sector. The alarming reports mentioned entire convoys disappearing after swarms of the unknown spacecraft set upon the defenceless freighters. The attacks were so swift that when Alliance fighters responded, by the time they arrived at the scene the only remains were burning debris. Because of this, local shipping firms were afraid to travel the sector, and Rebel High Command directed the MC80a Calamari Cruiser Liberty, under the command of Admiral Yamarus, to investigate.

First encounter
The first strong intelligence was gleaned during a staff transfer from the Calamari Cruiser Defiance to the Liberty. During a realspace transit of the Belat system, the staff convoy intercepted a distress call from nearby, and two A-wings from Blue squadron (one of which was piloted by Ace Azzameen) were dispatched to check it out. They arrived in the middle of a battle, where starfighters looking like "some weird new TIE design" were ravaging a convoy. After moving to intercept the raiders, the pilots speculated that these new fighters might be a "secret weapon of the Empire". The Rebels also noted the presence of Escort Transports far outside the battlezone, however these craft escaped into hyperspace when approached. Once the raiders were all destroyed or driven off, the A-wings returned to their rendezvous with the Liberty. There, technicians immediately began analyzing their flight recorders for useful data, and discovered that the enemy craft had "exceptional speed and manoeuvrability", as well as an unusually potent turbolaser (a weapon more commonly found on capital ships. Because of its peculiar design, this fighter was dubbed the TIE Bizarro.

Second encounter
Having completed their analysis of the A-wing data, the Liberty technicians decided that further research demanded that actual examples of these prototype craft needed to be captured. To this end, a scheme was concocted whereby the Alliance would stage a mock-convoy of cargo craft designed to entice whoever controlled these raiders into attacking. Cargo group Sulin was a convoy of computer controlled Mobquet transports that had beem programmed to avoid Imperial customs checkpoints, while transmitting fake transponder data. It was hoped that they would be a suitable lure to ensnare the Imperial prototypes. Escorting the convoy would be Rebel starfighters equipped with ion pulse warheads, designed to disable but not destroy the attacking combatants. However, secrecy was the key to this mission, and it was deemed necessary to conceal Alliance involvement. To this end, a flight of 6 Z-95 Headhunters, designated Bandit Squadron, were dispatched to fulfill this mission.

The lure worked beautifully, and sure enough two squadrons of the experimental TIEs attacked the convoy, in addition to two mysterious escort transports lurking in the background. Surprised by the skill of the rebel pilots in even a low-performace craft such as the Z-95, and one of each type of experimental TIE, and also an escort transport, were swiftly disabled. Not only did the pilots of Bandit Squadron manage to capture the enemy craft, but they were also able to save the majority of the Mobquet transports, as well as destroying all the remaining attacking craft before Heavy Lifter group Atlas came to retrieve the disabled prototypes. The experimental TIEs captured on this mission came in two varieties. The first was clearly a variant on the basic TIE Fighter, but with additional twin wing-mounted laser turrets. Its configuration matched that of an attack force that "came as a deadly surprise to a B-Wing group patrolling too close to an Imperial base". Because of its distinguishing features, it was designated the TIE BigGun. The second craft was a variant on the TIE Interceptor, modified by the addition of two heavy missile magazines outside the wing panels. Again, its design matched that of raiders encountered by Rebel forces: an X-wing squadron had been "severely crippled by this new TIE starfighter". Because of its missile armament, it became known as the TIE Warhead. Lastly, the captured escort transports of Suluk group were revealed to be carrying pilots for the experimental TIEs. Hoever, the life support aboard these vessels had been rigged to "malfunction" were they to be disabled, and the entire crew perished before the Alliance was able to interrogate them. However, the communications equipment found on board was strongly suggestive of the role played by these pilots.

Third encounter
The next encounter with the TIE Experimental Project happened as a result of a lucky intelligence finding. Rebel agents discovered that a cargo facility orbiting Nomlis III in the Kurdin system was involved as a production center in the project. The Alliance sent in a commando strike team aboard the Gamma Class ATR-6 Assault Transport Storm Unit to "infiltrate the installation, steal all pertinent data, and then destroy the facility".

Ambush!
Although successful in this mission, the returning strike team was somehow followed back to the Liberty, whereupon a large-scale assault on the Rebel cruiser was mounted by several waves of experimental TIEs. However, due to the immense bravery and skill of the Liberty's pilots, the attack was thwarted, although the cruiser suffered heavy damage.

Two new types of experimental TIE were encountered during this ambush. The first was simply a modified TIE hull packed with explosives, acting as a pilot-guided space bomb. Therefore was almost inevitable that the Rebels named it the TIE Bomb. The last of the prototypes was an incredibly swift fighter, described by Rebel pilot Gwen Habbert as looking "like the Imperials welded an engine booster pack to a simple TIE fighter. Wow, can that thing move!". The description stuck, and the fighter gained the monicker TIE Booster.

The end of the project?
-- After the ambush was defeated, technicians aboard the Liberty decoded the data from the production facility. They determined that the Imperials were, in a project headed by a Director Lenzer, conducting research into revolutionary TIE designs. They discovered that Lenzer was gathering statistics on human pilot combat flying techniques in order to build a new generation of droid fighters many times more lethal that the Vulture droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the clone wars.

The notion of continuously operating squadrons of disposable fighters with "no fatigue, minimal maintenance, and all completely loyal to the Emperor" produced fears that they might "pose a serious threat to the survival of the Rebellion".

Due to the high priority placed on eradication of this enormous threat to the Rebellion, recon flights were dispatched all over nearby systems in order to locate the source of these fighters. It was not long before this strategy achieved results, and the main research base was found.

An all-out assault on the base, identified as the XQ1 Platform Obsidian, was put into action. B-wings and X-wings launched from the Liberty and hypered into the combat area to engage the station. A surprise awaited them. The Imperial Research Ship Sardis was parked close to the station. Scans of the Sardis revealed it to be the next stage in the TIE Experimental Project. Similar to the Droid Control Ship fielded by the Trade Federation at the Blockade of Naboo, this vessel acted as both hangar and control ship for the new TIEs. However, the Imperials had been caught unawares, and the Sardis was unable to perform to its peak, either because it was uncrewed, or its systems were not yet operational. Responding to the rebel attack, transports Tasson launched from the station to ferry pilots to the waiting Escort Transports of Suluk group. Once activated, the pilots onboard were able to bring prototype TIEs into action.

However, the concerted attack and superior tactics exhibited by the Rebels gave them the edge in the battle, and not even the intervention of several TIE Defenders from Shadow Squadron was able to save the Obsidian or the Sardis. Both were destroyed, and the Rebel forces returned to the Liberty jubilant that they had defeated a potent enemy.

Unbeknownst to the Rebels, Admiral Zaarin returned to the wrecked station, and was able to retrieve plentiful data from the systems on board the staion that had survived its destruction remarkably well. It is clear from Zaarin's words at the time that this project was important to him, and had it proceeded much further would have made his later power-grab that much more likely to succeed.

From an historical perspective, it is apparent that Zaarin was permitting Lenzer to prey upon commercial shipping for four reasons:
 * Firstly,gathering combat data for the later stages of the TIE Experimental Project.
 * Secondly, with commercial shipping at a standstill, the Rebels would have had far greater difficulty gaining supplies, as there would be far less civillian traffic for their agents to hide amongst.
 * Thirdly, the attacks might act as a lure to draw out any Rebel forces in the region.
 * Finally, fear of pirate activity was likely to have increased public desire for a strong Imperial presence in the sector, allowing Zaarin to step-up his activities there, perhaps in preparation for his attempted coup against Emperor Palpatine.

TIE Experimental Project Craft

 * TIE Experimental M1, "Bizarro" Experimental TIE design
 * TIE Experimental M2, "BigGun" Experimental TIE design
 * TIE Experimental M3, "Warhead" Experimental TIE design
 * TIE Experimental M4, "Bomb" Experimental TIE design
 * TIE Experimental M5, "Booster" Experimental TIE design
 * Suluk, Beta Class ETR-3 Escort Transport Controller Ship
 * Bretie Facility, Cargo Facility 1 carrying a project datacore
 * Dandi, Xiytiar-class transport carrying comm arrays
 * Vrexlir, Xiytiar-class transport carrying sensors
 * Sardis, Imperial Research Ship
 * Obsidian, XQ1 Research Station
 * Tasson, Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transport
 * Shadow, TIE Defender squadron

Behind the scenes
Although the station Obsidian is destroyed during the final mission of the battle, in the cutscene that follows Admiral Zaarin orders his crew to gather up the wreckage and return to