Rendezvous on Barkhesh

"Rogue Squadron, this is General Rieekan. One of our shuttles will rendezvous with a small convoy from local resistance on Barkhesh, which must first travel through enemy territory. They carry equipment and supplies vital to the Rebellion. Your mission is to rendezvous with that convoy and escort it to the landing zone. Good luck."

- General Carlist Rieekan's briefing

A battle was fought on the planet Barkhesh between Alliance to Restore the Republic forces under the command of General Carlist Rieekan&mdash;allied with native Barkhesh Resistance forces&mdash;and the Galactic Empire in 0.5 ABY. Following the evacuation of Yavin Base after the Battle of Yavin, the Alliance needed to recoup the large number of supplies either left behind on Yavin 4 or destroyed by Imperial forces during the evacuation.

The Barkhesh Resistance offered supplies to the Alliance, and a Rebel Lambda-class T-4a shuttle was assigned to rendezvous with a Barkhesh supply convoy and pick them up. Because of Imperial forces in the region, Commander Luke Skywalker and Rogue Squadron were assigned to escort duty. The Rogues protected the vital convoy as it moved from a supply base to the landing zone, engaging TIE bombers, All Terrain Scout Transports, and static turbolaser defenses. Rogue Squadron eliminated the enemy presence, and the cargo transfer proceeded unhindered.

Prelude
"All right, Rogue Group, the supply vehicles have begun moving. Their escort will follow shortly."

- General Carlist Rieekan

Following the evacuation of Yavin Base in the wake of the Battle of Yavin, the Alliance to Restore the Republic found itself short on critical supplies. To this end, the Barkhesh Resistance, based on the planet Barkhesh in the Seitia sector of the Outer Rim Territories, offered to transfer several transports worth of supplies to the Alliance. General Carlist Rieekan oversaw the operation, which would require the transports to traverse a series of canyons between their supply base and the predetermined landing zone. Aware that local Imperial forces would attempt to stop the operation, Rieekan assigned Rogue Squadron, led by Commander Luke Skywalker, to fly escort for the convoy.

The battle
"Luke, we've already got trouble. Probe droids.''" "''Pick your targets and go."

- Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker

Commander Skywalker, leading a five-fighter formation of T-65 X-wing starfighters, arrived at the designated coordinates on Barkhesh to hook up with the Resistance's convoy and immediately encountered Viper probe droids near the supply base. Rogue Squadron made short work of a group of four of them, then engaged a second group of four shortly after flying over the supply base and rendezvousing with the convoy proper. With the immediate area clear of threats, the supply convoy&mdash;consisting of five large armed transports and three small combat vehicles&mdash;began to move out toward the landing zone.

The local Imperial forces had placed six All Terrain Scout Transports in the canyons between the supply base and the landing zone, in addition to static turbolaser defenses mounted on both the ridges and on the canyon floor. Six TIE bombers were also deployed to destroy the convoy. Rogue Squadron was forced to deal with each threat to ensure the safety of the convoy, employing both lasers and proton torpedoes. Successfully eliminating the immediate threat, Skywalker and the Rogues also engaged a small Imperial base not far from the landing zone. Although defended by two AT-STs, a turbolaser mounted on a tall turret, and several stormtroopers, the base was destroyed.

Aftermath
"The shuttle is clear. She'll pick up the rest of this cargo. The Rebel Alliance will appreciate those supplies, especially after we lost Yavin Base."

- General Carlist Rieekan

With enemy forces in the region cleared, an Alliance Lambda-class T-4a shuttle landed on the planet and effected the cargo transfer with the convoy from the Barkhesh Resistance. The cargo provided by the Barkhesh rebels would assist the Alliance in replenishing the supplies lost during the evacuation of Yavin Base.

Behind the scenes
The battle was a minor skirmish featured in the second level&mdash;entitled Rendezvous on Barkhesh&mdash;of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, a game for both the Nintendo 64 and the PC, released in 1998. The player takes on the role of Luke Skywalker during the mission. To get a gold medal on the level&mdash;the highest ranking a player can achieve in a mission&mdash;one must ensure that all friendly units are kept safe, and that at least thirty enemies are destroyed. To achieve this, the player must destroy the Imperial units located at the small base away from the battle zone. The mission can be completed without destroying all Imperial forces, and with friendly casualties, although the mission score will suffer as a result. The mission was later referenced in 2012's The Essential Guide to Warfare.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron