Attack on an asteroid mining station

Previous	Battle of Hoth
Attack on an asteroid mining station
Date	3 ABY
Place	An asteroid mining station
Outcome	Alliance victory
Combatants
Alliance to Restore the Republic
Commanders
Red Leader Commander Wedge Antilles
Units
Red Squadron
Strength
12 T-65B X-wing starfighters
At least 6 fighters and gunboats:† At least 3 Z-95 Headhunters† At least 1 Nighthawk fighter† At least 1 interceptor† 1 modified freighter†
Casualties
3 X-wings: Barlon Hightower Ix Ixstra Penn Zowlie
All pirate forces

"The chancellor fears our location has been compromised. She thinks we need to abandon the rendezvous point."

―The Contessa, to Wedge Antilles

An attack took place on a pirate base by the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. The proximity of the base to the Alliance Fleet's rendezvous point following the evacuation of Hoth threatened their safety. Commander Wedge Antilles led the newly reformed Red Squadron in attack to destroy the base and all its pirates.

Prelude

"The pirates have compromised our security at a time when we're still waiting for high-value Alliance personnel to arrive. That gives us two alternatives. The first is we jump to the backup muster point and hope the missing can find us. The second is we destroy the pirates. We've chosen to destroy them."

―Wedge Antilles, briefs the squadron

Shortly after the evacuation of Hoth in 3 ABY, the Seventh Division of Rebel Alliance Navy had regrouped at a predetermined rendezvous point and were still waiting for high-value personnel to return. Fearing that leaders such as Luke Skywalker was never going to return, the Contessa promoted Wedge Antilles to the rank of commander and tasked him with rebuilding his squadron. Antilles, along with his newly appointed executive officer, Lieutenant Wes Janson, recruited pilots into a reformed Red Squadron. They were given only days to complete their training before being assigned a mission. A nearby asteroid housing an old mining station was being used as a pirate base, which threatened the safety of the Alliance's rendezvous point, and therefore had to be destroyed. Red Squadron initially launched a scouting mission to gather intelligence and plan the mission over the following day.

Battle

"Landing field's locked in, watch your vectors—Wes's and Bela's flights will be coming in at twelve o'clock. Stay out their flight path."

―Wedge Antilles, to his flights

Antilles, led the squadron, in a pincer maneuvre on the pirate base, using two flights of three X-wings that converged from opposite directions with the objective of total destruction. The squadron was split into four flights: Antilles' and Janson's flights hit the targets on the landing field, while Scotian's and Elar's flights ran interference for Antilles' and Janson's flights respectively. Sila Kott and Tomer Darpen formed Antilles's wingmates, Keyser Salm and Barlon Hightower were Janson's, Ix Ixstra and Cinda Tarheel were Will Scotian's, and finally Grizz Frix and Penn Zowlie were Bela Elar's. The pirates launched Z-95 Headhunters, a Nighthawk fighter and an interceptor, resulting in a dogfight with the squadron's X-wing cover. Janson's torpedos took out the hangar, however Elar spotted a modified freighter, the pirate mothership, that tried to escape. Antilles, however, managed to destroy it before it was able to make the jump to hyperspace.

Aftermath

"Your bravery has given us something precious in wartime—time. To gather those who have yet to find us. To recoup our strength. And to ensure that those we've lost will not have died in vain."

―Mon Mothma, to Red Squadron

Of the twelve pilots that participated, only nine returned from the mission to the fleet's flagship Home One, after the deaths of Barlon Hightower, Ix Ixstra and Penn Zowlie. However, the mission was ultimately successful and the Alliance's rendezvous point remained safe. Ultimately, Organa, Skywalker, and the crew of the Millennium Falcon would reunite with the Fourth Division instead of Antilles' group, only reuniting with Antilles, Red Squadron, and the Seventh Division during the battle at Elessia. Mothma, meanwhile, was part of the Eleventh Division by the time of the Battle of Ab Dalis.

Appearances

• "Rendezvous Point" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (and audiobook) (First appearance)