Skirmish in OR-Kappa-2722

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based oncanonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Skirmish in OR-Kappa-2722

Prelude[]

Following theBattle of Jakku, theNew Republic and the remnants of theGalactic Empire signed theGalactic Concordance which ended theGalactic Civil War. It also limited the Imperial remnants' ability to wage war and to acquire advanced military weapons andstarships. Eventually, these Imperial remnants re-established themselves as theFirst Order in theUnknown Regions before later remerging to take shape as the ruling authority for a number ofstar systems previously aligned with theCentrists that hadseceded from the New Republic to join the Empire's successor.^[1][4] Sometime after theBattle of Endor, the First Order began to test the resolve of the Republic by making isolated strikes into Republic space. On onesuch incident, the First Order commandeered thefreighterYissira Zyde and fought with theT-85 X-wing squadron,Rapier Squadron. During the dogfight, thepilotMuran waskilled when hisstarfighter was shattered by the hijacked freighter's jump intohyperspace.^[1]

Poe Dameron, thecommander of Rapier Squadron, advocated investigating what the freighter was hauling and tracking its trajectory. However, he was overruled by his superiorMajorLonno Deso, who stressed thatRepublic Command viewed these skirmishes as isolated incidents and did not regard the a First Order as a serious threat to the New Republic. Defying Major Deso's orders, Poe conferred with his fellow pilotsKaré Kun andIolo Arana and outlined his plan to track down theYissira Zyde. To avoid getting his colleagues into trouble, Poe stressed that he was going alone. With the help of hisastromech droidBB-8, Poe discovered that the freighter was carrying 46 high-capacity charging arrays which could be converted for military use.^[1]

The skirmish[]

After Poe's fellow pilots had their astromechdroids upload all telemetry from the Suraz engagement into BB-8, Poe departed alone on his T-85X-wing into hyperspace. Using the combined data, Poe decided to randomly visit one of the five possible places that theYissira Zyde had traveled to. At random, BB-8 picked the remoteOR-Kappa-2722system. Upon exiting hyperspace, Poe's starfighter encountered afleet of First Orderwarships including threeStar Destroyers, fourfrigates, twoMaxima-A-class heavy cruisers, and oneDissident-class light cruiser. Before BB-8 could pick out the location of theYissira Zyde, they were attacked by twelveTIE/fo space superiority fighters.^[1]

While BB-8 tracked the location of the freighter, Poe used his starfighter to lead the TIEs on a wild pursuit. Using several starfighter maneuvers, Poe managed to outrun his First Order pursuers. Two of the TIEs were clipped by friendly fire, causing them to spiral into out of control arcs. About four TIE fighters collided with each other and exploded with Poe narrowly escaping destruction himself. While flying circles around the First Order fleet, BB-8 managed to track down theYissira Zyde's transponder signal to the second of the three Star Destroyers. Having completed their mission, Poe did aL'ulo Stand maneuver before making a jump into hyperspace.^[1]

Aftermath[]

Despite learning the contents of theYissira Zyde's cargo and finding the freighter's location, Poe Dameron's actions got him into trouble with the New Republic authorities onMirrin Prime. Upon returning, he was ordered by Mirrin Control to land at Landing Bay 22. There, he was detained byMajorCaluan Ematt and twoshore police who summoned him for a private meeting withGeneralLeia Organa, the leader of theResistance, a splinter group of theNew Republic Defense Force that monitored the activities of the First Order and believed that the Republic was ignoring the threat posed by the Imperial loyalists.^[1]

After learning about Poe's actions and theYissira Zyde, Leia offered Poe the opportunity to join the Resistance. She pointed out that his unsanctioned mission was a violation of Republic military protocol that amounted to the theft of a Republic X-wing. While she had the power to whitewash Poe's unauthorized trip to OR-Kappa-2722, she conceded that he would have to operate within a military hierarchy that was reluctant to take action against the First Order. Due to Poe's idealism and strong desire to fight the First Order, Leia counseled Poe to leave theRepublic Starfleet and join the Resistance. Poe accepted Leia's offer and was accompanied by his comrades Kare and Iolo.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

The Skirmish in OR-Kappa-2722 first appeared inGreg Rucka's three-arc junior novelBefore the Awakening. It served as a conflict that helped develop Poe Dameron's character and to explain his role in the2015 movieStar Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. It also explored the relationship between the First Order, the New Republic, and the Resistance.

In official artwork, Poe's T-85 X-wing is mistakenly portrayed by hisT-70 X-WingBlack One from the films; this is because the canonical design of the T-85 was not finalized nor shown in fiction until the 2018 animated seriesStar Wars Resistance. The same mistake is present in artistic depictions of theSuraz engagement.

Appearances[]

• Before the Awakening(andaudiobook)(First appearance, in book)
• Poe and the Missing Ship(reprinted inGalactic Adventures Storybook Collection)

Sources[]

• Star Wars Helmet Collection: Ello AstyWeapons & Uniforms: Black Squadron(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: Timelines

Notes and references[]