The Empire Reborn fleet captured the mining colony on the planet Artus Prime. With its main export of Force-sensitive Artusian crystals the mine was a vital target in the Shadowtrooper project. The miners became prisoners and test subjects for the force crystal experiments.
Kyle Katarn sabotages the mining operation before the battle.
After the Kejim Outpost investigation, Mon Mothma sent the mercenaries Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors to Artus Prime to infiltrate the hostile grounds and confirm the mining of Artusian crystals. They discovered arrayed against them nearly 230 Imperials with three ATSTs and TIE/LN starfighters.
Katarn entered the facility and, battling hostile forces, released the prisoners from their cells, who soon armed themselves. They attempted to escape, but the main gate was closed and guarded by three AT-ST walkers, one in the canyon, another on the higher level near the main gate, and another in a hangar at the other end of the canyon. Katarn eliminated the walkers using the base's turbolasers. He then turned off powerful shields that protected the ion cannons, then moved on to use the turbolasers to destroy the ion cannons to allow the New Republic fleet to enter the system.
A shootout between several prisoners and stormtroopers.
With the ion cannons destroyed, Jan Ors was able to touch down on the colony with the Raven's Claw while the Republic deployed an evacuation transport for the prisoners. Upon landing, Ors was captured by the Dark Jedi Desann. Realizing something was wrong, Katarn fought his way to the landing pad. It was actually a trap for Katarn. Once Tavion, Desann's apprentice, had secured Ors and taken her inside Desann's shuttle, an enraged Katarn attacked Desann, but without a lightsaber or a connection to the Force, he was easily defeated. Hoisted off the ground by Desann and mocked by the Dark Jedi, Katarn threatened Desann when he suggested that Ors would hold up to experiments better than the Artus Prime colonists. Upon hearing these words, Desann ordered Tavion to kill Ors. Katarn heard Ors's scream as Tavion appeared to kill Ors, bringing out Katarn's rage. Desann threw him aside and fled with Tavion in his shuttle.
Provoked by Desann's taunt about how weak he had become, Katarn traveled to the Valley of the Jedi to reclaim his force powers, with the Dark Jedi secretly following him. The Republic fleet reclaimed the mining colony after bombarding it.
The mission appears in the 2002 video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia