Battle of the secret armada

After obtaining the route coordinates for the Imperial armada carrying the Teezl, a one-of-a-kind creature that would allow the Empire secure communications, the Rebel Alliance prepared the next phase of Operation Earplug. They assigned four Flying Bantha Squadron pilots to perform the final task of the operation: an almost certain suicidal infiltration mission that would culminate in the destruction of the Teezl.

The pilots would fly hyperdrive-equipped TIE/LN fighters, blend in with the armada, create havoc to keep the fleet occupied, make their way towards the flagship and fire off one powerful blast that would penetrate the shield, the armored hull and kill the Teezl it was carrying. Luke Skywalker would command the mission, which set off for a system that lay close to the armada's flight path. There, the group attacked a TIE patrol, and forced one of the pilots to reveal the code that would allow the fighters to pass the armada's sentry ships.

Gaining access, the Rebel TIEs split off, chose random ships to target and began the mayhem and confusion which would spread throughout the Imperial fleet. The commanders of the damaged vessels followed standard procedure and counterattacked, but since it was unclear which ships had hit the targets, the warships lashed out at random, hitting dozens of TIE fighters and even other capital ships, causing an escalation of confusion that spread throughout the fleet.

Admiral Giel kept his cool, though, and accurately guessed that the Rebels had planted rogue TIEs to sow confusion. He ordered the Teezl to be used to fill all available comm channels with static, to prevent further communication between the Rebels. When activated, the Teezl forced Luke Skywalker to rely only on his Force abilities to identify friend from foe, as he finally reached the area of Giel's vessel where the Teezl was kept. Being fired upon by defensive guns, he noticed a TIE fighter between him and the flagship. Using the Force to identify the pilot as an enemy, he fired on it and cleared the way for the main, powered-up shot. The shot hit the vessel, smashing through the hull and killing the Teezl instantly.

With the mission completed, Luke fled the area, being chased by enemy fighters and using a patrol ship as temporary shield, before gaining enough time to activate his hyperdrive. As a result of the loss of the Teezl, Admiral Giel was demoted to lieutenant and reassigned. His ship was presumably led to a dock for repairs.

• "ComicScan: Paint Him Black" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 11
• "ComicScan: Luke-ing For Love In All The Wrong Places" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7
• "The Emperor's Pawns" — Star Wars Gamer 5
• The New Essential Chronology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, II, III
• The Forgotten War: The Nagai and the Tofs on Hyperspace
• "Red Five" — Star Wars Insider 137