The Iron Blockade was a conflict that took place throughout the Anoat sector during the Galactic Civil War. It began in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, which saw the death of the Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station at the hands of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In the midst of the Empire's defeat at Endor and the government's insistence that news of the Emperor's death was Rebel propaganda, Imperial Governor Ubrik Adelhard locked down the entire Anoat sector, isolating his citizens from any reports from the ongoing war and knowledge of the Emperor's death. The lockdown led to resistance fighters sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance leading an uprising against the Empire in the sector.
In 4 ABY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched the massive attack on Endor in an attempt to destroy the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station and kill Darth Sidious, the ruler of the Galactic Empire. The Rebel attack was a success; the Death Star was destroyed, the Emperor was killed, and Sidious' chief enforcer, Darth Vader, also perished after killing Sidious to save his son, Luke Skywalker.
Voras the Hutt watches a holographic recording of the Death Star II's destruction
After the Battle of Endor, reports of the Emperor's death and the destruction of the Death Star II began to circulate across the galaxy, including holographic images of the Death Star's destruction. Some of these reports led to mass civilian celebrations on worlds such as Tatooine, Bespin, Naboo, and Coruscant. Upon realizing that the Emperor had been killed, Governor Ubrik Adelhard of the Anoat sector locked down his sector and claimed that the reports of the Emperor's demise were treasonous lies. The Rebel Alliance was on the other side of the blockade and was unable to assist those trapped inside. The blockade threatened the galaxy at large because the Anoat sector was a major supplier of tibanna gas, therefore meaning a lockdown of the sector would prevent much of the galaxy from getting fuel. As such, Rebel General Landonis Balthazar Calrissian, who had served as the Baron Administrator of Cloud City, understood the danger the blockade posed to the fledging New Republic.
The blockade lasted for months on end, forcing citizens of local worlds like Burnin Konn to turn to crime bosses and the black market to obtain the food and supplies they needed to survive. The shortage sparked a substantial demand for smuggled goods. Still, privateer organizations like the Trade Spine League were unable to fly in shipments from outside the sector due to the blockade. Shortpaw, the leader of the Trade Spine League, believed that the abandoned Hutt jewel world Mataou was a potential weak point in the blockade, and he consequently had his forces probe Mataou's Imperial sensor network to pinpoint a vulnerability.
In the absence of the Rebel Alliance, a group of smugglers, bounty hunters, assassins, gangsters, and civilians became resistance fighters. They led an uprising against the sector's Imperial forces. The uprising coalesced around a pair of sibling criminals from Burnin Konn who stumbled upon a transmission from Leia Organa announcing the Emperor's death.
The pair brokered an uneasy alliance between the Ivax Syndicate, the Noble Court, and the Kouhun with assistance from the Trade Spine League against Adelhard and the Imperial forces under his command. During an attempt to kidnap Adelhard's second-in-command, Commander Bragh, one of the siblings colluded with the Ivax Syndicate to betray the other alliance members. The betrayal resulted in the imprisonment of the leader of the Noble Court and several high-ranking Kouhun members. In an attempt to mend the alliance, the other sibling contacted members of the Rebel Alliance trapped in the system and, with their help, found the location of their imprisoned allies.
The Rebel Alliance then broadcast Leia Organa's transmission to the entire Anoat sector, causing riots in Delphon, Council, and Burnin Konn. The riot allowed for the rescue of prisoners from the Crypt, a prison facility located on the moon Pujool. The resulting rescue mended relations among the allies, leading the Ivax Syndicate, the Noble Court, the Kouhun, and the Trade Spine League to scout locations for a joint base of operations to break the blockade. Calrissian eventually returned to Bespin to help liberate it. The blockade was eventually broken, with Lobot playing a key role in its defeat.
The Iron Blockade is the main conflict of the Kabam mobile game Star Wars: Uprising, which was released on September 10, 2015. The conflict is part of the story bridge between the events of the films Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The premature cancellation of the game in November of 2016 led to an abrupt ending, leaving the storyline of the Iron Blockade unresolved.
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