The Aquilaris campaign transpired during the New Sith Wars era, specifically in 1032 BBY. The focal point of this military conflict was the Outer Rim planet known as Aquilaris Minor, situated within the Grumani sector. This was a three-sided war involving Sith Lord Daiman and his Daimanate, the Hutt crime lord Zodoh's criminal empire, and the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order. The Republic and Jedi were represented by Grace Command's Captain Jenn Devaad and Jedi Knight Kerra Holt, respectively. Each faction involved had distinct objectives related to the planet. Sith Lord Daiman had recently taken possession of the planet, filling the power vacuum left by the fall of the Chagras Hegemony. Zodoh's ambition was to extend his influence into traditional Sith territories, employing his new Stormdriver superweapons as a means of intimidating his Sith adversaries. He initially planned to test these weapons on Aquilaris Minor, utilizing their weaponized vaporators to flood the planet. Concurrently, Grace Command aimed to expel the Sith while covertly saturating the population with the narcotic spice Deluge, intending to weaken the Sith war effort through Operation Deluge. Their guise as a paramilitary aid organization masked the unethical agenda of Baron Lemayne. Conversely, Jedi Knight Kerra Holt sought to free the planet from Sith occupation and protect the Aquilarians from the schemes of both Zodoh and the Sith.
Zodoh and Grace Command annihilated Daiman's small garrison, with Grace Command subsequently seizing control of the planet. Zodoh's forces withdrew to the outer reaches of the Aquilaris system, but they set a trap for Devil Squadron. Every member of the squadron was killed, except for Captain Jenn. Zodoh then proceeded to test his Stormdriver fleet on Aquilaris, unleashing a global flood that submerged much of the planet's surface. Following this catastrophe, Jenn managed to escape and disrupt the Stormdrivers' coordination. Despite this minor setback and the destruction of Deluge spice during the escape, Zodoh considered it a success, as it demonstrated the effectiveness of his superweapons. Subsequently, he deployed his fleet to Darkknell, the capital of Daiman's princedom, where Zodoh was defeated through the combined efforts of Kerra and Captain Jenn, who sought retribution for the deaths of her squadron members.
Following Jedi Knight Kerra Holt's experiences within the various Sith principalities of the Grumani sector, she received an urgent message from a member of the Seacroppers' Guild located on Aquilaris Minor. She found transport to Capital Cay, the primary city on Aquilaris Minor. The distress signal was, in fact, a coded request for spacers to deliver Deluge, a highly addictive narcotic. Aquilaris Minor had been Kerra's original home, until she was forced to leave during an invasion by the Chagras Hegemony in 1042 BBY. Over the following years, control of this remote, water-covered world shifted between different Sith Lords. By 1032 BBY, the planet was under the authority of Lord Daiman, the leader of the Daimanate who regarded himself as the "Creator" of the Universe and denied the existence of other sentient life. He forced the people of Aquilaris Minor to harvest seafood for him. To deal with the resulting poverty and hunger, many of the planet's inhabitants became addicted to Deluge, using the spice as a food substitute.
Unbeknownst to Kerra and the Aquilaris locals, the planet had also drawn the attention of two other factions: the Hutt crime lord Zodoh and Grace Command. The ambitious Zodoh had acquired a fleet of Stormdrivers, warships armed with weaponized vaporators capable of creating artificial floods and storms. With Daiman focused on solidifying his new territories in the former Bactranate, Zodoh decided to expand his operations into the Grumani sector. He planned to use Aquilaris Minor as a testing ground for his new Stormdriver weaponry.
Simultaneously, Grace Command, ostensibly a benevolent relief organization, was actually a covert operation orchestrated by the Alderaanian Baron Lemayne. Under the pretense of combating the Sith and providing aid to liberated populations, Grace Command was secretly distributing Deluge spice in Sith territories. This was part of Baron Lemayne's strategy to undermine the Sith war effort without committing substantial Republic resources and personnel. Grace Command dispatched Captain Jenn Devaad's Devil Squadron to "liberate" Aquilaris Minor.
Zodoh's Intruder-class starfighters emerged from hyperspace within Aquilaris Minor's patrol zone and eliminated the Daimanate starfighter defenses. Zodoh's starfighters then devastated the Daimanate garrison in Capital Cay, forcing the Sith to retreat. The garrison commander attempted to escape on a food transport to gather reinforcements from Scepter Cay. However, he and his men were ambushed and killed by Kerra, who had been concealed on the food transport. Kerra then went to the Seacroppers' barracks, where she encountered her old friends Padgett and Joad Kreel. Kerra tried to persuade them to leave Aquilaris with her, only to discover that most of the Seacroppers, except for Padgett, had become addicted to Deluge. She also learned that the distress transmission was actually a coded signal for more spice deliveries.
Shortly after, one of Zodoh's Stormdrivers arrived above Capital Cay and unleashed a stormy deluge over the city, sweeping Daiman's defenders into the sea. Kerra launched a lone attack on Zodoh's Stormdriver with her blaster pistol. Although her blaster bolts failed to damage the ship, it distracted the crew long enough for Devaad's starfighters to destroy the Stormdriver. Captain Devaad's Devil Squadron had just arrived from hyperspace and attacked Zodoh's raiders. Faced with renewed opposition, Zodoh ordered a tactical retreat. Captain Devaad's Devil Squadron were welcomed as liberators by Kerra and the local population, who were unaware of their true intentions. In the outskirts of the Aquilaris Minor system, Zodoh contacted the Grumani Sith Lords from his flagship Voracious. He offered to sell them slaves and munitions in exchange for annexing the Daimanate. Satisfied with the Stormdriver's test demonstration at Capital Cay, Zodoh brought a fleet of Stormdrivers from Nal Hutta, the Hutt homeworld.
In the aftermath of Capital Cay's "liberation", Kerra and Devil Squadron eliminated the remaining Daimanate forces on Aquilaris Minor. Shortly after, the Grace Command transport Mother Grace landed at Capital Cay to distribute food and medical supplies to the starving inhabitants of Aquilaris Minor. Kerra managed to secure a place on Devil Squadron despite concerns from Jenn's comrades who feared that Kerra will discover their secret agenda. Kerra's friend overheard a secret Devil Squadron meeting and learnt about Grace Command's real agenda. Later, Kerra and her Devil Squadron comrades escorted the Mother Grace out of the Aquilaris Minor system while traveling to fight the Sith Lord Malakite's forces on Heptooine.
While traveling through the Aquilaris system, they stumbled upon Zodoh's Intruder starfighter. Desiring revenge for their enslavement, Captain Jenn and her comrades pursued the Hutt. However, this turned out to be a trap and Devil Squadron was soon attack by a swarm of Intruder-class starfighters. In the midst of the fighting, Zodoh's Stormdriver fleet arrives from Nal Hutta. Zodoh announced his plans to use Aquilaris Minor as a testing ground for his new weapons. Sensing that Zodoh has lured them into a trap, Kerra breaks ranks with her Devil Squadron allies and returned to Capital Cay. Kerra' decision came at a timely moment because Zodoh's flagship Voracious then trapped the squadron with a tractor beam projector.
Upon returning to Capital Cay, Kerra attempted to organize an evacuation of Aquilaris Minor's population, but the spice-addicted Seacroppers were either unwilling or unable to assist due to their drug-induced state. She tried to reason with her despondent childhood friend Joad Kreel, but her efforts were unsuccessful. Kerra also discovered that the "food containers" provided by Grace Command contained only Deluge. Meanwhile, Zodoh coerced his captive Captain Jenn into retrieving the "food containers" she had distributed on Aquilaris in exchange for the release of her crew. Jenn reluctantly complied and forced the Aquilaris locals at gunpoint to return their "food containers." However, she was quickly ambushed and disarmed by Kerra Holt, who had by then deduced that Grace Command were actually spice dealers. Jenn justified her actions by arguing that Grace Command was supporting the Republic's war effort against the Sith. Unable to resolve their differences, Kerra allowed Jenn to return to Zodoh to secure the release of her squadron mates.
Following Captain Jenn's departure, Zodoh's Stormdrivers unleashed an artificial global rainstorm and flood on Aquilaris Minor. Kerra and Padgett struggled to evacuate the peoples of Aquilaris Minor to Tarrah Hill, the highest feature on Aquilaris Minor. After much difficulty, Joad finally overcame his melancholy and evacuated many Aquilaris refugees in a Seacropper Submersible. They evacuated the refugees to an underwater harvesting station beneath Aquilaris Minor's oceans. Meanwhile, Captain Devaad brought the Deluge "food containers" to Zodoh only to discover that the Hutt crimelord had already murdered her squadron mates by letting them out through the ship's airlock. In retaliation, she detonated the "food containers", which had been converted into improvised remote-controlled bombs. These explosions damaged parts of the Voracious and disrupted the Stormdrivers' "global flood" on Aquilaris. The end of the downpour enabled Kerra, Padgett, and Joad to evacuate more Aquilaris refugees. Despite these losses, Zodoh regarded the Stormdrivers' test demonstration on Aquilaris as a success and ordered his forces to depart for Darkknell, the capital of the Daimanate.
Following the end of the Great Aquilaris Deluge, Jenn Devaad escaped from the Voracious and reconciled with Kerra Holt. She also revealed that Zodoh planned to flood Darkknell with his Stormdrivers. Seeking to save the lives of billions on that planet, they traveled on Jenn's stolen twin-seater starfighter to Darkknell. By that stage, Daiman's rivals had made a deal with Zodoh to attack the Daimanate; allowing Zodoh to Battle of Darkknell with ease. Zodoh's Stormdrivers devastated Daiman's throneworld and almost succeeded in destroying Lord Daiman and his princedom. However, Kerra and Jenn succeeded in infiltrating and destroying Zodoh's flagship Voracious, which throws his Stormdrivers into disarray. With their leader incapacitated, Daiman's forces regained the upper hand. Daiman's forces also captured Zodoh himself, who was brought before Daiman, who had him dehydrated with one of his own weaponized vaporators. This ended Zodoh's threat to the Grumani Sith Lords.
Following the defeat of Zodoh, Kerra and Jenn returned to Aquilaris Minor where the floodwaters had already begun to subside. Kerra also reconciled with her childhood friend Joad Kreel, who had begun the process of ending his Deluge addiction. Padgett and Joad planned to use Aquilaris as a base to shuttle refugees out of Sith Space. They were able to carry out their operation because most of the Sith Lords believed that Aquilaris had been completely submerged by Zodoh's Stormdrivers. In addition, Captain Jenn also agreed to help ferry refugees into Republic space and to sabotage Grace Command's spice-distribution operations by dumping them into space. Kerra then embarked on a quest to find her long-lost parents and sibling, which took her into the heart of the Odionate, the realm of the Sith Lord Odion who saw himself as the "Destroyer" of the galaxy.
The Aquilaris campaign acts as the central point of conflict for Star Wars: Knight Errant: Deluge, which is the second story arc comprised of five issues of John Jackson Miller's Star Wars: Knight Errant comic series. This arc was published from August 17, 2011 until December 21, 2011. It prominently featured the series' main character, Kerra Holt, as well as her homeworld, Aquilaris Minor. Furthermore, the Aquilaris campaign served as a vehicle for introducing three new figures: the supporting characters Joad Kreel and "Old" Padgett, and the antagonist Hutt, Zodoh. As of 2015, there is no official canonical name for the conflict that occurred on Aquilaris Minor.