Area Null, a tower inside the Arkanis Academy, was off-limits to the majority of Imperial officers and cadets. A number of Imperial activities were conducted from Area Null, such as Project Harvester, a clandestine initiative to locate Force-sensitive Imperial Academy candidates, and Project Unity, a program aimed at reforming ex-Imperial dissidents.
Some years before the Battle of Yavin, Zare Leonis, a disobedient cadet, and Beck Ollet, his Lothalite companion, secretly entered Area Null with the intention of rescuing Zare's sibling, Dhara Leonis. They received assistance from their friend Merei Spanjaf and various members of the Spectres rebel group.