A minor skirmish within the broader scope of the Galactic Civil War was the attack leveled against Tak Base. The Galactic Empire sought to showcase the capabilities of their novel dark trooper program through this assault.
Fueled by his extensive knowledge of battle droids and motivated by a desire to avenge the destruction of the Death Star, General Rom Mohc was determined to deploy his ultimate war droid: the dark trooper. Talay's Tak Base was chosen as the site for Mohc's demonstration, which he intended Darth Vader to observe and approve.
The Arc Hammer, accompanied by the Executor, established a small blockade above Talay. From his position on the Executor's bridge, General Rom Mohc gave Captain Nonam the order to deploy the dark troopers against Tak Base. The dark troopers were launched from the Arc Hammer in hyperspace capsules, touching down at various points across the planet.
The dark troopers effortlessly breached Tak's shields, initiating a swift and precise attack. The Rebels were caught completely off guard, unable to mount any effective defense or counterattack.
Captain Bok attempted to evacuate the base using Toka's flagship, the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Grey Damsel, successfully escaping with an unspecified number of Rebels. Bok wanted to rescue Admiral Toka as well, but Toka insisted that Bok leave without him and save the others. The fate of the second Mon Calamari Cruiser remains unknown, but it was probably disabled before it could take off, or it was destroyed by the blockading Executor.
Admiral Toka did manage to send out a general distress signal, but the transmission was abruptly cut off when a dark trooper fatally shot him.
The crew of the Grey Damsel met a similar demise, as they failed to detect a dark trooper that had infiltrated their ship. Bok and his entire crew were killed by the dark trooper as the ship jumped into hyperspace.
The dark troopers inflicted total destruction upon the base and the surrounding city, resulting in widespread casualties among both Rebel and civilian populations. Darth Vader was deeply impressed by the assault, granting Mohc his complete backing for the dark trooper project.
Not long after the battle's conclusion, Mon Mothma received Admiral Toka's distress call, along with intelligence from Imperial defector Crix Madine concerning the dark trooper initiative. She then enlisted Kyle Katarn to investigate the remains of Tak Base, seeking further details about the dark trooper project. After avoiding the Stormtroopers stationed there, Katarn located an unusual weapon, too large for any humanoid to wield. It was later identified as a dark trooper weapon, tracing back to weapon designer Moff Rebus on Anoat.
In a separate event, the unmanned Grey Damsel emerged from hyperspace close to Tatooine and crashed onto the planet's surface. The lone dark trooper aboard caused significant disruption near Mos Espa before being destroyed by local inhabitants.
The battle was initially depicted as a cutscene preceding the second level of Star Wars: Dark Forces. The Arc Hammer is shown deploying drop pods which are then fired towards the Rebel planet. Afterwards, Mon Mothma shows Kyle Katarn the distress signal of Admiral Toka.
Dark Horse Comics expanded upon the battle in "Sand Blasted," introducing elements such as the Grey Damsel, Captain Bok and Captain Nonam.