Battle near the Gulf of Tatooine

During the Clone Wars' final year, Berch Teller served as a Republic Intelligence officer stationed on Antar 4. He played a role in preparing Koorivar and Gotal loyalists to stand against the Separatist forces. Following the Galactic Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, Imperial troops under Wilhuff Tarkin engaged in the indiscriminate slaughter of numerous Koorivar and Gotals, including loyalists, during the Antar Atrocity. Tarkin's actions sparked widespread condemnation, leading the Emperor Palpatine to reassign him to oversee pacification operations within the Western Reaches.

The Antar Atrocity drove Teller to oppose the newly formed Empire. He established a rebel cell composed of survivors from the Antar Atrocity, along with the journalist Anora Fair and the Zygerrian film director Hask Taff, who had been instrumental in raising public awareness about the events on Antar 4. Teller harbored a particular resentment towards Moff Tarkin, who was now in charge of the Empire's classified Death Star project. In 14 BBY, Teller's dissidents initiated an insurgency targeting the Empire. They managed to steal Tarkin's personal corvette, the Carrion Spike, from the planet Murkhana. With the aim of transforming it into a symbol of resistance, the insurgents utilized the Carrion Spike to conduct raids on Imperial installations along the Perlemian Trade Route.

Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit, a rival of Tarkin who held the position of Director within the Naval Intelligence Agency, secretly aided Teller. Teller leveraged his intelligence connections to reroute former Separatist weaponry, communications equipment, and intelligence to his dissident group. Following a pursuit led by Tarkin and Darth Vader across the galaxy, Teller and his insurgents abandoned the Carrion Spike after a failed attack on the Imperial facility located in the Nouane system. Realizing that Rancit had betrayed them to protect himself, the insurgents transferred to Berch Teller's warship, a modified Providence-class carrier. The diversion of Imperial forces to safeguard Imperial installations left the Death Star convoys undefended; something that played into the insurgents' hands.

Teller's rebel cell obtained intelligence from Rancit indicating that an Imperial convoy would be emerging from hyperspace above a desolate moon situated in a star system Coreward of the Gulf of Tatooine. Subsequently, this convoy would proceed via sublight to the Imperial marshaling station at Pii. From that point, the convoy would be escorted to Sentinel Base, ultimately leading to Geonosis, the location of the Death Star's construction. Teller's forces included a modified Providence-class carrier, a EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, numerous droid tri-fighters, and four starfighters—two Z-95 Headhunters and two Tikiars. While Teller lacked specific knowledge of the Empire's secret Death Star initiative, he suspected the Empire was constructing something on Geonosis and was resolved to hinder its progress.

Upon the convoy's exit from hyperspace, Teller's dissidents disrupted their HoloNet and communication relays. Despite facing an ambush, the convoy's escort gunboats and frigates established a defensive perimeter surrounding the boxy cargo ships and transports. However, the insurgents employed their laser cannons to bombard the escorts, while agile former Separatist droid starfighters skillfully maneuvered through openings, inflicting damage on the transports. Consequently, two Imperial tugs, two escort gunboats, and several Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighters were destroyed.

While Lord Vader carried out Rancit's execution for treason, Moff Tarkin journeyed aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Executrix to the Gulf of Tatooine to confront Teller's insurgents. After evaluating the situation, Tarkin deployed V-wing starfighters to engage the frigate and carrier, while tasking the convoy escorts with handling the droid fighters. In response, Teller's carrier repositioned itself in an attempt to prevent the Executrix from assisting the convoy.

With the convoy taking damage, Tarkin instructed the Executrix's crew to advance the Star Destroyer and to withhold fire until he issued the command. As the Executrix cautiously navigated through the dense formation of starfighters, he commanded the forward batteries to obliterate the insurgents' Nebulon-B escort frigate, resulting in the ship's destruction along with several droid starfighters. With the Imperial V-wings sustaining damage from the enemy droid fighters, Tarkin ordered the Imperial fighters to retreat into their wake and to safeguard the convoy at all costs. As the enemy carrier altered its course, Tarkin directed the crew to shift the Star Destroyer ten degrees to port and to unleash the starboard ion cannons.

As the tide of battle turned against the insurgents, Teller instructed the Gotal engineer Salikk to initiate a hyperspace jump. However, Salikk and Anora Fair persuaded Teller to escape aboard a Z-95 Headhunter, ensuring his survival for future battles. Anora and Salikk chose to remain behind and accept martyrdom. Meanwhile, the Executrix continued to bombard Teller's carrier, inflicting severe damage and disabling its sublight engines. These attacks disrupted the droid starfighter's master control computer and HoloNet jammers. Having crippled the carrier, Tarkin commanded the Executrix to cease fire.

Shortly thereafter, Imperial reinforcements arrived from Pii station in the form of the Star Destroyers Compliant and Enforcer. Tarkin then led a boarding party onto the carrier. A search of the carrier's remaining sections revealed 13 deceased crew members and 26 captured insurgents of various species, including humans, Koorivar, and Gotals. Among the captives were Anora Fair, Hask Taff, the Lantillies broker Knotts, and the former Mon Calamari Knight Dr Artoz. Although the mastermind Teller had escaped, a triumphant Tarkin ordered the captives to be transported to Coruscant for interrogation.

The battle near the Gulf of Tatooine signified the effective downfall and disintegration of Berch Teller's cell. Over the subsequent three weeks, Tarkin supervised the interrogation of the captured insurgents with assistance from Lord Vader and the Imperial Security Bureau. In accordance with orders from Emperor Palpatine, the insurgents were secretly executed to prevent them from becoming martyrs. The Empire also targeted the insurgents' collaborators for retribution, including warehouse workers and salvagers who had provided them with equipment, scientists who had supplied them with intelligence, and members of the Tenloss and Crymorah Syndicate who had equipped the insurgents' carrier.

As a result of his efforts in suppressing the insurgency, Tarkin was promoted to Grand Moff and Governor of the Outer Rim Territories. Tarkin also heightened security at the Death Star construction site to prevent any enemies of the Empire from gaining knowledge of the secret project. Tarkin also formulated the Tarkin Doctrine, which advocated for a robust Imperial military presence. While the Imperials were unable to locate Teller after he had abandoned his starfighter on Christophsis, Teller managed to track Tarkin to his homeworld of Eriadu. There, Teller attempted to ambush Tarkin at the Carrion Spike nature reserve. However, he was ensnared in a trap, and Tarkin abandoned his nemesis to the elements.

The Battle near the Gulf of Tatooine serves as the climactic event in James Luceno's 2014 novel Tarkin, which is the second book in a new series of Canon adult novels published by Del Rey.