Battle of Arah

A certain freighter pilot had knowledge regarding the presence of a mining facility and sought to share this information with the Rebel Alliance. Upon receiving a complete recording of the message, Admiral Ackbar gave the order to launch an attack on the facility, resulting in the formation of the temporary Rascal Squadron, consisting of three T-65 X-wing starfighters.

As the battle unfolded, the three pilots were compelled to navigate through the Belt of Arah, which was laden with derillium mines strategically placed to repel any potential intruders. After clearing a path through the minefield and the asteroid belt, the pilots encountered a squadron of TIE Interceptors tasked with defending the facility. However, the defenders were unable to prevent the attackers from reaching the massive facility and entering an external corridor.

Once inside, Rookie One fired upon generators that were shielding an access tube. The three starfighters then proceeded into the asteroid's hollow center. The bulkheads supporting the reactor and escalators were covered in sentry guns designed to eliminate falling debris and prevent damage to the structure. The pilots had to destroy these guns to reach the opposite end. The trio succeeded in overheating the reactor by destroying the cooling system. As the pilots made their escape, the facility and the asteroid it was built on went up in a massive explosion.

Following a brief celebration of their victory, and as they were preparing to make the jump to hyperspace, the trio found themselves under attack by ships that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Unable to evade their pursuers, both Ace Merrick and Pilot Ina Rece were killed by Phantom TIEs guarding the area. Rookie One was the only pilot to successfully jump to hyperspace after narrowly escaping the Phantom TIEs' attempts to shoot him down. He also managed to bring back footage of the mysterious ships' rare appearance to the Alliance base.