Battle of Kessel (11 ABY)

In 11 ABY, the Smugglers' Alliance wrested control of Kessel and its moon from Moruth Doole. Subsequently, Lando Calrissian, together with Han Solo, arrived and had a meeting with Alliance member Mara Jade. Having recently acquired a substantial amount of wealth, Calrissian sought to invest in the spice mining ventures on Kessel. Shortly after the trio convened and discussed Calrissian's potential investment, the Death Star prototype appeared, having fled a New Republic attack that targeted the Imperial research complex, the Maw Installation, located nearby. Tol Sivron and the majority of the installation's staff were aboard.

Upon the Death Star's emergence, Alliance vessels stationed on the moon immediately launched to engage the prototype. Sivron intended to assess the Death Star's destructive power by firing its superlaser at Kessel, justifying it by claiming the planet was practically a Rebel base. The Death Star discharged its superlaser, but due to calibration issues, it struck the Garrison Moon instead. Although the moon served as a base for Alliance ships, only three were destroyed in the moon's subsequent explosion, as the remaining ships had already taken off.

The prototype then directed its superlaser at the approaching smuggler ships, but only managed to destroy a single vessel. The remaining ships were small and agile enough to evade the blasts. The engagement quickly devolved into a stalemate, with the prototype's superlaser proving too inaccurate and slow to target the freighters effectively, while the freighters lacked the necessary firepower to inflict significant damage on the prototype. Recognizing that their best strategy was to await reinforcements from the New Republic, the Smugglers' Alliance forces retreated to reorganize. Sivron seized this opportunity to return to the Maw. However, just before the prototype departed, the Falcon, carrying Solo, Calrissian, and Jade, covertly attached itself to the prototype using its landing claw, accompanying it on its return journey. The Falcon's crew then attempted to trigger a detonation of the prototype's main reactor, but only succeeded in causing superficial damage.

The Smugglers' Alliance had intended to utilize the Garrison Moon as a hub for their mining operations, making its destruction a major setback. The moon's destruction also resulted in debris raining down on Kessel, though the majority of the planet's facilities were underground, mitigating the impact. Lando, while disheartened by the moon's destruction, later found a certain beauty in the falling debris.

The Death Star prototype returned to the Maw, where the arrival of Admiral Natasi Daala's Star Destroyer, the Gorgon, was shifting the balance of the battle in favor of the Empire.