A significant conflict transpired on the planet New Alderaan during 10 ABY, pitting the forces of the resurrected Emperor Palpatine against those of the New Republic. A team composed of Dark Side Elite under the command of Palpatine's newly appointed Executor Xecr Nist secretly entered the settlement, intending to assassinate Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and abduct the Force-sensitive Solo twins. The Jedi intervened, however, resulting in the elimination of the majority of the invading party.
Simultaneously, the settlement found itself under siege by a contingent of Imperial AT-AT walkers, which rapidly overwhelmed the settlement's lightly-equipped defense force. The villagers were rescued, though, by the timely arrival of multiple freighters, including the iconic Millennium Falcon, which neutralized several walkers and successfully carried out the villager's evacuation.
Leading up to the confrontation, the Emperor dispatched a group of Scarab Droids with orders to eliminate Luke Skywalker while he slept. Furthermore, the Emperor instructed his Executor Xecr Nist, accompanied by his second-in-command Tedryn-Sha, to seize the Solo twins. Unfortunately for them, Jem Ysanna and Leia Organa Solo engaged them and killed them while Vima-Da-Boda destroyed the Scarab Droids.
As retribution for the attack on his Citadel at Byss, the Emperor deployed a squadron of AT-ATs to obliterate the Rebel settlement located on New Alderaan. These AT-ATs represented the latest iteration of the vehicle class, boasting the most potent Imperial turbolasers and the newly developed X-80 Power Cells. Consequently, significant damage was inflicted upon numerous buildings and defensive installations. Just when the village was on the verge of being decimated, the Millennium Falcon, Starhook Ten, Bespin Bandit, Hyperspace Marauder and a squadron of X-wings intervened to provide assistance. These reinforcements successfully destroyed a number of the AT-ATs. Starhook Ten then landed, opening its cargo bay to accommodate the surviving refugees. Despite their efforts, the Rebels were compelled to retreat, resulting in the Empire's capture of New Alderaan.
The second engagement on New Alderaan was initially featured in the comic book Dark Empire II 6 from the Star Wars: Dark Empire II series. The battle was the creation of Tom Veitch, who conceived and wrote it, while Cam Kennedy provided the illustrations and colors. Veitch used this battle as the high point of the Dark Empire II plot.
The battle was later adapted into the Dark Empire II audio drama, where the voice talents of John Cygan (Skywalker), Joe Hacker (Han and Brand), Jim Ward (Kam Solusar), and Glynnis Talken (Salla Zend, Vima, and Jem) brought a fresh perspective to the skirmish.
A notable discrepancy exists between the comic and the audio drama regarding the role of Dark-sider Xerc Nist in the New Alderaan mission. Contrary to Dark Empire II, Nist is absent from the confrontation involving the Dark Jedi, Solusar, Rayf Ysanna, and Brand in the audio adaptation. Instead, he takes custody of the Solo children, guarding them as his darksiders battle the Jedi.
With all the Dark Side Elite eliminated, Nist attempts to escape with the twins and nearly reaches his ship before being stopped by blaster fire from Leia Organa Solo. However, Nist reappears in the audio adaptation of Star Wars: Empire's End without any explanation for his survival.