The Battle of Talay stands as one of the initial clashes in the Great Galactic War between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. This battle, which transpired sometime between 3681 BBY and 3680 BBY, saw the Empire's initial push into the galaxy's Mid Rim, ending in a setback for the Sith. The Imperial forces were under the command of Broysc at Talay, a military officer who later achieved the rank of Moff; however, the battle resulted in a Republic victory.
In 3681 BBY, the Sith Empire emerged from their hidden location within the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. This re-emergence ignited the Great Galactic War with the Galactic Republic. The war began with the Empire's conquest of the Outer Rim Territories through a combination of strategic strikes, massive invasions, and coercion. The Empire's primary strategy during these early years was to secure the Outer Rim before advancing towards the Republic's Galactic Core. Despite this overarching plan, prior to 3680 BBY, Broysc, the newly appointed commanding officer, was among the first to attempt an invasion of the Republic's Mid Rim worlds.
Broysc's first command came as he led his forces to Talay, a planet situated within the Dufilvian sector. This initial incursion proved to be a failure, as the Republic's defenders successfully repelled the Sith forces.
Despite this initial defeat, Broysc maintained his status as an officer and eventually rose to the rank of Moff by 3653 BBY. However, this promotion did not signify an improvement in his command skills. His incompetence was only exacerbated by the onset of dementia during the Cold War. The aging Human's deteriorating mental state impaired his ability to accurately recall and reconstruct events from his past, including the Battle of Talay. During one instance, while berating his former subordinate Malavai Quinn, Moff Broysc falsely accused Quinn of being responsible for the loss at Talay decades earlier. However, Quinn was not even born at the time of the battle, making it impossible for him to have participated. Decades following their initial defeat, the Empire would once again attempt to seize Talay, as it remained a significant Republic outpost and communication hub. This later attempt came when Darth Arkous, a Sith Lord, orchestrated the invasion of Talay.
The Battle of Talay, a conflict from the Great Galactic War, was first introduced in Star Wars: The Old Republic, a video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts in 2011. Broysc references the battle in-game during a holocommunication cutscene. This conversation is part of the Sith Warrior's questline for the companion Malavai Quinn.