The Battle of Murgo Choke represents a conflict that transpired during the Dark Nest Crisis. This particular engagement served as a prelude, directly leading into the Swarm War. The forces involved consisted of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, supported by the New Jedi Order, who clashed against the Killik Colony and the Dark Nest which orchestrated the Killik actions.
The geographical area known as the Murgo Choke was defined by a cluster of four stars, notable for their blue-white coloration, situated near the Utegetu Nebula. The sheer gravitational force produced by these stars effectively prohibited hyperspace travel through the region, thus earning it the moniker "Murgo Choke." The Killiks had constructed a fleet of fifteen vessels designated as nest ships, planning to utilize them to depart from Utegetu and launch assaults on both the Chiss and the Galactic Alliance. The Fifth Fleet, under the leadership of Admiral Nek Bwua'tu, a Bothan, had established a blockade around the Choke due to Killik nest expansion into Chiss territory, a violation of the Qoribu Truce. Leia Organa Solo and Saba Sebatyne were being detained aboard the Admiral Ackbar while attempting to rescue Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, who were located on Woteba, the base of operations for UnuThul and the Colony. The Jedi team, including Mara Jade Skywalker, piloting StealthXs, were forced into Jedi trances, awaiting rescue.
Bwua'tu's objective was the capture of the StealthX pilots. Simultaneously, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Jae Juun, and Tarfang were engaged in a mission to locate and eliminate Lomi Plo, the Queen of the Gorog, known as the Dark Nest. To accomplish this, they tracked the Dark Nest to Tusken's Eye and concealed themselves on the Gorog nest ship. Previously, Juun and Tarfang had delivered Killik spinglass busts depicting Bwua'tu to the Admiral Ackbar. Unbeknownst to them, these busts contained a multitude of miniature Gorog assassin bugs, which were released nearly concurrently with the Killik nest ships' jump from the Tusken's Eye to the Choke, commencing their assault on the blockade. The blockade's primary components were the Admiral Ackbar, the Mon Mothma, and the capital ships' starfighter squadrons. With his ship under infiltration and the Killiks attempting to breach the blockade, Bwua'tu ordered Mara's team, along with the newly arrived squadron led by Kyp Durron, to refuel on his ship before engaging the enemy.
Despite the valiant efforts of Bwua'tu and his crew, aided by Leia Organa Solo and Saba Sebatyne, they were unable to defend the Ackbar and were compelled to abandon it. UnuThul, aboard his flagship, a Lancer-class frigate, utilized the Force to deflect Alliance turbolaser fire and attempted to subdue Leia through a mental Force assault. The Killiks, under the command of Alema Rar, seized control of the Ackbar and departed the Choke to attack the Chiss. Meanwhile, Skywalker and his team confronted Lomi Plo on the Gorog nest ship's surface. They succeeded in forcing Plo to retreat, but Skywalker sustained injuries. The battle concluded with four Killik nest ships and the Ackbar successfully escaping the Choke.
The determination of which side achieved victory remains ambiguous. The Galactic Alliance managed to partially maintain their blockade, retaining eleven nest ships at the Choke, including "Bug One," the Dark Nest's primary vessel. Bwua'tu instructed Darklighter to initiate aggressive actions to uphold the Alliance blockade, aiming to deter further Colony advances. Conversely, the Chiss Ascendancy held the belief that the Alliance had deliberately provided the Ackbar to the Killiks for use against them. Regardless, the Swarm War was triggered by the Chiss's decision to undertake aggressive measures against the Colony, coupled with the erosion of trust between the Chiss, the Alliance, and the Jedi.