During the era of the Galactic Civil War, specifically in 4 ABY, a mission was undertaken by Captain Wedge Antilles, a pilot serving the New Republic. This involved infiltrating the planet Akiva, situated in the Outer Rim Territories, to gather intelligence on the Galactic Empire. The Empire had convened an Emergency summit on Akiva with intentions to reorganize and launch a counter-offensive against the New Republic, which had risen from the ashes of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance transitioned into a new governing body known as the New Republic. The Galactic Empire found itself in a state of upheaval following the demise of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, both Sith Lords. Despite this significant setback, Imperial remnants persisted in their opposition to the New Republic. A few months following the events that transpired on Endor, Captain [Wedge Antilles](/article/wedge_antilles], a skilled starfighter pilot, embarked on a reconnaissance mission to scan various Outer Rim worlds for any signs of Imperial presence.
Flying an HH-87 Starhopper dubbed the Rover, Wedge adopted the guise of Gev Hessan, a Devaronian pilot and entrepreneur. Antilles made visits to five planets—Florrum, Ryloth, Hinari, Abafar, and [Raydonia]—but did not encounter any Imperial forces. Consequently, he opted to investigate the sixth planet on his list: Akiva, a humid, tropical world. Upon emerging from hyperspace, Wedge observed two Imperial Star Destroyers in orbit around the planet. Before Wedge could depart from the system, Admiral Rae Sloane, the commander of the Star Destroyer Vigilance (Imperial-class), contacted him. Sloane had arrived in advance of an impending Imperial emergency summit scheduled to take place on Akiva.
When Admiral Sloane requested Wedge to identify himself, the New Republic pilot presented himself as Gev Hessan and transmitted his identification. He further stated that he was transporting dehumidifier components. After reviewing Imperial records, Sloane discovered that Hessan had died while in Imperial custody. Wedge attempted to initiate a hyperspace jump, but the Rover was ensnared by the tractor beams emanating from the two Star Destroyers. With his cover compromised, Wedge briefly considered activating the Starhopper's dual torpedoes, but instead decided to detonate his ship once it had entered the Vigilance's hangar bay, hoping to deceive the Imperials into believing he had executed a suicide attack.
The resulting explosion led to the deaths of six [stormtroopers](/article/stormtrooper], but Admiral Sloane and Lieutenant Nils Tothwin survived the blast. While Tothwin was under the impression that the enemy pilot had perished in the suicide attack, Sloane quickly deduced that Antilles had survived and had infiltrated the Vigilance. Given the imminent Imperial summit, Sloane issued orders for her personnel to locate the rebel intruder. As Sloane had anticipated, Wedge had indeed survived the explosion. Despite suffering a broken leg, he successfully gained access to the Star Destroyer's communications center.
Inside, he used his blaster to stun three comm officers. Antilles attempted to transmit a subspace frequency to the New Republic, but discovered that it was being blocked. Instead, he chose to send a message via the local channel traffic on Akiva. Wedge managed to identify himself as a New Republic Captain and relay his location before being struck in the shoulder by a blaster shot fired by Admiral Sloane. While acknowledging Antilles' bravery, Sloane was unwilling to allow him to jeopardize the future of the Empire. After dismissing Wedge's attempts to reason with her, she instructed her stormtroopers to restrain him and escort Wedge to her shuttle. Sloane also ordered a medical droid to provide treatment for the rebel pilot's injuries.
Following Antilles' capture, Admiral Sloane was able to proceed with her strategy to occupy Akiva's capital, Myrra, in preparation for the Imperial emergency summit at Satrap Isstra Dirus's palace. The summit was attended by various Imperial Military officers and officials, including Admiral Sloane, Grand Moff Valco Pandion, the financier and slaver Arsin Crassus, General Jylia Shale, and Emperor's adviser Yupe Tashu. This group was collectively known as the Imperial Future Council, and they had gathered to discuss strategies for countering the growing threat posed by the New Republic.
Despite Sloane's precautions, Norra Wexley, a New Republic pilot who was visiting her son Temmin Wexley, intercepted Antilles' transmission. Jas Emari, a bounty hunter who was planning to claim a New Republic bounty on Crassus, and her reluctant companion, Sinjir Rath Velus, a former Imperial loyalty officer, also became aware of Wedge's predicament and agreed to assist Norra, her son, and Temmin's B1-series battle droid "Mister Bones" in rescuing Antilles. Collaboratively, the group orchestrated an uprising on Akiva against the Satrapy and their Imperial supporters. They succeeded in freeing Wedge, and capturing and eliminating several members of the Imperial Future Council, with the exception of Admiral Sloane, who managed to escape into hyperspace. The New Republic also dispatched a strike team, led by Sergeant major Jom Barell, and a fleet to liberate Akiva, marking Akiva as the first Outer Rim world to align with the Republic.
The Mission to Akiva was first introduced in Chuck Wendig's 2015 novel Aftermath, which was produced as a part of Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The events of this mission are presented through the perspectives of Wedge Antilles and the primary antagonist, Admiral Rae Sloane, who had previously made her debut in John Jackson Miller's 2014 novel A New Dawn.