The Eadu mission was an operation launched by the Alliance to Restore the Republic as part of Operation Fracture. Its objective was to assassinate Galen Erso on the planet of Eadu. The initial strategy involved Captain Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso, supported by the former Imperial droid K-2SO, capturing Galen. However, without Jyn's knowledge, Andor's orders from General Davits Draven, the leader of Alliance Intelligence, were to assassinate Galen immediately, due to Draven's fear that Galen possessed too much sensitive information.
During Operation Fracture, aimed at locating and assassinating [Galen Erso](/article/galen_walton_erso], an Imperial scientist, the U-wing LMTR-20, carrying the Rogue One team, crash-landed on Eadu. This was due to a severe rainstorm and the harsh environmental conditions. After losing contact with the team, whose commander Captain Cassian Andor was tasked with executing Erso, General Davits Draven of Operation Fracture Oversight, authorized the deployment of Blue Squadron. This squadron was a backup plan to directly attack the Eadu Energy Conversion Laboratory and eliminate Erso themselves. Draven failed to consider that the team, although unable to communicate, might be within the designated strike zone.
On the planet's surface, Andor took Bodhi Rook, a defected Imperial transport pilot, on a reconnaissance mission. Their goal was to find a suitable sniper position to eliminate Erso. Andor hoped to complete his mission without interference from Galen's daughter, Jyn Erso, who he anticipated would attempt to prevent her father's death. However, Jyn realized Andor's true objective when Andor's droid, K-2SO, casually mentioned he had brought a weapon configured for sniping. Additionally, Chirrut Îmwe sensed the dark side influencing Andor's actions. Despite being instructed to remain with the ship, Erso pursued him, and Îmwe and Baze Malbus soon followed.
Just as Andor reached a vantage point overlooking the landing pad, Orson Callan Krennic, the project director, arrived on shuttle ST 149 with a unit of death troopers. He was there to investigate a potential information leak among the facility's science staff. Krennic ordered the scientists to assemble and demanded that the individual responsible for leaking the Death Star plans step forward, threatening to execute the entire staff if no one complied. Galen confessed to being the leaker. Despite this confession, Krennic decided to execute all the scientists except Galen. Krennic then revealed the details of the destruction of Jedha City to Galen Erso, boasting about his role in it.
Before Andor could shoot Galen, he noticed Jyn on the landing platform and received a signal from K-2SO, who had contacted the Alliance to report the squadron's impending arrival. Andor informed K-2SO that Jyn was in the line of fire and ordered him to abort the attack. Staff at Base One received the transmission and relayed it to General Draven, who ordered a delay to the strike. However, Blue Squadron had already engaged the Eadu defenses.
As the squadron, composed of X-wings and Y-wings, entered the canyon leading to the Energy Conversion Laboratory, perimeter defenses detected them and triggered an alarm within the lab. Before the platform could be evacuated, the first wave of X-wings attacked the gates, killing several stormtroopers from the 975th Battalion guarding Krennic. As the second wave attacked the station, Krennic ordered the launch of the base's fighters. At this moment, Jyn Erso approached the platform, calling out to her father, which attracted Krennic's attention. Krennic drew his [pistol](/article/pistol] against her. Before either could fire, the third wave of fighters, consisting of Y-wing bombers, dropped a bomb directly onto the platform, killing more stormtroopers and mortally wounding Galen Erso. Captain Feroph successfully evacuated from the base via a TIE/rp Reaper attack lander as the Rebel forces attacked.
As the rebel ships prepared for another pass, base security, led by Captain Magna Tolvan, deployed its fighter screen and activated the anti-aircraft gun above the main platform, shooting down two X-wings and forcing the others to retreat. Simultaneously, Chirrut Îmwe, positioned on a nearby hilltop, shot and damaged a TIE fighter, causing it to crash onto the platform cannon and destroy it. Krennic ultimately evacuated from the base just as the Rebel squadron departed Eadu.
While such direct attacks had been attempted and even executed previously, the open assault on the Eadu facility and the resulting destruction represented a significant escalation in the conflict between the Empire and the rebels. Despite numerous bloody battles across the galaxy, open war had not yet been declared. Following the Battle of Atollon, Mon Mothma, the leader of the Alliance, determined that the rebellion was not yet prepared for open warfare and continued to advocate for a peaceful resolution, typically approving smaller-scale operations rather than overtly destructive actions.
Shortly after the Eadu battle, open warfare would begin with the Battle of Scarif. As a consequence of her failure to ensure the security of the Eadu site, Captain Tolvan was reassigned to a punishment duty on Yavin 4 shortly after the Battle of Yavin.