New Threats

Demetrius Zaarin, a disgraced Grand Admiral, had committed treason against the Galactic Empire. During the Zaarin insurrection, Zaarin plotted to rob the Empire of its superior starfighter technology by absconding with the TIE Defender blueprints from his Research platform. This endeavor failed, and the two remaining TIE Defender prototypes were safely transferred onto a BFF-1 bulk freighter named Mharsup, along with the staff and the chief scientist, who were aboard the Lambda-class shuttle called G'nabgib. After the fighters were moved to the corvette group Hashim, the corvettes were ambushed and crippled by Rneekii pirates. While the pirates were repelled, they absconded with the scientist and the vital data. To make matters worse, another pirate group, the Nami, under the command of Ali Tarrak, successfully stole one of the prototypes, raising the specter of TIE Defenders being manufactured outside the Empire's control. This situation was untenable for the Empire, especially given the looming conflict with the Rebellion.

The Rneekii elected to ransom the scientist to the highest bidder. Predictably, the Empire offered the most and arranged to exchange the scientist at Kiilimaar. Unfortunately for the pirates, they underestimated the Empire's determination to recover the scientist, as the lone Assault Gunboat they permitted as an escort was piloted by Tan Maarek Stele. Upon receiving the order "Full speed to Kiilimar!", Stele attacked and disabled the pirates' transport, while the Interdictor Red Claw trapped the pirates, preventing their escape. While the pirates were being subdued, a small Nami strike force aboard the YT-1300 transport Dhoora attacked the Red Claw, disabling its hyperdrive and gravity well generator. The strike team boarded the shuttle in an attempt to seize the scientist, but the operation failed, and the transport was captured and brought to the Red Claw for the crew's interrogation.

With the hyperdrive and gravity well out of commission, the Red Claw summoned two modified corvettes from flight group Chemeti to retrieve the prisoners and the scientist and deliver a replacement hyperdrive engine. The first Chemeti arrived, claiming the second had been delayed. Suddenly, Zaarin dispatched a strike force of multiple TIE Defenders, which was thwarted by Maarek Stele as the corvette extracted the scientist and prisoners and departed. Shortly thereafter, two corvettes from Chemeti appeared, at which point the Imperials realized they had been tricked as Zaarin's Strike-class medium cruiser Z-Kopsh arrived to destroy the Red Claw. Stele foiled the attack, defending the Red Claw at the captain's preference to abandon ship.

Maarek Stele was then dispatched to the Yrrna system, where an Imperial cargo depot was under attack by TIE Defenders manufactured by Ali Tarrak. Tarrak also arranged for the Rebel Carrack-class light cruiser Jester to observe the assault. As the cargo depot was being destroyed, the Modular conveyor Ulzepdi, carrying the surviving personnel, managed to distance itself from the TIE Defenders but was being pursued by T-Wings and transports. Stele provided cover for the transport, eliminating all T-wings and transports before they could inflict damage on the Ulzepdi.

Admiral Thrawn presented his personally designed starfighter, the Missile Boat, to Palpatine. Maarek Stele was among the Imperials selected to pilot it on its inaugural tour of duty. Imperial scouts located the Strike-cruiser Nuance preparing to sell TIE Defenders to the Rebel cruiser Prism. Stele, flying his Missile Boat, neutralized the T-wing fighter escort, while the Nuance launched transports from Miner to deploy mines around the cruiser. The Imperial fighters overwhelmed the defenses, the Prism was destroyed, and the Nuance was boarded and captured, recovering eight TIE Defenders. Stele also detected and destroyed the Rebel probe Yey. Subsequently, prisoners revealed that Ali Tarrak possessed a manufacturing facility producing TIE Defenders.

Thrawn, anticipating that the Rebels would not relinquish the Defenders without resistance, decided to confront the Rebel counterattack head-on. As expected, the Rebels dispatched three Carrack-cruisers Kingdom and multiple X-wings, Y-wings, and Z-95 Headhunters. Despite the Grey Wolf sustaining considerable damage, Stele, piloting his Missile Boat, successfully repelled the Rebel counterattack by destroying all three Carrack-cruisers and the escort shuttle Black Box, which was carrying officers.

Without hesitation, Thrawn located Tarrak's factory Tarrak. Although his initial intention was to destroy the facility, he recognized a kindred spirit in Tarrak and persuaded Palpatine that she could be valuable, receiving orders to capture her instead. After dealing with her T-wings and Y-wings Stele soon shot down some of the Type C mines dodging and shooting down the missiles launched from each one. Tarrak's TIE Defenders were launched from the facility but were also destroyed before they could do any real damage. With the fighter defenses eliminated and soon the mines cleared TIE Bombers began their bombing run on the facility. Ultimately, the Empire triumphed over the Nami forces, obliterating their TIE Defender factory, capturing their leader, Ali Tarrak, reclaiming the TIE Defender scientist, and repelling the Rebel attack from the Mon Calamari Cruiser Independence and two Strike cruisers Lonsigar 1 and 2.

The attempt to proliferate the TIE Defenders was suppressed, leaving Zaarin as the sole possessor of TIE Defenders capable of challenging the Empire. This success led to Thrawn's promotion to Grand Admiral, placing him among Palpatine's select group of twelve Grand Admirals in the Imperial Navy, despite the Emperor's preference for Humans over Aliens. Thrawn was then tasked with tracking down and eliminating Zaarin once and for all.

Stele was awarded the Medal of Horror for his contributions.

New Threats is the title of Battle Ten in the single-player campaign of Star Wars: TIE Fighter.