The Jarbanov operation, also known as the attack on Jarbanov, unfolded in 5 ABY when the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing of the Galactic Empire targeted the planet of Jarbanov. The fighter wing dispatched Squadron Four, which then divided its forces into smaller units to assault the colony located on Jarbanov. This prompted a response from the defending armored cloud cars. As the squadron retreated, Lieutenant Palal Seedia compromised several hazard vaults, resulting in the colony's irradiation.
While successfully evading a New Republic corvette, Squadron Four rejoined the Imperial Quasar Fire-class cruiser carrier Allegiance. Simultaneously, the 204th's cruiser-carrier, the Aerie, recovered the remains of nine TIE fighters. Subsequently, agents of the New Republic reported the TIE fighter assault on the Jarbanov colony, leading to a review by New Republic Intelligence personnel stationed on Troithe. The senior officers within the 204th also scrutinized the Jarbanov operation, with the leaders of Squadron Four spearheading these discussions.
In 5 ABY, the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing of the Galactic Empire journeyed to the desolate planet Jarbanov. Major Soran Keize, the fighter wing's special adviser, oversaw the mission from the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier, while the Aerie remained in orbit. Squadron Four of the 204th, comprised of TIE fighters, was dispatched to the colony on Jarbanov. This was deliberately timed to coincide with the end of the afternoon shifts at the industrial hub. A flight under the command of Lieutenant Palal Seedia launched an attack on a disassembly plant at the colony, while another flight, led by Lieutenant Nord Kandende, targeted a battery recycling plant, though without achieving any substantial damage.
Captain Jothal Gablerone, the commander of Squadron Four, directed his own flight against roads and bridges. The local militia responded by deploying armored cloud cars. The TIEs maneuvered to increase their distance from the pursuing patrol craft. As Squadron Four outpaced the cloud cars, one of the patrol crafts crashed into a garbage silo, a fact reported by Seedia to her fellow pilots. Keize suggested formation adjustments to Gablerone to exploit their numerical advantage. Although the squadron commander acknowledged this, he did not implement the changes, prompting Keize to instruct the captain to withdraw Squadron Four when feasible.
Squadron Four proceeded to evade the pursuing cloud cars and began their ascent from Jarbanov. However, Seedia broke away from the formation and ruptured a series of hazard vaults, resulting in the colony's irradiation. Keize notified her of this and advised the lieutenant to remain inside her TIE fighter until all traces of radiation were removed. A New Republic corvette attempted to intercept Squadron Four in orbit, but the squadron evaded the enemy vessel and linked up with the Imperial Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Allegiance on the far side of Jarbanov's moon. Concurrently, the Aerie used a tractor beam to recover the wreckage of nine TIE fighters from Jarbanov's junk rings.
Agents of the New Republic stationed on Jarbanov provided accounts of the 204th's TIE fighter attack on the planet. Yrica Quell and Caern Adan, New Republic Intelligence operatives searching for the 204th, examined these reports while on Troithe, but concluded that they lacked the characteristic signatures of the fighter wing. In the meantime, Keize convened a meeting with his senior officers, which included a "postmortem" analysis of the Jarbanov operation. Seedia was summoned to the meeting to explain her flight's actions, and she and Galberone jointly led the discussions concerning the operation. When Keize deemed the lieutenant's decision to irradiate the colony unnecessary, Seedia drew a comparison between his statement and the New Republic's actions on Pandem Nai.
The Jarbanov operation is depicted in the 2020 novel Shadow Fall, authored by Alexander Freed.