The raid on Coruscant, the capital of the New Republic, which occurred in 23 ABY, stands as one of several incursions executed by the Second Imperium during the Second Imperium Crisis. The key outcome of this raid was the successful hijacking of the Bulk Cruiser named Adamant, along with its valuable cargo consisting of turbolasers and hyperdrive cores. Furthermore, the Shadow Academy orchestrated a covert operation, dispatching its members to infiltrate the lower levels of New Republic City, aiming to bolster their ranks with new recruits.
Before the Second Imperium could initiate its campaign to reclaim the galaxy, it first needed to replenish its forces with fresh recruits and secure essential resources to construct a battle fleet. Following the abduction of the Solo twins and the subsequent fallout, the Shadow Academy was relocated to the inner Coruscant system with the dual purpose of achieving these objectives.
To accomplish the recruitment goal, Tamith Kai, along with her apprentice Vilas, and Garowyn, were dispatched to the undercity of Coruscant. Their mission was to identify Force-sensitive youths who could be readily swayed to embrace the dark side. Non-Force-sensitive individuals were also considered valuable, given their familiarity with the planet that served as the New Republic's heart, making them potential spies or saboteurs. Moreover, they could undergo training to become stormtroopers or TIE pilots.
Among the youths who were "recruited" was Zekk, who demonstrated considerable power in the Force. He initially resisted joining the Shadow Academy, leading to his incapacitation and forced relocation. However, after discussions with Brakiss, Zekk eventually aligned with the view that the New Republic should be overthrown, paving the way for a new Second Imperium to emerge.
Zekk accompanied Tamith Kai, Garowyn, and Vilas on a subsequent mission to the undercity to recruit the Lost Ones into the Second Imperium. He delivered a speech while the others used the Force to ensure the Lost Ones' attention. The recruitment process proceeded smoothly until Jacen Solo and Tenel Ka intervened, confronting Zekk. However, a stun blast swiftly resolved the situation. Tamith Kai, Garowyn, Vilas, and Zekk departed with their new recruits before Jacen and Tenel Ka regained consciousness.
To achieve the resource acquisition objective, the Second Imperium acquired intelligence indicating that the Adamant, a bulk cruiser transporting a significant quantity of turbolasers and hyperdrive cores, was scheduled to make a stop at Coruscant before continuing to Kuat Drive Yards, where the components were intended to equip a new fleet of New Republic battleships.
However, the operation presented challenges due to the need for precise timing. Given the critical nature of the cargo and the presence of a prominent officer overseeing the delivery, who would conduct a formal inspection upon arrival at Kuat Drive Yards, the Adamant was expected to be heavily guarded by escort ships after emerging from hyperspace. Nevertheless, a five-minute window of opportunity existed between the departure of the escort ships and the assumption of security duties by the Coruscant Security Force.
The Adamant transitioned to realspace as scheduled and proceeded toward a docking zone near a space station belonging to Coruscant Space Traffic Control. The Adamant's escort, consisting of fourteen corvettes and numerous X-wings and E-wings, detached from the bulk cruiser. Unaware of the impending threat, Admiral Ackbar, the ship's commander, was discussing rest arrangements with his crew when the tactical officer reported the sudden appearance of an unidentified fleet fifty kilometers off the Adamant's starboard bow. Anticipating a boarding action, the crew sought cover behind the bridge consoles.
The Second Imperium fighters promptly employed their ion cannons to neutralize the Adamant's limited defenses. They created a small hull breach, triggering the closure of emergency bulkheads and isolating the bridge. The Adamant attempted to transmit a distress signal, but it was disabled during the initial attack. An Imperial Assault Shuttle piloted by Qorl maneuvered a specially modified cofferdam, designed for hull breaches, into position outside the bulk cruiser's bridge.
Upon establishing an airtight seal, the stormtroopers aboard the assault shuttle stormed through the cofferdam and onto the bridge. They stunned most of the bridge crew, sustaining three casualties in the process. Ackbar, the last remaining crew member, physically confronted Qorl as he approached the helm. After a brief struggle, Qorl prevailed, using his prosthetic arm to knock Ackbar unconscious.
With the bridge secured, Qorl assumed command of the Adamant and ordered the stormtroopers to place the ship's crew into an escape pod. After completing this task, the stormtroopers returned to the assault shuttle and detached from the Adamant. Qorl, protected by his suit, set course for the Shadow Academy as a New Republic fleet unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the hijacked Adamant.
Qorl docked the Adamant with the Shadow Academy, and the unloading of its cargo commenced. The intelligence regarding the Adamant's cargo proved accurate, and it was estimated that the Second Imperium's military strength would double with the incorporation of these components. The escape pod containing Ackbar and the Adamant's bridge crew was successfully recovered. Security patrols in the Coruscant system were intensified to prevent further Imperial attacks on shipping to and from Coruscant.
Sometime later, a cargo shuttle named Moon Dash departed from the space station Coruscant One. Laden with cargo, it collided with the cloaked Shadow Academy's upper docking tower while accelerating to hyperspace. This resulted in the destruction of the Moon Dash and the deaths of her crew, Captain Narek-Ag and her co-pilot Trebor. Shortly before the destruction of the Moon Dash, Coruscant One received a message from Trebor stating that he believed the small shuttle had crashed into space debris. The New Republic's Commissioner of Trade seized upon this incident to lobby Chief of State Leia Organa Solo to allocate more resources to charting the space debris that had surrounded Coruscant since the Galactic Civil War.
Leia remained skeptical of the proposal, given the New Republic's already strained resources. Her daughter, Jaina Solo, overheard her conversation with Han Solo and volunteered herself and her friend Lowbacca to chart the space debris surrounding Coruscant. They dedicated a significant amount of time to this task. When Peckhum visited the Solos' quarters seeking information about Zekk's disappearance, Jaina decided that it would be more efficient to chart the debris from the Orbital Solar Energy Transfer Satellite, where Peckhum would be stationed later.
Once there, Jaina and Lowbacca resumed charting the debris and performed some maintenance on the station. While Jaina took a break, Lowbacca noticed an anomaly within the debris field: a region completely devoid of debris. Simultaneously, Jaina was reviewing captured images of the raid on the Adamant, puzzled by the absence of a nearby base despite the presence of short-range fighters in the assault.
The satellite received a call from Jacen Solo, who informed his sister that Zekk had joined the Shadow Academy. Jaina then connected the dots and instructed Peckhum to focus the satellite's mirrors on the anomalous area of the debris field while she informed her mother, via her brother, to notify Admiral Ackbar of the anomaly and her suspicion that it was the Shadow Academy. Her suspicion proved correct when the mirror focused on the anomalous area. Realizing they had been discovered, the Shadow Academy accelerated to hyperspace before the New Republic warships could intercept them.