A military offensive, orchestrated by Grand Admiral Thrawn, was initiated against Nomad City as a preliminary step to his planned assault on Sluis Van. Thrawn's strategy for seizing the New Republic vessels docked at the Sluis Van shipyards hinged on acquiring mole miners. The forces of Thrawn's confederation launched an attack on Nomad City, a mining settlement situated on Nkllon and under the administration of Lando Calrissian. Coincidentally, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and Luke Skywalker were present in the system, paying a visit to Calrissian with the intention of finding a safe haven for Leia from Imperial assassins. They joined the defense, piloting the Millennium Falcon and an X-wing, yet Thrawn successfully secured fifty-one mole miners, exceeding half of Nomad City's total inventory. It was during this conflict that Skywalker initially encountered Joruus C'baoth, the deranged Jedi clone, who established telepathic communication with Skywalker.