Rebellion on Akiva

Akiva, a remote world situated in the Outer Rim, was under the dominion of the Galactic Empire. The Satrapy of Myrra, the planet's elite aristocratic class, collaborated with the Empire, enforcing its laws and regulations. Some Akivans, such as Brentin Lore Wexley, supported the Rebel Alliance by delivering messages, which led to their imprisonment by Imperial authorities. His wife, Norra Wexley, departed Akiva in search of her husband and subsequently became a starfighter pilot within the Rebel fleet. Their son, Temmin Wexley, became an independent junk dealer residing in Myrra, the capital city.

The Battle of Endor marked a significant and devastating loss for the Galactic Empire. With the deaths of both the Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, the Empire was left without its leadership, leading to widespread rebellions across the galaxy. The Rebel Alliance reorganized itself into a new governing body known as the New Republic, establishing a Galactic Senate on Chandrila. The New Republic achieved several victories against the Empire, bolstered by defecting Imperials and planets joining their cause.

While scouting the Outer Rim for signs of Imperial activity, Captain Wedge Antilles of the New Republic detected two Imperial Star Destroyers above Akiva. Before he could relay this information to the Republic, he was captured by Admiral [Rae Sloane](/article/rae_sloane]. Despite his capture, Antilles managed to transmit a distress transmission to Akiva. Admiral Sloane had arrived on Akiva to convene an emergency summit to deliberate on the Empire's future. Shortly thereafter, she was joined by several other Imperial officials and commanders, including Arsin Crassus, a financier and slaver, Grand Moff Valco Pandion, General Jylia Shale, and Yupe Tashu, the Imperial Adviser. This group, known as the Imperial Future Council, convened at the palace of Satrap Isstra Dirus.

Norra intercepted Captain Antilles's signal upon her return to Myrra, intending to locate her son and evacuate him from the planet. However, Temmin resisted leaving and sabotaged his mother's attempt to escape in a freighter. Subsequently, mother and son fled their Imperial pursuers aboard a stolen speeder bike. Distrustful of his mother, Temmin instructed her to meet him at his Aunt Esmelle's residence before dismounting the bike. Shortly thereafter, Temmin was captured by Surat Nuat, a crime lord seeking retribution for the boy's theft of a shipment of data cubes. Surat attempted to remove Temmin's tongue, but was thwarted by Jas Emari, a bounty hunter, and her fellow inmate Sinjir Rath Velus, a former Imperial loyalty officer.

Jas had journeyed to Akiva to collect a bounty on the Imperial slaver Arsin Crassus but had been captured by Surat. After joining forces with Sinjir and rescuing Temmin, they fled aboard Norra's Bala-bala speeder. They then sought refuge at Esmelle's house, where they were joined by Temmin's modified B1-series battle droid, "Mister Bones." Jas aimed to rescue Wedge and claim the bounties on the Imperial officials from the Imperial Future Council. However, Norra felt outmatched and sought to leave Akiva with Temmin. Norra changed her mind after Temmin agreed to assist Jas, and Sinjir assured everyone of his genuine defection from the Empire.

Having formed an informal team, Norra then initiated her plan. Temmin, Sinjir, and Mister Bones forcibly entered a local Imperial communications station and uploaded a propaganda broadcast urging the people of Akiva to revolt. The broadcast included fabricated footage of an "Imperial officer" (actually Sinjir) fatally shooting a youth, followed by brief speeches from Norra and Princess Leia Organa. This sparked a riot in Myrra, escalating into an uprising. Meanwhile, Norra killed two TIE fighter pilots and commandeered a TIE fighter. She destroyed four TIE fighters and several parked Lambda-class shuttles outside the Satrap's palace before being shot down by a turbolaser emplacement.

Meanwhile, New Republic Admiral Gial Ackbar received intelligence from a mysterious Imperial source known as the Operator regarding the Imperial emergency summit on Akiva. After consulting with other Republic officers and Chancellor Mon Mothma, Ackbar dispatched a six-member suborbital landing squad of New Republic Special Forces soldiers led by Sergeant major Jom Barell. The Republic officers delayed sending a fleet to Akiva to avoid escalating tensions. While Captain Saff Melor argued that Akiva had little strategic value, Mon Mothma insisted on liberating the Akivan people. As a compromise, a small landing squad was sent to investigate the situation on Akiva.

Ackbar supervised Sergeant Major Barell's team as they deployed to Akiva on a transport. The landing squad was equipped with parawings that would enable them to glide to the planet's surface. However, the transport and most of the soldiers were destroyed by Imperial turbolasers. Barell was the sole survivor, landing safely in the streets of Myrra. After killing three stormtroopers, Barell sought refuge in the city. Despite the attempted Republic landing, Admiral Sloane proceeded with the Imperial summit. The Imperial Future Council failed to reach a consensus due to disagreements and infighting among the delegates. The summit was further complicated by Wedge's escape attempt and Norra's propaganda broadcast revealing the meeting's location.

With the Imperial summit compromised, Admiral Rae was compelled to conclude the Imperial Future Council's proceedings. However, the Imperials' departure plans were complicated by the destruction of their shuttles at Norra's hands. The Imperials' predicament worsened when an Akivan crowd attempted to storm the Satrap's palace. Akivans even created a scarecrow resembling Darth Vader, the dark Imperial enforcer, which was set ablaze as a form of protest. Meanwhile, Norra ejected from her derelict TIE fighter and reunited with her comrades at a bar called Pok's Place. Norra's rebels then retreated to Temmin's shop, where the youth retrieved several maps of the catacombs beneath Myrra from his "hidey-hike-nook-and-cubby". The rebel group planned to use the catacombs to infiltrate the palace, rescue Wedge, and capture the Imperials.

In secret, Temmin contacted Surat and negotiated a deal to secure safe passage off Akiva for himself, Norra, and Mister Bones in exchange for selling Sinjir and Jas Emari to the Empire. Surat agreed to the deal but secretly negotiated another deal with Admiral Sloane to capture Norra as well. Norra's rebel group traversed the catacombs and narrowly escaped a horde of Uugteen primitives that had taken over a former Separatist droid factory. They reached the Satrap's palace but were captured by Sloane and her stormtroopers. With Surat communicating via hologram, Sloane agreed to release Temmin but took the others into custody.

When Temmin protested, Sloane and her troops disintegrated Mister Bones with their blasters. After instructing her men to throw Temmin off a rooftop, Sloane ordered her stormtroopers to take the captives and Wedge aboard Arsin's yacht, the Golden Harp. From the street a few rocks, thrown by the yelling crowd, fruitlessly pelted the underside of the yacht, and stormtroopers stood over the edge of the roof to fire their blasters down indiscriminately into the crowd. However, Temmin survived his fall after being rescued by the crowd. Climbing up the palace's wall, Temmin managed to infiltrate the Golden Harp, which was carrying the departing Imperial officials and their rebel prisoners. Prior to the Imperial departure, Satrap Isstra begged Admiral Sloane to take him with them in order to avoid the raging mob. Rae rejected his pleas since the Satrap had outlived his usefulness, and her stormtroopers killed two of his guards when they tried to intervene.

Meanwhile, Jom Barrel made his way to the turbolaser emplacement outside of the Satrap's Palace. After killing four stormtroopers, Barrel confronted a young gunnery officer, a mere boy who had graduated from the Imperial Academy. Barrel attempted to convince the officer to surrender, but the officer tried to shoot him with his blaster. Despite sustaining a broken arm, Jom overpowered the boy and locked him in a footlocker trunk. Taking control of the turbolaser, Jom used the cannon to shoot a hole in Arsin's yacht. This did not bring down the ship but killed several stormtroopers and Royal Guards who had been cornering Temmin.

After freeing the yacht's captain, Temmin entered the maintenance hatch which led to the compartment where his mother, Sinjir, and Jas were being held by Grand Moff Pandion and several Imperials. While Sinjir remonstrated with Pandion, Temmin freed Jas and Norra from their restraints. As Admiral Rae and her pilot Morna Kee brought the shuttle into space, they found the Imperial ships including their home ship Vigilance under attack from a New Republic fleet led by Commander Kyrsta Agate on board of the Alderaanian frigate Sunspire. Under enemy fire, Sloane decided to land their yacht on the Vigilance and escape onto a shuttle there.

Back in the passenger section, Jas broke free and held Pandion at gunpoint. Before a firefight could break out, the Golden Harp crash-landed in the Vigilance's hangar bay. The rebels survived the landing, but Arsin and several stormtroopers were killed. Jas stuned and captured General Shale and Adviser Tashu. While the other rebels evacuated Wedge, Sloane's aide Adea Rite, and the other Imperial prisoners, Norra took a TIE fighter and pursued Admiral Sloane, Morna, and Pandion, who had escaped aboard a shuttle. Meanwhile, the New Republic fleet destroyed the Star Destroyers Vigilance and Ascent.

Rae and Morna took their shuttle to Grand Moff Pandion's Star Destroyer Vanquish. On the way, Pandion attempted to force Sloane to relinquish her Super Star Destroyer Ravager. Following a scuffle, Sloane threw Pandion out of the cockpit and jettisoned the main compartment, which collided with Norra's starfighter. She then took control of the Vanquish and retreated into hyperspace. Meanwhile, the New Republic fleet wiped out the remaining Imperial forces on Akiva.

In the aftermath of the Akiva rebellion, the planet became the first Outer Rim world to align itself with the New Republic. Acknowledging the Empire's abandonment and facing public anger, the satraps of Akiva relinquished some of their authority to the New Republic. Subsequently, the Republic initiated a crackdown on organized crime, targeting Surat Nuat's gang. Surat fled, but most of his gang was imprisoned. Others perished in a final stand against the new authorities. Utilizing Temmin's stolen data cubes, the New Republic uncovered intelligence detailing the Empire's dealings with crime syndicates, including the Hutts. These activities included operating black site prisons for the Empire.

After recovering from her injuries on Chandrila, Norra and her son Temmin reconciled and rebuilt Mister Bones as a family project. They then joined forces with Jom Barell, Sinjir, and Jas Emari to hunt down Imperial fugitives across the galaxy. Norra and Temmin hoped to find Brentin again.

The Akiva rebellion was first depicted in Chuck Wendig's novel Aftermath, released on September 4, 2015 as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens multimedia project. The Akiva arc constitutes the novel's primary storyline, narrated from the perspectives of Norra Wexley, Temmin Wexley, Rae Sloane, Sinjir, Jas Emari, and Jom Barell. The battle was officially named in Wendig's sequel, Aftermath: Life Debt, which debuted on July 12, 2016. The battle received an indirect mention in the Dorling Kindersley reference book Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, released in December 2015.