Battle of Barabesh

Prelude

Background

Tamara Ryvora, an aspiring racer, departed her homeworld of Kuat to pursue a racing career at the Colossus refueling platform located on Castilon. However, her dreams were not realized, and Ryvora experienced hardship. Impoverished, she was compelled to sell her racer but secured lodging and employment with Jarek Yeager, a former New Republic starfighter pilot who owned a repair station at the Colossus. Tam's role as a mechanic was complicated by the arrival of Kazuda Xiono, an undercover Resistance spy on a mission to monitor First Order activity on the Colossus.

Ryvora became increasingly frustrated with Kaz's unexplained offworld excursions and Yeager's perceived tolerance of Kaz. Additionally, she clashed with Xiono over their differing views on the First Order. While Xiono viewed the presence of stormtroopers as hostile, Ryvora—the granddaughter of an Imperial factory worker—found reassurance in the security provided by the white-armored soldiers, seeing them as a much-needed defense against the ongoing pirate raids. Following the First Order's raid on Yeager's repair station after Kaz's intrusion into First Order territory, Ryvora believed it was a misunderstanding and surrendered to the authorities.

The First Order Security Bureau Agent successfully turned Ryvora against Kaz and Yeager by revealing the former's Resistance affiliation and alleging that the latter had exploited her by withholding information. Tam's resentment towards Kaz and Yeager led her to join the First Order during the Battle of Castilon, in which Team Colossus liberated the Colossus from First Order control and escaped into hyperspace.

During the First Order's hunt for the Colossus, Ryvora became a First Order TIE Fighter Pilot cadet, training alongside former Colossus residents Jace Rucklin and Lin Gaava. Over time, Ryvora started questioning her commitment to the First Order after her encounter with Resistance pilot Venisa Doza, the wife of Captain Imanuel Doza and mother of Torra Doza, a friend from her time on the Colossus. Ryvora also secretly assisted former friends Xiono and Neeku Vozo in stealing a Trans-binary deflector for the Colossus. Despite her promotion to Lieutenant, Ryvora's disillusionment with the First Order reached its peak after the destruction of an Aeosian village during the Suppression of the Aeos system. Deciding to defect, Ryvora retrieved her comlink from Tierny's office. With the help of the mouse droid 5-L, she sent a coded transmission to Xiono, arranging a meeting on Castilon.

Helping a friend

Kaz, Neeku, and Yeager received the coded message from Tamara. While Yeager suspected a trap, Kaz was determined not to abandon Tam. Yeager agreed to go with Kaz, but they first needed permission from Captain Imanuel Doza. Although Doza was doubtful, Kaz was convinced that Tam had genuinely changed her mind. Yeager and Doza's wife, Commander Venisa Doza, supported Kaz, stating that they would do the same to rescue their daughter. Doza relented, allowing Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 to use a former First Order Atmospheric Assault Lander to travel to an abandoned racing ring near the original location of the Colossus.

Meanwhile, Tam led her squadron of three TIE/sf space superiority fighters, capable of hyperspace travel, to Castilon under the guise of a training mission. She was accompanied by Rucklin, who remained loyal to the First Order. Upon arrival, Rucklin identified the Lander as a stolen First Order shuttle. Despite Tam's orders to stand down, Rucklin persuaded the other pilots to attack the Lander. Tam was forced to incapacitate him and used her TIE fighter to shoot down the others.

Tam reunited with Yeager and Kaz at the racing ring. Although Yeager was still angry about Tam's decision to join the First Order, Kaz managed to ease the tension by suggesting they resolve their differences later. At Tam's urging, Kaz and Yeager agreed to also evacuate the unconscious Rucklin. Before they could leave, the Thunderer arrived and opened fire on the racing ring and the sea.

Behind enemy lines

Although the Atmospheric Assault Lander managed to escape into space, it was trapped by the Thunderer's tractor beam projector. Before the ship's capture, Yeager erased the shuttle's flight logs and set it to self-destruct. While Tam and a still loyal Rucklin surrendered to Commander Pyre, Agent Tierny, and several stormtroopers, Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 slipped out of the ship through the maintenance hatches. Tam confirmed her abandonment of the First Order, while Rucklin attempted to prove his loyalty by revealing that the Colossus was in the Barabesh system. Pyre remained unmoved and ordered the two cadets to be executed by Executioner troopers for treason.

After the shuttle exploded, Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 seized the opportunity to flee the hangar and infiltrate the ship. Despite the efforts of Pyre, Tierny, and the stormtroopers, they successfully breached the Thunderer's corridors. Tierny declared a code red, while Pyre ordered the Thunderer to set course for the Barabesh system, intent on destroying the Colossus once and for all.

Later, Kaz and Yeager ambushed the stormtrooper squad escorting Tam and Rucklin for execution. Kaz rejoined her friends, but Rucklin remained confident that the First Order would destroy the Colossus. After incapacitating him, Tam confirmed that the First Order had discovered the location of the Colossus because of Rucklin's betrayal. The three decided they needed to warn the Colossus about the approaching Thunderer. Tam proposed infiltrating the engineering deck and rerouting a subspace frequency to send a transmission to the Colossus. Kaz contacted CB-23 and informed her of their plan.

Contacting the Colossus

With CB-23's assistance, Kaz, Tam, and Yeager managed to take a turbolift in G27 to the engineering deck. After neutralizing two First Order security droids and meeting up with CB-23, the trio made their way to the depths of the engine core to transmit their subspace frequency. Near the engine's bottom, the group encountered a pair of stormtroopers, whom Yeager shot. However, one of the stormtroopers managed to report the intruders to Commander Pyre, who led reinforcements to intercept them.

Kaz and Tam contacted the Colossus using the subspace frequency, warning them of the approaching First Order and urging them to flee. The Colossus residents were initially alarmed by Kaz and Tam's message, but several residents, including Aunt Z, Synara San, and Bolza Grool, encouraged them to fight back. Although they successfully warned the Colossus, their frequency allowed the First Order to pinpoint their location. Tam and her rescuers fled through a maintenance hatch leading to a hangar. They attempted to escape aboard an Atmospheric Assault Lander but were captured by Commander Pyre and his stormtroopers. However, CB-23 managed to escape.

The battle

Tam, Kaz, and Yeager were taken to the command bridge. Agent Tierny confronted Tam about her betrayal, stating that she had made her a pilot and given her purpose. Tam replied that Yeager had given her a family. When Pyre mocked Kaz, saying his efforts were futile, Kaz responded that he had warned the Colossus and that the station would be gone. Shortly after, the Thunderer exited hyperspace in the Barabesh system. Kaz was horrified to see that the Colossus had not left.

Pyre deployed several TIE squadrons against the space station, but the Colossus residents were prepared. Commander Doza led Synara San, Jade Squadron, and Ace Squadron against the Thunderer. They attempted to disable its thrusters, but these were protected by the Thunderer's deflector shield. CB-23 managed to lower the deflector shield, allowing the starfighters to bombard the Thunderer's engines.

Kaz, Tam, and Yeager took advantage of the ensuing chaos to break free from their captors. Tam instructed the group to disable the ship's controls and dashboards, leading the trio to open fire on them. They then fled down a turbolift with CB-23. They arrived at a hangar where Commander Pyre was overseeing the departure of stormtroopers on assault landers to attack the Colossus. At Tam's suggestion, CB-23 lowered them onto a crane via cable so they could reach a nearby transport. However, a blast from a ruptured engine caused the grappling cable to break loose. Tam, Kaz, and Yeager fell, but CB-23 caught them.

Kaz and Tam landed on several crates, attracting the attention of Pyre and his men. A blaster fight broke out, and Yeager shot a crane carrying munitions, causing it to fall on Pyre's men. The munitions exploded, knocking Pyre to the ground. Pyre got up and shot a crate, causing it to explode and knock Team Fireball to the ground. Kaz was pinned down by a large box, so Pyre attempted to kill him with his BL-155 Laser ax, but CB-23 used her grappling cable to grab his ax. Pyre managed to damage the droid with his weapon, but Kaz broke free and struck Pyre down with another laser ax.

After alerting Torra Doza that they would be escaping aboard a stolen First Order transport, Kaz, along with Tam, CB-23, and Yeager, escaped the doomed ship. Meanwhile, the Colossus residents defeated the First Order boarding parties. Deeming Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny to be weak, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren refused to send reinforcements and force choked Agent Tierny. The Thunderer was destroyed by the combined firepower of Jade Squadron, Ace Squadron, and the Colossus.

Aftermath

Following the rescue, Tamara Ryvora returned to the Colossus with Yeager, Kaz, and CB-23. She was welcomed by several Colossus residents, including Neeku, Aunt Z, the Doza family, Ace Squadron, and Jade Squadron. Tam also reconciled with her friends Kaz, Yeager, and Neeku while having drinks at Aunt Z's Tavern.

Several ships from Team Colossus participated in the Battle of Exegol. Ace Squadron's racers, including the Fireball, Yeager's ship, Blue Ace, Red Ace, Green Ace, and Yellow Ace, as well as the Colossus, were part of the 14,000-strong allied armada that confronted the Sith Eternal forces.

Behind the scenes

The Battle of Barabesh was first seen in "The Escape," the concluding episode of Star Wars Resistance Season Two, which premiered on January 26, 2020.