Sayan, located on the world of Abridon, was a significant industrial center. The Abridon Shipyard was located there. The Abridon Nationalists gained control of Abridon in 3 ABY. The Empire retaliated quickly, retaking the Government Center and forcing the Rebel Alliance off-world. Despite this, Sayan was still a center of Nationalist feelings. Frequent street fighting occurred between Imperial troops and Nationalists. Eventually, the Empire, frustrated by Sayan's continued resistance, deployed artillery platforms and started to destroy the city.
Brenn Tantor, the Imperial general who had previously retaken the planet, came back as a Rebel. He seized the Government Center and liberated Hamman Flatt, an Abridon Nationalist leader. Flatt promised the Rebel Alliance a shipment of A-wings if Tantor would liberate Sayan.
Tantor secretly moved a Hover Transport carrying pilots, the TR-MB, and an armed guard through the city, using Scanner Jammers and the chaos of the city's battles to hide their movements. He successfully captured the shipyards, which he then used as a staging area to bring in reinforcements and eliminate all Imperial soldiers in the city.