A brief conflict erupted in Kestro on the planet of Vardos when Commander Iden Versio and Agent Del Meeko went against direct orders. They were instructed to return the Aqualish Gleb to Admiral Garrick Versio alone, but instead, they chose to rescue civilians as well. This action was considered an act of treason, leading Agent Gideon Hask and Garrick to attempt to have Iden and Del killed. Simultaneously, the city of Kestro spiraled into chaos as its residents realized the Empire was abandoning them to their fate. Iden and Del battled their way through the Imperial forces, making their way back to their ship, the Corvus, before escaping the planet. They then sent a distress call to the Rebel Alliance.
Following the Battle of Endor, Inferno Squad was integrated into Operation: Cinder, the Emperor's final command issued posthumously. The operation's goal was to instill widespread terror throughout the galaxy by devastating numerous worlds, driven by spite to ensure they didn't outlive him and to eradicate the Empire's greatest threat: hope. Unaware of the operation's true nature, Iden and her squad assisted in securing experimental satellites vital to Operation: Cinder, successfully repelling a rebel assault on the Fondor Shipyards.
Subsequently, Inferno Squad received orders to extract a high-value individual from Vardos, Protectorate Gleb of the Future Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School. However, upon reaching Vardos, they discovered the satellites from Fondor deployed above the planet, realizing Vardos was slated for destruction under Operation: Cinder.
Infuriated by this revelation, Iden confronted her father aboard his ship, where she learned that Vardos and numerous other worlds were to be purged. The immense destruction and loss of life were intended to subdue the galaxy through sheer terror. Iden then witnessed in horror and anger as Admiral Versio activated the satellites, forming a climate disruption array that unleashed massively powerful electrical storms across the planet within minutes. Ordering his daughter to leave and retrieve Protectorate Gleb, who was intended as the sole survivor, Admiral Versio instructed his subordinate to contact Agent Hask on the Corvus, suspecting Iden might disobey orders and instructing her execution if she showed any defiance.
Upon landing at an Imperial staging area, Iden, Del, and Hask disembarked their ship and proceeded through the capital city of Kestro to extract Gleb, who awaited them at the city's Archive. While Iden and Del expressed concern and fear for the local population, Hask dismissed their concerns, deeming civilians expendable and disregarding their criticisms of the operation and their worries about the Empire's extreme shift in direction. As they advanced towards the Archive, they observed Imperial troops struggling to maintain control over the increasingly anxious and enraged populace, informing them that any unauthorized ships attempting to leave would be shot down without exception. This, combined with the intensifying storms, did little to reassure the civilians, many of whom were on the verge of rioting. Reaching the Archive building, they found Gleb waiting impatiently alongside a Rodian agent, as well as several civilians seeking shelter.
Hask attempted to apprehend the Rodian, but Gleb asserted that he was with her and that the others were insignificant and would remain. Before they could depart, a lightning strike hit the Archive, causing a significant amount of rubble to collapse, narrowly missing two civilians. Del, with Iden's approval, instructed the assembled group to head for Landing Bay 2 where the Corvus awaited, but Hask intervened, holding the civilians at gunpoint and declaring that this was not their mission. Ordering him to stand down, Iden reiterated this forcefully when he attempted to shoot the fleeing citizens. Unable to convince Hask that Operation: Cinder was wrong, Iden and Del refused to participate in the new order and began to leave, only for Hask to attempt to kill them, following his orders. Iden acted first, disabling him with a shot to the leg, and fled the building as Hask reported their treason to Garrick, who ordered him to return Gleb to him.
Outside, Iden and Del discovered they were marked for death, with orders to shoot them on sight being issued. Managing to navigate through the crowded plaza, the two were forced to eliminate many of their former comrades to escape. Meanwhile, the citizens finally lost control, and Kestro descended into panic and rioting, with numerous ships taking off and fleeing into orbit. Noticing the anti-air batteries targeting the escaping ships, Iden and Del commandeered an AT-AT walker and used it to destroy a relay controlling all anti-air defenses in the sector. En route, they hailed the Corvus and instructed it to prepare for take-off. Adiana Caton, who chose to remain with her colleagues, allowed the civilians to board the ship and warned them to exercise caution. Utilizing their hijacked walker to eliminate all opposition, including several scout walkers and another AT-AT, the two were forced to abandon ship when the walker was struck and disabled by a lightning strike. The Corvus, which had also been struck, was besieged by stormtroopers attempting to prevent their escape, and Iden and Del joined their loyal crewmembers in fighting them off, aided by the storm cells that destroyed a third AT-AT advancing on their position. Successfully boarding the Corvus, it took off and fled Vardos, bypassing the Star Destroyers and jumping into hyperspace. Hask, who had rescued Gleb, was subsequently promoted to Commander by Admiral Versio.
In the Vorpal Nebula within the Outer Rim, the Corvus crew made the decision to surrender to the Rebel Alliance, intending to inform them about Operation: Cinder in the hope that they could halt it. The distress signal was intercepted by the MC80 Star Cruiser Restoration, which rescued them. After meeting with Danger Leader Shriv Suurgav and General Lando Calrissian, Iden and Del divulged all the information they possessed before Lando extended an offer to them to assist in fighting the Empire at Naboo, Operation: Cinder's next target. Initially hesitant, the two agreed and eventually formally enlisted in the New Republic.
Vardos was abandoned in the wake of the operation, transforming into a desolate and barren planet. The city of Kestro, however, was eventually reclaimed by Jinata Security under Gleb's command. By 34 ABY, the city was almost entirely deserted and blanketed in atmospheric ash, a consequence of the climate disruption.