During the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance known as the war, a skirmish took place above D'Qar. The Colossus resistance engaged in this battle, which involved a salvage operation. The goal was to retrieve coaxium from the remains of the Fulminatrix, a Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought, in order to supply the Colossus' hyperdrive with fuel. This occurred above the planet.
In the time of the New Republic era, the First Order had occupied the Colossus, a refueling station located on Castilon, an oceanic planet. The First Order's intention was to utilize the Colossus as a supply hub for their fleet as they planned to invade the entire galaxy. Kazuda Xiono, a Resistance operative, spearheaded a successful uprising that drove the First Order's forces off the platform. Subsequently, the Colossus entered hyperspace with the objective of reaching the Resistance base on D'Qar.
Despite encountering difficulties with their engine and gravity systems, as well as the presence of MB-13A, a First Order BB-series astromech droid acting as a stowaway, the Colossus resistance along with Captain Imanuel Doza successfully overcame these challenges and continued their journey. Xiono, unaware that the Resistance had already evacuated D'Qar, persuaded Captain Doza and Jarek Yeager to plot a course for the Ileenium system. Upon emerging from hyperspace, they came upon wreckage from a recent battle and discovered that the Resistance base had been bombarded from orbit, leaving behind a scorched area on the landscape.
Given the Colossus' strategic value, Captain Phasma tasked Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny of the First Order Security Bureau with either reclaiming the station or, if that proved impossible, destroying it. Feeling remorseful for having kept his espionage activities hidden from Tamara Ryvora, his estranged friend, Xiono sent her a comlink message to apologize. Ryvora had since become a cadet training to be a First Order TIE Fighter Pilot. Jace Rucklin, another cadet who harbored resentment towards Xiono, pressured Ryvora into reporting the comlink transmission to her superiors. The First Order then managed to trace the comlink's signal back to the Ileenium system.
Due to the lack of a secure location to refuel and restock on supplies, Captain Doza attempted to guide the Colossus back into hyperspace. However, Neeku Vozo emphasized that a second jump was not possible due to their limited supply of coaxium fuel for the hyperdrive. Xiono then convinced Captain Doza and Yeager that they could obtain the coaxium from a destroyed Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought adrift in space. Although Paige Tico's MG-100 StarFortress SF-17 had disabled the Fulminatrix during the Resistance's departure from D'Qar, a portion of the wreckage remained relatively intact, with power and air still functioning.
With assistance from Synara San, Xiono successfully persuaded Captain Kragan Gorr, the leader of the Warbird gang, to aid in recovering coaxium fuel from the dreadnought. In exchange, they were promised salvaged weapons from the abandoned starship. Team Fireball, including CB-23, and the pirates journeyed to the wrecked dreadnought aboard the sail barge Galleon. After docking in the hangar, Team Fireball and the pirates were able to navigate their way to the warship's hyperdrive chamber, which was still intact. There, they discovered the coaxium stored within a sealed container.
Before the canister could be retrieved, the Thunderer, a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer commanded by Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny, entered the Ileenium system. The Star Destroyer deployed a squadron of TIE/fo space superiority fighters to engage the Colossus, which was defended by Ace Squadron. Hype Fazon, the Ace Leader who lacked extensive combat experience, convinced his team to initiate a chase with the First Order TIEs. This was intended to divert their attention while Xiono and his team completed their salvage operation.
As the aerial battle intensified, Xiono, Vozo, and CB-23 attempted to release the coaxium fuel, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Despite the potential for an explosion, Gorr resorted to using force to pry open the canister. After detecting the Galleon aboard the Fulminatrix, Pyre instructed his Star Destroyer's gunners to target the dreadnought, which ultimately caused the canister to break free. Team Fireball and the pirates managed to safely evacuate the dreadnought before it was destroyed by enemy fire. Despite taking enemy fire on its port side, the Galleon successfully repelled the TIE fighters with its laser cannons.
Valik, a pirate, successfully landed the Galleon on the Colossus. Shortly after, the Ace pilots crash-landed their fighters in the hangar. Racing against time, Vozo carefully transferred the coaxium into the fuel receptacle located in the hyperdrive chamber. Before the Star Destroyer could inflict significant damage on the Colossus, Vozo completed the transfer, enabling Captain Doza to pilot the ship into hyperspace.
The successful retrieval of coaxium fuel by Team Fireball and the Warbird pirates enabled the Colossus to avoid destruction and escape into space. While Ryvora was relieved that her friends were safe, Pyre and Tierny pledged to continue their pursuit of the Colossus. Noticing Ryvora's internal conflict, Pyre suggested that she undergo mental conditioning. However, Tierny declined, arguing that Ryvora was more valuable in her current state of mind for the purpose of hunting down the Colossus.
Yeager expressed concerns about how the First Order had managed to locate the Colossus, unaware of Xiono's clandestine transmission to Ryvora. Meanwhile, San confronted Xiono and Vozo about the possibility that Ryvora had betrayed them. While Xiono and Vozo refused to believe that Tam would betray them, San was convinced that Ryvora could not be trusted due to her defection to the First Order.
The Aces' subpar performance during the skirmish led most of them, except for Fazon, to acknowledge that they were outmatched when facing skilled combat pilots. Realizing this, Doza placed Yeager in charge of the squadron and added Xiono, a former New Republic pilot, to the team. Yeager immediately began training the Aces with various exercises. Fazon was initially hesitant to participate, believing his skills were already sufficient, but he eventually relented and admitted that he could benefit from dedicated combat training.
The mission to secure coaxium for the Colossus serves as a significant plot element in the Star Wars Resistance Season Two episode titled "A Quick Salvage Run," which was first broadcast on October 13, 2019.