During the time of the New Republic Era, a strike was initiated by miners residing at a mining colony under the control of the First Order. This colony was located in Pressy's Tumble, a fabricated asteroid field situated within the Outer Rim Territories. The miners were protesting the severe conditions in which they lived and worked. Captain Phasma, asserting that the New Republic had instigated unrest among the miners, led a group of stormtroopers to the mining colony and proceeded to execute the negotiators. FN-2187 was present during the strike but refrained from firing upon the negotiators, which led Phasma to offer him another chance to prove his loyalty on Jakku.
In the year 34 ABY, the First Order established a refinery complex within the Pressy's Tumble asteroid field, located in the Pressylla system. Pressy's Tumble was an artificial asteroid creation, resulting from an ambitious mining engineer's decision to detonate an ore-rich moon to streamline ore extraction. The refinery complex was built on the largest of these asteroid fragments, contributing to the First Order's objective of restoring Imperial dominance to the galaxy.
To manage the mine's operations, the First Order employed a significant number of civilian miners. These miners primarily consisted of various alien species, including Talz, Grans, Rodians, Abednedos, and Narquois. The miners faced arduous and perilous working conditions, often sustaining injuries during ore extraction. Additionally, they suffered from malnutrition and generally poor health. In response to these harsh conditions, the miners initiated a strike.
The First Order disregarded the miners' complaints and chose to deploy stormtroopers to "reestablish order" at Pressy's Tumble. Captain Phasma informed the stormtroopers of FN Corps that New Republic agents had infiltrated the mining operations, sabotaging equipment and inciting dissent among the miners. Instead of addressing the miners' grievances, the stormtroopers were tasked with suppressing the strike, ensuring the miners resumed their work schedule, and preventing further disruptions.
For this operation to restore law and order, the First Order sent four stormtrooper teams, including three fire-teams. Among the stormtroopers involved was FN-2187 ("Eight-Seven"). He was accompanied by his comrades FN-2000 ("Zeroes"), FN-2199 ("Nines"), and FN-2003 ("Slip"). While each stormtrooper carried live ammunition and grenades, one of the fire-teams was armed with shock staffs and neurocage nets, weapons specifically designed for crowd control. Upon landing at the refinery, the stormtroopers did not encounter any resistance.
After performing a sweep, a sergeant instructed FN-2187 to position his fire-team at the entrance of the landing bay to safeguard their transport shuttles. As they entered the refinery complex, they observed several worker droids tending to the machinery. They also noticed several emaciated and unwell miners observing them from the scaffolding. The miners, fearing the stormtroopers, avoided making eye contact. Since the miners did not attack, FN-2187 and his comrades did not engage them, remaining on guard at the landing bay for approximately three hours.
Roughly three hours later, Captain Phasma contacted FN-2187 and ordered him and his team to proceed to level alpha-seven-seven, room ought-three. Subsequently, she dispatched a cadet fire-team to relieve FN-2187 and his men. After consulting the map downloaded into his in-armor computer, FN-2187 and his team made their way to the designated room. Upon entering, they found Captain Phasma along with the four mining negotiators: a human, a Rodian, an Abednedo, and a Narquois.
When the human negotiator inquired whether Phasma had considered their demands, Phasma commanded FN-2187 and his fire-team to kill the miners. Slip initiated the shooting, followed by Zeroes and Nines. Eight-Seven aimed his blaster at the Abednedo. Feeling empathy and compassion for the miner, FN-2187 was unable to discharge his weapon. Ultimately, Slip fatally shot the Abednedo. The execution of the negotiators effectively ended the strike, allowing the First Order to restore order to the refinery.
The assassination of the mining negotiators brought an end to the strike at Pressy's Tumble. Consequently, operations resumed at a pace deemed satisfactory by the First Order. As a result of their actions in killing the negotiators, Phasma formally inducted FN-2187 and his fellow cadets FN-2003, FN-2000, and FN-2199 into the First Order's stormtrooper corps. The four stormtroopers received an invitation from veterans to share a meal in the galley aboard their Star Destroyer. While Slip, Zeroes, and Nines were pleased to be the guests of honor at a meal, FN-2187 felt disheartened by the necessity of killing unarmed civilians.
He declined the invitation, claiming he had target practice. During this practice, he attempted to overcome his hesitation by participating in a simulation against New Republic soldiers. However, Sevens could not bring himself to fire upon civilians. Captain Phasma, concerned about FN-2187's reluctance to kill, assigned him to a mission on Jakku to place him in a live-fire situation that would force him to kill. Despite his indoctrination, he failed to kill any combatants at Tuanul village. Subsequently, he chose to desert the First Order by assisting Resistance pilot Poe Dameron in escape from the Star Destroyer Finalizer.
The strike at Pressy's Tumble was first described in Greg Rucka's 2015 junior novel, Before the Awakening.