Undercover operation on Axxila

In the months following the Battle of Endor, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Rogue Squadron members found themselves at a reception on Eiattu 6. During this event, Leia Organa was impersonated by Winter. Agents working for Leonia Tavira ambushed and captured both Winter and Tycho Celchu, subsequently delivering them to their superior on Axxila.

Han Solo, along with Soontir Fel, identified a smuggler named Rayt, who was involved in the operation. They apprehended him on the StarForge Station. Rayt confessed that he had transferred Winter and Tycho to Axxila, into the custody of the Kavil's Corsairs. Promptly, Han Solo and Rogue Squadron set course for the planet.

Under the guise of the Eiattu meeting, the real Princess Leia engaged in discussions with Grand Vizier Sate Pestage on Axxila. Pestage proposed to leave Coruscant defenseless in exchange for his life, along with control of ten worlds for himself and fifteen for his associates. He also made arrangements with his operative Kavil to facilitate the release of Winter and Tycho from Tavira's custody.

However, Tycho and Winter successfully orchestrated their own escape. They broke free from their respective cells, overcame the guards, commandeered a Y-wing, and evaded the pursuit launched by Kavil's corsairs. Fortunately, they managed to transmit a distress signal, and Rogue Squadron, along with the Millennium Falcon, cleared a path for Tycho and Winter to return to base.

Concurrently, an Imperial Star Destroyer, the Reckoning, commanded by Admiral Delak Krennel, entered the system. Ysanne Isard had dispatched the ship with the mission of capturing Leia. After securing Pestage, Krennel deployed his TIE fighters over the planet and initiated an orbital bombardment. The situation for the New Republic agents became dire until Krennel was halted by an AT3 Directive issued by Soontir Fel. Under the authority of Sate Pestage, Delak Krennel was compelled to comply and withdrew from the system.

Upon his return to Coruscant, Pestage confronted Isard, asserting that he was unaware of Fel's defection and blaming her for failing to inform him. When Isard accused him of meeting with Leia Organa, he subtly denied it and reminded her that she lacked evidence.

Undeterred, Isard presented herself before the Imperial Tribunal and accused Pestage of collaborating with the New Republic. She claimed to possess confidential sources to support her allegations, reminding the Tribunal that Pestage had allowed Leia Organa to escape from Axxila, had lost Brentaal, and revealed his plan to surrender Coruscant to the New Republic. The Tribunal sided with Isard, charging Pestage with treason and issuing a warrant for his arrest.