Battle of Maridun ( 0 ABY ) The Battle of Maridun was a localized conflict between the Imperial forces stationed on Maridun and the local Amanin inhabitants . The battle was considered to be a religious takital by the local Amani , since the Imperials had crossed their sacred border . The battle was disastrous for the Imperials , with much of their forces wiped out . Prelude . A column of Imperial vehicles were bringing supplies to a nearby mining installation , when they unknowingly crossed a border to the sacred battlegrounds of the Amanin race . Subsequently , the local tribe declared war on them to be participants in the traditional battle - contests , and readied to wage war on the trespassers . Having fought off small hunting parties , the Imperial group reached their destination , only to find the entire community slaughtered and the mining equipment damaged . General Ziering ordered barricades to be set up , shielding the area from the open , grassy plains . However , several Amanin managed to sneak past the outer defenses during the night , and sabotaged one of the HAVw A5 Juggernaut s , effectively cutting off communications with the outside world and blowing it up . The battle . The siege , day 1 . The next day , construction on the barricades continued , and with General Ziering undergoing surgery to save his left eye , ( which was damaged due to the Anamin attack the previous night ) Commander Frickett was in charge . Captain Gage was sent out on patrol to assess the situation , but his squad came under attack by Amanin warriors , and all were killed apart from the captain and two soldiers , who were saved by covering fire from the remaining Juggernaut . As the smoke cleared , all could see the enemy ' s true strength , as thousands of Amanin lined up throughout the plains surrounding the camp . In a panic , Commander Frickett ordered all troops to open fire , to " counter offense with an offense " as per the textbook . Lieutenant Janek Sunber tried to warn of a trap , but his words went unheard , and Frickett stormed out into the plains , rallying his troops to follow him . The army quickly discovered that the Amanin had shown themselves merely to draw the Imperials out of their fortress to be ambushed in the tall grass . Many troopers were killed , including Frickett himself , and the second Juggernaut , under the command of Captain Bex , was overrun and disabled . The dead soldiers were stripped of their weapons and gear , giving the Amanin energy weapons to aid their fight . With half his fighting force gone , General Ziering used the opportunity to seek advice from his most promising subordinate , Lieutenant Sunber . Sunber suggested using a more defensive strategy against them , constructing three trenches and surrounding walls that point toward a redoubt , namely their remaining vehicle , the AT - TE cargo walker . A squad would occupy one trench , and when falling back would be protected by the squad in the next trench . This way , the Amanin would face an obstacle - course , coupled with fire from the retreating soldiers and the AT - TE ' s E - webs . Ziering accepted the proposal and promoted Sunber to Captain . The siege , day 2 . After setting up barricades and digging all the trenches , Sunber was ordered out to the first trench , with Gage being sent to the second . The plan worked suitably , until Captain Gage frantically ordered his troops to retreat , leaving Sunber ' s force vulnerable when the time came for them to pull back . Desperate , Sunber threw one of his thermal detonators towards the nearest Juggernaut - wreck . With the ensuing explosion providing cover , Sunber ' s men were able to retreat to the second trench . Coming up with a new idea , Sunber ordered his troops to drop down as the Amanin advanced , making them believe they were preparing for an attack . Instead , his force would split in two and head towards opposite ends of trench , trapping the Amanin in the middle . Having understood the Captain ' s intentions , General Ziering ordered all E - Webs to aim for the middle of the second trench . As the Amanin advanced , they were caught in the cross - fire , with devastating results . As the E - Webs provided cover , Sunber ' s troops made it to the last trench , and geared up for the final onslaught . When it came , the remaining forces under Ziering ' s command fought furiously , even when overrun by the Amanin . The General was hit by a spear , and in his dying moments promoted Sunber to the rank of Commander , bypassing the now useless wreck that was Captain Gage , who cowered behind a crate , having not fired a shot the entire battle . The defense of the AT - TE lasted until only a handful troops remained , and as they prepared to fight again , the leader of the Amanin appeared out of the mist , declaring them to be valiant fighters and worthy of peace with his people , having proved themselves in Takital — ritual battle on their sacred ground . Aftermath . As a result of the battle , nearly 90 % of Ziering ' s army was lost , included Ziering himself , one commander , and at least one captain . Thus , Sunber had no credible witnesses to his promotion to Commander except Captain Gage , who refused to acknowledge his claim during an official hearing , due to jealously , leaving him once again as a Lieutenant . On the positive side for the Empire , the reward given by the Amanin chief , was that all captives taken from other tribes by his warriors , would be given to the Empire as slave laborers .