Battle near the Gulf of Tatooine A battle took place over an unidentified moon near the Gulf of Tatooine . Berch Teller ' s chose this location for his rebel cell to ambush an Imperial convoy , transport ing the hyperdrive for the secret Death Star project from Desolation Station to Sentinel Base . However , Moff Wilhuff Tarkin learned about their plan and led Imperial Navy reinforcements which defeated the dissidents . However , Teller managed to escape into hiding . Prelude . Berch Teller was a Republic Intelligence officer stationed on Antar 4 during the last year of the Clone Wars . He helped trained Koorivar and Gotal loyalist s to resist the Separatist . Following the transformation of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire , Imperial forces under Wilhuff Tarkin indiscriminately massacred many Koorivar and Gotals including loyalists during the Antar Atrocity . Tarkin ' s actions attracted considerable outrage and the Emperor Palpatine reassigned him to overseeing pacification operations in the Western Reaches . The Antar Atrocity turned Teller against the new Empire . He formed a rebel cell consisting of survivors of the Antar Atrocity as well as the journalist Anora Fair and the Zygerrian film director Hask Taff , who had helped raise public awareness of the events on Antar 4 . Teller had a special animus for the now Moff Tarkin , who was in charge of the Empire ' s secret Death Star project . In 14 BBY , Teller ' s dissidents launched an insurgency against the Empire . They stole Tarkin ' s personal corvette " Carrion Spike " on the planet Murkhana . Intending to turn it into a symbol of resistance , the insurgents used the " Carrion Spike " to raid Imperial facilities across the Perlemian Trade Route . Teller was secretly aided by Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit , a rival of Tarkin who served as Director of the Naval Intelligence Agency . Teller used his intelligence connections to divert former Separatist weapons , communications equipment , and intelligence to Teller ' s dissidents . After leading Tarkin and Darth Vader on a pursuit throughout the galaxy , Teller and his insurgents abandoned the " Carrion Spike " following a failed attack on the Imperial facility in the Nouane system . Having realized that Rancit had betrayed them to save himself , the insurgents transferred to Berch Teller ' s warship , a modified " Providence " - class carrier . The diversion of Imperial forces to safeguard Imperial installations left the Death Star convoys undefended ; something that played into the insurgents ' hands . The battle . The ambush . Teller ' s rebel cell received intelligence from Rancit that an Imperial convoy would be exiting hyperspace over a barren moon in a star system Coreward of the Gulf of Tatooine . This convoy would then travel by sublight to the Imperial marshaling station at Pii . From there , the convoy would be escorted to Sentinel Base , which led to Geonosis , the site of the Death Star construction site . Teller ' s forces included a modified " Providence " - class carrier , a EF76 Nebulon - B escort frigate , multiple droid tri - fighter s , and four starfighter s — two Z - 95 Headhunter s and two Tikiars . While Teller was not privy to the Empire ' s secret Death Star project , he suspected that the Empire was building something in Geonosis and was determined to impede it . When the convoy exited hyperspace , Teller ' s dissidents jammed their HoloNet and communications relays . Despite being ambushed , the convoy ' s escort gunboats and frigates formed a defensive perimeter around the boxy cargo ships and transports . However , the insurgents used their laser cannon s to blast the escorts while nimble former Separatist droid starfighters were able to dart through openings and inflict damage on the transports . As a result , two Imperial tugs , two escort gunboats , and several Aggressive ReConnaissance - 170 starfighter s were destroyed . Imperial counter - attack . After executing Rancit for his treason , Moff Tarkin traveled on the Imperial Star Destroyer " Executrix " to the Gulf of Tatooine to deal with Teller ' s insurgents . Having assessed the situation , Tarkin deployed V - wing starfighters to engaged the frigate and carrier while leaving the droid fighters to the convoy escorts . In response , Teller ' s carrier repositioned itself in an attempt to block the " Executrix " from assisting the convoy . With the convoy sustaining damage , Tarkin ordered the crew of the " Executrix " to move the Star Destroyer forward and to refrain from firing until he had given the command . As the " Executrix " lumbered through the congestion of starfighters , he ordered the forward batteries to destroy the insurgents ' Nebulon - B escort frigate , destroying the ship and several droid starfighters . With the Imperial V - wings sustaining damage from the enemy droid fighters , Tarkin ordered the Imperial fighters to withdraw into their wake and to protect the convoy at all costs . With the enemy carrier changing course , Tarkin ordered the crew to shift the Star Destroyer ten degrees port and to fire the starboard ion cannon s . With the battle turning against the insurgents , Teller ordered the Gotal engineer Salikk to jump into hyperspace . However , Salikk and Anora Fair convinced Teller to escape on a Z - 95 Headhunter so that he could live to fight another day . Anora and Salikk decided to stay behind and face martyrdom . Meanwhile , the " Executrix " continued pummeling Teller ' s carrier , inflicting heavy damage on the ship and disabling its sublight engines . These attacks disabled the droid starfighter ' s master control computer and HoloNet jammers . Having crippled the carrier , Tarkin ordered the " Executrix " to cease fire . Shortly later , Imperial reinforcements arrived from Pii station in the form of the Star Destroyers " Compliant " and " Enforcer " . Tarkin then led a boarding party aboard the carrier . A search of the carrier ' s extant module yielded 13 dead crew members and 26 captured insurgents of various species including human s , Koorivar , and Gotals . Among the captives were Anora Fair , Hask Taff , the Lantillies broker Knotts , and the former Mon Calamari Knight Dr Artoz . Though the mastermind Teller had escaped , a jubilant Tarkin ordered that the captives be brought to Coruscant for interrogation . Aftermath . The battle near the Gulf of Tatooine marked the effective defeat and collapse of Berch Teller ' s cell . Over the next three weeks , Tarkin oversaw the interrogation of the captured insurgents with the assistance of Lord Vader and the Imperial Security Bureau . Per the Emperor Palpatine ' s orders , the insurgents were secretly executed to deny them martyrdom . The Empire also targeted the insurgents ' collaborators for retribution including warehouse workers and salvages who had supplied them with equipment , scientists who had furnished them with intelligence , and the Tenloss and Crymorah syndicate members who had outfitted the insurgents ' carrier . Due to his efforts in quelling the insurgency , Tarkin was promoted to Grand Moff and Governor of the Outer Rim Territories . Tarkin also tightened security at the Death Star construction site to prevent any enemies of the Empire from learning about the secret project . Tarkin also developed the Tarkin Doctrine which advocated a strong Imperial military presence . While the Imperials were unable to track down Teller after he had abandoned his starfighter on Christophsis , Teller was able to track Tarkin down to his homeworld of Eriadu . There , Teller attempted to ambush Tarkin at the Carrion Spike nature reserve . However , he fell into a trap and Tarkin abandoned his nemesis to the elements . Behind the scenes . The Battle near the Gulf of Tatooine serves as the climax of James Luceno ' s 2014 novel " Tarkin " , the second book in a new line of Canon adult novels published by Del Rey .