Suraz engagement Thirty years after the battle of Endor , Rapier Squadron of the New Republic responded to a distress signal from the " Yissira Zyde " , a freighter that was being hijacked by the First Order , and engaged their forces above Suraz 4 in the Mirrin sector of New Republic space . Rapier Squadron , a four - member T - 85 X - wing squadron led by Commander Poe Dameron , quickly destroyed a shuttle and all eight of the enemy ' s TIE fighters , but the remaining shuttle and the commandeered " Yissira Zyde " managed to jump to lightspeed . When the freighter entered hyperspace , its wake destroyed the X - wing belonging to Rapier Four , Muran , before he was able to eject . Despite the First Order crossing the Trans - Hydian Borderlands and violating the Galactic Concordance , New Republic Major Lonno Deso believed the First Order wasn ' t a threat and that no follow - up actions were necessary . Nonetheless , Commander Dameron underwent an unsanctioned mission to locate the stolen freighter . Prelude . Following the Battle of Jakku , the New Republic and the defeated remnants of the Galactic Empire signed the Galactic Concordance which formally ended the Galactic Civil War . The Galactic Concordance imposed war reparations and restricted the Imperials remnants ' ability to wage war and acquire advanced weaponry . Over the next 29 years , the Old Empire gradually withered away and eventually broke away from the Republic to form the First Order in the Unknown Regions . By then , the Republic and the First Order territories were separated by a narrow band of space known as the Trans - Hydian Borderlands . While an uneasy peace existed between the New Republic and the First Order , the latter never abandoned its goal to restore Imperial rule throughout the galaxy . In defiance of the Galactic Concordance , the First Order mobilized stormtrooper forces and developed advanced military hardware within the Unknown Regions . The First Order frequently violated Republic sovereignty by launching raids into Republic space . Despite these fragrant acts of aggression , the Galactic Senate refused to be drawn into a war with the First Order and limited its response to formal diplomatic protests . The New Republic Defense Fleet was also ordered to avoid confrontation with First Order forces and to limit its activities to patrolling Republic territory . The skirmish . Thirty years after the Battle of Endor , the " NK " - " Witell " - class freighter " Yissira Zyde " was traveling past the planet Suraz 4 when it was intercepted by two First Order attack shuttle s and TIE / fo space superiority fighter s . The freighter was carrying a cargo of 46 high - capacity charging arrays , which could be used for energy discharge augmentation and easily adapted for military use . The " Yissira Zyde " was outmaneuvered by the First Order starship s but managed to send a distress signal that was picked up by Rapier Squadron , a four — member New Republic T - 85 X - wing squadron commanded by Commander Poe Dameron . Rapier Squadron was patrolling the Mirrin sector and were able to exit hyperspace above Suraz 5 within a few minutes . The X - wings then headed towards Suraz 4 to aid the freighter . Upon arriving at the scene , they found that the " Yissira " was being boarded by stormtroopers equipped with repulsor – powered jetpack s . Shortly later , Rapier Squadron was attacked by eight TIE fighters . During the ensuing dogfight , Poe and Lieutenant Karé Kun managed to shoot down six of the TIEs . The other pilot s Lieutenants Iolo Arana and Muran attacked the two shuttles and managed to destroy one of them along with two of the remaining TIE fighters . However , they were unable to stop the remaining First Order shuttle and the hijacked " Yissira Zyde " from escaping into hyperspace . Muran ' s X - wing was caught in the wake of the freighter ' s jump into hyperspace and was ripped to shreds . Muran was killed before he could eject from his starfighter . Aftermath . Following the Suraz engagement , Commander Poe and the surviving Rapier pilots returned to the Mirrin Prime Republic Base . There , Poe reported his account of the skirmish to Major Lonno Deso . While sympathetic to Poe ' s grief , he disagreed with Poe ' s assessment that the First Order was a threat to the New Republic . Poe rejected Deso ' s view that the Suraz engagement was an isolated incident and that the First Order was a fanatical but poorly - equipped Imperial remnant that inflated its strength . Poe added that the First Order forces were using advanced weapons and starships in violation of the Galactic Concordance . Poe then asked Major Deso for permission to investigate the " Yissira Zyde " cargo and to track down the ship . Major Deso denied Poe ' s request and reminded the starfighter squadron commander that his duties were strictly limited to patrolling the Mirrin sector . Frustrated with Republic Command ' s unwillingness to respond forcefully to the threat of the First Order , Poe embarked on an unsanctioned solo mission to track down the trajectory of the freighter . Behind the scenes . The Suraz engagement first appeared in " Before the Awakening " , a junior novel written by Greg Rucka and published in 2015 .