Skirmish on Vardos A skirmish broke out in Kestro on the planet Vardos after Commander Iden Versio and Agent Del Meeko disobeyed their orders to return the Aqualish Gleb alone to Admiral Garrick Versio , instead choosing to save civilians as well . This act was seen as treason ous , and Agent Gideon Hask and Garrick attempted to have Meeko and Iden killed . Meanwhile , the city of Kestro descended into rioting as the inhabitants realized they were being left to die by the Empire . Iden and Del fought their way through the Imperial forces , back to their ship , the " Corvus " before escaping off - world and eventually sending a distress call to the Rebel Alliance . Battle in Kestro . After the Battle of Endor , Inferno Squad became part of , the Emperor ' s posthumous final command . The operation was to spread total and utter fear throughout the galaxy via the devastation of dozens of worlds out of simple spite at ensuring they didn ' t outlive him and also to destroy the Empire ' s greatest enemy : hope . Unaware of the operation ' s true nature , Iden and her squad helped secure experimental satellites crucial to Operation : Cinder , fighting off a rebel attack on the Fondor Shipyards . They were then assigned to extract a high - value target from Vardos , Protectorate Gleb of the Future Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School . However , upon arrival at Vardos they found the satellites from Fondor deployed over the planet and realized that Vardos was to be devastated in accordance with Operation : Cinder . Furious at this , Iden confronted her father on his ship and was told that Vardos and many other worlds would be purged , the sheer destruction and loss of life being intended to subdue the galaxy through utter terror . Iden then watched in horror and anger as Admiral Versio activated the satellites , which formed a climate disruption array and spawned massively powerful electrical storms all over the planet in minutes . Ordering his daughter to leave and recover Protectorate Gleb , who was to be the only one saved , Admiral Versio also ordered his subordinate to contact Agent Hask on the " Corvus " , suspecting that Iden might disobey instructions and ordering her executed if she showed any defiance . Landing at an Imperial staging area , Iden , Del and Hask disembarked their ship and made their way through the capital city of Kestro to extract Gleb , who was waiting for them in the city ' s Archive . Though Iden and Del showed concern and fear for the locals , Hask dismissed it with the reasoning that civilians were expendable , ignoring or dismissing their criticisms of the operation and concern for this extreme direction the Empire was taking . As they made their way to the Archive , they saw Imperial troops struggling to keep the increasingly worried and angry populace in hand , informing them that any ships attempting to leave without proper clearance would be shot down without exception . This , coupled with the intensifying storms , did little to reassure the civilians , many of whom were on the point of rioting . Reaching the Archive building , they found Gleb waiting impatiently for them along with a Rodian agent , but also a number of civilians who had sought shelter there . Hask attempted to detain the Rodian , but Gleb claimed he was with her and that the others were unimportant so they would stay . Before they could leave , a bolt of lightning struck the Archive and a large amount of rubble came crashing down , narrowly missing two civilians . Del , with Iden ' s approval , told the assembled group to head for Landing Bay 2 where the " Corvus " was waiting but Hask stopped them and held the civilians at gunpoint , stating that this was not their mission . Ordering him to stand down , Iden reiterated this forcefully when he made to shoot the fleeing citizens . Failing to convince Hask that Operation : Cinder was wrong , Iden and Del refused to have any part in the new order and made to leave only for Hask to try and kill them , as per his orders . Iden drew first and disabled him with a shot to the leg , fleeing the building as Hask reported their treason to Garrick , who ordered him to return Gleb to him . Outside , Iden and Del found themselves with death marks on their heads , with orders to shoot them on sight being issued . Managing to sneak around the packed plaza , the two were forced to kill many of their former comrades in order to escape . Meanwhile , the citizens finally cracked and Kestro erupted into panic and rioting , with dozens of ships taking off and fleeing for orbit . Noticing the anti - air batteries firing on the escaping ships , Iden and Del hijacked an AT - AT walker and used it to blow up a relay controlling all anti - air defenses in the sector . En - route , they hailed the " Corvus " and ordered it to prepare for take - off . Adiana Caton , who had decided to stick with her colleagues , allowed the civilians to board the ship and warned them to be careful . Using their hijacked walker to destroy all opposition , including several scout walkers and another AT - AT , the two were forced to abandon ship when the walker was struck and disabled by a lightning strike . The " Corvus " , which had also been struck , was besieged by stormtroopers trying to prevent their escape and Iden and Del joined their loyal crewmembers in fighting them off , helped by the storm cells which destroyed a third AT - AT advancing on their position . Managing to board the " Corvus " , it took off and fled Vardos , bypassing the Star Destroyers and jumping into hyperspace . Hask , who had rescued Gleb , was then promoted to Commander by Admiral Versio . In the Vorpal Nebula in the Outer Rim , the " Corvus " crew decided to surrender to the Rebel Alliance , in order to tell them of Operation : Cinder in the hopes they might be able to stop them . The distress call was picked up by the MC80 Star Cruiser " Restoration " , which picked them up . Meeting with Danger Leader Shriv Suurgav and General Lando Calrissian , Iden and Del gave up all the information they knew before Lando extended an offer to them to help fight the Empire at Naboo , Operation : Cinder ' s next target . Initially reluctant , the two agreed and eventually formally joined the New Republic . Vardos was left abandoned after the operation , becoming a dead and barren planet . The city of Kestro , however , was eventually reclaimed by Jinata Security under the command of Gleb . By 34 ABY , the city was almost entirely uninhabited and covered in atmospheric ash , a side - effect from the climate disruption .