Hunt for the Colossus

In 34 ABY, early in the First Order-Resistance War, forces of the First Order were sent on a hunt for the Colossus, a mobile supertanker fuel depot allied with the Resistance that escaped from planet Castilon after driving out a First Order military occupation.
==Prelude==
Prior to the outbreak of the First Order-Resistance War, the First Order sought to exploit the Colossus, a refueling platform on the planet Castilon, as part of their plan to control the remaining supertanker fuel depots in the galaxy to build a military supply line for their fleets which needed to refuel. The First Order tried to convince Captain Imanuel Doza, the owner of the Colossus, to accept First Order "protection" from pirates. The First Order hired Kragan Gorr and his Warbird gang to raid the Colossus several times.
After a kidnap attempt on Captain Doza's daughter Torra, Doza accepted a military occupation of the Colossus. Around the time of the Hosnian Cataclysm, Resistance spy Kazuda Xiono and former New Republic starfighter pilot Jarek Yeager led a successful revolt against the First Order and retook control of the Colossus. The Colossus then fled into hyperspace.
==The hunt==
Fearing the Resistance's leader General Leia Organa would gain access to the Colossus since it was a valuable resource to her, Captain Phasma ordered Commander Pyre and First Order Security Bureau Agent Tierny to deny the refueling platform to the Resistance. Since they could not control the station, she ordered them to destroy the Colossus or they would die Agent Tierny and Commander Pyre enlisted local Tamara Ryvora's help in locating the platform, playing on her resentment towards her Xiono and Yeager for their "betrayal". To win Ryvora's favor, Agent Tierny secured her a place in the First Order starfighter corps.
===The stowaway droid===
The Colossus exited hyperspace three parsecs from the Ileenium system, home of the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Due to the recent battle, the Colossus had sustained significant damage to its laser cannons, deflector shields, sublight engines, and gravity systems. Xiono, Torra, the Nikto mechanic Neeku Vozo, and Xiono's BB-series astromech droid CB-23 attempted to repair the ship's gravity systems but came under attack from the First Order BB-series astromech droid MB-13A, who had remained aboard during the escape. MB-13A tried to send a signal to the First Order, but Xiono and Torra managed to flush the droid out into space.
===Dogfight in the Ileenium system===
Feeling guilty for concealing his identity as a spy, Xiono sent a comlink transmission to Ryvora, apologizing for not being honest with her. While Ryvora was listening to Xiono's message, she was discovered by Jace Rucklin, another local who became a First Order TIE Fighter Pilot cadet. Rucklin convinced a conflicted Ryvora to report the comlink transmission to Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny. The First Order used Xiono's comlink transmission to track down the Colossus.
Meanwhile, the Colossus arrived in the Ileenium system. However, they discovered the Resistance evacuated from D'Qar. The platform was also unable to replenish its depleted food, water, and fuel stocks since the Resistance base had already been destroyed by First Order forces. The Colossus was unable to jump into hyperspace since its hyperdrive had been depleted of coaxium fuel.
With the approval of Captain Doza and Yeager, Xiono, Vozo, CB-23, and the Warbird pirates undertook a salvage mission to obtain coaxium from the wrecked Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix. Before they could complete their excavation mission, Commander Pyre's Resurgent-class Star Destroyer the Thunderer exited hyperspace and dispatched a battalion of TIE/fo space superiority fighters to attack the Colossus.
Ace Squadron, led by Hype Fazon, led the TIEs on a chase while Xiono, Vozo, and the Warbirds completed their excavation. While returning to the Colossus, the pirates managed to shoot down a TIE fighter with one of the sail barge Galleon laser cannons. Kaz and Neeku managed to load the coaxium into the receptacle in the Colossus' hyperdrive chamber while Ace Squadron returned to their hangars. The Colossus managed to escape into hyperspace just before Commander Pyre's gunners could destroy it.
===Preparing for war===
Following the skirmish in the Ileenium system, Captain Doza assigned Yeager and Xiono to train the Aces, who were skilled racers but lacked combat experience. Despite Fazon's initial aversion towards teamwork, the enlarged Ace Squadron managed to build trust following an encounter with a jakoosk on the ice moon Celsor 3. Meanwhile Ryvora, Rucklin, and local Lin Gaava started their training with the former’s faith in the First Order was tested when she was reprimanded by Lieutenant Galek for valuing teamwork over following mission objectives.
The Colossus food supplies were replenished when Xiono and Torra hunted the jakoosk, convincing the civilians who were planning to leave the station to stay onboard.
===The saboteur===
Tierny had the idea to hire a saboteur to infiltrate the Colossus and cripple it so it would be easy prey, a plan that Pyre was skeptical of. Nenavakasa Nalor, a Nikto engineer whose past as a slave had instilled in her the belief of it was always best to be on the "winning side", was hired for the job. She tracked it for several days before faking severe damage to her ship and sending a distress signal that was picked up when the station's long-range scanners were repaired. Yeager suspected a trap, but Xiono and Vozo, pointing out there was also a chance it wasn't a trap, persuaded him and Doza to okay a rescue, although Xiono was ordered to bring along San as she was a better shot than him.
When Xiono and San docked with Nalor's ship, Xiono immediately invited her onboard the Colossus to help repair it after learning she was an engineer. Hitting it off with Vozo, Nalor used the repairs to cover for her sabotage of the station, actually fixing the platform too well by repairing and reactivating systems that the Colossus lacked the power to be able to have on constantly. After a suspicious San searched Nalor's ship with Xiono and uncovered the truth, the engineer fled, with Vozo seriously hurt by her deception.
As the Thunderer closed in, Vozo and Xiono worked to undo the sabotage, with the removal of a K-spline Nalor had installed being the final piece necessary to allow the Colossus to activate its thrusters and escape, Nalor having already vanished into hyperspace aboard her own vessel. Displeased at the sabotage's failure, Tierny and Pyre agreed to have Nalor executed if they should meet her again.
===Supply runs===
The Colossus made several stops as various supplies became depleted. First, it stopped at Drahgor III when nearly out of fuel, as the planet housed a fuel refinery owned by the flock of station resident Flix. Although Flix was on bad terms with his cousin Flanx, who ran the refinery, an encounter with Karnex Dragons repaired their relationship, gaining the Colossus the fuel for free.
The station later stopped by the planet Ashas Ree, which had a single outpost, when supplies ran low. Captain Doza gave Freya Fenris, Torra and Xiono the last of the Colossus credits, but the discovery that the outpost was abandoned meant they did not have to spend them, as Fenris ordered Torra and Xiono to gather the left-behind supplies since there was no use leaving them to waste. Xiono, however, secretly allowed refugees Kel and Eila to stow away aboard his shuttle because they wanted some time outside, and he and the children discovered an ancient Sith temple, with archaeologist Mika Grey trapped inside. Grey had been attempting to recover an ancient Sith relic to keep it out of the First Order's hands, but eventually destroyed it to kill the squad of First Order Raiders who were pursuing her, and captured Xiono, Torra, Fenris, the children, and their droids. Having lost her ship, Grey accepted an offer to come aboard the Colossus.
===Missed reunion===
While traveling through the Outer Rim Territories, Torra's birthday came around. For six years when Leia formed the Resistance, the Dozas left Castilon annually on that day to meet up with Torra's mother Commander Venisa, who left at that time to join the group. Captain Doza activated a signal beacon so Venisa would know where to meet, trying to keep up the tradition, but the beacon also attracted the attention of the Colossus pursuers. A skirmish ensued, during which the Aces fought to defend the station while Doza awaited his wife's arrival. However, the Colossus was eventually forced to retreat without meeting Venisa when its shields became nearly depleted. Ironically, Venisa arrived at the rendezvous point immediately after the space station's departure, and she and her droid Torch were then captured by Agent Tierny. Venisa and Torch swiftly escaped the Star Destroyer, with Venisa imparting some advice to a conflicted Ryvora before doing so. On the Colossus, Torra considered heading out on her own to see her mother, but was talked out of it by Xiono, who, along with the rest of the Aces, gave Torra a gorg birthday cake in order to make her feel better.
===Underworld encounters===
With the Colossus running low on money, Fazon had the idea that Captain Doza take the station to Vranki's Hotel and Casino in the Voxx Cluster, where Fazon had raced prior to coming to the fuel depot, in order to earn money. There, manipulation by casino owner Vranki the Blue nearly led to the Aces being forced to stay at the casino and race for the Hutt before Xiono and Torra managed to win the final race Vranki set them, freeing the Aces and earning the Colossus half a million credits.
Later, the Colossus passed through space controlled by the Guavian Death Gang. Eager to leave the area as soon as possible without being noticed, Doza had the station pass through a large asteroid field on the way out of the region. However, the Colossus was seen by a Guavian scout, who escaped after Xiono's Fireball malfunctioned and prevented him from pursuing. Subsequently, Guavian forces confronted the space station on the edge of the asteroid field, demanding a "toll" of one million credits or else the Colossus would be seized and the residents handed over to the First Order. Doza refused, and in the ensuing skirmish, the Aces managed to destroy most of the Guavian ships after Xiono hit on the idea of taking advantage of their lesser maneuverability compared to the Aces' starfighters. The Colossus subsequently escaped into hyperspace after clearing the asteroids.
===Another station===
The Colossus trans-binary deflector, an important part that protected the station's residents from cosmic rays, eventually began to fail. The part was vital, as without the protection it provided, cosmic rays would kill the station's residents. To that end, Xiono, Vozo and CB-23 were sent to infiltrate the Titan, a supertanker fuel depot under the control of the First Order, and steal a replacement. Coincidentally, the Titan was hosting an important meeting attended by the disgraced General Armitage Hux, as well as Commander Pyre, whose attendance led to Ryvora and Rucklin being sent onboard the Titan for a supply run.
Inevitably, Xiono and Vozo were recognized as a result, but Ryvora's conflicting loyalties led her to covertly assist Xiono and Vozo when she overheard them talking about the true purpose of their mission, allowing the mission to succeed. Hux was furious with Pyre for the escape of the Resistance infiltrators, especially since the Colossus was now the only supertanker fuel depot the First Order did not control. He reiterated the late Phasma's orders for Commander Pyre to find and destroy the station. Suspecting Ryvora of aiding the Resistance agents, Agent Tierny told Pyre if they played their cards right, they could use her to destroy the Colossus.
===Escape on Varkana===
After receiving a distress call from Resistance secret agent Norath Kev, Xiono, Yeager, Synara San, and CB-23 undertook a mission on the planet Varkana to rescue the spy. Their mission was complicated by the presence of bounty hunter Ax Tagrin, who alerted Pyre. Though Xiono and Kev managed to escape, Tagrin captured Yeager, Synara, and CB-23.
To avoid detection, Captain Doza brought the Colossus into a nearby red gas giant. Tagrin was able to use Yeager's Star Commuter 2000 shuttle's transmitter to detect the Colossus. Commander Pyre dispatched his Star Destroyer under the command of Lieutenant Galek to pursue the station. Doza took the Colossus into hyperspace but the Ace Squadron stayed behind to rendezvous with Xiono's team.
After Xiono's team managed to escape Tagrin and the First Order and flee offworld, Ace Squadron rescued them from TIE fighters. Approaching Varnaka's upper atmosphere, they were intercepted by three squadrons of TIE fighters dispatched by the Thunderer. However, Torra arranged for the Colossus to pick them up. The station exited hyperspace and picked up the ships before retreating again.
===Pursuit on Aeos Prime===
Later, the Colossus traveled to the remote ocean world Aeos Prime. After the Aeosian Queen granted the Colossus residents sanctuary, Xiono attempted to rendezvous with Resistance agent Norath Kev. While leaving Aeos Prime in the Fireball, Xiono was pursued by a spider probe droid. Commander Pyre had dispatched several probe droids to hunt down the Colossus.
Xiono managed to destroy the probe droid but not before it transmitted his whereabouts to Commander Pyre. Xiono managed to warned Captain Doza and Yeager, who prepared the Colossus for departure. Commander Pyre brought his Star Destroyer to Aeos Prime and deployed several TIE fighters and TIE/se Bombers to destroy the Colossus. The station was defended by Ace Squadron and their new Aeosian allies, who rode Krakavora steeds.
During the dogfight, Xiono flew Yeager's racer and attempted to missile strike on the Star Destroyer's bridge. However, First Order TIE cadet Tamara Ryvora intercepted and destroyed the missile. Despite their efforts, the Colossus managed to escape into hyperspace. Commander Pyre's forces lost several TIE fighters and at least one TIE bomber. Due to her services, Ryvora got promoted to Second Squadron Commander by Agent Tierny.
===Loyalty tested===
As the hunt continued, Captain Doza agreed to lend the Ace Squadron to assisting Venisa's Jade Squadron with the evacuation of Resistance recruits from Dantooine, which was being blockaded by the First Order. Jade Squadron's other wingmates included Xiono's fellow New Republic wingmate Hugh Sion and Norath. Meanwhile, Agent Tierny summoned Ryvora to her office to make sure she was alright after noticing her agitated mood caused by Galek again at the briefing. Tierny confided that she had doubted Ryvora's loyalty until she surrendered her comlink from the Colossus.
Ryvora later saw action during a skirmish with Commander Doza, Jade Squadron and the Aces, who broke through the First Order blockade of Dantooine. Following the death of Lieutenant Galek during the fight at the hands of Commander Doza, Ryvora was promoted to Squadron Leader and Lieutenant much to Rucklin's fury. Despite the loss of one Resistance ship carrying recruits, Ace and Jade Squadrons succeeded in evacuating the two remaining ships. As a result of the engagement above Dantooine, Captain Doza decided to commit the Colossus to supporting the Resistance and allowed Jade Squadron and the recruits to stay.
Following the suppression of the Aeos system, Ryvora was horrified by the destruction of the Aeosian village that had aided the Colossus. She contacted Xiono and Yeager and made arrangements to defect from the First Order.
===The final hunt===
Displeased that Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny had failed to destroy the Colossus, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren ordered the two to double their efforts to destroy the rogue refueling station on pain of death. An opportunity arose when Ryvora took her TIE/sf squadron on a training mission to the planet Castilon, intending to rendezvous with Xiono and Yeager. When Rucklin realized Ryvora's disloyalty, he attempted to stop her but was knocked out. After Ryvora shot down the other two TIEs, she reunited with Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 aboard their Atmospheric Assault Lander.
Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny caught up with Ryvora, trapping her and her friends' shuttle in their tractor beam. Tam and Rucklin were captured by Pyre and Tierny, who sentenced them to death. Rucklin, who was still loyal to the First Order, revealed that the Colossus was in the Barabesh system in an attempt to save his life. However, his pleas were ignored. Meanwhile, Xiono, Yeager, and CB-23 managed to escape and infiltrated the Thunderer.
Since he didn't want to take chances, Pyre ordered the Thunderer to set a course for the Barabesh system to investigate, intending to destroy the Colossus once and for all or else Supreme Leader Ren will kill him and Tierny while she gave orders to hunt down the remaining fugitives. Xiono and Yeager managed to free Tam and Rucklin from their captors. Tam agreed to help her friends send a warning to the Colossus in the engineering deck. With Rucklin still loyal to the First Order, Ryvora knocked him unconscious.
Reaching the depths of the engineering decks, sent a subspace frequency to the Colossus, warning the station that the First Order tracked them down. Though the group reached a hangar, they were captured by Commander Pyre and his stormtroopers. CB-23 managed to escape and hide in the ship's crawlspaces.
Tam, Kaz, and Yeager were brought onto the Star Destroyer's command bridge where Pyre and Tierny intended them to watch the destruction of the Colossus. However, the Colossus residents had decided to join the fight against the First Order instead of fleeing. Ace and Jade Squadrons, alongside Synara SanStar Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy launched attacks on the Star Destroyer's engines while the residents repelled First Order boarding parties.
CB-23 managed to lower the Star Destroyer's deflector shield, allowing the Aces and Jades to destroy the warship's engines. Tam, Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 escaped the bridge and fled the stricken ship following a duel with Pyre. Tierny attempted to convince Supreme Leader Ren to send reinforcements but he was incensed with Pye’s and her failure and killed her.
==Aftermath==
The destruction of the Thunderer ended the First Order's hunt for the Colossus. The Colossus residents began rebuilding their lives while Tam was welcomed back as a hero by her friends, the Doza family, and Ace and Jade Squadrons.
KazStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition led Yeager and TorraStar Wars: Fascinating Facts to take part at the Battle of Exegol. Yeager's ship, alongside the Blue Ace, and the Fireball, along with Captain Doza taking the Colossus, to join the Citizens' Fleet, helping the Resistance defeat the Sith Eternal forces. The battle marked the final demise of Darth Sidious, publicly known as Emperor Palpatine, and ushered a galactic-wide uprising against the First Order.
==Behind the scenes==
The First Order's hunt for the Colossus comprises the main plot of Star Wars Resistance Season 2, and was first mentioned in season premiere "Into the Unknown." The hunt first appeared in the following episode, "A Quick Salvage Run."
==Appearances==
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==Sources==
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*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Category:First Order–Resistance war campaigns