Annaj

Annaj was an astronomical object in the Annaj system of the Outer Rim Territories' Moddell sector. It was at the end of the Spar Trade Route, the easiest way to get into the sector, and was patrolled by the Galactic Empire. When the Rebel Alliance began preparing to attack the second Death Star at the Moddell sector moon Endor, rebel agents were posted on Annaj and one scout, Corporal Ractivelle analysed the sector's geography, noting that the Alliance fleet would almost definitely find Imperials if they tried to enter the Moddell sector via Annaj, concluding that the fleet could not have an element of surprise.
==Description==
Annaj was a terrestrial astronomical object in the Annaj system within the Moddell sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Situated at the coordinates H-16 on the Standard Galactic Grid, it was at the end point of the Spar Trade Route and was connected by the Houche Run hyperspace route to the celestial body Ovise, which was an end point of the Ovise Reach hyperroute. Annaj was additionally connected by hyperspace route to the astronomical body Kuna's Tooth.
==History==
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Annaj was under Imperial patrol. Leading up to 4 ABY,Star Wars: Timelines the Empire constructed the second Death Star superweapon at the forest moon of Endor in the Moddell sector, using a secret artificial hyperspace route known as the Sanctuary Pipeline to secret materials into the sector from the planet Sullust. Emperor Palpatine then made a plan to lead the majority of the Rebel Alliance's forces into a trap using the Death Star as bait. He allowed information about the superweapon and the Sanctuary Pipeline to fall into rebel hands.
As the Alliance began preparing to destroy the second Death Star. While rebel agents were placed on Annaj, Corporal Ractivelle, a rebel scout part of Stardust unit, analysed the Moddell sector's geography, producing a map of the sector that marked Annaj and other locations there. The map was included in a special report by the scout where they discussed how the Alliance fleet could reach Endor. Ractivelle noted that the Spare Trade Route was the easiest way into the Moddell sector, followed by a traverse along the Houche Run from Annaj and then a hopscotch approach the rest of the way to Endor. The corporal predicted that an Imperial picket would almost certainly be at Annaj and ruin the fleet's element of surprise.
While Ractivelle concluded that a surprise attack was impossible with their findings, Major Capin Harinar chimed in with a classified document addressed to Alliance General Crix Madine, in which he addressed the Empire's Sanctuary Pipeline route, how it had evaded the notice of the Annaj agents, and how it could be used by the Alliance for a surprise attack. As a result, the Alliance attacked the second Death Star using the Sanctuary Pipeline, destroying it in a decisive victory that saw the death of the Emperor himself—all despite the trap that had initially been laid. The documents from Ractivelle and Harinar were both collected by archivist Hendri Underholt, who compiled them in the archive of non-electronic documents known as The Rebel Files by the time of their death on the same day as the Endor battle.
==Behind the scenes==
Annaj was first mentioned in Star Wars: The Rebel Files, a canon boxed set and reference book first released in 2017 and authored by Daniel Wallace.
==Sources==
*Star Wars: The Rebel Files 
==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Empire astronomical objects
Category:Houche Run
Category:Moddell sector astronomical objects
Category:Spar Trade Route