Garm Bel Iblis's movement

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on official information from the Star Wars Legends continuity, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Garm Bel Iblis's movement was comprised of the remnants of the Corellian Resistance that remained loyal to Garm Bel Iblis following his rift with Mon Mothma and subsequent split from the Rebel Alliance, shortly after the destruction of Alderaan. Despite lacking capital ships comparable with those of the Alliance Fleet, Bel Iblis commandeered a number of successful raids on Imperial strongholds in the Outer Rim, and remained a thorn in the Empire's side for nearly a decade. Not until the Thrawn campaign in 9 ABY, however, did his resistance group reconcile with the New Republic.

History

As the leader of the Corellian Resistance, Bel Iblis brought considerable weight to the table when joining forces with the Chandrilans and Alderaanians in the Corellian Treaty of 2 BBY. In years prior, the Resistance had been active throughout the Corellian system, planting undercover operatives such as Bria Tharen in Imperial military facilities, whose gathered intelligence was relayed to leadership through handlers, including Rion.^[3]

All the while, in his official capacity as Senator of Corellia, Bel Iblis was traversing the Galaxy, rallying against the New Order. This came to an end in 0 BBY, when an attempt on his life was made at the Treitamma Political Center in Anchoron, killing Bel Iblis' wife Arrianya and their two children, and ostensibly the Senator, too.^[4] Bel Iblis, however, had survived the attack through sheer coincidence, as he was contacted by Bail Organa's emissary, codenamed "Aach", just moments before the bomb at the Treitamma Center exploded. Understanding that the Empire would not shy away from another assassination attempt, Bel Iblis went into hiding and was publicly believed to be dead.^[1]

Withdrawal from the Rebel Alliance

Not long after the incident at Anchoron, Bel Iblis suffered another blow, as his Senatorial ally Bail Organa perished in the destruction of Alderaan. Organa had long been a moderating influence between Bel Iblis and the emergent leader of the Rebellion, Mon Mothma. But without him, tensions started to flare in the months after the Battle of Yavin. A superior military tactician, Bel Iblis questioned Mothma's strategic decisions and authority as Supreme Commander of the Alliance forces. The breaking point was reached on the eve of a raid on an Imperial base at Milvayne. Mothma had given approval for the attack without seeking the consent of Bel Iblis or any of her other military advisors.

In a tense exchange, Bel Iblis questioned Mothma's motives in ordering the attack, claiming it was simply part of a grab for power on her part. But he had material reasons for his objection, too, claiming that his informants conveyed that the purported Milvayne garrison Mothma was planning to attack was in fact a heavily fortified Imperial Ubiqtorate base. Neither Mothma's nor his own troops were prepared to deal with such military might, he argued, and asserted that none of his troops would have a part in the attack. Understanding Bel Iblis' position as an ultimatum, Mon Mothma dismissed him from the Rebel Alliance.

Private war against the Empire

Although Bel Iblis withdrew from the Rebel Alliance with most of his personnel,^[6] including his long-time aide Sena, his rebel group was undermanned and spent its early years on the run from the Empire. Their headquarters, which Bel Iblis dubbed Peregrine's Nest, had to be kept mobile and changed location fourteen times. On Stoga, their outpost got infiltrated by Imperial spy Rasha Bex and had to be abandoned before the Imperial onslaught.^[7]

As Bel Iblis quietly put out a call for soldiers, a former mercenary platoon led by Irenez would join his resistance movement. Irenez, who had known Bel Iblis since the days the then-Senator had sponsored her admission to the Republic Military Academy on Corellia, quickly became Bel Iblis' most capable commander.^[1]

Hamstrung by a lack of capital ships and military equipment, Bel Iblis's movement spent its first three years hit-and-hype raiding small Imperial bases and military supply convoys, but without causing much of a concern to the Empire.^[1] Things changed, however, when Bel Iblis acquired a fleet of several (ultimately six) Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers from a smuggler named Hoffner. Unbeknownst to Bel Iblis, Hoffner had salvaged these ships from the Katana fleet.

With the newly gained firepower, Bel Iblis set out on a daring raid of a major Ubiqtorate center on Tangrene. In a decisive victory, his forces managed to evade three Star Destroyers guarding the system and completely destroyed the Ubiqtorate base, all while suffering only minimal casualties.^[1] The stunning success of the Tangrene mission caught the attention of Borsk Fey'lya of the Bothan Spynet, who established a supply line to Bel Iblis in hopes of securing him as an ally. Bel Iblis, however, refused to be drawn into the internal politics of the Alliance.^[1]

Lying in wait

After the Battle of Endor, Bel Iblis decided to cut back his attacks against the Empire while preparing for a strike against Mon Mothma instead, expecting that any moment she would turn the New Republic into a dictatorship.^[1] Perigrine's Nest was moved to the Churba sector to be close to New Republic space, and all raids except those for materials and supplies were suspended. Years passed, and Peregrine's Nest became permanent, until in 9 ABY Han Solo and Lando Calrissian arrive with a request for Bel Iblis' help against the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Appearances

• Empire 23
• Dark Force Rising (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance, in book)
• Dark Force Rising abridged audiobook
• Vision of the Future (and unabridged audiobook) (Mentioned only)
• Vision of the Future abridged audiobook (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Dark Force Rising Sourcebook
• The Last Command Sourcebook
• The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
• The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
• The Essential Chronology
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 94 YAV 13-16: The Evacuation of Yavin
• The New Essential Chronology
• The Essential Guide to Warfare

Notes and references