Mission to Delrian

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.

A mission to the remote prison planet Delrian was undertaken by the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Techno Union in 20 BBY. After his capture by the Galactic Republic on Metalorn, Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor was transported to Delrian by request of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The prison's security firm, however, was owned by the Separatist-aligned Commerce Guild, allowing the CIS and the Techno Union access to details of the prison's layout and security.

Tambor was allowed a visit by several of his staff—two Skakoan soldiers, posing as legal deputies, and a shapeshifting Clawdite mercenary known as Nuri. Once inside the facility, the two Skakoans blew themselves up, killing Tambor's clone trooper guards, while Nuri bypassed automated security with Techno Union technology and whisked Tambor to safety. The foreman traveled to Denus, Foundry to recuperate, while the Republic attempted to keep his escape hushed up.

Prelude

After a failed Confederacy of Independent Systems attack on Coruscant in 20 BBY, ten months into the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic dispatched Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to the Techno Union mechworld of Metalorn, where the Techno Union was producing C-B3 cortosis battle droids. The droids were the brainchild of Techno Union Foreman and CIS Supervising Combat Engineer Wat Tambor, and had been used in the attack on Coruscant. Skywalker was able to shut down the facility and also managed to snare Tambor, exceeding expectations.^[1]

Skywalker's capture of Tambor was a surprise to Darth Sidious, the alter ego of Republic Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was playing both sides and manipulating the war for his own end. Tambor's capture could potentially have destabilized the war and tipped the balance in favor of the Republic, which was not what Sidious wanted. In his capacity as Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine ordered that Tambor be relocated to Delrian, a remote prison world,^[1] where he would be kept under guard by a squad of eight Republic clone troopers, in addition to local security. The detainment center employed an external security firm, which happened to be owned by the Commerce Guild, an ally of the Confederacy and the Techno Union. Thus, the Separatists had access to intimate knowledge of the facility's defensive capabilities, security complement, and layout. Rather than launch a full-scale attack, the Techno Union planned a smaller rescue attempt,^[2] and Nuri, a Clawdite changeling from Aargau, was hired to assist them.^[1]

The mission

Tambor was permitted a visit by members of his staff. Two elite Skakoan commandos, posing as legal deputies, visited the facility with a disguised Nuri. Nuri brought secret state-of-the-art Techno Union technology, which would allow him to bypass the prison's automated defenses.^[2] Once inside the center, the two legal deputies breached their pressure suits, releasing the compressed methane inside. This caused a large explosion,^[1] killing Tambor's clone trooper guard as well as the two Skakoans.^[2]

In the ensuing chaos, Nuri was able to infiltrate Tambor's holding area and whisk the foreman to safety.^[1] Using the Techno Union technology, the Clawdite bypassed Delrian's automated defenses and escaped off-world with Tambor.^[2]

Aftermath

Tambor was taken to his private estate in Denus, Foundry, to recuperate in a hyperbaric recharge globe, where he remained for several days. Via the CIS Shadowfeed, the Separatists lauded the daring of Tambor's staff, who had given their lives for the Separatist cause. The shadowfeed used the rescue as a morale-booster for Confederate worlds, highlighting the boldness of the CIS and the inadequacies of the Republic. Although the involvement of a Clawdite in the mission was known, Nuri's identity was kept secret. The Republic attempted to keep the story from the public, stopping the mainstream media from reporting it.^[2]

Tambor's rescue allowed Palpatine to plot in safety once more; with the Techno Union back to full activity, the war was evenly poised and no end was in sight.^[1] As the conflict progressed, Tambor became extremely reclusive, spending more and more time in his fortress on Xagobah. Nuri, pivotal in the rescue mission, remained in the Techno Union's employ as a guard of the fortress.^[5] The New Essential Chronology—a book published by the New Republic's Historical Council under the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances—was published in 36 ABY and mentioned the mission.^[1]

Behind the scenes

The mission to Delrian was first mentioned in the in-universe news article CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 14:4:12 Edition, written by Pablo Hidalgo and published by Paizo Publishing in Star Wars Insider 67^[2] on April 15, 2003.^[6] The mission is a followup to the events of the^[2] 2002^[7] video game Star Wars: The New Droid Army.^[2] However, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Heroes on Both Sides, released in 2010,^[8] established that the Republic capital of Coruscant had not been attacked during the Clone Wars until the events of that episode.^[9] As "Heroes on Both Sides" is set at the start of the year 20 BBY,^[10] both The New Droid Army and the mission to Delrian had to occur later in the timeline, after the episode.^[3]

Appearances

• "CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 14:4:12 Edition" — Star Wars Insider 67 (First mentioned)

Sources

• The New Essential Chronology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 76

Notes and references