Massacre on Abridon

The Abridon Nationalists launched a revolt against the Galactic Empire around the time of the Battle of Hoth. With assistance from the Rebel Alliance, they succeeded in the uprising on Abridon, capturing the capital and eradicating the Imperial presence on the planet.

Grand General Malcor Brashin and General Brenn Tantor were dispatched to assess the situation. Quickly determining that the planet was controlled by Rebels, Tantor deployed his troops on the outskirts of the capital and proceeded to recapture the Imperial base located on the city's south side, which had been seized by Rebels. Tantor utilized this base as a central point to summon additional reinforcements, enduring repeated assaults from Rebel armor, until he broke out of his fortified position to crush the Rebel base established near the Government Mound.

Subsequently, Tantor advanced across the river, seizing the Abridon Government Center. During the fighting, he completely purged the city of Rebels. Following the capture of the Government Center, his troopers reported the capture of Hamman Flatt, the lieutenant governor of Abridon and a high-ranking Nationalist. Fearing execution by the Empire, Flatt attempted to exchange information for his life. Tantor simply stated, "I don't negotiate with terrorists." In desperation, Flatt revealed that the Rebels had sent five high-ranking dignitaries to negotiate with the Abridon Government Council regarding the planet's entry into the Alliance. Brashin sent out probe droids to verify Flatt's information. If it proved accurate, he promised Flatt a quick execution, rather than a drawn-out one. In the meantime, Flatt was simply imprisoned.

At the base of the Government Mound, within the gardens, Tantor established a forward operating base. With the arrival of nightfall, numerous Rebel assaults commenced. Tantor was compelled to construct a heavily fortified base before deploying patrols into the northern outskirts of the city in search of the five dignitaries, whose presence had been confirmed by Brashin's probe droids.

Tantor was compelled to confront a still-significant Rebel presence in the area, but his forces ultimately located four of the five diplomats, who were transported to a landing platform to await transfer to a prison ship. The fifth dignitary, however, turned out to be the most valuable. Upon his eventual capture, earlier, somewhat unbelievable reports from confused stormtroopers were confirmed: Luke Skywalker, the galaxy's most sought-after individual, was among the dignitaries. Tantor hurried to capture him. Surrounded by Imperial armor and stormtroopers, Skywalker was forced to surrender. Tantor received the exhilarating honor of capturing the individual most desired by Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.

Tantor received orders to destroy the last Rebel stronghold: a heavily fortified base located southwest of the capital. For this operation, he commanded from the Tracked Mobile Base, or TR-MB, a compact command center housed within an armored crawler. Tantor's forces were scheduled to meet up with a task force under the leadership of Colonel Beri Tulon, Tantor's former mentor.

However, before Tantor's forces could link up, Tulon's walker, Annihilator 1, attacked his own detachment, killing them all and heading towards the Rebel base. Tantor, fearing that his mentor had been killed or captured by traitors, pursued and disabled the walker. He was shocked and dismayed to discover that Tulon himself was the traitor, attempting to defect to the Alliance after years of discontent with the Empire. Despite his own private reservations about the Empire, Tantor dutifully arrested Tulon, who was sent to Tarkin Detention Facility on Ruul.

Tantor continued onward, destroying the base even without Tulon's forces. However, this was not a sufficient demonstration for the people of Abridon, according to Brashin. The grand general demanded that Tantor destroy a refugee camp located east of the base to illustrate the consequences for anyone who allowed traitors to operate freely.

Tantor had finally reached his limit. Referencing the words of the mentor he had just imprisoned, Tantor refused to murder civilians. Enraged, Brashin cut off Brenn's communications with the army and issued the order to destroy the camp himself, claiming it was filled with Rebels. Powerless, Tantor watched as his soldiers massacred civilians. It was at that moment that Rebel general Tyr Taskeen contacted him. Taskeen, the man whom Tantor had defeated, offered him a frequency to use to contact him if he ever wished to defect.

Tantor was sent to Kalaan for his disloyalty, where he was to face a court-martial. While en route, he contacted Taskeen to arrange his defection. Tantor rescued Skywalker from Kalaan and joined the Alliance.

With the departure of Tantor and Brashin, the Empire was unable to maintain complete control over Abridon. Despite the total defeat of the Alliance forces, the Empire still faced the Abridon Nationalists, who transformed the industrial city of Sayan into an urban war zone. Street battles with Imperial troops persisted for months, until artillery platforms were positioned in the city with orders to level it completely. The fighting continued until the Rebels launched a counter-offensive in the liberation of Abridon, under the leadership of Taskeen and a newly Rebel Tantor.

The Second Battle of Abridon made its initial appearance in Star Wars: Force Commander, a 2000 video game developed by Ronin Entertainment. It was later referenced in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008.