In 4 ABY, during the Galactic Civil War, the Mikoans refused to submit to the authority of Galactic EmperorPalpatine. In retaliation for their insubordination, MoffDelurin of the Galactic Empire was dispatched to subdue the recalcitrant humanoids. Delurin, who was overseeing the final test run of a prototype capital ship known as the Dragon-class heavy cruiser, took the ship directly to the Sorella system and ordered the crew to open fire on cities on Miko's surface. The Mikoans initially resisted as turbolaser fire and concussion missiles rained on their planet. However, they eventually sued for peace, begging Delurin to cease his assault. Just as he was concluding the bombardment, Delurin received word of the death of the Emperor at the Battle of Endor. Ignoring orders to regroup in the Core Worlds, Delurin left Miko to form his own splinter territory from the Empire, declaring himself the "Warlord of Wild Space."[2]
Following the departure of Delurin, the Mikoans considered joining the New Republic. As diplomatic negotiations were about to successfully conclude, Delurin returned to the star system with his cruiser, christened the Galaxy Dragon. Psychologically scarred by the previous bombardment, the Mikoans were frozen with indecision at his arrival, leaving the New Republic diplomatic corps and a small group of special-operatives to rally resistance to the Warlord.[2]
A Mikoan named Jade ventured off her homeworld as a young woman, finding work as a mercenary. She considered herself unaffiliated during the Galactic Civil War, but took paying jobs from the Alliance to Restore the Republic. For one such task, Jade was stationed on Gellefon in the Korness system, where she regularly received information from a faction of Bothanspies known as "Deep Ear." In this capacity, Jade received a high-security transmission with intelligence that the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine, would be aboard the Death Star II in orbit over Endor at the time of the pending Alliance assault on the battle station.[1]
Jade immediately contacted Alliance High Command and requested immediate evacuation from Gellefon. However, her message was garbled and the Alliance sent only a small team of operatives, believing the mission to be a routine pick-up of intelligence. Just as Jade was making contact with the Rebels, she was met by Borsk Fey'lya, bearing news of the capture and imprisonment of the Deep Ear team on Gellefon. Jade, Fey'lya and the small group of Rebel operatives linked up with a local resistance movement, the Gellefon Freedom Fighters, and succeeded in breaking out the Bothans from their imprisonment. They then fled the planet and delivered their intelligence to the Alliance commanders.[1]