In 3 ABY, the Abridon Nationalists took control of Abridon. The Empire responded swiftly, taking back the Government Center and driving the forces of the Rebel Alliance off the planet. However, Sayan remained a hotbed of Nationalist sentiment. Running street battles between Imperial forces and Nationalists were common. At some point, the Empire became so fed up with Sayan's resistance that it moved in artillery platforms and began leveling the city.
When Brenn Tantor, the Imperial general who had reconquered the planet earlier, returned as a Rebel, he captured the Government Center and freed Hamman Flatt, a leader of the Abridon Nationalists. Flatt offered the Rebel Alliance a shipment of A-wings if Tantor would free Sayan.
Tantor covertly eased a Hover Transport full of pilots, the TR-MB, and an armed escort through the city, using Scanner Jammers and the confusion of the city's battles for cover. He was able to capture the shipyards, which he then used as a base of operations to land reinforcements and eliminate all Imperial forces in the city.