Though lacking the strategic grace of other Imperial commanders, Admiral Daala nonetheless posed a real and dangerous threat to the young New Republic in the months following the resurrected Emperor's campaign of terror.
Daala's rank is an anomaly in the predominantly male Imperial military.
Despite her promising successes as a student and later, young officer, she was
constantly passed over for promotion on the basis of gender alone. Graduating
from the Imperial Academy, Daala's career was foundering. In frustration, she
crafted a false computer identity and entered contests of strategy against
battle-hardened veterans. She bested some of Carida's best instructors in these
virtual engagements.
Moff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories took notice of young Daala's
determination and skill. He uncovered her true identity, and began to school her
as his personal military protégé. It was Tarkin's influence that allowed Daala
to ascend to the rank of Admiral, and he placed her in command of a quartet of
Imperial Star Destroyers patrolling the Outer Rim Territories.
Tarkin entrusted the protection of a top-secret military think-tank
installation to Daala. Maw Installation, as it was called, was a weapons
research facility like no other, sunken into a stable patch of space amidst the
churning black holes of the Maw Cluster. In this remote base, some of the
Empires brightest scientific minds created designs for new Imperial weaponry,
including the first in a series of Death Stars.
Daala was given express orders to never abandon her post, to stay at Maw
Installation, and to maintain communication silence until Tarkin returned.
Tarkin never returned, having died in the explosion that consumed the Death
Star.
For over a decade Daala and her task force stood watch over Maw Installation.
As it was Tarkin's most closely guarded secret, no other Imperials ever knew of
it. The concentration of treacherous black holes made accidental discovery of
the base an impossibility. For 11 years Daala's fighting forces atrophied.
The sudden arrival of an Imperial shuttle was a shock to everyone at the
station. It carried fugitives from the nearby Kessel prison complex: Han Solo,
Chewbacca and Kyp Durron . From this group, Daala received a much needed update
on the state of the galaxy. The trio broke free of the installation, and managed
to capture one of the most powerful test-phase weapons platforms, the Sun
Crusher. Daala, seeking revenge and a chance to finally make an impression,
emerged from the Maw Cluster with her task force, eager to wage war with the New
Republic.
The decade of inactivity had its price. Though Daala was schooled in many
strategic theories, her practical inexperience hampered her efforts. Using
ten-year old tactics at a battle on Mon Calamari, Daala was easily thwarted by
Admiral Ackbar . Before long, her task force of four destroyers was reduced to
her flagship, the Gorgon. Bested, she joined the squabbling Imperial warlords
holed up in the Deep Core Worlds.
Seeing the inefficiencies of the Emperors heirs in person again gave fuel to
Daala's fiery temper. In disgust, she murdered most of the warlords, and
consolidated command over the remaining Imperial military. With Gilad Pellaeon
at her side, Daala took command of the Super Star Destroyer Knight Hammer and
engaged in an ill-advised strike against Luke Skywalkers Jedi academy on Yavin 4
The battle ended poorly for Daala, with the Knight Hammer falling victim to
sabotage. Broken, Daala abandoned her command to Pellaeon and then fled to the
remote world of Pedducis Chorios. She settled into civilian life, leading a
group of settlers on the distant world.
A year later, the inhumane tactics of Moff Getelles brought Daala out of
retirement. When she learned that Getelles had used an outbreak of the Death
Seed plague to gain control of the Meridian sector, Daala threw in her lot with
the forces that opposed him.
Once the dust of that conflict had settled, Daala was not content to return
to retired civilian life. She again journeyed to the Deep Core, amassing troops
and war vessels in a bid to again challenge the New Republic.
She attempted such a strike just prior to the Corellian insurrection. Her forces were repulsed by General Garm Bel Iblis. At great cost, Daala escaped the battle, and she has not been seen since.