The freighter designated Transport A-175 was an Action IV transport owned by Red Star Shipping Lines, and captained by Joh Steen. While traveling from the Nopces system to Brentaal, where it was to join a convoy, the ship was ambushed by the Alliance Privateer vessel Far Orbit. As the Far Orbit was a Nebulon-B frigate, a ship class which had thus far only been operated by Imperial forces, captain Steen believed that it was a legitimate naval vessel, and cooperated with the requests of the privateers.