Battle of Kessel (0 ABY)

"Looks like Ackbar hasn't reached Kessel yet. We need to get him off that Star Destroyer before it's too late."

- Han Solo

A space skirmish was fought over the planet Kessel between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. In 0 ABY, shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Alliance Admiral Ackbar was captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Ackbar was sold to the Empire, and was later transported under heavy Imperial guard to the prison colony on Kessel for interrogation. When Alliance High Command discovered that the Mon Calamari Admiral had been taken, they dispatched a Rebel fleet and Renegade Squadron&mdash;the Alliance's new elite fighting force&mdash; to ambush the Imperial fleet holding Ackbar in space over Kessel. Under the command of former smugglers-turned-Rebel Commanders Han Solo and Col Serra, Renegade Squadron was eventually able to break Ackbar out of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer he was being held captive in, and transport the admiral to safety.

Prelude
In 0 ABY, during the Galactic Civil War and shortly after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance recovered a holocube that contained perspective locations for a new Rebel stronghold to replace the Alliance's recently lost main base on Yavin 4. Alliance High Command assigned Mon Calamari Admiral Ackbar to take a small scout party to research Saleucami, one of the planets on the list. However, when Ackbar and his small team arrived in the Saleucami system, they were ambushed by the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett aboard his ship, Slave I. Ackbar's transport was quickly disabled and he and his crew were captured by Fett. Fett soon sold the Mon Calamari to the Galactic Empire, while the rest of his crew were given over to the Hutt Cartel on Tatooine as slaves.

Ackbar&mdash;a valuable leader and a military genius&mdash;was placed aboard an Imperial-class Star Destroyer under heavy guard so he could be transported to the Empire's prison colony on the planet Kessel for interrogation. When the Alliance found out that Ackbar had been captured, they quickly dispatched a fleet, along with their new elite fighting force, Renegade Squadron, to intercept the Imperial fleet holding Ackbar over Kessel. A group composed a former pirates and criminals under the command of smugglers-turned-Rebel Commanders Han Solo and Col Serra, Renegade Squadron was ordered to board the Star Destroyer containing Ackbar and free the admiral. The Rebels knew if they did not rescue Ackbar in time, he would soon break under Imperial torture, and that all of the Alliances' secrets would be in jeopardy.

The battle
"Thank you. Now, it is time we find a way off this Star Destroyer."

- Admiral Ackbar upon being rescued by Renegade Squadron

The Alliance fleet, composed of a Mon Calamari Cruiser and a pair of Nebulon-B frigates, jumped out of hyperspace over Kessel just as the Imperial fleet entered the system. Renegade Squadron launched their starfighters from the Mon Calamari cruiser's hangar bay to attack the incoming Imperials, and Commander Serra ordered the Renegades to destroy the communications array on the lead Imperial-class Star Destroyer holding Ackbar, thus preventing any Imperial reinforcements from being called. During the Renegade's initial sweep, they were able to wipe out the Imperial-class Star Destroyer's comm array, as well as incapacitate both of the Victory II-class frigates escorting the larger Star Destroyer by disabling their laser cannons. With the frigates unable to defend the fleet, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer began to launch its complement of TIE fighters. Renegade Squadron engaged the Imperial starships, quickly dispatching six of the TIE fighters.

With the Imperial starfighters dispatched and the Imperial frigates no longer a threat, Solo ordered a member of Renegade Squadron to gather a LAAT/i gunship from their hangar and use it to send a boarding party into the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and free Ackbar. The Rebel were able to land the gunship inside the Star Destroyer's hangar, and the boarding team fought their way deeper into the Imperial vessel until they found Ackbar, who was held in a small room near the hangar.

Escorting the Mon Calamari back to their gunship, the Renegades found that they were unable to leave as the Imperials had deployed a force field around the magnetic containment field of the hangar, sealing the Rebels inside. Serra, however, managed to locate a shield generator at the side of the Imperial launch bay powering the shield, and radioed its location to the boarding party. One of the Renegades was able to destroy the generator, allowing the Rebels and Ackbar to get into their transport and flee the Star Destroyer. Once Ackbar was safely aboard the Mon Calamari cruiser, Commander Solo ordered his forces away from Kessel, who then jump to the safety of hyperspace.

Aftermath
When Solo and his fleet returned to Alliance High Command, Ackbar reported to those present what had led to his capture, and the events surrounding his imprisonment. The Mon Calamari admiral informed the Rebel leaders that Fett had not given the rest of the captured scouting party to the Empire, but had brought them elsewhere. Using his knowledge from his days as a smuggler, Commander Serra concluded that the Mandalorian had sold the captured Rebels to the Hutt slave market on Tatooine. As a result, Renegade Squadron soon launched an attack on the Hutts' slave pens in the city of Mos Eisley on Tatooine to free the captured soldiers.

Years later, after the formation of the New Republic, Jedi Knight Tionne Solusar tracked down Col Serra to ask him about Renegade Squadron for her Jedi Archives. Serra told the Jedi about many of their battles and exploits, including the rescue of Ackbar at Kessel.

Behind the scenes
The second battle of Kessel has only appeared in the video game Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron&mdash;released October 9, 2008&mdash;which tells the history and feats of Renegade Squadron during the Galactic Civil War. The battle itself makes up the fourth level in the game's campaign mode, where the player, as a member of Renegade Squadron, must assist in rescuing Ackbar from Imperial custody. The player's main objectives in the level include taking out the Star Destroyer's communications, shooting down six TIE fighters, disabling the Victory-class frigates' turrets, and boarding the Imperial Star Destroyer and freeing Ackbar.

Due to the fact that the battle takes place a short time after the Battle of Yavin, the A-wing starfighters that are used in the battle could possibly be the R-22 Spearhead, the predecessor of the A-wing. However, an official explanation for this has not been presented yet.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron

Notes and references
Schlacht von Kessel (0 NSY)