Battle of Derra IV

"For the hunters, it was a very good day."

- Soontir Fel

The Battle of Derra IV was an engagement between the Galactic Empire and a Rebel Alliance convoy near the planet Derra IV.

Build up
Grand Admiral Thrawn, while working to undermine the influence of Black Sun on Corellia, discovered that the weapon-smuggling freighter Hopskip was bound for Derra IV. This information, combined with other evidence gathered by Imperial Intelligence, demonstrated that a Rebel supply convoy was intending to depart from that planet to the new Rebel base. Darth Vader and Thrawn worked together to develop the plan that would send the 181st Imperial Fighter Group to eliminate them.

Vader presented this plan to the pilots, though one of them (Soontir Fel) recognized that the plan was the brainchild of the quiet alien Admiral. This act left Fel irritated, disgusted at the hypocrisy of an alien being relied upon as the savior of the Empire, when Human superiority was a major premise used to justify Imperial policies. Ironically, Thrawn would receive no credit for his role in the battle, and Fel would later serve under Thrawn's fellow Chiss in the Empire of the Hand.

Battle
The convoy soon left Derra IV, but before it could enter hyperspace, a Star Destroyer appeared, and the TIE fighters of the 181st pounced on the unsuspecting Rebel ships. Despite the best efforts of Renegade Flight to defend the convoy, it was utterly destroyed. Soon afterward, Renegade Flight, which was part of Red Squadron, met its end as well, with Commander Narra dying at the hands of Fel himself.

The battle, although relatively insignificant and rather one sided, was a major victory for the Empire. The three major players in the 181st (Turr Phennir, Evir Derricote and Soontir Fel) were promoted in a major ceremony on Coruscant presided over by Emperor Palpatine himself. Phennir was given command of the 181st's second squadron and promoted to Commander for destroying four Rebel transports; Derricote was placed in charge of the Imperial facility on Borleias and promoted to General; and Fel was promoted to Colonel, given command of the 181st, and granted an estate on his native Corellia, to which he moved his family shortly thereafter.

Though the plan was put together by Thrawn, he received no credit for the battle. As he was already a Grand Admiral at the time, there was perhaps no further honor he could receive. Some suggested that Ysanne Isard had the Emperor afterwards reassign Thrawn to the Unknown Regions to avoid the embarrassment of an alien's strategic achievement.

Moreover, the battle left the Rebel defenses at Echo Base on Hoth badly understaffed, with no opportunity for resupply and with only the forces of Rogue Flight to defend them. Following the death of Commander Narra, Luke Skywalker of Rogue Flight was promoted to Commander and took control of Red Squadron, which he soon after molded into Rogue Squadron.

A small number of the pilots from Renegade Flight survived, but were wiped out in the Ison Corridor.

Aftermath
This battle would later be made into a simulation for New Republic pilots to attempt. While kept in captivity on Coruscant in 40 ABY, Wedge Antilles tried this simulation with no luck.

Appearances

 * The Empire Strikes Back radio drama
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Masquerade
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * X-wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-wing: The Bacta War
 * Betrayal
 * Betrayal