Battle of Ebaq

"Come to Ebaq 9! Come to the sacrifice of the Solo twins!"

- Warmaster Tsavong Lah

The Battle of Ebaq 9 (28 ABY) was a major battle between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong, considered the turning point of the war in favor of the New Republic. The battle plan was conceived by an ailing Admiral Ackbar, former Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force. This victory resulted in the death of Warmaster Tsavong Lah and provided the catalyst for the formation of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, as well as a disaterous and humilliating defeat for the newly christened Yuuzhan Vong Empire.

Prelude to battle
After numerous defeats and the loss of Coruscant, the New Republic was on the verge of defeat. After the government regrouped on Mon Calamari, it became apparent that one more major defeat could destroy the remnants of the New Republic. Several factors contributed to giving the New Republic a chance to turn the tide. The election of Cal Omas as the new Chief of State helped stabilize the government, as well as Luke Skywalker’s pledge to have the Jedi work alongside the government. Yet the military, still shaken following so many defeats and retreats, needed a boost of morale. It would take the return of an old hero to help formulate a plan that would give the Defense Force a chance of beating back the Yuuzhan Vong. That hero would be the retired and ailing Admiral Ackbar.

"ACKBAR IS BACK"
Despite being physically weak and advanced in age, Ackbar still possessed a cunning mind. While he had spent the entire war up to that point in his home on Mon Calamari, current Defense Force officers, including current Supreme Commander Sien Sovv and Fleet Intelligence Director Ayddar Nylykerka, regularly provided Ackbar with reports and intelligence on the Yuuzhan Vong and the progress of the invasion. After meeting several times with Jacen Solo to gain additional information on the invaders, Ackbar requested to speak with the new Chief of State, Cal Omas. Ackbar realized that the Yuuzhan Vong's greatest strengths were also the source of their greatest weaknesses. Their unswerving loyalty to their leaders and the fact that they never retreated made them predictable. Omas and the High Council approved Ackbar’s plan, and it was set into motion. Sien Sovv offered to resign so that Ackbar could once again be Supreme Commander, but the aged Calamarian refused, preferring to take on a consultative role. When news of Ackbar’s return was broadcast to all New Republic military units across the galaxy, spontaneous celebrations broke out. The cheering in some ships went on for hours.

One of the drawbacks to having sustained so many defeats was that a large portion of the New Republic Defense Fleet was new and untrained. The losses had been replenished, but green crews and officers meant that the fleet was not as formidable a force as it once had been. A key component in Ackbar’s plan was to season the fleet through repeated small engagements. By picking off isolated Yuuzhan Vong units and overwhelming them in force, the fleet became more experienced, and morale shot up as crews and commanders gained confidence in themselves and in their warships. These newly-blooded recruits took their place alongside veteran units to create a reorganized and more powerful Defense Force. During this period, Bothan Admiral Traest Kre'fey and his fleet were very active, leading raids on numerous worlds, including Obroa-skai, Ylesia, and Duro.

Battle over Ebaq 9
Thanks to top secret Imperial hyperspace routes provided by Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, the New Republic found the perfect location for their trap: the rocky moon, Ebaq 9. By feeding false information to Peace Brigade agents, the New Republic managed to convince the Yuuzhan Vong that Cal Omas and his advisors were taking refuge in a secret base on the moon. They were (allegedly) under the protection of an army of Jedi Knights, including Jacen and Jaina Solo, the two Jedi most sought after by the invaders (Jacen because he had converted to and renounced the Yuuzhan Vong religion, Jaina for declaring herself to be an avatar of Yun-Harla). The prospect of decapitating the New Republic government and killing additional Jedi appealed to Warmaster Tsavong Lah, who set out with a massive armada to crush the base. Though it was nowhere near the size of the Coruscant invasion fleet, it was described as the largest fleet seen since the Fall of Coruscant, thus eclipsing the fleets seen at Hapes, Borleias, and Obroa-skai. As Ackbar had surmised, the Yuuzhan Vong were predictable and a major portion of their fleet was flying into a trap. The strategy used by the Galactic Alliance in the battle revolved around three basic elements:

1) Whenever a new fleet arrived, they could engage the Vong until Lah focused his efforts on them and spread his forces out. The initial defense was led by Keyan Farlander, who had a fairly small force. He was reinforced by Traest Kre'fey's relatively small fleet and the smuggler fleet led by Han Solo and the Errant Venture. These forces were then reinforced by massive Galactic Alliance fleets, including one under the command of Garm Bel Iblis. When Kre'fey's squadron arrived, for example, they saved Farlander's squadron from being enveloped.

2) When Farlander's squadron enveloped the Battle Group of Yun-Txiin, with Kre'fey's assistance, the Vong took heavy casualties until the Battle Group of Yun-Harla arrived. When it did, Farlander's squadron went around the space mines previously placed by an unarmed task force which was being pursued by the Battle Group of Yun-Q'aah; any following ships were subsequently destroyed by the mines. The ships which reduced speed to avoid the minefield would have been harassed by the starfighters on their tails. The Vong couldn't have possibly noticed the space mines, as Lah failed to order them to spy on the system, and their obedience and lack of initiative prevented them from doing it on their own. This resulted in the Yuuzhan Vong sending troops down to the moon.

3) Once the New Republic fleets under the command of Garm Bel Iblis arrived, the trap was complete. Luke Skywalker had gone to the aged general to persuade him to return to New Republic service. Since the fall of Coruscant, Bel Iblis had essentially ignored orders from Supreme Commander Sien Sovv. Now that he was back in the fold, his trio of fleets decimated numerous warships. Realizing that his forces had been led into a trap, Warmaster Lah ordered several of his battle groups to retreat. Those that did encountered tens of thousands of mines, which tore apart formations of Yuuzhan Vong capital ships, and killed thousands of warriors. Others were stopped by the interdictor mine and advanced upon Ebaq 9.

The Jeedai hunt
As the additional New Republic forces arrived, their numbers grew to the point that Tsavong Lah's flagship, Blood Sacrifice, ran out of blaze bugs to properly represent the enemy forces. As his own numbers dwindled, Lah finally realized that he had been lead into a trap. As he came to the understanding that the battle was lost, and that Supreme Overlord Shimrra would kill him if he returned alive, Lah then noticed that the Republic was still protecting Ebaq 9, and he realized that there were Jeedai there. Lah decided to attack the moon, in hopes of killing some Jedi before he himself was slain, and ordered his personal battle group to assault the moon. Lah took ten thousand of his remaining troops to the surface of Ebaq 9, leaving the rest to guard the invasion force. The New Republic fleet wiped out the remains of his battle group, but having brought no ground troops, was unable to dislodge the Warmaster and his troops. During the battle, the Jedi Knight Vergere sacrificed her life by flying her A-wing fighter into the tunnels of Ebaq 9. The trapped Yuuzhan Vong were killed in the explosion, the only survivor being Tsavong Lah, spared only because his own subalterns had given him time to live. Lah was later killed in a duel with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, who had holed up on the moon with fellow Jedi Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne following the battle in space.

Aftermath
The battle resulted in a tremendous victory by the New Republic. Over one third of Warmaster Lah’s armada had been destroyed, along with its commander, and the tide of the war had finally turned in the Republic’s favor. Seizing on the victory, Chief of State Cal Omas reorganized the New Republic into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, hoping that a new government would show the galaxy that it would not repeat the mistakes of the previous administration.

For the Yuuzhan Vong, the defeat had multiple consequences. Realizing that he had been duped, Nom Anor was forced to kill High Prefect Yoog Skell to cover his escape, as Shimrra soon called for his skin. While on the run, Anor assumed the guise of Yu'shaa, and began turning the Jeedai heresy into a true threat to the Yuuzhan Vong leadership. Having lost two of the senior members of the Elite, Shimrra escalated Nas Choka, Supreme Commander of the Yuuzhan Vong Fleet, to the position of Warmaster, while Drathul, Prefect of the Harla, was escalated to High Prefect. Choka, unlike Tsavong Lah, knew when he couldn't win a battle, and ordered his subordinates to respond in kind. Drathul was secretly a Quorealist, those who opposed Shimrra's ascension and the invasion itself. Under any other circumstances, the Galactic Alliance could have expected a brief respite, but the Yuuzhan Vong were no ordinary enemy. In an effort to secure his position, Shimrra ordered new campaigns to be launched, including an invasion of the Imperial Remnant.

Appearances

 * Destiny's Way