Battle of Elliirad

The Battle of Eliirad was a space battle between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. It took place in the Eliirad system and was initiated by Rebel forces, who were attempting to sabotage the Empire's Eliirad Platform, capture Imperial supplies, and destroy Imperial cargo containers in the system.

The Battle
A Rebel force preceded a Delta-class JV-7 escort shuttle into the Eliirad system. The Y-wing attack starfighters targeted Imperial cargo containers and arriving transports, including the cargo ferries Slainte and Lesyta and the modular conveyors Posi and Mhath. Meanwhile, A-wing interceptors from Blue Squadron engaged the platform's defensive fighter screen of TIE/ln starfighters and deep patrol Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing fighters.

The escort shuttle, flagged as an Imperial ship, entered the system and proceeded to dock with Eliirad Platform amidst the fighting. However, the shuttle had been recently stolen by Rebel forces and commandeered by the elite Katarn Commandos. The unit stormed Eliirad Platform, stealing supplies and setting explosive charges. As the shuttle departed Eliirad Platform, the Imperial station exploded, allowing the remaining Y-wings to close to laser range of the cargo containers and transports without coming under fire from Eliirad Platform's turbolaser batteries.

Despite this apparent turning point, the Empire struck back with the entry of the Striker, an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, to the battle zone. While the Striker was far out of range, it deployed several flight groups of fast-moving TIE/In interceptors, which quickly moved to engage the Rebel craft.

Although Eliirad Platform was lost and the Katarn Commandos' mission was successful, the outcome of the battle is unknown. It was apparently the last battle of Operation: Quick Strike.

Behind the scenes
As players can participate in the mission "Hit and Fade on Eliirad Platformn" in the computer game Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter on either the Rebel or the Imperial side&mdash;both sides have conflicting mission objectives&mdash;the battle itself is considered canon but the canon outcome is unknown.

The ships listed in this article are those found in the battle Rebel Alliance Operation: Quick Strike, using the default craft assigned to the player.

The involvement of the Katarn Commandos was confirmed in Empire at War, as was a list of supplies they captured from Eliirad Platform. In X-wing vs. TIE Fighter, the commando unit carried aboard the escort shuttle is called only "Storm Unit"; the Imperial player cannot destroy it without losing points, as it carries a transponder code identifying it as an Imperial ship. As such, the destruction of Eliirad Platform and the theft of supplies by the Rebel commandos is considered to be canon, though the overall outcome of the engagement is unknown.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: Galaxy at War