Battle of Folor

The battle for Folor's base was an engagment between Admiral Apwar Trigit and the still-in-training Wraith Squadron and Polearm Squadron. While the base was eventually lost, the New Republic managed to evacuate the base with minimal losses thanks to unorthodox tactics.

Prelude
"Prep the TIE fighter squadrons and do full diagnostics on our weapons ans shield systems... It looks as though the Rebels are staging from the moon Folor, and I think it's time for us to put an end to it!"

- Admiral Apwar Trigit

After entering Warlord Zsinj' service, Admiral Trigit designed a simple yet elegant mean to determine the possible position of enemy hidden stations and deep-space assembly points: the Morrt-class parasite-droid project. These stealthy little droids would attach themselves to ships, and broadcast point and date of departure and arrival to the Implacable. Acting on the gathered data, Gara Petothel was able to conclude that the moon Folor orbiting the planet Commenor was used as base by the New Republic.

Hoping to impress Zsinj with his brainchild's results and thus secure his eventual promotion to captaincy of the Razor's Kiss, Trigit decided to single-handedly eliminate the base on Folor, believing his Implacable would overpower the enemy. However, as Commenor was a neutral world dealing with Zsinj, Trigit contacted their authorities, arranged for an authorisation to act and some camouflage for his arrival.

Foiling the surprise attack
"- Would you like breakfast in bed with all that, Five?''" "''- That's right, Four! But that's after everything else!"

- Grinder and Kell Tainer, upon hearing Tainer's request

The battle actually started long before any shots were exchanged. Wraith Squadron was preparing for an hyperspace jump exercise when Jesmin Ackbar, the unit comm specialist, detected some odd encrypted transmissions on Imperial channels. Although not alarming since Commenor was a neutral world, this warranted investigation and Wedge, still unfamiliar with his squadmate's abilities, ordered his squadron to 'make themselves useful'. Acting upon his preview commando experiences, Kell Tainer asked Grinder to slice into Commenor's central computer and look for typical documents and facts who announced the arrival of military forces. A quick scan allowed Grinder to determine that the largest berth of Commenor's shipyard had just been cleared for a 'private yacht' Implacable, and that Commenor had just authorized same 'private yacht' to conduct live-fire exercises on Folor. That second information, combined with the fact that the reserved berth could only accomodate capital ships, convinced them that that Trigit was on the way.

The first deception
"They... They're halfway around the moon, sir! the base is at this same latitude one hundred and eighty degrees around!"

- Gara Pethotel

Alerted to a Star Destroyer's arrival, General Edor Crespin wasted no time and ordered a full evacuation. Quickly loading everything they could into the base's two evacuation transport ships, the New Republic forces were set to evacuate, but an engine malfuction on the Borleias prevented them a quick escape. Realizing Implacable would be in bombardement range too soon, Crespin ordered both starfighters squads deployed but grounded and activated his first line of defense: the decoy base.

Knowing fully that an attack was always possible, the engineers of Folor base had scrounged enough decomissioned fuel tanks and prefab buildings to set up a plausible decoy base at the exact opposite position around the moon. Rigged with a few booby traps to make them blow up nicely, and a few homing beacons and comm transmitters to simulate agitation and panic, the decoy base made for a cheap yet effective mean of delaying any attack force. Overconfident in the secrecy of his tactic, and utterly unaware that he'd been detected long ago, Trigit fell into the simple trap, and lost precious minutes bombing a decoy into oblivion and manoeuvering his Star Destroyer around the moon to his real objective.

The race
"Glad you two could join us. We've ben here a while, would you relieve us while we take a nap?"

- Kell Tainer

Grudgingly impressed by his opponent's resourcefulness, Trigit ordered all his starfighters deployed and his shield raised, while manoeuvering Implacable close to ground around the moon, wary of any other nasty surprise. Unable to determine their opponent's position any longer, Wedge and Crespin decided to send an A-Wing pair and an X-Wing pair stealthily ahead as spotters, to calculate an interception point and, if possible, make a sneak attack on Implacable if the occasion presented itself. The task fell upon Kell Tainer and Runt, and on Dorset Konnair and Tetengo Noor.

As usual with pilots, the flight to the interception point became a race, here between the A-wing and X-wing pairs. While in open space the A-Wings would have outraced the much slower X-wings, the constraints of flying close to the ground and into the crevices of Folor's surface made the race much fairer, but also much more dangerous.

Initially, the A-Wings took a significant lead on the X-Wings, however, once the fighters were forced into the valleys used for bombing pratice, the A-Wings were forced to slow down, and Tainer and Runt were able to eventually overtake them and reach their assigned spotting position first. After some jibing, both pairs started collecting data on their opponents and calculated a possible ambush point for the rest of their fellow pilots. The socond part of their assignment looked infeasible however: since Trigit had ordered his shields up, there simply was no way for the four of them to mount any significant attack on Implacable.

The second deception
"-... Wait... There was another transport?''" "- Yes sir!" "''-... Forget the tractor. Maximal laser bombardment! I want them dead!"

- Admiral Trigit and his tactical officer, upon realizing he's been fooled again.

Thanks to their spotter's reconnaisance, the remaining starfighters boiled out of their hiding spots and fell upon their opponents swiftly, mercilessly scything trough their packed ranks before engaging them in one gigantic furball. The New Republic fighters managed at first to eliminate 20 TIES while losing only two of their own, but after that numerical supriority started to wear them down.

While the battle raged, Kell Tainer concoted a crazy, brilliant scheme: casting himself as 'Rogue One' and Dorset Konnair as 'Princess Leia', he had Runt and him boost their output signals, and the two A-Wings fly together merging their shields to simulate a damaged Falcon and escorting X-Wings. The two of them would then improvise a dialogue broadcasted in an expired code, in the hope of duping the Implacable in believing the Falcon was here, damaged, unable to fly with princess Leia on board; in other word an easy capture.

Upon learning of the presence of the Falcon, Trigit was at first wary of yet another trick, but since evidence suggested that the base was now abandoned, he had ben wondering why the New Republic was waging such a ferocious defense for an empty base, and concluded that they were trying to buy time for the Falcon, and ordered Implacable to veer of in pursuit.

As the battle continued, the Borleias finally managed to lift off. At that point, the New Republic starfighters started disengaging and the spotters dropped their decoy while slipping away in the canyons. Furious, Trigit ordered a full bombardment of the canyons, to a least avenge himself on those who fooled him, but Runt, allowing yet another of his personalities to take control, managed to lead his comrades to safety, despite flying at full speed trough a collapsing canyon.

Aftermath
"- Attention, Implacable! Be advised, you've just become the victims of Dinner Squadron...''" "-... and Silly Squadron!" "''-Consider yourselves humiliated! And welcome to Folor! Out."

- Kell Tainer and Runt

After regrouping, the rebels quickly fled into hyperspace while a disgruntled Trigit pounded a now empty base to slag. Thanks to their unorthodox tactics, the New Republic evacuated the base sucessfully and suffered only 5 losses, while having destroyed or damaged over 35 TIEs. This brillant action convince admiral Ackbar to fully commission Wraith Squadron as an active squad.

The idea of a false Millenium Falcon would be revisited later in the Millenium Falsehood ploy used against Zsinj.

Admiral Trigit would bear a grudge toward those who fooled him, which would eventually lead up to his demise.

Appearances

 * X-wing: Wraith Squadron
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge

Notes and references
Schlacht von Folor