Battle of Borleias (Yuuzhan Vong War; Second)

"I don't plan to die here, Luke. And while I don't think I can hold Borleias, I might be able to make it a name that causes little Vong children to whimper."

- Wedge Antilles

The Second and Third Battles of Borleias were last stand actions by the New Republic forces after the Fall of Coruscant that started with the New Republic retaking Borleias from a Yuuzhan Vong occupation force. While the Yuuzhan Vong successfully retook Borleias from New Republic forces under Wedge Antilles, they suffered heavy losses, including the death of Czulkang Lah and the loss of a Koros-Strohna worldship. As a result of heroes such as Wedge Antilles, Tycho Celchu, Lando Calrissian, Luke Skywalker, Jaina Solo, Kyp Durron, and Jagged Fel, the New Republic was able to buy some breathing room from the relentless Yuuzhan Vong invasion, which eventually allowed the election of Cal Omas and the formation of the Galactic Alliance.

New Republic Capture of Borleias
Having been driven from the galactic capital of Coruscant, elements of Fleet Group Three, without orders, attack Borleias, which had been used as a staging point for the assault on Coruscant and been granted to Domain Kraal. Knowing that refugees from Coruscant would head to Borleias, and wanting to give the Yuuzhan Vong a taste of what the New Republic had just felt, General Wedge Antilles attacked the planet. The New Republic quickly established space superiority over Domain Kraal, and began their assault on Borleias.

Taking the 'Record Time' down to the surface, Lando Calrissian unloaded twenty of his new YVH-1 battle droids. The Yuuzhan Vong initially used the foliage to provide themselves cover, so as to launch thud bugs and razor bugs at their opponents. However, Calrissian had programmed his droids with a unique battle cry: "We are machines! We are greater than the Yuuzhan Vong!"

The warriors, whipped into a homicidal frenzy, immediately broke cover and assaulted the droids face to face. The YVH 1s were able to mow them down. However, the Yuuzhan Vong had summoned a rakamat to provide better cover. Calrissian, with a team of engineers, buried a load of explosives in the rakamat's path, and detonated them once the creature was above them. The rest of the battle was mostly a mopping up action, as the Kraal survivors were forced to retreat and regroup.

It should be noted that this was the only instance in the Yuuzhan Vong War that the New Republic actually retook a planet from the Yuuzhan Vong

In the chaos that followed the hasty retreat from Coruscant, the remaining members of the Advisory Council and a large segment of the New Republic military forces reconvened at Borleias. The newly self-appointed Chief of State Pwoe ordered commanding General Wedge Antilles to sacrifice Borleias in a holding action long enough for the Advisory Council to flee to heavily defended Kuat. Unaware of the surviving Senate members gathering at Dac, Antilles grudgingly accepted the order, but followed its letter, not its intent, using it as permission to strike against the centralized Yuuzhan Vong forces. Antilles also ensured he received the material he needed to complete his mission by stipulating to Pwoe that 1) any volunteers from the scattered New Republic Defense Force who wished to join would be allowed to, 2) that no politicians would return to muddle Antilles' efforts, and 3) the Super Star Dreadnaught Lusankya would be given to Antilles. In return, Antilles agreed to hold Borleias and relinquish command of Fleet Group Three.

On Borleias, Antilles, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo and other noted heroes from the Galactic Civil War agreed to set up a network of Rebellion-style cells on worlds to allow the ideals of the Alliance/New Republic to survive through the devastation of the Yuuzhan Vong and ineptness of the present New Republic government.

Antilles had a number of elite units under his command at Borleias, including Blackmoon Squadron, Twin Suns Squadron, Wraith Squadron, the Taanab Yellow Aces, and Rogue Squadron. He would need the services of every one and of Danni Quee's yammosk jammers in the ensuing battle.

The Yuuzhan Vong Response
Due to Borleias' proximity to Coruscant or Yuuzhan'tar, as it was now called, Tsavong Lah ordered that a fleet under Wyrpuuk Cha, a rival of Domain Kraal that had previously held Borleias, retake the planet. However, Cha was mismatched against Antilles, who realized his superiority. Antilles planned to wear away Cha's forces with little damage to his own, giving Cha the illusion of victory, but while draining valuable Yuuzhan Vong resources.

This plan was ruined when, during what was planned to be an inconclusive space battle, the Lusankya reverted insystem 'in the middle of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.' In the resulting barrage of the Dreadnaught's batteries, Cha's matalok was destroyed, along with most of his fleet. Antilles was displeased at this turn of events, knowing that a more competent commander would be sent to retake Borleias, and with a larger fleet.

Arrival of Czulkang Lah
"He's Tsavong Lah's father. An old, fierce, terrifying warrior and teacher of warriors. He's like the Garm Bel Iblis of the Yuuzhan Vong."

- Tycho Celchu

The Yuuzhan Vong did respond, and in force. Advised by Maah Lah that Garm Bel Iblis was in command at Borleias, Tsavong Lah sent Czulkang Lah, his father and one of the greatest strategists in the Yuuzhan Vong armada, to retake Borleias.

Czulkang Lah launched a full scale offensive in both space and on the ground, slowly pushing back Antilles' beleagured garrison. Antilles forced Lah to expend considerable effort to win the battle, prodding him with a variety of tricks and decoys to attract his attention.

The first of these deceptions was the "incarnation" of the Yuuzhan Vong trickster goddess Yun-Harla in Jaina Solo. Jaina Solo, with the aid of Wraith squadron, was placed in command of Twin Suns squadron, given top priority and command privileges and placed over more experienced pilots such as Jagged Fel and Kyp Durron. Additionally, other familiar tactics such as yammosk jamming, stutter firing, and Jedi shadow bombs were also employed. Jaina, Kyp Durron, and Jag Fel also worked on using the Force to coordinate firing times to deliver high damage at exactly the same time and location.

Despite these new innovations and tactics, Antilles continued to withdraw his forces until they were concentrated in a tight perimeter on both the ground. Many of his pilots chafed under the constant retreating, until Operation Emperor's Hammer was initiated- which was the use of the 'Lusankya' to deliver a punishing orbital bombardment to the massed Yuuzhan Vong ground troops. After the loss of so many ground troops, the Yuuzhan Vong temporarily withdrew to recoup their losses.

Second Offensive
Another fraud perpetrated on the Yuuzhan Vong by the New Republic defenders was the Operation Starlancer, which was a fake long range weapons system supposedly formed by the merging of Yuuzhan Vong lambent crystals and superlaser technology. In a demonstration, the pipefighters involved "fired" on the Yuuzhan Vong fleet over Coruscant. Actually, the weapon was a pure fake- the damaging blast fired at the Yuuzhan Vong fleet was actually a long range turbolaser burst from a New Republic warship. The Yuuzhan Vong were even more convinced after one of their operatives, Tam Elgrin on Borleias spotted Danni Quee working on the plans for the large lambent crystals needed in the pipefighter. However, the operative was discovered, redeemed, and used to sow misinformation to Czulkang Lah.

Through the use of the new pipefighter and Jaina Solo’s growing reputation as the avatar of Yun-Harla, Antilles drew the focus of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet to Borleias. When a sufficient portion of the Yuuzhan Vong had gathered in the Pyria system, Antilles launched a massive assault, catching the Yuuzhan Vong by surprise. The New Republic forces caused heavy losses in the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, and the use of Lusankya as a battering ram against a worldship, a move codenamed Operation Emperor's Spear, added to the Vong's confusion.

Despite his amazing success in defending the besieged Pyria system, Antilles knew he would not be able to resist a full scale assault by the Yuuzhan Vong forces. In the ensuing skirmishes, the Yuuzhan Vong targeted the space fleet, slowly whittling away at the numerically inferior New Republic forces.

The Final Engagement
The Yuuzhan Vong had slowly drawn the noose around the Borleias garrison and finally launched their final all-out assault. Antilles rapidly began evacuating as many troops as he could off the surface of the planet. Antilles allowed the Yuuzhan Vong to believe the battle was going their way, and even drew off part of his fleet. However, the entire final engagement was a massive trap by Antilles. First, thanks to Danni Quee, Twin Suns squadron launched a number of missiles that released the gravitic signature of the 'Millenium Falcon'. Also, members of Twin Suns squadron changed the role of "Jaina" around, simulating her behavior so she could escape Yuuzhan Vong attacks. The battle came to a head when New Republic forces began yammosk jamming and brought in the rest of the fleet, including the battered 'Lusankya.' In a tactic known as Operation Emperor's Spear, the Lusankya had been slowly stripped of useful components and converted into a massive, explosive-filled, battering ram with only one purpose: the destruction of the Yuuzhan Vong worldship. Using specially modified missiles to disrupt the maneuvering dovin basals of the worldship, the New Republic forces pinned the worldship in place while Eldo Davip drove the massive 'Lusankya' deep into the heart of the worldship, where it detonated, killing Czulkang Lah.

Antilles coordinated the battle from the ground, but as the final defenses were overwhelmed, took off in an X-wing fighter with no astromech droid. He then demonstrated his amazing piloting prowess by engaging two squadrons of coralskippers alone in the defense of a transport and largely defeating them.

The Yuuzhan Vong were thrown into confusion by these losses and the surviving New Republic forces withdrew without any further major enagement. While they were successful in retaking Borleias, the Vong suffered heavily in terms of ships, personnel, and Czulkang Lah, who was- as Tycho Celchu put it- the Garm Bel Iblis of the Yuuzhan Vong.