Battle of Ebaq

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

- Warmaster Tsavong Lah

The Battle of Ebaq 9 in 28 ABY was a battle between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong. This major battle was 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 provided the catalyst for the formation of the Galactic Alliance.

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 Dac, 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 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 Dac, current Defense Force officers, including the 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 learn 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 was put 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.

One of the draw backs 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 scale engagements. By picking off isolated Yuuzhan Vong units and overwhelming them in force, the fleet was seasoned. Morale shot up as crews and commanders gained confidence in themselves and their warships. These new units took their place alongside the more veteran units to create a newly organized and more powerful Defense Force. During this period Bothan Admiral Traest Kre'fey and his fleet were very active, raiding numerous worlds, including Obroa-Skai, Ylesia, and Duro.

Battle over Ebaq 9
Thanks to top secret Imperial hyperspace routes from 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, protected by a army of Jedi protectors&mdash;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 because she had declared herself 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. As Ackbar had surmised, the Yuuzhan Vong were predictable. A major portion of their fleet was flying into a trap. The strategies used in the battle were: Whenever a new fleet arrived, they could shoot down the Vong until Lah issued a command. Also, when Kre'fey's squadron arrived, they saved Farlander's squadron from being enveloped. Second, when Farlander's squadron enveloped the Battle Group of Yun-Txiin alnong with Kre'fey's, 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 the Battle Group of Yun-Q'aah was chasing. Any succesful followers were destroyed by the mines. The portion that lost speed would have been suffering destruction from fighters on their tails. The Vong couldn't have possibly noticed the space mines because Lah didn't ask them to spy the system and they wouldn't have asked because of their obidience. This was what brought the Vong to the moon.

When 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. Yet, 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, killing a few thousand warriors. Others were stopped by the interdictor mine and came to Ebaq 9.

As his forces dwindled, Lah decided to attack the moon, in hopes of killing some Jedi before he himself was killed. Realizing that the battle was lost, and that Supreme Overlord Shimrra would kill him if he returned alive, Lah 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 and the only survivor was Tsavong Lah. Lah was later killed in a duel with Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, who had been holed up on the moon following the space battle with fellow Jedi Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne.

Aftermath
The victory achieved by the New Republic was tremendous. Over one third of Warmaster Lah’s armada had been destroyed, along with its commander. The tide of the war had finally been turned into 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 government.

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, for 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, to High Prefect. Choka, unlike Tsavong Lah, knew when he couldn't win a battle, and ordered his subordinates to respond in kind, while Drathul was secretly a Quorealist, those who opposed Shimrra's ascension and the invasion itself. Under any other circumastances, the Galactic Alliance could have expected a brief respite. However, the Yuuzhan Vong were no ordinary military enemy. In an effort to secure his position, Shimrra ordered new campaigns to be launched&mdash;including an invasion of the Imperial Remnant.

Appearances

 * Destiny's Way