Battle of Bilbringi (9 ABY)

"Let's remind the Rebellion what war is all about ..."

- Grand Admiral Thrawn

The Battle of Bilbringi of the Galactic Civil War took place some nine years after the Battle of Yavin between the Imperial forces under Grand Admiral Thrawn and the combined forces of New Republic military and the Smuggler's Alliance. The battle was fought over the Imperial shipyards for the sole fact that both the New Republic and Smuggler's Alliance desired to capture a crystal gravfield trap (CGT), a device that would allow the New Republic to uncover the location of cloaked asteroids which Thrawn had set in orbit over Coruscant.

A consummate strategist, Grand Admiral Thrawn knew that the main New Republic fleet would target Bilbringi, while the attack on the Imperial Ubiqtorate Base on Tangrene would be a feint.

The Grand Admiral's fleet arrived at Bilbringi to prepare to set a trap for the Rebels. Thrawn instructed his Interdictor Cruisers to activate their gravity well projectors in anticipation of the imminent Rebel attack. As predicted by Thrawn, the main New Republic fleet came out of hyperspace outside the Bilbringi perimeter.

Commander Wedge Antilles and Admiral Ackbar realized that the New Republic fleet had come out of hyperspace too early, and too far out from the Imperial Shipyards. In the distance, a large Imperial fleet was arrayed before the New Republic forces. Several Interdictor Cruisers were strategically positioned at the rear of the Imperial fleet, preventing any escape. At once, Admiral Ackbar recognized the trap.

Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered the Interdictor Cruisers Constrainer and Sentinel, that were the furthest from the main fleet, to secure from entrapment duty and return to the demarcation line, where they would be protected. Then, the Grand Admiral instructed all warships to prepare to engage the enemy fleet.

Soon, the two fleets locked into battle, and the fight was going clearly in favour of the Empire, as Thrawn's forces hammered the New Republic ships, who were quickly caught in the confusion.

Unfortunately for the Imperials, the Smuggler's Alliance was present at Bilbringi, and decided to aid the New Republic fleet by directly attacking the Imperial Shipyards with the help of Rogue Squadron and some New Republic ships. The four Imperial Golan II platforms that protected the shipyards were unable to hold back the swift attack.

This tactical shift forced the Imperial fleet to divert some of its warships and starfighters to protect the shipyards. Thrawn's second-in-command, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, was dismayed by the sudden change of fortunes, but the Grand Admiral reminded him that the battle was far from over.

Despite Thrawn's tactical genius, though, the Imperial fleet was defeated when Thrawn's bodyguard, a Noghri named Rukh, assassinated him aboard the bridge of the Chimaera at the height of the battle. As Captain Pellaeon read an incoming report from Wayland that indicated that Thrawn's cloning facility was under attack, Rukh temporarily incapacitated him by hitting him on the neck. Rukh then thrusted his long assassin's knife into the back of the Grand Admiral's command chair, pinning and killing the Grand Admiral.

Rukh himself was killed by the Chimaera's stormtroopers while trying to escape, and presumably the rest of the Noghri bodyguard met a similar fate. Although the fleets were nearly matched, and the New Republic forces had taken many more casualties than the Imperial ones, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, realized that without Thrawn's genius, there was no way the Imperial fleet could manage a victory. Already, the New Republic forces were gaining the initiative. The Chimaera's bridge communications officer informed Pellaeon that some Star Destroyers were requesting new orders in light of the tactical change. With memories of the Battle of Endor in his head, Pellaeon assumed command and ordered a full retreat towards the warlord-held Deep Core, where Thrawn's former forces joined with the fleet of High Admiral Teradoc.

Appearances

 * The Last Command
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge