Reef Fortress

"Master Lowbacca wishes to inquire whether that island up ahead is our final destination.''" "''Yes, that is Reef Fortress."

- M-TD, Lowbacca's translator droid, and Ta'a Chume

Reef Fortress was the isolated stronghold of the Hapan Royal Family on a small island in the Hapan ocean. In 23 ABY, Jedi trainees Tenel Ka, Lowbacca, and Jacen and Jaina Solo stayed at the fortress. While they were there, Ambassador Yfra tried to kill them by sending their wavespeeder into a patch of dangerous carnivorous seaweed. After escaping from the seaweed, the young Jedi saved the matriarch of Hapes, Ta'a Chume, from Bartokk assassins sent by the ambassador, thereby foiling Yfra's plot to overthrow the Hapan monarchy. Reef Fortress was also the location of an honor duel between Prince Isolder and Archon Beed Thane in 25 ABY. This duel decided the role of the Hapes Consortium in the war against the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong.

Description
Reef Fortress was the private shoreside retreat of the Royal Family of Hapes. Located on a small, isolated island in the Hapan ocean that was accessible only by boat and surrounded by reefs, the thick-walled fortress served as a stronghold in times of emergency. The fortress had a stone cave grotto where boats were anchored and was near a small swimming cove. In 23 ABY, the fortress contained a tower room that was the bedchamber of the matriarch, Ta'a Chume.

History
"I can't wait to show you my home."

- Tenel Ka to Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca about Reef Fortress

As a young girl, Tenel Ka, the Hapan princess, spent much time with her parents relaxing at Reef Fortress, which she thought of as a summer home. Later, in 23 ABY, Tenel Ka returned to the fortress with her friends, Jedi trainees Lowbacca and Jacen and Jaina Solo, because a bomb had gone off in the Hapan matriarch's royal residence, Fountain Palace, where they had been staying. Ambassador Yfra and some Hapan Honor Guards to watch over them. Tenal Ka, as the Hapan princess, had spent much time with her parents at Reef Fortress when she was younger and was eager to show it to her her friends. During their stay there, the youths spent much of their time swimming in a small cove. However, Ta'a Chume, the matriarch and Tenel Ka's grandmother, would not let Tenel Ka shun all her responsibilities as the princess of Hapes and had her negotiate with a Mairan ambassador. Eventually, Jacen, Jaina, Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka became bored of their stay at the fortress. They were relieved of their boredom when Ambassador Yfra allowed them to take one of the wavespeeders out on the ocean for a while. Unbeknownst to them, Yfra had programmed the wavespeeder to take them into an area of dangerous carnivorous seaweed, hoping to kill them as part of her plot to overthrow the Hapan Royal Family. The youths were able to escape from the seaweed using their lightsabers and knives, and Jaina and Lowbacca manually drove the wavespeeder back to the island.

Later, Ta'a Chume arrived at the fortress in her own royal wavespeeder. That night, Bartokk assassins sent by Yfra invaded Reef Fortress, destroying the shield generator and cutting off all power to the fortress. The assassins targeted Ta'a Chume and trapped her in her bedchamber. Together, Jacen, Jaina, Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka rescued the matriarch and escaped out the window of her bedchamber. Then, seeing that there was no safe place nearby, they fled the island on a small wavespeeder, the assassins following in their assault craft. After navigating the Dragon's Teeth, a cluster of sharp rocks jutting out of the ocean, Jaina and Lowbacca purposefully piloted the wavespeeder into some carnivorous seaweed which killed the assassins who were following them them. Ta'a Chume then drove the wavespeeder to Fountain Palace, arriving in time to stop Yfra from promoting herself as the monarch.

In 25 ABY, Prince Isolder and Archon Beed Thane participated in an honor duel at Reef Fortress. The duel was initiated by Isolder slapping Thane across the face for insulting both Ambassador Leia Organa Solo and Tenel Ka, who was Isolder's daughter. Isolder won the duel after the referee called a sudden death round. As a result of the duel, the Hapes Consortium decided to enter the war against the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders.

Behind the scenes
Reef Fortress first appeared in the 1996 Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. It was later mentioned under the entry for "Hapes Consortium" in the Star Wars Encyclopedia published in 1998 and also appeared in James Luceno's Jedi Eclipse. Reef Fortress was given its own entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008. However, this entry contains a error, stating that Leia Organa Solo was at Reef Fortress in 23 ABY with her children when, according to Lightsabers, she was on Coruscant.

Appearances

 * Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse