Evacuation of Yavin

The Fifth Battle of Yavin IV, also known as the Battle of Massassi Temple, was a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire that took place five months after the Battle of Yavin in 0 ABY. It was to be the final clash of the long siege before the Alliance base was evacuated.

The siege
After the destruction of the first Death Star, the Rebel Alliance prepared to evacuate the jungle moon, fearing Imperial reprisals. Fortunately, most of the Rebel fleet, including the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers under Ackbar and the refugee ships containing the Alliance government, had not been present during the battle and were scattered throughout the galaxy.

General Dodonna supervised the evacuation of the Yavin base. However, before the base's support staff could be completely evacuated, an armada of Imperial ships including Immobilizer 418 cruisers appeared in the Yavin system. Instead of attacking, the Imperial ships formed a blockade that prevented the Rebels from escaping into hyperspace.

In fact, this blockade had been ordered by Darth Vader himself, who wanted to capture leading Rebels. The blockade was so extensive, it surrounded the entire Gordian Reach Sector.

Meanwhile, the Super Star Destroyer Executor was nearing completion at the shipyards of Fondor. This mighty ship could take on an entire armada of smaller vessels and would serve as Vader's flagship. In retaliation for the destruction of the first Death Star, Vader wanted to use the Executor against the Rebels.

Undercover missions
Throughout the siege, Luke Skywalker and other Rebels continually evaded the Imperial blockade. First, they tried to sabotage the completion of the Executor, though they were betrayed and most of the task force was killed. Luke, however, managed to escape and return to the Alliance with intelligence on the behemoth warship. During another mission, Luke discovered the arctic planet of Hoth. After returning, he suggested to the Alliance that they evacuate to Hoth and set up another base there. A third mission was the Battle of Dantooine, where Tycho Celchu defected to the Alliance.

Leia Organa, meanwhile attended a conference of uncommited systems on Kabal, where she met with Silver Fyre, leader of the Freeholders and convinced her to bring their considerable fleet of small ships over to the side of the Rebels. Leia also sent Han Solo on a quest for a near-fabled power gem, in an attempt to use it against the Executor.

Returning from another assignment Luke and Leia were ambushed by TIE fighters that seemed to appear from nowhere. In attempting to track their source, Luke stumbled upon a plan devised by Baron Orman Tagge to hide TIE fighters within the atmosphere of Yavin itself, and destroyed the Achtnak Turbine Station that was their base. This action resulted in Baron Tagge swearing vengeance on Skywalker for making him look bad in the eyes of the Empire.

These continued Rebel evasions angered and frustrated the Imperial armada's commanders who eventually persuaded Darth Vader to launch an assault on Yavin 4. Meanwhile, the Rebel leaders including Dodonna were concerned, because while smaller ships could slip through the blockade, larger ships would be destroyed or captured. Dodonna then contacted Mon Mothma and Ackbar and arranged for them to stage a diversional assault.

The battle
Rebel forces under Ackbar engaged Imperial ships in the Vallusk Cluster to trick the Imperial blockade into diverting ships to reinforce the attacked positions, leaving a space open for the Rebel fleet to go into hyperspace. However, the completed Executor finally arrived at Yavin 4 with Lord Vader's Death Squadron fleet, as well as elements of the personal fleet of the Baron Tagge – who hoped to test his new Omega Frost weapon, and have a lightsaber re-match with Skywalker – and the battle began. During the assault, the Empire launched an array of vehicles including A5 Juggernauts and AT-STs. TIE Fighters and TIE/sa Bombers would shell the jungle area.

Dodonna evacuated the base's fighters and transports though he refused to evacuate himself until everyone had left. Instead, the general planted several concussion charges that decimated a whole squadron of TIE/sa Bombers. It was believed that he had died in action, though it was later revealed he had been captured and imprisoned in the Star Dreadnought Lusankya. His son, Vrad, however, was not so lucky; utilizing the ancient power gem in a one-way mission to pierce the shield of Executor, the young fighter pilot flew his fighter straight at the ship, temporarily disabling it. This courageous act, combined with the ineptitude of Admiral Griff's erroneous hyperspace jump and resulting collision with Executor, bought precious time for the Rebels to complete the evacuation.

Many of the surviving Rebels eventually made their way to Hoth where they established a new base.

Alliance to Restore the Republic

 * Ackbar
 * Chewbacca
 * Jan Dodonna
 * Vrad Dodonna
 * Leia Organa
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Han Solo
 * Vors Voorhorian

Galactic Empire

 * Amise Griff
 * Darth Vader
 * Rogor
 * 501st Legion

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Marvel Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin
 * Marvel Star Wars 26: Doom Mission
 * Marvel Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Marvel Star Wars 33: Saber Clash
 * Marvel Star Wars 34: Thunder in the Stars
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 2: The Rebel Storm
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 3: Escape to Hoth
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Imperial Spy
 * Star Wars Empire 19: Target: Vader
 * Star Wars Empire: A Little Piece of Home
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back