Battle of Ession The Battle of Ession was a conflict between the New Republic and the forces of Warlord Zsinj . Zsinj planned the battle as a trap , using the Pakkerd Light Transport facility on Ession as bait , in order to destroy several squadrons of New Republic starfighters , including Rogue Squadron . However , the crew of the Corellian corvette " Night Caller " was being impersonated by Wraith Squadron , and the battle was the culmination of the Wraiths ' long - standing charade . While Zsinj intended for Ession to be a mission to deal with what he believed was Rogue Squadron , it was in fact a trap designed to destroy the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Implacable " , commanded by Admiral Apwar Trigit . The New Republic forces , though outnumbered , had the element of surprise and were able to destroy the " Implacable " . Furthermore , Apwar Trigit was killed while attempting to flee the battlefield . Prelude . Using the captured CR90 corvette " Night Caller " , Wraith Squadron had been masquerading as Zsinj ' s agents while mounting a number of covert air and ground missions to destroy numerous Zsinj - held assets . The Wraiths had originally aimed to destroy Admiral Apwar Trigit ' s Star Destroyer " Implacable " in the previous Battle of Talasea , but Trigit had not brought the " Implacable " into the system , leaving the Wraiths to score only an inconclusive victory . Following this , Zsinj and his subordinate Trigit had determined that a New Republic presence was following the " Night Caller " and decided to trap the New Republic force , whom they believed was Rogue Squadron and commando support . Zsinj sent a transmission to the " Night Caller " captain , whom he believed was Zurel Darillian , but was actually Wraith Garik Loran in disguise , informing him of the rendezvous at Ession , the location of a Zsinj - allied starfighter manufacturing plant . Under the command of Atril Tabanne , the " Night Caller " set a course for Ession while Wraith leader Wedge Antilles contacted his superiors to request reinforcements . The battle . Initial maneuvers . While the " Night Caller " waited in formation with the " Implacable " around Ession ' s primary moon , Loran had managed to convince Apwar Trigit to keep the " Implacable " in one place near a relay dish . Kell Tainer , the unit ' s backup mechanic and demolitions specialist , had come up with the idea to place a permanent relay dish on the surface of the moon in order to hide their sensor signature , ostensibly to conceal the presence of the Star Destroyer from the New Republic . However , it would actually jam the " Implacable " targeting sensors , hopefully preventing severe damage to the much smaller corvette . After the " Night Caller " received a signal informing them of the imminent arrival of other New Republic forces , Trigit called " Darillian " to ensure that New Republic forces were expected . Loran experienced a momentary pang of nervousness when Trigit used a catchphrase that Darillian should have been familiar with , but covered his lapse by drawing on his experiences with Ysanne Isard to divert the inquisitive admiral ' s attention . Furthermore , Loran was able to persuade Trigit to let his TIE fighters escort the " Implacable " , placing them in a position to deal significant damage to the Star Destroyer . At the last minute , Wedge Antilles and Captain Atril Tabanne switched places , with Antilles commanding the " Night Caller " and Tabanne piloting a TIE fighter , as Antilles was the more experienced pilot of Corellian corvettes . As a result , Wraiths Wes Janson , Falynn Sandskimmer , and Voort saBinring , along with Tabanne , were in TIE fighters docked into the " Night Caller " escape pod hatches while the other Wraith pilots , Eurrsk Thri ' ag , Tyria Sarkin , Kell Tainer , Myn Donos , Ton Phanan , and Hohass Ekwesh , waited in their T - 65 X - wing starfighter s in the " Night Caller " hold . Shortly afterwards , the cargo transport " Red Feathers " jumped in - system . The ship was actually the former pirate Super Transport VI " Blood Nest " , recovered from the moon of the same name and renamed " Red Feathers " . Additionally , it concealed three New Republic starfighter squadrons and was rigged to detonate upon entering atmosphere , releasing the fighters . On the " Implacable " , Imperial Intelligence analyst Gara Petothel accurately predicted this strategy and informed Trigit . The transport reported to Ession ' s spaceport that it was losing structural integrity and would self - destruct to avoid impacting with the planet . An escape pod was launched , which actually contained a commando team led by Judder Page . Page ' s Commandos sabotaged the launch tubes for the Pakkerd facility ' s own TIE fighters , denying Trigit his expected reinforcements . When the " Blood Nest " broke apart , X - wings of Rogue Squadron , Y - wings of Green Squadron led by General Horton Salm , and A - wings of Blue Squadron led by General Edor Crespin , escaped from its cargo bay . The " Implacable " and the " Night Caller " launched their TIEs . However , while the " Implacable " fighters raced ahead to engage the New Republic fighters , the four TIEs from the " Night Caller " took up station around the " Implacable " while Garik Loran reported to his starfighter . Surprise attack . The " Night Caller " quickly revealed its true allegiance by firing on the " Implacable " with its turbolasers and activating its tractor beam . The X - wings in its bow hangar executed a Loran Spitball , which sent a salvo of fourteen proton torpedoes towards the " Implacable " . Meanwhile , the unit ' s TIE fighters , designated Gray Flight , opened fire on the unshielded " Implacable " , hoping to inflict a critical blow . Tabanne , in her TIE fighter , fired a series of laser cannon blasts destroying the " Implacable " bridge and shield generators in her surprise attack . Antilles used the " Night Caller " large tractor beam to anchor the ship to the moon as her thrusters oriented towards the moon . The thrusters ' emission threw up dust from Ession ' s moon to conceal the corvette from the " Implacable " gunners . Antilles then took over as gunner for its main turbolaser turret . The torpedo barrages were able to destroy a large amount of the " Implacable " power cells , and with their targeting jammed , the " Implacable " was unable to effectively employ its batteries . With its starfighters engaged with the three other New Republic squadrons , the Star Destroyer found itself increasingly beleaguered . Trigit recalled his starfighters ; however , they were pursued by Rogue and Blue Squadrons while Green Squadron destroyed the TIE manufacturing facility on Ession . As the " Implacable " fighters raced back , Atril Tabanne ' s fighter sustained a glancing hit , but she was rescued by Cubber Daine in the " Narra " , the Wraiths ' " Lambda " - class T - 4a shuttle . However , Kell Tainer , suddenly overcome by fear at sighting the returning TIEs , began fleeing the battlefield . His wingmate , Hohass Ekwesh , followed him in an attempt to persuade him to return . Tainer refused and Ekwesh returned to the fight . Tainer suspected that one of the Wraiths would be sent to destroy him for his cowardice . However , he was snapped out of his fear - stricken state by the thought of forcing his lover , Tyria Sarkin , to destroy him . Realizing that his unit needed him , Tainer returned to battle . As the " Implacable " fighters arrived to defend their ship , they became rapidly engaged against Rogue , Wraith , and Blue squadrons in a fierce dogfight . While the TIEs sustained casualties , they also prevented most of the Wraiths from attacking the " Implacable " . However , Wraith pilot Falynn Sandskimmer , in defiance of orders , flew her TIE fighter into a hole burned through the " Implacable " armor , and began systematically destroying its power cells from within . She was followed in by Eurrsk Thri ' ag in his X - wing . Between the two them , they quickly savaged the interior of the Star Destroyer ' s power cells . The damage to the " Implacable " was compounded by fire from the " Night Caller " , which Antilles kept concealed within its dust cloud . Destruction of the " Implacable " . Realizing that his ship could not be saved , Admiral Trigit activated its self - destruct and fled with two bodyguards in hyperdrive - equipped TIE interceptors . Petothel was disgusted with his needless sacrifice of thousands of loyal crewmen , and announced Trigit ' s escape to the New Republic forces . She also gave the signal to abandon ship , and used Trigit ' s personal escape pod for herself after finishing final preparations for her new identity as Lara Notsil , which she would use in an attempt to infiltrate Wraith Squadron . Even as the " Implacable " commenced its self - destruct countdown , the starfighters continued to engage each other . While several Imperial fighters were destroyed , Wraith Ton Phanan was forced to eject after sustaining damage from what appeared to be a TIE interceptor belonging to the 181st Fighter Group , as was Kell Tainer . As the " Implacable " , heavily damaged , lost control and fell towards the surface of the moon , Antilles ordered Thri ' ag and Sandskimmer out of the interior of the Star Destroyer . Thri ' ag managed to bring his fighter out of the ship ' s keel , but was vaporized by a turbolaser battery , slaying him instantly . Sandskimmer ' s ship was caught on framework from the " Implacable " . Unable to escape , she perished when the Star Destroyer crashed into the moon . Still , the battle was not over yet , as Imperial fighters remained . After Tetran Cowall , disguised as noted Imperial ace Soontir Fel , killed a dissenting TIE pilot , the " Implacable " remaining starfighters agreed to a cease - fire proposed by Antilles . However , General Edor Crespin and Lieutenant Myn Donos pursued the fleeing Trigit and his escorts , who had refused to surrender . Crespin shot down the admiral ' s bodyguards , while Donos killed Trigit himself with a pair of proton torpedoes . Aftermath . After the battle , the surviving Wraiths were granted leave on Borleias , where they were commended by Admiral Gial Ackbar for their skill and dedication . However , Wraith pilot Ton Phanan was not among them , as he was recovering from injuries sustained during the battle . Gara Petothel , having disguised herself as Trigit ' s sex slave , was rescued by the New Republic . She would later infiltrate Wraith Squadron . Kell Tainer , who had been struggling with issues of fear and responsibility , finally felt at ease , having overcome his anxiety in the heat of battle . Myn Donos , whose Talon Squadron had been destroyed by Trigit , finally felt peace over the loss of his squadron , though the loss of his significant other , Falynn Sandskimmer , plagued him . The surviving Imperial fighters on Ession regrouped and eventually returned to service with Zsinj . Cowall , leading an ersatz 181st , would later engage Wraith Squadron on a number of occasions . Behind the scenes . The Battle of Ession was created by author Aaron Allston as the climatic battle of the novel " " . On his site , Allston admitted to an error in the battle that has Janson changing craft from a TIE fighter to an X - wing . Allston stated that Janson ' s canonical vehicle was a TIE fighter throughout the Battle of Ession .