Battle of Ebaq The Battle of Ebaq , also known as the Battle of Ebaq 9 , was a major battle between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong , considered the turning point of the war in favor of the New Republic . The battle plan was conceived and coordinated by an ailing Admiral Ackbar , former Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force , and was put into practice by several of the Republic ' s most able officers , including General Garm Bel Iblis and Admiral Kre ' fey . After striking small raids on , and seizing , poorly defended worlds captured by the Yuuzhan Vong , Ackbar lured their Warmaster Tsavong Lah to the trap at the moon Ebaq 9 by giving Lah evidence of a fortress called the Final Redoubt at the moon there . With Supreme Overlord Shimrra ' s permission , he took a large fleet to the moon to decimate the New Republic forces there . With the Solo twins and other Jedi at the moon as well , Lah was especially motivated to win the battle and decimate the forces there . However he was drawn into a trap by General Keyan Farlander ' s battle group at the moon , where he was soon ambushed by Admiral Traest Kre ' fey . Eventually , a large New Republic task force led by Garm Bel Iblis and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker trapped the Warmaster . With his fleets doomed , Lah led 10 , 000 troops to eliminate the Jedi on the moon . However , all of his troops were killed when Vergere , a Jedi Knight who initially joined the Yuuzhan Vong , sacrificed herself by crashing her ship on the moon ' s surface , causing explosive decompression in the mines inside it , to save Jacen . Lah survived , and confronted Jaina , along with her Jedi friends Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne . Jaina was able to kill the Warmaster , and all of his troops battling the New Republic fleet were killed as well . The subsequent New Republic victory resulted not only in the death of Warmaster Tsavong Lah , but a large portion of the already weakened Warrior caste along with him . The battle was a major morale victory for the Jedi and failing New Republic , and turned the tide of the war onto their side . It also proved to be the catalyst for the formation of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances , as well as a disastrous and humiliating defeat for the newly christened Yuuzhan Vong empire . Prelude . The tenacious enemy . After numerous defeats and the loss of Coruscant , the New Republic was on the verge of defeat . When the government regrouped on Mon Calamari , having only been able to set up a headquarters there due to the rearguard action in the Pyria system , it became apparent that one more major defeat could destroy the remnants of the New Republic . However , technological advances following the fall of Coruscant and the recuperation and consolidation of heavy industry across Republic - held areas of the galaxy had given the government some breathing space . The total destruction of Supreme Commander Komm Karsh ' s reinforcement fleet at Obroa - skai and the rumblings of the heretic movement across the newly formed Yuuzhan ' tar had thrown the Yuuzhan Vong off balance . It was now time for the New Republic to capitalize on this . With the election of Cal Omas as the new Chief of State helping to stabilize the government , and Luke Skywalker ' s pledge to have the Jedi work alongside him , morale was steadily rising . However , the losses at Coruscant had brought the military to its knees . Admiral Ackbar , coming out of retirement to lead the fight against the enemy , decided that the best strategy to resolve this would be to engage poorly defended Yuuzhan Vong worlds , retreating when relief fleets arrived . In this way the military would season and become confident . Luring the Warmaster . In order to lure the Yuuzhan Vong onto a battleground of their choosing , the New Republic had to manipulate the extensive spy network operating throughout the New Republic into going for the bait . Ayddar Nylykerka , Director of New Republic Fleet Intelligence , teamed up with Mara Jade Skywalker to accomplish this goal . Through careful deceit and expert trickery the Yuuzhan Vong spies were identified and fed false information . Nylykerka and Jade were judicious in their planning ; small amounts of information were released deliberately to different agents so the Yuuzhan Vong could formulate their own plan . Rumors of the Final Redoubt , a fortress in the Deep Core , began to circulate . Jacen and Jaina Solo , the twins so sought after by Shimrra and his council ( Jacen because he had converted to and renounced the Yuuzhan Vong religion , Jaina for declaring herself to be an avatar of Yun - Harla ) , were said to be at this fortress , along with the newly elected New Republic command . Executor Nom Anor was drawn in by the trap and reported his ' findings ' to Shimrra , who in turn gave Tsavong Lah permission to prosecute the engagement . The fleet Warmaster Lah set out in to destroy the New Republic at Ebaq 9 was nowhere near the size of the colossal Coruscant invasion fleet , but was still described as the largest fleet seen since the Battle of Coruscant , thus eclipsing the fleets seen at Hapes , Borleias , and Obroa - skai . It was composed of different battle groups , named after the Yuuzhan Vong deities . Lah was something of a fanatic , a personality trait the returning Admiral Ackbar saw fit to fully exploit . Ackbar ' s plan . Despite being physically 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 Mon Calamari , current Defense Force officers , including 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 gain additional information on the invaders , Ackbar requested to speak with 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 , as did their penchant for mass slaughter and sacrifice . Omas and the High Council approved Ackbar ' s plan , and it was set 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 . Having seasoned the Defense Fleet at Duro , Wayland , Ylesia , Nal Hutta , Bimmisaari and Gyndine , it was felt that the time was right for the final battle at Ebaq . The battle . Opening stages . Lah ' s armada arrived to find only General Farlander ' s battle group orbiting the moon . As the Warmaster ' s massive force fanned out , the yammosk s were jammed . However , such was the size and strength of the fleet that Lah felt this hardly mattered . Farlander ' s squadron was impossibly outnumbered . Lah ordered the Battle Group of Yun - Yammka to advance and engage Farlander ' s force , and the Battle Group of Yun - Txiin and Yun Q ' aah to flank and envelop the defense force , keeping the Battle Group of Yun - Yuuzhan and the Battle Group of Yun - Harla in reserve in order to pursue the New Republic forces through hyperspace should they attempt to flee . The voxyn onboard signaled the presence of Jedi on the moon ; the Warmaster was content to conduct the battle at his own pace . Farlander ' s squadron surprised the Battle Group of Yun - Yammka , however , by rapidly changing formation from that of a line to a wedge and driving through the approaching Yuuzhan Vong ships . Eight large vessels were put out of action within moments , and already Tsavong Lah had underestimated his opponents . To compound his error , before the Battle Groups of Yun - Txiin and Yun - Q ' aah could carry out their flanking maneuver , Farlander repeated his wedge attack . Madurrin , the Anx Jedi practicing battle meditation on the bridge of Farlander ' s command ship , was proving more than a match for the un - coordinated Yuuzhan Vong forces . However the strength of the invaders began to take their toll . Jaina Solo ' s Twin Suns Squadron was only one of the starfighter squadrons which took heavy damage in the engagement . Solo sent a message through the Force to Madurrin requesting help and Admiral Traest Kre ' fey ' s task force leapt in from the outskirts of the system . Republic reinforcements . Kre ' fey ' s force , designed to appear to be a convoy which had merely happened upon the engagement , was nothing of the sort . As the " Ralroost " and its battle ships moved in to the rear of the Battle Group of Yun - Txiin , Tsavong Lah had to call off his flanking movement lest the new arrivals attack its rear . To compensate , Lah moved the Battle Group of Yun - Harla in for support , while his other forces engaged Farlander ' s stubborn squadron . The Warmaster kept his group in reserve . Unbeknownst to Lah , the large transports which had arrived with Kre ' fey ' s force and promptly disappeared into hyperspace were not part of a supply convoy . Thirty light - years from the battle they re - emerged from hyperspace and laid an interdictor mine . Around the interdictor they then proceeded to lay tens of thousands of mines in a massive field across the space corridor . The complex navigational routes of the Deep Core were ideal for such a trap . Finally , in order to save the rapidly failing squadron , the " Ralroost " launched a dovin missile to a point near Farlander ' s fleet . Farlander banked all his ships around and made for the dovin mine . To Tsavong Lah it looked as though he was fleeing the battle , but without losing velocity , Farlander ' s entire force slingshotted around the mine , leaving the pursuing Battle Group of Yun - Yammka behind , and made for the Battle Group of Yun - Txiin , hoping to crush it between itself and Kre ' fey ' s force . Lah was ordering his forces to maneuver when another New Republic fleet emerged from hyperspace . The new fleet , led by Captain Han Solo in the " Millennium Falcon " and spearheaded by Booster Terrik on the " Errant Venture " , appeared on the flank of the Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah and began to attack it . Lah ordered the Battle Group to turn and wipe out the newcomers , denying them the opportunity to reinforce the besieged Battle Group of Yun - Txiin . The fanatical Warmaster had failed to conclude that Ebaq 9 was a trap . He had missed the chance to withdraw , had he been willing to do so . The plan ' s success . From secret locations among the hyperspace lanes a huge New Republic force leapt into the engagement zone . Such were the strength of numbers that Lah ' s blaze bug s could not represent the sheer size of the enemy force , and the number of Jedi among the new arrivals reduced the voxyn howls to whimpers . The Warmaster belatedly realized that he had been trapped . He ordered the Battle Groups of Yun - Harla and Yun - Txiin to finish the fight between Farlander and Kre ' fey ' s squadrons and committed his personal Battle Group of Yun - Yuuzhan to supporting them . However he saw fit to sacrifice the reformed Battle Group of Yun - Yammka , ordering them to throw themselves at the new reinforcements . Commander Droog ' an and the Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah were ordered to ignore the Smugglers ' Alliance fleet and try and tie up as many of the new arrivals as possible . Garm Bel Iblis , leading his three fleets with Luke Skywalker at the helm of the " Harbinger " , converged on the Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah . Skywalker had persuaded the reticent General , ostracized following the Battle of Coruscant , to rejoin the Defense Fleet proper . However , before Droog ' an ' s fleet could be properly engaged , Lah gave his commander new orders . The race to Ebaq 9 . Warmaster Lah had planned to reinforce the rapidly failing Battle Groups of Yun - Txiin and Yun - Harla . However he now realized it would be a fruitless venture . Around him , everything was going wrong ; the Battle Group of Yun - Yammka had sacrificed itself as demanded but it was a useless gesture – too far out to retreat when Lah later gave the order to retreat it was pinned and wiped out . Lah realized now that he would be executed if he returned . But his mind was still cunning ; he remembered that the voxyn had howled when he first arrived , indicating that Tsavong Lah ' s most hated enemy — the Jedi — were on - planet . Ordering the Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah to follow him at maximum acceleration he made for Ebaq 9 , where the exhausted Twin Suns Squadron was recuperating . The Smugglers ' Alliance fleet came perpendicular across the approaching Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah and after a protracted engagement as the enemy sped towards the moon finally forced them to turn around . However , Lah ' s undamaged Battle Group of Yun - Yuuzhan was moving unmolested to Ebaq 9 , with twenty thousand warriors in transport ships . Lah ordered frigates to dive into the moon ' s shields and overload them at the same time as he ordered his remaining forces to retreat . The " Blood Sacrifice " and one third of the Battle Group of Yun - Yuuzhan would cover their retreat . Warmaster ' s end . As the ten thousand warriors Lah deployed on Ebaq 9 began their assault on the bunkers , the Battle Groups of Yun - Harla and Yun - Txiin emerged in the minefield . Surprised and overwhelmed , all of the already damaged ships were wiped out . Those undamaged fared better , though no ship escaped unharmed . The Battle Group of Yun - Q ' aah were more prepared and were mostly able to fight their way out of the trap , largely undamaged . The same was said for the two thirds of the Battle Group of Yun - Yuuzhan ; forewarned , they were able to defend themselves . Not so for the troop transports – ten thousand warriors died among the mines . Ten thousand more would die on Ebaq 9 . As the situation became rapidly untenable for Colonel Jaina Solo , her brother arrived by X - wing to reinforce her . The Fosh Jedi Vergere was worried that her pupil would die needlessly and fail to fulfill his destiny . Stealing an RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor , she accelerated to thirty five thousand kilometers per hour and hit the central shaft of the moon . The resulting explosive decompression caught the Yuuzhan Vong warriors completely unprepared ; ion storms , vaporizing heat , syncope and embolisms wiped out all of them . Only Tsavong Lah survived , only to be defeated in a duel with Jaina Solo , impaled fatally through the neck . Above the moon , the " Blood Sacrifice " exploded under concentrated fire . To the remaining Yuuzhan Vong ships , an offer to accept surrender was broadcast constantly . There was no answer . All of Lah ' s forces remaining in the system were destroyed . Aftermath . The battle resulted in a tremendous victory by the New Republic . Almost half of Warmaster Lah ' s armada had been destroyed , along with its commander , and the tide of the war had finally turned in 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 administration . The battle was a huge morale victory for the newly founded government as well . 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 , as 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 " , was escalated to High Prefect . Choka , unlike Tsavong Lah , knew when he couldn ' t win a battle , and ordered his subordinates to respond in kind . Drathul was secretly a Quorealist , those who opposed Shimrra ' s ascension and the invasion itself . However under any other circumstances , the Galactic Alliance could have expected a brief respite , but the Yuuzhan Vong were no ordinary enemy . In an effort to secure his position , Shimrra ordered new campaigns to be launched , including an invasion of the Imperial Remnant . Behind the scenes . The Battle of Ebaq , as well as its development , spans much of the novel , " " , and is mentioned throughout the rest of the New Jedi Order series . The battle also kills off two of the major characters in New Jedi Order : Tsavong Lah , the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster , and Vergere , a former Fosh Jedi . Much to the delight of fans , it also brings back Admiral Ackbar , who had not been seen for much of the series . Due to its importance in the Yuuzhan Vong War , the battle also appeared in the sourcebooks , " The New Essential Chronology " , and " " . In early drafts of " Destiny ' s Way " , Ackbar was slated to die during the battle .