Battle of Serroco The Battle of Serroco was an engagement during the Mandalorian Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders in the year 3963 BBY . Anticipating that the Mandalorians would move on the muddy planet Serroco in the Expansion Region , Republic Navy Admiral Saul Karath assembled a battle group and moved to defend the world . The Navy decide to place their camps next to Serroco ' s Stereb cities , betting that the Mandalorians would not want to risk wrecking the cities and depriving themselves of the loot to be found within — they were wrong . When the Mandalorians arrived , their chief , Mandalore the Ultimate , deemed the Republic tactic " without honor " and unleashed a barrage of nuclear bomb s that destroyed the Stereb cities . With Serroco devastated , Karath marshaled his remaining forces and retreated , hoping to link up with reinforcements further away from shattered Serroco . The Mandalorians pursued , finally catching up to Karath ' s flagship , the " Courageous " , in deep space . The " Courageous " was severely damaged and boarded , and Admiral Karath barely escaped with his life . The destruction of Serroco was decried as an atrocity and a crime by the Republic , and Serroco ' s memory became a rallying cry for the Republic throughout the rest of the war . Prelude . In 3976 BBY , the Mandalorian warrior clans , led by their chief Mandalore the Ultimate , began conquering unaligned worlds on the Outer Rim . After their crusades drew no action from the Galactic Republic , the Mandalorians began to lean towards the Core , threatening resource worlds near the ecumenopolis of Taris . The Republic finally responded , sending Republic Navy forces out to the front lines to stand against the Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders . True war finally broke out in 3964 BBY , with the Mandalorians launching a three - pronged offensive aimed at seizing Taris — the Mandalorians had little trouble conquering worlds like Vanquo , and besieged and occupied Taris . From there , the Mandalorians began to advance inwards . In 3963 BBY , the Mandalorians , moving from their stronghold of Jebble , set their sights on the planet Serroco , in the Expansion Region ' s Ploo sector . Serroco , a rainy , muddy world prone to violent storms , was the homeworld of the Stereb species — and , by 3963 BBY , a full member of the Galactic Republic . The Republic saw the Mandalorian advance on Serroco coming , and Admiral Saul Karath of the Republic Navy assembled what he called Battle Group Serroco to defend the planet . The group was headed by the " Inexpugnable " - class tactical command ship " Courageous " , Karath ' s flagship . The battle group set down camps near Serroco ' s Stereb cities , which housed a great number of naval personnel alongside freelance tradespeople who tagged along , offering food and other services . Notably , Serroco ' s Camp Three featured the extremely popular " Little Bivoli " eatery . Unbeknownst to the Republic Navy , the " Little Bivoli " was run by two of the Republic ' s most wanted fugitives — Zayne Carrick , a former Jedi Padawan accused of murdering his whole class on Taris , and his Snivvian " accomplice " Marn Hierogryph . By setting their camps so close to the cities , the Republic was hoping that they would be better able to protect them , counting on the idea that the Mandalorians would not want to destroy potentially valuable loot in the cities . In addition to the Republic Army troopers and Navy shuttles and other craft at the camps , Battle Group Serroco surrounded Serroco with a blockade of vessels , including " Hammerhead " - class cruisers , similarly - designed starships , " Foray " - class blockade runners and a number of " Aurek " - class strikefighters . However , Carrick had a vision — the former Jedi Padawan , while on a break from his duties at the " Little Bivoli " , foresaw that Mandalore the Ultimate would order the cities destroyed out of disgust for the Republic ' s tactics . Horrified , Carrick resolved to warn Admiral Karath and attempt to avert disaster . The battle . Carrick hitched a ride up to the " Courageous " on Republic pilot Carth Onasi ' s short - haul craft , the " Deadweight " , but upon reaching the bridge was immediately recognized as a wanted fugitive . Karath thought that Carrick was a Mandalorian spy , and refused to heed his warnings . Expecting the Mandalorians to arrive any minute , Karath decided to keep Carrick on the bridge of the " Courageous " , to show him what the Republic would do to Carrick ' s " friends " — sure enough , a Mandalorian battle group featuring a " Kandosii " - type dreadnaught and several " Jehavey ' ir " - type assault ships emerged from hyperspace . It was small enough of a force to draw Karath ' s curiosity , as did their holding position at the edge of the Republic force ' s weapons perimeter . Without further ado , the Mandalorian ships launched a number of nuclear bomb s that appeared to be heading for the Republic fleet . As Karath prepared countermeasures , the missiles suddenly changed course and angled around the ships — they were never aimed at the fleet . Just as Carrick had foreseen , the missiles hit the planet ' s surface , dealing heavy damage to Serroco ' s Human settlements and turning the Stereb cities into glass craters . With the Republic force on Serroco decimated by the bombs destroying their camps — their missile - defense systems were not active , and thus only eight ships on the surface were able to make a getaway — Admiral Karath was left with no choice but to retreat and find a place to make a stand . With the " Courageous " group on the run , the Mandalorians pursued Karath and his forces through the lanes between Serroco and the bank ing world of Telerath . Karath was hoping to make it to the planet Myrkr or the Ryyk Nebula , where he could merge his forces with the " Tremendous " battle group in the region , but faced major difficulties . Karath had sworn that he would not allow the Mandalorians to take any of the ships in his flotilla without a fight , and the " Courageous " saw plenty of action to this end . The Mandalorians finally caught up to the " Courageous " in deep space , severely damaging the " Courageous " and boarding the listing vessel . Karath , Onasi , and Commander Dallan Morvis were still alive , and made the decision that they had to scuttle the vessel . Faced with Neo - Crusader Shock Trooper s pouring into the ship , the three retreated from the bridge under heavy fire , with Onasi narrowly saving Admiral Karath from a direct attack . With Mandalorian troopers on three levels , Karath , Onasi and Morvis gathered several soldiers and made their way into the ship ' s brig , hoping to find a suitable place to make a stand . After barricading the door , they went straight for the prison cells , where the still - captive Zayne Carrick had been meditating — as the Mandalorians drew nearer , Carrick rose from his spot to reveal that he had used the Force to gradually loosen bolts in the wall behind him , opening a passage from his cell to the ship ' s empty cargo bay . Onasi was able to fly Karath , Morvis , Carrick and several troopers out of the fray in the " Deadweight " , evading Mandalorian pursuit when the ship was noticed leaving the bay . With the loss of the " Courageous " , the entirety of the Serroco battle group was lost . Aftermath . After narrowly escaping death on the " Courageous " , Admiral Saul Karath and the passengers of the " Deadweight " were roped into a scheme by Arkoh Adasca , head of the medical corporation Adascorp , to establish himself as a major galactic power by offering either the Republic or the Mandalorians the services of the massive and deadly creatures known as the exogorths . They came face - to - face with Mandalore the Ultimate himself in the process , and in the ensuing chaos Adasca was killed , Carrick escaped custody , and Karath , Morvis and Onasi were able to slip away . Admiral Karath limped back to the Republic capital of Coruscant , and immediately submitted his resignation to the Admiral of the Fleet , who refused to accept it and instead publicly praised Karath for his performance . Having claimed victory at Serroco , the Mandalorians moved Coreward to Nouane , another world that would end up being ravaged by the warrior clans . Although Serroco was severely damaged as a result of the Mandalorian attack , Carth Onasi was able to save many Stereb lives by calling in warnings from the planet ' s orbital watchstation and sending them to safety in Serroco ' s catacombs . Life on Serroco did eventually continue , but irreparable damage had been done to the planet ' s surface — furthermore , only eight of the ships grounded on the planet were able to make an escape . One of them carried Jedi Knight Meetra Surik , who was one of a number of Jedi regularly assigned to the world . The loss of the " Courageous " threw some Republic planets , such as Telerath , into a panic , and the " crime " of Serroco ' s destruction was immediately condemned by the Republic . The " Courageous " itself was melted down for scrap by the Mandalorians , and part of it was fashioned into a battle - axe carried by Mandalore the Ultimate . The memory of Serroco would become a rallying cry for the Republic going forward in the war . In transmissions aimed at the Mandalorians , Republic propagandist Benegryph Goodvalor named his imaginary warship the " Serroco " , a name that would later be lent to a real Republic ship by the time of the Galactic War several centuries later . " Goodvalor " was a Serroco survivor himself — he was " Little Bivoli " host Marn Hierogryph , who , along with the Trandoshan cook Slyssk , had escaped the carnage in the nick of time by stealing a Republic troop transport , saving half a sleeping battalion in the process . For this , he was celebrated as the " Hero of Serroco " , and the episode was turned into a propaganda story by the Republic Defense Ministry . About a decade after the Battle of Serroco , during the Dark Wars , a group of Republic veterans of the battle formed a gang in the Refugee Sector of the Smuggler ' s Moon , Nar Shaddaa . Behind the scenes . The Battle of Serroco was first mentioned in " " , a video game released in 2004 . The event was mentioned as part of the background of the game ' s main character , Meetra Surik — it would not actually appear until " " , a comic written by John Jackson Miller and released in 2007 . The actual destruction of the planet takes place in " Days of Fear " — the conclusion of the space battle takes place in a later issue , " " . The battle was mentioned in a number of other " " issues , and other sources such as Miller ' s novel " Knight Errant " , the " " MMORPG , " The Essential Atlas " and " The Essential Guide to Warfare " .