Battle of Sullust (4 ABY)

The Battle of Sullust was a confrontation between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire, fought during the Galactic Civil War in 4 ABY. The battle was an attempt to lure the Imperial Navy away from the forest moon of Endor in preparation for the upcoming Battle of Endor. While the Rebel fleet amassed in the Sullust system and engaged Imperial starships, Renegade Squadron raided the surface. Although the ground battle would eventually turn out to be a trap laid by the local Imperial officer, the squad held their own until the planet was liberated. However, Emperor Palpatine saw through the Alliance's plan and did not send the Imperial Navy to Sullust, as the Alliance predicted.
==Prelude==
The Alliance to Restore the Republic planned to use the same hyperlane than the Imperials to reach Endor, where the incomplete second Death Star was located. The Essential Atlas, p. 103 By that time, the Sullustans had managed to break the pro-Imperial SoroSuub Corporation governmental control of Sullust and established a democratic government. The planet was not able to join openly the Rebel Alliance, but the new government accepted the gathering of the Alliance Fleet in the system. A Rebel fleet amassed in the Sullust system where began the route. The Rebel forces then attacked the planet in order to lure the Empire. They want the Emperor to think the planet Sullust itself was the target of the Rebels, not the Death Star. As the Rebels continued to group their forces at the rallying point in the system, they launched fighters to escort the last arriving capital ships. The cruisers Defiance and Independence were due to arrive shortly. With the Imperial fleet bearing down on them, the threat to the cruisers was high. The Defiance group were already took part in small skirmishes and feared they would endure further attacks en route to Sullust. The Independence had encountered Imperial patrols as well, and they anticipated a larger force to intervene. It was critical that these cruisers to join the rendezvous point at Sullust to ensure that, under Admiral Ackbar's leadership, the attack on Endor would not be suicidal.
To lure Imperial forces, Commander Col Serra's unit, Renegade Squadron was then deployed to capture the Imperial Garrison stationed on the planet. Prior to the battle, the unit had launched an attack on Korriban, where Emperor Palpatine was making a Sith pilgrimage. The Emperor's shuttle contained databanks of sensitive information on his schedule, and while he was trapped in a Sith tomb by the unit, a soldier stole a databank from the shuttle, which was later used it to confirm that the Emperor would be on the Death Star II during the Alliance's attack on it.
==The battle==
===Space engagement===
Leaving the Mon Calamari Cruiser Liberty, Ace Azzameen set out for the Defiance group. Upon arriving, two Carrack-class cruisers and a Victory-class star destroyer arrived and deployed TIE/LN starfighters and TIE/sa bombers.
Eventually, the Defiance task force jumped and joined the Liberty. Ace jumped back and set out for the Independence. When Ace arrived in-system, he found the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Immortal, having begun their attack, with Ackbar deploying B-wings of Green Group. Again, Ace had to protect and escort the fleet. However, Ace was able to fend them off and allow the Independence to escape into hyperspace, a few seconds later, Ace followed.
===Ground battle===
After Renegade Squadron landed on the planet, they quickly stormed the Imperial outpost, which suspiciously had little to no defenses. Alarmed, Col Serra contacted Alliance command to inform them that the unit might have fallen into some sort of trap. His suspicions were correct, as an unidentified IG-88 unit appeared and ambushed the unit. It was equipped with a shield, rendering it invulnerable to blaster fire. Serra thought of this as a sort of "payback" to Renegade Squadron for humiliating Darth Vader during the Battle of Hoth. Nevertheless, the unit quickly picked up on the source of the shield, a lightning conduit, which was quickly destroyed. The droid became vulnerable, and the unit forced it to retreat, but not before causing heavy damage to the droid.
Following the IG-88's retreat and the rebel fleet jumping into hyperspace to Endor, leaving behind two MC80 Star Cruisers behind, a number of gravity well projectors were activated, preventing any escape for the Renagade Squadron. To disable the gravity wells, the shield generator would have to first be disabled. The lone Imperial officer carrying the codes was assassinated, and his codes were taken by a Renegade Squadron soldier and downloaded into the shield mainframe. Now vulnerable, the gravity well projectors were destroyed. The unit would continue to hold off Imperial reinforcements until Sullust was liberated, after which they were forced to pull out due to the imminent Battle of Endor, where they were required to be present.
==Aftermath==
Darth Vader was notified of the Rebel presence in the Sullust system and gave these reports to Emperor Palpatine, who paid little attention to them, instead focusing on his own plot to destroy the Rebel fleet over Endor. Renegade Squadron realized they had been unsuccessful, soon heading to Endor to assist General Han Solo in battle. The liberation of Sullust would be the unit's penultimate battle, before its disbanding.
After the Rebel victory at Endor and the death of the Emperor, Sullust was one of the first worlds to officially join the Alliance of Free Planets, and subsequently the New Republic. The Essential Atlas, p. 193
==Behind the scenes==
"Reports of a Rebel fleet massing near Sullust" were first mentioned by Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The gathering and subsequent space battle were featured in Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. The Expanded Universe never elaborated any further on the said event until Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron was released in 2007, giving the details of a ground battle. The Essential Atlas eventually retconed that Renegade Squadron's mission was just a minor raid intended to lure Imperial forces and justify the presence of the Rebel fleet in the system.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
*Star Wars: TIE Fighter
*Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance 
* 
*Hard Merchandise 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
* 
*The New Essential Chronology
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*The Essential Atlas
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of Sullust
Category:Battles of the Galactic Civil War