Battle of Centerpoint Station (Corellian Crisis)

The Battle of Centerpoint Station, also known as Operation Sidestep, was a battle for the control of Centerpoint Station in the Corellian system and the climax of the Corellian Crisis. It resulted in the defeat of the Sacorrian Triad's separatist force and the return of the Corellian system to the New Republic fold.
==Prelude==
In the late Galactic Civil War, the Sacorrian Triad, the authoritarian government that ruled Sacorria in the Corellian sector, designed a strategy to destabilize the Corellian system and take control of the entire sector from the New Republic. They captured Centerpoint Station, a mysterious and ancient space station located in the Corellian system and used to destroy several stars, including Thanta Zilbra, which caused the deaths of tens of thousands. The New Republic was virtually powerless to intervene as the Triad also used Centerpoint to generate a huge interdiction field and communications jamming over the entire Corellian system. Moreover, the majority of the New Republic Defense Fleet was undergoing repairs following the recent Imperial Skirmishes.The Essential Atlas
While Admiral Ackbar, the commander of the New Republic Defense Fleet, prepared what ships he could, Luke Skywalker obtained the assistance of the Bakuran Defense Fleet. The Bakurans had developed a technology able to counteract interdiction fields named hyperwave inertial momentum sustainer (HIMS) that could be used to penetrate the Corellian system. The hastily-assembled Bakuran task force consisted of the Bakura-class destroyers Watchkeeper, Defender and Sentinel, and the Namana-class light cruiser Intruder, all equipped with HIMS technology, along with an accompaniment of General Purpose Attack Fighters. The fleet was commanded by Bakuran Defense Fleet Admiral Hortel Ossilege and former Prime Minister of Bakura Gaeriel Captison.
The use of HIMS technology allowed the Bakuran fleet to penetrate the Corellian interdiction field. Upon arriving in the Corellian system, the New Republic forces headed to Selonia in order to conceal their veritable target: Centerpoint Station. On the way, they were attacked by starfighters of the Selonian Overden. The Selonians attempted to annihilate the Bakuran vessels using their planetary repulsor but they only destroyed the badly damaged Watchkeeper. The New Republic fleet later headed to Centerpoint Station. The Bakuran vessels were placed into orbit around the station to permit a scout group to land aboard Centerpoint and explore the station. There, they discovered that Centerpoint Station was in fact the superweapon that destroyed Thanta Zilbra. Unfortunately, they were not able to stop the countdown of Centerpoint's next shot, aimed at Bovo Yagen whose star system had an estimated twelve million inhabitants, that was planned for a few hours later.
A short time later, Thrackan Sal-Solo, the leader of the Human League, betrayed the Sacorrian Triad and deactivated remotely Centerpoint's interdiction field and communications jamming. Thrackan, who had been working with the Sacorrians, had struck out on his own, hoping to take Centerpoint for himself and become the new Diktat of Corellia. The Triad was forced to intervene and sent its massive starfleet in the Corellian system to take control of the system. But the Triad had to deal with the small New Republic fleet first.
==The battle==
The Sacorrian fleet consisted of 80 starships, excluding carried starfighters, while the New Republic fleet only counted three capital ship and their auxiliaries. Although the Sacorrian vessels were quite ancient and poorly maintained, the Bakurans did not expect to be able to defeat such a large force. Admiral Ossilege decided to attack the Triad and use the advantage of their superior technology and crew to hold off the Sacorrian Triad forces until the arrival of Ackbar's New Republic fleet. Ossilege hoped to be able to stand long enough to permit his engineers to use the planetary repulsor on Drall against Centerpoint to prevent its next shot.
The Bakuran task force attacked first to surprise its enemy. Ossilege's vessels performed a precision minimum-distance hyperspace jump straight into the thick of the Triad fleet. Then, each Bakuran capital ship charged the enemy formation through an assigned lane. Ossilege's plan was to drive through the enemy ships toward the rear, keeping up a series of running engagements, intended to cause disruption as much as damage. The tactic was successful and the Bakuran forces ravaged the enemy fleet with only minor damage. However, at a key turning point, a group of Sacorrian robot ramships rammed and critically damaged the Bakuran flagship Intruder. Since Hortel Ossilege and Gaeriel Captison were deadly wounded, they chose to initiate the autodestruct sequence of the Intruder in the midst of the Sacorrian fleet. The subsequent explosion devastated the Triad fleet.
In the midst of the space battle, the countdown to the next shot from Centerpoint, aimed at Bovo Yagen, was only minutes away. Antone and other new Republic technicians desperately worked at the controls of the planetary repulsor on Drall to nudge Centerpoint and prevent the shot. Finally, young Anakin Solo drew upon the power of the Force and succeeded in deflecting Centerpoint, thereby saving Bovo Yagen.
The Battle of Centerpoint eventually ended when Admiral Ackbar's forces arrived in the Corellian system. The New Republic was easily able to overwhelm the remaining Sacorrian defenders and ensure control of Centerpoint.
==Aftermath==
With the defeat of the Sacorrian Triad fleet, the New Republic was able to restore its authority over the Corellian sector. A pro-New Republic government was installed in the system, led by a native, Marcha, Duchess of Mastigophorous, who was widely accepted by the Corellian population. Nevertheless, the relationship between the New Republic and the Corellians remained difficult.The New Essential Chronology Despite their crimes, the Sacorrian Triad remained in power on SacorriaCoruscant and the Core Worlds and would became over time a model for secessionist Corellians.The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
After the conclusion of the Corellian Crisis, Centerpoint Station was kept under the tight control of the new Corellian government, which was allied with the New Republic. The station would again be used as a weapon during the Yuuzhan Vong War, after the rise to power on Corellia of Thrackan Sal-Solo's secessionist Centerpoint Party. In the following years, Sal-Solo managed to place the station within its firm control and eventually exploited it to declare again the independence of the Corellian system, therefore starting the Second Galactic Civil War.
==Appearances==
*Showdown at Centerpoint 
*The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse 
*The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee 
==Sources==
*Cracken's Threat Dossier 
*Star Wars Encyclopedia
*The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
*The Essential Chronology
*A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
*The New Essential Guide to Characters
*Coruscant and the Core Worlds
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*The New Essential Chronology
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
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*The Essential Guide to Warfare
*The Essential Reader's Companion
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==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of Centerpoint Station
Category:Battles of the Corellian Crisis
Category:Culture of Bakura