Destruction of the Grappler

The destruction of the Grappler was a battle fought during the Zaarin insurrection and was the final battle of Strategic Warfare.
==Prelude==
Grand Admiral Zaarin used the recent attack on RS-32, which was used to secure Mag Pulse Warheads from the Rebel Alliance to destroy ZA-13, before it could be used to manufacture TIE Advanced fighters for Loyalist Imperial forces. He also tracked the strike force and sent the Grappler, an Immobilizer 418 cruiser, to trap Vice Admiral Thrawn in the Victory I-class Star Destroyer Sceltor, in order to kill Thrawn and steal the Warheads for himself.
==Battle==
Maarek Stele arrived with his TIE Defender armed with Mag Pulse warheads to disrupt the Grappler's weapon systems. As he dogfighted multiple TIE Fighters, RS-32 was destroyed by TIE Bombers, then turned onto the Sceltor. Stele wasted no time in intercepting the Bombers, but things got more complicated when a Strike-class medium cruiser Serpent arrived and the Nebulon-B2 frigate Shadow were closing in on the Sceltor. Stele used his Mag Pulse warhead to hamper the Serpent and assisted the Sceltor in destroying the cruiser. Stele then turned his attention to the Grappler and launched another Mag Pulse warhead which struck the Interdictor. 3 TIE Bombers carrying Heavy rockets were launched from the Sceltor and fired at the Grappler destroying it. The remaining fighters turned onto the Shadow and with the help of Stele's Mag Pulse warhead disabling the frigate's weapon systems destroyed the frigate. Stele then docked in the hanger of the Sceltor.
==Aftermath==
After this battle, Maarek Stele was awarded the Medal of Dignity for successfully holding off Zaarin's attacks against the Empire's TIE Avenger production facilities.
However, all plants in the Omar system were eventually destroyed. But the Imperial Navy managed to stand their ground for quite some time, and managed to destroy a portion of Zaarin's forces.
In addition, Thrawn was promoted to Admiral, and was tasked by Emperor Palpatine to locate and take out Zaarin, giving Thrawn his best resources, one of which was Maarek Stele.
==Behind the scenes==
The battle was first featured in the 1994 LucasArts video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter, in which players fly as Maarek Stele. The battle is depicted in the mission "Trapped", the sixth mission of the game's eighth tour of campaign, "Strategic Warfare."
The rank that Thrawn has is unclear. In the briefing he is called "Admiral Thrawn", yet in the debreifing he is declared to be newly promoted "Admiral Thrawn".
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: TIE Fighter: Defender of the Empire 
==Sources==
*TIE Fighter: Defender of the Empire: Official Secrets & Solutions
*TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of the Strategic Warfare campaign