Phoenix Nest

Phoenix Nest, also known as Phoenix Home and originally known as the Liberator, was an Imperial light carrier used by the Galactic Empire as a mobile base of operations to periodically launch bombers on the planet Ryloth. Three years before the Battle of Yavin the Spectres, alongside Cham Syndulla of the Free Ryloth Movement, stole the ship for the rebellion.
The carrier, now a part of the growing rebel fleet, was used to house the A-wings of Phoenix Cell, and was repainted by the rebel Sabine Wren to show its new affiliation. The cruiser-carrier and the rest of the Phoenix rebel fleet were later attacked by Imperial forces under Admiral Kassius Konstantine. The cruiser-carrier later hosted the Spectres' starship, the Ghost, which had returned with stolen fuel supplies from Horizon Base. After Commander Jun Sato and Phoenix Leader Hera Syndulla received information from the inventory droid AP-5 that the Imperials had set a trap in the Yost system, the starship fled with the rest of the rebel fleet to the planet Atollon.
Six months later, Commander Sato mobilized the fleet to assist Ezra Bridger's team in a scouting mission at Reklam Station. The team managed to land their newly-captured BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers aboard the carrier. Once everyone was accounted for, the fleet returned to Chopper Base. The carrier was later destroyed during the Battle of Atollon, where Commander Sato crashed it into an Interdictor-class heavy cruiser in order to provide an opening for Ezra Bridger to escape the system.
==History==
===Imperial service===
In the third year before the Battle of Yavin,Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy places the events of "Homecoming" 16 years after the formation of the Galactic Empire, which occurred in 19 BBY according to Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, meaning that "Homecoming" takes place in 3 BBY. this light carrier was stationed at Ryloth. There it was used by the Galactic Empire to house the TIE bombers that bombarded Ryloth's surface.
===Hijacking of the carrier===
Phoenix Cell leader, Commander Jun Sato, learned of the carrier and suggested that Phoenix Leader, Captain Hera Syndulla, and the Spectres should steal the ship with help from the Free Ryloth Movement. Syndulla then contacted the movement's leader and her father, General Cham Syndulla to arrange the theft. Together, the Spectres and Syndulla's team planned to infiltrate the light carrier. However, Cham wanted to blow the light carrier as message to his Twi'lek people, but went along with his daughter's plan to steal the carrier instead.
Using a stolen TIE bomber, Syndulla's team and the Spectres were able to board the carrier when the bombers left on their bombing run. They then pretended to be under attack by a pair A-wings and request an emergency landing. After their crash landing, Sabine Wren discovered that Syndulla and his team were planning on destroying it with detonators instead. Syndulla then tied up his daughter while Gobi Glie and Numa stunned the rest of the Spectres. However, the Spectres were able to come to and continue their mission to take the carrier.
While Wren and Garazeb Orrelios subdued Gobi and Numa, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Hera then went to the carrier's bridge. There, Bridger was able to use a mind trick to force the carrier's commander to order his crew to abandon ship. Hera then attempted to jump into hyperspace, but her father had disabled the hyperdrive. However, Syndulla was then convinced by his daughter to allow the rebellion to use it against the Empire instead of destroying it. Together, the Spectres and Syndulla's team then manned the carrier's turbolaser batteries against a shuttle of Imperial troops that attempted to board it to retake the ship from the rebels and then against the returning TIE bombers.
The carrier was lightly damaged by the bombers, causing it to lose its stabilizers and nearly fall into Ryloth's atmosphere before both Syndullas managed to right the ship. However, the carrier was then confronted by an Arquitens-class command cruiser. While Chopper repaired the hyperdrive, Syndulla, Bridger, and Wren came up with a plan to stop the light cruiser from preventing their escape, loading an unmanned TIE bomber with explosives to cast into the pursuing vessel's path. Once it was close enough to the light cruiser, Syndulla destroyed it with a turbolaser blast and the exploding bomber ignited the light cruiser's forward magazine compartment. After the light cruiser went down into Ryloth's atmosphere in flames, the carrier then jumped to hyperspace and rendezvoused with Phoenix Squadron.
===Search for a new base===
The carrier then became the new flagship of Phoenix Squadron, designated as Phoenix Nest and was given a decorative paintjob of orange and yellow markings on its hull to denote its new affiliation. However, Phoenix Nest did not have enough fuel to reach Berzite's moon in the Yost system. The Spectres then acquired the needed fuel from the Imperial Depot at Horizon Base. Phoenix Nest along with the rest of the fleet then came under attack by the Imperial Navy under Admiral Kassius Konstantine. Despite difficulty, the Ghost was able to refuel the Phoenix Nest. At the last minute, Chopper and AP-5 then told them about the ambush in the Yost system and suggested that Atollon would be a safer location. With the carrier fully fueled, the fleet jumped to their new destination.
Phoenix Nest then provided the Ghost with power generators for the new base.
===New bombers===
Six months later, during the mission to Reklam Station, the carrier arrived over Yarma to help transport stolen BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers. After the Y-wings landed, the carrier jumped to hyperspace. Following the success of Operation Handoff, the carrier went to Dantooine to show Phoenix Squadron's support for Senator Mon Mothma's Declaration of the Rebel Alliance.
===Destruction===
During the Battle of Atollon in 2 BBY, the carrier served as a command ship alongside General Jan Dodonna's Nebulon-B frigate Vanguard. As the battle raged on with many rebel losses. Commander Jun Sato elected to sacrifice himself and the carrier in order to provide an opening. Sato ordered the evacuation of Phoenix Nest, aside from two pilots who volunteered to stay with their commander, before ramming the ship into Kassius Konstantine's Interdictor, destroying both vessels. In doing so, Sato allowed Lieutenant Commander Ezra Bridger to jump to hyperspace and call for reinforcements from Clan Wren, who came to support and helped some rebel forces escape.
==Behind the scenes==
The carrier appears in the Star Wars Rebels animated television series, first appearing in the episode "Homecoming."
==Appearances==
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*Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
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==Sources==
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*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded 
*Star Wars: The Rebel Files 
*Dawn of Rebellion 
*Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
*Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
*Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
*Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Category:Captured starships
Category:Flagships
Category:Phoenix Squadron starships
Category:Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carriers
Category:Starships of the Galactic Empire