Attack on the Vesper

The attack on the Vesper was a event that occurred in 9 ABY, when the former Jedi Knight Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati boarded and attacked the New Republic Defender-class cruiser Vesper to rescue Morgan Elsbeth. The cruiser was scuttled and destroyed.
==Prelude==
During the Imperial Era, Morgan Elsbeth, a Nightsister and witch, joined the Galactic Empire's war effort, charging several of her factories and shipyards with building heavy machinery for the Imperial Navy's fleet. Following the collapse of the Empire and the formation of the New Republic after the Battle of Endor, Elsbeth, a close ally of Grand Admiral Thrawn hid on the planet Corvus where she ruled as a Magistrate of the village Calodan. 
Several years later, former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano began searching for Elsbeth, believing her to hold the key for Thrawn's location and fearing the former Grand Admiral's re-emergence. Discovering her whereabouts in Corvus, Tano repeatedly attempted to gain access to Calodan, but she was repelled by the village's scout guards. Eventually, in 9 ABY, Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin arrived to the planet searching for Tano after learning of her location by her former ally Bo-Katan Kryze. After finding the Jedi, Djarin asked for her help in training his foundling, Grogu, who was also a Padawan like Tano. In exchange, she asked for his help in retaking the city and capturing Elsbeth, which Djarin did. After a fierce duel, Tano successfully captured the Magistrate and delivered her to the New Republic for questioning.
==Attack of the "Jedi"==
Elsbeth was detained by the New Republic Defense Force and boarded the Vesper to be carried to Home One for questioning by New Republic officers. After dropping out of hyperspace close to Home One position in Sector G-38, the navigation droid detected an Eta-class shuttle approaching their ship and requested their clearance codes. The shuttle transmitted an old Jedi code, much to the crew's surprise, requesting to land on board the ship and question the prisoners. Captain Hayle, suspecting the actions of Imperial collaborators, ordered the crew to allow the ship to land on the cruiser to apprehend them alongside Elsbeth.
Hayle personally greeted the shuttle's occupants, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati on board alongside eight Defense Force soldiers, and asked them to peacefully surrender. In response, Hati lunged at the soldiers, killing two of them before they had time to react, and Skoll informed Hayle that they were indeed not Jedi before killing him as well. Watching the massacre from the ship's security cameras, Executive officer Jensen Corbyt placed the ship on high alert and sealed off the bridge in an attempt to buy time until they reached the main fleet; however Skoll neutralized all defenses, slaughtering the soldiers, and Hati reached the bridge before it was secured, killing Corbyt and the crew stationed there. After joining his apprentice on the bridge, Skoll took her down to the detention cells and liberated Elsbeth, all three escaping on board their shuttle.
==Aftermath==
The ship was discovered by the New Republic Defense Fleet, adrift in space and heavily damaged. Defense command was forced to have it scuttled. Several survivors were observed being treated in a hanger on Home One.
After Elsbeth was freed, she went on to oversee the final stages of the Eye of Sion preparations above Seatos.
==Behind the scenes==
The attack on the New Republic cruiser first appeared in "Part One: Master and Apprentice," the first episode of the 2023 television series Ahsoka. The episode, along with "Part Two: Toil and Trouble," was released on August 22, 2023.
==Appearances==
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*Ahsoka 1
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==Sources==
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*Master & Apprentice: A Special Look at Ahsoka
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*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of the quest to find Ezra Bridger
Category:Rescue missions