Battle of Azzameen Station

A battle between mercenaries and the Alliance to Restore the Republic that took place in 3 ABY. It resulted in the recapture of the Azzameen Station.
==Prelude==
In the weeks prior to the decisive Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance consulted its allies in the Bothan Spynet to assist them in gathering data on the operational status of the Death Star II, which the Galactic Empire was constructing for use against the Alliance. The Bothans welcomed this opportunity to assist their allies, so a meeting was arranged between the two factions. They were to meet at a remote location of space on the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty and the Bothan Dreadnaught Tal'cara.
Unfortunately for the two parties, a mysterious contact collaborating with the Empire hatched a plan to tear apart the Alliance by creating tensions among its members, thus weakening the Alliance's ability to strike the Empire head-on at Endor. This contact hired a massive group of mercenaries to attack the two Alliance vessels during the diplomatic meeting, but the Rebels were eventually successfully in driving them off. A survivor captured during the battle claimed that their clients were the Sullustans, who were prominent Alliance members. Many of the mercenary craft flew under the name SoroSuub, a prominent Sullustan manufacturer. This created fierce tensions between the Bothans and the Sullustans, so the Alliance decided to investigate these claims.
Using information extracted from the captured mercenary, the Alliance learned that they could track down the mercenary base by tracking down one of their starships, the Redhawk, during a routine cargo transfer. Alliance pilot Ace Azzameen and his sister Aeron agreed to conduct the recon mission, and eventually discovered the mercenary base. Much to their shock, this base was none other than their home base, now renamed Falcon's Nest, after having been apparently sold by Viraxo Industries, the shipping firm that captured the base. With this invaluable intelligence, the Alliance organized a strike on the Azzameen Home Base so that it may be restored to Azzameen control.
==The Battle==
The Rebel strike force consisted of several X-wings from Red Squadron and a squad of B-wings from Gold Squadron, with support from the Azzameen family in the form of the Otana and the Firespray-class gunship Andrasta, property of Emon Azzameen. The Alliance transport Storm Unit was to remain on standby until the Rebel pilots cleared out the base perimeter. The strike force hypered to the Azzameen Home Base and prepared for an immediate assault.
The Rebels entered the system and quickly engaged the mercenary fighter screen, which was comprised of several squadrons of Preybirds, CloakShape fighters, Skipray Blastboats, and IRD starfighters. The station was also defended by several Gun Emplacements, the Marauder-class corvette Plague, and the Redhawk. The Rebel squadrons split up and engaged the mercenaries, destroying scores of fighters and proceeding to knock out the Gun Emplacements. During the battle, the Action IV transport Big Score, belonging to Antan Azzameen, was seen in the area and managed to enter hyperspace before it could be pursued. Immediately afterwards, a Sullustan shuttle fled the station and also managed to avoid capture. These unexpected occurrences stunned the Rebels and the Azzameens, and implicated that Antan Azzameen and the Sullustans were in joint collaboration with these mercenary forces in the campaign against the Bothans.
The Rebels and their Azzameen allies eventually destroyed the Plague and the Redhawk, and were mopping up the last of the enemy fighter screen. Storm Unit arrived and proceeded with its assault on the station. While they secured the station, the Rebels held off new waves of enemy fighters arriving to reinforce the station's decimated defenses. The Rebel commandos eventually secured the station, but were shocked to discover that the mercenaries had activated the self-destruct sequence, meaning that within three minutes, the base would be destroyed. Aeron immediately docked to the station with the Otana, being the only one who knew the station's abort code. Her brothers and their Alliance allies finally cleared out the surviving mercenary forces outside, and with less than a minute to spare, the station was spared from destruction. The station was now under firm Rebel control, and would be transferred back to Twin Suns Transport Services soon afterwards.
==Aftermath==
The Battle of Azzameen Home Base resulted in the swift and utter destruction of the mercenary group that occupied the base, and eventually the facility was returned to Azzameen authority. However, the presence of Sullustans on the base worsened the tensions between them and the Bothans, further prompting a split in the Alliance. Antan Azzameen's presence at the station earned him the suspicions of his family, who became determined to confront their uncle.
It was eventually revealed by the Sullustans that they had implanted spies onto the Azzameen Home Base in an attempt to capture the mercenary leader. They succeeded in their mission and presented their prize to their Rebel allies. With proof that the Sullustans had no active involvement in the conspiracy, the Sullustans were cleared of any wrongdoings and peace was reestablished between them and the Bothans, thus preserving the Alliance.
In a private meeting with his surviving family, Antan Azzameen confessed that he had made a deal with the Empire to instigate war between the Bothans and the Sullustans by hiring the mercenary band that attacked the Tal'cara. He claimed that he did it in order to secure the safety of Tomaas and Galin Azzameen, the siblings' father and brother who had supposedly been killed by the Empire in an earlier engagement. He led his family to Kessel where they intended to rescue their relatives, only to reveal that he had in fact willingly surrendered his family to the Empire in exchange for his freedom. The siblings were able to escape capture thanks to their old family friend Dunari, but Antan supposedly escaped. His ultimate fate remains unclear.
The battle eventually ensured that the Alliance remained strong and intact in the wake of its imminent showdown with the Empire at the Battle of Endor.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles in the Azzameen Station system
Category:Events of the Galactic Civil War