Battle of Brentaal (SWNC)

The **Battle of Brentaal** was a major military engagement that took place in 36 BBY during the Second Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Alliance of Free Planets and the First Order. The battle was a turning point in the war and a major morale boost to the Alliance, who had suffered several major defeats in the months prior to the battle. In that year, Supreme Leader Snoke had set his sights on Brentaal as a way to finally cut the Alliance off of goods flowing through the Hydian Way trade route. Due to Brentaal being such an important world for the Alliance, it received the protection of a good chunk of the United Fleet. In order to circumvent this, the First Order purposefully leaked information to Alliance spies, suggesting the First Order was planning a three-pronged offensive of the mid-Rim worlds in order to recapture the Sith's ancient homeworld of Korriban. The result was the divergence of much of the fleet to the mid-rim while the First Order prepared to launch their true offensive: a spearhead through the Core Worlds and the capture of Coruscant, the capital of the New Republic. Unaware of the First Order's deception, all that were left on-planet were roughly ten-thousand defenders, including two-dozen Jedi and Fel Knights. The biggest advantage the defenders had, however, was being led by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who remained on the planet as he believed the First Order would still return soon.

A short time after the departure of the Alliance Navy, a massive fleet of the First Order Armada descended upon the planet, intending to bombard the Alliance into submission from orbit. However, the Alliance had erected a strong planetary shield the year prior.

A short time after the departure of the Republic Navy, a massive fleet of the Imperial Navy descended upon the planet, intending to bombard it from orbit. Due to a strong planetary shield erected by Republic engineers, the orbital strike failed, but did not dissuade the Sith. Under the command of the Imperial Grand Moff Zellos, the Sith's army landed on the planet and initiated a massive attack against the shield generator. Despite facing overwhelming odds, Master Allusis's small force of Republic defenders held their ground for days, killing numerous Imperial soldiers and embarrassing the Grand Moff. In response, Zellos continued to throw his forces into battle, but this tactic only created greater casualties for his army. By virtue of numbers alone, the Republic's defeat was inevitable, and the defenders' numbers gradually dwindled to just a few dozen. In a bold last stand, Allusis and his surviving troops fought the Imperials at the base of the generator, killing scores of enemies before being slain themselves—an act that earned them galactic renown as the "Heroes of Bothawui". Despite the annihilation of the defenders, the Empire found itself unable to destroy the shield and hold Bothawui, as its assault force had been largely decimated. As a result of the battle, the Empire halted its incursions into the Mid Rim for a time, and the Sith Emperor was forced to reexamine his strategy. Despite the loss of all the Republic forces on Bothawui, the story of Bothawui's defenders and their determined fight against the Empire inspired many across the Republic, giving birth to new tactics and a new resolve to continue waging the war.