Galactic Civil War

Organizations| * Terran Alliance (joined 2013)
* Alliance to Restore the Republic/New Republic
* Pre-Alliance groups
	+ Christophsis insurgents
	+ Free Ryloth movement
	+ Garrel City cell
	+ Massassi Group
	+ Mon Mothma rebel cell
	+ Phoenix Cell
	+ Ryden's rebel cell
	+ Spectres
* Mandalorian Resistance
* Hapes Consortium
* Partisans
* Jedi Order
* Sith
* Imperial remnants
* Hutt clan
* Mining Guild

Personnel| * President Barack Obama
* Mon Mothma
* Bail organa
* Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar
* Grand General Martin Dempsey
* Grand Admiral Gary Roughead
* Grand Admiral Thrawn (mid to late war)
* Grand Admiral Zambellas
* General Tyler Hall
* General Hera Syndulla
* Grand General Dennis Rommel
* Princess Leia Organa
* Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker
* Saw Gerrera
* Bo-Katan Kryze
* Terran Alliance General Assembly
* Terran Joint Command
* New Republic Senate (late war)
* Prince Isolder
* Grand Vizier Mas Amedda
* Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader
* Grand Admiral Thrawn (early war)
* Counsellor/Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax
* Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
* The Grand Inquisitor
* Grand Admiral Rae Sloane
* Fleet Admiral Firmus Piett
* Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod
* Moffs, Governors, and Officers of the Galactic Empire
* Grand Admiral Josef Grunger
* Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin
* Jabba the Hutt

Result| * New Republic and Terran Alliance victory
	+ Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious is killed by the redeemed Anakin SKywalker
	+ The Sith Order is destroyed
	+ Surrender of the Galactic Empire
	+ The Galactic Republic is restored as the New Republic
	+ The Galactic Senate is restored as the New Republic Senate
	+ The Terran Alliance, New Republic, and their allies sign the Galactic Concordance with the Galactic Empire
	+ Beginning of the New Republic Era
	+ Terran Alliance given control of Sith Space, much of Wild Space, the Arkanis sector, and multiple other worlds, as well as temporary control of Mandalore
* Destruction of Alderaan and Jeddha City

The **Galactic Civil War** (also sometimes known as the **First Galactic Civil War** and later as the **Andromeda Galactic Revolution**) was a major war fought mainly in the Andromeda Galaxy for control of the galaxy during between 2009 and 2019 AD. At first, the war was fought between the Galactic Empire and various rebel groups, mainly the Alliance to Restore the Republic. However, in 2013, beginning with the Battle of Yavin, the Terran Alliance entered the war on the side of the rebels, prompting more groups to join the war on their side.

The war officially began in 2009, or 4 BBY, as various rebel groups began a concentrated effort to fight back against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. In 2 BBY, or 2011 AD, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was officially founded by Senators Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, bringing together many rebel groups and escalating the war. At the same time, the Mandalorian resistance fought back against an Imperial purge against the Mandalorians.

In 2013, the Rebellion scored its first major victory against the Empire by stealing the plan's for the Empire's superweapon known as the Death Star, a planet-destroying battlestation, in the Battle of Scarif. The plans were brought to the Rebellion thanks to Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo. An analysis of the plans led them to prepare an attack on the battlestation.

By this point, the Intergalactic Cold War between the Empire and the Terran Alliance was drawing to a close, and the Terran Alliance had militarized heavily. Some Terran forces were present at the Battle of Scarif, and after receiving word of the Death Star, they sent several starfighter units to assist the Rebellion in their attack on the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. In the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, the Terran Alliance issued an official declaration of war against the Empire and officially entered the war.

In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion and Terran Alliance together made many attacks against Imperial bases and possessions, and in December of 2013, the Terran Alliance launched a planetary invasion of Naboo, capturing the planet and turning it into a base from which to wage war on the Empire.

In the following months, the Terran Alliance grew increasingly aggressive, launching attacks further into Imperial territory while capturing more planets in the Outer Rim. In response, the Empire focused on defending planets from Terran invasions while putting pressure on the Rebellion, in the hopes that destroying the Rebellion would convince the Terran to surrender. Their strategy cost them several worlds to the Terrans, but ultimately led to the Sith Lord Darth Vader tracking the Rebellion to the planet Hoth where his forces defeated the Rebellion and Terran forces present in the Battle of Hoth, forcing the Rebellion to regroup in the Milky Way.

Months later, in the aftermath by a Terran attack on Coruscant, the Empire launched Operation Nightcloak, an attempted invasion of Earth. The Terran Alliance, with some assistance by Rebel forces, engaged the Empire in a series of massive battles, dealing a devastating defeat to the Empire. In response, the Terran Alliance launched more aggressive invasions across the galaxy, pushing as far as the Inner Rim.

In 2017, the Emperor allowed the Terran Alliance and Rebellion to learn of the existence of the second Death Star as part of a trap to lure the Rebellion to its destruction and force the Terrans out of the galaxy. The Rebellion, believing they were launching a surprise attack, sent their entire fleet, assisted by a small Terran force, to destroy the battlestation. A Imperial fleet was lying in wait, and the two sides engaged in the Battle of Endor. During the battle, during a fight with his son, Darth Vader was turned back to the light side, and when the Emperor attempted to kill Luke Skywalker, Vader killed him by throwing down the reactor shaft, fulfilling his duty as the Chosen One and destroying the Sith. Vader in turn died from his injuries, dying as Anakin Skywalker. The Rebels and Terrans meanwhile destroyed the second Death Star, beginning the downfall of the Empire.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, multiple Imperial Moffs and Admirals began breaking off to form their own Imperial fragments. The largest of these fragments was led by Warlord Zsinj. The Terran Alliance and Rebellion together brought down many of these splinter groups, while the majority of Imperial forces united under the leadership of proclaimed Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax. In December 2017, the Rebellion reorganized into the New Republic, which began heavily militarizing. The two forces began destroying most of the Imperial splinter groups, including Warlord Zsinj's faction in March 2018.

In October, 2018, the Terran Alliance and New Republic sent a joint force to engage the Imperial forces that had gathered at the planet Jakku under Gallius Rax. In a battle lasting almost a month, the Terrans and New Republic destroyed almost the entire Imperial force, with very few survivors surrendering. This defeat fractured the Empire severely, and continuing New Republic and Terran conquests further weakened the Empire.

The war finally came to an end following the Battle of Coruscant, in which a massive Terran ground forces, supported by the New Republic army and Imperial defectors, captured Coruscant. In the aftermath of the battle, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda signed the Galactic Concordance, and shortly after, the Terran Alliance killed the last remaining threatening Imperial warlord, Grand Admiral Josef Grunger, ending the war.

Although the war officially ended in 2019, scattered fragments of the Empire led by warlords continued to prove troublesome for the New Republic in the coming years. At the same time, a small faction of Imperial forces escaped into the Unknown Regions, where they would later establish the First Order.

In the aftermath of the war, the Terran Alliance's influence greatly expanded in the Andromeda Galaxy. Various sections of the galaxy, including Sith Space, Wild Space, and the Arkanis Sector were signed over to the control of the Terran Alliance. In addition, a handful of worlds from the Outer Rim and outer parts of the Mid Rim, including Naboo, Christophsis, Kamino, Saleucami, and Ossus, elected to join the Terran Alliance. In addition, the Terran Alliance was given temporary control of the planet Mandalore, with a plan to return it to the control of the Mandalorians within 5 years. This caused tension between the New Republic and Terran Alliance and also among the New Republic, as a number of corrupt and fearful politicians within the New Republic feared that the Terran Alliance would seek to expand its control and eventually take over the Andromeda Galaxy completely. Although the two sides remained allies and trade partners, tensions would rise between the two powers over the following years.

## Prelude

### Rise of the Empire

The Galactic Empire rose to power at the end of the Clone Wars. In the decades prior to the Clone Wars, Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious became Senator of Naboo and amassed political power, eventually becoming Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic a decade before the Clone Wars began. Not long after, Palpatine took control of a secret clone army program on Kamino, setting measures into the program that would help him fulfill his plan to destroy the Jedi.

Starting about 8 years after Palpatine's election as Supreme Chancellor, his apprentice, Count Dooku, began a movement to lead systems in seceding from the Republic, forming a new government called the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Two years after the CIS formed, the clone army on Kamino was discovered. Shortly after, after Count Dooku and Separatist attempted to kill Padme Amidala and several Jedi, the Clone Wars began at the Battle of Geonosis.

5 months after the Clone Wars started, the Republic discovered the planet Earth, aka Terra, in the Milky Way while pursuing Separatist forces into the other galaxy. After receiving help from the Republic to defend themselves from a Separatist invasion, three quarters of the nations of Earth formed a government and military alliance called the Terran Alliance. After forming, the Terran Alliance entered the war on the side of the Republic.

After three years of war, the Republic and Terran Alliance gained the advantage over the CIS. However, in mid 1994, when the CIS was on the verge of final defeat, Palpatine revealed himself and enacted Order 66, causing the Clone Army to turn on the Jedi. Palpatine then declared that the Republic would be reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and declared himself Emperor.

Seeing what was really happening, the Terran Alliance turned on the clones and fought back to protect the Jedi. They successfully saved a number of Jedi before pulling all forces out of the Andromeda Galaxy and retreating home to Terra.

With the Jedi almost completely destroyed, and the survivors in hiding, and the Terran Alliance retreated. back home, the new Empire completed the defeat of the CIS and assumed control of the Andromeda Galaxy. A few Separatist holdouts continued to resist, but otherwise the Empire was almost completely unchallenged.

### Early Rebels and the Intergalactic Cold War

In the aftermath of the declaration of the New Order, resistance continued to the Empire. At first, it came in the form of various Separatist holdouts that continued to resist the Empire for several years after the end of the Clone Wars.

At the same time, 352 soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army that had been left behind on Kashyyyk when the Terran Alliance pulled out of the Andromeda Galaxy began an insurgency on Kashyyyk against the Imperial occupiers. The Vietnamese established a base in a cave complex on Kashyyyk and launched guerilla attacks and sabotage missions against Imperial forces on Kashyyyk.

Shortly after the Vietnamese insurgency began, another insurgency against the Empire began on the planet Ryloth, led by the Twi'lek freedom fighter Cham Syndulla.

Over the next few years, a Mandalorian civil war that had begun during the Clone Wars continued. As it continued, Mandalorian forces that had once followed Darth Maul, now led by Gar Saxon, developed relations with the Empire, and begin fighting for the Empire as well in return for receiving support.

Over the following years, various rebel groups rose and fell across the galaxy. Some groups comprised hundreds of individuals, while others less than 10 individuals.

As various rebels and insurgents rose across the Andromeda Galaxy, the situation between the Empire and the Terran Alliance was extremely tense. The Terran Alliance had cut off all ties with the Empire after the Clone Wars, and had no contact with the Empire. Neither power was ready to go to war the other due to chaos in their ranks caused by how the Clone Wars ended, and the Empire's knowledge of some of Earth's advanced defenses. Thus, the two powers settled into a cold war, which became known as the Intergalactic Cold War.

During the Intergalactic Cold War, both the Empire and the Terran Alliance built up their militaries extensively, with the Terran Alliance also expanding across the Milky Way and welcoming new planets. The Terrans built the Terran Star Forge in this period, allowing them to construct warships for the Terran Starfleet.

At the same time, in the Andromeda Galaxy, the Empire began building a battlestation known as the Death Star, with the power to destroy entire planets. The Empire kept the project highly classified, and intended to use the station after its completion to destroy any resistance across the galaxy and keep the Terran Alliance out of the Andromeda Galaxy.

As the first decade of the 2000s began winding down, rebel activity slowly began to grow, and the Empire began a greater effort to crack down on rebel activity.

## The war

### Beginning

The Galactic Civil War began in 2009/4BBY, when there was a sharp increase in rebel activity that coincided with various rebel groups beginning to unite and work together. Many would later say that the true start of the war came in mid 2009, when Jedi Kanan Jarrus was captured on Lothal and brought to Mustafar. However, en route, a rebel group, led by Kanan's apprentice Ezra Bridger, boarded Grand Moff Tarkin's ship *Sovereign*, killed the Imperial Grand Inquisitor, and escaped with Kanan.

In the aftermath of this event, the Empire began a serious effort to track down Kanan's group, the Spectres, and wipe out him and Ezra, as well as third Jedi, Cal Kestis, that joined them not long after this event. However, the Spectres managed to evade Imperial efforts and began to work more closely with other Rebel groups. At the same time, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, two Senators who were the leaders of an opposition group within the Senate, began increasing their efforts to draw together various rebel groups across the galaxy.

### Formation of the Rebel Alliance

In September 2011, under the guidance of Mon Mothma, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, also known as the Rebel Alliance, was officially formed following Mothma was forced to flee Coruscant and the Senate. The new, united Alliance began widespread operations across the galaxy, and soon formed a base on the moon of Yavin IV. The Rebels also managed to establish contact with the Terran Alliance, who supplied small arms shipments to the Rebels.

In early 2012, the Empire brought Grand Admiral Thrawn in to deal with the Rebel Alliance. The Rebels' progress in the war greatly stalled after Thrawn took command of the war effort.

During this period, the Spectres, aided by one of its members, Sabine Wren, reached out to the Mandalorian Clan Wren. Clan Wren entered the war to help Rebel forces on the planet Atollon escape from an Imperial siege. Following the siege of Atollon, Sabine and her mother, Ursa Wren, were able to establish relations and alliance between the Rebellion and the rest of the Mandalorian resistance.

After the alliance began between the Mandalotians and Rebels, a lot of Rebel activity shifted towards helping the Mandalorians friendly to them defeat the Mandalorian forces under Gar Saxon who were loyal to the Empire and in control of Mandalore. After a series of battles and scuffles between the two sides, Gar Saxon was killed and most of his forces were destroyed. Bo-Katan Kryze assumed command of all Mandalorian resistance forces and those of Saxon's forces who changed allegiance. Kryze's forces continued to fight the Empire, sometimes in concert with the Rebels and sometimes on their own.

After helping the Mandalorian resistance defeat Saxon and his forces, the Rebels shifted their main focus to the planet Lothal and began extensive efforts to both free Lothal from the Empire and to defeat Grand Admiral Thrawn. After months of fighting and attacks by the Rebels, the Rebellion was able to free Lothal from the Empire on August 15, 2015. During this battle, hyperspace capable creatures known as purgills took the Star Destroyer carrying both Thrawn and Ezra Bridger, who had come to confront Thrawn, out of the Lothal system. Over two weeks later, the purgills appeared in the Terran system. Thrawn was taken into custody by the Terran Alliance and held as a prisoner of war for a number of years.

In the aftermath of the liberation of Lothal and defeat of Thrawn, the Rebellion continued their efforts across the galaxy on a greatly increased scale, with recruitment advancing in the aftermath of the liberation of Lothal. The Empire did not make an effort to reclaim Lothal, instead focusing their efforts on combating the rebels and completing the Death Star. At the same time, the Empire began a serious crack down on the Mandalorians. That December, the Empire initiated the Mandalorian Purge in an effort to wipe out the Mandalorians. The Empire killed hundreds of Mandalorians and devastated Mandalore.

By this point, the Terran Alliance had grown exponentially. The government now included 9 other planets in the Milky Way. The Starfleet had swelled to several hundred warships and a similar number of transport ships meant to transport troops. The Terrans had also made incredible advances in technology, and most of their weapons and systems were often more advanced or capable than their Imperial counterparts.

In August 2013, a CIA team operating in the Andromeda Galaxy learned of the Death Star. While attempting to return home, they were ambushed by a Star Destroyer. However, before the Star Destroyer could destroy them, the Terran battlecruiser *Repulse* appeared to rescue them. The *Repulse* and her escorts destroyed the Star Destroyer, marking the very first combat between Terran and Imperial forces, although the Alliance was not yet at war with the Empire.

### Destroying the Death Star

#### Stealing the Plans

In 2013, Galen Erso, the chief designer of the Death Star, sent Bodhi Rook, an Imperial cargo pilot, to Jeddha to meet Saw Gerrera and inform him about the Death Star and the weakness he had built into it. Hearing about this, the Rebellion found Galen's daughter Jyn Erso, and convinced her to go to Jeddha to speak to Saw and Boddhi, confirm the rumors of the Death Star, and bring back Galen.

The quest to Jeddha saw the Death Star used in combat for the first time when the station used an under-powered shot from its superlaser to destroy Jeddha City. Jyn, along with Boddhi and her companion Cassian Andor, were able to escape the city's destruction and traveled to Eadu, where Galen was stationed. They attempted to get Galen out of the facility, but Galen was killed when the Rebellion mistakenly attacked the base on Eadu.

During the time Jyn had been on her quest, Admiral Samuel Adams of the Terran Alliance, along with advisors, combat instructors, and a team of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D) (AKA Delta Force or The Unit), had arrived on Yavin IV. At the same time, Lieutenant General Tyler Hall was dispatched to Tatooine to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi if necessary. When Jyn returned to Yavin IV, she presented the information she knew about the Death Star. However, most of the Rebel leaders neglected to act on the information, preferring to surrender or disband the Rebellion. Despite Adams and Admiral Raddus of the Rebellion advocating for action, the Rebellion originally decided to not go forward with any further action.

However, in defiance of the general consensus, Jyn led a team, self named Rogue One, comprised of both Rebels and the Delta Force operators who were with Adams, to the planet Scarif, where an engineering archive was located that held the structural plans for the Death Star. When news came in of their self assigned mission, Admiral Raddus and Admiral Adams led the Rebel fleet to Scarif, commencing the first large scale battle of the Galactic Civil War. During the battle, Jyn was able to retrieve the plans and send them to the Rebel flagship, *Profundity*. Soon after this, both the Death Star and the Star Destroyer *Devastator* arrived on the scene. Darth Vader boarded the *Profundity* in an attempt to steal the plans back, but Adams held him off long enough for Leia Organa to escape with the plans aboard the *Tantive IV.* Vader captured Adams, and a significant portion of the Rebel fleet was destroyed. However, the Empire lost the base at Scarif and the Death Star plans.

After the end of the battle, Vader transferred Adams to a prison block on the Death Star before setting off to try and track down Leia.

#### Mission to Tatooine

After the Battle of Scarif, Leia raced to Tatooine, hoping to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi and recruit his help before intending to head to her home on Alderaan with the Death Star plans. However, Darth Vader had pursued her since the end of the Battle of Scarif, and finally caught up with her ship over Tatooine. The *Devastator* disabeld the *Tantive IV*, and Vader boarded the ship with a boarding party. However, Leia was able to get the plans loaded into the droid R2-D2, and R2 and the protocol droid C3PO escaped the ship down to Tatooine, where the two were captured by Jawas and sold to Owen Lars, uncle of Luke Skywalker.

While Skywalker was cleaning the droids, he discovered a message Leia had left in R2 for Kenobi. However, soon after, R2 attempted to escape to find Kenobi. In his attempt to find R2, Luke ran into Kenobi, who told him some of the truth about his Jedi heritage. However, while Luke was conversing with Kenobi, Vader and his troops arrived at the Lars homestead, and upon not finding the droids, killed Owen Lars and his wife and set fire to the homestead. After discovering this, Luke decided to accompany Kenobi to Alderaan to help fight the Empire and become a Jedi like his father.

The two men, accompanied by the two droids, made their way to Mos Eisley. There, while looking for a way to Alderaan, the two ran into General Hall, who informed Kenobi of recent developments and joined their journey. At the cantina where they encountered Hall, Kenobi and Luke were able to get a ride to Alderaan from a pilot named Han Solo.

At the time this was going on, the Emperor used the escalation of the Rebellion and trouble within the Senate to dissolve the Imperial Senate.

#### Destruction of Alderaan

After her capture by Vader, Leia Organa was transported to the Death Star to be imprisoned, where Vader interrogated her to try and discover the location of the Rebel base. When she refused to give in, as well as Admiral Adams refusing to give in to interrogations about the Terran Alliance's weaknesses, Grand Moff Tarkin decided to try and break the two by threatening to destroy Alderaan. Leia, not wanting Alderaan to be destroyed, attempted to lie and say that the Rebellion was on Dantooine. Although Tarkin initially believed her, he continued with the operation anyways, and Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star's superlaser.

#### Rescue of Leia and Adams

Soon after the destruction of Alderran, the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's ship, arrived in the Alderaan System, with Kenobi, Luke, and Hall aboard, as well as the two droids. The men quickly realized that Alderaan was gone. They were then ambushed by a TIE fighter who led them to the Death Star, which pulled the Millennium Falcon in using its tractor beam.

After hiding from Imperial forces and sneaking into a control room, Luke discovered that Leia was aboard the battlestation. He led Han, Chewbacca, and Hall to rescue her while Kenobi went to shut down the tractor beam. After reaching the detention level, they freed Leia, and also found Adams. An escape attempt, led by Adams, then commenced through the corridors and levels of the Death Star. The group managed to make it back to the hangar where the Falcon was being kept. There, Luke witnessed the end of a lightsaber duel between Kenobi and Vader. After noticing Luke, Kenobi allowed himself to be struck down by Vader, becoming one with the Force. Despite wishing to fight, the group re-boarded the Falcon, and escaped aboard the ship, fighting off TIE fighters in their escape. None of them knew a tracking beacon had been placed aboard the ship.

#### The Battle of Yavin

Main Article: The Battle of Yavin

After the Falcon's arrival on Yavin IV, Leia delivered the Death Star plans to the Rebel leaders to help plan the attack. Adams contacted the Terran Joint Command, asking for reinforcements. The Joint Command responded by contacting the Star Destroyer *TAS New York City*, which was stationed in the Mytus system, and ordered the ship to send its fighters. The *New York City* scrambled a strike force of 52 fighters, including fighters from the 69th Starfighter Squadron and the 352nd Starfighter Wing, to join the Rebellion in its attack on the Death Star.

Using the plans, General Jan Dodonna devised an attack strategy to destroy the station. The plan consisted of flying down a trench in the station's surface and hit the battlestation's vulnerable thermal exhaust port with proton torpedoes, allowing the torpedoes to travel to the reactor and destroy the reactor. A strike force of 31 X-Wing and Y-Wing starfighters, flown by 30 Rebel pilots, including Luke, and General Hall. The fighters caught the Death Star in Yavin's orbit when the station was about 15 minutes from firing range. As the attack got underway, the Death Star's TIE pilots began to scramble. However, right as the first TIE fighters began attacking the Rebels, the Terran fighters arrived. The Terran fighters held off TIE fighters as best they could and destroyed turbolaser emplacements to allow the Rebels to focus on destroying the station. Darth Vader soon joined the fight in his own TIE Advanced, destroying a number of Rebel fighters and even several SF-23 Black Widows from the 352nd. However, eventually, Han Solo returned in the Millennium Falcon just in time to keep Vader away from Luke during Luke's trench run, and Luke was able to fire his torpedoes into the exhaust port, destroying the battlestation.

### Terran Alliance Enters the War

#### Declaration of War

After the destruction of the Death Star, the Terran fighters that had aided in the Battle of Yavin remained on Yavin IV to continue to protect the base, and the *TAS New York City* also came to the moon to help protect it.

After the Battle of Yavin, the Terran Alliance General Assembly finally called together a vote on whether or not to go to war with the Empire. In a completely unanimous vote, on September 24, 2013, the Terran Alliance passed Terran Resolution 671, an official declaration of war on the Empire.

#### Evacuation of Yavin IV and Rescuing the Vietnamese

Immediately after declaring war on the Empire, the Terran Starfleet dispatched a 10 ship task force, led by the battleship *Dreadnought*, to Yavin IV to evacuate the Rebellion from the planet. After arriving in orbit, the 8 Star Destroyers of the force began evacuating the Rebellion from the moon while the *Dreadnought* and *TAS Langley* defeated an Imperial fleet that attempted to attack the moon.

Almost two weeks after the evacuation, the Terran Alliance dispatched an entire combat fleet to rescue the remaining Vietnamese insurgents on Kashyyyk. The fleet arrived in the middle of an attack launched by the insurgents against an Imperial shuttle depot. While the warships of the task force and much of their fighters held off the Imperial fleet over Kashyyyk, landing ships flew down to the surface and rescued the Vietnamese. The insurgents were returned to Earth immediately.

#### Planetary invasions begin

Not long after their victory at Yavin, the Rebellion began making advances into the Mid Rim, launching attacks on Imperial forces and establishing outposts throughout the Mid Rim.

During the same time period, the Terran Alliance began preparing to execute a series of planned planetary invasions in the Outer Rim. After gathering and training their forces, the Terrans began sending invasion forces to staging area outside the known galaxy in late November.

The Terrans launched their campaign in the Andromeda Galaxy on December 7 when they launched the invasion of Naboo. Naboo was targeted both due to its position and its status as the Emperor's homeworld. The Terran Alliance attacked the planet with a massive invasion force of 36 ships and 5 army divisions. The Empire, never having had to deal with such a massive attack by such a well trained force, crumpled easily, and the Terran Alliance began occupying Naboo.

The Empire was caught off guard by the directness of the Terran Alliance. The capture of Naboo also had the additional effect of causing an increase in strikes by Terran fighters across the Outer and Mid Rims.

### War Escalates

#### Attack on Cymoon-1

On January 11, in order to take advantage of the state of disarray of the Empire following the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion and Terran Alliance launched an attack on Weapons Factory Alpha on the moon of Cymoon-1, the biggest weapons factory of the Empire. The attack was carried out by a small Rebel team including Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, two battalions of men from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, and the Star Destroyer *TAS Stockholm*. The attack saw the destruction of the factory and the first confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

After the destruction of the factory, and still reeling from the Death Star's destruction, the Emperor sent Darth Vader to negotiate with Jabba the Hutt, managing to seal a deal with Jabba as a reliable weapons dealer as well as recruiting several bounty hunters to work for the Empire, including Boba Fett.

#### Attack on Fortress Vader

On January 29, 2014, the Terran Alliance sent a task force to the planet Iego to attack an Imperial weapons convoy. This was the 10th such raid since the capture of Naboo. The Starfleet sent 3 *Jutland* class heavy cruisers and 6 *London* class Star Destroyers. However, upon reaching Iego, they found the convoy was protected by a much stronger force than expected, including a dreadnought, and were trapped by a pair of interdiction cruisers. The Terran task force lost 2 of the cruisers and three of the Star Destroyers. However, an attack by the Star Destroyer *Hong Kong* gave the four surviving ships a chance to escape.

In retaliation for their first defeat, the Terran Alliance decided to attack and destroy Fortress Vader on Mustafar and capture Darth Vader if possible. They dispatched two Star Destroyers, *Granite Mountain* and *Sacramento*, to Mustafar. Traveling aboard them was Plo Koon and two ASAT team commandos. The ships landed a strike team led by the three on Mustafar.

The strike team entered Fortress Vader and engaged Vader and his guards in combat. However, during the fight, an Imperial task force arrived in orbit and engaged the two Terran ships, destroying the *Sacramento*. The *Granite Mountain* held on while pulling the strike force off the planet. Reinforcements soon arrived in the form of the *TAS Bismarck* and two *Anzio* class light cruisers. The *Bismarck* destroyed Fortress Vader, and the Terran forces retreated.

The destruction of Fortress Vader was a devastating morale blow to the Empire, creating a feeling of weakness among some of the Empire and increasing recruitment for the Rebellion tenfold. The Empire attempted to retake some of their standing and morale by launching an effort to retake Naboo, but they were driven back by the Terran Starfleet in a crushing defeat.

#### Battle of Vrogas Vas

In March, 2014, Darth Vader, after learning about Luke Skywalker from Boba Fett, tracked Luke to a Rebel base on Vrogas Vas. Vader arrived in his TIE Advanced and engaged a horde of Rebel fighters in orbit. Vader successfully destroyed a number of fighters before Luke brought him down by crashing his X-Wing into Vader's TIE.

After emerging from his TIE, Vader commenced attacking the Rebel forces on the moon. Despite fierce Rebel resistance, Vader tore through Rebel forces with little trouble. However, a struggle between Vader and a bounty hunter seeking the glory for himself, Luke was able to escape.

#### Battle of the Mako Ta Space Docks

Main Article: Battle of the Mako Ta Space Docks

Around the same time of the Battle of Vrogas Vas, the planet of Mon Cala revolted against the Empire. After the death of their king Lee-Char, the Mon Cala fully threw their support behind the Rebellion. A massive fleet of merchant ships were transferred from the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet to the Rebellion. In order to refit them for combat, the fleet of ships was sent to the Mako Ta Space Docks to undergo conversion to warships. The Terran Alliance sent two Star Destroyers, *Vilnius* and *Salt Lake City*, to protect the Space Docks.

The Rebellion soon recruited Trios, queen of Sho-Torun, to their cause, who sent Sho-Torun engineers to help refit the Mon Cala ships. Engineers from Terran Starship Industries were also sent. However, in secret, Trios was loyal to the Empire. As the refitting of the ships was nearing completion, she betrayed to Rebellion and informed the Empire about the ships.

Not knowing this, Mon Mothma summoned all of the Rebellion's highest leadership to the Space Docks to celebrate the completion of the work and prepare for the next major operation against the Empire. However, the celebrations were cut short by the arrival of the feared Death Squadron. At the same time, Trios locked the Mon Calamari ships in place, preventing them from fleeing or fighting. Many fighters were left trapped inside the ships.

The Terran Alliance's 486th Fighter Squadron, part of the 352nd Starfighter Wing, scrambled from the Space Docks as the two Star Destroyers engaged Death Squadron. They were joined by Luke Skywalker's squadron, which he dubbed Rogue Squadron after Rogue One. At the same time, Leia led a team alongside General Draven to the *Executor* to retrieve the codes that could free the ships.

The ships of Death Squadron continued to engage the two Terran Star Destroyers while the 486th and Rebel fighters held off TIE fighters and bombers. However, the fighters started taking heavy losses, and the Imperials destroyed the *Vilnius.* However, as they began firing on and destroying the Mon Calamari vessels, Terran reinforcements arrived in the form of the battlecruisers *Hood* and *Scharnhorst* and two more Star Destroyers. The battlecruisers engaged the *Executor* while the two Star Destroyers joined the *Salt Lake City* in taking on the rest of Death Squadron. Finally, Leia was able to retrieve the codes, and the Mon Calamari ships began retreating into hyperspace. The Terran vessels covered the retreat, and then retreated themselves once all of the Mon Calamari ships had fled. However, the battle saw the loss of many Rebel leaders, 10 of the cruisers, and 70 percent of their starfighters. Thankfully, thanks to the Terran ships, the Rebellion was able to preserve a number of their cruisers.

#### Mission to Crait

About a month after the Battle of the Mako Ta Space Docks, the Rebellion, still in search of a new base, sent a team to the planet Crait. The team travelled aboard the *Granite Mountain* to Crait. Upon arriving, they met a miner, Trusk Berinato, in the hopes her could help them establish a base. However, Trusk betrayed them to the Empire. The Empire sent the commando squad known as SCAR Squad to Crait to deal with the expedition team. Kelly Adams fought them off with the help of the Zulu Force and Han Solo, and Trusk was killed by Captain Itai Mizrahi. The team returned to the *Granite Mountain*, which returned to Naboo.

#### Operation MacArthur

Shortly after the mission to Crait, and during the same time as the Rebellion began the Mid Rim retreat, the Terran Alliance launched a series of planetary invasions, together named Operation MacArthur. The goal was to greatly expand the Alliance's territorial control in the space of just two months. The campaign began when the Alliance sent a task force to occupy the planet Teth. The planet had no Imperial presence, and the planet was occupied with no resistance or casualties. The Terran Alliance began establishing a major base on Teth, intending to turn the planet into their main supply and communications base in the galaxy.

Only a few weeks after the occupation of Teth began, the Terran Alliance simultaneously launched two invasions: the invasion of Ryloth and the invasion of Christophsis. The invasion of Ryloth was a relatively small scale operation supported by the local Twi'leks. However, the invasion of Christophsis was carried out by a fleet of 38 ships and 6 divisions. The battle lasted 3 days and resulted in the capture of the planet.

After the fall of Ryloth and Christophsis, the Alliance regrouped its forces, while also pulling more resources. Then, only a month after the fall of Christophsis, the Alliance launched the invasion of Kashyyyk, carried out by a fleet of 54 ships and a ground force of 11 divisions. The invasion was one of the largest battles of the war so far. Imperial forces on the planet resisted for a total of four days before the final pockets of Imperial troops surrendered. The Empire attempted to reinforce the planet, but the reinforcement fleet was driven off. After the capture of Kashyyyk, the Terran Alliance heavily fortified the planet and began a massive relief effort to help rebuild the planet and help the Wookiee population.

#### A New Leader

Shortly after the fall of Kashyyyk, the Terran Alliance gained a new military leader that proved to quickly turn the tide in their favor. Believing his skills to be a great asset to have, President Barack Obama approached Thrawn, who was still a prisoner of war, and offered him a pardon and amnesty on Earth, as well as a Terran alliance with the Chiss, if Thrawn would pledge his services to the Alliance. Thrawn accepted, and was accepted into the Terran Starfleet as a Grand Admiral and appointed as the head of the Admiralty.

On the very same day as Thrawn accepted Obama's invitation, the Rebellion began construction of a new base on the planet Hoth, known as Echo Base.

#### Chilling Assassination

In November of 2014, the Terran Alliance learned of a secret plot by Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin to attempt to break away from the Empire and destroy the Emperor. Not wishing to deal with a splinter group so early in the war, the Terran Joint Command authorized an assassination attempt against Zaarin.

Terran intelligence tracked Zaarin to the world Parmic. The Alliance assembled a small team of 6 Zulu Force commandos and 2 snipers from the Kidon assassination unit from the Israeli Mossad. The Rebellion sent Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso with the team as extra support.

The assassination team arrived on Parmic on November 13. Four of the Zulus and the two Rebels attacked part of the assembly plant, while the remaining two Zulus and the two Kidon snipers sent up on a tower with a view of Zaarin's office. The attack by the bulk of the team caused Zaarin to seek shelter in his office. However, when Zaarin took a seat at his desk, the two snipers shot him, hitting him in the heart and the side of his neck.

As soon as the team confirmed the kill, the snipers and their guards pulled back, and the rest of the strike team also pulled out. The team then fled Parmic aboard their shuttle.

The assassination sent shock-waves around the Empire. Many believed Parmic, and especially Zaarin, was so well defended that it would take a massive attack force to kill Zaarin. It showed the Terran Alliance had the ability to strike any target they wished, whenever they wished. The assassination caused incredible fear of the Alliance to spread throughout the Empire.

#### End of the Phantom

Shortly after the assassination of Grand Admiral Zaarin, the Terran Alliance learned of a new model of TIE fighter being put into production. The fighter was known as the TIE Phantom. The Phantom was the most advanced TIE model yet designed, and was believed to be capable of matching many Terran fighter in most respects, including maneuverability and firepower, as well as possessing a cloaking device.

Worried by the prospect of the Phantom entering widespread service, the Terran Alliance tasked intelligence agents, both with the military and civilian intelligence agencies, to search for the location of the factory producing Phantoms. In mid March, after several months of searching, the Alliance finally located the factory on the moon of Imdaar Alpha. In addition, they learned that the Empire had tasked a Super Star Destroyer, the *Terror,* outfitted with similar cloaking tech as the Phantom to guard the moon.

On April 3, Ahsoka Tano led a team of special ops commandos from 3 different forces to the moon to destroy the factory. After landing on the moon, Ahsoka and her commandos snuck into the factory and set charges in the reactor chamber. After successfully setting the charges, Ahsoka and her team snuck their way to the hangar, where they stole a Phantom and an Imperial shuttle for their escape. They were able to escape the factory before the reactor exploded, causing the entire factory to explode.

As the ground team escaped from the planet, a Terran naval force, led by the battleships *Bismarck* and *Prince of Wales*, arrived in orbit to destroy the *Terror*. The Terran ships were forced to aim their weapons visually, as their targeting systems were useless at the beginning thanks to the ship's cloaking tech. However, they soon damaged the ship enough to cause it cloaking tech to cease to work. After a lengthy battle and fierce bombardment from the two battleships, the *Terror* was destroyed, making it the first Imperial Super Star Destroyer to be destroyed.

### Imperial Offensive

#### Struggle for Saleucami

In late April, just 3 weeks after the destruction of the TIE Phantom factory, the Terran Alliance launched its next planetary invasion, this time on the planet Saleucami. A fleet of 40 ships and an invasion force of 4 divisions was sent to capture the planet. The Imperial force defending the planet was quickly crushed, and the planet was occupied.

After successfully occupying Saleucami, the Terran Alliance pulled much of its fleet back to Naboo to prepare for future operations, leaving just 9 warships behind to defend the planet. One of the divisions that fought on the planet was also pulled out to reinforce Kashyyyk, as it was believed the Empire had plans to attack the planet.

About a month after Saleucami was captured, the Empire decided that its efforts to retake territory from the Terrans needed to begin immediately, and should begin with Saleucami. Only weeks later, on June 13, the Empire sent a massive fleet and army to Saleucami to recapture the planet. The Imperial fleet destroyed 7 of the 9 Terran warships protecting Saleucami, with the remaining two retreating. The Imperial legions then landed on Saleucami and engaged the occupying Terran force in four separate locations across the planet. With their overwhelming numbers and support of their fleet, the Imperials destroyed half of the defending Terran army. The remaining half surrendered and was taken prisoner.

The Empire fortified Saleucami and began preparations to continue their campaign. However, the Alliance was determined not to lose their momentum, and efforts began immediately to put together a force to retake the planet.

On June 30, under the command of Admiral Tomohisa Takei, a large Terran fleet attacked the Imperial fleet stationed over Saleucami, destroying the entire fleet with well-coordinated attacks. After the Imperial fleet was destroyed, a massive invasion force of 11 full divisions was landed on Saleucami. Five divisions assaulted the capitol of Taleucema, and the remaining six divisions landed in other spots across the planet.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Terrans, learning from their mistake after the first time they captured the planet, left a sizeable force to defend Saleucami, comprising 20 ships and 6 divisions.

#### Kamino and Reinforcements

After retaking Saleucami, the Terran Alliance set their sights on the world of Kamino in order to deny use of its cloning facilities to the Empire. Originally, the operation was set for August 25. However, after a Terran task force was defeated by the Empire at the Battle of Rhen Var on July 24, and further Imperial attacks on Terran outposts and other Terran task forces, the operation was moved up to August 8.

The invasion of Kaminlo was carried out by a fleet 29 warships and 6 transport ships, 4 aquatic warships, and three divisions of soldiers and Marines. The fleet destroyed the small Imperial task force protecting the planet. Once Kamino's orbit had been cleared, transports deposited the four aquatic warships on the surface, and landed the divisions in three different cities on Kamino.

In one of the cities, Timira City, the men of the US Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Division encountered a defensive force a bit smaller than the other two cities. However, halfway through the fight for the city, the Marines were suddenly joined by a secret clone force that the Kaminoans of Timira City had cloned and trained in secret over the decades since the Clone Wars.

The three targeted cities were captured in a matter of hours. The clones of Timira City were transferred to the control of the Terran Alliance, and officially designated as the 2nd Clone Division. In addition, another small force of clones in another city were used to reinforce the Terran Clone Legion, now re-designated as the 1st Clone Division.

#### Battle of Hoth

Main Article: Battle of Hoth

By mid October, 2015, the Rebellion was well established at their base on Hoth, Echo Base. The Empire had been searching for Echo Base for a long time, and with the recent capture of Kamino by the Terrans, became determined to find it and destroy it. In October, the Empire launched a new effort to locate the base by sending thousands of probe droids across the galaxy in an effort to locate Echo Base.

One probe droid, launched by the Star Destroyer *Stalker*, traveled to Hoth, where Echo Base was located. The droid was able to take pictures of the shield generator on Hoth and transmit them back to Death Squadron before being destroyed by Han Solo.

As Death Squadron began heading to Hoth, the Rebellion, already prepared for this, began an effort to evacuate the base along with the Terran contingent at the base, while also sending a call for help to the Terran Starfleet's commander in the Andromeda Galaxy, Fleet Admiral Zambellas.

As the Rebellion were continuing the evacuation efforts, Death Squadron arrived in the Hoth system. However, the commander, Admiral Ozzell, blundered by dropping out of hyperspace too close to Hoth, alerting the Rebels to the fleet's presence. Darth Vader killed Ozzell for his blunder and promoted Firmus Piett to Admiral to take his place. However, this blunder gave the Rebels time to prepare defenses and accelerate the evacuation and start launching the ships.

The Rebellion and Terrans began evacuating their forces with GR75 transports, escorted by X-Wing starfighters. The Rebels covered their escape using their planetary ion cannon, disabling at least one Star Destroyer with it. However, as the evacuation was beginning to really get underway, Imperial cruisers descended to the planets surface, deploying Blizzard Force to launch a ground attack. At the same time, Terran SF-23 starfighters stationed on Hoth began engaging TIE fighters and bombers within Hoth's atmosphere. The main force, comprising 12 AT-ATs and 12 AT-STs, advanced on Echo Base while smaller forces of snowtroopers and a few AT-STs attacked Rebel outposts away from the main base.

The main Imperial force was first engaged by a small force of Russian soldiers and a T-90 tank just outside visual range from the main base. The Russians successfully destroyed two AT-STs before their tank was destroyed and the Imperial walkers began hitting the troops hard with their laser cannons, forcing the Russians to retreat.

By this point, Luke Skywalker and the rest of Rogue Squadron had taken off in T-47 air speeders. The squadron attacked the AT-ATs of Blizzard Force. Despite sustaining a number of losses, the Squadron managed to trip up an AT-AT with their tow cables, and Luke destroyed another one himself after being shot down. During their attack, four SA-10 Warthogs that had been stationed on Hoth joined the attack, attacking the massive walkers with their cannons and Maverick missiles. The Warthogs were able to destroy multiple AT-ATs and AT-STs, temporarily slowing the advance.

As General Veers, commander of Blizzard Force, called for air reinforcements to take on the Warthogs, the Terran forces sent in two AW-1 Leviathan walkers to engage Blizzard Force. Veers was forced to divide Blizzard Force in order to keep advancing on Echo Base while also holding off the Leviathans.

About the same time the Leviathans started engaging Blizzard Force, the Rebels had managed to get off 17 of their 30 GR75s, losing 10 to Death Squadron. However, before any more GR75s could be attacked, Terran reinforcements arrived under the command of Admiral Miller and engaged Death Squadron, giving the Rebels a chance to evacuate the rest of their forces in relative safety.

On the ground, despite the resistance from Rebel pilots and from Terran air and ground forces, Blizzard Force was able to breach the defenses, and Vader entered Echo Base with his elite snowtroopers as Veers' AT-AT destroyed the shield generator, right before it was destroyed by one of the SA-10s, killing Veers in the process. Vader attempted to find and board the Millenium Falcon, but it escaped, with Princess Leia and Kelly Adams aboard, before he could reach it. The Millenium Falcon escaped the system as the last GR75s escaped the system.

The Terran task force, which included the battlecruiser *Repulse*, continued to engage Death Squadron until all Rebel forces had left the system. Once the last Rebel forces escaped, the damaged ships of the task force fled back to Naboo so they could begin repairs.

#### Hunting the Millennium Falcon

After escaping Hoth, Han Solo attempted to escape the ships of Death Squadron, which pursued the Falcon out of the Hoth system to try and capture them. With the hyperdrive on the ship disabled, Solo attempted to escape into the asteroid field near the Hoth system. As Death Squadron attempted to pursue, the battlecruiser *TAS Hood* arrived, accompanied by two defected Imperial Star Destroyers, and engaged Death Squadron to keep them off the Falcon. Ultimately, the Falcon was cornered by the Star Destroyer *Avenger*, but Solo outwitted the Imperials and managed to escape almost unnoticed. He then traveled to Bespin, where he reunited with his old friend Lando Calrissian, who agreed to help fix the problems with the Falcon.

However, the bounty hunter Boba Fett secretly tracked them to Bespin, allowing the Empire to capture Solo, Leia, and Kelly. They then set up a trap to capture Luke Skywalker, testing it by freezing Solo in carbonite. Solo was subsequently handed over to Fett for him to take to Jabba the Hutt. Skywalker, who had been training on Dagobah with Jedi Master Yoda, sensed their trouble and came to rescue his friends. Shortly before his arrival, an SR-71D Blackbird discovered the Falcon on Bespin, and Fleet Admiral Zambellas dispatched several task forces to the planet to rescue Solo, Leia, and Kelly.

When Luke arrived on the planet, he was confronted by Darth Vader, and engaged in a duel with the Sith Lord throughout Cloud City, during which he learned the truth of his relation to Vader. During the course of their duel, the Imperial forces were betrayed by Lando, who helped lead Leia and Kelly in an escape. During their escape attempt, the two Terran task forces arrived. A rescue force was sent down and rescued Luke from Vader shortly after Vader cut off Luke's hand. After the rescue force returned and the Falcon landed aboard the *Bismarck*, the Terran task forces retreated.

The Terran ships rendezvoused with the Rebel fleet and a small Terran force at a rendezvous point outside the known galaxy. After the rendezvous, the combined Terran and Rebel fleet set off for Terra to regroup.

#### Operation Thor's Hammer

Main Article: Operation Thor's Hammer

After the defeat at the Battle of Hoth, morale dropped greatly among the Rebellion and the Terran Alliance, while greatly increasing among the Empire. The Empire was inspired to launch increasing attacks against Terran outposts. Among their attacks was another attempt to retake Saleucami. After a fierce space battle that some relatively heavy Terran losses, the Imperial fleet was defeated, and Saleucami remained in Terran hands.

As the Empire continued in its attacks against Terran forces, the Terran Joint Command knew that it had to do something to regain morale and deal a major blow to the Empire. In early December, two days after the Imperial attack on Saleucami, General Amir Eshel suggested an attack by fighters on Coruscant itself.

Originally, the strike, codenamed Operation Thor's Hammer, was to be carried out by the three best squadrons in the Starfleet: the Hammer Squadron, the Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney, and the Dambusters. However, after extensive consideration, the Joint Command decided a smaller strike would be more effective and with less chance of loss. Therefore, it was decided to only send the Hammer Squadron.

The Hammer Squadron began training in mid December, with the operation scheduled for the end of January. The squadron trained on Earth for weeks, practicing flying over Coruscant's cityspace by flying through the cityscape of major cities on Earth, including New York City, Moscow, London, and Tokyo. The squadron departed Earth on a Star Destroyer on January 5, arriving on Naboo on January 19. The squadron spent two more days training on Naboo before they were sent to Saleucami, from which they would launch the attack, due to the extreme distance between Naboo and Coruscant making it less effective to launch from there.

The Hammer Squadron launched from Saleucami on January 26. The Squadron reached Coruscant on January 28, immediately diving into the atmosphere of Coruscant to begin the attack. The Squadron separated over Coruscant, destroying shield generators to keep their escape route clear, and then attacking weapons storage sites, fuel dumps, factories, and barracks. Near the end of the attack, Jonathan Page and his wing-man, Abigail Peretz, attacked the Imperial Palace itself, causing damage to the exterior, and even up to 1,000 feet into the interior. After expending their weapons, the squadron escaped Coruscant's atmosphere and jumped to hyperspace before interdiction cruisers could trap them in the system.

#### War comes to Earth

Main Article: Operation Nightcloak

After the strike on Coruscant, the Emperor was infuriated that the Terrans had managed to successfully strike the capitol world. In his rage, the Emperor ordered that the Empire finally take the war to Earth itself. The Imperial military, under the guidance of Vader and a few senior officers who had been to Earth during the Clone Wars, began planning for the operation.

However, the planning did go unnoticed, despite Imperial efforts to make it so. Janitors in the Imperial palace who had been recruited by the Mossad had bugged certain rooms in the Palace, and in February, one of their bugs picked up a conversation regarding plans for the attack on Earth. This was immediately transmitted to the Joint Command.

Now knowing about the Imperial plans, the Terran Alliance began preparing for the impending attack. Almost the entire Starfleet was recalled from the Andromeda Galaxy to defend Earth, and as many troops as could be spared were pulled back too. In what many considered a gamble, the Joint Command gave Grand Admiral Thrawn operational command of all Terran forces in the battle and put him in charge of preparing the planet's defenses, allowing Thrawn to put his genius to work on Earth's defenses.

The Imperial fleet, numbering almost 800 ships and with hundreds of thousands of stormtroopers, reached the wormhole between the Andromeda Galaxy and Milky Way on March 8. A few Terran ships stationed there to provide warning transmitted the warning to Earth before fleeing to Naboo. The Imperial fleet then went through the wormhole and began the journey to Earth.

The Imperial fleet arrived in the Terran system on March 18, 2016. Upon reaching Earth's orbit, they engaged the defensive force, which amounted to about half of the current strength of the Home Fleet. As the Imperial warships engaged the Home Fleet, other Imperial ships began landing operations, concentrating the landings in America, Russia, and Southeast Asia.

##### Battle of Los Angeles

Main Article: Battle of Los Angeles

During the battle in orbit, an Imperial-II class Star Destroyer, badly damaged by the Star Destroyer *TAS St. Petersburg*, lost power and was pulled into Earth's atmosphere by it's gravity. The Star Destroyer crashed in downtown Los Angeles.

After the Star Destroyer crashed, the US military decided to try and evacuate Los Angeles before attempting to destroy the Star Destroyer with air strikes. Troops from the 1st Marine Division and the California National Guard's 40th Infantry Division were sent to Los Angeles to begin evacuating civilians from a certain radius around the Star Destroyer. In the meantime, aircraft the 3rd Marine Air Wing, the *USS Carl Vinson*, and Air Force aircraft stationed at Edwards and Nellis Air Force Bases began attacking Imperial forces in LA to try and keep them contained, as the battleship *Iowa* bombarded Imperial forces within range of its guns.

The battle was mainly comprised of small airstrikes and small scuffles in the streets of LA. During the battle, a squad of Marines, lead by Michael Nantz, after evacuating a small group of civilians, took abandoned motorcycles and used them to travel through the streets of LA until they were able to get behind the stern of the Star Destroyer, where they discovered that the dome covering the ship's reactor was damaged. The Marines called in an air strike, and a flight of F-15E Strike Eagles were able to breach the dome and destroy the reactor, destroying the Star Destroyer.

##### Remaining Ground Battles of Operation Nightcloak

In New York, Vader himself led the Imperial attack. However, the Imperial ground forces found themselves faced not only with Army divisions but entire divisions worth of armed civilians. As the defenders fought them to a standstill, aircraft destroyed most of the Imperial shuttles before the battleships *New Jersey* and *Wisconsin* led a naval force in bombarding the Imperial troops. Vader escaped in one of the few remaining shuttles and traveled south to Washington DC to join the battle there, with the intention of capturing President Obama. However, he was confronted by and dueled Tyler Hall and Ahsoka Tano before being forced to retreat.

In Southeast Asia, forces from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam fought off two landings in the region by Imperial forces, with great success. However, in the landing process, two small Imperial shuttles were forced down on Ramree Island off the coast of Myanmar. The Burmese government dispatched a company of troops to deal with them. During the battle on the island, after a number of stormtroopers had been killed, the rest fled into a mangrove forest, which was home to a rebounding opulation of saltwater crocodiles as well as bull sharks, which quickly began to attack the stormtroopers. Almost half of the remaining stormtroopers were killed and eaten, while the rest were captured by the Burmese.

Throughout America, Imperial forces landed in 8 different places. However, in America more than any other countries, armed civilians rose up to help defend their country, even organizing themselves into divisions to fight alongside the Army.

##### Thrawn's Trap

As Imperial forces were engaging in surface battles, as Thrawn tracked the reinforcements approaching the system, he ordered the planetary shield to be raised. The shield trapped Imperial forces who were unable to retreat back to the fleet in time on Earth.

About two hours after the shield was raised, the other half of the Home Fleet arrived in three different task forces, generating an interdiction field to trap the Imperial fleet.

As the Imperial fleet prepared to engage the reinforcements, a vast bomber force hidden on the moon took off, as Outpost X-Ray, a nuclear missile facility on the moon, launched 239 nuclear missiles at the Imperial fleet, destroying or disabling almost 300 warships. As the Terran fleet began its attack, the Cheyenne Mountain Cyber-warfare Center began cyber attacks against the Imperial fleet, shutting down Imperial warships completely or taking control of them and turning them against one another. During this process, the Super Star Destroyer *TAS Freedom*, in its first battle of the war, engaged the Imperial Super Star Destroyer *Annihilator*, which had already been damaged by a nuclear missile, and finished off the massive ship.

Finally, after Vader returned to the *Executor,* he recognized that the strategies being used were characteristic of Thrawn and deduced Thrawn's new allegiance. Recognizing the Imperial forces were doomed, he ordered a retreat. In the end, only 64 of the original 788 ships were able to escape the Terran system.

The aftermath of the Imperial invasion of Earth, called Operation Nightcloak by the Empire, was incredible and had profound impacts on both sides of the war. The immediate aftermath on Earth and other worlds of the Alliance saw an incredible rise in morale and a vast surge in enlistments as the Terran Alliance realized they could defeat massive Imperial fleets and armies. At the same time, when news broke in the Andromeda Galaxy, the mass demoralization among the Empire was unlike anything ever seen among the Empire. A surge of recruitment for the Rebellion swept across the galaxy in the aftermath of the failed invasion, as well as a surge in defections from the Empire.

### Terran Offensive

#### Thrawn on the front lines

In the aftermath of Operation Nightcloak, Grand Admiral Thrawn was transferred to front line duty after his successful defense of Earth. He took the place of Fleet Admiral Zambellas as the field commander, while Zambellas, now promoted to Grand Admiral, took Thrawn's place as head of the Admiralty.

Immediately after coming to the Andromeda Galaxy, Thrawn set down a plan for an invasion of Malastare. After assembling an invasion fleet and training the ground forces, Thrawn launched June 6, 2016. His tactics with his fleet saw the surrender of the Imperial forces before the Terrans could even begin their landings on the planet.

## Appearances

* *The Terran Alliance Strikes Back (first appearance)*