The Black Fleet Crisis was a period that ran from 16–17 ABY defined by political upheaval within the New Republic and a military conflict in the Koornacht Cluster between the New Republic Defense Force and the Yevethan Dushkan League.

Origins

When the Galactic Empire expanded into the Koornacht Cluster following the end of the Clone Wars, they discovered the Yevetha species and also noted the Yevetha’s rapid ability to learn new skills. The Imperials subjugated the Yevethan homeworld of N'zoth and its nearby star systems, built the Black 15 shipyards and put the Yevetha to work as skilled slave labor building, repairing and modifying vessels of the Imperial Starfleet.

About eight months after the Battle of Endor, the Imperial garrison at N’zoth was ordered to retreat and destroy the repair yard. Before they could initiate their withdrawal, an assault led by chief commando Nil Spaar took advantage of the Empire’s view of the Yevetha as mindless labor and seized control of the vessels undergoing repairs, the operational warships and the yards. Imperials were killed or enslaved.

Over the next decade and a half, the Yevetha developed their technical capabilities, developed advanced technologies in the form of starship shielding, gravity bombs, Aramadia-class thrustships and D-type fighters. They established the Duskhan League, which grew to encompass thirteen worlds.

In 16 ABY, the Dushkan League came out of its isolation to engage the New Republic, which was enjoying a period of peace marked by increased member applications, economic prosperity and military innovation, as well as the development of a bloated and divided bureaucracy. A delegation led by now-Viceroy Nil Spaar arrived at Coruscant to seek a peaceful coexistence.

Using the New Republic’s lack of intelligence on the Dushkan League and Senatorial political infighting to his advantage, Nil Spaar extended his negotiations with Chief of State Leia Organa Solo over a period of weeks. Pressured by military and intelligence advisors who sought answers, and potentially an ally against the Core Imperial strongholds, Organa Solo entered the discussions, only to find herself on the receiving end of a political plot to throw the New Republic into confusion. During this period he played into her empathy towards a species subjugated by the Empire, allowing him to cultivate assets on Coruscant.

However, Admiral Hiram Drayson, head of the secretive wing of New Republic Intelligence, Alpha Blue, suspected that the Yevetha were hiding something and arranged for an unarmed scouting craft to make a reconnaissance mission deep in the Koornacht Cluster. Unfortunately, the Yevetha intercepted and destroyed it. Spaar used this as his opportunity to set off a series of political machinations that sowed confusion amongst the New Republic. First, he accused Organa Solo of "warmongering" and begged for the Yevetha to be left in peace. Weary of going to war, many New Republic citizens expressed outrage towards the Chief of State and several member worlds even went as far as submitting articles of withdrawal.

The Great Purge

Finally, Nil Spaar returned to his people, and with the New Republic in disarray, the Yevetha launched a campaign of brutal expansion and colonization through the use of the lost ships of Black Sword Command. The Yevethan Purge, called the Great Purge, the Cleansing or Second Birth by the Yevetha, saw the elimination of entire species like the Corasgh and communities like the Norat Sovereignty, and the colonization of many nearby star systems in the Koornacht Cluster. Plat Mallar, a novice Grannan pilot, would be the sole survivor of one of these raids on his home planet of Polneye - and would later become the face of the Great Purge.

When news reached the New Republic, Spaar claimed to be defending the Yevethan people against New Republic aggression and that the genocide was the extermination of so-called "alien vermin". He threatened Organa Solo with full-scale war if she did not back her stance. For the Chief of State, this was a disaster since the Purge had failed to rouse the New Republic unlike Zsinj, Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign, the Reborn Emperor Palpatine's insurgency and Daala.

Due to the Koornacht Cluster's remote location in the Deep Core, many refused to sacrifice the lives of countless New Republic soldiers to defend such remote worlds and were furious with Organa Solo for suggesting so. However, the Chief of State presented the Yevetha with an ultimatum, ordering the Dushkan League to withdraw from conquered territories. If they refused, war would be declared on the Yevetha. Nil Spaar responded by calling her a bluff. Thus, full-scale war would prove inevitable for the New Republic.

First shots

At the colony world of Doornik-319 in the system of the same name in the Koornacht Cluster, the New Republic's new Fifth Battle Group and the Dushkan League clashed. Prior to the battle, Morning's Bell, a Kubaz colony world within the system, had been razed by the Yevetha during the Great Purge.

The New Republic attempted to blockade the system in an effort to halt the Yevethan progress across the Koornacht Cluster. The Fifth Battle Group was sent to the system and thus the blockade began. During the battle, the New Republic deployed the new K-wing bombers.

However, the Yevetha broadcasted a message across all wavelengths which contained the plea of countless captives who begged for the New Republic to retreat from the Koornacht Cluster lest they die along with their Yevethan captors. This tactic worked and greatly demoralized the New Republic forces. Most of the K-Wing bomber pilots on the front line hesitated, and the Yevethan fleet attacked.

The New Republic retreated in disgrace and the Yevethans retained control of the Doornik-319 system. In response, several disgruntled New Republic senators began petitioning a recall against Organa Solo on charges of incompetence and for the endangerment of the lives of Defense Force personnel. Though the petition failed, it was a harbinger of more to come. In the face of opposition, the Chief of State was unwilling to back down and the incident only increased her legendary resolve.

Confrontation deepens

In the following weeks, reconnaissance efforts by the New Republic into the Cluster revealed that every warship in the lost Black Fleet including the Super Star Destroyer, which had been renamed Pride of Yevetha, was in the hands of the League. The Fifth Battle Group was dispatched to patrol the borders of the Koornacht Cluster in response. The famous Han Solo was temporarily made a commodore and placed in charged of this force. However, on the way to take command of the Fifth, his shuttle was yanked out of hyperspace by a Yevethan Immobilizer 418 cruiser and he was brought before the Nil Spaar on N'zoth.

When word of this reached Organa Solo, one of her strongest allies in the government, Senator Doman Beruss of Illodia urged Organa to present a Vote of No Confidence to the New Republic Senate, with Borsk Fey'lya eagerly whipping up votes to support him as interim Chief of State. With her husband a captive of the enemy, some senators thought that the Chief of State would sacrifice the lives of countless Defense Force personnel in a campaign to rescue him while other believed that Organa Solo should be replaced with someone else.

Despite this loss, Leia refused to back her stance on the Dushkan League and also refused to send in her brother Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his Jedi on a mission to rescue Han and infiltrate the Dushkan League's territory.

Meanwhile, on N'zoth, Han rejected an offer by Nil Spaar to convince his wife to back her stance on the Yevetha. Spaar warned Solo that the new Republic would fall to the fanatical Dushkan League and that his people would never ever surrender and that they would fight even to the last. Han was then moved to a cell onboard the Pride of Yevetha.

Black Nine demolished

While patrolling the star-dense cluster in Triangle-High Forward formation, Commodore Brand's patrol group discovered the ILC-905 system was being used by the Yevetha as a jump point. In addition, Folna was able to detect two docked starships at the shipyard around Prildaz.

Indomitable and Vanguard engaged the two docked thrustships, but were ambushed by another pair, Tholos and Rizaron. After being joined by Marauder, the New Republic patrol was able to gain a tactical advantage that Brand pressed against the Yevethan starships.

After Vanguard succumbed to a brace of enemy fire, Two K-wings of Red Flight, piloted by Esege Tuketu and Dogo, broke off from their successful bombing runs against Black Nine shipyards to deliver a penetrating load against Tholos. With its navigational systems damaged, Tholos plunged into a nearby planet, prompting the remaining thrustships to flee.

While only eleven minutes long, the engagement proved crucial in the New Republic's campaign against the Yevetha by providing knowledge on how to defeat their advanced deflector shield technology. This resulted in a New Republic victory in the conflict though it further worsened the hostilities between the Dushkan League and the Republic.

War declared

In retaliation, Nil Spaar transmitted a private hologram to Organa Solo which showed him brutally assaulting Han Solo for twenty minutes. At the end, Spaar spoke only three words: "Leave Koornacht now." Unfortunately, this tactic proved devastating for the Yevetha since it gave the Republic reason to invade the Koornacht Cluster. With her advisers at her side, Leia bypassed the Senate and addressed Beruss's petition of no confidence and declared war on the Yevetha by invoking Article Five of the Common Charter. During her speech before the assembled ranks of the Senate, she asked the senators not to forget the thousands killed during the Great Purge and to do something to stop the expanse of the Yevetha. This inspiring speech was given a place in the annals of modern oratory.

Luckily for the New Republic, several Wookiees including Chewbacca displayed courage typical of their species by making a run on the Super Star Destroyer Pride of Yevetha and firing on it. The Millennium Falcon was able to attach itself to the Pride and cut through its hull, allowing Chewbacca and his young son to board the ship and rescue Han.

With war inevitable, the Fifth Battle Group entered into conflict with the fanatical Yevetha deep in the Koornacht Cluster. The fighting grew fierce but the New Republic would receive help from two surprising sources: the Fallanassi and Camp Pa'aal Squadron - a secret group of surviving Imperials led by Sil Sorannan. Soon, the fight would take place at the Yevethan capital of N'zoth itself.

The Fallanasi Wialu and Akanah, found by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, used their powers to generate an illusory "phantom fleet" at the Battle of N'zoth which made the New Republic fleet appear larger than it actually was and diverted enemy fire, saving the lives of many New Republic crewbeings. This cut off much of the coordination with other Yevethan warships in the Koornacht Cluster. The Yevethan fleet was severely beaten by the Republic's ships, due mainly to the data gathered by the Republic at the preceding Battle of ILC-905. As the Yevetha formed up their fleet, Sil Sorannan and the Camp Pa'aal Squadron used a hidden command override to retake the Imperial vessels in the Yevethan Fleet, including the flagship Pride of Yevetha, which had previously been Intimidator, in the name of the Empire.

This left the Yevetha without a central fleet and without a leader, for their commander, Nil Spaar, was ejecting into an escape pod into hyperspace and stranded in hyperspace by Sorannan. The remaining Yevethan ships refused to surrender, forcing the New Republic fleet to destroy them completely. Losses were heavy for the Republic, as midway through the battle the phantom fleet disappeared as Wialu became fatigued.

Near the end, the remaining Thrustships launched fighters on kamikaze missions, damaging a number of Republic vessels. Despite the heavy losses, which included the Star Destroyer Yakez and a number of smaller ships, the New Republic fleet destroyed the entire Yevethan fleet present at the battle, ending the Black Fleet Crisis.

Aftermath

The conflict concluded with a Yevethan loss at the Battle of N'zoth and the death of Nil Spaar at the hands of Sil Sorannan. A victorious New Republic disarmed the Yevetha and kept them under close watch. It is unclear how long the New Republic’s close watch of the Yevetha continued, but active patrols were removed by at least 25 ABY. However, no one actually entered the N'zoth system in that decade, during which the Yevetha built up an even larger force than the Black Fleet, consisting of thousands of Aramadia-class thrustships.

It was then that the Galantos Guard encountered the Yuuzhan Vong. In exchange for what the Galantos believed to be protection from the extragalactic invaders, they informed the Yuuzhan Vong of the brutal Yevetha and the threat they may pose. Taking heed, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the N’zoth system. The details of the battle may never be known, but if the Yevethan and Yuuzhan Vong tactics say anything, the Yuuzhan Vong destroyed every single ship in the system, and unleashed a horrible orbital bombardment on N'zoth that rendered the planet a molten wasteland. At the end of the conflict the Yevetha were either extinct or severely endangered.

Battles

• Yevethan Purge
• Blockade of Doornik-319
• Battle of ILC-905
• Battle of N'zoth

Appearances

• Before the Storm (First appearance)
• Shield of Lies
• Tyrant's Test

Sources

• The Essential Chronology
• The New Essential Chronology