Warning: This infobox has missing parameters: unit2, unit1 and unrecognized parameters: imageBG The Third Battle of DS 5 was a conflict during the Battle for Honor campaign during the Galactic Civil War.
Prelude
In 3 ABY, Admiral Harkov, an Imperial Navy officer who defected to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, attempted to resupply at the Rebel outpost DS 5. Hunting him down, Imperial forces raided the supplies being shipped in to the Rebel outpost, and later destroyed several cargo vessels on their way there. The Imperial flight group Mu was led by Maarek Stele, an a Imperial ace fighter pilot who Harkov attempted to kill earlier. He was leading the effort to take him out along with Darth Vader, to get revenge on Harkov for killing his mentor earlier, Admiral Mordon. Time came for a direct raid against Harkov's fleet.
The battle
Imperial forces stranded Harkov’s Star Destroyer Protector following the successful interdiction of the Rebel supply convoy. Imperial leaders chose this time to eliminate Harkov’s fighter screen of TIE Avengers. Keeping the pressure on, Assault Gunboat pilots from Mu integrated themselves into fresh TIE Avenger starfighters, leveling the playing field against Harkov’s relentless waves of Avengers in previous missions. Avengers Mu returned to the system near platform DS 5 with orders to destroy as many enemy TIE Avengers as possible, at least fifty percent of Harkov’s squadrons, to pave the way for the next phase of the attack. Agents of the Secret Order of the Emperor had instructed at least one pilot from group Mu to inspect any transport craft that may enter the system, hoping to establish Harkov’s exact location.
Imperial pilots noticed two Cargo Ferries laying a minefield around DS 5 as they squared off with incoming Avengers from H-Beta Squadron. In the moments to follow, Imperial starfighters collided in a maelstrom of missile and laser fire. Having finished the minefield, Harkov’s Cargo Ferries entered hyperspace as rogue and loyalist TIE Avengers continued their furious dogfight. As loyalist starfighter pilots gained the upper hand, a single fighter disengaged to inspect the new arrival from the Protector's hangar. Emerging from the Protector the shuttle Toten headed to platform DS 5, while the Protector subsequently prepped its hyperdrive engines. Avenger Mu 2 passed shuttle Toten just before it entered the hangar, revealing Harkov was inside. Imperial fighters had successfully eliminated the required first half of Harkov’s Avengers as two Alliance Assassin-class corvettes Wurger arrived. Mu 2 again diverted to inspect Wurger 1 and 2, moreover upon discovering troops aboard, Mu 2 proceeded to destroy corvettes Wurger single-handedly. With the successful destruction of countless Avengers and corvettes Wurger, Imperial starfighters left the system to prepare for the final assault.