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Battle of Bilbringi (Galactic Civil War)

First Battle of Xa Fel

Concurrent

Mission to Mount Tantiss

Battle of H'ken asteroid belt

Battle of Bilbringi

Conflict

Galactic Civil War (Thrawn campaign)

Date

9 ABY (44:8:27)^[1]

Place

Bilbringi system

Outcome

New Republic victory

Combatants
New Republic Smugglers' Alliance	Galactic Empire Noghri (later defected)
Commanders
Admiral Ackbar Commander Wedge Antilles Mazzic Aves	Grand Admiral Thrawn† Captain Gilad Pellaeon General Theol Drost Rukh†
Strength
New Republic Defense Fleet: 11 Mon Calamari cruisers^[2] Home One 2 Assault Frigates^[2] Tyrant's Bane Liberty Star 1 Imperial-class Star Destroyer^[2] Freedom^[2] Escort ships^[2] X-wings^[2] Rogue Squadron A-wings^[2] B-wings^[2] Y-wings^[2] Smuggler fleet Etherway Lady Sunfire Kern's Pride Distant Rainbow Raptor Skyclaw Amanda Fallow Dawn Beat Klivering Kai Mir Lastri's Ort Starry Ice	c. 24 Imperial-class Star Destroyer^[2] Chimaera Judicator Death's Head Nemesis Stormhawk Bellicose Inexorable Relentless 8 Interdictor cruisers^[2] Constrainer Sentinel 30 Katana Dreadnaughts^[2] At least 12 Strike cruisers At least 24 Carrack cruisers At least 4 Golan II platforms Green One TIE fighter Black Wing Squadron TIE interceptors 181st Imperial Fighter Wing^[2] TIE bombers Interdictor-class Star Destroyers
Casualties
Heavy casualties Several smuggler ships	Thrawn Rukh All Golan platforms One heavily damaged Imperial II-class Star Destroyer A few Imperial ships "stricken" Presumably all Noghri New Republic occupation of Bilbringi Shipyards

[Source]

"The Chimaera is fully at your command, Admiral."
"Good. Make certain the rest of the assault force is likewise, and inform them we'll be waiting until the Draklor has cleared the area. And then, we'll remind the Rebellion what war is all about."

―Captain Gilad Pellaeon and Grand Admiral Thrawn^[src]

The Battle of Bilbringi took place in 9 ABY between the Imperial forces under Grand Admiral Thrawn and the combined forces of New Republic military and the Smugglers' Alliance. It was the second engagement at Bilbringi fought between the two sides during the Galactic Civil War. The battle was fought at the Imperial shipyarda for the sole reason that both the New Republic and Smuggler's Alliance desired to capture a crystal gravfield trap (CGT), a device that would allow the New Republic to uncover the location of cloaked asteroids that Thrawn had set in orbit over Coruscant.

A consummate strategist, Grand Admiral Thrawn predicted the New Republic assault fleet would target Bilbringi, while a concurrent New Republic attack on the Imperial Ubiqtorate base on Tangrene would be a feint.

1 The battle
2 Aftermath
3 Appearances
4 Sources
5 Notes and references
- 5.1 In other languages

The battleEdit

The Grand Admiral's fleet arrived at Bilbringi to prepare to set a trap for the Rebels. Thrawn instructed his Interdictor Cruisers and Interdictor Star Destroyers to activate their gravity well projectors in anticipation of the imminent Rebel attack. As accurately predicted by Thrawn, the New Republic assault fleet came out of hyperspace outside the Bilbringi perimeter.

Commander Wedge Antilles and Admiral Ackbar realized their fleet had come out of hyperspace too early, and too far out from the Imperial Shipyards. In the distance, a large Imperial fleet was arrayed before the New Republic forces. Several Interdictors were strategically positioned to prevent any escape. At once, Admiral Ackbar recognized the trap.

Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered the Interdictor Cruisers Constrainer and Sentinel, that were the farthest from the main fleet, to secure from entrapment duty and return to the demarcation line, where they would be protected. Then, the Grand Admiral instructed all Imperial warships to engage the enemy fleet.

The Imperial fleet was arrayed in a bowl-shaped formation with the Interdictors forming the outer ring. As the battle began, the Imperial forces hammered the New Republic warships, which were hastily assembled into battle formation and caught in the confusion. For much of the battle, the fight was going clearly in favor of the Imperial fleet.

Unfortunately for the Empire, the Smuggler's Alliance was present at Bilbringi, and decided to aid the New Republic fleet by directly attacking the Imperial Shipyards with the help of Rogue Squadron and some New Republic ships. The four Imperial Golan II platforms that protected the shipyards were unable to hold back the swift attack and the Imperial defensive line was breached.

This tactical change forced the Imperial fleet to divert some of its warships and starfighters to protect the shipyards. Thrawn's second-in-command, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, was dismayed by the sudden change of fortunes, but the Grand Admiral reminded him that the battle was far from over.

Despite Grand Admiral Thrawn's genius, the Imperial fleet was defeated when Thrawn's bodyguard, a Noghri named Rukh, assassinated him aboard the bridge of the Chimaera at the height of the battle. As Captain Pellaeon read aloud an incoming report from Wayland that indicated that Thrawn's cloning facility was under attack, Rukh temporarily incapacitated the Captain by hitting him on the neck. Rukh then stabbed his long assassin's knife into the back of Thrawn's command chair, pinning and killing the Grand Admiral.

AftermathEdit

"But...it was so artistically done..."

―Grand Admiral Thrawn's last words^[src]

Rukh himself was killed by the Chimaera's stormtroopers, led by former Royal Guard Grodin Tierce while trying to escape. Although the fleets were nearly matched, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, realized that without Thrawn's genius, there was no way the Imperial fleet could manage a victory. With the New Republic forces gaining the initiative and many Star Destroyers requesting new orders in light of the tactical change, Pellaeon assumed command and ordered a full retreat towards the Unknown Regions, before later participating in Operation Shadow Hand.

It was Wedge Antilles' actions at the battle that led Mon Mothma to promote him to the rank of general and give him command of Rogue Wing.^[3]