Battle of Mindor
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Battle of Mindor was fought between the New Republic and the forces of Shadowspawn, as part of the campaign for the control of the Inner Rim.
Contents |
[edit] The Battle
The Rapid Response Task Force was sent to Mindor to end Lord Shadowspawn's plans for conquest. Although the Response Force faced no capital ship opposition, the forces of Shadowspawn utilized hangar bases on the planet Mindor and on nearby asteroids to launch over a thousand TIE series starfighters.
Shadowspawn's shadow stormtroopers were entrenched in fortified pockets across the world, and New Republic forces, under the command of General Luke Skywalker, were forced to combat them one by one. Shadowspawn had chosen Mindor because it was ringed with the debris from the Big Crush, and this debris formed a screen of randomly-moving rocks and meteors that were nearly impossible to plot. This forced the Rapid Response Task Force to either a high-risk attack using only starfighters, or carry a mission of overwhelming force, smashing the entire fleet through the debris and bombarding Shadowspawn's base from low orbit. During the planning sessions for the battle, General Skywalker emphasized the fact that any New Republic operation had to utterly destroy Lord Shawdowpawn's forces. Any survivors would be able to form their own cells of opposition, creating a situation in which the New Republic would be forced to fight skirmishes on a multitude of fronts.
The leaders of the Combined Defence Forces opted to launch a mission of overwhelming force. The battle plan called for the the flagship Justice to lead the RRTF into position near Mindor, using microjumps to get inside the asteroid field before deploying interdiction cruisers to prevent any ships from escape into hyperspace. At the sight of the Republic's ships, Shawdowspawn launched a small group of his starfighters, and a brief skirmish took place before an apparently unharmed shuttle hailed the Justice. The transmissions from the shuttle stated that Lord Shadowspawn himself was aboard, hoping to negotiate a cease-fire. However, the shuttle was a ruse. It contained a gravity bomb that exploding so close to the Justice that it tore the ship apart almost instantly. Other gravity mines, hidden in the rubble near the planet, were then activated, wreaking havoc with the Republic's forces and compromising the interdiction field. In the resulting confusion, the rest of Shadowspawn's forces launched from their hiding places among the asteroids, trapping the Republic vessels against Mindor.
In the days that followed, the Imperial forces on Mindor sent wave after wave of TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors at the Republic's forces, and despite the overwhelming number of Imperial fighters, the 23rd Combat Starfighter Wing was able to gain a defensive perimeter around it's capital ships. Captain Tirossk, having assumed command of the RRTF after the loss of the Justice, began using repulsors and gravity wells to collect the asteriods into cohesive groups, thus clearing a pathway that can be used to escape into hyperspace. The Republic's forces were then bolstered by the sudden appearances of a task force led by Lando Calrissian, who had learned of the problems on Mindor and was able to react in time, even recruiting a team of Mandalorians led by Mandalore Fenn Shysa to assist the Republic's forces.
Meanwhile, large pieces of debris from the Big Crush hurtled into the star Taspan, creating a series of explosions on the sun's surface. These explosions spewed radiation into the surrouding system, rendering all electronic devices useless. Lando and Tirossk moved the Republic's fleet close to Mindor itself, using the planet to shield them from the radiation while allowing it to knock out the gravity mines and gravity stations that littered the asteroid field. On the surface, Skywalker was captured by Shadowspawn, who turned out to be a figurehead created by Lord Cronal. Skywalker learned how Cronal was using meltmassif stones to control his Pawns, and with the help of Nick Rostu, managed to get free of the Imperials. Luke then had to confront Lord Cronal before he can capture Leia Organa. Han Solo and Leia Organa also participated in the battle, and afterward shared a stale meal together while still surrounded by dead stormtroopers.
Lando and Shysa realized that, by hiding on the dark side of Mindor, they were able to bring their troops to the surface of the planet while hiding in the radiation. This allowed them to get landers and troops - both Republic marines and Mandalorians - close enough to the weapons protecting the fortress to penetrate the stormtrooper lines and breach the domes covering the gravity gun. However, this played into Cronal's hands, since it concentrated the Republic's forces. Cronal then set off the gravity stations he had buried beneath Shadow Base, lifting the entire fortress into the sky, where the Imperials were able to use their gravity gun with devastating results. Lando Calrissian was forced to move his fleet further away from Mindor in order to avoid the growing possibility that the planet might tear itself apart after Shadow Base lifted free, hoping that his ships could defend themselves against the radiation pouring from Taspan. This gave the Republic ships to surround Shadow Base, and then Lando put his own desparate plan into action. Using the gravity well projectors of his interdiction cruisers, Lando sent Imperial gravity bombs back to their source on Shadow Base.
After Lord Cronal denied a chance to take over Leia Organa's body, he fled the system in an escape craft, but not before using his meltmassif connection to his military forces to compel them into a series of suicides runs at the Republic's forces. In space, the Imperial pilots flung their TIE Interceptors and TIE Defenders at the Republic's warships, smashing their fighters into the nearest capital ship. In the Shadow Base, Luke confronted Kar Vastor, who was being controlled by Lord Cronal, and was able to use the huge man's strength in the Force to confront and destroy Cronal. With Cronal's death, the Imperial forces he had been controlling were freed, and laid down their arms in surrender. However, in destroying Cronal and restoring the light for the Melters, Luke was forced to set off the semi-organic deadmen switches that Cronal had installed in the meltmassif crystal networks in the brains and Crowns of his minions. General Skywalker deeply regretted the fact that this led to the immediate deaths of all Imperial troops on Mindor, some 50,000 beings who were nothing but pawns in Cronal's attempt to gain power. The New Rupublic's warships were able to forge a hyperspace escape route from the system, and with survivors loaded in their holds, the ships barly outran the destruction of the Taspan system.
[edit] Aftermath
The tragic loss of life caused Skywalker to resign from the military six months later, when he was unable to reconcile the unnecessary loss of life with his commitment to the Force and restoring the Jedi Order.
[edit] Appearances
- Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (First appearance)
- The Courtship of Princess Leia (Mentioned only) (First identified as Battle of Mindor)
[edit] Sources
- Dark Empire Sourcebook (First mentioned)
- The Essential Chronology
- The New Essential Chronology
- The History of the Mandalorians
