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- "When a planet falls out of line, it too must be corrected. Sometimes this requires the unrelenting power of the entire Imperial Army. Sometimes it requires more than that. Sometimes it requires a Sith Lord."
- ―Mara Jade
The Battle of Zaloriis marked the debut of a new model of All Terrain Armored Transport, secretly researched and constructed on Zaloriis by then-Colonel Maximilian Veers.
Prelude
The Executor heading for Zaloriis
- Transe Decar: "Zaloriis formally declares its independence."
- Darth Vader: "Request denied, Minister."
- ―Transe Decar, moments before his death[src]
In the time following the Battle of Yavin, the population of Zaloriis was growing more and more tired of the Imperial presence on the planet, including the bizarre experiments with walking machines being conducted by Imperial military. Summoned to a meeting with the Zaloriis Minister Transe Decar, Darth Vader walked into a trap, as the rebellious Minister had his troops capture Vader's men and hold him hostage. With little effort, all Zaloriis militia members present were killed by the Dark Lord. He then proceeded to interrogate one of the soldiers as to the location of the captured Imperials. Upon deducing the location of the detention compound, he and his Stormtrooper squad proceeded to head towards it, and freed the troops.
The battle
After regrouping and gathering intelligence on the situation, Vader learned that Colonel Veers had been captured by the local militia and was sentenced to be executed. Ambushing the prison convoy, composed of a column of two mounted troopers and six Zaloriis militiamen, Vader and his troops freed the Colonel, and also recruited several heavy mounted troopers in the process. Upon being informed by Veers about Fondor II being under attack, Vader proceeded towards the city of Fondor II, where they were able to call for reinforcements after wiping out some Rebels.
Vader then assigned some Banthas he and his forces gained on the way over to one of the camp's nurseries.
To gain an advantage in the coming battle, it was decided to liberate the prototype AT-AT walker from the research facility of Camp Culroon. Upon retrieving the walker, Blizzard 1, Vader also managed to gain command of by five heavy Dewback troopers, five repeater troopers, two AT-PTs, two AT-STs, two AT-AAs and five workers, as well as stockpiles of food, ore, carbon and nova crystals. The Galactic Emperor Palpatine then contacted Darth Vader and commanded him to send his forces to subjugate Zaloriis City for its treachery. At the suggestion of Veers, Blizzard 1 was then moved to Fondor II, with one worker being commanded to remain in order to create a carbon processing center in Culroon. Along the way, Vader later had a missile trooper and a worker stop by an ore crystal field, to create a command center and some prefab shelters. Two repeater troopers were also deployed near the construction area, in case the Rebels spotted the development. In addition, some mounted troopers and Mobile proton torpedo launchers ambushed the convoy and attempted to destroy the Blizzard 1, although the escorts drove them off with minimal effort. Upon arriving at Fondor II, the Blizzard 1 was placed in its hangar, where it received armaments and was made ready for battle.
Several Rebel soldiers then were deployed from Zaloriis City to attack an area near the oasis, but several turrets kept them at bay. Vader then sent several workers to mine for nova crystals, carbon and ore deposits near his landing site. Afterwards, taking advantage of the strained defenses of the Rebels due to the desert turret keeping their forces busy, Vader sent three heavy energy pummels and three heavy artillery platforms to overwhelm the Rebel's standing army, with a squad of ten repeater troopers and five anti-air troopers also being sent to back them up. The heavy artillery platforms then proceeded to demolish the turrets guarding Zaloriis City. The Rebels stationed inside, as a last resort, then proceeded to scramble several X-wings and Y-wings to take out the advancing Imperial forces, although many were shot down by the missile troopers. The artillery then weakened the walls enough for the pummels to demolish them. Vader then ordered for Veers to do a test-drive of the Blizzard 1 on the city.
Two Rebel fortresses had been established with the help of the Zaloriis government, and these would bear the brunt of the attack. The AT-AT prototype figured prominently in the onslaught, impressing the Imperial commanders and demoralizing the Zaloran rebels. At the height of the battle, Zaloriis City was devastated by Imperial guns, most notably the ones attached to Blizzard 1.
Aftermath
After the capital had fallen, Veers searched the city library's archives for any information on the Alliance's hideouts. It was then discovered that the Rebels had fled to a new location, somewhere near Elrood.
Behind the scenes
The Battle of Zaloriis was first mentioned in the strategy guide to the 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds during the Darth Vader campaign. The mission and thus the battle was also included in the game's 2002 expansion pack, Clone Campaigns.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
Sources
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Prima's Official Strategy Guide (First mentioned)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 45 (VEE3, General Maximilian Veers)