Battle of Vrogas Vas

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Battle of Vrogas Vas

TheBattle of Vrogas Vas was fought during theGalactic Civil War on theplanetVrogas Vas betweenDarth Vader,ImperialCommanderKarbin and his forces, and theAlliance to Restore the Republic. Using intelligence provided by the roguearchaeologistDr. Aphra, Vader traveled to Vrogas Vas in search ofLuke Skywalker. Lord Vader inflicted heavy casualties on Alliancestarfighters before being rammed into and crash-landing on Vrogas Vas.

Using his mastery of thedark side of the Force, Lord Vader inflicted heavy casualties on rebel space and ground forces and confrontedPrincessLeia Organa. Before Vader could finish off theAlderaanian princess and rebel leader, he was attacked by Commander Karbin and his Imperial forces, who had come to claim Skywalker for themselves in order to curry theEmperor's favor.

Skywalker and his comradesHan Solo,Chewbacca,R2-D2, andC-3PO saw action against both Karbin's Imperial forces andDr Aphra's crew: the murderousdroidsTriple Zero andBeete, and theWookiee bounty hunterKrrsantan. Skywalker was captured by Karbin's forces but Solo and the others managed to defeat Dr Aphra's crew. With the help of Dr Aphra, Vader managed to defeat and kill Karbin, eliminating a threat to his place in the Empire.

Vader then usedthe Force to crash Karbin's shuttle, which was carrying Skywalker. Skywalker reunited with his rebel comrades but were ambushed by Dr Aphra. However, Dr Aphra was knocked unconscious by Princess Leia and taken prisoner by the rebels. The rebels then escaped offworld.

Prelude[]

Following theBattle of Yavin, theSith LordDarth Vader sought to hunt down theRebel Alliance pilot who destroyed theDeath Star. During the rebelattack onCymoon 1, Vader encounteredLuke Skywalker, who revealed that he was at theBattle of Yavin.^[12] Vader continued his hunt for Skywalker, questioningSergeantKreel who had briefly encountered Skywalker while the two were inGrakkus theHutt's service onNar Shaddaa.^[1]

Luke Skywalker, who had learned of the existence of aJedi Temple on theplanetVrogas Vas, traveled to the planet, where aRebel Refueling Base was located. Skywalker was stationed inorbit withRed Squadron.Blue andYellowSquadrons accompanied him. During training exercises, Lord Vader, who had been looking for Skywalker since the Battle of Yavin, exitedhyperspace, having learned of Skywalker's location fromChelli Lona Aphra.^[5]

Unknown to Aphra and Lord Vader, this information had been leaked by Vader's rivalCommanderKarbin, aMon Calamaricyborg who intended to use Vader to eliminate the rebels of Vrogas Vas so that he could claim Skywalker for theEmperorPalpatine.^[11]

The battle[]

The space battle[]

After exiting hyperspace, Lord Vader encountered the Blue, Yellow, and Red Squadrons. Believing Vader to be a scout fighter, theX-wings of Blue Squadron charged at him. However, the Sith Lord'sTIE Advanced evaded the rebels' laser fire due to its powerfuldeflector shields and wiped out the entire squadron. The rebel commander then ordered all units to attack.^[5]

The X-wing Yellow Squadron targeted Vader withproton torpedoes, but hedetonated them early withthe Force before they could hit his fighter. Vader then easily wiped out Yellow Squadron. During the dogfight, Luke Skywalker, who had engaged Vader with Red Squadron, could sense theDark Lord's presence. Vader could likewise sense Skywalker, noting his strength in the Force.^[5]

Realizing that his wingmates could not stop Vader through conventional means, Skywalker broke formation and charged at Vader's TIE Advanced. He collided his X-wing head-on into Vader, sending both pilots crashing down onto the surface of the planet.Red Leader then informed the Alliance forces that they had shot down Lord Vader at a great force and called for assistance in apprehending the Emperor's second in command.^[5]

The ground battle[]

The rebels regrouped, desperate to take advantage of their opportunity tokillDarth Vader. At the refueling base on the planet's surface, the localinfantrygarrison stationed there rallied for a ground assault on the SithLord. At theAlliance Fleet,PrincessLeia Organa andHan Solo were informed of the situation. An entirecompany was mobilized against Vader, andGeneralDoddana had dispatched abattalion to back them up. Organa, Solo,Chewbacca, andC-3PO departed for Vrogas Vas to assist Skywalker. Aphra, fearing Vader's wrath, made her way to the planet as well, along with herdroidsTriple-Zero andBeetee.^[5]

The Alliance command dispatched theY-wingGray Squadron to bomb Vader's wrecked TIE Advanced. However, the Sith Lord destroyed the fighter-bombers by hurling debris at them. The rebel infantry company caught up with Vader and had him surrounded, demanding his surrender.^[5] The Sith refused, engaging them in battle and instead usedthe Force to activate theirgrenades, wiping out much of the unit.^[8]

Lord Vader then killed manyrebel troopers withhis lightsaber. He also took out several tanks as well. During the fighting, Organa, Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO arrived on theMillennium Falcon at the Vrogas Vas base. Following an argument, Organa stayed at the base to command rebel operations while while Solo and Chewbacca left on theFalcon to rescue Skywalker,^[8] who had crash-landed on the planet.^[5]

Later, Commander Organa dispatched theT-47 airspeeders ofCyan Squadron to hunt down Vader. However, the Sith Lord used his TIE Advanced's blaster array to shoot them down.^[8] Later, Commander Organa ledDelta Squad into the battlefield, accompanied by C-3PO. However, the unit was ambushed by Lord Vader, whoForce choked the entire squad with the exception of Leia and C-3PO.^[10]

Hunting Skywalker[]

Arriving in-system around thistime aboard her starshipArk Angel, Aphra took her two murderous droids, theprotocol droidTriple Zero andBeetee, along with her on a journey to the surface of Vrogas Vas to find and capture Skywalker and bring him to Vader. Triple Zero and Dr Aphra also discussed Skywalker's rebel associates and decided them should they pose a threat.^[8]

After using an airbrush to disguise Triple Zero as C-3PO, Aphra and her droids managed to capture Skywalker.^[8] R2-D2 tried to defend his master but was no matched for Beetee's weaponry and was forced to retreat. Before Aphra and her team could return to their ship, they were ambushed by Han Solo and Chewbacca. While Solo exchanged fire with Aphra, Chewbacca ripped off one of Triple Zero's arms but was incapacitated byMandalorian xenotox.^[10]

During the fighting, Solo and Aphra disturbed two nest ofwasp-worms and were incapacitated by the creatures. Before Triple Zero could eliminate Chewbacca, Skywalker cut off his remaining arm with a lightsaber and impaled him through the chest. Skywalker, Solo, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 then escaped Beetee, who unleashed hisflamethrower but was blinded by a paint bomb fired by R2-D2.^[10]

Unexpected threats[]

Elsewhere in the battlefield, Lord Vader confronted Organa but sensed a new threat through the Force. While Lord Vader was distracted, Princess Leia returned to C-3PO and told him to find Skywalker and get out of here. Leia planned to order a bombing run byAmber Wing on her position, hoping to kill Vader in the process.^[9]

Meanwhile, Skywalker, Solo, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 returned to theFalcon and decided to rescue Princess Leia after learning of her planned last stand via R2-D2'stransmitter. Before they could assist Leia, theWookieebounty hunterKrrsantan, who was in the service of Dr Aphra, rammed hisAuzituck anti-slaver gunship into theFalcon. While Chewbacca and Krrsantan grappled with each other, Skywalker was sent by Solo to save Organa.^[9]

In the midst of the fighting, Triple Zero and Beetee encountered C-3PO. After incapacitating him, the two droids stole his arms and rotated his head, leaving him standing in the mist alone. Elsewhere, Lord Vader caught up with Princess Leia at a speeder. Princess Leia then transmitted her coordinates to Amber Wing.^[9]

However, Amber Wing was unable to carry out her orders when they were intercepted and shot down by aTIE fighter squadron under the command ofImperialCommanderKarbin, who wanted to kill Lord Vader and curry the Emperor's favor by capturing Skywalker. Karbin revealed his plans to a surviving Amber Wing pilot before killing him.^[9]

Karbin's gambit[]

Interrupting Lord Vader's argument with Leia, Karbin confronted Vader, telling him of his plan to take Skywalker and Princess Leia and to usurp his position with the Emperor. He then engaged Vader in alightsaberduel. Princess Leia took the opportunity to flee. Vader managed to cut off one of Karbin's limbs. The cyborg retreated into the Jedi Temple where he ambushed Vader.^[11]

Meanwhile, Black Krrsantan overpowered both Chewbacca and Han Solo. Solo managed to get R2-D2 to inject Chewbacca with a drug that counteracted the effects of the Mandalorian xenotox, allowing Chewbacca to stop Krrsantan from crushing him with a rock. However, Krrsantan was still too strong and managed to gain the upper hand over both Chewbacca and Skywalker.^[11]

Near the ruins of theJedi Temple, Skywalker was fired upon by a squad ofstormtroopers, but thetroopers were attacked by BT-1, on orders from Aphra to capture Skywalker for Vader, allowing therebel pilot to flee unharmed. However, Karbin'stroops eventually caught up with Skywalker and apprehended him.^[11]

Shortly later, a damaged C-3PO arrived at theFalcon where Black Krrsantan was choking Solo. Unable to help, C-3PO got R2-D2 to record a distress call to Princess Leia.^[11] Hearing C-3PO's message, Leia abandoned her plan to kill Vader told C-3PO to do all he could to help Han and promised to rejoin them. C-3PO attempted to reason with Black Krrsantan but the Wookiee punched him. However, C-3PO's circuits had been damaged during his encounter with Aphra's droids and the Wookiee was electrocuted. This allowed Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 respite from Black Krrsantan.^[7]

After sighting Karbin's forces loading Skywalker aboard ashuttle, Dr Aphra contacted Vader and offered her services as compensation for her failure to capture Skywalker. Under Vader's instructions, Aphra rammed theArk Angel onto a natural stone bridge that Vader had maneuvered Karbin into. The ensuing crash destroyed the ship and badly wounded Karbin. Lord Vader then killed Karbin but not before telling the Mon Calamari cyborg of his deep interest in Skywalker.^[7]

Aftermath[]

Rebel evacuation[]

The Battle of Vrogas Vas was a heavy defeat for the Rebel Alliance which lost considerable space and ground forces on the planet. After repairing C-3PO, Solo and his team sighted Karbin's shuttle departing with the captive Skywalker. However, Vader brought down the shuttle Karbin's forces and Skywalker, allowing the young Jedi to make his escape. Beetee killed the surviving Imperial guards under Triple Zero's orders.^[7]

Returning to theFalcon, the rebels met Dr Aphra who attempted to force them to surrender by threatening to activate micro-mines buried beneath then. While Dr Aphra was distracted by a verbal argument with Skywalker and Solo, Princess Leia knocked her unconscious with a sucker punch. Since Dr Aphra had valuable information, Leia decided to take herprisoner. The rebels escaped aboard theFalcon after exchanging fire with a stormtrooper patrol.^[7]

Following the battle, Princess Leia transferred Dr Aphra aboard the rebel allySana Starros' shipVolt Cobra. Dr Aphra was transported toSunspot Prison, a secret rebel prison for Imperials.^[3] After the prison was attacked by a vengeful rebel namedEneb Ray, Aphra joined forces with her captors in defeating Ray. She subsequently escaped with the help of Starros, who shoved her into an escape pod.^[13]

Legacy[]

In28 ABY,^[15] Organa's bravery at the battle was mentioned byNew RepublicsenatorVarish Vicly in aNew Republic Senate session during Organa's campaign to becomeFirst Senator.^[16]

At some point after the battle,Resistance pilotPoe Dameron read reports of the battle and noted inThe Rebel Files that no pilot, including himself, should ever be as skilled as Vader had been during the battle.^[14]

Appearances[]

• Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original
• Vader Down 1(First appearance)
• Darth Vader (2015) 13
• Star Wars (2015) 13
• Darth Vader (2015) 14
• Star Wars (2015) 14
• Darth Vader (2015) 15
• Star Wars (2015) 16(Indirect mention only in Opening crawl)
• Star Wars (2015) 17(Indirect mention only)
• Darth Vader (2015) 16(Indirect mention only)
• Darth Vader (2015) 20(Mentioned only)
• "The Misadventures of Triple-Zero and Beetee" —Darth Vader (2015) 20(Indirect mention only)
• The Screaming Citadel 1(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars (2015) 31(Indirect mention only)
• Doctor Aphra (2016) 25(Indirect mention only)
• "Epilogue" —Empire Ascendant 1(Indirect mention only)
• Darth Vader (2020) 50(Indirect mention only)
• Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent 3(Indirect mention only)
• Bloodline(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)

Sources[]

• Star Wars Helmet Collection: Poe DameronDatabank A-Z: Kaminoans–King Katuunko(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: The Rebel Files
• Star Wars: Destiny —LegaciesCard:Dive (backup link)(Picture only)
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
• Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 12Starfighter Aces: Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra — Galactic Hunter for Hire

• Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition(First identified as Battle of Vrogas Vas)
• The Star Wars Book
• InStar Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy, Go Inside the Crucible of War onStarWars.com(backup link)
• Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
• "Pilots of the Rebel Alliance" —Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Marvel Unleashes the Cover forKrrsantan: Star Wars Tales #1 – Exclusive Reveal onStarWars.com(backup link)(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: Timelines
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy

Notes and references[]