Battle of Khuiumin

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"The Imperial Star Destroyers Bombard and Crusader limped back to Ord Grovner Naval Base this week after dealing a death-blow to the arrogant and once-almighty Eyttyrmin Pirates of the Khuiumin system."
―TriNebulon News[src]

The Battle of Khuiumin was fought between the Galactic Empire and the Eyttyrmin Batiiv pirates, resulting in the pirates destruction. The survivors formed the Khuiumin Survivors and vowed revenge against the Imperial commanders of that battle.

Prelude

"The two destroyers were dispatched by Admiral Freeda last week to destroy the pirate menace. The murderous rogues chose to stand and fight rather than abandon their base, confident in their ability to hold the system."
―TriNebulon News[src]

For years, the infamous pirates had been using the Khuiumin system as a base of operations. The Emperor finally dispatched the Victory-class Star Destroyers Bombard, commanded by Captain Alistar Dadefra, and Crusader,[4] commanded by Zlece Oonaar,[5] to put an end to their threat. Although the Eyttyrmin Batiivs were aware of the impending Imperial attack, they were confident in their ability to defeat a pair of "antiquated" Victory-class ships. Instead of fleeing, the pirates chose to gather their forces and make their stand at Khuiumin.[4]

The pirate armada numbered over 140 ships, including about 70 starfighters, 50 missile boats converted from yachts and other civilian ships, several dozen cargo vessels armed with with improvised weaponry, and 28 stolen corvettes and patrol ships.[4]

The battle

"Though the pirate armada, consisting of over 150 ships, boasted ample firepower to pose a serious threat to two Victory-class destroyers, superior Imperial tactics and training carried the day in the end. The three-day battle ranged across the entire Khuiumin system, and culminated in the destruction of the pirate base itself."
―TriNebulon News[src]

Bombard and Crusader exited hyperspace and launched their TIE/LN starfighters. While Crusader offered supporting fire from a distance, Captain Dadefra chose to plunge his Star Destroyer into the middle of the pirate fleet. Although it was screened by TIE fighters, the Bombard took heavy damage. However, through a bold move by the Imperials, the tide of the battle began to turn in their favor.[4]

Using its tractor beam projectors, Bombard grabbed hold of several corvettes. Turbolaser fire stripped the corvettes of most of their weaponry, and the helpless ships were reeled in to shield the Star Destroyer from the other pirate ships. Captain Dadefra ordered his ship to jam communications, sowing confusion amongst the pirate fleet. The Eyttyrmin Batiivs were caught in a dilemma: they weren't able to get a clear shot at the Star Destroyer, but they were also unwilling to destroy their own heaviest ships. The pirates made repeated, uncoordinated attempts to destroy Bombard's tractor beam projectors, but they were beaten back with precise turbolaser fire and volleys of concussion missiles.[4]

While the pirates continued to make futile attacks upon his ship, Captain Dadefra deployed his Zero-G Assault Stormtroopers. Braving enemy fire, the troopers flew across space and seized control of the nearby corvettes. Dadefra then sent half of Bombard's gunners to his newly acquired ships. Suddenly faced with not only Star Destroyers, but their own corvettes, the Eyttyrmin Batiiv forces panicked and flew into disarray. Most of the pirates tried to flee the system by escaping into hyperspace. However, they were easily intercepted by Crusader, which had remained at a distance for this exact purpose. Another group of pirates fled to their base on Khuiumin's surface, where they prepared their defenses for one final stand. The Eyttyrmin Batiivs who chose to continue fighting were annihilated.[4] The quick thinking of a young pirate named Jacob Nive saved many of the remaining Eyttyrmin Batiiv from certain death, but could not change the battle's outcome.

Less than a day after the battle, Crusader delivered the final blow to the base on Khuiumin. A barrage of assault concussion missiles shattered the base's shields and destroyed the remaining pirates. The Eyttyrmin Batiivs were completely routed. In a single battle, their once sizable fleet was wiped away. Out of 8,000 pirates, fewer than 275 escaped with their lives. Imperial casualties numbered only 86 dead and 238 wounded.[4]

Aftermath

"...Fewer than 275 out of 8,000 escaped alive."
―Account of the Imperial defeat of the Eyttyrmin Batiiv pirate gang[6]

The few surviving pirates took with them a single corvette, the Backstab, whose Captain Jacob Nive led them as the Khuiumin Survivors. The survivors eventually learned the names of the Imperial commanders and vowed revenge. Jacob Nive organized the group into a high-skilled mercenary-like group[6] and even integrated other, smaller pirate bands into his organization. Revenge finally came first in 1 ABY, when the Khuiumin Survivors aided the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Derilyn and destroyed the Star Destroyer Brazen, Alistar Dadefra's new command[2] and tracked down and killed Zlece Oonaar.[5]

Warning: The following section contains information from a Star Wars Legends source that was released outside of the Lucas Licensing process, and its licensing status was never confirmed by Lucasfilm Ltd.

Some other survivors fled under the guidance of the pirate Omin. They went to the Tragan system, in the Outer Rim Territories, and founded Providence, with the remains of their now unusable starships.[9]

Unlicensed information ends here.

Behind the scenes

The Battle of Khuiumin first appeared in the short story Against the Pirate Armada, published in West End Games' The Star Wars Sourcebook. When the game was updated to the Second Edition, the story was republished in the revised Sourcebook. The battle has since been mentioned in several works that included the Khuiumin Survivors.

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Galaxywide NewsNets" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 5
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Operation: Elrood
  3. ↑ "Galaxywide NewsNets" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 6
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 The Star Wars Sourcebook, p. 33
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 I, Jedi
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, p. 59-60
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Star Wars Sourcebook, p. 32
  8. ↑ The number of the cargo haulers and ore carriers is given as a few dozen
  9. ↑ "Providence"—Avalon 1
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