Raid on Reef Fortress

"It would seem that this plot is rather extensive. Our entire fortress is overrun, and I see no means of escape."

―Ta'a Chume, during the raid on Reef Fortress

In 23 ABY, a squad of Bartokk assassins hired by Ambassador Yfra raided Reef Fortress in an attempt to assassinate the matriarch of Hapes, Ta'a Chume. The assassins arrived on the island in an assault craft, cut off all power to the fortress, and entered by climbing the wall of the stronghold. Jedi trainees Tenel Ka, Lowbacca, Jacen Solo, and Jaina Solo, who were staying at the fortress, killed several of the Bartokks, rescued Ta'a Chume by helping her climb out the window of her bedchamber, and fled the island in a small wavespeeder. Jaina piloted the wavespeeder into some deadly carnivorous seaweed, which pulled the assassins, along with their craft, into the ocean. Ta'a Chume then drove the wavespeeder to Fountain Palace, the personal residence of the Hapan Queen Mother, and arrested Yfra.

Prelude

"We are fine warriors. There is nothing like a physical challenge to make the day more relaxing."
"Yeah, we are quite a team, aren't we? Real young Jedi Knights."

―Tenel Ka and Jacen Solo, after escaping from some carnivorous seaweed

In 23 ABY, Lowbacca, Jacen Solo, and Jaina Solo, who were Jedi trainees at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on the moon Yavin 4, arrived on the planet Hapes to visit their friend Tenel Ka, who was recovering from a lightsaber accident that had occurred at the academy and left her with only one arm. They stayed at Fountain Palace, the royal residence of the Hapan Queen Mother, until a bomb went off in the dining hall where they were to eat. Because of this danger, the youths were sent to Reef Fortress, a private, isolated sanctuary of the Hapan Royal House, which was located on a small island in an ocean on Hapes. There, the friends were guarded by Ambassador Yfra, who was the personal ambassador of the Hapan matriarch Ta'a Chume, Tenel Ka's grandmother, and some Hapan Honor Guards.

Later, Yfra suggested that the young Jedi should take a short trip out on the ocean in a wavespeeder. Unbeknownst to the youths, Yfra programmed the wavespeeder to bring them into an area of dangerous carnivorous seaweed, because she wanted to kill them as part of her plot to overtake the Hapan monarchy. However, Tenel Ka, Lowbacca, Jacen, and Jaina escaped from the seaweed and manually drove the wavespeeder back to the island. Soon after, Ta'a Chume arrived at Reef Fortress in her royal wavespeeder.

The raid

"The power to the fortress has been cut off, and our defensive force field no longer functions. The generating station has been destroyed. We are currently under attack by a Bartokk assassin squad."

―Tenel Ka, during the invasion of the fortress

That night, a squad of insectoid Bartokk assassins sent by Yfra invaded Reef Fortress. After arriving in an assault craft, they cut off all power to the fortress and destroyed the generator station, disabling the deflector shield in the process. The Bartokks then climbed the wall of the fortress, entered through a window, and began to attack their primary target, Ta'a Chume. Jacen, Jaina, Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka went to help the matriarch and, after killing several of the assassins, locked themselves and Ta'a Chume in a bedchamber with the Bartokks on the outside. Knowing that the assassins would soon break in the door, the group climbed out the window on a fibercord and fled the island in a small wavespeeder. However, they were followed by the assassins in their assault craft.

Jaina piloted the wavespeeder into the Dragon's Teeth, a collection of sharp rocks that stuck out of the ocean, in the hope that the assassins would crash. The assault craft received some damage, and three assassins fell out of it, but it continued to follow the wavespeeder. Jaina then proceeded to drive the wavespeeder into some carnivorous seaweed, expecting the assassins to follow. When they did, Ta'a Chume shot at their craft with a small hand blaster she had, setting it off balance. Because of this, the seaweed pulled the entire craft, along with all the assassins, into the ocean.

Aftermath

"[Yfra will] be given a fair trial, but I think we have more than enough proof—don't you Tenel Ka?"
"This is a fact. And I believe I have more than enough proof for something else as well. This adventure has shown me that I am fully recovered from my injuries. I wish to return to Yavin 4."

―Ta'a Chume and Tenel Ka

Ta'a Chume then drove the wavespeeder to Fountain Palace, where she had Yfra arrested and later put on trial. As a result of the raid and her other adventures at Reef Fortress, Tenel Ka decided she had recovered from her injury and was ready to return to the Jedi academy with her friends.

Behind the scenes

The raid on Reef Fortress first appeared in the young readers book Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers, written by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, and published in 1996.

Appearances

• Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers (First appearance)
• The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (Indirect mention only)
• The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey (Indirect mention only)

Sources

• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Chronology (Indirect mention only)
• The New Essential Chronology (Indirect mention only)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III
• The Essential Reader's Companion (Indirect mention only)