Yuuzhan Vong War

"It is as if the Yuuzhan Vong want to inflict pain and suffering just to see how long it takes for their slaves to break and run. If that is true, this invasion is going to be worse than any war of political or economic gain. Victory for the Yuuzhan Vong demands that every sentient creature live in pain."
— Corran Horn

The Yuuzhan Vong War (25 ABY–30 ABY), also called the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, was a Galaxy-wide conflict between the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong and the beings of the Galaxy proper.

The invasion was the most devastating crisis the Galaxy had ever faced in terms of casualties. The cost of the Yuuzhan Vong's actions was very dear to the Galaxy, with estimated deaths across the Galaxy near 365 trillion sentients, or roughly 61 thousand planets with a population of approximately six billion each.

Thousands of worlds were also Vongformed by the invaders, including the galactic capital, Coruscant.

Contents

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Origins

There is a slight possibility that, as early as 3,963 BBY, at least one Yuuzhan Vong scout had reached the outskirts of the Galaxy. In that year, a group of Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders under Canderous Ordo encountered what would later come to be known as a coralskipper, disguised as an asteroid in the Crispin system. It fled beyond the edge of the Galaxy once discovered. The ship may have been the first ever to enter the Galaxy, thus making "first contact" a millenium before their known arrival. This is not as implausible as it first seems.

Because the Yuuzhan Vong spent literally hundreds of thousands of years in transit from their galaxy, a single warship or worldship that traveled fractionally faster than the rest of the fleet would arrive thousands of years earlier. Furthermore, without a large fleet and yammosk coordination, the mothership probably would have been lost transiting the entrance to the Galaxy, leaving behind only a few small fighters.

Between 229 and 89 BBY, the living planet Zonama Sekot—a seed of Yuuzhan'tar—arrived in the Gardaji Rift.

In 32 BBY, an advanced force of Yuuzhan Vong—termed "Far-Outsiders" by the planet's inhabitants—discovered Zonama, and noting the similarity to Yuuzhan'tar—though not drawing the connection—attempted to colonize it. However, when the Vong attempted to settle, Zonama Sekot's biosphere killed off the Vong flora and fauna, provoking outrage from them. Although Sekot attempted to negotiate with them, they began an assault upon planet.

After two years of Sekotan defense, at a high cost, the assault was called off after the arrival of the Jedi Knight Vergere, who demanded the attack cease in return for going with the Vong. That agreed to, the Vong force departed with the Jedi towards the Unknown Regions. When he learned of Zonama Sekot, Supreme Overlord Quoreal began to waver. The Yuuzhan Vong soon learned that Zonama Sekot was no longer in it's original system, and there was no evidence that the planet had been destroyed. Worried about the possibility of once more encountering Zonama Sekot, he developed the opinion that it would be best to move on to another galaxy. However, under the influence of Onimi, Shimrra Jamaane, with the support of some of the more aggressive Domains, launched a coup, murdered Quoreal and took his place, ensuring that the invasion would go forth as planned.

Information of Vong activity within the Galaxy for the next few decades is scarce. Around 25 BBY, they established a base on the planet Bimmiel. After the formation of the Galactic Empire, Imperial scientists ran into the Vong on that planet. As one of Emperor Palpatine's justifications for maintaining the Imperial Starfleet after the end of the Clone Wars was to ward off the threat of extra-galactic invasion, he may have known about the approaching Yuuzhan Vong fleet.

Although it is not known for sure if the upper echelons of the Imperial government knew about the Vong, it is known that at least one officer did. Sometime between being dispatched to the Unknown Regions in 3 ABY, and his return in 9 ABY, Grand Admiral Thrawn encountered the advanced Vong force hiding in the Unknown Regions. The threat of the advancing invaders was one of his primary motivations to reunify the Empire, as he felt that the Empire stood a much better chance against the Vong than did the New Republic.

The Vong of the advanced scouts themselves shared that sentiment. After the formation of the Imperial Interim Council in 11 ABY, following the final death of Palpatine, Vong agent Nom Anor was tasked to infiltrate the Council. He did so and manipulated its leader, Xandel Carivus, arranging the deaths of many Councilors and furthering the internecine strifes that led to the fatal fracturing of the Imperial Remnant.

It is roughly around this time that the Vong began meddling in the high politics of the Ssi Ruuvi Imperium. They installed one of their own, E'thinaa, into a high military position, and manipulated the rise to power of the Keeramak, with the goal of eventual use of the Ssi-Ruuvi in their invasion.

In 24 ABY, Vong agent Yomin Carr infiltrated the ExGal Society, stationing himself at the ExGal-4 base located along Vector Prime at Helska 4.

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History

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Preliminaries

The Solo twins evading Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers during the Battle of Dubrillion

On the distant world Rhommamool, the invaders, through Nom Anor, disguised as the leader of the Red Knights of Life, stirred up rebellion between Rhommamool and its neighbor Osarian to distract the New Republic from its more important attacks. The same agent was also responsible for infecting Mara Jade Skywalker and a hundred others with Coomb spores, a fatal Yuuzhan Vong disease.

Around this time, a Praetorite Vong worldship commanded by Prefect Da'Gara touched down on the icy and unknown planet Helska 4, where they unloaded a massive, tentacled creature known as a yammosk, or "war coordinator". It was by using this beast that the Yuuzhan Vong coordinated the attack on Sernpidal, using the ancient Yo'gand's Core tactic to crash the planet's moon Dobido into it, killing all Sernpidalians that had not managed to escape, as well as the famous Wookiee Chewbacca, who had been on a delivery run for Lando Calrissian.

Chewbacca dies on Sernpidal

On Belkadan, Yomin Carr began killing many of the ExGal-4 workers, save the few that went to Helska 4 to investigate the extragalactic object that had landed there. He also unleashed deadly toxins into the atmosphere, making it virtually uninhabitable, and killing all local wildlife.

Da'Gara's worldship was also noticed by the Dozen-and-Two Avengers, a Republic starfighter squadron led by Kyp Durron. The Avengers and the ExGal team arrived in the Helska system, only to be ambushed by a group of coralskippers, killing all but Durron, Miko Reglia and Danni Quee. Kyp Durron managed to escape; Reglia, an Avenger, was captured, as was Danni Quee, an ExGal scientist. Reglia was tortured strenuously by the yammosk, but the Yuuzhan Vong spared Quee this, seeing her fit to die an honorable death.

As the Millennium Falcon fled Sernpidal, it was followed by Yuuzhan Vong forces to Dubrillion, the establishment of Lando Calrissian. The Yuuzhan Vong quickly and fiercely attacked Dubrillion, though they were narrowly defeated.

Leia Organa Solo, unable to fully convince Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya of the threat the Yuuzhan Vong posed, was only able to amass one Star Destroyer, the Rejuvenator, for an attack on Helska 4. The Republic went forward and attacked the Helska system, and though Danni Quee was rescued by Jacen Solo during the fighting, the Rejuvenator was destroyed, and Miko Reglia was killed. What few ships the Republic had left retreated and restrategized.

They eventually returned with a fleet of shieldships, using them to accelerate Helska 4's natural evaporation, freezing the entire planet and killing the yammosk; the planet also exploded under the pressure, naturally killing all Yuuzhan Vong still on it. It was with this battle that the war proper began, though the Yuuzhan Vong would not act for the next two months, using the time to amass their fleet further.

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The early invasion

The New Republic crumbles under the relentless Yuuzhan Vong invasion

The Yuuzhan Vong then began attacking worlds in their path with much ease. They conquered Dubrillion and Destrillion before moving onto Dantooine, where refugees from Dubrillion evacuated by Lando Calrissian were being housed. Thus, a great massacre Battle of Dantooine. During the battle, the Yuuzhan Vong first unleashed legions of reptoid Chazrach slave soldiers and beetle-like Thrall herders from their galaxy. Among those on the New Republic side were Anakin and his older brother Jacen. The two brothers would discover that these Chazrach were entirely mindless and were merely the Yuuzhan Vong's equivalent to battle droids. They slaughtered dozens of Chazrach and Luke Skywalker also destroyed a thrall herder, causing much of the enemy force to scatter and allowing the refugees to escape Dantooine before the enemy took it.

This was followed by the Battle of Ithor. During the battle, the extragalactic invaders attacked the beautiful, untouched jungle world of Ithor and the floating city of Tafanda Bay until Jedi Knight Corran Horn offered to duel the Yuuzhan Vong leader Shedao Shai in single combat. If Corran defeated Shedao, the Yuuzhan Vong would withdraw from the planet. However, if Corran lost, Shai would get back the body of his ancestor Mongei Shai and have Ithor. Though Corran bested his rival, Shai's second-in-command Deign Lian answered to a higher authority (Tsavong Lah) whom ordered him to unleash a biological weapon from the Kor Chokk flagship Legacy of Torment which reduced all life on the planet to little more than black swamps of acidic ash. The Legacy was later destroyed though it crashed on Ithor, causing more carnage and contributing much to the Anti-Jediism of the galactic public. Many people came to revile the Jedi, blaming them for the invasion.

However, some came to admire the Jedi particularly, Anakin Solo. His heroic acts led many citizens to regarded him as a galactic hero and the freshest face of the New Jedi Order—much like his grandfather was during the Clone Wars. There were many whispers that Anakin would one day take his uncle's place as the most powerful Jedi. The Jedi Order was also the target of the Yuuzhan Vong, whom saw them as their greatest obstacle to galactic domination.

During the Battle of Fondor, Anakin nearly wiped out the assembled Yuuzhan Vong fleet at Fondor through the use of Centerpoint Station had it not been for his older brother Jacen. Unfortunately, an old enemy in the form of the infamous Thrackan Sal-Solo fired the weapon, destroying the Yuuzhan Vong fleet though taking much of the allied Hapan fleet in the process.

Soon arose the problem of refugees from shattered planets that the government could not ignore. Thus, the Senate Select Committee for Refugees, or SELCORE, was formed to administer caring and settlement for refugees of planets conquered by the invaders. SELCORE selected Duro as its ideal haven and began terraforming the planet to house the refugees. However, its operations were sabotaged by Nom Anor under the disguise of a Duro scientist named Dr. Dassid Cree'Ar. Soon, the planet was conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong despite the efforts of the New Republic and was terraformed in their image.

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Deadly balance

The Yuuzhan Vong eventually struck a deal with the Hutts that allowed them to pass through Hutt Space unharmed. But the Hutts were betrayed, and their worlds were attacked. The Peace Brigade, an organization of galactic beings that supported Yuuzhan Vong operations, was formed through Yuuzhan Vong agents. This organization also helped the Yuuzhan Vong capture Jedi. On Yavin 4, Yuuzhan Vong of the oppressed Shamed Ones came to admire the Jedi after a shamed Vong Vua Rapuung helped Anakin Solo rescue Tahiri Veila, and Solo helped Vua Rapuung gain redemption. As a result, a heresy was formed that infiltrated all the levels of Yuuzhan Vong society, particularly the underclass. With Coruscant rapidly becoming surrounded, the Yuuzhan Vong created the fearsome voxyn beasts that hunted Force-sensitive individuals. A Jedi strike team lead by Anakin Solo then destroyed the voxyn breeding facility, though most of the team was slain. Anakin himself died (or rather, disintegrated when his body overflowed with the Force) while he covered the retreat of the remaining Jedi. On Coruscant, the Yuuzhan Vong captured the planet after a long battle, which saw the suicide-sacrifice of Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, and had it Vongformed, renaming it Yuuzhan'tar.

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Vong ascendant

With the capture of Coruscant, the New Republic was thrown into disarray. Although localized victories were scored in the Hapes Cluster and other areas, the Vong fanned out throughout the galaxy, taking worlds almost at will. Planets that were not conquered outright often capitulated, or collapsed internally due to the efforts of collaborators. At this time, the Vong controlled most of the Core, the Inner Rim, and the galactic eastern area of the Mid and Outer Rims. The New Republic was reduced to a wedge of the southwest outer Rim, a small pocket connecting Kashyyyk and Mon Calamari, the Deep Core, and other minor areas.

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Turning of the tide

The galaxy unifies under the Galactic Alliance and creates a strong front against the spread-thin Vong

Following the conquest, Borleias became the capital world. The terraforming of Coruscant was sabotaged by the Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. The New Republic, having moved to Mon Calamari, where Cal Omas was elected Fey'lya's successor as President of the New Republic (after a very short term by Pwoe). The Defense Force then prepared to attack the weary Yuuzhan Vong. At the same time the Alpha Red Project, which would have destroyed the Yuuzhan Vong and their organic technology was destroyed by Vergere. Admiral Ackbar, though retired and advanced in age, began advising the reforming Defense Force and its commanders on the best ways to take the fight to the Yuuzhan Vong. Fleets were reorganized and new units were trained and equipped. The former Supreme Commander invigorated the beings in the New Republic military, giving them back their pride and confidence. After determining their weaknesses, Ackbar developed a trap for the Yuuzhan Vong. A large portion of their fleet was then lured into the Deep Core moon Ebaq 9, with a third of their force being decimated by several combined fleets of the New Republic. On Ebaq 9 Tsavong Lah was slain by Jaina Solo and Vergere sacrificed herself to eliminate the rest of the invaders. At this point, the New Republic was reorganized as the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, also called the Galactic Alliance. Incorporating a new federal system, the new Galactic Alliance focused itself to defeating the Vong threat and restoring peace to the Galaxy.

After the victory, Galactic Alliance heroes Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and Twin Suns Squadron headed out to find powerful allies while the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker began a mission to find the legendary living planet Zonama Sekot. The Jedi stumbled upon a Yuuzhan Vong attack against the Imperial Remnant and helped fight the invaders off, gaining a powerful ally. Meanwhile, the Yuuzhan Vong Nom Anor disguised as the prophet Yu'Shaa began stirring up the heresy on Yuuzhan'tar (formerly Coruscant) posing as a Shamed One after fleeing the wrath of Supreme Overlord Shimrra for suggesting the disastrous Ebaq 9 mission.

New Republic starfighters engage the enemy in space

Luke's team headed into Chiss space to obtain information on the Unknown Regions and, hopefully, Zonama Sekot. Meanwhile, Han and Leia's team headed to Bakura, where they thwarted a new Ssi-Ruuk invasion. The Jedi searched the Chiss libraries for the missing planet. Later, the Jedi located Zonama Sekot, but so did the Yuuzhan Vong. Sekot drove off the Vong attackers as the Jedi landed on its surface. Meanwhile, Han and Leia attempted to bring a communication station in the Unknown Regions back online while the Jedi negotiated with the living world to help them in the war.

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Galactic victory

However, Yuuzhan Vong operatives stole one of Zonama Sekot's organic starships and the Shaper Nen Yim discovered that Sekotan technology was extremely similar to Yuuzhan Vong technology and that her people have gone terribly astray. Nom Anor disguised as Yu'Shaa along with Nen Yim and the priest Harrar arrived on Zonama Sekot where they discovered that many of the species from their galaxy could be found on the planet. A plot by Nom Anor to destroy the living world was luckily foiled. Han and Leia also managed to rescue hundreds of high-ranking Alliance prisoners facing sacrifice to the enemy's gods. The Galactic Alliance prepared a fleet to defend Mon Calamari from the invaders while another Alliance fleet engaged the Yuuzhan Vong at Coruscant. In the end, Supreme Overlord Shimrra was killed by Luke Skywalker and the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated. Warmaster Nas Choka ordered the Yuuzhan Vong to surrender, and they were placed under Zonama Sekot's jurisdiction.

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Aftermath

Zonama Sekot then revealed itself to be the seed of the long-dead original Yuuzhan Vong homeworld. One of the surrender terms the Galactic Alliance placed before the Yuuzhan Vong was that they were to help rebuild Coruscant. The Galactic Alliance moved its temporary capital to Denon, and eventually went back to Coruscant after the rebuilding was complete.

After the cease-fire, the remaining Yuuzhan Vong were recalled from across the galaxy to Zonama. Zonama, with its Yuuzhan Vong, disappeared back into the Unknown Regions, so that the Vong could live in peace and renew their relationship with Sekot. They planned to abolish their caste system and eliminated the posts of Warmaster and Supreme Overlord, although Choka seemed to remain their de facto leader.

The Bothans, however, were unforgiving for the death of Fey'lya, and declared a state of ar'kai genocide against the Yuuzhan Vong, sending ships into the Unknown Regions to hunt for Zonama. By 36 ABY, however, their primary efforts had been foiled by the Alliance, which had impounded the ships detailed for the expedition.

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Major events

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Key figures

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Yuuzhan Vong

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New Republic/Galactic Alliance

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Imperial Remnant

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Other

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Devastated planets

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Appearances

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Sources


Preceded by:
Galactic Civil War 		Major Galactic Conflicts
25-29 ABY 		Succeeded by:
Swarm War