Defense of Daispin

The Defense of Daispin was the first major battle of the Nightmare War. Its events would have ramifications which extended through the rest of the conflict.

Prelude
After Queen Rin Sakaros was apprised of the actions of the Reawakened following their devastation of Dolomir, she used her precognitive Force powers to intuit their next target and saw a clear vision of nearby Daispin. She dispatched a large contingent of the Royal Army, including two Massassi Cohorts and at least one Zyked battalion, to help the native s and shore up the planet's defenses. She also dispatched Daispin's own queen, the Centurion Aria Nikina, to lead the defense, assisted by her Zyked brother Rajj-Yo.

The battle
The Dark Jedi group arrived in force, disgorging hundreds of thousands of Skavik onto Daispin's surface, led by the mad Sacco Vyrak. The insectoids deployed widely, but the combined Royal Daispin Defense Militia and Royal Army forces met the main body of the invasion force outside Daispin's capital, clashing in a day-long battle. Artillery fire from Daispin's emplacements and sustained distance fired contrasted sharply with the brutal melee between some of the Massassi and the Skavik.

From early on, neither Vyrak nor Nikina did much in the way of actual command, both preferring to fight on the front lines. Vyrak had ordered his Skavik to slaughter all living things on the planet and then left them to their own devices, while Colonel Eihwaz of the 11th Massassi Cohort took over directing the Empire's efforts. Vyrak and Nikina met on the field of battle in a brutally violent duel which saw Nikina grievously wounded and Vyrak decapitated.

The battle frenzy of the Anzati was ultimately ineffective against the disciplined lines of the Royal Army, particularly after Vyrak's death. Rajj-Yo caused further disorder amidst the enemy ranks, butchering Skavik to all sides, sometimes eating pieces of his slain foes, and at one point even riding a Skavik through the battle. His mad bloodlust inspired other Zykeds present at the battle to fight on all the more aggressively.

By nightfall, the main force of Skavik had been routed and a few fled back to their ships, escaping from the Tempest and her support craft. Over the following days, the Royal Daispin Defense Militia and the Massassi combed the planet for survivors, killing the remaining Skavik.

Aftermath
Due to her injuries and the need to rebuild her planet, Aria Nikina stayed on Daispin after the battle and was effectively removed from further participation in the war until the Battle of the Sith Star. Daispin itself had suffered thousands of civilian casualties, but the rebuilding process was actually a point of unity between the Tantaari and Humans, as both communities had been hit.

The Skavik bore Sacco Vyrak's headless corpse back to Kizav, where Desha Marad used it as a genetic template to clone the Vyrak Legions. This development prompted Rin to order that the bodies of the Dark Jedi were to be seized in whole in the future.

The Defense of Daispin and the subsequent victory at Rykar were important public relations victories for the Golden Empire, as they were proof that, once the Empire was aware of the threat, devastations like Dolomir and Klee`shlyoo`hshee could be avoided.