m (→Legacy) |
|||
| Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
Although the Sith failed to capture Manaan, their prolonged siege gave them another victory: the dissolution of any semblance of Alliance Remnant forces, mostly destroyed during the campaign. The forces still loyal to the former Galactic Alliance were no longer militarized in any organized fashion, and the fight against the Sith transitioned into being waged by loosely organized cells and factions utilizing whatever methods and forces were at their disposal. One of these cells was Defiance Squadron, which became well-known throughout the galaxy and a major target of the Empire. What the Sith did not anticipate, however, was how Defiance Squadron became a legend in Rebel circles, becoming an inspiration for various resistance forces to keep fighting, no matter the cost.<Ref name="TimeSkipHistory" /> |
Although the Sith failed to capture Manaan, their prolonged siege gave them another victory: the dissolution of any semblance of Alliance Remnant forces, mostly destroyed during the campaign. The forces still loyal to the former Galactic Alliance were no longer militarized in any organized fashion, and the fight against the Sith transitioned into being waged by loosely organized cells and factions utilizing whatever methods and forces were at their disposal. One of these cells was Defiance Squadron, which became well-known throughout the galaxy and a major target of the Empire. What the Sith did not anticipate, however, was how Defiance Squadron became a legend in Rebel circles, becoming an inspiration for various resistance forces to keep fighting, no matter the cost.<Ref name="TimeSkipHistory" /> |
||
| − | By the time the Siege of Manaan ended, the bacta shortage erupted into the Bacta Crisis, with all sides facing major bacta demand with limited supply. The {{Sw|Hutt Cartel}} revealed that they owned the {{Sw|Bacta Cartel}}, which in turn controlled {{Sw|Thyferra}} |
+ | By the time the Siege of Manaan ended, the bacta shortage erupted into the Bacta Crisis, with all sides facing major bacta demand with limited supply. The {{Sw|Hutt Cartel}} revealed that they owned the {{Sw|Bacta Cartel}}, which in turn controlled {{Sw|Thyferra}} where bacta was harvested. This effectively stopped Sith expansion in the region. In order to defend themselves, the Selkath used that opportunity and their victory in the Siege to declare neutrality, stating that any side that attempted to capture or attack Manaan would cause the destruction of the kolto. The Selkath also entered into a mutual defense treaty with {{Sw|Commenor}} and {{Sw|Cato Neimoidia}}, saying that if either of those planets were attacked, it would be considered an attack on Manaan. This gave the Selkath a buffer zone and prevented Imperial expansion in that region, which stopped the entire Sith war machine from expanding any further into the galactic south.<Ref name="TimeSkipHistory" /> |
==Behind the scenes== |
==Behind the scenes== |
||
Latest revision as of 17:32, 21 September 2013
The Siege of Manaan was a years-long campaign waged by the New Sith Imperium against the planet Manaan during the Third Galactic Civil War. The campaign began after the Empire was faced with a shortage of the healing substance known as bacta and decided to use the kolto on Manaan as a supplemental healing agent. The Empire quickly captured Ahto City, the only surface structure, but did not have the technology to mount an aquatic invasion. They developed this technology over the next two years, during which time the Alliance Remnant, led by former Jedi Master Kara Vaalki, joined with the native Selkath to defend the planet. The Empire invaded the oceans after two years, though Vaalki and her forces, which became known as Defiance Squadron, held out long enough for the Selkath, Quarren, and Mon Calamari to develop a hidden armada that forced the Empire off the planet in 1,022 ABY.
The Empire's loss at Manaan proved to be a pivotal moment in the war. Though the Alliance Remnant collapsed after losing the bulk of its forces in the siege, the stories about Defiance Squadron encouraged other resistance movements throughout the galaxy to continue fighting. The bacta shortage also became a full-blown Bacta Crisis. Kolto rose in value for the first time in millennia, allowing the Selkath to declare neutrality in the war and threaten to destroy the kolto if any side attacked them. This helped stop the Empire's expansion into the Mid Rim, which gave Rebel cells an opportunity to begin working together to defeat the Sith.
Origins
After the fall of the Galactic Alliance in 1,013 ABY, the New Sith Imperium continued to wage the Third Galactic Civil War throughout the Core Worlds and surrounding territory. This era was known as the Great Sith Expansion, when the entire Core, as well as the Colonies, fell into the hands of the Empire. Having been fighting for six years, and with their fleet stretched throughout the galaxy, the Sith knew that they needed all of the resources they could find in order to keep their fighting force in top shape. This era also marked the beginnings of a bacta shortage, which would become a full-blown crisis in the years that followed.[1]
Manaan.
To help with the shortage of bacta, the Empire set its sights on Manaan, where the older and less valuable substance, kolto, was found. The Selkath of Manaan historically declared neutrality in galactic conflicts, threatening to destroy the kolto if any side attempted to capture the planet, but its lack of value in the current era meant that they could not rely on impartiality for protection; the Sith only saw the kolto as a supplemental healing agent, not a necessity that they absolutely had to have. Though the Sith did consider controlling the kolto an advantage, and Manaan would be yet another planet in their Empire, the Selkath also saw the advantage in not destroying it; if they could push the Sith off their planet, and bacta supplies continued to dwindle, the Selkath would be able to declare impartiality and protect themselves.[1]
History
In the aftermath of the Duros Genocide, where the Imperial fleet all but destroyed the Duros and their planet's orbiting cities, the Sith sent some of their forces from Duro to Manaan, believing that the native Selkath would fall quickly without a large-scale Imperial force. Instead, the Sith discovered that the Selkath had fortified the planet significantly, with major defense networks and systems throughout the planet's oceans, where the Selkath lived. Given that the Sith did not have the tools for an aquatic invasion, they had to rely on Ahto City, the only surface structure, as a choke-point. In Ahto City, they engaged both Selkath forces and the Alliance Remnant, which had arrived to help defend the planet and its kolto. The Sith found this tactic ineffective for planetary conquest, but it did allow them to maintain control of the city.[1]
The Defiance Squadron crest.
The Empire knew it had to make a more concerted effort to take the planet, however, so it began expending what resources it could for research and development into effective aquatic technology. They spent two years developing this technology before deploying it in 1,019 ABY. Once they did, the Empire launched a series of minor skirmishes in and around Ahto City against the Selkath and the Remnant, the latter of which was led by former Jedi Master and High Council member Kara Vaalki. The Selkath and the Remnant were able to hold out for another two years, despite the overwhelming odds against them. Stories of their efforts began spreading throughout the galaxy, with Vaalki's defiant forces being given a name in circles sympathetic to the Remnant: Defiance Squadron.[1]
Those two years of defiance were not without their ulterior motives. Vaalki's forces gave the Selkath and their Quarren and Mon Calamari allies time to build a secret armada under the ocean, far from where the Sith could detect it. In 1,022 ABY, these forces launched a massive counterattack against the besieging Sith navy, ending in a decisive victory for the defenders once the Empire retreated from Manaan. The victory and the Sith retreat was bittersweet, however; after so many years, most of Vaalki's forces had been destroyed.[1]
Legacy
Although the Sith failed to capture Manaan, their prolonged siege gave them another victory: the dissolution of any semblance of Alliance Remnant forces, mostly destroyed during the campaign. The forces still loyal to the former Galactic Alliance were no longer militarized in any organized fashion, and the fight against the Sith transitioned into being waged by loosely organized cells and factions utilizing whatever methods and forces were at their disposal. One of these cells was Defiance Squadron, which became well-known throughout the galaxy and a major target of the Empire. What the Sith did not anticipate, however, was how Defiance Squadron became a legend in Rebel circles, becoming an inspiration for various resistance forces to keep fighting, no matter the cost.[1]
By the time the Siege of Manaan ended, the bacta shortage erupted into the Bacta Crisis, with all sides facing major bacta demand with limited supply. The Hutt Cartel revealed that they owned the Bacta Cartel, which in turn controlled Thyferra where bacta was harvested. This effectively stopped Sith expansion in the region. In order to defend themselves, the Selkath used that opportunity and their victory in the Siege to declare neutrality, stating that any side that attempted to capture or attack Manaan would cause the destruction of the kolto. The Selkath also entered into a mutual defense treaty with Commenor and Cato Neimoidia, saying that if either of those planets were attacked, it would be considered an attack on Manaan. This gave the Selkath a buffer zone and prevented Imperial expansion in that region, which stopped the entire Sith war machine from expanding any further into the galactic south.[1]
Behind the scenes
The Siege of Manaan was created as part of Star Wars Legacies, the fifth and current role-playing timeline on The Star Wars RP. The event was first mentioned in the backstory of the time skip, which advanced the plot of the timeline forward by ten years.[1]
Appearances
- Star Wars Legacies (First mentioned)