First battle of Suurja


In the early days of the Mandalorian Wars, a battle occurred between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders over the agrarian world of Suurja. The clash took place in 3964 BBY, as Republic Navy Captain Saul Karath attempted to halt the Mandalorian advance at the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line. That particular skirmish was inconclusive and led to several more battles at Suurja in the coming weeks.

Prelude


By the year 3964 BBY, the Galactic Republic was embroiled in the Mandalorian Wars, a galaxy-spanning conflict in which the Republic attempted to fend off invading Mandalorian legions from the fringes of known space. The Mandalorian warrior clans besieged and conquered many systems on the edges of Republic control, starting in the far-flung reaches of the Outer Rim. By 3964 BBY, the Mandalorians were steadily moving toward the center of the galaxy, leading Republic Navy Captain Saul Karath to throw up a defensive cordon known as the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line. Heavy fighting occurred along that barrier, although the Mandalorians were not able to break through. One of the worlds in the line of fire was Suurja, an agrarian planet with a population of 16 million colonists. About four months after the Mandalorians' capture of the Republic Flashpoint Stellar Research Station, the invaders set their sights on Suurja.

The battle


The Mandalorians soon did battle with the Republic naval forces, commanded by Saul Karath, for Suurja. However, neither side was able to obtain a conclusive advantage.

Aftermath


Although the battle was inconclusive, both sides were still ready to fight. Over the next few weeks, the Republic and the Mandalorians engaged in several more battles at Suurja. This and the other battles of Suurja were reported upon in an edition of the Taris Holofeed news report from the nearby world Taris. In the release, Republic defense official Catronus Steffans was quoted as optimistically saying that the stalemate at Suurja represented a success of Karath's defensive cordon, and that it heralded an upcoming Republic pushback.

Behind the scenes


The battle of Suurja garnered its first, and thus far only, mention in The Taris Holofeed: Prime Edition, a short postscript to the 2006 comic Knights of the Old Republic 0. A short summary of this and other battles at Suurja is given, written by John Jackson Miller, in the style of an in-universe news report.

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