The conflict known as the Defense of Kuat, but also referred to as the Kuat Offensive, Battle of Kuat, Battle of the Kuat Shipyards, or the battle for Kuat Drive Yards, spanned several weeks. It was a clash between the emerging New Republic and the fragmented remnants of the Galactic Empire in the months after the Battle of Endor. The prize was control of the Kuat Drive Yards shipyards that orbited the Core World planet Kuat. The New Republic Defense Fleet dealt significant blows to the Imperial Military forces defending the area.
Following the capitulation of Moff Pollus Maksim and the guild head of Kuat Drive Yards, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, the public face of the Imperial Navy, proposed negotiations with the New Republic to end the war, a suggestion that found support within the Galactic Senate.
During the Age of the Empire, the Kuat Drive Yards served as a primary source of starships for the Imperial Navy. In the wake of the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire fractured due to the loss of its leadership. The Rebel Alliance evolved into the New Republic, extending its influence over vast regions of the galaxy.
In 5 ABY, the newly assembled Galactic Senate on Chandrila authorized an offensive against Kuat and its adjacent shipyards. Given their critical strategic value, these shipyards were heavily defended by substantial Imperial forces.
Under the command of Admiral Gial Ackbar and Commodore Kyrsta Agate, elements of the New Republic Defense Fleet initiated an attack on the Kuat Drive Yards shipyards positioned above the Core Worlds planet Kuat. This involved a bombing campaign targeting the shipyards and the supply infrastructure around Kuat. The combat extended over several weeks, during which the Empire incurred greater ship losses than the New Republic. Among the New Republic forces were Captain Tane and Lieutenant Gina Moonsong's B-wing Blade Squadron, which carried out bombing missions against Kuat Drive Yards.
After days of intense fighting, neither faction could secure a decisive advantage, with both sides suffering considerable losses. Commodore Agate ordered the recall of New Republic starfighters to their respective vessels. Following Captain Tane's reassignment to Combat Operations Planning, Lieutenant Gina assumed the role of acting commander of Blade Squadron. Recognizing the New Republic fleet's inability to overpower the Imperial fleet with a single assault, Commander Braylen Stramm initiated a sequence of precise strikes targeting vital elements of the shipyard's infrastructure, including fuel depots, supply monorails, and sensor arrays.
While segments of the New Republic fleet engaged Imperial Star Destroyers, B-wing bombers, accompanied by their X-wing starfighter escorts, attacked the shipyard facilities. Blade Squadron was tasked with neutralizing a monorail responsible for transporting supplies and ammunition throughout Kuat Drive Yards. This monorail was defended by various Imperial walkers, including AT-ATs, AT-ACTs, and older AT-TE walkers. Despite Lieutenant Moonsong's explicit instructions for the X-wing escorts to refrain from engaging the walkers, Lieutenant Sandara Li launched an attack but failed to penetrate their heavy armor.
Blade Squadron was compelled to assist their X-wing escorts by bombing the gun emplacements and walkers using proton torpedoes. However, one of Blade Squadron's pilots was killed by an attacking TIE fighter, resulting in his craft crashing into one of the walkers. After successfully disabling the monorail, Blade Squadron returned to the MC80 Star Cruiser Amalthea. Upon their return, Moonsong reprimanded Lieutenant Li for disregarding her directives. Following a brief dispute in which Li suggested Commander Stramm showed favoritism towards Moonsong, they reconciled and resolved to collaborate in targeting TIE fighters.
After a period of rest, the New Republic fleet initiated a renewed offensive. While components of the fleet engaged the Imperial fleet above Kuat's north pole, Blade Squadron and two other B-wing squadrons launched an assault on the Imperial command center. However, the Imperials managed to redirect several TIE fighters to protect the hub. While Lieutenant Li advocated for Lieutenant Moonsong's B-wings to maintain their positions to engage the TIEs, Moonsong instead persuaded her B-wing pilots to set their laser cannons to rapid fire mode and target the ion cannons beyond the primary target.
While Lieutenant Li's X-wings confronted the TIE fighters, Moonsong and her B-wings successfully destroyed the command hub utilizing laser-guided bombs and torpedoes. Upon returning to the Amalthea, Moonsong learned that her former romantic partner, Commander Stramm, would be piloting an X-wing for the upcoming mission due to the injury of the X-wing pilot Johan Volk. Despite the lingering tension from their breakup, Moonsong accepted Stramm's offer to escort her B-wing.
In the subsequent engagement, the New Republic and Imperial fleets clashed in a structured battle formation. In a desperate attempt to breach the New Republic cruiser formation, the Empire deployed a large number of TIE fighters, TIE bombers, TIE interceptors, and heavily armed shuttles. The New Republic fleet responded by committing all remaining starfighters against the Imperial assault. Protected by Stramm's and Li's X-wings, Blade Squadron managed to bomb the hangar bay of an Imperial light carrier.
Faced with overwhelming losses, Moff Pollus Maksim, the sector's governor and the guild head of Kuat Drive Yards, surrendered to the Republic. Moonsong and her fellow pilots were preparing to assist in the defense of the cruiser Amalthea when they received news of the Imperial surrender. The battle had lasted for several weeks by the time it concluded.
Following the conclusion of the battle, Princess Leia Organa communicated with Admiral Ackbar and Commodore Agate via hologram to commend them on their victory. The New Republic's triumph deprived the Galactic Empire of a crucial source of weaponry. Princess Leia, a New Republic senator, was instrumental in securing enough votes to authorize the assault on Kuat. Shortly thereafter, Chancellor Mon Mothma contacted Ackbar, Agate, and Leia to inform them that a mysterious Imperial informant known as the Operator was attempting to contact the New Republic leadership.
Grand Admiral Rae Sloane then joined the holographic conference, identifying herself as the Operator. Sloane led the largest Imperial remnant, which was based in the Vulpinus Nebula. With the Empire facing defeat, Sloane proposed peace discussions with the New Republic to bring an end to the conflict. Believing that the war's end was imminent, Chancellor Mothma agreed to convene an emergency session of the Senate to deliberate on Sloane's proposal. However, the peace talks were in fact a deceptive ploy orchestrated by the Imperial Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to assassinate the New Republic's leadership on Chandrila.
The battle for Kuat Drive Yards was first depicted in Aftermath: Life Debt, a canon novel for adults authored by Chuck Wendig. The battle was also featured in David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams' short story Blade Squadron: Kuat in the 168th edition of Star Wars Insider magazine.