The Battle of Anaxes, which occurred in 20.1 BBY, marked the final showdown of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic's Victory Fleet and the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Bulwark Fleet. After Admiral Dua Ningo of the Confederate launched the Bulwark Fleet from the Foerost Shipyards, his intense campaign against the Core Worlds almost resulted in the capture of Coruscant. Captains Terrinald Screed and Jan Dodonna, the commanders of the Victory Fleet, pursued Ningo and engaged his Bulwark Mark I battlecruisers in a decisive conflict above the planet of Anaxes. Despite Screed's tactical brilliance in outmaneuvering and destroying Ningo's flagship, thus killing the Separatist admiral, the attack on the Unrepentant caused significant damage to Screed's own command ship, leading to severe injuries that necessitated cybernetic enhancements. For their triumph at Anaxes, both Dodonna and Screed were awarded the Holt Cross.
Twenty-three months into the Clone Wars, specifically in the year 20.1 BBY (or 15:4), the Confederacy of Independent Systems revealed its newly constructed Bulwark Fleet, composed of Bulwark Mark I battlecruisers. Admiral Dua Ningo of the Confederate Navy was in charge of the fleet's breakout from the Foerost Shipyards, after which he proceeded to obliterate Galactic Republic outposts throughout the Core Worlds, thereby threatening the galactic capital, Coruscant. In response, Captains Jan Dodonna and Terrinald Screed, two Republic officers, received command of the Victory Fleet, the latest addition to the Republic Navy. These Victory I-class Star Destroyers were designed by Walex Blissex, an engineer from Rendili StarDrive.
Dodonna and Screed pursued Ningo away from Coruscant, chasing him across the Core Worlds. Before the final confrontation at the fortress world of Anaxes, which housed the Republic Navy War College, the Victory and Bulwark Fleets clashed at Alsakan, Basilisk, and Ixtlar.
The Victory Fleet executed a clever ruse: Dodonna's task force of Star Destroyers arrived at Anaxes first and assaulted Ningo's Bulwark cruisers in the upper atmosphere. Meanwhile, Screed remained just a hyperspace jump away aboard his command ship, the Arlionne, awaiting the opportune moment to enter the fray. From his flagship, the Unrepentant, Ningo commanded the Bulwark Fleet and devastated Dodonna's warships, sending them plummeting towards the planet's surface. Despite the heavy losses, Dodonna managed to withstand Ningo's ships long enough for Screed to launch his surprise attack. Screed emerged from hyperspace aboard the Arlionne and skillfully positioned his Star Destroyer to ambush the Unrepentant at point-blank range. His rapid barrage of broadside cannon fire obliterated Ningo's flagship, resulting in the death of the Confederate admiral. However, the resulting explosion of the Unrepentant severely damaged the Arlionne, breaching its bridge and critically wounding Screed. Despite this, Ningo's demise allowed Screed and Dodonna to achieve victory over the remaining Bulwark Fleet.
Screed required cybernetic implants to survive his grave injuries. Within three weeks of what became known as the Battle of Anaxes, he painstakingly returned to Anaxes to receive the Holt Cross alongside Dodonna, an award recognizing their triumph over the Bulwark Fleet. Both men were celebrated as heroes of the Republic, and they both continued their service in the Republic Navy. Screed was subsequently appointed commander of the Coruscant Home Fleet, partly to allow him additional time to recover from his injuries.
Voren Na'al, a historian of the Galactic Alliance, included the Battle of Anaxes in his compendium of galactic history in 36 ABY.
Daniel Wallace created the Battle of Anaxes for The New Essential Chronology, a 2005 book that also functioned as an in-universe account written by Voren Na'al. Wallace drew upon the concept of the Victory I-class Star Destroyer from the 1979 novel Han Solo's Revenge as part of his research for the book, using the Battle of Anaxes and related events to formally introduce the Star Destroyer within the Star Wars universe. Since then, other authors, including Jason Fry, who co-authored 2012's The Essential Guide to Warfare, have referenced and expanded upon the battle, with Fry providing a detailed profile of Terrinald Screed that included the battle's events.