Battle of Coruscant (Yuuzhan Vong War)

The overarching strategy of Warmaster Tsavong Lah centered around the eventual conquest of Coruscant, the galactic capital. His initial approach involved the consolidation of several substantial fleets under his command. This plan, formally known as Battle Plan Coruscant, heavily relied on the Yuuzhan Vong's successful capture of the planet Reecee. Reecee was intended to serve as a crucial staging ground for the assault on Coruscant. The Yuuzhan Vong successfully seized Reecee, inflicting near-total destruction upon the resident New Republic fleet. However, following Reecee's fall, Han and Leia Solo conducted reconnaissance of the Black Bantha nebula.

Nearly five decades prior to the Yuuzhan Vong War's commencement, Mace Windu foresaw that a massive Yuuzhan Vong warfleet would launch an assault on Coruscant from the OboRin Comet Cluster, having initially gathered at Borleias. To shield their advancing forces, they strategically employed refugee vessels filled with prisoners from previous engagements. Despite the valiant efforts of numerous influential leaders, the sheer scale of the New Yuuzhan Vong invasion fleet proved insurmountable. Commanders such as Garm Bel Iblis, leading the Second Fleet Group, directly engaged the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. Admiral Traest Kre'fey, commanding the First Fleet Group, opted for long-range harassment and bombardment tactics. Wedge Antilles, heading the Third Fleet Group, maintained a continuous assault on the Yuuzhan Vong fleet's rear. Carlist Rieekan, in charge of the Coruscant Planetary Defense Force, orchestrated and directed Coruscant's ground defenses. The Yuuzhan Vong fleet was reportedly composed of "tens of thousands" of warships, confronting approximately half of the New Republic Defense Fleet.

For this critical battle, Borsk Fey'lya granted Admiral Sien Sovv, the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Navy, complete authority over the fleet. Sovv's hesitation to jeopardize refugee ships to impede the Yuuzhan Vong advance resulted in disciplinary issues, ultimately leading Bel Iblis to assume full command of his fleet. Consequently, Kre'fey was left with only a few thousand ships as others joined Bel Iblis. Fey'lya publicly attempted to relieve Sovv of his command over Coruscant's defense before the Senate, in a broadcast that reached across Coruscant. This action sparked protests from the Senate and a number of military officers, including Admirals Rabb and Kre'fey, Generals Muun, Yeel and Rieekan, Commander Godt, and Commodore Brand, many of whom owed their positions to Sovv. A distress signal was dispatched to various New Republic fleets stationed at Corellia, Kuat, Balmorra, and Kashyyyk, but reinforcements were unable to arrive in time to alter the battle's outcome.

The Yuuzhan Vong deliberately piloted refugee ships, seized from captured convoys originating from worlds like Ralltiir and Rhinnal, into Coruscant's shields to weaken them. This tactic proved effective, causing entire shield grids to collapse and surface-based shield generators to be systematically destroyed. Coruscant's orbital defense platforms were heavily utilized to counter the suicidal refugee ships, but their efforts were insufficient to halt the Yuuzhan Vong's advance. Eventually, Coruscant's skyline was filled with crashing vessels, and plasma fire rained down from the space battle. Even the New Republic's Orbital Defense Headquarters facility was crippled, falling from orbit and crashing onto Coruscant's surface.

As the space battle raged on, the Jedi discovered that the Yuuzhan Vong had adapted their tactics from prior defeats by deploying multiple yammosk war coordinators instead of just one. This strategy proved advantageous for the Yuuzhan Vong, as the Jedi were unable to eliminate a single yammosk and disrupt enemy formations. Nevertheless, Luke Skywalker and several other Jedi from Eclipse Station targeted the war-coordinating yammosks in an attempt to influence the battle and sow confusion among the enemy, successfully destroying four of them.

Meanwhile, Han Solo and Leia Organa, aboard the Millennium Falcon, attempted to evacuate Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya from the planet. However, they were redirected to rescue Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker at the Western Sea.

The second wave of the Yuuzhan Vong assault included thousands of Yorik-trema dropships, Tsik-Seru airskimmers, swarms of Yorik-vec assault cruisers and coralskippers, legions of Yuuzhan Vong warriors, and Chazrach support troops. In a desperate attempt to stem the enemy's advance, Bel Iblis' fleet fired upon the refugee ships, but this action was opposed by Admirals Sovv and Kre'fey, who disapproved of targeting innocent refugees. Despite Coruscant's extensive minefields, their impact was less significant than hoped.

As enemy forces closed in on him at the Imperial Palace, Borsk Fey'lya declined the Solos' offer of transport, choosing to remain rather than be perceived as a coward. Before their departure, Fey'lya requested that Organa Solo deliver a final address to the people of Coruscant, urging them to never surrender in their fight against the Yuuzhan Vong.

Following the Solos' departure, Tsavong Lah's aide Romm Zqar attempted to force Borsk Fey'lya to surrender. Upon Fey'lya's refusal, Zqar killed him. However, before his death, the Chief of State had planted a proton bomb within the Imperial Palace, set to detonate upon the cessation of his heartbeat. The resulting explosion claimed the lives of Romm Zqar, 25,000 Yuuzhan Vong warriors, and destroyed a portion of the Imperial Palace, its data towers, numerous surrounding buildings, and several Yuuzhan Vong vessels. Prior to his death, Fey'lya had ordered the destruction of the data towers to prevent valuable information from falling into Yuuzhan Vong hands. Through his suicide tactic, he successfully accomplished this objective.

The battle spanned several days, resulting in substantial casualties on both sides. The Chazrach slave soldiers bore the brunt of the fighting in Coruscant's lower levels. Many of the planet's inhabitants were compelled to flee during the battle, while those unable to escape retreated into the city planet's depths. The estimated death toll from the conquest was one hundred billion, although this figure was considered excessively high. Hundreds of millions of survivors were sent into space on camp ships to deplete the New Republic's resources further.

As the battle unfolded, numerous Senators, fearing for their lives, commandeered portions of the fleet and fled to their respective sectors. Consequently, the New Republic Defense Fleet was significantly weakened. The third wave of the Yuuzhan Vong assault involved the release of a biotoxin in the form of green algae, which consumed buildings, corpses, and left behind black spots. Coralskipper and Yorik-Vec squadrons bombed the already devastated city world, inflicting further damage on the defenders. The Yuuzhan Vong ultimately seized Coruscant, proceeding to terraform it and rename it Yuuzhan'tar, in honor of their lost homeworld.

Although Tsavong Lah secured a major symbolic and strategic victory against the New Republic, he also committed a significant military blunder. By deploying the Warriors in successive waves and ordering vessels to collide with the planet's shields, he incurred massive casualties among his own forces. The initial two waves sent against the New Republic fleets and orbital defenses were decimated, and the third wave suffered severe losses despite its success.

Supreme Overlord Shimrra later remarked that the costly losses of 'Battle Plan Coruscant' resulted in the deaths of a third of the Warrior caste during their invasion of the galaxy. With a massive empire to govern, Yuuzhan Vong Domains once again competed for resources. Shortly after this battle, the Yuuzhan Vong's single strategic reserve was destroyed in a New Republic ambush. Combined with the horrific losses and the destruction of other Vong fleets, this meant that any movement of Yuuzhan Vong forces would leave another area undefended.

New Republic Army Colonel Stavin Thaal was among the few New Republic officers who chose to remain behind rather than evacuate. He and his soldiers relocated to Vandor-3, the next inner planet of the Coruscant system, where they formed a guerrilla unit known as the Pop-Dogs. Thaal and his Pop-Dogs harassed the Yuuzhan Vong until the system was liberated at the end of the war.

The New Republic effectively collapsed after the battle. Although the Senate had been withdrawing fleets to the Core Worlds since the war began, these fleets experienced a loss of coordination. Numerous planets immediately surrendered, receiving more favorable treatment.

In the immediate aftermath, Councilor Pwoe, the Quarren Senator for Mon Calamari, declared himself Chief of State, intending to sacrifice the New Republic in his hopes for securing his own survival. The Senate denounced Pwoe, but the Republic did not regain any cohesion until the election of Cal Omas as President of the Senate.

Cal Omas, a former Rebel soldier, concluded that the Senate and the Advisory Council were fundamentally unqualified to manage the war effectively, a sentiment shared by the New Republic populace. It also became clear that the Yuuzhan Vong had repeatedly broken their promises, making future negotiations untrustworthy.

Perhaps most significantly, the actions of the Jedi during the Battle of Coruscant improved their public image. Leveraging this political influence, Omas reorganized the New Republic into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, significantly reducing the Senate's executive power and limiting it to legislative functions. He also established the High Council, finally granting the Jedi a role in the war effort.

While it may have marked the end of the New Republic, the Fall of Coruscant ultimately determined the outcome of the Yuuzhan Vong War.