The Battle of Kal'Shebbol unfolded in 8 ABY between the forces of Moff Kentor Sarne, namely his forces, and the New Republic. The New Republic, striving to eliminate the threat posed by various post-Endor Imperial warlords, targeted Moff Sarne, who governed the remote Kathol sector. Intelligence suggested that Sarne possessed hazardous, unusual weaponry, prompting an operation to oust him and liberate his capital planet, Kal'Shebbol. However, a drawn-out campaign against Sarne's territories was unfeasible due to the New Republic's strained military resources. Consequently, a swift strike was authorized, involving a commando raid to disable the defense shields while a task force engaged Sarne's fleet.
Prior to the main assault, elements of Page's Commandos, under the leadership of Lieutenant Judder Page, infiltrated the planet. The team proceeded to the Imperial Government Complex, gaining access and discovering a hidden Carrack-class light cruiser within an underground hangar, intended as Sarne's escape vessel. Presuming the hangar contained defense shield controls, Page divided his team. He would lead one group to disable the shield and potentially capture Sarne, while the other would rescue prisoners from the complex's detention center. As Page's team approached the hangar, Sarne incapacitated them using alien artifacts, the source of rumors about exotic technology. Sarne utilized this distraction to flee the planet aboard the light cruiser. However, Keleman Ciro, a member of Page's team, recovered from the artifact's effects and successfully disabled the defense shields.
In orbit, Sarne commanded his forces to retreat into the Kathol sector. The New Republic task force completed the liberation of Kal'Shebbol, installing a governor to safeguard the population's interests. With Sarne still at large and in possession of dangerous technology, the New Republic authorized the CR90 corvette FarStar to pursue the rogue warlord into the Kathol sector and eliminate the threat he posed.
In 8 ABY, the New Republic continued its war against the remnants of the Galactic Empire, aiming to subdue the various Imperial warlord factions that had emerged after the Battle of Endor. Following successful campaigns against Ysanne Isard and Zsinj, the New Republic received information indicating that Moff Kentor Sarne had recently acquired a powerful new type of weapon. Despite some dismissing it as mere rumor, the New Republic deemed the risk too great and planned to neutralize Sarne before he could fully utilize these weapons. Sarne governed the Kathol sector, a remote region of space in the Outer Rim Territories from which he had quietly withdrawn following the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor in 4 ABY. Sarne had already launched several incursions into the neighboring Minos Cluster, seizing territory despite being outnumbered, suggesting that the new weapons technology provided his forces with a combat advantage. After the New Republic managed to push Sarne out of the Minos Cluster, and considering its other pressing concerns, it opted for a swift strike against Sarne's capital, Kal'Shebbol. Cal Alder, a New Republic officer from Kal'Shebbol and a veteran of the Battle of Hoth, assisted in planning the operation.
During his reign over Kal'Shebbol, Sarne had transformed the planet's single continent into a fortified stronghold. An energy shield protected it from orbital attacks, and weapon emplacements, including anti-orbital turbolasers and ion cannons, provided a robust defense. While a sustained assault could eventually breach these defenses, the New Republic lacked the resources for a prolonged campaign. Instead, they decided to deploy a Special Forces team to infiltrate Sarne's headquarters and disable the defenses, enabling the assigned task force to capture the planet. Elements of Page's Commandos, led by Lieutenant Judder Page, were chosen for this mission. While the main commando force would insert onto Kal'Shebbol concurrently with the New Republic task force's arrival, pathfinder Lilla Dade was deployed three days prior for reconnaissance.
During her scouting missions around the government complex, Dade encountered Kl'aal, a Defel native to the planet, and enlisted his aid. She also discovered an entrance to the base: a wide hole providing direct access to an armored tunnel. This hole appeared to have been created by a powerful cutting torch that had breached the tunnel, exposing it to the outside. Dade had heard rumors that it was the result of a failed experiment, specifically a test conducted by Sarne's staff using a Firespray module, one of the DarkStryder artifacts rumored to be the source of advanced weaponry. The device created a wall of fire capable of cutting through any known material. During the test, the two technicians operating the module were startled by its discharge, causing it to fall on them, killing them and creating the large hole in the tunnel roof.
Page's Commandos entered the system before the main New Republic task force, utilizing a Ghtroc Industries Class 720 freighter as a disguise, posing as a merchant vessel. The strike force blended in with civilian traffic, awaiting the arrival of the task force. Upon its arrival, the Ghtroc freighter was directed to a groundside landing field alongside other traffic, allowing planetary defenses to activate against the New Republic forces. While the freighter initially followed the designated course, it soon deviated, heading towards the Imperial Government Complex. Personnel at the complex detected the freighter's detour and targeted it with an Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower located on the perimeter. The blast severed the starboard repulsorlifts, sending the freighter crashing towards the ground. The pilot, Syla Tors, managed to crash-land the craft, skidding through grassland and shrubbery before breaching the complex's perimeter death fence.
After exiting the downed freighter, Page confirmed that his team—including Sergeant Keleman Ciro, Kaiya Adrimetrum, Gottu, and Vandro—were unharmed, while Tors rigged the wreck to explode upon investigation by Imperial forces. Ciro expressed concern about Dade's absence, but Page reminded him that their landing was off-target. When Dade remained absent, Page considered proceeding without her, fearing her capture. However, a voice from the darkness inquired if he was Lieutenant Page. The voice belonged to Kl'aal, the Defel recruited by Dade. After Kl'aal provided the correct password, confirming his alliance with Dade, he led the commandos to her location. They rendezvoused with Dade, who showed them the entrance to the armored tunnel. As they speculated about the hole's origin, the booby trap on the freighter detonated, alerting the commandos to potential Imperial pursuit. Page ordered the team into the tunnel.
Page's Commandos advanced through the armored tunnel, minimizing their glowrods and remaining vigilant for traps. They reached a nexus control room occupied by five Imperial personnel without triggering any alarms. Surprising the Imperials, the commandos eliminated them and secured the room. Sergeant Ciro, the team's computer expert, immediately began slicing into the complex's mainframe, retrieving schematics to locate the energy shield control room. The blueprints indicated that the control room was located halfway across the complex. While Page expressed his desire for a more convenient location, Ciro discovered a hangar containing a Carrack-class light cruiser, maintained by Sarne as an emergency escape vehicle. Realizing the hangar would also contain controls for the energy shield, Page decided to head there instead of the main control room. He split his team, leading Ciro, Vandro, and Tors to the hangar, while tasking Adrimetrum, Gottu, Dade, and Kl'aal with rescuing captives from the detention center.
From the complex's command center, Moff Kentor Sarne monitored the New Republic task force engaging his orbital fleet and attacking the energy shield. Upon learning of the Special Forces infiltration, Sarne decided to evacuate. The New Republic task force outmatched his defenses, and the shield's power generators were strained. To prevent the New Republic from acquiring the DarkStryder artifacts, Sarne ordered his staff to continue fighting, buying him time to escape. He rendezvoused with his personal guard and a pair of stormtroopers, ordering two to initiate Omega order five, a contingency plan to wipe all computer records, including personnel files and navigational data. The rest accompanied him to his personal quarters, where they retrieved a chest of DarkStryder artifacts before heading through a secret doorway into a tunnel leading to the underground hangar.
Sarne and his escort proceeded down the tunnel, wary of the Republic Special Operations team. Reaching the Carrack-class light cruiser, the Ambition, Sarne prepared to board. However, one of his guards heard movement behind them; Page's team had entered the secret passage through another doorway in Sarne's office. Sarne's escorts took up defensive positions, but lacked cover in the smooth tunnel. Sarne retrieved a Firespray module, creating meter-wide recesses in the floor, walls, and ceiling with its flame wall. While four guards took position in these recesses, Sarne ordered two to carry the chest to the Ambition. Despite the Imperials' cover, the commandos killed two in their opening volley. Realizing his escape was jeopardized, Sarne used a Mindwarper module, emitting a mist that disoriented or incapacitated anyone caught within. The commandos succumbed, falling to the floor. With the opposition neutralized, Sarne and his remaining escort boarded the Ambition.
In the detention cells, Adrimetrum's team began releasing Sarne's prisoners, including the Wookiee Lofryyhn, a former comrade of Adrimetrum in the Rebel unit before his capture by the Sabiador Slavers, and Jessa Dajus, a former Imperial Intelligence agent claiming to be a shuttle pilot for Sarne. Dajus, Force-sensitive but unaware of her abilities, sensed danger as the commandos shot out the cell locks. Checking further, they discovered at least one lock was rigged with explosives. With no time to check every cell, Adrimetrum was forced to leave the remaining prisoners locked up and ordered her team to Sarne's escape hangar.
As Page's team recovered from the Mindwarper module's effects, they rushed to the hangar. Two Imperial troopers attempted to block their entry, but Vandro eliminated them with a grenade from his Viper grenade launcher. The hangar roof had been blown off, and the light cruiser was ascending into orbit. Ciro confirmed at a computer terminal that it was a secondary control for the energy shield, timed by Sarne to allow the cruiser to pass through and then reactivate. Using a handheld beamdrill, Ciro froze the circuits in the "open" position, preventing the shield from reactivating.
In orbit, Sarne marshaled his forces and ordered a withdrawal from the star system. The Imperial fleet escaped into the Kathol sector without leaving a traceable hyperspace vector. With the shield down and no opposition, the New Republic task force pressed its advantage and liberated the planet. However, a mistargeted New Republic concussion missile destroyed Brophar Tofarain's repair yard and damaged other parts of Kal'Shebbol starport.
The New Republic seized the Imperial Government Complex, establishing their headquarters and appointing an Elomin named Monjai as the planet's governor. Despite the New Republic victory, Sarne's escape with a significant portion of his forces worried some officers, including Lieutenant Page. Furthermore, Sarne had fled with examples of the exotic technology used against Page's Commandos and had purged the computer databanks, erasing personnel records, military files, and even surveys of the Kathol sector, hindering the New Republic's knowledge of the region beyond Kal'Shebbol. Page urged the task force's admiral to allocate resources to pursue Sarne, but a situation in the Bozhnee sector necessitated the task force's departure, leaving no ships to spare.
A meeting between Page and Imperial officer Jessa Dajus, claiming to be a victim of Sarne's "loyalty purges," revealed the location of a secret dock in the Sorbiss Valley where a CR90 corvette named Renegade was undergoing a refit. Securing the vessel, Page received authorization to assemble a crew and pursue Sarne. Due to limited resources, Page assembled a crew of New Republic personnel and civilians from Kal'Shebbol. Renaming it the FarStar, the ship launched from Kal'Shebbol shortly after the task force's departure.
The Battle of Kal'Shebbol was depicted in the short story The Saga Begins, by Timothy Zahn and published by West End Games as the introduction to The DarkStryder Campaign. The battle serves as the catalyst for Sarne's flight into the Kathol sector, initiating the events of the DarkStryder Campaign.