Battle of Kemal
The Battle of Kemal was an engagement between New Republic forces and Imperial forces loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn in the course of the Thrawn campaign of 9 ABY.
Context
Not long after the Battle for the Katana Fleet, Thrawn ordered an offensive up the Triellus Trade Route towards Ord Pardron. A New Republic task force consisting of the capital ships Mon Remonda and Ession Strike as well as Wraith Squadron and Rogue Squadron attempted to slow the Imperial advance in five consecutive battles over as many days, culminating in a delaying action at Tatooine. Afterwards, most of the New Republic battle group retreated to the staging ground at Ord Pardron, while Wraith Squadron and Ession Strike were detached for a maneuver behind enemy lines. New Republic Intelligence had tracked the ship thief Niles Ferrier, who had led Grand Admiral Thrawn to the Katana Fleet, to the planet Kemal. Supported by elements from Garm Bel Iblis' forces, recently allied with the New Republic, Wraith Squadron was to capture Ferrier to gain intelligence on Thrawn, while Bel Iblis' dreadnought Harrier and the New Republic star destroyers Crynyd and Moonshadow were to remain nearby to offer support if needed. However, Crynyd and Moonshadow were pulled away to ward of an Imperial attack in a nearby sector shortly before the planned deployment.
During the preparations for the operation, Radielle "Radie" Felian reunited with her father Marton Hirakyl aboard the Marauder-class corvette Banshee. They had been separated for two years, during which Felian had infiltrated the New Republic as an A-Wing pilot in order to gather intelligence for Bel Iblis' faction, to which both her and her father belonged. Felian, along with her fellow A-Wing pilots Dorset Konnair and Linna Irarch from Spitfire Flight as well as their commander Todra Mayn, had been attached to Wraith Squadron for the duration.[1]
The battle
Ferrier was believed to be on the Kemal Ring, a floating station hidden within the upper layers of the gas giant Kemal. Because Kemal's atmosphere blocked long-range sensors, Ession Strike under Captain Atril Tabanne and under the command of Martos Hirakyl searched the atmosphere for the station, while Dorset Konnair piloted a Nu-class shuttle holding an assault team made up of Wraith Squadron and members of Bel Iblis' Advance Field Operations Section for the boarding action.