Death Star III

The exact details about the Death Star III's construction are unknown, kept hidden by the Galactic Empire, but what is known is that production on the massive battle station began at least two years after the Battle of Endor, under the supervision of the Interim Ruling Council and soon-to-be Emperor Bacharan Valak.

Construction of the third Death Star began in complete secrecy deep within the territory under Valak's control, which at the time was steadily growing as more and more warlords flocked to Valak's banner. Many of the councilmen on the Ruling Council opposed the construction of the third Death Star, as the previous two had been complete failures and the resources left to the Empire had grew thin with the fragmentation of the Empire and the Imperial Civil War. But, with Valak's insistence, construction began.

The Third Death Star was also called the Advanced Death Star, for it took all the best features of the previous Death Stars and vastly improved upon them, removing any weak spots and glitches that were present in the previous two. The Advanced Death Star was modeled after the Death Star II, which was vastly more powerful and larger than the Death Star I, roughly 900 kilometers in diameter, compared to only 160 kilometers in diameter for the Death Star I. The final advancement over its previous versions was the addition of an internal shield generator, which protected the Death Star III and did not require a planet-based generator.

Massive resources were compiled for the Advanced Death Star, and upon its completion in 9 ABY, received a massive complement of starfighters and troops, both Stormtroopers and Imperial Army soldiers. It was the ultimate evolution of the Death Star line, what the Death Star II would have been, if it had been completed.

A large Imperial fleet was sent to protect the Death Star, and in 9 ABY, the Advanced Death Star was unveiled to the galaxy at Gastus IV. A New Republic fleet was sent to fend off the Imperial invaders, shocked to see the Death Star, and were ultimately defeated. The Death Star III fired upon Gastus IV, destroying the planet and its occupants.

Shockwaves of fear rippled through the galaxy with the introduction of the Death Star III. Rumors quickly spread about which planet would be the next target, forcing the New Republic to evacuate many planets, including Ithor, where rumors were heaviest. Instead, the Imperials invaded Mon Calamari and used the Death Star to wipe out the shipyards and inflict heavy damage on both the New Republic fleet and the planet itself, but, for reasons shrouded in mystery, the Empire spared the planet from complete destruction.

Next, only a few weeks later, the Empire invaded Sluis Van, where resistance was tougher than predicted. The Empire lost valuable warships in the battle, including the famed HIMS Emperor Valak. Ultimately, however, Sluis Van was wiped out, and its shipyards occupied.

The Death Star III would remain at the front of galactic politics for some time, especially during the early days of the Galactic Senate, the Empire using the threat of the Death Star to cajole other governments into pledging their loyalty to the Empire, including the Griffon Alliance.

In 10 ABY, the New Republic and the Griffons signed a secret pact, effectivelly allying the two governments. Talon Karrde was hired by the Republic to infiltrate a man aboard the Death Star and to sabotage the shield generators. The agent succeeded in doing so, and shortly after a New Republic-led task force, with the Griffons participating, attacked the Death Star at Sluis Van.

The Republic realized there was no conventional way of destroying the Death Star III, and thus collected a massive fleet of automated warships and packed them with high explosives. The commanders of the Death Star III, Admiral Dyne Haederfeld and Moff Devron Nuleshek, refused to evacuate, despite the shield generator malfunction, unaware of the Republic plan.

During the massive battle, the Republic kamikaze fleet appeared out of hyperspace and rammed into the Death Star, causing a chain reaction which destroyed the station, although not before a large portion of its crew was capable of escaping. Haederfeld and Nuleshek perished in the explosion, and the Imperials retreated from the system to lick their wounds.

The Advanced Death Star was a marvel of Imperial technology, and, like its predecessors, was destroyed to Imperial ineptness and overconfidence. The loss of the Death Star sent ripples through the Imperial chain of command. On the other hand, however, the Republic sacrificed a great amount of warships in their kamikaze run, which would greatly hampner the Republic's future war effort.

The betrayal of the Griffons at the Third Battle of Sluis Van forced the Empire to bear their weight upon the Griffon Alliance, destroying Pride-1 in 11 ABY.

The destruction of the Advanced Death Star was a major victory for the New Republic, and a huge morale boost for their troops and citizenry, as a glimmer of hope was once again thrust back into their world.