Battle of Ithor

Before the battle, the population of Ithor had been evacuated to Mon Calamari. By request of Admiral Traest Kre'fey, and much to Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya's dismay, Imperial Admiral Gilad Pellaeon took command of New Republic and Imperial Remnant forces. Soon, Yuuzhan Vong forces arrived in-system above Ithor, led by the Legacy of Torment. Rogue Squadron engaged Coralskippers and started destroying Yorik-vecs. Anni Capstan, Jaina Solo's wingmate was killed in a dogfight, causing Jaina to feel great sadness.

Standard tactics for dealing with coralskippers, where weak lasers were shot at a fighter to overload the dovin basal-generated voids, then killing the ship with a stronger shot, proved ineffective against larger capital ship analogs. The dovin basals on the larger vessels devoted less energy to maneuvering, and more to shielding, resulting in a stronger defense.

Meanwhile on the surface of Ithor, the Yorik-trema landed their troops inside the Tafanda Bay, an Ithorian Herdship. The Jedi engaged the Yuuzhan Vong warriors and Chazrach slaves. In the fight, Wurth Skidder's arm was fractured by an amphistaff. Daeshara'cor was bitten by an amphistaff. Anakin Solo wielded her lightsaber along with his own to defend her, but she eventually succumbed to the venom and became one with the Force.

Elsewhere, Yuuzhan Vong Commander Shedao Shai led his warriors against a building defended by turrets and housed by droids. Little did he know, the building was a trap, an explosion set to go off when a specific computer console was destroyed. Because of the Vong's hatred of technology, the terminal was destroyed, and most of the warriors were killed in the resulting blast, though Shai himself escaped. Afterwards, the Jedi ambushed the Yuuzhan Vong command center, and defeated the forces there. Finding a Villip, Corran Horn managed to contact Shai and made a proposition: they would duel in one week on a plateau. If Shai won, he would receive the bones of his ancestor who died on Bimmiel, but if Horn won, Ithor would be safe. Shai agreed, and a temporary ceasefire was enacted.

Horn and Shai met on a plateau with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Shai's subordinate Deign Lian observing. The duel was long and fierce, with Shai landing a deadly blow through Horn's guts. While Horn recovered from the blow, Shai fulfilled a promise to himself and tasted the Jedi's blood. Horn taunted Shai, provoking him into launching a rage-fueled attack. When Shai attempted to slay Horn by pushing the Jedi's own lightsaber into his face, Horn deactivated the blade, causing Shai to stumble. Horn reactivated the weapon through Shai's stomach, ending the commander's life. Unfortunately, this did not save Ithor, for Deign Lian, acting under orders from Warmaster Tsavong Lah, launched a devastating bioweapon at the planet.

The bioweapon was carried by twelve seed-shaped yorik coral pods. Upon arriving in the atmosphere, these pods exploded, creating an enormous cloud that began spreading through the jungle, which was held sacred by the Ithorians. As they expanded, the bacteria destroyed the native life. This later became blamed on Corran Horn, who was known across the HoloNet as the "Man who killed Ithor."

When the Yuuzhan Vong forces attempted to retreat, the Corusca Rainbow, an Interdictor Cruiser, came out of hyperspace beside the planet and activated its gravity well generators, pulling the Legacy of Torment towards the planet. The capital ship analog's dovin basals focused all their energy on moving the ship away from the planet. As a result, they could not form any voids to defend the vessel. The assembled New Republic and Imperial Remnant forces, using telemetry provided by the Corusca Rainbow, unleashed a barrage of hundreds of concussion missiles and proton torpedoes at the Legacy of Torment, breaking the ship into three pieces and killing Deign Lian. The rest of the Vong forces retreated, while the capital ship fragments were pulled by the planet's gravity and collided with the surface of Ithor, igniting the atmosphere and creating a planetwide inferno that destroyed any life that lingered on the devastated world.

As a result of the negative publicity surrounding the Jedi, Corran Horn asked to be expelled from the Jedi, which was met with understanding, but disappointment. Corran went to Corellia to ponder about the dark side, which he skirted across when he avenged Elegos A'Kla's death. Though of little strategic value, Ithor was a major psychological loss to the New Republic, and the publicity aided Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya in his attempts to gain some control over the Jedi Order. When Shimrra Jamaane, the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, learned of the Jedi's disgrace, he was delighted, and ordered the Yuuzhan Vong to discredit the Jedi further. Admiral Pellaeon was forced to withdraw the Imperial Navy back to Imperial Space to prevent the populace (and the Moffs) from revolting. But most importantly, the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong could no longer be denied.

• "Who's Who in the New Jedi Order" — Star Wars Insider 57
• The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
• The Official Star Wars Fact File125
• The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
• "The New Jedi Order in 100 Easy Lessons" — Star Wars Insider 74
• The New Essential Chronology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Atlas
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• The Essential Reader's Companion