| The Origins of the Emperor's Hammer - AD Gilad Pelleaeon
Following the Rebelion's failed attempt to acquire the TIE Defender technology, Emperor Palpatine, Lord Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered that the Imperial class Star Destroyer Avenger be refitted and commissioned the Emperor's Hammer Strike Wing, with General Ronin at it's head. The Emperor’s Hammer Strike Wing's purpose was to conduct rapid strike and interdiction missions to counter the coming assaults from the traitorous Admiral Zaarin.
In the months leading up to the disasterous Battle of Endor, the Emperor's Hammer Strike Wing participated in the capture of Zaarin, the Strike at Calamari and several engagements with Rebel forces in the Galvin System. Shortly before the Battle of Endor the Emperor's Hammer was expanded to be a fleet rather than a wing and General Ronin was promoted to Admiral by Emperor Palpatine. Also during this time came the partnership between the Emperor's Hammer and the Dark Brotherhood.
When Grand Admiral Thrawn departed for his Outer Rim Mapping Expedition, Emperor Palpatine promoted Admiral Ronin to the rank of Grand Admiral in Thrawn's place. Ronin was also given the SSD Avenger to replace the aging ISD Avenger and ordered to Endor, to provide defense for the Imperial Mining Platform above Eloggi, the sister Moon to Endor.
Battle of Endor:
Hours before the Battle of Endor, Grand Admiral Ronin attended a briefing with Emperor Palpatine aboard the Second Death Star, the details of the meeting have never been publicly known, but after retuning to the Avenger he ordered the fleet to begin taking on all supplies from the Mining Platform. While they were taking on the supplies the Rebelion attack the Death Star.
Though some details concerning the Battle of Endor remain hazy, as many brave Imperial officers lost their lives on that terrible day, we do know that a small group of rebel fighters were able to reach the surface of the Death Star after rebel terrorists, aided by primitive natives on Endor were able to destroy the shield generator that protected the Death Star from attack.
A rebel fighter group exploited one of the only weaknesses of the new Death Star, by accessing a construction corridor in the superstructure which they were able to follow all the way to the core.
While the fighters were penetrating to the core, rebel cruisers moved in to engage the Imperial Fleet at point blank, which until then was unheard of. Rebel fighters were able to destroy the shield generators on the Super-class Star Destroyer Executor and when a damaged A-Wing crashed into the bridge it cut all control of the ship and sent it into a gravity-aided dive into the surface of the Death star, killing over a quarter million of the finest Imperial officers in a fiery explosion.
Not long afterward, rebel pilots destroyed the main reactor of the Death Star, causing a massive explosion that destroyed it from the inside out, killing the Emperor and many high ranking Imperial Officers. The number of Imperials lost in the battle has never been determined, though it is known to be in the millions.
In the hours after the destruction of the second Death Star, Grand Admiral Ronin ordered that the Mining platform over Eloggi be scuttled to prevent it's capture by the Rebellion. He then ordered the withdrawal of Emperor's Hammer forces to the PLT Daedalus, where they would establish their new base of operations.
It was after the battle was concluded that the head leader of the Rebellion, Mon Mothma declared the formation of the so called "New Republic”.
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