The Battle of Dantooine
In the closing days of 249 ABY, the Jedi Order received a direct order from Chief of State Feksk to send a pair of Jedi to accompany the assault forces in the Raioballo sector, which were readying an assault on the Dantooine system. After the capture of nearby Bimmiel and Morishim, Dantooine was considered a critical target, since, as one of the first worlds to defect to the Commonwealth, it had long since served as a stronghold of Commonwealth resistance. With the establishment of a base on Dantooine, the Galactic Alliance would have a foothold in the vast majority of that sector in the Outer Rim Territories, allowing GA forces to concentrate on other important worlds nearer to the heart of Commonwealth territory. Furthermore, reconnaissance information allegedly demonstrated that the Jedi concentrated in the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine were formulating some sort of resistance that posed a critical threat to Alliance forces in the region.
The Order chose Jedi Knight Jamus Kevari and his fifteen-year old Padawan Learner, Cyril Feraan and they were summarily sent to the Dantooine system, where they met up with the Fifth and Sixth Combat Regiments, as well as the Specialized Combat Squadron (SCS). Together, they broke orbit and descended into the atmosphere, meeting surprisingly little resistance from ground-to-air anti-aircraft fire. The Jedi landed within the private shipyard of the Jedi Enclave, with the Galactic Alliance troopers choosing a landing site just outside of Enclave walls.
Knight Kevari and his Padawan cautiously made their way through Temple halls, trailed stealthily by Alliance forces. They quickly encountered a group of Dantooine Jedi Knights and Masters, who accepted an offer from Knight Kevari, then deemed the leading Allied commander, to surrender. When asked to put down their weapons and agree to be restrained, the group of Jedi launched a full assault upon the GA Regiments and the pair of Jedi. Though the Alliance forces sustained heavy losses at first, they launched a swift counter-assault utilizing a myriad of equipment from forcefields to light artillery to force the resident Jedi back through the hallways into the main courtyard, where the Jedi were able to spread out, reassess their strategy, and obtain a more favorable position. Neither side seemed to be able to prevail during the next half hour as combat continued to ensue, with sporadic battles breaking out all throughout the corridors of the Enclave.
SCS forces, accompanied by the Jedi, strategically targeted certain key areas of the Enclave to ensure ultimate victory. Initially, they made their way to the Communications tower, where specialists disabled the long-range communications sensors to prevent supporting resistance fighters from being contacted. Afterwards, the group split into three squadrons, “Aurek”, “Besh”, and “Cresh”. While Besh and Cresh were deployed to certain locations, Aurek, led by Knight Kevari, was in charge of locating the Council Chambers and setting up a command center there, followed by seeking out and attempting to capture or kill known Jedi leaders. Besh succeeded in its purpose, though taking moderate losses in the process. Cresh was almost immediately diverted by an unexpected counter-assault by a group of Jedi Knights and their students, and many SCS forces backtracked to join Aurek. Aurek, on the other hand, was almost entirely annihilated in their attempt to hold the Council Chambers, and it was only by the arrival of scattered Cresh forces that they were not overrun. After this point, the remainder of the CSC was able to consolidate and achieve their objectives, slowly fighting their way to the courtyard. With this, the Alliance forces were able to pin in the remaining Jedi in the mess hall, with others chasing down the scattered remnant throughout the Temple.
Out of the roughly 300 Jedi that occupied the Dantooine Enclave at the time, more than 120 casualties were inflicted upon their numbers, including at least 80 deaths. Several dozen of these deaths reportedly occurred at the hands of the GA Jedi. Numerous other Dantooine Jedi fled the scene of battle upon realizing the futility of their situation, including five Jedi Masters that had initially been captured by the Galactic Alliance. The majority of the younglings (those not of age to have fought in the battle) were systematically evacuated, either by the Alliance or the Dantooine Jedi. Over 300 members from the Fifth and Sixth Combat Regiments perished during the course of battle or were reported missing after the conclusion of the battle. The Specialized Combat Squadron was almost entirely eliminated, with fewer than 15 percent surviving, and almost all of the remainder injured in some form.
With the unconditional surrender of the few remaining Jedi at Dantooine, the Galactic Alliance had won the Battle for Dantooine and began setting up a military base at which they planned to train new recruits and conduct operations in the immediate area. This penultimate victory would serve as yet another bitter highlight in a short but bloody war.