Skirmish at Chinshassa

The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on official information from the Star Wars Legends continuity, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

The Skirmish at Chinshassa was a brief battle between Rebel pilots under the command of Red Leader Luke Skywalker and the nomad warriors known as Em'liy in the supposed home city of Lieutenant Shira Brie on Shalyvane.

Background

Rogue Squadron pilot^[4] Lieutenant Shira Brie asked for leave time to visit her home planet of Shalyvane. Since she could not be given the secret coordinates of the Rebel Alliance base on Arbra, Commander Luke Skywalker agreed to join her on her trip, along with fellow pilots Hanc Thorben and Wald. They arrived at the ruins of the city of Chinshassa. At the Circle of Kavaan, the other pilots watched as Brie cut her hand and dripped blood onto the altar in the center of the Circle as part of some kind of ritual.^[1]

The battle

Brie's silent prayer was interrupted by the arrival of a large group of nomadic warriors known as Em'liy at the edge of the city. They began firing on the Rogues' position, while the Rebels took fire with their blasters. Brie explained that the Em'liy had betrayed her people to the Galactic Empire years ago, leading to the destruction of the city. During the intense firefight Skywalker's droid, R2-D2, detected an opening to an underground drainage system. Brie dropped down into the tunnel but the entrance collapsed with her still inside. As the hordes of Em'liy made their final charge, the Rebels' blasters ran dry. Skywalker was ready to take down as many as he could with his lightsaber before they were inevitably overrun, but Brie's X-wing appeared overhead and attacked the warriors, killing many of them and sending the rest into retreat.^[1]

Aftermath

In a ceremony back at Haven Base on Arbra, Shira Brie was honored by the Rebel Alliance with the Burdine Cluster for saving her squadmates and was promoted to the rank of Captain. After Shira was seemingly killed by Skywalker during a space battle,^[2] Luke discovered that not only had she been an Imperial spy all along,^[5] but also that Chinshassa had actually been the home of the Em'liy before the Empire destroyed it^[6] to provide Shira with a credible background and motivation for joining the Alliance.^[5]

Appearances

• Star Wars (1977) 60 (recolorized in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) (First appearance)
• Star Wars (1977) 61 (recolorized in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) (Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars (1977) 62 (recolorized in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) (Mentioned only)

Notes and references