Year 23, D266 Kowak System, Sevetta Sector Rebel Alliance officials today held a press conference to confirm that the Zann Consortium threat to commerce in the system has been eliminated and that all travel advisories and no fly zones have been lifted. On Day 263, authorities raised alarms as then-unknown hostile elements assaulted the system’s civilian navigational sensor network. A local garrison squadron of A-wing starfighters was launched to investigate the grid disruptions and quickly identified the interlopers as the Zann Consortium. The squadron quickly engaged the pirates in combat but were quickly proven to be outnumbered and outgunned, losing six of their pilots but successfully preventing the pirates from pushing further in-system and pursuing civilian transports. Local authorities issued travel advisories for intrasystem traffic and ordered all non-essential civilian craft to move within the planet’s defensive perimeter while the attack was repulsed.
This is not the first time elements of the underworld have made a play for the Kowak system, of course. Readers may recall that when the system was rediscovered last year, it was under the control of local criminal cartels. While a hearty coalition of Rebel-aligned forces fought to liberate the planet the Void Wolves, an arm of the Zann Consortium, announced that they were supplying the cartels with shipments of arms, credits, and supplies. To date, no evidence has been recovered to corroborate their claims and any actions they may have taken did little to delay the planet’s liberation. In the time since, however, criminal interest in Kowak has remained strong. After the initial shock of the strike wore off, Rebel Chief of Military Operations Josh Jericho wasted no time in soliciting help from nearby allies, all of whom had fought beside the Rebels during last year’s conflict. The coalition forces began arriving just hours later, with more forces assembling at staging areas in-system and in the surrounding region. These included forces from the Blue Star Dominion, the Jedi Order, the Exchange, the Resistance, and Ternion Corps in addition to Alliance reinforcements already enroute. While the pirate pilots proved quite pugnacious early on and put the Rebels on the defensive, Zann withdrew their attack after being confronted by the assembling defense forces. Currently, officials have confirmed Zann casualties include the destruction of four ships and eighteen more sustaining heavy damage. The defense operation succeeded in ensuring no civilian loss of life during the two and a half hour assault. In all, the pirate ambush destroyed eighteen starfighters, four Sysat beacons, and two corvettes: the Zill’s Guidance and the Edik’s Courage. Reports indicate the Courage and the Guidance were launched with only a skeleton crew to distract the interlopers and shield civilian transports as they escaped to safety. Dominion Marshal Taranjeek O`Cuinn bravely volunteered to captain both these vessels and barely escaped with her life. David Archer, Mika Noris, Vadik Edik, Robert Derr, and Pursh Greene (who first discovered the system) have been nominated for commendations on behalf of their respective units for actions during this short battle. Ceremonies to honor the fallen are expected to be announced soon.
