Nuso Esva's battle fleet
- "Warlord Nuso Esva has become one of those threats. […] He possesses an unusually strong spacegoing navy, along with many slave and tributary worlds stretching into Wild Space and to the edge of the Empire. I believe he is even now planning to extend his influence into Imperial space."
- ―Senior Captain Thrawn[3]
Storm-hair Warlord Nuso Esva possessed a strong and massive battle fleet that included three fleets, one of which was the Eastern Fleet. Esva's battle fleet acted as the navy of his realm, which conquered and plundered dozens of planets and destroyed several species from the Unknown Regions and Wild Space. By 0 ABY, Esva was fighting Senior Captain Thrawn's Empire of the Hand, which had began to push back the Storm-hair's conquests. To destroy Thrawn and conquer the Galactic Empire, the warlord brought the senior captain's Task Force Admonitor to the Galactic Empire's Candoras sector's Poln system after attacking one of his own attack squadrons over the Unknown Regions planet Teptixii.
Esva sabotaged the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Chimaera and set it on a collision course with a Golan I space station, ordering his fleet to destroy any starships that moved to assist the Chimaera or the Golan. Thrawn was able to move the Chimaera away from the Golan, and brought the Galactic Empire Death Squadron fleet to the Poln system. The Death Squadron then destroyed the Eastern Fleet while its leader escaped. By 8 ABY, Esva's battle fleet had been reduced to remnants.
Description[]
- "Nuso Esva's Eastern Fleet has been shattered, but he has two more of equal strength. I have to return immediately to seize our temporary advantage."
- ―Senior Captain Thrawn[3]
The battle fleet of Storm-hair[1] Warlord Nuso Esva consisted of three fleets of equal strength, one of which was the Eastern Fleet, which consisted of twenty-eight Firekiln capital ships, 100 escort ships, and fifty Whisperlike fighters. Esva traveled aboard the Kazellis-class light freighter Salaban's Hope.[3]
History[]
Battling at Teptixii[]
- "The larger ships, the Firekilns, are more powerful than you realize. Laser to laser, five of them are an even match for his Star Destroyer, and Nuso Esva currently has eight of them in place."
- ―Warlord Nuso Esva, under the pseudonym of Lord Odo[3]
Warlord Nuso Esva was a member of the Storm-hair species (pictured)
By 0 ABY,[4] Esva was in a conflict with the Empire of the Hand, which was led by Senior Captain Thrawn of the Galactic Empire. As the senior captain had been able to push back the warlord's advances, the Storm-hair sought to finish him. To achieve this, Esva captured the family of Bidor Ferrouz, the governor of the Galactic Empire's Candoras sector, and ordered Ferrouz to ally himself with the Rebel Alliance, which opposed the Galactic Empire, prompting Imperial forces to travel to the system. Additionally, the warlord infiltrated the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Chimaera under the pseudonym of Imperial Court member Lord Odo. Aboard the Chimaera, Esva ordered its commander, Captain Calo Drusan, to bring the Star Destroyer to the Unknown Regions'[3] Teptixii system.[5]
Drusan did as ordered, and arrived to witness a battle between one of Esva's attack squadrons—eight Firekilns and twenty-seven escorts—and the Imperial Task Force Admonitor—led by the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Admonitor—which was commanded by Thrawn and Captain Voss Parck. Esva's forces were trying to capture the task force's two Strike-class medium cruisers and four Carrack-class light cruisers to add them to the Storm-hair warlord's battle fleet. Esva advised Drusan to angle the Chimaera thirty degrees portside so that it could divide the attack squadron and prompt it to flee. As the order was executed, Esva's forces fled. The Storm-hair then ordered Parck to get Task Force Admonitor to the Poln system, as attempts on Ferrouz's life were taking place, and all Imperial forces were commanded to assist the system.[3]
A fiery collision[]
- "I mean to destroy you, Captain Thrawn. […] But first, your soldiers and subordinates are going to watch as you make your final, fatal choice. […] In fourteen minutes, unless something is done, the Chimaera and the Golan will destroy each other in a fiery collision. […] The other ships of your task force are helpless to interfere. I have all of them trapped here by Poln Minor, and should any of them attempt to leave their current positions my Firekilns have been ordered to intercept and destroy. The only way to prevent the collision is for either the Chimaera or the Golan to open fire and destroy the other."
- ―Warlord Nuso Esva, to Senior Captain Thrawn[3]
Senior Captain Thrawn
The Chimaera and the task force arrived over Poln Major and Minor, as did Esva's Eastern Fleet and Thrawn's DeepWater-class light freighter Lost Reef. The warlord sabotaged the Chimaera, setting it on a collision course with a nearby Golan I space station. Esva's twenty-eight Firekilns and their escorts were ready to destroy any ship that attempted to move to assist Drusan's Star Destroyer; however, the Lost Reef used its tractor beam to move the Chimaera away from the Golan. The Storm-hair warlord, however, did not flee, instead boasting over comm.[3]
Thrawn then brought the Galactic Empire's Death Squadron fleet, whose flagship was the massive Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor, to the Poln system. The senior captain then ordered all of his forces, including the Death Squadron, to engage Esva's forces, destroying them. Shortly after, Thrawn returned to the Admonitor before leaving to attack Esva's two remaining fleets.[3] By 8 ABY,[2] the battle fleet had been reduced to remnants, and[1] in 8 ABY,[6] Esva was killed by Empire of the Hand stormtroopers on the[1] Unknown Regions[7] planet Quethold.[1]
Commanders and crew[]
The battle fleet was commanded by Esva.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Nuso Esva's battle fleet first appeared in Timothy Zahn's 2011 Choices of One.[3]
Appearances[]
- Choices of One (First appearance)
- "Crisis of Faith" — Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition (Mentioned only)