| abstract | - The Battle of Ruusan was a major engagement between the New Republic and it's allies and the Yuuzhan Vong that lasted from 27 to 28 ABY. The engagement was known as a major turning point in the Mid Rim campaign and had a significant impact on the conflict overall. More than four million troops were fielded on the ground, and more than seven hundred warships fought in orbit. Ruusan was a planet located in the Mid Rim of the galaxy, and was famous for the Ruusan Reformations, which occurred during the times of the Galactic Republic. It was one of the many planets in the path of the Yuuzhan Vong offensive, which had largely taken the Outer Rim Territories and pushed into the Core Worlds. The New Republic's high command wanted to maintain a foothold in the Rim, in preparation for an eventual offensive. The Yuuzhan Vong wanted complete domination of the area, including Ruusan. The battle lasted for nearly a year. The Yuuzhan Vong Armada dominated the orbit for two-thirds of the engagement, destroying the combined task force of the New Republic Defense Fleet and Imperial Navy. On the ground, the war saw the Yuuzhan Vong capture several key settlements but fail to capture the capitol, facing the New Republic Army, Imperial Army, and Stormtrooper Corps in many smaller skirmishes and sieges across Ruusan. During the battle, the allies deployed several foreign units, including the 339th Hapan Reinforced Infantry Division, and the Ssi-ruuk Free Corps, from the Hapan Consortium and Ssi-ruuk Imperium, respectively. The long term failure of the Yuuzhan Vong objectives, to secure the capitol, ultimately caused their defeat, and battles in nearby systems dwindled their supply replenishment. In the final month, the main force of the Yuuzhan Vong attack force was surrounded in a small town in the southern hemisphere of Ruusan. The allied commander, General Zakar Catlos, offered them terms of surrender, but they declined and fought to the last man. By the time it was over, more than two million soldiers from both sides had become casualties. The battle decimated the regional Yuuzhan Vong forces, and caused them to thinly spread their troops throughout the Mid Rim. It allowed the New Republic to retake the planets quicker than it would have been with the full forces there.
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