Mission to Mon Gazza

"This matter is most urgent, you are to proceed to Mon Gazza and intercept the Separatist agent immediately."

- Ki-Adi-Mundi to Kenobi and Skywalker

This mission to Mon Gazza took place around 22 BBY, during the Clone Wars&mdash;the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi to investigate a corrupt senator, who recently smuggled a data disk, which contained Republic strategic battle plans. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the senator pledged his allegiance to Confederate Head of State Count Dooku. Dooku's Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress, landed on Coruscant to collect the disk. However, Mundi and his squad of clone troopers attacked Ventress, but she escaped. After discussing the matter with Chancellor Palpatine, Mundi and Grand Master Yoda contacted Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, on Queel to give them their assignment to Mon Gazza.

On Mon Gazza, Skywalker, Tano and Clone trooper Captain CC-7567, nicknamed Rex, went undercover to find the stolen datadisk. The datadisk was stolen by the deceased senator's aide, Messo, who soon was killed by Skywalker. While the disk was not with the aide, the Jedi Knight concluded that the disk was with another Confederate spy on Mon Gazza. The group noticed a Twi'lek podracer, named Kidd Kareen, won a podrace. Kareen and his closest friend, Maxus, became Skywalker's suspects. Telling Tano to become friends with Kareen, Skywalker soon began to snoop around Kareen's pit inside a podrace hangar. Soon after, the first Mon Gazza podrace began. Skywalker entered Tano into the race, however she crashed her pod. After Kareen gave the Togruta a spare pod, Skywalker and Rex followed Maxus to a cantina, where they found him contacting Dooku.

The following day, Tano was racing in the Mon Gazza Maze with Kareen and Maxus. Skywalker and Rex watched her progress when they noticed Maxus had the data disk. Maxus soon began to bump into Tano's pod, threatening to kill the revealed Jedi. However, Kareen saved Tano by allowing her to jump onto his pod. Confronting the racers, Ventress jumped onto Maxus's pod and engaged Tano in a duel. Skywalker left Rex to save his padawan on a speederbike. Ventress soon grabbed the data disk, though it was soon Force crushed by Skywalker. As Ventress escaped the scene; Skywalker, Tano and Kareen met up with Rex near the hangar. After leaving Kareen, the group departed Mon Gazza. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi contacted Skywalker via hologram and discussed about Skywalker's successful mission.

Prelude
"My aide&hellip;will rendezvous with the Separatists&hellip;deliver the data file to the Mon Gazza system."

- The spy senator's last words to Mundi In 22 BBY, during the early stages of the Clone Wars&mdash;the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems&mdash;Confederate General Grievous had ambushed and defeated Republic forces on multiple worlds in the Mid Rim. The Jedi High Council concluded that a spy was giving the Separatists information. The Council dispatched High General Ki-Adi-Mundi to investigate. Mundi identified a traitor within the Galactic Senate leadership on Coruscant. Meanwhile, the traitorous senator revealed to his aide, Messo, that he pledged his support to Confederate Head of State Count Dooku. The senator smuggled a secret recording of the Jedi's strategic plans and logs of the Republic offensive formations. Dooku's Dark Acolyte apprentice, Asajj Ventress, landed on Coruscant to collect the datadisk from the senator's aide. Before Messo could give Ventress the disk, Mundi and his squad of clone troopers attacked the Dark Acolyte. Ventress betrayed and sliced the senator through the torso, while his aide ran away from the area with the datadisk. A LAAT/i gunship approached the scene and covered Mundi's attack. However, Ventress Force jumped to the gunship and killed a few stationed clone troopers. As she continued to destroy the ship, Mundi confronted her but she escaped. The gunship crashed onto the platform were the injured senator was. Before he died, the senator told Mundi that his aide would rendezvous with the Confederate spies on Mon Gazza and deliver the datadisk to them. Mundi met with Grand Master Yoda in the Chancellor's Suite. Chancellor Palpatine told the Jedi Masters that a breach within the Republic's security could be threat to them. Mundi dictated that if they attack the Separatists to find the traitor, it would cost lives of Jedi and clone troopers. Yoda agreed, and soon the Jedi left Palpatine's suite. Mundi and Yoda conferred outside his suite to discuss the rising situation. Mundi showed Yoda a hologram of the datadisk that was stolen by the deceased senator's aide. Yoda told him that once they rescue the datadisk, many lives would be saved. Meanwhile on the planet of Queel, Commander CC-2224 contacted both High General Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Anakin Skywalker through a hologram transmission. He alerted them of Mundi and Yoda's distress call from Coruscant. Inside a heavy assault vehicle, the group contacted Mundi and Yoda via hologram. Yoda told Skywalker that he would go to Mon Gazza to collect the stolen datadisk. Kenobi insisted that he would go along with Skywalker, but he told his former master that he would bring his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and Clone trooper Captain CC-7567&mdash;nicknamed Rex&mdash;along to help him. After Kenobi agreed to stay behind and decimate the Separatist forces on Queel; Skywalker, Tano and Rex left Queel on the Twilight and departed for Mon Gazza.

Mission


The Twilight landed in Miner's Town, the capital of Mon Gazza. Skywalker conferred with Tano and Rex about Mon Gazza's reputation of being a former spice mining world. Skywalker soon departed the freighter and told Tano to get the Twilight stowed. Rex and her will rendezvous with him in the downtown district of the city. Upon docking the ship, Rex took off his customized phase I armor and disguised himself to fit with the crowd, and like Skywalker, Tano wore a poncho over her Jedi apparel. The two soon left the Twilight with astromech droid R2-D2. Meanwhile, Skywalker used the Jedi mind trick on two guards blocking a podracing hangar. He entered only to find podracers preparing their pods. Tano contacted him via comlink and asked if he found Messo and the datadisk. Skywalker noticed Messo walking up a flight of stairs. He chased the senator's former aide up the stairs and onto a balcony overlooking the city. Messo took out a blaster and began to fire on Skywalker, though the Jedi Knight used his lightsaber to deflect the blaster bolts back at him. One of the bolts hit Messo which caused him to fall over the edge of the balcony to his death.

After the brawl, Tano and Rex met Skywalker, who was watching a podrace. The group noticed a Twi'lek, named Kidd Kareen, won the race, which was brought to Tano's attention. However, she reminded herself of the datadisk and asked Skywalker once more. Skywalker told his apprentice that Messo was dead and did not have the datadisk with him. He concluded that Messo must have gave it to the Separatist spy, who could be a podracer. Prior to the race, Skywalker entered his apprentice for the next podrace because he wanted them to go undercover to find the spy. After Skywalker told her that he entered her, Tano was shocked about his decision without consulting her first. Skywalker took Tano and Rex to the podracer that he found eariler. Skywalker revealed that Jedi intelligence reported that the enemy was in the same system they are on. Kareen was Skywalker's first suspect, and soon he told Tano that she must get closer to him to find information about the disk. After he showed Tano the podracer controls, Kareen approached them. The young Twi'lek bragged about his latest victory to Tano, though she wasn't impressed. Kareen began to deject Skywalker and wanted to know why he was tuning Tano's podracer the Tatooine way. However, Skywalker&mdash;who went by the name of "oil boy"&mdash;ignored his claim and proceeded to finish his work.

The first podrace
"Don't focus on the negative. Expand your feelings and use the Force and let the podracer become an extension of yourself."

- Skywalker explaining how to podrace to Tano

As Kareen and his team left, Tano became imitated by the Twi'lek's arrogance and wanted to hurt him through the Force, though Skywalker dismissed her. He reminded Tano that she must get closer to him and behave, though she mustn't get too attached because her judgment will be clouded. Tano agreed and soon walked over to Kareen, who was near his podracer. The young Togruta told Kareen that she was wrong about him and it would be appreciated if he showed her around the track. Meanwhile, Skywalker told Rex to watch after Kareen's crew while he searched for evidence. Skywalker found a Separatist comlink in Maxus's, who was close friend of Kareen, toolbox. Though Maxus returned, only to find Skywalker snooping around Kareen's pit. Outside, Kareen took Tano on a tour around the city. He brought her to a old bridge where he wanted to race her. Tano accepted and used the Force to speed through the bridge, beating Kareen.

The Twi'lek was impressed by Tano's speed and began to develop feelings for her. The two sat down at the edge of the bridge while Kareen discussed about the Mon Gazza Maze, the amateur podrace track where Tano would soon race Kareen. The two discussed about the Clone Wars and how it affected Kareen. The Twi'lek soon dejected the Jedi by claiming that they enforced the war. However, Tano&mdash;who is undercover as a podracer&mdash;defended the Jedi, but not enough to reveal her true identity. Soon after the two departed the area and returned to the podrace hangar. Skywalker engaged Maxus in a hand-to-hand brawl and soon Rex intervened. Kareen and Tano witnessed the fight, though it was broken up by Kareen. Maxus revealed to Kareen that Skywalker was caught snooping around their pit. Unwillingly, Kareen blamed Tano for the matter and thought she only wanted to be friends to sabotage his crew. But, Tao defended herself by saying it was a misunderstanding. Skywalker, Tano and Rex soon returned to Tano's pod and prepared for the next race. Maxus told Kareen that he doesn't like them and Tano wasn't a podracer. On the track, Skywalker went over the basics of podracing. He told Tano to concentrate and feel, don't think. Kareen helped Maxus assemble his pod on the track and awaited the single to begin the first lap. Skywalker and Rex watched Tano's progress by the crowd bleachers. Soon the first lap began and Tano raced up towards first place. Maxus, who was in first, saw the Togruta approach him and blocked off her advance. Another podracer crashed into Tano, which caused her pod to spin out of control. She saved her pod and continued to race up towards Maxus, who remained in first. However, Tano soon crashed when another podracer rear-ended her pod. Skywalker and Rex ran towards Tano and her wrecked podracer. While Rex helped her up, Kareen approached her. Though she crashed, Tano finished in tenth place, which earned her a spot on the Mon Gazza Maze race. Kareen told Tano that she can borrow one of his spare pods for the next race. Maxus confronted Kareen and was angered when his friend let Tano borrow one of their pods. Kareen defended Tano, though Maxus was unsatisfied with Kareen's behavior. After the race, Skywalker and Rex tracked Maxus into a cantina, in Miner's town. Maxus contacted Dooku via hologram and told him about the suspicious new racer. Dooku sent Maxus a holovid recording of Skywalker and Tano, which revealed them to be Jedi. Meanwhile back at the hangar, Kareen showed Tano the controls to her new podracer. Kareen wanted to know more about Tano, though denied. Before the two kissed, Skywalker and Rex intervened. Before the Twi'lek left, he kissed Tano on the cheek for luck. Skywalker did not hesitate to tell Tano their discovering in the cantina. He revealed to her that Maxus contacted Dooku, and that Kareen maybe apart of the scheme. Tano remained hurt for a while though soon told Skywalker that they will bring Maxus and Kareen to justice in the next race.

The Jedi revealed
"She's a Jedi! The girl and her oil boy have been spying on us."

- Maxus to Kareen

Preparing his pod, Maxus showed Kareen the recording that Dooku sent him. Revealing that Tano is actually a Jedi, Kareen was hurt because Tano lied to him. He told Maxus that he needs to stop being a spy, however the Devaronian told Kareen that no one would believe him if he told anyone about Maxus's connection with Dooku. Later on, the Mon Gazza Maze race had began. Tano raced up towards Kareen, who was racing against Maxus. Soon, Maxus stopped near his pit stop. Tano questioned the situation to Skywalker and saw that Maxus is delivering the datadisk to a Rodian. Skywalker and Rex soon ran towards them, however, Maxus jumped back into his podracer and took off. Skywalker and Rex confronted the Rodian, who was part of Kareen's crew. On the track, Kareen told Maxus to stop with spying and end his affiliation with the war. However, soon Tano drove up behind Kareen and shouted him to stop. Maxus soon bumped into Tano's pod, which alerted Skywalker and Rex. Tano felt that both Kareen and Maxus would kill her, but soon Kareen defended Tano by bumping into Maxus's pod. Unbeknownst to Tano, Maxus sabotaged her new pod before the race which caused it to malfunction. Kareen told her to jump onto his pod before her pod crashed. Back at the hangar, Skywalker departed on a speederbike to save his struggling padawan. Confronting the racers, Ventress soon appeared on the track and jumped on Maxus's podracer. Noticing Ventress, Tano Force jumped onto Maxus's pod and engaged her in a duel. Though, Ventress Force pushed Tano which caused the Togruta to lose her balance. While the group thought Maxus gave the data file to a Rodian, he actually kept the disk. Before handing it to Ventress, Tano prepared to grab the file but the Dark Acolyte grabbed it from Maxus. Before she stored the disk, Skywalker raced towards the pod on a speederbike and Force crushed the disk, destroying it. Ventress soon dismissed the broken data disk and escaped from the scene. Before jumping onto Kareen's pod, Tano used her lightsaber to destroy Maxus's pod, which caused it to crash. Skywalker met up with Kareen and Tano near the hangar.

Before Skywalker, Tano, and Rex departed Mon Gazza on the Twilight, Kareen apologized to Tano. He kissed Tano's hand before she boarded the freighter and promised Kareen that they would return after the war was over. After their successful mission, Kenobi contacted Skywalker. Telling his former master that he destroyed the data file, the Republic is safe. The Jedi Knight then directed his attention to Tano and explained her behavior she displayed during her part of the mission. However, the Togruta dismissed her master by saying she can handle any situation he gives her.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume 2: Crash Course