Battle of Cato Neimoidia

"All right. But you owe me&hellip; and not for saving your skin for the tenth time&hellip;" "Ninth time&hellip; that business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't, doesn't count."

- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi

The First Battle of Cato Neimoidia was an attempt by the Galactic Republic to capture Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation and a prominent member of the Separatist Council.

With a large Republic counterattack against the Core World gains made in Operation Durge's Lance, General Grievous had ordered all members of the Council to retreat to a rendezvous point in the Outer Rim.

Gunray, however, fled to the purse world Cato Neimoidia with a battle group of Federation warships, intending to loot his personal citadel before it fell to the Republic onslaught. Republic Intelligence obtained information as to his whereabouts, and a task force led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was pulled from the Outer Rim Sieges and sent to wait in ambush.

A trio of Venator-class Star Destroyers commanded by Jan Dodonna engaged the Trade Federation armada in the upper atmosphere and provided air support, while the two Jedi led their army of clone troopers in an assault on the citadel, where Gunray and the Trade Federation elite were trapped. The battle raged throughout the skies of the planet’s western hemisphere, and on the peninsula upon which the viceroy’s tiered stronghold – the inspiration for the command towers of the Trade Federation Core Ships – was located.

After an initial aerial bombardment, the main clone force attacked from the northeast shore and hammered the citadel’s energy shields, but took heavy fire from turbolaser cannons in the lower ramparts. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker led a smaller force of clones through an orchard of manax trees outside the fort, and with the help of Commander Cody and the elite Squad Seven they infiltrated the fungus farms located underneath the structure. From there the Jedi accessed the upper levels and began pursuing Gunray and his entourage as they tried to reach their shuttle.

Although he just managed to escape, Cato Neimoidia&mdash;the last Separatist stronghold within the Colonies&mdash;was captured. More importantly, Gunray's Mechno-chair containing a message from Darth Sidious, which thus linked the Dark Lord of the Sith to the Confederacy, as well as the communication codes that the Separatist Council used to communicate with him and each other.

Skywalker and Kenobi, along with their forces, were withdrawn for use in the Outer Rim. Plo Koon was sent to the planet to coordinate mopping-up operations against continued resistance.

Appearances

 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith