Raid on the Iziz Royal Palace

"Here is your chance to prove the power of your promises, Jedi&hellip;will you help us now, to defend our city?" "Yes&mdash;we'd be honored!"

- Queen Amanoa and Ulic Qel-Droma, as the Beast Riders storm the Royal Palace

The raid on the Iziz Royal Palace took place in 4,000 BBY, and was a preconceived plot developed by the Beast Riders of the planet Onderon's wilderness, to abduct Galia, Princess of Onderon. After spending years in exile from the lone city of Iziz, the Beast Riders managed to secretly infiltrate the city, and began trading information with the citizens who were against the rule of Queen Amanoa. It was also during this time that Beast-Lord Oron Kira, met and fell in love with Galia. Because the couple knew that the Queen would not allow their union, they developed a plot in which the Beast Riders would attack the Royal Palace of Iziz and kidnap Galia. As part of the abduction, the Princess would be taken to Kira’s forest stronghold to wed the Beast-Lord. Waiting for the right time, an opportunity arose when three Jedi Knights arrived on Onderon to facilitate peace negotiations between the Beast Riders of the planet's wilderness and the citizens of the Iziz.

Through their underground contacts, the Beast Riders learned that the city-dwellers had requested aid from the Republic. The Riders then planned to use the Jedi's arrival as the distraction they required to carry out their planned abduction. The mounted warriors encountered the Knights in the Onderonian atmosphere and attacked their starship, paying out blaster fire before the Knights could even land. The Jedi received assistance from Iziz's defense towers, however, who covered their landing and repelled Kira’s forces with turbolaser bombardment. The Beast Riders momentarily halted the chase as the Jedi successfully landed in the city, where they were brought them before the Queen and her daughter.

As one of the Jedi offered the protection of both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order to the Queen, Kira and his men managed to penetrate not only the city wall defenses, but the palace, as well. Several warbeasts and their Riders overtook the throne room as Amanoa's Royal Protectors ushered her and Galia to safety while the Jedi met the intruders in combat. Two of the warriors, special Beast Warrior Commandos, slipped passed the Jedi and followed after the Queen's entourage. The warrior pair defeated the Royal Protectors and successfully abducted Galia. Amanoa was lightly stunned in the commotion, and the Beast Riders promptly departed, having successfully carried out their mission. In turn, the Queen demanded that the Jedi have the Princess returned at once.

Background
"I've got a visual sighting, Ulic. Those aren't birds&mdash;they're Beast Riders, armed with&mdash; " " &mdash;Heavy blasters?! Beginning evasive maneuvers !"

- Tott Doneeta and Ulic Qel-Droma, upon entering the Onderonian atmosphere



Dating back to approximately 4,400 BBY, the world of Onderon, an Inner Rim planet in a star system of the same name, had been embroiled in a worldwide conflict known as the Beast Wars. The Beast Riders from the planet's wilderness, sought to end the dark side–rule and oppression of Amanoa, Queen of Iziz, from Onderon's only city. By the year 4,000 BBY, the Beast Riders managed to infiltrate the city. Within the city there were city-dwellers who were also against Amanoa's rule. These citizens formed Iziz's political underground, and began to assist the Beast Riders, exchanging information with their young leader, Beast-Lord Oron Kira. During the years of steady trading with those dissident citydwellers, Kira met and fell in love with Galia, Princess of Iziz. Both Kira and Galia desired to be wed, but realized that such a union would never be allowed by the Queen. They planned to one day stage a kidnapping, in which Galia would be abducted from the Royal Palace by the Beast Riders and taken away to their fortress to marry.

Amanoa realized that a war with the Beast Riders was beyond her capability of winning, so she requested the assistance of the Galactic Republic, who had the Jedi Order mediate the dispute on her behalf. The Jedi installed Jedi Master Arca Jeth as the watchman of the Onderon system, and he in turn he sent his apprentices, Humans Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, to Onderon. The Beast Riders learned of the scheduled arrival of the emissaries of the Republic, and decided go forward with their plan to assault the palace, using the Jedi's presence as the distraction the Riders needed to kidnap the Princess.

Leading a special squad of Riders known as Beast Warrior Commandos, Oron Kira and his second-in-command, Gobee, immediately caught sight of the Nebulon Ranger 's entrance into the Onderonian atmosphere. They attacked, pounding the ship's deflector shields with blaster fire. In response to a distress comlink from the Jedi's ship to the city, Iziz directed the fire of its network of wall defenses to cover the Jedi, beating back the Beast Riders' initial attack over the city's northern wall. In the process, the insurgents suffered several casualties. The Beast Riders ceased their attack in the face of such superior firepower, and regrouped. The Jedi, meanwhile, landed safely at the royal starport, and they were quickly ushered into the Queen's presence.

The raid
"You Beast Riders have killed her! " " Don't worry Princess, she's only lightly stunned&hellip;she'll come around in a few seconds. Now, let's go. You're coming with us!"

- Princess Galia and Oron Kira, at the moment of her apprehension



While the Jedi were being introduced to the Queen, Kira and Gobee prepared to resume their attack. They assaulted the northern wall again, this time penetrating its defenses. They then proceeded unhindered to the palace and crashed through a transparisteel window and into the throne room. There, Kira, Gobee, and the Warrior Commandos engaged both the Jedi and the Queen's minions. Amanoa and Galia were immediately surrounded by the Royal Protectors, who were determined to defend the Queen and her daughter at all costs. The Jedi managed to repelled blaster shots with their lightsabers and slay several of the warbeasts, as well as their riders. While the Knights were preoccupied, Kira and Gobee disembarked from their mounts, and left the melee in pursuit of the Queen and the object of their design, Galia. They caught up with Amanoa's Royal Protectors, who had safely secured the Queen and her daughter and were now focused on preventing the intruders from advancing any further. Kira and Gobee easily dispatched with the Protectors and stormed the room where the Queen and her daughter were sequestered. Kira and Gobee made short work of the remaining guards as they burst through the doors and confronted Amanoa, who in a moment of despair, attempted to invoke the spirit of deceased Sith Lord Freedon Nadd. When her attempt brought forth no results, Gobee stunned the Queen with his blaster. Kira then claimed Princess Galia and took her into custody. Along with Gobee, the Beast-Lord immediately left the palace.

Aftermath
"Ulic Qel-Droma&mdash;is this my reward for asking you to help our beleaguered city&mdash;the loss of my daughter?! I demand, in the name of the Republic, that you go after the kidnappers and bring her back!"

- Queen Amanoa

Kira and his men sped off back into the wilderness, leaving the citydwellers to recover from an attack they were completely unprepared for. With he and Galia joined and away from Amanoa, preparations were made for their their wedding. In the palace, Amanoa cursed the Jedi, blaming them for failing to protect both she and her daughter. When they inquired as to Galia's whereabouts, the Queen sobbed that she had been spirited away by the Beast Riders. As foremost of the Jedi, the Queen held Ulic Qel-Droma personally responsible for the events that had transpired. She then demanded that the Jedi leave her in search of the Princess, not to return until Galia was safely with them. Qel-Droma readily accepted the Queen's order, but was rebuked by his Jedi brethren, who suggested that they report the deteriorated situation to Master Jeth before proceeding. Qel-Droma refused that plan, and vowed that the Jedi would not return until Galia had been safely rescued.

Behind the scenes
The raid on the Iziz Royal Palace was conceived and written by author Tom Veitch, and first appeared in the Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon story arc of the Tales of the Jedi series of comics. Veitch used this event as part of an introduction to a whole new cast of characters, and to tell the story of the lives of Jedi Knights, four thousand years before Luke Skywalker's time. Veitch also used this event as the first official mission of his new characters Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta, who were first illustrated by artist Christian Gossett. The story was later given new life with the full-cast audio drama rendition of Tales of the Jedi, scripted by John Whitman.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon
 * Tales of the Jedi (audio)
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (audio)