Battle of Thule

The Battle of Thule was the final battle during the Dark Reaper crisis, in which the Republic managed to locate and destroy the Separatist superweapon.

Moon Assault Prelude
"Anakin will lead a strike force on the Thule moon to take out the shield generator."

- Mace Windu

Before the Republic could launch their attack on the planet, the Jedi had to divert a number of troops to Sivvi, Thule's moon, in order to destroy the planetary shield generator so they could land their forces on the planet's surface. Led by Anakin Skywalker, the strike group deployed from an Acclamator-class assault ship, and comprised several AT-XT walkers flanked by Republic fighter tanks. The armored force escorted a convoy of three Republic Troop Transports loaded with teams of clone engineers—fighting through heavily armed droid forces—to the shield generator complex where they were able to slice the exterior door controls and allow Skywalker to invade the complex in an AT-XT of his own. Battling through further heavy resistance inside, Skywalker was eventually able to destroy the generator's four energy couplings and bring the planetary shield down.

Air Strike
"Sir, we're picking up enemy tanks moving on our position. We're going to need some cover fire."

- Clone Engineer

After the Battle of Sivvi, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and a clone crew flew a LAAT/i gunship into battle on Thule, to clear a Separatist landing zone of all anti-aircraft emplacements and droid presence, including several OG-9 homing spider droids. When the grounds had been cleared, Mace Windu landed a pair of Acclamator assault ships and began offloading gunships and armored walkers, and disembarking troops. Among the new trooper arrival was a division of clone engineers that Windu tasked with disabling the internal shields of the energy farms surrounding and supplying power to the Separatist's command center. Each was well guarded by droid tanks, requiring Kenobi to clear the perimeter of each before deploying the engineers aboard his gunship and then safeguarding them as they worked. When the farms' shields were down, they became easy targets for the LAAT/i gunship's weapons and were soon destroyed; Kenobi then turning his attention toward the CIS main command center. With the loss of power resulting from the energy farms being brought down, there was little the command center could do to withhold the attack and quickly fell, crippling Separatist communications and their ability to mobilize forces across the planet.

Ground Attack
"Anakin and Obi-Wan have done their jobs. Now it's our turn. The fate of the Republic rests with this battle; we cannot fail.  Move out!"

- Mace Windu to Luminara Unduli and their troops.

After the fall of the communication command center, Mace Windu teamed with fellow Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, leading a squad of AT-XT walkers to attack two droid starfighter hangars that were allowing the CIS the advantage in the air. Once they were destroyed and the Separatists' air presence neutralized, the two Jedi Generals left their walkers in favor of piloting Saber-class fighter tanks and turned their attention toward the droid foundries that still churned out AATs and mortar tanks. Unable to penetrate the thick armor with the weapons aboard their tanks, the two Jedi instead took up defensive roles for the more heavily armed and slower-moving AT-TE walkers, protecting them from the incoming fire of more nimble craft while they moved to destroy the foundries. When the walkers had obliterated the foundries and cut off the Separatists' supply of reinforcements, Unduli and Windu pushed forward toward the gates of the ancient Sith city and capital of Thule: Kessia. On the way, however, the two encountered a pair of Protodekas that they had to fight their way past before finally arriving at Kessia's outer wall.

There, Unduli informed Windu that Master Yoda had sent in an additional Acclamator assault ship to land reinforcements. But just as Windu approached the gates, Count Dooku's hired mercenary, Cydon Prax, attacked him in his personal Dreadnought battle tank, destroying Windu's own fighter tank. Though he managed to escape the blast and survive, Windu was forced to fight on foot as he made his way across the battlefield and into an underground tunnel complex that led to the gate controls. After cutting down countless battle droids and destroying numerous dwarf spider droids, Windu reached the controls and opened the city gates to the Republic forces en masse.

As Windu's forces began entering Kessia, Skywalker's own strike force arrived from Sivvi and launched and attack from the opposite side of the city. While legions of clones battled overwhelming numbers of battle droids and AT-TE walkers clashed with homing spider droids, Skywalker raced toward the city center in a fighter tank, blasting through roadblocks and Separatist forces alike. Eventually, he came across Count Dooku and Cydon Prax, guarding the Dark Reaper in his Dreadnought tank. Dooku took his leave—claiming "more important tasks" requiring his attention—though not before ordering Prax to kill Skywalker. The two dueled in their respective vehicles and Skywalker emerged victorious, destroying Prax and moving on to engage the Dark Reaper without awaiting backup, with the spirit of Ulic Qel-Droma as his guide. Piece by piece, the Jedi first crippled the Reaper and then finally destroyed the Force Harvester—the source of the Reaper's power. With the Harvester destroyed, the Reaper could no longer function and quickly fell from the air, powerless and defeated.

Aftermath
The Reaper was, for a second time, destroyed. However, the knowledge Anakin gained from Ulic Qel-Droma, including immunity to the Reaper's effects, was yet another thing that set him apart from his master and caused him to act more arrogantly towards Kenobi. It was possible that the battle and the power Skywalker had gained throughout the Dark Reaper Crisis indirectly led him to take another step towards the path of the dark side of the Force. Count Dooku had escaped, eluding capture yet again, and the Republic forces prepared to depart for the Mirgoshir system. Mace Windu regarded the battle as a turning point in the war, but Yoda was less convinced, pointing out that the war was still far from over.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars game