Battle of Muunilinst

"The Banking Clan has hidden huge factories on Muunilinst, building huge droid armies and massive warships. We must act quickly!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Battle of Muunilinst was a major engagement that took place four months after the Battle of Geonosis, initiated by the Republic to put a curb on CIS funding and battle droid production.

This was the first battle Durge was seen in, and caused major Republic casualties when he appeared. The IG lancer droids also made their first appearance, jousting with the similar clone lancer troopers of the Lancer Battalion.

Background
The battle was arranged in a meeting between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Chancellor Palpatine in the Chancellor's suite. Anakin and Obi-Wan were enlisted by Palpatine to lead an assault on Muunilinst, home of the Intergalactic Banking Clan. The reason for this was that the Intergalactic Banking Clan was a heavy monetary, warship, and battle droid contributor to the Separatists. Despite concern from Yoda and Kenobi, Skywalker was made commander of the Republic spaceborne forces.

Immediately afterwards, a large Republic force was mustered for this task, and was loaded aboard a flotilla of Acclamator-class assault ships. Anakin took the opportunity to bade farewall to his lover Padmé Amidala before leaving.

The battle
The Republic fleet of Acclamator-I-class assault ships led by Anakin and Obi-Wan, encountered resistance as it entered the orbit of the planet Muunilinst.

Despite losing several gunships to enemy missile fire, the Republic's invasion force, including gunships and the assault ships carrying SPHA walkers, managed to land on the planet, where they engaged the Separatist Droid Army in front of the city of Harnaidan, while Anakin led the flight groups against Separatist fighter craft in orbit. Hundreds of assault ships landed throughout the heavily fortified world, with their hulls filled with troops and vehicles, even though they took losses. They proceeded to besiege the cities.

The surface battle


The Republic forces made considerable progress during the initial stage of the Harnaidan siege, with SPHA artillery pieces concentrating fire on the ground just before the clone front lines. Any units coming to the front lines on the Separatist side were almost instantaneously decimated by artillery barrage, forcing the droids to pull back. Buildings fell quickly to the amount of artillery firepower as the SPHA batteries were brought to the frontlines, which caused much collateral damage.

Commando mission


During the initial landing, the specialized landing craft of the ARC troopers of the Muunilinst 10 was deployed to go on a special mission within Harnaidan. These ARCs were led by Captain Fordo.

However, they were shot down by a battle droid, and the gunship crashed into a street. After taking out surrounding droid snipers, taking one casualty in the process, the troops found they were cut off from their original drop zone, but still made their way to the enemy command center. Along the way, they faced off against an Armored Assault Tank, which they successfully destroyed.

After reaching the Separatist command centre, the commandos eliminated surrounding droids and proceeded to lay explosive charges on a large cannon that was bombarding the Republic forces. Once the cannon was destroyed, they rappeled up to the roof of the command centre to await Kenobi. The destruction of the artillery gun contributed to CIS commander San Hill's scare about the battle, as he now believed that the Republic artillery reached far enough into the city to blow up the cannon.

The joust
The Republic's initial success panicked San Hill, and he turned to the bounty hunter Durge, who was present, and demanded to know why Count Dooku would dispatch him to the battle if all he was going to do was stand around. Durge responded by briefly grappling Hill, and then decided to move into action with a contingent of IG lancer droids. Leaving the CIS command post, Durge and his force of droids moved to the front lines and tore towards the heart of the Republic's forces, causing huge casualties in the Republic ranks and destroying nearly all the SPHA walkers.

Durge's success spurred General Kenobi to lead a team of clone lancer troopers out to meet Durge's forces. The two bands of swoop riders entered into a vicious mass joust, both clone and droid alike being impaled or thrown aside like debris. Obi-Wan and Durge both slew a good share of the enemy. As both sides sustained massive casualties, the two commanders spotted one another and engaged in personal combat.



On the first jousting pass, Durge deprived Kenobi of both his lance and helmet, so Kenobi drew his lightsaber and destroyed Durge's swoop and weapon with it. As he charged in to skewer his dismounted opponent, Durge, in a spectacular display of speed, strength and coordination, caught Kenobi's swoop by the steering vanes and flipped the Jedi off. Wielding the swoop as a club, Durge then charged Kenobi. Kenobi sliced it to pieces and stabbed Durge through the chest. Thinking the battle to be over, he was surprised to hear Durge laughing.

Durge's Gen'Dai physique allowed him to easily survive the stabbing, and he proceeded to beat Kenobi with his fists. Kenobi, with his saber still lodged in Durge's chest, couldn't retaliate, and was lifted bodily off the ground by a solid punch in the gut. Durge proceeded to fire at Kenobi with a small rapid projectile launcher, but the Jedi deflected the slugs with the Force. Switching to a flame thrower, Durge's attacks were again deflected and the flame thrower was crushed with the Force.

Brandishing a massive flail, he prepared to finish off Kenobi, but Kenobi used the Force to summon his lightsaber back to him and severed the flail's chain. Brandishing his two blaster pistols, Durge was disarmed before he could use them. Switching on to energy shields in his gauntlets, he deflected Kenobi's lightsaber slashes, but was unable to adequately counterattack.

Kenobi pressed his advantage, Durge barely blocking, until finally, he was bisected through the middle and his arm was sliced off. After seemingly defeating Durge, he proceeded to join the ARC troopers. He failed to notice Durge's body pulling itself back together behind him.

Meanwhile, Voolvif Monn and the Third Army battled through the Droid Army in Harnaidan.

Infiltrating the command tower
After the joust and battle with Durge, General Kenobi rushed through the city to the command tower, where he met up with the Muunilinst 10. Blasting open the roof of the structure with explosives, the troops, led by Kenobi, rappeled into the control room and quickly destroyed all the security droids.

Capturing San Hill, Kenobi offered to spare his life in exchange for an unconditional surrender. Before Hill had a chance to answer, a surviving Durge smashed through the tower window into the room on a jetpack. However, he was quickly shot down by concentrated fire from the clone commandos and ARC's. Hill took the opportunity to take cover under the situation table.



Thinking Durge to be dead, the troopers approached the smoking crater they had made, only to be knocked aside by a massive fleshy arm. Durge climbed from the crater, all his armor save a few, small fragments along with his helmet and gloves blasted off, revealing his true Gen'Dai form. He quickly attacked Kenobi, driving the Jedi atop the situation table, which Durge snapped in half with his fists. He was then attacked by clones rappelling down on grappling hooks which they attached to him.

The blaster fire had no effect, and Durge simply ripped the lines from the wall with his sheer strength, toppling the clones. Charging Kenobi, Durge disarmed him and almost literally absorbed him into his body, hoping to suffocate him, and then approached the ARC commander, Fordo. Fordo then fired a taser at Durge, electrocuting him. This only succeeded in enraging the Gen'Dai, who charged Fordo, knocking aside the clones in his way.

However, before Durge could kill him, he suddenly bloated to massive size and exploded. Apparently, Kenobi had used the Force to push outward and destroy Durge's body from the inside out. Commenting on how much of a 'mess' he had made, Kenobi turned back to Hill. Hill surrendered.

The space battle


Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker was leading the clone navy in a fierce space battle above Muunilinst. Several Republic Acclamator-class Assault Ships engaged the Confederacy's gun platforms. The Republic's V-19 Torrents were engaged by large numbers of Nantex-class starfighters. Skywalker ordered the clone pilots to disengage, and destroyed large numbers of the enemy fighters with his proton torpedoes.

Pursued by yet more enemy fighters, he ordered his clones to fire all their concussion missiles across the bow of Cruiser 8, much to the confusion of the clones. He flew past the ship as the missiles started arriving; the missiles hit the swarm of fighters pursuing him, destroying hundreds. Trailed by missiles, Skywalker flew through the hangar of one of the gun platforms. The missiles destroyed the gun platform from the inside. Sustained turbolaser fire from the Republic capital ships destroyed another one.

Only a few Separatist fighters remained, but a mysterious ship engaged the Republic forces, annihilating Blue Squadron. Skywalker personally engaged the fighter. When the pilot, a mysterious Force-sensitive protégé of Dooku, Asajj Ventress, jumped into hyperspace, the impetuous young Jedi followed, disobeying a direct order from Obi-Wan, leading to a fateful duel.

Conclusion and aftermath


"The IG Banking Clan has surrendered! The day is ours! The Republic is victorious!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

After surrendering, San Hill was taken into custody, although he later escaped. The majority of the battle droids were deactivated, and the battle was won for the Republic.

Meanwhile, Anakin tracked Asajj Ventress down to the fourth moon of Yavin. There, Ventress killed the clone troopers accompanying Skywalker and destroyed his ship. Anakin and Ventress engaged in a lightsaber duel through the jungles and on top of a Massassi temple. In the end, Ventress was defeated, though not killed. This event was of some significance, as in the process, Anakin was pushed a little more to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader.

After the duel, Skywalker returned to Muunilinst in Ventress's fighter and was scolded by Kenobi for his hotheadedness. Kenobi noted his concern in the Sith's interest in his apprentice. At that point, Kenobi received a transmission from General Daakman Barrek on Hypori, a distress call, which would lead to another significant turn of events.

Galactic Republic

 * ARC-77
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Voolvif Monn
 * Anakin Skywalker
 * Able 472
 * CT-43/002

Confederacy of Independent Systems

 * Durge
 * Asajj Ventress
 * San Hill

Behind the scenes
The scene in which the Republic and Separatist forces fight in mounted combat on swoops is meant to resemble a futuristic version of a Medieval joust, further supporting George Lucas' ideas and plans for the Jedi that are related to things such as chivalry and knights.

Although no explicit figure has been given of the size of the Republic assault force, a passage in The New Essential Chronology, describes the Republic besieging the "unassailable castle keep" of the planet Muunilinst with "sheer numbers... hundreds of assault ships, each one groaning from the weight of troopers and war machines".



If these ships were Acclamator-class assault ships and were filled above their specifications, at least 3.2 million clone troopers would have been deployed to the battle. The only known assault ships in this era was the Acclamator-class and the Supercruiser, which was able to take even more troops. As minimal figures, it can be noted that eleven Acclamator-class warships are seen together above Muunilinst in Clone Wars, which even at full load might have carried less than two hundred thousand ground troops. These may not account for the ones that landed on the planet and deployed troops and artillery walkers.

The debate over numbers at Muunilinst is part of a wider disagreement among fans as to the size of the Grand Army of the Republic and the scale of forces involved in the Clone Wars: a number of canon sources state explicitly that the GAR could deploy only 1.2 million clone troopers in total at this stage in the war, rising later to a total muster strength of three million; but while these numbers are accepted by some fans, others believe that they are unworkable, and they argue that other evidence indicates clone forces numbering in millions of Divisions. For fuller discussion, see here.

Appearances

 * Storm Fleet Warnings
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 1"
 * "Chapter 2"
 * "Chapter 3"
 * "Chapter 4"
 * "Chapter 8"
 * "Chapter 9"
 * "Chapter 10"
 * "Chapter 11"
 * "Chapter 20"
 * "Chapter 22"
 * CIS Shadowfeed Year's Start Fete Day Edition
 * Evasive Action: Reversal of Fortune

Notes and references
Schlacht von Muunilinst