Battle of Onderon

"Onderon is ours. We will remind everyone, and keep reminding them, until we get it back."

- Steela Gerrera of the Onderon rebels

The Battle of Onderon took place for control of the planet Onderon around 20 BBY, the final year of the Clone Wars. Having instigated Onderon's secession from the Galactic Republic at the war's outset, King Sanjay Rash found his regime, which was being backed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, challenged by a grass-roots group of rebels organized by the young insurgent Saw Gerrera, who hoped to restore the deposed King Ramsis Dendup to the throne. Seeing an opportunity to engage the Confederacy on another front, the Republic funded the rebels with credits and arms to combat Rash's occupational forces from the Separatist Droid Army, while the Jedi High Council sent a team of advisors to train the rebels. Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, Commander Ahsoka Tano, and Clone Captain Rex of the 501st Legion were covertly inserted onto Onderon and oversaw training sessions at the insurgency's jungle camp, though the training escalated into actual combat when a battle droid squad attempted to exterminate the rebels.

The newly trained rebels eliminated the enemy droid squad and infiltrated the Separatist-occupied capital Iziz, conducting strikes on droid patrols throughout the city. Kenobi, Skywalker, and Captain Rex thereafter withdrew from Onderon, while Tano stayed as an advisor, working primarily with the rebels' core group: Saw, his sister Steela, and Lux Bonteri, the former senator of Onderon in the Separatist Parliament. As King Rash publicly portrayed them as terrorists, the rebels decided to make a show of strength, targeting Iziz's main power generator to extinguish the battle droids' recharging source while also proving they were capable of challenging the Separatists. Their attack went as planned, with public support rallying to them in opposition to Rash's sponsored occupation of Iziz. Steela was elected to replace Saw as the rebels' leader and oversaw continued offensives against the battle droid forces. Confederate Head of State Count Dooku subsequently sent Rash reinforcements under the command of the super tactical droid General Kalani.

General Tandin and his royal guards sided with the rebels during Rash's attempted execution of ex-King Dendup, helping Steela and her insurgents rescue Dendup and pledging the Royal Onderon Militia to their forces. With Steela appointed by Dendup as their commanding general, the joint rebel and royal soldiers pulled out from Iziz, hoping to preserve civilian lives by isolating armed conflict to the eastern highlands. As full-scale fighting began, Kalani dispatched Heavy Missile Platforms alongside battle droid battalions to strike a decisive blow against the rebel forces. The rebels used the mountain terrain against the Separatists and, despite heavy casualties, retaliated with a supply of rocket launchers&mdash;illegally provided by the Republic via the pirate Hondo Ohnaka&mdash;that could penetrate the Heavy Missile Platforms' ray shielding. Although Steela was lost in the battle, the rebels won out over the Confederate forces, which withdrew from Onderon once Kalani executed Rash on Dooku's orders. Dendup was thus re-installed as ruler of the liberated Onderon.

Rebellion on Onderon
Unhappy with King Sanjay Rash's rule and occupation by the Separatists Droid Army, a group of rebels led by Saw hid themselves in the forest outside the Onderon capital. Lux Bonteri had also joined the rebels. But lacking any hardware and supplies to directly fight the Droid Army head on, the rebels made contact with the Jedi Council petitioning for assistance. Most of the Council viewed the struggle as an internal affair, even mentioning that Onderon had officially sided with the Confederacy. Sending a Republic fleet would cause the Separatists to know that they sided with the rebels and retaliate. However Anakin argued that the rebels just need guidance, with Mace Windu agreeing that the least the Jedi can do is to teach the rebels to defend themselves.

Jedi assistance
"The Separatists have strength in numbers. We're going to show you how to target and destroy them.''" "''Now to be clear, we are not here to fight your war&mdash;rather, to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible."

- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi brief the Onderon rebels

The Jedi Council sent an advisory team consisting of Anakin, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Rex and were inserted in the forest. Meeting up with Steela, she led them to the insurgents' hideout. The Jedi immediately began training the rebels in guerilla warfare, although Obi-Wan made it clear that they cannot fight this war for the rebels. Rex trained the insurgents how to disable a tank, droidekas and droids efficiently. Lux and later Saw had success with the droidekas whereas Steela showed her marksmanship as a sniper by destroying the droids' heads.

Defense of the insurgent camp
"Hey, what are you doing?''" "''What you taught us!"

- Ahsoka Tano and Lux Bonteri

The Jedi's insertion did not go unnoticed to the occupying Separatists and a battalion of droids and a tank headed towards the rebels' hideout. The droid battalion caught the rebels in the middle of their training, and the battle began. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex and Ahsoka can do no more than protect the insurgents, however the rebels' ingenuity and training resulted in them defeating the two waves. Lux and Saw, having earlier did not work as a team to disable a tank, successfully disarmed the tank with Ahsoka's support. All the droids were defeated, providing a much needed morale boost for the minor victory. However Obi-Wan pointed out that the Separatists now knew of their position. The defense did prove though that the rebels were ready to engage the droids at Iziz.

Rebel strikes in Iziz
The rebels along with the advisors took advantage of the droids' dim intelligence and disguised themselves as travelling merchants to infiltrate Iziz. Once inside, Saw went off to gather any allies in the city while the rebels prepared a hideout. The rebels targeted individual droid patrols and checkpoints, using EMP grenades and accurate sniper fire to help prevent civilian casualties. In a meeting, the rebels decided they needed to win the support of the people. Anakin, Obi-wan, and Rex left the planet while Ahsoka remained behind to supervise the insurgents' activities.

Attack on the power generator
Unfortunately for the rebels, their small attacks did nothing to change the civilians' opinion of them. Ahsoka and Lux believe that the civilians do not think that the rebels can win and therefore needed a bigger target. The rebels eventually decided on the city's main power generator, which was vital for the droids in the city to receive their electricity supply. Since nothing in their current arsenal could destroy a large generator, the rebels needed to hijack a tank.

To draw out what they needed, a group led by Steela, Lux and Saw, accompanied by Ahsoka, ambushed a droid patrol. They left one droid alive long enough for it to call for reinforcements before destroying him. They were first however confornted by two Droidekas, which gave the rebels trouble until Saw and Steela knocked them out by slowly rollings EMP grenades through their shieldes. After that, a tank finally showed up, accompanied by a group of B2 super battle droids. Steela knocked out the droids with devastating sniper fire, while Saw and Lux knocked out the tank with an EMP. Steela restarted the tank and they headed for the generator. Steela left the tank to provide sniper cover while Saw and Lux continued with the tank. Steela destroyed a majority of the droids guarding the entrance to the generator and Saw destroyed the rest by running them over. He destroyed the two gates at the entrance. While waiting for the main gun to recharge, a squad of Commando droids attacked, although they managed to knock them out without injury. Saw finally fired the main and destroyed the generator, plunging the city into darkness. The group then left the tank and vanished into the night. The blackout caught the droid patrols off guard anfd the rebels began to massacare the droids in the city.

Seeing that the rebels had succeeded, the civilians were given some hope that they could win. The insurgents themselves were vitalized by the result and briefly celebrated their victory. Because of Steela's leadership skills during the attack, one of the female rebels elected her to be their leader. The group was unanimous with the decision, even Saw who congratulated his younger sister but was still visibly upset by it.

Separatist retaliation
King Rash saw that the rebels had grown bold with the attack on the power generator, and believed that his predecessor was behind the rebels' activities. His demand for more droids was turned down by Count Dooku but the Count had sent a droid general in response to the attacks. To draw the rebels out, the Separatists had put out the news that the former king was to be executed soon. Steela wanted to put together a plan to save the king, but Saw, obviously still upset at not becoming the leader, left to save Ramsis himself. He snuck over the palace wall and destroyed the droid guards and freed Ramsis, but had his plan foiled when he found the palace had a one-way shield. Saw was captured and tortured into giving the rebels location but refused to break.

At the execution the next day, Steela, Lux and the rebels attacked in an attempt to free Saw and Ramsis but were forced to surrender when a group of B2 droids and droidekas showed up. Fortunatly for the rebels, General Tandin, having been persuaded by Saw earlier, decided to defect with the Onderon Army and freed the prisoners and took King Sanjay hostage, allowing the rebels to escape. Ahsoka then intervened and knocked over the droids with a Force Push and escaped with the General into the crowd. The droids tried to pursue but were stopped by the angry crowd.

The rebels' final stand
The rebels escaped the city with Ramsis and the Army in tow and took cover in the highlands. Ramsis had Ahsoka and Lux deliver a holographic communicator to the city and gave a speech to the citizens and told them that the rebels were patriots seeking to liberate them all.

Desperate to rid himself of the rebels and regain power, Rash and Kalani readied a force of droids, tanks, and new Droid gunships to eliminate the rebels once and for all. Meanwhile, Steela, Saw, Lux, Ahsoka, and the other rebel leaders tried to figure out a plan to decisively defeat the Seperatists. Saw wanted to lay siege to Iziz, but Steela was concerened this would endanger the civilians and destroy their repuatation as liberators. She wanted to lure the droids into the highlands, where they would have the advantage of high ground and additional cover than on the flatlands surrounding Iziz.

When the droid force showed up, the rebels and Onderon soilders were waiting in ambush. At first they manage to inflict heavy casualties on the droids but then the gunships attacked. Their heavy armament and ray shields made it difficult for the rebels and they fell back to their camp. Anakin and Obi-wan meanwhile managed to convince Hondo Ohnaka to deliver a shipment of rocket launchers to Onderon and the weapons finally allowed the rebels to take out the gunships. One gunship however crashed into area where Steela, Lux, and Ahsoka were standing and Steela was left clinging for life over a sheer cliff. Lux attempted to save her but nearly fell himself. He was saved by Ahsoka using the Force and tried to do the same for Steela. However the gunship wasn't fully knocked out and shot Ahsoka in the left shoulder. Lux disabled the gunship with a laser blast to the gun. Unfortunately, the wound to Ahsoka caused her to drop Steela to her death and they stood reeling in shock and horror. Her death was not in vain as the rebels were able to defeat the remaining droids and turn the tide against the Seperatists on Onderon.

Aftermath
After the rebels' victory in the highlands, Count Dooku ordered General Kalani to withdraw the remnants of the Separatist forces to Agamar, not before Kalani killed King Sanjay Rash. After the Separatists retreated from Onderon, a funeral was held for Steela Gerrera with everyone apart of the rebellion grieving the loss of their leader. As the memorial was being held, Lux Bonteri revealed to Ahsoka Tano that the king Ramsis Dendup has appointed him the senator of Onderon and he will be leading his people back to the Republic.