Battle of the south ridge

"Lieutenant Sykes, glad you made it. You've been well-trained."

- Captain Panaka to Gavyn Sykes after Sykes destroys attacking hostiles near Rasker Hill

This battle took place near the south ridge of Theed, the Naboo capitol in 32 BBY. It occurred just after Captain Panaka and Queen Amidala gathered the resistance leaders to brief them on the plan to retake the planet from the Trade Federation Droid Army. Droid forces attacked members of the Royal Naboo Security Forces near Rasker Hill but were driven off by Lieutenant Gavyn Sykes, a member of Bravo Squadron. Panaka met with Sykes and ordered him to guard the south ridge; soon, Sykes spotted a large Trade Federation convoy which was preparing to head to the battle raging on the Great Grass Plains. Sykes then responded to a distress call from Palmer at a resistance camp. After destroying the hostile AATss and droid bombers, Sykes was ordered to stop the convoy in a bomber. After delaying the convoy's AATs and MTTs in Widow's Valley so Panaka could have explosives placed in the convoy's path, Sykes bombed the bridge leading to the Plains when the explosives failed, destroying the rest of the convoy in the process.

Prelude
When the Queen returned to Naboo after fleeing the invasion in 32 BBY, the Security Forces were given a needed boost. The forces were fighting a desperate battle against the Trade Federation Droid Army and her return united them. Under her guidance, the resistance came up with a plan to end the war. To that end, she gathered as many officers as she could and also secured the help of the Gungans, Naboo's other indigenous race. After their successes in battle, the resistance cell led by Bravo Squadron pilot Gavyn Sykes joined her at the south ridge.

The gathering
"Panaka? Maybe he can get us organized."

- A Naboo soldier to Sykes

After the meeting, Lieutenant Sykes in a Gian speeder and other members of his resistance cell received a message from Captain Panaka on the coded RSF channel, directing them to rendezvous on Rasker Hill, near the south ridge. As they approached, Panaka radioed to say he was under attack, and Sykes' resistance cell subsequently fought off the STAPs and droid fighters. Panaka praised Sykes’ training went and on to explain how the Naboo forces would free the planet. He told Sykes to take his forces to guard the south ridge to prepare for the next battle and reminded Sykes to call him on the coded secure emergency frequency if there was trouble.

South Ridge
"This is Palmer on the southern ridge. We've picked up Trade Federation forces moving our way, fast."

- Palmer

Not too long after, Sykes contacted Panaka to tell him the south ridge was compromised; a Trade Federation convoy was passing through. Sykes pursued them, but a collapsing pillar blocked his path. Subsequently, Palmer, a Naboo soldier, contacted him told him the forces gathered on the south ridge were under attack. Sykes raced off to help; on his way there he destroyed two static Laser turrets and shot down two droid bombers before saving the resistance camp from the attacking Armored Assault Tanks. Panaka then ordered him to switch craft at the hangar to in order to stop the convoy. Sykes took an experimental bomber and flew off to attack the convoy he spotted earlier. It was Trade Federation Army C, a flanking force heading toward the battle raging on the Great Grass Plains. If the forces made it there, the Gungan Grand Army was doomed.

Convoy
"For the Queen!"

- Gavyn Sykes as he bombs the Trade Federation Airbase

Sykes had to fight through airborne mines and fighter cover to catch up to the convoy. He dropped his proton bombs on several staging areas, causing much damage to the Federation forces. Panaka then told him the Trade Federation Airbase was launching an attack. Sykes flew in to destroy the base, dedicating its destruction to his Queen. Even though the staging areas were gone, he still had to deal with a number of Multi-Troop Transports and AATs. As he and the convoy passed into Widow's Valley, Palmer told him to watch out for the pillars, as they were unstable. Sykes started knocking down the pillars to delay the convoy. Panaka told him they had spotted a bridge ahead of the convoy, and were going to destroy it. As the convoy neared the bridge, a Naboo speeder dropped off the thermal detonators, which subsequently failed to go off. Just before the convoy reached the end of the bridge, Sykes dropped one of his bombs on the bridge and it and the remainder of the convoy went up in a massive explosion.

With the convoy destroyed, Panaka congratulated Sykes again and told him to report to Theed where a speeder waited.

Aftermath
With the destruction of the flanking force of the Trade Federation army in the area, the Gungans were able to hold out long enough for the Queen to enter Theed and launch her N-1 starfighters to destroy Droid Control Ship, ending the invasion and securing the Viceroy for capture. After destroying the convoy, Sykes joined the battle to retake Theed, leading diversionary forces before jumping into an N-1. In space, his actions allowed the young pilot Anakin Skywalker to destroy the Federation battleship from inside.

Behind the scenes
This battle appears in the 2000 video game Star Wars: Battle for Naboo. The mission introduces the Naboo bomber to canon. The player, flying as Sykes, has several options to end the mission. The convoy can be destroyed outright or delayed by knocking down the pillars. If the player waits for Panaka's bomb, it automatically fails to go off and can be triggered by a bomb or laser blasts. If the player bombs the bridge without hitting the explosives, it triggers a glitch where the bridge is destroyed but the convoy drives over the bridge as if it is still there and the mission ends in failure. Additionally, the mission will end in failure if the convoy reaches the other end of the bridge for any other reason. The Gian speeder and the Naboo bomber are the default crafts for the mission; additional playthroughs may be done with other ground and air vehicles.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battle for Naboo