First skirmish in Cuipernam

"Those fools who failed were told they would be dealing with one Jedi and her Padawan. Not two. Jedi strength multiplies exponentially. Fighting one is like fighting two. Dealing with two more more akin to trying to handle eight"

- Soergg, to his majordomo, Ogomoor

A skirmish took place in 22 BBY in Cuipernam, capital city of the planet Ansion, during the Mission to Ansion. It began when Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, were attacked by mercenaries sent by Soergg the Hutt, who was a self-titled bossban and a member of Commerce Guild President Shu Mai's plot to have Ansion secede from the Galactic Republic. The two Jedi were saved by the timely appearance of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, who had come on Ansion two days earlier than their scheduled arrival.

Prelude
"If we can get the Ansionians to commit to pulling out of the Republic, no one will really care. But because of their alliances, their withdrawal should be enough to sway their already vacillating partners in both the Malarian Alliance and the Keitumite Treaty to follow"

- Shu Mai to her fellow conspirators

During the growing Separatist Crisis in 22 BBY, in which many systems seceded from the Galactic Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the planet of Ansion became a target in a plot led by Shu Mai, president of the Commerce Guild. Ansion lay at the heart of several treaties, so by having Ansion secede from the Republic, thus forcing many other worlds to secede. To prevent this, the Jedi Order dispatched Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, and their Padawans Barriss Offee and Anakin Skywalker to convince the Unity of Community, the government of Ansion, to stay within the Republic. However, Bossban Soergg the Hutt, having been hired by Shu Mai to ensure Ansion's secession, had his majordomo, Ogomoor, hire mercenaries to stop the Jedi before they could leave Cuipernam, the capital city of Ansion, in search of the Alwari, nomadic tribes of Ansionians. These mercenaries were warned that they would be dealing with Jedi. The Jedi hoped to negotiate an arrangement between the Unity of Community and the Alwari to end the protracted conflict between the two.

The skirmish
"Master Luminara, there are too many!"

- Barris Offee to her master, Luminara Unduli

While Unduli and Offee were eating at a tavern in Cuipernam, Unduli sensed that something was not right. She ignited her lightsaber, with Offee igniting hers a moment later. It was at that point that they were attacked by the mercenaries hired by Ogomoor. The first wave swarmed in through doorways, and windows and popped up out of various hiding places, wielding weapons ranging from blades to blasters. The Jedi easily dealt with the first wave as they were uncoordinated, killing several mercenaries before fighting their way out of the tavern and into the street. As soon as they were on the verge of pushing the remaining mercenaries into an open area, the second wave appeared. The mercenaries acted more as a unit and began to push the Jedi back. To escape them, Unduli ordered her Padawan to climb up a nearby wall, though before Unduli could follow, Kenobi and Skywalker appeared, having arrived at Ansion two days before they were expected. They cut through the remaining mercenaries, killing several and forcing the rest into retreat.

Aftermath
"When you weren't at your stated residence, we decided to take a stroll to acquaint ourselves with the city. That's when I sensed the trouble. It drew us to you"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Unduli and Offee

Soergg was not pleased with the failure, though he blamed the mercenaries for not taking his warning about the Jedi seriously. He was also concerned that Kenobi and Skywalker had shown up two days early and thought it should be brought to the attention of others such as Ansionian Senator Mousul and Shu Mai. Shortly after, Kyakhta and Bulgan, two clanless and mentally injured Ansionians, were tasked by Soergg with kidnapping one of the Padawans, and they succeeded in kidnapping Offee. They chose to carry out this kidnapping while the Jedi were wandering through a marketplace in Cuipernam.

Behind the scenes
The skirmish in Cuipernam first appeared in the 2002 novel The Approaching Storm, written by Alan Dean Foster.

Appearances

 * The Approaching Storm