Mission to suspected Confederate space Jedi General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic undertook a mission to scout ahead in an area of suspected Confederate space in 22 BBY during the Clone Wars . Skywalker was accompanied by a replacement astromech droid , R3 - S6 , as his original droid , R2 - D2 , had been lost previously during the Republic ' s defense of the planet Bothawui . However , Skywalker was unaware that R3 - S6 was a spy working for the Confederate General Grievous . Once the Jedi arrived in the target area in his starfighter , R3 - S6 alerted Grievous to Skywalker ' s presence , and the cyborg general ambushed the Jedi with several " Munificent " - class frigates . Skywalker engaged Grievous ' s forces , but the Jedi was able to escape with the aid of his Padawan , Ahsoka Tano , and Clone Captain CT - 7567 , when they arrived and rescued him with Skywalker ' s personal ship , the " Twilight " . Prelude . In 22 BBY , the first year of the Clone Wars , the Confederacy of Independent Systems built Skytop Station , a listening post over the Ruusan moon . The station intercepted Galactic Republic transmissions , and the Confederacy began to use the information to ambush Republic forces . After Jedi General Anakin Skywalker engaged in a successful defense of the strategically important planet of Bothawui , he and his Padawan , Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano , went with his fleet of three " Venator " - class Star Destroyers to the Allanteen Six shipyards where the cruisers had been manufactured , believing that the vessels could use modifications . Eventually , High Jedi General Obi - Wan Kenobi contacted Skywalker at the shipyards and reported that Republic Intelligence had confirmed the existence of a Confederate listening post that had been intercepting Republic transmissions . Kenobi gave Skywalker the new mission of finding the Confederate listening post . Skywalker elected to undertake the sweeps of outer corridors of space suspected of Confederate activity , while the rest of his forces concentrated on a more central path . Skywalker departed in his Delta - 7B starfighter with a hyperspace docking ring , and was accompanied by astromech droid R3 - S6 , who had replaced R2 - D2 , Skywalker ' s original droid , after he had been lost during the Battle of Bothawui . Unbeknownst to the Jedi , R3 - S6 was a spy working for the Confederate General Grievous , intent on removing Skywalker as an obstacle . The mission . Arriving in an area of space suspected of Confederate activity , Skywalker ordered R3 - S6 to activate the starfighter ' s scanner s . However , the droid instead activated the fighter ' s homing beacon , intending to alert Grievous of Skywalker ' s presence . Back with the fleet , Tano picked up the signal . Alarmed , she ordered Clone Captain CT - 7567 , nicknamed " Rex , " to gather clone troopers to rescue Skywalker with the G9 " Rigger " - class light freighter " Twilight " , Skywalker ' s personal ship . Grievous arrived in the system out of hyperspace with two " Munificent " - class frigates , which began to attack Skywalker with laser fire . Skywalker ordered R3 - S6 to plot a course out of the system and prep the hyperdrive booster engines , but the droid instead dropped the booster ring , not intending to allow the Jedi to escape . The engines were destroyed by laser fire , and Skywalker , unable to retreat , was forced to engage the frigates . Grievous ordered all of the frigates ' Vulture droids to be launched , and the droid fighters targeted missiles at the fleeing Jedi fighter . Ordering R3 - S6 to cut his fighter ' s engines , Skywalker turned around to face his fighter at the droids , aiming laser blasts at the group of approaching missiles . The missiles were destroyed , and Grievous ordered the frigates to move into attack position . As the Vulture droids approached , Skywalker was able to destroy several of the fighters , but under the cover of incapability , R3 - S6 refused to activate the engines or fire the laser guns of Skywalker ' s fighter . The " Twilight " soon arrived out of hyperspace with Rex and Tano aboard , and , as the freighter engaged the droids , Skywalker was able to pilot his fighter into the freighter ' s hangar . The " Twilight " escaped by maneuvering between the wings of Grievous ' s frigate and its sister ship , and the droid fighters pursuing the freighter were destroyed . As the " Twilight " jumped to hyperspace , Grievous took his frustration out on a B1 battle droid , swatting and destroying it . Aftermath . Even though he had escaped , Skywalker was left frustrated with R3 - S6 , as the Jedi still longed for the return of his original astromech droid , R2 - D2 . The " Twilight " soon received a communication from R2 - D2 , who was being taken to Skytop Station by Gha Nachkt to be sold to Grievous . Tracking the droid and discovering the Confederate listening post over the Ruusan moon , Skywalker contacted Kenobi and reported the location of the droid . Despite the fact that R2 - D2 was aboard the station , Kenobi ordered Skywalker to destroy the base ; the droid had fallen into enemy hands , and it would prove fatal to the Republic if Grievous gained the information stored in his databanks . Skywalker and Tano led the clone troopers aboard the " Twilight " on a mission to destroy the station ; however , against Kenobi ' s wishes , Skywalker decided to rescue R2 - D2 as well . Behind the scenes . The mission was created for " Downfall of a Droid , " an episode in the of the . The prelude to the mission — namely , the Battle of Bothawui and the search aboard the " Vulture ' s Claw " for R2 - D2 — was mentioned in the December 2008 novel " " , written by Karen Miller . However , the novel introduced continuity problems , as it stated that Skywalker and Tano returned to the Alanteen VI shipyards after their search for R2 - D2 aboard the " Vulture ' s Claw " , while the episode " Downfall of a Droid " — in which both the mission to the " Vulture ' s Claw " and Skywalker ' s sweeps of space were first featured — stated that Skywalker ' s mission to suspected Confederate space took place directly after the mission to the " Vulture ' s Claw " . This article assumes that the novel ' s interpretation of events is correct .