Raid on Cato Neimoidia In 1 BBY , forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic raided the planet Cato Neimoidia . Though composed of loyal members who were committed to the cause of restoring the former Galactic Republic , the fledgling Alliance was hardly considered as a threat against the well - organized and better - armed military forces of the Galactic Empire . As a result , the Alliance was forced to rely on guerrilla warfare — launching surprise attacks on unsuspecting Imperials and then retreating before enemy reinforcements could arrive . Shortly after the " Salvation " was commissioned as the flagship of the Rebel fleet , former Imperial Captain Juno Eclipse was commissioned as its commanding officer . In order to test the battle readiness of the new starship and its crew , Captain Eclipse directed her vessel to Cato Neimoidia , a former Separatist world that became occupied by an Imperial garrison at the end of the Clone Wars . Unknown to all except Eclipse , Jedi General Rahm Kota and his squad secretly followed the flagship by utilizing the " Rogue Shadow " , Marek ' s old vessel that had been outfitted with a unique cloaking device for stealth purposes . However , the raid not only failed to go as planned ; it was a tactical disaster for the Rebellion . Alliance Intelligence severely underestimated the Imperial naval strength of Cato Neimoidia ' s garrison . Kota , unconcerned with the anomaly , proceeded to pilot the " Rogue Shadow " until he was planetside . Frustrated with the Alliance leadership ' s slow and overly cautious approach to war , Kota took it upon himself to assassinate Cato Neimoidia ' s oppressive governor , Baron Merillion Tarko , in order to undermine the Empire ' s reputation as an " invincible " state . After Kota bluntly ignored Eclipse ' s recommendation for a tactical withdrawal , a major explosion near Tarko - se caused the " Rogue Shadow " to disappear from the " Salvation ' s " sensors . Believing that Kota and his squad perished with Marek ' s starship , Eclipse ordered her ship to flee from the doomed fight via hyperspace and to rendezvous with the Rebel fleet near the Itani Nebula . Prelude . As the Galactic Civil War broke out with the formation of the Rebel Alliance , the Galactic Empire immediately sought to annihilate the latest threat to its primacy throughout the galaxy . In honor of the Alliance ' s founding father , the redeemed Sith assassin Galen Marek , Juno Eclipse committed herself to the overriding goal of the new organization — the restoration of democracy and the Old Republic . Formerly a captain and renowned pilot of the Imperial Navy , Eclipse was thrown into mourning after Marek ' s death , and thus she sought to ensure that his legacy would not die with him . Due to her commitment to Marek ' s memory , Eclipse developed a sense of companionship with General Rahm Kota , Marek ' s unofficial Jedi mentor . Due to Kota ' s increasing disillusionment with the Alliance leadership ' s ineffective tactics , Eclipse allowed Kota to secretly accompany her on several assignments , thus allowing the Jedi to pursue unsanctioned missions . Despite the clear violation of protocol , Eclipse merely wished to ensure that Kota did not leave the Alliance out of frustration with its leaders . After being commissioned as captain of the Rebel flagship , the " Salvation " , Juno Eclipse was commanded to initiate a test to oversee how well the new starship and its untried crew responded to the pressures of battle . However , she was also ordered to not allow any damage to come to the " Salvation " . Starships were incredibly hard to come by for the Alliance , thus making Eclipse ' s ship an invaluable asset to the struggling Rebel fleet . If the Imperial military presence on Cato Neimoidia posed a greater threat than anticipated , then Eclipse was obliged to withdraw from battle . At the same , however , General Kota intended to take advantage of Eclipse ' s mission by undertaking one of his own — the assassination of Cato Neimoidia ' s corrupt governor , Baron Merillion Tarko . With a specially - trained squad as backup , Kota piloted the " Rogue Shadow " and stealthily accompanied Eclipse ' s ship . Due to the fact that Kota ' s objective was not authorized by the Alliance leaders , only Eclipse was aware of the Jedi ' s shadowy presence . She was even forced to deceive her first officer , Nitram , who had cleverly deduced that the " Salvation " was being followed by Kota in an unknown ship . The battle . Upon arriving at their intended destination , Captain Eclipse followed her instructions to the letter and immediately began testing Cato Neimoidia ' s defenses by dispatching a squadron of BTL Y - wing starfighter s to engage a small group of Imperial TIE fighters . As General Kota executed his own objectives planetside , Eclipse covered up the Jedi ' s activities by dismissing them as a local insurrection to her crew , all of whom were oblivious to Kota ' s involvement in the raid . However , it soon became apparent that Alliance Intelligence underestimated the planet ' s Imperial defenses as additional TIE fighters began to swarm the Rebel squadron . Outnumbered and caught by surprise due to misinformation on the Alliance ' s part , Eclipse was pressured into considering a hasty retreat from the fighting , especially to avoid risking the safety of her starship . But when she tried to warn Kota to retreat as well , the Jedi General dismissed her concerns about the Imperials ' greater numbers and pressed his attack on Tarko - se . Before she could attempt to persuade Kota into accepting a tactical withdrawal , an explosion near the city caused the " Rogue Shadow " to disappear from her ship ' s sensors . Eclipse instantly feared for the worst , and when Marek ' s old starship failed to appear once more on her radar , she assumed that it had most likely been destroyed — along with Rahm Kota and his men . After mournfully bidding the old Jedi farewell in the back of her mind , Eclipse ordered the bridge crew to take the " Salvation " into hyperspace , thus breaking off their attack and retreating to the Rebel fleet ' s secret location near the Itani Nebula . Aftermath . As a result of the raid ' s failure and Rahm Kota ' s secret involvement with the mission , despite lacking authorization from the Alliance leaders , Captain Eclipse was temporarily relieved of her command . Though she contemplated thoughts of leaving the stagnant Alliance , which also caused her grief at the idea of turning her back on Galen Marek ' s legacy , Eclipse ultimately decided to serve the Rebellion in a fashion that was similar to Kota ' s approach — promote the Alliance ' s interest with or without the approval of its leaders . Thus , she embarked on a mission with Bail Prestor Organa and his adopted daughter , Leia Organa to oppressed world of Dac . Since the Alliance was in desperate need of more manpower and superior ships , the three Rebels hoped to convince two of Dac ' s native races , the Mon Calamari and the Quarren . The mission not only succeeded in its objectives , but had also resulted in the recruitment of Admiral Ackbar into the Rebel fleet , as well as the Empire ' s own personal humiliation . Contrary to Eclipse ' s belief , Rahm Kota and the " Rogue Shadow " survived the Imperial attack . However , with his squad dead and the " Salavtion " in retreat , Kota was unable to prevent his own capture . To amuse himself , Baron Tarko had the captive Jedi thrown into his city ' s arena . However , the Baron underestimated Kota ' s resolve and his command of the Force . Utilizing his skills with a lightsaber , the general fought wave after wave of gladiators and beasts . In spit of all his injuries and fatigued body , the aging Jedi continued to fight and triumph against all of his adversaries for several days straight , much to Tarko ' s frustration . When Kota ' s capture on Cato Neimoidia reached the attention of the Sith Lord Darth Vader , he traveled to Kamino ' s Timira City Cloning Facility where , for the past six months , he unsuccessfully labored to create a more powerful and loyal version of his late apprentice , Galen Marek . After a series of failures and disappointments , Vader was in the process of training a highly stable clone of Galen Marek . The clone ' s development , however , was undermined by the imprinted memories and emotions that he inherited from his genetic donor — a side effect that drove all of the clones to develop identity crises , and ultimately utter madness . Although Darth Vader originally intended to send the clone to Cato Neimoidia in order to kill General Kota , he was forced to deem him as yet another disappointing failure . Anticipating his creator ' s intention to liquidate him , the clone turned on Vader and ultimately escaped from Kamino . Having developed the same feelings for Juno Eclipse that Marek had prior to his death , the clone decided to rescue Kota from Cato Neimoidia , but only to discover where Eclipse was located .