Battle of Cato Neimoidia The Battle of Cato Neimoidia , also known as the siege of Cato Neimoidia , was an attempt by the Galactic Republic to capture Nute Gunray , Viceroy of the Trade Federation and a prominent member of the Separatist Council , during the Clone Wars . Prelude . With a large Republic counterattack against the Core World gains made in Operation Durge ' s Lance , General Grievous had ordered all members of the Council to retreat to a rendezvous point in the Outer Rim Territories . Gunray , however , fled to the purse world , Cato Neimoidia , with a battle group of Federation warships , intending to loot his personal citadel before it fell to the Republic onslaught . Republic Intelligence obtained information as to his whereabouts , and a task force led by Obi - Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was pulled from the Outer Rim Sieges and sent to wait in ambush . The battle . A trio of " Venator " - class Star Destroyers commanded by Jan Dodonna engaged the Trade Federation armada in the upper atmosphere and provided air support , while the two Jedi led their army of clone troopers in an assault on the citadel , where Gunray and the Trade Federation elite were trapped . The battle raged throughout the skies of the planet ’ s western hemisphere , and on the peninsula upon which the viceroy ’ s tiered stronghold — the inspiration for the command towers of the Trade Federation Core Ships — was located . After an initial aerial bombardment , the main clone force attacked from the northeast shore and hammered the citadel´s energy shields , but took heavy fire from turbolaser cannons in the lower ramparts . Generals Kenobi and Skywalker led a smaller force of clones through an orchard of Manax tree s outside the fort , and with the help of Commander Cody and the elite Squad Seven infiltrated the fungus farms located underneath the structure . From there the Jedi accessed the upper levels and began pursuing Gunray and his entourage as they tried to reach their shuttle . During the mission , some complications arose where Kenobi , having left his rebreathator with Skywalker earlier , accidentially inhaled a box of hallucinogenic spores that he unintentionally released from a container when deflecting blaster bolts from various droids , which affected his mental state . Cody then tried to contact Skywalker for assistance , initially confusing the latter because Kenobi and Cody ' s force was larger than his own and thus wouldn ' t have needed assistance until he realized he still had Obi - Wan ' s rebreathator on him and proceeded to rush towards their location . He then noticed that Kenobi was stumbling over himself from the effects of the spores , causing Skywalker to jokingly state that Kenobi created a new lightsaber form of combat . However , at the same time , it also allowed Obi - Wan to exercise his inner potential , with Skywalker being informed that Kenobi managed to wipe out fifty droids in this state , and later saving Skywalker from Gunray ' s Mechno - chair . Although the Neimoidian leader managed to escape , the battle still raged on in some parts of the planet . Aftermath . Although Gunray just managed to escape , Cato Neimoidia — one of the last Separatist strongholds within the Colonies — was captured . More importantly , Republic forces captured Gunray ' s mechno - chair containing a message from Darth Sidious , which thus linked the Dark Lord of the Sith to the Confederacy , as well as the communication codes that the Separatist Council used to communicate with him and each other . Skywalker and Kenobi , along with their forces , were withdrawn for use in the Outer Rim to hunt down the makers of the mechno - chair in order to track down Darth Sidious , although they ended up sidetracked due to Chancellor Palpatine ' s abduction by General Grievous . Obi - Wan also preferred to not count this battle as one of the times Anakin rescued him , which he reminded him after rescuing the Chancellor . Despite the Republic victory on Cato Neimoidia , the Separatist forces were not defeated and they continued to fight off the Republic troops . Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Ferroda were later sent to the planet to coordinate mopping - up operations against continued resistance , and were killed during Order 66 .