Plan to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine

In 20 BBY, the bounty hunter Moralo Eval came up with a plan to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine for Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Under the guise of a tournament of skill, Dooku and Eval placed the galaxy's most skilled bounty hunters in a special tournament held on Dooku's home planet of Serenno and recruited a team of the winners. The team, led by Cad Bane and including Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was disguised as Rako Hardeen, attacked Palpatine during the 847th Festival of Light held in the Naboo capital city of Theed, but failed due to Dooku realizing the Jedi's trap and failing to evacuate them from the planet, resulting in their arrests. With the threat seemingly gone, Palpatine instructed his security detail to leave Naboo, and in turn, allowed Dooku to to engage Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Ultimately, the plan failed due to Skywalker and Kenobi's interference and Dooku was forced to escape Naboo.
==Prelude==
In 20 BBY, bounty hunter Moralo Eval, at the time under the employment of Confederacy of Independent Systems Head of State and Sith Lord Count Dooku came up with a plan to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine to strike a decisive blow against the Galactic Republic. The plan involved the infiltration of the Chancellor's security escort during his visit to the annual Festival of Light on his homeworld of Naboo and required a skilled and discreet group to execute. For this purpose, Dooku and Eval recruited some of the most capable bounty hunters operating in the galaxy such as Cad Bane and invited them to Dooku's palace on Serenno where they would be tested on a vast maze-like device designed by Eval and known as the Box. The maze included a variety of tests and challenges which were supposed to test the candidates' abilities to complete their mission to the limits of their abilities. Before he could complete the Box, however, Eval was arrested by a police detachment on Devon and sentenced to imprisonment on the maximum security section of the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center on the capital planet Coruscant.Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
While Eval was incarcerated, he began spreading rumors of his and Dooku's plan to other prisoners, with word eventually reaching the Jedi High Council who decided to investigate the matter independently from the Republic. In order to learn more about the conspiracy, the Council anonymously hired legendary sniper Rako Hardeen to kill Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, which he thought he did by shooting him before his former Padawan and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his student Ahsoka Tano. While the Order gave Kenobi a proper funeral, he had in fact faked his death in accordance with the plan and disguised himself as Hardeen in order to infiltrate the Judiciary Center and befriend Eval to investigate his claims. He was accordingly "arrested" by Master Mace Windu, while the real Hardeen was kept in the Jedi Temple, and transferred to the Judiciary Center's maximum security wing where he became close with Eval as intended. Soon after, Cad Bane also allowed himself to be arrested and transferred to the Center in order to free Eval and bring him to Serenno to oversee the tests which were due to begin; in a subsequent riot caused by Bossk Bane, Eval and "Hardeen" successfully escaped the complex and made their way to Serenno, after a brief altercation with Skywalker and Tano in Orondia. There, they met up with Dooku on at his palace.
After their arrival, the tests began with bounty hunters such as Embo and Derrown successfully completing most objectives while others met their deaths inside the machine. Five bounty hunters survived the box: Cad Bane, "Rako Hardeen," Embo, Twazzi and Derrown. However, despite having promised to Eval that he would lead this effort, Dooku eventually assigned Bane to be in charge of the team, much to Eval's disappointment. The team then traveled in secret to Naboo, where the 847th Festival of Light would be held with the Chancellor in attendance.
==The attack==
===Security measures and preparations===
Aware of the bounty hunter's intent but with no communications from Kenobi to specify their plan, the Jedi Council took an interest in the security measures of the Festival to ensure that the Chancellor would be adequately protected during the event. Grand Master Yoda and Jedi Master Mace Windu personally oversaw a security briefing consisting of Masters Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, Eeth Koth, Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Adi Gallia and Saesee Tiin, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as well as Padawan Ahsoka Tano the day before the Festival on the Jedi Temple. During the meeting, Windu presented the Senate Guard's preparations for the Festival, including the presence of armed sentries on all entrances and the ray shield that would be installed on the stage for the duration of the Chancellor's speech.
Meanwhile, the bounty hunters rendezvoused with Dooku on Naboo where they killed the workers of a Gian heavy patrol speeder hangar near the palace to set up their base of operations. Cad Bane distributed holo-maps to the hunters containing their respective routes and directions for the next day, as well as Holographic disguise matrixes and voice disguisers for those going undercover. The hunters wouldn't know the full plan, instead being guided by the holo-maps for each step and only receiving further instructions after they had successfully completed it. Derrown was to penetrate the ray shield to allow the others access into it, while Eval would act as the getaway driver with Twazzi, Bane and Embo disguising themselves as guards. In case the team was discovered and forced to engage the Chancellor's escort, Hardeen was to provide cover fire with a sniper rifle from a tower overlooking the stage, pre-selected by Bane. For added security, his rifle was loaded with stun rounds to avoid accidentally killing the Chancellor.
===Chancellor's arrival===
Chancellor Palpatine arrived on Naboo aboard a T-6 shuttle, accompanied by Vice Chair of the Senate Mas Amedda, Jedi Windu, Skywalker and Tano and two clone shock troopers. His ship landed in the prestigious Landing Plaza on the capital Theed, where he was greeted by Queen Neeyutnee, Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala and Governor Sio Bibble under strict security from soldiers of the Palace Guard. Palpatine thanked the Naboo for the warm welcome, although he stated that he had grown tired of the Jedi's constant protection of him. Despite his protest, Skywalker further strengthened the Royal Palace security, fearing it was the ideal location for an attack, and tasked his Padawan Ahsoka Tano with personally keeping an eye on Senator Amidala, the Queen and her staff.
"Hardeen" arrived at his sniper position on the tower just as Windu was giving final directions to the Chancellor's Senate Commando protection unit. He contacted Windu for the first time in days, surprising the Master who was worried that he could be dead and revealed the assassins' finalized plan, including the disguised infiltrators, prompting Windu to order for all the attendants' identities be double checked during the evening event. Until this point the Chancellor's protection believed that the attack against him would occur inside the Palace.
===The Festival of Light===
The 847th Festival began with the Chancellor, accompanied by the Vice Chair and the representatives of the Naboo government arriving at the festival plaza, which was surrounded with repulsor platforms filled with Theed citizens. Also present in the plaza were Senators Bail Organa of Alderaan, Zinn Paulness of the Council of Neutral Systems as well as Lott Dod of the Trade Federation; the former was secretly Cad Bane in disguise. As Palpatine began his opening speech commemorating Naboo's joining the Galactic Republic, Derrown checked with Senate Guard SG-1984 to copy his voice and then proceeded to join the unit on the stage. Using his electrostatic tentacles, Derrown was able to overload one of the ray shield generators and disable the shield, just as Hardeen spotted him and urged Skywalker to rush for him. The explosion injured Palpatine, forcing Windu to order two Senate Guards, secretly Twazzi and Embo to evacuate him on a nearby Gian speeder just as Skywalker was electrocuted by Derrown and Tano evacuated the palace staff.
Amidst the confusion, Twazzi and Embo placed a disguise matrix on the injured chancellor making him look like a Senate Guard himself, and Twazzi posed as the Chancellor to be evacuated by Embo instead. The real Palpatine was dragged by Cad Bane, still disguised as Senator Dod to Moralo Eval's speeder, while Windu and Skywalker were rushing to save the fake one. Following a brief altercation, they were able to take out Embo, but the fake Palpatine/Twazzi attacked them instead. While the duo was buying them time, Eval and Bane escaped the plaza , carrying an unconscious Palpatine with them.
With Embo and Twazzi in custody and Derrown injured, Palpatine's shock troopers and Senate Guards were still none the wiser as to the real Chancellor's whereabouts. "Rako Hardeen" was instead instructed by Windu to follow the bounty hunters' getaway vehicle, which he did, reaching them in the Theed plasma refinery just as they realized that they had in fact been double crossed as Dooku, who was supposed to be meeting them there to take them off world with the Chancellor had failed to show up. As the hunters were contemplating on their next actions, Hardeen engaged them, knocking them out one by one just as Windu and Skywalker finally arrived with two shock troopers to take them in custody.
===Dooku's plan===
Following his rescue and recovery, Palpatine organized his departure from Naboo the next day aboard a Venator-class Star Destroyer accompanied by the full security force, which he elected to recall from Naboo despite Windu's disagreement. Obi-Wan revealed the entirety of the plan to Anakin, prompting an outburst of rage from him to the lies he was told by the Jedi Council and by his mentor and close friend. Angered and betrayed, Anakin questioned Kenobi on whether the Council even knew the whole truth themselves.
Kenobi, joining the security force on the Destroyer was debriefed by Windu, who asked him if it was time to be taken back to the transformation chamber to change back into Obi-Wan. Kenobi considered the offer, but quickly realized that something was amiss; he returned to the tower from which he had operated the night of the Festival and searched his rifle case, discovering a comlink in passive transmission mode hidden inside. Realizing that Dooku had been listening to his conversations with Windu all along, he rushed back to the Royal Palace where Palpatine was promenading with Anakin to the Banquet organized by the Naboo Queen and Senators to farewell him before his departure. Although Anakin questioned the idea due to Amidala not having mentioned it beforehand, Palpatine remarked that perhaps it was intended as a surprise.
The Banquet was actually a trap Dooku had set to kidnap the Chancellor himself, exploiting his security force's absence. He was waiting for Palpatine inside the Banquet Hall accompanied by two IG-100 MagnaGuards, who attacked Anakin as soon as they stepped inside. Although Anakin was able to destroy them and asked Palpatine to escape, a third droid was stationed outside and prevented the Chancellor from leaving, while Dooku engaged the Jedi in a lightsaber duel. Dooku quickly got the upper hand and stroke Anakin with a burst of Force lightning, knocking him unconscious and escaping with the Chancellor in custody.
Kenobi arrived just in time to catch up with Dooku and his droid bodyguard as they were forcing Palpatine on board a Sheathipede-class Type B shuttle. Together, they were able to rescue the Chancellor and destroy his droid, although Dooku escaped, taunting Skywalker for his lack of skills. The Palace Guard quickly arrived along with Senator Amidala, and together with the Jedi they secured the Chancellor and took him back inside the palace to join his security force.
==Appearances==
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*The Bad Batch: Hunted! 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
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*Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded 
*Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
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*Star Wars: Timelines
*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
==Notes and references==
Category:Clone Wars campaigns