Battle against Jul's droid army

The battle against Jul's droid army, also known as the Tambor Gambit, was a battle fought between 3 ABY and 4 ABY at a village on Brentaal IV between the droid forces led by the Skakoan Jul Tambor and a group of former handmaidens; Dormé, Eirtaé, Saché, and Rabé Tonsort; who were in the service of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. The former handmaidens were in search of their former fellow handmaiden Sabé, who had joined the service of the Galactic Empire in order to help Vader bring order to the galaxy after learning he was once Anakin Skywalker. After they fought the Sith Lord on Fedalle, the others had themselves gave their service to Vader in the name of rescuing Sabé from Tambor, but also to get to her to try and convince her against serving Vader.
==The skirmish==
Vader, the handmaidens, and Sly Moore made their way to Brentaal IV, where Sabé had previously been sent by Vader to assassinate Tambor, though she was eventually held prisoner by the Skakoan on his command ship, When they arrived at a building, Moore and Vader informed them that only through Vader could they achieve their desires. The handmaidens refused to split from each other and also rejected Vader's temptation, though as this moment they were attacked by B1-series battle droids and two Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantrys that had been acquired by Tambor. Vader then used the Force to move the handmaidens out to attack the droids, claiming they stood alone and wanted to see which of them would earn their place in his service.
After they destroyed all of the droids, Rabé called Vader a monster, though she was shut down by Moore, who informed them Vader had only shown them what they were capable of, telling them to imagine how much stronger they could be when they joined him. Eirtaé then sliced a data bank of one of the droids and learned that Sabé was being held on Tambor's ship three klicks north of their position. Before she could finish, Eirtaé also pointed out that Tambor's forces were headed to attack a village at that exact time, with Dormé adding that the village was only full of farmers and therefore not a military target. Saché insisted they had to save the village, though Moore disagreed and told them it was just a ploy to trap them in a canyon to allow Tambor to escape with Sabé. Dormé then questioned whether Moore would simply allow their people to die. Vader responded that he had show them their strengths, with the attacking of the droids, and now he had shown them their weakness, that they wanted to defend the village, finishing that they could not save everyone. Dormé countered Vader by demanding that he give them a reason to serve him, to which Vader replied that she did not give commands, but he would show them what they needed to see.
Vader and the handmaidens then set out on speeder bikes to the village, where the four arranged their speeders in a line. As the droids approached the village, Saché told the villagers to find cover, and Eirtaé then detonated the bikes, causing an explosion. one of the droids fired on and hit Rabé in the arm, and Dormé tended to her whilst Eirtaé and Saché continued to fire on the droids. Eirtaé tried to contact Vader, though he did not respond, and they then realized that they had been used by Vader so that he could rescue Sabé. Vader boarded Tambor's ship and deflected laser blasts from Gee-Ninety, one of Tambor's team, and with Vader distratced, Tambor deployed miniature droids to shock Vader. As Vader was being overwhelmed by the droids, the handmaidens arrived and rescued Vader from the droids. Eirtaé revealed that she had antigrav devices which increased gravity, Tambor and Gee-Ninety escaped, with the Skakoan informing Vader and the handmaidens they would have to continue another time.
==Aftermath==
With Tambor gone, the handmaidens confronted Vader over their belief he had lied to them and betrayed them, which Vader countered that he had made them seize their potential and made them realize who their real enemy was. Dormé approached Sabé, who was being held in a cage and informed her that she did not belong in the service of Vader. Vader then Force choked Dormé and Eirtaé, holding them against a wall, whilst telling them that Tambor would not stop, asking them if they would rather run whilst he slaughtered innocents or have order. Dormé tried to reach out to Sabé, telling her to not trust Vader, whilst Vader reached out his hand to Sabé, secretly seeing the moment as a way to have his idealized life with his wife Padmé Amidala and son Luke Skywalker.
Sabé almost took his hand, but her fellow Handmaidens fired on Vader and pulled her from the room despite her objections. Vader ignited his lightsaber to follow, but the Handmaidens flew away on Eirtaé's antigrav devices to reach a Star Commuter 2000, which was being piloted by Vader's assassin Ochi, who wanted his rival Sabé removed from Vader's service. Aware that Tambor would soon attack civilians across the star system, Sabé decided that she needed to stay with Vader in order to use the Empire's resources against the revolutionary, believing the Handmaidens were not powerful enough to stop his campaign. She also still believed in Amidala's final words that the light side of the Force still existed in Vader. As such, Sabé removed the antigrav device her Handmaidens sisters had attached to her and fell to the ground, bidding them goodbye.
At that time, a detachment of stormtroopers had arrived from a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle and fired on the escaping Handmaidens, although Sabé managed to fall through the blaster fire while her Handmaiden sisters reached the Star Commuter. Vader also used telekinesis to guide Sabé down, ordering the stormtroopers to cease fire now that she had rejoined them. Although Ochi was annoyed he would have to continue to compete with Sabé, the Handmaidens escaped, with Dormé realizing Sabé, somehow, was working with Vader on Amidala's behalf. Back with the Empire, Sabé made preparations for Tambor to discredit himself.
==Appearances==
*Darth Vader (2020) 31 
*Darth Vader (2020) 32 
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of Brentaal IV
Category:Battles of the Imperial Era