Battle of the Kaliida Nebula

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|conc=*Battle of AngmarStar Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
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|name=Battle of the Kaliida Nebula
|image=
|conflict=War of the Ring
|date=June 21st, 1981
|place=*Beginning: near the Kaliida Nebula in the Ryndellia systemThe Essential Atlas
*End: near the Dead Moon of Antar,The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia Prindaar system
|result=Galactic Republic victory
*Senator Padmé Amidala rescued
*Malevolence destroyed
|side1=Galactic Republic
|side2=Confederacy of Independent Systems
|commanders1=*High General Sam Gamgee
*General Gimli
*General Frodo Baggins
*Another Jedi Knight
*Admiral Wullf Yularen
*Commander Eowyn
*Senator Padmé Amidala
|commanders2=*The Mouth of Sauron
*OOM command battle droid†
|forces1=*5 Jedi
*1 senator
*Clone naval officers
*Clone troopers
*Clone trooper pilots
**Shadow Squadron
*BTL-B Y-wing starfighters
*2 Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptors
*1 G9 Rigger-class light freighter
**Twilight
*1 H-type Nubian yacht†
*3 Venator-class Star Destroyers
**Resolute
**Negotiator
|forces2=*1 Mordor general
*Vulture droids
*1 Subjugator-class heavy cruiser
**Malevolence†
*OOM command battle droids
*B1-Series battle droids
*B2 super battle droids
*Droidekas
*1 Belbullab-22 starfighter
**Soulless One
|casual1=*At least six Y-wings
*H-type Nubian yacht self-destructed
|casual2=Malevolence and most battle droids stationed aboard it
|civilian=Several Pelta-class medical transports}}
The Battle of the Kaliida Nebula took place near the Kaliida Nebula in 1981 during the War of the Ring. Shortly after the Galactic Republic's discovery of the Confederate warship Malevolence, Jedi General Frodo Baggins developed a plan to attack the warship and its commander, The Mouth of Sauron. Confederate Head of State Saruman the White ordered The Mouth of Sauron to target the Republic's secret Outer Rim medical center, and the Malevolence eradication of a Republic medical convoy in the Ryndellia system identified the warship's quarry to the Republic. Frodo planned to intercept the ship, accompanied by his Padawan, Jedi Commander Eowyn, as well as Jedi General Gimli of the Dwarves.
Frodo arrived at the medical station via a shortcut through the nebula with the starfighter unit Shadow Squadron, and engaged Vulture droids launched from the Malevolence. Suffering losses from the warship's ion pulse cannons, Frodo led his squadron to attack the vessel's starboard cannon. When the Malevolence attempted to use the damaged weapon on the medical center, the cannon exploded, causing further damage to the ship. Admiral Wullf Yularen and High Jedi General Sam Gamgee arrived with three Venator-class Star Destroyers and engaged the fleeing Malevolence, which was unable to retreat to hyperspace because of damage to its hyperdrive.
Saruman's Sith Master, Darth Sauron, used his alter ego as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to trick Senator Padmé Amidala into traveling to the nebula, where The Mouth of Sauron could use her as a hostage and escape. Amidala arrived in the system and was pulled aboard the Malevolence. Frodo and Sam arrived on the warship via Frodo's personal ship, the Twilight, and rescued Amidala. Sam attempted to cause further damage to the warship's hyperdrive, but was confronted by The Mouth of Sauron and forced to engage the Mordor general in lightsaber combat before escaping. Frodo and Amidala sabotaged the ship's navigation computer, and the group returned to the Republic fleet. When the Malevolence attempted to jump to hyperspace, it crashed into the Dead Moon of Antar, and The Mouth of Sauron retreated.
==Prelude==
===The mystery weapon===
In 1981, during the War of the Ring, the Confederacy of Independent Systems built a superweapon, the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence, capable of defeating numerous Galactic Republic fleets with its ion pulse cannons. The cannons neutralized all power to their targets, leaving their prey defenseless without the ability to use deflector shields and vulnerable to fire from the Malevolence laser cannons. Under the command of General The Mouth of Sauron, the Confederate warship began a series of strikes on Republic task forces that left no survivors to tell the Republic of the weapon or its methods of attack, leading the Malevolence to be dubbed the "mystery weapon" for its unknown nature. The attacks formed no pattern,The War of the Ring: Shakedown and the unpredictability of future targets drove fear throughout the Republic.HoloNet News — A Galaxy Divided
Jedi General Gimli of the Jedi High Council volunteered to lead a hunt for the mysterious weapon and took a fleet of several Venator-class Star Destroyers to the Abregado system, where the Malevolence had been located. On The Mouth of Sauron's order, the warship attacked the Republic fleet with its ion cannons, and the cruisers launched several escape pods. The Confederate Head of State Saruman the White was aboard the warship and ordered rocket battle droids to eliminate the pods with boarding craft, not intending to allow the Republic to learn of the warship and its weapons. However, Gimli and several clone troopers were rescued by Jedi General Frodo Baggins and his Padawan, Jedi Commander Eowyn, and were able to escape the Malevolence, taking the knowledge of the warship to the Republic. Saruman, displeased with The Mouth, left to discuss the general's failure with his Sith Master, Lord Sauron.
===Preparing a counterattack===
Following the revelation of the superweapon's nature, Frodo planned to lead a counterattack against the Malevolence with Shadow Squadron of starfighters. The Hobbit applied for several BTL-B Y-wing starfighters through Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Senator Ask Aak, but discovered that they were still in the experimental stage. Baggins also learned that the request had to come via a Galactic Senate Committee. Unable to obtain the bombers through official means, Frodo traveled directly to the testing facility over the planet Bormus where the fighters were being manufactured. Arriving with Shadow Squadron aboard his personal ship, the Twilight, Baggins took the bombers under the pretense that the request had come from Palpatine himself.The War of the Ring: Procedure
Returning to his flagship, the Resolute, Frodo developed a plan to lead Shadow Squadron on a direct attack on the Malevolence, believing that while the larger cruisers could not outmaneuver the warship, the bombers would be able to slip through the warship's defenses. The squadron's target was the Malevolence bridge, where The Mouth of Sauron would be maintaining command. With the death of the Mouth, Frodo believed that the armies of Mordor could be brought to a quicker defeat. Frodo began preparations for his departure, and was to be accompanied by Eowyn and Gimli, the latter of whom chose to fly in Blade of Dorin, his Delta-7B starfighter.
===A new target===
Saruman met with Darth Sauron and learned of the Republic's secret Outer Rim medical station, the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, which was treating over 60,000 wounded Republic clones. As the Malevolence ambushed a Republic medical convoy in the Ryndellia system, Saruman contacted The Mouth of Sauron and ordered the Mordor general to target the medical center; without the medical base, the Republic would have nowhere to send its wounded clone troopers. The Mouth of Sauron was pleased with this new assignment, as it showed that the wizard had not lost all faith in him since his failure to prevent the escape of the Jedi during the Battle of Abregado. The Malevolence eradicated the convoy and proceeded to jump to hyperspace; however, as it was unable to pass through the nearby Kaliida Nebula, the warship was forced to take a longer route around to the medical center.
As Baggins learned of the convoy's defeat from Admiral Wullf Yularen, the Jedi deduced that the medical center was the warship's next target. Frodo intended to take Shadow Squadron on a shortcut through the nebula in order to arrive at the medical station before the warship, and planned to attack the Malevolence before it could destroy the base. Admiral Yularen and High Jedi General Sam Gamgee resolved to take a hyperspace route around the nebula, planning to arrive at the medical center to reinforce Frodo with three Venator-class cruisers, including the Resolute, as well as Gamgee's flagship, the Negotiator. Yularen warned the medical center's Kaminoan administrator, Nala Se, of the impending danger, and Sam contacted the people of the nearby planet Naboo; several Pelta-class frigates were sent to help evacuate the medical center.
Frodo, Eowyn, Gimli, and another Jedi Knight departed the Republic fleet with Shadow Squadron. Upon entering the nebula, they encountered several Neebray mantas, and Frodo ordered the squadron to assume the single-file Bantha formation and follow him out of the nebula. Clone trooper pilot Matchstick's fighter was damaged, but the mantas did not cause any casualties apart from pilot Contrail's astromech droid. Shadow Squadron arrived at the medical center, located in the Ryndellia system, shortly before the Malevolence came out of hyperspace and approached the station. By this time, the medical center had evacuated half of its patients with the help of the Pelta-class frigates, but the clones being treated in bacta tanks were unable to be moved.
==The battle==
===Attack on the Malevolence===
As Frodo, Eowyn, Gimli, the Jedi Knight—flying a Delta-7B interceptor—and Shadow Squadron approached, the Malevolence attacked the fleeing Pelta-class frigates with its ion cannons. After the frigates had been eradicated, several squadrons of Vulture droids were launched from the Malevolence, and the droid starfighters attacked the incoming Shadow Squadron. Despite the fact that his own Vulture droids would be caught in the blast, The Mouth of Sauron ordered the warship's ion cannon to target the approaching Y-wing bombers. As the Malevolence fired its ion cannon, Frodo immediately ordered his squadron to head for the top edge of the ray to avoid being neutralized. However, Matchstick's fighter malfunctioned, and his fighter crashed into fellow pilot Tag's bomber, while Shadow Six, Seven, and Ten, were caught in the ion ray.
Even with its numbers cut in half, the Republic squadron continued toward the Malevolence and maneuvered through the incoming laser fire as the warship targeted the medcenter. Another of the Republic fighters had been destroyed, and Eowyn advised Frodo that with their decreasing firepower, targeting the bridge was not their best option. Taking Gimli's suggestion to obliterate the warship's primary weapon, Frodo changed the target to the starboard ion cannon, and he, Gimli, and the Jedi Knight spearheaded the attack on the cannon. After the cannon was hit by proton torpedoes, The Mouth of Sauron attempted to fire the weapon, but both cannons exploded, causing further damage to the ship and disabling the Malevolence hyperdrive.
Sam's fleet of Star Destroyers arrived in the star system and directed laser fire at the Confederate warship. Unable to retreat to hyperspace, The Mouth of Sauron ordered the Malevolence to flee to Confederate-held space. Gamgee contacted Frodo and congratulated him on his success, and Frodo, Eowyn, Gimli and the Jedi Knight went to the medical station to regroup and refuel their fighters to provide support for the Republic fleet.
===Mission aboard the Malevolence===
When Saruman learned of The Mouth of Sauron' failure, he was displeased, and his Sith Master, Darth Sauron, arranged a trap for an important Republic official that would provide an opportunity for The Mouth of Sauron to escape. Sauron, in the guise of his alter ego of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, manipulated Senator Padmé Amidala into traveling to the nebula, under the pretense that she would be meeting with an InterGalactic Banking Clan representative that wanted to negotiate a treaty with the Republic. Amidala agreedThe War of the Ring: Agenda and headed to the nebula in her H-type Nubian yacht with her protocol droid, C-3PO. As the Republic fleet continued its attack on the fleeing Malevolence, Amidala arrived out of hyperspace in front of the Malevolence bow and realized that she had been led into a trap.
Frodo and Eowyn returned to the Resolute, and Baggins contacted Senior Jedi General Luminara Unduli for support, but discovered that she was busy fighting Confederate reinforcements nearby. Admiral Yularen deduced that the warship's hyperdrive was damaged because the Malevolence was not attempting to flee to hyperspace. Taking advantage of the warship's vulnerability, Sam ordered all laser fire to be directed at the Malevolence bridge. The Resolute picked up the arrival of Amidala's yacht and contacted the ship, and Frodo was dismayed to learn of Amidala's presence, as she was his wife. To protect the senator, the Republic fleet was forced to cease its laser fire at the Malevolence. Amidala's ship was pulled aboard the Malevolence with a tractor beam, as The Mouth of Sauron intended to use the senator as a hostage to ensure the warship's escape. To rescue the senator, Frodo and Sam departed in the Twilight to infiltrate the Malevolence.
Trapped in the main hangar of the warship, Amidala set her yacht's engines to self-destruct before escaping and hiding elsewhere with C-3PO, intending to delay her pursuers. As The Mouth of Sauron arrived to apprehend the senator, the ship discharged, but the Mordor general survived the explosion and ordered a full search of the ship. While attempting to contact the Republic fleet from a communications panel, Amidala and C-3PO were forced to hide from The Mouth and a B1-Series battle droid patrol. The senator and her protocol droid learned that the damage to the warship's hyperdrive would require less time to repair than originally believed, and The Mouth of Sauron left to inform Saruman of the news while the droids continued the search for the senator.
As Frodo and Sam arrived on the warship, they encountered several B1 battle droids and eliminated them. Back aboard the Resolute, Eowyn and Gimli again contacted Unduli for support, and Unduli stated that she was on her way to the nebula with reinforcements. Amidala contacted the Republic fleet, and Eowyn patched the communication through to Frodo and Sam, who arranged to rendezvous with Amidala at a rail jet junction in the middle of the ship. Upon arrival at the junction, Amidala and C-3PO were ambushed by a battle droid patrol, and the senator returned fire at the droids while she and her protocol droid backed toward the rail jets. Noticing the senator's blaster fire, Frodo and Sam immediately ignited their lightsabers and Force Jumped across rail jet cars, dispatching several battle droids on their way to the senator. Amidala and C-3PO escaped onto separate rail jet cars, but a B2-HA series super battle droidStar Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia fired a rocket at the junction Amidala's car was approaching, and Baggins used Levitation Charm to pull Amidala onto his car. Gamgee attempted to telekinetically retrieve C-3PO, but the droid was caught on an oncoming car and headed off in another direction.
====Dual sabotage====
Upon learning from Amidala the battle droids' progress on repairing the hyperdrive, Sam elected to disable the hyperdrive while Frodo and Amidala decided to sabotage the navigation computer of the Malevolence. Heading to the warship's bridge with the senator, Frodo dispatched his astromech droid, R2-D2, to rescue C-3PO. The astromech droid halted the protocol droid's rail jet car and led him back to the Twilight. The Mouth of Sauron, however, was able to intercept the transmission between Sam, Frodo, and Amidala, and the Mordor general proceeded to the ship's hyperdrive room to ambush Gamgee. As the Hobbit entered the room and approached the battle droids guarding the hyperdrive, droid reinforcements arrived alongside The Mouth of Sauron and targeted Gamgee. Using several droidekas against their comrades, Sam Force-pushed two of the droids at the approaching battle droids behind them, then used the remaining droideka's deflector shield as protection from incoming blaster rifle fire from The Mouth. Evenly matched with The Mouth, Sam chose to escape, forcing the remaining droideka at The Mouth of Sauron and fleeing. Knocking a B1 battle droid aside in frustration, The Mouth ordered the remaining droids to guard the hyperdrive while he personally went to deal with Gamgee.
As Gamgee left, he contacted Frodo and Amidala, who were meanwhile fighting a patrol of several B2 super battle droids. Gamgee arranged to meet the pair back at the Twilight before their communications were jammed by the Malevolence droid crew. At the rail jet, Sam was pursued by The Mouth of Sauron and several battle droids. The general and the droids jumped toward the Jedi's rail jet car, but the battle droids were destroyed from an incoming rail jet. As The Mouth of Sauron approached, Sam noticed a large, mechanical arm hanging over the rail jet and used it to propel himself toward The Mouth, landing a kick on the general. The Hobbit and the general engaged in a duel before Sam fled to the front of the car. The Mouth of Sauron slashed at the Hobbit, making Gamgee lose his balance, but the Jedi was able to escape onto a car below.
Frodo and Amidala arrived on the bridge of the warship and dispatched the droids that were repairing the Malevolence hyperdrive. Two super battle droids entered the room, and Frodo quickly Force-pushed Amidala back into the turbolift before destroying the droids. Intending to reset the navicomputer's coordinates for the hyperspace jump, Frodo hot-wired the warship's systems while Amidala hid the disabled droids in the turbolift chamber to erase any traces of the fight and evidence of the sabotage. Meanwhile, the Republic fleet prepared to attack the Malevolence once the Jedi returned with the senator, but with communications blocked, the cruisers were unable to contact Frodo for an update of the mission's status. Finishing their mission, Frodo and Amidala left the bridge shortly before more battle droids arrived to take command of the Malevolence. The Jedi and senator met up with R2-D2 and C-3PO, and at the airlock where the Twilight was docked, Sam arrived, pursued by several droidekas. Frodo used the Force to hover crates and provide cover for Gamgee, and the Republic group boarded the Twilight and escaped.
===Destruction===
By this time, the Malevolence had reached the Mid Rim's Prindaar system. The Twilight retreated to the Republic fleet, and The Mouth of Sauron gave pursuit in his fighter, Soulless One, accompanied by several Vulture droids. Aboard the Resolute, Gimli ordered the Star Destroyers to open fire once more, and the cruisers regained their attack on the fleeing Malevolence. As The Mouth of Sauron landed a shot on the Twilight, Amidala took charge of the laser cannon's periscope controls and returned fire at the droid starfighters. The Mordor general ordered the Malevolence to flee to the Confederate base in Sector Four, stating that he would meet the warship there, and the Malevolence maneuvered for the jump to hyperspace.
Amidala aimed a shot at Soulless One, and The Mouth of Sauron moved aside, forcing a Vulture droid to take the shot. As the Malevolence crew engaged the warship's hyperdrive, the navicomputer malfunctioned and directed the warship toward the Dead Moon of Antar. Saruman made contact with The Mouth of Sauron, stating that the Malevolence and the general himself were being awaited at the rendezvous point, but The Mouth cut off the transmission and escaped to hyperspace. The warship's battle droid crew was unable to reset the navicomputer in time, and the Malevolence crashed into the dead moon, ending the threat that the Confederate warship had posed to the Republic.
==Aftermath==
The destruction of the Malevolence earned a smattering applause from the crews aboard the Republic Star Destroyers. The dead moon of Antar became the resting place of the Confederacy's prized warship, and The Mouth of Sauron' defeat at the hands of the Republic further shook Sauron's faith in him. It was the destruction of the Malevolence, in addition to a number of following defeats, that prompted Saruman to arrange a test for his general later in the war.The War of the Ring: Forces of Darkness
==Behind the scenes==
The Battle of the Kaliida NebulaStar Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1 was featured in the 2008 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring television series. As it was spanned out over several episodes, the battle was one of the series' first major battles, appearing in the first season episodes "Shadow of Malevolence" and "Destroy Malevolence." In addition, the battle completed a three-part story arc in the series centered around the Confederate warship Malevolence, which made its first appearance in the television series in the episode "Rising Malevolence," as well as Shakedown, an issue of the series' weekly online webcomic that led into the episode. Several stories relating to the battle itself were featured in the online comic; Procedure depicted Frodo Baggins's acquisition of the Y-wing bombers for the battle shortly before "Shadow of Malevolence," while Agenda portrayed Palpatine's deception of Padmé Amidala, leading into "Destroy Malevolence."
The The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Lightsaber Duels video game featured Sam Gamgee's duel with The Mouth of Sauron aboard the Malevolence.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Lightsaber Duels The battle was identified by name in the 2009 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1.
The battle depicted the BTL-B Y-wing starfighters in use, and also featured the series debut of the characters of Padmé Amidala and C-3PO. 
==Appearances==
* 
*
*
*The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Lightsaber Duels
*The Clone Wars: Secret Missions 1: Breakout Squad 
*War of the Ring Gambit: Stealth 
* 
* 
===Non-canon appearances===
*LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
Category:War of the Rings battles
Category:Duels