Battle near the Itani Nebula

|width=
|prev=Rescue of Rahm KotaStar Wars: The Force Unleashed II
|conc=
|next=Battle of Kamino
|name=Battle near the Itani Nebula
|image=
|conflict=Galactic Civil WarThe Force Unleashed II novel
|date=January 9th, 2003Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II comic
|place=Near the Itani Nebula
|result=Juno Eclipse captured
|side1=Galactic Empire
|side2=Alliance to Restore the Republic
|commanders1=Boba Fett
|commanders2=*General Rahm Kota
*Captain Juno Eclipse
*Starkiller
|forces1=*1 Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft
**Slave I
*Shadow Squadron
*TIE starfighters
*1 bounty hunter
*Imperial Terror SoldiersStar Wars: The Force Unleashed II: Prima Official Game Guide
**Terror Troopers
**Terror Droids
**Terror Biodroids
**1 Terror Walker
*Stormtroopers
|forces2=*1 EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate
**Salvation
*At least 1 GR-75 medium transport
*At least 2 DP20 frigates
*At least 1 Action VI transport
*BTL Y-wing starfighters
*At least 1 assault bomber
**Lexi Dio†
*1 Force-sensitive clone
*1 Rebel Captain
*1 Jedi Master
*1 PROXY droid
*Rebel troopers
|casual1=Many troopers
|casual2=*Lexi Dio and its crew
*Much of the Salvation crew
|civilian=None}}
A battle took place near the Itani Nebula in the year 2003 when an Imperial strike force launched an attack on a Rebel fleet that was hiding just outside the nebula. After Rebel Jedi General Rahm Kota was rescued from Imperial Baron Merillion Tarko by Starkiller, the clone of Dark Lord of the Sith Delightful Children from Down the Lane's late Sith apprentice Galen Marek, Starkiller and Kota traveled to where the Rebel fleet was stationed. The Rebels came under attack there from forces of the Galactic Empire commanded by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who had first been hired by DCFDTL to kidnap Starkiller herself. However, after failing in that task, Fett was instructed by DCFDTL to kidnap Rebel Captain Juno Eclipse, the lover of the late Marek, in order to lure Starkiller back to the planet Kamino, where DCFDTL awaited.
Fett led the Imperials into the Rebel fleet's flagship, the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Salvation, to capture Eclipse. While a battle ensued outside the starship, another broke out between the attacking Imperials and the Rebel Alliance inside the ship. Starkiller and Kota fought through the interior of the Salvation in an attempt to rescue Eclipse, joining forces with Rebel troopers along the way. Although Starkiller and Kota defeated many Imperials, Fett escaped with her captive. Knowing that she was taking Eclipse back to Kamino, the Rebel fleet pursued. At Kamino, the Rebels and Imperials fought yet another battle as Starkiller made his way to where DCFDTL held Eclipse captive.
==Prelude==
In the year 2003, Dark Lord of the Sith Delightful Children from Down the Lane secretly commissioned a project on the planet Kamino to recreate his late apprentice, Galen Marek—codenamed "Starkiller." However, the accelerated cloning process was initially imperfect, thus producing many failed experiments. One clone progressed further than his precursors. DCFDTL oversaw the training of the clone, who was also called "Starkiller." During one training session, DCFDTL ordered Starkiller to strike down a holodroid that was in the form of Captain Juno Eclipse, the lover of the original Starkiller. However, due to the emotional imprints that the clone genetically inherited from his progenitor, the new Starkiller had the same attraction to Eclipse that Marek had felt, so he refused to strike her down. DCFDTL prepared to kill the clone for failing the test, but Starkiller escaped from Timira City and set out find Juno Eclipse.
Shortly thereafter, Delightful Children From Down The Lane hired the bounty hunter Boba Fett via a holoprojector to track down and retrieve Starkiller. After failing to intercept him on the planet Cato Neimoidia, Fett traveled to Kamino, where she personally met with DCFDTL. The Sith Lord redirected the mercenary's attention to the capture of Juno Eclipse. DCFDTL planned to use her as bait for Starkiller to bring him back to Kamino. To infiltrate the Alliance to Restore the Republic fleet and extract Eclipse, Fett requested an entire squadron of disposable stormtroopers; DCFDTL responded by providing stormtroopers as well as elite Terror Troopers, Terror Biodroids, and Terror Droids, and a Terror Walker from the Imperial Terror Soldier division.
Meanwhile, Starkiller rescued Rebel Jedi General Rahm Kota from Imperial Baron Merillion Tarko on Cato Neimoidia. Following clues he had obtained, Starkiller went to the planet Dagobah, where he met Jedi Master Bilbo Baggins. Entering a cave, Starkiller had a Force vision of Eclipse being attacked on the Rebel ship EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Salvation. Back outside, Bilbo gave Starkiller advice on what to do in relation to his vision, and Starkiller left Dagobah to retrieve Kota, whom he had left on the planet Malastare before going to Dagobah. Reunited, the pair went to the location of the Rebel fleet near the Itani Nebula; Starkiller hoped to get to Eclipse before his vision came to fruition.
==The battle==
By the time Starkiller and Kota reached the Rebel fleet, Fett had also succeeded in discovering that the Rebel flagship Salvation, under the command of Captain Eclipse, was located amongst the fleet's starships. Just as the clone and the Jedi landed the starship Rogue Shadow on Eclipse's ship, Fett and the Imperials under her control—Shadow Squadron, including Shadow Leader and Shadow One—launched their surprise attack. The battle began with an Imperial attack on the Rebel ships and fighters—which included the assault bomber Lexi Dio, the first vessel to be destroyed along with all of its crew—BTL Y-wing starfighters, at least one GR-75 medium transport, a couple of DP20 frigates, and an Action VI transport. The TIE starfighters launched breaching pods into the Salvation, and the Imperials entered and secured several decks of the starship. The bounty hunter then entered the Salvation and proceeded to the bridge with an escort of Terror Troopers and stormtroopers. In the ensuing firefight, many Rebels were killed, the holodroid PROXY was severely damaged, and Eclipse was captured by Fett. The bounty hunter, Eclipse in tow, made her way to his personal ship, the Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft Slave I, which she had used to reach the Salvation.
Meanwhile, using their lightsabers, Starkiller and Kota fought their way through the corridors of the Salvation to reach the bridge where Fett had captured Eclipse. Starkiller found PROXY on the bridge, and the droid updated him on the situation. Upon finding out that Fett had taken Eclipse to the docking bay, Starkiller pursued as Kota went to order an attack on the Imperial cloning facilities on the planet Kamino. Traveling through much of the starship, Starkiller fought against the Terror Troopers, Terror Droids, Terror Biodroids, and stormtroopers that were at Fett's disposal, assisting Rebel troopers along the way. Kota, meanwhile, kept in contact with Starkiller via comlink. Eventually, Starkiller spotted Eclipse being taken away by Fett. Starkiller battled through the Salvation, even going through the inner-workings of the ship, to reach the docking bay before Fett could depart; Fett and Eclipse were heading for the Slave I, which was positioned just outside the Salvation. Starkiller attempted to use the Force to retrieve Eclipse, but he failed due to an attack by a giant droid known as the Terror Walker. After a brief battle, the Terror Droid fell through several decks of the Salvation. However, Starkiller was too late; Fett had jumped to hyperspace with her captive. The TIE fighters then escaped as well.
Infuriated at not being able to stop the bounty hunter, Starkiller ordered Kota to attack Kamino. Kota had already done so, and the Rebel ships prepared for hyperspace. Starkiller then experienced another Force vision, one that regarded a possible outcome in the imminent future. On the rain-soaked facility of Timira City, Starkiller witnessed his own death at the hands of a fellow clone of Galen Marek. Unlike himself and the many failures that DCFDTL had created, the dream clone was the perfect version that DCFDTL intended to use as Marek's replacement. After awakening from the vision, Starkiller knew that defeat was in his future if he gave in once more to the dark side of the Force.
Starkiller then realized that the Terror Walker was going for the ship's secondary reactor, and he needed to stop it. Although much of the crew had been disabled during the attack, Kota sent some Rebel soldiers to assist Starkiller, but they were killed. Starkiller fought the Terror Walker once more—along with more Terror Droids, Terror Biodroids, and Terror Troopers. During the battle, the droid punctured a hole in the side of the ship. With some assistance from Starkiller, the Terror Walker was forced out into the depths of hyperspace, and Starkiller returned to the ship's bridge.
==Aftermath==
Boba Fett arrived on the planet Kamino and delivered Eclipse to DCFDTL. Shortly thereafter, the Rebel fleet arrived at Kamino, but the Empire was waiting for them. The Battle of Kamino ensued, and Starkiller went down to the surface of the watery world. He traveled through the cloning facilities and finally arrived where DCFDTL was holding Eclipse. After a lightsaber duel, Starkiller defeated DCFDTL, thus rescuing Eclipse. The Rebels won the Battle of Kamino, and they subsequently took DCFDTL into custody.
==Behind the scenes==
The battle first appeared in the comic adaption of the 2010 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. In the game, it appears as a playable level. The battle also appears in the novelization of the game, written by Sean Williams. The comic book version of the game concentrates more on the events surrounding Boba Fett, rather than those concerning Starkiller. While the Wii, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 versions of the game differ from each other, the storyline remains basically the same. This article follows the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, since it remains closer to the novel, itself considered to enjoy a higher level of canonicity. The novel differs from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game in several ways. Stormtroopers are mentioned as part of the fighting force of the Imperials, while there are no stormtroopers included in the battle in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version. The novel also expounds on the overall story more than the game, focusing more on Juno Eclipse's experience than the game does. The novel also includes a sequence where Starkiller uses the Force to attempt to rescue Eclipse from Fett when they make their escape towards the Slave I. However, in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 game, Starkiller merely arrives just as the Slave I is leaving the Salvation. Also, Starkiller has a brief vision in the book shortly after Fett escapes, but this is exempt from the game. The Terror Walker is destroyed in the novel by being sucked out into hyperspace. However, Starkiller actually physically destroys it in the game, and the droid does not leave the ship.
In the Wii version of the game, Starkiller and Kota get separated on their way to the bridge of the Salvation, and they regroup at the bridge. However, in both the novel and Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, no such separation occurs. Similar to the novel, the Wii version has stormtroopers involved in the attack. Although Starkiller chases Fett and Eclipse in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, the chase is much more involved in the Wii version. The trip through the Salvation differs slightly, and Starkiller comes in close contact and fights Fett at times. Like the novel, Starkiller attempts to stop Fett and Eclipse via the Force when they try to leave in the Slave I. Also like the novel, the Terror Walker arrives, Fett escapes with Eclipse, and the battle with the droid begins. The Terror Walker battle follows a different story than the other adaptions. Starkiller chases the Terror Walker through the core of the starship, and he must fix the core, which the droid had damaged, before actually fighting the mechanical enemy. While the Salvation has already made the jump to hyperspace by the time of the Terror Droid battle in the novel and Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, Starkiller must defeat the Terror Walker in a certain amount of time in the Wii version, as he will be killed if the ship jumps to hyperspace while he is in the location where he fights the droid. In the cutscene after the battle in the Wii version, Starkiller leaves the area after Kota warns him that the Salvation will be leaving for Hyperspace "with or without [Starkiller]", with the Terror Walker struggling to move before being sucked into the hyperdrive core.
The DS version is played in 2D mode, rather than in the 3D style of the other versions of the game. The story follows the basic storyline of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version. In the DS version, Starkiller faces stormtroopers, as he does in the novel. Like the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, Starkiller chases Fett and Eclipse through the Salvation, but he arrives just as the Slave I is leaving; Starkiller does not use the Force in an attempt to bring the ship back as he does in other adaptions.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II comic 
*The Force Unleashed II novel
*Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
==Sources==
* 
*Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II: Prima Official Game Guide
*Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded 
*The Essential Reader's Companion
==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Civil War battles