Raid on the Cantonica Palace

During the Canto Bight Summit in 37 BBY, the Brothers of the Night cult raided the Cantonica Palace to assassinate Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum of the Galactic Republic, marking the beginning of the Cantonica Civil War. The Brothers of the Night were manipulated into initiating a conflict by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, framed as retaliation for their defeat in the Red Raids, a series of attacks carried out by the Brothers. After the crime lord Hekaro Wey aligned himself with the Republic, ending a long-running power struggle between the two, the cultists led by High Priest Sallow Caine stormed inside his palace and targeted Chancellor Valorum. As the cultist General Boka was ordered to kill Valorum, the Senate Guard moved in to protect the Chancellor and Vice Chair Mas Amedda, escorting them back to an executive shuttle. 
Meanwhile, Caine sent in more cultists with a Scorpenek droid to provide additional fire. While the Senate Guards secured Valorum into the shuttle, Vice Chair Amedda was captured by Boka. Although Valorum insisted on saving Amedda, the guards advised against it regarding the droid firing at them. After Valorum escaped from the battle, Caine contacted Sidious to inform him about their status. The Sith Lord ordered them to retreat back to the Temple of the Night with Amedda alive and wait for further instructions. Therefore, Caine ordered his troops to retreat while the Scorpenek provided them with cover fire. The capture of Amedda caused a political debacle within the Galactic Senate, which led Valorum to secretly send two Jedi to rescue him. 
==Prelude==
During the waning years of the Republic Era, the Brothers of the Night cult carried out a series of attacks on innocent civilians on the planet Cantonica called the Red Raids. In response to the raids, the crime lord Hekaro Wey fought back against the cultists and forced them into exile. However, the blood rituals conducted by the Brothers, which were infused with the dark side of the Force, called out to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. In order to fulfill the age-old Sith Grand Plan, Sidious gained the influence of the cultists and their leader, the dark side adept High Priest Sallow Caine. During the Canto Bight Summit in 37 BBY, which led to an alliance between the Galactic Republic and the Wey Clan, the Brothers of the Night raided Wey's Palace to assassinate Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum of the Republic at Sidious' behest.
==The raid==
After Chancellor Valorum and Wey signed a treaty, bringing an end to a dispute that lasted for decades, Caine and his General Boka lead the Brothers of the Night into Wey's Palace. As the cultists stormed the palace, the Senate Guard quickly escorted Chancellor Valorum and Vice Chair Mas Amedda outside to Valorum's executive shuttle. However, Caine noticed the Chancellor making an escape and ordered Boka to kill him. As Boka made his way to Valorum's location, another wave of cultists flooded the palace along with a Scorpenek annihilator droid. The droid began opening fire on members of both the Republic and the Wey Clan while protected behind a deflector shield. Meanwhile, the Senate Guard safely secured the Chancellor into the shuttle before Boka grabbed Amedda by the neck. 
Valorum ordered his guards to retrieve Amedda so they could escape, and just as they left the shuttle, the Scorpenek walked out to their position and began firing at them. The droid shot down the guards as they ran for the shuttle, and although troubled about leaving behind Amedda, Valorum ordered the pilot to retreat the onslaught. Afterwards, Caine contacted Darth Sidious to inform him of Valorum's escape. He also included that they had Vice Chair Amedda in their possession, which intrigued Sidious. He instructed Caine to keep Amedda alive, believing that he could be used as leverage over the Republic, and ordered them to retreat to the Temple of the Night and await further instructions. Therefore, Caine ordered Boka to bring Amedda alive and his remaining forces to retreat. 
==Aftermath==
When Valorum returned to the Republic capital of Coruscant, he contacted Wey to inquire about the disaster at the summit. Wey informed him about the Brothers of the Night and his history with them. He wasn't sure why they raided the summit, but speculated that they sought vengeance against him. He also informed Valorum that Amedda was captured in the fight and taken to their temple, adding that he was taken alive likely for negotiations. With the cultists' devotion to the dark side of the Force, Wey suggested that the Jedi were the only ones capable of dealing with this threat. Valorum agreed, although reluctantly, and ended communications with Wey. While the Galactic Senate debated on the incident at the summit, Valorum secretly sent two Jedi, Jedi Knight Keleran Verso and his Padawan, Galen Fontaine, to rescue Amedda from the Brothers of the Night and return him to Coruscant.
==Behind the scenes==
The raid on the Cantonica Palace will first appear as the opening action scene in the upcoming saga film Star Wars: Return of the Sith. Though occurring during the Canto Bight Summit, the two events were confirmed to be separate for the film.
==Appearances== 
*Star Wars: Return of the Sith 
Category:Assassination attempts
Category:Battles of the Cantonica Civil War
Category:Conflicts involving the Galactic Republic
Category:Missions during the Republic Era