Second skirmish in Cuipernam

In 22 BBY, during a Jedi Order diplomatic mission to the planet Ansion, a skirmish took place in Cuipernam, Ansion's capital city. The skirmish occurred shortly after Jedi Masters Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with their Padawans Barriss Offee and Anakin Skywalker, returned to Cuipernam to deliver word of their success in reaching a satisfying accord with the Borokii and the Januul, two feuding Alwari overclans. The Jedi and their companions, Kyakhta, Bulgan, and Tooqui, returned to the same inn where they had stayed before leaving Cuipernam in search of the Alwari. There they learned that a vote to determine whether Ansion remained within the Republic was to take place that same day.
Within three minutes of the Jedi and their companions setting out for the municipal building, where the Unity of Community (Ansion's government) was holding the vote, the inn exploded. While en route, the group was attacked by mercenaries sent by Soergg the Hutt, a bossban allied with Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild. These mercenaries drove the Jedi into a building, with snipers at the ready to eliminate them when they attempted to leave. However, the timely appearance of an honor guard from both the Borokii and Januul overclans saved the Jedi. The Alwari warriors eliminated the snipers and began picking off the remaining mercenaries.
==Prelude==
During the growing Separatist Crisis in 22 BBY, in which many star systems seceded from the Galactic Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Sith Lord Darth Tyranus and Commerce Guild Presidente Shu Mai led a plot to have the planet Ansion secede from the Republic.
Ansion lay at the heart of several treaties, meaning its secession from the Republic would in turn cause the secession of many other worlds. To prevent this, the Jedi Order dispatched Jedi Masters Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and their respective Padawans, Barriss Offee and Anakin Skywalker, on a diplomatic mission to convince the Unity of Community, the government of Ansion, which was based in the capital city of Cuipernam, to stay within the Republic. The Unity would only remain within the Republic if the Jedi could negotiate a treaty with the planet's native Alwari clans, nomadic groups of Ansionians. To this end, the Jedi succeeded in negotiating an arrangement with the Borokii and Januul overclans, in which the Alwari would share dominion with the Unity of over half or more of their land.
After negotiating this arrangement, the Jedi and their companions, Ansionians Kyakhta and Bulgan and the Gwurran Tooqui, returned to the inn at which they stayed prior to leaving Cuipernam in search of the Alwari. While there, the group learned from the Dbarian inn manager that the vote for secession was scheduled to take place that day. After trying to contact several members of the Unity via comlink, the group discovered that United Ouruvot Communications, the municipal entity responsible for such, had shut down all communications in the city. The Jedi and their companions then headed toward the municipal hall, where the secession vote was taking place. Meanwhile, Soergg the Hutt, the Cuipernam bossban allied with Shu Mai, ordered his majordomo, Ogomoor, to prevent the Jedi from interfering with the vote by any means necessary.
==The skirmish==
The inn exploded only three minutes after the Jedi departed. Nevertheless, the diplomatic envoy continued on foot toward the municipal hall. As they walked, Master Unduli sensed a disturbance and silently warned Master Kenobi, Offee, and Skywalker. Kenobi then alerted Kyakhta and Bulgan, though the Jedi decided not to tell Tooqui, as it would only panic him. Ogomoor's snipers suddenly opened fire from the rooftoops, though the Jedi deflected their shots and quickly ducked into a large trading establishment with their companions. Ogomoor ordered his mercenaries to follow the Jedi into the building with the intent of driving them out onto the street, where his snipers could pick them off. Dozens of professional killers swarmed into the building and opened fire, unconcerned with civilian casualties. A Vrot mercenary tried to attack Unduli from behind, but Tooqui, Kyakhta, and Bulgan stopped him.
Unduli and Kenobi decided that retreating onto the street was the best option to protect the civilians in the building. Ogomoor ordered the snipers to let the Jedi back onto the street before resuming fire. One sniper inquired about killing Tooqui, Kyakhta, and Bulgan, but Ogomoor said that others on the ground would take care of them and to kill Kenobi and Unduli first, followed by their Padawans. Before the snipers could open fire, however, elite honor-guard warriors from both the Situng Borokii and the Hovsgol Januul, led by Bayaar, a clan member of the Situng Borokii, descended upon them. As the Alwari overpowered the remaining snipers and began eliminating the rest of the mercenaries, Ogomoor fled.
==Aftermath==
As the remaining mercenaries fled, Bayaar revealed to the Jedi that he had been sent with warriors from both the Borokii and the Januul to protect them. The honor guard he captained constituted a gift to the Jedi from the united Alwari councils.
After failing to eliminate the Jedi, Ogomoor, weary of reporting failures to Soergg, later burst into the municipal building while the Jedi were meeting with the Unity of Community antecedent to their vote, claiming to have information that would be useful in the rendering of their decision about secession. However, before Ogomoor could hand over the recording containing what was apparently incriminating information, Soergg shot him dead. The Hutt claimed he had no way of knowing Ogomoor's intentions when his majordomo reached into his pocket for what may have been a weapon, for all anyone knew. Of course, the shot that killed Ogomoor also destroyed the recording. Notwithstanding—and to the Hutt's great dismay and fury—the Unity Council went on to vote to remain within the Republic.
==Behind the scenes==
This skirmish first appeared in the 2002 novel The Approaching Storm, written by Alan Dean Foster.
==Appearances==
*The Approaching Storm 
*The Approaching Storm abridged audiobook
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of the Mission to Ansion