Skirmish in Theed

|width=
|prev=Tournament on Isengard
|conc=Festival of Light
|next=Battle of DathomirThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Episode Guide
|name=Skirmish in Theed
|image=
|conflict=War of the Ring
|date=November 25-26, 1982
|place=*Naboo
**Theed
|result=*Jedi/Republic victory
**Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's safety is secured
**Embo, Mezmaron, Moralo Eval, and Twazzi are arrested
**Saruman the White escapes
|side1=*Galactic Republic
*Jedi Order
|side2=*Order of the Sith Lords
*Independent bounty hunters
|commanders1=*High General Aragorn
*General Frodo Baggins
*High General Sam Gamgee
|commanders2=*Saruman the White
*Mezmaron
|forces1=*3 Jedi
*Clone troopers
**Clone shock troopers
*Senate Commandos
|forces2=*1 Sith Lord
*5 bounty hunters
*3 IG-100 MagnaGuards†
*1 Sheathipede-class Type B shuttle
|casual1=Chancellor injured
|casual2=*Derrown injured
*All MagnaGuards
*Embo, Mezmaron, Moralo Eval, and Twazzi captured 
|civilian=Many Theed workers}}
A skirmish in Theed occurred between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Festival of Light on Naboo.
==Prelude==
Phindian criminal Moralo Eval hatched up a plot to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic Palpatine. Therefore, with Sith Lord Saruman the White's help, he recruited some of the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy including Mezmaron and Rako Hardeen who was actually Jedi Master Sam Gamgee in disguise attempting to stop the plot. The bounty hunters were tested in a machine known as the Box. Five bounty hunters survived the box: Mezmaron, "Rako Hardeen", Embo, Twazzi and Derrown. However, despite promising Eval the lead role, Saruman assigned Mezmaron to be the leader of the team much to Eval's dismay.
The team discreetly transferred to Naboo where they took control of a mechanics shop after eliminating all the personnel there. Over there, Mezmaron briefed the team on their duties: Twazzi and Embo were to act as Senate Commandos for the chancellor as he will be attending the ceremony at a festival called the Festival of Light, Eval was the getaway driver, "Hardeen" would be the sniper that would be loaded with stun blasts to immobilize the chancellor, Derrown would pass through the ray shields due to his Parwan anatomy and Mezmaron would be one of the spectators in the audience. He then brought out a holographic disguise matrix, disguising the rest of the four hunters (excluding Eval) as Senate Commandos. As the team departed, Saruman alerted Mezmaron to "Hardeen", tasking him to keep a close on "Hardeen" as he suspected something wrong about him.
==The skirmish==
===Mezmaron's plan in action===
Unknown to Sam, Saruman had bugged his briefcase that contained his sniper rifle. When Gamgee got to his position, a tower overlooking the plaza where Palpatine would give his speech, he contacted Jedi Master Aragorn and alerted him to Mezmaron's plan. As night fell and the festival started, Mezmaron's plan was set in motion.
Mezmaron himself had disguised himself as a Neimoidian spectator and was seated in the platform where the chancellor gave his speech, the platform that was enveloped in a ray shield. While Palpatine gave his speech, Derrown, disguised as a Senate Commando secretly approached one of the speech generators. Sam spotted him and alerted Aragorn but it was too late. Before Frodo could stop him, Derrown overloaded the generator and caused it to explode, dissipating the shield in the process. While Eowyn led the audience to safety, Frodo engaged Derrown but was quickly knocked unconscious by the Parwan. However, Gamgee shot Derrown's jetpacks causing it to malfunction and sending Derrown spiraling towards the floor.
Meanwhile, Twazzi used the disguise matrix and switched bodies with the chancellor whom Mezmaron later grabbed. Frodo quickly regained consciousness and ran over to the speeder towards Embo and Twazzi, whom Frodo believed was Palpatine. While Embo was arrested, Twazzi tried fighting her way out but Frodo sliced her right arm off and demanded to know where the real Palpatine was. But by the time he found out, Mezmaron and Eval had already driven off with the chancellor.
Sam spotted the hunters and chased them to a refinery, sending Aragorn and Frodo the coordinates. However, Saruman didn't show up as planned so Mezmaron decided to ransom Palpatine off themselves. Gamgee, however aimed a blaster at Mezmaron, demanding he release the chancellor. Realizing "Hardeen's" betrayal, Mezmaron attacked him but after a short struggle, Gamgee overpowered Mezmaron and Republic forces, led by Aragorn and Frodo arrived. Aragorn revealed "Hardeen" to be Sam, angering Mezmaron. As the fugitives were led away, Aragorn congratulated Sam, believing it to be all over.
===Saruman's plan in motion===
Despite the apparent success of the mission, Frodo was frustrated that the Jedi Council kept a Polyjuice Potion from him, and became angered when Sam revealed that the idea to do so was his. Frodo then sarcastically asked if the Jedi present if they had truly foiled Saruman's plot before storming away. This remark saddened Gamgee, and made him reconsider the fact that Saruman hadn't shown up at the rendezvous point. Suspicious, he returned to the tower where he had shot Derrown and inspected his briefcase. After thorough inspection, he found an activated com link and realized that Saruman had been listening to his entire conversation. This meant that Saruman had known that Hardeen was Sam all along, and meant too that the mission had been compromised.
That night, with the Republic security forces having been sent back to Middle-Earth, Palpatine and Frodo took a walk through the palace. Palpatine broached the subject of the council's scheme with Frodo, commenting that the brilliant plan had to have been Frodo's idea. However Frodo, still feeling ashamed over what he perceived to be a trick by Sam and the Council, stated that he had been kept completely in the dark. Palpatine used the opportunity subtly needle the Council's actions as they entered the stately hall where the banquet was supposedly taking place. Instead of a banquet however, they instead came face to face with Saruman himself, flanked by two MagnaGuards. Saruman revealed that he had never intended for the other bounty hunters to kidnap Palpatine; he had simply been using them as a diversion so he could launch his own kidnapping plot. With only Frodo left to protect Palpatine, Saruman asserted that he could easily bring the One Ring to Sauron and kidnap the Chancellor, and had his MagnaGuards attack Frodo. With it, Frodo broke the chain on his neck, and uses the One Ring to increase his power, and engaged the MagnaGuards, quickly and brutally destroying them both before instructing Palpatine to flee. However, the chancellor was intercepted by a third MagnaGuard as Frodo viciously attacked Saruman and rapidly drove him back. Overwhelmed by Frodo's ring and strength, Saruman attempted to use the Force to stave the hobbit off, telekinetically blasting him back a short distance before using the Force to fling various bits of cutlery and a chair at his infuriated opponent. The small barrage of items did nothing but enrage Frodo further, and he attacked Saruman with renewed fury. Saruman managed to intercept a thrust from Frodo by telekinetically moving a chair in front of him, but could not hold his ground against Frodo's assault. As Frodo pressed his attack, Palpatine risked displaying a satisfied smirk at the power of his apprentice-ringbearer-to-be, though neither Saruman nor Frodo spotted it. Frodo pushed forward against the chair that had intercepted his attack, nearly driving his lightsaber through Saruman's skull before the Sith Lord managed to hit Frodo with another telekinetic blast. However the attack had virtually no effect on Frodo, and he quickly re-engaged the now visibly shaken White Wizard.
As the duelists began to ascend a flight of stairs, Frodo kicked Saruman in the abdomen, knocking him to the ground. Before the wizard could regain his feet, Frodo fell upon him with a series of overhand power blows, pressing him into the stairs before reaching out to snag Saruman's throat with his left hand. Holding off Saruman's lightsaber with his own, he began to throttle Saruman, drawing another delighted grin from Palpatine. However, Saruman managed to escape the choakhold by shocking Frodo with Force lightning and telekinetically blasting him backwards. With Frodo's vision of the ring has passed and his anger lifted, Saruman and the MagnaGuard that held Palpatine retreated. Sam, who had meanwhile caught wind of Saruman's plan, reached Frodo mere moments after the latter had broke off his anger and forgives him. The two of them caught up with Saruman just as he boarded his ship. As Frodo re-engaged Saruman, Sam quickly dealt with the remaining MagnaGuard before retrieving Palpatine. Thwarted, Saruman pushed Frodo off the boarding ramp of his ship and fled, but not before remarking that Sam had proven himself a 'worthy opponent'. Later, Palpatine commented on how the Jedi saved him twice and what the galaxy would be like without the Jedi.
==Appearances==
* 
* 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
*Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
*
*
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded 
*Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
*
==Notes and references==
Category:War of the Rings battles