Skirmish at Vanqor

|prev=Attempted kidnapping of Senator Amidala
|conc=*Battle of Angmar
|next=Mission to Florrum
|name=Skirmish at Vanqor
|image=
|conflict=War of the Ring
|objective=Capture Saruman the White
|date=July 24, 1981
|place=Above and on the surface of Vanqor
|result=Failure; Saruman escapes
|side1=*Galactic Republic
*Jedi Order
|side2=*Confederacy of Independent Systems
*Sith
|commanders1=*Jedi General Sam Gamgee
*Jedi General Frodo Baggins
*Jedi Commander Eowyn
*Clone Captain CT-7567 ("Rex")
|commanders2=*Head of State Saruman the White
*3 OOM command battle droids
|ppl1=*3 Jedi
*Clone naval officers
*Clone troopers
*1 Venator-class Star Destroyer
**Resolute
*1 stolen Sheathipede-class transport shuttle†
|ppl2=*1 Sith Lord
*B1-Series battle droids
*OOM command battle droids
*4 Vulture-class droid starfighters
*1 Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop
**Saruman's Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop
*1 Munificent-class star frigate
**Saruman's frigate
|casual1=The Sheathipede-class transport shuttle
|casual2=*Battle droids
*2 Vulture droids
*Saruman's flagship and solar sailer damaged
|civilian=1 gundark wounded}}
In 1981 during the War of the Ring, the Galactic Republic launched an attempt to capture Saruman, the White Wizard of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The skirmish began when Frodo Baggins boarded Saruman's ship in order to be taken captive to verify if Saruman was indeed aboard.
After Frodo was captured, Sam Gamgee boarded the craft when it was in the Vanqor system. Gamgee was able to sneak past the battle droids patrolling the ship and free Frodo. The two Hobbits confronted Saruman, and at the same time Frodo's flagship, the Resolute, arrived and attacked the frigate. Saruman however, was able to escape the two Hobbits by using a secret hatch, and left the ship in his personal solar sailer with an escort of vulture droids.
Frodo and Sam were able to arrive in the hangar and the pair stole a shuttle to chase the Sith Lord, and after a brief chase the solar sailer was hit and crashed on the planet Vanqor, but the Hobbits were hit by the Vulture droids, causing them to crash. After the crash-landing, the two Hobbits entered a cave in search of the wizard, but Saruman trapped them. The two Hobbits fought a gundark in the cave, as Saruman escaped off planet with a group of Weequay pirates lead by Hondo Ohnaka. After defeating the gundark the pair of Hobbits tried to unblock the exit to the cave, but they accidentally unleashed a toxic gas, however they were saved by the arrival of Eowyn and a group of clone troopers, who opened the cavern.
==Prelude==
In March 1981,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas the galaxy-wide civil war known as the War of the Ring began at Middle-Earth. The war was fought between the Galactic Republic and the still recently formed Confederacy of Independent Systems, which was led by a Head of State,Star Wars: On the Front Lines Saruman the White. Saruman was a former member of the Jedi Order, but, sometime prior to the war, had secretly become a Sith Lord. Capturing Saruman became a major priority to the Republic and Jedi, as it would bring the War of the Ring to a quicker end.
In July 1981, the Republic created a plan to capture the wizard. The first phase was for Jedi General and Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins to board the Munificent-class star frigate that Saruman was believed to be on. The Jedi Knight would arrive without his Eldar Sword, so that he could be captured; Baggins could then learn if Saruman truly was on the ship. Afterward, Sam Gamgee would board to rescue Frodo. As the pair would confront Saruman, Frodo's flagship would arrive to engage the frigate and land troops on board to aid them.
==The skirmish==
===Battle on Dooku's frigate===
After the plan was set, the Republic launched the mission to capture Saruman. The first phase of the mission began, and Frodo boarded the frigate that Saruman was suspected to be on. Frodo arrived on the enemy starship without his lightsaber in ordered to be captured, and Frodo was able to confirm that Saruman was on the frigate, but did not fully locate him.
After the capture of Baggins, Jedi Master Gamgee donned an EVA suit and boarded Saruman's frigate and manged to sneak past the battle droid security. Sam made his way to the cell blocks of the ship and found Frodo. Gamgee also gave Frodo back his lightsaber, and the two Hobbits proceeded to head to Saruman's quarters. They confronted Saruman, but the Sith Lord escaped through a secret hatch. At this time the Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute, under the command of Frodo's padawan, Eowyn, and his Clone Captain, CT-7567 "Rex," suddenly arrived and began to fire on Saruman's frigate.
Frodo followed Saruman down the hatch, and Gamgee left to cut the wizard off in the hangar. Saruman fired force lightning at Baggins, which the Hobbit Knight defected with the shield charm on his lightsaber, but it made him lose sight of the wizard at a junction. Saruman made it to the hangar where an OOM command battle droid reported that his Punworcca 116-class solar sailer was ready for his escape. Sam then arrived in the hangar, only to see Saruman escape with his FA-4 pilot droid on his solar sailer, alongside with an escort of several vulture droids. After witnessing this, Gamgee fought his way to a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle, which Frodo also boarded.
Frodo piloted the ship as Gamgee took control of the weapons systems. He also contacted Eowyn and told her to meet them on the ground with reinforcements. Sam was able to hit the side of Saruman's solar sailer, forcing the Wizard's ship to crash-land on the nearby planet of Vanqor. Due to Saruman's crash, the vulture droids turned their attention to the Jedi's shuttle, and, while Gamgee was able to hit one of the droids, the Jedi's ship was hit, forcing them to crash on the planet as well.
===Crash on Vanqor===
The pair of Hobbits crashed near Saruman's ship, and after investigating they found that his ship's engine was damaged meaning the White Wizard would be unable to flee. Saruman's pilot droid was also seemly deactivated, but the Hobbit found a homing beacon on the side of Saruman's ship, meaning he was waiting for aid. Frodo quickly destroyed the beacon to prevent Separatist reinforcements, and the two Hobbit then noticed a nearby cave. The two sensed multiple life forms in the cave, and realized that Saruman was one of them.
The two entered the cave and used their lightsabers for light, but as they searched the cave Saruman surprised them by causing a rockfall. Sam was able to jump away from the rocks in time, but Frodo could not and was briefly trapped underneath the rocks. During this brief time, Saruman was able to steal Frodo's lightsaber and left the cave, and even caused another rock fall to trap the Hobbits.
Frodo was able to free himself from the rocks, and after briefly searching he found Sam. As Gamgee attempted to repair his lightsaber, which had been damaged by the falling rocks, one of the native gundarks found the Hobbits and attacked Frodo. Around this time Saruman retruned to his crash-site, however found that his ship was currently surrounded by a group of pirates. The pirates were busy raiding the two crashed ships and the leader of the pirate gang, Hondo Ohnaka approached the wizard. Hondo complemented the Solar Sailer, and Saruman allowed the pirates to raid his craft. The pirate then offered Saruman off world, as long as he would pay the pirates, and the wizard accepted deal.
In the cave, the pair of Hobbits were able to use the force to blocking away with rocks, and began to try to find a way out of the cave. The Jedi then heard a second gundark, however Frodo stated that it was too far away to be a problem. Another problem was added to their list however, when the two accidentally released toxic gas from an area in the cave. The two attempted to hold out, but both eventually collapsed due to the gas, but they were luckily saved by an explosion that opened the cave. This had came from Eowyn and a group of clones, who had arrived to be the duo's reinforcements.
The explosion removed the threat of the gas, and the two Hobbits reunited with Eowyn by the Nu-class attack shuttle they had arrived in, however she soon spotted a gundark running to attack the group, which was possibly the one Frodo had claimed to be "too far away." In response to this the clones shot at the rocks, again sealing the cave. Frodo then revealed that Saruman had escaped their grasp, and they headed to their ship to leave the planet.
==Aftermath==
An hour after the skirmish the Weequay pirates and Saruman arrived at their destination, but after stepping onto the planet Florrum Saruman was surrounded at blasterpoint by the gang. Hondo then revealed he had knew that Saruman was the Confederacy's leader, and also revealed that he now possessed Saruman's lightsaber, which had been stolen by the pirate's Kowakian monkey-lizard, Pilf Mukmuk. Hondo threatened the man whom he believed was a Jedi, but Saruman then revealed to Hondo that he was actually a Sith Lord, but Saruman was still outnumbered. The wizard was taken into the pirate's custody, so that he could be given away at a high ransom. Hondo contacted Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on Minas Tirith. Palpatine and several others spoke with Hondo via hologram, and the pirate stated that the Republic would have to pay one million credits in spice to get Saruman. Palpatine doubted the pirate's claims, however the pirate showed the Wizard's lightsaber, which Grand Master Bilbo Baggins did recognize as Saruman's bladestaff. Hondo also threatened that if the Republic did not agree to pay for Saruman, he would instead offer Saruman back to the Separatist Council.
Senator Padmé Amidala offered the idea that two Jedi could be sent to verify if Saruman truly was in their custody. Ohnaka agreed to these terms, but stated that the Jedi had to come unarmed. Aragorn then stated that they had reestablished contact with Frodo and Sam, and because they were in a star system close to Florrum they were sent to verify Hondo's claims.
==Legacy==
Saruman would ultimately escape from the pirates custody and the War of the Ring would continue.
==Behind the scenes==
The skirmish at Vanqor first appeared in Star Wars canon in the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring episode "Saruman Captured," which first aired in January 2009. The first appearance of the battle in any medium was in the Star Wars Legends webcomic The War of the Ring: Bait, which was part of the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring webcomics. Within the comic Frodo Baggins boards Saruman's frigate with a fake lightsaber, and is purposely captured by a group of battle droidsThe War of the Ring: Bait as vaguely referenced in Saruman Captured.
==Appearances==
* 
* 
==Sources==
*
*
*
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
* 
*
*
==Notes and references==
Category:War of the Rings battles