As the source of the entire Army of the Republic, there
was no doubt that Kamino would be a prime target
during the Clone Wars. The planet and its cloning
facilities proved to be too big a target for the Seperatists
to pass up.
Although the Seperatists considered their planned
siege of Kamino to be a surprise attack against the
Republic, the schemes of Darth Sidious ensured that
was not the case. The Dark Lord made sure the Jedi
Knights knew of the attack beforehand, and could
preserve the cloning facilities for later use by the Sith. It
would also disgrace those in the Confederacy of
Independant Systems who wished to dispose of the
Dark Lord's apprentice, Darth Tyranus, and lead the armies of commerce for themselves.
When the Seperatists launched their attack, two Jedi starfighter squadrons awaited them. While Obi-Wan Kenobi's Blue Squadron protected Tipoca City, Red Squadron engaged the droid starfighters and Trade Federation transports in orbit. Though the Jedi pilots defended as best they could, they were not able to prevent droid forces landing in Tipoca City. Luckily, a third Jedi group had been stationed in the city. With the help of Shaak-Ti and the newly-activated ARC Troopers, the droids were pushed back.
The Confederacy still had one trick up their sleeves, however. They had enlisted the help of Mon Calamari Commander Merai, who entered the fray in orbit. Things looked desperate for the Seperatists, and Merai decided to take things into his own webbed hands. He raced towards Tipoca City in his personal starship, heading for the shield generator he had been informed lay underwater, beneath the city. However, he realized his forces had been duped. There was no shield generator down there. The battle was lost. He ordered the surviving ships to flee into hyperspace, moments before he initiated a suicide run towards the Jedi starfighter hyperspace rings in orbit. Though he destroyed the group of lightspeed boosters, the Republic had scored the victory in the Battle of Kamino....although the outcome of the war was still unknown. |
