The Devaron massacre was the result of a battle for control of the Temple of Eedit on the planet Devaron by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. The battle was a terrible loss for the Galactic Republic, which suffered yet another blow in its long campaign against the CIS, but marked a great success for Count Dooku's new Sith apprentice, Savage Opress.
Republic and Separatist forces had already clashed at Devaron earlier in the Clone Wars.
Earlier in the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems in 21 BBY, the planet Devaron had already emerged as a flashpoint; hired by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, bounty hunter Cad Bane attacked an outpost operated by the Jedi Order with forces of the Separatist Droid Army, wiping out the clone trooper stationed there. Taken along with the Kyber memory crystal, Jedi General Bolla Ropal was captured by Bane's forces and tortured to death. The arrival of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker's fleet saw the destruction of Bane's Trade Federation fleet. However, Bane escaped with the crystal and a holocron he had taken previously, but the items were later taken back by the Jedi. Devaron, meanwhile, returned to firm Republic and Jedi control.
In 20 BBY, with the Jedi Order in control of the vital Temple of Eedit on Devaron, Count Dooku ordered his recently acquired apprentice, Savage Opress, to take back the outpost to ensure the Separatists could have a foothold in that corner of the galaxy. The fighting on Devaron also followed the Battle of Sarrish, a massive defeat for the Republic.
Prior to Savage Opress arriving to the temple, a force of Separatist battle droids, those of the B1-series and B2-series models, had already landed on world and began the assault on the temple, which was defended by Jedi Master Halsey and Knox, his Padawan, along with their ARF troopers led by Clone Commander Trauma. As the Confederate troops advanced through Eedit Road, Republic forces were cut off. A group of clones led by Trauma in the front to fend off enemy droids while Halsey, Knox, and a handful of clones defended the temple entrance from a group of battle droids.
Knox and Halsey during the battle.
Once Savage Opress arrived, he quickly made his way towards the temple, knocking battle droids out of his way. After Opress quickly killed more than half a dozen ARF troopers with his pike. Commander Trauma then ordered his remaining men to focus their attention on Opress. Trauma rushed towards Opress to face him but was killed when Opress sliced him upwards with his spear, launching Trauma into the air briefly. After Trauma's death, the remaining ARF troopers were killed, and Master Halsey and Knox defeated the droid forces surrounding them. Once Opress had reached the Jedi, Halsey moved forward to face him, ordering his padawan to stay back. Opress was able to quickly dodge the Jedi Master's lightsaber swings, and after disarming Halsey, they briefly fought in hand-to-hand combat. Opress quickly gained the upper hand, striking down Halsey to the ground and impaling him with his spear, killing Halsey. After the death of his master, Knox ran towards Opress, but was killed in a single strike of the spear, sending Knox's body all the way back to the temple door. In the end, the entire Republic force was destroyed, as well as all present Separatist forces except for Opress.
After Opress defeated Republic forces, he contacted Count Dooku informing him that the temple was now under their control, and was ordered to return to Serenno. Upon Opress' return to Dooku's palace, Dooku told Opress that he foresaw that he would do great things as his new apprentice. Dooku believed they would be more powerful than Lord Sidious and rule the galaxy. After the massacre, Delta Squad—Boss, Fixer, Sev, and Scorch—was sent to recover the bodies of the fallen Jedi and the Temple's security footage, reporting to the Jedi Temple.
A holorecording recovered of Halsey's death
After Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Saesee Tiin, and Adi Gallia were informed that everyone at the Temple of Eedit, including the Jedi, were dead, they discussed among themselves who had the ability to carry out the massacre. Master Gallia stated that in the past, only Count Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress, was capable of such action. Master Koon believed that it could be a newly appointed Sith Lord. Masters Yoda and Windu showed Kenobi the footage from the temple. Kenobi, upon seeing, thought it was Darth Maul alive. However, Yoda and Windu told him that it was not Maul, but a Zabrak from Dathomir, not Iridonia as Kenobi originally believed Maul was from. The Jedi Council sent Kenobi and Skywalker to Dathomir the village Maul and Opress came from.
Already traumatized by events like the Battle of Abrion Bridge, the massacre proved to be too much for Commander Mekedrix, a member of the Republic-aligned Roonian defense force, to handle. Driven mad and coming to believe the true master of the galaxy was the concept of destruction itself, Mekedrix abandoned the Republic Military, leaving no trace of where he left to. When he began to attack both sides of the war as the leader of the Death Wind execution squad, Republic officials suspected Mekedrix's involvement but were unable to confirm as such. Three months after the Death Wind's attack on Minntooine, Admiral Wullf Yularen recapped Mekedrix's suspected fall into madness after the Devaron massacre before dispacthing Skywalker and Kenobi on an unofficial mission to bring him to justice.
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 14
- Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 42
- Star Wars: Timelines