The Invasion of Tatooine was a battle which took place on the planet Tatooine in 19 BBY during the Clone Wars.
Before attacking the planet, the Confederacy of Independent Systems used a drone ship to deploy a reconnaissance patrol consisting of probe droids on the surface. The patrol, however, was quickly destroyed by the clone trooper X2, who, along with his genetic "brother" X1, had been recently assigned to the Republic training grounds on the surface, under the command of Jedi General Ferroda. The Confederacy followed with a major attack, both in space and on the ground. X2 played a crucial role in the battle on the ground, destroying several OG-9 homing spider droids and using a v-150 anti-orbital ion cannon to bring down the deflector shields of a Confederate Providence-class carrier/destroyer in orbit.
Boarding V-Wing starfighters, X1 and X2 joined the space battle. X2 and several other clone troopers infiltrated the disabled carrier. Once there, X2 destroyed the ship's reactor core with a rocket launcher, setting a chain reaction that resulted in the carrier's explosion and securing a victory for the Republic. For their performance during the battle, X1 and X2 were invited to the galactic capital of Coruscant, where they were awarded medals by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
By the late stages of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic had established special training grounds for its clone army on the planet Tatooine. The training grounds were overseen by Jedi Master Ferroda. In 19 BBY, two clone troopers different from the rest of the clone army, X1 and X2—who had been secretly cloned from the Jedi Knight Falon Grey and demonstrated great skills throughout the conflict—were assigned to help General Ferroda in training the latest batch of clone troopers. X1 was the first to arrive on the planet, while X2 arrived later. When he reached the training grounds, X2, under X1's guidance, ran a training course for the new troopers, teaching them the basics of shooting and melee combat.
His course was interrupted, however, when the clone troopers spotted a Confederate probe droid inside a Republic hangar. X2 destroyed it, but the probe turned out to be a part of a larger reconnaissance patrol. Taking control of an All Terrain Recon Transport, X2 destroyed the remaining probes. He then boarded a V-Wing starfighter and took off into space, following the drone ship from which the droids had been deployed. X2 destroyed the ship, thus dealing with the Confederate threat. However, X1 and X2 realized that a full scale Confederate invasion was imminent.
Republic forces on the planet were ultimately hit by a heavy Confederate assault. Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers stationed in orbit engaged Confederate Providence-class carrier/destroyers, while the enemy landed a large invasion force on the surface, complete with OG-9 homing spider droids, which pinned Republic clone pilots down in a bunker. X1 and X2 helped the clone pilots to fight off the attacking B1-Series battle droids. However, they did not possess heavy weaponry necessary to deal with the spider droids, so they had to divert to a nearby droid-infested cantina in order to bypass the enemy. Once the cantina had been secured, X2 was provided with a rocket launcher by a fellow clone and was then able to destroy the spider walkers one by one. As the battle continued to rage, the Confederacy began deploying more battle droids, including B2 super battle droids, onto the field by way of their drone ships. X1, however, called in reinforcements, and the clone troopers were able to fight off the droids.
Eventually, the Confederacy started sending in their Vulture droid starfighters to bombard Republic positions. On Ferroda's orders, X2 manned an anti-aircraft gun and shot the enemy ships down. Once this was accomplished, effort was placed into destroying a Confederate cruiser by use of a v-150 anti-orbital ion cannon in order to drop its deflector shields. X2 did so and proceeded along with his brother and several other clones to a Republic hangar. After clearing it of droids, X1 and X2 obtained a V-wing starfighter each and used them to join the space battle. The two clones went into orbit, where they destroyed the enemy fighter escorts protecting the destroyer with the downed shields. X2 and a number of other clones then landed inside the ship and fought through a large number of enemy droids to the ship's reactor core, which X2 destroyed with a rocket launcher. This resulted in the ship's core reaching critical mass and exploding as X2 and the clones escaped from the ship in their fighters. The act secured the Republic's victory in the battle.
The bravery demonstrated by X1 and X2 during the battle did not go unnoticed. The two clone brothers were invited by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to the galactic capital of Coruscant to receive medals. The award ceremony was cut short, however, when the Confederate General Grievous attacked Coruscant. X1 and X2 assisted the Republic forces during the invasion, helping to successfully repel it.
The Invasion of Tatooine was featured as the first level in the 2009 video game Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron for the PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS. The canonical name "Invasion of Tatooine" was established in the latter version. There are many contradictions in the portrayal of the battle between the two console versions. Although the PSP version claims that the battle was an "early victory" for the Republic, the Nintendo DS establishes that it took place in 19 BBY, shortly before the Battle of Coruscant. This article therefore uses the 19 BBY date provided in the Nintendo DS version, but describes the battle itself as depicted in the PSP version. In the Nintendo DS edition, X1 and X2 are assigned to oversee the construction of an outpost instead of training new troopers. The two are busy working on the outpost when the Confederate attack begins, and they are completely surprised by it. After Ferroda has requested their assistance, they make their way to an invaded Republic garrison, helping the clone troopers they encounter on their way, and clear it from droids. The two then take BARC speeders to an outpost across the desert where they rendezvous with Ferroda. Alongside the Jedi, X1 and X2 fight their way to a hangar and take ARC-170 starfighters into space. There, X2 infiltrates a Lucrehulk-class battleship instead of a Providence-class destroyer.