Battle against Jul's droid army

Vader, accompanied by the handmaidens and Sly Moore, journeyed to Brentaal IV, the location where Sabé had been dispatched by Vader to assassinate Tambor. However, she was ultimately taken prisoner by the Skakoan aboard his command ship. Upon reaching a designated building, Moore and Vader declared that only through Vader could the handmaidens achieve their objectives. Despite this, the handmaidens refused to be separated and rejected Vader's proposition. At that precise moment, they were ambushed by B1-series battle droids and two Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantrys acquired by Tambor. Vader then employed the Force to move the handmaidens into battle against the droids, asserting their isolation and expressing his desire to assess their worthiness for his service.

After the destruction of all the droids, Rabé denounced Vader as a monster, but Moore silenced her, explaining that Vader had merely revealed their capabilities. Moore then suggested they imagine how much stronger they could become by joining him. Subsequently, Eirtaé sliced into a data bank from one of the destroyed droids and uncovered that Sabé was being held captive on Tambor's ship, situated three klicks north of their current location. Before she could complete her analysis, Eirtaé also noted that Tambor's forces were en route to attack a village at that exact time. Dormé added that the village consisted solely of farmers and lacked any military significance. Saché insisted on the necessity of saving the village, but Moore countered that it was a ruse to trap them in a canyon, enabling Tambor to escape with Sabé. Dormé then questioned whether Moore would passively allow innocent people to perish. Vader responded that he had demonstrated their strengths by having them attack the droids, and now he was showing them their weakness, their desire to defend the village, concluding that they could not rescue everyone. Dormé challenged Vader, demanding a reason to serve him, to which Vader replied that she was not in a position to give commands, but he would reveal what they needed to see.

Vader and the handmaidens then embarked on speeder bikes towards the village, where they arranged their speeders in a line. As the droids advanced towards the village, Saché instructed the villagers to seek shelter, and Eirtaé proceeded to detonate the bikes, triggering an explosion. One of the droids fired upon Rabé, striking her in the arm, and Dormé attended to her injury while Eirtaé and Saché continued to engage the droids. Eirtaé attempted to contact Vader, but received no response, leading them to the realization that Vader had manipulated them to facilitate his rescue of Sabé. Vader boarded Tambor's ship and deflected laser blasts from Gee-Ninety, a member of Tambor's team. With Vader distracted, Tambor deployed miniature droids to shock Vader. As Vader was being overwhelmed by the droids, the handmaidens arrived and rescued Vader from the droids. Eirtaé revealed that she had antigrav devices which increased gravity. Tambor and Gee-Ninety escaped, with the Skakoan informing Vader and the handmaidens they would have to continue another time.

With Tambor's departure, the handmaidens confronted Vader, accusing him of deception and betrayal. Vader countered that he had enabled them to realize their potential and identify their true adversary. Dormé approached Sabé, who was confined in a cage, and asserted that she did not belong in Vader's service. Vader then used Force choke on Dormé and Eirtaé, holding them against a wall, while warning them that Tambor would persist in his actions. He questioned whether they preferred to flee while he massacred innocents or embrace order. Dormé attempted to reach out to Sabé, urging her not to trust Vader, while Vader extended his hand to Sabé, secretly envisioning the moment as an opportunity to recreate his idealized life with his wife Padmé Amidala and son Luke Skywalker.

Sabé was on the verge of accepting his hand, but her fellow Handmaidens opened fire on Vader and pulled her from the room against her will. Vader activated his lightsaber to pursue them, but the Handmaidens used Eirtaé's antigrav devices to reach a Star Commuter 2000, piloted by Vader's assassin Ochi, who desired Sabé's removal from Vader's service. Aware that Tambor would soon target civilians throughout the star system, Sabé concluded that she needed to remain with Vader to leverage the Empire's resources against the revolutionary, believing the Handmaidens lacked the power to halt his campaign. She also maintained her belief in Amidala's final words, that the light side of the Force still resided within Vader. Consequently, Sabé detached the antigrav device her Handmaiden sisters had affixed to her and descended to the ground, bidding them farewell.

At that moment, a detachment of stormtroopers arrived aboard a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle and opened fire on the escaping Handmaidens. Sabé managed to evade the blaster fire while her Handmaiden sisters reached the Star Commuter. Vader also used telekinesis to guide Sabé down, ordering the stormtroopers to cease fire now that she had rejoined them. Although Ochi was displeased that he would have to continue competing with Sabé, the Handmaidens escaped, with Dormé realizing Sabé, somehow, was working with Vader on Amidala's behalf. Back with the Empire, Sabé made preparations for Tambor to discredit himself.