Battle of Muunilinst

The arrangement for this battle was made during a meeting in the Chancellor's Suite involving Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Chancellor Palpatine, approximately one month after the events on Geonosis. Palpatine tasked Anakin and Obi-Wan with leading an assault on Muunilinst, which served as the base of operations for the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Given the Intergalactic Banking Clan's significant contributions of funds, warships, and battle droids to the Separatists, the Chancellor was convinced that seizing the IGBC's headquarters would strike a decisive blow against the Separatist faction. Despite reservations expressed by Yoda and Kenobi, Skywalker was appointed as the commander of the Republic's space forces.

In the immediate aftermath of this decision, a substantial Republic force was assembled and embarked on a fleet of Acclamator-class assault vessels. Prior to their departure, Anakin seized the opportunity to bid farewell to his wife, Padmé Amidala.

The Republic fleet, composed of Acclamator-I-class assault ships and commanded by Anakin and Obi-Wan, encountered resistance as it entered Muunilinst's orbit. Although the Republic's invasion force, which included both gunships and the assault ships carrying SPHA walkers, sustained losses from enemy missile attacks, it successfully landed on the planet. There, they engaged the Separatist Droid Army outside the city of Harnaidan, while Anakin directed flight groups against Separatist fighters in orbit. Despite incurring casualties, hundreds of assault ships, filled with troops and vehicles, landed across the heavily defended planet and proceeded to lay siege to the cities.

During the initial phase of the siege of Harnaidan, the Republic forces achieved notable progress, with SPHA artillery focusing its fire on the ground just ahead of the clone front lines. The artillery barrages decimated any Separatist units approaching the front lines almost instantly, forcing the droids to retreat. The concentrated artillery firepower rapidly destroyed buildings, causing extensive collateral damage as the SPHA batteries were moved to the front lines.

During the initial landing phase, the specialized landing craft carrying the ARC troopers of The Muunilinst 10, led by Captain Fordo, were deployed for a covert mission within Harnaidan. This detachment moved away from the main force and entered the city with relative ease.

However, their gunship was shot down by a battle droid wielding a missile launcher, resulting in a crash landing on a city street. After eliminating nearby droid snipers and suffering one casualty, the troops discovered that they were isolated from their designated drop zone. Nevertheless, they proceeded toward the enemy command center, encountering an Armored Assault Tank along the way, which they successfully destroyed by having an ARC Trooper shoot it from the inside, causing it to explode.

Upon reaching the Separatist command center, the ARCs eliminated the surrounding droids and planted explosive charges on a large cannon that was bombarding the Republic forces. After destroying the cannon, they used ropes to ascend to the roof of the command center to await Kenobi's arrival. The destruction of the artillery gun heightened CIS commander San Hill's apprehension about the battle, as he now believed that the Republic artillery could reach far enough into the city to destroy the cannon.

San Hill's panic, caused by the Republic's initial success, led him to question the bounty hunter Durge, who was present, about why Count Dooku had dispatched him to the battle if he was merely going to stand idly by. Durge responded by briefly grabbing Hill, before deciding to take action with a group of IG lancer droids. Departing from the CIS command post, Durge and his droid force advanced to the front lines, inflicting heavy casualties on the Republic forces and destroying nearly all of the SPHA walkers.

Durge's success prompted General Kenobi to lead a team of clone lancer troopers to confront Durge's forces. The two groups of swoop riders engaged in a fierce mass joust, with both clones and droids being impaled or thrown aside. Obi-Wan and Durge each killed a significant number of enemies. As both sides suffered heavy losses, the two commanders spotted each other and engaged in personal combat.

During their initial pass, Durge disarmed Kenobi of his lance and helmet. Kenobi retaliated by drawing his lightsaber and, on the second pass, slicing Durge's lance to pieces and destroying his bike. As Kenobi charged in to attack his dismounted opponent, Durge demonstrated incredible strength and reflexes by catching Kenobi's swoop by the steering vanes and throwing the Jedi off. Using the bike as a weapon, Durge then attacked Kenobi, who sliced it into pieces and stabbed Durge through the chest. Durge responded with laughter, surprising Kenobi.

Durge's unique Gen'Dai physiology allowed him to survive the stabbing, and he proceeded to strike Kenobi with his fists. Kenobi, unable to retaliate with his saber still lodged in Durge's chest, was lifted off the ground by a powerful punch to the stomach. Durge then fired at Kenobi with a small rapid projectile launcher, but the Jedi deflected the shots with the Force. Switching to a flamethrower, Durge's attacks were again deflected, and the flamethrower was crushed with the Force.

Brandishing a large flail, Durge prepared to finish off Kenobi, but Kenobi used the Force to retrieve his lightsaber and sever the flail's chain. Although Durge drew his two blaster pistols, he was disarmed before he could use them. Activating the energy shields built into his gauntlets, he deflected Kenobi's lightsaber strikes but was unable to mount an effective counterattack.

Kenobi pressed his advantage, with Durge barely managing to block, until Kenobi finally severed Durge's right arm and bisected him through the middle. After seemingly defeating Durge, Kenobi commandeered a remaining swoop and joined the ARC troopers. As Kenobi flew into the city, he failed to notice Durge's body reassembling itself.

Following the joust and battle with Durge, General Kenobi hastened through the city to the command tower, where he rendezvoused with the Muunilinst 10. Using explosives to breach the roof of the structure, the troops, led by Kenobi, rappelled into the control room and swiftly eliminated all the security droids.

Upon capturing San Hill, Kenobi offered to spare his life in exchange for an unconditional surrender. Before Hill could respond, Durge crashed through the tower window into the room on a jetpack. However, he was quickly shot down by concentrated fire from the clone troopers and ARCs. Hill seized the opportunity to take cover under the situation table.

Believing Durge to be dead, the troopers approached the smoking crater they had created, only to be knocked aside by a massive fleshy arm. Durge emerged from the crater, with most of his armor, except for a few small fragments along with his helmet and gloves, having been blasted off, revealing his true Gen'Dai form. He immediately attacked Kenobi, driving the Jedi onto the situation table, which Durge shattered with his fists. He was then attacked by clones rappelling down on grappling hooks which they attached to him.

The blaster fire had no effect, and Durge simply ripped the lines from the wall with his incredible strength, causing the clones to fall. Charging Kenobi, Durge disarmed him and almost completely enveloped him in his body, attempting to suffocate him, before turning his attention to the ARC commander, Fordo. Fordo then fired a taser at Durge, electrocuting him. This only succeeded in enraging the Gen'Dai, who charged Fordo, knocking aside the clones in his path.

However, before Durge could kill him, he suddenly bloated to an immense size and exploded. Kenobi had used the Force to push outward and destroy Durge's body from the inside out. After commenting on the mess he had made, Kenobi turned back to Hill, who promptly surrendered.

Concurrently, Anakin Skywalker was leading the clone navy in a fierce space battle above Muunilinst. Several Republic Acclamator-class assault ships engaged the Confederacy's gun platforms. Republic V-19 Torrents were attacked by great numbers of Nantex-class starfighters. Skywalker ordered the clone pilots to disengage, and destroyed large numbers of the enemy fighters with his proton torpedoes.

Pursued by even more enemy fighters, he ordered his clones to fire all their concussion missiles across the bow of Cruiser 8, much to the confusion of the clones. He flew past the ship as the missiles started arriving; the missiles hit the swarm of fighters pursuing him, destroying a large number of them. Trailed by missiles, Skywalker flew through the hangar of one of the gun platforms. The missiles collided with various objects within the hangar and destroyed the gun platform from the inside. Sustained turbolaser fire from the Republic capital ships destroyed another one.

Only a few Separatist fighters remained, but a mysterious ship appeared engaged the Republic forces, annihilating Blue Squadron. Skywalker personally engaged the fighter, pursuing it into the atmosphere and through the streets of Harnaidan. When the pilot, a mysterious Force-sensitive protégé of Dooku, Asajj Ventress, jumped into hyperspace, the impetuous young Jedi followed, disobeying a direct order from Obi-Wan, leading to a fateful duel.

Following his surrender, San Hill was taken into custody, although he subsequently escaped. The majority of the battle droids were deactivated as Voolvif Monn and the clone army battled through the Droid Army in Harnaidan, securing victory for the Republic.

Meanwhile, Anakin tracked Asajj Ventress to the fourth moon of Yavin. There, Ventress killed the clone troopers accompanying Skywalker and destroyed his ship. Anakin and Ventress engaged in a lightsaber duel through the jungles and on top of a Massassi Temple. Ultimately, Ventress was defeated, but not killed. This event held significance as it pushed Anakin closer to the dark side. Years later, he would fully succumb and become Darth Vader.

After the duel, Skywalker returned to Muunilinst in Ventress's fighter and was scolded by Kenobi for his recklessness. Kenobi expressed his concern about the Sith's interest in his apprentice. At that moment, Kenobi received a distress call from General Daakman Barrek on Hypori, which would lead to another significant turn of events with the introduction of a new enemy: General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies.

The scene depicting the Republic and Separatist forces engaged in mounted combat on swoops is designed to evoke a futuristic version of a Medieval joust, underscoring George Lucas' concepts and intentions for the Jedi, which are associated with chivalry and knights.

Although the exact size of the Republic assault force has not been explicitly stated, a passage in The New Essential Chronology describes the Republic besieging Muunilinst's "unassailable castle keep" with "sheer numbers… hundreds of assault ships, each one groaning from the weight of troopers and war machines". Assuming these ships were Acclamator-class assault ships filled to their maximum capacity, as would be expected, at least 3.2 million clone troopers would have been deployed to the battle. The primary assault ships of this era were the Acclamator-class and the Supercruiser, which could carry even more troops. At a minimum, eleven Acclamator-class warships are depicted together above Muunilinst in Clone Wars, suggesting a minimum troop capacity of at least 176,000. This figure does not include the ships that landed on the planet and deployed troops and artillery walkers.

The debate surrounding troop numbers at Muunilinst is part of a broader disagreement among fans regarding the size of the Grand Army of the Republic and the scale of forces involved in the Clone Wars. One canon source states that the GAR could deploy only 1.2 million clone troopers in total at this stage in the war, later increasing to a total muster strength of three million. However, this is contradicted by numerous other sources, and many fans consider these numbers to be unrealistic. They argue that other evidence suggests clone forces numbering in millions of divisions. For a more detailed discussion, see here.