In 20 BBY, Moralo Eval, a bounty hunter, devised a scheme to abduct Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor, for Count Dooku, who was the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Dooku and Eval, concealing their true intentions with a competition, gathered the most proficient bounty hunters from across the galaxy for a special tournament. This event occurred on Serenno, Dooku's home planet. From the winners, they assembled a team. This team, under the leadership of Cad Bane and including Obi-Wan Kenobi (a Jedi Master in disguise as Rako Hardeen), launched an assault on Palpatine during the 847th Festival of Light in Theed, the capital city of Naboo. However, their attempt failed because Dooku detected the Jedi's deception and chose not to extract them from the planet, leading to their capture. With the perceived threat neutralized, Palpatine dismissed his security detail from Naboo, which in turn, gave Dooku an opening to confront Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight. Ultimately, Skywalker and Kenobi disrupted the plan, forcing Dooku to flee Naboo.
Back in 20 BBY, the Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Count Dooku, also known as the Sith Lord, enlisted the services of Moralo Eval, a bounty hunter, to formulate a strategy. This strategy centered around kidnapping Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor, with the aim of delivering a significant blow to the Galactic Republic. The core of the plan was to infiltrate the Chancellor's security detail during his scheduled appearance at the annual Festival of Light on his native world of Naboo. This required a team of highly skilled and discreet individuals to execute the mission effectively. To this end, Dooku and Eval sought out some of the most accomplished bounty hunters in the galaxy, including figures like Cad Bane. These individuals were invited to Dooku's palace on Serenno, where they would undergo a series of rigorous trials within an elaborate maze-like structure conceived by Eval, known as the Box. The maze was designed to assess the candidates' capabilities, pushing them to their limits in completing the assigned mission. However, before he could finish the Box, Eval was apprehended by law enforcement on Devon and sentenced to imprisonment in the maximum-security section of the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center located on Coruscant, the [capital](/article/capital] planet.
While incarcerated, Eval began disseminating information about his and Dooku's scheme to fellow inmates. This information eventually reached the Jedi High Council, prompting them to initiate an independent investigation, separate from the Republic's efforts. To gather more insights into the conspiracy, the Council anonymously commissioned Rako Hardeen, a renowned sniper, to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master. Hardeen seemingly succeeded by shooting Kenobi in front of his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and his student, Ahsoka Tano. The Order conducted a formal funeral for Kenobi. However, Kenobi had orchestrated his apparent demise as part of the plan and disguised himself as Hardeen. His objective was to infiltrate the Judiciary Center, befriend Eval, and investigate his claims. Consequently, Master Mace Windu "arrested" Kenobi, while the real Hardeen was confined within the Jedi Temple. Kenobi was then transferred to the maximum-security wing of the Judiciary Center, where he successfully established a close relationship with Eval, as intended. Shortly thereafter, Cad Bane deliberately arranged his own arrest and transfer to the same facility to facilitate Eval's release and escort him to Serenno, where he could oversee the commencement of the trials. In the ensuing riot instigated by Bossk, Bane, Eval, and "Hardeen" managed to escape the complex and journeyed to Serenno, following a brief confrontation with Skywalker and Tano on Orondia. Upon arrival, they convened with Dooku at his palace.
Upon their arrival, the tests commenced. Bounty hunters such as Embo and Derrown demonstrated their capabilities by successfully completing the majority of the objectives, while others perished within the machine. Ultimately, five bounty hunters emerged as survivors: Cad Bane, "Rako Hardeen," Embo, Twazzi, and Derrown. Despite Eval's expectation of leading the endeavor, Dooku ultimately designated Bane as the leader of the team, much to Eval's disappointment. Subsequently, the team covertly traveled to Naboo, where the 847th Festival of Light was scheduled to take place, with the Chancellor in attendance.
The Jedi Council, aware of the bounty hunter's intentions but lacking specific details of their plan due to a communication blackout from Kenobi, focused on the security protocols for the Festival to ensure the Chancellor's safety during the event. Grand Master Yoda and Jedi Master Mace Windu personally conducted a security briefing the day before the Festival at the Jedi Temple, attended by Masters Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, Eeth Koth, Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Adi Gallia, and Saesee Tiin, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and Padawan Ahsoka Tano. During the meeting, Windu outlined the Senate Guard's preparations for the Festival, including armed sentries at all entrances and the installation of a ray shield on the stage for the Chancellor's speech.
Meanwhile, the bounty hunters met with Dooku on Naboo, eliminating the workers at a Gian heavy patrol speeder hangar near the palace to establish their base of operations. Cad Bane distributed holo-maps containing routes and instructions for the following day, along with Holographic disguise matrixes and voice disguisers for those going undercover. The hunters would only receive step-by-step instructions via the holo-maps, with further guidance provided after each successful completion. Derrown was tasked with penetrating the ray shield, while Eval would be the getaway driver with Twazzi, Bane, and Embo disguised as guards. In case of discovery, Hardeen would provide cover fire from a pre-selected tower overlooking the stage, using a sniper rifle loaded with stun rounds to avoid accidentally killing the Chancellor.
Chancellor Palpatine arrived on Naboo aboard a T-6 shuttle with Vice Chair Mas Amedda, Jedi Windu, Skywalker, Tano, and two clone shock troopers. His ship landed in the Theed Landing Plaza in the capital Theed, where he was greeted by Queen Neeyutnee, Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala, and Governor Sio Bibble under strict security from Naboo Palace Guard soldiers. Palpatine thanked the Naboo for the welcome, but expressed his weariness of the Jedi's constant protection. Despite his protest, Skywalker reinforced the Royal Palace security, fearing it was a prime target, and tasked Ahsoka Tano with guarding Senator Amidala, the Queen, and her staff.
"Hardeen" took his sniper position as Windu gave final instructions to the Chancellor's Senate Commando unit. He contacted Windu after days of silence, revealing the assassins' plan, including the disguised infiltrators, prompting Windu to order identity checks during the evening. Until then, the Chancellor's protection believed the attack would occur inside the Palace.
The 847th Festival began with Palpatine, the Vice Chair, and Naboo representatives arriving at the plaza, surrounded by repulsor platforms with Theed citizens. Senators Bail Organa of Alderaan, Zinn Paulness of the Council of Neutral Systems, and Lott Dod of the Trade Federation were also present; the latter was Cad Bane in disguise. As Palpatine began his speech commemorating Naboo's joining the Galactic Republic, Derrown copied SG-1984's voice and joined the Senate Guard on stage. Using his electrostatic tentacles, Derrown overloaded a ray shield generator, disabling the shield, just as Hardeen spotted him and urged Skywalker to rush for him. The explosion injured Palpatine, forcing Windu to order two Senate Guards, secretly Twazzi and Embo, to evacuate him on a Gian speeder as Skywalker was electrocuted by Derrown and Tano evacuated the palace staff.
Amidst the chaos, Twazzi and Embo used a disguise matrix on the injured chancellor, making him look like a Senate Guard, and Twazzi posed as the Chancellor to be evacuated by Embo instead. The real Palpatine was dragged by Cad Bane, disguised as Senator Dod, to Moralo Eval's speeder, while Windu and Skywalker rushed to save the fake one. Following a brief altercation, they took out Embo, but the fake Palpatine/Twazzi attacked them. While the duo bought them time, Eval and Bane escaped the plaza with an unconscious Palpatine.
With Embo and Twazzi in custody and Derrown injured, Palpatine's shock troopers and Senate Guards remained unaware of the real Chancellor's location. Windu instructed "Rako Hardeen" to follow the bounty hunters' getaway vehicle, reaching them in the Theed plasma refinery as they realized they had been double-crossed, as Dooku failed to appear to take them off-world with the Chancellor. As the hunters contemplated their next actions, Hardeen engaged them, knocking them out one by one as Windu and Skywalker arrived with shock troopers to take them into custody.
After his rescue and recovery, Palpatine organized his departure from Naboo the next day aboard a Venator-class Star Destroyer with the full security force, which he recalled from Naboo despite Windu's disagreement. Obi-Wan revealed the plan to Anakin, prompting rage from him over the lies told by the Jedi Council and his mentor. Angered and betrayed, Anakin questioned if the Council knew the whole truth.
Kenobi, joining the security force on the Destroyer, was debriefed by Windu, who asked if it was time to return to the transformation chamber. Kenobi realized something was amiss and returned to the tower, finding a hidden comlink in his rifle case. Realizing Dooku had been listening to his conversations with Windu, he rushed to the Royal Palace where Palpatine was promenading with Anakin to the Banquet organized by the Naboo Queen and Senators. Although Anakin questioned the idea, Palpatine remarked it was intended as a surprise.
The Banquet was a trap Dooku set to kidnap the Chancellor, exploiting his security force's absence. He waited for Palpatine inside the Hall with two IG-100 MagnaGuards, who attacked Anakin. Although Anakin destroyed them and asked Palpatine to escape, a third droid prevented the Chancellor from leaving, while Dooku engaged the Jedi in a lightsaber duel. Dooku gained the upper hand and used Force lightning on Anakin, knocking him unconscious and escaping with the Chancellor.
Kenobi arrived to catch up with Dooku and his droid bodyguard as they forced Palpatine onto a Sheathipede-class Type B shuttle. Together, they rescued the Chancellor and destroyed the droid, although Dooku escaped, taunting Skywalker. The Palace Guard arrived with Senator Amidala, and with the Jedi, they secured the Chancellor and took him back inside the palace to join his security force.