In the year 21 BBY, amidst the raging Clone Wars, the forces of the Galactic Republic initiated a daring operation with the objective of apprehending Count Dooku, the esteemed Head of State leading the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The confrontation ignited when Anakin Skywalker intentionally boarded Dooku's vessel, feigning capture to ascertain Dooku's presence onboard.
Following Skywalker's staged capture, Obi-Wan Kenobi infiltrated the enemy ship while it was positioned within the Vanqor system. Kenobi skillfully evaded the vigilant battle droids guarding the ship and successfully liberated Skywalker from his confinement. The two Jedi then directly confronted Dooku, coinciding with the arrival of Skywalker's prominent flagship, the Resolute, which commenced an assault on the Separatist frigate. However, Dooku cleverly evaded the pursuing Jedi by utilizing a clandestine escape hatch, departing the ship in his distinctive personal solar sailer accompanied by an escort of menacing vulture droids.
Skywalker and Kenobi swiftly reached the hangar, commandeering a shuttle in a determined pursuit of the elusive Sith Lord. After a brief but intense chase, the solar sailer sustained critical damage and crash-landed on the surface of the planet Vanqor. Regrettably, the Jedi's pursuit was hampered by the relentless vulture droids, resulting in their own forced crash landing. Following the crash, the two Jedi ventured into a nearby cave, hoping to locate Dooku, only to be ensnared in a cunning trap devised by the Count. The Jedi were then forced to battle a ferocious gundark within the confines of the cave, while Dooku made his escape from the planet aboard a vessel belonging to a band of Weequay pirates led by the infamous Hondo Ohnaka. After successfully subduing the gundark, the Jedi attempted to clear the cave's exit, but inadvertently triggered the release of a deadly toxic gas. Fortunately, they were rescued by the timely arrival of Ahsoka Tano and a contingent of loyal clone troopers, who breached the cave's entrance.
In the year 22 BBY, the galaxy-spanning conflict known as the Clone Wars erupted on the planet Geonosis. This devastating war pitted the forces of the Galactic Republic against the newly established Confederacy of Independent Systems, under the command of its Head of State, Count Dooku. Dooku, a former member of the esteemed Jedi Order, had secretly embraced the dark side, becoming a formidable Sith Lord sometime before the outbreak of the war. The capture of Dooku became a paramount objective for the Republic and the Jedi, as it was believed that his capture would hasten the end of the Clone Wars.
In 21 BBY, the Republic devised a strategic plan to capture the elusive Count. The initial phase of this plan involved Jedi General Anakin Skywalker boarding the Munificent-class star frigate believed to be carrying Dooku. The courageous Jedi Knight would intentionally leave behind his lightsaber, allowing himself to be taken as a prisoner. This would allow Skywalker to confirm Dooku's presence on the ship. Subsequently, Obi-Wan Kenobi would board the vessel to rescue Skywalker. As the two Jedi confronted Dooku, Skywalker's prominent flagship would arrive to engage the frigate and deploy [troops](/article/troop] to provide assistance.
With the plan firmly in place, the Republic initiated the daring mission to capture Dooku. The initial phase of the mission commenced as Skywalker boarded the frigate suspected of carrying Dooku. Skywalker deliberately arrived on the enemy starship without his lightsaber, intending to be captured. He successfully confirmed Dooku's presence on the frigate, although he was unable to pinpoint his exact location.
Following Skywalker's capture, Jedi Master Kenobi donned an EVA suit and infiltrated Dooku's frigate, successfully evading the vigilant battle droid security. Kenobi navigated his way to the cell blocks of the enemy ship and liberated Skywalker. Kenobi also returned Skywalker's lightsaber, and the two Jedi proceeded towards Dooku's quarters. They confronted Dooku, but the cunning Sith Lord escaped through a secret hatch. Simultaneously, the Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute, under the command of Skywalker's padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and his Clone Captain, CT-7567 "Rex," arrived unexpectedly and commenced firing upon Dooku's frigate.
Skywalker pursued Dooku down the hatch, while Kenobi departed to intercept the Sith Lord in the hangar. Dooku unleashed force lightning upon Skywalker, which the Jedi Knight deflected with his lightsaber, but this resulted in him losing sight of the Count at a critical junction. Dooku reached the hangar, where an OOM command battle droid reported that his Punworcca 116-class solar sailer was prepared for his escape. Kenobi then arrived in the hangar, only to witness Dooku escaping with his FA-4 pilot droid aboard his solar sailer, accompanied by an escort of numerous vulture droids. Witnessing this, Kenobi fought his way to a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle, which Skywalker also boarded.
Skywalker piloted the ship while Kenobi assumed control of the weapons systems. He also contacted Tano, instructing her to meet them on the ground with reinforcements. Kenobi managed to strike the side of Dooku's solar sailer, forcing the Count's ship to crash-land on the nearby planet of Vanqor. Due to Dooku's crash, the vulture droids shifted their attention to the Jedi's shuttle, and although Kenobi managed to hit one of the droids, the Jedi's ship was struck, forcing them to crash on the planet as well.
The Jedi pair crashed near Dooku's ship, and upon investigation, they discovered that his ship's engine was damaged, preventing the Count from fleeing. Dooku's pilot droid appeared to be deactivated, but the Jedi discovered a homing beacon on the side of Dooku's ship, indicating that he was awaiting assistance. Skywalker swiftly destroyed the beacon to prevent Separatist reinforcements, and the two Jedi then noticed a nearby cave. They sensed multiple life forms within the cave, realizing that Dooku was among them.
The two entered the cave, using their lightsabers for illumination. As they explored the cave, Dooku surprised them by triggering a rockfall. Kenobi managed to evade the falling rocks, but Skywalker was briefly trapped beneath them. During this brief period, Dooku seized Skywalker's lightsaber and fled the cave, even causing another rockfall to trap the Jedi.
Skywalker freed himself from the rocks, and after a brief search, he located Kenobi. As Kenobi attempted to repair his lightsaber, which had been damaged by the falling rocks, one of the native gundarks attacked Skywalker. Around this time, Dooku returned to his crash site, only to find that his ship was surrounded by a group of pirates. The pirates were actively raiding the crashed ships, and the leader of the pirate gang, Hondo Ohnaka, approached the Count. Hondo complimented the Solar Sailer, and Dooku permitted the pirates to raid his craft. The pirate then offered Dooku passage off-world, provided he compensated the pirates, and the Count accepted the deal.
Within the cave, the Jedi pair used the Force to block the entrance with rocks and began searching for a way out. The Jedi then heard a second gundark, but Skywalker dismissed it as being too far away to pose a threat. However, another problem arose when the two accidentally released toxic gas from a section of the cave. The two attempted to endure the gas, but eventually collapsed due to its effects. Fortunately, they were saved by an explosion that breached the cave's entrance. This explosion was caused by Ahsoka and a group of clones, who had arrived as reinforcements.
The explosion neutralized the toxic gas, and the two Jedi reunited with Ahsoka by the Nu-class attack/transport shuttle they had arrived in. However, she soon spotted a gundark charging towards the group, possibly the one Skywalker had deemed "too far away." In response, the clones fired at the rocks, resealing the cave. Skywalker then revealed that Dooku had escaped their grasp, and they headed to their ship to depart from the planet.
Sometime after the skirmish, the Weequay pirates and Dooku arrived at their intended destination. However, upon stepping onto the planet Florrum, Dooku found himself surrounded at blasterpoint by the pirate gang. Hondo then revealed that he was aware of Dooku's leadership role in the Confederacy and that he now possessed Dooku's lightsaber, which had been stolen by the pirate's Kowakian monkey-lizard, Pilf Mukmuk. Hondo threatened the man he believed to be a Jedi, but Dooku revealed to Hondo that he was actually a Sith Lord, though he was still outnumbered. The Count was taken into the pirate's custody, to be ransomed for a hefty sum. Hondo contacted Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant. Palpatine and others spoke with Hondo via hologram, and the pirate demanded one million credits worth of spice for Dooku's release. Palpatine doubted the pirate's claims, but the pirate displayed the Count's lightsaber, which Grand Master Yoda recognized as Dooku's. Hondo also threatened to return Dooku to the Separatist Council if the Republic refused to pay.
Senator Padmé Amidala suggested sending two Jedi to verify Dooku's captivity. Ohnaka agreed, but insisted the Jedi come unarmed. Mace Windu announced that they had reestablished contact with Skywalker and Kenobi, and since they were in a star system near Florrum, they were sent to verify Hondo's claims.
Dooku eventually escaped pirate custody, and the Clone Wars continued. Near the war's end, the Jedi discovered that Dooku had established a listening station on Vanqor and planned to destroy it. Due to past experiences, Kenobi was reluctant to return to Vanqor upon hearing about the listening post.
The Vanqor skirmish debuted in Star Wars canon in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Dooku Captured," which aired in January 2009. Its first appearance was in the Star Wars Legends webcomic The Clone Wars: Bait, part of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars webcomics. In the comic, Anakin Skywalker boards Count Dooku's frigate with a fake lightsaber and is captured by battle droids, as referenced in "Dooku Captured."