Mission to Umbara

"Part of me wishes I could go back to that time when I didn't know the Galaxy for what it really was, but the second we set foot on that planet it was over."

- Ganner Slarwalker reflecting on the Mission to Umbara.

The  was an undertaking by a Jedi strike team to destroy the defenses of the Umbaran Airfield so that the Republic could land forces there. Though the mission was successful, the team went on to discover the Umbaran Sith Temple, and began the Shadow Conflict.

Prelude
Shortly after the beginning of the Clone Wars, Ganner Slarwalker, Yula Ardinn, Bail Malakath, and Tyrral Thraxton were promoted to the rank of Jedi Master. Proving themselves to be a versatile team, the Jedi Council entrusted with them the responsibility of clearing the Umbaran Airfield in a covert mission ahead of the Republic invasion.

The mission
The team infiltrated the base through a ventilation shaft, and fought their way to a hangar where four Umbaran tanks were located. They each took one tank and scrambled the airfield, using the tanks to destroy Umbaran forces and anti-air defenses. After the airfield was taken care of, the team ditched their tanks and made their way into the Umbaran wilderness to hide until backup arrived.

After some trekking, the team stopped, and Yula noticed a strange object in the ground. When she pulled it out of the ground, it quickly attracted several other objects until it formed a Sith holocron. It led the team to the Umbaran Sith Temple, luring Ganner into opening the Temple's door by using the voice of his deceased master, Jason Battleboots. When the door opened, the team met Arek Saris, Varad Zagg, Talzin, and Darth Massikus, who attacked the group. Ganner, in an unprecedented display of power, fought off the attackers long enough for the rest of the team to escape, but was captured.

Aftermath
After the duel, Talzin performed the Binding on Ganner Slarwalker, putting Massikus' soul into his body. Massikus decided to hunt down the Jedi before they could warn anyone of the Shadow Assassins, beginning the Shadow Conflict.

About a month later, Sen Qorbin and Nyri Tacon would launch an investigation into the events of the mission, leading to Tacon's death, Qorbin's capture by Decien, and Yula's capture by Talzin.