Still recovering from his injuries, Anakin, along with Ahsoka, Aayla Secura, Captain Rex, and Commander Bly, are forced to leave the Lurmen village in a hurry due to the sudden arrival of Separatist forces. Village leader Tee Watt Kaa tells the Separatist general Lok Durd that the villagers won't fight the droid forces because it isn't their way. Durd has the village roughly searched by his droids anyway.
While they're debating what to do about the Separatist forces, the Jedi and clone troopers run into a probe droid, prompting a hasty chase to destroy the droid before it can report their presence. Afterwards, they climb one of Maridun's huge trees to get a look at the base. They see an unusual tank exiting the base that is accompanied by Separatist droids. Rex and Bly are sent down to scout closer and find out what this new Separatist toy is.
On the base, Durd is preparing to test-fire his new weapon, the Defoliator. It's designed to destroy organic matter, but leave droids unscathed. Two battle droids are sent to stand a ways away from the base and the weapon is fired. Rex and Bly, while out in the tall grass, have to make a run for it out of the blast zone before they get broiled. Bly nearly doesn't make it due to tripping on a stick, but Aayla rescues him. The group then witnesses Durd leave the base in a procession with his Defoliator, the other tanks, and most of the Separatist droids in the direction of the Lurmen village. The Defoliator needs to be tested on more than plant life.
There's no more time to waste. Come nightfall, the Jedi and clone troopers attack the Separatist base, destroy all of the battle droids there, and steal the shuttle and shield generators. They return to the Lurmen village and explain the situation to Tee Watt Kaa. He refuses to let them defend the village, so they ignore him and set up a barricade and the shield generators anyway.
In the ensuing skirmish, the battle droids are defeated, the Defoliator is destroyed, and Lok Durd is captured by Anakin with some help from the younger members of the Lurmen village, including Wag Too (Tee Watt Kaa's son). Republic cruisers then arrive at the planet in order to pick the Jedi and clone troopers up.
Tropes:
- Aliens of London: Just as in the previous episode, the Lurmen colonists all speak with thick Irish accents.
- Ass Kicking Pose: Anakin, Ahsoka, Aayla, Rex, and Bly briefly strike one before attacking the Separatist droids marching on the village.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Wag Too, before going to help the Jedi and clone troopers, chews out his father for his Suicidal Pacifism and essentially points out that no matter how well they fight, their village is still being defended by a grand total of five people and that eventually the villagers might have to defend themselves.
- Chekhov's Skill: Wag Too and the other villagers defeat the droids in the same way that Wag Too defeated the Mastiff Phalone in the previous episode: by tying ropes around their legs. This time, Ahsoka finishes them off for good measure.
- Deflector Shields: Our heroes steal the shield generators from the Separatist base in order to protect the village.
- Dramatic Irony: The OOM-series battle droid commander tells Lok Durd that the search of the village found no weapons or Republic contraband. If the Separatist droids had been a few minutes faster...
- Dumbass Has a Point: While Tee Watt Kaa is foolish for allowing his people to be attacked by the Separatists, he isn't entirely wrong about the consequences of allowing the Republic to save them, given what they become later on.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The Defoliator. It destroys organic matter.
- Fat Bastard: Lok Durd is the largest Neimoidian we've ever seen and, like most of them, he's an unpleasant character.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Tee Watt Kaa believes that because his people haven't provoked the Separatists, they won't destroy the village. He clearly doesn't figure that Lok Durd will kill innocent beings just for the sake of killing them.
- Handicapped Badass: Anakin is somewhat slower than usual because he hasn't completely recovered from the injuries he sustained in the previous episode. However, he's still plenty badass.
- Leave No Survivors: One of the B1 droids says this near-verbatim while firing into one of the Lurmen's homes. This is also the general aim of the attack - whether by the Defoliator firing or the blasters of battle droids, no Lurmen or Jedi are getting out alive.
- Oh, Crap!: The villagers have this reaction when the second shield generator is destroyed, running to take shelter in their homes as the shield begins to fade.
- Outrun the Fireball: During the first Defoliator test, Rex and Bly end up having to flee the advancing wall of fire and shoot grappling lines back into the tree they climbed earlier. Rex manages to escape from danger, but Bly trips on a stick on the ground just as he's firing his line and has to be rescued by Aayla.
- Pyrrhic Victory: The heroes defeat the invading Separatists and save the Lurmen village with help of Wag Too and the younger villagers. However, Tee Watt Kaa can't help but wonder "at what cost?" as Republic ships appear in the sky.
- Rousing Speech: Durd gives one to his Separatist droids, even though it's unnecessary, because he likes to hear himself talk.
- Stupid Good: It's quite telling about Tee Watt Kaa that he rejects the aid of the Republic and is willing to allow his own people to be slaughtered by the Separatists in the name of pacifism.
- Suicidal Pacifism: Tee Watt Kaa refuses to fight, even under the threat of his village's destruction, outright stating that he would rather die than abandon his pacifist ideals. His son Wag Too and the other younger residents of the village don't share this view.
- Unwanted Rescue: Tee Watt Kaa doesn't want the heroes protecting his village from the Separatists' attack. Of course, he has no say in the matter.Tee Watt Kaa: Stop building that wall. I didn't ask ya to defend us.
Anakin: This battle is inevitable. You can stand by your beliefs, but let us stand by ours. - Vine Swing: Aayla rescues Bly by cutting a vine on the tree she's in and swinging down to grab him.
- Worst Aid: Anakin and Rex both get bandaged over their clothing.
- The X of Y: "Defenders of Peace".
