Size: 1,088 meters long Manufacturer: Free Dac Volunteers, Pammant Docks Type: Carrier/destroyer (Providence-class) Weapon: 14 quad turbolaser turrets; 34 dual laser cannons; 2 ion cannons; 12 point-defense ion cannons; 102 proton torpedo tubes Affiliation: Trade Federation; Confederacy of Independent Systems

Spearheading the lightning strike against Coruscant that resulted in the capture of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was the distinctive capital warship employed by General Grievous. With accommodations for the upper strata of Confederacy leadership -- namely Grievous and Count Dooku -- the cruiser was nothing short of a flagship for the Separatist fleet.

A roughly cylindrical warship, the cruiser's surface was dotted with heavy weapons emplacements capable of piercing through the shields and hulls of enemy vessels. The ponderous cannons, though, were too slow to target the tiny Jedi starfighters that darted past the cruiser's defenses and infiltrated the ship's spacious hangar bay.

The bridge of the cruiser was located on a platform resting atop the bow of the vessel, before the bow began to taper to its pointed nose. The bridge featured huge panoramic windows surrounding the bulked out command chair occupied by a Neimoidian captain. As a Trade Federation vessel, its piloting crew was predominantly Neimoidian, supplemented by battle droids. General Grievous typically maintained command from the bridge.

Towards the aft end of the craft was a towering fin-like spire that rose from the rest of the hull. Within this spire were the General's Quarters, a military command center with tactical displays, briefing table, and an enormous observation deck with a wide view of surrounding space. It was here that Dooku and Grievous held the captive Palpatine, as a lure to the Jedi heroes who would undoubtedly dare to enter the ship and stage a rescue.

It was Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker who answered the call to retrieve the Chancellor. In his starfighter, Anakin blasted the containment shield protecting the hangar bay, exposing the docking facilities to hard vacuum. Before emergency blast shields could seal off the bay, Skywalker and Kenobi landed their fighters inside. Once within, the astromech droid R2-D2 plugged into the cruiser's computer network and mapped out a route to the captive Chancellor.

Waylaid by Republic capital ships, the Trade Federation cruiser was unable to escape Coruscant. Powerful broadsides from Republic attack ships crippled the vessel, making the Jedi rescue mission all the more difficult. Obi-Wan and Anakin had to contend with battle droids and droidekas, as well as the failing ship systems as they liberated the Chancellor.

It was when the Jedi were rounded up and taken before General Grievous on the bridge that the worst of the damage was taken by the cruiser. Losing momentum, the ship began to succumb to Coruscant's gravity well. Though Grievous fled on one of the ship's numerous escape pods, the Jedi were left to level the cruiser's descent. Kenobi and Skywalker opened the ship's hatches, flaps and drag fins to slow the cruiser's drop, but gravitic stresses tore the ship in two.

It is testament to Anakin Skywalker's piloting ability that he was able to land so fragmented a craft. Coruscant emergency services escorted the ship through the atmosphere, dousing what surface flames they could through the use of their firespeeders. Anakin brought the vessel to a screeching halt on a barren landing strip in Coruscant's industrial districts. Though Skywalker, Kenobi and Palpatine survived the landing, the cruiser was utterly ruined.