Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm

Boba Fett partners with Fennec Shand.

The episode opens with Boba Fett immersed inside his bacta tank, where he experiences flashbacks of his past. Wandering the deserts of Tatooine on bantha-back some time after the loss of his adopted Tusken clan at the hands of the Kintan Striders, Fett rides to the late Jabba Desilijic Tiure the Hutt's palace to investigate the last place he left his ship, the Slave I. Peering through the scope of a cycler rifle, he sees a few Nikto guards and couple of Gamorreans passively patrolling the perimeter.

Heading back to the bantha, he sighs and informs her that there are still too many guards, and he heads back out into the dunes. Sitting at a campfire under the stars, he shares his dinner with his steed until he notices the shooting of bright flares in the distance. When the two arrive at the site, Fett finds an unconscious and dying Fennec Shand.

Fett rides with Shand hitched over the bantha's rump to a mod parlor on the outskirts of Mos Eisley, where he sees a group of cyborg youths hanging around outside the entrance. He carries Shand into the building where the mod artist of the shop is at work on another youth. The Mod Artist turns to Fett and snarks that he is too old to be in such a place, to which Fett tells him that Shand requires modification. Rebuffed for not having an appointment, Fett then drops a plump bag of coins onto a table and stresses that Shand is about to die.

The mod artist agrees and replaces the area damaged by a gut shot on Shand's body with complicated cybernetics. Fett watches the surgery procedure. Near the end of the operation, Fett asks if he plans to close the operated area, but out of pride for his handiwork, the mod artist leaves it open and the technology viewable.

Shand awakens painfully, after being taken back out into the desert and left to come-to near a campfire. As her vision sharpens, she notices Fett tending to the fire and the bantha sitting comfortably nearby. With difficulty, she props herself up onto an elbow as Fett cracks a black melon open. He places it near her and tells her to drink, but she first asks him what happened to her. Fett informs her that she was dying, but that he had also saved her life. She looks around suspiciously and then down to her own torso, only to notice the writhing cybernetics in the place that used to be her gut area.

Demanding to know what Fett has done to her, he tells her about the mod parlor at Mos Eisley, which was the best he could do for her considering the circumstances. He then reminds her to drink from the black melon, mentioning that it will aid her recovery. Raising it to her lips, Shand recoils in disgust at the smell, but after Fett reassures her that although it takes some getting used to and that one can also crave it after a time, she manages to drink from it.

Fett recognizes her as the Master Assassin, Fennec Shand of the Mid Rim, to which Shand assumes that her bounty is higher with her alive. Fett confirms this, and although Shand immediately offers him more than double the price on her head, he tells her that he is not after money. She asks him who he is, and although he answers honestly, she dismisses this and reminds him that Boba Fett is dead. Fett agrees with her that he indeed was left for dead on the sands of Tatooine, just as she was. He tells her of how the Tuskens had rescued him and accepted him into their tribe. He says that he tried to help them only for them to wind up dead after he attracted the attention of a gang of Nikto speed bikers.

Shand expresses her disbelief that mere speed bikers could have defeated the Sand People, but Fett changes the conversation and tells her that he wants her help to recover his Firespray-class gunship. Shand sighs, buffing some sand from her clothes and asks after its location. When Fett tells her that the ship is in Jabba's palace, she informs him that Bib Fortuna has taken over the place. She asks him why he does not simply ask for the ship's return, since it is his property, and Fett reveals that he may not like the response since he is less persuasive without his armor. Shand has Fett assure her that if she helps him, her debt to him would be considered repaid.

Fett and Shand travel through the Dune Sea on Fett's bantha. As night falls, Shand uses her gunsight to scout the grounds of Jabba's palace. She confirms that Fett's starship is there and asks how many guards are there. Fett is unsure and says that the guards rotate whenever the gates open. Shand sends one of her drones to take a closer look. The drone travels into Jabba's palace through a vent and flies through the hallway, avoiding a Gamorrean and Nikto guard.

Continuing its search, the droid floats through the corridors. Two alien guards travel down a stairwell while the drone flies out. Meanwhile, Fett bids his bantha farewell, telling the creature that it served him well. He tells the female bantha that he is going to miss her as she licks him. He tells her to go, find other banthas, and make offspring. He tells her that she is free to roam the Dune Sea.

Shand questions Fett's decision to free his bantha until he has retrieved his ship. Fett replies that he is determined to reclaim his ship or die trying. He promises Shand that she will be free soon. When Shand asks what are his next plans, Fett replies that he will find his armor and kill that "bloated pig" who double-crossed him and take his throne. Shand asks if Fett wants to head a Gotra, which he is keen on doing.

Shand notes that Fett is a bounty hunter. Fett says that he is tired of working for idiots who are going to get him killed. Fett says that Tuskens took him in and made him part of their tribe. He says that he decided to leave hunting behind. Shand replies that people like them don't get a choice about when they are done. Just then, the drone returns and provides them with a holographic map of the Slave Is location as well as the layout of Jabba's Palace. Studying the display, Fett observes that there are too many guards, who are represented by the red figures. Shand suggests timing their patrol and going in quiet.

The two breach Jabba's palace through the sewers under the cover of night. In the kitchen, a chef droid and sous-chef droid are at work preparing food including a hot bubbling cauldron with a creature inside. As Fett and Shand come up through the drain, the chef notices the noise and asks what was that. The sous-chef droid assumes that the noise was caused by rats. The chef droid sends the sous-chef droid to find it while he contacts the rat catcher.

The sous-chef droid approaches the drain but Fett knocks him down using the gutter cover. The chef droid brandishes six knives with his six arms. However, Shand slices his head off from behind with a knife. Fett says that nobody sounded the alarm. Shand replies they should get to the hangar. They hear footsteps approaching, which turns out to be an LEP-series rat catcher. Fett and Shand attempt to sneak away but the droid notices them and flees.

Fett pursues the droid through the kitchen while Shand watches the door. As the droid scurries, he overturns several pots. He flees under a shaft beneath the oven but is cornered by Fett and Shand. Fett grabs the LEP droid and asks if he knows whom he is, prompting the droid to sob. Fett tells the droid that he is Boba Fett, prompting the droid to press a button deactivating itself in fear. Fett drops the droid in a rubbish bin and moves on, with Shand following.

The two reach the hangar where the Slave I is stored, passing a PLNK-series power droid. Two Gamorrean guards enter the hangar but Fett and Shand subdue them in a brief fight, knocking them out. The two complement each other but klaxons ring. Several armed guards storm the hangar and Fett and Shand are forced to hide among the drums and machinery. A gun battle breaks out. Shand tells Fett to make sure the ship can still fly while she holds off the other guards. Shand takes out two of the guards while Fett climbs into Slave I's cockpit and powers up the ship.

As more guards converge on the hangar, Shand blows up the PLNK-series power droid, causing an explosion that scatters several guards. She shoots four more guards while Fett powers up the ship. As reinforcements arrive, the Slave Is engines to come to life, scattering the guards. Shand climbs aboard the Slave Is gangplank. As a Gamorrean guard charges at the Slave I, Fett tries to lift up the ship into flight mode, scattering machinery and unnerving Shand who demands to know what he is doing. Fett replies that they need to get the gate open but that he can't see anything.

Shand fights the Gamorrean guard on the hull of the Slave I. He hits her but she kicks him back and throws him off. As the Slave I ploughs through concrete structures, Shand fights a Nikto guard, who had climbed onto the ship's hull. Fett finds that the ship's guns are jammed. As Shand fights the Nikto, she tells Fett that she has an idea and tells him to close the ramp. Fett reluctantly complies and says he hopes that she knows what she is doing. Shand throws the Nikto guard off the ramp and enters the ship.

She then fires her blaster at one of the controls for the gate, causing it the door to crash and giving an opening large enough for the Slave I to escape. As dawn approaches, the Slave I flies into the skies of Tatooine. Aboard the cockpit, Shand tells Fett that they should stick to the plan next time, to which Fett is confused about Fennec planning to stick around for a "next time." As she settles down in the co-pilot seat, Shand asks about the ship's condition. Fett replies that the Slave I is in good shape but a little rusty. Shand suggests seeking the services of mechanics on Mos Eisley. Fett prefers to do the repairs himself, believing that it is advantageous that people believe he is dead.

Fett reminds Shand that her debt has been paid and asks where she would like to be dropped. Shand asks where he is headed, prompting Fett to reply he has a few scores to settle. Shand decides to go for the ride. The Slave I blasts off into the skies.

Later in the day, the Kintan Striders ride their speeder through the desert wastes of Tatooine. Just then, Fett and Shand catch up with them aboard the Slave I, blasting them from the air with laser cannons. Several bikes are destroyed and their riders killed or scattered. Fett uses a rocket to take out the lead bike. He then flies the Slave I away. He and Shan make eye contact before heading to the Great Pit of Carkoon, where the charred wreckage of the sail barge Khetanna and a cargo skiff lies.

Fett tells Shand to hang on as he slowly brings the Slave I above the sarlacc pit. He tells Shand that this was where he had been locked away several years ago. Shand initially responds with disbelief, believing that the armor has dissolved inside the sarlacc's digestive system. The sarlacc is still alive, with several sharp horns lining its maw. As the Slave I descends into the sarlacc's maw, Fett says he can't see a thing. Shand warns him to be careful.

He shines a searchlight into the creature's mouth, but finds no sign of the armor. Just then, the sarlacc awakens and latches onto the Slave I with its tentacles. Shand tells him to shoot it. Fett uses the ship's laser cannons to blast at the creature, but the sarlacc is too strong and attempts to drag the Slave I down. Shand unbuckles herself to flip a switch that's just out of her reach, releasing a seismic charge. The charge is lodged in the engine housing, but is jostled into the maw of the sarlacc, which swallows it. As Shand yells "fire in the hole," the seismic charge devastates the sarlacc, forcing the creature to release the Slave I. The Slave I is able to break free. Fett is grateful but warns her not touch his ship's buttons in the future.

Later, Fett climbs back out of the sarlacc pit after having rappelled down on a rope in one last attempt to locate his armor, while Shand pulls on the rope. After returning from the dead sarlacc, he tells her that he found nothing but junk. Shand warns that Fett is burning and that he is not safe inside the creature. As she pours water on his head to cool his body down, Fett tells her that his armor is not in there. Shand opines that the armor has served its purpose by saving him from the acid. She recommends that he use a bacta tank. Fett pours the remaining water from the bottle on his head.

In the evening, Fett captures a scurrier for the two to share. The two hunters sit around a fire. When Shand questions his ambition to form his own house, Fett asks how many times she has been hired to do a job that was avoidable. He says that if only the crime syndicates took the time to think, they could saved many lives. Shand responds that their kind would then be out of work. Fett replies that he is tired of "their kind" dying because of the idiocy of others. He says that they are smarter than them and that it is time they took their shot.

Fett says that if he is going to start a house, he needs both brains and muscles, which Shand has. Shand says it is tempting but replies that she is an independent contractor. She does jobs for him but values her freedom. Fett claims he can offer her something that no client has ever offered: loyalty. He offers to give her a cut of the success and pledge his life to protect hers. Shand replies that living with the Tuskens has made him soft. Fett disagrees and says that living with them has made him strong. He reasons that you can only get so far without a tribe.

As Fett rests in his bacta tank, he experiences another flashback of Bib Fortuna greeting him in Jabba's palace. Fett shoots him dead and throws his body off the throne. Fett then claims Jabba's throne while Shand sips from a drink behind him. As Fett awakens, he presses a button draining away the clear bacta from the tank. A servant droid hands him a towel as Fett emerges. The droid congratulates Fett, telling him that he is completely healed.

Shand then asks about the scars on the inside. Fett replies that they take longer before turning his attention to the Mayor's majordomo. Shand replies that the prisoner is singing like a Yuzzum but reports there is no sign of the Mayor. As Fett summons the droid to fetch his armor, Shand tells him that the "Mods" are combing the streets of Mos Espa for the fugitive mayor. Fett wants to show his face in town but Shand thinks he should rest. Fett replies that power hates a vacuum before walking away.

At the Sanctuary cantina, a gambling droid serves several Trandoshan patrons, who celebrate their win. Krrsantan drinks by the corner, watching the Trandoshans menacingly. He growls at them as his modified knuckle dusters flash. Krrsantan picks a fight with the Trandoshans, hurling one to the ground and flinging one against a plant near the entrance. Fett walks into the cantina as the fight breaks out.

Krrsantan hurls the other Trandoshans against the furniture. One Trandoshan hurls a glass mug at his head, prompting the Wookiee outcast to choke him. Garsa Fwip intervenes, telling Krrsantan that he has made his point. She tells him that she remembers his years in the Pit, remarking that she has never seen a more impressive display of martial prowess. She flatters the Wookiee, describing him as a legend who drew crowds of thousands. She says that his knuckle dusters were more feared than blasters and that he has met every challenge and won every trophy. Fwip opines that it would be dishonorable for him to dismember the unfortunate Trandoshan.

She tells the Wookiee that those days have passed. What was once celebrated in the blood lust of the arena is now regarded with horror and cruelty. Fwip tells him that he does not need to prove he is a champion because everyone knows it. Since he has run up a significant bar tab, she convinces him to release the Trandoshans in return for wiping his debts off the book. Krrsantan considers before letting the Trandoshan go but not before ripping out one of his arms. This horrifies the patrons including the gambler droid.

Krrsantan pays a horrified Fwip his tab before walking past Fett. Fett says that it was worth a shot. Fwip tells Max Rebo and his band to play calming music. Krrsantan leaves the Sanctuary but Fett approaches him with a job offer. The Wookiee looks at Fett menacingly.

Later, Fett and Shand host several local crime bosses at a banquet in Boba's palace. Shand explains that Jabba once sat on that throne but that his reign ended in a ball of fire above the Dune Sea, with Bib Fortuna taking his place. Shand reminds them that they were once captains under Jabba but left his family when Fortuna claimed to be the heir. She describes Fortuna as a terrible leader with no right to the throne. Shand recalls that they each tried to take his place but were thwarted by his guile and treachery. Krrsantan, having now accepted Fett's job offer, is also present among the guards and looms over the captains.

Shand credits Fett with removing Fortuna and promises that they can again accrue wealth and power if they listen to Fett. Fett says that he may sit on the throne but claims to have no designs on their territory. He says that he doesn't expect any tribute or quarter and won't give any in return. Fett says he is here to make a mutually beneficial proposal. He explains that Pyke Syndicate are mustering troops in Mos Espa and have slowly absorbed Tatooine as part of their spice trade. They have bribed the mayor and are draining the planet of its wealth.

A Trandoshan captain named Dokk Strassi says that they make much money through the sale of spice in their territory. A Klatooinian captain asks Fett why he deserves to be the Daimyo and what prevents them from killing him and taking what they want. Just then, Fett's rancor roars and sticks its claws through the trapdoor's gaps, startling the guests and the LEP droid who runs away. Fett calms the rancor by sharing a piece of meat. He calms his guests and invite them to sit down.

Fett proposes that the crime lords can benefit from cooperation instead of fighting. An Aqualish named Master Garfalaquox asks what is Fett proposing, with 8D8 translating. Fett replies that he is proposing that the crime families of Mos Espa join in a defensive alliance against the Pyke Syndicate. The Klatooinian captain counters that the Pykes have only threatened Fett's territory and questions why they should spill the blood of their ranks for a feud between Fett and the Pykes. Strassi concurs.

Fett vows to fight these enemies alone and to vanquish those interlopers that threaten their planet. He vows to make the streets safe again so that all of them can prosper. Fett says that all he asks for them in return is that they remain neutral if the Pyke Syndicate reaches out to them to betray him. The crime lords discuss Fett's proposal. Strassi says that Fett's proposal acceptable. Garfalaquox concurs with the terms. The Klatooinian captain abides. The crime lords, Fett, and Shand drink a toast.

Later that night, the crime lords depart Boba's palace. Fett and Shand watch from a balcony. When Shand asks if he trusts them, Fett replies that he trusts them to work for their own self-interest. Fett reasons that his deal is a lot better than what the Pyke Syndicate would offer. As the crime lords depart on their vehicles, Fett opines that they may be stubborn but are not foolish enough to realize that the Pykes want to take over Tatooine. Fett says that they must prepare for war.

When Shand asks how much treasure they have left in reserve, Fett replies that they have plenty while admitting that they are short on muscle. Shand says that credits can buy muscle if you know where to look.