INT. NYAX/BRIDGE
The Force Hound sits upon the command chair with his aide by his side, watching the Light Hammer succumb to the Mandalorian assault on the viewscreen.
MANDALORIAN SENSOR OFFICER: The Imperial dreadnaught is crippled, milord!
FORCE HOUND: (to the communications officer) Order all ships to stand down.
The Mandalorian communications officer relays this command to the other Mandalorian ships. Within moments the attack ends, leaving the crippled Light Hammer floating in space.
FORCE HOUND: (cont'd) Order the Deinonychus to make its descent at the pre-arranged coordinates.
The communications officer relays this to the Deinonychus, and in moments one of the Mandalorian dreadnaughts begins making its descent to the desert planet below.
MANDALORIAN AIDE: All due respect, milord, but we should destroy the Imperial ship and be done with it.
FORCE HOUND: No, Karras, not when there is someone on board waiting to meet us. (rises from his seat) Assemble a boarding party and alert my shuttle to prepare for my arrival.
EXT. TATOOINE - ANCHORHEAD - DOCKING BAY 32 - DAY
Obi-Wan and Anakin exit Docking Bay 32, various bags of luggage with them, and begin crossing the street.
OBI-WAN: Remind me again why we couldn't just leave for Alderaan in the Twilight and spare us from using the fare which will only take us halfway there?
ANAKIN: Like I said, the ship belongs to Watto -- Owen and I simply used it on his behalf to ferry down spice for him. And there's no functional hyperdrive, either -- just try making a trip to the Core on those crappy sublight engines.
OBI-WAN: (sighs) I suppose spending fourteen or fifteen months on Ogana Major won't be that bad ...
ANAKIN: If I could have spared the cash --
OBI-WAN: (waves his hand dismissively) Nevermind that, Anakin. (beat) You get used to the torrential downpours after awhile, anyway.
ANAKIN: (grins) You mean rain? That'll be awesome! I've never seen rain before!
OBI-WAN: After you leave Ogana Major, you'll never want to see it again. (beat) I suppose the rate for taking a taxi to Mos Eisley hasn't changed since I was here last.
ANAKIN: Oh, I don't think so. (beat) When was the last time you were on Tatooine, anyway?
OBI-WAN: Actually, I never --
Before the Jedi can complete his thought, a strange mechanical noise begins to fill the air, growing louder with each passing moment until it becomes a deafening roar, causing everyone in the area to cover their ears with their hands, grimacing in pain. Looking up towards the sky, Ben and Anakin watch as the Deinonychus comes down over the town like a descending bird of prey.
OBI-WAN: (horrified) Oh, no ...
ANAKIN: (yelling over the noise) What is it?!
OBI-WAN: (yelling over the noise) Anakin, run!
Roughly grabbing the young man by his arm, the Jedi knight breaks out into a run up the street. They don't get very far, however, as the Deinonychus begins firing upon the town, obliterating whole buildings with single blasts and killing hundreds in the process. As the townspeople of Anchorhead rush to flee the bombardment, the dreadnaught proceeds to unleash its contingent of Kom'rk-class fighters, all of which descend upon the fleeing masses like a swarm of angry hornets.
Little can be done as the dreadnaught continues to bombard the town and the fighters cut down the townspeople caught out in the open. Within ten minutes, Anchorhead is reduced to nothing more than a smouldering ruin, most of its residents dead or seriously injured.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE
Inside the Light Hammer's bridge, flickering light playing over him, Bail sits hunched over in his command chair, rubbing his temple to rid himself of a burgeoning headache; Vaness, trying to comfort him, rubs his left shoulder.
BAIL: What a disaster ...
Siri, who alone on the bridge has tried to remain calm and in control of her emotions, begins to grow visibly uneasy.
SIRI: Admiral ...
BAIL: (looks up at the Jedi) What is it, Ms. Tachi?
SIRI: The Mandalorians are boarding us ...
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/DOCKING BAY
A shuttlecraft enters the deserted docking bay of the Light Hammer and touches down on the metal deck. As the hatch lowers, over two dozen Mandalorian Knights begin filling out, the Force Hound himself in the lead.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE
BAIL: (rises from his seat) If those bucketheads think we're going down easy, they've got another thing coming. (beat) We go down, we take as many of them with us as we can.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/CORRIDOR
As the Force Hound and his warriors move along the corridor leading towards the bridge, several of the crew members who survived the attack on the Light Hammer leap out of the dark corners of the ship to attack the invaders, opening fire with their blasters. The Force Hound easily avoids the blasts, using the Force to telekinetically hurl and push the Imperials out of his way.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE
Stepping away from Vaness and the command chair, Bail walks past Siri until he stands facing the sealed door which leads in-and-out of the bridge.
BAIL: Everyone get ready -- company's coming.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/CORRIDOR
As the Force Hound walks past the defeated Imperials lying sprawled out on the deck below him, his warriors unsheathe their swords and proceed to slay the defenseless soldiers.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE
SIRI: (unclips her lightsaber) They're here.
BAIL: (unholsters his blaster and adjusts its settings) All right, everybody -- take out your blasters and set them on "kill".
The officers on board the bridge take out their blasters and set them on their commanding officer's ordered setting. Siri engages her lightsaber, holding the fuschia blade before her in a defensive position.
As they stand there, their weapons armed and levelled at the closed door, they begin to sweat profusely as the sound of the door's gears grinding fills the air.
ADNEZZAR: I knew I should have stayed home today.
With a horrible squeal of grinding metal, the bridge door is forced open and the Force Hound steps through.
BAIL: Open fire!
Before most of the bridge officers can obey the Admiral's command, the Force Hound uses his powers to push half of them back, slamming them into consoles and seats and knocking them senseless. The advantage now in his favour, he steps aside to allow his warriors to step through, and they immediately go on the offensive, swords swinging.
The rest of the officers -- Bail and Vaness included -- immediately counterattack firing their blasters, and Siri springs into action with her lightsaber swinging. However, as the Mandalorian Knights are all Force-sensitive and all wield swords of preternaturally durable Mandalorian iron, the counterattack proves less than fully effective.
Rage fueling him, Admiral Bail Organa manages to take out five Mandalorians, killing three of them with precisely aimed and fired shots from his blaster while knocking the other two right out with powerful punches and kicks to vulnerable areas to the body. When one of the Knights slashes his gun arm through the elbow, though, nearly cutting his lower arm off, and sends him hurling into the bulkhead with an incredibly powerful toss, his role in the battle comes to an end.
Commander Raia Vaness, her body toned and honed with years of exercise and training, makes progress against nine of the Mandalorians, killing nearly half of them while injuring the rest. She goes down, though, when one of the Mandalorians manages to strike her in the back of the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking her unconscious.
Swinging her lightsaber, Siri Tachi tries to decapitate one of the Knights, but he quickly brings up his impervious sword, blocking the energy blade. Throwing out a fist, she punches the Mandalorian back instead, then spins around to attack another Mandalorian.
A master sharpshooter, Mr. Solo takes out seven Mandalorians with expertly placed shots to vulnerable areas of their bodies. He can do nothing, though, as a Mandalorian strides past his defenses up to him, shattering his knee with a well-placed kick, and then grabs hold of his face and slams his head back against the edge of the computer console behind him, killing him instantly.
Roaring with intense rage, Dnezzar leaps at the Mandalorian who killed Solo, tackling him to the deck. Grabbing the Mandalorian by the helmet, he begins slamming the warrior's head down over-and-over again until the Mandalorian stops moving. He doesn't get the opportunity to relish his victory, however, as another Knight beheads him before he can even stand back up.
Nebucha dies screaming as he is slammed through a console, electrocuting him.
Eventually, all fall except Siri, who stands before the remaining Mandalorian Knights drenched with sweat and breathing heavily, her fuschia blade glowing with fierce intensity before her.
SIRI: (grits her teeth) Savages.
Rearing her lightsaber back, she pounces, bringing the fuschia blade down towards the closest Mandalorian Knight.
Suddenly she stops in mid-strike, dropping her lightsaber as she utters a sharp gasp. An invisible grip pulls her up into the air and she reaches for her throat, gurgling as she begins to choke.
Pushing past his warriors, the Force Hound walks up to Siri, his right hand raised and clenched into a tight fist.
FORCE HOUND: We'll have no more of that, my dear.
Gurgling, Siri tries once to reach out at him with her left hand, but the intense pressure at her throat immediately dissuades her from the effort.
FORCE HOUND: (cont'd) It's time for you to go to sleep.
Wheezing, Siri's mouth begins to foam up and her eyes roll up into the back of her head. Unclenching his fist, the Force Hound releases his hold on her, allowing her to fall to the deck and breathe once more.
FORCE HOUND: (to the other Mandalorians) She's unconscious. Take her and bring her to the shuttle.
Obeying immediately, two of the Knights rush over to Siri. Pulling her up, they waste no time and move quickly to take her off the bridge.
MANDALORIAN #3: Some of the Imperial dogs are still alive, milord.
FORCE HOUND: Let them live. (beat) Let the rest of the Empire hear the tale of our day's victory from their comrades' own lips. Let them learn to fear the name "Mandalorian" once more.
With that, the Force-sensitive Mandalorians begin filing out of the Light Hammer's bridge, their job complete.
As the last of them exits the bridge, the Force Hound notices Siri's lightsaber lying abandoned on the deck. Reaching down, he picks the weapon up, and holds it up before him. Studying it momentarily, he then lowers it to his side and proceeds to follow after his minions.
EXT. TATOOINE - ANCHORHEAD - STREETS - DAY
The Mandalorians, having landed their fighters, are now searching the ruins of the town on-foot for any survivors, their blasters held at the ready.
INT. DEMOLISHED BUILDING - DAY
Ben and Anakin hide within the interior of a partially-demolished building, crouched down low over a window that looks out into the street. As the Mandalorians appear around the corner, they duck away, returning to the window only once they've passed on by.
ANAKIN: Who the hell are these guys?
OBI-WAN: Judging by the armour, I'd say they're Mandalorians.
ANAKIN: (shocked) Mandalorians? I thought they were wiped out in the First Clone War.
OBI-WAN: Not exactly. Their throneworld was decimated in the civil war that followed the assassination of Mandalore the Destroyer, and their civilization quickly disintegrated afterwards as a result, but various individual pockets survived and continue to exist. (beat) Without central leadership, many Mandalorians have since become pirates, mercenaries, and bounty hunters.
ANAKIN: What are they doing here? Tatooine has nothing of any value!
OBI-WAN: I don't know, Anakin, I honestly don't. (beat) Do you know how to operate a Mandalorian fighter?
ANAKIN: What kind of question is that?
OBI-WAN: A necessary one, because we're going to have to borrow a pair.
ANAKIN: What!?
OBI-WAN Do you have a better idea of getting us out of here? (beat) We can't use a landspeeder -- it wouldn't be fast enough to take us out of here before we were detected and destroyed. And the Twilight's out of the question as well; provided that it wasn't destroyed in the initial attack, it, too, is far too slow to evade the Mandalorian ships. That only leaves us with the fighters, which are incredibly fast, maneuverable craft.
Unable to offer up any better alternatives, Nik raises his hands in a gesture of placation.
OBI-WAN: Alright, then -- follow me.
Together, the Jedi and his ward slowly leave the crumbling building, taking care to look out for Mandalorians. Certain that they won't be spotted, they hurry along their way, staying close to the sides of the buildings while stopping to peer around corners.
Eventually, the pair finds their way to the parked Mandalorian fighters. Unfortunately, stationed on guard are three Mandalorian lookouts. Quickly, the two hide behind the large, fallen corner of a building before they can be seen.
ANAKIN: Great -- guards!
OBI-WAN: Don't worry. They're momentary obstacles at worst.
ANAKIN: Are you gonna take them out with your lasersword?
OBI-WAN: I don't think it'll have to come to that.
Leaning out around the corner of their hiding spot, Ben quickly throws his hand out toward the Mandalorian guards.
MANDALORIAN #4: (hears a sound) Hey, what was that?!
MANDALORIAN #5: (points toward a space between two buildings standing in the distance) It came from over there!
Wasting no time, the three Mandalorians take off to track down and ascertain the source of the sound they heard. Once the armoured warriors have disappeared between the two buildings, Ben and Nik come out of hiding and run up to a pair of waiting fighters.
ANAKIN: (feeling around the hull for an opening mechanism) I don't know how to get it open!
OBI-WAN: (turns to assist Anakin) Here, like this --
As the Jedi goes to help the boy, the Mandalorians who have been making their rounds throughout the demolished ruins of Anchorhead return.
MANDALORIAN #6: Set for "stun"! Fire!
Setting their blasters on "stun", the Mandalorians open fire on the two. Obi-Wan quickly pulls out his lightsaber, engaging the blade and using it to parry several stun-bolts, but in moments he and Anakin are both overwhelmed and taken down for the count.
Approaching the fallen partners, the Mandalorians stand over them, studying them from behind their face-concealing helmets.
MANDALORIAN #6: Inform the Deinonychus that we've caught another two bugs for the Force Hound's collection.