Mission to cull womp rats

"Okay that was a piece of cake. Let's get outta here before the charred Womp rat smell attracts a Krayt dragon."

- Saponza celebrates an easy victory

A gang of mercenaries participated in a mission to reduce the womp rat population on the planet Tatooine in order to stop the vermin attacking locals. After destroying a group of womp rat nests, the mercenaries discovered a research lab where experiments were being conducted on womp rats, causing their recent increased aggression. The gang destroyed the lab and its defences, then moved on to attack and destroy a well-defended base where the mercenaries who had operated the lab were breeding womp rats.

Prelude
"Okay partner, we've been getting reports of locals being attacked by huge swarms of womp rats. An old friend asked me if we could investigate."

- Saponza informs his partner of the mission

Sometime between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth during the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire, a group of mercenaries began breeding and experimenting on the vermin known as womp rats on the planet known as Tatooine. The experiments were carried out in a small research lab, while the breeding was carried out in a separate, more heavily defended base. Both practices caused the local womp rat populations to become more aggressive, leading to increased attacks by the vermin on locals. The mercenary Saponza, who had recently set up a gang with his partner on Tatooine and chosen a side in the Galactic Civil War, was asked by an old friend to look into the increase in womp rat attacks.

The cull
"Look at that, it's a research lab. I bet that's the reason these rats are so aggressive lately. Some nut's been experimentin' on 'em. Lets take it out."

- Saponza and his partner discover the cause of the recent attacks

Saponza and his partner began the mission by traveling to the location of a group of womp rat nests, where they deployed troops to destroy the vermins' homes. The attack drew out thirteen womp rats, but they were unsuccessful in defending the nests, all of which were destroyed. The gang then discovered the mercenary research lab, and Saponza piloted his starship the Strix in for a strafe of the lab's defences before the his partner deployed troops which were attacked by five womp rats and an autoturret but managed destroyed the entire lab and a pair of womp rat nests nearby. After the lab was demolished, Saponza and his partner were contacted by their allies, who informed them of the mercenary base were womp rat breeding was taking place. With reinforcements from their allies, the gang made their way to the base and fought past five autoturrets and seventeen womp rats defending it, before leveling the entire compound.

Aftermath
"Looks like we picked some good allies."

- Following the destruction of the mercenary base, Saponza is reassured of his partner's choice of ally

Following the battle, Saponza admired the units that his allies had sent to aid him and his partner. The pair then returned to their homestead, where they oversaw the construction of increased defences, before coming under attack from mercenaries unhappy with the presence of Saponza's allies on Tatooine.

Behind the scenes
The mission first appeared in Star Wars: Commander, a mobile strategy game released by Disney Interactive in 2014. The mission serves as the games first chapter, titled "Humble beginnings" and is split into three parts. At an earlier point in the game players are given a choice of allying with the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance, and this determines what troops they can build and use in battle. This article makes no assumption about which faction was selected and so what troops participated in the mission.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Commander