Hammertong/Legends

Hammertong was the codename given to a secret project involving the superlaser prime weapons for the Death Stars. Originating during the days of the Clone Wars, the project was known by few. It would end with the destruction of the Death Star II.

Origins of the project
During the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems was working on their Ultimate Weapon, a project which would later be turned over to the Galactic Empire, and converted into the Death Star project.

In 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine sent the 501st Legion of clone troopers to Mygeeto. The official story was that the unit was sent to support the Galactic Marines under Ki-Adi Mundi by destroying an energy collector. In truth, the unit was sent to retrieve a power crystal used in one of the Intergalactic Banking Clan's power generators that was necessary for the Hammertong project. General Mundi was suspicious of the unit's activities, but commander Bacara convinced him to let go of his phantom fears.

Mistryl involvement
By the time that the original Death Star was entering service in 0 BBY, the Hammertong project, now led by a scientist named Eloy, was already working on a superlaser design for the second, even more powerful battlemoon. A prototype section of the prime weapon was constructed in a secret facility on an anonymous planet near Tatooine, and when the research base was relocated to another planet, the Hammertong was installed for transport in a massive hold aboard a specially-adapted Strike Cruiser.

In 0 BBY, a scientist from the Hammertong project named Kellering approached a Mistryl Shadow Guard team lead by Manda D'ulin about providing security for the prototype during transit. Ostensibly, Kellering claimed that Eloy was skeptical about the capabilities of Captain Drome's security detail, but when he brought Manda to the base to meet Eloy, they were attacked by Stormtroopers and Manda was gunned down, followed shortly thereafter by her comrade Pav D'armon.

The four surviving Mistryl responded by attacking the Imperials, determined to leave a message that the military could not simply shoot down Shadow Guards as they pleased. Shada D'ukal and Karoly D'ulin stole the Strike Cruiser, blasting out of orbit even as an Imperial Star Destroyer arrived to guard the prototype.

Given the scale and firepower of the military security around the project, and the speed with which they attacked the Mistryl, it might be questioned whether Eloy really wanted the Shadow Guard to supplement his Imperial escorts, as Kellering claimed; some of the scientists may in fact have been planning to steal Hammertong - but at present, no direct evidence is available to cast light on Kellering's true motives.

The Mistryl escaped to Tatooine, where they hid the stolen cruiser beneath the sands of the Dune Sea, and Shada and Karoly headed into Mos Eisley, disguised as the Tonnika Sisters, to find a freighter that could transport part of the weapon back to Emberlene. They made contact with Rebel Alliance agent Riij Winward, but quickly fell out over whether details of the Hammertong should go first to the Shadow Guard or the Alliance. The Mistryl ended up with their freighter, but Winward stole their astromech Deefour, along with a technical readout of the device - promising politely to return it once the Alliance had acquired the information.

Later developments
It can be assumed that Deefour subsequently delivered the readouts to the Rebellion, while the Mistryl took their component back to Emberlene; but is unknown what happened to the Hammertong project team including Kellering and Eloy, or to the cruiser abandoned on Tatooine.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, however, there were rumors that Shada and her partner Talon Karrde had helped Booster Terrik to build a superlaser derived from this Hammertong prototype, and fitted it to the Errant Venture.

Behind the scenes
In Hammertong: The Tale of the "Tonnika Sisters", the secret Hammertong base is located amid rolling hills on an unnamed and seemingly innocuous world near Tatooine; the few details given all correspond with Palpatine's homeworld of Naboo, although of course that planet can have been little more than a glimmer in George Lucas's imagination when the story was published in 1995.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Death Star
 * Hammertong: The Tale of the "Tonnika Sisters"
 * Specter of the Past