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During the Clone Wars, a tournament was held on Serenno between bounty hunters vying for a place in Moralo Eval's plot to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.[4]
Prelude[]
In 20 BBY,[3] Moralo Eval, a criminal working for Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, worked out plans to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic. In order to find the most suitable recruits to execute these plans, Dooku and Eval hosted a tournament for the most formidable bounty hunters of that time on Serenno. These bounty hunters would face multiple tests in the Box, a floating cubic structure designed by Eval that contained several deadly rooms.[4]
Among the bounty hunters that would participate in the tournament were the Weequay Kiera Swan, two time winner of the Obsidian Sphere, the Parwan Derrown, known as "The Exterminator," the Sakiyan Sixtat, who held the title "Outlands Butcher," the Rodian Jakoli, infamous for always killing is targets rather than bringing them in alive, the Kyuzo Embo, who had the second largest bounty tall the preceeding season, the Selkath Mantu, the Snivvian Sinrich, the inventor of the holographic disguise matrix, Twazzi and Ithorian brothers Onca and Bulduga.[4]
All ten invited bounty hunters were already present at Castle Serenno on Serenno at the time Moralo Eval arrived, accompanied by bounty hunters Rako Hardeen and Cad Bane, who had broken Eval out of prison. Dooku and Eval convinced Bane and Hardeen to participate in the tournament. When Bane asked Bulduga where he got his hat, the Ithorian went for his blaster pistols. Bane was faster, however, and shot Bulduga dead, leaving the number of participants on eleven.[4]
Not long thereafter Dooku gathered the bounty hunters to formally introduce them and went on to tell them that the tournament would serve as an evaluation and after the tournament the five bounty hunters showing the most valuable skills and abilities during the contest would be recruited to carry out an important assignment for a handsome reward while additional survivors would be executed to leave to further witnesses. Eval went on to explain that the Box would consist of several simulations imitating problems that could occur during the assignment. After the briefing was complete the bounty hunters were to hand in their weapons, most likely to prevent them from ensuring their own survival by taking out fellow participants during the tournament.[4]
The tournament[]
The first challenge[]
- "Before we begin our first challenge let me say there is only one rule inside the Box; There are no rules."
- ―Moralo Eval to the bounty hunters
The bounty hunters then entered the box and the tournament started. Once in the first room, Eval appeared on a screen before the participants informing them that there are no rules during the tournament. Then a hole in the floor appeared and a stream of dioxis, extremely poisonous gas, entered the room. Small rising platforms coming out of the floor allowed the bounty hunters to evade the toxic gas that quickly occupied the lower levels of the room. The bounty hunters searched for a way out in the ceiling, but it started coming down threatening to either crush the participants against the platforms or force them into the layers of dioxis. Rako Hardeen then deduced that the way out was probably in the floor rather than the ceiling. Hardeen, wearing a protective helmet that would protect him for a short time against the poisoned gas, started scouting the floor and jumped in the very same hole the gas came through. The hole brought him below the gas line and appeared to be the entrance to a tunnel leading to the next room. Hardeen quickly informed his fellow participants, who followed him into the tunnel. This allowed the participants to successfully complete the first challenge without any casualties.[4]
The second challenge[]
- "Moralo Eval is impressed. No casualties on the first challenge. I guarantee you that will not be the case with the next."
- ―Moralo Eval on the second challenge
Moralo Eval congratulated the group on completing the first challenge without casualties and told them that he expected more casualties for the second challenge. Immediately thereafter parts of the wall started shoving in and out randomly with energy blades protruding. The bounty hunters tried to dodge and evade the blades, while desperately searching for a way out. Onca eventually got boxed in by wall sections and saw a wall with a blade coming straight at his face. He was relieved when the blade stopped several inches from his head, only to get impaled by a blade from behind, killing him.[4]
In the meantime Dooku asked Eval about Rako Hardeen while both where watching the tournament from the control room of the box. Eval then explained that Hardeen recently killed Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi with a sniper rifle which apparently interested Dooku.[4]
Meanwhile in the second challenge room Hardeen told Cad Bane that he had found a way out. He had spotted a pattern in the movement of the walls and the blades. With the right timing it could be possible to climb to a shaft in the ceiling. The bounty hunters following Hardeen's example started the climb. Kiera Swan was impaled before she could start climbing and Embo seemingly got into an argument with Sinrich, which ended up with the former choking the latter to death. The others made it safely to the shaft, completing the second challenge. Eval started to grow slightly frustrated for Hardeen had now solved the puzzle twice, while Dooku's admiration for Hardeen was growing.[4]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Box" (First appearance)- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis on Naboo" (In flashback(s))
- "Bane's Story" — The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- "Kenobi's Shadow" — The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (and audiobook) (Indirect mention only)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- Star Wars: Timelines
- The Box in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Friends and Enemies"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis on Naboo"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: Timelines
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Box"