In an effort to curb the growing threat of vermin to the local inhabitants, a group of paid soldiers, otherwise known as mercenaries, undertook a task to diminish the womp rat population on the desert world of Tatooine. After successfully eradicating several womp rat habitats, the mercenaries stumbled upon a research facility where experiments were being performed on the womp rats, leading to their recent surge in hostility. The group proceeded to obliterate the lab along with its defenses. They then advanced to assault and dismantle a heavily fortified installation where the same mercenaries who ran the lab were actively breeding womp rats.
During the period that fell between the Yavin Conflict and the Hoth Engagement within the timeframe of the Galactic Civil War that pitted the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire, a mercenary outfit commenced breeding and experimenting on the pests known as womp rats upon the planet of Tatooine. These experiments were executed within a small research laboratory, while the breeding operation was conducted at a separate, more robustly defended outpost. These activities resulted in the local womp rat populations exhibiting increased aggression, which in turn led to an escalation in attacks on the local populace. Saponza, a mercenary who had recently established a crew with his associate on Tatooine and aligned himself with the Rebellion in the Galactic Civil War, was approached by a longtime friend to investigate the surge in womp rat attacks.
Saponza and his partner initiated their operation by heading to a location with several womp rat lairs, where they sent in soldiers to destroy the vermin's homes. This action provoked thirteen womp rats, but they were unable to defend their nests, all of which were destroyed. The team then found the mercenary research lab. Saponza then commanded his spacecraft, the Strix, to strafe the lab's defenses before his partner sent in troops. The troops were attacked by five womp rats and an autoturret, but they succeeded in destroying the entire lab and a couple of womp rat nests nearby. After the lab's destruction, Saponza and his partner were contacted by Jennica Pierce, who told them about the mercenary base where womp rat breeding was happening. With reinforcements from their allies, the group headed to the base and fought past five autoturrets and seventeen womp rats guarding it, before destroying the entire complex.
After the battle, Saponza expressed his admiration for the units his allies had sent to support him and his partner. The pair then went back to their property, where they oversaw the addition of more defenses, before being ambushed by mercenaries who were unhappy with the presence of Saponza's allies on Tatooine.
The mission was first featured in Star Wars: Commander, a mobile strategy application launched by Disney Interactive in 2014. This mission acts as the game's inaugural chapter, labeled "Humble Beginnings," and is divided into three segments. Earlier in the game, players are presented with the decision to side with either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance. This choice dictates the troops they can construct and deploy in battle. This article does not assume which faction was chosen and therefore what troops participated in the mission.