In 2 BBY, the Spectres allied with the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and the crime lord Azmorigan. Their objective: to pilfer an Imperial cargo ship. Previously, Hondo and Azmorigan had used ion mines to cripple the vessel. However, they couldn't seize the cargo because the ship was swept into an atmospheric storm above the planet Wynkahthu. Hondo's Ugnaught crew was lost when they boarded the ship to recover the loot. This prompted Hondo to seek Ezra's assistance, knowing the rebels desired the proton bombs also onboard. Following a perilous undertaking, the two groups successfully secured the proton bombs just before the cargo ship was destroyed in a vortex. Although Hondo managed to load a chest of treasure, it was discovered that Melch, the only surviving member of Hondo's Ugnaught crew, had secretly hidden inside, distrusting the Weequay pirate to not abandon him again.
Having escaped Naraka prison in 2 BBY, the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka journeyed through the stars aboard his Imperial landing craft, accompanied by several Ugnaught workers, including Melch. Hondo later connected with the crime lord Azmorigan, who had obtained the flight path for an Imperial cargo ship. This ship was carrying weapons and treasure, notably proton bombs.
Together, the two criminals and Hondo's Ugnaught crew ambushed the cargo ship in the vicinity of the planet Wynkahthu. They successfully used ion mines to disable the vessel. However, the ship then drifted into Wynkahthu's atmosphere, becoming trapped in a powerful storm. Hondo dispatched his Ugnaught crew to board the ship, but abandoned them when retrieving the cargo became too dangerous. Most of the Ugnaught crew perished, with the exception of Melch, who survived. Still determined to acquire the ship's cargo, Hondo reached out to his frequent associate Ezra Bridger, a member of the rebel cell operating from the starship Ghost.
Despite Ezra's awareness that Hondo had abandoned him and his comrades during their previous mission on Reklam Station, he agreed to assist Hondo after learning the ship contained proton bombs, which Phoenix Cell required for their planned assault on Lothal's Imperial Armory Complex. Hondo and Azmorigan docked their landing craft with the Ghost. The ship's captain, Hera Syndulla, and her fellow rebels were initially reluctant to help. However, Hondo persuaded them by suggesting a collaborative effort to secure both the proton bombs and the treasures, creating a "win-win" scenario for all involved.
Having agreed to aid Hondo and Azmorigan, Hera consulted the former Imperial inventory droid AP-5, who possessed familiarity with the cargo transport's specifications due to prior work on similar vessels. She tasked AP-5 and the Lasat Garazeb Orrelios with devising a strategy to board the ship and retrieve the cargo. Hera also placed Zeb in charge of the recovery mission, expressing concern that Ezra placed too much trust in Hondo. Ezra was displeased, but begrudgingly accepted Hera's decision.
Through collaborative effort, AP-5 formulated a plan. This plan involved the rebels and their criminal partners boarding the cargo ship via an upper hatch, proceeding to the cargo hold. After restoring the ship's power, they would deploy cables to connect to the Ghost. These cables would then be used to transport the cargo onto the Ghost. While AP-5 and Zeb had developed a functional plan, AP-5 failed to account for the presence of five DT-series sentry droids, activated upon the restoration of power. The rebels and their partners also had to contend with strong winds and the ship's precarious position above a vortex capable of tearing it apart.
The Ghost entered Wynkahthu's atmosphere, dropping Zeb and his team onto the ship's hull. Azmorigan forced his way onto the salvage team by threatening to halt the mission if excluded, citing his possession of the ship's cargo manifest. While Zeb, Ezra, the astromech droid Chopper, Hondo, and Azmorigan boarded the ship, Sabine Wren remained in the Ghost's hold to manage cargo transfer. Hera, Kanan Jarrus, and AP-5 oversaw the mission from the cockpit of the Ghost. After landing on the hull, the rebels and their confederates gained entry to the ship's corridors through a manhole. Zeb directed Chopper to the bridge to restore the ship's power.
The Spectres and their confederates soon encountered Melch, who expressed his anger towards Hondo for abandoning him. With Zeb present, Hondo was compelled to reveal his previous recovery attempt, which resulted in the loss of his Ugnaught crew, except for Melch. As compensation, Hondo offered the Ugnaught a 2 percent share of the treasure, which the latter accepted with enthusiasm. Zeb remained distrustful of Hondo, but Ezra argued that his friend had only omitted part of the truth. The salvage party eventually reached the cargo bay.
While Chopper successfully restored power, Ezra deliberately cut a hole in the door to the cargo hold using his lightsaber, signaling his disapproval of Zeb's leadership. Once inside the cargo bay, the rebels opened the outer doors. The Ghost then approached the cargo bay. Unable to land, Zeb fired winch cables at the Ghost, securing them to each side of the door where Sabine awaited. Ezra and Zeb then commenced sending cargo over, which Sabine stored aboard the ship's cargo bay. At Zeb's insistence, they prioritized loading the proton bombs.
However, restarting the ship's power activated one of the cargo ship's sentry droids. The droid encountered Azmorigan, who had left the cargo bay following a dispute with Hondo over the treasure, and imprisoned him in the ship's brig. When Azmorigan disappeared, Zeb went to search for him. Ezra's distrust of Hondo grew when the latter displayed a dismissive attitude towards Azmorigan's disappearance, suggesting he could claim a larger share of the treasure. Meanwhile, Zeb was stunned by the sentry droid and locked in the brig. By this point, Sabine had received the fourth batch of proton bombs.
However, a lightning strike disabled the ship's stabilizers, causing it to tilt towards the vortex. As the weather worsened, Hera urged her crew and the criminals to expedite their efforts. Chopper returned to the cargo bay while Ezra searched for Zeb. After learning Zeb was in the brig, Ezra and Chopper headed there and freed Zeb and Azmorigan. While returning to the ship, they encountered the sentry droid. Despite Zeb's orders to remain hidden, Azmorigan destroyed the droid with his blaster. This action activated the four remaining sentry droids, who pursued the rebels and their confederates.
The rebels fled back to the cargo bay where Hondo and Melch awaited. During the ensuing gunfight, Ezra and Zeb managed to destroy another sentry droid. Hondo and Azmorigan transported themselves and a crate of treasure back to the Ghost, while Chopper activated his rocket boosters and fled the cargo ship. Zeb and Ezra rode on the last batch of proton bombs to the Ghost. However, the droids blasted the winch supporting the cable, causing it to snap. Ezra and Zeb managed to cling to the cable and climb aboard the Ghost with Kanan's assistance. Meanwhile, the cargo ship and the sentinel droids plunged into the vortex and exploded.
As a result of the salvage operation on the Imperial cargo ship, the Spectres successfully obtained proton bombs for the rebellion. Despite Hondo's claim that Melch had died, the rebels, Hondo, and Azmorigan discovered that the Ugnaught had smuggled himself into Hondo's chest. Melch, lacking trust in Hondo to protect his life, took it upon himself to ensure his own survival. Although disappointed at not receiving his share of the treasure, Hondo asserted that he had learned the value of friendship. Having achieved their objectives, the rebels, Hondo, and Azmorigan parted ways and departed on their respective ships.