Sand Blasted

Darth Vader and General Rom Mohc are conducting field tests of the dark trooper initiative against Rebel forces stationed at Tak Base on the planet Talay. Amidst the chaos, a lone Rebel vessel, identified as the Grey Damsel, finds an opportunity to escape. The Commander of Tak Base urges the ship's crew to break free and disseminate information about the emerging threat to the broader Rebel Alliance. As the ship flees the planet and prepares for a hyperspace jump, a sudden breach occurs on the bridge. Captain Bok, realizing the futility of their weaponry against the attacker, urgently calls for the hyperspace jump to be aborted. Regrettably, their attempt is in vain, and the ship initiates the jump into hyperspace. All personnel on board perish.

Following their exit from hyperspace, the ship experiences catastrophic engine failure, resulting in a crash landing within the deserts of Tatooine.

Three years pass, and Big Gizz, Spiker, and the timorous Onoh find themselves camped beneath the Tatooine night sky. A thunderous rumble awakens Onoh and Spiker, prompting the latter to swiftly mount his swoop. Gizz, too, is roused by the disturbance but, disoriented, fails to reach his swoop before a convoy of sandcrawlers obliterates it. Fortunately, Spiker, with quick reflexes, intervenes, rescuing Gizz from certain doom. Enraged by the Jawas' indifference and the fact that he had to sell his blaster to buy the swoop, Gizz vows retribution. His tirade ceases abruptly as he realizes the sandcrawlers are headed towards the abandoned Podracing track, about to plunge over a cliff.

Spiker, aboard his swoop, is the first to reach the sandcrawlers, observing that the "'Crawler's still goin'" and predicting it will "overheat fast!" Approaching a door on the sandcrawler, Gizz notices blaster marks on its exterior. Spiker suggests the blaster pattern resembles that of an Imperial AT-AT walker. Disregarding this, Gizz forcefully removes the door, seizing a Jawa by its hood and issuing threats. After tossing the squealing creature aside, the Jawa speaks of a "Monster Droid" belonging to the "ugly white clan of the sky." Suddenly, Spiker spots a droid falling from one of the sandcrawlers. Onoh, in a fit of terror, exclaims it to be an "Imperial battle droid!" However, Gizz dismisses it as an IG-97 droid, deeming it "ain't scary." Gizz also alludes to the Galactic Empire's policy against battle droids, questioning the "Imperial" designation.

At that moment, an explosion tears a hole in the side of one of the sandcrawlers. The Jawa, identified as Klepti B'ay, screams in terror as the dark trooper he mentioned emerges from the breach. The dark trooper launches an assault, scattering the group and attempting to strike Gizz, Onoh, and Klepti with a rocket. Fortunately, Spiker intervenes, shooting the dark trooper in the back, diverting the missile's trajectory. Spiker urges Gizz to distract the trooper, who retaliates by punching Klepti and seizing his blaster. Spiker then employs a tow cable to restrain the trooper. While the dark trooper is immobilized, the IG-97 droid activates and fires several shots at it. Gizz joins in, but Spiker cautions, "Don't waste your time Gizz. That wreck is gonna blow sky high! Time to ride!"

Subsequently, the dark trooper breaks free from the tow cables, but the IG-97, continuing its assault, shoots the trooper's hand, causing it to drop its blaster. As Gizz expresses approval of the IG-97's actions, Spiker swoops in and retrieves the blaster just before the dark trooper can reach it. Realizing Spiker possesses its blaster, the dark trooper grabs the back of Spiker's swoop, attempting to dislodge him. Spiker manages to maintain his position on the front of the swoop, but the blaster proves too cumbersome for him to wield effectively against the dark trooper, and the droid takes it from him. Spiker, sensing imminent danger, cuts the swoop's thrusters. This action causes the dark trooper, who was previously stabilizing the swoop, to be propelled backward along with it. Spiker leaps off the swoop, landing awkwardly on the ground. The dark trooper effortlessly discards the swoop and advances towards the pair, weapon aimed. A sudden avalanche, however, crushes the trooper. The source reveals that Onoh and Klepti "ain't so useless either!"

Regrettably, the rockslide provides only temporary respite, and the dark trooper resurfaces, pursuing Gizz and Spiker away from the sandcrawler's wreckage, which then detonates, engulfing the dark trooper. Gizz and Spiker regain consciousness to the sound of Klepti conversing with Onoh. They are carrying Spiker's helmet, and after returning it to him, Onoh explains that Klepti now considers the group his tribe. As they observe the fading remnants of the explosion, a figure begins to emerge.

Fortunately, it is the IG-97 droid, posing no threat. Big Gizz seizes the droid by the arm and begins to drag it away. Klepti suggests selling the droid, anticipating a potentially lucrative return. Meanwhile, a falling rock strikes an old pit droid in the eye, activating it. The droid immediately seeks out another pit droid, which it awakens. They then commence their programmed task: collecting the fragments of the destroyed dark trooper to reconstruct it.