The Mystery of Chopper Base

The rebel forces eventually discover a viable location to establish a clandestine base, only to realize that their chosen sanctuary is not as secluded as they initially thought...

Following the finding of Atollon, the Phoenix Squadron has begun building a base there. The Ghost starship left the rebel fleet's Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier to deliver a power generator shipment to CT-7567 "Rex," who was overseeing the base's construction. After contacting Rex, Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren walked into the cargo area, where Ezra Bridger and his mentor Kanan Jarrus were practicing with lightsabers.

The lightsaber duel concluded in a stalemate, with Ezra's blade pointed at Kanan's neck and Kanan's blade pointed at Ezra's chest. Kanan lectured Ezra that ties don't exist in combat, but Ezra countered that they win by defeating Inquisitors. Kanan then said that they win by surviving. Ezra showed annoyance when Sabine commented on his improvement, taking it as an indication that he wasn't as proficient as before. After Hera comforted Ezra, Kanan reminded his apprentice not to expose his back to his adversary. The two Jedi then resumed their sparring.

After the Ghost touched down at the rebel base, Kanan tried to engage Hera in conversation, but she remained uneasy about Kanan and Ezra's upcoming journey. Shortly thereafter, Garazeb Orrelios and Chopper exited the Ghost. Upon their arrival, Hera informed AP-5, the former Imperial inventory droid, that the power generator crate had arrived. AP-5 complained about the shipment's lateness and questioned Chopper about the rebels' punctuality. The astromech droid affirmed.

At the command center, Rex briefed the Spectres, informing them that his scouts had located an underground water source. Sabine and the other scouts had been deploying sensor markers around the base's perimeter to deter potential intruders. Zeb expressed irritation regarding a small creature known as a dokma. Rex speculated that Atollon was hot, arid, and unpleasant but conceded that the planet harbored nothing that was trying to kill them. Meanwhile, the rebel pilot Lieutenant Dicer was planting a sensor beacon on the northern perimeter when she was ambushed and captured by a krykna, a large spider-like creature native to Atollon.

Back at the base, Hera's joy in establishing a new rebel base was tempered by her knowledge that Kanan and Ezra would be departing with Ahsoka Tano for Malachor. Kanan attempted to reassure his companion that the Jedi knew what they were doing. He emphasized that the Jedi had to proceed with their mission for the rebellion to succeed. Meanwhile, Sabine and Rex received a report that Lieutenant Dicer was missing and unresponsive. Hera dispatched Rex and Sabine aboard the Phantom to the northern perimeter to locate Dicer.

Meanwhile, on the Ghost, Chopper collided with Ezra. When Ezra inquired about Zeb's whereabouts, Chopper directed him towards a nearby cliff overlooking the desert and several giant coral plants. Upon arriving, Ezra found Zeb relaxing, listening to music, and watching the sunset. When Ezra confided in Zeb about his impending departure and expressed his fears of never meeting again, Zeb reassured his younger friend and joked that he and his friends would have overthrown the Empire by the time that Kanan and Ezra had returned. He suggested that they could then share war stories.

At the northern perimeter, Sabine and Rex discovered Dicer's sensor marker but found no trace of the scout. Rex noticed her helmet and discovered a pair of dokma underneath. Rex deduced that Dicer was captured after planting the sensor. The two rebels were subsequently attacked by several large krykna. Sabine managed to fend them off with her two blaster pistols and requested reinforcements, but Rex was captured by the krykna. Shortly thereafter, the Ghost arrived and managed to drive the krykna away. After the ship landed, Sabine informed Hera that the creatures had taken Rex and Dicer.

Hera then instructed Chopper to pinpoint Rex's location using his antenna. While Zeb wanted to guard the ship, Hera told him they needed him and instructed Chopper to guard it. Chopper flew the Phantom back into the Ghost and stayed aboard the ship. Meanwhile, the rebels ventured into the underground tunnels, with Ezra and Kanan using their lightsabers for illumination. Sabine then informed the other rebels that the krykna had thick armor but vulnerable eyes.

As they progressed deeper into the tunnels, Hera instructed the rebels to split up. She dispatched Ezra and Kanan to explore one section while she, Sabine, and Zeb explored the other. After Zeb questions the wisdom of not having a Jedi on each side, Hera explained that they had to get used to not having the two around. Shortly thereafter, Kanan and Ezra encountered a krykna. Ezra attempted to use the Force to connect with the creature, but, frightened, it attacked, and he was unable to establish a connection. Kanan was forced to kill the creature with his lightsaber. When Ezra protested, he scolded his apprentice for lacking common sense. Meanwhile, Hera and the other rebels stumbled upon a lair filled with spider eggs. They managed to free Rex from a sleeping krykna's mandibles but were unable to locate Dicer. Shortly thereafter, they were pursued by several krykna.

Sabine managed to kill one of the krykna with a detonator but was unable to halt their advance. As more krykna approached, the rebels fired at them with their blasters. The rebels were quickly rejoined by Ezra and Kanan. After a struggle, they managed to fight their way back to the Ghost, where Chopper lowered the ramp for them to board. As they were boarding the Ghost, Kanan remarked that the base wasn't a good location, but Hera refused to give up. Hera attempted to fly the ship, but the Ghost was held down by a large web spun by the krykna. Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb used the ship's laser cannons to blast the krykna but were unable to break the ship free of the web.

Under Hera's orders, Sabine diverted all auxiliary power to the hull. This electrocuted one of the krykna, but the spidery creatures were not deterred for long. Ezra then realized that the rebels were not going anywhere unless they broke free of the krykna's web. When Zeb expressed reluctance to go, Ezra angrily replied that he did not want to be the last Jedi in the galaxy to be chomped up at the hands of creatures because they were too afraid to go outside. At that point, Sabine realized that the krykna disliked the sensor markers and suggested using them to hold them at bay while they escaped.

Implementing Sabine's plan, the rebels launched a counter-attack and broke out through the ramp. Meanwhile, Rex fought off a krykna that had entered the rear exit of the Ghost. Back at the front, Ezra and Kanan used their Force powers to hurl Sabine towards the sensor marker. However, they threw her too far, and she landed at the top of a pit. Back at the Ghost, Rex and Chopper managed to work together to expel the krykna. After Rex had kicked it out, Chopper sealed the ship's rear exit.

At the front line, Sabine managed to crawl out of the pit and grab the sensor marker before a krykna could catch her from behind. The Mandalorian then used the marker to force her way back to the ship. After Sabine arrived back on the Ghost, Ezra and Kanan used their lightsabers to cut through the krykna's webs around the Ghost. This allowed Hera to lift off the ship and ferry the rebels safely back to base. When Rex suggested reporting to Commander Jun Sato that the base was unsafe, Hera responded that the rebels had already poured so much effort into the base and reiterated that they would not give up. Kanan backed her up and came up with the idea of using the sensor markers to form a fence around the base's northern perimeter.

The following day, Sabine and Kanan observed rebel troops constructing a fence using sensor markers. Sabine also informed Kanan that Hera wished to speak with him. She explained that Hera supported the mission but worried about never seeing Kanan or Ezra again. Kanan then approached Hera and attempted to assure her that he and Ezra would be alright. However, Hera sensed his deception and confided that she preferred facing challenges together. Kanan then reassured Hera that they would see each other again before embracing her.

Meanwhile, Ezra made a second attempt to connect with a krynka at the northern perimeter. However, his efforts were futile, and Ezra fumed in frustration. Shortly thereafter, Ahsoka arrived and spoke with Ezra. When Ezra told her about his predicament with the krykna, she explained that the Force became more mysterious as one learned more about it. Ezra then followed Ahsoka back to the camp but paused to gaze at the sensor perimeter and the surrounding flora. Above, an owl-like creature known as a convor hooted before the screen panned out.