Tournament on Serenno

Back in 20 BBY, Moralo Eval, a criminal operative working on behalf of Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, devised a plan to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic. To identify the most suitable recruits for this operation, Dooku and Eval organized a competition on Serenno, inviting the most formidable bounty hunters of the era. These hunters would face various trials within the Box, a floating cubic structure created by Eval, containing several lethal chambers.

Among the bounty hunters invited to the competition were Kiera Swan, a Weequay and two-time champion of the Obsidian Sphere; Derrown, a Parwan known as "The Exterminator"; Sixtat, a Sakiyan holding the title "Outlands Butcher"; Jakoli, a Rodian infamous for always killing his targets instead of capturing them alive; Embo, a Kyuzo who had the second-highest bounty the previous season; Mantu, a Selkath; Sinrich, a Snivvian who invented the holographic disguise matrix; and the Ithorian brothers Onca and Bulduga, along with Twazzi.

All ten invited bounty hunters were already at Castle Serenno on Serenno when Moralo Eval arrived, accompanied by Rako Hardeen and Cad Bane, who had helped Eval escape from prison. Dooku and Eval persuaded Bane and Hardeen to join the competition. When Bane inquired about Bulduga's hat, the Ithorian reached for his blaster pistols. However, Bane reacted quicker, shooting Bulduga dead and increasing the number of participants to eleven.

Shortly after, Dooku gathered the bounty hunters for a formal introduction, explaining that the competition would serve as an evaluation. The five hunters who demonstrated the most valuable skills during the contest would be recruited for an important mission with a generous reward, while any additional survivors would be executed to eliminate witnesses. Eval further explained that the Box would contain simulations of potential problems that could arise during the assignment. Following the briefing, the bounty hunters were required to surrender their weapons, likely to prevent them from ensuring their survival by eliminating fellow competitors during the tournament.

The bounty hunters then entered the Box, and the competition began. Once inside the first room, Eval appeared on a screen, informing them that there were no rules. Suddenly, a hole opened in the floor, releasing a stream of dioxis, an extremely poisonous gas, into the room. Small, rising platforms emerged from the floor, allowing the hunters to avoid the toxic gas that quickly filled the lower levels. The bounty hunters searched for an exit in the ceiling, but it began to descend, threatening to crush them against the platforms or force them into the dioxis. Rako Hardeen realized that the exit was likely in the floor. Wearing a protective helmet that offered temporary protection from the gas, Hardeen scouted the floor and jumped into the same hole from which the gas had emerged. The hole led him below the gas line to a tunnel leading to the next room. Hardeen quickly informed the others, who followed him into the tunnel, successfully completing the first challenge without any casualties.

Moralo Eval congratulated the group for completing the first challenge without casualties, stating that he expected more casualties in the second. Immediately afterward, sections of the wall began to move randomly, with energy blades protruding. The bounty hunters tried to dodge the blades while searching for a way out. Onca was eventually trapped by the wall sections and saw a blade approaching his face. He was relieved when the blade stopped inches away, only to be impaled by a blade from behind, resulting in his death.

Meanwhile, Dooku inquired about Rako Hardeen while watching the competition from the control room. Eval explained that Hardeen had recently killed Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi with a sniper rifle, which piqued Dooku's interest.

Back in the second challenge room, Hardeen informed Cad Bane that he had found a way out, noticing a pattern in the movement of the walls and blades. With precise timing, it was possible to climb to a shaft in the ceiling. The bounty hunters followed Hardeen's example and began to climb. Kiera Swan was impaled before she could start climbing, and Embo appeared to argue with Sinrich, ultimately choking him to death. The remaining hunters safely reached the shaft, completing the second challenge. Eval became increasingly frustrated as Hardeen solved the puzzle twice, while Dooku's admiration for Hardeen grew.