**All Star Wars is good Star Wars and I’ve enjoyed seasons 1-2 of The Mandalorian (I even co-host a podcast about it!). That being said, I wish the creatives and the characters placed a higher value on wildlife. Hope you enjoy this fan fiction!
The Star Wars Environmental Corps rangers have their work cut out for them studying and protecting wildlife. Baby Yoda and his guardian’s lack of respect is disturbing.
Submission of form #SF-1138 by Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
Below please find my statement of fact regarding recent wildlife killings in my jurisdiction.
I am assigned to the study and protection of wildlife in quadrant A5 of the Mid and Outer Rim. On average, it takes me nearly one Coruscant year to make the rounds of the 15 systems assigned to me. Repurposed R-series and Imperial probe droids are indispensable for site monitoring in my absence.
Probe droid #6766 recently alerted me to a seismic event on Tatooine. I was completing a visit to Crait and decided to change my usual route and investigate what was potentially a rare earthquake. On arrival, I made a low altitude survey of the area and saw the body of an enormous animal outside of a cave. Sensors in the R2-X9 unit on patrol nearby confirmed the readings originated at this site.
You can reference my previously filed reports for details of my interactions with the people of Mos Pelgo, a small outpost no longer on the official Tatooine maps. My discovery of the town was an accidental outcome of a probe droid’s automated reconnaissance pattern. The people there tell stories of a Krayt dragon. Though details were few and only somewhat believable, I narrowed the probe droid’s range using their information and found a few potential lairs. On my last visit, I left two R2 units behind, each at a potential site of the dragon’s den. I have not shared those locations with anyone outside the formal reports to this agency.
Upon touching down at the site, I was quickly able to confirm the carcass was that of a Krayt dragon, likely more than two thousand years old. Bones collected on Tatooine and housed in the Coruscant Zoo’s collections have provided some information about their natural history, but no records of a live specimen or tissue samples have been collected. The carcass was picked over, likely by the indigenous Tusken Raiders based on cut marks on the bones. But it was clear that this ancient creature did not die of natural causes (see attached pictures). I collected as many skin and tissue samples as possible and have frozen them in the little carbonite I had remaining (please see my requisition request #SRF-1902 previously filed and still outstanding). These will be offloaded on my next rotation on Naboo for shipment to Coruscant and will hopefully lead to a better understand of this amazing creature.
On the assumption that the den was abandoned, I also ventured into it and mapped the interior spaces. Based on structure and dimensions, I surmise that this was once home to a sarlacc. This only leads to more questions and will likely double the amount of time I spend surveying the planet.
I am now headed to Mos Pelgo to see if the villagers have any more information and will file supplemental reports.
To: Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
This is an automated message to acknowledge your submission of form #SF-1138. Case #TX-1002 has been opened and referred to the appropriate department. You will receive a response from your case manager in due time. Your hard work is appreciated.
Submission of form #SF-1138×1 by Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
I have yet to receive a response regarding the incident outlined in case #TX-1002, accompanied by form #SF-1138 and including a written incident report. This letter should be appended as supplemental information.
Attached you will also find a witness statement from Captain Carson Teva, who is referenced in in this report. His details are included with form #PP-1212.
Per my previous submission about the incident on Tatooine, my intention was to revisit Mos Pelgo in order to inquire about the unnatural death of the Krayt dragon. I continue to ponder how residents could have undertaken such a task on their own and it doesn’t seem likely, based on my knowledge, that they worked together with the Tusken Raiders. I understand that the Tuskens do not fall under the jurisdiction of this department and can therefore not be held accountable if they played a role in this incident.
My plans were interrupted when, upon returning to my ship, I had alerts from probe droid #0818 stationed on Maldo Kreis, reporting a large seismic event in progress on that planet.
I decided the investigation on Tatooine could be put on hold and I left immediately.
As noted in my previous reports, though Maldo Kreis is an ice planet with very little life, my studies of the spider population should determine their relation (if any) to the knobby white spiders of Degobah, the spice spiders of Taul, and the krykna of Atallon. Due to the spider’s exceptionally territorial nature, the droids have done the bulk of the on site work. The R4-Y2 droid stationed there captured video and sensor readings confirming that they hatch essentially as one. As soon as the egg case of one is breached, a chemical signal triggers the hatching of all nearby eggs. This was a remarkable discovery and the implications are still being studied. I had hoped to collect more data during this year’s event.
Upon my arrival to the known nesting site located near the site of the seismic event, I found the dead bodies of dozens of ice spiders. All ages from hatchling to ancient had been massacred; in my years of wildlife observations I have never seen anything as upsetting. There was also a large hole in the ice through which I rappelled, only to find more bodies. Blaster marks and footprints made it clear that someone had breached the den of the ice spiders and then fled. See attached pictures for distinct track marks that I hope the investigative team can identify.
In the warm incubation room, every egg case was empty. Probe droid #0818 had been on patrol nearby but was not programmed to be back on site until closer to the expected hatching date. R4-Y2 was stationed elsewhere as well so I do not have video or sensor data to determine exactly how this tragedy unfolded.
I spent some time mapping the exposed cavern and counting and measuring the bodies but did not find any survivors. I collected specimens but do not have any carbonite to freeze them with so will attempt to store them in alcohol, which will diminish their suitability for scientific study. Please expedite my requisition request #SRF-1902 which is still outstanding.
I admit to being severely upset by the carnage and decided to visit the nearest town’s cantina. While there, I overheard a New Republic pilot (later identified as Trapper Wolf of the Starfighter Corps) mentioning his recent escapades, which included shooting ice spiders “like womp rats.” I fully admit to confronting this officer in a hostile manner. His partner, Captain Teva, separated us. Upon learning my credentials, cooler heads prevailed and I was told the entire account, which is attached as a statement from Captain Teva.
As you know, regulations allow for the killing of wildlife when other lives are at risk. There are many dangerous species throughout the galaxy that will attack when provoked. Ice spiders are one of these, even when newly hatched they are lethal. I place no blame for the mass killing with pilot Wolf and Captain Teva, who were doing their duty while on patrol in a distant and remote area. From their account, the reckless actions of a pilot of a pre-Imperial vessel known as the Razor Crest was at fault for this incident. His illegal actions when fleeing from the lawful New Republic patrol led to the killing of an entire population of ice spiders. Their eggs were likely disturbed, triggering a mass hatching and potentially a response from adults in defense of their young, a basic right we afford every species we have encountered.
Witness Statement of Carson Teva
Captain, New Republic Starfighter Corps
As part of routine patrols, my partner Trapper Wolf and I flagged down the ship Razor Crest near the planet Maldo Kreis. The recording of our multi-channel conversation and our display readouts are available as we both initiated recording prior to first contact per New Republic regulations.
Wolf believed he had seen this ship before, fleeing the scene after Bothan-Five’s beacon was tracked down to a nearby space station. Wolf’s nephew, Lt. Wi-et Davan of the New Republic Correctional Corps, was killed aboard Bothan-Five so as soon as he saw the ship’s ping, he recognized the connection and moved to attack position. The Razor Crest pilot fled and, after a short chase, we lost sight of the ship within a crevasse on Maldo Kreis. We engaged in a routine search pattern for a while before giving up and calling in our report.
It was then that we were sent further information about the incident on Bothan-Five and learned that the pilot was likely the Mandalorian that had been recorded on the ship’s cameras attempting to save the life of Lt. Davan. Wolf felt strongly that we should resume our search. We found the ship by its heat signature as the engines were re-engaged. It was clearly in peril, with a giant spider attacking it. Wolf shot and killed the spider using his ship’s laser cannon and then he and I parked and used our A280s to kill the dozens of other spiders crawling on the ship.
While looking through the scope, I noted that a signet on the pilot’s armor (right shoulder) was distinct in shape. The pilot requested assistance repairing his ship, which we declined. I also made the judgment call not to arrest him as I felt it was part of Wolf’s family debt being repaid.
That evening in the cantina of a nearby outpost, Wolf became inebriated and ended up in a scuffle. He was distressed by the events of the day and their connection to his family tragedy. Once we learned of Ranger Mohi’s identity and intentions, we discussed the events at length while Mx. Mohi took notes and alerted us that formal statements may be needed. Upon mentioning the Mandalorian’s signet to Mx. Mohi, I was asked to draw it. They believe it to be a mudhorn, an animal they told me is native to the planet Arvala-7.
As to the other complaints in Ranger Mohi’s statement, I can only state that the trajectory of the Razor Crestsupports that the ship was traveling from Tatooine at low speed.
Please contact my unit commander at the Adelphi outpost if further information is required. Details are provided in form #PP-1212.
To: Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
This is an automated message to acknowledge your submission of form#SF-1138×1 and form #PP-1212 to be appended to case #TX-1002. Please submit all inquiries about requestion request #SRF-1902 via form SRFx1-1902. You will receive a response from your case manager in due time. Your hard work is appreciated.
Submission of form #SF-1138×2 by Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
I continue to await a formal response regarding the incident outlined in case #TX-1002. Supplemental information and a witness statement were subsequently filed via form SF-1138×1. This letter serves as additional supplemental information and also includes a follow up witness account from Captain Carson Teva. His details are included in the previously filed form #PP-1212.
I recognize that this department has limited staff and funding. I am heartened that the department exists at all after the generations of decreasing environmental protections and the complete disregard for them during the Imperial Era. In the aftermath of the catastrophic Aldreaan incident, it is understandable that credits were funneled towards freeing the galaxy from The Empire. The few of us rangers that were hired under the New Republic to study and protect wildlife are overworked and those in the Mid and Outer Rim travel great distances to cover our territories.
I have been in touch with my fellow ranger, #093 Mehitu Ka, whose jurisdiction includes Arvala-7. She reports the unnatural death of a female mudhorn, one of the precious few remaining. Her studies of their dwindling population have shown that they only reproduce a few times in their lives and lay one egg at a time. She will file a full report soon but relayed to me rumors that the Jawas who have recently colonized the planet consider the mudhorn egg a delicacy. She thinks them an unlikely threat due to their scavenging, rather than predatory, nature but will attempt to interview them. Due to the decomposition of the mudhorn, however, she cannot be sure what happened without further study.
It may be that this incident is unrelated to the killings of a Krayt dragon on Tatooine and a colony of ice spiders on Maldo Kreis, but the timing and potential connection to a mysterious Mandalorian with a mudhorn signet makes me think otherwise. Though I know the marshal of Mos Pelgo to don Mandalorian armor, he is not of that creed. Nonetheless, he may have more information and I am headed back to Tatooine to interview him and the other residents of Mos Pelgo. I request teams be dispatched to assist me and Ranger Ka in following up on these incidents. Confirming the pilot’s signet will help in identifying him in any future encounters.
Supplement to Witness Statement of Carson Teva
Captain, New Republic Starfighter Corps
In the time since filing my initial report, pilot Trapper Wolf and I visited the planet Nevarro to investigate an incident. The same Razor Crest beacon was registered in their port, but the ship was no longer there and local authorities were tight-lipped as to its whereabouts or even its existence. I believe Ranger Mohi’s suspicions require follow up from an investigatory team. The Mandalorian pilot involved in the incident on Maldo Kreis may be leaving a wake of destruction in his path, though there remains little evidence to explain or predict his movements. Tracking down the Razor Crest is of vital importance. The starfighter corps is under-staffed but Wolf and I will certainly be on the lookout for the vessel and its pilot.
To: Jumi Mohi, Ranger #081 of the New Republic Environmental Corps
This is an automated message to acknowledge your submission of form #SF-1138×2, which has been appended to case #TX-1002. Please submit all inquiries about requestion request #SRF-1902 via form SRFx1-1902. You will receive a response from your case manager in due time. Your hard work is appreciated.