Secret weapons! The Jedi Council deploys a squad of droids on a desperate mission aboard a Separatist cruiser. Under the guidance of Colonel Meebur Gascon, the droids succeed in stealing a crucial encryption module. Now, the colonel and his droid squad must return the module to the Jedi Temple to crack a Separatist code detailing the impending terror plot against the Republic.

As D-Squad completes its repair work on M5-BZ, a warning light flashes on the ship's navicomputer: it is heading directly into a comet swarm. Gascon orders WAC-47 to drop the ship out of hyperspace.

As they come out of lightspeed, Gascon and D-Squad find themselves in the middle of the comet storm. WAC-47 tries to weave a safe path amid the enormous hunks of ice careening through space, but an impact with a comet fragment knocks the shuttle's power out.

WAC-47 halts the ship while the astromechs head outside to enact emergency repairs. Artoo, Qutee, Ceefor, and the newly refurbished Beezee cling tenaciously to the shuttle via their magnetized rollers. They re-establish auxiliary power, but it's not enough to get the sublight drives moving. WAC redistributes power to the primary motivators, coaxing the engines back to life as a particularly dense cluster of ice approaches.

Despite WAC's best efforts, the ship continues to be pummeled by ice. Qutee nearly tumbles into space, but is saved by a magnetic cable extended by Ceefor. Artoo does the same trick to keep Ceefor from being dragged off the ship, and then Beezee extends a cable as well, creating a chain of flailing astromechs. The droids reel themselves back in and board the shuttle.

With the stabilizer destroyed, the shuttle streaks out of the comet storm and towards a featureless planet. Colonel Gascon worries that it might be a Separatist world, but WAC-47 feels it may be past worrying about such things. He holds the shuttle as steady as he can as it punches into the atmosphere. Trailing smoke, the shuttle traces a dark line across the orange sky of the strange world before plowing into its chalky white surface.

The droids and Colonel Gascon collect themselves after the crash. Artoo picks up the fallen encryption module and safely stows it within his trunk. The crew emerges from the shuttle, surrounded by an empty expanse of featureless landscape -- stark, white ground dominated by an orange sky. R2-D2 can find no information on the planet other than its name: Abafar.

With the absence of data, Gascon wants to develop a recon plan, but Artoo trundles ahead into the wastes, and the other astromechs follow him -- there's no time to lose on this crucial mission. Gascon races after the insubordinate droids, hitching a ride inside Beezee.

The day progresses, but there are no visual cues as to the passage of time. No sun journeys across the sky of Abafar -- instead, a diffuse orange light bleeds from the sky, eliminating most shadows. There are no landmarks as far as the eye can see -- no life, no structures, no deviation in the landscape. The droid caravan doesn't even leave tracks in the regolith.

Colonel Gascon drains the last precious drops from his canteen. The oppressive heat bears down on him, and he loses his temper at being lost in the desert. Gascon argues that the droids' programming is inferior to his instincts and training, but WAC-47 begs to differ. When he casually suggests that he should be put in command of D-Squad once Gascon inevitably dies, the little colonel erupts.

Gascon's temper boils over when R2-D2 points out that they are approaching a crashed vessel. Assuming that D-Squad has marched in a circle, Gascon starts breaking down until he realizes the ship is ancient, maybe hundreds of years old. Found amidst the wreckage is the remains of the pilot -- who seemingly died as a result of staying with the ship. "Why is this happening to me!" Gascon shouts.

Forlorn, the tiny colonel loses the will to continue and descends into ranting despair. The droids decide to begin voting for a new leader. WAC-47 and R2-D2 each want the role.

Gascon, meanwhile, thinks he spots something on the horizon. He scrambles towards the mirage, which dissipates before his eyes.

Instead of salvation, Gascon finds his discarded canteen, proving that D-Squad has indeed been going in circles. Gascon loses it, reduced to a cackling fit of madness and existential crisis.

WAC-47 refuses to accept R2-D2 as his commander, and stays put as Artoo leads the rest of D-Squad into the void. This leaves WAC-47 and Gascon alone in the emptiness. WAC-47's refusal to give up gives Gascon reason to change his thinking. He was trained to seek out rational solutions -- something seemingly impossible in the madness of the void.

The ground starts to shake and a rumble rolls in from the endless horizon. WAC-47 and Gascon watch with surprise as a stampede of hundreds of bird-like creatures approaches. The colonel realizes that salvation lies not in his training or WAC-47's programming, but rather on natural instinct. He and WAC-47 each leap onto the back of two passing creatures, riding with the flock as the creatures approach a city and its life-giving reservoirs.

The city, carved out of the surface, is Pons Ora. Gascon and WAC-47 are surprised to see the rest of D-Squad already there.

Gascon is pleased to realize he has a second chance to complete his mission. Out of gratitude, Gascon promotes WAC-47 to the rank of corporal.

WAC-47, content with his new title, begins to bark orders at the rest of D-Squad. The astromechs, bemused by the situation -- Artoo still holds the encryption module, after all, which is most important -- head into the city, ready for the next phase of their adventure.