Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #6
In the latest issue of Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, Beilert Valance is on the run with one of the biggest bounties in the galaxy. Valance promised his now dead mentor Nakano Lash that he would protect a girl who could one day unite the two biggest criminal empires under one banner. However, there are many within said empires that don't want this to ever come to pass, hiring bounty hunters of their own to kill Valance and the young Cadeliah. Enter 4-LOM and Zuckuss, the most deadly duos in the entire Star Wars galaxy.
In the first few pages of Bounty Hunters #6 from writer Ethan Sacks and artist Paolo Villanelli, the leaders of the Unbroken Clan Syndicate determine to reach out to hunters of the highest caliber to take out Cadeliah and Valance, her new protector. Offering enough credits to cut through the complications of Valance being a part of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, 4-LOM and Zuckuss agree to take the job, which will more than make up for their loss of the Han Solo bounty they missed out on in Empire Strikes Back. The pair were among the hunters hired by Darth Vader to go after Solo and the Millennium Falcon, though Boba Fett beat them to the punch. Now, they're eager for a payday, even if it means going after a fellow member of the Guild.
What's really interesting about Bounty Hunters #6 is the depiction of Zuckuss and 4-LOM's unique skills and abilities working in tandem, showing readers exactly why they became partners in the first place. Zuckuss is a Gand Findsman, and his people have near precognitive intuition and abilities, making them the perfect trackers. 4-LOM is an expert droid slicer, able to hack into almost any system he comics into contact with. Using their skills together, they get a location on Valance and Cadeliah with ease, closing in on their prey.
Seeing their abilities combined, it's crazy that they didn't find Solo before Boba Fett did in Episode V. Regardless, the duo seems determined to claim their new prize in this issue, attacking Valance when he was at his most vulnerable right after getting repairs to his cybernetic systems. Valance seems to have a history with the two hunters as well, and Zuckuss even apologizes to the fellow hunter before sticking him with a sonic immobilizer. While Valance and Cadeliah barely manage to escape, 4-LOM and Zuckuss aren't going to give up so easily, with the pair even planning to reprogram their own squad of Clone Wars-era battle droids to aid them in their fight.
Things are not looking good for Valance and his new charge, especially with Zuckuss and 4-LOM on their tail alongside the syndicates. If this series has shown fans anything, it's that it takes a lot of skills and prowess to become a bounty hunter, but it also helps to have someone you can trust, as is seen with this particular bounty hunting duo in the Star Wars galaxy.