Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #9 will reveal so much more than just why Beilert Valances ditched the Empire. It will provide the latest example of procedural malfeasance that plagued the Empire in The Mandalorian echoes Valances' own departure and even the livelihood he later adopts, thus proving that this systemic policy was so engrained in the culture of the Empire that it later reared its ugly during the Empire's brief resurgence following Return of the Jedi.
Written by Ethan Sacks with art by Paolo Villanelli, a flashback shown in the preview for Marvel's Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #9 will continue where the previous issue left off, showing Valances, a very understandably agitated cadet of the Carida Imperial Naval Academy, yelling at four retreating TIE Fighters that have just abandoned him as he stands amid the wreckage of his own fighter. The few available pages depict a determined cadet whose faith in the Empire has yet to be shaken, despite this act of betrayal, one that will leave him forced to combat the planet's indigenous creatures on his own (a heroic feat that simultaneously reveals why he has a bionic eye).
The reason Valances leaves the Empire is uncovered when his discovers that the of the rescue party who later came to his aid weren't sent by the Empire, but arrived on their own volition. This lack of empathy and overall mindset that troopers are expendable is echoed in the chilling of Operation: Cinder, told by former Imperial Sharpshooter Migs Mayfeld in The Mandalorian. As Mayfeld explained, he was stationed on one of the planets that suffered from the infamous orbital bombardment devised by Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious to punish his Empire for failing to prevent his death. Check out the cover and some preview pages for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #9 below:
While on a covert operation with the Mandalorian, Mayfeld is forced to have drinks with his former commanding officer Valin Hess whom Mayfeld served under during the bombardment. The callously dismissive comments that Hess makes regarding the deaths of Mayfeld's comrades fills the former Imperial with such rage that he shoots the commander outright, a brash decision that immediately lowers the likelihood of his and the Mandalorian's survival.
What's crucial to realize is that Mayfeld submitted his resignation following the horrific events of Operation: Cinder on of how the Empire treated those who had dedicated their lives to help the Empire achieve its goals. Mayfeld later becomes a mercenary, a trade that shares unquestionable similarities to Beilert Valances' occupation as bounty hunter. Like Mayfeld, the way in which the Empire treats him is undoubtedly a major contributing factor as to why he leaves the Empire to become a bounty hunter.
