(Star Wars belongs to its respective owners and does not belong to me, it belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC and The Walt Disney Company)
This Star Wars comic was published by Marvel Comics in 1977, and I am doing a novelization of it.
Title: Deadly Reunion
On the planet Drexel, in the floating city of the governor, he explained the rules to the young adventurer.
—The ship's policy, my young friend, is to annihilate all outsiders... and cannibalize all the metal and machinery. And my job is to enforce that policy! He proclaimed to the governor, implying the rules of his settlement.
- Governor Quarg, I have been trying to explain to you that this droid R2-D2 is one of the best repair units ever created. Look how well he's doing with that Hydra-Skimmer that your own chief mechanic says should be discarded! I assured the young blond man, the chief of the floating settlement.
One could observe how the astromech, Luke's faithful companion, was restoring a maritime vessel with his tools, showcasing their usefulness.
- Impressive, Skywalker. And for me to override the ship's policy... This demonstration should continue like this! Demanded Quarg, watching with admiration the skills of the astromech.
"Do you understand, 2D? Your work will determine whether we continue in service as real droids... or if we end up as water extraction cubes, hooks, or something worse!" He warned the golden automaton, wanting to avoid being scrapped by the inhabitants of the gigantic ship.
- Hey... Master, Luke? The little droid doesn't seem to understand the situation. He claims that, except for the assembly, it's finished! But obviously, it will take several days, maybe a week. C-3PO complained to his owner that his mechanic friend couldn't go that fast.
"I want that Skimmer armed and in the water for a test immediately." He demanded of the leader of the large vessel.
And much sooner than C-3PO would have preferred, the hastily repaired ship sways on the waves in front of the stern of the vast city-ship... With Luke at the helm!
- We are at war with the dragon lords, Skywalker. If you and these droids can prepare a useless skimmer for combat... Their future is secured! That float on the horizon is your target... sink it and I will be quite satisfied. Ordered the governor wanting to see the effectiveness of the combat boat.
- Sounds easy. But the mechanics and maintenance are not, maintenance is not this people's strong suit! I realized by the way their sliders behaved while fighting those sea dragons. Let's hope this watercraft hasn't been damaged too much so that the 2D repairs can stop! Thot the unknown son of Vader, hoping that this vessel would work.
- Well, at least you're right about that, R2!, but frankly, I think the restoration of the laser cannon's power system was done too quickly. The golden automaton questioned, seeing the possible problems that his comrade's adjustments would cause.
- Wee-Doop. The protocol droid mocked disrespectfully.
- Insults don't make it any less true. The yellow robot questioned his companion's negative attitude.
- That float is a solid mass of logs! Fully operational lasers could still cut thru them like butter... But these cannons have obviously not been fully operational for years! Skywalker noticed that the ship's circuits looked poorly restored due to the hasty repair by his friend R2 D2 and the lack of maintenance by the old owners.
- R2's repairs will help... but a good shot like the beggar's cannon will be needed to get the job done. Luke concluded, ready to navigate in his vehicle.
Meanwhile, behind the blonde boy, a man in red clothing and dark brown hair emerged, who began to choke the young man with his arms.
- Then you'll be dead, boy!, and I won't have to worry about some brazen foreigner and a couple of droids replacing me as the master machine maker. I threaten the old master, furious over the supposed usurpation of his position in the settlement.
The tense muscles tighten against Luke's throat, cutting off his air.
The former moisture farmer, now a star warrior, kicks the skimmer controls and misses! Luke's vision blurs. His mind spins. He kicks desperately again until he manages to press the brake thruster switch with his feet. The chief engineer is thrown forward into the air because he didn't have the seatbelt that Luke did.
But Luke doesn't have time to think about his abandoned enemy... While he struggles to regain control of the wildly spinning ship!
- The tension is tearing this bolt cube apart! I have to concentrate all the power on the starboard repulsor turbo. That will straighten her out... Or it will finish her off! Skywalker considers the possibilities.
Due to the abrupt turn Luke made while steering his boat, the roof of it came off.
- The cover is gone! But everything else is holding up... I'm back to work! Announcement of Vader's unknown son and ready to do his job.
And that job focuses on a large mass of floating logs. Quickly, Luke spins the hydra-skimmer and its laser cannons
- The weapons still don't have the power they should; I wouldn't want to face the imperial stormtroopers with them. But considering what he had to work with... R2 did very well! The young former farmer admired the work of his faithful mechanical companion as he aimed the ship's weapons at where they needed to fire and did so, destroying the logs.
The young adventurer returned to the governor Quarg, who applauded him for his work.
- Congratulations, Skywalker! You have earned a permanent place on the ship. If you and your droids continue to act as I have seen, you will become masters in machine manufacturing. I admire the governor surprised by Skywalker's combat skills and the astromech droid's repair abilities.
- Sir, I didn't want to accept anyone else's work... just to prove that C-3PO, R2, and I could be useful... So that, in time, you can help us leave this world. Confessed the young blonde, embarrassed that he didn't want to replace anyone from the governor's crew.
- Let's get your friends, automatons, settled, boy... then I'll explain a few things to you. Quarg stated while arranging an oil bath in a barrel for both mechanical beings.
After some time in it, in one of the chambers of the great ship, the pair of droids were given an oil bath.
- Yes, it had been a while since a lubrication bath was needed, R2. Although I must admit that this particular lubricant strangely affects my olfactory sensors. The golden robot noticed while it could smell the scent of its soak.
- There's no reason for it to be that way, robot. That oil is extracted from the best fish on the planet. The settlement chief clarified while standing next to Skywalker.
- Undoubtedly, the smell is an acquired perception, sir. The droid's protocol stated, seeing that perhaps the leader had gotten used to the smell.
Out of nowhere, a lizard climbed up the barrel and the automaton got scared.
- Here! What are you doing, little repulsive creature?! I doubt, disgusted, the mechanical being, looking at the strange creature.
- It's a lizard! They fish. The governor clarified upon seeing the small reptile.
- But they swarm over our ship like barnacles! There is much about life aboard for you and your companions to learn, Skywalker. But let's start with some basic concepts. Go up on deck. Ordered Quarg as he climbed the stairs to the main deck of the enormous vessel, where among the horizontal poles of the mast between the houses, a dead man could be seen hanging.
- There, Skywalker! The most basic lesson of all: that is the price of not pleasing your governor! He showed the burly ship leader, pointing with a hand gesture upwards and indicating the dead man.
- That is the chief mechanic... The man who attacked me! Skywalker was surprised to see how the person who attacked him was executed.
- The act of a desperate fool... who felt his usefulness had come to an end. He was wrong. In fact, now it is quite useful... As a warning to others! Quarg stated that the death of the old machinery master would be useful.
- The chubby madman doesn't have a voice like Darth Vader... But I'm sure his heart is in the right place! I have to hold the reins... It seems that I will accompany him until the droids and I can find a way to escape! The blonde boy reflected in his mind, watching the actions of his new boss.
- You're silent, boy... impressed, I understand. "Good! The ship's captain understood the newcomer."
- I'm breaking a rule so you can survive... I don't want betrayals. He demanded from the governor, wanting nothing more than the loyalty of the young man.
- That rule was established by my father and his generation when they arrived in this aquatic world... Fleeing from the Republic! The Republic...! The old Republic...! Now it is just a memory... replaced by the Empire! So, whatever hell my dear father is in, he must be happy. He never fully forgave the Republic for ending his quite profitable rule. My father ruled the Korteen asteroid belt, using his authority to partially protect his citizens. The inhabitants of the belt, supposedly miners, used sonic interference devices to disrupt the propulsion of spacecraft and make the defenseless ships crash into the asteroids. Quarg recounts the origin of this settlement.
— Where they could be stripped of all cargo, naturally my father shared the profits from each shipwreck. And the desire to obtain even more of those benefits led to the development of more powerful and effective inhibitors. But the influx of special equipment and technicians needed to achieve this in time attracted another interest, namely, from the Republic and its Jedi Knights! For them, my father and a group of followers escaped... if you can call it an escape to leave the warp in a laser-riddled spaceship and limping into the Drexel system. And whether they liked it or not... they had to make this ocean-flooded planet their home. The governor continues recounting how his progenitor arrived here.
The outlook was not as bleak as it initially seemed. There were underwater forests, shells, and corals as building materials... Plants, fish, and reptiles as food, only metal was missing, vital for the maintenance of equipment and weapons. But, being destroyers, my father and those original colonists managed to acquire even that... although never in sufficient quantity. And for us, metal remains more precious than gems! The chief of the marine vessel explained and recounted the importance of resources.
- Even so, around the remains of their original spaceship, this ship grew and transformed, but unfortunately, it didn't succeed much due to two factors: the increasing attacks from the great sea dragons and a revolt by the ship's technicians. They claimed that our policies were causing the dragon attacks. Unfortunately, he left them adrift, intending for them to perish slowly in the infinite sea... instead, they survived to become our deadliest enemy: the dragon lords. For the technologists had discovered that sound waves affect the great monsters! And with a device they call a sonic staff, they apparently control the creatures and direct them against us! The leader explained while continuing to recount the history of the rivalry with the dragon riders.
- So let's not talk about abandoning the planet, Skywalker! I need you and your droids for my war... A war to gain final control of this world once and for all! Quarg demanded, wanting to have the full support of the young blonde in this contest.
- Governor! The tracking team reports that something big is on its way... Bigger than anything we've ever encountered, sir. One of the ship's subordinates reported a sighting.
Reaching the tracking crew involves descending to the lowest level of the ship and another revelation for Luke.
- This is a section of the spaceship! From the ship that brought your father here...? Doubt, the former farmer, looking at the chamber with uncertainty.
- And this equipment is part of the most powerful sonic inhibitor that Dad could buy with his earnings! He managed to escape with it from the asteroid belt... We've put it to good use since then! Quarg boasted about the equipment his ship possessed.
- They are still devastating! That's how they shot down my ship! Luke wondered as he saw that the device was the one that had shot down his ship.
- Yours and everyone else's who ventures into the Drexel system. The governor asserted, implying the effectiveness of the weapon he possessed.
- Maybe not this time, sir! What we are seeing in the preliminary readings could be important, as we believe! Notified one of the subordinates who operated the machines.
- Then we'll recover enough metal for a lifetime, fool! Strike the moment it's within range! The leader of the settlement demanded to be prepared to attack when they are ready.
- I only know one ship that big... And it's the imperial cruiser! Skywalker concluded, knowing what type of ship it was.
The large spacecraft that was near Drexel was Crimson Jack's ship, which had previously been piloted by Han Solo and Leia Organa.
- An aquatic world! The rebel alliance couldn't possibly have their treasure there, Solo! Questioned the red-haired pirate, incredulous that the great riches of some organization were there.
- Relax your trigger finger, Jack! I'm going to show you how wrong you are. Argument Han implying that he was right.
- As soon as your little assistant, Jolli, brings Princess Leia to the bridge. The smuggler asked the pirate chief to have his old acquaintance tell him what to say.
- Which gives me about three more minutes to think of something. That is, Jack's patience better not run out first! Thot the Corellian boy, with concern for what his dear captor might do.
Meanwhile, in an elevator ascending from the detention level of the enormous ship
- I think the proud and powerful Han Solo is about to discover that all his charm and smooth talk won't do him much good! I assure you, the girl with purple hair could predict the terrible fate he would have.
- Jolli, have you ever considered that sometimes, when it seems like we hate someone, it's to hide what really attracts us? Princess Organa asked her captor.
- What?! The only thing I'm considering is using this blaster if you keep talking like that! Warned the pirate girl, tired of her captive's way of thinking.
- Now move! Captain Jack doesn't want to orbit a water ball waiting forever! Jolli demanded, already exhausted from this journey that seems to make no sense.
- Are we in orbit...? Then I shouldn't have to wait much longer. Reason why the last noble of Alderaan sees that they could leave whenever they wanted.
And while Princess Leia speaks
- Captain! Now that the planet has turned more... The scanners detect something more than water! Notify one of the operators at the detection console controls.
- It takes a burly man to admit he's wrong, Jack... But I bet you can too! Han mocked the possible mistakes of the pirate leader.
- Shut up, Solo! I want to know more. Jack demanded more information.
But what Crimson Jack hears next is the sound of chaos... as something grabs his ship and shakes it, staggering the occupants of the ship.
- We're losing power! All systems are failing! Even the artificial gravity! Reports the official operator of Jack's ship systems.
The emergency power supply kicks in... and the massive cruiser begins to fight against the force attacking it, while the duo of smugglers escapes from the room.
Jack and his boys are going to be very busy, Chewie! I suggest we get out of their way. I reason Solo while he continues running alongside his furry companion.
- ROWRP! The wookiee asks, wanting to know where they would go.
- To wherever the Millenium Falcon can take us! Han replied, ready for their great escape with his best friend.
As they continued on their path, they encountered the noblewoman from Alderaan with weapons in hand.
- The princess? Yes, yes... I suppose we'll have to save her feathers from the fire as always! Let's hope this strange attack hasn't left her wandering around in a panic. Han declared, worried about Leia's state due to the delicate situation they were in.
- I managed to knock out some guards because they were so dazed by the situation and I stole some of their weapons. The princess stated, implying that she plundered some unsuspecting pirates.
- But, of course, I suspected something was going to happen... And I was ready to get rid of Jolli when it happened! Now let's quickly get to your ship! If you have any questions, I'll explain them to you on the way! The brunette woman stated while throwing a weapon into the smuggler's hands.
"You know, Chewie... I think I prefer the hysterical one." Han complained upon witnessing how bossy Leia was in a risky situation.
The trio, upon arriving at the hangar, had to eliminate several pirates before getting close to Han Solo's ship.
- Most of the pirates are fighting to save the cruiser! We'll be fine once this group is out of the way! Leia assured as she continued shooting at Jack's subordinates.
- Excellent! I was starting to think we might be in trouble! Han feared there might be many lackeys to fight.
Han and his partners manage to board their legendary ship, then take off and exit the hangar.
- Princess, every instinct in my smuggler's soul screams: Leave while everything is fine. The Corellian assured as he moved away from the pirate Jack's ship.
"But if you have reason to believe that whatever is attacking Jack's ship also caught Luke Skywalker while he was exploring this water ball below, I'll check it out." Han stated, ready to go check.
- I'll go... but I won't like it. The smuggler complained, knowing that what he would see probably wouldn't be to his liking.
Others find things they don't like... others like Governor Quarg
- Why hasn't that ship sunk yet, you incompetent fools, why hasn't it sunk? Questioned angrily the leader of the maritime settlement, seeing that his weapon barely affected the spaceship.
- My lord... It's too big! Too powerful! Our machinery can't. The weapon operator hesitated, implying that they couldn't bring the ship down.
- Don't tell me that! You're doing something wrong! Do you sympathize with your fellow technologists? Those traitors who became the lords of the dragons! Quarg scolded, thinking that the operator was colluding with his enemies.
- No, sir...! But the equipment is already on electrical frequencies that we have never dared to use before! The tension could. The subordinate feared, knowing the risks involved, but couldn't finish due to the interruption of another subordinate who came down the stairs.
- Governor! The lookouts have spotted something enormous. The subordinate reported, implying the danger that was approaching from afar.
While outside the room where the governor and Luke were, a large herd of water beasts could be seen on the horizon heading toward the marine settlement.
- Dragons! A whole damn army of them! It's a large-scale attack! One of the pirates warned, nervous about the imminent danger from the invaders.
Back where the governor and Anakin's son were
- Get all the hydra sliders that can float on the water! The dragon lords have obviously caught wind of the grand prize we are pursuing and want it for themselves! The captain of the great ship asserted, thinking that was what they wanted.
- Skywalker, today you demonstrated talent as a skimmer pilot. You will command a gunship... And you will fight well or you will see those droids you like so much dismantled, no matter their value! I threatened Quarg to ensure his new subordinate did his job efficiently.
Luke was guided by one of the governor's lackeys to the deployment bay of one of the gunboats, and the blond got on it while being escorted by other vessels toward the imminent battle.
- These creatures are frantic! Like the one that attacked us when we crashed here for the first time! Even the ones they carry, dragon lords, seem wild... out of control. The blond boy thot as he observed the behavior of the sea creatures.
- Like it or not, I have no choice but to defend myself! Skywalker, ready to fight against the renegade dragon riders, suddenly saw something catch the attention of the beasts and their riders without any warning.
- Hey! Something is making them turn! Luke noticed the commotion of the beings.
What caused his commotion was the Millenium Falcon, which was flying over the seas of the planet in the midst of the battle.
- Han Solo! What have you done? The princess asked, bewildered, seeing the chaos around the ship they were on.
- Princess, I think we just interrupted someone's war. The smuggler watches as the two warring factions duel.
Until finally the freighter lands in the water
- Even you should be able to make a better landing than that. The princess complained, seeing how they ended up in that place.
- Stop revving your reactors, your highness! I didn't have many options! We are near the source of the bolt fixed on Jack Crimson's cruiser... There's enough launch down here to affect our progress as well! The smuggler argued, seeing that because of that device that fired the ray, they were trapped here.
- Don't worry! The Falcon can float forever. But until that force stops... We won't fly anywhere! The Corellian reasoned while watching the good and bad news of what they could do.
A few moments later, Han stepped outside the spaceship to try to establish communication with the crew of the boats.
- Before the fight resumes, let's show the guys in the boats that we are friendly. It seems easier to talk to them than to those giant sea serpents! The Corellian joked, knowing that the most civilized ones might actually be the pilots of the sea vessels.
One of the skimmers shoots at the Falcon, causing the smuggler to fall into the sea.
Only naively did he not know the governor's rules, so he blindly trusted that they seemed reasonable, but Luke goes to rescue his old friend and destroys the skimmer without hesitation, making it explode.
Unfortunately, due to the impact of the ship's laser, Luke couldn't see anyone on the spaceship, so he decided to get up from the cockpit of his skimmer and approached the starboard side to see if he could find his acquaintances, but only the Wookiee, who emerged from the water unexpectedly, was hanged.
But unfortunately for both, the other boats saw Luke's betrayal of his side, so they fired together at the blond, making them fly.
Then Luke only saw darkness and slowly struggled to get out of it... while a familiar voice sounded urgently nearby, waking Luke from his involuntary dream, seeing that the one speaking was his dear golden automaton, who had been grabbed by the wookiee.
- Obviously, I don't understand! Now we are all prisoners of Governor Quarg. Being held here until he has time to deal with us! Being mutually doomed! The droid concluded with a pessimistic attitude while still under the grip of Han's furry friend.
- It doesn't seem reasonable for us to fight among ourselves!, ¡I master Luke! I've been trying to explain to this hairy brute that somehow he's judging you and the situation wrong! Because at this rate, it doesn't seem like we'll survive long enough for our death sentences to be carried out! The droid stated as it experienced the wookie's actions against its body.
- The end -