It's time for me to cover the thirteenth issue of Marvel's first Star Wars book. The cover, drawn by Uncanny X-Men artists John Byrne and Terry Austin, showed Chewbacca squaring off against Luke Skywalker and C-3PO, as R2-D2 looked on. The tale was titled "Day of the Dragon Lords!" The issue had a cover date of July 1978.
The story started on board General Quarg's ship on the planet Drexel. He was telling Luke and the droids about his ship's policies of killing all offworlders and cannibalizing all machinery and metal, policies which he was not abiding by after allowing Skywalker into his fold. Artoo was busy repairing one of the general's water skimmers.
Luke was soon sent out into the waters to test the repaired craft. He was supposed to fire its cannons at an old float. The weapons and other systems seemed to be working fine. The only problem was the fact that Quarg's master machinesman was still aboard the vessel and attacked Luke during his test run.
Skywalker's quick thinking and reflexes allowed him to overcome his opponent and complete his mission. Only the skimmer's canopy failed to return intact. Afterward, the droids were treated to lubrication baths, while Quarg confided in his new crewman.
Luke noticed his foe now hanging from one of the ship-base's masts. He clearly paid the price for his failure. Quarg started talking about how he and his family had first come to this water world. Quarg's father was a governor in the Old Republic. He was responsible for the Korteen belt, where some of his citizens preferred to sabotage incoming ships. Sonic jamming units were utilized to disrupt and disintegrate vessels, which were then salvaged, and a portion of the profits would go to him.
As their operations grew more successful, there was a need for more powerful equipment. Their activities also drew the attention of the Galactic Republic and its defenders, the Jedi Knights. Quarg and several of his followers escaped in a damaged craft, crash-landing in the waters of Drexel.
They soon began to adapt to their new homeworld. However, after studying their surroundings and the native creatures, the soldiers and technicians became divided. Eventually, the technos left and were able to control and ride the aquatic beasts. Quarq's family and loyalists remained behind.
Quarg hoped that Luke and his robots would remain loyal to him in the war against his former allies. His ship still retained some of the powerful jammers, one of which had detected the arrival of a larger ship in the star system. Luke assumed a ship of that size might be an Imperial cruiser.
Little did Skywalker know just how right he was. Crimson Jack's captured Star Destroyer had entered the planet's orbit after being told by Han Solo that the Rebel treasury was there. The jammer's activation provided Han, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia with the distraction that they needed.
The trio high-tailed it to the Millennium Falcon and took off, knowing that Jack's crew would be hot on their trail. While Quarg was trying to bring the large craft down, Luke was part of the scouting crew that was dispatched to go up against the approaching dragons and their riders. The Falcon soon intervened in the conflict and was swiftly fired upon.
Luke was angered by his wingmate's attack on his friends and fired his cannons to vaporize it. He then went to his comrades' aid. He peered over the side of his ship, only to be grabbed roughly by Chewbacca (who thought it was he who had fired upon them) before that skimmer was destroyed.
A while later, Luke came too, hearing Threepio's familiar voice. The translator droid was warning him of Chewbacca's anger. Thinking his shipmates had been lost, the Wookiee was about to get his vengeance on their supposed attackers inside one of Quarg's ships.
I'm still not a fan of Infantino's artwork, mainly because of how he drew droids, weapons, ships, and technological items, but at least the story was starting to solidify a bit. We still didn't know much about the dragon lords, but at least we knew where they came from. I wasn't surprised to learn that Quarg and his men probably would have sided with the Empire in the galactic conflict.
Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll discuss the fourteenth issue of this title. We'll find out which side the Star Warriors ally themselves with. We'll also learn a bit more about the dragon lords and see how this conflict concludes. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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