"THE ESCAPE" BEGINS! After the disaster of "HOPE DIES," our heroes are on the run. Can they escape the patrols? No. They're trapped on a distant world. Where have they been abandoned? How can they possibly survive?
On the Outer Rim world of Barnahof, a stormtrooper patrol visits a cantina searching for the fugitives Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Sana Starros claims that she has not seen the fugitives, who are hiding under her table. A stormtrooper notices that there is more than enough space and drinks for two people including her Nuxan friend Bodo Linx. Starros manages to convince the Imperials to leave by highlighting the Nuxan's pungent stench.
After the stormtroopers leave, Solo grumbles about having to run without tasting a Rodian Splice. Since the rebels have been unable to make contact with the Rebel Alliance, Bodo offers the services of his friends on Brentaal IV. Leia thanks Bodo for his help but the Nuxan responds that the Galactic Empire is good at turning "amoral monsters" like him against them. Solo asks if that jab was aimed at him but Bodo reminds the smuggler of his mercenary roots. Before parting company, Bodo remarks that Leia and Luke look like rogues, which Leia suggests he means they need a wash.
As they head to the spaceport, Starros affirms her loyalty to the rebels. Solo is upset about losing his ship, the Millennium Falcon, but Luke tries to reassure him that their Brentaal contact will help them reunite with their ship, Chewbacca, and Admiral Ackbar. Solo is not optimistic since many people want the Falcon including the ship's former owner Lando Calrissian.
While flying the Volt Cobra to Brentaal IV, Starros tells her guests that she is the captain and they are the cargo, rebuffing the idea of having a co-pilot. Since the hyperspace routes leading to Brentaal IV are heavily patrolled, Starros proposes traveling through the Dene Gois Cluster in order to reach a hyperspace beacon without drawing Imperial attention.
Upon arriving in the Dene Gois Cluster, Luke asks where are they. C-3PO, who has been strapped to R2-D2 tells them that they are in the densest known clusters of stable moons, an ideal route for smugglers. C-3PO asks about obtaining new legs but Han tells R2-D2 to wheel him away. Before Starros can continue their journey to Brentaal IV, they encounter an Imperial Star Destroyer.
To avoid trouble with the Empire, Starros proposes to take the ship behind a planet. However, Leia thinks that the Empire has spotted them and that they have to run. Solo proposes that Starros let the group jettison on an escape pod and hide on the nearby isolationist moon of Hubin. Starros agrees to use the shadow of the moon to conceal the fact that they ejected. Her plan is to survive the Imperial scans long enough to come back and pick them up once the Star Destroyer has left.
The rebels and droids board an escape pod despite C-3PO's protests. Sana releases the escape pod onto the moon Hubin, which is a forested moon. After landing, the rebels encounter a large furry predator known as a thanrax, which chases them. The rebels are rescued by a group of armored hunters, who drive away the thanrax. The hunter's leader who demands to know what they are doing on Hubin. Princess Leia claims that their ship suffered damaged and that they had to eject in their escape pod. The lead hunter decides to offer lodging to the stranded offworlders.
Later, a humanoid droid mixes several toxins under orders from his master. While serving the rebels, he explains that Master Solo's Rodian Splice contains several poisonous ingredients that need to be used in exact portions to render them safe. He has made a few "intelligence" replacements and hopes they will be serviceable. Solo thanks the droid and remarks that a guy could get used to this.
- UPC 759606081134; November 7, 2018; Marvel Comics
- Star Wars Vol. 10: The Escape
- Star Wars by Gillen & Pak Omnibus
- The Marvel Art of Star Wars