Dragon Lords

On the watery Outer Rim world called Drexel, a group of natives, known as the Dragon Lords, carved out a life in harmony with the massive and sentient aquatic lizard species referred to as the sea-dragons. These Dragon Lords, primarily Human, were the descendants of technicians who had been exiled from a group of ship-wreckers also residing on Drexel, and they were known for their impressive technological prowess. The most notable of their inventions was the sonic-staff, a device that enabled them to communicate with the sea-dragons through sound waves. To those unfamiliar with Drexel, the Dragon Lords were often seen wielding these staffs while riding atop the imposing sea-dragons, clad in aquatic gear, presenting a formidable and commanding presence.

Outsiders often mistakenly believed that the Dragon Lords used the sonic-staffs to control the sea-dragons. However, the reality was far different: the two groups coexisted peacefully as equals, forming their own secluded society within a network of underwater caverns. They fought together as allies against the wreckers who had exiled the Dragon Lords' ancestors, utilizing juvenile dragons as a spy network. These young dragons, small enough to be mistaken for simple lizards, could move unnoticed within the wreckers' home ship. Similar to the ship-wreckers from whom they originated, the Dragon Lords and their sea-dragon companions sustained themselves by salvaging wrecked ships for their valuable metal, which they used to construct their underwater homes. This put them in direct competition with the ship-dwellers, leading to frequent battles over valuable salvage. A favored tactic of the Dragon Lords in these conflicts was to submerge beneath the waves before suddenly resurfacing beneath their enemies' hydra craft, using the violent headbutts of their sea-dragons to damage the vessels.

The story of the Dragon Lords began during the era of the Galactic Republic, with a band of outlaws operating a ship-wrecking operation from the Korteen asteroid belt. These wreckers employed sonic jammers to divert passing ships into the asteroids, where they could be looted. Protected by the system's Governor, this illicit enterprise thrived, leading to the development of increasingly powerful jammers. However, their activities eventually caught the attention of the Republic and the Jedi Order, forcing the surviving wreckers to flee in a damaged starship to the isolated Drexel system. There, they managed to establish a precarious existence on the watery surface of Drexel, constructing a floating settlement around the wreckage of their ship.

However, they faced a constant threat from the sea-dragons, a formidable native species of aquatic lizards that relentlessly attacked the ship-wreckers' settlement. Eventually, a group of technicians within the ship-wreckers' community rebelled against the authority of the Governor, arguing that the wreckers were somehow responsible for the sea-dragons' incessant attacks. Although the Governor—the same individual who had previously served as Governor of the Korteen system and had fled to Drexel with the wreckers—suppressed the uprising, he allowed the survivors to live, casting them adrift in a small lifeboat, expecting them to perish at sea. Instead, they managed to survive, finding refuge in a series of caverns within an underwater mountain. There, they developed a device known as a sonic-staff, which allowed them to communicate with the dragons through sound waves.

Adopting the name "Dragon Lords," they became the sworn enemies of the wreckers. From the sea-dragons, the Humans learned the importance of unity in the face of a common foe, and the two groups integrated their societies. In doing so, they discovered that their suspicion that the wreckers were responsible for the sea-dragons' attacks was indeed correct: the wreckers' sonic jammer emitted sound waves that drove some dragons insane. Driven by a desire to protect the dragons and exact revenge, the Dragon Lords and the sea-dragons emerged from the depths and launched a war against the wreckers, a conflict that would span a generation. This animosity persisted long after the death of the man who had exiled them, as his son Quarg inherited the role of Governor and continued his father's war. Quarg also expanded their ship-wrecking operations, and the ships ensnared by his sonic jammer often became the focal point of battles between the Dragon Lords and the wreckers.

These conflicts reached a critical point by 0 ABY. In that year, Governor Quarg's sonic jammer brought down an unusually large number of outsiders, including the young Rebel hero Luke Skywalker, whose scout ship was caught in the jammer's field while assessing Drexel as a potential site for a new Rebel base. A Dragon Lord rider was the first to arrive at the crash site, but his attempts to salvage the ship were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a squadron of Quarg's hydra skimmers. Although the Dragon Lord managed to destroy two of the skimmers, both of the sea-dragons accompanying him were wounded in the fighting, forcing them to retreat before the third skimmer could finish them off.

Shortly thereafter, a massive battlecruiser entered Drexel's atmosphere, piloted by a pirate gang searching for a treasure rumored to be hidden on the planet. Enticed by the potential prize, Governor Quarg amplified his sonic jammer to its maximum capacity, attempting to bring down the enormous Star Destroyer. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Dragon Lords and the sea-dragons amassed a formidable army and launched their most ambitious attack yet on the wreckers' ship. The sonic jammer had driven many of the dragons into a frenzy, including those carrying Dragon Lords, imbuing the ensuing battle with a chaotic intensity. Amidst the chaos, another foreign ship arrived: the Millennium Falcon, the personal freighter of the infamous smuggler and Rebel hero Han Solo, which had escaped captivity aboard the orbiting cruiser.

Severely impacted by the sonic jammer, the Falcon crashed into the heart of the battle and was subsequently struck by an onrushing hydra skimmer. The impact scattered the ship's passengers, including Solo, who was thrown into the ocean. Solo was rescued by a passing Dragon Lord, who brought the smuggler to the safety of the Dragon Lords' underwater settlement. The Dragon Lords had learned that Quarg intended to use the captured Falcon's engines to enhance the power of the jammer. While the Dragon Lords and the sea-dragons were gaining ground in the battle, any further amplification of the jammer's power threatened to drive every dragon on the planet insane. With their very existence at stake, Solo joined the Dragon Lords in a final assault on the wreckers' ship, hoping to disable the jammer. Although they managed to breach the wreckers' inner defenses, Solo was unable to prevent a captive, blackmailed Skywalker from activating the Falcon's engines and boosting the jammer, causing many dragons to collapse. However, at the crucial moment, Skywalker seized an opportunity to break free and turn against Quarg, kicking the Governor overboard and allowing Solo to destroy the jammer with the Falcon's guns. Although the fighting continued late into the night, Quarg's death and the disabling of the jammer ultimately secured victory for the Dragon Lords, paving the way for a new era on Drexel.

The Dragon Lords made their debut in Star Wars (1977) 11, authored by Archie Goodwin and published in 1978. The group's background was revealed in the issue Star Wars (1977) 13, and the Dragon Lords continued to feature in the story arc until its conclusion in Star Wars (1977) 15. The Dragon Lords were illustrated by Carmine Infantino in their appearances.