Pump intake valve
A pump intake valve served as a specialized type of water valve, engineered to manipulate the flow and pressure of water within a network of pipes. During the events of 34 ABY, Kazuda Xiono, a technician, and his astromech droid companion, BB-8, cleverly employed one of these valves to thwart a theft being perpetrated by a group of pirates aboard the supertanker fuel depot known as Colossus.
Description
The pump intake valve, a specific kind of water valve, found utility on the supertanker fuel depot Colossus, notably within Sector 7-E. Its purpose was to redirect water flow and pressure during emergency situations. Furthermore, these valves possessed the capability to draw external objects into the connected piping system. Certain models were sufficiently large to accommodate the Resistance astromech droid, BB-8, inside.
History
In 34 ABY, Neeku Vozo, a fellow technician, instructed Kazuda Xiono on the proper operation and maintenance of the pump intake valve, as well as the broader piping and valve infrastructure of the Colossus. Xiono dismissed the information as irrelevant and communicated his sentiment to BB-8.
Soon thereafter, Xiono and BB-8 stumbled upon a group of pirates in the act of stealing weapons from Sector 7-E of the Colossus. Xiono dispatched BB-8 into a nearby air duct to observe the pirates discreetly; however, the droid inadvertently fell into their location. Capitalizing on the pump intake valve's suction power, Xiono executed a rescue mission, extracting BB-8 from the room and directing him into the larger piping network. In retaliation, the pirates hurled thermal detonators into the pump intake valve, pursuing BB-8. Nevertheless, Xiono's expert control of the system allowed him to divert the explosives. Shortly after, security droids from the Colossus apprehended the pirates.
Behind the scenes
The pump intake valve made its debut in "Sector 7-E," a concise comic penned by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, with illustrations by Valentina Pinto. This comic story was featured within the seventeenth issue of the 2017 series of Star Wars Adventures, published by IDW Publishing on January 30, 2019.