Star Wars (1977) 87

Embark on a brand new cosmic adventure that takes place after "Return of the Jedi!" What could prevent Luke Skywalker from reuniting with the Rik Duel gang? How about a still-functioning imperial Doomsday weapon? We simply had to title this story "Still Active After All These Years!" Featuring a guest appearance by Kiro, the Water-Breather.

Time is of the essence! The imperial doomsday machine is on the verge of triggering armageddon—on a galactic scale! It falls upon Luke and his crew of con artists to rescue the cosmos! And Danny [sic] the Zeltron and Kiro are also involved! "Countdown!" is penned by Jo Duffy, with illustrations by Ron Frenz [sic], and inks by Tom Palmer!

Following their meeting on the planet of Iskalon, Luke Skywalker, Plif, Dani, Chihdo, Rik Duel, and Kiro journey to the next world on Luke's itinerary, the Core World known as Shawken. Luke's intention is to engage with the planetary leaders, extending an invitation for them to participate in a planetary council focused on establishing a new governing body. As Luke pilots his X-wing to a landing and Rik brings down the Moonshadow, Skywalker cautions the group that their presence there is as official representatives of the Alliance, urging them to maintain their best behavior. Despite Rik and his associates' agreement to conduct themselves appropriately, Luke senses their lack of sincerity. However, before he can address this further, they are greeted by Shawken's welcoming delegation, headed by Santor. Luke probes the planetary representative, expressing his curiosity regarding the apparent absence of the Empire on the planet, especially given its reputation as one of the Empire's strongholds. Santor clarifies that news of the Alliance's victory at the Battle of Endor had reached the world, prompting the Imperials to evacuate immediately upon hearing rumors of the Rebellion's impending arrival at Shawken. Santor extends an invitation to the delegation to visit his residence, but Rik and his gang exhibit less enthusiasm for further diplomatic discussions. Seeking to accommodate his guests, Santor informs Rik and his associates that they are welcome to explore the nearby catacombs, the site of recent excavation efforts by the Empire. Rik accepts, and the two groups separate.

At Santor's residence, Luke elucidates that the Alliance stands ready to offer medical, military, or other forms of assistance to the world, given the Empire's abrupt departure. Santor expresses his admiration for the Alliance's rapid progress and inquires about their origins. Following Plif and Kiro's explanations of the situations on their respective homeworlds, Luke reveals that Rik, Dani, and Chihdo are pirates and con artists who are likely plotting to pilfer artifacts from Shawken's ruins. Kiro, disgusted by Rik's unscrupulous intentions, abruptly exits Santor's house, vowing to prevent Rik and his gang from engaging in any such activity. Santor and Luke, somewhat surprised by Kiro's immediate resolve to confront Rik, resume their conversation. Luke remains in search of a diplomat from the world to accompany him to the Alliance's planetary council. Santor's aides, Margan and a woman, assert that Santor is the obvious choice, emphasizing the valuable contribution he would make to the planetary meeting. Meanwhile, Rik, Dani, and Chihdo are exploring the catacombs, contemplating how they might extract some of the ruins for transport to their ship, as they would command a substantial price from art collectors. Just as Chihdo proposes firing at the ruins in an attempt to dislodge some of the artifacts, they are confronted by Kiro, who is appalled by their plans to desecrate the ruins. Chihdo, irritated by Kiro's sense of honor, discharges his blaster at the Iskalonian. Kiro, outraged by the behavior, seizes Chihdo and slams him against the catacomb walls. However, the Rodian's body inadvertently triggers a hidden lever in the wall. The lever activates a mechanism that slams shut all the doors to the room, trapping them in darkness. As the group grapples with the situation, a loud ticking sound commences, prompting Rik to declare that a bomb has been activated, initiating a countdown to its explosion.

Back at Santor's home, a Shawkenese guard bursts in, informing Santor of the events unfolding in the catacombs. Santor is alarmed by the news, as he has heard tales of his ancestors, who were creators of terrible weapons. He suspects that Rik and his gang may have activated one of these destructive weapons. Luke, Santor, Margan, and the guard hasten to the catacombs, only to be met by the weapon's defense system. Luke manages to destroy the defense system's blaster cannon, but the destroyed blaster reveals to Santor the nature of the weapon they are facing. One of Shawken's ancient scientists was a nihilist who believed that the galaxy had gone astray and that it would be preferable to destroy the universe and hope for a better outcome from a fresh start. Consequently, he constructed a weapon designed to initiate a new artificial Big Bang. In theory, the weapon would propel Shawken's fiery core through space at sublight speeds until it collided with another planet, triggering a similar reaction that would escalate until the entire universe was obliterated. With galactic consequences at stake, the group rushes to the location of Rik and his group. Plif is able to deactivate the doors by "consuming" the energy surrounding them, causing them to unlock. Luke discovers a trap door in the center of the room, and together with Kiro, they set off to deactivate the device. The trap door leads them to a vast underground body of water. Before they can explore the water, Kiro asks Luke for assistance in removing his rebreather suit, as it will only impede him while they are submerged. As Luke helps Kiro remove his armor, he entrusts his lightsaber to the Iskalonian. With the lightsaber in hand, Kiro informs Luke that he will venture into the water alone, as there may be further traps, and Luke, an air-breather, would likely perish in such a scenario. Luke reluctantly agrees, and Kiro dives into the water.

Swimming through the water, Kiro navigates an underground tunnel into a dark chamber. Activating Luke's lightsaber to illuminate his surroundings, Kiro discovers that he has reached a dead end. Perplexed and unsure of what he is searching for, Kiro suddenly senses the Force at work, guiding him. Behind him, the device has finally begun to activate, as the giant face of the weapon starts to glow intensely. At the last moment, Kiro swings the lightsaber into the weapon, deactivating it. A massive explosion ensues, generating enormous tidal waves that propel Kiro out of the water, leaving him severely injured. Luke retrieves the Iskalonian and returns to the room where the rest of the group is waiting. Uncertain whether Kiro is alive or dead, Luke lays Kiro in the center of the room. Plif rushes to the body and detects the presence of mental processes within Kiro. Plif asserts that there is still hope for the Iskalonian's survival. Luke vows that Kiro will live—they all owe Kiro that much.