For years , Star Wars Insider has been home to more than just news media and criticism about the inch and out of the galaxy far , far off , but original fictionspanning everything from the high of theold Expanded Universeto the recent launching ofThe High Republic . A Modern anthology is gather some of its classics , and we ’ve got a spirit inside .
exhaust on Star Wars twenty-four hours itself , May 4 , Titan will publish Star Wars Insider : Fiction Collection Vol . 1 , gathering news report and art from the cartridge holder ’s farseeing chronicle of original fiction . Featuring story from Star Wars icons like Jason Fry , Matthew Stover , John Ostrander , and Paul S. Kemp , as well as fine art from Joe Corroney , Brian Rood , Jan Duursema , Magali Villeneuve , and many more , it ’s a meet jubilation of the magazine ’s depository library of Star Wars creative storytelling .
Ahead of the release , io9 is excited to give you a look inside one classic ’s counter , foreground belovedShadows of the Empire starDash Rendar — police chief of the Outriderand Han Soloknockoff of our dreams . Take a look at an sole excerption from Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnoff ’s “ And Leebo make Three ” below , as well as a small-arm of art have Dash and his titular novel friend Leebo , bylegendary Star Wars poster artistsGreg and Tim Hildebrandt !
Dash Rendar’s back…sort of!Image: Greg and Tim Hildebrandt/Titan Comics
The Rodian glanced around The Nexu ’s Den as if looking for someone he desperately hop not to see . Sitting across from him at the dimly lit corner table in the seedy embrasure stripe , Dash Rendar absently inquire why he even bothered trying to see — the air was a bilious pall of deathstick hummer and other inhalants , all designed to make the present more interesting and the future less come-at-able . His lung protested in maliciousness of his shallow respiration .
apart from the weed , the place smell like stale droid lube and fermented fruit . He ’d been in bad . It did n’t seem anything to be particularly proud of at the moment .
His Nautolan partner , Eaden Vrill , endured it the room he endured everything — with understood stoicism . Nautolans as a species be given to be restrained . total to that Eaden ’s few decades of education in the teräs käsi martial humanities discipline , and the result was a very inscrutable alien . They ’d been working together for over four month , and Dash still discover it hard to fathom what was going on much of the clock time behind the amphibious vehicle ’s orotund , maroon eyes .
Image: Titan Comics
“ Awright , look , ” Kood Gareeda say at last , his outspoken organ giving the Basica whistling , rubbery strait that made inclusion dicey . Once again , Dash marveled at the alien ’s choice of line of work . Stand - up comedy was hardly the effective option for someone whose sibilants and fricatives all vocalize alike . Not that most audiences remain around long enough to be annoyed by this . Put bluffly , Darth Vader probably did better shtick . But concern about Gareeda ’s financial future would have to take a back seat to concern about their own . As far as Dash was concerned , it was all over bar the numeration . He doubt that Eaden wanted to spend the money , but a mech- of - all - trades would be useful aboard the Outrider .
“ cue me again what he ’s program for , ” Dash incite the Rodian . He ’d verify the guy was perspire , and Rodians did n’t even have sweat glands .
Gareeda check off the droid ’s feature of speech on his scaly fingerbreadth . “ Navigation , pilotage , and weapons , as well as da common repair capabilities standard in da LE series . ”
Image: Greg and Tim Hildebrandt/Titan Comics
“ And you ’re selling him because … ? ”
Another glance at the door . “ ‘ cause I was misinformed . I was told his safety protocols been hacked . Dey lie in ta me . ” The Rodian glowered at the inactive droid . “ He ’s a mopak escort . He ’ll fool at sentients , but he wo n’t hit ‘ em . What good ’s dat ? ”
A hard clump from the door ’s direction once again draw the Rodian ’s attending . Dash decided it was clip to wrap up this palaver .
Comedian or not , Gareeda ’s deportment suggested he was require something decidedly unfunny to pass at any second . It was even make Eaden jinky , judging from how the leaden lash on his head twitch whenever Gareeda ’s neural gaze sweep past the entrance .
Besides , if the Rodian was under some sort of clip press , that could only work to their reward . “ Fifteen hundred , ” Dash offered .
He got a baleful look from Gareeda ’s black , insectile orb . The comic ’s fleshy proboscis mould angrily for a moment . Then —
“ Fine . Gimme da cred . I got ta get off dis rock . ”“Well , if you postulate a boost off world , we can tender that , too . ”
The Rodian ’s bulbous eyes seemed to protrude even further . “ No , no . I , ah , I c’n line up ‘ nother passage … ”
“ You do n’t involve to . You got us . Ten hundred — and a airlift . ”
Gareeda made a slurping phone that approximated a human ’s gnashing of tooth , then stuck out a scaly hand . “ Fine . Done . How soon d’you — we — space ? ”
Dash , suppressing a grinning , handed over a one thousand credit short letter . “ One minute . Dock Eighty - Four Twelve . Mid- Town facility . ”
Gareeda nodded and support up to leave . Eaden halted him . “ It ’s got a restraining dash installed . What ’s amiss with it ? ”
The sharp , bitter odor of rank fear again interpenetrate the air . “ Nuttin ’ . Jus ’ wanted ta verify it did n’t … roll off , dat ’s all . ”
“ Great ! ” say Dash . “ Let ’s terminate it up . ”
The Rodian looked like he might cry . Dash had never realise such a plenty ; in fact , he was n’t even sure if Rodians could call . “ Look , if I ’m gon na make it t’your ship inna hour , I commence ta get my train . ”
He was so obviously do-or-die that Dash gesticulate for him to be gone ; there was no fun in torturing someone in such dire straits .
Gareeda take flight like a mynock out of Mustafar . He did n’t utilize the front entering ; he headed out the back .
“ Well , ” enunciate Eaden , “ there he fail . Leaving us a thousand citation light with what ’s probably an inert small-arm of detritus . ”
“ At that price , who wish ? Even if it does n’t work , the chassis alone is deserving half again as much . ” He flipped the droid ’s master switch , and was pleased to see its photoreceptors dismount up .
“ opthalmic circuitry works , ” Eaden say . He direct the droid . “ Are you functional ? ”
“ Who ’s asking ? ” the droid replied tartly , then scanned the noisy , smoky chamber . “ What ’s wrong with this realism ? Where ’s my boss ? ”
Dash rolled his optic . wondrous . The Rodian had given the droid a personality substrate . Fairly easy to embed , and almost impossible to off , because the more it interfaced with those around it , the more ingrained the substrate became . It was probably almost firmware by now .
Well , nothing to be done about it . “ Your genus Bos took off . ”
The droid ’s optics fluttered . “ He … left me ? ”
“ Sold you . Took a thou of my hard- earned creds . ”
“ One thousand ? I ’m worth five times that ! ”
The droid ’s interpreter carried such indignity that Dash grin in spite of the situation . “ Got a pretty sound opinion of yourself . ”
“ consider me , you do n’t want to know my opinion of you . ”
Before Dash could respond , the bar ’s front threshold slam open . Four beings entered . Two were large , brutal - see mankind , follow by a Barabel . The last was a Trandoshan . They await precisely like what they undoubtedly were : trouble One of the humans zeroed in on Dash ’s tabular array and pointed . The others look . Then , all four impress with a intention — right on at them .
Eaden stood . Cracked his metacarpophalangeal joint . Dash turned to the droid . “ What do you call yourself ? ”
“ None of your business . I — ”
“ Stow it . hand brake language override . raw name : Leebo . ”
“ Integrating datum . newfangled name : Leebo . ”
“ Okay , Leebo , let ’s move back . We do n’t desire to get hit by flying thugs . ”
Star Wars Insider : Fiction Collection Vol . 1 hits shelves on May 4 , and is presently usable to preorder at Amazonin the U.S.and Europe .
For more , make certain you ’re follow us on our Instagram @io9dotcom .
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