A Small Scrappy War!


Publisher's summary


Captain Rex and Sergeant Coric are sent to the Outer Rim agri-planet of Biitu in this issue's awesome new Star Wars: The Clone Wars comic strip. The population there has found a way to turn the endless toil of battle into cold, hard profit. But is there something amiss about their resourceful operation?

Plot summary


Aboard a LAAT, Captain Rex and Sergeant Coric discuss their assignment on Pitor Processing Plantworks, on the outer rim agri-planet of Biitu, where the population has begun to profit from the Clone Wars by processing battle droid scrap material. Coric is resentful, denouncing the practice as war profiteering and saying he hates them almost as much as he hates clankers. Rex reminds him that they aren't there to pass judgement, simply to review security, and that the Bituians have been commissioned by the Galactic Senate to do this work. Coric is unconvinced, however.

The two of them, as well as some other men from Torrent Company, disembark, and introduce themselves to Pitor, the head of operations, informing him that while they know they're here to investigate, they haven't been given many details. Pitor begins to give them a tour of the facilities, explaining the process through which droid scrap is melted down and recycled. Rex asks again why Torrent Company needs to be present.

Pitor then explains that he had initially warned the Republic about stockpiling droid parts that hadn't been thoroughly destroyed. However, when offered more money to process said parts, they accepted, feeling they were in no position to be choosy. As a result, a droid reforged himself out of pieces of other droids, and began bringing other battle droids back to life. Pitor has dubbed this droid—an IG-100 MagnaGuard—the Reanimator.

Coric is skeptical of Pitor's story, but as he's telling it, suddenly, Pitor, Rex, Coric, and the other clones are ambushed by the Reanimator and several other reconstructed junk droids. Pitor runs for the control center in an effort to save himself, and Rex and Coric begin to forge their own retreat, falling back.

The clones eventually run to the control center, where they bang on the door, asking Pitor to let them in. Initially, he refuses, saying they'll simply let the droids in. Coric threatens him, saying if he doesn't let them in, the droids will be the least of his worries, and that causes him to comply. The droids begin to surround the control center as Captain Rex comes up with a plan to take down the Reanimator, saying he hopes to use both Pitor's skills and Coric's sense of duty.

The droids break into the control center, just to find out that the clones and Pitor have escaped. They pursue them, and come across Coric, leaning against the wall and eating a fruit. He warns them not to come any closer, saying that clones have Jedi powers. As two battle droids run towards him, he appears to demonstrate this, holding out one arm and sending them screeching to a halt. The Reanimator is baffled by this, and commands all units to attack Coric, sending them leaping on him. However, they're all sent flying back. The Reanimator protests that this is not possible, as Coric shoots him in the head.

It is then revealed that Captain Rex and Pitor had been utilizing a magnetic grapple to emulate the effect of the Force, having been the ones to draw the droids off of Coric. Rex commends Pitor on his aim, and Pitor compliments Rex's ability to control the machinery. The clones spend the rest of the day working on dismantling the droids with Pitor. In the aftermath, Rex reassures Pitor that the Senate has reviewed the incident and agreed to stringent checks on all future salvage shipments. The clones begin to board the LAAT again to leave Biitu, with Rex asking Coric if his opinion of Pitor's line of work has changed.

Appearances

Unknown

Unknown

None