An Unlikely Friendship


Help from a child


While visiting a planet, Poe Dameron and his droid BB-8 were being chased down by a native tribe. Earlier, Dameron had asked the tribe if they knew where his contact was, but this angered the tribe. Dameron turned around and shot at a large tree branch, distracting the tribe and giving them time to hide.

Dameron believed they were safe from the tribe, but then a large swamp creature appeared and knocked back Dameron. The creature picked up BB-8, but the BB-series astromech droid stunned the creature. Suddenly, a hooded figure appeared, and fought off the creature. The figure revealed himself as a child named Kori Ong. Ong wanted to repair BB-8 but did not understand what BB-8 was saying. Dameron came back and introduced himself. He thanked Ong for saving BB-8, and the two went on their way. Ong recommended that they stay for the night, as it was unsafe to travel alone at night on the planet.

Getting trapped


Not long after, Ong was trying to set up a fire for them to keep warm. But BB-8 used his welding torch to light a fire. Ong asked Poe why he and BB-8 are on the planet, but BB-8 wanted to know what Ong was doing in the swamps. Ong told them that he was completing a rite of passage to become a man. In his tribe they believed that you must do The Walkabout, where a boy travels through the swamps and does not come back until he is a man. But Ong did not want to go back because he wanted to explore space and then come back to help his people. Dameron told him that if that was his dream then he should have faith in himself to do it.

The next morning, the three were on the way back to Dameron's X-wing starfighter the Black One, when BB-8 rolled over a booby trap. They got rolled up in a net as the tribe appeared. Kori Ong had BB-8 use his welding torch to free them from the net and they escape with the tribe chasing them close behind. Ong stayed back to hold them off and started to shoot rocks at them with his catapult. Poe used his blaster pistol to break branches and stop the tribe.

After escaping the tribe, the trio returned to Dameron's ship. Ong was shocked when he saw the ship. He then knelt down to BB-8 and said his final goodbyes to the droid. Dameron complimented him on doing a good job with them. He gave him a badge with the Resistance emblem and hoped one day Ong would join the Resistance.

Collections


  • Star Wars Adventures, Volume 7: Pomp and Circumstance

Appearances

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