Star Wars 66: The Water Bandits

"Let’s just say I’ve wandered some hard and quick places"

- Luke Skywalker

Star Wars 66: The Water Bandits is the sixty-sixth issue in the Marvel Star Wars series of comics.

Plot
Luke Skywalker, having sustained damage to his X-wing fighter is forced to land on the backwater world of Beheboth. He wanders into a moisture farm community in the nearby district of Garrotine. While bartering for food at a local cantina, Luke becomes embroiled in a scuffle with some farmers who mistake him for a brigand. A woman named Darial Anglethorn enters and intercepts them. She takes Luke aside and explains that roving bands of brigands have been stealing their precious stores of water. Luke agrees to help Darial out and she hires him as a bodyguard. She drives Luke out to her moisture farm, which is protected by a gigantic fortified wall.

That night, all of the farmers working at Darial’s installation mysteriously pass out, including Luke. When they awaken, they discover that all of their moisture vaporators are destroyed and Darial is missing. Luke promises to investigate her disappearance and travels across the arid deserts and mountain ranges.

He eventually comes upon the brigand stronghold, operated by a pirate named Gideon Longspar. Longspar’s men get the drop on Luke and bring him into the throne room. Gideon reveals that he has captured Darial and has stolen all of the water supplies from her farm. He has in his possession an alien entity known as Tirrith. The Tirrith entity exists as sentient mystical energy and comprises a hive mind. Longspar has captured half of the entity and threatens to destroy it, unless the remaining half agrees to aid him. The Tirrith has been infecting the moisture vaporators late at night transforming the ambient air moisture into a toxic gas. This is how Gideon has been able to incapacitate people, allowing his brigands to steal the water.

Luke manages to free Darial and destroy the containment pod holding the captured Tirrith particles. The Tirrith then aid him in distracting the guards allowing Luke and Darial the ability to leave the stronghold.

Appreciative for their aid, the Tirrith enter the atmosphere and charge the clouds with electrostatic energy, creating a greatly needed rainfall on Beheboth.

Behind the scenes
1st appearance of Darial Anglethorn. Darial's character is expanded upon in the Wizards of the Coast supplement entitled Beheboth: Blood and Water Part 2: Who Slew Berl Matoone?

Behind the scenes appearances by Lt. Mils Giel, Sgt. Malka and a moisture farm known as Prosperity. The events surrounding these characters and locations are provided in the Wizards of the Coast supplement entitled Beheboth: Blood and Water Part 3: The Tirrith Trap

Beru Whitesun Lars' name is mis-spelled as Baru in this issue.

Darial Anglethorn's landspeeder is referred to as a sandskimmer in this issue.

Collections

 * Classic Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... 3
 * Classic Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void

Die Wasserbanditen