Beckett 1

Beckett 1 is a canon one-shot comic book set prior to the film Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was written by Gerry Duggan, illustrated by Marc Laming, Edgar Salazar, and Will Sliney, and published on August 15, 2018 by Marvel Comics.

Publisher's summary[]

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE DEADLY! TOBIAS BECKETT taught HAN SOLO everything he knows about surviving hoodlum-filled cantinas and backwater worlds. But who is this career outlaw and why is ENFYS NEST— one of the galaxy's most dangerous and brutal marauders — so dead set on taking him down once and for all? Find out in this original tale of a man who has gamed star system after star system, but at a cost that no heist can make up for.

Plot summary[]

Chapter One[]

Tobias Beckett, Val and Rio Durant are a gang of outlaws who are wanted by the authorities. On the ocean world of Hovun IV, Rio is playing a game of sabacc with several local patrons at a cantina. Rio is playing badly since he had initially mistook the game for Neerok. Just then, a black cloaked Death Priest enters the cantina, frightening the patrons. Rio speaks to the Black Priest, whom he addresses as his master. He apologizes for stealing his credits and using it as gambling money. The Death Priest stretches out his hand and Rio pretends to be in the throes of a Force choke.

This scares the other patrons including a Selkath, who flee the cantina. Val plays along but discreetly places a traking device inside the pocket of the Pantoran Dvorad's coat. After the customers have fled, the Death Priest removes his hood, revealing himself as Beckett. Beckett thanks Rio for playing his part. When Rio asks why Beckett always plays the evi wizard, Beckett replies that he has got more charisma and that Rio can use his four arms to collect the spoils.

Val confirms that their tracker is in place and compliments Beckett for his "death wizard scam." Beckett has no qualms about exploiting "superstitions" but Val warns that even superstitions can be woven with some truths. While walking, Val explains to Rio that Dvorad has a monopoly of blank identification chips in the local system, a valuable commodity with the Galactic Empire tightening control of planetary trade. Dryden Vos has tasked them with acquiring the ID chips for Crimson Dawn. Rio is relieved that Vos is still trusting them after their last debacle.

Dvorad attempts to flee on a maritime repulsorlift at the pier that is being piloted by a Tognath driver. Beckett manages to jump onto the fleeing speeder and fights with Dvorad. Meanwhile, Val and Rio search for another speeder. Following a hand to hand fight, Beckett manages to push Dvorad towards the engine intake. With Dvorad's cloak trapped in the machine, he tells the driver to shut down the engine. Val and Rio soon arrive on a tub. Despite being beaten in combat, Dvorad refuses to surrender the chips. Shortly later, Dvorad's ship surfaces from the ocean, converging on the two speeders.

Chapter Two[]

With his starship's and henchmen's guns trained on Beckett's gang, Dvorad demands to know who betrayed him before executing them. Val replies that they heard that Dvorad is a man who can help people get lost and claims they are seeking his serfices. While Val distracts Dvorad, Beckett bites his left wrist, causing blood to drip from his sleeve into the ocean below. His blood scent is picked up by a giant tentacled monster, which grabs Dvorad's ship with its tentacles. While Val and Rio provide cover on their speeder, Beckett forces his way into Dvorad's ship, gunning down his crew. Dvorad is grabbed by a tentacle and thrown into the maw of the sea monster. Beckett finds Dvorad's trove of ID chips inside a chest in his personal quarters. Whie leaving the stricken ship, he exchanges fire with a Talpini henchman, killing him.

Beckett returns to the surface, rejoining Val and Rio who have been fighting off the tentacled monster. The tentacled monster breaches the cockpit of Dvorad's ship, taking out the pilot. While the monster drags Dvorad's stricken ship beneath the ocean, Beckett remarks that he hates this planet. Val replies that nobody found Dvorad's ship because they did not bother to look underwater. Beckett thinks that the late criminal's ship would have made a decent fortune. Val suggests negotiating with the new owner. When Val asks Beckett if they almost died for no reason so that he could get the package, Beckett replies that he almost died.

The criminals discuss their acquisition. When Rio suggests stealing some of the ID chips for themselves, Val replies that cheating Vos does not sound like a good path to freedom. Beckett reminds them that they need to pay their debts. When Val suggests that dying is another way of paying off their debts, Beckett responds that they need to look out for each other. He gets their starship computer D-1G to bring their starship Rampart, which picks them up.

Once aboard, Val says that she will return Vos' coded transmission. When Beckett asks if they are going to steal some of the ID chips, Rio reiterates Val's warning that stealing from Dryden is bad for one's health.

Chapter Three[]

While traveling through space, Beckett and Val discuss stealing from Vos in order to pay off theri debts. Beckett wants to find a way out of the Crimson Dawn but Val says they have too much debt on their ledger. Rio takes the gang to Munt Ontdal, a space station that is considered a haunt for criminals. The gang park the Rampart at Pad Nineteen. Beckett rides down the gangplank in 74-Z speeder bike only to be ambushed by several Cloud-Riders. A gun battle breaks out and Beckett manages to take out some of the Riers. He ploughs one of the Cloud-Riders down with the speeder bike only to be pistol whipped by Enfys Nest. She demands to know where the ID chips are. Beckett tries to intimidate Nest by claiming that his friends are still manning the ship's big guns. However, the Cloud-Riders have captured both Rio and Val.

Beckett and Rio attempt to intimidate the Cloud-Riders by claiming that Vos is on his way. However, Val points out that Vos is not coming since Enfys managed to mask their communications and trick them into thinking that they got the mission from Dryden. Enfys agrees and tells Beckett that if he had died trying to recover the blank ID chips, then they would have eliminated some competition. She demands to know where the ID chips are hidden. A defiant Beckett responds that he hopes that she has brought a broom before detonating the Rampart.

The explosion scatters Beckett's gang and the Cloud-Riders. Beckett grabs a blaster and seeks revenge against Enfys Nest for forcing him to destroy his beloved ship. Howevar, Val responds that he will love the next starship they steal. With security arriving, Rio suggests they finish this fight but Val responds that they should live for another payday. When stormtroopers arrive, Beckett claims that a ship using dangerous black market fuel exploded and warns them it might be radioactive.

The stormtroopres let Beckett and his friends leave. While walking through a market, Beckett says that the good news is that the stormtroopers are not followign them. However, he fears that Dryden may shoot them for bothcing a job that he did not actually send them on. Rio replies that Dryden can shoot them for any reason. Without money or a starship, Val points out that they will need to resort to Beckett's "wizard scam."

Beckett buys a dark robe from a Sullustan child. When Beckett asks Rio about how his scheming voice is feeling, Rio grumbles about having to play the victim again. Beckett dones his hood and says let's get to work.