Star Wars: Droids #5
August 1994
"Short Cut", 24ppg, $2.50

Script: Ryder Windham
Artist: Ian Gibson
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Pamela Rambo
Cover Artist: Kilian Plunkett
Book Design: Scott Tice
Editor: Dan Thorsland

CHARACTER
Supporting
Morgo, Morgo's dad, Nak Pitareeze, Vuldo, kalarban merchant (four-armed alien), kalarban customer (female)

Guest
Baron Pitareeze

CREATURE
camoflagued water creature

DROID
behemoth droid, C-3PO (See Threepio), R2-D2 (Artoo Detoo), Q-E, 2-E, U-E

LOCATION
Kalarba

COMMENTS
The title of this issue is culled from "The Kalarba Adventures" Trade Paperback.

The droid characters Q-E, 2-E and U-E are obviously a reference to Donald Duck's nephews, Huey, Duey and Luey.
SYNOPSIS
A small red droid and a small green droid return Morgo home to his father. The father, who knows the droids from his own youth, asks where U-E is. The droids glance at each other before telling him U-E is in the shop. The droids head home.

The decide to take a shortcut across a lake, hopping over rocks. The rocks move and a water serpent rises up, growling at the droids.

The droids come across Nak and his droids, R2 and 3PO, haggling over a large scrapped behemoth droid with Vuldo. Nak wonders where U-E is and the droids respond as they had before, that he is in the shop. Vuldo seems angered by them and tells them to get moving. Nak and Vuldo agree on terms for the purchase of the droid as Q-E and 2-E return to the town nursery where they work.

They pass by a local vendor, anticipating his question, they respond that U-E is in the shop. They return to the nursery at dusk and get a small black orb out of a closet. They open the orb, which emits a bright glow, and greet U-E.

Threepio worries about Artoo, who appears disturbed by their run in with the Model E's earlier in the day. Nak dismisses the droids concerns as he continues to work on the large robot to assist him with the chores. When Threepio goes out to talk to his companion he finds Artoo missing. Nak tells Threepio that the three of them should go find the little droid, as he activates his large behemoth droid.

Artoo strolls up to the nursery and zapping the lock open, enters. He discovers the red and green droid hooked up to a recharging station with the open orb next to them. Looking inside the little astromech sees a cube, and prodding it with one of his arms sees a playback from U-E's memory banks.

Artoo sees Vuldo ordering the droids to help him assemble blasters for sale. When they refuse, Vuldo pulls out a gun and shoots U-E. The screen then goes blank.

Artoo and the Model E's are startled by Vuldo coming into their building and asking what has been said to R2. They say they never said a word, but Vuldo notices the blaster pieces on the table and is determined to silence Artoo with his own gun. Artoo zaps the gun out of Vuldo's hand and the E's tackle the gun merchant.

Just then Nak's behemoth droid knocks a hole in the wall and knock Vuldo out. The model E's grab the black orb and ask if this giant robot can be their friend.

The next day Nak explains to his grandfather that the authorities arrested Vuldo for sale of unlicensed blasters and that he gave his droid to Q-E and 2-E. It turns out that they had saved the cognitive theory unit and memory banks from U-E and Artoo helped them put them into this new unit.

The model E's are taking the same shortcut again later, and happen to wake the creature up again. It turns and runs away, scared by the new friend that joined them. The three droid baby-sitters walk off, together again.


Related Issues
Droids #1 Droids #2 Droids #3 Droids #4 Droids #6


Trade Paperbacks and Alternate Covers
Star Wars Omnibus: Droids #1 Droids – The Kalarba Adventures Trade Paperback Droids – The Kalarba Adventures Limited Edition Hardcover

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