"The Curse" is a story in the canon Free Comic Book Day one-shot comic Free Comic Book Day 2024: Star Wars 1. The story was written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Ramon Rosanas and Guru-eFX, and published by Marvel Comics on May 4, 2024.
Plot summary
In Zee-Nine City Seven, an Imperial officer discloses to a superior that Darth Vader has betrayed the Emperor by mining large amounts of kyberite and planning to weaponize it. The informant seeks to find Vader's base of operations. Just then, Vader himself appears and attacks the officers and their Stormtrooper guards.
As he fights, Vader experiences a vision of Darth Sidious in his throne. The vision of Palpatine taunts Vader, but commends him for his growing, focused hatred of his Master. Palpatine redirects Vader to focus on his true enemy, Vader's son, Luke Skywalker. Palpatine tells him that due to Luke's growing skill, he would sense Vader seeking him directly and flee, but that he must find Luke. Vader thus plans to find another way to locate young Skywalker.
On the Inner Rim planet Sergia, Warba Calip, a force-sensitive thief, is approached and subdued by Sabé who seeks to find Luke Skywalker. The former servant of Darth Vader asks for Calip's help in finding the Jedi. Calip agrees if Sabé can pass a test.
The test Calip has in mind is for Sabé to enter a cantina and retrieve a box. Once she enters, the bartender immediately offers for Sabé to take the box. Before she can, however, she overhears a dispute between two non-humans: A contractor and a contracted individual. The contractor is keeping the smaller individual in a type of indentured servitude for perpetuity even though the contracted one has repaid their debt with interest.
Sabé decides to intervene and strikes the contractor and their buddies with an electrostaff before escaping with the indentured individual on a landspeeder. At evening, Sabé approaches Calip by the fire, and Calip discusses how Luke Skywalker made her feel ruined by simply believing in her. She feels that because he has this expectation of her she cannot live up to, it leaves her in conflict. She leaves and offers for Sabé to meet her the next day in the spaceport to find Luke.
Later, Calip approaches the cantina, but the bartender warns her not to enter. Within is Vader who agrees Sabé failed the test. Calip, however, opens the box, revealing the Imperial crest inside. Vader tells her she passed, and she kneels before her Lord.
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| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
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Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "The Curse" — Free Comic Book Day 2024: Star Wars 1
- ↑
FCBD 2024 STAR WARS #1 (BUNDLES OF 20) on www.freecomicbookday.com (November 17, 2024) (backup link)
- ↑ The events of "The Curse" take place after the Escape from Cloud City and before the Rescue of Han Solo, which are dated to 3 ABY and 4 ABY, respectively, by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas.
