Unidentified Dractuvian arachnid

A spider-like creature inhabited the planet Dractu during the Clone Wars. The arachnid was quite large and possessed a red, elongated body which terminated in a head and tail. The tail was marked by two sharp claw-like organs, while the head exhibited six eyes and a jawless, tubular mouth with plentiful teeth. The creature also possessed six long legs, each composed of two segments, so tall that they could be mistaken for trees.

During the Clone Wars, Besalisk cook Dexter Jettster encountered the specimen while visiting Dractu. Jettster—who had arrived on the planet in pursuit of Dractuvian cave slugs—was escorted by a tribal warrior familiar with local wildlife. After the pair entered a forest of dead trees, Jettster leaned on the arachnid's limb, perceiving it to be deadwood. The tribesman directed Jettster's attention upwards, after which the two beheld the creature's maw above them. This provoked a short chase which ended with Jettster and the warrior concealing themselves behind a boulder.

Biology and appearance

The creature was a massive being, arachnoid in both appearance and nature. The body was predominantly red and presented an elongated exoskeleton composed of at least ten segments. The body curved upwards toward its rear and ended in a tail-like posterior marked by two hooked claws or other such sharp protrusions. Its face defined the other end, exhibiting six eyes arranged vertically in two groups of three. Immediately below the eyes, continuous with the body, was a jawless mouth, tubular in shape and encircled by rows of sharp teeth affixed to both the interior and exterior of the mouth.^[1]

For locomotion, the creature maintained six legs which protruded midway along its body. The legs were quite tall,^[1] lifting the arachnid to a height of over 4 meters,^[2] and were composed of two segments each. The proximal segment was relatively short and smooth; the other was much longer and varied from from an uneven, rough texture to a smoother texture resembling the dead trees of its habitat.^[1]

Behavior

The creature was a carnivorous predator which salivated at the sight of its next meal. Upon recognizing such as prey, the creature gave chase and emitted a loud screeching noise. However, the beast could be outmaneuvered by simply concealing oneself within one's surroundings. The arachnid was able to lure potential food sources by virtue of its camouflaged legs, which resembled the deadwood of the area it inhabited.^[1]

History

Some time during the Clone Wars, at least one such arachnid lived near a cavernous region of the planet Dractu. At that time,^[1] a Besalisk chef, Dexter Jettster of Dex's Diner on Coruscant,^[3] arrived on the planet in pursuit of native Dractuvian cave slugs, which he planned to prepare for a patron, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. After the Besalisk gastronaut landed on Dractu in his small shuttle, he commissioned a local to assist him in navigating the perilous wildlife and locating the slugs.^[1]

Jettster and his native escort embarked on their journey and soon discovered an area studded by dead and withered trees. Unbeknownst to Jettster, the great hexapod had also settled over the dead forest, its upright legs appearing to the alien chef to be tree trunks themselves. He absent-mindedly leaned upon the beast's limbs, rousing the creature, and then looked upward at his guide's suggestion, only to find the toothed maw of the arachnid salivating over him. Frightened, Jettster and the native fled the scene, the crimson creature screeching in pursuit. After some time, the pair hid behind a rock and lost the animal. With the native's assistance, Jettster was eventually able to retrieve the relevant gastropods, which he then prepared at his restaurant, only to find that Kenobi was disgusted by the dish.^[1]

Behind the scenes

The Dractuvian arachnid appears in Appetite for Adventure, a story from Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 9, the ninth volume of the titular graphic novel series. The story was written by the Fillbach Brothers, lettered by Michael Heisler, and illustrated by Ronda Pattison. It was published by Dark Horse Comics on October 23, 2007.^[1][4]

Appearances

• "Appetite for Adventure" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 9 (First appearance)

Notes and references