Monday, Strip 29 -- The Rookies break into the supplies, which according to the original RPG scenario was fille with comlinks, flightsuits, ropes, glow rods, pistols, ammo, and smoke grenades. I've taken some liberties here, and removed the glow rods (purists can think that the rookies forgot to look in that crate).

Those are the BlasTech rifles that we see the Rebel troopers use in the beginning of A New Hope. And here, in Kestrel and Raal's interchange of sass, it becomes clear that we're on Bothawui.

The fact that Mesa 291 was previously marked with a Clan Alya sigil gives some indication that perhaps Borsk's clan was helping the Rebellion back in the day.

Tuesday, Strip 30 -- Here's what I meant by creative liberty... the original scenario did not describe a thermal detonator. For explanation of "koovy", see the endnotes to Rookies: Rendezvous.

Wednesday, Strip 31 -- The E-Web set up is right from the original scenario. This is what was in the crate the troopers were rapelling down with earlier. Ending sentences with "you bet" is also a common Squibism, back in the WEG days.

Thursday, Strip 32 -- Sammie's a bit less grim when he's in his element.

Friday, Strip 33 -- See, here the rookies don't have glow rods, which was necessary for the next little action beat. Smiley having a glow rod that's too bright helps to build onto his annoying reputation, echoes a scene from Goonies, and sets up a nice horror film moment with the creature stirring behind him in the last frame.

Monday, Strip 34 -- The critter is a vynock, and a rather nasty looking one at that. It's a "cave mynock," a retcon that fixes an early error WEG made. Their sourcebook made it clear that mynocks only exist in vacuum, yet the RPG adventure that came out at the same time had mynocks living in an air-filled cave on Mesa 291, so clearly the truth must lie somewhere in the middle. Thus, the vynock.

Sammie's use of the phrase "luma" is one that isn't heard very often in the EU. It's the term for glow rod used in Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

Tuesday, Strip 35 -- The vynock clearly has a lot in common with a mynock, going for the tastiest energy source nearby, R2-D0. Smiley, who has struck up an instant friendship with the droid, won't stand for it.

This scenario appears on page 102 of the original rulebook, in an encounter titled "The Mynock Nest." It originally suggested three mynocks, but for the purposes of this abbreviated story, that was edited down to one.

Wednesday, Strip 36 -- Another horror movie moment.

Thursday, Strip 37 -- Smiley has run out into the main corridor, right into the sites of the E-Web blaster. Again, the stormtrooper dialogue deliberately echoes clone trooper dialogue.

Friday, Strip 38 -- Good thing's Smiley's a small target. In his dive, he throws his brilliant glow rod directly towards the troopers, luring the vynock to them.

More next week...

ph