Pencils: Bill Hughes
Inks: Keith Williams, Rich Perrotta
Colors: Chris Chalenor, Perry McNamee
Letters: Steve Dutro
Cover Artist: Kilian Plunkett

C-3P0 and R2-D2 are employed on the herd ship of the Ithorian named Zorneth. When they are turned away from one of the bays, R2-D2 decides to tap into the ships computer systems and recieves an incapacitating shock. He is repaired and revived by PDA6 who then proceeds to tell them about the Smilers, people who have been robbed of sense by a drug called Savorium. The ship lands, and Zorneth takes C-3P0 with him to the market, where they are selling cattle when the smiler who Zorneth is caring for is abducted. Before the abductors can get very far, Smiley is rescued by a droid that is infected with the Caretaker virus, and computer virus designed to make droids go out of their way to protect smilers. Too be safe, Zorneth decides it's time to leave, but before they are able to escape, they are assaulted by more people who abduct Smiley, and after a merry chase, they get away with it, taking him and the droids to Dictator-Forever Craw. Craw, a less than benevolent dictator, abducted Smiley in the hopes that he could dig the secrets of Savorium out of his mind, so he can have a more compliant workforce, less prone to rebellion. R2-D2 manages to sabotage Craw's interrogation equipment, and he and C-3P0 escape with the revoltists that had broken into the palace, but Smiley is left behind. Zorneth and his crew join the battle to bring down the forcefield, but when it becomes apparent that they aren't going to get in, C-3P0 and PDA6 are thrown into a small hole behind R2-D2 before the field seals up again. C-3P0 and PDA6 rescue R2-D2 from Craw, but are unable to get to Smiley first, so PDA6 agrees to release R2-D2 from the Caretaker virus. Once R2-D2 is free, ha lowers the forcefield and the revolt is on in force. With the revoltists help, R2-D2 is able to rescue Smiley, but Craw manages to escape. Zorneth decides to reveal his secrets to the droids, and explains that he was Smiley's partner in the development of Savorium. His plan is to use Savorium to mellow out the most violent people, making way for the more peaceful to rule. As they travel to their next destination, they are attacked by the fleeing Craw, and when it becomes apparent that they can't win, PDA6 destroys all of Zorneth's research so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Zorneth insists that R2-d2 and C-3P0 take the escape pod, while he feeds some soup laced with Savorium to himself and Craw.