A National Emergency

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Episode 40 of The Trigan Empire

A National Emergency
aka The Outlaw Planet (The Collection)
De planeet der ballingen (Dutch title)
The Planet of the Exiles (Dutch title, translated)

Written by Mike Butterworth
Illustrated by Don Lawrence

A National Emergency was originally published in 5 instalments in issues 606 (25 August 1973) to 610 (22 September 1973) of Look and Learn magazine.

It is reprinted in Volume 10 of The Trigan Empire—The Collection (the Don Lawrence Collection).

It is reprinted in Volume 4 of The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire (Rebellion).

Plot summary

Peric is busy with the annual inventory of the empire’s riches. The treasures are kept in the vaults of a bombproof building, which only opens once a year for six lunar days. When Peric wants to leave the building, he suffers an attack. The doors close before he can get out. When he regains consciousness, he contacts Trigo and tells him he has only twenty-five days of oxygen left. The imperial council knows no one can get into the building anymore, but one of the councillors knows of someone who could. It’s Nargaz, the greatest burglar on the planet. However, after being caught, he was sent to the planet of exiles. Janno is tasked with bringing him back, and they arrange for him to be convicted of espionage. That way, he too is sent to the planet of exiles.

When he arrives there, he is taken in by the Green faction. They are fighting against the Blue faction, whose leader is Nargaz. The leader of the Greens orders him to kill Nargaz, but when he meets him, he tells him the real reason he is there. Nargaz decides to return voluntarily. Janno sends a signal that is seen on Elekton, and they are picked up by a rocket. Nargaz needs three long days, but he manages to open the vault doors. Trigo wants to grant him a pardon, but Nargaz chooses to return to the planet of exiles, where he feels more at home.