Terror of the Skorpiads

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Episode 83 of The Trigan Empire

Terror of the Skorpiads
aka De terugkeer van de Skorpiads (Dutch title)
The Return of the Skorpiads (Dutch title, translated)

Written by Ken Roscoe
Illustrated by Gerry Wood

Terror of the Skorpiads was originally published in 14 instalments in issues 999 (2 May 1981) to 1012 (1 August 1981) of Look and Learn magazine.

To date it has not been reprinted in English.

Plot summary

Odoran, the leader of the Skorpiads, listens on Skorpio to Perodil’s plan to take revenge on both the inhabitants of Elekton and Captain Dekko of Pactis. Fidelius joins the air force and immediately goes on a survival trek into the wilderness with Janno. In the Skorpiad scout ship still hovering above Elekton, Commander Thorak and his aide Irak carry out Perodil’s plan. Using an energy beam, they freeze the group, and with the help of small spacecraft and insects called Formians, they bring the group aboard their spaceship.

A shepherd, who happened to be just outside the energy beam, witnessed the Skorpiads’ actions and warns Trigo and Peric. Peric realizes that Janno and Fidelius have been taken by the Skorpiads, and they understand there’s little they can do about it. Therefore, they decide to ask the Pactians for help. Peric starts working on a device to communicate with the Pactians on Pactis.

On Skorpio, the Trigans are taken to the brain center. They try to escape but are recaptured by Carapacks, huge combat colossi. In the brain center, they are brainwashed and then sent to Pactis in a spaceship. There, Captain Dekko sees the Trigans emerge from the spacecraft. The Trigans behave like a sabotage team from Skorpio, but Dekko realizes something is wrong and does not want to kill them yet because the Trigans once saved his life. Despite the damage they cause, Dekko refuses to eliminate them.

When he receives a message from Elekton, he becomes certain that the Trigans are under the influence of the Skorpiads. The Pactians overpower the Trigans with their stun guns and undo the brainwashing. The automated spaceship that brought the Trigans to Pactis is loaded with explosives and sent back to Skorpio. Shortly after Fidelius and Janno return to Elekton, the spaceship arrives at Skorpio, where it explodes in a massive mushroom cloud, completely wiping out the space base.