The Rival Twins

The Rival Twins is the first issue of Castaka, a series that is part of the greater Metabarons franchise. It was written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Das Pastoras and published by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 2013.

This issue narrates how Dayal's family manages to become powerful space pirates, and how they settle in Marmola after Antigrea's death. Most of the events that take place in Marmola are based on The Crest of Castaka short story.

The collected english edition Metabaron Genesis: Castaka rearranges a few of the panels at the beginning and adds a proper ending instead of the original open-ended one.

Plot
Dayal, his wife Antigrea and his two twin daughters Narda and Myrtha are drifting in a rock in the middle of space, the only thing that remains of their home planet after it was destroyed by the nano-cardinal. The Castaka have decided to become space pirates and Dayal trains Narda and Myrtha in combat for at least eleven months. One day, they spot a nano-techno cosmo-train, which they raid, taking over the Techno robots.

The military cosmo-train allows the Castaka to approach the carrier of the funds from imperial finance, which is expecting the arrival of the cosmo-train. After a surprise attack on the imperial fleet the Castaka manage to steal seven hundred thousand million golden doublars, and they set course to Thor-tuga, a secret asteroid where pirates dwell. In Thor-tuga Dayal meets the leader of the pirates, the four supreme Zandokans and he present them with the gold. The pirates want to kill the Castaka but Dayal threatens to blow the goublars with a Tektek-H bomb. Dayal challenges the Zandokans to a battle to the death, if the Castaka lose their lives the gold belongs to the pirates, but if not the brotherhood will have to accept them as the new Zandokans. The Castaka kill the four supreme Zandokans easily, gaining the respect of the brotherhood of pirates.

By disciplining the pirate army and transforming the vessels, the eventually come to be one of the most powerful and terrible cosmo-pirates in the galactic system. This angers the Apogee the sixth, who orders the twelve nano-cardinals to get rid of the den Thro-thugah. The technos bait the pirates using a valuable convoy without protection, the Castaka fall into the trap and are attacked by small and fast Techno ships. Dayal’s family tries to flee in a mini-ship but before they can escape Antigrea is killed by assassin robots. Nevertheless the Castaka board the mini-vessel with Antigrea’s body and they reach the distant planet of Marmola, in the Philidor system.

According to the Bushitaka code Antigrea's body must be buried, but Marmola’s marble surface makes it impossible. When Dayal is about to crash the mini-vessel so that the marble can be broken they're suddenly surrounded three thieve geologists, known as the "Three Aces". They're looking for a valuable treasure beneath the marble surface, which is guarded by Gangez, a giant bird. The thieves plan to use Antigrea's corpse to bait the megabird, so that they can snatch him and then force him to show them the treasure.

When Gangez takes the bait the Three Aces start to torture him, leaving him half-dead. However, Daya takes advantage of the situation and starts shooting the thieves and feeding them to Gangez. The megabird, who now has Antigrea in his stomach, is close to death, but he senses the noble vibrations of Dayal's spirit. Having faith in the baron's goodness, Gangez promises to show them Marmola's only valley of fertile earth where they can bury him.

Dayal starts burying Gengaz, following the Bushitaka code. The megabird, impressed by the Castaka's generosity, offers his soul to Dayal so that he can live within him, and work as masters and guardians of the planet and its treasure. Dayal agrees, and Gengaz transfers his crest into Dayal's chest. The Castaka will now build their new home over the grave.

Gangez’s soul guided the Castaka to the heart of the planet, where they discover the epyphite, anti-gravity-oil with magical properties. Dayal and his daughter isolate themselves on Marmola, and using a command medallion that Dayal had acquired during the cosmo-train raid he calls eight robots to help him build an impregnable fortress in the planet.

Seven years pass, and the Castaka sisters have now become women. Narda, attractive and feminine, like her mother, while Myrtha is also attractive but more manly, resembling his father. One day Dayal discovers that his daughters are frustrated with the lack of men in the planet and they plan to get their father drunk and use him to get pregnant, so that the Castaka line can continue. Dayal puts a stop to the plan, and proposes going to Thor-thuga to find stallions and get pregnant.