Star Wars: The High Republic #6 continues the battle against the Drengir! Last issue, “Attack of the Hutts”, had Sskeer using his connection to the plant-like Drengir to make them think that life on Sidri Minor was “unclean.” The day is saved, but he collapses! The cover by Phil Noto has a massive Rancor with Marshall Avar Kriss riding it and carrying her green lightsaber! “The Galaxy Unites”, part of the new story arc “Heart of the Drengir” is by Cavan Scott and Georges Jeanty. We see at the opening, the planet Daivak, the first appearance of this planet, in the Outer Rim. Keeve Trennis in narration explains that the Drengir are taking “hundreds of worlds”! The inhabitants, green-skinned aliens with yellow, gem-like eyes trying to run from the Drengir!
Then, we get an epic two page splash with Rancor, Avar Kriss in on one of them, the other is ridden by a Jedi twin, the Hutt, Myarga, advancing on his hover chair, and the other twin riding a hover vehicle. Myraga glories in the battle using his Hutt beams on his chair. The Hutt notes that he could have destroyed the Drengir with deathcharges, a new explosive that has a Death Star effect? It is nice to see a Hutt in active battle. The Jedi twins note that it would have killed all organic life. On Starlight Beacon, monitor Estala Maru wonders if Marshall Kriss made an error allying with the Hutts. Master Gios appears via hologram telling Maru that the council may agree with him. The head of Starlight Beacon operations notes that Drengir are being slowed down by the unsteady alliance. Gios asks about Master Sskeer.
This moves to a large panel of the Trandoshan Jedi kept in a stasis field as Keeve watches him. Doctor Gino’le has told her that the Drengir infection has not progressed, but she feels through the Force that he is slipping away. This is a first time that Gino’le has been seen, he is a snake-like Jedi with a wide face and small eyes at the side like a frog. Keeve demands another scan from Gino’le. The Jedi twin Terec has found the settlers bound in Drengir vines! On the battle lines, Marshall Kriss is communicating with Terec when her Rancor is struck by the Drengir vines! She leaps off it as the Rancor falls. Marshall Kriss uses the Force to hold back the vines. Myarga blasts the corrupted Rancor and Marshall Kriss send for reinforcements from Starlight Beacon! This is another war involving the Jedi.
Keeve rejects the call for reinforcements and instead deactivates the stasis field and enters. Sskeer’s Drengir arm sends vines to take over Keeve! She enters the white Drengir vines and purple world of the Drengir and sees again Sskeer. They hug, a nice reunion. Sskeer, fully Trandoshan, notes that they are in the world, the Root Mind, where Drengir communicate with each other. It kinda reminds me of The Green in Swamp Thing. He tells his former apprentice that they need to get to the center of the Root Mind, but Keeve is overwhelmed by the vines. Back on Daivak, Myarga notes that the Drengir are just duplicating faster than they can be destroyed. Marshall Kriss notices that their song, she contacts Maru who checks on Keeve. He shows Avar Kriss a hologram of Keeve inside the stasis field!
Keeve tells the Marshall they are looking for the Heart of the Drengir, in the Root Mind, but together she and Sskeer are not strong enough to reach it. Maru and archivist Orbalin use the Force to add to Keeve’s efforts. Wow. Very cool. Sskeer tells Keeve to take the white vines and they are pulled, they are distorted by the movement, interesting effect. They have reached the center, Sskeer calls it the Great Progenitor, and it is on a rocky world with stormy skies. Keeve connects with its mind and it sends, in the Drengir world, a vine to pierce Keeve’s guts. Sskeer reaches for his arm and in the real world, rips off his Drengir arm! The move saves them, but Sskeer thinks of it as a failure. Keeve shows him the scratches on her gloves, a mysterious planet where they can find the Great Progenitor and maybe win this war! Star Wars: The High Republic #5 is interesting contrasting a battle with an inner journey to defeat a galaxy-wide threat!
Five Lightsabers out of Five!
#StarWarsTheHighRepublic, #TheGalaxyUnites, #DoctorGinole, #RootMind, #TheGreatProgenitor
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