Star Wars: The High Republic continues the Drengir war with “Heart of Drengir.” It features a cover by Phil Noto with a close-up of Jedi Knight, Keeve Trennis, crossing her lightsaber and blocking a red Sith lightsaber blade. Cavan Scott is the writer and the artist is Georges Jeanty for “Of Sith and Shadows.” Keeve finds herself in the dark with tendrils of the plant-like Drengir. She calls out for Jedi Masters, Sskeer and Avar Kriss, but is only answered by the dark voice of the Drengir. Keeve activates her lightsaber. She finds her winged Ximpi, Kanrii, her friend from the first issue. Then, she sees the young Bartol whom she saw on Sedri Minor. These are people she knows in her memory, the Drengir must be manipulating her. Next, she sees the Rodian child, Julus, whom she found killed by the Drengir in Star Wars: High Republic #3. There are circular rings of technology around a planet. Keeve tries to remember the ghostly woman in this world.
Out of the darkness, a shadowy man with two red eyes says she is seeing visions, and activates his Sith lightsaber! In a splash page, the Sith with an alien face brings down his lightsaber, and Keeve blocks it. The creature calls her “seed pawn.” Keeve says in Dark Side speak, “The Harvest will be protected” using the Force to slam him into a tree trunk. She doesn’t understand what this means. The alien Sith stabs her with his lightsaber. This makes me think it is a test like the cave in Empire Strikes Back (1980), “Remember your failure at the cave!” Her lightsaber falls. Keeve is frozen in place with the lightsaber burn at her stomach. Three hooded figures say, “The circle is complete.” Similar to Darth Vader’s line to Obi-Wan in Star Wars (1977). In a large panel, Keeve is starting to become a statue, there is the Sith and Drengir around her, above her are four Force spirits(?). She refuses the vision and wakes at the meditation chamber at Starlight Beacon, the station at the Outer Rim.
Keeve is contacted by Dr. Gino’le, an Anacondan, he was first seen last issue. He revives Keeve from her meditation and says her vital signs were high. The Jedi Knight starts to walk the halls of the station and then sees the face of a Drengir on the wall! She uses the Force to break the glass surface. Keeve is disturbed by her attempt to look into the Drengir root-mind. She is about to see Maru, but the droid Kaysee, blocks her way. Maru is contacting Marshall Avar Kriss who is calling for Jedi in Wild Space to fight the Drengir. He tries to explain Jedi are dealing with the Nihil and the Republic Fair? Avar needs the Jedi in the Mulita system. Keeve tells Maru that she would like to volunteer to help the marshall. This turns to the system, Chortose, it’s first appearance. It is Agricultural Hub 42. There are two Chortose, Pango and Gru, short, hairy aliens that are a bit like Wookies with long ears. They remind me of the Lahsbees from the early Star Wars Marvel comic book.
The Nihil throw two gas detonators and the two Chortose brothers have to face the Nihil alone. The Nihil wear breath masks and two are aliens. They want sprayer droids, to stop the Drengir? The leader, Storm, is about to bring down his vibro-axe, but it is severed by the lightsaber blade of Keeve! The human Nihil opens fire with his blaster, but his shots are blocked by Keeve spinning her lightsaber! The human is struck by his deflected blaster bolt! Storm is knocked down by a heavy device. Keeve finds that she is helped by the ghost woman holding a yellow lightsaber to a Nihil! She says her name is Orla Jareni. Orla has taken care of the rest of the Nihil to be taken by the Republic Defense Coalition. She clears the room of the Nihil gas. Orla explains to Keeve that she is Wayseeker who follow the Force to help. She says that she is there to help Keeve who starts to get emotional that she was left behind. Keeve gets a vision from the root-mind, but she will be needed to win the Drenir war! This issue of Star Wars: The High Republic has some welcome surprises, like the Chortose, whom I hope return!, and the mysterious Wayfinder, Orla Jareni, another mentor figure for Keeve?, this comic is ramping up the story!
Four Lightsabers out of Five!
#StarWarsTheHighRepublic, #OfSithAndShadows, #Chortose, #OrlaJareni
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