*Image from DarkHorse.com

Issues 22, 23, 24

Taris has fallen under attack by the Mandalorians who are currently fighting for the under city. When Zayne Carrick arrives, he jumps out of the ship in Mandalorian armor as the ship is rerouted to the pole. Once on the surface, Zayne discovers Gryph who is working with Gadon Thek, leader of the Hidden Beks.

The group retreats back to their base where Gryph tells Zayne he is working now for Jervo Thalien of the Lhosan Industries. Thalien wants Gryph to find Taris’s missing senator, Senator Gorravus, who is in the under city leading the resistance. Gadon and the Hidden Beks are also seeking the resistance to put up a better fight against the Mandalorians.

Zayne also meets a young Twi’lek called Mission who tells Zayne she knows a secret. Mission takes Zayne to show him her brother’s pet but Brejik follows and attacks. Zayne and Del Moomo put an end to the fight and the pet turns out to be the Constable’s missing children. Brejik was trying to make a profit by kidnapping the kids against Gadon’s wishes but now that they have the children, they can use them to get into the resistance for “rescuing” them.

Later, the Hidden Beks fly across Taris to meet up with the resistance. As they land, Zayne meets Shel, the sister of the murdered Padawan Shad, who Zayne is accused of killing. As Zayne runs to greet Shel she pulls out a gun and shoots at Zayne but he gets the briefcase that Gryph is using to stay in contact with Jervo Thalien up in time to take the shot. Shel stands over Zayne accusing him of killing her brother then Master Raana Tey appears telling Shel to finish him.

Del Moomo moves against Raana to protect Zayne (only because Zayne is his bounty) and Raana recognizes him and moves against the Ithorian bounty hunter. When guns are aimed at everyone, Senator Gorravus steps forward and puts an end to the fight by seeing Zayne had found the Constable’s children and the resistance needs all the people they can get.

Gryph takes Senator Gorravus aside to deliver Jervo Thalien’s briefcase so he could talk to his friend. However, once Thalien makes contact, Moomo takes the senator and says he’s collecting the bounty on the senator’s head. Thalien wants the senator because of under the table dealings they had made that were at risk now. Master Tey comes to the rescue of the senator but Thalien also had a bomb in the briefcase and sets it to go off. However, because of the shot the briefcase took earlier, the bomb fails to go off and Senator Gorravus says he’ll forget his dealings with Thalien if he tries all he can to get aid sent to Taris to fight the Mandalorians.

Zayne tries to talk to Shel but she refuses to talk since he killed her brother. When Raana returns, she and Zayne both try to persuade Shel that the other is the murderer driving Shel out of the room. Senator Gorravus comes in announcing that Cassus Fett who is leading the invasion is using the old Jedi Temple as his base of operations and now is the time to move against him.

In orbit with other captured cruisers sits Jarael and the others waiting for contact from Zayne on the surface. Rohlan sees Jarael is sad for Camper leaving and takes her to duel Alek to pass the time. Jarael and Alek talk and Alek makes moves towards Jarael who doesn’t want any of it, even if Jedi don’t prohibit emotional and physical contact between Jedi.

The resistance makes a plan to get into the Jedi Temple and destroy it and eliminate Cassus Fett. Zayne agrees to go on recon to make sure Fett is there and that surrounding buildings are indeed empty so no innocence is killed. Shel and Raana also say they will go to make sure Zayne doesn’t mess things up. Raana has a another plan in place to use this as the time to kill Zayne and use Shel to avenge her brother’s death.

Raana waits to do her part in the mission by thinking back years ago when she heard Krynda make a prophecy that said “…and in the tribulation to come there will be five. One for the darkness…and one for the light. Another from the darkness stands in the light — while one from the light stands in the darkness. The last one stands apart from all. And between them…between them…all that has been built will fall.” Raana then starts up a ventilation shaft to get into the Jedi Temple while Zayne and Shel go in from the front, all with the mission to confirm Cassus Fett is in the building.

Zayne and Shel, disguised as a Mandalorian and a prisoner respectfully, walk into the Jedi Temple through the front door without trouble. Inside, Zayne unlocks the ventilation shaft so Raana can get in and, without Zayne knowing, Shel takes her brother’s lightsaber and fixes it. While she works on it, Zayne breaks down into tears saying he really misses Shad and Shel starts to look more conflicted than ever. Zayne goes on ahead to find Cassus and Raana makes sure Shel has the lightsaber ready just in case she fails. Shel tries once again to not believe Zayne is Sith but Raana won’t have a word of it.

At the top of the tower, Zayne comes across a Mandalorian who says Cassus Fett has gone on ahead to end the resistance in the lower city. When the Mandalorian goes to question Zayne, realizing he shouldn’t be there, Raana shows up, cutting the Mandalorian in half and starting after Zayne.

Outside with the detonators, Gadon gets word about the resistance falling under attack and wants to move out but Gryph convinces him to save Zayne and the others.

Back at the top of the Jedi Tower, Zayne takes a beating from Raana and she continues to believe that Zayne is the one who will destroy the Republic and the Order. Raana also states she has killed more than her share of Padawans and goes for the killing blow but Shel drives her brother’s lightsaber through Raana’s stomach, admitting that Zayne wasn’t the one who killed her brother. Gadon and Gryph show up and pick Zayne and Shel up. As they try to get the swoop able to support all the weight, Zayne offers his hand to save Raana. As Raana raises her lightsaber looking as if she’ll strike at Zayne, Gryph sets off the explosives, collapsing the Jedi Temple and taking Raana with it. But before Raana falls, she tells Zayne to tell Krynda she’s sorry.

As the swoop moves away, Shel apologizes that Zayne missed his chance, but Zayne says he now has a name: “Krynda.” Lucien and Q’anilia also know of this revelation.

(coming soon!)