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Knights of the Old Republic 23: Knights of Suffering, Part 2

What is it ? : We start in the Jedi Tower on Taris, where the Mandalorians have set up their command center, where we discover Cassus Fett is their leader.
Back with Zayne, Del threatens Raana Tey and Shel Jelavan that Zayne is his bounty, and Raana spots Gryph who she also blames for her current state of mind and leaps to attack him, before the gang comes to his defence. The Constables forces likewise come to Raana's defence and the resistance looks ready to turn on itself. However, the leader of the gang shows the Constable that Zayne has found his children, and the situation is defused, with Senator Goravvus ordering Raana to stop.
Gryph discovers that Zayne is mainly unharmed, as the blaster bolt hit the case he was carrying for Gryph, a case that projects a hologram of Jervo Thalien who hired Gryph to find the Senator. It is revealed that Goravvus had taken bribes and bribed other Senators on Thalien and his corporation, Lhosan Industries, and was using that information to blackmail Thalien.
Thalien reveals that he has paid Del Moomo seperately to kill Goravvus after Gryph found him, but Raana stops him, so Thalien sets off an explosive in the case he gave to Gryph to kill them all. However the damage it took when it was shot by Shel causes the detonator to fail.
Meanwhile in orbit aboard the Moomo Williwaw Jarael is fretting and worried, so Rohlan comes up with a Mandalorian way of relaxing, and gets Jarael and Alek to spar.
A still somewhat stunned Zayne asks Shel where her little brother is, and she tells him they received money and she sent him somewhere safe, but took the money for herself and was trying to hire an assassin to kill Zayne for his murder of her older brother. Zayne tells her that the money was from him, and is shocked that she would try to kill him when he thought they had something.
She tells him she blames him and Gryph for the death of her brother, but Gryph tells her that he never kills anyone, and has never seen Zayne kill anyone either. She asks then who killed her brother, and Raana admits it was her, but twists it to say thats what Zayne will claim.
Zayne tells her no, she killed Kamlin, Q'Anilia killed Shad, with Raana claiming that is only what the Dark Side has twisted Zayne's mind to think, but he dismisses that as what she tells herself to get through the night. Shel is confused by the arguing, and storms out wishing she'd never met any of them.
The resistance discuss their next step, having discovered that Cassus Fett is located in the Jedi Tower which he's using as his command post. Del Moomo asks if he can keep the bomb as his brother usually steals his.
Aboard the Moomo Williwaw, Jarael and Alek finish sparring and Alek expresses a tenderness towards Jarael, but she asks if Jedi are allowed emotional connections. Alek tells her yes, although there isa school within the order who want to stop it. She rejects his advances due to the abuse she received from Adasca and the loss of Camper, and he asks if her rejection is just no for now, or just no to him?
Back on Taris the Resistance plan their raid, with Zayne and Shel as both familiar with the Jedi Tower being those to lead it, and although she claims Jedi don't go to war, Raana is going to come along to bodyguard Shel. They are going to sneak into the tower and plant the explosive case that Thalien had sent with Gryph, now that Del has repaired it.
Afterwards, Raana approaches Shel, and pleads with her to finish the job and kill Zayne if she cannot, teaching her how to get her brother, Shad's, lightsaber while they are in the tower and get justice using it. . . .

High Points : Loads going on in this one, and most of it taking the story forward. We've got the resistance planning a raid against the Mandalorians, a romance between Jarael and Alek (even if she's not sure about it), and advancement of the main plot with Raana Tey trying to kill Zayne. As well as lots of little subplots advancing those.
A very minor point I loved, was that Shel was using the money Zayne had sent her anonymously to try to kill him, as she believes he is responsible for her brothers death. No good deed with go unpunished.
And I also liked that Raana is continually pretending that Zayne is a murderer, but that she's a Jedi so will give him the benefit of the doubt. Even to the level when she insists on accompanying them to the Jedi Tower, it's to protect Shel, and because even if Zayne hasn't fallen to the Dark Side, he's still a useless Padawan.

Low Points : I didn't find the resolution of the last issues cliffhanger to be particularly well done, this issue concentrates on Raana, with Del Moomo stopping her, and Senator Goravvus then ordering her to stop. But last issue ended with Shel standing over Zayne ready to fire and kill him, and she just doesn't. We see no conflict where she can't bring herself to kill someone, especially someone she used to be friends with, no one disarms her, no one convinces her to stop. Just one minute she's standing there aiming a blaster, and the next she isn't.

So what do you really think ? : While there's still a lot of dialogue in this issue, there's so much action and loads of story progression as well. All the story with Zayne and Raana is tied up with the story of the war on Taris, and we get further continuation of story elements started way back in the first story arc with the Constable, Senator and Lhosan Industries, fantastic stuff.

Final Words : So Raana, Zayne and Shel are all sneaking into the Jedi Tower to plant a bomb to take out the leadership of the Mandalorians, striking a blow for the Resistance which might swing the battle for Taris in their favour. But will Shel and Raana allow their desire to kill Zayne overtake the need for the mission to succeed. I can't wait to find out.

Score : 9/10

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