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Knights of the Old Republic 37: Prophet Motive, Part 2

What is it ? : Jarael and Rohlan are taken as prisoners to an observatory, where the sunlight will be used to burn them, something the Exchange bought from Flashpoint station after it was decommissioned.
Meanwhile Gryph and Zayne head back aboard Gryph's new ship, the Hot Prospect. Zayne is excited to see the ship, but when they board they find that it's a piece of junk, so toxic that they watch a Mynock chewing on it drop dead. Gryph blames Slyssk for buying it, while a good pilot he has only stolen ships before never bought one, so when the sales person described it as a Gem, he bought it, only to find out it was a Gem Miner.
As the sunlight bursts into the observatory, Rohlan calls on Jarael to call on the Force to protect them, claiming that since she has sparred with Jedi perhaps she has learned something more from them.
Nunk Plaarvin, the operqtor of the Metellos Exchange, is going to try to profit from the situation by auctioning off the world that Jarael and Gryph claimed had lots of resources. When Zayne bursts in, defeating his guards, the Chevin asks if he is a Jedi, which Zayne denies, claiming to be a subcontractor.
Gryph claims to be working for Nunk's bosses, which Nunk doesn't believe because none of them would employ a Snivvian, but Slyssk reveals himself disguised as part of the Raff Syndicate, and as a Trandoshan does match what Nunk expects.
Gryph accuses him of skimming profits from his Raff Syndicate bosses, and tells him to report to them on Jebble to explain, and Nunk leaves.
The Chev operator of the Metellos Exchange comments that Jebble was bombed by the Mandalorians. Gryph tells him that the Chev is obviously a details man, which is why he's actually the brains behind the Exchange. Telling him to run it now, as a free man, as long as he sends profits to the Syndicate he'll be left alone.
The Chev thanks him, and wishes they'd had time to save their friends. Zayne demands to know what he means, only for Rohlan and Jarael to arrive. Zayne is overjoyed at seeing Jarael, hugging her and noticing that she's sweaty. And Rohlan tells him that she will need guidance in the ways of the Force from him.
Zayne comments to Gryph that they've left the Exchange in the hands of criminals, but Gryph tells him that they've just freed the slaves, and they'll keep the body count down in a way the Chevin never did, which the Chev agrees with.
As they fly off in the Hot Prospect. Zayne comments that only recently he was fleeing the Jedi based on a prophecy they believed was true, now he's making money based on a forecast everyone knows is false, and Gryph welcomes him to the world of business.

High Points : So the big revelation here is that Jarael is Force Sensitive, and protects herself and Rohlan from the solar energy in the observatory. This in all likelihood links back to what Rohlan discovered about Jarael on the Arkanian Legacy when the Arkanians sequenced her DNA.
The dialogue in the issue is excellent, with the banter between Zayne, Jarael and Gryph being wonderful, with a bunch of quick jokes and snide asides showing they're really close friends.

Low Points : The story wraps up a little easily, they con the Chevin boss that they're from the Syndicate, and he just believes them and leaves. Presumably to head to Jebble and die in the radioactive fallout from the Mandalorian attack. If he doesn't die, then he's going to return and take control of the Exchange once more.
While I complement the dialogue above, I do have to comment when Nunk Plaarvin asks if Zayne is a Jedi, he replies that he's a subcontractor, and I wouldn't be the nitpicker that I am if I didn't point out that he's supposed to be Gryph's partner. But then again, it could be part of the role he is playing, as they're both pretending to be working for Slyssk in his guise as working for the Syndicate.

So what do you really think ? : While there's elements which work in this story, the whole thing doesn't hold together particularly well. With them overthrowing the control of the Exchange, so they can sell the mineral rights to a planet based on false forecasts. It seems overly complex and a little pointless.
However as mentioned, there's the revelation about Jarael, and some great dialogue, so it's not a complete disaster.

Final Words : Without the driving force of the Covenant storyline, the comic now seems a bit unfocused. They've gone from avoiding death at the hands of a conspiracy within the Jedi order, which itself potentially could bring the entire order down, to doing petty scams to make some money. The importance of what they're doing is far less, so the story is also less important. We'll see if this is just an interlude, or whether this is the new direction for the comic.

Score : 8.5/10

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