Knights of the Old Republic: War: Part 3 of 5
What is it ? : Around the system of Phaeda, Zayne Carrick contacts the flight control for the system as they won't allow the vessel to approach without speaking to Captain Morvis. Zayne pretends to be the only survivor of a chemical attack on the Phaeda Militia, needing medical aid. Flight control refuses, but Jedi Dorjander Kace overrules them, so they instead route the ship to a station at the edge of the system.
This was Kace's plan all along, getting Zayne to help them avoid invading his homeworld, and instead to take over the communications depot to stop the planet warning the Republic of a strike planned deeper into it's territory.
They dock with the Station and Kace and Zayne use Zayne's plague scheme to get access, however the Mandalorians are keen on sneaking around so just attack.
After they get access to the communications systems, the Mandalorian that Zayne befriended tells him that a response has come to the message he sent, but he doesn't know why Zayne got him to call a restaurant.
The message is from Marn Hierogryph, he's access the logs on Dorjander Kace, and although the Jedi didn't have much on him, there was a massive file on the Republic Intelligence systems.
Zayne confronts Kace, and he confirms the truth, that during the Sith War, Kace was captured by the Mandalorians and served with them. But at the end of the war he returned to the Jedi becoming a High Councillor, who obviously was very anti-war when the Mandalorian wars started. So the Republic forced him from his position, and everyone found it odd that he then joined with Revan. But Zayne realised that was just a way of getting back to the Mandalorians, with plans to strike deep into Republic Territory and seize the Jedi Temple on Dantooine.
Later on Halthor, Captain Morvis and his men are planning to escape, when Zayne arrives, with a plan to lead them to seize a Mandalorian Dreadnaught. . .
High Points : The emerging story of Dorjander Kace is interesting, captured by the Mandalorians during the Sith War against Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, the Mandalorians as seen recruited him and he came to respect them. When the war was over he returned to the Jedi and served with distinction, rising to the Jedi Council. But when the Mandalorian war started he was one of the largest objectors to the Jedi getting involved against these people he respected and liked. So the Republic found a way of removing him from power, and he came to think of the Jedi as just puppets of the Republic, so joined up with Revan just to get taken to the Mandalorians, where he switched sides, thinking he can create Mandalorian Jedi Knights who will fight with more honor.
Low Points : It's an interesting story, but still not one that I empathise with, the Mandalorians slaughter their way across the galaxy, and just because he lost his position of power due to a political move he's fine with that.
So what do you really think ? : It's nice to see Gryph, Slyysk and T1-LB, but it's a cameo, with only Gryph getting any lines, and not being involved with the story beyond just being a recording of him giving some information.
And while the story does move forwards slightly, it happens mainly off screen, Zayne comes up with his plan and convinces Kace and the Mandalorians to follow it entirely between issues, and we discover that the attack on Phaeda was only a stepping stone towards their final target anyway, so wasn't really a target as we thought last issue.
Apart from that it's a pretty large infodump, lots of dialogue, some pointless stuff about Mandalorian blasters not having a stun setting as they don't fight to stun, they fight to kill.
Final Words : This issue feels a little pointless, as the attack on Phaeda is totally a fake out, with Zayne's family not being under threat. But as I said above, this is solved between issues, making the cliffhanger of the last issue totally pointless and disappointing.
As least this issue feels a little more like the original run of the series, with Zayne pulling a scheme using the skills Gryph taught him, so he seems more like the same character instead of the generic Jedi he's been for the past 2 issues.
I suppose we'll see if this goes on for the rest of the series.
Score : 7.5/10
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