Star Wars: Legacy: 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
What is it ? : Darth Krayt is on Coruscant in a statis chamber guarded by Darth Wyyrlock, who notes that Krayt is dying, but the Jedi Healer Hosk Trey'lis has failed to heal him, but they've heard of another Jedi healer of a bloodline they thought dead. And Krayt awakens sensing the Cade Skywalker has arrived on Coruscant.
Cade flies his ship through the towering canyons of Coruscant, pursued by some Tie Predators, but loses them by docking to the underside of a tower. Before leaving the ship he tells R2 to give access to Jariah and Deliah if they arrive, and leaves a holographic message for them.
He navigates his way through the undercity, knowledgable about it's paths from when he used to slip out of the Jedi Temple as a kid, but is accosted by a gang demanding money. He guns down their leader, forcing the others to scatter.
He arrives at a bar, Rik's, where he intends to meet Queen Jool, and he is allowed entrance, recognised by the doorman.
Inside he meets up with a Hutt wearing makeup and jewellery, who flirts with him telling him that Rav has been looking for him. She asks about Deliah and Jariah, and he reveals that he is actually looking for them and thought she might know. When he is suddenly accosted by a pair also looking for Deliah and Jariah, telling Cade that they pair hired a ship and then disappeared without returning it. He tells them that he doesn't know where they are, but says he'll pass on the message if he does see them and the hunters leave.
Cade gives Queen Jool access codes for his ship to give to Deliah or Jariah if she sees them, and he sets off to get Hosk Trey'lis.
Elsewhere on Coruscant the Tie Predator pilots are berated for their failure, but their Captain stands up for them, telling the Moff that they were hampered by the command to not destroy their target only to disable it. The Moff isn't happy, but it is revealed he is the Captains father.
Cade slips into the Sith Temple using the same paths that he used to use as a child to slip out of the Jedi Temple which was built on the same spot and easily gets inside and locates Hosk Trey'lis. As they slip out, they are ambushed by Darth Talon, but Cade matches her in Lightsaber Combat, but Darth Nihil force chokes him into unconsciousness.
Back on Ossus, Wolf Sazen is meditating and senses something has happened to Cade, seeing him in the distance in his vision. The figure of Cade turns, revealing that he has Sith eyes. . . .
High Points : The relationship between Cade and Queen Jool is the high point of this issue for me, while reminiscent of the relationship between the Daragons and Aarrba back in Golden Age of the Sith. But the flirtatious nature of it also reminds me of the relationship between a character I ran back in D20, and the whipid crimelord Lady Valarian, where my character was a charismatic faceman type character who would flirt with her constantly to get the party better deals and rewards.
Low Points : But everything just seems easy for Cade, he evades the Tie Fighters, although it is explained that they're under orders to not harm him so were restricted in their actions, the hunters looking for Deliah and Jariah just leave when he says that he doesn't know where they are, removing all tension from that scene, and he just walks into the Sith Temple without any difficulty.
And while I like the relationship between Queen Jool and Cade, it doesn't feel very trustworthy, with him even commenting that he knows there isn't a bounty out for him, as she would be trying to collect it, but he leaves the codes for his ship with her,
So what do you really think ? : While this issue doesn't impress me, it does offer possibilities of being the start of a better story arc. We seem to have the hero character acting selflessly and heroically, we've got hints he's going to go down the dark path that his family has strayed too all too often, and there's hints that the main characters are going to get back together. So while not great as a stand alone issue, it could perhaps be the start of a great arc, but we shall see.
Final Words : One of the elements I haven't touched on is the Vongforming of Coruscant, when Cade arrives we see the undercity has plants growing in some of it, and we see a man slumped in a passageway with growths on his body, and Cade comments that it's all part of the Sith corruption of the Yuuzhan Vong's attempts to reverse the effects of their time controlling Coruscant during the war. Now this seems to be an interesting thing, the idea of this city world still partially covered in plants from the Vongforming, but the corruption spreading like a plague into the inhabitants. But as all too often, a potentially interesting idea is just discarded, as after a couple of panels, this is just forgotten about.
Perhaps this is just set up though, and we'll return to these ideas later, instead of just using them as background colour, but going nowhere with the ideas.
Score : 8/10
Comments made about this Article!
There are currently no comments for this article, be the first to post in the form below
