STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (VECTOR PARTS 1 – 4).
June 9th 2008 22:41
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
“…And though the enemy brought great numbers to the field of battle… for every number there is a negative. Their strength became my own. Their minds became my own. All flesh is my flesh. None move save I will it. This is the rule the Sith were promised…and I have made it real!”
The Codex of Karness Muur, translated by Naga Sadow.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Production Team: John Jackson Miller – writer, Scott Hepburn – pencils, Joe Pimentel & Dan Parsons – inks, Michael Atiyeh – colours, Michael Heisler – lettering, Travis Charest & Dustin Weaver – cover art.
Cost: AU $4.95/US $2.99.
War rages across the Outer Rim of the galaxy as the Mandalorians wage their relentless crusade against the Republic and its many systems. It seems that there is nothing to stand in their way and the attempt by the Taris resistance to try and halt or slow down the invaders seems to have horribly backfired. For those whose worlds have been conquered or destroyed by the Mandalorians it seems as if the end of the galaxy as it is known has finally arrived in the guise of this warlike species. But what of the Jedi Order, what of these legendary wielders of the force who for countless generations have defended the galaxy? It seems that they have for some reason adopted a policy of non intervention within this particular matter, a rather unusual stance for a group dedicated to protecting the Republic and its inhabitants…
Anyone who has ever played any of the KOTOR computer games will remember that during the period of the Mandalorian Wars the Jedi Order was very reluctant to become involved in the fight against these nomadic aggressors, in fact that very reluctance is part of the back story to the primary character in the second game, a Jedi general who disobeyed the edicts of the Order and was exiled from it at wars end as a result. It seems that there were those in the order who felt that something else was behind the Mandalorian Wars, some sinister presence whose identity had not yet revealed itself. This thread is carried on in the comics; it seems that the reluctance of the Order to become fully involved in the war against the Mandalorians is all down to a secretive group within the Order known as the Jedi Covenant.
This group feels that the Order is not truly focused on its primary duty, which is the prevention of the resurrection or return of the Sith, at least that is how members of the covenant feel. Founded in the wake of the last war against the Sith which was approximately forty odd years prior to the current conflict the Covenant has been engaged in a covert campaign to destroy or retrieve ancient Sith artefacts and knowledge and put it beyond the reach of those who would use it for their own ends. Their prime objective is to guard against any potential Sith revival, even to the point of killing padawan learners who potentially may fall to the dark side. It seems that the Covenant are the ones responsible for framing Zayne Carrick, the protagonist of this series, and forcing him to live a life on the run all because of a prophecy that he would destroy the Jedi Order. One would think that having seers in their group the Covenant would be mindful of the concept of “always in motion the future is, hard to predict” but it seems that such is most definitely not the case. Visions of the future are taken as absolutes and the Covenant acts upon them with the conviction of fanatics if it concerns their agenda.
The other part of the Covenants objectives is naturally keeping the Jedi out of the war between the Republic and the Mandalorians, they seem to have achieved this successfully as so far there are no Jedi fighting against the invaders (at least not officially) and this suits the group admirably, after all one may never know when or where the Sith will strike. As the story opens its seems that the ideology of the Covenant is fully justified, a vision of the future is granted to several seers within the group, a vision of carnage, terror and doom all focused around a single figure who seems to be guiding and directing a vast horde of rakghouls. This figure wears a golden talisman that one amongst the several Jedi seers recognises as the Muur Talisman. The scene for the terrors and travails that the seers witness seems to be Coruscant, a Coruscant devastated by this marauding horde of rakghouls, what baffles the seers is that they cannot pinpoint the time in which this carnage will occur. As Q’anilia, the Miraluka seer asks “is this happening now or in the future” a figure she knows appears and tells her that it is happening now in her own time, the figure who tells her this is Zayne Carrick.
But then events become further complicated with the appearance of three more individuals, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Cade Skywalker all three of whom inform Q’anilia that the events she perceives are also happening in their own time frames. “Makes it more difficult, don’t it,” is what Cade adds to his own revelation that the events in the vision are also occurring in his time. Suddenly a rakghoul lunges for the distraught Miraluka and the vision suddenly ends, Q’anilia is in a garden setting on Coruscant where she and her fellows are engaged in a memorial for a fallen comrade, Jedi Master Ranna Tey. With them is the leader of the Covenant Lucien Draay, a Jedi who was once Zayne’s former master, he asks what is the matter with his fellows and is given a swift run down on the situation and its possible portents.
The Muur Talisman is a Sith artefact of potent power, one that was last believed to have been somewhere in the Undercity of Taris, possibly one of the most unpleasant locales in the known galaxy. The ancient Sith Lords of the time of the Great Hyperspace War spent considerable efforts trying to locate the talisman but were unsuccessful, now it seems that it is on Taris, a world under siege by a hostile power. Still as Lucien and his cohorts discuss their options it seems there is someone who can infiltrate the besieged world and attempt to recover the talisman, a Covenant ‘shadow’, a Jedi whose existence has been erased from the data files of the Order so that they can operate with a far greater degree of freedom than would be the norm. Naturally it also makes them very deniable should an enemy capture said shadow.
From the city planet of Coruscant the action moves to that of the Undercity of Taris, where Celeste Morne, Covenant shadow is engage in her quest to find the Muur talisman. Naturally hunting down an ancient artefact amongst a virtual nest of hideous mutants during the height of a major planetary siege is not the easiest of tasks to accomplish but it seems that Celeste maintains her composure despite the high risk nature of her mission, her façade only starts to show some cracks when she encounters Zayne and his ‘manager’ the Snivvian con artiste Marn Hierogryph aka Gryph. The two are on the run after having been involved in the failed attempt to take out Cassus Fett and the Mandalorian command structure involved with the siege and conquest of Taris. The failure of that enterprise meant that they had to flee into the Undercity to escape the enemy, only they found themselves thrown into more danger and from that found themselves eventually in the company of Celeste.
It seems that this is the point when the pebble hits the water and the ripples begin to flow outwards with as yet unforeseeable effects, at least as far as everyone who is not a Jedi seer is concerned. Rather than actually preventing the disaster from occurring instead what the Jedi Covenant has done is caused it to commence, and potentially lead towards the carnage and destruction that its three primary seers had foreseen. Just as Anakin Skywalker feared the death of his beloved Padme and in the end ended up being the very cause of her death so too has the Jedi Covenant initiated the very sequence that could spell doom for the entire galaxy. Ironic or what? And it all becomes even more pear shaped when the Mandalorians manage to get their hands on the talisman before Celeste and her two newly acquired ‘friends’. A survey team lead by Pulsipher, a Mandalorian scientist, recovers the artefact before the two Jedi and con artist then they use their jet packs to carry them out of the undercity and to the landing area where Pulsipher’s shuttle awaits.
Once the shuttle has left Taris it heads to the frigid world of Jebble, a world in the Outer Rim that the Mandalorians are using as the staging area for their remorseless crusade against the Republic. If it wasn’t bad enough that the talisman is in the hands of Mandalorians it becomes even worse once the talisman itself seems to take a vested interest in affairs. First it takes over the mad scientist and he in turn causes some serious problems with it without actually knowing what it is he’s doing or precisely why this talisman is capable of doing what it does. What was once an orderly rampaging horde swiftly disintegrates as the talisman’s effects are let loose amongst the Mandalorians stationed on Jebble and the multitude or recruits who have been sent their. But there is still worse, far worse too come. After all the maker of the amulet, Karness Muur, a Sith Lord of antiquity, had more than just one purpose for his talisman.
What he and the Jedi Covenant didn’t count on was Zayne Carrick, Gryph and the circumstances in which the potential doom of the galaxy if not thwarted could be delayed. This opening stanza to an epic tale has begun well and there is little doubt that its events will not only have repercussions for the future but also for the various other eras in which it will crop up. When the dust finally settles the burgeoning disaster on Jebble is averted by the decisive action of Cassus Fett, he nukes the place and Zayne and Gryph are rescued by their other friends on the starship Williwaw which carries them out of reach of Fett and his forces. But the ripple hasn’t stopped from the pebble falling into the pond, slowly inexorably it spreads ever outwards, ever forwards into….the Dark Times….
The Codex of Karness Muur, translated by Naga Sadow.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Production Team: John Jackson Miller – writer, Scott Hepburn – pencils, Joe Pimentel & Dan Parsons – inks, Michael Atiyeh – colours, Michael Heisler – lettering, Travis Charest & Dustin Weaver – cover art.
Cost: AU $4.95/US $2.99.
War rages across the Outer Rim of the galaxy as the Mandalorians wage their relentless crusade against the Republic and its many systems. It seems that there is nothing to stand in their way and the attempt by the Taris resistance to try and halt or slow down the invaders seems to have horribly backfired. For those whose worlds have been conquered or destroyed by the Mandalorians it seems as if the end of the galaxy as it is known has finally arrived in the guise of this warlike species. But what of the Jedi Order, what of these legendary wielders of the force who for countless generations have defended the galaxy? It seems that they have for some reason adopted a policy of non intervention within this particular matter, a rather unusual stance for a group dedicated to protecting the Republic and its inhabitants…
Anyone who has ever played any of the KOTOR computer games will remember that during the period of the Mandalorian Wars the Jedi Order was very reluctant to become involved in the fight against these nomadic aggressors, in fact that very reluctance is part of the back story to the primary character in the second game, a Jedi general who disobeyed the edicts of the Order and was exiled from it at wars end as a result. It seems that there were those in the order who felt that something else was behind the Mandalorian Wars, some sinister presence whose identity had not yet revealed itself. This thread is carried on in the comics; it seems that the reluctance of the Order to become fully involved in the war against the Mandalorians is all down to a secretive group within the Order known as the Jedi Covenant.
The other part of the Covenants objectives is naturally keeping the Jedi out of the war between the Republic and the Mandalorians, they seem to have achieved this successfully as so far there are no Jedi fighting against the invaders (at least not officially) and this suits the group admirably, after all one may never know when or where the Sith will strike. As the story opens its seems that the ideology of the Covenant is fully justified, a vision of the future is granted to several seers within the group, a vision of carnage, terror and doom all focused around a single figure who seems to be guiding and directing a vast horde of rakghouls. This figure wears a golden talisman that one amongst the several Jedi seers recognises as the Muur Talisman. The scene for the terrors and travails that the seers witness seems to be Coruscant, a Coruscant devastated by this marauding horde of rakghouls, what baffles the seers is that they cannot pinpoint the time in which this carnage will occur. As Q’anilia, the Miraluka seer asks “is this happening now or in the future” a figure she knows appears and tells her that it is happening now in her own time, the figure who tells her this is Zayne Carrick.
But then events become further complicated with the appearance of three more individuals, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Cade Skywalker all three of whom inform Q’anilia that the events she perceives are also happening in their own time frames. “Makes it more difficult, don’t it,” is what Cade adds to his own revelation that the events in the vision are also occurring in his time. Suddenly a rakghoul lunges for the distraught Miraluka and the vision suddenly ends, Q’anilia is in a garden setting on Coruscant where she and her fellows are engaged in a memorial for a fallen comrade, Jedi Master Ranna Tey. With them is the leader of the Covenant Lucien Draay, a Jedi who was once Zayne’s former master, he asks what is the matter with his fellows and is given a swift run down on the situation and its possible portents.
The Muur Talisman is a Sith artefact of potent power, one that was last believed to have been somewhere in the Undercity of Taris, possibly one of the most unpleasant locales in the known galaxy. The ancient Sith Lords of the time of the Great Hyperspace War spent considerable efforts trying to locate the talisman but were unsuccessful, now it seems that it is on Taris, a world under siege by a hostile power. Still as Lucien and his cohorts discuss their options it seems there is someone who can infiltrate the besieged world and attempt to recover the talisman, a Covenant ‘shadow’, a Jedi whose existence has been erased from the data files of the Order so that they can operate with a far greater degree of freedom than would be the norm. Naturally it also makes them very deniable should an enemy capture said shadow.
From the city planet of Coruscant the action moves to that of the Undercity of Taris, where Celeste Morne, Covenant shadow is engage in her quest to find the Muur talisman. Naturally hunting down an ancient artefact amongst a virtual nest of hideous mutants during the height of a major planetary siege is not the easiest of tasks to accomplish but it seems that Celeste maintains her composure despite the high risk nature of her mission, her façade only starts to show some cracks when she encounters Zayne and his ‘manager’ the Snivvian con artiste Marn Hierogryph aka Gryph. The two are on the run after having been involved in the failed attempt to take out Cassus Fett and the Mandalorian command structure involved with the siege and conquest of Taris. The failure of that enterprise meant that they had to flee into the Undercity to escape the enemy, only they found themselves thrown into more danger and from that found themselves eventually in the company of Celeste.
It seems that this is the point when the pebble hits the water and the ripples begin to flow outwards with as yet unforeseeable effects, at least as far as everyone who is not a Jedi seer is concerned. Rather than actually preventing the disaster from occurring instead what the Jedi Covenant has done is caused it to commence, and potentially lead towards the carnage and destruction that its three primary seers had foreseen. Just as Anakin Skywalker feared the death of his beloved Padme and in the end ended up being the very cause of her death so too has the Jedi Covenant initiated the very sequence that could spell doom for the entire galaxy. Ironic or what? And it all becomes even more pear shaped when the Mandalorians manage to get their hands on the talisman before Celeste and her two newly acquired ‘friends’. A survey team lead by Pulsipher, a Mandalorian scientist, recovers the artefact before the two Jedi and con artist then they use their jet packs to carry them out of the undercity and to the landing area where Pulsipher’s shuttle awaits.
Once the shuttle has left Taris it heads to the frigid world of Jebble, a world in the Outer Rim that the Mandalorians are using as the staging area for their remorseless crusade against the Republic. If it wasn’t bad enough that the talisman is in the hands of Mandalorians it becomes even worse once the talisman itself seems to take a vested interest in affairs. First it takes over the mad scientist and he in turn causes some serious problems with it without actually knowing what it is he’s doing or precisely why this talisman is capable of doing what it does. What was once an orderly rampaging horde swiftly disintegrates as the talisman’s effects are let loose amongst the Mandalorians stationed on Jebble and the multitude or recruits who have been sent their. But there is still worse, far worse too come. After all the maker of the amulet, Karness Muur, a Sith Lord of antiquity, had more than just one purpose for his talisman.
What he and the Jedi Covenant didn’t count on was Zayne Carrick, Gryph and the circumstances in which the potential doom of the galaxy if not thwarted could be delayed. This opening stanza to an epic tale has begun well and there is little doubt that its events will not only have repercussions for the future but also for the various other eras in which it will crop up. When the dust finally settles the burgeoning disaster on Jebble is averted by the decisive action of Cassus Fett, he nukes the place and Zayne and Gryph are rescued by their other friends on the starship Williwaw which carries them out of reach of Fett and his forces. But the ripple hasn’t stopped from the pebble falling into the pond, slowly inexorably it spreads ever outwards, ever forwards into….the Dark Times….
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