Legacy #6 Broken Part 5 Story: John Ostrander, Jan Duursema Script: John Ostrander Pencils: Jan Duursema Inking: Dan Parsons Coloring: Brad Anderson Lettering: Michael David Thomas Cover: Adam Hughes Released: 11/29/2006 Reviewed by: JF Boivin (07/22/2007) SUMMARY: On the planet Vendaxa, Cade Skywalker and the crew of the Mynock are hurrying to repair the ship in order to get the Princess Marasiah Fel to safety. The Jedi Wolf Sazen and Shado Vao are with them, and they all know that the Sith assassin Darth Talon is lurking around waiting to attack. What they don't know is that Talon has received reinforcements in the form of Darth Nihl and other Sith. They hope that either Princess Fel's father will come to her help or that she will lead them to him, but instead two Imperial Knights arrive against the former Emperor's orders. Master Antares Draco's love for the Princess is stronger than his loyalty to Roan Fel, but unfortunately the Princess is killed during the fight while saving Cade from a Sith. This event prompts Cade to pick up her lightsaber, which he vowed never to do again, and decides that he's had enough of the Sith.

[final cover] [preview cover]

THE STORY

I had mentioned last issue that when Cade and his former Master met again, none of them spoke about it. Well this issue goes right into it with a two-page dialogue between them basically saying that Sazen has been looking for Cade but Cade refuses to become a Jedi again. Also the fact that Cade used the Force last issue in front of his bounty hunting companions, Deliah Blue and Jariah Syn, is addressed as he asks them if they will turn him in for the bounty placed on Jedi. Deliah declares her loyalty to Cade, but Syn's hate for Jedi is stronger than his friendship. But Cade won't let him act on it and disarms him when Syn pulls a blaster on him. They all know that the Sith they defeated last issue is still alive and waiting to attack, and hurry to finish repairs on the Mynock. But only Syn and Deliah seem to be working on it, so it is unwise for Cade to disturb them. He then goes to talk with Princess Sia and she reveals to him that they have a lot in common. They both have a legacy that is kind of a curse to them, and both would want to walk away from it. The difference is that Sia decided to resist that desire and instead chooses to follow a cause that she believes in.

At this point, they witness two Imperial fighters being shot at by Sith fighters. The two Imperial pilots jump out before their ship explodes; turns out it's Master Antares Draco and his fellow Imperial Knight Ganner Krieg and they came against Roan Fel's will to rescue the Princess (this is the first time Krieg's name is mentioned, although he appeared before). It was kind of expected from the short opening scene on Bastion where Draco ponders about loyalty and obedience after Fel adamantly tells them not to go look for his daughter for the second time (the first time was in issue #3). The two Sith ships are manned by Talon and newly arrived Sith warriors, including Darth Nihl. A fight ensues between the two Jedi and two Imperial Knights, and the four Sith. Understandably, the others cannot help much since they don't have lightsabers, so the best they can do is prepare the ship for a quick take-off.

But Cade stays transfixed when he realizes that Nihl is the same Sith who cut off Wolf Sazen's arm and killed him during the attack on the Jedi Temple on Ossus seven years earlier, which led Cade to call on the Force to bring his Master back to life. He recalls that event in a series of flashbacks of events from issue #1 and meanwhile doesn't realize that a Zabrak Sith is sneaking up behind him. However, Princess Fel does and she kills the Sith with her lightsaber, sacrificing her own life to save Cade's. That seems to make Cade very ticked off as he picks up her lightsaber even though he swore a few pages earlier that he would never do so again. Apparently, the next issue will open with one kick-ass lightsaber fight as we will see what Cade is capable of. Manwhile, Cade also doesn't realize the struggle happening aboard the Mynock as Syn wants to take off but Deliah wants to stay and wait for Cade.

This issue is clearly about loyalties. We have Draco's loyalty to Emperor Fel versus his love for the Princess. We have Deliah Blue's loyalty towards Cade which might be more than friendship. We have Syn's loyalty towards Cade, his bounty hunter companion for seven years, versus his hate of the Jedi and love of money. And we have Princess Sia's loyalty towards her own beliefs that one person's life is insignificant next to ridding the galaxy of the Sith. (And on a smaller level, we also have Krieg's loyalty to his friend Draco due to the fact that he disobeyed Emperor Fel to come with him). Truly sad that we didn't get to know Sia better, but we know that Cade is storng enough in the Force to resurrect people...

THE ART

It seems that every issue has a good fight sequence in it, and it's good because it gives opportunities to showcase Duursema's amazing talent. This issue is no exeption, and the fight between the Jedi and the Sith, although bery short, is truly amazing. But it's only the beginning, so next issue should be one big exciting fight as Cade joins in. One gripe I had in past issues is the decision to make most of the Sith wear red skin and black tattoos much like Darth Maul. In the past, each Sith had his/her own unique look creating some very memorable characters. So I feel that making them like Maul is kind of taking the easy road on the designs. In this issue, we even have a Zabrak Sith, although she is a female, and she even is made to look exactly like Maul as she looms over Cade's shoulder. But this is nothing against the artist's talent. I do feel however that in some panels, the art feels a bit rushed; some character's faces dont' feel quite exactly right or the starfighters seem a bit out of perspective. But it's Duursema's own fault, and his a testament to her talent since she has kept such high standards in all of her work that any little flaw would become more noticeable.

CONCLUSIONS

A major character dies, and Cade picks up a lightsaber. Will he use it for defense or for revenge?

Rating: 7 / 10 Recommended