Prisoner of Bogan Part Five
Daegen Lok, a mad, rebellious Je’daii, and offworlder Xesh have escaped from their prison moon and led pursuing Je’daii on a wild chase across the Tython system. On the polluted, industrial world of Nox, the escapees made contact with four generals—former servants of Queen Hadiya in the Despot War— hoping to ally with them.
The meeting with the generals was interrupted by the Je’daii, and Lok and Xesh fled, taking Je’daii Shae Koda prisoner. Now, the Je’daii assume Lok will travel to the planet Shikaakwa, where there are more soldiers loyal to Queen Hadiya.
Meanwhile, Je’daii Masters uncovered unsettling information about Xesh’s former masters—the Rakatan Infinite Empire—a civilization of dark side Force users intent on conquering the galaxy…
That’s how writer, penciller and scripter John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, inker Dan Parsons, colourist Wes Dzioba, letterer Michael Heisler and cover artist David Michael Beck set up the fifth issue of Prisoner of Bogan.
The Review
And with issue five comes a close to Prisoner of Bogan story arc. While it took a couple of issues to gain any real steam, the series hit its stride with issue three and hasn’t looked back yet. Best of all, this final installment could well be the best one of the series.
With their prisoner, Shae Koda in tow, Lok and Xesh have reached Ryo Fortress on Shikaakwa to secure an army to battle the oncoming hordes of dark Force wielding Rakata. Keeping in mind that the series takes place centuries before the Battle of Yavin, the reader gets to see some of the earliest uses of what will become standard manipulations of the Force, which I personally found quite cool, thank you very much. Case in point, Lok utilizes what might be the first instance of the old “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” mind trick, convincing a fortress guard that he bears a seal of Ryo when he actually holds nothing more than a coin. Yet again, Xesh is displeased with Lok’s insistence on using mind manipulations, but Lok has turned almost completely to the Dark Side of the Force himself, believing therein lies the only path to defeating the would-be conquerors of their galaxy. As further proof, he has placed Shae into a trance that keeps her docile and unthinking, essentially a walking, living zombie of sorts.
Easily bypassing the guard, the trio enter the chambers of Baron Volnos “Ox” Ryo. Lok engages Ox in conversation, where it quickly is revealed that Ox was instrumental in Lok’s successful assassination of Queen Hadiya, which effectively brought about the beginning of the end of the Despot War. During the conversation, Lok admits to falling in love with the former Queen, but killing her anyway, Ox complicit by vouching for the Je’daii so as to exact revenge on the monarch for killing his family. Both clearly have blackmail worthy dirt on the other, but Lok insists he has the upper hand. Naturally, this being Ryo’s fortress, he has armed droids trained on the trio, and he warns them not to move. Thinking he has regained the upper hand, he asks Xesh how it feels to be Lok’s servant, which immediately becomes clear was the wrong question to ask, as the former Force Hound flies into a rage, destroys the droids and nearly kills Ox.
Meanwhile, Je’daii Sek’nos, Hawk and Rori, along with the still incognito Trill, remain in hot pursuit of the escaped refuges and their imprisoned ally. While sneaking into the fortress themselves, Sek’nos and Trill are attacked by a dianoga. The Sith attempts to protect Trill, but she makes quick work of the best with a perfectly aimed blast shot.
As Xesh finishes his confrontation with Ox, the pursuing posse bursts upon the scene, demanding the surrender of Lok and Xesh and the freedom of Shae. Drawing on the Force to cause a wall to crumble, Lok disappears in one direction, Xesh and Shae in another. Sek’nos pursues the latter, Hawk the former. Sek’nos catches up with Xesh and calls him Lok’s puppet, too, sending him into yet another rage, suffusing the Sith in deadly Force lightning. You’d think people would learn not to call the former slave a slave, but what can you do? Trilll watches from the sidelines, thinking Sek’nos killed, but still she is spotted by Xesh. Though the two are broodlings who essentially grew up together, he does not recognize her at all. At first blush, this seems preposterous, but more on that in a moment. Rori first confronts Lok, but is quickly bested. Hawk immediately intervenes, and Lok retaliates with yet another mind trick, attempting to amplify the ranger’s greatest fears, which hinge on their shared vision. Hawk is able to overcome his opponent with a Force push, but finally admits to having lied about his intrepretation of the vision itself, for he cannot accept that turning away from the Balance of the Force and towards the Dark Side will save the Je’daii. Xesh arrives as Hawk stands over Lok, distracting him from Lok. Lok uses the opportunity to give us a variation on the lost limb motif, as he chops off the Twi’lek’s leg. I guess only so many people can lose hands before it becomes repetitious, so why not shoot the moon and give ’em the knee shooters? This shakes Shae from her coma-like state, and she attacks Lok. The mad Je’daii offhandedly instructs Xesh to disperse of the girl. Shae attempts to convince Xesh that Lok is only using him. Between this and his obvious feelings for her, he seems to hesitate. Lok then commands Xesh to kill her. Wrong move, as it’s by now well established that Xesh will be no one’s slave. Lok attempts his Je’daii mind trick on Xesh, which proves to be a major mistake, as Xesh’s mind is clearly a labyrinth that Lok cannot fathom.
Things begin to wrap up. Lok once again is imprisoned on Bogan, and Xesh is to be trained as a Je’daii. Akar Kesh Temple Master Ketu confronts Hawk, showing him footage of Lok’s trial, where the former hero of the Despot War insists that Hawk shared his vision and knows it for the truth. When questioned, he admits to sharing the vision save for one vital difference–it was not Lok who lead the Je’daii to victory, it was Xesh. This confirms the earlier prophecy of the Holocron (issue 4), and the Je’daii begin to prepare for war, forging Forcesabers and bracing for the oncoming tide. The issue closes with Trill contacting her Rakata master, telling him the mind barriers he put in place on Xesh have worked, thereby explaining his earlier inability to recognize her. She reports that this is indeed a Force rich world for them to conquer, though there are Je’daii to stand in the way. She will learn their ways in order to help to defeat them. Armed with this information, the Rakata prepare themselves for invasion.
Wow. Numerous battles, huge reveals and a cliff hanger worthy of the best Saturday serial. Will Lok prove a savior or merely a path towards evil? Can Xesh reform enough to become a Je’daii? What of the various, growing attractions between characters? I, for one, in addition to welcoming our robot overlords, cannot wait for the continuation of this thrilling story.
Next Issue: Book III – – Force War!
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