Join Vader as he learns a new way — the way of Darth Sidious and his newly formed Empire…the way of the dark side.
On the Jedi outpost Brighthome, two former clone troopers now Imperial stormtroopers, Ding and Kicker discuss their boredom at their current assignment to make an inventory of Jedi artifacts and equipment on the station. Their commander tells them to focus, as an unidentified vessel has dropped out of lightspeed nearby and is approaching.
Four ARC-170 fighters scramble, warning the ship that it has entered restricted space and will be fired upon if it continues. On board his starship, Darth Vader's droid offers to transmit their docking authorization code to the station to end the situation, but Vader refuses, telling the droid to activate the weapons systems. As the ARCs open fire, Vader destroys two of them instantly. The remaining fighters form up behind him. The droid offers to activate the rear cannons, but Vader says there is no need, sensing the fear and pain of his pursuers as he destroys them.
On board the station, the troopers watch as the fighters are destroyed and the mysterious ship deactivates the station's security protocols and begins to dock. They head for the hangar deck and open fire as Vader smashes through the door. Hit in the shoulder, Vader uses the Force to pull a green bladed lightsaber from the wall, and proceeds to kill most of the troopers. The commander orders Ding and Kicker to fall back and regroup, but is killed before he finishes the order.
In Brighthomes control center, Vader's droid uses their codes to access the station's archives, which include a backup of the Jedi Archives on Coruscant, including all Jedi assignments before Order 66. Vader orders the droid to search the records for any Jedi who took the Barash vow—a kind of penance in which a Jedi refrains from any activities related to the Order, disengaging from everything but the Force—before the Great Jedi Purge. The droid responds that 14,000 Jedi have taken the vow since the founding of the Jedi Order, and that reading all their names will take months. Vader clarifies that he needs a living Jedi to obtain their kyber crystal, and as the droid resumes its search, an explosive device flies through the air, but Vader uses the Force to stop if from exploding. Ding and Kicker discuss how they could be rewarded by the Emperor for capturing a Jedi—Vader tells them they are mistaken: he is no Jedi and he has no limits, choking the two troopers to death, then letting the explosive detonate.
On board his starship, the droid announces that it has found one Jedi who meets Vader's criteria, who took the Barash vow and began his pilgrimage before Anakin Skywalker entered the Jedi Temple: Master Kirak Infil'a. The Jedi records show that Infil'a had not been active in Jedi affairs for many years, and even before then, had not participated in diplomacy, training or research—his only purpose within the Order was to fight.
On the river moon of Al'doleem, Kirak Infil'a floats in the air and meditates, two massive scars criss-crossing his chest.
- UPC 759606086665; June 21, 2017; Marvel Comics
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