THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS, PART 4
T’onga and the bounty hunters have failed to save Valance from the erasure of his memories and, with them, his last vestige of humanity. With one of the most formidable cyborgs in the galaxy in the hands of a dangerous foe, the only option left is for the heroes to hunt down Valance—and kill him before he can wreak havoc!
Tensions are mounting aboard the ”Engima Catalyst” as hopes fade.
But unbeknownst to the crew, there may be one last chance for salvation….
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Davide Tinto
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Cover artist: Marco Checchetto
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: November 22, 2023
We’re reaching the sharp end of Bounty Hunters, the 42 issue run nearing its finale and we open issue 40 as T’onga, her shoulders slumping in near defeat, leaves a message for her wife Losha, and as she does we step back in time with her to when she left her wife behind, to protect her as she remembers her own losses; her brother, her mentor, and she explains where they sit with Valance who is now a near-mindless killing machine. She’s determined to carry out her promise to Beilert, to hunt him down should he truly become more machine than man, and her thoughts are interrupted by Bossk who tells them they’ve arrived at Epikonia, and that it’s not too late to bug out. T’onga refuses, determined to keep her word as piloting the ship Khel reminds T’onga of the droid scourge, and how her promise to Valance is dragging them right into the mud. T’onga reminds her that she’ll be paid well for her troubles, but that the money she’ll earn is encrypted and only T’onga has the key.
They swoop in to Epikonia hoping to keep the element of surprise, but that is lost and as T’onga tells the team their mission remains unchanged they turn on her and Zuckuss as Durge and Deathstick attack. Khel hurls T’onga to the ground, but as T’onga tells her she’ll never get paid without the password Bossk betrays her by giving Khel that secret code, claiming he’d known for months that the crew would eventually break apart. T’onga is outraged, reminding Bossk of how many years they’ve run together, but he blithley remarks that he’s a trandoshan – it’s in his nature. Khel reminds T’onga of how her own team were left for dead, and how Valance had murdered her friend, that T’onga shouldn’t have left her wife behind and we watch as Zuckuss is thrown from the ship to the ground, followed by T’onga and Bossk watches from the ramp as they fly away and Zuckuss and T’onga are captured by the scourge-taken droids.
We cut to a viewsreen of memories, of the Nakano Lash days and watch as Lieutenant Hayden pulls a datakey out of a workstation, only to be interrupted by Imperials who question her breach of protocol. It’s discovered that the datakey holds Valance’s memories, and she backs away, ready for a fight, and it’s a fight they get as outnumbered, she methodically takes them down, even the hulking brute of an officer who on any other day would crush her but doesn’t reckon for her knowledge of his own medical issues as she aims for his weakened knee and makes him unsteady enough for a knockout blow. She takes the key and still in uniform heads for where a docking bay, only to see Darth Vader himself. She isn’t part of his plans, and so she evades his notice and vowing to help Valance, she heads for a Lambda Class Shuttle.
We end the issue as T’onga wakes after 3 days of unconsciousness to see Valance and a phalanx of droids, and pan out to see that she is secured to a vertical operating table as the scourge tells her that first they came for the metal, and now they come for the meat….
Oh boy, this series is ending and it’s going out with a blast. The crew has evaporated, the hopes of T’onga dissolved and any chance of a happy ending for these rambunctuous characters looking highly unlikely, but don’t assume it’s going to be all bad. This crew have certainly had more travails than smooth cruises, but there’s something in there that bonds them together and makes them an effective team, and while it seems Bossk has betrayed T’onga there’s a glimmer of doubt in him as they left her behind on Epikonia. Similarly, the ever-loyal Lieutenant Hayden is back on the field of play, and with a message sent to Losha it can’t be long before her wife arrives. One more issue of this storyline and then the big finale in issue 42.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Sacks, Ethan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 22 Pages - 12/13/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
