Doctor Aphra (2020) #28
CODE OF HONOR
After a grueling possession and a cunning hack, Aphra has finally regained control of her body and established a tentative truce with the Spark Eternal.
Sana Starros and her team barely survived the destruction of their ship after a failed Aphra rescue mission. Just Lucky and Ariole Yu saved them from the wreckage but at a great cost.
Meanwhile, the use of Ronen Tagge’s medical technology has left Sana and her team in enormous debt. Ronen attempted to get Sana under his thumb, but she refused. Hearing that Ronen intended to use connections within Crimson Dawn to usurp his Aunt Domina as head of the Tagge Corporation, Sana abruptly joined his side….
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover artist: W. Scott Forbes
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: January 25, 2023
With Aphra free from the Spark Eternal, we open issue 28 with Boussh, battling away alongside his Ubese warriors aboard Domina Tagge’s flagship the Acquisitor and sneakily using the Crimson Dawn phrase ‘Await the Dawn‘ to get the guards – clearly themselves loyal to Crimson Dawn – to drop their guard to they can take them out and attempt to break through the door, which they do finding Domina waiting for them, slain bodies at her feet. Tagge is well aware that there are many – including Crimson Dawn – who would see her dead, and we switch to another starship The Fleeting where Sana Starros, Ariole Yu, Just Lucky, Detta Yao and Magna Tolvan are quietly sitting, discussing their plan to kill Domina. With Eustacia and Korrin held hostage by Ronan Tagge, Sana feels she has little choice as they drop out of hyperspace into a fierce battle between the Tagge fleet. Onboard, Domina watches the carnage alongside Boussh as Tagge ignites her own protype weapon, the Tagge Protoblade and leaps into the fight as more would-be assassins try to kill her. The assassins vanquished, she sets out with Boussh to retake the Acquisitor, heading for the bridge as Sana and co stay out of sight, fighting rife as they realise that to retake the ship Domina would first aim for the bridge and so they cut a swathe through the carnage on their way to the bridge.
Sana and Domica arrive at the same time and quickly begin to fight, her Protoblade cutting through weapons as they dodge its fire, only stopping as Ronan appears, claiming to have taken the ship. He boasts how he has bested her, only to fall victim to a grand switcharoo as it turns out Sana and Domina’s assistant Lapin – who it initially appeared had switched loyalties to Ronan – were playing along, and Lapin quickly jabs Ronan, instantly incapacitating him.
With Ronan’s guilt recorded and unable to move due to the poison, Domina dispatches him as Sana reminds her how she did her part, asking for all of her debts to be cleared and a new Volt Cobra bought. Domina agrees, her empire back in her control. She explains to Sana how this fleet isn’t her only one and offers them work, but they respectfully decline, travelling to where Kho Phon Farrus waits and explains that she knows where Aphra is, and what she’s planning.
Another very solid issue and an important one as Domina Tagge consolidates her position of power as Sana and company get their debts cleared, including Aphra, who is absent from the issue until the final panel. Doctor Aphra continues to shine during an era of strong titles telling interesting stories, and with such solid storytelling during the Spark Eternal storyline you have to wonder what’s next for the good doctor. Whatever it is, we’ll be right there to watch it.
