The High Republic: The Blade #3
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
THE BLADE
Part III
Jedi Porter Engle, master of the lightsaber, earning him the label of THE BLADE OF BARDOTTA, and his sister, Barash, are tasked with breaking a siege between factions and ending a conflict in the Tammuz Sector.
But not all is as seems on Gansevor, the planet of knives, as a group of mercenaries arrive to the battlefield. Not everyone is telling the truth, and Porter and Barash need to figure out who they can trust and fast….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artists: Marco Castiello, Jethro Morales
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Jim Campbell
Cover artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Editor: Danny Khazem
Publication date: March 1, 2023
On a world, and in an era, when it’s tough to know who to trust, what do Jedi do? They trust their instincts, and this is what’s being asked of Porter Engle and his sister Barash as we hesad into the third issue of The Blade, with the opposing forces of Gansevor ready to unleash holy hell upon each other. The Bethunians have hired mercenaries, and as Prince Colden explains to Barash the strengths and weaknesses of their defences, she suggests Porter take his blade and considerable skills down to give them more time as she tries to figure out exactly what the lay of the land is. Colden believes they are there to take back their Princess – his wife – who he says came by her own free will, and with that we cut to Porter as he parries and returns fire with his lightsaber, holding the mercenaries at bay and pointing out that his powers mean he could do far worse. He’s there to talk, but the mercs seem less than interested. He manages to eke out an agreement for a ceasefire until Barash can get to the bottom of the situation, remaining in the ‘enemy’ camp.
Meanwhile, Barash speaks with the Prince and his mother, the Queen who is frustrated that the romance between her son and the Bethunian princess wasn’t ended before it could begin and making her son understand she holds him responsible for the danger brought to their city. Barash wants to speak to the Princess, while the Prince insists she rest, but then Princess Sicatra enters the room to speak for herself. She explains that neither side would accept their union, and that their hand was forced due to her pregnancy. In addition, if they chose to live in anonimity they would likely have the child taken from them and raised by someone else.
We cut to the familiar surroundings of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant 15 years earlier as Porter and Barash reunite, Barash telling Porter how her species memories begin at birth and how she remembers her family, and here she asks him to be her brother. In the now, the mercs plan the downfall of the ‘pompous, self-righteous Jedi‘ pointing out how Gansevor isn’t yet on the Galactic Comms Network and so the Jedi are out of contact with Coruscant. Barash cockily tells them to stop and leave, but as they restart the attack and fire a rocket-propelled grenade at Porter, Barash looks down, confident her brother will be fine and we end the issue with Porter, blade in hand and flames surrounding him, ready to do things his way.
The series contiues to engage, and with crisp art and snappy dialogue it’s no chore to read, the era developing and bringing something markedly different to the Phase one High Republic oppulence and arrogance that made that such a must-read series of tales. While the galaxy continues to be charted and expand throughout the trilogies, this does feel like an era far further back than a mere couple of centuries, but nevertheless this is a captivating read and one to savour as we continue our Phase Two The High Republic journey.
