Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 3

Publisher's summary

KES DAMERON FACES DEATH IN THE GRIP OF A FEARSOME IMPERIAL THREAT! Who is the mysterious REYNA OSKUR—and what does her influence over the DEFIANT IMPERIAL mean for the NEW REPUBLIC? Does the DEFIANT IMPERIAL have an INQUISITOR by his side?! Our villain consolidates his power—but at what cost? An iconic, familiar face arrives to save the captured heroes!

Opening crawl

Following the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star, the galaxy
is in a time of uncertainty. While the rebels forge a path toward peace, there are still
those who would bring chaos and destruction. The war continues on in….

The New Republic struggled to take hold in the wake of
the Battle of Endor, facing Moff Adelhard, the unrelenting
Governor of the Anoat sector, intent on keeping the Empire
alive. On Tatooine, the Spice Runners of
Kijimi met with Bib Fortuna to gather allies for Adelhard.
Wary of Adelhard's threat, Leia recruited rebels Kes
Dameron, Rynn Zenat, Jarek Yeager and Therisa Alern to
travel to the sector and gather intel, but when they reached
the sector, the team was ambushed and surrounded by an
unknown enemy!

Yupe Tashu and Reyna Oskure, agents of a mysterious
cult known as the Acoltyes of the Beyond, sought an
ancient compass from Palpatine's observatory on Pillio,
where Luke Skywalker was called by the Force. Seeking
to intercept him, they sent Yuan Howzell, who allowed
Luke to obtain the relic but warned him of the dark side's
endurance….

Plot summary

On the fringes of the Anoat sector, an elite strike force of New Republic operatives find their ship, the Barloz-class medium freighter Oggrud, surrounded by vessels of the Spice Runners of Kijimi. The operatives were sent by Princess Leia Organa to investigate the reports coming from the sector of a rogue Imperial Moff and his supposed consolidation of power. One Spice Runner, a Klatooinian named Vigilch, orders the Oggrud to allow the Spice Runners to board or be destroyed. He adds, however, that they won't take any prisoners.

Obviously skeptical of what sounds like a losing game, Therisa Alern and Kes Dameron deduce that the Spice Runners have been hired by Moff Ubrik Adelhard. Meanwhile, pilot Rynn Zenat begins plotting an unconventional escape, hoping to leverage their disguise as a merchant ship to help confound their enemy. She replies to the comms, claiming they are fellow spice runners passing through a corner of the sector as a short cut. She then offers to cut the Spice Runners of Kijimi in on the deal.

Leader of the Spice Runners of Kijimi, Zeva Bliss, is unconvinced by the New Republic strike team's bluff. Tomasso, Vigilch, and Marinda Gan chime in on the debate of what to do. Gan seems to be the most trusting of the Oggrud crew's claim, skeptical of their alliance with Adelhard in the first place. Her derisive words beget a swift strike to the face from Bliss. The leader decides to contact Adelhard to alert him of their status, thinking he will want to board what is likely a rebel ship.

Meanwhile, on the Oggrud, the strike team remains wary of their precarious situation. Zenat then reveals to her squad mates her contingency plan. Aboard the Ragged Claw, the Spice Runners notice their prey quickly lurching straight towards them at an alarming rate. The Spice Runners veer out of the way to avoid the explosive ramming maneuver employed by the Oggrud.

On Chandrila, the provisional home of the New Republic, Agent Calder Behrens receives a hologram call from intelligence operative Buccel Trune alerting him to the alignment of the Spice Runners of Kijimi with Moff Adelhard. Behrens immediately recognizes the peril this puts their nascent government in. He is interrupted by a summons from Mon Mothma herself. He joins her and Leia to discuss even more bad news: "The Operator" provided them with more reports of desperate Imperial attacks on New Republic Targets. He informs the Princess of the bad news about the Anoat sector, which spells likely doom for her strike team.

On Adelhard's Imperial Star Destroyer Scepter, Imperial Security Bureau Lieutenant Kith Alaytia informs Adelhard of the significant damage caused to the Spice Runners of Kijimi after Zenat's maneuver, which involved using a large cache of powerful explosives hidden in the freighter, effectively making the Oggrud into a bomb. Adelhard strains to see the bigger picture of the event, confident it is not a simple act of terror. The two Imperials are then approached by the Anzati mystic Reyna Oskure, who believes the perpetrators to be alive. She and Adelhard soon commence an argument in which Oskure claims Adelhard needs to consider the Force in order to win, evoking the powers of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. Adelhard is dismissive, particularly as he sees the role of the Force in the Sith's downfall. Before their argument reaches a head, however, Alaytia informs Adelhard that the New Republic strike team has been found and captured.

Back on Chandrila, Leia speaks with her brother Luke Skywalker about her guilt for likely sending the strike team to their deaths. She feels guilty for even having the power to decide whether people live or die. Additionally, she struggles with the lack of finality after the victory at Endor, how there is already a new darkness in the form of Adelhard. Luke comforts his sister, reminding her that even in complete darkness, they must look in order to find the light and save their people.

In a cell on the Scepter, the New Republic strike team argues about the lack of transparency between the team members, particularly the secrecy of the bombs. Alern defends Zenat's actions, but also calls for them to spring into action, a seemingly pointless gesture when locked in a cell. Alern is soon proven to be rightfully confident when the cell door is opened by Kith Alaytia, who is in league with Alern and the New Republic. As the strike team makes their escape from the cell block, they are ambushed by Adelhard's second in command, Commander Bragh. He viciously pummels Dameron before Alern can call for the others to scatter. The strike team's strategy is foiled by the arrival of an individual claiming to be an Inquisitor, brandishing their signature double-bladed spinning lightsaber. The Inquisitor slices into Alern's lateral torso, and helps Bragh incapacitate the rebel scum.

In the aftermath of the melee, Bragh thanks the shadowy figure for their help. When he states his intention to deliver the escaped prisoners to Adelhard, the Inquisitor mentions their preference to show Adelhard the power now at his fingertips: The power of the dark side of the Force. Elsewhere on the ship, another shadowy figure sneaks around, brandishing a green lightsaber. He takes out two stormtroopers, seeing through the darkness and into the light. It is none other than Luke Skywalker.

Media

Cover gallery

Final cover by Phil Noto

Reveal cover by Phil Noto

Variant cover by Mike McKone

Solicit variant cover by Mike McKone

The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary variant cover by Chris Sprouse

Collected in

• Star Wars: Battle of Jakku trade paperback

Appearances

This Appearances list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.

Sources

• SDCC 2024: The Acolyte Publishing Program and Other Reveals from the Lucasfilm Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The Legendary Battle That Bridges the 'Star Wars' Trilogies Is Finally Told on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
• The Final Battle of the Galactic Civil War is Told Across Three New 'Star Wars' Comic Series on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
• Star Wars (2020) 50
• Darth Vader (2020) 50
• "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 228

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars: Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising (2024) #3 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)