Battle of Jakku — Last Stand 3

Publisher's summary

THE BATTLE OF JAKKU UNLEASHED! LUKE must enter the underworld to strike a deadly bargain! THE SPICE RUNNERS OF KIJIMI play a deadly wild card — with shocking consequences! As unseen forces move to disrupt the BATTLE OF JAKKU, the NEW REPUBLIC must fight a war on two fronts! LUKE takes on the new threat directly — putting everything at risk!

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….

On Chandrila, the leaders of the New Republic
reunited as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Rynn
Zenat returned to be with Leia after targeted attacks
from the Empire. They captured the assassin, Saycos
Hawn, who revealed Adelhard's intentions to destroy
all hope of freedom in the galaxy. In the Anoat sector,
Lando and his rebel team faced off against the Spice
Runners as a vengeful Adelhard reclaimed his forces
there. His former general Kith Alaytia saved Kranor--
the Imperial assassin--and the two barely escaped.
The Empire, upon learning of Adelhard's survival,
sought to regroup and kill him at long last before
they begin their Jakku offensive. The Republic must
now rally their forces as they face attacks on both
sides….

Plot summary

As Imperial forces gather at the planet Jakku, leaders of the New Republic strategize on Chandrila. The mysterious informant "The Operator" has confirmed New Republic intel and Agent Bastion leads the briefing. Admiral Gial Ackbar reminds the group, including Chancellor Mon Mothma, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, that if the Empire uses the Super Star Destroyer Ravager as their bulwark, the New Republic will have a very small margin for error in the coming battle.

Meanwhile, the Operator, truly Counselor Gallius Rax feeding the New Republic intel that would lure them to Jakku, speaks via hologram with Grand Moff Randd. He informs Randd of the Republic's imminent arrival at Jakku. After the call, Rax delivers a rallying speech to all of the Imperial forces at Jakku. He denigrates the Rebel Alliance's so-called government, blames them for starting the war, and calls for the creation of a better, stronger Empire by ending the tyranny of the New Republic. During the speech, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane realizes Rax's true intention to betray the Empire by destroying both sides' forces, Randd positions Imperial Star Destroyers to surround the Ravager, and New Republic General Tyben informs Ackbar of the menacing blockade around Jakku.

Gial Ackbar speaks with the holograms of Leia Organa and Mon Mothma, reiterating the necessity of executing their plans flawlessly. The women, however, warn Ackbar of the wild card presented by the rogue Imperial Grand Moff Ubrik Adelhard, whose coalition is acting as a third party in this conflict. Their hope lies in Luke Skywalker and pilot Rynn Zenat to find a way to stop Adelhard. The battle then commences.

Admiral Ackbar directs various squadrons of New Republic starfighters to try to break the Ravager's blockade and make it to Jakku's surface. One A-wing pilot, Odavia Anaru, finds herself outgunned by TIE fighters and on the brink of destruction. She is saved by the few surviving members of General Lando Calrissian's forces who made it out of the Anoat sector. Calrissian, Jarek Yeager, and Preeti Delmin clear out some TIEs, allowing Anaru to sneak through an opening into Jakku's atmosphere. She is tailed by two TIEs and cannot shake them as she races to the surface. She finds the Empire's ground forces waiting. Anaru makes a daring u-turn to head back up, but an AT-AT targets her with a surface-to-air missile, exploding her ship.

Back on Chandrila, Luke and Rynn welcome the New Republic spy Kith Alaytia and the Spice Runners of Kijimi assassin Kranor. Luke is hesitant to trust a Spice Runner, whose group is aligned with Adelhard as part of his coalition, and especially one who attempted to assassinate him in the past. In fact, Luke is most concerned about getting to Jakku to help the New Republic win the battle. Rynn convinces him to trust her and the new arrivals. She confesses that she is a Spice Runner, and that she and Kranor believe that the entire Adelhard coalition is fragile enough to break if they work together. Luke decides to trust his friend.

As the New Republic further realizes they were led into a trap. The Raveger's blockade is considerable and keeps the New Republic from properly forming up. On the surface, Anaru survives the crash and finds herself surrounded by stormtroopers. The odds are not in the New Republic's favor.

As Moff Adelhard's forces arrive to Jakku, he holds his attack for the right moment. He plans to bombard both Imperial and New Republic targets so he can wreak the most destruction. The Acolytes of the Beyond mystic Reyna Oskure tries to tempt Adelhard one more time. He refuses and prepares to give a command to the Acolytes when their ship is struck by a TIE fighter's fire. It is the New Republic agent Therisa Alern who commandeered the starfighter.

On Sauwecer, Rynn Zenat confesses to Luke Skywalker that her adopted father is high-ranking Spice Runner Tomasso. Instead of joining her father's world, Rynn decided to join the Rebellion. The group meets with Tomasso, and they ask him to have the Spice Runners pull back from Jakku. Tomasso tells them how their leader, Zeva Bliss had always been planning ahead. She canvassed the underworld before joining Adelhard, recognizing who his adversaries would be. That is, the Spice Runners have already been activating allies to help turn on Anoat coalition.

At Jakku, Alern continues her assault, dodging fire from Imperial and Spice Runner forces. Within the bridge of the Scepter, Adelhard and his officers detect a new Star Destroyer approaching. They receive an ominous comm from the pirate Eleodie Maracavanya, who has arrived to fight against Adelhard. The distraction allows Alern to escape.

Media

Cover gallery

Final cover by E.M. Gist

Solicit cover by E.M. Gist

Virgin cover by E.M. Gist

Variant cover by Alan Quah

Solicit variant cover by Alan Quah

Variant cover by Ramon Rosanas

Solicit variant cover by Ramon Rosanas

Collected in

• Star Wars: Battle of Jakku trade paperback

Appearances

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

Sources

• The Final Battle of the Galactic Civil War is Told Across Three New 'Star Wars' Comic Series on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
• "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 229

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Last Stand (2024) #3 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)