Doctor Aphra (2020) 8

This article is about the canon comic featuring the story "Old Wounds".
You may be looking for the comic story "Old Wounds" in Star Wars: Visionaries.
For other uses, see Doctor Aphra 8.

Doctor Aphra 8 is the eighth issue of the canon comic book series Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. It was written by Alyssa Wong; illustrated by Minkyu Jung, Victor Olazaba, and Rachelle Rosenberg; and first published by Marvel Comics on March 24, 2021. It features the story "The Engine Job Part 3: Old Wounds," in which Chelli Aphra and Sana Starros investigate an ancient battlefield on Dol'har Hyde.

Publisher's summary

OLD WOUNDS! After a narrow escape, APHRA and SANA's investigation takes them to the site of an ancient battlefield! But VUKORAH and the UNBROKEN CLAN are hot on their heels! What answers await them amid the devastation?

Opening crawl

THE ENGINE JOB part 3 OLD WOUNDS 
Doctor Aphra's cut all ties to her past and is trying to go back to what she does best:
hunting down the most valuable treasures in the galaxy.

But the rogue archaeologist is also exceedingly good at making enemies. Domina Tagge, the incredibly powerful head of the Tagge
Corporation, hired an army of bounty hunters to bring Aphra in. Now Aphra's working for Domina. The job:
steal experimental hyperdrive tech from Domina's rival.

To get it done, Aphra's recruited smuggler Sana Starros. But the ruthless General Vukorah and her Unbroken
Clan syndicate are also after the hyperdrive….

Plot summary

A tip on Dol'har Hyde

Aphra and Starros are in a bar on the Outer Rim planet of Dol'har Hyde, speaking to the bartender. He says he remembers seeing Remy because the man couldn't keep his mouth shut, constantly trying to impress the bartender about a network of buyers interested in his latest score. The bartender thought this was stupid to do in a room full of smugglers.

Remy claimed his score was recovered from an old ship. Outside the window, Aphra observes many ships crashed into the planet's landscape. The bartender explains that ancient marauders tore up the planet, but the forest ultimately "got the last laugh."

Investigating the Nihil battleship

Aphra and Starros climb a massive tree until they can see that it has grown around an old Nihil battleship. Aphra theorizes that, according to the bartender, Remy found the hyperdrive in one of these ships and sold it on Corellia to a buyer from Midarr, whom she believes must be Beol De'rruyet. Starros is skeptical, pointing out that the ships have been picked over for centuries and doubts Remy was truthful.

As they prepare to rappel down the middle of the tree, Aphra asks Starros if she's scared. Starros simply reminds Aphra that she was the one who fell back in university.

During the descent, Aphra explains that she read Old Republic records of Nihil ships doing "impossible things with lightspeed"—jumping close to planets and blinking across battlefields almost instantaneously, like magic. Starros realizes that kind of technology could change the face of the war between the Empire and the Rebellion and wonders if De'rruyet thinks he can replicate it.

Suddenly, Aphra's rappel snaps. She falls, crashing through the old ship and landing on thick plant matter that has grown around and through the vessel. Starros follows, and Aphra says she believes they're on the bridge. Starros notes the ship is completely overgrown, with roots coming through the floor and panels, suggesting the technology is destroyed. Aphra, however, starts cutting into a panel to see if it works.

Meanwhile, on Canto Bight

At the Galanx Casino on Canto Bight, Lucky cuts a hole out of a window and slides a sniper rifle through it, pointing down at the tracks below. He uses the scope to spot a group of people, including Alfar Sholt, watching the race. Lucky shoots Sholt, causing panic among the assembled guests.

Lucky packs up his rifle and departs, remembering that when he was a kid, he promised himself he'd leave as soon as he got the chance, but "something" was always holding him back. Walking down an alley, he is unhappy to be met by Ariole Yu, a Sixth Kin lieutenant, who informs him that Wen Delphis wants to see them.

The hyperdrive secret

Back on Dol'har Hyde, Aphra continues to work on the console. When Starros asks what happened to the droids Aphra used to have, Aphra says they are "freelancing." Aphra manages to get the ship to start, noting that the interface is strange and old but she can still work it.

She discovers the hyperdrive she is seeing is much more complex than the one Remy is advertising. She realizes this one "makes Remy's fancy engine look like a rock wrapped in string." Aphra fears Remy might not know he only has one part, or that it won't work with the power coils he claims to have—a combination that could be explosive. She explains that De'rruyet Tech is unveiling this dangerous engine at an expo on Midarr.

Vukorah's ambush

Suddenly, an explosion rocks their position. They recover to find ships outside their location, led by General Vukorah of the Unbroken Clan. As more missiles hit the wreck, Starros urges Aphra to leave, but Aphra refuses to go without the engine diagram.

Aphra explains that she can't rappel as her harness snapped and notices that Starros is bleeding from shrapnel. Nearby, the bar's owner and clients are seen dead, likely killed by Vukorah and her team.

The pair attempt to use a grappling hook to swing away, but it loses its grip, and they plummet. Vukorah's ships fire on the location again, and she confidently believes no one could have survived the damage. Having heard from the bartender that the hyperdrive was sent to Midarr, Vukorah orders her ships to set a course for the planet immediately.

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By type
Characters Organisms Droid models Events Locations
Organizations and titles Sentient species Vehicles and vessels Weapons and technology Miscellanea

Characters

Organisms

  • Fathier
  • Naboo dove (First mentioned)

Droid models

Events

Locations

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #8 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Doctor Aphra (2020) 8 to 3 ABY.

External links

Doctor Aphra 2020 logo
Fortune and Fate: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
The Engine Job: 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
War of the Bounty Hunters: 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15
Crimson Reign: 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21
Hidden Empire: 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28
29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34
Dark Droids: 35 · 36 · 37 · 38 · 39
~ 40
Trade paperbacks
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7
Other
Omnibus · Friends & Enemies Omnibus
Related media
Doctor Aphra (2016) · Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent
Audiobook Original (script)
Revelations (2022) · Tall Tales
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