CUE THE IMPERIAL MARCH! After a lifetime of betrayals, all DOCTOR APHRA's mynocks are finally coming home to roost. Murder-droids, Force-active spores, heartbroken lovers and vengeful lawmen — but they're all eclipsed by the tall, dark shadow that now falls across her. HE IS HERE.
As Darth Vader slaughters the doomed prisoners aboard Accresker Jail, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra explains to Magna Tolvan that the mairan Bor Ifriem can not only read minds but can also change minds and wipe memories. By purging her memories, Aphra reasons that this is the only way she can stop Vader from searching for everyone whom she could have told the secret of Vader's conspiracy to. Tolvan is unwilling to let her friend lose her memories and suggests that BT-1 could slow Vader down.
Knowing the powers of the Sith Lord, Aphra disagrees. As Vader disintegrates BT-1, Tolvan instead suggests that she be the one to wipe her own memories instead of Aphra. In her reasoning, Tolvan explains that Vader is here because of him. By purging her memories, she reasons that there will be nobody for Vader to follow or blame. Tolvan admits this plan is sloppy but affirms her love for Aphra. Despite Aphra's protests, Tolvan insists that it is an order. Aphra tries to argue Tolvan out of the idea but Tolvan is insistent and warns that Aphra does not know Vader like she does. An apologetic Aphra prepares Tolvan for the operation. Bo Ifriem purges Tolvan of her memories.
Lord Vader finds her eleven minutes later and interrogates the amnesiac Tolvan about Aphra. The Sith Lord even hurls the Imperial inspector against the ceiling. Aphra watches Vader's brutal interrogation three decks below, fearing for her friend's survival. However, she is cornered by a vengeful Lopset Yas, who is angry at Aphra for betraying him, and the bounty hunter Tam Posla, who has realized her deception.
Posla attempts to arrest Aphra in the name of the but Aphra ignites the green Jedi lightsaber. However, the lightsaber fizzles out since it has been covered in space mold for two thousand years. Posla remarks that Aphra has been defeated by the very "object of her avarice," which she regards as poetic justice. Before Posla can arrest Aphra, he is impaled from behind by 0-0-0's ("Triple Zero") three-pronged blade arm.
Triple Zero mocks Posla or his failure before turning his attention to Dr Aphra. He chides Aphra for ignoring him, warning that he can scoop out her eyeballs. However, Aphra is fixated on the hologram recording of Tolvan confessing that Aphra survived Vader's execution. Tolvan says that she helped Aphra because she loved her. Tolvan then claims that Aphra double-crossed her and left her to die and that she murdered her for the Empire. Tolvan also claims that she was trying to protect Vader's secret. After Vader cuts Tolvan down, Tolvan claims that she killed Aphra. Believing Aphra to be dead, Vader asks if Tolvan summoned her only to save herself and dismisses her as disappointing.
When questioned by the blood-thirsty Triple Zero, Aphra tells the droid that Tolvan volunteered to purge her memories. Triple Zero is unable to understand the meaning of love and sacrifice and derides Tolvan for living a miserable life. Meanwhile, Lord Vader orders his Imperial officers to bring Tolvan aboard the shuttle and escort her to his chambers for further interrogation. After Vader senses the presence of the hookworm spores, he decides to delay his return to his Super Star Destroyer Executor and tasks the officers with awaiting his return.
A gagged Tolvan attempts to communicate with the guards through combat stealth signals. One of the guards, who is an Ensign, notices that she is asking the major if they always park their squad near the shuttle. The major tells him to ignore the prisoner. Their shuttle is destroyed by a squadron of Rebel Alliance X-wing and A-wing starfighters led by Tan Leader. Tan Leader reports that General Hera Syndulla has completed the evacuation of rebel forces on Tiferep.
Since the Empire has paused Accresker Jail's collision, the rebels have decided to take advantage of the time window. Starros has retrieved her damaged Volt Cobra but warns the Alliance to expect a repair bill soon. Starros spots a red light approaching Tan Leader's X-wing and attempts to warn them. However, her warning comes too late and Darth Vader's lightsaber strikes the canopy of the starfighter, taking out the pilot and her ship. Due to Vader's presence, rebel forces order Starros to avoid contact with Vader in order to avoid repeating the events of the Battle of Vrogas Vas.
Vader fights with the hookworm spores, who have taken on the persona of the dead Jedi. Vader dismisses the hookworm spores as an echo and an urge without will. After defeating the spores with his Force powers, he orders the Executor to send another shuttle to evacuate him. Believing Aphra to be dead, he orders his crew to disengage the tractor beam and send Accresker Jail on a collision course with Tiferep Major. Elsewhere, Starros and rebel troopers evacuate the wounded Tolvan from the rubble of the shuttle.
Meanwhile, Triple Zero has captured Aphra and heads back to his ship only to find it wrecked. He calls out for BT-1 only to learn from Lopset Yas that BT-1 was destroyed in a confrontation with Vader. Poslet has located the astromech droid's parts. Lopset suggests that they could use Posla's ship but Triple Zero demands to know what he meant when his ship was destroyed. Lopset instead electrocutes Triple Zero with a blaster, incapacitating the droid. Aphra is about to thank Yopset for saving her life but is stunned by Lopset. Lopset departs with Aphra and the droids before Accresker Jail crashes into Tiferep Major, unleashing a cataclysmic wave of destruction. Vader informs an RA-7 protocol droid that Aphra has perished, unaware of her survival.
Aboard Posla's stolen ship, Dr Aphra awakes to find herself handcuffed to a bunk. Lopset reassures her that she is safe while working on the disabled Triple Zero's metallic body. Lopset reveals that his name is a pseudonym and that he is not actually a shapeshifter. He reveals that he is actually Dr Cornelius Evazan, who has been assuming false identities using a Pluripleq, a bioengineered squid-like creature. Evazan quips that Posla had his target all along but did not realize the deception. A shocked and horrified Aphra swears.
Dr Evazan compliments Triple Zero's processors, which had been design to prevent moral reasoning. He describes the droid as being programmed to be evil. Dr Evazan is fascinated with the malevolent droid. When Aphra recalls that Evazan claimed that he was an electrician while posing as Lopset. Evazan describes himself as a "cyborganic artist" and reveals that he has cut out his proximity bomb and placed it inside Triple Zero's personality core. He also reveals that he has linked Aphra's proximity bomb to Triple Zero's one. If she attempts to tamper with their explosives, they will die.
When Aphra asks why Dr Evazan would do this to them, Evazan replies that he is trying to plumb the depths of beauty and ugliness. He wonders if monstrosity is intrinsic or if it is something learnt. Dr Evazan compliment Aphra's mother Lona Aphra's saying that "evil is just a measure of how much your choices take away other people's choices." He decides to test this thesis on Aphra and Triple Zero. Evazan's Aqualish friend Ponda Baba enters the room. Evazan tells Ponda that he plans to watch Aphra and Triple Zero attempt to escape their explosives for entertainment after reactivating Triple Zero. While Evazan says that Aphra and Triple Zero were made for each other, Aphra sheds a tear.
Due to a printer error, pages 2–3 and 28–29 of Doctor Aphra 25 were printed into some second print variants of the Marvel comic book Return of Wolverine 1.
- UPC 759606086290; October 24, 2018; Marvel Comics
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