Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu 4

Summary by the Publisher

When one of his own questions Mace, his faith in the Jedi way is put to the test!

Synopsis of the Plot

A long time ago on Mathas, Jedi Master Cyslin Myr tells her Padawan, Mace Windu, that the inhabitants of the planet are suffering from the Niffin Plague, a terrible illness that slowly attacks the respiratory system and only affects those born there. When Windu asks what help they're giving the people, Myr says that while medical help isn't their job, they've set up a temple to give emotional and spiritual support to those who want it. However, the Jedi are on Mathas because Jedi Master Kez Velaz, who was in charge of the outreach program, hasn't been heard from in months. Reports say that a man named Drooz has moved in and is pretending to be a Jedi prophet and healer, taking advantage of the people and their suffering for his own gain, but he's actually a heretic. As the two Jedi get closer to the temple, Myr tells Mace that they're only there to check things out and arrest Drooz, but Mace disagrees because Drooz is twisting their sacred teachings to prey on vulnerable people. As they walk among the people in need and go into the temple, Myr tells Mace to calm down and turn his anger into something more appropriate, since violence should only be used as a last resort.

In the present day, Mace Windu and Prosset Dibs are fighting each other with lightsabers, and Mace tries to explain that they're brothers who were chosen to follow the same path, so he wonders how Dibs could throw it all away. Dibs argues that the Council has turned away from the Jedi teachings, and that fighting a war for peace isn't right. Mace defends their actions by saying that it's not what they want, but it's the only choice they have. He says that if he has to use a weapon to protect what he knows is right, then so be it, because they don't train with lightsabers for no reason. Rissa watches from a safe distance and begs Kit Fisto to stop the fighting, saying that it's wrong for them to fight each other because they're leaders who should be helping people during this war. While Fisto understands her point, he realizes that Dibs is learning a lesson that he might not be able to handle.

Going back to Mathas, a woman stands before Drooz and says that she's prayed in his name, but the Force hasn't answered her prayers. She begs Drooz to save her child's life, and the heretic explains that the Force is a complex power of nature and that he's supposed to be a conduit for its wisdom and potential. He asks if she's given herself completely to the Force, and when she says that she's tried everything but hasn't gotten an answer, Drooz tells the people that they can't say they've given everything to the Force and then come to the temple looking for handouts. He says that the Force acts on its own, and if you please it, you'll be blessed. Just then, Cyslin Myr and Mace Windu arrive and confront Drooz, who is shocked to see them. When they ask where Master Kez Velaz is, Drooz says that he's the only Jedi on Mathas and accuses the two Jedi of being imposters and heretics who have come to kill him and take advantage of the suffering they've all endured. Drooz runs away and orders his followers to kill the Jedi, but when Mace chases after him, he throws a thermal detonator at the crowd. Myr uses the Force to stop the explosion and protect the innocent people, and she tells her Padawan to keep going after Drooz.

Windu remembers these events in the present and says that he's seen what insecurity can do to people and how their minds can become twisted in their obsessive search for power. He says that the Jedi Order exists to protect people from this evil and to keep them safe, because peace is the most important thing. Dibs, whose mind is clouded by his beliefs, tells Windu that this only confirms what he already knows, and that he's going to cut ties and forge his own path so that he no longer serves the Council that only cares about itself.

When Mace says that he won't hesitate to hunt him down, the story goes back to Mathas, where Windu chases Drooz through the temple and finds himself facing his Gamorrean guards. Using the Force to guide him, Mace quickly defeats them all in hand-to-hand combat, but he's soon pinned down by blaster fire from Drooz. The heretic says that people are scared and stupid and need to be told what to believe. He says that Mathas is full of them, so he took advantage of the situation to gain money, power, and the worship of millions. Using the smoke from the explosion as cover, Mace sneaks up behind Drooz and asks him how he thought he could get away with twisting the faith of poor people before knocking him to the ground. As he holds his lightsaber over Drooz, Cyslin Myr arrives and tells her padawan to stop, saying that Drooz will pay for his actions, and that while she understands his anger, they have to be better than their enemies.

Mace agrees, and in the present on Hissrich, Mace also knocks Dibs to the ground and finds himself in the same situation. However, remembering his master's teachings, he stands down and takes Dibs back to their ship, where he's restrained and locked up. With the situation resolved, the Jedi can now focus on the current problem, which will start with a two-pronged attack on the Separatist base of operations to take out both the droids and the harvesters. To start their plan, Kit Fisto creates a distraction by attacking droids outside of the Separatist base and saying that they're being raided.

Media

Different Versions

• UPC 759606087617; November 29 , 2017 ; Marvel Comics [1] 00411; Cover A; Jesús Saiz[1] 00421; Cover B; Declan Shalvey 00431; Cover C; Rachelle Rosenberg, Will Sliney

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