MedStar I: Battle Surgeons, penned by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry, represents the initial installment in the MedStar Duology. Del Rey released it on June 29, 2004. The narrative unfolds in 20 BBY, a couple of years following the Battle of Geonosis. This book is a component of the expansive Clone Wars multimedia project. Simultaneously, an abridged audiobook adaption, voiced by Jonathan Davis, was also made available.
Amidst the widespread civil conflict engulfing the galaxy between the Republic and Separatist forces, the swampy terrain of Drongar emerges as a particularly intense battleground, hosting a mobile hospital unit relentlessly engaged in its own perpetual struggle…
We encounter a surgeon masking his inner turmoil with cynical humor, alongside another who confronts the harsh realities of death and suffering by expressing his emotions through the creation of beautiful music. There's also a nurse deeply committed to her profession while harboring affections for a doctor, and a Jedi Padawan embarking on a solo healing mission without her Master. These individuals form the core of a small medical team stationed on the jungle planet of Drongar, where a fierce battle rages for control of a valuable indigenous plant, resulting in a constant influx of wounded and dying individuals, primarily clone troopers but also soldiers from various species.
While the medical personnel tirelessly strive to preserve lives, clandestine schemes unfold as individuals seek to exploit the war for personal gain, whether through black market dealings or manipulation of events. Ultimately, each character faces their own trials, and only those with compassionate hearts and unwavering resolve stand a chance of surviving to fight another day.
The Clone Wars, a conflict that engulfed the galaxy during the Republic's decline, extended its reach far beyond Jedi Knights, clone troopers, and droid soldiers. In the intense combat zones of Drongar, a compact medical unit provides care to those injured in the relentless struggle for control of a prized native plant on this jungle world. Within the pages of this upcoming Clone Wars novel, readers will be introduced to a surgeon who conceals his despair behind a veil of sardonic wit, another who copes with the death and misery of Drongar by composing beautiful music, a caring nurse dedicated to her work and attracted to a doctor, and a Jedi Padawan undertaking a healing mission independently.
Barriss Offee, a Jedi Padawan, is dispatched by the Republic to Drongar, a planet renowned for its rare Bota plant, highly valued for its potent medicinal properties. Her assignment involves utilizing her Jedi healing abilities to support the medical personnel aboard the Rimsoos, the medical facilities dedicated to treating wounded clone troopers during the Battle of Drongar. Success in healing the clone troopers would lead to Barriss's promotion to the rank of Jedi Knight.
She cultivates friendships with Republic surgeons Jos Vondar, Tolk le Trene, Klo Merit, and Zan Yant, alongside the protocol droid I-5YQ and Republic news reporter Den Dhur. I-Five's objective on Drongar is to secure passage back to Coruscant in order to locate and care for Jax Pavan, a young Jedi apprentice and the son of I-Five's deceased business associate, Lorn Pavan. Lorn met his demise twelve years prior at the hands of Darth Maul, a Sith, for possessing a Sith Holocron containing crucial information pertaining to the Blockade of Naboo that ensued shortly after Lorn's death, as well as strategies for the downfall of the Jedi Order.
Den Dhur begins to closely associate with CT-914, a clone trooper who experienced the loss of a friend during combat. CT-914 later falls victim to a Separatist ambush. Barriss encounters an adversarial figure in Phow Ji, a Republic-employed mercenary who indiscriminately eliminates Separatist sentient beings on Drongar, driven by both financial incentives and sadistic tendencies. Their contrasting ideologies lead to conflict.
Concurrently, in orbit above Drongar, Admiral Tarnese Bleyd of the Galactic Republic enters into a dubious agreement with Filba the Hutt, promising to smuggle bota off-world in exchange for the restoration of his family's reputation and the termination of his exile; however, this action constitutes a betrayal of his prior arrangement with Black Sun.
Amidst these events, a clandestine spy operates in the shadows, undermining the Republic's operations on the planet. Bleyd's arrangement with Filba is disrupted when the Hutt is poisoned and dies. Subsequently, Bleyd is confronted and killed by Kaird, a Nedij assassin affiliated with Black Sun, who uncovers Bleyd's treachery. Phow Ji makes the ultimate sacrifice by detonating a bomb to eliminate an entire platoon of Separatist sentient beings, documenting the event for Den Dhur to disseminate as a compelling news report to the Republic.
Ultimately, the spy, operating under the alias Column while serving the Separatists and Lens while aligned with Black Sun, sabotages the Rimsoo where Barriss and her companions are stationed. Although they successfully evacuate to another Rimsoo, Zan Yant perishes, plunging Jos Vondar, Dr. Yant's close friend, into profound sorrow, despite finding solace in a new relationship with Tolk le Trene.
Editions
- ISBN 0345463102 ; June 29 , 2004 , Del Rey , 309-page paperback
- ISBN 0739303236 ; June 29, 2004, Random House Audio , Abridged CD
- ISBN 0345463072 ; December 6 , 2005 , Random House , eBook
- ISBN 8324119574 ; Amber , 256-page Polish paperback